Author's Note
I'm back after a long hiatus! I'm taking up writing again whenever I have the time to spare, so here's a one-shot to get me back into the groove, and I have another fanfic in the works. Hope to hear your feedback on this! I had a lot of fun writing this one.
London
"Hey, Tohsaka. Did the magical patent get approved?"
Rin gently closed the old, dusty grimoire, taking great care not to stir up a cloud of dust or to rip the decaying cover. Jumping up to her feet, it was clear that Rin had good news.
"It went without a hitch, which is to be expected, of course!" Rin said, grinning from ear to ear. "You're not expecting anything less from the current head of the Tohsaka family, are you now, Shiro?" Rin asked, tilting her head as she leaned forward towards Shiro.
Emiya Shiro laughed to himself. Of course he wouldn't expect any less. The woman he loved was quickly rising up within the ranks in the Association merely three years after they moved to London. And with the rise, comes a stability in their lives as Rin has been able to secure new magical patents which paid very well. For the first time, they would actually be able to move out from the tiny apartment they were living in and purchase a small bungalow that was a little further out into the Richmond suburbs, which would give them a little more privacy against prying eyes. After all, Tohsaka Rin is being referred to as the Association's future, while Emiya Shiro's notoriety is also on the rise.
"How many times must I tell you how much I hate it when you call me 'Tohsaka'?" Rin asked, jabbing Shiro's chest playfully as she continued stepping forward, forcing an embarrassed Shiro to retreat. "Am I even your fiancé?" Rin asked, now showing a flash of annoyance in her tone.
"Ah, y-yes of course you are!" Shiro replied nervously as he took yet another step back and raised his hands halfway up in surrender. "It's just…"
"I know, I know," Rin interjected, turning her head aside as she used her left hand to flip her hair in Shiro's direction. "You never get used to calling me by my name," Rin continued, eliciting a nervous laugh from Shiro. "So, how was your trip to Wales?"
"I found it," Shiro replied, beaming. "It wasn't easy, having to look everywhere, but I finally found Dyrnwyn. Did you know that there was hardly any information about this sword and that I had to chase every single half-rumour that was floating around? If there was any solid information, I would have found that sword in a day!" Shiro continued. It was evident in his irritated voice that he spent a much longer time on this task than he originally intended to.
"It's okay, Shiro," Rin replied, tiptoeing to give Shiro a pat on his shoulder to put him at ease. At least you got a good look at that legendary sword in the end, right?"
"Yeah, if only that sword's flames didn't burn me the second I projected the sword," Shiro sighed. "I suppose the legend is true, that the sword decides if it wishes to be used or not. If I had to use it against its will, I can only use it for ten seconds at most."
"Hmmm. I suppose it's better than nothing. A flaming sword would probably come in handy someday," Rin replied, leaning forward and resting her head on Shiro's chest. "I've got to go and collect my patent, so let's have lunch at our usual place after?" Rin asked as she took a step back, preparing to leave.
"Ah, Rin, before I forget," Shiro said, as he recalled the reason he was seeking Rin out at the Clock Tower's library. "Bartomeloi Lorelei asked for us to be present at the main chamber this evening."
"Whatever for?" Rin asked. She was puzzled, and rightly so, for several reasons. First, Bartomeloi Lorelei hardly ever summons anyone due to the fact that she holds the position of Vice Director in the Association. Barring the Director himself, she is in such a high position within the Association to even be asking for people as lowly as Shiro or Rin to be in the same room as she is in. Second, Bartomeloi Lorelei is hardly ever seen within the Clock Tower. She spends nearly all of her time hunting for vampires with her Chelon Canticle Brigade, and only returns if there is something that is more important than hunting for vampires. Lastly, if Bartomeloi Lorelei does, in the rare event, summon Shiro and Rin, it would be bad news. Rin could be sure that they have done nothing wrong. Or was there something?
Shrugging, she acknowledged Shiro's message and told him that she will be at the chamber that evening as she left for the patents department in the Clock Tower.
"Oh my, here I was thinking that I could have Shero all to myself, but it seems the Vice Director sees you fit to be the tag-along in this venture," Luviagelita Edelfelt jabbed, playfully hiding her lips with her hand. She had arrived earlier and was making every effort to rile Rin up, even going as far as to be cosying up on Shiro's arm while Shiro awkwardly tried to play down Luvia's advances.
