FATE/IRREGULAR SUMMONS

Chapter 19: Fourth War's Remnants

Connla laid on the ground, having passed out momentarily. Her eyes fluttered open, and she realized that her cheek was resting on the cool stone floor rather than on Caren's lap. She wearily peered up to see where her Master was. Her vision was still blinded from the light when Shirou canceled Archer's Noble Phantasm, so she needed to readjust her eyes to the darkness for a while.

"Unhand me immediately, Archer," Connla heard Caren firmly command to the stoic bowman. The young Servant found her charge slung beneath the man's arm like a sack of potatoes, unable to break free from his strong grasp.

"Caren!" Shirou shouted and ran next to Artoria, who remained rooted on the spot brandishing her sword. Rin was likewise with Artoria, but couldn't do anything to help Caren. To make sure the nun didn't struggle, Archer placed his hand on the nape of her neck, casting some kind of simple spell that made her fall asleep.

"M-MASTER!" Connla shrieked and tried to go after Archer, but her bones were still broken. Any attempt at movement would only exacerbate the pain. Even so, she dragged herself along the ground using her right arm for propulsion.

"Don't, Lancer!" Rin ran to her and pressed down on her back to restrain the desperate child.

Archer hopped onto the stairs with Caren under his arm, and Artoria demanded, "Where are you going!?"

"I've had a change of plans. My Reality Marble wasn't enough, and I'm nearly out of mana. Therefore, Lancer's Master will serve as a suitable hostage for me. If you don't want Lancer to disappear, then you would be wise to step down, Saber."

The swordswoman had no choice but to lower her weapon for Caren's sake. Shirou stood up and said, "I'll meet you at the castle in the forest outside town. It's abandoned now, so there won't be anyone to interrupt us."

"Hoh?" Archer became curious over the boy's proposal.

"You're not the only one who has things to say. You're going to hear a piece of my mind as well."

"Is that so? Your resolve to face a superior opponent is admirable, at the very least."

"Shut it. Don't you dare hurt Caren in the meantime. If you do, I will kill you!"

"Then I'll give you one day. You have my word that Caren Hortensia will not be harmed for the next 24 hours. Think of it as my way of apologizing for killing Caster right after Lancer managed to convince her. After witnessing such a sight and allowing her Master to be kidnapped, the kid must be quite traumatized."

The others paused, then glanced at the shivering Connla. Archer continued, "You'd best be quick about it. I can only last two days without a Master. If you fail to show up, then I'll dismember this woman in recompense for your cowardice."

With that, Archer shot up the stairway in a single jump, leaving the others behind. Once he was out of sight, Connla ceased resisting against Rin's hold on her and trembled uncontrollably. Her lip quivered, her throat tightened, and tears spilled over her cheeks. Rin took out some green gemstones and used her mana to crack them open while murmuring, "Calm down. I'll patch you up, but only if you promise not to go after Archer."

"Uh… Uuh…"

"I know. I'd like nothing more than to punch that guy silly. But his deal was with Emiya. If you make a half-hearted rush to save Caren, her safety might no longer be guaranteed."

"…"

"Archer may no longer be my Servant, but I'm the one who summoned him in the first place. If I hadn't, he wouldn't have caused so much trouble for all of us. Punishing him will be my responsibility. You continue your job of talking to the other Servants. That's what you've been summoned to do, isn't it? I don't think you're the type to go looking for vengeance, so don't go starting now."

Connla felt her broken bones slowly heal, and the sharp pain soothed itself away with each passing second. The wound in her spirit would not be so easy to fix though. She might have been touting how wrong the Grail Wars were, but in all honesty, she hadn't understood the weight behind her own warnings. It was only through Archer murdering Medea and Soichirou that she could comprehend just how cruel and unfeeling the modern era really was. If this was a time that created Heroic Spirits like Archer, she didn't want to imagine what the future had in store as far as producing heroes.

As Connla sniffled and bit her lip to fight back the dreadful pangs of hopelessness, that was when she heard Bazett's voice echo in her mind, "Calm yourself, my Servant, and return to my side with confidence. Don't lose sight of our contract. My fate rests within your blade, and your destiny rests within my soul. So long as our pact remains true, there will be nothing to fear."

