Chapter 92: Snowfield Central Hospital
"Hmm?"
Blood surged, circulating with a hollow acceleration. An instinct sharp as a saw stroked the medulla oblongata of his body.
The cloud layer completely obscured the bright moon, and places far from the streetlights turned pitch black; only travelers with night-vision capabilities like Shirou and Saber could see the surrounding scenery clearly. Had Saber just said she hadn't seen those things?
"Saber, didn't you notice? The mist that was in our room."
Saber only gazed at Shirou quietly, expressing her confusion.
Shirou tried projecting a weapon again, confirmed its state, and then let it vanish. He could still detect that mist.
From indoors to outdoors, the concentration of the mist hadn't changed at all; it maintained a constant, lingering pollution. It was hard to imagine just how far this mist had already spread.
The unidentified mist had been in the atmosphere around them all along; it was simply that Shirou and the others hadn't noticed it before. But now that he was paying attention, even when a fresh evening breeze hit him, he felt as if he could see ominous black particles through it.
"Wait a moment, Shirou. Have you discovered something I am unaware of? Please explain bit by bit."
Because of the discrepancy in his words, the silver-armored girl halted her steps abruptly, then began moving closely alongside Shirou once he caught up, making it easier for the two to converse.
"There's a kind of black mist in the air. It's not specifically targeting us, but it's everywhere—the range is severe."
Shirou did not let his breathing be affected by his mood.
The opponent had already dispersed this substance into the air for a long time; if it were a type of poison, the body would have already accumulated a sufficient amount. Conversely, if this substance wasn't enough to deal with Shirou and the others, there was no point in starting to fear breathing now.
Shirou's intuition favored the latter. It felt as if he had dealt with this mist once before. But Shirou had no such memory.
"It's very subtle, like germs floating in the air; it's an object that even now lingers around us. It can't be seen by the naked eye or through prana perception. I only grasped it by perceiving the structure of matter. If it were any other way, I wouldn't have been able to find it either," Shirou summarized in one breath.
Though Shirou couldn't see it—the peaceful night scenery surrounding them was actually filled with continuous mist. Shirou could only see these black mists when he focused his mind on analysis. Although it had no effect on Shirou and Saber... the mere fact that it had evaded the detection of the strongest Class, Saber, was enough to instill a sense of skin-crawling dread.
Saber's clear face was covered in solemnity; Shirou looked at her expression and remained silent as well.
During this time, the two did not forget to maintain their speed, tracking the source of the multiple Heroic Spirit prana signatures. Shirou followed the path Saber led without hesitation, and Saber did not doubt the information Shirou provided. As if they were two parts of one body, they achieved maximum efficiency in simultaneously contemplating the information regarding the black mist while closing in on the site of the incident.
"Shirou, you said just now, 'like germs,' didn't you?" Saber asked back.
Shirou blinked.
In the next moment, Shirou's phone chimed with a notification. Wondering who would be sending a message at this hour, the conversation between Shirou and Saber was temporarily interrupted as he checked the message.
An unexpected name. It was from the young man Shirou had saved during the shooting, who was supposed to be staying at the estate on the outskirts of the city.
[Sigma: This afternoon, Flat Escardos went to the Snowfield Police Department and provided new information. There is a young girl at Snowfield Central Hospital in a comatose state, but she has become a Master. Her Servant has dispersed a strange mist. Escardos and the Snowfield Police Department discussed a rescue plan and are trying to find a way to deal with her Servant. However, because there is a mole in the Police Department, the news was leaked to Buzzdilot's side. Consequently, Alcides has already been deployed and is near Snowfield Central Hospital intending to snipe that Master. I'll set aside other matters for now, but the very bad situation currently is that Escardos, the Snowfield Police Department, and Alcides have already clashed.]
The wording was like an objective broadcast, but the sent content was implicitly unsettled. There was another email behind it.
[Sigma: The mole's name is—]
He didn't ask for any reward.
Did Sigma want to leave the intelligence concerning Alcides to Shirou? Or... was he actually, in his subconscious, seeking help from someone he felt was trustworthy?
How did Sigma know what Alcides was going to do? He knew about the plan of the Police Department and Flat? Moreover, he knew in such detail: that the Police Department had a
mole, that this mole told Alcides about the information on Kuruoka Tsubaki, and even that Alcides intended to kill her before the Police Department arrived.
As for other people's pasts or what experiences they had, Shirou didn't understand any of it. What Shirou did understand was that Sigma, who had been swept into the incident and had already begun to take action, knew far more than Shirou did. And Sigma, by his own will, had proactively passed this important information to Shirou.
He conveyed the fact that "something important and one-time-only is happening tonight."
"Understood, Sigma." Shirou gripped his phone tightly.
Just as he showed the phone to Saber, Saber's own phone rang. Shirou and Saber simultaneously flipped open the second phone.
[Ayaka: Miss Artos, I think... I heard that an Archer is going to kill a young child. I believe the personalities of you two wouldn't allow you to ignore this. The place the opponent is going is Snowfield Central Hospital. Are the two of you willing to rendezvous with us? This time, even as a King, I cannot boast of any reward. However... I shall surely regard you two as lifelong revered companions and spread the word of your deeds wherever I go.]
First was this passage, the latter half of which didn't look like something Ayaka would send. Then, within a few moments, a new dialogue was added under this one.
[Ayaka: Sorry, that previous part was sent by Saber! He said he wanted to see the email I was writing, so I let him look, and I didn't expect him to just start typing! I am terribly sorry, it's a misunderstanding. Likely his curiosity was piqued because a companion nearby was also typing an email! What I actually wanted to ask was, if a young girl was suddenly added to our companions, are there any recommended places to settle her? If my manners were lacking, please forgive m—]
Strangely, Ayaka's message was cut short again this time, likely because she was keeping a wary eye on Saber out of the corner of her eye and accidentally slipped and hit the send key, letting out a wail in the process.
Ayaka, Richard, and Sigma were banded together. Shirou roughly understood what Sigma had gone there to do.
The progress of the war was even faster than Shirou had anticipated.
'Ayaka, Richard, Sigma, Clan Calatin, Flat...' even including the Nameless Assassin who had once been Shirou's enemy. Shirou silently recited these names.
Then, Shirou's eyes showed a hint of doubt. Saber, beside him, took in Shirou's appearance and silently increased her pace.
'Please, let us make it in time.'
In order to help the rebels who still believed in justice and hoped to save others. Until they reached Snowfield Central Hospital—neither of their footsteps faltered.
Read ahead (60 chapters) by supporting me on buymeacoffee com/varietl or ko-fi edwriting