The three-meter-tall gray wolf wore a savage expression. Having just crawled out of Little Red Riding Hood's corpse, it let out an excited howl, then swung its enormous claws at Aiga.
At that moment, Fujino also stopped praying. A massive magic circle appeared centered on her, and Rin, lying in Sakura's arms, felt a strange magical energy healing her wounds.
"Master, the temple is complete. Once you recover, take Sakura and run!"
Understanding Fujino's intentions, Rin anxiously reached out, trying to grab her.
"Stop, Fujino! If you turn into a Servant here, without a Holy Grail or leyline to supply mana, your Magic Circuits will burn out!"
Suddenly, a huge wolf's head was smashed into Fujino, sending the Fujino who had been preparing to turn into a Servant flying. As the Big Bad Wolf died, a dazed smile began to appear on Sakura's face.
Aiga slowly walked over to Rin. Ignoring Sakura, who stood frozen in place with a foolish smile, she snatched Rin from Sakura's arms and kissed her on the lips.
"Mm!"
Rin's first kiss had been stolen in a sudden attack, leaving her overwhelmed with embarrassment and indignation. She viciously bit Aiga's lip.
Aiga released Rin, used Healing Magecraft to heal her, then suddenly vanished from Rin's sight as she touched her bitten lip.
"Rin-chan, I look forward to our next date!"
"Sakura, Sakura!"
Hearing Rin call her, Sakura groggily opened her eyes. Looking at Rin, who was anxiously calling to her, she weakly murmured,
"Big sister!"
Remembering what had happened, Sakura hurriedly sat up, darted in front of Rin, and shielded her as she anxiously scanned the surroundings.
"Big sister, where's the enemy?!"
Seeing Sakura nervously looking around, Rin quickly reassured her.
"Sakura, it's all right now. We're back in the room."
Only then did Sakura come back to her senses after hearing Rin's words.
"Big sister, it's wonderful that you're okay!"
"Sakura, you're still very weak. Let me help you back to bed so you can rest."
"Okay!"
Rin helped Sakura back onto the bed, then carefully tucked her in.
After lying down, Sakura recalled the scene she had witnessed and asked Rin in confusion.
"Big sister, when I opened my eyes, I found you injured and lying there. What happened afterward? Did you defeat the enemy?"
Rin shook her head with lingering fear.
"Sakura, Aiga spared us. But if it hadn't been for you then, we might both have died there."
"Me?"
"Yes. Sakura, you awakened your Origin, but your Origin is far too dangerous. I had no choice but to use the Temple Spell to seal it away. Promise me, unless it's absolutely necessary, or until you can skillfully control that power, don't break the seal before then, okay?"
Hearing Rin's words, Sakura finally remembered what had happened after awakening her Origin.
Emotion. Sakura's Origin was emotion—more precisely, malicious emotion, twisted emotion. Through the amplification of emotions, Sakura's Fairy Tale Magecraft had seemingly transformed in the direction of a Dark Fairy Tale. At the same time, because the Fairy Tale Familiars were manifestations of certain negative emotions within Sakura, once the fairy tale characters she summoned were destroyed, the opposing emotions would intensely rebound upon her.
Little Red Riding Hood's killing intent had made Sakura shed tears of compassion, while the Big Bad Wolf's rage had left Sakura's "delighted" mind completely blank.
That was precisely why, to prevent the still-weak Sakura's emotions from becoming twisted, Rin had no choice but to seal Sakura's Origin after understanding it. Yet no matter what, it was a rare power. Rin had not completely cut off this path for Sakura, leaving the switch to break the seal in Sakura's hands, because Rin firmly believed that Sakura would one day be able to maturely control this power.
Sakura looked at Rin's grave expression and nodded in agreement.
"Big sister, where's Fujino?"
"Fujino was injured too. She's resting in the room next door."
"Big sister, you should go see Fujino too. She must want you by her side when she wakes up."
"Okay. Then get some proper rest, Sakura. I'll come see you again later."
With that, Rin left the room and entered the corridor of the train carriage.
"Finished talking with your little sister?"
"Yes. Lorelei, I'm sorry to trouble you these past two days. I never expected you'd be willing to help me, or that you'd guard us here for two days."
Leaning against the carriage, Lorelei haughtily turned her head away.
"I wasn't helping you! I was only interested in the person who defeated you."
Rin shook her head at Lorelei.
"Lorelei, even a Magus would be no match for that person. Stop being curious about her."
"Hmph! None of your business. Go check on your disciple already!"
After parting with Lorelei, Rin went to the next room and opened the door. Fujino lay motionless on the bed like Sleeping Beauty.
Rin walked over to Fujino's side and carefully adjusted the blanket over her.
Ever since Aiga had forcibly interrupted Fujino's attempt to turn into a Servant that day, Fujino had remained unconscious. She seemed as though she were trapped in a nightmare. Other than the occasional sound of breathing, she was just like Sleeping Beauty from a fairy tale, unable to awaken from her slumber.
Rin had used numerous methods to examine Fujino's condition, but she had found no abnormalities at all.
Just then, Fujino suddenly opened her eyes.
"Master!"
"Fujino! You're finally awake!"
Fujino looked at Rin in confusion.
"Master, have I been asleep for a long time?"
"Yes, Fujino. You've been asleep for two days!"
