The Clown / A Sense of Anticipation...

That was right. Gilgamesh used Gate of Babylon to carpet-bomb the ground with Noble Phantasms because it consumed very little mana that way.

But Mikaela could not do the same. After transforming into Gilgamesh, if he used Gate of Babylon once and deliberately spent a massive amount of mana to create dozens of Noble Phantasms as expendable weapons, then the mana drain... Emiya Kiritsugu would probably be reduced to a mummy.

(③④②⑨⑥⑦④⑥⑤)

Just dozens of Noble Phantasms were already that terrifying, let alone Gilgamesh's trump card, Gae Bolg!

"..." Looking at Irisviel, Mikaela felt somewhat helpless. With a sigh, he said, "That isn't my power. It belongs to someone else. Even if I use it, all I can do is fully wield someone else's power."

"Even so, you're already very powerful." Irisviel gave a mischievous smile and stood up as well. It would be dark in a few hours, so they needed to head back soon.

"Powerful?" Mikaela laughed at himself. If he were truly powerful, why would he have come to participate in the Holy Grail War?

But Mikaela would not dwell on the past. He followed Irisviel out of the café.

"!!!!!"

Suddenly, Mikaela stopped Irisviel and shielded her behind him. A card appeared in his hand as he stared solemnly at the blond youth standing in the doorway.

Dressed casually, Gilgamesh looked calmly at Mikaela. He seemed to have seen something, and an inexplicable smile curled across his lips. "Clown, struggle with all your might."

As soon as he finished speaking, Gilgamesh turned into golden motes of light and vanished.

It was as though he had come this time solely to take a look at Mikaela.

My wife!.jpg

PS: "Stop throwing recommendation votes at me. I really can't keep updating—I need to update my old book."

The Clown

"Father."

Inside the church, Kotomine Kirei looked at his elderly father and said evenly, "My teacher sent word that the Einzbern family seriously suspects us of manipulating things behind the scenes and concealing a Master with a Servant."

"Oh? And what did the Tohno Family Head say?" Risei Kotomine smiled at his entirely unruffled son.

The Holy Church and the Tohsaka family had always maintained a relatively good relationship.

Otherwise, the Holy Church would never have agreed to let an "Executor" join a magecraft family and undergo magecraft training.

Furthermore, Risei Kotomine had been close friends with Tohno Shiro's father.

And in their generation, Tohno Shiro was particularly close to his son. His trust in Kirei was no less than Kirei's desire to help him win this Holy Grail War.

"He will settle everything. But Assassin must stay well hidden and cannot be discovered by the Einzbern family's Servant. Otherwise, he will be put at a disadvantage as well."

Kotomine Kirei's expression remained calm. He now knew that his teacher had not gone to meet Emiya Kiritsugu.

Instead, he had gone to meet the Servant who had arrived last night and the Einzbern homunculus.

That made him breathe a sigh of relief, yet it also left him somewhat confused. Why had he been relieved?

He had clearly never met Emiya Kiritsugu. He had only learned about him through intelligence reports.

Yet whenever he thought about him, an inexplicable restlessness rose within him. He wanted to understand him, to know why he had come to participate in the Holy Grail War.

After that, he wanted to ask him what his wish truly was.

What wish did he want to make upon the Holy Grail?!

"Whew." Sensing that his thoughts had become muddled, Kotomine Kirei took a deep breath, beads of cold sweat appearing on his forehead.

While thinking about Emiya Kiritsugu, he had unknowingly finished speaking with his father. He was now walking toward his room, but the moment he opened the door, Kotomine Kirei froze.

The room he had tidied up only that morning was now somewhat messy, with countless empty bottles strewn across the floor.

Even the cabinet where he stored his liquor had been forcibly opened, and he had no idea where the lock had gone.

"..." Kotomine Kirei looked at the blond youth lying on the sofa and said indifferently, "Archer, why have you come here instead of staying with my teacher?"

"Though your room is smaller than Tohsaka's, its quality is far superior. As a disciple, you truly are disrespectful." Gilgamesh smiled and swirled the wineglass in his hand. "Still, I am in a good mood today, so I shall refrain from questioning you for now."

