A familiar tone, familiar yellow light.
Miss Illya in midair reacted swiftly and grabbed the meteor streaking past her side. The Yellow Rose Spear fell into her hand—one of Diarmuid Ua Duibhne's Noble Phantasms.
The Inescapable Spear that could inflict unhealable wounds on targets, even Heroic Spirit Servants' spiritual bodies. Not long ago at the port docks, it had helped Miss Illya slay King Gilgamesh, and now it was lent out again to make up for her troublesome weakness in weapon quality.
Diarmuid had come? That was only natural. After all, the Black Magician's current identity was that of an irregular eighth Servant summoned in violation of the rules, subject to a bounty issued by the Holy Church. Anyone who could confirm the kill would receive a Command Seal or certain support from the Holy Church, as long as they weren't just fishing in troubled waters. After all, irregular summoning wasn't just about murder—it was challenging the authority of the Holy Church's supervisory personnel. Moreover, the Black Magician and Ryuunosuke Uryuu were serial killers, crime upon crime. Add in Kirei Kotomine whispering in some ears, and this heavy bounty was issued by the old priest.
It's just that in the Holy Grail War, making others' lives easier means making your own harder.
Basically, anyone who knew the Black Magician's location wouldn't team up with others but would prepare to solo claim this walking natural bounty.
"You guy—Caster and I fought so hard, and you just pop out to mooch our achievement? Isn't that a bit much?"
A red spear descended from the heavens, instantly piercing through two monsters before the swordsman girl.
Watching the handsome man who'd arrived alone in this ocean of monsters, the swordsman girl holding the invisible sword was clearly displeased. She and Illyasviel were already enough to kill the Black Magician, and now he popped up wanting a share of the spoils—that smacked of taking advantage.
It was like a perfectly good two-person dungeon run where she and her teammate had finally ground the boss down to near death, when suddenly someone showed up to land a few basic attacks on the boss and wanted to split the loot. Anyone would feel annoyed.
"Hahaha, don't worry—I won't steal the fruits of Saber's and Caster's efforts."
"The only order I received was to kill this irregularly summoned eighth Servant, because his wanton slaughter of innocent children and contempt for the rules displeased my lord. Besides, I said before—your head can only be taken by my spear. Our knightly duel has never ended, has it?"
Wielding his red spear in flourishes that slew approaching monsters instantly, the Lancer man laughed heartily with the swordsman girl back-to-back. His fighting spirit and will to battle had risen several tiers from last night, as if like the Black Magician, his heartfelt wish had finally been fulfilled.
He'd grown stronger, and not just a little. Just the magical energy he emanated made the swordsman girl's heart jump. Could he have used Command Seal enhancement again?
Otherwise, there was no explaining why everyone seemed to be getting stronger while she was the only one not keeping up with the version update.
After all, everyone's Master's mana supply was about the same—the Greater Grail's supply formed the main body of Servant activity. Only external support like Command Seal power could boost strength. It couldn't possibly be that fighting a Holy Grail War depended on each Master's background and connections, right? Was this about competing in Servant strength or Masters' networking?
"Hmph! Anyway, the credit belongs to Caster and me!" The swordsman girl snorted but didn't dwell on the topic.
"It's not knightly conduct to compete with ladies for credit. Moreover, the final battle result hasn't been determined yet." Diarmuid laughed good-naturedly without getting upset. His lord's judgment was correct—the threat priority of the alliance between the swordsman girl and Illyasviel should be elevated somewhat.
This unbreakable alliance moved forward together even on matters of Command Seal bounties. If left unchecked into the late game, other combinations would have a rough time ahead.
But for now, his lord was more annoyed by rule-breakers like the Black Magician who slaughtered innocents indiscriminately.
"Saber and I will handle your rear, holding back these forbidden monsters' advance!"
"Go, Caster! Just like last night—win this battle beautifully!"
Why didn't you throw the red rose then? Why throw the yellow rose without the magic-breaking property!
Do you think I'm more comfortable with the yellow rose than the red one?
And what am I, some duel monster where you throw me a weapon and expect me to solo kill the opposing trainer?
But still, thanks—very handsome and polite professional weapon rack mister...
"Rip!"
The otherworldly monsters' wails rang out continuously. Miss Illya, equipped with a second specialized weapon, trampled a White Stork Knight and plummeted down. The yellow 1.4-meter short spear was like an army-breaking yellow dragon, sweeping aside and killing tentacles that could regenerate and multiply!
In an instant, monsters within several meters were completely cleared, and this wasn't over. Dozens of silver threads severed by Miss Illya in midair danced and wove shapes—exquisite, beautiful, and sacred birds dove down in unison, continuous shockwaves and eruptions making even the atmosphere tremble!
The Yellow Rose Spear, as a B+ rank Noble Phantasm, had killing power incomparable to the previous surgical knives.
Thrust, thrust, thrust again—high Agility under increasingly thick fog.
The snow-elf-like girl stirred sparks of magical energy. Each time the shadow-like blur passed too fast to see, a patch of otherworldly monsters was instantly annihilated. In a blink, corpses lay everywhere, blood and magical energy seeming to become her decoration. Step by step she advanced, the road blocked by surging monsters forcibly becoming her stairway. Her spearmanship might not be divine-level perfection, but to these monsters who were only three or four levels stronger than her familiar legions, she was the Grim Reaper tolling the death knell for the Black Magician.
When Strength isn't enough, make up for it with Agility. Speed is power, gore is her cloak. The Black Magician's monsters regenerated quickly, but the spear-wielding girl's speed was faster. Plus, most monsters were being blocked by the other two Servants. The monsters around the Black Magician could no longer keep up with her slashing, thrusting advance.
"Why! Why! Why! My rendezvous treatment with the Saint, my duel with the impostor Caster—you damned divine emissaries always come to interfere!"
The monsters' corpses piled up and converged backwards. The already bloated Black Magician became even more deranged, his entire being seeming to fuse with the monsters.
He pulled out the dagger embedded in his neck, tore at his own scalp in frenzy, blood tears continuously flowing from his empty eye sockets. Clearly he was about to die, but as death approached, his madness intensified and the magic in his hands bloomed with even more brilliance.
The Black Magician!
Had actually sacrificed himself!
This was forbidden-curse-level grand magic that required long, careful preparation. Originally, the Black Magician had planned to witness this super "cool" magic together with his kindred spirit Ryuunosuke Uryuu, but now he had no time to think about that. He wanted victory, wanted to prove France's pride. He seemed to recall the honor of campaigning in all directions during life, and the glory of fighting alongside Saint Jeanne d'Arc!
"Ryuunosuke, my Master, watch well! My promise to you, Gilles de Rais—I will fulfill my vow to you, letting you witness with your own eyes the death of that girl you wanted to see, the best and greatest 'cool' you pursue in the world!"
The massive corpse pile transformed into a gigantic monster mountain. A behemoth over ten meters tall rose from the ground in this Mirror Forest. This wasn't this beast's final form.
But it was the limit of what the dying Black Magician could achieve by sacrificing himself with all his might.
"O God, I rebel against you here! I wage war against you here!"
"My Saint, my France, my will—if I truly am unworthy of remaining Saint Jeanne d'Arc's follower, O killer who resists unjust fate, come and end me, come prove you have surpassed me, come step over my corpse to follow Saint Jeanne d'Arc and restore the pride of my French Kingdom!"
So you really are a madman, a strange madman.
Massive thick tentacles fell from the sky. Miss Illya gripped her spear one-handed, the afterimage flashing as the enormous flesh was split in two with one strike. Of course, for this colossal creature, losing one or two tentacles was but a drop in the bucket.
Facing this behemoth nearly twenty meters tall dominating the earth, watching it casually slaughter her familiar legions with mere swipes of its claws and fangs—
After clearing the monsters around her again, Miss Illya tilted her head, her eyes taking on a similarly mad tinge of black.
"Follower? I'm not that big sister's follower, nor do I want to become anyone's follower. Big brother Gilles de Rais, your French Kingdom is gone. If you're really just this kind of madman, you'll make me look down on the you described in history books~"
Miss Illya's lips curved slightly upward, her finger giving a light tug as nearly a hundred silver strands of hair broke free.
Indeed, she should show a bit of her true skill. After all, a second phase was something...
She had one too, didn't she!
"Is that...? Has Caster used this move before?"
The distant sky was illuminated by silver-white magical light. The swordsman girl, currently slaying monsters alongside the Lancer man, watched the thread weapons of all types—swords, spears, halberds—flying up from below to fill the entire sky, continuously taking shape. Her emerald pupils widened again!
Those were dozens upon hundreds of differently shaped thread weapons, weapons like Noble Phantasms brimming with massive magical energy, similar to King Gilgamesh's treasure torrent—except not a golden torrent but a silver-white one. The thread weapons reversed, maneuvered, and spiraled in the sky, all aiming at that behemoth formed from monster corpses in less than five seconds!
Magical energy.
All magical energy.
Extravagant, unlimited magical energy, magical energy about to burst the woven thread weapons.
This was King Gilgamesh's covering bombardment technique, but Miss Illya wasn't using Noble Phantasms—she was purely piling up magical energy to create a massive batch of mana bombs.
Miss Illya had suddenly thought of this technique while eating cake that morning.
The essence of Noble Phantasm bombardment was actually magical energy explosion and eruption. Though at a certain level like C-rank and above there would be qualitative changes, wasn't D-rank Noble Phantasm bombardment just throwing Noble Phantasms loaded with mana as bombs?
So, with her massive magical energy, couldn't she play like King Gilgamesh too?
