Saber glanced back at the unconscious Kiritsugu in the back seat.
"Kiritsugu's still in pretty bad shape... It'd be better to avoid too many bumps."
"Oh, really?"
After hearing Saber, Irisviel said with a troubled look, "But I don't know how to drive slowly."
"..."
Saber fell silent for a moment, then said, "Why don't you let me drive?" As a Servant, Saber had the Riding skill, so these vehicles posed no problem for her.
"Oh... All right."
Once Saber had taken the driver's seat, she asked Irisviel, "Do we have another base around here?"
They couldn't stay at Einzbern Castle any longer. The other Masters wouldn't be able to miss what had happened tonight, and if someone else came calling, it would be trouble.
"Kiritsugu once told me there was a Japanese-style house in Miyama Town."
Irisviel told Saber.
"Then let's head there first."
With that, the silver-white sedan started up again and drove smoothly toward Miyama Town.
Meanwhile, back with Saber's group...
After seeing Saber turn and leave, Lancer naturally wouldn't attack an opponent who was caught off guard. Instead, as if he'd realized something, he too raced toward Einzbern Castle.
Along the way, he happened upon Irisviel, who had already reunited with Saber.
But Lancer had no time to concern himself with them. Through the link of the Command Spell, he could vaguely sense the fury of his Master...
When Lancer reached Einzbern Castle, he happened to see Kayneth walking out of the castle, which had been reduced to what could only be called ruins.
Kayneth had no visible injuries. He was merely covered in dust and grime.
Seeing this, Lancer couldn't help but breathe a long sigh of relief.
Fortunately—
"Lancer..."
Lancer had just reached Kayneth and was about to report on the battle when he suddenly heard Kayneth's distant voice.
"My lord?"
Sensing that something was wrong with Kayneth, Lancer looked up—only to see the fury he could no longer suppress.
"Why didn't you stop that woman?"
That woman?
Lancer suddenly thought of the silver-haired woman who had driven away before he and Saber began fighting.
"My lord, I swore..."
Lancer knelt on one knee and was about to explain, but Kayneth shouted at him, "Shut up!"
Then—
A loud boom. The Volumen Hydrargyrum that had been at Kayneth's side turned into a whip and lashed the ground beside Lancer.
The impact sent dirt flying in every direction.
"..."
Kayneth stared at Lancer, who remained kneeling silently before him. His eyes were filled with boundless disappointment... and regret.
He'd been so close—
Just a little more, and he could have killed Saber's Master right there.
Kayneth's plan had been thorough. After learning about Emiya Kiritsugu's trump card from Wang Xiaoming, he'd used a familiar to pinpoint Kiritsugu's location, then challenged him while Saber and Irisviel were away.
He'd also had Lancer intercept Saber and Irisviel on the road. If Lancer could kill Saber, that would be ideal. Even if he couldn't, holding them off would have been enough.
Kayneth had forced Emiya Kiritsugu into a corner with his own Magecraft instead of relying on the Volumen Hydrargyrum. He'd never imagined Kiritsugu had hidden a grenade nearby.
Though protected by his Mystic Code, Kayneth had still been blasted into a filthy mess. Watching Emiya Kiritsugu escape, he'd resolved to wipe away his humiliation with the man's blood.
He just hadn't expected...
When Kayneth chased Emiya Kiritsugu out of Einzbern Castle and saw that woman help Kiritsugu into a car, he was left choking on exhaust fumes. One could imagine how he'd felt.
But it was too late now—
Kayneth drew a deep breath. Without saying another word, he walked off on his own.
Behind him, Lancer remained silent, while most of Einzbern Castle lay destroyed by Kayneth's outburst.
When Kayneth returned to the Matou Residence, he found Wang Xiaoming waiting in the living room for news. Medea was there with him, along with Sola, who seemed to be waiting for news from someone.
As for Kariya, after dinner, he'd volunteered to take on the role of nanny and put the two children to bed.
"So Lancer let Einzbern's participant get away because he wanted to uphold his code of chivalry, and you weren't able to kill Emiya Kiritsugu."
Wang Xiaoming's blunt summary left Kayneth rather vexed, while Lancer, beside him, had no answer.
Honestly, you're lucky you made it back in one piece. I never expected you to take him out.
