Another late update... But there's a good enough excuse too this time. If you check Frozenseed's profile, you'll see that this unreliable author has a new Fate/ story. And of course it's another Amakusa Shirou centric. No other casts from RoF, though, sadly...
19
The constant view of windy meadows along the quiet road in Transylvania could be so calming and peaceful. However, after gazing out at this view for hours on end from within the back passenger seat of the white BMW luxury saloon as it drove steadily through the road, a certain Einzbern lady felt bored. Oh how she wished she was the one driving. Sadly, it was not proper for a lady of her status to drive herself, they said. It was such a shame really. The new car seemed pretty cool, not nearly as fast as the red one she was oh so familiar with, but much more comfortable.
Too comfortable.
The spoiled lady pouted slightly as she tore her gaze away from the window to check on the person seated soundlessly to her left. It had been a while since her favorite sister / temporary maid fell asleep comfortably there beside her. The comfort the luxury car provided had costed her a lot of exciting talks to help with the boredom in this quite long travel.
Maybe she just needed to get a bit more creative...
An idea struck her as she observed the older girl's pretty but not quite catchy enough features.
Sister Marian could really use a bit of makeups once in a while. And surely she wouldn't mind if Irisviel gave her some as a surprise while she was asleep like this. With this thought, the naughty girl excitedly searched for her purse where she kept the few cosmetics she had.
Only to find it missing.
It seemed that she had left it in her boyfriend's dingy bedroom...
That boy really brought his bad luck to her.
Sighing in disappointment, she was about to return to the boring sightseeing when her gaze fell on the sister's slightly parted lips. She gulped then somewhat nervously. This was so tempting, she thought as she remembered kissing those very lips passionately not long ago. Though it would be borderline cheating since she had finally gotten her dream boyfriend recently. Her heart said it was really a no-no. But then again, said boyfriend didn't seem to mind with her silly attraction to this favorite sister of hers...
Just this once!
Just a quick peck...
Her face began to grow warmer and her heart beat faster as she oh so carefully leaned closer to that pretty face. Again, she gulped slightly as her own lips parted. Just another inch... then she stopped short involuntarily, suddenly feeling unwanted eyes on this supposedly private moment.
They were not alone in this car. Someone had to drive it after all. But oh why did that unappreciated someone had to pick now of all time to be a nuisance after having been silent like a good piece of furniture?!
The irritated lady slowly turned to meet the uncharacteristically nervous gaze of the so called nuisance through the rear view mirror.
"You..." Maroon eyes narrowed dangerously. "What are you looking at?! Never seen girls kissing before?"
"N- No! Pardon me, Lady Amaku- I mean, Lady Iri..."
It was quite a shame, said lady thought briefly in disappointment. As much as she enjoyed being called by that unexpected new title, it had to wait till this 'business trip' finished. So she quickly put aside the thought and returned to glare.
"Then what's your problem?"
Fortunately, the nuisance who just happened to be the Templars' very own Knight-Commander in disguise managed to regain his composure quickly here.
"Pardon me, Lady Iri. This unworthy knight just thinks that it's truly unbecoming of someone of your virtue and status to be unfaithful, much less to someone as caring as Grandmaster Shirou."
The lady's face reddened instantly in embarrassment and even shame. She honestly felt guilty now for thinking about kissing another after making a big fuss for the longest time about her beloved's late lover, a lover who had never even had the chance to have a kiss with him... Oh, she really was such a nasty, selfish, whiny, childish little bitch. Here, she had to admit that the loyal knight did have a point.
"I know..." She looked down in shame. "Thank you for reminding me."
"It's an honor, Lady Iri."
"Sure thing. But..." She looked up again somewhat mischievously. "Are you sure you're not just butthurt, Sir Commander?"
"Excuse me, Lady Iri? What could you possibly mean here?"
He was clearly confused, but to his dread, the cheeky lady gave an all too innocent shrug.
"Oh, I don't know. I just got the feeling that you couldn't stand seeing girl kissing girl..."
"I don't have such prejudice."
"Oh, then, me kissing 'someone'? You have a crush on me or something?"
"NO!" He looked simply shocked. "You belong to the Grandmaster only! I would never dare, not that such thoughts have even crossed my mind to begin with."
