After the Holy Church issued its summons, ordering all Masters and Servants to temporarily set aside their conflicts and focus on eliminating Caster and his Master, Mikaela went out alone, leaving Emiya Kiritsugu, Irisviel, and the others in the castle.
"Kiritsugu." Irisviel looked worriedly at Emiya Kiritsugu. From their conversation just now, she could clearly sense that something was wrong with his mood.
"Iri."
Emiya Kiritsugu clenched his fists. Still seated on the sofa, he said emotionally, "Actually, I know Saber was right. He was right. If we sacrificed those unimportant people, we could gain an enormous advantage in this Holy Grail War."
Mikaela was very clever. He knew how to secure the greatest advantage for their side. Openly, he and Irisviel had used highly seasoned methods to establish the foundations of cooperation with three Masters.
As for combat strength, Mikaela had also told Emiya Kiritsugu that, without revealing his trump cards, he was confident that he could kill Tohno Shiro's Servant—the strongest Servant in this Holy Grail War—with a single strike.
That's right! One strike! As for what kind of "Noble Phantasm" could be that powerful, Mikaela merely gave Emiya Kiritsugu a look that said he could not speak of it, because it was his secret.
Of course, the prerequisite for killing Gilgamesh in one strike was that Mikaela could not reveal anything that might make him see him as a threat. He had to make Gilgamesh think he was weak!
Only then would he have a chance to cut him down in a single blow.
If he kept fighting Servants, then should anything unexpected happen, Mikaela could only deal with them by transforming. That way, the others might not say anything openly, but they would definitely become deeply wary of him.
Having obtained such a cautious Servant, Emiya Kiritsugu felt happy inside. He believed they could work together perfectly, and if all went well, they could claim victory in this Holy Grail War.
"Kiritsugu, then why?" Irisviel was also confused. She knew Emiya Kiritsugu well. By all rights, he should not have argued with Mikaela just now.
"If I decided to abandon everything and run away now, Iri, would you come with me?"
Emiya Kiritsugu spoke, his voice trembling slightly. "Saber was right. Other people have nothing to do with him. His only goal in joining the Holy Grail War is himself. I'm thinking... could I be like him?"
"For the sake of my family, sacrificing everything to fulfill the wish of 'going back.'"
Previously, Emiya Kiritsugu had avoided Mikaela not because they were incompatible, but because he feared being influenced and infected by Mikaela's "ideal."
He had joined the Holy Grail War for the sake of the entire world, while Mikaela had been doing everything he could to assist Emiya Kiritsugu and help him win this Holy Grail War so that he could go home and return to his family.
Now, Emiya Kiritsugu thought of young Illya, as well as Irisviel and Maiya Hisau, who had stayed by his side without fear of danger. A surge of impulse rose within him. He wanted to abandon this Holy Grail War, stop being a so-called ally of justice, and instead become a father, a husband... devoting all his time and energy to them.
"What about Illya? What about that child at Einzbern Castle?!" Irisviel had never expected Emiya Kiritsugu to say such things.
"I'll return to Einzbern Castle and kill everyone who stands in my way! Your body, and Illya's body! I'll do everything I can to heal you both!!! Then! Then!! I'll devote all my time to you!" Emiya Kiritsugu was extremely emotional. He knew this was his final chance.
If he waited until tonight's operation was over, it would be completely too late for him to withdraw from the Holy Grail War.
Tonight! One Servant would definitely be eliminated. Once one Servant was gone, then Iri... and I... would no longer be able to escape the Holy Grail War.
Maiya Hisau stood beside Emiya Kiritsugu. She closed her eyes, using her silence to state her position. No matter where Emiya Kiritsugu went, she would follow him.
"Believe in Saber. He will bring you victory." Irisviel looked at the deeply agitated Emiya Kiritsugu, walked to his side, and gently embraced him. She could feel that her husband was sincerely thinking of her.
He did not want her to die. Whether their side won or lost this Holy Grail War, she would still pass away... becoming the Lesser Holy Grail so that Emiya Kiritsugu could make his wish.
"Victory no longer matters." Emiya Kiritsugu raised his head, confusion flashing through his eyes as he looked at Irisviel. "I already possess the most precious thing in the world, yet I was going to sacrifice it for my ideals."
"This is my honor." Irisviel revealed a gentle smile. She rubbed Emiya Kiritsugu's hair and said softly, "After this Holy Grail War ends, you must protect Illya."