Though he grumbled inwardly, Wang Xiaoming decided it was best not to say so, given Kayneth's mood.
"My lord, I..."
Lancer seemed to want to explain himself to Kayneth, but Kayneth cut him off before he could finish.
"Enough. I don't want to hear any more of your ridiculous excuses!"
Kayneth rose from his seat, gave Lancer a long look, then turned and walked toward his room.
"Chivalry, huh..."
Wang Xiaoming shrugged and exchanged a look with Medea. The two of them also returned to their room.
That left Lancer alone in the living room, helplessly watching his Master walk away, while Sola stood nearby, unsure what to say.
The Moon Is Beautiful
After watching the scene in the living room, Wang Xiaoming and Medea went straight back to their room.
Kariya was clearly grateful to Wang Xiaoming and the others. The room he'd arranged for them was one of the best in the Matou House.
It was a suite with its own desk, positioned right in front of a window. At night, all Wang Xiaoming had to do was look up to see the full moon hanging in the sky.
Come to think of it, it was a full moon tonight.
But Wang Xiaoming had no time to admire it just then.
He sat at the desk, leaned back in his chair, and stared silently at the brilliant full moon in the sky.
Everything had changed. Everything—
According to Wang Xiaoming's memories, Kayneth should have returned from tonight's raid on Einzbern Castle with serious injuries.
He had revealed the information to Kayneth, of course, but in the end, he'd only done so because he wanted to survive this Holy Grail War.
Had his influence really grown enough to change the course of the war without him even realizing it?
As he was still congratulating himself, Wang Xiaoming suddenly thought of something.
If Emiya Kiritsugu's trump card was the Origin Bullet, then his own trump card was probably the memories of the future in his head. But what if the future "story" stopped following those memories...
Thinking of the man who'd been badly injured tonight, Wang Xiaoming felt a faint fear of what lay ahead begin to take root in his heart.
He let out a troubled sigh. His jumbled thoughts kept crowding in, making him miserable.
"What are you thinking about?"
Medea's voice suddenly sounded beside Wang Xiaoming's ear. A cool sensation followed at both his temples.
Medea was standing behind him, massaging his temples with her slender hands.
"Uh..."
Wang Xiaoming hadn't expected Medea to help ease his tension. He froze for a second, then came back to himself, surprised to find his troubled thoughts fading and his mind gradually clearing.
"It's just a little Magecraft."
Medea said that, but her hands didn't stop moving. Then a thought suddenly occurred to her.
Come to think of it, when had she last done this for another man?
Was it when her father, the king of Colchis, had been troubled by official duties?
Or that man... when he'd been running for his life, exhausted from being hunted?
"..."
The strange atmosphere made Wang Xiaoming hesitate. Without thinking, he started to turn and look at Medea behind him.
"Don't move!"
Medea's voice came from behind him, a little cold, and stopped Wang Xiaoming in his tracks.
But to Wang Xiaoming, it sounded almost like the embarrassment of someone whose feelings had just been exposed.
Silence settled between them again. Wang Xiaoming was a little surprised by the change in Medea.
"What were you worrying about just now?"
Medea's earlier question came again, but her voice sounded much stiffer this time.
"...My memories have started to diverge—or, rather, take a different turn."
After a moment of silence, Wang Xiaoming opened up.
"Originally, Kayneth was supposed to attack the Einzbern family's base tonight and return with serious injuries. But after I told him about Emiya Kiritsugu's trump card... Well, you saw what happened today."
Now that he'd started talking, Wang Xiaoming seemed to want to pour out all the secrets he'd been holding inside to this woman who had guessed where he came from.
Medea pressed her lips together and listened patiently to the man sitting with his back to her.
He always seemed so carefree, but apparently he had plenty on his mind too.
"If everything from now on strays from what I remember, what's the point of all my plans?"
After getting everything off his chest, Wang Xiaoming let out a long breath.
People were like that. They didn't seem to like bearing a secret alone, but if someone else could share the burden, it made things much easier.
Selfish and practical.
"Are you finished?"
Medea's quiet voice reached Wang Xiaoming's ears.
"I'm finished..."
Wang Xiaoming scratched his cheek, a little embarrassed by his loss of composure.
"You really are something..."
Medea took her hands away from Wang Xiaoming's temples. He felt a faint sense of loss, but her next move surprised him.
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