Cards of the Moon: Chapter 9

After Tohno Shiro left, a golden light flashed. Gilgamesh, dressed in casual clothes, picked up the letter. His red eyes scanned the handwriting, and a knowing smile curved his lips.

"A clown's trick."

Gilgamesh tossed the letter onto the table. Watching Tohno Shiro's retreating back, his smile didn't fade. He said, "However, if a clown's trick can elicit some genuine emotion from that pretentious fellow, then it might not be so bad."

With that, Gilgamesh dissolved into golden particles and vanished from the room.

"Teacher, you're saying someone from the Einzbern family invited you to a meeting?" In the Church's underground chamber, Kotomine Kirei looked at the phonograph, momentarily surprised.

Wait, didn't that Servant invite me earlier? Why did they invite Teacher the next day?

"That's right. It seems that Lord from the Clock Tower has put a lot of pressure on the Einzbern family. That homunculus doesn't want to continue like this anymore, so she sent me a letter this morning requesting a meeting."

As he spoke, Tohno Shiro couldn't suppress his laughter. Victory in this Holy Grail War was surely his!

Tohno Shiro didn't care about the information the Einzbern family had to share. He only cared about their attitude. Judging from past Holy Grail Wars, the Einzbern family were complete lunatics.

Their desire for the Holy Grail was so intense that they would do anything! In the previous Holy Grail War, they even summoned a Servant of the Avenger class!!

Fortunately, that Avenger-class Servant was too weak and was easily killed by other Servants.

This information was provided to Tohno Shiro by Risei Kotomine, the supervisor of the previous Holy Grail War and also the supervisor of this one.

He had sternly warned Tohno Shiro to be wary of the Einzbern family, because who knew what kind of Servant they would summon this time.

But now, the usually assertive Einzbern family had actually backed down. On the second day of their arrival in Fuyuki City, they had proactively contacted Tohno Shiro, hoping to hold a meeting to share information under the banner of the Three Great Families.

How could Tohno Shiro not be happy about this?!

"A meeting? Teacher, why do you think they want to meet with you?" Kotomine Kirei was puzzled. He felt like there wasn't anything particularly useful about his teacher.

"Probably because of Assassin."

Tohno Shiro wasn't an idiot. After seeing the letter, he had a rough idea why the Einzberns wanted to meet him today, rather than yesterday or earlier.

It was because they noticed the eliminated Assassin as soon as they arrived yesterday. Furthermore, as they were returning to their residence, they encountered a Servant of the Clock Tower Lord.

After a battle, the Einzbern family's Servant realized they were no match for Lancer and used a 'cowardly' tactic to attack Lancer's Master, escaping their pursuit.

"They probably want to use the matter of Assassin as leverage, to exchange information with me, or perhaps even form an alliance." Tohno Shiro thought, for the first time, that having a disciple like Kotomine Kirei was truly a blessing!

"I see, using the fact that Assassin hasn't been eliminated as leverage, and then forming an alliance with Teacher? That is indeed a wise move. Because Gilgamesh exposed some of his strength earlier, in their eyes, if they allied with Teacher, they might be able to use Gilgamesh to eliminate other powerful Servants... If they encounter an enemy comparable to Gilgamesh, then they can also..."

Kotomine Kirei fell silent at this point. Some things were better left unsaid, as it would spoil the fun.

"Exactly. This is a strategy of using one tiger to devour another. This idea was likely conceived by the Einzbern family's Servant. She clearly understands her own strengths and weaknesses, so forming an alliance with us is a decision made out of necessity." Tohno Shiro was pleased that Kotomine Kirei could think so far ahead, and he also praised the Einzbern family for summoning such a good Servant.

"Then Teacher, do you need me to have Assassin protect you from the shadows?"

Hearing Tohno Shiro's words, Kotomine Kirei understood that his teacher would definitely be meeting with the Einzbern family at noon today.

"No, I will have Gilgamesh accompany me. Under the guise of 'experiencing the local customs'."

"Understood."

With that, Kotomine Kirei had nothing more to say.

However... Kotomine Kirei clenched his fist slightly, indicating his inner turmoil. He really wanted to know if the homunculus had spoken with his teacher last night, or if Emiya Kiritsugu had.

My wife! .jpg

PS: "Please give more recommendation tickets =A=!! If you give more, the author will work hard to update."

Chapter 21: An Unexpected Encounter with Kayneth

"Aila-chan, are you sure it's okay?"

At noon, Irisviel looked at Mikaela beside her with some unease. For today's operation, they had decided to split up. Emiya Kiritsugu and Maiya Hisau were going to scout for the whereabouts of other Masters.

Emiya Kiritsugu and Maiya Hisau hadn't officially appeared yet, so basically, no one would pay attention to them. All eyes would be on Mikaela and Irisviel.

Currently, Mikaela and Irisviel, as planned, were sitting in a high-class coffee shop, quietly waiting for Tohno Shiro to arrive.

However...

Mikaela subtly glanced at Kayneth, who was elegantly sipping coffee not far away. He felt a sense of helplessness. Why was that person here too?

