Type-Moon: Card Servants

Once his home was gone and he no longer had the protection of a Magic Barrier that had been set up for years, Mikaela could assassinate Tohno Shiro however he pleased.

The reason Mikaela had not carried out any assassinations yet was because most people were protected by Servants or powerful Magic Barriers.

His assassinations had to be carried out without anyone noticing. There could not be the slightest mistake, or he would easily draw the attention of the other Servants and end up being ganged up on mercilessly.

For now, the best choice was to let them fight like dogs while his group fanned the flames from the sidelines.

"Then let's leave for now. As for Caster, I believe we'll have an answer tonight." Mikaela stood up, no longer wanting to drink the coffee here.

He did not like bitter flavors. Although most coffee now was sweet with a hint of bitterness, Mikaela still preferred black tea with milk.

"We'll have an answer tonight?" Irisviel looked at Mikaela with a faint smile. "It's like Aila-chan has a pair of eyes that can see the future. You prepare for everything in advance."

"...That's just a conclusion drawn from the information we have. It's nothing special." Mikaela answered somewhat perfunctorily.

"That's exactly why I say you have eyes that can see the future." Irisviel covered her mouth and chuckled. She thought Mikaela was remarkable. Just from the intelligence they had gathered, he had deduced most of what was happening.

He had even devised many plans to prevent anything unforeseen from happening.

He had strength, intelligence, and was adorable besides. Naturally, Irisviel found him more and more pleasing to the eye.

"Let's go. We should head back." Mikaela rolled his eyes. There was no need for them to keep wandering around outside. Now that they had spoken with Tohno Shiro, they should return to the castle.

"Okay~"

Irisviel rose from her chair and returned with Mikaela.

After returning home, Tohno Shiro took a deep breath. He felt under immense pressure at that moment. He had to have a talk with his disciple.

Earlier, he had believed that his chances of winning this Holy Grail War were exceptionally high. No one could possibly stand in the way of his victory; holding the Holy Grail in his hands was merely a matter of time.

However... after learning about Kirei Kotomine from Irisviel, he felt it was necessary to investigate. Though he believed Kirei Kotomine and Waver Velvet had certainly joined forces, an investigation was still needed at the very least.

He needed to see what the two had been doing recently, or whether they had displayed any unusual behavior.

Arriving in the basement, Tohno Shiro turned on the gramophone and connected it to the gramophone at the Holy Church.

"Master."

The moment the gramophone was switched on, Kotomine Kirei seemed to have already been waiting for a long time.

"Kirei, I have a troublesome matter that I need you to handle." Hearing the voice of his most prized disciple, Tohno Shiro seemed to let down his guard. He let out a deep sigh, his voice carrying a trace of exhaustion.

Although Assassin had many copies, spreading them too thin would greatly weaken their strength, and naturally increase the chance of their being "discovered" by others.

After today's discussion, the Einzbern family had shifted their attention away from the Holy Church and onto Kirei Kotomine, the Clock Tower Lord. But if the Servants from the other factions noticed anything unusual and pressured the Holy Church together, that would also be troublesome.

That was why Tohno Shiro said he had a troublesome matter for Kotomine Kirei to handle.

"Master, I have been waiting for you for a long time." Kotomine Kirei interrupted Tohno Shiro instead. His voice was conflicted as he slowly said, "The Assassin sent to the Matou family has returned. He brought back some news."

"Hmm? What news?" Tohno Shiro opened his eyes slightly. He had nearly forgotten that he had asked Kirei to investigate the Matou family yesterday.

"This..."

Kotomine Kirei fell silent for a moment before recounting everything Assassin had said.

My Wife!.jpg

Confusion ### "..."

In the basement of the Holy Church, Kotomine Kirei fell silent after recounting everything. To be honest... his feelings were quite complicated. After Assassin described everything he had seen, Kirei began pondering whether his master would act to save his own daughter.

The role Tohno Shiro had always played left Kotomine Kirei deeply confused. He was a qualified Magus. Whether it was his father or others, they all praised him as an excellent Magus.

But having observed Tohno Shiro up close, Kotomine Kirei could tell that the man loved his daughters dearly. He would devote every resource he possessed to them. Yet the rules of the magecraft world... had forced Tohno Shiro to adopt out his beloved daughter to the Matou family.

When the adoption took place, Kotomine Kirei had acted alongside Tohno Shiro. He watched the little girl named Sakura sit obediently in the car, staring at him and Tohno Shiro like a frightened little animal, seemingly worried about what was about to happen.