She didn't need many, nor did she need to match Noble Phantasms. Using Thread Magic as a mana relay station, infusing excessive magical energy to put it in an overloaded state, then after collision triggering the internal excessive mana to achieve destructive power and lethality... just apply some simple formulas and it was done. If there were issues with the details, just add a wish from the Lesser Grail's heart as the finisher.
It's just that extracting large amounts of her own magical energy in such a short time was even hard for Miss Illya to handle. There would be a brief vacuum period.
And most importantly, this skill had a long windup, requiring considerable preparation time, so it could only be used at noon. Using it morning or night would get her beaten up by other Servants strong in solo combat.
"It's not...? Could it really be that I'm the only one still stuck in place?"
Had everyone else really gotten a version update without telling her?
Otherwise, how did everyone have new moves and skills while she was the only one still staring blankly and wildly swinging her invisible sword?
The swordsman girl fell into contemplation. Only one day had passed—how was it like the version had changed? Could it be that the Holy Grail War had upgrade gift packages the further along it went, but she was the only one who hadn't claimed hers? And just as she was sadly pondering, the bombardment began...
"Firepower is justice, yield is truth. Welcome to the Holy Grail War."
Several massive beast tentacles fell. Miss Illya merely held her spear one-handed while lifting her tattered skirt hem with the other, calmly and unhurriedly performing an elegant curtsy of farewell.
Then, endless explosions and smoke resounded through the heavens!
"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!"
Over a hundred weapons imbued with massive magical energy flew forth. Infinite explosions shattered the falling beast tentacles, the explosive impact sweeping through the Mirror Forest. Trees were smashed, earth was overturned, and the massive monster that had grown to nearly twenty meters wailed in agony. The sounds of magical explosions colliding with flesh and blood monsters echoed through heaven and earth!
In terms of quality, these weapons weren't as good as King Gilgamesh's D-rank Noble Phantasms, but in terms of magical energy content, Miss Illya was a more genuine bootleg wholesaler than King Gilgamesh himself!
If quality couldn't compete, then compete in quantity. Bootlegs couldn't beat originals, but her bootleg mana was greater!
Flames of magical energy blazed on the earth, high temperatures rising to make the small monsters attempting to regenerate writhe in agony!
Silver weapons fairly washed over this land. With just a gesture, this place became a smoking hell. Even the giant monster had massive chunks of flesh blown off by the bombardment and could only continuously defend with regenerating tentacles. But how could it, not even a fully mature adult form, defend? Its dozens of tentacles were without exception shattered and disintegrated, its body pockmarked by bombardment, once again exposing the Black Magician's form within!
The swordsman girl watched with twitching eyes but still felt joy at Miss Illya's powerful firepower.
The Lancer man watched helplessly, only lamenting that she was indeed a magus from the Age of Gods.
In just one day, she'd grown to this extent.
"Hehehahaha! Such brilliance, such scorching heat! Even facing such desperate straits, still able to bloom with radiance—as it should be, a follower of Saint Jeanne d'Arc should be like this!"
The Black Magician with empty eye sockets spread his arms wide. Facing this searing bombardment that broke through the unformed Sea Demon, he shed blood tears again. Such a follower.
With his broken body, how could he not offer his full strength, how could he fall behind?
"No! You're not a follower, you shouldn't be a follower..." The Black Magician's expression froze, reaching out his sharp claws in bewilderment. He seemed to see it—that persistence in resisting fate, this unyielding character and resolute will's brilliance. Clearly, he had once possessed this in life.
The Sea Demon rampaging uncontrollably roared in fury, yet still didn't make that sacred, flawless figure retreat. He could no longer distinguish clearly.
He never identified people by their faces but through feeling and their personality and will.
The swordsman girl's heroic, noble image made him believe that was his Saint Jeanne d'Arc.
And now Miss Illya's polite yet undeniably persistent and strong presence confused him. He saw her resisting fate, pursuing freedom.
And this was precisely what the Saint he followed had dedicated her entire life to doing for the people of the French Kingdom.
"Jeanne, my Saint, your soul, your reincarnation—am I remembering wrong?"
Clearly she's an evil sinner like me—why does she have the same flawless good nature as you? Have I seen wrong, or is she actually the true you?
In his darkened vision, there seemed to be a sliver of brilliance—a great cathedral.
And a Saint holding the French flag, wearing armor with her back to him in devout prayer.
Perhaps people really do see their life flash before their eyes before death, even Heroic Spirit Servants who had already died once.
"Rip!"
In his haze, he saw Saint Jeanne d'Arc reaching out her hand to him.
In reality, the grimoire and his body at his chest were both pierced through by the yellow rose spear.
Gilles de Rais's Spirit Origin and grimoire were completely shattered. Blood welled from his mouth as his final moments approached, sensing the white elf holding the rose short spear before him.
His words somewhat unclear, yet seeming to finally understand something, he murmured:
"Where... did I... go wrong? O Saint, where exactly are you..."
"Shh~ Rest in peace here, Marshal Gilles de Rais."
So you were here all along.
Hearing the snow elf's whisper by his ear, the Black Magician's body completely froze and dispersed.
The grimoire and body transformed into particles of magical light, exiting this Holy Grail War.
Leaving behind only... a blank golden card.
As the yellow spear drove straight through, the Black Magician's body and grimoire dispersed.
Particles of magical light scattered. Black magical energy spiraled along the tip of the Yellow Rose spear that had pierced the Black Magician, capturing and gathering the fragments of his Spirit Origin as if taking something, finally transforming into a blank golden card inscribed with the portrait of an ancient mage, similar to Miss Illya's initial Assassin card.
That was a Caster card. Just as Miss Illya had sensed, after personally killing a Heroic Spirit Servant, this was the generous loot the enemy dropped for her.
She, having consumed a bit too much magical energy and stamina, extended her small hand to collect the card floating in midair.
Retrieving the Yellow Rose spear and fastening it to her back, she exhaled deeply with satisfaction.
Her arms were already red all over, and the black tattered cloth on her body had numerous injuries—sticky fluids and gore from the aberrant monsters, as well as burns from the scorching magical energy steam left by her own covering bombardment. Honestly, it hurt quite a bit, but compared to the injuries from last night's battle with King Gilgamesh where her card nearly shattered, these wounds didn't seem so painful.
After all, at least tonight she'd obtained generous spoils of war, whereas last night that hateful, rude, uncultured King Gilgamesh—clearly wealthy yet refusing to drop loot for her, that cheapskate—had left her nothing after she killed him.
"A second card, Caster class transformation? But can I, whose Spirit Origin and class is Assassin, even use this?"
"Mm, so is my mechanic that I can obtain cards of whichever Heroic Spirit Servant I kill?"
A Holy Grail War class and Spirit Origin were basically bound together. If you could freely switch classes, wouldn't everyone switch to the three knight classes with their stat bonuses?
So Miss Illya wasn't particularly certain whether she, as an Assassin class, could use a Caster class blank card. Because this seemed to somewhat violate the basic rules of the Holy Grail War, like exploiting some rule loophole.
But that was a matter for later. She'd research the new card later.
She just hoped that if she could really use it... she wouldn't get some Heroic Spirit with bizarre powers responding.
The hundreds and thousands of monsters that had spread across the vast Mirror Forest turned to dust and dispersed. Without the Black Magician's Noble Phantasm supplying magical energy, even these creatures from another world had to follow the most basic law of conservation of energy. This included the colossal Sea Demon beast nearly twenty meters tall, which similarly transformed into invisible particles of magical light.
The Black Magician was out—the second to exit after King Gilgamesh.
Both the swordsman girl and the Lancer man realized this simultaneously.
"It seems that snow-like little kitten didn't disappoint this time either."
"To use such gorgeous fireworks as an enemy's curtain call—it looks like even though she acts indifferent on the surface, her heart actually felt that her dignity as a Caster class, Age of Gods magus was being challenged by that rule-breaking Servant who harmed innocent children. So she used this radiance bright enough to illuminate the night sky in dazzling retaliation, letting that mentally unstable Marshal of France know that a proper Caster's authority cannot be surpassed."
Um, is there any possibility that she simply couldn't break through that giant Sea Demon's defenses?
But the probability was likely low. For Illyasviel to become a Heroic Spirit Servant without some powerful grand magic techniques would be basically impossible. Such covering firepower bombardment indeed had the meaning of displaying Caster's might to others, and she had indeed displayed it.
Watching Diarmuid shouldering his red spear rather appreciatively and admiringly—
The swordsman girl's anxious heart finally settled as she breathed a sigh of relief. Though she also trusted that Illyasviel could win, when that massive Sea Demon appeared, her heart still involuntarily skipped a beat because that magical energy was truly too powerful.
If left to continue growing, it would inevitably become a demon creature requiring at least an Anti-Fortress Noble Phantasm to contend with. Even this incomplete juvenile stage was by no means weak.
After all, the Sea Demon's massive size was right there. Even human boxing divides into lightweight and heavyweight classes. Compared to it, Illyasviel was a "Siberian little potato" about as small as an ant.
Plus, Illyasviel had never before displayed any large-scale destructive techniques, making this observing ally quite anxious.
But now she wasn't anxious anymore—that terrifying covering firepower comparable to King Gilgamesh's Noble Phantasm bombardment left her feeling somewhat melancholic instead.
Even though the other party was her ally, she both feared her comrades suffering and feared them driving luxury cars!
Everyone really was getting stronger day by day. Could it be that after last night's battle with that Golden King, everyone gained enlightenment except her, who just ate eight bowls of rice and went straight to light sleep? Did they have to be this competitive in a Holy Grail War!
The Lancer man's strength increase was one thing since he was a knight class, but why did Miss Illya, this Siberian little potato, suddenly grow this terrifyingly strong too!