"Maiya." Irisviel shifted her gaze to Maiya Hisau, who stood beside Emiya Kiritsugu.
"Madam." Maiya Hisau opened her eyes. Still looking at Irisviel without the slightest emotional fluctuation, like an emotionless robot, she said flatly, "What are your orders?"
"After I die, you must take good care of Kiritsugu. Like Saber, keep a close eye on him and don't let him pick up bad habits." Irisviel was like someone on the verge of departing, wanting to entrust everything she possessed to another person.
A trace of surprise flashed through Maiya Hisau's eyes. She did not understand why Irisviel would entrust Emiya Kiritsugu to her. Her lips parted as though she wanted to say something, but seeing the sincerity in Irisviel's eyes, she finally nodded. "Yes, Madam."
"All right, Saber has already left. How about we make something to eat tonight? I'm rather confident in my cooking."
Irisviel suddenly stood up and walked toward the kitchen with a smile across her face, seemingly unconcerned about her future at all.
"..." Watching Irisviel's departing figure, Maiya Hisau and Emiya Kiritsugu both fell silent.
"Should I knock Madam out?" Maiya Hisau seemed to have been moved by pity. She said flatly, "If we take her away now, then everything will be over."
"..." Emiya Kiritsugu wanted a cigarette.
But Maiya Hisau was faster. She took the cigarettes from the table and casually threw them into the trash.
"No. This is Iri's choice, and mine as well." Unable to get a cigarette, Emiya Kiritsugu could only drain the black tea in his cup. The confusion in his eyes had vanished, replaced by resolve.
No matter what, he had to win this Holy Grail War! Even if he had to wager Iri's life.
Under Currents Stir
After the Holy Church issued the order to eliminate Caster and his Master, many people began to act, though there were also several exceptions.
"Caster and his Master?" In a rather luxurious hotel, Kayneth sat on an expensive sofa and yawned. Looking utterly uninterested, he asked Diarmuid, who stood beside him, "What do you think, Lancer?"
"My Lord, I believe that villain must be punished!" Diarmuid nodded, looking at Kayneth seriously. "Dragging innocent people into the Holy Grail War and brutally killing them—I believe someone like that must be eliminated!"
"It is necessary." Kayneth nodded in agreement with Diarmuid. In a flat tone, he said, "A lowborn fool who does not even understand the need to conceal magecraft—if he continues like this, Fuyuki City may very well face a crisis."
"If I were not here, that would be one thing. But since I have joined the Holy Grail War here, I shall give that third-rate magus a small lesson."
By this point, Diarmuid was already very excited. His Lord's meaning was perfectly clear.
"However, it is indeed getting late tonight, and I need to chat with Sola. Lancer, go eliminate that filthy magus in my place." Kayneth spoke casually as he rose from the sofa.
He did not care about this matter. Or rather... he had only come to participate in the Holy Grail War as a vacation, adding an anecdote worthy of being called a "military achievement" to his life along the way.
Though he was a researcher and not adept at actual combat, how could a genius like him possibly think that mere fighting could trouble Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald?!
"My Lord?! Then what about your safety?!" Diarmuid became flustered. While he was delighted that his Lord had ordered him to subjugate Caster, his Lord's safety was the most important thing in his eyes!
"Me? Do you really need to worry about me?" Kayneth seemed somewhat impatient. With a wave of his hand, he calmly said to Diarmuid, "The Magic Workshop I created is enough to protect my safety. Even if Assassin comes, he will not be able to break through it completely. If it truly comes to that, I will use a Command Seal to summon you back."
Seeing the supremely confident Kayneth, Diarmuid did not know what else to say. Yet beneath his helplessness was even greater joy. As expected, he had encountered the greatest Lord.
"In the name of El-Melloi, Lancer, find Caster and his Master, then kill them. If you truly cannot find them, then tomorrow I will act personally and find that third-rate magus who does not understand concealment."
After saying that, Kayneth returned to his room, preparing to have a long-overdue conversation with his beloved fiancée, even though only ten hours had passed since their last conversation.
"As you command." Since things had come to this, Diarmuid did not object further. He immediately turned into spirit form and left the room at top speed, heading out to search for Caster and his Master.
"What did you say?!"
Matou Kariya, who had been wandering outside, suddenly received a call from his childhood sweetheart, Zenchou Aoi—no... she should now be called Tohsaka Aoi.