Rin narrowed her eyes as she glared at Luvia, her growl audible enough to be faintly heard by everyone in the chamber, eliciting murmurs from everyone present. After all, Luviagelita Edelfelt, just like Tohsaka Rin, was a very promising magus rising up the ranks very quickly. The Association favoured having the two magi in constant conflict with each other as it drove them to better themselves, even if it was in pursuit of outdoing each other. There were some, though, who felt that the both of them should be kept on a short leash as many a time, fights of varying severity have erupted on the Clock Tower grounds merely from the two of them catching sight of each other, or even when exchanging barbs, like Luviagelita was doing now.
"Enough of this nonsense," Bartomeloi Lorelei barked as she swiftly entered the chamber, causing everyone present to stiffen up in attention. "I see that everyone I summoned has all arrived."
Lorelei did not sit down. Leaning on the lectern with her hands instead, she impatiently motioned for everyone to pay attention by raising a clenched fist.
"I will keep this brief as we must leave immediately," Lorelei continued, putting her hand down again. "There has been a major ghoul infestation in Guadalcanal. As we know it, all human life on the island has been wiped out and turned into ghouls."
Hushed murmurs began to spread from among the magi present as if someone stoked a bed of embers with a fire iron. A dismissive sweep of Lorelei's hand quickly extinguished the whispers as she proceeded to explain the developing situation.
"All signs point to a vampire, but as of now, nobody is sure," Lorelei explained in a gruff voice. As it seemed that she was in a hurry to get the explanation over and done with, everyone remained silent. "My Chelon Chanticle Brigade and I will be the main detachment heading into Guadalcanal, and we will focus on locating and eliminating the source of the threat. As such, the vampire will be dealt with by myself and my Brigade. As for why the rest of you have been summoned, you are tasked with cleaning up the ghouls that are infesting the island. Any questions?"
"Are there any chances of survivors, or if the victims can be recovered without having to kill them?" Shiro asked.
A few of the magi gathered in the chamber groaned upon hearing Shiro's question. As far as everyone in the Clock Tower was concerned, it wasn't really about Shiro's lack of abilities but his mindset that was unbearable to many of his peers as well as his superiors.
"No, and no," Lorelei answered curtly, her frown betraying her annoyance at what she felt was Shiro's dumb question. "Are there any more… questions?"
The chamber was silent for a split second.
"This briefing is over. Consider yourselves dismissed, and I expect all of you to be on site and ready to proceed within the next eighteen hours," Lorelei quickly said, waving the gathered magi away as she strode out of the chamber in a hurry.
"That was quite the unpleasant situation," Shiro commented, scratching his head as he let out a sigh. "I was only asking if there was a way to save the populace."
"You're right, Shero, she was sooooo scary back there," Luvia commented in a kittenish manner as she held onto Shiro's arm tightly.
"I'm about to be far scarier than Bartomeloi Lorelei ever was if you continue getting too chummy with my Shiro!" Rin exclaimed angrily, stomping over to Luvia and trying (rather unsuccessfully) to peel her away from Shiro, causing a stir within the group of magi who were shuffling out of the chamber. "And you, Emiya-kun! How is it possible that you're even allowing her to flirt with you like that? Don't tell me you're actually enjoying this!?" Rin continued, jabbing her finger at a very nervous Shiro as she continued struggling to separate Luvia from Shiro.
Rome
"Why would you choose to accept that job from Narbareck when you could simply say no?"
Ciel sighed as she turned to face Merem Solomon, who was the one posing the question. Merem stood there with his arms folded, but his facial features which exhibited confusion was made more pronounced by the slight sideways tilt of his head.
"A job is a job, Solomon," Ciel answered matter-of-factly. "What makes you think that I had a choice to decline it?"
"You do know that Narbareck doesn't look at you with as much fondness as she had three years ago, when you were still immortal, do you not?" Merem replied, raising an eyebrow. "It's not like she had any fondness with any of us in the first place, that bit-"
"Please don't get yourself into trouble, Merem," Ciel interjected swiftly, cracking a wry smile. "We've gotten enough trouble from her already, especially since our little job with the Forest of Ainnash not too long ago."
