Tohno Shiro maintained his smile as he sat before Irisviel. Then, he slowly let it fade and said steadily, "So, shall we exchange information now, Master of the Einzbern family?"
"Let me explain what happened next."
Mikaela stepped forward and calmly looked at Tohno Shiro. "Before we came to Fuyuki City, we received information that Assassin had already withdrawn."
"That's right." Tohno Shiro nodded, his expression utterly composed, though he could barely suppress the amusement in his heart.
"But Assassin has not withdrawn. He is still operating in the shadows. Tohno Family Head, someone has made you into a pawn." Mikaela spoke with some anger.
"What?! There's such a thing?!" Tohno Shiro showed a "surprised" expression for the first time, thoroughly playing along with Mikaela's "anger."
PS: "Everyone, please give me more recommendation votes~ If you give me a thousand recommendation votes today, I'll update ten chapters, okay? =.="
PS: "One hundred recommendation votes per chapter, today only~~~~"
Acting
"That's right."
Mikaela said righteously, "That Assassin used your Servant to fabricate the news that he had withdrawn! In reality, he planned to lurk in the shadows and kill my Master."
In truth, Assassin had not done anything to Mikaela or Irisviel, but this was the perfect time to throw mud at him!
"According to the intelligence, that Servant appears to possess the trait of 'duplication.' He sent one of his duplicates to die, most likely intending to hide behind the scenes and use Assassin's concealment abilities to kill unguarded Masters."
"Though he has not acted yet, if we are fighting enemy Servants while the Masters are left completely unprotected, the silent Assassin could easily kill them. That is why we called you here today, Tohno Family Head. There is only one goal!"
Mikaela stared intently at Tohno Shiro and said solemnly, "In the name of the Three Great Families, we hope the Holy Church will investigate Kotomine Kirei and determine whether he has truly lost his qualifications as a Master."
"This..."
Tohno Shiro had not expected Mikaela to be so ruthless! He had directly invoked the name of the Three Great Families to force him to investigate whether Kotomine Kirei had truly lost his qualifications as a Master.
Could Tohno Shiro possibly not know whether the other party had lost his qualifications as a Master?
Kotomine Kirei had previously told him that he had temporarily concealed the fluctuations of his Command Seals with magecraft. But if they inspected him in front of the Einzbern family, there was no way he could keep it hidden.
The Three Great Families had certain agreements. This was their Holy Grail War; everyone else was merely an outsider who had come to join the fray.
Whether it was the Clock Tower's prodigy, Kotomine Kirei, Rider's Waver, or that unknown magus who had yet to be identified, they were all "outsiders"!
If an "outsider" had the possibility of obtaining the Holy Grail, then the Three Great Families had to unite and form a temporary alliance against the "outsiders."
This was a rule left behind by their predecessors. No matter what, Tohno Shiro had to abide by it. If he chose not to, it would damage the Tohsaka family's reputation and expose his cooperation with the Holy Church.
Likewise... this was part of Mikaela's plan.
"Does the Tohno Family Head have some objection? Or perhaps... you have close ties with the Holy Church, so you staged this whole affair yourself?"
At that moment, Irisviel spoke. She stared at Tohno Shiro with an unfriendly gaze and said seriously, "I trust the Tohsaka family, of course. When facing outsiders, the Three Great Families stand as one. But the Holy Church is different."
The Mage's Association and the Holy Church had never been on especially harmonious terms. Though they had established a peaceful relationship in modern times, everyone knew what things were truly like beneath the surface.
Likewise, the Einzbern family had little goodwill toward the Holy Church. The Holy Church had once attempted to exterminate the Einzbern family, but fortunately, the Einzbern family had been powerful enough at the time to prevent them from succeeding.
Even so, the Einzbern family had always remained hostile toward the Holy Church.
"Master, please do not doubt Mr. Tohno Shiro. If he truly had such intentions, he would not have met with us." Mikaela persuaded the "angry" Irisviel, then looked apologetically at Tohno Shiro. "My Master has always believed that the Holy Grail War is a battle belonging to the Three Great Families, not outsiders. So after meeting Assassin's Master yesterday, she felt that the Holy Church had already intervened in this Holy Grail War."
"If they had not intervened, how could they so confidently guarantee that Assassin's Master had already lost his qualifications, while refusing to let us inspect him?!" Irisviel appeared quite "angry," as though she still held a grudge over what had happened yesterday.