"That's good to hear. But then, could it be that it's about 'someone' kissing Sister Marian?"
Right then, the luxury car's steady pace was interrupted for the first time even just slightly.
Bingo.
The driver silently berated himself for such a rookie mistake that should've never been made by someone as professional as him, but here as expected of someone of his caliber, he was prepared for anything.
"I suppose that should've been a given, Lady Iri? Sister Marian might be a sister in tittle alone, but it still feels natural to associate her as a true woman of the church. She plays this role exceptionally well after all, as expected of one of our best agents."
"True." The lady still looked mischievous, though. "Here I thought that the esteemed Knight-Commander considered me as a worthy rival..."
"... Rival?"
"Yes. It's no secret that I'm physically interested in Sister Marian. And it would be understandable if something similar goes for you too. She's just that hot."
"... I think you misunderstand."
Uh huh.
This person might be the best knight in the Order, one of the bests in history even, but he would obviously make one very poor agent. Not counting the light reddening of his face, the change in his expression alone belied his claim. At the moment, he looked like a teenager having his first crush. And that might not be too far fetched, considering how strict Templar lifestyle was supposedly be.
It would be fun to push him to the limit, the cheeky lady decided.
"Oh well, since we're not rivals, I guess it wouldn't make me seem like a bitch to tell you that me kissing her is nothing new. I've even 'slept' with her once."
Again, the car's steady pace was suddenly interrupted, and more noticeable this time as the driver quickly took a deep, calming breath.
"... I see."
"It was good. I learned quite a lot, you know, to prepare me for eventually doing it with sensei sooner or later."
"..."
"Though, the morning after, she kindly rejected me, saying that she prefers guys more. So, if you consider me as a rival, it would be a good news for you."
There, what a good 'rival' she was.
It seemed that the knight thought so too. He nodded at her gently through the mirror. There was an unexpected tinge of regret in his gaze, however.
"I'm afraid it would still not make that much difference, Lady Iri. Even if what you assume is true, I have no chance to begin with."
"Huh? How so?"
"I presume she has already told you about this, considering how close the two of you are..."
"Told me what?"
"... That she has feelings for the Grandmaster for the longest time."
Oh...
Irisviel began to feel uneasy as she remembered that one particular talk in the shopping mall.
"But I thought she had gotten over it. She said it was in the past..."
"She is considered as one of our best agents for many reasons, and concealing the truth is one of them."
"But then... why has she been giving me the most support if... if she still likes sensei all along?"
"Please don't take this wrongly. She's certainly always been most genuine in her motive if it concerns the both of you." The knight awkwardly tried to make up for revealing too much. "I suppose she just loves the idea of you both being together more than her own fantasy that has been proven to be unrequited."
That still sounded hurt, though, a lot...
It was hard not to feel somewhat guilty as she turned back to the still asleep sister. In all honesty, she wouldn't mind that much sharing the love of her life if it was with this amazing woman. Perhaps they could even have what Caster called as threesome or something, but she quickly shook off the idea, admitting that she had let that lewd Servant of hers influence her way too much lately. Besides, that would also mean dishonoring her sacrifice. Thus, in the end, she decided to just give this most favorite person in her life the most heartfelt embrace.
This was the least she could offer in return for everything...
Despite all the praise, however, the female agent's ability seemed to have been still underestimated here. She had actually been awake ever since her dear friend snapped earlier, allowing her to secretly listen to the whole conversation that followed. Mixed emotions swirled within her chest. And here, despite all her skills, it wasn't easy for her to keep pretending to be asleep in the receiving end of such affection.
/
Just like a doll.
Just like how she used to be.
Irisviel was surprised to find herself still remember how to behave like her old self before she got 'corrupted' by her Servant. This was just as they had planned beforehand. Here, having just arrived at Fortress of Millennia at last, she played her part as a typical emotionless homunculus lady of the Einzberns, only talking when necessary. After all, it would be best to just let her pair of 'retainers' who were both much more experienced than her handle things like formalities.
The two Templars in disguise knew what they were doing.
No one suspected a thing.
Well, except for the infamous Yggdmillennia family head himself perhaps.
