If Saber discovered him, the King of Conquerors wasn't confident he could escape from her grasp. If Saber was decisive enough to directly unleash her Noble Phantasm, he probably wouldn't even be able to run.
"What?!! Go to our deaths?!"
The moment those words left his mouth, Waver's legs stopped trembling. He looked at the King of Conquerors and said weakly, "You're not joking, are you?"
"..." The King of Conquerors stared at Waver. Rather than emphasizing anything, he simply nodded with utmost seriousness, not saying a single word.
Yet the meaning he conveyed had successfully reached Waver: going over there carried enormous risk. One mistake, and they would die.
"D-Don't, don't, don't, don't underestimate me!!! This is the Holy Grail War, right?!"
The King of Conquerors' gaze seemed to remind Waver of what Kayneth had said earlier. His previously timid heart instantly hardened, and he shouted at the top of his lungs, "Then we'll go!! Who's afraid of who?! Isn't it just death?!"
Everyone seemed to look down on him. Today, Waver would prove it! He wasn't a coward. He had come to participate in the Holy Grail War to prove himself. If death was also a kind of proof... a kind of proof...
At that thought, Waver's legs went a little weak, but his eyes remained filled with determination.
"Hahahahaha." The King of Conquerors suddenly burst into laughter and slapped Waver on the back. "That's my Master! Let's go. If it truly comes down to it, then I have a duty to get you out of danger."
The King of Conquerors admired the determination in Waver's eyes. Although his Little Master was still quite timid, he was definitely someone with potential. Not in terms of strength, of course~
Still, tonight, the King of Conquerors truly intended to test Saber's limits. If probing her with words failed to reveal her condition, then he could only clash with her head-on and force her to reveal her true strength.
PS: "Fourth update. There'll be a fifth one later =A= I said five updates, so there'll be five updates, even if I have to bet Blue Feather's..."
Looking Down on Me?!
After following Mikaela for half the day, the King of Conquerors rubbed his chin and looked down in surprise, unable to understand what Saber and her Master were trying to do.
"What are they doing??" Waver was also bewildered. He clearly hadn't expected Irisviel and Saber not to return home, instead finding a hotel and entering it.
"Could it be? They want to do that kind of thing???"
Looking at the hotel, the King of Conquerors' imagination ran wild. He thought Mikaela might be planning to do something orange with Irisviel.
"No, they must have come here for something."
Waver rubbed his chin. He didn't think a Servant of Mikaela's caliber would come to an ordinary hotel without any purpose. Their residence was protected by a powerful Magic Barrier, so why would they come to such an unremarkable hotel?
"Looks like we might gain something tonight." The King of Conquerors smiled, seemingly feeling that tonight's risk would pay off.
Sure enough, high risk sometimes brought high rewards.
"..."
After getting out of the taxi, Mikaela supported Irisviel and headed into the hotel. The original plan had been to return directly to the castle, but Emiya Kiritsugu had called halfway there and told them to come over.
Although they didn't know what was going on, judging from Emiya Kiritsugu's tone, it was necessary for them to come.
"Sorry, Aila-chan." Supported by Mikaela, Irisviel wore an apologetic expression. She had actually fallen asleep in the car just now.
"It's fine, Irisviel."
Mikaela didn't mind that Irisviel had fallen asleep. Without Artoria's scabbard protecting her, Irisviel's condition was naturally worse than in the original story.
However, if a third Servant had been eliminated, Irisviel's condition would probably no longer be as simple as "weakness." To keep Irisviel from remaining in that "weak" state, Mikaela decided to activate the scabbard inside her—Avalon.
Although it could only ease Irisviel's suffering and wouldn't produce any practical results, what was coming would still come. It was an unavoidable outcome.
"Madam."
Just as Mikaela and Irisviel entered the hotel and prepared to get into the elevator, a woman radiating a capable air emerged from the shadows by the stairwell. She was Maiya Hisau, who had always remained by Emiya Kiritsugu's side.
She lightly shook her head at Irisviel and Mikaela, indicating that they should not enter the elevator.