"Bloody hell, please do not remind me of that. And by the way, it was not 'some little job'; it was certain death, and we were lucky to escape it," Merem cursed as he recalled that incident. "Look, everyone in the Agency knows that Narbareck was just looking for an excuse for you to die, now that Roa is dead. She can cover up her intentions all she wants, but with a person as rotten as she is, it doesn't take a scholar to read her motives."
Ciel merely shrugged in ignorance after hearing what Merem Solomon had to say.
"Before Roa's death, Narbareck found plenty of uses for you since you couldn't ever be killed, but look now, Roa is dead. If you are dead, there's no coming back!" Merem continued, leaning forward to stress his point.
"I know that, but what can I say?" Ciel replied, sighing. "At the very least, I can say with some confidence that even with the loss of my immortality, I am still useful to the Agency."
"Aaah," Merem sighed loudly, hanging his head in disappointment. "Here I thought I could talk you out of this job and spare your life, but it seems you actually want this job anyway."
"Call me stubborn, but yes, I do want this job."
Merem strode up to within arm's reach of Ciel, placing his hand on Ciel's shoulder firmly. "Be aware that the Association is dispatching Bartomeloi Lorelai, her Chelon Canticle Brigade, and a group of specialised magi over there as well to deal with it," Merem explained. "You do remember that the Association maintains a cautious co-working relationship with the Church and its various agencies, so I suggest you watch your step and not get yourself into trouble with the Association, no, with Bartomeloi Lorelei."
"You know, Solomon, your concern is endearing but I can take good care of myself," Ciel replied, placing her hand on Merem's outstretched hand before taking a step away as she left. "When I'm back, you know where to find me."
"Yeah, yeah," Merem replied with a laugh. "The nearest shop that has curry on their menu."
Guadalcanal: Shiro & Rin
"The air feels so heavy here," Shiro muttered to himself as he observed his surroundings. The stench of death stretched for miles, and the small private plane that he and Rin were on was quick to depart after the both of them alighted from it.
"I'm glad I managed to wipe that pilot's memories as the plane left," Rin said, dusting her hands on her blouse. "Nobody needs to know about what happened here, especially since this island isn't a remote island and that this would cause a worldwide panic."
"If that is the case, why didn't we just come here with all the other magi? It would have saved us a lot of money, and we wouldn't have been the last to arrive," Shiro wondered aloud. He was quick to drop the topic when he realised that Rin was giving her that smile which sent shivers down his spine.
"Emiya-kun, I will be addressing that issue when we return to London."
"R-right…"
Rin's sarcastic smile quickly disappeared as she turned to assess her surroundings. Not too far away from where they were standing, the magi of the Association who arrived well ahead of the pair, had already cleared the airport of ghouls and turned it into their base of operations.
"As far as I remember, this is the capital of the island which has about 74,000 inhabitants," Rin said grimly as she began walking towards the airport terminal with Shiro in tow. "To think that every single one of them have been turned into ghouls and it's highly possible that the one responsible for this went on to turn the rest of the population into ghouls as well."
"How many people in total?" Shiro asked, breathing heavily, making no effort to hide his indignation.
"100,000," Rin replied, hanging her head. "Whoever it is, we have to get to the bottom of it, even if we have to cut ahead of Lorelei-san and her Brigade."
"Let's go then, I cannot let whoever did this get away with it!" Shiro declared, straightening his back.
"Ah, Tohsaka Rin and Emiya Shiro. You have finally shown up," Lorelei huffed as the pair entered the Association's makeshift base in the airport terminal. "I have already dispatched all the others on cleanup operations, but because of your tardiness, I am placing the both of you on special duty."
Lorelei turned to her attendant and made a gesture in which the attendant quickly turned to open the door behind her.
"Tohsaka, Emiya, this is a representative from the Burial Agency who is also tasked with eliminating the cause of this infestation."
Shiro and Rin stared at Ciel in wonder as she entered. To them, she seemed like a normal priest but from the way she carried herself, it was clear that she possessed an inhuman level of strength. Ciel met their gaze with her keen eyes and nodded slightly as if to acknowledge them.
"A-ah, I'm Tohsaka Rin, and this is my partner, Emiya Shiro."
Rin quickly introduced themselves when Ciel met their gaze. Everybody who was present in the room did not fail to notice that Rin addressed Shiro as her partner and stole a glance at Shiro, who looked uncomfortable upon hearing the word 'partner'.