Kotomine Kirei silently began cleaning up the bottles. Upon hearing Gilgamesh's words, he suddenly stopped.

He looked at Gilgamesh and asked calmly, "If I recall correctly, you went with my teacher to meet the Einzbern family's Master and Servant today."

"Tohsaka went alone. I merely caught a glimpse of that clown while taking a walk." Gilgamesh gazed at the red wine in his glass as though he had spotted something amusing, an inscrutable smile appearing on his lips.

"Clown?"

Kotomine Kirei was puzzled. During their time together, he had already gained an impression of Gilgamesh through his teacher.

The man was exceedingly arrogant. Whenever he spoke with Tohno Shiro, he called everyone mongrels and seemed to look down on all those participating in the Holy Grail War.

But Kotomine Kirei had not expected this prideful king to use a different word.

"That's right. A clown." Gilgamesh looked at Kotomine Kirei as if he were more than willing to share his delight. Smiling, he said, "That 'Saber' is a clown—a clown in the truest sense."

"...The Einzbern family's Servant is Saber?" Kotomine Kirei looked somewhat surprised. According to their assumptions, the other party should have been Caster.

Yet it turned out to be Saber?

The class known as the strongest in the Holy Grail War, Saber, was a little girl? How was that possible?!

And she did not look anything like someone who used a sword!

"You seem surprised. But that is only natural. Even a clown possesses abilities of his own." Gilgamesh seemed quite pleased with Kotomine Kirei's expression.

If he had acted composed like Tohno Shiro, insisting on feigning calm when surprise was called for, Gilgamesh would instead have felt slightly displeased.

"He hides himself well, like a rat in the sewers. Though he bears the traces of those people, he does not dare confront them head-on." Gilgamesh wore a mocking expression. He had seen it very clearly.

That 'Saber' carried the aura of many, many people.

After putting away the bottles, Kotomine Kirei stood before Gilgamesh and said flatly, "The traces of those people? He is a Servant, a hero from the past. It is perfectly normal for him to bear the traces of others."

"What if I told you that this 'Saber' is an ordinary person?" Gilgamesh drained the wine from his glass and laughed with evident pleasure. "He is no hero. He is merely an ordinary person."

"How is that possible?!" Kotomine Kirei was deeply shocked. Any other Master who learned this would probably show the same expression.

How could an ordinary person possibly be summoned as a Servant?! It completely defied common sense.

"How is it possible? There is nothing impossible in this world." Gilgamesh raised his wineglass and looked at its faintly translucent surface through the dim light. "When an ordinary person comes into contact with those who are not ordinary, he is no longer ordinary."

"A child's soul is pure and spotless, while a mongrel's soul is filthy beyond measure. That 'Saber' is a child, yet he has also been tainted."

"His soul carries the traces of countless people. What was once pure has become utterly filthy, as though anyone could come along and add their own color to it. It is unpleasant to behold." Gilgamesh looked at Kotomine Kirei and smiled. "A man who has turned his own soul into a riot of colors—if he is not a clown, then what is he?"

"You want him?" Kotomine Kirei seemed to see through something. Looking at Gilgamesh, he asked calmly, "If that 'Saber' had not been stained with other people's colors, would you have taken him for yourself?"

"No, how could that be? Pure souls may be rare, but if I search carefully, I can still find them." Gilgamesh stood, wearing an arrogant smile. "But I very much look forward to seeing when his performance will end."

"When the clown's act is over, I will decide from his performance whether he deserves a reward or punishment."

PS: "I owe 25 chapters. Heavens!!!! Are you people demons?!!"

Anticipation

After finishing his conversation with the Einzbern homunculus and Servant, Tohno Shiro relayed most of the information to Risei Kotomine and Kotomine Kirei.

At that moment, Tohno Shiro sat quietly in his home, leafing through intelligence on the Matou family recorded by his predecessors.

Of course... this intelligence came from notes left behind by his ancestor, Tohno Nagato.

They roughly detailed the Matou family's first head, Makiri Zolgen, along with the magecraft passed down through their family.

