"Got it. You may leave."
He ordered Hundred-Faced Hassan to continue her intelligence work, especially investigating the unknown Servant and their Master.
Although he noticed the Servant's dissatisfaction, Kirei Kotomine made no effort to comfort her, merely brushing it off.
The reason was actually quite simple—
Kirei Kotomine was already tired. Weary.
He had thought the Holy Grail War would awaken the passion within him, but it had not.
The Command Spells were not divine salvation. Instead, they deepened Kirei Kotomine's confusion.
Since the true battle had begun tonight, he had discovered that the pain and bewilderment in his heart continued unabated.
The Fourth Holy Grail War, in which the fated person—Emiya Kiritsugu—had not appeared, was still too boring for this man.
After finishing her communication with her Master, Hundred-Faced Hassan returned to her base in Miyama Town.
Among all eighty-eight individuals, she was the Hassan-i-Sabbah who existed as their leader and overseer.
Therefore, she generally did not carry out reconnaissance missions herself. Her primary duties were receiving and compiling intelligence and conveying her Master's orders.
Perhaps because it made communication more convenient, she was also one of the few Hassan-i-Sabbahs who had not been flayed and still retained her original appearance.
Assassin's base was located inside a luxurious hotel in Miyama Town.
Hundred-Faced Hassan had no demands regarding her living conditions.
While alive, she had undergone training so harsh that ordinary people could never imagine it in order to become the leader—the Old Man of the Mountain. After death, she had even less desire for material comforts.
The reason she had chosen a luxurious hotel instead of some hidden place like a sewer was actually something she could not bring herself to say.
Hundred-Faced Hassan walked to the door of the hotel room being used as a temporary base.
But just then, voices came from inside the room, which should have been absolutely silent.
"!?"
The woman immediately tensed.
Has my hiding place been discovered?
No, that's absolutely impossible!
As the leader of the Assassin Order, her pride would never allow her to entertain such a thought.
However, the fact that noisy sounds were coming from the other side of the door was undeniable.
Hundred-Faced Hassan frowned slightly. Could "that person" have caused trouble in the room again?
"..."
As a precaution, she spiritized herself.
She passed through the wall without making a sound and entered the room.
Then Hundred-Faced Hassan witnessed an unbelievable, bizarre scene.
"That person" whom Hundred-Faced Hassan had locked inside the room—
A small, purple-haired, brown-skinned girl was sitting beside an unfamiliar red-haired boy, watching a late-night Magical Girl anime.
"What's wrong?"
Shirou looked toward the purple-haired, brown-skinned little girl.
Loli Hassan, who had been watching the anime with rapt attention, suddenly turned around and stared silently at the wall behind her.
There was clearly nothing there.
Shirou instantly realized what was happening. "Ah... could that be Mr. Assassin coming back?"
Volume One 037: Assassin, You Don't Want To...
"Could that be Mr. Assassin coming back?"
"..."
The purple-haired, brown-skinned little girl nodded in confirmation.
Hey, don't casually sell out my information to a stranger...
Hundred-Faced Hassan pressed a hand to her twitching forehead in speechless exasperation and dispelled her spirit form.
Shirou began curiously sizing Hundred-Faced Hassan up from head to toe.
Leaving aside the overly suspicious Lady Avalon and the excessively adorable Loli Hassan, this was the first time he had seen a living Heroic Spirit at such close range.
Hundred-Faced Hassan folded her arms over her chest. Vigilance showed in her eyes as she questioned him in a threatening tone:
"Who are you? How did you get in here?"
Loli Hassan walked over to Hundred-Faced Hassan and silently tugged at her black robe.
"..."
She was probably expressing something like Don't fight, and Hundred-Faced Hassan clearly froze for a moment.
She knitted her brows, then sighed as though surrendering.
"Ah, fine... Go wait in the room next door. Understood?"
Loli Hassan nodded and obediently went to the adjoining room. Before leaving, she even waved goodbye to Shirou.
"You're good at taking care of children," Shirou said.
"What did you teach that child?" Hundred-Faced Hassan asked.
"Nothing. I just watched Magical Girl anime with her all night. We've already become good friends."
"..."
Hundred-Faced Hassan made no comment and said coldly, "You don't look like an ordinary child... Are you involved in the Holy Grail War?"
For Hundred-Faced Hassan, who possessed nearly a hundred personalities at once, no one could understand the meaning of don't judge a book by its cover more deeply than she did.
