The Card Servants of Type-Moon Chapter 4

Chapter 7: The Manager's Daughter

After finding a random spot to get off, Irisviel and Mikaela started their shopping spree. In reality, only Irisviel was in the mood for shopping; Mikaela was warily observing their surroundings.

However, to deal with some men who deliberately tried to hit on them, Mikaela found a secluded spot, dispelled their spiritual form, and appeared beside Irisviel in a regular maid outfit.

"No way!"

Seeing Irisviel eager to go into a clothing store, Mikaela flatly refused, stating they absolutely wouldn't go!

It was a joke. The trauma of being forced to try on over fifty outfits by their mother was still fresh. Mikaela could tell at a glance what Irisviel wanted to do by taking them there!

No matter what Irisviel said, they wouldn't go!

"Eh!!! Why!!!" Irisviel, who looked like a noble lady, now resembled a little girl who couldn't get a gift, showing a very disappointed expression.

"No 'why.' We agreed to go to a coffee shop," Mikaela shook their head. They didn't want to 'change clothes' anymore. Back then, they used to accompany their mother while she changed, because it was absolutely safe; no one could threaten them.

Even if something happened, Mikaela had the absolute power to protect their mother.

It was different here. Mikaela didn't believe they could accurately detect an Assassin's presence while 'changing clothes.' If an enemy attacked and killed Irisviel, Mikaela might be forced to become 'Artoria' and use her magic to activate the Noble Phantasm, Avalon, the Eternal Land of Fantasy.

This would revive Irisviel, but it would likely expose their abilities.

"Alright." Seeing Mikaela being so cautious, Irisviel seemed to recall something and instead smiled, continuing, "I feel like you, Ela-chan, are just like Kiritsugu – especially serious when you need to be."

"No, this isn't seriousness. It's about survival… I must win this Holy Grail War," Mikaela stood beside Irisviel, a hint of resolve flashing in their eyes.

They had already died in another world. Due to a twist of fate, they were summoned to this world. They weren't a hero, just an ordinary undead.

The undead could survive for a while by chance, but they couldn't exist forever in the unknown Hall of Heroes like those Heroic Spirits.

So, no matter what, this Holy Grail War was an opportunity for Mikaela! It was also a gamble! If they won, they could survive. If they lost… no matter what, they had to survive until the end! As long as they survived until the end, there was hope.

"Survival." Irisviel knew Mikaela's background well. They were originally a 15-year-old boy who died from exhaustion while protecting the person most important to them from a powerful enemy.

Now, they weren't a high-and-mighty Heroic Spirit but an undead being who flew in from some unknown world. Their wish in participating in the Holy Grail War was to obtain a new body and find a way back.

'Go home.'

If one had to define Mikaela's wish, it would be those two words. They wanted to return to that world because everyone they cared about was there.

"Hm?" Suddenly, Mikaela stopped in their tracks. Their gaze fell upon a certain spot, a strange glint in their eyes.

"What's wrong? Ela-chan?" Irisviel also noticed Mikaela had stopped. Following their gaze, she saw a maid cafe, not too big and not too small.

"Let's go have a cup of coffee there."

It seemed to be the first time Mikaela had proactively asked Irisviel to go to that place for a cup of coffee.

"Ah? That's not a coffee shop though…" Irisviel seemed a bit hesitant. If possible, she wanted to go to a more authentic coffee shop, not a maid cafe.

"Please." Mikaela's voice lowered slightly as they asked Irisviel a second time to check out the maid cafe.

"Mmm~ Alright."

Since Mikaela had said so, Irisviel couldn't find a reason to refuse and could only nod, intending to lead Mikaela into the maid cafe.

"Master, welcome back."

As soon as they entered, two maids at the door greeted them with sweet smiles. However, their expressions quickly stiffened when they saw Mikaela, who was also wearing a maid outfit.

'Are they here to cause trouble???'

For a moment, the words flashed through the minds of the two maids. Coming to a maid cafe dressed as a maid?!! No matter how you looked at it, that was causing trouble!

"Eh? Master?" Irisviel was clearly surprised. Although their family had dedicated maids, she hadn't expected there to be people like this outside.

Soon, the maid in charge of greeting masters arrived. She glanced suspiciously at Irisviel and Mikaela, but upon seeing the high-quality clothes Irisviel was wearing, the maid immediately thought! This must be the young lady of some prominent family!

It was normal for such a young lady to have a maid accompanying her! As for why she was here at a maid cafe.

She must be here to experience life!

After a bit of imagination, the welcoming maid put on an even sweeter smile and led the two to an unoccupied table.

Seemingly noticing Irisviel's nervousness, the maid smiled kindly and said, "Hi~ Is this your first time here, Master?"

"Y-yes, yes, yes." Irisviel nodded. She glanced to the side and saw Mikaela looking around with a nostalgic gaze, as if they had worked there before.