The magus lord had personally greeted his esteemed guests as soon as their luxury saloon arrived at the castle's main courtyard. True to his reputation in the Mage's Association, he was an exceptionally cunning and charismatic noble. It was a good thing that the Einzbern retainers, the maid in particular, seemed to be capable enough to keep up with his not so pleasant pleasantries and divert any unwanted attention from their lady. Even then, the few times his shrewd gaze landed on her, the quiet lady felt strange yet unmistakable dread. It was as though he recognized her from somewhere...
Oh well, it might be nothing serious really.
After all, Irisviel was not the only Justeaze-type homunculus to ever exist.
Still, she silently sighed in relief when told that the official business about the homunculus program would be scheduled later on to allow the guests to have some rest first. It seemed that the Ygdmillennias still had decent enough courtesy despite their reputations, but then again, it was only proper. It was already quite late in the afternoon when they arrived after all.
Now, in the luxurious guest room she shared with her 'personal maid', the young lady threw her tired body into the soft mattress of a queen-sized bed.
"Phew!"
She received a chuckle then from said maid who just finished checking the room thoroughly for any spying devices only to find none thankfully enough.
"Oh, come now, my lady." A teasing smile now. "You've barely done anything more than looking bored so far."
"That's exactly the reason, Sister Mari! Seriously. I can't believe I could live my early days like that in the past. It was just so soul-crushing!"
"You've just spent way too much time with Miss Caster."
"Yeah." She sighed grumpily. "She's such a bad influence. I guess this trip is really a good idea, at least to get some break from her troublesome presence."
They both chuckled together this time until a somewhat serious expression returned to the agent's face.
"Well, as long as you don't forget our main purpose here." She paused a bit to get her point across. "So, Iri, have you sensed that particular presence here?"
"Yes, almost immediately. It's from deep within the castle. Sensei seems to be right about it."
"Good. And you seem to be right that the Yggdmillennia would not let us leave easily. That means we must carefully spend our remaining time here focused on learning about their strengths and weaknesses."
"And their Servants."
"Exactly."
A look of understanding was shared between them, but then the lady suddenly wondered about something.
"I know this is all my idea. I should've been the one to think about everything here, but we all know I'm just not good at that. And now I could only wonder how we're going to keep in touch with sensei and the others." She fidgeted sheepishly. "Sorry..."
"Well, modern communication devices are obviously not possible. Those are prohibited for guests here. Any kind of familiar is also out of the question, seeing that it would be easily discovered. But no worries!" The agent smiled triumphantly as she took something out of her bag. "We Templars have this."
"... A book?" Maroon eyes blinked in puzzlement. "... An empty book?"
Her clueless look almost made the older girl laugh.
"Not just any book, silly! It's a magical item. Anything we write in it will also appear in its matching counterpart."
"And sensei has the matching book..."
"Smart girl."
Fascinating...
The amazed look on said girl's face was clearly apparent. She looked borderline obsessed, even, that her acting retainer silently made note to keep the magical book away from her at least until it was no longer necessary here. Thankfully, it seemed that they would need to drop this matter along with the rest of their discussion for the moment.
There was a soft knock on the door.
And it looked like Caster's bad influence had extended to her Master's attention span as well because almost instantly, the girl seemed to forget about the book as she moved to open the door excitedly.
"Hi there!"
Outside was another girl about her age appearance wise in a maid outfit. Her shoulder length light brown hair bobbed slightly as she immediately bowed down in respect. Though she looked up slowly after that, showing her timid red eyes.
"Good evening, Lady Einzbern. I would be your attendant during your stay here as Yggdmillennia's honored guest."
"Oh, nice!" The lady smiled warmly, already knowing about this maid's nature from appearance alone. "Come inside!"
"But, my lady, I'm just a -"
"What? A servant? It matters little to me." Here her smile softened then. "A homunculus? It matters even less. As you can see, I am one too!"
As it seemed, that was too much of a surprise to the poor maid who could only gasp meekly. And the amused lady took this chance to pulled her inside before closing the door again. Her smile turned into a grin then as she pointed at her favorite sister.
"Over there is my precious friend and also maid. Sister Mari!"