"It's fine. It's daytime, and night hasn't fallen yet." Mikaela told Irisviel not to panic. Unlike Emiya Kiritsugu, Kayneth wasn't someone who would kill at the slightest disagreement.

He was a person of considerable refinement. Since he was participating in this rural mage war, as a Lord of the Clock Tower, he was bound to exhibit a certain level of decorum. Kayneth would certainly not attack someone during the day.

"As a homunculus of the Einzbern family, you don't even know how to greet someone?"

Kayneth snapped his fingers, and an invisible magical barrier spread out around them, dispersing the ordinary people gathered nearby.

"Lord."

Seeing Kayneth activate the magical barrier, Diarmuid, who had fought Mikaela last night, canceled his spiritualization and appeared beside Kayneth. His gaze was unfriendly as he looked at Mikaela.

Mikaela stepped forward, looking at Kayneth, who was tasting his coffee, and said calmly, "I apologize, my Master is a bit shy around strangers. However, as a Lord of the Clock Tower and the current head of the Archibald family, I believe you won't mind."

"Oh? It seems you've investigated me quite thoroughly." Kayneth put down his coffee, not showing much surprise that his information was known. He looked calmly at Mikaela and said indifferently, "Naturally, as the head of the Archibald family, I wouldn't mind the attitude of a 'tool'."

In Kayneth's view, although the Einzbern family was decent, Irisviel was merely a homunculus, a tool participating in the Holy Grail War.

Tools will never be able to reach the main stage, so Kayneth doesn't need to care about Irisviel's attitude.

"It's just that your actions last night displeased me somewhat," Kayneth said to Mikaela, his voice devoid of emotion. "To dare to ambush me, that alone is enough to warrant you dying ten thousand times over."

"Even ants cling to life. To smoothly escape your and your Servant's attack, I had no choice but to resort to this strategy," Mikaela replied calmly, without any emotional fluctuation. "My Master is no match for you, and I am no match for Diarmuid, so fleeing was the best option."

At this moment, Mikaela was just talking big. Emiya Kiritsugu and Kayneth were fighting...

If it were like in the original story, with Kayneth and Emiya Kiritsugu fighting one-on-one, not in some magic workshop, the outcome would have been clear from the start.

If it weren't for avoiding revealing his strength too early, Mikaela was confident he could have killed Diarmuid instantly and sent him to the Hall of Heroes.

"Hehehe, what a good joke," Kayneth said with a mocking smile. However, despite the mocking smile, he picked up his coffee, and his smile gradually faded. He said with considerable arrogance, "The joke is quite good, but why are you stating the obvious?"

That's right, Kayneth was that kind of arrogant person. In his eyes, everything Mikaela said was simply stating the obvious!

What right did a mere homunculus have to be his opponent?

Moreover, last night, this young lady in a maid outfit was completely suppressed by Diarmuid. Although he felt that she still had some trump cards hidden, wasn't Diarmuid the same? He had only used one Noble Phantasm, and before he could even use the second one, she had already fled in disarray.

"Eh?!" Irisviel hadn't expected that Kayneth would be such an arrogant and conceited fellow...

If she hadn't overheard Emiya Kiritsugu and Mikaela discussing how to quickly eliminate other Masters last night, Irisviel might have believed that Kayneth was the strongest opponent in this Holy Grail War.

"However, even a genius like you probably needs a little help from the Einzbern family," Mikaela said, knowing Kayneth's temperament well. Although the man appeared arrogant, as a recognized genius, his intelligence was terrifying.

This could be seen from a certain "memoir" by a second-generation heir, which demonstrated just how brilliant Kayneth was.

"Indeed, I am very interested in the information you possess," Kayneth nodded. He enjoyed speaking with intelligent people. Although this meeting was unexpected, as the head of the Archibald family, he had encountered "unexpected" situations more than once.

No matter what the unexpected circumstances were, he had always overcome them, and this time would be no different.

"It's about Assassin, isn't it?" Mikaela said.

"Precisely. Why do you say that the eliminated Assassin is secretly observing us? Have you found any evidence?"

Kayneth nodded, somewhat satisfied with Mikaela's attitude. The other party's words were generally to the point, unlike those noble magi who required him to use his own clever mind to deduce their meaning.

"Yes, I believe you've also noticed it, haven't you? There's a faint sense of being watched all around us." Mikaela was speaking with a straight face, spouting nonsense. He didn't feel any sense of being watched.

This was because Assassin's concealment abilities were indeed very strong! He merely "knew" that the other party wasn't dead, so he kept observing his surroundings and discovered the other party's presence.

"..." Kayneth remained silent, simply watching Mikaela.

"Initially, my Master didn't notice Assassin. Even I only sensed that 'someone' was watching me. So, I slightly investigated the areas around me that could conceal someone and entered a spiritual state to observe my surroundings. That's how I discovered Assassin's presence."

After revealing "everything," Mikaela immediately shut his mouth, indicating he had no further information.

"Boring. Let's go, Lancer. Since we've had our fill of dessert, it's time to head back." After hearing everything, Kayneth didn't even say a word of thanks. He stood up, called out to Diarmuid, and left.

