The midday sun streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows onto the top floor of the commercial building.
Origami has just finished lunch.
Today's lunch was brought back by Tiné's people from a barbecue restaurant that was still open on the outskirts of the city.
Roast beef, roast lamb chops, grilled vegetable skewers, and a large plate of fried rice.
Origami ate her fill.
She slumped on the sofa, one hand resting on the back of the sofa, the other holding the remote control, aimlessly changing channels.
The news about the gas pipeline explosion was still playing on a loop on TV.
Experts say the explosion was far more powerful than a typical gas leak, and the possibility of a chain reaction triggered by geological activity cannot be ruled out.
"Boring."
Origami has changed its channel.
cartoon.
I changed the channel again.
Shopping channel.
Change it again.
It's still news.
Origami tossed the remote control aside and curled up on the sofa like a cat sunbathing.
Just then...
Footsteps came from the stairwell.
A member of Tiné's tribe walked quickly to Origami and bowed slightly.
" Origami -sama, there are three visitors downstairs requesting an audience."
Origami glanced at him with her eyes half-open.
Who is it?
The other party claimed to be from the Clock Tower.
" Clock Tower?"
The Origami straightened up slightly.
Speaking of which, the Clock Tower usually seems to get involved in the Holy Grail War.
This time will likely be no exception.
In other words, the one who wants to see me is most likely the Master from the Clock Tower side.
That's interesting.
I'm bored during the day anyway, so let's meet up.
Go and bring them up.
"Yes, Origami- sama."
Tiné's people turned and went downstairs.
Not long afterward.
Footsteps sounded again.
The woman from the Tiné tribe, whose own name she didn't even know, led three figures up the stairs.
The leader was a man with long black hair.
He was very tall, probably over 1.85 meters. He was wearing a well-tailored black suit with a black shirt underneath and a dark red tie at the chest.
Her black hair was parted in the middle and fell to near her shoulders. She had heavy dark circles under her eyes, looking like she had been chronically sleep-deprived.
Two people followed behind him.
On the left is the light blond short-haired boy I'd seen before. The last time I saw him, he was being carried around the streets on his Servant's shoulders.
This time, however, he seemed much more energetic, with an expression on his face that was a mixture of nervousness and curiosity.
He wore a black watch on his left wrist.
The watch face had two small hands, but Origami noticed that the watch's magical fluctuations were different from the surrounding environment.
On the right is a petite figure.
His entire body was wrapped in a black hooded cloak, the hood pulled low, obscuring most of his face.
Judging from her figure, she should be a young girl. Her exposed jawline is very slender, and her skin Pale. She is as quiet as a shadow.
While observing these three people through Origami.
These three people were also observing her.
To be precise, this was while observing the legendary "Miss Satan ".
She had short, silver hair and wore an oversized white sweatshirt that covered her thighs, her bare calves curled up on the sofa.
He doesn't seem like a super Servant capable of single- Servant defeating multiple Servants at all.
She seems more like a shut-in girl who skips class and stays home watching cartoons.
Flat's eyes lit up.
But the man at the front didn't give him a chance to speak.
The man stopped about three meters away from the Origami and bowed slightly.
"Hello, Origami -san."
His voice was deep and slightly hoarse, as if he had been staying up too late.
"My name is Lord El-Melloi II, from the Clock Tower. The two men behind me are my disciple and student."
Origami leaned back on the sofa, tilting her head to look at the man in front of her.
"So it really was you?"
Origami spoke in a very casual tone.
" Waver Velvet, you're the Lord of the Clock Tower now, aren't you? You've really made something of yourself."
"..."
Lord El-Melloi II's mind went blank for a full two seconds.
What's going on?
How could my secrets be exposed like this?
Moreover, judging from the tone of voice, the other person seemed to know him.
Few people in the Clock Tower recognize the name Waver Velvet anymore.
Since he inherited the El-Melloi name, few people have used that old title anymore.
Moreover, he was certain he had never seen this silver-haired Servant before.
Even Lord El-Melloi II, who was usually good at thinking, couldn't quite grasp the situation at hand.
He could only assume for the time being that the other party might possess some kind of Noble Phantasm capable of detecting information. Otherwise, the other party would have no way of knowing his past.
Lord El-Melloi II took a deep breath, and his expression returned to calm.
" Waver Velvet was indeed my former name."
He admitted it frankly.
Denial is pointless. Since the other party can say it, it means they already have accurate information.
"However, my current official identity is Lord El-Melloi II, the Lord of the Clock Tower's Department of Modern Magecraft."
"Miss Origami, how did you learn about my former name?"
Origami tilted her head and thought for a moment.
"Where did you find out?"
She tapped the armrest of the sofa with her finger.
"Hmm, the Fourth Holy Grail War, I suppose."
The Fourth Holy Grail War?
Lord El-Melloi II frowned.
"However, this shouldn't be the timeline. So it's normal that you don't recognize me."
"..."
A crack appeared in Lord El-Melloi II's expression for a fleeting moment.
Parallel world.
We'd only exchanged a couple of sentences, how did we end up bringing up other parallel universes?
Just who is this silver-haired Servant?
Did she see Waver Velvet in the Fourth Holy Grail War in another timeline?
Does that mean she participated in multiple Holy Grail War in different parallel universes?
Lord El-Melloi II felt a throbbing pain in his temples.
never mind.
None of that matters now.
We still need to find a way to obtain the most important information first.
Origami pointed to the sofa opposite.
"Also, aren't you tired of standing? There's a sofa right next to you, please sit down."
"Then I shall respectfully accept your offer."
Lord El-Melloi II went over first and sat down on the sofa opposite him.
Flat and Gray were still a little reserved, simply standing behind the sofa where Lord El-Melloi II was sitting.
Origami glanced at them.
Well, I've already offered them seats; it's their choice to stay standing.
Lord El-Melloi II sat on the sofa with his hands crossed on his knees and his back straight.
"Miss Origami, I've come here mainly to learn some things about you."
His tone was very polite.
"I apologize in advance for any intrusion."
"Um."
"But if I may, I would like to know what your desires are for the Holy Grail?"
This is his most important purpose in coming here today.
Understand the enemy's intentions, assess the relationship between friend and foe, and then decide on the next course of action based on the other party's attitude.
This is his area of expertise: negotiation and intelligence gathering.
Origami leaned back on the sofa, looking up at the ceiling.
A wish?
Her lips moved.
"It's okay to tell you my wish."
"I want to have a real physical body, stay in this world, and enjoy modern life."
Lord El-Melloi II blinked.
"... that's all?"
"That's it. Is there anything else?"
Origami tilted her head to look at him.
"Besides that, I also need to help Tiné and her people, since they've acknowledged me as their leader."
Lord El-Melloi II's facial expression twitched slightly.
Boss.
A Servant calls their Master... no, I mean, Master calls their Servant "boss"?
What's the relationship?
"Besides, their wish isn't anything particularly outrageous or difficult; they just want to reclaim this land, not rule the world."
The sound of Origami was very calm, as if it were saying that the weather was nice today.
"Since they've been so kind to me, I'll definitely help them."