"It's fine. I can keep you safe." Mikaela spoke calmly. Mikaela naturally understood Maiya Hisau's meaning. If they were attacked in the elevator, neither of them would be able to escape and would be forced to fight. If they were attacked on the stairs instead, they would at least have a chance to retreat.
"Understood."
Maiya Hisau wasn't a stubborn person. Hearing Mikaela say that, she didn't say anything more.
After spending these past days together, Maiya Hisau had also learned that the Servant before her was someone like Emiya Kiritsugu—cautious and careful, yet capable of making extremely bold moves.
The three entered the elevator together, and it slowly rose toward the third floor.
Meanwhile, outside in the sky.
"Kid, I'm afraid you'll have to go in alone next." The King of Conquerors looked at the hotel, rubbed his chin, and decided to have Waver go gather intelligence.
"What?!" Like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, Waver instantly bristled. He shouted in shock, "You want me to go gather intelligence?!!"
"Yes. If I go, Saber will definitely discover me. But you're different. If you find a good spot, you might be able to observe their every move." Looking at Mikaela and Irisviel entering the hotel, the King of Conquerors shrugged helplessly. "Sometimes, I wish I had a skill like Assassin's Presence Concealment, so I could go with you."
"When Servants get too close to each other, there's a good chance they'll be discovered. Earlier, I kept flying in the air so Saber wouldn't notice our location. But inside this hotel, I can't exactly keep flying."
Saber had come here instead of returning to her base, so she must have some secret she couldn't reveal. If they could uncover it, it would surely bring their side many advantages.
"Th-This, this, this..." Waver struggled intensely. He really wanted to ask, what if Saber killed him instantly before he could even use a Command Seal?!!
But soon, seeing the King of Conquerors' sincere gaze, Waver swallowed. He felt, for some reason, that someone needed him, and a surge of courage rose within him. Though still afraid, he nodded heavily, feeling that he had an obligation to investigate Saber and her Master's unusual situation.
"Then let's head down first."
The King of Conquerors drove his ox cart toward the ground. To avoid frightening the public, he deliberately chose a place with "few people" to descend.
To be honest, he didn't like making Waver take risks. His Master was simply too useless in terms of strength. Although Waver was smart, intelligence alone couldn't accomplish much sometimes.
"Remember this, kid. If you encounter danger, use a Command Seal decisively and call me over." The King of Conquerors looked at Waver solemnly. "I protected you well before, but if I go in with you now, tonight's operation will be wasted. This is your starting point. I believe tonight definitely won't be your endpoint."
"You were protecting me before?" Waver, who had just been about to set off, twitched at the corner of his mouth. He recalled how the King of Conquerors had slapped him around. That had been a complete beating—where had the protection been?!
"Oh? Hahahaha, forget it."
Seeing Waver's twitching face, the King of Conquerors couldn't help laughing loudly. So his Little Master hadn't noticed at all. He had remained by Waver's side every step of the way, even dragging him along whenever he spoke with others, naturally to protect him.
To keep him from being instantly killed by a sudden attack.
But it seemed Waver hadn't realized that at all.
"!!!!" At that moment, Waver also seemed to realize something. His face reddened as he roared at the King of Conquerors, "So you still look down on me!!"
"No! Tonight, I'll show you!! What a mage is!!"
Waver strode toward the hotel. He had clearly been angered by the King of Conquerors' "protection" and wanted to show him something. Your Master would always be your Master!!!
PS: "Everyone, go to sleep. Five updates are done. (Dark circles)"
Become the King of Knights, Aila!!
Upon arriving on the third floor, Maiya Hisau first swept her wary gaze around the area. A faint aura of magical energy radiated from her body as though she were checking whether there were any "dangerous" people on this floor.
Although she had checked once ten minutes earlier, she had to inspect it again now. As a qualified assistant, she wasn't merely good with words; she paid attention to every detail. That was also why Emiya Kiritsugu valued her so highly.
"Safe."
Just like the inspection ten minutes earlier, there were no problems here.