"Is that so?" Tohno Shiro fell into "thought," seemingly considering Irisviel's words. Yet inwardly, he was already crying out in alarm. Wasn't this Einzbern homunculus pressing far too hard?
Tohno Shiro had originally believed this meeting was merely to discuss cooperation. He had not expected the Einzbern family to be so forceful, directly proposing that the Three Great Families unite and question the Holy Church over whether it had intervened in the Holy Grail War.
If the other side had intervened... then the situation would become exceedingly delicate.
The Holy Church had always maintained neutrality, declaring that it would not interfere in the Holy Grail War. As long as the Holy Grail War did not affect ordinary people or expose mysteries, the Holy Church would not intervene.
If one had to define its role, it was roughly that of staff responsible for cleaning up the mess. If one Servant caused a major problem, then the Holy Church had the obligation to gather the other Servants, have them temporarily ally with one another, and jointly eliminate that Servant.
However! If the Holy Church dared to shelter a Master who still possessed a Servant, then its position would become highly questionable.
Furthermore!!! Tohno Shiro had already secretly cooperated with the Holy Church. No matter what, he did not want the Holy Church's "impartiality" to be questioned.
"Then, did you see Assassin?" Tohno Shiro asked. There was no way to break the deadlock, so he could only change the subject.
"This..."
Irisviel and Mikaela suddenly exchanged glances, seemingly seeing the "difficulty" in each other's eyes.
"Hm?" Seeing the two suddenly fall silent, Tohno Shiro seemed to realize something and hurriedly pressed, "Don't tell me... you never saw Assassin?"
"About that, I'm sorry." Mikaela lowered his head, his tone somewhat subtle. "Though we believe Assassin has not withdrawn, we did not actually capture him. That is also why we wish to unite the Three Great Families and inspect Assassin's Master."
"Since we lack sufficient evidence, we cannot openly provoke the Holy Church." The "anger" around Irisviel seemed to have vanished as she sighed and looked at Tohno Shiro. "We can only make deductions based on the evidence we currently have, but there is no decisive proof. That is why we invited the Tohno Family Head here today, to see whether you have discovered anything."
"Is that so?" Tohno Shiro inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. They had truly scared him. He had thought they were determined to confront the Holy Church head-on, but it turned out they wanted to question the Holy Church only after joining forces with him and the Matou family.
Thinking about it, that was perfectly reasonable. If they had truly possessed decisive evidence, they would not have come looking for him.
With that thought, Tohno Shiro relaxed considerably. He once more wore an elegant smile and said, "That makes things rather difficult. Without decisive evidence proving that Assassin has not withdrawn, even the Three Great Families united cannot force the Holy Church to hand him over. After all, Assassin's Master is also a member of the Holy Church."
PS: "Are you guys demons? I suddenly owe eleven chapters... I'll never open another recommendation-vote bounty again!"
Swear by Family Honor
Apparently realizing that Irisviel had no evidence to cause trouble for the Holy Church, Tohno Shiro became calm and composed again. He maintained his elegant smile as he chatted cheerfully with Irisviel.
Although he said a great deal, he kept skirting the issue and repeatedly emphasized that they needed genuine evidence before they could trouble the Holy Church.
Irisviel seemed somewhat "angry," feeling that Tohno Shiro was far too weak! The Holy Church had clearly sheltered a Master, and if they confronted it directly, they could definitely force it to reveal a flaw.
However, this time Mikaela also stood beside Tohno Shiro, believing that his Master was acting too rashly. If they forcibly questioned the Holy Church, then after fighting Servants, who would handle the aftermath?
Battles between Servants were no simple affairs.
Just Mikaela's probing battle with Diarmuid last night had revealed as much. Though it had taken place in an abandoned factory, their battle had been so intense that nearby residents had called the police.
They claimed a gang shootout seemed to have broken out at the abandoned factory, and the gangs even appeared to be carrying heavy weapons! The explosions had been deafening.
Then, when the police prepared to intervene, the Holy Church stepped in and declared!
The explosions had been caused by a gas leak!
The residents pointed out that there were no gas lines installed at the abandoned factory...
But none of that was a problem. Under Suggestion Magic, those residents all believed the explosions had been caused by a gas leak.