"Bug Magic is also one of the Matou family's inherited magecrafts. But Butterfly Magic... is something above Bug Magic."

"Then why did that Einzbern homunculus tell me about it?" Tohno Shiro tapped on the table, his normally elegant expression showing a trace of impatience.

When he entrusted his daughter Tohsaka Sakura to the Matou family, he had thought it over carefully.

Though Sakura's Imaginary Number attribute did not match the Matou family's magecraft, Old Man Matou had assured him that he would use gentle methods to alter Sakura's body and make her suitable for the Matou family's magecraft.

Moreover... after Sakura was adopted into the Matou family, she would be their last remaining child with magecraft talent.

Though she was an adopted daughter, she would inherit the Matou family's Magecraft Crest in the future.

In the next Holy Grail War, there might be a situation in which the sisters killed each other, but regardless of which side won, in a sense... it would be a victory for the Tohsaka family.

That was why Tohno Shiro had been reassured enough to hand Tohsaka Sakura over to the Matou family...

Though he believed his information was not wrong, after hearing the Einzbern homunculus's words, Tohno Shiro felt as though he had overlooked something.

"Today was truly enjoyable, Tohsaka. Aren't you going out for a stroll?"

Just as Tohno Shiro was troubled, Gilgamesh, once again dressed in extravagant gold, looked at the deeply worried Tohno Shiro sitting on the sofa. An unreadable smile curled over his lips.

"King."

Seeing Gilgamesh enter, Tohno Shiro concealed his expression and stood, assuming the posture of a subject before his ruler.

Though he was troubled within, Tohno Shiro still showed Gilgamesh sufficient respect.

After all, this king was a notorious tyrant in history.

If he angered him, Tohno Shiro could not guarantee what King Gilgamesh might do. Basic respect was therefore essential.

"It seems you have encountered some difficulty." Seeing Tohno Shiro deliberately conceal his expression, Gilgamesh's smile became increasingly delighted. This was the first time he had "proactively" initiated a conversation with Tohno Shiro.

"No, my King. I have encountered no difficulty. There are merely some family matters requiring attention." Tohno Shiro completely hid his emotions and said calmly, "Such matters need not trouble my King."

"Oh? Is that so? Very well. I would like to see how you handle your family affairs." Gilgamesh laughed heartily, once again transforming into golden particles and disappearing from the room.

Perhaps it was Gilgamesh's remark that made Tohno Shiro finally reach a decision. He headed toward the basement.

Through a magecraft phonograph, Tohno Shiro contacted Kotomine Kirei, who had been preparing to rest.

"Teacher, is something the matter?" Kotomine Kirei was slightly surprised. He had contacted Tohno Shiro only an hour ago. Why was he looking for him again now?

"Kirei, I want Assassin to investigate the Matou family." Tohno Shiro said calmly. "Though it may put you in a difficult position, having Assassin, who excels at gathering intelligence, infiltrate the Matou family is undoubtedly the best option."

The Matou family, much like the Tohsaka family, had set up numerous Magic Barriers. If ordinary people dared break in, they would not even know how they died.

Thus, sending Assassin was the best choice. Their infiltration abilities were simply too formidable.

"What needs to be investigated?"

Kotomine Kirei suddenly thought of the "performance" Gilgamesh had mentioned. Had his teacher fallen into a trap?

"Investigate... whether Sakura is living well. And observe the Matou family's Servant while you are at it." Tohno Shiro felt that something was wrong with his state today.

Clearly, all he had to do was focus entirely on the Holy Grail War and ignore everything else.

Yet Irisviel's words were like a thorn lodged in his heart, making him extremely uncomfortable. If he did not investigate, something unforeseen might happen.

As the head of the Tohsaka family, Tohno Shiro believed he absolutely could not suffer an unforeseen defeat. He was perfect.

Whether before outsiders or his own family, he had to be perfect.

If there truly had been a change within the Matou family, then... he would deal with it when the time came.

"Understood." Kotomine Kirei nodded. He did not tell Tohno Shiro what Gilgamesh had said, because something within him kept telling him—

His teacher surely already knew this information, so it was better not to mention it.

