FATE/IRREGULAR SUMMONS
Chapter 7: Stirrings of Evil
Fuyuki Church was a quaint facility dedicated to Christian worship, situated in the suburbs and secluded from the daily pell-mell of modern life. It boasted a humble charm that piqued the curiosities of local Japanese folks, though not necessarily because they embraced the religion. For instance, the infamous Shimabara Rebellion was sparked due to the Tokugawa Shogunate's claim that believers were more loyal to Jesus Christ than to their feudal lords, which led to fervent repression and brutal persecutions. Times had changed since then, but many Japanese were still wary of accepting Christianity after learning of such dark history.
The Church's caretaker was one of the few who disregarded the authority of ephemeral humans and named the Holy Father his one and only superior. He was a middle-aged man with disheveled chestnut hair and a hollow gaze in his brown eyes. As per tradition of Christian priests, he wore the standard stole and conducted himself with a calm, pastoral demeanor. Those who came to seek faith, guidance and forgiveness could depend on this man to show them the way to leading a more fulfilling life.
Yet for all the sagely counsel he delivered to his fellow constituents, he knew that it was all hypocrisy. He didn't believe in anyone… No, it was more like he couldn't believe in anyone. He had been born flawed, unable to feel any semblance of joy. He had been inducted as a Christian because his father was concerned for his mental well-being. Not even marrying a loving woman and giving birth to a daughter stirred any response in his soul. If he hadn't found God to be his shepherd, it was most likely that he would have committed suicide out of despair.
He only began to find his personal calling during the Fourth Holy Grail War 10 years ago. Within the abysmal darkness that ended the War in the tragedy known as the New Fuyuki Fire, he finally found the light. He rejoiced this newfound discovery with a hearty laugh. He saw the destroyed buildings, roaring flames and dead bodies, and he laughed at it all. It was all so transient… How could he have found any value in the flammable garbage called humanity? All of his doubts were likewise burned away in that conflagration, and he could finally be honest with himself.
He was born evil. Why deny that any further? If God was capable of forgiving all sins, there was no need to fear the judgment of mankind.
Now, the priest was making preparations for his assured victory in the Fifth War. The Holy Grail's miracle had escaped his grasp last time, but he wouldn't let that happen again. To that end, he had earned the trust of one Bazett Fraga McRemitz and worked alongside her as partners in hunting rogue Mages. Her obsession with summoning Cuchulainn motivated the priest to target her and take the Servant away, and that was exactly what he did. He had a world-famous hero obeying his commands, and he couldn't have been more overjoyed at witnessing the Lancer's frustration.
The priest stood within the main worship hall, completely devoid of anyone but himself during these late hours. He had his back to the pews, as if denying a crowd of imaginary followers the right to see his face. He stared at the metal cross bearing the crucified Jesus Christ, becoming lost in a quagmire of thoughts. All of the squealing he had to endure from the pigs flocking to him for mercy and advice put him in a bad mood, so he found some measure of peace in staring at the biblical figure's anguished pose. The silence seemed to stretch for ages on end…
"Kotomine."
Cuchulainn's embittered voice snapped the priest back to reality. Father Kotomine Kirei closed the bible he had open in his hand and muttered, "What is it, Lancer?"
"Got something to report to you."
Kirei didn't know where the Servant was, nor did he bother to look around. His eyes remained transfixed on the cross as he said, "Very well. Tell me."
"I think we've got ourselves an outsider butting into our affairs."
"Meaning what?"
"I caught sight of a nun, accompanied by a Servant."
"A Servant? Didn't you already inform me of the other six Masters and their Servants?"
"Hey, I know you'd love to shoot the messenger, but I'm just doing my job. There's no way I'd miss a Servant reaction, so I tried to see who they were. They were cloaked in some kind of disguise magic though, and they sensed my presence before I could act. The Servant looked like a little kid, but since that's not their real form, it's impossible to tell who they were or what class they were summoned in."
"I see," Kirei mumbled apathetically. "Then what about the Master? If it really was a nun, then she must be an emissary from the Church."
"You mean you don't know about her? You both work for the same organization."
"I have severed contact with the Church. They no longer have the right to dictate my actions."
"Feh. Ever the shameless rouge. Well, that woman was quite the beauty, though a little scary for my tastes. She looked to be of Italian descent, and she had long white hair and yellow eyes. I could see that she was covered in a ton of bandages beneath her clothes, so whatever her work entails, it has to be pretty damn painful."
