The plane arrived in Shiga City under a light rain. Ryunosuke Uryu's subordinate had apparently been waiting here for quite some time.
We did not exchange many words. He drove me straight to a rundown inn and told me the target was inside. He had checked in last night and had not come out since.
I looked it over. The inn was secluded and dilapidated. Even people traveling here on business probably would not choose this place to stay. Staying here was worse than going to an internet café.
I told the subordinate to wait a moment and said I would be back soon. Then I opened the door and got out.
Raindrops fell across my body. I did not jog or quicken my pace, merely wandered along as if taking a stroll. By the time I finally entered the inn, I was soaked through.
Yet there was no one at the front desk. Slightly puzzled, I walked farther inside, only to suddenly catch the scent of blood. A bad feeling immediately rose in my chest.
This inn usually had no guests. Maybe Ryunosuke Uryu had gotten itchy fingers and decided to use the inn staff as targets. With that thought in mind, I hurried deeper inside.
Beyond the first door behind the counter was a small room with only a table and several chairs. Farther in was a changing room. The blood smell came from a locker inside, and the floor was covered in bloodstains.
I drew Dojigiri Yasutsuna and slowly opened the locker. A mangled corpse fell out. It belonged to a woman in her fifties.
I had thought that seeing something like this up close for the first time would trigger some physical reaction—vomiting, a racing heartbeat—but there was nothing at all. Even I found it unbelievable.
I looked at the half-open window beside me. Did he escape through here? I had no idea how long ago he had fled. I took an E-rank item, the Bloodstain-Tracking Glasses, from my inventory. Once worn, they revealed the location of bloodstains. They were one of the few somewhat useful items I had gotten from the system's free lottery.
Sure enough, once I put them on, I could see a trail. I immediately gave chase. The rain had only faded the traces slightly; tracking him was no problem at all.
Less than ten minutes later, I saw a man in a raincoat. Every step he took left a bloodstain in my glasses. He was the murderer.
Once he turned into an alley, I struck decisively. I drew my sword and thrust it straight into his chest. It turned out he had noticed me as well and had planned to ambush me at the corner. He had not expected me to stab without even thinking, practically throwing himself onto my blade. First blood secured.
Before Ryunosuke Uryu died, he was still thinking, Shouldn't you first observe whether I'm really the killer, then say a couple of threatening lines before fighting? Are you really going to kill me so decisively? He would never get the chance to ask.
A burning sensation suddenly spread through my hand, and the pattern of a Command Spell appeared. It looked like three sword blades thrusting outward. The rest of the rewards had arrived as well. I now had three lottery draws. The system issued a prompt: the Fragment of the Prelati's Spellbook had been detected and could be recycled. Recycling it would grant five lottery draws.
It was not mine, and I could not use it anyway, so I recycled it. I had not expected Ryunosuke Uryu to drop so many gold coins for me. Awesome.
I contacted the driver, explained the situation, and told him to pick me up and take me back to the airport, while also handling the aftermath. Should I do a single draw? A single draw can work miracles. There probably won't be many missions later that hand out lottery draws. Leaving them unused won't improve my strength either. Let's draw.
I tapped the button for one draw. Golden light suddenly burst from the card. Gold! This glow was not something even the Necromancer or All-Answering Breach had possessed. It should be S-rank or higher. A single draw really did produce a miracle.
S-Rank Skill Upgrade Card: can upgrade one intermediate skill to advanced level (guaranteed mastery).
Excitedly, I immediately upgraded Reinforcement Magecraft: 0/80000. (Active effect: combat attribute reinforcement increased by 500%. Passive effect: hidden attribute effects increased by 40%; takes effect without using Reinforcement Magecraft.)
The explanation was concise. Hidden attributes were probably things like Instinct, like the inherited Instinct of the Spiky-Haired King's family—something that could even see through the future.
With my talent bonus, as long as I raised my swordsmanship to advanced level too, I was confident I could face Kirei Kotomine head-on. I would save the remaining seven draws for now. I did not want to draw until my lifespan ran out. Better to quit while I was ahead.
Unable to hold it in any longer, I asked the system, "Was everything within your calculations?" Unfortunately, the system did not react at all. But that lack of reaction was the greatest response of all.
It seemed the system knew what I desired most, then used this method to help me. What was this? This system was way too tsundere.
Sitting on the plane, I thought it over. The ticket to the Holy Grail War was already in hand, but summoning a Servant would disrupt the plot, and certain deviations might arise. I had to minimize the risks.
At present, I had a base in Fuyuki City and a Command Spell. My skills were expected to be upgraded before the start, and my attribute points could be digitized as well. That only left the most crucial matter: the Servant. Getting the wrong one would be the biggest headache.
I drew Dojigiri Yasutsuna. A sacred relic passed down for a thousand years, used by countless great swordsmen. If I used it as a catalyst, could I summon the master who had once suited it best?
I still needed to visit Tokiomi Tohsaka for one final confirmation. Sakura would be born soon, so visiting under that pretext would be perfectly reasonable.
It was already past four in the afternoon when I got off the plane. I could still make it back for dinner. The system had arranged seven days, but the whole trip had taken barely more than eight hours. It had also proven that I would not hesitate when killing. I was definitely going to kill Kirei Kotomine. Even if his master came, he would not be able to protect him.
I should make a detour and buy Fujino a gift. My little angel Fujino was more important. Fujino must miss her big brother too, right? Just as Yuan Shikai was about to get into the car, a sudden palpitation seized him. He immediately turned his head, and a lock of hair drifted down.
A sniper rifle. Someone was trying to assassinate me. The subordinates immediately realized something was wrong and surrounded me, safely escorting me into the vehicle. The sniper did not fire a second shot. He had probably already fled.
The car drove straight back to the estate. There were no other assassins along the way. I was merely curious about who wanted to make a move against me. It could not possibly be Kiritsugu Emiya, could it? I laughed at myself.
I could not figure it out, so I stopped thinking about it. I would leave it to the clan to investigate. After all, the assassination of a clan head was no small matter.
Maiya Hisau returned to the base, picked up her phone, and sent a message: Mission failed. Returning now.
She then destroyed the phone, changed into casual clothes and disguised herself, then hurried to the airport to rendezvous with Kiritsugu Emiya.
This assassination had been a public contract. She had wanted to earn some extra money before meeting up with Kiritsugu. Failure carried no real penalty, and the other side was an expert. If she continued to press the matter, she might be the one to fall.
If the contract was still available, she would act together with Kiritsugu. Kiritsugu had married Alice of the Einzbern Household and had a daughter, Illya. It seemed she would have to go empty-handed.
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