"Stare~ I have the feeling Knight King big sister is thinking something very, very rude (・へ・)."
"...Your mistake. I'm merely marveling at your growth, Caster."
"Really? I don't believe you. Unless you treat me to cake."
Watching Miss Illya land silently nearby, dispersing the mist, her ahoge perking up under her hood as she bent slightly at the waist with hands behind her back, her cute little face staring at her suspiciously—the swordsman girl coughed a few times, insisting it was all the other's imagination.
But honestly, with her height and appearance, she really did have a bit of that Siberian little potato texture. Very fitting for that nickname.
"We agreed before—I helped big sister, so you have to treat me to the sweetest, sweetest cake!"
Miss Illya stared at the swordsman girl very seriously and blinked, then as if already practiced, casually tossed the Yellow Rose spear to Diarmuid nearby.
"Hahaha, what about me then? Caster, I also lent you a weapon to help slay that heretical rule-breaker. Shouldn't you treat me to a feast as well?"
Catching the Yellow Rose spear, Diarmuid laughed heartily and casually teased:
"If we're calculating like that, I also lent you a weapon once last night at the port docks. Don't you owe me two favors now? But considering last night was our joint battle, I'll only count tonight's one favor."
"...How about we see how much we could sell me for at the market, weapon rack big brother?"
"Ah, Caster—your Master didn't give you activity funds in the present world?"
"?"
"?"
The swordsman girl and Miss Illya both wore expressions of complete confusion.
At the same time, Miss Illya seemed to suddenly understand something, covering her chest with one hand while trembling as she pointed at Diarmuid, who seemed very puzzled at having accidentally shown off.
Nice, nice, nice—showing off wealth like this, huh? Outraged! So having a Clock Tower great family lord as a Master makes you great! Being rich makes you great! Being a whale player makes you great!
"I thought everyone was the same. After all, my lord believes Servants operating in the present world need some reserve funds. Many small troublesome matters can be resolved with these." Diarmuid helplessly pulled out a bank card from his waist and waved it before the two ahoge girls whose hair stood on end.
"Very handsome and polite weapon rack big brother, does your lord need more Servants?"
"Actually, I'm also quite admiring of that Clock Tower lord and very much want to discuss in depth the differences and mysteries between Age of Gods magic and modern magic with him o(〃'▽'〃)o."
Miss Illya's eyes practically sparkled looking at that bank card. Based on Lord Kayneth's family wealth, how many super sweet little cakes could the funds in there buy?
Probably enough to directly buy a whole cake shop, then have the staff make two portions—one to look at and one to eat.
"Hahaha, little snow kitten, forget it. My lord is quite wary of you and Assassin with your silent stealth techniques. Though I don't mind working with you, I must follow my lord's orders, mustn't I?"
Amused by Miss Illya's reaction, Diarmuid could tell the other wasn't seeking technical exchange but wanted his lord to drop some loot.
Though in his impression, magi never lacked money. What kind of person was Illyasviel's Master that despite supplying abundant, uninterrupted magical energy, seemed to raise her in such poverty that she was even targeting other people's Masters? Besides, wasn't getting funds simple for a Servant? Just spirit form and take a stroll through a Fuyuki City bank—you'd come out a minor wealthy person.
If worried about the Holy Church noticing, just take less. The Holy Church couldn't possibly come knocking at your door over such trifles during a Holy Grail War.
"That's truly regrettable..." Miss Illya felt somewhat disappointed after being refused.
She'd originally wanted to knife that Lord Kayneth who'd never shown his true face from beginning to end. After all, that luxury hotel's magic workshop was built too well. Forcing entry was more dangerous than breaking into the Three Founding Families' workshops—a truly financially powerful workshop.
Short of directly bombing that entire building, she really couldn't think of any way to deal with Kayneth.
"But fortunately, Knight King big sister and I are both..."
"Um, actually Iri also gave me a card, but I thought it unnecessary so I returned it to her. Caster, your Master really never gave you one?"
"...Big sister, I believe our alliance has developed an irreparable class barrier. Unless you treat me to two super sweet little cakes, our alliance ends here."
"How about I give you that card? I'm sure Iri wouldn't mind."
"Eh? I hear the beautiful, handsome blonde angel knight whispering. Weapon rack big brother, do you hear it? Such a pleasing, melodious voice—it must be my Saint reborn. Big sister, you must be the resurrection and reincarnation of my beloved Saint I follow, right?"
No.
You're not following a Saint. You want to follow a sugar mama.
Little miss, you're a bit too money-obsessed. Could it be you were poverty-stricken in life as an Age of Gods magus?
"Then come back with me later. Iri and I will take you for cake. Iri's been wanting to meet you anyway." The swordsman girl glanced at the Lancer man still present and extended an invitation to Miss Illya, whose eyes lit up like Gilles de Rais reborn.
"Iri? You mean that pretty big sister kidnapper who's flat-chested, brainless, and overly familiar?" Miss Illya recalled and asked hesitantly.
"...Excluding those strange prefix nicknames, yes, it should be the woman you're thinking of, Caster."
"Oh, big sister, I hear demonic echoes—the reverberations of cruel flatness."
"?"
Miss Illya retreated several steps, her expression changing from initial great anticipation and longing for the Saint to disgust as if from long-term vegetarianism.
I just wanted your loot, and you actually want to sell me directly.
Too much. Does being rich make you great? Though I'm money-obsessed, I still sell my art, not my body, okay? Unless you give me ten cake shops and have me eat the sweetest, sweetest, sweetest cream cakes every day, raising me into a lazy idiot who only knows how to sleep and eat cake—then maybe I'll consider it.
"Pfft~ Hahaha, so neither Saber nor Caster are particularly serious." The three maintained distances of about ten meters from each other.
Even while seemingly bantering calmly, each remained vigilant.
He hadn't lent the snow elf girl the red rose earlier also because he and his lord considered this point. With the strength she'd displayed, the yellow rose short spear was enough to kill that rule-breaker, while the red rose posed more of a threat to the swordsman girl than the yellow rose. So he'd kept the red rose rather than the yellow—after all, even if he trusted the character of the swordsman girl and snow elf, necessary precautions couldn't be lacking at all.
Diarmuid, having regained both spears, sensed the fog that had yet to dissipate around them.
Placing the Red Rose spear on his shoulder and the Yellow Rose spear at his waist in defensive posture, his bold gaze swept across the two heroic figures before him:
"How about it? Want to determine the victor tonight? Though a three-way melee isn't very fair to Saber, your alliance is likewise unfair to me. I don't mind having an exhilarating battle with two famous historical heroes simultaneously."
Facing two Heroic Spirit Servants at once—if it were last night's him, he might have struggled somewhat.
But tonight's him was completely different. Having received his lord's support—
His strength tonight was no longer on the same level as last night. Even Illyasviel's speed, which seemed to have burst power exceeding Agility A+, he was confident he could keep up with. The Holy Grail War was like that. Once enough information was gathered, as long as a Master's connections and influence were sufficiently vast and energetic—
A team's overall combination could level up day by day. For instance, Miss Illya was the same. After accumulating combat experience, today's skill set dared to solo even juvenile Sea Demons.
And at the same time, on the outskirts of Fuyuki City, a white-haired figure of indeterminate gender quietly arrived at Fuyuki City's periphery...
"Gilles is alive? He's actually still alive? Did he use the grimoire I lent him? Hahahaha!"
"Oh! What secret magical ritual is being conducted in this Far East region that even Gilles has appeared? Then could Saint Jeanne d'Arc also appear?"
Standing at the edge of Fuyuki City in the suburban zone, the figure laughed delightedly while releasing familiars to observe. This was someone with shiny, neatly trimmed hair.
Possessing proper, gentle features beautiful enough to be called either a pretty girl or pretty boy.
Eyes seemingly carrying some strange, morbid quality.
Her name was Francesca Prelati.
She was the Black Magician Gilles de Rais's ally and companion from the same historical period.
Also the mentor who lent him the Prelati's Spellbookgrimoire. An ancient immortal who'd lived from long, long ago until now. Her physical body had been destroyed multiple times but had almost never been truly killed.
From the moment Gilles de Rais was summoned, she sensed Prelati's Spellbook manifesting in the world again and specially rushed overnight from America to the vicinity of Fuyuki City, preparing to catch up with that old friend and incidentally have him return the grimoire.
After all, though she was an almost immortal and undying existence, most of her techniques were illusion-based. That grimoire still had some use for her. Of course, the reunion was most important. This miracle of an old friend's reappearance also made her curious.
"But where'd he go? He was there just now. Could Gilles have already left..."
"Hehe, outsider magus, leave this place. Fuyuki City is conducting a magical ritual and doesn't welcome outside interference for now."
"?"
Just as Prelati was puzzled, a sense of threat inexplicably appeared.
She turned around to see the small hill she was on had at some point been crawled over by hundreds and thousands of disgusting insects.
Damn! A bug manipulator descendant from Kiev? This tiny Far East place has such troublesome characters?
Prelati felt some wariness, though her surface remained polite.
"Please don't misunderstand. I have no intention of invading your territory or disrupting the ongoing magical ritual. I'm just casually looking around. Right away—I'll leave right away."
"Hehe, that would be best. Otherwise, I'll consider you a disruptor and kill you."
Hearing the voice fade into the distance, Prelati broke into a cold sweat.
Not out of fear, just that the compatibility was too severely countered. These insects were definitely not simple creatures.
Moreover, she could sense that old man's voice and figure was definitely not his true body arriving.
"Get lost, outsider magus. If I see you again, this old man won't mind sending you flying out of the Far East."
The atmosphere in the Mirror Forest was somewhat delicate. Pale moonlight illuminated the faces of several figures—the swordsman girl, the Lancer man, and Miss Illya.
