Someone in Type-Moon, Starting from Adopting Sakura

"Well done!!"

Last night, when Artoria, Fionn mac Cumhaill, Gilgamesh, and many other Heroic Spirits began a chaotic battle in the port. Because she was constantly suppressed by her opponent, Artoria had no choice but to use her Noble Phantasm to break through the stalemate. She then took it upon herself to have Irisviel, who lacked self-preservation capabilities, leave the battlefield. She was going to have her final showdown with Fionn mac Cumhaill.

From Artoria's perspective, her decision was actually sound.

After all, in this battle, she, the strongest combatant, had been completely suppressed by the stronger Fionn mac Cumhaill, who had the home-field advantage. To avoid being slowly worn down and killed, her only option was to unleash her Noble Phantasm and go all out.

In a clash of Noble Phantasms, Artoria had absolute confidence in the holy sword she wielded.

However, as an artificial human, Irisviel's situation amidst the clash of two top-tier Heroic Spirits was self-evident. She also lacked the power to protect Irisviel while distracted. Therefore, letting Irisviel leave beforehand was indeed not an issue.

Moreover, Artoria knew that her Master, Emiya Kiritsugu, should be hidden nearby the port. If Irisviel returned the way she came, she would inevitably contact him, and with Emiya Kiritsugu's support, she would surely be able to retreat safely.

It was just that she hadn't anticipated that last night's battle wasn't just a suppression for her side; Emiya Kiritsugu's situation was even worse.

While facing the fierce assault of an enraged monarch, he not only had to survive but also think about how to counterattack. Naturally, he had no energy to go and support Irisviel, nor could he pay attention to Artoria's situation.

This led to a very dire situation, which was...

Artoria believed that Emiya Kiritsugu had already taken Irisviel to safety, while Emiya Kiritsugu thought Irisviel was still with Artoria. This created a disparity in information. It wasn't until they finally met that they discovered Irisviel had vanished. And by then, it was clearly too late to turn back and search for her.

This turn of events caused Emiya Kiritsugu, who had been lying on a cart and preparing to rest before considering his next move, to suddenly widen his eyes. He then exchanged an incredulous look with Artoria.

At this moment, Emiya Kiritsugu, already mentally exhausted from various accidents, felt as if the sky had fallen.

Not only had he failed to eliminate any of his rivals, but he had also been severely injured. Even the secret of his Origin Bullet had been seen through by the opponent. Now, even Irisviel, the trump card for this Holy Grail War, had disappeared right under his nose.

This undoubtedly made his already restless heart even more agitated. If he had to describe his current predicament, an old proverb would be quite fitting: losing the wife and the soldiers.

What's more, he didn't even know who was responsible.

At this moment, he could only flail about like a headless fly.

While Emiya Kiritsugu was in distress, what happened was actually not complicated.

Last night, engrossed in the mysteries of the two Origin Runes given to her by Scáthach, Aozaki Touko had holed up in a hotel in Fuyuki City.

She was so absorbed, and her concealment of her presence was so perfect, that even a certain lemon-headed individual controlling the battle from upstairs never discovered that a dangerous figure, wanted by the Clock Tower's Department of Law, was hiding right beneath his feet.

The subsequent outings of the two also happened to be at different times, resulting in Aozaki Touko not encountering this monarch.

It wasn't until Scáthach found her later and pulled her, with great reluctance, out of the ocean of Magecraft that Aozaki Touko, who had been neglecting her health, realized what a foolish thing she had done.

She had coincidentally chosen the same location as that lemon-head for her workshop. She felt a surge of fear, while also being grateful for her successful concealment. Otherwise, she would likely have been raided by Kenneth and his Servant today.

After clarifying the cause and effect, she did not hesitate and decisively chose to move. She then followed Scáthach to the next battlefield, appearing in place of Rovey.

As a Grand Magus and a wanted criminal who gave the Department of Law a headache, Aozaki Touko was naturally not foolish.

How could she not see the intentions of Scáthach and her junior disciple?

By approaching her, they hoped she would draw fire, taking on the targeting of the other Masters, while Rovey would continue to hide in the shadows and make his preparations.

It could be said that they were entrusting the most dangerous tasks to her.

If anyone else dared to make such an outrageous request of her, Aozaki Touko wouldn't even consider agreeing; she'd be doing well if she didn't kill them. Even as Rovey's friend, she couldn't casually treat her as a disposable item or a human shield.

She had originally wanted to loudly scold him for his immorality. However, the other party had given her too much.

Not to mention Rovey's substantial allowance, which was practically a sponsorship, Queen Scáthach's offer was even harder to refuse.

For every task she performed with Scáthach, she would be given an Origin Rune to study at her leisure.