A strange pang of surprise coursed through Kirei. He knew exactly what Cuchulainn was talking about. He murmured to himself, "The proneness to be plagued by illness… A demon detector… How laughable. So that is the Church's trump card."
"You know something I don't?"
"Yes. Good work, Lancer. I'll reward you with some time off. We shall let this war play itself out."
"And then strike everyone down while they're exhausted?"
"…"
"Whatever. I'm not totally comfortable with letting an unknown element run free under my watch, so I'll try to dig up more intel."
A minute passed. Kirei knew that Cuchulainn had long since taken off, so he could return to meditating in front of the altar. A few more minutes passed in absolute quiet. Then, he stared at the cross as he said, "An encounter with one who felt like an old acquaintance… And now, another shadow from the past has returned. Touting holy retribution, the nun from another land has come to deliver justice upon me."
"That justice is only as pure as the mongrels that enforce it."
From behind Kirei, a lone man lounged upon one of the pews like it was his throne. His radiant blonde hair swept over his cranium neatly and perfectly, with the loose bangs framing his shining crimson eyes the way a gold ring accented a polished ruby. He wore a white shirt beneath a black jacket, and donned equally dark pants and shoes. Although his attire was plain on first glance, it allowed him to blend in with modern society without losing his regal bearing. For those who met him, coming face-to-face with such a fellow felt like a momentous occasion rather than an average moment in the drudgery of daily life. Kirei was probably the only person in the world who harbored no such regard toward the majestic stranger.
"Indeed," the priest agreed with his guest. "Humans cling to any semblance of vindication, throwing those they deem wicked beneath the guillotine, all to exalt their own faith and self-righteousness. That kind of talk is cheap. It is lies like those that perpetuate the sins of man."
"Do you believe it is your duty to deliver your idea of 'justice' upon your fellow men?"
"If one possesses a sense of 'duty', then it means they are lost sheep without it. I will not boast such a distasteful word. My only impetus is to see the truth for myself. All other things are not my concern."
"Even so, it seems fate is playing its hand differently than what I expected."
"As you said, the Holy Grail War has restarted after only 10 years. The Masters and their Servants shall fight each other over a singular miracle. However…"
"An agent for the Church who has come to punish you is accompanied by a Servant that your chained killer dog doesn't recognize. In other words, an interloper disrupting the harmony of the Holy Grail War…"
The golden-haired man's smirk grew more sinister.
"A ninth Servant."
Kirei wasn't fazed by this revelation. In fact, he didn't seem to care. All he said was, "It changes nothing but the number of sacrifices. Even if there are an excess of Servants, the Grail shall be filled regardless. The rest will be left to God's mercy."
"Ever the opportunist. Indeed, such a mongrel is naught but a termite crawling out of the woodwork. Even so, I would be a fool to ignore such an unpleasant insect scurrying about in my presence. Given enough time, even the smallest of creatures can cause tremendous damage to the sturdiest of structures."
"You sound interested. Are you going to partake in a hunt tonight?"
"It is still early in the game. If I deigned that Servant worthy of my attention so quickly, it would question my authority as a king. My time and resources should only be allocated to destroying Servants who deserve my judgment, not to exterminating common rabble."
"How very much like you, King of Heroes," Kirei retorted, though he wasn't particularly angry about the man's carefree approach. "So long as the end goal is fulfilled, we shall do as we please. Though, if I may make a simple request, I would prefer if I were the one to remove the unwanted factors out of this equation."
"Do as you will. In deference for your continued services to me, I will permit you to personally put those dogs out of their misery."
Back at the Edelfelt Manor, Medusa sat upon the rooftop once more to observe for any intruders during the night. Although nothing of importance occurred, she caught sight of something highly unusual. She narrowed her eyes beneath her blindfold, then jumped back down to the balcony and stepped through Sakura's room. Her Master was fast asleep, so Medusa strode by without making a sound. She searched the mansion until she found Connla doing some late-night dusting in the lounge.
"Hm?" the child wondered. "Is something the matter, Rider?"
"It's not an emergency, but did you happen to look outside just now?"
"No. How come?"
"I saw a thin streak of blue light. It was faint, but I also sensed a large amount of mana being used."
The Lancer was about to ask what she meant, but that was when they felt the floor rumble a bit, and one of the small picture frames rattled until it fell off the table. They hurried outside and stared in astonishment at the multicolored explosion devastating the forest many kilometers away from their position. They watched the lightshow die down to silence.