The child's anxiety settled, and she stopped shivering. She shuffled to her feet, then stood in front of the kneeling Rin and held her hand. She nodded slightly and whimpered, "Mm…"

"Good. Let's regroup with Sakura and Rider, then go back to the manor."

High atop the rooftop of a high-rise apartment complex, Cuchulainn stood tall and stared in the direction of Fuyuki Church. With the assistance of some Runes, he temporarily enhanced his vision so that he could observe the decisive battle taking place between Caren's group and Medea's faction. After his battle with Connla, Cuchulainn had spent time healing his abdominal wound while safeguarding Kirei in a little-known cavern near the mountain. Once the Lancer was ready, Kirei told him to continue watching over the war and reporting any findings to him.

Cuchulainn had been there even before the battle began. If anything, there was no way he wanted to miss catching a glimpse of Second Lancer's face and discerning her identity. Unfortunately for him, Connla's Identity Concealment was just too potent for him to break through. Since Medusa was the one fighting Archer, Connla had gone inside the church with the others, so Cuchulainn couldn't observe her from his vantage point any longer.

"Tch," he grumbled to himself. "A dead end, huh? Guess I'll just have to challenge them again and force them to talk."

Although he couldn't fulfill his curiosity over Second Lancer's identity, the fight between Medusa and Archer was still entertaining to him nonetheless. Just as he was perplexed about the mystery Lancer's True Name, he also wanted to figure out who Archer was. Ever since the Fifth War's very first battle – that being Cuchulainn's spar with Archer at Homuhara – the bowman's unusual fighting style baffled the experienced spearman. Archer should have fought at a distance, yet he was proficient enough to combat the infamous Celtic hero at close range. Also, the idea of an archer wielding twin swords was not something Cuchulainn had ever heard of before.

After witnessing the fight at the church, Cuchulainn became even more irritated with Archer. The red-garbed bowman had summoned Rho Aias, and then blocked Medusa's full-on Bellerophon.

First he's pretending to be a swordsman, and now a shield user? Or is he just making shit up as he goes along, and that being an 'archer' is part of his scheme?

He couldn't stand it. He hated having so many mysteries left unsolved. Never mind Kirei; he wanted to know everything now! If he didn't find out who Archer and Second Lancer were, he thought that he would go crazy from the tension.

Once the battle between the two Servants concluded, Cuchulainn couldn't find Archer anywhere. All he could see were Sakura and Medusa waiting outside for approximately an hour. He had thought about departing since he risked Medusa sensing him, but he also wanted to know whether or not Medea would continue to be a threat to Kirei's ambitions. He exercised patience and remained to see who would emerge back outside as the victors.

However, something unusual caught Cuchulainn's eye. Unbeknownst to Sakura and Medusa, there had been a flash of movement that he managed to catch from the rear of the ruined church. The Lancer hurried along some buildings to get a closer look, balancing himself atop an electrical tower to keep up with the retreating figure. The person landed on a distant rooftop, and Cuchulainn finally saw that it was Archer.

Where the hell is that bastard going off to… Oh?

That was when he noticed the unconscious Caren slumped beneath Archer's arm. Just one look at her was enough to tell him what was going on.

A hostage, huh? That woman is supposed to be Caster's enemy, so there would be no point in abducting her to negotiate with Caster. For him to have the freedom to do so against Caster's will, it means she must be dead. Does this mean he's actually going against the resistance movement for some reason?

Archer leapt toward the woods bordering Fuyuki's outskirts, and his form vanished within the forest. Cuchulainn deactivated his vision-boosting Runes and smirked a little, then jumped in the direction of Kirei's new hideout to inform his Master of the proceedings.

With nothing left to do at the church, Shirou, Rin, Artoria and Connla made their way back upstairs. All of them were in a particularly glum mood, but Connla was especially depressed. Medea's death and Caren's kidnapping were causing her such distress that it was taking everything she had not to break down into a miserable mess of tears and wails. She fidgeted her fingers together and swallowed hard numerous times to fight back the urge to cry. She was given some measure of comfort when Artoria noticed how upset she was and gently placed her hand on the child's shoulder.