"Then…"

The maid chatted cordially with Irisviel, and both seemed quite happy. Finally, Irisviel ordered some desserts and two coffees, and the maid left, satisfied.

"Ela-chan, have you been here before?" After the maid left, Irisviel looked at Mikaela, very curious about the emotional fluctuations they had shown earlier.

Ever since Mikaela was summoned, they had maintained a competent and indifferent attitude. No matter how troublesome the matter, it was just a small issue they could easily resolve.

In the few days they had spent together, Emiya Kiritsugu had given this Servant high praise, not just for combat ability, but for their ability to cooperate with each other.

"Yes. Once, when I was desperate, I came to a maid cafe. Because I was too young at the time and male, the manager of the maid cafe wouldn't normally agree to let me work here."

"But she still took me in, and here, I met a good friend."

"Eh? What was your friend's name?" Irisviel was curious about the friend's name.

"Uh…" Mikaela fell into a brief silence. After thinking for a moment, they said with some hesitation, "I seem to have forgotten. But I know she was the manager's daughter, so basically… I just called her… the manager's daughter."

Chapter 8: Looking for Trouble

After finishing their coffee and dessert, Mikaela and Irisviel left the maid café. It had only been a minor detour.

Afterward, Mikaela accompanied Irisviel to many places, allowing Irisviel, who had been confined to the Einzbern Castle, to experience many interesting things, such as local snacks and peculiar clothing.

Unbeknownst to them, night had fallen, and Mikaela was preparing to return with Irisviel.

"Ring ring."

Suddenly, the phone rang. Irisviel was momentarily stunned, while Mikaela narrowed his eyes.

"Hello? Kiritsugu?" Irisviel answered the phone, seemingly surprised that Kiritsugu Emiya would call at this hour.

"Hand the phone over to him." The first thing Kiritsugu Emiya said was for Irisviel to pass the phone to Mikaela, as he had something to discuss with the latter.

"Oh, okay, I understand."

Irisviel nodded and handed the phone to Mikaela.

"If it's about sharing intel, we can discuss it back at home," Mikaela said as soon as he took the phone, cutting Kiritsugu off before he could even speak. He didn't want to reveal his strength and trump cards too early.

Although Kiritsugu Emiya's personality leaned towards the steady type, he would inevitably test Mikaela's strength.

Moreover, Mikaela was well aware that in his normal state, he could at most fight against Servants of Assassin's caliber. If he wanted to fight against the others in the Fourth Holy Grail War, he would need to use his 'transformation' ability. Otherwise, he truly wouldn't stand a chance against those legendary heroes.

"No, I want to confirm something,"

On the other end of the line, Kiritsugu Emiya said calmly, "You mentioned before that Assassin was watching you from the shadows, right?"

"That's right, it was Assassin," Mikaela didn't know what Kiritsugu Emiya intended to do. He hesitated for a moment before calmly replying, "Although he didn't attack, I can confirm it was Assassin. I already told you this at noon."

"Now, the Master of Assassin, claiming their Servant's 'death' makes them unable to participate in the Holy Grail War, is seeking protection from the Church," Kiritsugu Emiya said very calmly. "Therefore, I need you to do something."

"……………What is it?" Mikaela had a rough idea of what Kiritsugu Emiya wanted, but he didn't speak, waiting for 'Kiritsugu Emiya' to elaborate.

"Go to the Church and test Assassin's Master. If possible, make them reveal that Assassin is not dead."

Kiritsugu Emiya lit a cigarette on his end, took a drag, and said with a hint of seriousness, "This way, the collusion between the Church and Tohno Shiro will likely be exposed."

"You want to stir the pot?" Mikaela understood Kiritsugu Emiya's intention.

Upon learning that Assassin was not dead, Kiritsugu Emiya likely deduced that Assassin's supposed 'death' was merely a ploy to keep him hidden in the shadows, allowing him to gather intelligence more effectively and eliminate Masters who believed Assassin was 'dead'.

"This mission, if successful, doesn't seem to offer any benefits," Mikaela analyzed calmly. "Even if the pot is stirred, we'll likely expose more. Master, you are well aware of my 'abilities'."

"I must be like a viper, either lying motionless in the grass or striking swiftly for a killing blow! Without a reasonable explanation, I will not agree to fight."

Stirring the pot was a good idea, but Kiritsugu Emiya seemed to have overlooked that if Mikaela made a move, the other Masters observing the Church would undoubtedly notice something unusual about him.

This wasn't the Fifth Holy Grail War! The Masters in that war might not have noticed anything strange about him, but the Masters in this war were all exceptionally shrewd.

Except for Ryunosuke and Matou Kariya, who weren't they all old foxes? Tohno Shiro might be the scapegoat every day, but he was still a competent magus, and his knowledge was certainly not inferior to others.

Not to mention the genius master-and-disciple duo, Kayneth and Waver. If they saw him fighting another Servant, they would definitely become wary.