"A thin light, followed by a conflagration…" Connla whispered. "If it was a long-distance Noble Phantasm, then it must have been Archer who attacked."
"Agreed," Medusa said. "Meaning there is another battle being waged as we speak."
The girl sighed in relief and muttered, "Phew. Now I'm really glad that Ms. Hortensia and I didn't go out tonight. Being spotted by another Servant has me spooked enough as it is."
"Did you happen to see who it was?"
"I'm afraid not. Now I have to be especially vigilant about staying in Identity Concealment mode if I want to survive as long as possible."
"Why must you go through such trouble? If you are confident in your abilities, then you should be able to show your face to your enemy and fight them as you are."
"That's just the thing. I'm not confident in my abilities," Connla moaned. "I have to understand my own limitations and work within them."
"Hm…" Medusa hummed to herself, then thought, I suppose such an attitude can be appreciated from time to time.
"Well, it doesn't look like that battle will have any effect on us, so we should be okay," the young Lancer assured.
"Very well. We should tell our Masters about it in the morning though."
"Okay."
The following day would be a period of much-needed rest for Shirou and Rin. Saber's battle against Berserker had left Rin quite shaken at the raw power the hulking Servant possessed, and the aftermath of Archer's deadliest shot injured Shirou so severely that he couldn't comprehend what was going on around him. The trio returned to the Emiya residence, and Saber and Rin spent the night tending to Shirou's egregious wounds. Archer also returned to his Master's side, but he preferred to lie upon the roof rather than mingle with the crowd.
As if that wasn't enough for Shirou, his agonizing nightmare of being a sword tempered by some unknown man persisted. Although it was happening in a dream, the pain he felt was very much real. Each time the hammer pounded his body, his magic circuits flared like heat flashes that threatened to burn him from the inside out. His horrible shrieking would not stop for another hour or so after the others brought him home.
"Emiya…" Rin whimpered sadly. "What's wrong with you? Why are you in so much pain?"
"His injuries aren't as severe as they look," Saber reported as she dabbed a cotton ball of hydrogen peroxide on a gaping wound. "There's no reason for him to be thrashing about like this."
"Isn't there anything we can do!? His yelling and screaming is driving me crazy!"
"I'm afraid his real affliction is beyond our power to cure. Once he calms down, we'll have to ask him what happened."
"Oh… W-What's this?" Rin suddenly blurted as she noticed something off with Shirou's injuries. Both of them observed as a particularly deep cut on his upper back spontaneously closed itself and healed so perfectly that nary a scar was left behind. One by one, his other wounds likewise repaired themselves until he had returned to his normal self. His cries of anguish finally ceased, and he slumped upon the futon as quiet as could be.
"Self-healing magic?" Saber wondered. "I'm impressed. I didn't think he possessed such an ability."
Rin shook her head in confusion and mumbled, "I didn't either…"
Then from outside, they heard Archer land on the pavement before he muttered, "Is the party over?"
"Archer!" his Master scolded fiercely. "If you're not going to help us out, then make yourself scarce! The last thing we need to deal with is your incessant quipping!"
"Good grief. And here I was being charitable enough to take a look at the boy for you."
"What? Do you know what's going on?"
"Not exactly, but I have a hunch. Let me see him."
Archer kneeled over Shirou and turned him onto his stomach so he could take a good look at his now-healed back. He ran his finger over the teenager's spine, then traced along the shoulder blades and ribcage. Archer blinked, then removed his finger and said, "I'm surprised."
"What's wrong?" Saber asked.
"His magic circuits were intended to be used from the beginning, but for whatever reason, he allowed them to remain dormant for too long. Now his body is suffering an averse reaction, and the self-healing magic that had never activated before suddenly had to work overtime to save his life. In addition, my understanding is that he is only aware of possessing Reinforcement magic, am I right?"
"Correct. Shirou told me that he has been practicing this ability every night for years, with virtually no success."
"Of course he would fail. His center of gravity is off by 7 cm, he has almost no feeling in half of his body, and his neglected magic circuits prevent him from accomplishing anything other than strengthening basic objects. In other words, something that he kept closed for a long time has been ripped open with such force that his body is literally falling apart from the inside. If this continues, his internal organs and muscles might succumb to necrosis."
Rin's eyes widened, and she let out a small gasp. She had no idea that Shirou was going through so much without telling her. No wonder he was screaming so much. Enduring such a terrifying sickness would have crushed her spirit the first second it struck. How could Shirou withstand it and still maintain a stoic face in front of her?