The so called maid gave a friendly smile and wave that were returned with another bow by the real maid.
"It's a pleasure to meet you both. Thank you, Lady Einz-"
"Irisviel or just Iri! Whichever you like."
"... As you wish, Lady Iri?"
"Much better. Now what's your name?"
For some reason, that simple question made those timid eyes widen nervously.
"M- My name?"
"Mhm."
"... S3?"
"Uh, come again?"
Here the nervousness only intensified.
"... S3, my p- production series..."
"..."
Was this what it felt like to be soaked with a bucket of cold water?
Irisviel couldn't contain her shock. She had never thought how good she had it being 'born' as an Einzbern with noble status no less. She had never had to work even once in her young life. Though she could also recall that her other family members of lesser status even the servant ones also had it good enough. It was only natural perhaps since in this day and age, her family practically consisted of almost entirely homunculi. The same could not be expected from a family that had just started their homunculus program recently.
Without hesitation, she quickly pulled this girl who was her kind, who wasn't fortunate enough to even have a name, into a hug. Understandably, the poor girl stiffened in complete shock at this, not knowing what to do.
"L- Lady Iri?"
"Shh. It's okay, Esther."
"... Esther?"
"That's your name from now on. Esther von Einzbern! I adopt you into my family." The lady grinned rather smugly. "But keep it a secret for the time being!"
Just like that?
Was that even how it worked?
Who knew.
She could think about all the troublesome details later or maybe just make her kinda shady but surprisingly influential boyfriend do it for her.
/
Some shady thing was happening in a lone church located several miles outside Trifas, Transylvania. A day after a certain white BMW 735iL drove past the old building, another BMW, this time a red M5, even stopped there. The young priest that came out of it would not be such an odd sight if not for his fluffy white hair and the distinctive red vestment he wore. However, it was none other than his two companions that made things seem shady.
One was a man with hair suspiciously just as white who should belong in some bar singing some rocks, and the other one was a woman with tacky and most likely dyed pink hair who should belong in the next alley selling some questionable services.
Surely none of them except for the priest just because he was a priest belonged in this humble church. Surprisingly enough, however, the old priest who ran the place had kindly welcomed them only after a few words from the young one. Perhaps it was because of the boy's all too innocent and harmless looks. But most people suspected that the other two had actually threatened the poor old man and even the boy himself to do some shady things there. As a result, the church became even less visited than it already was beforehand.
It was truly concerning.
Those three were truly monsters, well, except for the boy perhaps since he was just a boy with a priest attire if nothing else!
If only they knew that said boy was actually the worst of the worsts here...
But enough of that!
It was none of those people's business anyway.
Paying no mind to those things, the shady trio had been cozily taking up residence in the church as guests since they arrived. They were shady, alright, but the good kind of shady. Perhaps. Well, at least the old priest running the place thought so, seeing how welcoming he was, giving them foods and all. It was really thanks to him that they could set up a temporary base here to do their shady things undisturbed.
That particular night, however, the shady thing they were doing looked to be too stupid to even be considered shady.
The three sat close together on the front row seat of the church with the priest boy in the middle. They had been there for the past hour, strangely enough quiet. Even stranger, their eyes were focused intensely on what seemed like a random book in the boy's hands like they were expecting something to magically appear on the empty page.
Yeah, this was stupid, alright.
The female one of the three groaned inwardly at the sheer stupidity she had been stuck in. Yeah, it had been explained early on how the stupid book worked. And they were here expecting the first report from the other team. That still didn't make them look any less stupid. Really, she would've left the other two and gone to sleep already if only she wasn't feeling self conscious about her very poor team play so far. So she had no choice but suck it up here.
Bored, the woman lazily rested her head on the boy's shoulder. But just as she was about to snooze off, something started to appear slowly on the empty page. They all immediately looked on in anticipation.
Sensei...
Oh they knew so damn well who it was.
Come...
However, that one word was enough to make them stiffen in anticipation and even alarm.
... I'm wet...
For a moment, the three just blinked dumbly at those 'innocent' little words on the paper until they all suddenly fell forward from the seat at once. Then as they slowly got up, the two males for some reason gave the lone female dirty looks. Seeing the accusation here, she couldn't help feeling offended.