She was a very obedient little girl. Kotomine Kirei could not help but think that he also had a daughter... who seemed to be about the same age. Was she doing well now?

But because of his wife's death, Kotomine Kirei had been lost and at a loss within his own heart. Then came the Church's arrangements, which made him stop thinking about his daughter altogether. He was even unwilling to think about what she might suffer. He simply followed quietly beside Tohno Shiro and his father, listening to everything they said and learning what they taught.

Even now, Kotomine Kirei could not understand what his father meant by "clear and beautiful," nor what Tohno Shiro meant by "elegance and composure."

Now, Kotomine Kirei began to anticipate it. What decision would his master—Tohno Shiro—make? He was a Magus, but he was also a father. At this most critical point in the Holy Grail War, would he move to save his daughter, Matou Sakura?

"...Kirei, is this true?" Tohno Shiro's voice contained anger. He had always reminded himself that the Tohsaka family's elegance must be maintained in the future. No matter what happened, he had to remain elegant, and could not allow himself to do anything unbecoming of that elegance.

"Yes... Master, your daughter, Tohsaka Sakura, was thrown into the worm pit. According to Assassin, she no longer screams. She has already grown accustomed to being... by those worms..." Kotomine Kirei said.

Tohno Shiro cut him off. "Enough! Kirei, you needn't say any more. Tonight, I'm going to the Matou family!"

"..." Kotomine Kirei opened his mouth, surprise flashing through his eyes. He had not expected Tohno Shiro to be so decisive. Something felt wrong to him, and he then said in a low voice, "Master, what about the Holy Grail War? If you attack the Matou family on your own, you will be the one to break the rules of the Three Great Families."

That was right. The rules of the Three Great Families stipulated that during the Holy Grail War... if an exceptionally powerful enemy appeared, the Three Great Families had to work together to defeat the external enemy first before continuing their internal conflict.

The intelligence provided by the Einzbern family stated that this Holy Grail War had produced an unimaginable enemy: the Clock Tower Lord—Kirei Kotomine—and his disciple, Waver Velvet.

The latter could be ignored, but the former was a Clock Tower Lord. To be honest, Tohno Shiro felt that his own attainments in magecraft were no match for the other's. Perhaps his Servant could crush him, but unfortunately, his Servant would not obey him. That was the most troublesome issue.

"Wait..."

All of a sudden, Tohno Shiro seemed to understand something. His voice turned urgent. "According to Assassin's intelligence, is the Matou family's Master this time Matou Kariya?"

"That's right." Kotomine Kirei nodded slightly, feeling somewhat puzzled. Hadn't his teacher known all along that Matou Kariya was the Matou family's Master in this Holy Grail War? Why was he asking him?

"Then that's good. That means I won't be breaking our alliance. And... Kariya didn't return to the Matou family for the Holy Grail at all. He joined the Holy Grail War for Sakura's sake. He already knew the true nature of Matou magecraft!" Tohno Shiro said in a low voice, "He voluntarily gave up magecraft because he didn't want to become like that. Yet I personally pushed Sakura into that den of demons."

"Teacher?" Kotomine Kirei seemed to realize something and offered, "Do you want me to negotiate with Matou Kariya?"

"No. You will observe tonight's operation to subjugate Caster. I, meanwhile, will go to the Matou family and meet that Old Man Matou. Let's see how he intends to account for this!" Tohno Shiro was clearly enraged. Originally, he had only half-believed the intelligence provided by the Einzbern family.

But after having his most trusted disciple investigate it, he had made up his mind to act personally and rescue his daughter.

"Yes... my teacher." Kotomine Kirei nodded and hung up the phonograph himself, a trace of confusion flashing through his eyes.

Compared to the so-called operation to subjugate Caster, he wanted more to see just how far his teacher would go for his daughter. It was the first time he had seen a different side of someone "familiar."

"Is this what a father is? Even though he holds the initiative in the Holy Grail War, he's taking the initiative to cause trouble for the Matou family because of his daughter? It's too irrational. Too irrational. Couldn't he wait until this Holy Grail War is over before saving her?" Kotomine Kirei seemed to be asking himself why Tohno Shiro would take such an irrational course of action.

Yet after questioning himself for so long, Kotomine Kirei only grew more confused. He didn't know... he didn't understand... He wanted to see what manner his teacher would assume in order to save his daughter.

"Assassin." Kotomine Kirei spoke calmly.