"Is that so? Master, I had a dream—a very, very long dream. There was a strange version of me in it, always saying something to me. Oh, right! She even taught me how to strengthen my Mystic Eyes... But I can't remember any of it now..."
Fujino pressed her temples in distress, trying hard to recall it.
Rin sat at the edge of the bed and hugged Fujino.
"It's okay, Fujino. It doesn't matter if you can't remember. As long as you're safe, that's enough!"
After settling the newly awakened Sakura and Fujino, Rin went alone to the dining car. After instructing a waiter to bring light food to Sakura and Fujino, she sat alone in the dining car, gazing at the scenery flashing past outside the window, seemingly deep in thought.
"Rin, how are things? Have Sakura and Fujino woken up?"
Rin turned around and nodded at Waver, who was slowly approaching with Gry.
"Yes, they're awake."
Waver sat opposite Rin with Gry.
"It's good that they woke up. Rin, why do you look so troubled?"
"I'm thinking about the person who attacked us. I have a feeling she's going to make another move!"
"She?"
Screech~~~
A sudden force of inertia hit Rin, Waver, and Gry, leaving the three of them somewhat disheveled. Then the train's broadcast sounded.
"Announcement! This train is heading toward the Child of Phul. This train is heading toward the Child of Phul. Please do not panic. We are handling the situation."
Screech~~~
Rin felt another surge of inertia press her toward the right.
"We regret to inform you that the train has entered the Child of Phul. Until service is restored, please ensure your own safety."
Feeling the train stabilize again, Rin turned to look out the window. The train, which had just been traveling through a sunlit plain, was now stopped within a withered forest swept by wind and snow.
"Am I really that much of a jinx?"
Rin rolled her eyes in self-doubt.
"Rin!"
Following the voice, Rin turned around and saw Lorelei, her face filled with excitement.
"Lorelei!"
"Hahaha! That old fox Traberio really didn't lie to me. Rin, the target is here. Come on, let's go!"
With that, Lorelei excitedly grabbed Rin and headed outside.
Dragged along by Lorelei, Rin helplessly turned back and called to Waver.
"Waver, please look after Sakura and Fujino with Gry. I'm counting on you!"
Having just stepped off the train with Lorelei, Rin could not help tightening her clothes and shivering in the wind and snow outside.
"Oh! Rin, Lorelei, you're here too?"
Kotomine Kirei had already brought Lainas outside. Standing in the wind and snow, he looked toward the front of the train, where Magi were preparing to burn down the forest to clear a path for the train.
Lorelei frowned at the Magi casting spells over there.
"What are they doing? Trying to kill themselves?"
Sure enough, the Magi who had just been smugly casting spells to burn the forest were soon impaled by several branches and hung from the treetops!
Looking at the impaled Magi, Lainas could not help remarking,
"They really are trying to kill themselves."
"Filthy Dead Apostles, die!"
Boom!
Legend had it that blood often dripped from the ripe fruit of Fools. Some of those drops of blood became seeds, sleeping underground for a time before choosing an evolution different from the parent—this final form was what was known as the Child of Phul.
Rin held her forehead as she watched Lorelei continuously cast spells in every direction, unable to stop herself from shaking her head. Rin could understand Lorelei. As a Bartholomello, Lorelei was born to hate all Dead Apostles, and that was only natural. But this inefficient approach would only exhaust her further and would do nothing to defeat the Child of Phul.
After casually firing a Storm Magic Bullet and smashing apart a large swath of "dead trees," Lorelei turned to Rin, who was standing beside her and merely watching, and could not help asking,
"Rin! Why aren't you doing anything?"
"Oh! Sorry, I got distracted. Go on, Witch-King Slayer!"
Rin casually tossed out a gemstone and summoned Witch-King Slayer.
Lorelei looked with satisfaction at the giant of flame Rin had created and praised her.
"Rin, I was right to choose you to share this glory with! As expected of someone I acknowledge. Come on, Rin, I'll support you!"
As she spoke, Lorelei deployed several magic circles and connected them to Witch-King Slayer's core, reinforcing Witch-King Slayer.
In an instant, under Lorelei's reinforcement, Witch-King Slayer's size multiplied, swelling to dozens of meters tall, while its temperature rose to nearly six thousand degrees—the temperature of the sun's surface!
Feeling the mana in her body suddenly being drained at an accelerated rate, Rin's eye twitched as she gave Lorelei a stiff smile. Ah! Damn it, I was only humoring her. What is this supposed to be? Wouldn't it be enough to just crush the Child of Phul's core? Why waste mana fighting this pile of rotten wood?
Without the slightest awareness of being a terrible teammate, Lorelei continued adding all sorts of Reinforcement Magecraft to Witch-King Slayer, drawing one miserable cry after another from Rin's heart.
Seeing the giant of flame rise in the distance, Lainas glanced at Kotomine Kirei beside her.
"Big brother, shouldn't we go help?"
Kotomine Kirei stood with his hands behind his back, facing the wind and snow as he looked at the giant of flame in the distance. Hearing Lainas's words, he merely shook his head.
"No need. When Bartholomello is dealing with Dead Apostles, aside from her teammates, anyone else who approaches will instead be treated as an enemy. We only need to wait here for our prey. Dr. Heartless, are you still not going to show yourself?"
Before you continue