"These two will escort you as you carry out your task. But I would like to remind you that the vampire is mine to kill. I would suggest you stick to cleaning up behind me as my Brigade and I are better suited to the task of eliminating the vampire," Lorelei explained, ignoring the apparent change in Rin and Shiro's behaviour.
"Rest assured, I will carry out my task, nothing more," Ciel replied simply.
"Very well. If there is nothing else, I will be moving on ahead," Lorelei said, dismissing them as she strode quickly out of the room, her Brigade quickly marching out as well.
As soon as the trio were left alone in the room, Rin sighed as she relaxed her tense shoulders. "Ciel-san, I must apologise on behalf of the Association. Bartomeloi Lorelei can be quite…"
"Irksome?" Ciel asked.
"Hah, I don't know about that," Rin replied, letting out a short laugh. "To tell you the truth, by assigning us to escort you, it seems that Lorelei-san does not want you to get in her way, and she wants us both to make sure of that."
"I am not one that needs any babysitting, and I am not one that gets in anyone's way just because I like it," Ciel replied, sighing as she turned to leave the room. "I trust that the both of you will not be keeping me away from where I should be, will you now?"
"Truth be told, Lorelei-san absolutely abhors the idea of someone other than her being the one to destroy a vampire or even a Dead Apostle, to the point that she assigned us both to keep you away from her. However, this fiancé of mine insists that we should ignore Lorelei-san and exterminate the source of this infestation before it gets the chance to spread itself beyond this island."
"Oh, so Emiya-san is your fiancé?" Ciel asked, intrigued by Rin's statement.
Shiro and Rin sighed at the same time upon hearing that.
"Did I say… anything unpleasant?"
"No… hardly anything of that sort," Rin replied. Emiya-kun is indeed my fiancé, but I am unsure if he still treats me as his fiancé-"
"What's there to be unsure about?" Shiro asked exasperatedly. "What happened back in London was-"
"I already said that we will deal with this after we return, Emiya-kun," Rin interjected sharply, jabbing Shiro's in the ribs with great force, eliciting a yelp of pain from Shiro.
"Fu fu… you both look better like this, come to think of it," Ciel laughed as she observed the interaction between Shiro and Rin. "Whatever happened back in London, I hope it won't get in the way of our task here."
"It won't," Shiro and Rin replied in unison.
"Fu fu.. very well," Ciel laughed in amusement as she strode out of the room. "Let us begin."
Guadalcanal: Shiro, Rin, & Ciel
"I'm curious," Rin said to Ciel as they were making their way out of the airport via a car that Shiro found at the airport and hotwired. "Is the Burial Agency in any way related to the Church?"
"You can say that we are part of the Church, but we very much operate independently from the Church," Ciel replied, paying little heed to the question as she pointed out directions for Shiro, who was driving the car.
"Did they send you alone?" Shiro asked. "Is that… enough?"
"Despite what you think," Ciel answered, turning her head toward Shiro, giving him a look of mild annoyance. "Each of the seven members in active duty is very much capable of handling situations worse than the one we are currently in. I would dare say that we are better equipped than the Association is in handling this."
"I'm not doubting that, really," Shiro answered, raising a hand up quickly to cool the tension between himself and Ciel. "I am just… anxious to get this over and done with as fast as we can."
"I, too, want this to be resolved quickly," Ciel replied as she nonchalantly instructed Shiro to take a turn which led to a dirt road. "The good news is that I know where exactly to find the vampire, unlike Bartomeloi Lorelei, who has to search the entire island for any leads."
"Wait, you already know?" Shiro quizzed.
"The vampire in question is Henrietta Voss," Ciel answered quickly. "The Burial Agency has been searching for her for the last eight months without any success, until now."
"Eight months without any success?" Rin asked, perplexed by Ciel's statement. "You mean she actually disappeared from view?"
"Voss is… was actually part of the Church until she decided to leave after it was discovered that she had turned to necromancy to bring back her parents who died of malaria on this very island. At first, she had tried to convince the Church that necromancy should not be viewed as a taboo as there has been a number of recorded miracles where people have been raised from the dead," Ciel answered at length. "Of course, the Church absolutely abhorred the idea as necromancy does not actually resurrect the dead, it merely reanimates the physical body and puts said body under the control of the necromancer."
"Why didn't the Church deal with her right there and then?" Shiro asked.