"Rin came to Fuyuki City?! When?!" Matou Kariya's voice was extremely anxious. Crest Worms were constantly devouring his body, but through sheer willpower—or rather... because he did not want to reveal his "unsightly state" before his childhood sweetheart—his voice sounded almost normal.
Tohsaka Aoi on the other end of the line likewise did not notice anything strange in Matou Kariya's voice. But she was so frantic that she could no longer care about that.
"I don't know either. When I came home after buying groceries, Rin was already gone. She left me a note saying she had gone back to Fuyuki City to find Kotone." Tohsaka Aoi had completely lost her composure. She knew very well what was happening in Fuyuki City, which was why she had called Matou Kariya. She knew he happened to be in "Fuyuki City" recently.
"Kotone?" Hearing this unfamiliar name, Matou Kariya felt little reaction. He was not particularly clever, but he immediately thought of how the Holy Church had said that Caster and his Master were abducting large numbers of children, causing a severe public safety crisis.
Although Matou Kariya had no interest in this matter and only wanted to cause Tohno Shiro trouble, hearing that Rin Tohsaka had come to the city to search for someone named Kotone changed things.
Then Kotone must be around Rin's age, and the reason she had disappeared was very likely because Caster or his Master had captured her.
Rin must have brought a Magic Crest with her when she came to Fuyuki City. If it was a tracking Magic Crest, then she would surely have a way to find her friend. If that was the case... she might also be captured by Caster or his Master.
At that thought, Matou Kariya could no longer remain calm. He hurriedly said, "I'll help you find Rin. Once I find her, I'll call and let you know."
With that, Matou Kariya hurriedly hung up. The sickly air around him had vanished, replaced by determination that filled his entire body. This might have been the first time he felt how wonderful it was to possess power. For the person he loved, he could do anything.
"Berserker, let's go!" Dragging along his body tormented by Crest Worms, Matou Kariya called out his Servant and slowly walked into the darkness.
"..."
A figure wreathed in black aura appeared beside Matou Kariya. Like a knight, he closely followed behind him, protecting his Master.
Elsewhere, Tohsaka Aoi, whose call had been disconnected, fell into a brief daze. She had called Matou Kariya because she wanted him to inform Shiro that Rin's life was in danger.
Because Tohno Shiro did not have a modern mobile phone, Tohsaka Aoi, who could not use magecraft, had no way to inform him in such an emergency. She could only call Matou Kariya.
Tohsaka Aoi continued calling Matou Kariya, but although she had been able to get through just moments ago, the call now would not connect.
This filled Tohsaka Aoi with despair. But she could not continue like this. If she did not hurry to Fuyuki City and tell Shiro, then it would not only be Rin! Even Kariya, an ordinary person, would be in danger.
My wife!.jpg
PS: "As expected, monthly tickets are worth more than recommendation tickets. (Grin) So far I only owe one chapter. Next time, I'd better not offer bounties for recommendation tickets. I'll just keep offering monthly ticket bounties—I still owe 22 chapters now."
PS: "Originally, I wanted to settle the monthly tickets in one day, since I was scared of getting swamped again and ending up owing more than ten chapters. But... I still have plenty of room! Let's extend it until the 16th."
My Dad Is Shiro
Tonight, undercurrents surged. Mikaela had transformed into a "harmless" young girl and was walking down the street. She held a rag doll in her arms, looking like an innocent little girl wandering through the city.
"Hmm hmm hmm~~~"
Humming a cheerful tune, Mikaela looked around at the empty streets. She suddenly stopped and said calmly, "It feels so quiet."
"There aren't any ordinary people on the streets either. It's so different from this morning."
"But even so, it's far too quiet tonight. The Holy Church probably intervened because it did not want ordinary people getting involved in magi battles."
Mikaela muttered to herself. She had witnessed Kayneth and Tohno Shiro's magecraft this morning, so she naturally understood that, if they paid a certain price, they could make people who liked to go out at night obediently stay at home.
This morning, Mikaela had acted together with Irisviel, so she had seen how "lively" Fuyuki City was. Yet it was only around eight in the evening, and there was not a single person on a randomly chosen street. The surroundings were unnaturally quiet, and she had not even seen any stray cats or dogs.
Therefore, the Holy Church had definitely used some special magecraft. Or perhaps Tohno Shiro had acted personally to make things easier for the Servants.