"Luckily, it seems the worst of it has passed," Archer said. "The numbness is temporary, and the mana flooding his magic circuits has receded. But something else is bothering me…"
"What is it?" Rin asked.
"I would have been able to repair his magic circuits and energize them so that his equilibrium wasn't so off-balance. This would have made him able to reinforce objects to their maximum limit, thus allowing him to become a much more proficient Mage."
"Then why don't you do so?"
"The job's already been done for me."
"Huh?"
"I'm saying someone else beat me to the punch. Emiya Shirou's magic circuits are healthier than they've ever been before. There won't be any threat of him dying to necrosis due to his magic circuits being shocked back to life. In fact, I think it's certain that he can assist in battles far better than ever before. He'll need some time, but you'll notice a dramatic improvement to his performance."
"Really…?"
"To be honest, the whole thing's not making any sense," Archer faced Rin. "If he was incapable of repairing himself, then who did it for him before I could?"
"I don't know. Are you suggesting that was the real reason he was in such excruciating pain?"
"Probably."
The three fell into an uncomfortable silence. None of them knew what to make of Archer's bizarre assessment. The red-garbed man stood up and started to head back outside as he muttered, "Well, that's just my two cents on this whole thing. Feel free to pay it no mind if you want."
The girls watched him jump out of their sight, then glanced at each other blankly.
Rin decided to sleep at the Emiya residence for the night, since she was much too exhausted to go back to her own place. Saber kept a vigilant watch on him so that Rin didn't have to worry. The following morning, Rin went into the dining room and helped herself to some food in the fridge while listening to the television. She wanted to be sure that last night's battle didn't arouse too much alarm among Fuyuki's citizens, but alas, there were confused reporters investigating the ruined graveyard and asking each other questions about how such devastation could have happened overnight.
What a hassle. This is all because Archer had to go all out on his own whim. Even if our enemy was Berserker, he didn't have to go so far as to endanger Emiya and Saber just to snipe that monstrosity.
Rin cracked some eggs onto a frying pan and heated them on the stove. She heard the front shoji slide open, followed by a series of eager footsteps clamoring toward the kitchen. A perky woman with short brown hair poked her head through the door and beamed, "Yahoo! I'm hungry, so hurry up and make me somethii~ing!"
"Good morning, Ms. Fujimura," Rin calmly greeted the exuberant lady.
"Oh, Tohsaka!? It's been a while!" Fujimura Taiga exclaimed, not expecting to see the black-haired teenager. She strode over to the chabudai and sat on a tatami mat so casually that she acted like it was her designated spot. "It's been so long since school closed that I'm getting a little worried about my students. Good to see you're practicing your homemaking skills for Emiya."
"Homemaking!? For that guy!? Don't be absurd!" Rin retorted. "I was making this for myself!"
"Why not get Emiya to do it? He loves doing that kind of work."
"He's not going to be up for a while. He practically worked himself to exhaustion cleaning this place up."
"That so? Then I'll have some egg on rice, miso soup and grilled fish. Thanks a bunch!" Taiga said, then laid on her side and watched the news. She got so comfortable that she peeled some oranges and munched away without much of a care.
"My word… How the devil does Emiya put up with this kind of laziness all the time?" Rin grumbled under her breath. Seeing no other choice, she put on a spare apron and got to work cooking the food for her teacher. After a short while, she asked, "By the way, Ms. Fujimura, do you know what's happening with the investigation into Shinji's death?"
"Not much. The cops scoured the entire school for any evidence, but nothing was left behind. They're going to expand their search range to see if the killer dumped the murder weapon elsewhere. They promised that school would not be closed for much longer, but they're still worried about the criminal being at large."
Of course there wouldn't be anything for them to find, Rin thought forlornly. There's no way a human could have done such a thing to Shinji.
Taiga continued, "I've been trying to pay a visit to Sakura to see how she's coping with all of this, but she's literally gone AWOL."
"Sakura has?"
"Yep. Vanished into thin air. I went around asking everyone in the archery club, but they didn't know either. They promised me that they would search for her, and then Mitsuzuri told me something interesting yesterday. When she went to pick up her homework from Kuzuki, she asked if he knew anything about Sakura's whereabouts. He said that a relative from Italy and her younger sister came to get Sakura's homework on her behalf."
Rin widened her eyes, growing rather alarmed from the news. "A relative from Italy?"
