"Damn it... Guinevere..."
"Guh, let go! Where are you putting your hands?!"
"Stop! Irisviel is still outside! Are you crazy?!"
"You're really pushing your luck, aren't you?!"
-
Outside the sports car, Irisviel hadn't walked far when she heard the commotion. Just then, a shroud of darkness descended like a box, enveloping the car and cutting off all sight and sound.
Just as her heart skipped a beat, thinking they were under attack, she heard Guinevere's muffled voice:
"Irisveil, don't worry! This is my magecraft. Ah—Lia, why are you biting me?!"
The strange sounds abruptly ceased, prompting Irisviel to reach into her coat and discreetly pull out a yuri doujinshi featuring the two of them.
However, since history recorded the King of Knights as male, even in yuri doujinshi, the depictions of the pair were vastly different from reality.
So, I've managed to keep Guinevere here, right? Kiritsugu, I've fulfilled your request.
Illya, don't worry. I've found someone to save you...
Sitting casually by the roadside, Irisviel noticed several familiars spying on her. The next moment, silver threads shot from her cuffs, transforming into birds that struck down every familiar she had detected.
Although she wasn't particularly powerful, she was still a competent mage.
After dealing with the familiars, she began to read her book, waiting for any potential attacks.
Meanwhile, due to the unforeseen change in events caused by Guinevere's appearance, Assassin did not proceed to the dock cranes. Instead, it was the Kenneth and Kariya Matou groups who encountered Assassin, not the Einzbern group.
"Master, are we still not attacking?"
Through their seamless telepathic link, a young female Assassin reported the situation on the mountain road to Kirei Kotomine.
Kirei was acting alone, positioned near the hotel serving as Kenneth's base. However, his true target was Kiritsugu Emiya.
Despite this, Kirei had to take Assassin's report seriously. Though he personally lacked desires, he was a dutiful Agent of the Church and a true believer in God.
Upon confirming that the woman was indeed Guinevere, he had immediately added this enemy of God to his kill list and reported her to the Holy Church without consulting Tohsaka or his father.
Guinevere's mere existence would create a rift between this master and disciple.
Because beyond their titles of master and disciple, their fundamental identities were Agent and Mage.
"Assassin, continue surveillance. You can't possibly kill someone right under that person's nose."
Kirei pulled her thoughts back from afar, pondering who the Church might send. The modern Church was not the same as it was fifteen hundred years ago, and Guinevere no longer had the entire Kingdom of Camelot backing her.
The Holy Church had never forgotten the humiliation of being forced to surrender the Holy Grail back then.
Most of the slanderous tales and infamy surrounding Guinevere were fueled by the Holy Church's machinations.
"Kiritsugu Emiya, you've finally arrived..."
Unshaven and clad in a long black coat, Kiritsugu Emiya hadn't infiltrated but had chosen to make a formal visit.
Under Kirei's watchful gaze, he was welcomed inside by Lancer, receiving the courtesy reserved for the brave.
Kirei frowned slightly, finding it hard to believe this was the Kiritsugu Emiya described in her files.
A moment later, Kirei clenched her fists and began searching for the whereabouts of Kiritsugu Emiya's assistant, as mentioned in the intel.
She was certain this Mage Killer was an unwelcome guest.
Meanwhile, Kariya Matou, having already used two Command Spells, was in a wretched state.
After repelling Lancer, Kariya was carried through the air by Lancelot back to his suburban residence, coughing up fresh, writhing worms along the way.
As he opened the door, stepped inside, and dismissed Lancelot into spiritual form, he saw Sakura Matou waiting for him in the entryway.
Sakura's eyes were still vacant, but she seemed far more alive than she had two days ago.
Long, long ago, Kariya had fallen in love with Sakura's mother. But that mother now bore the Tohsaka name, having been won over by Tokiomi Tohsaka.
Besides Sakura, the mother had another daughter, Rin, who was a year older. It was this one-year age difference that led to Sakura being sent to the Matou House, where she nearly became a victim of Zouken's Worm Pit.
"Sakura, did you eat properly just now?"
"I was waiting for Uncle and Sister to eat together."
Her tone was stiff and flat, yet her words carried a hint of concern.
A year ago, just days after Sakura had been sent to the Matou House, Kariya had encountered a veiled woman with a faerie-like aura while wandering aimlessly. It was she who had informed him that Sakura was to be given to the Matou family.
Upon hearing this, Kariya had rushed back in a panic. He struck a deal with the Old Worm: he would undergo the modifications himself and win the current Holy Grail War in Sakura's place.
For the first three days, Kariya Matou could still occasionally cry and scream. By the fourth day, he could no longer even make a sound.
Having witnessed Kariya's suffering from the very beginning and understanding that this torment was originally meant for her, Sakura was so terrified she lost her spirit for a time. After she recovered, her eyes remained vacant and her face expressionless. Her only act of care was to personally prepare his dinner each day before he left the Worm Pit.
Fortunately, a year passed, and the Holy Grail War truly began. Kariya Matou summoned his Berserker.
Her name was Lancelot, one of the noblest Knights of the Round Table of Camelot. Manifesting as a Faerie Girl, she was not only blinded by madness but also instinctively repulsed by filth.
As a result, the Old Worm "died" on the very day Berserker was summoned. After his "death," Sakura began to regain her vitality.
At the dinner table, Kariya felt a warmth spread through his chest as Sakura placed food on his plate and watched him with a slightly stiff, worried expression.
But tragically, he could no longer taste anything. And without the Old Worm's adjustments, the insects inside him would soon devour him completely.
"I'm sorry, Sakura. I wanted to stay with you longer, but it looks like I'll reach my limit soon..."
He had used the Command Spell just in time, but before Berserker could manifest, he was still pierced by the very tip of Lancer's spear.
The spearhead seemed to possess an anti-magic effect, severely disrupting the Mana Circuits within his body and accelerating the activation of his Crest Worms.
Originally, he had estimated his remaining lifespan to be about a month. But after that single blow, it had shrunk to just three days—not even long enough to last through the entire Holy Grail War.
"I'm sorry, Sakura... But in the little time I have left, I swear I'll find you a proper guardian."
Across from Kariya, the worry on Sakura's face deepened. But there was nothing she could do. She could only eat her meal in silence, savoring the fried egg she had made herself—a dish that could now almost be considered delicious.
Tokiomi Tohsaka? No, I can't return Sakura to that bastard. He'll just give her away again.
Aoi? Handing her over to Aoi would be no different from giving her to Tokiomi.
Should I beg that Lord from the Clock Tower? If he agrees, even if the Old Worm were still alive, he wouldn't be able to take Sakura back...
Kariya began weighing his options for Sakura's future guardian.
Thus, Kenneth, with his high status, naturally became Kariya's prime candidate. He still had one Command Spell and could leverage Berserker as a bargaining chip. He was confident there was a seventy percent chance Kenneth would accept.
After much deliberation, he decided to try his luck after dinner.
But...
At the same dining table, sharing the same burnt meal, Lancelot suddenly froze. He snatched Sakura into his arms, grabbed Kariya, and shot into the sky like a streak of light.
The next instant, the entire suburban forest surrounding their borrowed cottage was obliterated, blasted into a crater by an "ancient nuclear bomb" falling from the heavens.
When the King of Heroes decided to get serious, he got serious. He had no intention of waiting until the next day for revenge. Since Kariya's residence was isolated from other houses, his attack was utterly decisive.
"Found you, Faerie Mongrel!"
A Golden Ship hovered in the sky. Whether it was the "nuclear" bombardment or the relentless pursuit that followed, the King of Heroes paid no heed to the Holy Grail War's principle of secrecy.