This scene is supposed to be the first interlude of the route. It is going to be placed after a scene where Illya brings a wounded Shirou to the Einzbern mansion. Readers of Fate/Strange Fake will be able to get an idea about what this scene is before people that haven't but not having previous context is completely ok.
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(Interlude 01 - Inhuman)
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The doors open.
I am greeted by a group of maid dolls.
They aren't dolls in reality, they are an existence known as homunculi.
There are around 8 of them at the entrance, all in strange maid outfits.
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Tasteless, that's all I can say.
Something in their design, it lacks passion.
They were clearly not made with the intention of being actual individuals.
Red and white, that's all that is in front of me.
There is nothing to the maids other than their colors.
These homunculi will do nothing other than the task they are given until they expire.
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Yet strangely so, I can still spot a hint of hatred in their gazes.
Is it perhaps hatred directed towards me?
Did I per chance accidentally make them experience unseen agony?
Nope, doesn't seem to be the case.
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Judging from how they glance at the door, it's not my existence itself that draws their hatred. I doubt these maids could hold personal grudges anyways.
It seems that they are merely staring at the outsider.
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"Ahahaha, it seems the Einzbern really learned their lesson in the last war.
Looking at even your guest in such a way, the last one must really have played a trick on you!
Yet, you haven't learned it enough to let me in despite that? As expected of the Einzbern!"
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I say in a teasing tone.
It would be quite fun to see one of the maids get angry at my words but they may have forgotten to give these rocks the ability to do that.
Come on, at least step in and say "I won't let you say such things to the Einzbern!" before chopping my head off.
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No?
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Pitiful,
what would my masters think if they saw this sight?
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"..."
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...
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"..."
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...
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"..."
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...
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"Ehh don't stare at me like that, I will cry you know?"
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"..."
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...
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"Just kidding!"
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I speak energetically as if answering their gazes again, acting like I feel embarrassed from getting stared at.
Even though I am interested in seeing how it feels to cry in my current body, this is not the time.
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I should note that down actually.
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"..."
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….
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They keep staring at me in silence. They just keep staring, as if they really are dolls that aren't capable of moving.
Come on, I can't move the conversation to something that doesn't involve mentioning your bad decisions if you don't talk!
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"..."
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This silence really is starting to get on my nerves.
I know I gave them the offer and all but shouldn't they welcome their cute guest first?
I should remember to scold the old man about this when I see him.
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And right as I think that, I hear the sound of a door opening and closing.
The maids keep their gazes on me as if it didn't happen at all.
But if you listen closely, you can hear footsteps following the closing sound of the door.
The footsteps eventually grow louder and louder until a woman enters my sight.
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White and red, just like the rest.
But it's quite clear that she isn't like the maids.
The maids had nothing to call their own, empty existences.
The color red and white, their hatred for outsiders.
Those weren't things that belonged to them, they belonged to the Einzbern.
This woman has a clear expression that only belongs to her.
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Clothes that befit a noble, a posture full of grace, eyes that are beautiful, a gaze that lacks scorn and is instead filled with hospitality unlike the maids...
She doesn't look too far away from a goddess.
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It's not just because of looks. If it was looks alone, the maids wouldn't be too far away from her.
The way she presents herself is like that of a goddess'.
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Is this who that Jeanne actually spoke of I wonder?
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Will she suddenly rain down thunder on me saying "DIVINE JUDGEMENT!"?
YOU CAN'T, IT WOULD RUIN THE BEAUTY OF MY BODY!
JUDGE ME WHEN I PROPERLY DIE IF YOU ARE GOING TO JUDGE ME!
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"Welcome Ms. Prelati."
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Thankfully, she bows after welcoming me, carefully following the etiquette. Again, fully presenting herself like a goddess while doing so.
No divine judgement today, unless I happen to meet that Scar Red again.
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Damn you Einzberns, if you can make such beautiful people then why are your maids so tasteless?
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But even though I am intrigued by her unnatural beauty, there is still something somewhat strange about this.
The person I came here to talk with.
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"Hooo, I expected to see the old man himself. Could he not be bothered to see an outsider like me?"