Of course, none of that concerned Mikaela. His goal now was to find Ryunosuke, then lie in wait near him and see whether he could find Caster along the way.
"Hmm." Thinking of this, Mikaela revealed a bright smile and wandered down the street while humming. He was quite confident in his disguise. The person he had transformed into was a girl named Abigail. Before undergoing her second-stage transformation, all Servants and Masters would think she was merely an ordinary girl.
As for magical energy consumption, as long as he did not activate Abigail's Noble Phantasm, Emiya Kiritsugu's magical energy should be able to endure it. Her normal attacks would also be enough to instantly kill Ryunosuke and hold Caster off for a while.
Although he was wandering around, Mikaela was not blindly searching for Ryunosuke. He knew perfectly well that Ryunosuke possessed a Magic Crest that controlled children, something Caster had specially crafted for him.
Magecraft that drove away ordinary people had already been set up throughout the area, so "normal people" would not appear on the streets. Only Ryunosuke would take children outside at night. Therefore, at this stage, the only person on these streets carrying a Magic Crest was probably him. Mikaela had used a card to create something similar to the Magic Circuit Rin Tohsaka had used, specifically to locate him.
Rin Tohsaka had accidentally found Ryunosuke with a Magic Circuit back then, so why couldn't he do the same?
It was a clumsy method, but it was also the best one. Other methods consumed too much. Mikaela had previously considered using Hermit Purple to find Ryunosuke.
Unfortunately, Ryunosuke had remained in the dark sewers. All Mikaela could capture were his clothes and general build; he had not even seen his face.
As for where Mikaela got a camera... well... he could just create one himself.
"Hm?" At that moment, Mikaela felt as though the Magic Circuit hanging around her neck had been drawn by something. Her gaze shifted toward an alley. The source of the pull was there.
"There?"
Mikaela calmly walked into the alley and then... saw a twin-tailed little girl entering the alley as well. Around the girl's neck hung a Magic Circuit in nearly the same style as Mikaela's.
The instant they saw each other, both froze.
Rin Tohsaka? Mikaela looked at the twin-tailed little girl standing there in a daze, never expecting to run into Rin Tohsaka.
"You are...? A magus?" Once Rin Tohsaka recovered, her gaze immediately fell on Mikaela's chest. Not because Mikaela's chest was just as "small" as hers, but because Mikaela wore the same kind of Magic Circuit.
"Huh?"
Mikaela put on a "confused" expression, as though she could not understand what Rin Tohsaka was saying. Looking at her questioningly, she asked, "Why do you have the same thing as me?"
"Huh?" Rin Tohsaka was somewhat bewildered. She looked at the Magic Circuit on her chest, then at the Magic Circuit on Mikaela's.
Click!
Suddenly, the Magic Circuits on Rin Tohsaka and Mikaela seemed to sense something and pointed in a certain direction.
"Hide!"
Mikaela sensed it as well. Without another word, she pushed Rin Tohsaka down and looked toward where the Magic Circuit pointed.
Although this was an alley, it had four different entrances and exits. The Magic Circuit was not pointing toward the route Mikaela and Rin Tohsaka had entered from, but toward another exit leading to the road.
"Hmm hmm hmm~ Tonight is really nice." A sunny-looking young man seemed to be in exceptionally high spirits. Holding the hand of a child with lifeless eyes, he walked along and said, "The old man seems to be saying that this many people aren't enough to resurrect Jeanne d'Arc. What a hassle. A party would be enough, so why resurrect some Jeanne d'Arc?"
"That is?!"
Rin Tohsaka raised her head at that moment. She did not blame Mikaela for shoving her beside a dumpster. Instead, her gaze fixed tightly on the bracelet on Ryunosuke's wrist.
The intuition of the Tohsaka family, passed down through generations, told her that there was something seriously wrong with that bracelet!
"Shh." Mikaela covered Rin Tohsaka's mouth and gestured for silence. Calmly, she said, "We'll follow him like this and find his hideout."
"Mmph mmph mmmph!!!!"
Rin Tohsaka seemed to want to say something, but with her mouth covered, she could not get out a single word.
"..." Mikaela released her hand and said calmly, "Keep your voice down. That guy hasn't gone far yet. I'm going to follow him and find my friend who was taken away. You'd better stay here, or hurry home."
Before you continue