A short time later, they headed down the hallway leading back to the first floor. A feeling of something otherworldly pricked Connla's skin, and she realized that they were in front of the locked doors from before.

"Um… I know we're in a hurry, but… Could I have a moment…?" she uttered nervously.

"What's the matter, Lancer?" Shirou asked.

"There's some business I would like to take care of here. I promise it won't take long."

The child Servant raised her hand and generated an Ansuz Rune, which spat a tiny fireball that decimated the locks. She pushed the heavy door open, then shut it behind her as if not wanting any of the others to follow her inside. To be extra certain, she pressed her palm upon the wall in the pitch dark room and sent a Shield Rune coursing all along the walls until she was essentially inside a 'box' of pure magic. Once she made her preparations, she found the light switches and flicked them all on before looking upon what the darkness had been concealing.

Connla's eyes narrowed and her lips tightened into a thin line. The stench of death was stomach-churning, but she was already used to seeing dead bodies thanks to her time in the Land of Shadows. Contrasting the awful smell was the glorious sight of several golden crosses and ceramic effigies of biblical figures lining the walls, small tables and desks. She quietly walked through the lengthy room, her boots echoing within the morose chamber until she reached what was approximately the center. Not once did she look away from what the source of the smell was.

Within what was supposed to be an altar for holy worship laid dozens of withered-out husks that were once living children.

Rin sensed the flow of mana and tried to open the door, but was repelled by a sturdy, unmoving force. She muttered, "It's just a Bounded Field."

"What do you think she's doing in there?" Shirou wondered.

"I don't know, but it must be something that she absolutely doesn't want us to see."

After a moment, Artoria became serious and said, "She's using more mana. This feeling… Is it some kind of purification rite? Or an exorcism?"

"Exorcism?" Rin uttered, then glared at the sealed door. "That fake priest… Just what the hell has he been doing?"

Despite their curiosity, they decided to wait until Connla came back out before they could barrage her with questions. Ten minutes later, they sensed that the Bounded Field was dispelled from the inside, and Connla emerged with nary an expression on her stoic face.

"My apologies for the delay. I've finished what I wanted to do," she muttered in a deadpan voice.

Rin immediately stormed past her and threw open the door to see what the fuss had been about. To her surprise, the former manmade mausoleum was now completely devoid of corpses, and the awful stench was absent. Only the religious statues and regalia remained, along with the typical musk caused by a room that hadn't had much use in years.

"There's nothing in here…?" Rin mumbled, yet wasn't sure of her own words.

Connla still appeared despondent however, so Shirou leaned over her and asked, "What happened? Was there something in there that you didn't want us to see?"

"…"

"You were performing an exorcism rite," Artoria asked. "You were cleansing that room of whatever supernatural force was dwelling within. That, I am certain of."

"You've got to be kidding," Rin retorted. "Even if he's a fake priest, Kotomine would have done such a thing himself to keep his own church free of evil spirits."

Connla stared at the ground, too anxious to respond to the fusillade of questions being fired at her. Finally, she mumbled, "I'll explain once we get back. It would be easier if I told everyone at the same time. Besides, if it's what I think it is… there might be some dreadful implications that we'll need to be prepared for."

"… Lancer?" the female Mage grew concerned over the girl's ominous warning.

Shirou put his hand on Connla's head and assured, "All right. Let's meet up with the others and go back to the mansion. We need to think about how we're going to rescue Caren as well."

"Mm…"

Shirou's team reunited with Sakura and Medusa, and they all caught each other up on what had happened on their respective ends. By the time they returned to Edelfelt Manor, the first signs of daybreak began to light up the late February skies. They had come back victorious over Medea and Soichirou, yet when Illyasviel greeted them at the front door, no one appeared to be happy. She looked at everyone, then realized that Caren was missing. She saw Connla's dejected expression, so she approached her and asked, "Are you okay?"