"Mm." Mikaela was also quite cautious about what came next. Mikaela handed Irisviel over to Maiya Hisau and said calmly, "I'll use Spirit Form to take a look."
The moment the words fell, Mikaela vanished from the spot and went through every room on the floor. Though half the rooms were empty, some people were staying here: a young couple engaged in intense exercise, a middle-aged man lying on a bed watching television, and Emiya Kiritsugu, seriously studying a map while eating a hamburger.
Seemingly sensing someone watching him, the extremely vigilant Emiya Kiritsugu immediately raised his gun and aimed it toward the source of that gaze.
"It's me." Mikaela canceled Spirit Form and looked at Emiya Kiritsugu calmly. "Irisviel is outside. Go bring her in. I'll inspect the situation here first."
"Understood."
After seeing that it was Mikaela, Emiya Kiritsugu relaxed slightly. He put away his gun and said evenly, "All right. I'll leave it to you."
Mikaela nodded slightly and continued using Spirit Form to inspect room after room. Even after checking this floor, Mikaela still wasn't entirely reassured, so the floors above and below were also inspected. Then Mikaela suddenly noticed something.
Were teenagers in this era a little too open? In just three floors, Mikaela had seen at least three couples doing it. And this was only a fairly average hotel. Who knew how wild things got at those couples' hotels?
It was hard to know what to say. No matter the world, did most people really take "sexual desire" so seriously?
After excluding those couples, Mikaela conducted a brief inspection and found no unusual people, nor any aura of "threat" nearby.
"..."
After returning to the room where Emiya Kiritsugu was staying, Mikaela immediately noticed that Irisviel was already lying on the bed, while Emiya Kiritsugu had started getting handsy with her.
Yes, physically handsy. He had placed a hand over Irisviel's chest, seemingly sensing something. In the end, he slowly frowned, his expression clearly turning unpleasant.
"Ahem."
Mikaela appeared in the room and coughed lightly, reminding Emiya Kiritsugu to be mindful. Mikaela was still a fifteen-year-old child. Even if adults needed to vent, they should at least pick the right occasion.
"How is it?" Emiya Kiritsugu did not remove his hand. Instead, he moved it from Irisviel's chest to her lower abdomen. Magical energy flowed from his hand and slowly entered Irisviel's body, as though he hoped it could ease her pain.
"There's no danger."
As Irisviel's pale face slowly regained some color, Mikaela said calmly, "They're all ordinary people here. There aren't any mages. It's very safe."
"Mm. I checked this place out beforehand, so naturally no one else would be watching it." Emiya Kiritsugu nodded. He naturally knew there was no danger here, which was why he had made this his daytime base for monitoring the movements of the other Masters and Servants.
Looking at the map, one would discover that Emiya Kiritsugu's location happened to be at the center of all the Masters' residences. Whether it was the Matou family, the Tohsaka family, or where Kayneth lived, Emiya Kiritsugu could reach any of them quickly.
He could even hurry to the Einzbern villa as soon as possible. It could be said that he had chosen his location brilliantly.
"So, why did you call us here?" Mikaela looked at Emiya Kiritsugu, somewhat puzzled. What was so important that they couldn't wait until they returned?
"You've already seen Airi's condition. She isn't doing particularly well right now."
Emiya Kiritsugu took out a pack of cigarettes. Whenever he took out cigarettes, it meant he wasn't in a particularly good mood. This time, even Maiya Hisau didn't stop him, since she wasn't feeling good either.
"Originally, I thought Airi's body would only fail after three Servants were eliminated. But now it seems... with her current physical condition, the souls of four Servants would be enough to put her life in danger." After roughly examining Irisviel's body, Emiya Kiritsugu had reached an answer that was difficult to accept.
Without activating Artoria's scabbard, Irisviel's physical condition was worrying. The souls of merely two Servants had already made her body so weak. If the souls of three Servants entered her body, then according to Emiya Kiritsugu's estimation—
Irisviel would likely be unable to move by then. After a fourth Servant was eliminated, her life would be in danger. That was why the always-proud Einzbern family had recruited Emiya Kiritsugu as their main attacker.