Although Touko didn't consider herself that kind of person, given the Origin Runes and the countless amounts of funding, she didn't mind becoming a bit more accommodating.

And this was by no means because she was greedy; she simply wanted to contribute to her good junior disciple and fulfill her responsibility as an elder sister.

Yes, it must be that.

Thus, with the price agreed upon, Aozaki Touko and Scáthach rushed off.

Since Aozaki Touko, as a human, couldn't match Scáthach's speed, the latter entered the battlefield much earlier than her. As for Touko, she encountered something very interesting on her way to the port...

Due to her late arrival, Aozaki Touko happened to collide head-on with Irisviel, who was hastily fleeing the battlefield.

Upon seeing Irisviel, the artificial human from the Einzbern family who was suspected of being a Master, Aozaki Touko's lips curled into a wide smile, her expression as bright as a large chrysanthemum.

It truly is better to arrive at the right time than too early...

Who said she was late? Wasn't her arrival perfectly timed?

When she had seen the strange artificial human, Irisviel, on the street during the day, her heart had begun to stir.

Although the model looked no different from the artificial human she had captured some time ago, as a Grand Puppet Master, she could naturally discern the fundamental differences.

If Scáthach hadn't wanted to fight on the street, and if she herself couldn't defeat that Sword Servant, Irisviel would have been captured by her long ago.

Although the subsequent Origin Runes made her forget about it for a while, she still couldn't forget about this distinctly different artificial human. And now...

Isn't this a fortunate coincidence?

She actually ran into her here.

Since fate decreed it, she couldn't be blamed.

She would capture Irisviel first and then properly see if she was Saber's Master. If she was, that would be ideal. Without her Master, Saber would fall completely under her control.

It's fine if not, this homunculus has a deep connection with Emiya Kiritsugu. Perhaps using her as bait after her research is complete could yield surprising results.

In short, no matter what she did, she wouldn't lose out.

And so, while fleeing and searching for Emiya Kiritsugu to rendezvous, Irisviel unfortunately encountered the terrifying Aozaki Touko.

Although she was skilled in magecraft and began to fiercely resist in her own way, her magecraft level was truly inadequate in front of Aozaki Touko.

Furthermore, homunculi and puppets are quite similar things. After a period of investigation and research, Aozaki Touko had a general grasp of the Einzbern family's homunculus technology. Therefore, Irisviel's resistance was utterly meaningless before Touko.

To minimize any commotion and prevent the other party from attracting troublesome individuals, Aozaki Touko didn't even waste words. She immediately used Rune Magic for support and attacked Irisviel with a pre-prepared mystic code, aiming for surprise and knocking Irisviel unconscious.

Moreover, to prevent Emiya Kiritsugu from tracking her via electronic signals, she very professionally searched Irisviel thoroughly, threw her phone and other electronic devices into the sea off Fuyuki City, and then used concealment magecraft to stealthily bring her back to their base.

At this very moment, there's no need to overthink.

Emiya Kiritsugu, who lost his wife, and Saber, who lost her Master to protect, must be as anxious as ants on a hot pan, searching everywhere for the homunculus's whereabouts.

In other words, compared to the Heroic Spirit battle last night and the Master free-for-all, the biggest winner was actually her, who had always remained outside the fray.

Even Rovey, upon seeing Aozaki Touko carrying Irisviel back, couldn't help but be amazed by her actions.

Everyone was making efforts to probe and fight, but no one expected that Aozaki Touko, the sneaky one, would ultimately steal their base.

Without Irisviel, that trump card, Emiya Kiritsugu must be on the verge of jumping with frustration right now...

Rovey couldn't help but think.

"This is... the homunculus I saw during the day? Touko, you actually brought her back. Is she Saber's Master?"

Looking at Irisviel, who was tied up by Aozaki Touko, Scáthach, who was feeling unmotivated due to the unsatisfying battle last night, put down her racing magazine and looked at them with a somewhat surprised expression.

Last night, she had wondered where Touko, who should have appeared together, had gone. She didn't expect her to go and kidnap Saber's Master.

This truly surprised her.

"No, she is not the Master of the Saber-class Heroic Spirit; she doesn't have Command Seals. It's likely a smokescreen thrown out by Emiya Kiritsugu, but for now, she's my spoils of war."

"So it was fake then?"

Hearing Aozaki Touko's answer, Scáthach wasn't surprised.

After all, no normal family would choose a pure and innocent young girl like Irisviel to participate in a cruel competition like the Holy Grail War.

"Since she's not Saber's Master, how do you plan to deal with this homunculus? Kill her directly?"

Scáthach pointed at Irisviel, who was tied to a stone pillar, and uttered very cruel words with a blank expression.

After all, in her era, being captured by the enemy on the battlefield was no different from death.

On the battlefield, no one would show mercy to the enemy because of their beauty.