None of them felt relaxed despite the Black Magician's exit. They merely bantered on the surface while actually remaining vigilant of the two Heroic Spirit Servants around them, because the three-way game had actually begun long ago.
What seemed like a clear two-person alliance targeting others was essentially quite precarious. Diarmuid might not have noticed, but Miss Illya, as the swordsman girl's ally, had already seen through it—her seemingly naive and innocent Knight King ally had been guarding against her from the start, never going all out against the Black Magician to prevent excessive and unnecessary mana consumption.
This wasn't Miss Illya making baseless assumptions. The moment the swordsman girl said she would cover for her and open a path to attack the Black Magician—
The swordsman girl had already secretly exposed herself. She simply didn't dare show too much consumption in front of Miss Illya.
To be fair, having Saber cover for a Caster to go in for close-range assassination was inherently unreasonable.
Don't talk about trust. If someone needed covering, it shouldn't be her doing it. Couldn't she use her familiar legions and magic to cover for the other to attack the Black Magician? Their attributes weren't in the same league, and Agility was just a difference in brief burst power. The normal tactic should have been for her to cover for the stat monster—that would be the lowest consumption and most effective way to defeat the enemy.
Miss Illya knew the swordsman girl was guarding against her, but since she did genuinely want to personally kill the Black Magician for loot, she didn't say it outright.
After all, that's how relationships were maintained. She'd never trusted the swordsman girl's alliance from the start either.
The other party had been playing word games from the beginning: "I swear on the name of the King of Knights that our alliance is inseparable and will never betray, as long as you don't attack my Master again. The end of this Holy Grail War will be a fair duel between you and me."
Heh, meaning they would fight at the end, but nothing was said about what state they'd be in for that final duel, right?
If she was tricked into becoming a fool, severely injured and over-consumed, then survived to the end together—wouldn't that also count as a fair duel with just the two of them left?
And sure, you won't betray, but what about your Master Emiya Kiritsugu? Can you guarantee Kiritsugu won't use a Command Seal to make you stab her?
The swordsman girl wanted to win. As long as that bottom line existed, she couldn't possibly be some naive person.
"Determine the victor tonight? I don't think that's necessary, Lancer. Ganging up on one isn't befitting knightly conduct, and we've all had considerable consumption here."
"Who knows if other Master-Servant pairs are also prepared to hunt that rule-breaker, hiding in the shadows to fish in troubled waters."
The swordsman girl shook her head gently. They still had no solid information on where Assassin was.
If they fought desperately here and someone picked up the pieces, that would be bad. And Miss Illya's inner guess was correct—she was indeed also wary of this daughter of Irisviel.
Not that she wouldn't honor her promise—the alliance was certain, but complete trust was going too far.
There was no such thing as an unbreakable alliance in the Holy Grail War. She could trust Illyasviel's character, but she didn't trust Illyasviel's Master's character.
Just as Emiya Kiritsugu's compatibility with her was poor, who could guarantee Illyasviel's Master had good compatibility with her? Normal magi in the magus world were all abnormal. Who knew if the other's Master, seeing her in poor condition, might use Command Seal power to order their Servant to backstab her?
Trusting Illyasviel and trusting Illyasviel's Master were two different matters.
As the fallen king of Britain, she understood these things to some extent.
"Knight King big sister, you're not afraid of me teaming up with the big brother who lent me his weapon Noble Phantasm, are you?"
"After all, I saw it just now—when Knight King big sister saw this big brother lend me his weapon again, your reaction was quite significant~"
Miss Illya blinked, teasing in a joking tone.
The Lancer man keeping the Red Rose spear as a deterrent while lending her the Yellow Rose was guarding against the swordsman girl—but wasn't this also releasing goodwill toward her?
Both she and Diarmuid had the possibility of killing the Black Magician in close combat, yet he'd given her the opportunity. This was both Diarmuid not wanting too much consumption and triggering the swordsman girl's—or rather her Master's—alert.
"We've both sworn oaths on our honor. I'm quite confident in your credibility, Caster. Of course, if it really develops as you suggest, my Master and I might face some difficulties."
The swordsman girl picked up the conversation and smiled faintly in relaxation, also bantering in a joking tone.
However, she did have these worries—worried that Illyasviel's Master, seeing the Lancer man's multiple acts of goodwill, might order Illyasviel to switch alliances with the Lancer man.
Because in a sense, she was already the weakest Servant present. Both the Lancer man and Illyasviel were growing stronger. In a couple days, Illyasviel might reach a level where her raw strength could directly contend with her stats. This was subconscious wariness from insufficient capital.
Her injured arm couldn't release her Noble Phantasm, and her stats couldn't match Berserker's in this Holy Grail War. The priority of allying with her had greatly decreased.
So she absolutely couldn't show weakness. The consumption from subjugating the Black Magician had to be kept to a minimum.
"Hahahaha, Caster, you'd better not make such jokes. We've all seen you and Saber's character. If you want to use internal discord tactics to deceive fish into biting, such methods won't work on my lord and me."
The Lancer man also bantered relaxedly. Unlike the other two, he was genuinely relaxed—this came from overwhelming confidence in his own strength.
His scheming wasn't as devious as Miss Illya's, nor as deep as the swordsman girl's.
After all, he'd answered the Holy Grail's summons because he wanted to fight, to battle alongside his lord until the Holy Grail War's end.
His only two schemes were his lord reminding him not to lend the red rose, and since victory was assured, to minimize consumption and guard against a joint attack from Illyasviel and the swordsman girl after it ended.
"Well, well, I thought I could trick big brother. It's all Knight King big sister's fault for acting so poorly." Miss Illya unhappily spread her small hands.
"Sorry Caster. Though I tried my best to receive your hint and cooperate, such a joke with no buildup still can't fool a glorious knight who's witnessed your character." The swordsman girl also sighed apologetically in helplessness.
However, what these two were really thinking, probably only their hearts knew.
The swordsman girl didn't dare make a move, wary of Illyasviel's Master and the clearly friendly Lancer man forming a powerful alliance.
The Lancer man quite wanted to make a move and was confident he could gain the advantage in a duel with both at this distance, but was wary that Illyasviel and the swordsman girl might be picked off by a troublemaker like the Conqueror King.
Miss Illya didn't want to make a move, and even less wanted the Lancer man to be ganged up on and eliminated, because in a sense, the wound the Lancer man left on the swordsman girl was a constraint on her. If the Lancer man exited and the swordsman girl's wound healed, the power balance between her and the swordsman girl would become unequal again.
The relationship between the three was actually quite delicate.
The swordsman girl needed Miss Illya to compensate for her stagnant strength from being unable to release her Noble Phantasm after injury.
The Lancer man wanted a fair duel with both but was wary of these two Heroic Spirits' coordinated combat, especially since Miss Illya's fog was still maintained.
Miss Illya needed the Lancer man to restrain the swordsman girl, always ranking the Lancer man's kill priority last. To kill the Lancer man, she'd need to take out the swordsman girl first.
So this time she again returned the magic spear to prevent the Lancer man's strength from dropping and being solo-killed by other Servants, ultimately causing the swordsman girl's strength to skyrocket.
"Though the thoughts of two beautiful women deserve respect, wouldn't it be somewhat disappointing if tonight ended here? Saber and Caster, you needn't feel that two ganging up on one violates honor. Saber's arm is injured, and little kitten, you also had some consumption fighting that rule-breaker. If battle were to break out, I'd still have the advantage."
The Lancer man's fighting spirit soared, as if he truly had considerable confidence in victory.
"Well, is it a light spar or a fight to the death? Weapon rack big brother."
After the Black Magician's exit, the four cold daggers were also recovered by Miss Illya. She curved her lips slightly in an imperceptible smile and retreated several steps into the surrounding mist, her small hand hidden under the tattered black robe tightly gripping the dagger hilt.
Releasing that scale of pseudo-Gate bombardment had damaged her mana and stamina considerably. Though her mana had mostly recovered, she was still somewhat fatigued mentally.
"For me, it can be a light spar or a fight to the death."
"Is that so? Then it seems I'll have to go through the motions with big brother."
"Ladies first, please."
"War doesn't distinguish between women and men, does it?"
BOOM! The next moment, a torrent of magical energy swept forth!
Astonishing fighting spirit erupted!
The battle-eager Lancer man's momentum surged like a primordial beast attacking the Ripper of the Misty Night. His speed was extreme—in just a blink, the red magic spear like a crimson dragon reached Miss Illya who was trying to retreat. He was very clear that facing two great Servants' assault, this Age of Gods magus who could create smoke and infinitely summon familiars was undoubtedly more troublesome!
If she pulled away and harassed with hit-and-run tactics, even the current him, enhanced by his lord's methods, would similarly fall into danger!
But he seemed to have forgotten that this Ripper of the Misty Night excelled at more than just magic. His speed was fast, yes, but this snow elf accompanied by thick fog and dark night was equally swift!
"Clang!"
"Big brother, are you testing how much stronger I've become since last night?"
The cold blade similarly unsheathed in a blink. B-rank Strength's terrifying power combined with high Agility burst collided with the dagger in her hand. Miss Illya's arm felt numb, and fighting while retreating, she was pushed back several meters in just the instant of contact.
Explosive magical sparks scattered. The small face under the hood lifted as she dodged the thrust with skillful deflection!
Turning with dagger in reverse grip, she instantly slashed viciously toward the Lancer man's chest!
This was Miss Illya's first time truly engaging in direct combat with a three-knight class Servant in perfect condition, and just the initial collision had already put her at a disadvantage.
"Bang!"
The yellow rose short spear reached out to block that fatal strike.