"To have a disciple like you is my greatest fortune, Kirei." After entrusting the matter to Kotomine Kirei, Tohno Shiro seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

"You overpraise me, Teacher." Kotomine Kirei was modest. This was simply what he ought to do.

After ending the call with Tohno Shiro, Risei Kotomine came over as well. Looking at his son, he asked in confusion, "Why is Tohsaka looking to make trouble for the Matou family?"

Sending a Servant to invade the Matou family was undoubtedly a provocation.

Even Assassin, who excelled at infiltration, could not guarantee that he would never be discovered after sneaking in.

There was a certain degree of risk involved. If things went badly, the Holy Church would be dragged into trouble as well.

The Einzbern family already believed that the Holy Church had broken the rules, intruded into the Holy Grail War without authorization, and compromised its neutrality.

If not for the lack of concrete evidence, they would have already joined forces with the Three Great Families to trouble Kotomine Kirei and Risei Kotomine.

"I don't know. But one thing is certain: Teacher must have his own reasons for doing this." Kotomine Kirei said calmly. "Besides, the Matou family is indeed very mysterious. We can use this chance to investigate them as well."

"Indeed. Old Man Matou is quite strange. Some of the church's higher-ups have always wanted to learn his true nature, but he hides himself too well, and we had no way to begin. Now that we have Assassin, we can look into his background." Risei Kotomine also felt his son made sense and decided not to dissuade him further.

"The Matou family."

After dispatching one Assassin, Kotomine Kirei began to ponder what the Saber Gilgamesh called a "clown" was trying to do.

Did he hope his teacher would fight the Matou family? That could not be right.

His teacher was extremely cautious. For this Holy Grail War, he had prepared for many years.

He had even used the relationship between the Tohsaka family and the Holy Church, all to win this Holy Grail War.

"Heh." Suddenly, Kotomine Kirei smiled without realizing it. He had actually begun to look forward to how the story would unfold.

My wife.jpg

PS: "I still owe 24 chapters. It feels like yesterday's four updates were no update at all... Aaaaaahhhhhhh!!! I don't want to write! I want to slack off."

PS: "The recommendation-vote bounty is over! I won't offer recommendation-vote bounties again! You people are demons."

Something Felt Wrong

By evening, Mikaela and Irisviel had returned to the castle Einzbern had set up in Fuyuki City. The two of them had gone to many places today, but unfortunately, they had not encountered any Servants or Masters.

Other than Kayneth, whom they had met by chance, and Tohno Shiro, whom they had deliberately met, they had not seen any other Masters or lone Servants.

That led Mikaela to casually buy several newspapers and return to the castle with Irisviel. Emiya Kiritsugu and Maiya Hisau had not returned yet.

"Today was exhausting." Irisviel claimed to be tired, but she did not actually feel very fatigued.

She was a homunculus, and her physical strength was several times greater than that of ordinary people. Ordinary shopping would hardly burden her at all.

Mikaela casually set the newspapers he had bought on the table, then looked at Irisviel and asked calmly, "Coffee or tea?"

"Tea." Irisviel sprawled across the sofa, looking extremely lazy, her posture utterly devoid of elegance.

"...Watch your posture. I'm a boy." After glancing at Irisviel, Mikaela did not press the issue. Though the noblewoman's pose was somewhat suggestive, he merely warned her before going to make tea.

"Okay~"

In truth, this was not the first or second time Mikaela had cautioned Irisviel, but she herself acted as though it did not matter.

If Mikaela were truly interested in her body... there would be nothing she could do to stop him.

Mikaela could directly turn into her, find somewhere empty, strip off his clothes, and admire himself in a mirror.

But Mikaela had behaved like an exceptionally proper gentleman. He had always reminded Irisviel to mind her image.

Though there were no outsiders around, she still needed to respect the fact that he was a man.

"Sigh." Mikaela looked at Irisviel's utterly unconcerned face and sighed helplessly before going to make tea.

Just as he finished brewing the tea, Emiya Kiritsugu and Maiya Hisau returned as well. They had spent most of the day going around the city, setting up numerous useful contingencies.