The magical barrier that had dispersed the surrounding crowd was also removed.

Chapter Twenty-Two: There's Such a Thing?!

A few minutes after Kayneth left, some guests returned to sit around Mikaela and Irisviel.

"Honestly, Aila-chan... you're an amazing talker," Irisviel said, watching Mikaela lie with a poker face, feeling a sense of admiration.

"Amazing talker?" Mikaela shook his head. He didn't feel much; he was merely stating a "fantasy."

For example, why most Servants didn't take existences like Assassin seriously was because... their sixth sense for sensing mortal danger was extremely powerful.

Once Assassin launched an attack, those heroes would instinctively defend themselves. An Assassin whose sneak attack failed would then be exposed in the eyes of those heroes and would have to fight against those powerful heroes.

Most heroes were veterans of countless battles, having killed far too many formidable opponents. The number of Assassins who could stand toe-to-toe with those "heroes" was few and far between.

Therefore, apart from gathering intelligence and assassinating Masters, Assassin was basically useless.

Of course, this was the general sentiment. Mikaela was merely echoing their "inner thoughts." He personally didn't believe Assassin was limited to gathering intelligence and assassinating Masters.

After all... there was that old man who liked to wander around, the Empress who had a rudimentary understanding of magic, the sunglasses-wearing uncle who liked to box, the "Saber" from outer space, the oni who enjoyed drinking, and so on...

Once these Assassins were summoned, who would win against whom was truly uncertain.

"But why was Kayneth here?" Irisviel didn't press further when Mikaela didn't seem inclined to answer. She had been extremely nervous when she saw Kayneth earlier.

After all, he was someone she had fought with last night. If he had decided to fight on the spot, in broad daylight...

Then, the assassination plan devised by her husband and Aila-chan would likely have been ruined.

"He just came for a cup of coffee and some dessert. His purpose is different from ours," Mikaela said, picking up the black coffee on the table and taking a sip. "This place is a rather famous cafe in Fuyuki City. 'Self-proclaimed' nobles often frequent it."

"Kiritsugu and I chose this location to give Tohno Shiro the impression that this was a premium cafe that we, the 'Einzberns,' had spent some effort to find."

"However, Kayneth's appearance was an unexpected situation. But it's good this way. At least we've had some interaction. Next time we meet, I can propose a collaboration with the head of the great Archibald family. Once we form an alliance, I will take advantage of his relaxed moment..."

As he said this, a cold glint flashed in Mikaela's eyes, leaving Irisviel speechless.

Having only been in Fuyuki City for two days, Mikaela had already proposed "cooperation" to three participants of the Holy Grail War.

Yesterday, it was Kotomine Kirei.

Today, it was Kayneth.

And Tohno Shiro was still to come!

And his cooperation with them was intended to kill them. Irisviel felt a bit dizzy. She thought Aila-chan's class was wrong; he shouldn't be a Saber class, but an Assassin.

"Irisviel, do you believe that once Tohno Shiro arrives, he'll even praise our choice of location?" Seeing Irisviel's confused expression, Mikaela decided to stop talking.

Because this noblewoman was still kind-hearted, it was better not to say too much about certain matters. Communicating with Emiya Kiritsugu would suffice.

"This..."

Irisviel didn't know how to respond. She could only offer a smile, indicating her agreement with Mikaela's idea.

After about ten minutes, a man in a red suit, with a stern expression and an aura of elite sophistication, walked over. He spotted Mikaela and Irisviel at a glance, flashed a flawless smile, and nodded at them.

Then, he snapped his fingers, and a gem shattered in his hand. A magical barrier to disperse ordinary people was once again set up nearby.

"To find such a high-class cafe, I must say, it's befitting of an Einzbern Master. Even your choice of a place to talk is so comfortably tasteful," Tohno Shiro said, holding a ruby-inlaid cane. His every movement was filled with elegance, like a classical Western nobleman.

"You're too kind, head of the Tohno family," Irisviel's smile was a little stiff at this moment.

Aila-chan was right after all. As soon as Tohno Shiro arrived, he would praise their chosen spot.

Upon seeing Irisviel, Tohno Shiro glanced around. Noticing that everyone else had already left under the 'suggestion magic,' a flicker of doubt crossed his eyes.

Emiya Kiritsugu didn't come? That filthy mage killer.

Despite his inner doubts, Tohno Shiro wouldn't voice them openly. Instead, he shifted the topic to Mikaela.

"This is your Servant?"

Irisviel nodded and said to Tohno Shiro, "This is my Servant."

"Is that so?" Tohno Shiro's gaze fell on Mikaela. Through his abilities as a Master, he saw Mikaela's status screen, which made him chuckle with delight.

In Tohno Shiro's eyes, Mikaela's status screen was pathetically weak! Just as his disciple had said, besides her negotiation skills, she was no match for an ordinary Servant in any other aspect.

No wonder she left in a hurry after a brief exchange with Lancer last night!

Although he was inwardly pleased, Tohno Shiro wouldn't openly express his happiness.