"Not really… But I will manage."

They sat around in the lounge, too exhausted to even get themselves any food. Yet they were so wound up from the night's events that it would be extremely difficult for anyone to get any sleep. Illyasviel brought them some snacks and they ate while engaging in a strategy meeting. Shirou sat next to Connla on the sofa and said, "Okay, Lancer, out with it. It's time you confessed about what you did back there. The suspense is driving me crazy."

"Right," she murmured sadly. "I did mention that there could be some implications behind it."

"Such as what?"

"First of all, the reason Ms. Tohsaka didn't see anything in that room was because I had used cleansing flames to burn all of the evidence without harming our surroundings. As for what that evidence was… Well, when we first infiltrated the church, I had sensed a number of lingering spirits being kept locked in that chamber. They certainly wanted to get out, but there were religious artifacts and rituals set in place to trap them inside. The most troubling thing was that the spirits weren't malicious at all…

"No… They were once attached to the children who had been kept prisoner in that room and completely drained of their life essence."

The Masters plus Artoria grew shocked by this revelation, though Medusa's expression remained vacant.

"That fake priest!" Rin became outraged. "I knew it! I knew something was wrong with that bastard! I can't believe he would do such a thing to those poor kids!"

"What do you mean, Tohsaka?" Shirou wondered.

"After the New Fuyuki Fire, several children had become orphaned due to their families dying in the blaze. At the time, they were sent to the Church under Kirei's supervision, though I wasn't told of any details regarding whether or not they found new homes. He always dodged the issue, saying that someone of my noble standing shouldn't have to worry about anything except training to be a Mage. I always detested whenever he said that. I lost Mom and Dad at a young age, so I could relate to those children as well."

"Rin," Sakura murmured, then held her sister's hand.

"Right… My mistake. Let me correct myself - Sakura and I lost our parents at a young age, although she had been taken into the Matou family before that happened. Meanwhile, I was stuck with that fake priest acting as my 'guardian', which Dad had planned in his will. What a sick joke. I refused to take shelter under the wing of someone who allowed Dad to be killed, yet I had no choice due to my age. That's why I was always curious to know what became of those children. Speaking from a Mage's perspective, the idea that he never wanted to talk to me about it made me suspicious."

Connla bowed before Rin and said, "My apologies. I really wish I wasn't the bearer of such disappointing news…"

"No, it's all right, Lancer. You didn't do anything wrong," Rin assured. "In fact, you've finally put my doubts to rest. If those really were the orphans from the fire, then you went out of your way to make sure they could rest in peace now, didn't you? That gives me greater assurance than you can imagine, so on their behalf, I'd like to thank you."

"Mm… It wasn't really much. They just looked so withered and lifeless, unable to pass on with dignity… Kirei must have abandoned them there once their usefulness had been expended."

"Usefulness, huh?" the black-haired student bit her lip. "Putting aside the fact of how sick and disgusting that fake priest is, why would he want to drain them of their mana? The Fourth War had just ended when he took them in, so what would be the point?"

"That's the crux of what I want to discuss, Ms. Tohsaka," Connla said. "I carefully examined them to discern how long the extraction process had been occurring. Based on my examination, they were being kept in there and fed enough nutrition to sustain a healthy lifestyle. However, if we look at it from Kirei's perspective, it wasn't so much to 'keep them alive' as to 'fatten the pigs'. The healthier the children were, the longer he could continue the process until they eventually expired. It wasn't a sudden feeding like with Rider or Caster, but more of a prolonged savoring of their mana."

"So you're saying he was doing such a thing for an entire decade?" Shirou asked.

"Not exactly ten years, but I'd wager around seven to eight at maximum. He couldn't keep the children alive forever, so he must have found a new source of mana to peruse after they died."

"But why? What would he need magical energy for? And for such a long period too."

"I'd understand if he had done that while he was partaking in the Fourth War to sustain his Servant, but the New Fuyuki Fire and the resultant adoptions happened afterwards. The thing is, I believe it's related to what happened when I went to the Einzbern Manor yesterday."

