"Am I an idiot?"
Assassin "Red" immediately dismissed the thought that had surfaced in her mind. There was no benefit at all in betraying Shirou now. There was neither a conflict of interests nor a clash of opinions. If there was any point of conflict... it was, at most, their ways of life. But even that had long since been accepted by the Empress as reality.
A girl who had learned betrayal after being robbed, and who yearned for wealth.
A boy who had learned anger after being robbed, only to gain despair in the end.
It was only natural for the two of them to have different ways of life. There was no need to pursue which of them was right.
"Then, when our interests conflict, when I understand that one person's gain will harm the other... what exactly will I do?"
She still had no answer. Assassin "Red" sighed and returned to the King's Hall. No one sat upon the throne. Neither the world-famous hero, nor the clownish writer, nor even her own Master was here.
The lone Empress, the lone wielder of power... all she felt now was endless emptiness.
London Clock Tower
"Honestly... what the hell is going on?"
It was rare indeed to see Lord El-Melloi II so flustered... Lord El-Melloi II could not help smiling.
This was the headquarters of the Mage's Association, the highest academy where young magi striving for ambition gathered... London's Clock Tower. This particular place was an underground lecture hall protected by multiple barriers, usually used for all sorts of purposes, such as meetings kept secret from students and covert negotiations with the Holy Church.
During the Holy Grail War, the Mage's Association had recruited numerous first-rate bounty hunters to wipe out Yggdmillennia's magi, gathering enough catalysts in only a