"Voss at first hoped to change the Church's mind through discourse," Ciel began. "The Church, too, figured that Voss could be convinced otherwise. For some reason in which I personally cannot comprehend, the Church dropped the ball on dealing with the heresy she was peddling, and before long, Voss took the opportunity of the Church's lack of surveillance to disappear out of the Church's sight, come here, and exhume the bodies of her parents."
"Right," Rin responded simply, resting her chin lightly on her hand as she pondered the situation. "So based on everything you have just said, you are now headed to the gravesite of Henrietta Voss's parents, and that is where she will be?"
"Quite possibly," Ciel answered. "Of course, in the event she is not at that location, we could then follow the tracks she left behind and catch up with her in no time."
"And you know about this but Lorelei-san doesn't?" Shiro probed.
"This is only known within the Burial Agency; neither the Church nor the Association knows of it," Ciel responded. "We needed to keep it absolutely secret lest we risk Henrietta Voss disappearing if she learned that her location has been pinpointed."
"What are we waiting for then, let's hurry there!" Shiro answered impatiently. "We need to stop her from infecting any more people!"
"You need not worry about that," Ciel said, signalling for Shiro to stop the car. Brandishing a Bible, she jumped out of the car and got into her combat stance in front of the car. When Shiro and Rin both looked in the same direction as Ciel, they too, were quick to leave the car and get into their combat stances.
During their lengthy conversation, they had arrived at the cemetery where Henrietta Voss's parents were buried and subsequently exhumed, only to find the cemetery overrun by thousands of ghouls.
"For so many ghouls to be here despite not being the most populated part of this island, Henrietta Voss might be nearby," Ciel said, pulling a set of Black Keys from her Bible in preparation to attack.
"Trace, on!"
"Wait! We need to work out a strate-" Rin called out to Shiro.
Shiro, who failed to hear Rin's warning, unleashed a barrage of swords at the ghouls, provoking the horde into charging at them, even while they were still unprepared for a battle against such a huge number.
"Baka Shiro! We are going to be overrun like this!" Rin yelled as she began firing Gandr shots in an attempt to keep the ghouls away, seeing that Shiro wasn't projecting his swords at a rate that was quick enough to keep them away from the three. "I don't have a lot of gems on me now so I need time for my spells!"
"I'll cover you," Ciel said as she drew out more Black Keys from her Bible which she used as projectile weapons against the ghouls that were fast converging at the trio, effectively giving Rin enough cover that she could focus on preparing the defences. "Your fiancé is one very rash fighter!"
"Rash is definitely an understatement!" Rin muttered angrily, pulling out a few gems and crushing it as she recited her incantation. It was at this point that Ciel immediately felt that the air around Rin grew heavy as the concentrated prana contained in Rin's gems were released into the air and utilised via Rin's spell.
"Samen boden feuer, ring von schutz!"
Immediately following her incantation, the concentrated prana that was percolating the air around Rin immediately sank to the ground and burst into flames which scorched the ground and the ghouls that entered, but the trio remained unscathed by the fire.
"Now, we can take on this horde safely from within this protective circle!" Rin said, grinning confidently. "Once we get this horde out of the way, we can mount a search for Henrietta Voss!"
"You're definitely a top rate mage," Ciel grinned. "One must wonder why Bartomeloi Lorelei had you assigned merely to keep an eye on me."
"We don't have the time to figure that out," Rin answered, returning Ciel's smile. "Besides, the less I have to work under her nose, the better; just as you suggested, Bartomeloi Lorelei is quite the irksome character to deal with."
"The horde is thinning out!" Shiro exclaimed, stepping back as he clutched his left arm. His laboured breathing was proof that he had a hard time keeping up with his projection. At this point, Rin's defensive spell alone was enough to take out the remaining ghouls.
"Nobody asked you to steam on ahead and attack the horde without me laying down some form of defence!" Rin chastised as she hit Shiro's left arm, causing him to wince in pain. "This is unlike you, Shiro!"
"Well, at least you finally stopped calling me Emiya-kun," Shiro replied in jest as he massaged his left arm.
Rin froze for a second, casting an incredulous glance at Shiro.
"You… after all that, all you care about is me calling you by your first name!?" Rin exclaimed, holding her voice back as she actually felt like yelling at Shiro.
