"The mission is simple enough. Provide security for Umbrella Corporation and turn away anyone who enters without permission or harbors ill intentions!"
"If you discover Magic Users breaking in, you can also choose to kill them outright!"
After finishing his brief explanation, he fell silent.
Seeing this, Hart leaned back in his seat and looked at his reflection in the window. His face carried a fierce air. Although he looked extremely unapproachable, at least he did not look inhuman.
Moreover, his appearance was indeed very intimidating. He would have no trouble frightening people as a security guard.
"A pharmaceutical company... What kind of medicine can it sell?"
The Werewolf Leader questioned the Android again.
"A new type of anti-cancer drug!"
The Android showed no impatience as he explained coldly, "It is a special medicine developed by Miss Aozaki Touko. It has extremely noticeable effects against cancer."
"...Cancer... What is that?"
Hearing the unfamiliar term, the Werewolf Leader looked utterly confused.
"Hmm... It is roughly a cellular disorder. The cells mutate, stop cooperating with the human body, and grow without restraint. It is one of the diseases humanity currently has no way to cure!"
Listening to the Android's explanation, the Werewolf Leader nodded slightly. "Hmm... I still don't really understand, but basically, it's something very impressive, right?"
"...There is nothing wrong with understanding it that way."
The Android gave the Werewolf Leader a strange look.
"Haha... I really can't keep up with the times~"
The Werewolf Leader let out an awkward laugh. Then he lost the desire to speak and silently watched the scenery outside the window, as though the world beyond it had suddenly become fascinating.
Amid the quiet atmosphere,
the convoy stopped in front of a luxurious building.
Night.
On the building opposite Umbrella Corporation,
a woman in a trench coat calmly watched the Umbrella Corporation building.
Her mission was to steal the formula for the anti-cancer drug and confirm that the medicine contained no magical elements.
"So this is the place... I hope the security isn't too tight!"
The woman named Natalia Kaminski glanced at the watch ticking on her wrist. Then, with a black case beside her, she left with brisk, decisive steps.
She was a hunter who took on jobs for bounty money, and the reward for this mission was ten million dollars.
Furthermore, multiple factions had placed bounties on it at the same time. In other words, if she succeeded, she would immediately obtain a vast fortune and never have to worry about money again.
----The clock hands reached twelve.
"...The surveillance system was hacked so easily. The security doesn't seem particularly tight either!"
Natalia Kaminski leaped down from the ventilation duct, drew a pistol from her waist, and proceeded toward her destination with increasing vigilance.
The mission was going far too smoothly, which instead gave her an ominous premonition.
"That Succubus scent of yours... We smelled it before you came in!"
Suddenly, a cold voice rang out.
Then, pairs of green eyes lit up in the dark corridor. One Werewolf after another emerged from the darkness, surrounding Natalia as their bestial killing intent locked firmly onto her.
"...This is the worst!"
"Don't kill me. I surrender."
Natalia gave a bitter smile and decisively raised her hands in surrender.
Although she was confident in her own combat ability, she did not think she could defeat a group of Werewolves. She was not one of those superheroes from stories—she was merely an ordinary bounty hunter.
"..."
The Werewolf Leader gave her a cold look. After a moment of silence, he said, "Take her into custody... Then hand her over to Lord Aozaki for judgment!"
As soon as he finished speaking, two Werewolves stepped forward and subdued Natalia. They then took her to the communications room and called Einzbern.
Chapter Seventeen: Who Was the Strongest Doll Master in This World?
"Hmm... Keep her confined for now."
With that, Aozaki Touko hung up the phone and turned her gaze toward the snow falling outside the window.
She knew who the Magic User infiltrating Umbrella Corporation was. She was Emiya Kiritsugu's adoptive mother during the Fourth Holy Grail War, and possessed part of a Succubus bloodline.
As for her strength, she was unquestionably powerful.
After all, anyone bold enough to accept a sealing designation bounty could not possibly be weak.
However, those were all secondary concerns.
The important point was that her pharmaceutical company had been targeted.
And it was not just one faction. The Mage's Association needed no explanation. To prevent the Mystery from being diluted, they had specifically sent someone to investigate whether the medicine contained magic. That was understandable enough.
But why had the vampires come to investigate as well?
"Interesting... A dignified member of the Twenty-Seven Ancestors, one of the three oldest Dead Apostles, is actually interested in my research. Could it be because I am the heir of a Magic User?!"
After thinking for a while, Aozaki Touko seemed to give up and leaned back against the sofa.
To be honest, she had never expected that the True Ancestor named Valeri Fernando Van Fem would take an interest in her.