"What?! Why are you two giving a dashing woman like me such looks for no reason?"
"..."
The boy just shook his head in disbelief before returning to sit. The man on the other hand, he gave the clueless woman an even more accusing and somewhat threatening look. And it took her aback for sure because she got it this time. Maybe she was overthinking it here, but she swore he was telling her that if she dared corrupt his sweet little sister even more than this, he'd have her tails on a platter...
Her face went pale instantly.
Was it so wrong of her to give that silly little lady some very much needed education?
Oh these people were just way too prude!
Grumbling angrily, the woman returned to the seat with a huff, and just in time for the earlier message to get scratched hastily and another message to appear.
Sorry, everyone! I turned my back for a second, and that naughty girl finally got her hands on the book!
Ah, here it was, the one they could always count on at last.
The next few moments were spent quietly reading the other team's detailed report. It was quite a surprise that they managed to gather plenty information already about the enemy's strengths and weaknesses. Even the layout of the fortress itself was put in quite details. Some sound suggestions were also given here and there on how to plan their next move. All in all, this was more than expected of them already.
To be fair, though, it was more than likely that the credit mostly went to the seasoned agent of the team.
The one who taught her couldn't help but smile proudly. He felt even prouder then when they soon received the much anticipated information about the enemy Servants. And it was all more than enough for him to confidently identify the two formidable Heroic Spirits.
It would need a very careful approach.
Once the report was deemed enough and done for the time being, the boy as their leader wasted no time to discuss this matter with the other two with him.
"Alright. Now, based on the information provided to us, I can safely deduce that the two enemy Servants are of Lancer-class and Caster-class."
Somehow, that little piece of info made the present Caster scrunch up her nose in displeasure.
"Hold up! We already have a super hot pair of Lancer and Caster here. It would be confusing to call them the same, no?"
Surprisingly enough, the Lancer one nodded in agreement.
"She has a point, Shirou. What should we call them then?"
"Hmm, I can guess their real identity already, but you know, it feels rather awkward to call other Servants just by their true name, doesn't it?" Receiving nods of agreement, the leader thought quickly. "Then, how about Black Lancer and Black Caster?"
Almost instantly, he received such unimpressed looks in return from the pair of Servants.
"Kid..." The female one sighed in pity. "You really don't have that much creativity, do you?"
"He's just hopeless..." The male one sighed in greater pity. "I feel sorry for the children he would inevitably sire, except for Amakusa M6 for obvious reason."
"Well, to be fair, Iris would just name them herself."
"Indeed. Lucky for you, Shirou."
How depressing...
That was so mean of those two. It was as though they pretended to not notice the boy's depressed look as he sulked there just between them. He had never even planned to have children, considering his unfortunate fate. But to be told blatantly enough here that he would be way too incompetent to name them anyway was simply depressing.
/
Yes, they were here officially for an important business regarding homunculus program. What business here supposedly meant was doing some inspection and talking about technical matters. It was very fortunate that that the two acting retainers especially the female one had taken the time to learn about this subject beforehand because the lady who was supposed to do the business seemed to have an entirely different idea about it.
It had never even crossed anyone's mind for sure.
Still, befriending and even going as far as adopting a poor homunculus girl technically could be considered as doing such business too, right?
... Technically.
Well, to be fair, even their leader took this unexpected development positively soon after he was told about it, saying that it might be to their advantage. And he had been proven right so far as it appeared. With the homunculus maid's willing assistance, they had easier time gathering information. In fact, it was mostly thanks to her that they even managed to find out the location of the Yggdmillennia's supposedly ultimate weapon.
Perhaps it really was a good thing.
She was such a nice, innocent girl, already very loyal to the young lady who had given her a real name. It was very clear to see if one looked carefully enough how much she looked up to her new lady. One could even say that it was not unlike how said lady herself looked up to her favorite sister...
Truly heartwarming.