"Uh… yes?" Shiro dumbfoundedly asked in return. "I have been wanting to say that there is absolutely nothing between Luvia-san and I, and what happened in London is-"
"O-okay, that's enough!" Rin replied exasperatedly. "It's not that I do not believe that you have anything with Luvia at all, but a little more effort from you to stop her would do a lot to reassure me like what you did with Lancer back then!"
"I hate to come between two of you making up, but Henrietta Voss is right over there," Ciel said abruptly, pointing at the direction of a mausoleum that was a stone's throw away from where they were.
Shiro and Rin jumped at attention upon hearing what Ciel said. As the trio gingerly approached the entrance to the mausoleum, Shiro projected a set of swords in preparation to attack, while Rin had two gems at the ready, and Ciel pulled out more Black Keys from her Bible. The stench of the air around them was as if somebody left a damp mattress in a room and allowed it to mold. Despite the oppressive smell, they pushed forward, with Shiro being the first to enter the mausoleum.
CRASH! BANG!
Shiro was unexpectedly knocked off his feet and violently thrown about within the mausoleum. Despite that, Shiro's projected swords nevertheless found their target, and the salvo of swords halted whatever it was that was throwing Shiro about inside the mausoleum. As Shiro tried getting up on his feet, Ciel burst into the mausoleum and found Henrietta Voss perched atop the sarcophagus, wailing in pain as she pulled out the swords that had pierced through her body. Before Henrietta could finish pulling Shiro's swords out from herself, Ciel was quick to throw a barrage of Black Keys at Henrietta which successfully impaled her on the sarcophagus.
"Tohsaka-san! Concentrate everything on the mausoleum!" Ciel called out as she dragged Shiro on his feet and helped Shiro escape through the door."
Rin wasted no time at igniting the two gems in her hand and flung it through the door just as Ciel and Shiro emerged from it. A blinding flash and a deafening explosion rocked the cemetery, followed by the rumbling sound of the mausoleum collapsing to the ground.
"Did we get her?" Rin asked, squinting as she tried to look into the thick column of smoke for any signs of Henrietta while casting a healing spell on Shiro.
"Fu fu.. I sssssee that Sssssciel from the Agenssssscy isssss here…" Henrietta hissed as she emerged from within the billowing smoke. Her movement looked erratic as she was already covered in wounds, but that did not seem to deter her from crawling out. "I sssssee that you have alssssso brought friendsssss. All the better. I get to eat to my heartsssss content!"
"How is she still alive!?" Rin exclaimed, frantically digging her pocket in search for more gems.
"That's no mere human, nor is it even a magus that you can kill easily!" Ciel replied. "If you can buy me a little time, I have a way!"
"Leave it to us!" Shiro replied. He wasted no time in tracing Kansho and Bakuya as he leapt forward to attack Henrietta, who easily parried all of Shiro's attacks.
"Isssss thisssss really the bessssst you can do againssssst me?" Henrietta goaded Shiro. "I could ssssslaughter you right now if I wanted to. Thisssss isssss getting boring for me!"
"I know I can't take you on at my current state, but Tohsaka will give me more time!" Shiro replied with a smirk on his face before delivering a swift sweeping kick that knocked Henrietta slightly off balance before he jumped aside.
"I'm ready, Shiro!" Rin called out, revealing her hand that was clutching a few gems. "Vorgehen! Hülle Zielsetzung!"
Rin threw the gems which then shattered into smaller particles before suddenly expanding to form an icy dome over Henrietta. The icy dome quickly increased in its mass as the sheer weight of the dome pressed down on Henrietta, preventing her from being able to move despite her great effort to try and break through the barrier. "These are my last gems, Shiro! Make it count!" Rin called out as she jumped aside.
"I am the bone of my sword…"
A spiraled sword materialised in Shiro's right arm and in the next instant, transformed into a much sleeker appearance, almost as if it was an arrow. Shiro wasted no time in nocking the sword to his bow and drawing the bow. Bolts of lightning emerged from the sword, punctuating the night sky with impressive, yet terrifying flashes of light.
"Caladbolg!"
The sword left a streak of lightning in its wake as it flew onto a trapped Henrietta Voss, with the resulting impact causing a large explosion that shook the ground. The force of the impact on Rin's barrier tore a crater in the ground and dirt was kicked up into the sky, obscuring their vision yet again.
"If she is still alive after all that, we would already be out of options," Rin said to Shiro in a low voice. "That was quite literally our best two attacks combined."