"Perhaps... this is the intersection known as fate!"
Suddenly, a pleasant female voice rang out. Irisviel pushed open the door and walked in. She sat down beside Aozaki Touko and said with a gentle smile,
"Don't you think it's a wonderful coincidence? Your Rose Maiden is almost complete, and then the two rarest and strongest Doll Masters in the world will be drawn together by fate to compete for supremacy!"
As she spoke, her ruby eyes gleamed with excitement and anticipation.
Something so steeped in destiny, with such an epic and legendary quality, was extremely attractive to her—especially after she had recently watched so many films and read so many books.
"...Sigh~"
Aozaki Touko thought for a moment, then smiled. "Although I don't know the reason, if I can compete with Van Fem in Dollcraft, that wouldn't be a bad thing!"
That was right. She would not be standing as a challenger, but competing as an equal.
This was neither arrogance nor ignorance. She was confident that she possessed enough power to face the oldest True Ancestor. She did not need to rely on the power of her grandfather, the Magic User. She only needed her own strength.
"I believe in you, Touko... You will definitely become the strongest Puppeteer!"
Irisviel gently gathered her silver hair with one hand, her ruby eyes filled with absolute conviction.
No one in this world understood Aozaki Touko's Dollcraft better than she did. After all, she was the person who communicated with Aozaki Touko the most and was closest to her.
She had even personally witnessed the birth of the Rose Maiden.
"Is that so..."
Aozaki Touko climbed off the sofa, her face lighting up with a sunny smile. "Then, as your husband, I have no choice but to answer my wife's expectations."
"I'll work overtime and finish the Rose Maiden right now!"
As she spoke, she lowered her head and kissed Irisviel on the forehead. Then she turned and walked toward the workshop, intending to speed up the Rose Maiden's creation.
"Touko... You really are dazzling!"
Irisviel touched her forehead, a gentle smile appearing on her breathtakingly beautiful face.
She loved Aozaki Touko's eyes—eyes without the slightest trace of confusion or panic, as though she had no idea what hardship meant, always so calm and composed.
Simply looking at them filled her heart with a sense of security.
This was probably what a true strong person was like: possessing a clear goal, a will without confusion or hesitation, and astonishing determination in action.
She was dazzling, just like the sun.
As long as one stayed by her side and watched her, fear would fade away and confidence would fill the heart, making anyone who followed her unconsciously admire her.
Berlin.
Umbrella Corporation.
"This is the worst!"
Looking at the surrounding Werewolves, Natalia sighed softly and intended to take out a cigarette to ease her turbulent emotions.
Then, in the very next second,
a Werewolf's claws had already seized her firmly.
Even moving had become difficult.
"What are you trying to do?!"
A Werewolf glared coldly and gripped the human woman's hand tightly. If she made even the slightest suspicious movement, he would immediately use physical anesthesia to stop the female Magic User from making any small moves.
"I just want to smoke a cigarette," Natalia said with a bitter smile.
"No. Stay right there."
The Werewolf refused outright.
"Nicotine withdrawal is awful... Since I'm cooperating with you so well, just let me have one. Consider it a privilege for a prisoner, all right?"
Natalia put on a pained expression, as though her craving had suddenly flared up.
"..."
Seeing this, the Werewolves exchanged glances for a while.
Then the Werewolf who had spoken earlier nodded slightly.
"Don't move... We'll take the cigarettes out for you."
As he spoke, a female Werewolf cautiously reached out, removed a pack of cigarettes from Natalia's pocket, and sniffed them carefully. After confirming that nothing was amiss, she handed the cigarettes to Natalia.
"Sorry... Could you take out the lighter as well?"
After accepting the cigarettes, Natalia gave her an apologetic smile.
"..."
The female Werewolf was silent for a moment, then took the lighter from her pocket and handed it to her.
"Thanks... You've saved me!"
Seeing this, Natalia looked relieved. She skillfully pulled out a cigarette, lit it with relish, and began smoking slowly.
At the same time,
in a small tavern in Berlin,
"...Werewolves, huh? Looks like I can't rescue her for now."
Emiya Kiritsugu looked thoughtful as writing appeared on the sheet of paper before him.
The information appearing on the paper came from a secret technique known only to him and his adoptive mother. Messages were transmitted through lighting cigarettes and using the frequency of smoking to communicate.
Because people generally did not refuse someone's need to smoke,
it was usually a sufficiently discreet way to send messages.
Chapter Eighteen: The Stage Where All Gathered
He paid no attention to what had happened at Umbrella Corporation.
They had taken the intruder into custody and then acted as though nothing had happened—or perhaps there were matters of even greater priority that needed to be completed.
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