"Bazett, go do the laundry."
"Yes!"
"Bazett, if you have time, mop the floor in the hallway outside."
"Okay!"
"Bazett, Bazett~ There are too many fallen leaves in the backyard. Remember to clean them up."
"Understood!"
Because of Cú Chulainn, Bazett had volunteered to help with the housework in order to repay Mo Shuying for saving her life.
She and Emiya Shirou had made breakfast together, and Emiya Shirou had been moved to tears at the time.
Although
Bazett's breakfast had tasted rather average, at least she had put her heart into it, hadn't she? In Emiya Shirou's eyes, Bazett's favorability had skyrocketed.
With Bazett doing the laundry, mopping, sweeping, serving tea, and pouring water, the Emiya Residence had somehow gained a group of idle old men and one maid being exploited by everyone.
"Your tea, Mr. Shuying!"
A cup of tea was handed to Mo Shuying. He accepted it, took a sip, and smiled.
"You really don't need to go this far. Take a break."
But Bazett shook her head vigorously.
"This is what I should do, and all I can do within my abilities. Thank you, Mr. Shuying. You've worked hard."
Bazett was most grateful to Mo Shuying. Though he was currently dressed casually, he had actually been maintaining Avalon the entire time. That constantly consumed magical energy. Fortunately, Mo Shuying had plenty of it. If it had been Emiya Shirou instead, he would probably have been drained dry already.
"It's nothing. I only did what I could."
Mo Shuying took another sip of tea, a smile on his lips. He had to admit, this scene of everyone gathered together in harmony was truly wonderful—and rare.
After all, when he had watched Fate back then, few endings had been perfect. The emotional knives had cut deep.
The current situation could be considered a wish fulfilled, with everyone getting a happy ending.
At that moment, Tohsaka Rin and Red Archer returned and reported on what was happening outside.
"We made a round outside. We didn't find any other Servants or Masters, but we discovered a problem."
"The ley lines are shifting. It seems someone is altering their course. The ley line convergence point at Ryuudou Temple has already started changing."
Altering ley lines required immense power as well as an extremely high level of magical expertise.
Mo Shuying turned to glance at the innocent-looking Cú Chulainn. He understood that even if Cú Chulainn were completely unharmed, he would be incapable of doing something on that level.
"Could Medea be up to something again?"
Mo Shuying spoke.
Tohsaka Rin shook her head.
"No. We went up and asked. Medea doesn't know either. She's trying her best to control it right now, but the results aren't obvious."
"Could she be lying to you? It wouldn't be the first time."
Luvia spoke up. She did not trust Medea very much.
Tohsaka Rin shook her head again.
"The loss of the ley lines would weaken her as well. She probably wouldn't do something that harmed herself by a thousand."
"Can you determine where the ley lines are newly converging?"
Mo Shuying asked.
"Not yet. The ley lines are only undergoing slight changes right now, and the convergence trend is very faint. Medea can't catch the pattern either. For now, all we can do is wait and see. There may be other developments. I've already spoken with Medea—if she finds anything new, she'll contact me immediately."
Tohsaka Rin had already made the arrangements, so there was no need to say anything more. The image of the woman who used poison flashed through Mo Shuying's mind, followed by the figure of an empress, the two overlapping.
Could it be her? If it's her... it's not impossible.
Mo Shuying was thinking of an empress known as a poisoner, one of the earliest poisoners in human history. Her magecraft and magic were also incredibly powerful.
"For now, we can put the ley line changes aside. Even if they shift further, they won't have much impact on us. The critical issue is still the other three Masters and Servants. The matter with Caster has already shown that they aren't friendly. Whether it's Saber or the person using poison afterward, they clearly intend to kill. So everyone should be more careful when going out."
According to Bazett, that venomous snake had been coming for her. The other side had clearly wanted to eliminate her, the Master, at the source.
Since the enemy had murderous intentions, they had to be absolutely vigilant. In terms of individual strength, none of the Masters present were a match for Bazett. If even Bazett could not handle them, the others were in even greater danger.
"Illya, you'll be staying here for the next few days. Don't run around everywhere, understand? I'll ask Taiga to get you and Miyu excused from school."
Tohsaka Rin recalled that Illya and the others were also in danger, so she reminded them. It was fine while they were resting these past two days, but they would have to go to school tomorrow.
"Alright, I understand."
Illya obediently agreed. Miyu sat beside her with a happy expression on her face.
"Alright, there's nothing else for now. Don't panic too much, everyone. Our alliance is still very strong. We'll definitely claim the final victory. That's all. Meeting adjourned."
Luvia swept out a hand and declared the meeting over. Everyone dispersed again and went back to doing their own thing.
Illya, Miyu, and Gray gathered together. Luvia and Tohsaka Rin went off to discuss something else. Red Archer found the trees in the courtyard displeasing and projected a pair of pruning shears, beginning his performance. Astolfo, wearing a short skirt, scampered over to Cú Chulainn, squatted down beside him, and poked him with a branch.
"Astolfo, stop messing around. If you've got nothing to do, ride your bird up into the sky and scout around. Oh, remember to ask Red Archer for an invisibility cloak."
Mo Shuying called out to Astolfo.
The moment Astolfo heard that he could go for a ride, he immediately perked up.
"A ride! An invisibility cloak! Yay!"
Astolfo went to find Red Archer. Cú Chulainn breathed a sigh of relief. It was not that Astolfo had been bullying him—rather, from that angle just now, he could see some things he should not have seen. His eyes hurt a little now.
"Ah, such a pretty kid... Why does he have to be a boy?!"
Cú Chulainn sighed.
Mo Shuying froze upon hearing that, then nodded in agreement.
"Exactly."
Night fell once more, and Fuyuki City welcomed the darkness.
On an uninhabited hillside, a silver-haired girl reached out to touch the ground, sensing the ley lines flowing beneath the earth. After a long while—
"They really are being altered. Ley lines that haven't changed in two hundred years are actually changing. Who could it be?"
There was a trace of displeasure in the silver-haired girl's voice. She was the guardian of Fuyuki City's ley lines. It had originally been an incredibly easy job, but who would have thought that the ley lines would move today?
Always afraid of trouble, she could not help but resent it. At that moment, Saber Mordred walked over, dressed in cool casual clothes, her hands clasped behind her head.
"Still not done, Master?"
The silver-haired girl shook her head.
"We still don't know who's causing trouble, but they must be very powerful. This is getting more and more troublesome. Damn it, do I really have to ask that person for help?"
The silver-haired girl gritted her teeth and looked toward an abandoned high-rise building in the distance. There was someone there whom she—or rather, her father—knew.
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