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"It is correct that Jubstacheit doesn't like outsiders, but we wouldn't have allowed you here in the first place if we considered you one."
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She smiles while saying that.
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"Ms. Prelati's nature is quite like our's, wouldn't you say so yourself?
We wouldn't discriminate against another being of nature would we?
Jubstacheit is simply not available at the moment so I, Filia von Einzbern, will be handling the negotiations. Is that to Ms. Prelati's liking?"
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I guess the old man couldn't be bothered to see me.
Even then, I half expected this. I guess it's not too bad that this Filia seems like a person I can gladly converse with.
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"Ahahaha, so that's how it is. Filia huh? I like it! So then, shall we discuss this in a room?"
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Filia nods.
A smiling expression that holds a lot of meaning yet is impossible to read.
An interesting woman.
Even though he ignored me, I really will have to praise the old man and co. for this.
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(scene changes to a corridor)
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I start walking towards somewhere with Filia, slowly passing many doors and corridors on the way.
The place seems to be as big as ever, wasting it's space and carefully designed interior due to humans no longer being present in it.
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I start humming a song on the way, trying to pass away the time.
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"Uh..."
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A maid coming from one of the corridors accidentally collides with me as I am humming the song, knocking my delicate little body over.
She holds her hands towards me without changing her expression, helping me get up.
But as soon as I fully get up she
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"AGHHHHhhh-GRaghhhh—gh!"
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has her body split into 20.
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Blood comes pouring out like a fountain as the maid keeps trying to hold on to life.
She tries to breathe using all of her strength yet the air in her lungs turns into razor blades, cutting from within.
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"GraGGHHhhhh— Argh!"
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The maid's body keeps moving even when cut apart, all of them resembling a fish that accidentally jumped out of the tank.
She tries to hold onto the wall but spikes come out of it, going straight through her eyes.
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"GARgghhhhHhh!"
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The maid's body is utterly annihilated.
But even so, the maid doesn't die.
Her body keeps moving even though she is experiencing pain 100 times worse than Hydra poison.
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Good, she is finally showing a different expression after that!
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Well, the effects should go away in an hour or two.
It's none of my concern.
I keep moving with Filia, leaving the body behind.
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Not too long after, we reach a room.
It seems to have a lot of space and is quite bright due to the giant window next to the table. You can see the snow storm outside.
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Homunculi would have no use for such a room, this was clearly being used for guests in the recent centuries.
But they don't seem to like the idea of accepting guests now, so this room should no longer serve a purpose.
I guess I can enjoy it to my heart's content then!
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I sit down on the chair opposite to Filia as I finally finish humming the song.
Even though they are nothing alike, seeing the beautiful combination of Filia's face and the snowstorm reminds me of my masters a little bit.
Not that I actually care about how the scene in front of me looks
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"So, where would the package be Ms. Prelati?"
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"I am glad you asked! You see, she is quite violent so I couldn't take her with me, that's why I prepared this..."
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(snap)
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"TA-DAAA!"
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A cage appears in the room. In it, there is a sleeping girl.
The girl that suddenly appeared.
Her clothing looked like it didn't belong to this era. A generally dark set of thin armor with red lines along it.
A design that looks like it came from the age of gods.
But, how did she enter the room while sleeping?
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She didn't.
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"Magecraft really is a convenient thing."
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"Right?"
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"Then, if I am allowed to ask, what would be so special about this innocent little girl? Fufu, is the cosplay really that special Ms. Prelati? "
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"Heh."
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Prelati smiled back at the grinning homunculus.
As if she was already waiting for this, she clapped her hands.
The clapping sound echoed across the room, making the girl wake up.
But what was so weird about this?
Waking the girl up with a loud noise wouldn't be weird by itself, what was weird was the cage extending as if to answer the little girl Prelati's clap.
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"ARghhHhh!"
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Suddenly pulling out a sword, the girl in the cage tried to break out using monstrous strength.
In her beast like breathing; she would land a hit with the sword on the cage, follow up with a kick, use her fist and then repeat the process.
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With each strike, there would be a strong gust of wind and a sound loud enough to make one dizzy.