Illyasviel widened her eyes and exclaimed, "You mean with Goldie?"

"Yes."

"Goldie?" Rin raised an eyebrow. "Who are you talking about?"

Connla shook her head and nervously stuttered, "I didn't want to say this before since we needed to concentrate on fighting Caster. Ms. Einzbern and I agreed now to talk about it until the time was right, but now I think we have to."

Sakura raised her hand before her lips and murmured, "From the way you're speaking, it doesn't sound like good news…"

"It isn't," Illyasviel frowned. "Remember that I've lost Berserker. It was all Goldie's fault… Or rather, it was another Servant who killed Berserker."

"Unbelievable! Are you saying there's a ninth Servant out there!?"

"Yeah. He was a terrifying man with short blonde hair and eyes as red as rubies."

Artoria's face became visibly strained as she remembered someone who fit that description. Rin blinked and thought, Wait a minute. That sounds like the guy I met at the church before…

Connla added, "He used hundreds upon hundreds of golden portals to fling countless weapons of legend at Berserker. He expended all of Berserker's remaining lives without sustaining any injuries until the very end, when Berserker managed to get in a surprise attack. Not only that, he addressed himself as the king of ancient Sumeria, and the King of Heroes-"

Artoria's voice suddenly raised several octaves as she shouted, "Archer!?"

Everyone turned to face the horrified Saber. Connla gasped, "Do you know him?"

"Yes, there's no mistaking it! That's the Archer from the Fourth Holy Grail War! How the devil is that man still alive!?"

"Th-That's what I was getting at. Kirei had definitely used those orphans to feed their mana to a Servant for almost ten years. It couldn't have been any of you seven, and Ms. McRemitz summoned me right after she lost her original Lancer. That means this second Archer, Lord Gilgamesh, has to be the one that Kirei was sustaining. I assume this was part of his strategy – to have two Servants fighting on his behalf while he waited in the shadows."

"Gilgamesh, huh?" Medusa murmured and folded her arms. "Hmph. We get rid of one of the hydra's heads, only for three more to spawn."

"Though he may be a problem, I shall deal with him personally," Artoria boldly assured. "No matter what it takes, I will kill Archer this time. Knowing that man, he probably holds a grudge against Second Lancer for interfering with him yesterday. That means I should keep a vigilant watch over her so that I can meet him once again."

"Mm…" Connla mumbled. "I was so scared of Lord Gilgamesh hunting me down. The fact that you're willing to defend me puts my mind at great ease."

"Don't worry. I won't let him do as he pleases to you. Besides, I have some unfinished business with him as well. Think of it as a personal stake for me."

"Okay."

"But I don't get it," Rin murmured in contemplation. "According to the notes Dad left me, he had successfully summoned the Archer of the Fourth War. There's no reason the fake priest should have any business keeping Dad's Servant alive this entire time."

"Well…" Connla whispered. She was unsure of whether or not to say what was on her mind. She believed it was important for everyone to understand the full situation though, so she steeled her nerves and said, "Actually, Ms. Hortensia was just as suspicious of something about the Fourth War."

"Like what?"

"She brought with her the top-secret files that Kotomine Risei had forwarded to the Church during his time as the Fourth War's arbiter, and she allowed me to read through them so I could get up to speed concerning Kirei's involvement back then," the child Lancer explained, then took a moment to sort through a nearby locked desk until she found the papers and slapped them onto the table. "According to Risei's reports, he had struck a deal with Tohsaka Tokiomi so that the Church would fully cooperate with him winning the Grail since they deemed the Einzberns and Matous unfit to possess it. Kirei's participation as a fellow Master was to be part of their ploy. Risei stated that Kirei successfully summoned Assassin, while Tokiomi possessed the catalyst needed to summon a powerful Archer, that being Lord Gilgamesh."

"Yes, I remember Archer saying Tohsaka Tokiomi's name a couple of times," Artoria declared.

"But, with all of this information, this created a contradiction for Ms. Hortensia."

"In what way?"

"The official records that most Church members have access to state that Kotomine Kirei only summoned the Archer-class Servant. There's absolutely no mention of the Assassin-class Servant anywhere."