"Hmm..."

Aozaki Touko glanced at the tied-up Irisviel and replied indifferently.

"Her, I recall she has a deep connection with Emiya Kiritsugu, so we can use that relationship to do some things. However, I'm also very interested in her structure... This homunculus is clearly different from the other Einzbern homunculi I've obtained before. If possible, I really want to take her apart and study her thoroughly."

Although Irisviel possessed exceptionally beautiful features, in Aozaki Touko's eyes, she was merely a puppet created by alchemy. As a Puppet Master, she could tailor any appearance she desired, so she naturally wouldn't show mercy due to her beauty. If it weren't for her potential usefulness, Aozaki Touko would have already dismantled Irisviel into magical materials for research.

"Mmmph..."

On the other side, upon hearing Aozaki Touko's desire to dismantle her into magical materials for research, Irisviel, whose mouth was gagged, trembled in fear.

"So... you're still going to kill her?"

"Hmm, what a shame, but since we're on the battlefield, you'll just have to accept your fate."

Scáthach rubbed her chin and walked up to Irisviel, preparing to end her.

However, just as she was about to strike, Rovey stopped her.

He called out to Scáthach and said, "Wait, Caster, don't do it. She's not just any ordinary homunculus. This is the Lesser Grail created by the Einzbern family to achieve the Third Magic. She's also a key component in this Holy Grail War."

"Huh? Lesser Grail?" Hearing Rovey's statement, Aozaki Touko and Scáthach's expressions flickered slightly, and then they became interested.

"Tell us more?"

"Yes, this lady is the Lesser Grail specially prepared by the Einzbern family for the Fourth Holy Grail War. She is responsible for collecting and detaining the souls of Servants who are defeated or lose their Masters and cannot maintain their existence until the end of the war. The collected Servant souls will then perform an important task in the final stage of the ritual executed by the Greater Grail. She is also Emiya Kiritsugu's wife."

Listening to Rovey's narration and seeing the terrified expression on Irisviel's face, Aozaki Touko and Scáthach were convinced that Rovey was telling the truth, and their faces showed a hint of surprise.

Especially Aozaki Touko, who had initially thought she had captured a magically potent alchemical puppet, never expected to capture the Lesser Grail.

Compared to the Lesser Grail, it seemed that other matters had become less important...

After all, controlling this meant that the initiative for this Holy Grail War would completely fall into their hands.

Doesn't this mean that heaven is helping them?

Finally, she didn't forget to turn her head to look at Rovey.

"Tell me more about your information sources, and the next plan, such as which Master to target first."

"During this Holy Grail War, your lemon-headed teacher and a certain lagging junior have also entered the fray. With you included, the three of you could form a top-tier team. Do you really have no intention of utilizing this power even a little?"

Aozaki Touko raised her eyebrows at Rovey, her tone carrying a hint of playfulness.

As his old friend, she knew Rovey's methods very well...

When it came to matters of life and death or other important issues, he was undoubtedly the most reliable companion and friend. However, if you were to interact with him on a daily basis, you'd have to be careful...

This guy doesn't hesitate at all when he's trying to trick people. Although he'll offer compensation and apologize afterward, that feeling of being led around by the nose isn't exactly pleasant.

She didn't believe that with so many acquaintances and such a significant advantage, Rovey wouldn't have a plan.

Perhaps from the moment Kenneth and that mage named Weber appeared, Rovey had already decided their fates in his mind.

"Teacher Kenneth, and student Weber... Indeed, I haven't seen them in a long time. It's about time I went out to meet them."

After hearing Touko's words, a faint smile appeared on Rovey's lips, his mind already made up.

"But, Touko, how can you call this exploitation? We're just engaging in mutual assistance between teacher and student."

"As a teacher, it should be perfectly reasonable to look after a student who has strayed and found their way back during a brutal magecraft ritual, shouldn't it?"

"Heh heh..."

In response, Aozaki Touko merely offered a cold smile without saying anything. She knew this guy likely had another wicked scheme brewing.

At the same time, she couldn't help but mourn for that lemon-headed Kenneth. He was a talented mage, but taking on such a student—who knew if it was luck or misfortune?

However, none of that really concerned her.

Compared to the messy Holy Grail War, he wanted to focus on researching the legendary Third Magic, the art of puppetry...

Magic, magic...

To think that after so many years, she would have the chance to touch upon a power comparable to miracles.

What she had once desperately sought but couldn't obtain was now within reach. How could Touko, who had suffered because of it in the past, not feel excited?

Vaguely, the image of that annoying, scarlet figure, long sealed away in her mind, resurfaced.

"Tch, what an annoying memory..."

She sighed, then grabbed Irisviel, who was tied to the stone pillar, and dragged her into her room, ignoring her struggles.