Yet there were 0 marks on the cage, other than the girl's blood which had splashed all over it.
A self destructive monster.
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She was currently being watched by 2 other people, people that could somehow stay calm at the sight of such a monster.
The room currently had 3 things that just happened to replicate humans in it.
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The girl kept attacking the cage with all of her force, destroying her body in the process.
Like this, she would likely keep going until she completely killed herself.
Her hands broken, her body bleeding, her legs no longer functional.
Yet the girl didn't stop, she was just about to bite the cage when...
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(clap)
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"And with that, my performance is done."
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The cage and the girl suddenly vanished. Leaving the room in silence.
In the span of a second.
Who was it that managed to make that monster vanish in an instant?
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Francois Prelati, a figure from France that was friends with the infamous Gilles de Rais.
An expert at illusion magecraft.
He was an existence that would look like a little girl or a little boy.
But he was neither.
He was an anomaly trained by the long forgotten fairies, jumping from body to body to survive death.
That's why the Einzbern were not fully against him. He was just like them in the end.
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And I am sure it's also because I am a cute girl named Francesca currently!
Heh, that's too much serious narration for someone like me.
I guess I got carried away while narrating (snap)s and (claps)s...
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"A servant? No, that girl just now wasn't a servant. Just how did you manage to make that girl replicate the strength of a Saber, no... a Berserker, Ms. Prelati?"
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"That's what I am wondering too!
We found her after that evil fire thing from 5 years ago! Well, I couldn't enter the city so the team I sent did..."
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I recall a slightly annoying memory of being unable to enter Fuyuki personally.
That was one of the deaths I would rather not have.
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"She was somehow holding on to life even in her near dead state, being unable to die. Thinking that she could be useful for experiments, I took her in and named her Tachie. Guess what the results brought up?"
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Filia gives an interested gaze.
These Einzbern, still trying to learn new tricks for the war.
None of their tricks have actually done something good for them, they would arguably be more successful if they played normally.
Well, I wouldn't be bothered if they lost again because of this.
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"Turns out, there is something hiding in this poor little Tachie, and something from the time of the person who thought magecraft to my masters no less!"
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She seems to have realized something when I talked about masters' master.
It shouldn't be that hard to realize, especially if you are an Einzbern.
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"And why did you present her to us?"
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Right, the reason I came here.
It's not just to present my cute little Tachie.
If it was a presentation, actually bringing her here and having her destroy a few maids would be the funnier option.
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"Wasn't it fun to see a little girl desperately try to break out of a cage? I made her several times more aggressive just for this special display! What fun would there be if I left her capable of speech for this?"
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"Fufu, I can't disagree with that but that's not why is it?"
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"Correct~!"
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I took a deep breath and suddenly made a serious face after saying "Correct".
Almost as if I was trying to say "no jokes from this point".
Of course, I actually did it because I found it fun to suddenly change facial expressions.
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"Allow this Tachie to enter Fuyuki in the next grail war. She will protect... hmm who was it again... ah yes! She will protect Illya in the next holy grail war!"
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I declare my reasoning.
It's a simple deal, I am just offering them a helping hand for my own interests.
Looking at Filia, she also seems to think it's simple. Almost to the point of being disinterested.
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"Is that all? Would Ms. Prelati go to such effort for a simple cooperation? I was sure that they were aware of how we viewed cooperating with outsiders after our last mistake."
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"You got me! I was just getting to the exciting part! I was going to suggest Tachie helping in the case of Illya betraying the Einzbern. Someone that can also do the remaining work in a worst case scenario!"
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"And what do you gain out of this? I thought Ms. Prelati's plans weren't compatible with our's?"
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"They are compatible! My current goal is to enter the holy grail war in Fuyuki. Nothing more.
I could normally do that myself of course but there is an annoying walking corpse in Fuyuki that is preventing me from entering the city.
Even while stealing Tachie, I could only do it by sending in a special team at the right time. That old man is even more on guard now! He would definitely ruin everything if he were to know of our entry, the outcome of him getting his hands on Tachie should be terrifying even for the Einzbern right?"