"I never thought that Sakura and Shinji knew people who lived so far away."
The young Master grew more and more concerned for Sakura, thinking, There's no way she would. Sakura and I hail from a strictly Japanese family. Whoever this Italian is, they're pretending to be related to her. If I could corner this woman and get her to talk, then I can make sure Sakura is okay.
She finished preparing the meal and ate together with Taiga while discussing the latest news about what happened at the graveyard. Then the news reporter announced, "In other news, authorities are investigating a string of gas leaks that have led to the hospitalization of approximately 150 people over the last few days. The latest incident has finally resulted in five fatalities, prompting protests against the administration for failing to maintain the gas lines throughout Miyama in favor of restructuring and modernizing Shinto. Some believe that the murder of Matou Shinji is connected to these incidents, but police urge for naysayers not to alarm the populace during these difficult times. The mayor issued a statement saying-"
"Nothing but bad news all around, huh?" Taiga sighed sullenly. "What is the world coming to anymore?"
Rin didn't share in her teacher's melancholy. Although she never saw any of these coma cases in person, her gut instincts told her that everyone's mana was being drained en masse. From what she saw of Medusa's abilities, she doubted that a Rider-class Servant would be able to target the entire city so freely without alerting anyone. Only one Servant class was capable of siphoning so many people simultaneously.
Caster… They're making their move, aren't they?
After eating breakfast, Rin excused herself to go out for a long walk. Taiga and Saber warned her to be careful before she departed. She went to each location that the news stated, hoping to get inside each building and investigate. She was barred each time by yellow police tape though, so she thought, I'll have to predict where Caster will strike next and be ready. Then I can get a read on where they're holing themselves up in and have Archer defeat them.
Rin headed for a safe spot where she could converse with her Servant, then asked him, "What do you think? Do you notice any sort of pattern to Caster's attacks?"
"Let's see," Archer mumbled, remaining in spirit form. "All of them seem concentrated within Miyama Town, while the Shinto district seems relatively unscathed."
"Then Caster must have occupied one of the evocation sites… Or perhaps it would be advantageous for them to take over Mt. Endou itself since it's the keystone for Fuyuki's leylines."
"Unfortunately, there's not enough information to determine which location they are hiding in. The best way to smoke Caster out is to wait for them to strike again, and then read where the flow of mana is being directed towards."
"Are you suggesting we just sit back and wait for more people to be targeted?" Rin now sounded especially cross with him.
"It's going to happen anyway. Instead of blindly trying to draw Caster's attention to us so they'll expose themselves, why not throw the line and wait for the fish to take the bait?"
"Now I'm getting frustrated. Don't speak to me like that again, Archer."
"Then what would you do? You don't have any clue what the next target will be."
"Even so, there has to be a pattern. No matter what it takes, I'll figure out what it is and stop them. If you're not going to help me, then find a vantage point and make your position there until I give you further instructions."
"Understood," Archer replied and departed.
Rin was so irritated with his pragmatic methodology that she punched the nearest tree. She took a deep breath and told herself, No, this isn't how a Tohsaka should behave. Elegance. Always keep elegance in mind. Remain poised and carry out your mission with finesse. If you have the energy to be upset, then channel that energy towards fulfilling your duty as a Tohsaka.
With those words of self-encouragement, she returned to ambling around Miyama Town for the rest of the afternoon and well into the evening hours. She opted to eat dinner at a fancy restaurant in Shinto. As she finished her meal however, she heard Archer's voice echo in her mind, "Rin, we've got trouble."
"What is it?"
"It looks like we were both wrong about predicting Caster's movements. I sense a tremendous amount of mana flowing from a cram school near where you are. It looks like Caster has expanded their range to the outskirts of Shinto, meaning that estimating their patterns is pointless if they have all of Fuyuki within their net."
"Damn it. I'm on my way."
In Edelfelt Manor, Sakura and Caren finished eating dinner, then rejoined with their Servants in the lounge. Medusa and Connla stood near the window, observing the nighttime forest with sharp looks in their eyes. Neither of them said anything to each other, but their stony expressions conveyed enough.
"Is something wrong, Rider?" Sakura asked.
"Yes," Medusa murmured. "An influx of mana is being siphoned from Fuyuki."
"How brazen," Caren grumbled and folded her arms. "It seems my assumption was correct. With the rules of the Grail Wars no longer being respected, a competent Mage will stoop to lower and lower depths to gather all the mana they could ever hope for from the citizens. Even if it means that all of Fuyuki's populace will die as a result, it will not matter so long as the Mage can harvest mana."