The red-haired boy before her was definitely no ordinary person.
Shirou felt there was no need to hide it and readily admitted, "That's right. I'm one of the seven Masters in the Holy Grail War."
Hundred-Faced Hassan's eyebrow twitched, and she immediately asked the question she cared about most.
"How did you find this place?"
Shirou explained, "Don't worry, Assassin. Your whereabouts weren't exposed. I have my own intelligence network."
Shirou was the king of the children in Miyama Town. As long as he activated his intelligence network, he could uncover reports of foreigners seen in the surrounding area.
Of course, he had also been rather lucky this time. A child had happened to see Hundred-Faced Hassan checking into this hotel with Loli Hassan several days earlier.
Even in modern clothing, a brown-skinned woman and a little girl were simply too conspicuous in an East Asian country.
Tch. I really messed up.
As the leader of the Order, she had actually exposed her whereabouts because she was looking after a child.
If "that lord" found out, she would definitely lose her head again.
Hundred-Faced Hassan cursed her own carelessness inwardly, then asked, "Are you alone?"
"My Servant is rather shy and doesn't like coming out to meet people.
"She won't disturb us. Can you just talk with me like this?"
"Is that so... I really have been underestimated."
The moment Hundred-Faced Hassan finished speaking, her figure vanished from Shirou's sight.
In the next instant, she flashed behind Shirou, and a sharp blade pressed against the boy's neck.
Hundred-Faced Hassan said coldly, "You think I'm weak just because I'm an Assassin... How unpleasant."
So fast. I can't see her movements at all... Shirou thought.
Leaving aside what Shirou Amamiya had been like in his prime, at eight years old, he was completely unable to follow Hundred-Faced Hassan's movements.
So this is an Assassin...
Although their combat power was the weakest, in terms of speed alone, they would not lose to any hero in history.
Even if a magus had a spiritized Servant by their side, if they walked up to her, they would probably be killed before they could even materialize and fight back.
Shirou gained a new understanding of battles between Heroic Spirits.
"I've never thought you were weak."
Shirou tilted his head back ninety degrees and looked at the terrifying skull mask. "If anything, I thought you were good enough, which is why I came to find you.
"'An Assassin can't fight head-on and is only good for carrying out assassinations.'
"There's another meaning contained in that statement—Assassin is a class specialized in killing magi.
"After experiencing it myself, you really didn't disappoint me.
"Hey, if you don't plan to kill me, why not lower the knife? It's dangerous."
Hundred-Faced Hassan frowned and lowered her dagger. She had only wanted to intimidate him a little. Had he seen through it?
No. That can't be.
"What exactly are you trying to say?"
"Assassin, let's cooperate."
A vicious glint appeared in Hundred-Faced Hassan's eyes. "You want me to betray my Master?"
Shirou said, "Your Master seems unable to properly recognize your value. He even sent you to your death. Is someone like that really worthy of your loyalty?"
Hundred-Faced Hassan was secretly shocked.
Less than five hours had passed since the battle at the Tohsaka Family.
This brat had not only found her whereabouts, but even seen through the plot between Tokiomi Tohsaka and the Kotomine father and son?
Was that possible?
Her heart wavered. "Just how did you... see that Kirei Kotomine and Tokiomi Tohsaka were secretly colluding?"
"I was just guessing... So it's true?"
Shirou stroked his chin thoughtfully. "I see. Tonight was a joint performance by Kirei Kotomine and Tokiomi Tohsaka."
"...Urgh!"
Hundred-Faced Hassan wore an extremely embarrassed expression after letting the words slip. This brat...
Shirou said seriously, "Although the part about your Master deliberately sending you to your death is only a guess, I'm sincere about wanting to cooperate with Assassin."
Hundred-Faced Hassan gave a disdainful snort. "You say that as if you can understand my value."
"Of course I can."
The boy answered with complete confidence.
Although she knew he was only saying that to curry favor with her, Hundred-Faced Hassan nevertheless found it strangely gratifying.
"The one killed tonight should have been another you.
"How many 'you' are left? Ten? Or twenty?"
Sorry, but there are eighty-seven of us left.
Hundred-Faced Hassan, who had been on the back foot ever since entering the room, curled the corners of her lips. It seemed this boy did not know everything after all.
Zabaniya was the divine art she had mastered only after pursuing it throughout her entire life. It was also the pride she held as the leader of the Order.
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