"I'm not downplaying your efforts, but your best attacks did help to weaken her considerably," Ciel replied calmly as she approached the two from behind them. "However, to really seal her away, you will need special weapons like what I have right now."
"What on earth is that!?" Shiro exclaimed in amazement.
"I have never seen anything like this!" Rin continued, equally amazed by what she saw.
"I'm sorry that I had to leave the two of you to fight against Henrietta yourselves," Ciel explained. "However, it's been quite a long time since I last summoned Seven, so it was going to take some time."
Standing there at the ready was Ciel, wielding a large contraption that looked very much like a miniature ballista at first sight. Upon closer inspection, Shiro and Rin knew at once that this was no ballista but a weapon designed to be used at close range.
"What the heck, I can't even register this weapon!" Shiro said in bewilderment as he examined Seven. "It's definitely no sword!"
"Seven is offended that you called her a mere sword," Ciel laughed. She's a Spirit that is living within this Conceptual Weapon. And it is weapons such as these that are specially made for the purpose of killing vampires."
"Then I suppose that whatever we have done earlier isn't even needed," Shiro replied sheepishly.
"You underestimate the both of yourselves," Ciel replied reassuringly. "Perhaps in a few years, when you have progressed further with your magecraft, you would have enough firepower to challenge Dead Apostles."
As soon as Ciel finished talking, Henrietta was seen struggling out from within the crater. The trio noted that Henrietta was severely weakened judging by the state of her battered and bloodied body. Despite all that, she was still stubbornly looking to kill and consume them.
"You… foolsssss, how dare you challenge meeeee?" Henrietta hissed as she crawled towards the three. "Can't you sssssee that I have offered the entire island immortality? Thisssss could be yoursssss too, espessssscially for you, Sssssciel!"
Shiro and Rin were puzzled at Henrietta's last sentence, which was evident by the way they looked at Ciel.
"Spare me your nonsense, Henrietta Voss," Ciel replied. "Maybe I miss being immortal, maybe I don't, but this... gift of immortality coming from you… it's more like a curse, and I would do well to stay away from it!"
"Ciel-san? Immortal?" Rin wondered aloud.
"Too long to explain, We could talk about this later, perhaps over a meal," Ciel simply replied. Turning her attention to Henrietta, she readied herself to attack. "It ends now, Henrietta… Seven!"
Ciel suddenly and forcefully bounded forward at speed, handling her massive weapon with much ease as if it didn't have any weight. In one fell swoop, Ciel stabbed a shrieking Henrietta through the chest with her Seventh Holy Scripture, letting out a roar as the weapon fired its bayonet through Henrietta's body, causing it to begin to dissipate, its particles dispersing into the air. Out of the Seventh Holy Scripture, what looked like ejected pages from a Bible were seen fluttering as it fell to the ground like autumn leaves blown by the wind.
"It is done," Ciel said quietly as the Seventh Holy Scripture dematerialised. "The culprit behind this island's infestation has been dealt with."
"That looked easy," Shiro said, putting his hand on the back of his neck and laughing nervously. "Are you sure you needed our help?"
"I hope that answered your question earlier about whether just one representative from the Burial Agency is enough," Ciel answered, smirking.
"I really hope I did not offend you," Shiro replied, a hint of embarrassment evident in his tone. "It was not my intention."
"I wasn't offended per se," Ciel answered. "I'm just surprised you don't know very much about us."
"I'm not exactly very knowledgeable when it comes to Magecraft or the workings of the Association myself," Shiro replied. "Even my own fiancé calls me a hack."
"Of course you are!" Rin teased, slapping Shiro on his back. "The fact that you're even here is already a mystery in itself."
"I suppose that this means we have much to learn about each other," Ciel said, letting out a little smile. "All this fighting has made me hungry. Too bad this entire island has nothing to offer anymore since all its inhabitants are dead."
"Shiro is a good cook," Rin replied. "Name the dish, and we can grab the ingredients from town. It's not like we need to buy them, given that everyone is dead."
"Curry!" Ciel answered excitedly.
"That was awfully quick!" Rin exclaimed.
"I. Absolutely. Love. Curry," Ciel responded, barely able to contain her excitement. "If you can cook good curry, I can definitely overlook Emiya-san's earlier ignorance!"