"Hahaha, little kitten, aren't you the same? You've been watching me closely from the start—don't you also want to see how much stronger I've become since last night?"
Sparks and silver light trembled.
The collision of blade and shadow erupted in dizzying terrifying speed displayed here. The black in Miss Illya's pupils grew darker and darker, her speed faster and faster, but no matter how fast she was, the Lancer man's Yellow Rose spear could easily block every killing move!
She did want to test the Lancer man's strength level, or rather Kirei Kotomine's praise last night had indeed made her a bit cocky. Plus killing King Gilgamesh in close combat while suppressing him—
It made her genuinely swell with confidence, thinking maybe she could clash with the three knight classes.
But obviously, she had indeed gotten cocky. The Lancer man and King Gilgamesh's martial skills weren't even on the same level. This wasn't an opponent that could be countered by merely suppressing one or two attributes. Ancient heroes didn't become Heroic Spirit Servants just by having excellent attributes.
It was purely that King Gilgamesh had too high an upper limit and too ugly a lower limit.
"Lancer, in a spar, you can't exclude me!" The roaring wind-shrouded sword descended.
Since this wasn't a duel between knights but a spar of martial arts, the swordsman girl naturally needn't observe any chivalry.
Especially since Diarmuid had chosen to attack Illyasviel first rather than her—this action that seemed to prioritize Illyasviel higher made her angry.
"Well met, Saber!"
Clang!
With a resounding crash, Diarmuid laughed heartily and struck back with both arms!
The red magic spear collided violently with the invisible sword while the other yellow magic spear firmly restrained the Misty Night Ripper's dagger—he actually blocked both their attacks simultaneously!
Something's off about this guy's attributes and mana values—it's like he's constantly enhanced by Command Seal power!
"Hmph! Not bad—he hasn't disgraced my Archibald family. It wasn't in vain that I specially dismantled the magic furnace from my dedicated use in the hotel's magic workshop and spent an entire day fusing it as a Mystic Code into his Servant's Spirit Origin. His overall attributes with this enhancement are no longer inferior to Saber, the strongest of the three knight classes."
In the luxury hotel in Fuyuki City, the blonde man seated on the sofa curved his lips arrogantly.
He'd become much more invested in the Holy Grail War. Though he had no desire for the so-called Grail, still considering it a ritual from a backwater place—his Archibald family had plenty of magical creations comparable to the Grail's mana—
He didn't want to lose. Having witnessed the Golden King's strength and seen that his worthless student also had such determination, how could someone as proud as him tolerate being outdone by others?
He could forgo the Grail, but winning was mandatory. He'd show these Far Eastern backwater magi what the authority and strength of a Clock Tower Lord meant.
"You're having Lancer proactively display his strength—what if it alerts other combinations?"
The beautiful woman with long red-purple hair crossing her arms beside him—Sola-Ui, Kayneth's fiancée—couldn't help but frown.
This tactic was too rash. Though she also trusted Diarmuid's current strength—
The scene from last night when the Golden King was ganged up on for being too strong was still vivid.
"As a Clock Tower Lord, why should I hide?" Kayneth paid no mind to his fiancée's concern, instead shaking his head meaningfully.
"Moreover, I only want to test Lancer's strength now that he has the magic furnace's mana enhancement. I won't have him display too much else. As long as he shows the Archibald family's glory, that's enough. The real threat remains Assassin, Saber, and that Age of Gods magus's alliance combination. Any magus who isn't an idiot can see that."
"And also let my worthless student see."
"How foolish it is for someone with his magical accomplishments to participate in this kind of ritual. If he were smart, he'd have Rider commit suicide early or proactively come apologize to me and hand over Servant control rights, withdrawing from the Holy Grail War to return to the Clock Tower and continue studying."
Though Kayneth actually preferred the latter despite his verbal disdain.
He personally didn't really hope his worthless student Waver Velvet would die in Fuyuki City over some illusory Grail. After all, it was just a prize from a backwater Far Eastern broken ritual. If only Waver were cleverer—
Properly studying the theories he taught in class, even if he only became theoretical talent in the future, he could have as many of these so-called prizes as he wanted.
Of course, if that nonsensical thesis dared to be written again, he'd still curse him out thoroughly then tear it to shreds.
"Strength B+, Endurance B, Agility slightly above A+, Mana attribute unknown but definitely not low, Luck and Noble Phantasm changes unknown. Compared to last night, overall attributes rose at least one rank, or attribute burst power increased one rank."
What the hell! What a stat monster! I just developed one new skill and your strength increased again!
Is there any justice? Any law? According to historical legend, you have no fame bonus in the Fuyuki region either—how did your attributes jump so outrageously overnight!
"Cheating! Playing dirty! Big brother, you're playing dirty!" Miss Illya's dagger already had several notches.
She pulled down several more silver threads to summon over a dozen White Stork Knights for harassment.
Finally borrowing the gap from being blown back, she jumped onto a large tree, gaining a moment's respite.
"Hahaha, this is just support from my lord. And Caster, didn't you also dodge my attacks multiple times in succession? Your close combat has improved considerably since last night."
"..."
Stop talking. Can you all just stop? Really, only I went back last night to eat dinner and sleep lightly, only I can't keep up with this version, okay!
Is eating also wrong now? I just ate eight bowls of rice, and your strength today directly increased by eighty percent over yesterday!
The swordsman girl was being subtly suppressed one-sidedly by the red spear. Her martial skills weren't much inferior to the Lancer man's.
But her wrist injury made it difficult for her to contend alone with the Lancer man whose attributes had surged. However, her overall situation was slightly better than Miss Illya's.
She could barely fight the Lancer man back and forth, unlike Miss Illya who was dodging and deflecting the entire time.
"Rip!"
The spear swept horizontally, invisible afterimages flashing as a large group of White Stork Knights were instantly slain!
The beauty of numerical power was fully displayed on the Lancer man. Fighting two great Heroic Spirit Servants alone, he still seemed at ease. Thrusting, sweeping, diagonal slashing—his dreamlike martial arts were devastatingly powerful. The gusts stirred even tore the surrounding mud and earth, making the swordsman girl increasingly hold her breath in solemn focus.
"Caster, can you still use that magic from fighting the rule-breaker earlier? I'll help you buy time to set up the magic... Wait! Caster, where'd you go?"
Just as the swordsman girl was considering how to break the deadlock, she inadvertently glanced up.
Miss Illya, who'd been briefly resting in the tree, had long since vanished—exactly like last night when she'd fled with Emiya Kiritsugu and Irisviel.
"Sorry, tonight's spar ends here. My Master says she bought cake and is waiting for me to come home and enjoy it. Big brother, big sister, bye~"
Miss Illya turned back to blink and wave, then while the Lancer man's attention was drawn by the swordsman girl, quickly dove into the thick fog to escape.
Testing complete—he's a broken solo melee monster!
Once I finish drawing my card, I'll come have a proper showdown with this big brother!
Covering her right hand that was so numb she could barely lift the blade, Miss Illya's escape speed this time was unprecedented.
She'd clearly deflected all the force she should have, yet after less than fifty exchanges, she felt her hand was about to break.
Stats!
The power of stats!
She could definitely fight a couple more rounds, but it was just a spar—no need to keep consuming. The Lancer man had no killing intent anyway, and even if Knight King big sister lost, she wouldn't die.
Plus, Emiya Kiritsugu's three Command Seals weren't just for show. If she still died—
That would just mean her judgment was wrong. She'd burn some cake wrappers for her in the future.
Miss Illya started pondering internally while quickly passing through the fog-shrouded thicket.
"Emiya Kiritsugu still having three Command Seals is also a hidden danger. Wonder how far they've investigated, what step they've deduced my skill set and Noble Phantasms to..."
As mentioned before, in her eyes, the Emiya Kiritsugu combination posed the greatest threat to her because the swordsman girl wasn't some naive fool.
Emiya Kiritsugu wasn't some benevolent person either. Most importantly, these people almost all knew her. Her Information Erasure skill being half-废除 was ninety percent their credit. If she couldn't find an opportunity, plus she wanted to use the swordsman girl to check and balance Kariya Matou, that second ally who might lose control at any moment, she'd have wanted to directly cooperate with Diarmuid to backstab the swordsman girl.
Speaking of Kariya Matou, Miss Illya got a headache because that guy was also black-hearted. At least the swordsman girl played word games and was barely trustworthy—
But Kariya Matou was purely lying. Even about saving Sakura Matou, there were mixed lies. He had plenty of schemes.
"One tiger is hard to manage, two tigers are easier. Lancer restraining Saber can't be touched, Berserker and Saber mutually restraining also can't be touched. Then next I can only move on Assassin and Rider. But what legend from the Conqueror King uncle's life did his Noble Phantasm sublimate from..."
"Illya!"
However, the next moment, having just passed through the dense thicket, Miss Illya suddenly stumbled!
Bang! Thump!
She nearly fell to the ground, startled by the sudden breathless shout from behind!
She warily moved her hand to her waist and turned around. It was a shadow walking toward her from the mist:
"Instinct? Mind's Eye? To actually track me here, may I ask which..."
The white shadow's full appearance gradually emerged.
It was a very beautiful, gentle woman with white hair and red eyes.
"Eh?"
No way.
How the hell did you find me?
Illya, wait—wait for Mama..."
At the edge of the misty forest.
The breathless figure with white hair and red eyes slowly approached Miss Illya.
The heat from prolonged running dissipated into the thick toxic fog. Clearly this figure was now quite exhausted, with beads of sweat appearing on her forehead even in the cool night.