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I declare the situation with frightening speed to Filia, causing her expression to become like the maids' in the process.
I guess I am being doubted, it's kind of a sad sight if I have to be honest.
But that's for the better in this situation, it means they are considering it.
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"Which got me to think, it's a given that the Einzbern will send in someone to Fuyuki. They also know of Fuyuki really well to manipulate the rules. So, even if I would get caught by the old man easily, it should be possible for the Einzbern to know of a way to get Tachie inside the city without getting caught by the old man right?"
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"...We can't deny it."
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"Right! And even if the Einzbern were to reach their wish, we wouldn't be stopped. The thing that you are attempting has never been done in this texture before, we can't know for sure if the counter force will delete it or not can we? So it's extremely interesting! Anything related to that labyrinth is under my responsibility, I won't expect to find it when I am not even directly joining the war! See, it doesn't stop us at all."
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Hearing me talk about my goals in such a way, the woman seemed to consider what to think for the first time.
It's likely that they already knew the conversation would touch upon these topics when we started talking, so the maid like look might just be her keeping up appearances.
Wonderful Filia!
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"We accept Ms. Prelati, but there will be a condition."
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"What is the condition?"
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"It's not my place to talk about her but, Illyasviel is a special existence for us. She is the last hope of the Einzbern. To put it simply, we don't expect something we call our hope to fail or betray us."
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She declares their trust to the homunculus, essentially denying my offer.
Normally this would be the end of our talk, but it's not.
She said they would accept with a condition, so this can't be it. They wouldn't have allowed me to come here if they planned to straight up deny it.
Even they wouldn't be so mean to little old me! I hope.
That's likely why Filia's face turns to one full of joy while saying that.
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"But~"
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As expected.
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"We will instruct Illyasviel's maids to inform us if she ends up going against our wishes. The possibility exists since her father was an outsider after all. We will transport Tachie to the city only in the case of betrayal instead of both cases. How does that sound?"
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"Ahahah, so I am a plan B that may not even be set in motion if the circumstances are wrong?"
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"Yes."
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She declares so without any hint of deceiving me.
Her red eyes, shining brightly, proudly declare that they will only use me for their own convenience.
It is quite exciting to interact with such dedicated people.
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"Deal! And here I thought Einzberns didn't know what fun meant!"
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Them using me of all people as a convenient tool,
The old man who will be unaware of the monster's entrance to the city,
The masters that will undoubtedly lose their lives in great agony,
Me who is gathering information about the holy grail to make my goal possible...
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This grail war would be undoubtedly flashier than any other if that girl betrays them, regardless of how many years it takes for it to happen.
Oh Gilles, you were too early.
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—
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5 years later
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"I am sure you know the reason why you are currently here Ms. Prelati."
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Filia asks me.
We are in the room from 5 years ago again.
Of course, I have been in this room multiple times since then but there is something quite special about the time from 5 years ago.
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"Oh oh is it because some maids have been getting lazy? Am I to discipline them again!"
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"No, it is nothing as trivial as that. We received a message from the maid Leysritt not too long ago..."
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"And~?"
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I ask playfully, as if it's hard to guess.
The holy grail war has started.
Then there can only be one reason for them to call someone like me.
It doesn't even have to be worded, the current events are just a celebration of what's to come.
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"It seems... that Illyasviel has betrayed the Einzbern.
And not just with anyone either, the boy she seems to have saved is none other than the traitor's adopted son."
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She looks down while giving a summary of what has happened until now. She looks disappointed.
Of course, it makes sense for the people here to be disappointed after losing their biggest hope but I know that's not the case for Filia.
She is actually excited for the plan we have prepared in the last 5 years.
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"As discussed 5 years ago. We will secretly carry Tachie into the city. She will eliminate everyone, without differentiating between master and servant, and carry the lesser grail to the intended place."
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"Wow! That's amazing Filia! We can finally test out your ideas!"
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Hearing me, Filia gives me a really sharp look that sends shivers through my body.
It's a look that you won't easily be able to replicate, a look so scary that it almost makes me pee myself.