That was why said sister couldn't help hating herself for secretly and unreasonably disliking the poor girl even just slightly. She tried to blame it on her overly cautious habit as a professional agent that automatically resulted in distrust despite knowing that the enemy here was way too overconfident to use a spy. In all honesty, she just knew it wasn't it. She could see nothing but earnest loyalty and admiration for her new lady in the girl's timid eyes. And she knew it was actually much simpler than that and perhaps even personal if only she dared to be honest with herself here.
This highly skilled, seasoned agent of the Order of Templars was in actuality simply jealous... and surprisingly enough, not of her number one fan's wonderfully growing attachment to the maid.
It was such a petty thing really, not even worth simple acknowledgment.
She was merely a vassal dedicating her life to her one and only hero.
With that thought, she kept on preparing the new piece of information they found before it was ready to be reported to the aforementioned hero. Here in the safety of their guest room, she, her dear friend, along with the maid had just finished discussing about it. The work might be done for the other two but not for her, so she kept on working in silence.
For a certain spoiled lady, however, it was time for a break. She was laying lazily on her stomach, enjoying the softness of the mattress. But then she got a better idea as her playful gaze fell on her new maid who had insisted to sit nearby on the carpet instead of joining her on the bed.
"Now, why don't we talk about some much more exciting subject? You have any suggestion, Esther?"
"Forgive me, Lady Iri, I couldn't think of any..."
"It's fine." She grinned cheekily, though. "So... how about boys?"
"B- Boys, my lady?"
"Mhm. I'm already in a serious relationship here, so I'll refrain from giving my personal thought about it. But I'd love to hear from you both." Her eager gaze turned toward her idol then. "Let's start with Sister Mari!"
She earned a light chuckle for that from said sister.
"What about me, Iri?"
"What's your preference in boys, my favorite sister?"
"Um, hotter and smarter than me?"
"That's just impossible!"
They both chuckled together this time.
"Really, though." The sister tried to return to her work. "Nothing in particular."
"Really? Not tall, long haired, and perhaps a bit too passionate?"
"Hmm?" The innocent raised of her eyebrow was so convincing. "I don't know what you're talking about..."
And unsurprisingly enough, the lady seemed to believe that as she sighed in disappointment before looking back at the timid maid on the floor with a grin.
"Now's your turn, Esther!"
"Uh..."
"Esther, please..."
It should be illegal to use such unstoppable puppy eyes attack especially to someone as naive as this poor maid. It visibly startled her as her eyes widened in panic, desperately needing to appease her lady.
"Uh... " Her face reddened then as she looked down in embarrassment. "It's just like... what you described... earlier, my lady..."
"Huh?" The lady blinked in puzzlement. "You mean... tall, long haired, and overly passionate?"
"Y- Yes..."
Eh?!
It didn't take long for the surprised lady to connect the dots. Even then, it was just unexpected. She couldn't believe what she just heard, but she tried to remain calm here as she gave her nervous maid a reassuring smile.
"Esther? You know that I was actually talking about my personal guard, right? Sir Victo?"
"Y- Yes?"
"And you... like him?"
"My apologies, my lady!" The maid all of a sudden bowed down deeply. "I just couldn't help it. The few times he spoke to me, he has always been so respectful and thoughtful that I just couldn't..."
And she couldn't finish her words like she was expecting to be hit as punishment any moment here.
Poor girl...
Perhaps she was like this for a reason. Perhaps she was expecting what usually happened when she made mistake around the nobles of this castle. But her new lady was nothing like that at all. In actuality, this lady didn't even think that she had made any mistake, and was rather clueless about this.
One thing for certain, though.
At this moment, Irisviel wished nothing more than to comfort her precious new friend and family member.
"Esther..." She smiled softly. "There's nothing wrong with harboring deep, genuine feelings for someone. I used to be like that too although it drove me crazy. I made mistakes. I became such a nasty person. Even so, only once had I ever lied to myself... I regret that one still because to me, nothing's more wrong than denying the feelings that come genuinely from within our own heart."
"Lady Iri..."
A full blown look of wonderment and adoration shone in the maid's eyes as she looked up slowly in some sort of worship at her lady. Though suddenly those eyes widened and a surprised squeal left her mouth as said lady quickly pulled her onto the bed with a strength that should've been impossible for such a delicate girl. And now together on the bed at last, she was even more unprepared to be treated like some kind of hug pillow, being touched accidentally on places that made her blush. Even then, she had never felt warmer and happier...