Irisviel von Einzbern—this was the name of this gentle, beautiful woman. Also the enemy Miss Illya had wanted to knife not long ago, the strange pretty big sister who'd hugged her and tried to kidnap her home upon first meeting. If not for the good Samaritan Ryuunosuke Uryuu intervening, under the swordsman girl's supervision she really couldn't have used violence to break free from that cat-petting restraint.
But here, seeing Irisviel, Miss Illya's first reaction was only horror.
Not fear of encountering this shrimp-headed big sister again, but horror that she could, in a poison fog-covered area where even Heroic Spirit Servants couldn't detect her, directly and precisely find her location.
Was this Mind's Eye or Instinct? Seriously, dude? Does everyone in this Holy Grail War have Instinct?
In such a large forest, you braved magical poison fog with less than two meters visibility, departing from the Einzbern castle, seemingly without stopping once to find her just as she was about to leave the Mirror Forest. Were you a homunculus or an embodied Heroic Spirit Servant? Instinct skill on par with the three knight classes?
Miss Illya's first reaction was disbelief, wondering if her skill set had downgraded. But on the surface, she still pulled her hood to cover her puzzled, uncomprehending eyes.
"Well... that's right, isn't it? Irisviel big sister? What can I do for you?"
You're not even trying to hide it anymore.
The Einzbern family truly was a great enemy. It seemed they'd found certain methods targeting her.
At least they already possessed means to locate her position within a certain distance range.
But why would Irisviel proactively expose this information? Could Emiya Kiritsugu have some unspeakable plan? Miss Illya continuously speculated internally. Within her perception range, there was no breath of Heroic Spirit Servants or even ordinary small animals, making her even more unable to let down her guard.
What did the other party want from her? For what reason? What did they want to obtain from her? Proactively exposing the ability to locate her, proactively leaving the castle that could block poison fog to some degree—this could be understood as displaying sincerity.
Avoiding the Lancer man to privately find her, so basically it was certain Emiya Kiritsugu sent her to negotiate. She just wasn't clear what the other party wanted to trade...
"Illya, I want to talk with you. There may be some misunderstanding between us."
"Can you give Mama a little time? Don't worry, this time I snuck out. Kiritsugu and Maiya don't know. I just want to talk with you alone—just you and Mama."
Irisviel wore a pure white dress with slight golden accents. She wiped the sweat from her forehead caused by intense exercise and stood hesitantly in place with a soft request.
Watching Miss Illya warily look left and right, she understood the other was worried about others following. Because she could sense her daughter was actually very tense—though appearing calm and polite on the surface, inwardly she'd been in a state of constant tension from the beginning.
"Oh, I see. Then what would you like to discuss, dear pretty big sister?" Miss Illya showed a polite smile but didn't believe Irisviel's words.
In the Holy Grail War, every participant had schemes as dark as hers.
Anyone who believed other combinations' words had brain problems.
"Also, could you not call me your good daughter or claim to be my mother and such? Though I don't mind having a mama as pretty as you, I really, really, really hate things like parents. If big sister insists on continuing to call me that, I might get a bit unhappy."
"Mm, that's so sad! Does Illya dislike Mama, not want Mama anymore?"
"Not at all. It's my parents who didn't want me. Well, Irisviel big sister probably can't understand that feeling, right? Of course, you can also think I'm lying. After all, last night you and Mister Emiya Kiritsugu could even say my true name, so investigating my real life history shouldn't be difficult."
Miss Illya casually spread her small hands and made a rather humorous little joke. Of course, this was the truth, because she really did hate Irisviel claiming to be her mother. If not for this strange way of addressing her, she actually quite liked the other party.
After all, the other really had a bit of that silly fool feeling. Whether she was sent by Emiya Kiritsugu's instructions to find her, she couldn't say, but the other really dared to face alone a Heroic Spirit Servant who'd just brandished weapons at their camp last night. She absolutely loved this fool-like courage—who wouldn't love such an idiot becoming their competitor?
As for not worrying because they're allies? Heh, an old tiger who just yesterday wanted to eat you but failed, encountered a pride of hunting lions, and was forced to ally with you.
This kind of alliance was inherently unreliable. After driving away the lions, couldn't they do whatever they wanted? Emiya Kiritsugu wasn't a fool and the swordsman girl wasn't a naive idiot. Everyone had black schemes. Just put on a show for outsiders—family knows family business.
"I'm sorry... Illya."
After several seconds of silence, Irisviel lowered her head, her tone no longer cheerful as she apologized.
"Pretty big sister, we're unbreakable allies. What's there to apologize for? If you really want to apologize, how about you all just withdraw from the Holy Grail War? I'll be super grateful and treat you to cake~"
Publicly calling out my true name and废 my Information Erasure skill—that kind of blood feud, what use is an apology?
Originally my newly developed ultimate move could exploit information gaps to directly send out certain Servants without Magic Resistance. Now using it on Gilles de Rais, that irregular eighth Servant—any other camp with a brain will guard against me.
Miss Illya magnanimously expressed indifference, but inwardly felt increasingly sorrowful. Her invincible Information Erasure skill—her entire skill set except the Lesser Grail's heart Wish, the rest combined couldn't compare to its invincible error tolerance rate.
Just because Emiya Kiritsugu saw her face, now all participants except the dead Black Magician knew she was called Illyasviel.
"Sorry, I can't withdraw from the Holy Grail War. Kiritsugu and Saber also won't withdraw..."
Irisviel didn't dare look at Miss Illya's smile because she could sense the other was very angry inside, just bantering on the surface.
This was an inexplicable intuition, like how she could find the other in the mist—a kind of magical resonance as fellow Lesser Grails.
"Then what did pretty big sister come find me for? No need for apologies. Let's talk business. If I'm not mistaken, Mister Emiya Kiritsugu wants me to cooperate with Knight King big sister to first send out that weapon rack big brother, right?" Miss Illya blinked without preparing to attack Irisviel. After all, the other wasn't the swordsman girl's Master.
Killing her here had little meaning and would instead provoke the swordsman girl's hatred.
It would shatter the delicate restraint of Saber-on-Lancer, Saber-on-Berserker relationships, preventing them from first sending out the outsider Conqueror King.
In Miss Illya's vision, after dealing with the Black Magician—
The first target would be Rider Iskandar, second would be making Berserker and the swordsman girl mutually wound each other, then send out whichever severely wounded one remained, and finally duel with Lancer Diarmuid. This was the initially formulated strategy. Without special circumstances, she didn't want to make major changes.
"No, no, Illya, believe me. I really just want to talk with you alone. It really has nothing to do with Kiritsugu."
"Oh, then talk. If it's not ganging up on weapon rack big brother, then is it attacking Conqueror King uncle or Assassin class who's been hiding in the shadows and never appeared? I don't oppose such strategic arrangements—in fact, I quite agree with Mister Emiya Kiritsugu's thinking. It's just that personally I'm more inclined toward..."
"Illya, I want to know your past, what happened in your life."
"?"
Before Miss Illya finished speaking, Irisviel bit her lip and looked up with reddening eyes.
Her ruby pupils stared straight at the tattered black-robed girl who, like her husband, only focused on strategy and upcoming actions. She and he were truly too similar—whether the initial combat methods or current efficiency-focused strategic approaches.
"My past? My life? Irisviel big sister, you're being quite rude."
"Are you trying to toy with me? Coming specifically to find me just for this?"
Swish!
The dagger at her waist unsheathed, pointing straight at the person before her!
Miss Illya's tone turned unfriendly. That she didn't directly take the other hostage and was still bantering to lighten the mood was already because the other seemed somewhat sincere.
But the other party actually repeatedly used such strange excuses to deflect—did they really think she was easy to bully? Have business then discuss business. What was this emotional talk about? Could it be the other wanted to see that she was related to the Einzbern family and pull this bitter drama to win her over?
Though this was indeed a tactic Emiya Kiritsugu might use. That Magus Killer was ultimately still a magus. For victory, he'd definitely exploit enemy emotions if possible. Too bad the other guessed wrong—she wasn't some soft-hearted person who prioritized romance.
"What experiences and past I had in life—you and Emiya Kiritsugu already called out my true name, how could you not know? Ridiculous. My past in life is the past, my present is the present. No matter what my past was like, it has nothing to do with now. We're already allies. If you insist on using such boring schemes to toy with me, I can also consider allying with that weapon rack big brother to first send out that injured Knight King big sister~"
"I know, but I want to hear Illya tell me personally about your past."
Are you annoying or what! Past, past, past!
Can't you understand what I'm saying? I don't want to discuss this. Have some EQ and manners!
Isn't my attitude clear enough? If you keep asking I'll get angry—I'll knife you right here, then afterward unite with others to send away your Servant!
Miss Illya felt somewhat displeased. If there's business, discuss business. Can everyone please be efficient? This shrimp-headed woman was too annoying, as annoying as her pre-transmigration parents who were deadly irritating. Thinking of her parents made her even more annoyed.
Those two births—if she could win the Holy Grail War and find a way home while keeping this Heroic Spirit Servant power, she'd definitely knife those two. Including that bastard father's adopted brother from outside—kill them all.
"Talk, talk, talk? Talk about what? Please don't go too far! Then how about another joke?"
"My past life was super terrible, extremely terrible—worse than you know. Bastard parents abandoned me, family was cold to me because of those two bastards' betrayal, treating me like a burden and waste. I tried hard to make them accept me and change their view, but everyone acted like I didn't exist. I desperately struggled to survive, living a life worse than death every day, constantly thinking about living happily and proudly, taking revenge on those bastard relatives~"
Of course, half-truth, half-lie. Life worse than death wasn't quite accurate. Pre-transmigration, though Grandpa was cold to him, at least the necessary care was there... probably?