A shadow concealed in the darkness silently appeared beside Kotomine Kirei and replied evenly, "My Master, what are your orders?"

"Keep an eye on Tohno Shiro. Tell me about any unusual movements he makes." Kotomine Kirei spoke with complete calm. Assassin looked at her Master in surprise, but she seemed to think of something. A smile touched her lips as she nodded. "Yes, my Master."

After speaking with Kotomine Kirei, Tohno Shiro sat quietly in his chair. He closed his eyes and began considering what to do that night. Though he had said he would bring Sakura back, words alone could not save her—unless he displayed strength sufficient to make Old Man Matou wary.

"Strength is the foundation. Since Old Man Matou did that, he has already cast aside the bond between the Three Great Families." Tohno Shiro stood and snapped his fingers. The candles around him ignited. What he was about to do clearly did not fit the identity of a magus.

He had been the one to send his daughter away, and he had also been the one to agree to the Matou family's adoption. If there truly had been no other choice, Tohno Shiro would have turned a blind eye and tacitly accepted his daughter's painful fate.

But now, he could still give his daughter a better future. So Tohno Shiro decided to take a gamble and rescue her!

Tohno Shiro arrived at the deepest part of the basement. This was where the Tohsaka family's accumulated foundation was sealed away: the vast wealth handed down by the first family head, Tohno Nagato.

"Great Teacher, Tohno Shiro, fifth head of the Tohsaka family, must make use of your Magic Crest for the sake of his daughter."

Facing the chest before him, Tohno Shiro gave a solemn bow. Though he knew that "Great Teacher" was not here, as a descendant of the Tohsaka family, he did not dare show the slightest disrespect toward the owner of this chest.

Zelretch's treasure chest.

Just as its name implied, this chest had been created by one of the world's only five Magi, Kischur Zelretch Schweinürg.

Inside were numerous gems engraved with powerful magecraft and filled with magical energy, as well as a "half-finished" Jeweled Sword and its blueprint.

For generations, completing the Jeweled Sword had been the task of every head of the Tohsaka family. Tohno Shiro had studied this "Jeweled Sword," which had been in the making since the first family head, in his spare time. Yet perhaps his skill in magecraft was simply too mediocre; he could not complete the Jeweled Sword at all, nor did he know how to improve it.

Thus, whenever Tohno Shiro took out the "half-finished" Jeweled Sword, he could only compare it with the blueprint before letting out a deep sigh. It had already been no easy feat for his ancestors to create a "half-finished product." Yet even with the blueprint in hand, he still did not know how to improve it. In a sense, it was truly shameful.

But now, in order to deal with the long-established Matou family, Tohno Shiro finally gritted his teeth and decided to take out the "half-finished Jeweled Sword," along with the gems accumulated by his ancestors.

The family's foundation could be rebuilt by later generations. But if his hesitation caused Sakura to fall into the abyss, then he did not deserve to be called a father.

Aoi trusted him so deeply. Rin trusted him so deeply. When Sakura had been sent away that day, she had been reluctant, but she had also trusted that she would be able to see her sister and parents again in the future.

"Being family head isn't easy." When Tohno Shiro thought about how much his family trusted him, only for him to have pushed his kind-hearted daughter into a den of demons because of "old information," it felt as if his heart were being cut apart.

"That's right, Shiro. Being family head isn't easy."

At that moment, a familiar voice came from beside him. Gilgamesh leaned near the basement entrance, watching Tohno Shiro with an amused smile. When he saw Tohno Shiro take the "half-finished Jeweled Sword" from Zelretch's treasure chest, a teasing glint flashed through his Red Eyes.

He actually treated such junk as a family heirloom? How laughable.

If it had been a completed Jeweled Sword, then Gilgamesh might have offered some slight praise for Tohno Shiro's ancestors. But this thing did not even qualify as a defective product, yet they had kept it hidden away like treasure. It was unbearable to watch.

"O King."

Tohno Shiro bowed to Gilgamesh as well. He placed the half-finished Jeweled Sword on his person, then took many precious gems from the chest and slipped them into his pockets.

"Preparing for battle?" Gilgamesh looked at Tohno Shiro with a smile. He had clearly known long ago that the man would take action; he had only come to tease him.

Tohno Shiro nodded slightly and looked at Gilgamesh seriously. "My King, I am going to rescue my daughter. May I ask you to accompany me?"

"Oh? You've got some nerve, Shiro."