"Sigh, forget it. Once Aila-chan investigates Assassin's identity, we can expose the Holy Church together." In the end, Irisviel sighed and finally accepted Tohno Shiro's proposal.
"Mm." Tohno Shiro nodded, clearly pleased with Irisviel's decision. He felt that the discussion was more or less over, so he picked up his magecraft cane and prepared to leave the café.
"Wait." Irisviel suddenly called out to Tohno Shiro.
"Is there something else, Master of the Einzbern family?" Though Tohno Shiro's voice remained elegant, his fingers had already settled on his magecraft cane.
It was daytime, and he did not believe Irisviel would be foolish enough to attack him here. Still, one could never be too careful. If she really did attack, then he would have to use a Command Seal immediately to summon Gilgamesh.
The reason was simple: only a Servant could deal with a Servant. The aftermath might become troublesome, but if he died, everything would be over.
Only by living could one have hope! Tohno Shiro understood that principle very well.
"You needn't be so worried. I merely wish to give you a piece of free information." Irisviel smiled at Tohno Shiro. "I heard that your wife gave birth to two daughters of exceptional talent. Is that correct?"
"Mm." Tohno Shiro nodded. There was no need to conceal such information. Anyone who investigated a little could learn that his wife had given birth to two highly gifted daughters.
"You adopted one of those daughters into the Matou family, did you not?" Irisviel picked up the unfinished coffee on the table and casually asked, "Is Old Man Matou in good health?"
Old Man Matou referred to Matou Zouken. Publicly, he was the former head of the Matou family. However, because there was no successor, his only talented descendant, Matou Kariya, had rejected the family's magecraft, refused to become the next family head, and decisively left the Matou family.
Perhaps because of that, after Matou Zouken discovered that his grandson, Matou Shinji, lacked even the minimum requirement for becoming a magus—magic circuits—he was greatly disappointed. He could only seek out Tohno Shiro and ask for a child with magical talent to be adopted by the Matou family.
If Tohno Shiro agreed, that child would be raised as the Matou family's heir.
That person was Matou Sakura.
"Not very well. According to him, he has less than five years left to live. The only reason he still endures is because the entire burden of the family rests upon him. He cannot simply die like this, or else how could he face the Matou family's ancestors?"
Tohno Shiro spoke with a hint of boasting. The Matou family was also one of the Three Great Families, and in the notes left by his ancestor, Tohno Nagato, the Matou family had occupied a substantial place. They described how glorious the Matou family had once been, and how its first head, Makiri Zolgen, had been a genius among geniuses.
The Command Seals they now used to restrain Servants were products developed by Makiri Zolgen.
"Is that so?" Irisviel did not say much. She merely sighed. "Sigh, it is a pity. The Matou family was once so glorious, yet now it has become filthy beyond measure."
"Hm?"
Tohno Shiro looked at Irisviel in confusion, unable to understand why she said the Matou family had changed.
"What do you mean by that?" Tohno Shiro grew curious. He did not understand why Irisviel had said such a thing.
"You still do not know? The Matou family's magecraft has regressed. Its original Butterfly Magic has degenerated into Bug Magic." Irisviel "casually" revealed information about the Matou family. In truth, this information was classified intelligence held by the Einzbern family.
Ordinarily, it could not be casually revealed to Tohno Shiro. If this information were leaked carelessly, it could very easily earn the Matou family's resentment.
To change from butterflies into bugs—such degeneration was an eternal pain in the hearts of any magecraft family!
Thus, to avoid meaningless conflict, the Einzbern family would not reveal information about the Matou family. However, Mikaela and Emiya Kiritsugu both felt that this was useful intelligence. Perhaps telling Tohno Shiro would produce an unexpected result.
"!!!!!"
Tohno Shiro's pupils contracted. He abruptly stood, his voice turning stern. "Einzbern homunculus, are you joking?! Degeneration?! Butterfly Magic degenerating into Bug Magic?!"
"Hm? Tohno Family Head, you truly did not know?" Irisviel looked at Tohno Shiro in apparent surprise, as though there was no reason for this information to be concealed.
"My apologies."
Tohno Shiro also seemed to realize that his reaction had been inappropriate. He took a deep breath, adjusted his emotions, sat back down, and stared at Irisviel. "You are not lying, are you, Master of the Einzbern family?"
"I swear upon my family's name." Irisviel raised one hand, guaranteeing it with the honor of the Einzbern family.
