Tiné paused for a moment.
... You agreed so easily?
But the next second, she had no time to think.
It began because of the transfer of the contract.
Tiné smiled with genuine joy and knelt down in the direction of the Origami.
The instant her knees touched the ground:
Red lines appeared and remained on her skin.
The same three-stroke Command Spell that the middle-aged Magecraft had held before appeared in Tiné's hand.
The right to summon Servant has changed hands.
Tiné slowly stood up, looked at the Command Spell on the back of her hand, and gently exhaled.
The first step was successful.
"I will spare the life of this Magecraft as long as he leaves on his own," she said calmly.
On the ground, the middle-aged Magecraft's howling stopped.
He braced himself against the ground, raised his head, and blood gushed from the wound on his severed wrist, pooling into a small dark red puddle beneath him.
His face was filled with disbelief, Wrath, and resentment.
"You... you people..."
He gritted his teeth, his body trembling violently.
Then, he quietly raised his left hand, and a faint light gathered at his fingertips.
In that seemingly resigned moment, he secretly launched a sneak attack Magecraft.
It was a well-prepared attack spell. Although its power was greatly reduced due to blood loss, it was still enough to severely injure an unsuspecting girl at close range.
Tiné, however, was prepared.
From the moment she said she "wouldn't take his life," her attention never left the man.
Would someone who would sell even the King's Key to summon Servant willingly hand over what they've already obtained?
Are you kidding me?
Tiné gently pressed her palm against the ground.
Earth veins connected.
The dormant earth magic beneath the cave surged forth from her arm.
No chanting was used.
A small fire tornado suddenly formed where the Magecraft was standing.
The scorching flames spiraled and completely engulfed his figure. His screams lasted for less than two seconds before being drowned out by the roar of the flames.
The firelight illuminated the entire cave, stretching the shadows on the rock walls into jagged, menacing shapes.
Five seconds later.
The flames dissipated.
All that remained was a pile of charred remains, barely recognizable as a human.
Tiné dusted off non-existent dust from her hands, turned to face the Origami, and knelt down again.
"I'm sorry to have shown you such an unpleasant scene."
The cave fell silent again.
Origami looked at the girl kneeling on the ground, then glanced at the pile of charred remains.
"..."
She stepped forward and stopped in front of Tiné.
"It doesn't matter."
Her voice was very soft, and her emotions were unreadable.
"Your name is Tiné, right?"
"Yes."
My name is Origami Tobiichi.
The Origami paused for a moment.
"Just call me Origami."
"Tobiichi... Origami."
Tiné repeated the name, then looked up at the silver-haired girl in front of her.
"Also, you don't need to keep kneeling before me."
"I'm not used to this."
"... yes."
Tiné stood up.
Although he stood up, his back was still slightly bent and his head was slightly lowered.
Origami glanced at her, then said nothing more.
" Origami Tobiichi...?"
Tiné silently pondered the name in her heart.
The style of this name... could it be that you, sir, are from the Far East?
But that's not right.
She quickly searched her memory for information about the mythology, legends, and historical figures of the Far East.
She thought for a long time, but couldn't think of any famous hero or king whose name matched hers.
Origami Tobiichi.
This name should not exist in the annals of history of Heroic Spirit.
But what troubled her even more was another intuition.
The magic emanating from Origami far surpassed that of any Servant she knew.
It was an almost instinctive, chilling sense of oppression, as if the silver-haired girl before them possessed some kind of power capable of destroying everything.
Just standing in front of her made Tiné's skin crawl, and she instinctively screamed, "Run!"
Like a rabbit standing in the shadow of a bird of prey.
It's like mortals standing in the gaze of gods.
But.
Tiné lowered her eyes and looked at the Command Spell on the back of her hand.
She and her people had no way out.
For seventy years, their land has been taken away, their sacred sites have been trampled, and their people have been driven into impoverished corners to eke out a living.
They appealed to the government, sought help from the church, and protested to the Mage's Association.
It's useless.
No one cared about the life or death of a group of "aboriginal" people.
So when that opportunity arose, when the flames of the Holy Grail War were brought to this land, her people made a decision.
Bet everything.
Take back what belongs to them.
There's only one path left to choose, and we're doomed to fail.
He wholeheartedly trusted the silver-haired girl in front of him who looked only a few years older than him.
" Origami -sama."
Tiné looked up.
"What are your instructions next?"
Origami blinked.
instruct?
She looked around the dark, damp cave, glanced at the bloodstains and charred remains on the ground, and then looked at Tiné.
"Where is this?"
She asked.
" Snowfield City, a city in northern Nevada of the United States," Tiné replied.
Snowfield City...
Origami read the place name aloud.
A completely unfamiliar place.
She remembers her last memory being of the Sixth Singularity.
When I opened my eyes again, I found myself summoned to this cave.
" Tiné."
"Exist."
"What era is this...?"
Tiné paused slightly, taken aback.
"It's 2014 now, Origami- sama."
"2014."
Origami paused for two seconds.
"Oh."
Tiné didn't know how to react.
This Servant's reaction was so calm that it's hard to tell whether she even understood the meaning of the number "2014".
"Um... Origami- sama."
"This Holy Grail War was orchestrated by a Magecraft organization in the United States, in conjunction with the government and the military. Our race... was forced into this war."
"Forced?"
"They have taken our holy land and stolen our relics. Therefore, we have decided to regain the initiative."
Tiné's voice remained calm, but when she said "regain the initiative," her tone became slightly more emphatic at the end.
"And you are the one who holds the power for us."
Origami looked at her, her icy blue eyes revealing no emotion.
I don't know much about the Holy Grail War.
"Huh?"
"But you saved me."
"Strictly speaking, you stole someone else's contract so I wouldn't have to take orders from that seemingly insane person."
Tiné: "..."
That description is really... quite apt.
"Therefore, I will help you win this Holy Grail War."
Origami was described so casually, as if it were just saying, "The weather is nice today."
Tiné's heart skipped a beat.
She suppressed the turmoil in her heart and lowered her head.
"Our clan will never forget Origami- sama's magnanimity."
I told you not to kneel.
"... Feel sorry."
Tiné straightened up, but her back was still bent.
Origami glanced at her and gave up trying to correct her.
"Then let's leave here first."
She turned around and walked towards the cave entrance.
Tiné followed behind her.
As I stepped out of the cave, a dry night wind blew in my face.
Origami stopped and looked up.
The night sky tonight is filled with countless stars.
Outside the cave, hundreds of Tiné's people were kneeling on the ground in worship.
The zeroth night of the Holy Grail War in Snowfield City.
The False Archer descended upon Snowfield City in this secluded corner rarely visited by anyone.