Hearing that, Gilgamesh narrowed his eyes slightly and looked at Tohno Shiro with cold indifference. "Who gave you the nerve to order me around? A subject should conduct himself like a subject."

"This is not an order, O King." Tohno Shiro lowered his head and spoke quietly. "It is merely a stroll, with some pest removal along the way."

"Pest removal? That is a gardener's job. It has nothing to do with me." Gilgamesh scoffed, seemingly finding Tohno Shiro's "proposal" laughable. Since when was it his turn to remove pests?

"That's right. It has nothing to do with the King. The task of removing pests ought to belong to me." As though he had been waiting for Gilgamesh to say exactly that, Tohno Shiro raised his head to meet those Red Eyes and said calmly, "The King need only watch this subject remove pests. This pest-removal project may not bring the King much amusement, but at the very least, it will let the King experience how modern gardeners remove pests."

Over the past few days, Tohno Shiro had noticed that Gilgamesh enjoyed taking walks. The reason he liked strolling about was likely to see the sights of this modern city and observe how modern people lived.

Now, Tohno Shiro intended to use the words "modern gardener" to make Gilgamesh understand one thing: while he had seen many sights, he surely had never seen how true magi fought each other.

Put simply, Tohno Shiro was inviting Gilgamesh to watch a good show—one that could not be disturbed by "outsiders."

The King would not let anyone interrupt his entertainment. If a Servant tried to use the opportunity to kill Tohno Shiro, then this proud King of Heroes would certainly not allow anyone else to harm him.

With that, Tohno Shiro was confident he could storm into the Matou family estate and have a magecraft duel with Old Man Matou.

Gilgamesh's expression turned cold. Looking at the "resolute" Tohno Shiro, he suddenly burst into laughter. "Hahahahahaha! Interesting, interesting! Shiro, I never expected you to call yourself a gardener removing pests."

"Very well, I permit it. While you remove pests, no one will come to interfere with you. Even if that clown shows up, I will not let him disrupt your grand pest-removal endeavor."

Sometimes, fewer schemes and a little more sincerity made it easier to earn the King of Heroes' approval.

Thirty Pieces of Silver

Mikaela had no idea how things were going on Tohno Shiro's end, but he knew one thing: whenever he did not want to run into something, that was exactly what he would run into!!

"Yo! Isn't this Saber? Hahahaha, did you bring your Master out to enjoy the scenery too?"

On their way back, Mikaela and Irisviel ran into the most troublesome pair in this Holy Grail War—the King of Conquerors, Iskandar, and his Master, Waver Velvet.

The two of them were openly walking down the street when they happened to encounter Mikaela and Irisviel.

"Idiot!!! We're enemies!! How can you greet them so warmly?!" Waver had been extremely nervous when he first saw Mikaela and Irisviel. In his mind, this pair was probably the one hiding the deepest in this Holy Grail War.

This Saber, who possessed a cross called "Judas," was undoubtedly very powerful. She simply had not displayed that strength, showing only her "weak" side.

Mikaela did not want to run into Waver and the King of Conquerors. Likewise... Waver felt the same way. He did not want to encounter a strange Servant like Mikaela.

"What's wrong with enemies?" The King of Conquerors gave Waver a knock on the head, then pointed at the sun hanging high in the sky and said helplessly, "It's daytime. We're not Caster, some evil Magus who casually murders people."

"If I remember correctly, the Holy Grail War is fought at night. During the day, everyone is free to do as they please. That isn't strange, is it, Saber?" The King of Conquerors looked at Mikaela with a smile. He appeared honest and straightforward, but the meaning behind his words was perfectly clear.

They were both Servants. So long as Mikaela did not make a move, neither would he.

If they really fought, the King of Conquerors was not afraid of Mikaela. He simply did not want to ruin both of their reputations.

"Of course." Mikaela certainly did not want to become famous. He shielded Irisviel behind him, just as the King of Conquerors shielded Waver behind himself, and said calmly, "Though I cannot reveal my true name, you are still a king I acknowledge."

"Acknowledge?"

The King of Conquerors stroked his chin, then broke into a hearty laugh. "Then why not share the Holy Grail with me? Let me lead you toward the joy known as conquest."

"Sure." Unexpectedly, Mikaela agreed. The King of Conquerors and Waver both froze for a moment, while Irisviel was not particularly surprised. After all, over these past few days—

Irisviel had come to understand that Mikaela was the sort who told people what they wanted to hear and told ghosts what ghosts wanted to hear. He was highly trustworthy toward his own side, but toward outsiders, he was full of nonsense.