PS: "Stop giving me recommendation votes!!! I already owe nineteen chapters. I don't want to write anymore, I'm so tired."
Struggle
After receiving Irisviel's assurance, Tohno Shiro still maintained his elegant bearing as he left the café.
"He's quite good at enduring." Mikaela watched the departing Tohno Shiro, an unconscious smile appearing at the corner of his lips. "Nothing showed on the surface, but he actually forgot to dispel the Magic Barrier before leaving."
"His heart is in turmoil now." Irisviel casually dispelled the Magic Barrier. Though it would have dissipated on its own if left alone, Irisviel removed it herself for the sake of the café's business.
Magic Barriers that drove away ordinary people were something all magi had to learn. To avoid exposing mysteries, most magi instinctively set up a Magic Barrier that repelled ordinary people whenever they fought.
"Did the plan succeed?" Irisviel looked at Mikaela. She had just acted like an actress, cooperating with Mikaela, though she had spoken most of the lines herself.
However, Mikaela had written all the dialogue. If anything unexpected happened, Mikaela would suddenly interrupt and communicate with Tohno Shiro himself.
But neither of them had expected Tohno Shiro to behave exactly as anticipated, obediently sitting at the table and listening to Irisviel's words. Aside from one moment of "losing composure," everything had unfolded precisely as Mikaela predicted.
"No, not yet. No plan is ever foolproof." Mikaela casually produced a pipe and placed it in his mouth. He said calmly, "Three parts lie with human effort, seven with fate. We can only gamble that he will go to the Matou family and fight that Old Man Matou. Then we can step in and catch them both in one sweep."
"Magecraft families are merciless." Irisviel looked at Mikaela with some concern and sighed. "Perhaps in your worldview, family members are people who can always be trusted. But magecraft families can sometimes be far crueler than you imagine."
"..." Mikaela said nothing. He merely removed the pipe. Since he was outside, he could not transform into Victorious to think through the details. He could only rely on the pipe to keep himself "calm."
After all, he could not be completely certain whether Tohno Shiro would act according to his expectations.
In his life before last, Mikaela had heard that Tohno Shiro knew absolutely nothing about what Matou Sakura had suffered. According to the ideas of a certain Gen Urobuchi and Mushroom, if Tohno Shiro truly learned of it, he would very likely storm the Matou family's home and take Matou Sakura back.
Now, Mikaela could only gamble on that possibility. Of course... if Tohno Shiro lost his nerve, Mikaela would not suffer any loss. At worst, he could find Assassin and capture one of his duplicates, then have Tohno Shiro confront the Holy Church while spreading the news that the Holy Church was concealing a Master who possessed a Servant.
He would draw the other Masters' attention to Tohno Shiro, who had gone to confront the Holy Church. While Tohno Shiro negotiated with the Holy Church's overseer, Mikaela would secretly infiltrate the Holy Church and kill Kotomine Kirei!
"Double insurance, just in case." Mikaela lowered his pipe. For the sake of victory in this war, he had already considered far too many possible methods.
"Having a Servant like you is truly reassuring." Irisviel showed an innocent, radiant smile. Although her figure was fully developed, she was still only a nine-year-old child.
That was right. Irisviel was a homunculus, and her body had developed rapidly. Though she looked like a mature woman in her twenties, she was actually only nine years old.
"Reassuring? No... Irisviel, I am not reassuring at all." Mikaela shook his head. He did not consider himself a reliable person.
Everything he had done was only for victory. In order to "survive," he could ignore every tragedy. Even knowing this Holy Grail War would have no outcome, he would still insist on winning.
"No, Aila-chan is already very reliable. Your wisdom and your abilities are both precious treasures." Irisviel smiled gently, lightly taking Mikaela's small hand. "If we were not holding you back, you would probably be able to fully display your strength."
In the Holy Grail War, most of the mana required to manifest Servants was supplied by the Greater Holy Grail, while Masters merely provided a connection. However, the energy consumed in battle and daily life was borne directly by the Masters.
But Mikaela was an oddity. He could freely transform into powerful heroes, even into Gilgamesh, Tohno Shiro's trump card!
Mikaela could transform into him and even use his powers against him.
Unfortunately, the energy consumed by transformation, along with the energy required to manifest Noble Phantasms, would be enough to drain Emiya Kiritsugu into a dried husk.
Before you continue