It went unnoticed here that the other occupant of the room had abruptly stopped working with her body stiffened slightly after hearing those heartfelt words said by her dear friend.
/
A few days had passed since the humble Kotomine residence in Rome had been left empty again. Except for the absent of a certain red car in the front yard, there was barely any difference, really. It was just such an unassuming house that practically no one bothered to give a glance.
It came as a real surprise then when a blonde foreign woman stopped right in front of the missing front gate. Really, even the classy and high quality clothes she wore aside, she just had this posh air around her stunning figure that made it near impossible to associate her with the shady owner of the house. Most likely she just got lost or something, but she looked way too intelligent for that. She was one of those few who always knew what they were doing, and it showed with how her teal eyes glimmered in recognition behind her slim glasses.
Long buried and hidden memories slowly but surely resurfaced...
Long ago, she used to live here... back when she was just a poor little orphan hated by the world around her... An unassuming hero had saved her then and brought her into safety here... They had nothing much, but they lived together here happily with what little they had... until he took her away one day, and left her in the care of a noble, wealthy family without any explanation...
Tears threatened to fall from her eyes, but she adjusted her glasses stoically instead as her logic forcefully took control of her emotion.
She was here for a reason.
With carefully maintained confidence, the young woman stepped through the nonexistent gate and kept on walking until suddenly she felt a powerful Bounded Field repulse her by eating away her will to approach further.
No matter.
Not even blinking, she expertly brandished the family heirloom she always carried with her, the treasured Mystic Code in the form of an exquisite rapier.
Kross' Glyphic Sword of Negation.
Just as the name implied, glowing teal glyphs appeared along the length of the blade as she attuned her Magic Circuit to it. It took her only a brief moment then to sense the invisible barrier's steady flow of mana before she cut it down with a swift swing of her blade, negating its effect instantly. Her face remained stoic as she carefully sheathed back the heirloom, but in her mind, she once again gave her gratitude to her adoptive parents for trusting her with this power.
Nothing else could stop her afterward.
"... I'm home~" Mostly sarcasm.
In just a matter of minutes, the magus family heiress had made herself an uninvited guest in the not so random priest's empty house. Not that she cared, she thought bitterly. The bitterness was apparent on her beautiful face as she looked around. Because as much as she had come to love her adoptive family, she couldn't help feeling hurt for so long that he thought she needed a proper family or even wealth just to be happy. She knew he had stronger reasons than that, but after his rejection when they were reunited at last, the bitterness was just too much.
It all soon evaporated at once, however.
Her glossy eyes widened instantly as she spotted a nicely framed photograph stood innocently on top of a small cabinet. A particularly warm memory resurfaced as she slowly moved closer to it. Her now hazy gaze not even once left the image of a little glasses girl being held happily by a familiar young boy in the photo. And her hands trembled slightly as she ever so carefully picked it up in realization.
He never forgot...
He still cared...
And she... she had still been his Chibi Saber all along...
Tears finally fell down Sabrina's face as she couldn't hold back a sob. Her body hunched over slightly with the photograph pressed close to her heaving chest. She stayed like this for a moment until she could regain her composure. A soft smile appeared on her face then as she put the precious thing back to its place.
"I'm home..." Fully genuine now.
Feeling much better, she adjusted her glasses again before looking around more. She intended to wait here for a while hopefully until he returned. Though at the moment, she felt so hopeful and just eager to explore the house, reminiscing childhood memories. Hopefully he wouldn't mind, she thought. This used to be her home too after all once upon a time.
Sometimes later, with an uncharacteristically childish grin on her normally poised face, the young woman finally found herself in the upper floor bedroom.
His room...
She could still remember a bit how she liked to sneak into here when she was little only to find nothing interesting each time. A hearty chuckle left her lips at the memory. This time, however, her sharp gaze quickly enough found something peculiar laying near the broken alarm clock.
A small, expensive looking... purse?
This chapter revolves more around Iri because she's the one doing infiltration. And it's not a filler. At this point, there's still enough room for lighthearted stuffs, so I made full use of it by adding some character developments and usual silliness.