If it was merely a matter of providing magical energy, Irisviel was excellent. But a Master couldn't win just by having plenty of magical energy. The Masters sent by the Einzbern family in the previous three generations hadn't lost to Irisviel in magical power alone, yet they had ultimately lost for all kinds of reasons.
"Do you have a way to suppress it?" Mikaela looked at Emiya Kiritsugu and asked calmly. Mikaela had a way to let Irisviel move around temporarily, but wouldn't foolishly reveal it right now.
Before coming here, Emiya Kiritsugu and Irisviel must have already anticipated this. They had surely made preparations in advance. Otherwise, that would have been far too embarrassing.
"There is a way, but I'll need your help." Emiya Kiritsugu crushed out his cigarette and said evenly, "Caster and Berserker were eliminated tonight. The current situation is extremely favorable to us. As the Master in the open, Irisviel naturally can't lie at home resting."
"Mm." Mikaela nodded slightly. Mikaela understood perfectly.
If Irisviel truly collapsed, Emiya Kiritsugu would no longer be able to hide in the darkness. He could only step forward as Saber's Master and negotiate with the other sides.
If Emiya Kiritsugu emerged from the shadows, their side would clearly lose an advantage. Although that advantage was dispensable, for the sake of caution, Mikaela would rather have Irisviel stand in the open than force Emiya Kiritsugu out of the darkness.
"Can you become the legendary King of Knights and use her magical energy to activate the scabbard inside Irisviel?" Emiya Kiritsugu presented his idea. Though he had other methods prepared, they were all relatively brutal. The gentlest method was naturally to use the legendary scabbard to temporarily sustain Irisviel's "life."
Waver's Great Adventure
So that's what it is. Mikaela sighed deeply inside, not quite knowing what to say. After all, this method had already been used in the original story.
"No problem."
Mikaela nodded slightly and looked at Emiya Kiritsugu. "I can become the legendary King of Knights. If it's only a matter of injecting magical energy, I can probably do it."
Artoria's magical energy was possible. Mikaela could even produce Noble Phantasms, so magical energy was nothing!!
"Then that's good." Emiya Kiritsugu seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. The method provided by the Einzbern family was clearly rather inhumane, though Irisviel had obviously prepared herself for it for the sake of winning the Holy Grail War. But Emiya Kiritsugu didn't see it that way. The method chosen should be the best and most efficient one possible.
"Then I'll begin." Mikaela summoned a card. Printed on it was a blonde girl wielding the Holy Sword. She was clearly the legendary King of Knights, Artoria.
"Then I'll leave it to you, Aila-chan." After Emiya Kiritsugu's Replenish Magic just now, Irisviel was clearly no longer so weak. Lying on the bed, she looked gently at Mikaela and smiled. "Even if you didn't summon that legendary King of Knights, you're still amazing, Aila-chan."
"I'm merely a counterfeit. I can't be compared to the originals." Mikaela calmly crushed the card. Those blue-green eyes looked at Irisviel as Mikaela said evenly, "Excuse me."
Mikaela placed a hand on Irisviel's lower abdomen, closed her eyes, and injected magical energy into Irisviel's body.
Though Mikaela wasn't the genuine Artoria, after transforming, the magical energy within her body was already completely identical to Artoria's.
Golden light now flickered around Irisviel. It was the holy radiance emitted by the legendary scabbard—Avalon.
"That Rider has been looking down on me all along. As expected, that's what he thinks of a weak mage like me too. A weak Master like me should be protected by him. Just a mere familiar, yet he acts so arrogantly." Waver entered the elevator, bitterly complaining about what Rider had said.
Yet he didn't waste any time. Just now, he had used Suggestion Magic to make the receptionist let him view the surveillance system, successfully locating the room Mikaela and Irisviel had gone to.
Inside the elevator, Waver continued complaining furiously, but he obediently shut his mouth afterward and decided not to keep babbling. He understood perfectly that if Saber discovered him here, there would only be one outcome.
Death—!!!
Before you continue