"Sometimes, exposing some things is better than exposing nothing at all," Kiritsugu Emiya understood Mikaela's thoughts and his obsession with victory. He said calmly, "You've already seen Assassin, so going to cause trouble for the Church overnight is a reasonable course of action."

"If the Church denies it, and you force Assassin out, you must engage in a symbolic fight, but not to the death. Just revealing a little bit will be enough to make others underestimate your performance."

At this point, Kiritsugu Emiya didn't need to say any more.

The logic was simple: constantly hiding would easily draw the focused attention of others. It would be better to take the initiative and let everyone see how weak this generation's 'Saber' truly was.

"Hoo." Mikaela took a deep breath. He felt Kiritsugu Emiya had a point. He might have been thinking too idealistically. Constantly hiding clearly wasn't feasible.

Others would likely focus on who exactly this 'Saber' was, considering it was the strongest class! Although there was no definitive ranking among the seven classes, theoretically, Sabers possessed much higher base stats than other Servants.

If he continued to hide, he might really become a target.

"I understand. I was being too idealistic," Mikaela apologized. He felt he had been too idealistic, thinking he could just hide until the end of the event.

If he were Assassin, perhaps no one would take him seriously. But his class was 'Saber'!!

No one would underestimate this class, except for perhaps some arrogant heroes.

"Do you want to bring the Lady along?" Mikaela asked next. If they were going to cause trouble, it would naturally be the Servant and Master going together.

"Mm."

Kiritsugu Emiya responded, then hung up the phone. He also had preparations to make on his end.

Chapter 9: Breaking the Rules?

"Hmm?" On the way to the Church, Mikaela glanced in a certain direction. It was already late at night. The Holy Grail War was a conflict fought in the shadows.

Servants could not fight during the day, only at night, and not in crowded areas.

Now, a presence emanating only from a Servant could be felt in the distance. This meant... someone was deliberately inviting Servants to fight there.

"An enemy Servant?" Noticing Mikaela's unusual behavior, Irisviel seemed to understand that someone was intentionally releasing their aura to lure Servants into a battle.

"Mm, but we don't need to pay them any mind," Mikaela nodded. He secretly calculated that, if nothing unexpected happened, the person releasing their aura tonight would be Kayneth's Servant.

Diarmuid Ua Duibhne, who was rumored to be skilled with two blades.

Among Mikaela's planned enemies, this Servant, possessing skills and combat prowess similar to Lancelot, was one of the formidable opponents he would need to face next.

As they were about to arrive at the Church, Irisviel patted her ample chest and confidently said to Mikaela, "We're almost at the Church. Ella-chan, you can stay hidden by my side. I'll go negotiate with them."

"Understood," Mikaela nodded. As a Servant, his only duty was to protect Irisviel's safety, as long as there was no need to fight.

Mikaela didn't want to deliberately reveal his strength, as it would be meaningless. Being too provocative would easily make others perceive it as 'intentional exposure'.

The taxi arrived at the entrance of the Church. Many familiars spotted Irisviel and Mikaela. Although the Church was neutral territory, due to the sudden death of the Assassin earlier, Kotomine Kirei arrived as if rehearsed, quickly seeking refuge within the Church.

Everything happened too fast, causing many to focus their attention on the Church. However, since it was a neutral area, no one wanted to interfere. At most, they deployed familiars to monitor the place.

"Let's go." Since he was in spirit form, Mikaela noticed the surrounding familiars.

The moment other familiars saw Mikaela, they immediately fled. Only one familiar remained, seemingly unafraid of Mikaela.

Of course... there was no need to be afraid, as it belonged to Emiya Kiritsugu.

"Hi~"

Irisviel nodded, then her expression turned somewhat serious. Unlike her innocent and lively demeanor during the day, she now exuded the aura of a matriarch as she led Mikaela into the Church.

"This is truly a rare guest. I didn't expect a Master from the Einzbern family to visit the Church on the very first night after arriving."

As the main door opened, an elderly but robust priest emerged. He looked at Irisviel with a kind smile, a flicker of surprise in his eyes.

Based on the intelligence gathered earlier, shouldn't she have met up with Emiya Kiritsugu first? Why come here? Could it be... she discovered the matter between him and the Tohno family?

Or perhaps? She discovered the information about the Assassin's feigned death?

Various doubts arose in Risei Kotomine's mind, but he didn't show them outwardly. Instead, he wondered why a participant in the Holy Grail War would make the Church their first stop.

"You flatter me, Priest of the Church." One shouldn't strike a smiling face, Irisviel offered a slight bow, indicating she harbored no ill will towards the Church.

However, Irisviel soon began her offensive.

"I've come today to confirm one thing." Irisviel lacked any 'friendly' aura as she stared at Risei Kotomine and asked, "When I arrived, I received information that the Assassin had already withdrawn last night, before we got here."

"..." Risei Kotomine maintained his kind smile and continued, "That's correct, the Assassin withdrew last night. After losing their Servant, that Master accepted the Church's protection and is currently asleep."