Grandpa was called Acht or something? Couldn't remember clearly anyway. The skill Peering into Evil of This World made her entire mental state quite abnormal. But at least one thing was certain—she wanted happiness, craved a wonderful happiness. This was a persistent wish that wouldn't change even if she died.
Beyond that, she was just like a certain Matou family head, Zouken Matou—
Caring about nothing. No matter what she became, as long as she could realize her obsessive wish, she'd drag her decrepit body to thoroughly eliminate all obstacles even if utterly corrupt and vile.
Miss Illya slightly raised the corner of her mouth and spread her dagger-holding hand with a smile, appearing very casual:
"How's this story? Are you satisfied? If not, I can make up other stories. After all, we're the best allies. You want to know my past and play the emotion card with me? We're already allies—it's really unnecessary. This will only make my impression of you and Emiya Kiritsugu worse and worse..."
However, before she finished, Irisviel lowered her head and slowly walked forward.
Seeing this, Miss Illya also paused, her casualness turning to a frown as she raised the black blade.
Was this shrimp-headed woman really unable to understand human speech, or deliberately provoking her to make her bear the thorny reputation of backstabbing allies so other combinations would target and eliminate her first?
How truly vile, Emiya Kiritsugu—using Irisviel's life to scheme against her?
Makes sense. After all, she's just a homunculus. Gone is gone. Perfect for throwing dirty water on dangerous people. The Magus Killer's strategic thinking.
"I advise you to stay away from me. I haven't moved. If you get closer, it'll count as you running into my blade yourself. Pretty big sister, do you think... you!"
Rip!
The sharp blade tip pierced directly into Irisviel's chest, while the other with lowered head seemed completely unaware.
Still stubbornly allowing this blade comparable to a D-rank Noble Phantasm to pierce unobstructed into her body, letting flowing blood soak her dress.
Seeing this, Miss Illya quickly withdrew the blade and checked around for any electronic devices or familiars recording. This couldn't be blamed on her—the other really did run into it. Even with video footage, they had to be reasonable and not edit deceptively.
"Pretty big sister, are you crazy! Do you know..."
"I'm sorry."
Before Miss Illya finished speaking, she felt herself fall into a warm, soft embrace.
She also felt breath's warmth by her ear and a trembling, tearful murmur.
Blood flowed down from the chest, soaking the white dress. Miss Illya felt warm liquid on her forehead—Irisviel's falling tears.
What... what the hell? Why are you crying?
I, I never even bullied you. Hugging people all the time is way too shrimp-headed!
What are you even doing? Why are you so annoying, woman? Why can't you be like Emiya Kiritsugu, like that Knight King big sister, like that Kariya guy and show me some malice? Don't act like an annoying idiot fool.
Can you stop putting on this act for me? The boring farce of mother and daughter already ended yesterday. I've clearly already turned off this annoying disguise skill.
"Mom and Dad are both sorry, Illya. Sorry, Mama was wrong."
"Th-that, um, pretty big sister, I-I think there might really be a bit of a misunderstanding between us. Actually we're really not close. Initially it was because my skill had a bit of charm attribute..."
Calm down!
You need to calm down!
Hearing this tearful, guilt-ridden trembling voice, Miss Illya struggled to escape the other's embrace, because the other's state was way too wrong.
Even if her Innocent Girl Disguise skill's effect multiplied tenfold plus the Lesser Grail heart's stacked special attack, it shouldn't produce such a bizarre result.
"Your daughter is only eight years old. I'm really not your daughter. I also hate my mother..."
"Mm, can I hold you a bit longer, Illya?" Irisviel simply acted as if she hadn't heard and still didn't release her hold, only continuing to embrace her as before, just like when she'd held her actual daughter not long ago in the Einzbern castle in Germany.
But Miss Illya hated this feeling, intensely hated it. As a Heroic Spirit Servant possessing the skill Peering into Evil of This World, she strongly disliked Irisviel's warmth. She was only accustomed to battle and desperate struggle, constantly fighting and scheming for survival, mutually gaming with those scheming enemies until pursuing the hope and happiness she desired.
Excessive warmth would only make her lose her persistent drive, just like how many people, after experiencing days granted happiness, found it hard to accept their originally ordinary, occasionally difficult lives.
Kirei Kotomine never trusted her. Kariya Matou was deceiving her with lies.
The swordsman girl was secretly wary and guarded against her. Tokiomi Tohsaka desperately wanted her dead.
Ryuunosuke Uryuu wanted to use her death to achieve his art. Zouken Matou was trying to become her new Master to obtain Age of Gods knowledge. Emiya Kiritsugu also deliberately conserved strength during the chaotic port battle, wanting others to mutually wound each other.
Everyone, including herself, were all bad people. So she also hated genuinely encountering any naive good people.
"You're an idiot!"
"I am—the idiot Mama who loves Illya most."
"I'll kill you, I swear!"
"Then before Illya kills Mama, can you let Mama hold you a bit longer?"
"...Why?"
"Because even if the whole world doesn't love Illya, Mama will always deeply love Illya."
Even if the whole world doesn't love me?
You'll still love me?
Do you have brain problems? We're enemies—this is a Holy Grail War battlefield!
Unless you declare withdrawal here, there's only one outcome between us—life or death. So what exactly is this woman trying to express? That she wants to win me over? Or that she wants me to sign a contract and become her Heroic Spirit Servant? In the end, isn't it all scheming against me? All this talk about love—annoying! It's clearly fake!
Miss Illya's heart remained completely unmoved. She only felt that Irisviel's words were self-contradictory—clearly stating that she and Emiya Kiritsugu wouldn't withdraw from the Holy Grail War, then turning around to say she was her most deeply beloved daughter.
What a joke. As long as the other party didn't withdraw from the Holy Grail War, everything else was basically nonsense. She didn't believe Irisviel's lies at all, just like she never trusted anyone else she'd encountered, including her own Master. The Holy Grail War never had a single person who was truly good in the real sense. At least from her own perspective, everyone was an enemy. She could sense those people were all lying and deceiving...
But was Irisviel deceiving you? No. So why do you still dislike her?
No, do you really dislike her? You crave happiness and survival. So now that someone who truly deeply loves you has appeared before you, why don't you want to acknowledge it?
So are you hating her or hating mothers? You hate your mom and dad because they abandoned you. So when Irisviel claims to be your mother, you find her unpleasant, finding that title annoying.
Or is it that just now when she said she wouldn't withdraw from the Holy Grail War but then expressed care for you, and you did genuinely sense she truly loves you—knowing that one of you must die, that you'll inevitably fight to the death to eliminate each other—is that what makes you unhappy?
She's someone who truly deeply loves you, truly treats you like her own daughter. You don't want to admit it and won't admit it. Are you afraid that at the Holy Grail War's end, facing her, you'll hesitate and be unable to swing down your blade?
In the end, you don't crave being loved—you actually hate being liked and loved by others, because in the Holy Grail War there can't be the slightest hesitation.
And someone who truly likes you while being an enemy would slow your blade considerably.
Having bonds and attachments means having concerns. Being unattached and unencumbered means using any means necessary.
You're very similar to Emiya Kiritsugu, incredibly similar. You could even say your inner self is just as rational and cold as Emiya Kiritsugu.
"Love me? What a joke! If you really loved me, you'd withdraw from the Holy Grail War. Emiya Kiritsugu is just an external magus hired by the Einzbern family. If you wanted to withdraw from the Holy Grail War, could he stop you? You don't have Command Seals—withdrawing wouldn't bring punishment from the Einzbern family. So why do you still choose to stay?"
"Big sister, I don't like your hypocrisy. If you really love me, then leave Fuyuki City. Otherwise in my eyes, everything you're doing now is just strange acting."
After being hugged for dozens of seconds, Miss Illya impatiently raised her head and spoke confrontationally.
If they didn't withdraw, they were enemies. If they withdrew, they could coexist peacefully.
As for why there was no lie from Irisviel? Probably something to do with her homunculus setting. Emiya Kiritsugu had programmed these words into her, so she sensed no malice from the other party, nor deception from her subjective consciousness.
"Also, pretty big sister, haven't you hugged enough? It's been almost a minute. If you keep this up, I'm going to charge—one more second of hugging and you'll have to treat me to a piece of the sweetest little cake..."
However, Irisviel remained completely oblivious, only gently holding the cute snow elf in her embrace.
Miss Illya felt somewhat puzzled, then detected the other's increasingly weak heartbeat!
And breathing that had almost disappeared in weakness. Her ahoge suddenly jumped up!
Then she carefully pulled away the other's slender small hands, only to feel fingers that were extremely cold and frozen. She immediately realized the other had fainted.
"My, my poison fog actually poisoned someone to death?"
Miss Illya quickly supported Irisviel, helping her lean against the base of a large tree nearby.
Then she observed the surroundings and quickly dispersed the surrounding fog. During the port battle before, because she needed the swordsman girl's combat power, she hadn't given the poison fog toxic effects toward Kariya Matou, Emiya Kiritsugu, and other humans present.
But today she'd been poisoning indiscriminately. After all, the Einzbern castle had magical barriers set up—most of the poison fog couldn't penetrate inside the castle. She felt there was no need to reduce toxicity. Plus watching Irisviel pass through the poison fog to find her, she'd assumed the other had some Mystic Code to immunize against poison fog, or that her poison fog had no effect on creatures like homunculi.
After all, to be fair, Assassin of Black's Poison Mist barrier was just like Amaterasu's flames.
After fighting so many battles with consistently zero kill count, who knew it would suddenly be effective today.
"Pretty big sister, don't die! If you die, that Knight King big sister will definitely kill me, and the reputation I've built will be ruined by you (╥﹏╥)!"
She nervously checked Irisviel's breathing, then felt her still-beating pulse.