"Well then, I suggest we leave immediately to the nearest store to pick up the ingredients and cookware," Rin answered. "Besides, we don't want to be in the vicinity when Lorelei-san comes by, lest she takes out her frustrations on us over not being able to kill Henrietta Voss."
Aftermath: Shiro, Rin, and Ciel
"As I was saying, Lorelei-san, Ciel-san was quite famished so we made a quick detour to get her something to eat," Rin explained calmly. The three were seated on a makeshift dining area in the airport when Bartomeloi Lorelei stormed in later that day. "I'm sorry if we were not able to finish our meal in time to head out again, now that the ghouls have all been dealt with."
"Surely you do not expect me to believe that blatant lie you just spewed out of your mouth, Tohsaka!" Lorelei replied, clicking her tongue when she heard Rin's excuse. "Nobody reported seeing the vampire that caused the ghoul infestation anywhere on the bloody island, and after culling all the ghouls on this island, I return here to find the three of you just calmly eating without a bloody care in the world! Somebody here had better explain to me what the three of you really did, or I will have to dig it out of you!" Lorelei demanded.
"Uhh…" Shiro replied hesitantly, before Rin calmly covered his mouth with her hand.
"Well, the truth is…" Rin began, only to find Ciel's hand covering her mouth as well.
"I was out doing what you instructed, and we somehow ran into a horde of ghouls so we just started culling them, as you instructed. It was only after the culling that we discovered that the vampire was among the ones we culled. You could chalk it off as a coincidence, maybe even a happy accident," Ciel nonchalantly reported.
"You and I both know bloody well that your story makes no sense at all," Lorelei retorted. "When we passed the graveyard not too far from here, there were signs of the use of magecraft that possesses a high destructive power. Surely you do not require skills like that to dispose of mere ghouls?"
"We just wanted to destroy them as fast as we could," Ciel answered.
"You are lucky you're not part of the Association as I could take action on your insubordination, Ciel," Lorelei began. "However, as Tohsaka and Emiya here is part of the Association, whatever they did, or did not do, is abetting your actions. For all I know, they may have even been the ones who did it and you're just covering up for them…"
Shiro and Rin were quick to shake their heads. "No, no… Ciel was so strong, we weren't even needed at all," came their quick reply in unison.
"Whatever, the both of you will definitely be dealt with for insubordination when you return to the Clock Tower!" Lorelei huffed as she stormed out.
"Well, that went swimmingly well," Shiro began nervously. "We're sorry for throwing you under the bus earlier, Ciel-san."
"Normally, I wouldn't be happy if you did that, but your curry is heavenly. I'll definitely let it slide," Ciel answered calmly as she slurped more of the curry from her bowl. "You had better be prepared to serve me up with more whenever I show up at your doorstep in London."
"Of course!" Shiro answered with a smile.
"What's next for you, Ciel-san?" Rin asked as she daintily chewed on a chicken. "Is it back to Rome for you?"
Ciel merely nodded her head. She was too engrossed with the curry that she cared little about the question.
"At any rate, please come to see us whenever you're in London," Rin continued. "It was a pleasure to work with you."
"Likewise," Ciel answered, smiling at the two. "It's refreshing to actually work with likeable people like the two of you. Oh! And it's also wonderful that I know someone who makes great curry now!"
"You sure like your curry," Shiro replied in amusement. "I suppose it's back to London for us. I have no idea when we will meet again, but I hope we get to work together again if our paths cross."
"I'm sure our paths will cross again," Ciel replied, setting the empty bowl down before she stood up to leave. Ciel casually waved her hand as she disappeared through the door, leaving Shiro alone with Rin.
"Well, I'm glad this is over," Shiro finally said. "It was certainly an eye opener for me, seeing just how much more I need to train in order to deal with situations like these."
"You're only three years into your training," Rin replied. "Besides, didn't Lord El-Melloi II only recently take you under his tutelage? It's only onwards and upwards for you from here."
"I really hope so," Shiro sighed.
"Now," Rin continued. "Where were we about what happened in London?"
Shiro's face turned blue upon hearing Rin's last sentence. "B-b-but I thought…"
"Yes, yes, I'm the only woman for you and there's nothing between you and Luvia," Rin answered slowly, but Shiro could sense a mischievous aura around Rin at this rate. "You see, I have a whole bunch of things that I need my apprentice to do when we return…"