Hmm, peeing myself might be inte- NO! Now is not the time me!
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"Eh- what was it- umm- ah yes! How could that Illya do such a thing!"
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"Fufu, the gaze now was just a homunculus joke Ms. Prelati."
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Of course, both sides were aware that I was stumbling intentionally and that she was only pretending to be angry.
If a statement like that was a problem I would have gotten several of my bodies disposed of for saying such things by now.
Filia is arguably more excited to do this than I am, this was one of my least problematic sentences.
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"Right, now that all of the pieces are in place we can finally start!"
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"Is the suitcase with you then?"
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"Here it is!"
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I bring out the suitcase I was disguising with illusion magecraft.
The suitcase that contains things that will be needed for the grail war, generally containing things that Filia thought of.
It is a white suitcase that is quite beautiful. Of course, it's beauty is because of the contents inside.
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How tasteless is the old man to talk about disposing of it after the Holy Grail War.
They may not need it after the war, especially if Illya hadn't betrayed them, but disposing of it so I don't get anything good out of the deal is a bit too mean isn't it!
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(klank)
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I open it while continuing to complain about how this deal isn't one sidedly convenient for me.
Inside it, there is a screen.
It is directly connected to Tachie's vision.
This way, I will be able to observe the holy grail war.
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There is more than the screen inside. The screen itself is actually not that useful, though most things inside the suitcase exist just to make it work.
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Other than things that help with the screen, there is a button and a gauntlet like object inside the suitcase.
Filia slowly leans over, takes the gauntlet and elegantly places it over my hand.
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I look at the gauntlet like object.
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On it, there are 3 shining marks.
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"The command seals we made for Tachie."
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"It was Filia's idea. Going as far as to make them even though I insisted my little Tachie would never betray her master. You should be proud of it. Being able to make someone do anything is a great concept!
...Even though I could have already done that to Tachie through other means."
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"Illyasviel von Einzbern, the person we the Einzberns trusted the most, is working with an outsider.
The outsider's name is confirmed to be Emiya Shirou, possessing the very name we despise.
Since we were only going to work together in the case of a betrayal, it only made sense that we had things planned to prevent a similar scenario.
Surely even you would want insurance in this situation Ms. Prelati?"
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"I just can't argue against you Filia!"
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Well, I could. It would just include extended use of my illusion magecraft.
And even then this woman has a chance of enjoying whatever I show her.
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Filia von Einzbern.
A homunculus woman that resembles a goddess.
Maybe it's because she is so much like a goddess that her expression is hard to read, covering what it truly thinks with it's grace.
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But don't take this as "Filia doesn't have emotion", she is full of it.
She is rather human like at her core despite being an existence that should deny humans herself. She is just like the gods from the old age in that sense, irrational.
She enjoys pleasure, especially pleasure caused by others.
Human emotions, the concept of humans, such things bring her immense pleasure.
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The cause of such a nature, I wasn't able to understand.
It's not to do with her origin, she may even lack an origin with how she is.
A mystery woman that I could understand yet was unable to understand in these last 5 years.
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"Will you press the button then?"
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"I will leave the satisfaction of officially starting the plan to you, Filia deserved it after all."
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"If you say so."
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She also really likes praise because of her nature.
This is something I came to understand the more I saw how she was similar to divine spirits.
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She carefully presses the button using her hand.
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(bzzzzt)
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The suitcase starts vibrating after being pressed as if to answer Filia's touch.
The light in the room looks like it is disappearing even with the windows being open in response to the vibration.
It keeps getting stronger and the suitcase sucks the light of the room even more the stronger it gets.
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"..."
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It suddenly stops, but the room stays dark. The world no longer exists outside the window so light can't enter from it.
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And suddenly...
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...the room becomes Tachie's surroundings from the screen just now, with Tachie at the middle of it.
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Something like a reality marble. The ability to turn the inside of a bounded field into it's own world.
The suitcase is replicating the effects of that rare ability using illusion magecraft, projecting Tachie's surroundings inside the bounded field it creates.
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"And with that..."
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"...team Prelati's holy grail war begins!"
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(interlude out)