Confirming Irisviel had only fainted from mild poisoning plus exhaustion, Miss Illya's standing ahoge finally drooped down. It wasn't that she was worried about Irisviel.
But worried that given how much the swordsman girl cared about her, if she knew Irisviel was poisoned to death by her, she'd probably drag her invisible sword and chase her through eight streets looking for a death match.
"Phew~ That scared me. I knew my poison fog couldn't possibly poison someone to death."
Miss Illya wiped the cold sweat from her forehead. Though homunculi should indeed have some resistance—otherwise there was no explaining how Irisviel ran so far to find her without carrying healing-type Mystic Codes. Normal magi should theoretically have been poisoned to death on the road.
Of course, what made her most wary was still the other's locating method. The other having no Mystic Code on her body meant the location tracking didn't rely on external objects, making the specific method even more mysterious and unpredictable.
"Not killing her? Assassin, there are no outsiders here. Kill this woman and dump the body in the deep mountains—no one could detect it. Moreover, didn't she come alone? Perhaps you could even frame another combination for this."
"..."
"What's wrong, Assassin?"
"I'm just thinking, Master, how long have you been watching? When watching, could you notify me in advance? Suddenly speaking like that, I thought someone had come."
Miss Illya, whose hair had suddenly stood up again, realized it was her own Master Kirei Kotomine contacting her and complained somewhat helplessly. He was like a voyeur, appearing and disappearing mysteriously.
If he hadn't coldly thrown in that line just now, she'd have almost forgotten Masters could share their Servants' perspective.
"Not long—I just connected. The Holy Church has been quite busy lately, especially after news of the eighth irregular Servant spread. As the Holy Grail War supervisor, the Holy Church naturally needs to maintain order and investigate why irregular summoning occurred. If not for my relatively light task load, I might not have had time to continue watching your battles tonight."
In the basement of Fuyuki City's great cathedral, eating freshly purchased mapo tofu, Kirei Kotomine flipped open a TV program broadcasting recent Fuyuki City news.
"Task? What task did you receive, Master?" Miss Illya felt her Master was somewhat inhuman—how could his slacking be even more outrageous than hers?
"Oh, investigating Caster's Master's true identity."
Kirei Kotomine replied in a flat tone. Because of the precedent of Ryuunosuke Uryuu, a Master who hadn't registered with the Holy Church, the Holy Church had now become vigilant about Illyasviel's Master. Though the other party hadn't yet done anything that might expose the Holy Grail War's existence or harm innocent civilians, the unknown represented instability.
Therefore, regardless of who Illyasviel's Master was, the Holy Church as the Holy Grail War's supervisory party must investigate quickly to avoid another problem like the Black Magician.
"Then Master, you really are quite relaxed. Sigh! Here I am desperately working for you outside..."
"I bought you cake—the sweetest kind from the dessert shop."
"Fighting for my dear, generous Master is my honor. In Caster's name, I absolutely won't disappoint you (▼ヘ▼#)!"
"Three cakes, plus one pudding."
"Assassin is your shield. You are the lord I serve with lifelong loyalty. As long as I exist for one day, I'll fight for Master until my last hair falls out!"
"..."
You really know how to make oaths.
Truly befitting compatibility summoning.
The ability to lie through your teeth is exactly like his—only interested in things you like.
But it was also normal. Gourmet food was indeed quite nice. After all, he loved mapo tofu too.
"As for not moving against Irisviel, Master, you simply don't understand Emiya Kiritsugu. He's not some kind-hearted guy. For all we know, Irisviel coming to find me was recorded from the start. Right now in the Holy Grail War, excluding me, four Servant riders remain."
"I've ranked the Saber group second-to-last to deal with. I need to use them to handle that Conqueror King uncle, then decide based on circumstances whether to first send out Kariya Matou's group or theirs. If it were Emiya Kiritsugu here, I wouldn't mind sending Kiritsugu off, but Irisviel has no Command Seals. Killing her yields far less benefit than the potential trouble it could trigger."
Irisviel could die by anyone's hand, but not hers.
To kill the other party, Rider had to exit first, because she had a premonition—since Iskandar dared to brazenly reveal his true name last night and draw out hidden Servants, he must have trump cards allowing him to fearlessly confront multiple Servants.
He absolutely wasn't the carefree fool king on the surface. He had no fewer schemes than others. So before resolving such a great enemy, she still needed to keep some Heroic Spirit Servants who at least appeared to stand on the same front as her as allies.
"As long as you have your own plan..." Hearing this, Kirei Kotomine said nothing more.
After all, Miss Illya had her own plans, and he similarly had his own plans. The relationship between them was also quite delicate—neither knowing what medicine the other was selling.
"Incidentally, I'll tell you some news. Not long ago, Tokiomi Tohsaka left his magic workshop to personally visit the Matou family, strongly demanding to meet Zouken Matou."
His father had advised Tokiomi Tohsaka it was time to let go, sincerely expressing that his Heroic Spirit Servant had already been killed. Continuing to participate in the Holy Grail War had very slim chances of victory—better to let go early and take a step back.
But Tokiomi Tohsaka indicated no persuasion was needed—he already had considerable confidence in obtaining victory.
He only needed his old friend Risei Kotomine to cooperate and help him once more. Afterward, whatever problems arose, he, Tokiomi Tohsaka, would bear the responsibility himself, absolutely not implicating the Holy Church too much, nor making things too difficult for Risei Kotomine.
Tokiomi Tohsaka hadn't asked Risei Kotomine for half a Command Seal. Clearly he was already confident. Though even if he'd requested it, Risei wouldn't have so blatantly cheated to give it anyway.
"Did Tokiomi Tohsaka go alone?"
Hearing this news, Miss Illya frowned slightly. Tokiomi Tohsaka going to find Zouken Matou was within her expectations, but he went too early:
"He didn't have Master send Assassin to escort? Or call on Father Risei Kotomine?"
"No. At least as far as I know, he went to visit alone. Besides bringing some gems for magic use, he brought nothing. After all, from his perspective, he's already had the Holy Church officially announce his defeat and withdrawal from this Holy Grail War, receiving Holy Church protection. No need to hide and skulk like before. No one would challenge the Holy Church's authority over a small loser."
"...True. Being too secretive would instead make other combinations suspicious."
"Alright then, let's stop here, Assassin. I still have some matters to handle. Unless there's something major, don't disturb me, and I won't disturb your planned actions. Come back early tonight—I've left the cake and pudding on the basement table for you. (chewing)"
Just as the words fell—
The Master-Servant connection cut off. Kirei Kotomine began focusing wholeheartedly on enjoying his mapo tofu. After all, compared to enjoying gourmet food, the Holy Grail War's victory was just minor trivialities. Miss Illya would arrange everything anyway.
He only needed to use the Holy Church's information intelligence network and official value.
Occasionally reporting information to his Heroic Spirit Servant—then for this Holy Grail War, he needn't worry about anything else.
He was just a slacker, an ordinary clergy member, not having the scheming of other Masters and Servants who absolutely must win. He could lie flat with a clear conscience.
"Well~ You think I'd think that, right? That Master doesn't know anything, hasn't done anything, has entrusted everything to me?"
After the connection cut—
Miss Illya curved her lips slightly. As expected, Kirei Kotomine was playing this trick again. Everything the other said was truth, but definitely not the whole truth. For instance, saying he was very busy, but specifically where he was busy was also vague and unclear.
Especially regarding Tokiomi Tohsaka—she was very certain Kirei Kotomine knew far more than this.
At minimum, Kirei Kotomine knew the source of Tokiomi Tohsaka's confidence, but wasn't telling her.
Though what she told Kirei Kotomine was also basically half-truths.
Kirei Kotomine knew many things, had very much information, just completely hadn't shared it with her. Instead, he continuously probed what her plans were with subtle hints, feigning ignorance while understanding perfectly, asking why she didn't directly take out Irisviel now, cleverly forcing out her next action targets and implementation steps.
"But it really is strange—not trusting Tokiomi Tohsaka, not trusting his own Servant either."
"So what exactly do you want, Master?"
Miss Illya didn't understand. She hadn't knifed Kirei Kotomine mainly because the other truly hadn't betrayed her, just making some small moves she wasn't clear about.
But looking at it now, this was no longer something as simple as small moves. Kirei Kotomine also had crooked thoughts, already approaching betrayal's degree infinitely.
But for the sake of little cakes and pudding... mm, couldn't she tolerate it a tiny bit more?
After dispersing the poison fog and settling Irisviel properly, Miss Illya wiped her forehead and exhaled deeply. She pulled down a silver thread and crouched to quietly tie it to the other's collar—a simple, hard-to-detect magical location tracker.
Previously, she could clearly know Ryuunosuke Uryuu's position within a certain distance because she'd quietly stuffed one or two silver hairs on him.
"You can locate me, but I can't locate you? How unfair, big sister. We should reciprocate courtesy..." Miss Illya crouched down to pat the silver-haired girl's head.
After confirming the silver thread shouldn't be detected by Emiya Kiritsugu and others, she then rose and quickly walked toward the Mirror Forest's exit.
Exploitation.
Deception.
Recognizing value.
Living—for survival, don't worry about too much, because surviving is justice.
"Living, discuss other things. Dead, nothing remains."
"You know who I am, I also know who you are. But I want to live, so everyone just tacitly understands. Whoever survives to the end has the right to discuss boring emotions."
Miss Illya pulled her tattered hood and retreated into shadow, gradually disappearing.
Mother and daughter? Relatives? Family? Truly loving her?
So what?
All the same.
She'd said from the beginning—even if they were biological parents, as long as they were in the Holy Grail War, the result was only... they kill her, or she kills them