Sakura clasped her hands and moaned, "That's terrible…"
"I'm not surprised. I always knew that the Mages' Association and the Church saw this town as nothing but a farm for-"
"Ms. Hortensia!" Connla barked before the nun could finish her statement. Sakura and Medusa did not catch enough of Caren's acerbic remark to understand why the Lancer sounded so angry.
Caren exhaled a small sigh, then shrugged and asked, "Can you tell where the flow is being directed toward?"
"Yes. It appears to be heading for Ryuudou Temple," Connla reported. "I heard plenty of news about how masses of people are suddenly falling into comas. The incidents are being written off as a result of gas leaks or winter illnesses, but there's no doubt in my mind that they're being drained of their life force. For so much free energy to be extracted en masse, and then have it all be concentrated into one location, it means that Caster is an especially powerful Mage who has made Ryuudou their workshop."
She was referring to a skill inherent to Caster-class Servants called Territory Creation, which entailed the ability to create a unique terrain that granted various advantages to the user. Although most Casters would call it a traditional atelier, some constructed different facilities to suit their skills and personalities. These ranged from camps, laboratories, libraries, studies, and mazes to name a few.
Medusa nodded, then said, "In which case, our battle at the school was a mistake on our part."
"A mistake?"
"If Caster's net has been spread so wide, there's no doubt that they would have observed our fight. Whoever we're dealing with, they must hail from the same Age of Gods as I do. I'd wager that they must be one of the top five Mages in all of human history. With that kind of power at their disposal, it'd be easy for them to watch the comings and goings of us Servants. In essence, we tipped our hand by failing to defeat each other, and then we wound up entering an alliance. Caster has to know what we've been up to."
Sakura's expression became strained as she asked, "Do you think we're safe here?"
"It doesn't matter where we go," Caren said in a dismissive tone. "If Caster can observe us from anywhere in the vicinity, then running about in a panic is the best result they could hope for. We must stay put and at least keep out of sight of the other Masters and Servants. Besides, it'd be too much of a pain to move Bazett when there is no other location we can flee to."
"I guess so."
Connla turned her attention back to the window, then said to Medusa, "Our battle isn't the only one that's happened so far. There was also that skirmish from last night."
"True, but we have no idea who took part in that battle other than Archer."
"Even so, let's think of it this way. Caster has to have seen every fight that has taken place thus far, and is equally aware of where everyone is. We're pretty close to Mt. Endou, so that would make us prime targets for them, right? Yet Caster has not made any sort of move against us for several days."
"What are you trying to suggest, Lancer?" Caren demanded. "That we're not worthy of their attention?"
"Not necessarily. No matter how powerful a magus and/or warrior a Heroic Spirit may be, they're still just human, and humans are prone to focusing on one objective at a time. If we're not related to Caster's goal at the moment, wouldn't that mean they're going after any of the other Masters and Servants instead?"
"I see. There are still plenty of Heroic Spirits for Caster to worry about. Now that they have this much mana at their disposal however, it won't be long before they decide to advance. The collection process is so flagrant that it's basically a giant sign saying, 'Hey, I'm right here! Come and get me if you dare!'"
"Yeah. I don't know what Caster's intentions are for needing so much energy though, so I am compelled to investigate."
"Then I guess that's our cue," Caren declared, then headed upstairs to change into her exorcist's uniform.
"What should we do?" Sakura asked Connla. "Should I have Rider accompany you?"
"I'm afraid I have to object to that idea," Medusa rebutted. "If I went with them, that would leave you horribly exposed to a surprise attack. I would much prefer to remain here and make sure that doesn't happen."
Connla said, "That's fine. Ms. Hortensia and I will be enough for the job."
"Then be careful, you hear?" Sakura implored.
"I will. By the way, can I ask you for a favor, Ms. Matou?"
"What is it?"
"Could you tend to Ms. McRemitz for me? I wish I could do it myself, but I have a gut feeling that I'm going to be too busy to help out for the next while."
"Of course. It's the least I could do for you and Sister Caren helping me out."
"Thank you very much. And many apologies for shifting such a burden onto you…"
"Don't apologize. It's something I want to do as well. Leave Bazett to me and concentrate on doing your best as a Servant, okay?"
"Mm…"
Caren soon returned downstairs dressed in her revealing outfit and ordered Connla, "Let's get going, Lancer."