"What!?" Rin barked and shot to her feet. "That can't be right! I honestly don't know what happened in the Fourth War, but Dad certainly would have used all of his resources to summon the best possible Heroic Spirit! The previous arbiter wouldn't lie in his report, would he!? Or is the official record wrong!?"

"Ms. Hortensia had the same doubts, yet none of her superiors would answer her questions either. She couldn't be certain if they were in the dark themselves, if they wanted to hide the truth from her, or if it was more convenient for them if she did her own legwork into this matter. But now with me witnessing the deceased orphans, I can finally draw a reasonable conclusion – Kotomine Risei's top-secret reports are the absolute truth, and the official documents are mere propaganda."

"What… makes you say that…?" the horrified girl's voice quivered.

Connla stared at her right in the eye and said, "The Fourth War's Assassin was used as a ruse to mislead the other Masters into assuming that Kirei was the first one out of the running. He could then 'seek asylum with the Church' while secretly sending Assassin out on scouting missions on Tokiomi's behalf. In fact, most of Risei's reports involve what Assassin's findings were. They believed that this would give Tokiomi an advantage by having Assassin act as the 'eyes' watching over the War.

"Assassin's role lasted until Tokiomi wanted to test out Rider's Noble Phantasm since it hadn't been revealed yet. Assassin was sacrificed so that Rider could reveal his Noble Phantasm, which turned out to be a Reality Marble associated with the legend of Alexander the Great. With Assassin gone, Kirei really was no longer a Master, yet Archer was still involved. Risei noted several times that Tokiomi and Lord Gilgamesh were not working in harmony with each other due to his Servant's hedonistic nature, but that Tokiomi was keeping him in check with the Command Spells."

Artoria grew concerned upon recalling how arrogant and selfish the Fourth War's Archer was. She could picture him acting like a completely spoiled brat around his former Master.

Connla continued, "Then there was a big incident involving the Caster of that War, but what's relevant is that after several of the Masters and Servants worked together to resolve that crisis, Risei's reports immediately stop there."

"Why?" Sakura asked.

"That's when he had been assassinated, leading to Kirei taking his position. There's no way to tell who did it, thought the autopsy states that the murder weapon was a gun. Ms. Hortensia strongly suspected the motive had to do with the arbiter possessing the Command Spells of previous Holy Grail Wars, and how they have the power to bestow the Masters with free Spells should they choose. The murderer must have not wanted their rivals to gain any sort of tactical advantage through the arbiter."

Artoria thought back to her previous Master, Emiya Kiritsugu. She was certain he'd have no compunctions about killing Risei. He had used some cruel trickery to murder the Fourth Lancer's Master, marking the moment she realized that the entire conflict was devoid of any honor, reasoning or sanity. What would prevent Kiritsugu from doing something similar to the arbiter? She didn't know if he was responsible though, so she wasn't going to throw blame at him if it was undeserved.

"Unfortunately, that's where my knowledge on the Fourth War ends," Connla admitted. "Risei's murder has never been solved, and we're stuck with the conundrum of what happened with Kirei, Tokiomi and Lord Gilgamesh. Indeed, while I know most of the facts, I share in Ms. Hortensia's confusion over why the Church would declare Kirei as Archer's summoner rather than Tokiomi."

Rin snarled darkly, "The Church used Dad, and then wrote him out of their official records. Those scum…"

"Wait a minute," Shirou interjected, and everyone's heads turned his way simultaneously. "Back when Kirei first explained the Holy Grail War to me, he said that if a Master were to be killed, the Servant would disappear. He said it was the most logical step one would have to take to eliminate the other Servants. I then asked what would happen should a Servant perish first. I thought that Masters without Servants would lose their value, so they didn't necessarily have to be killed, but that turned out to be wishful thinking. Kirei said that as long as the Command Spells exist, the Master's rights will continue.

"So if we have a scenario where one Servant lost their Master while a different Master lost their Servant, they could theoretically forge a new contract and re-enter the War. No matter what we do to circumvent this, the Grail chooses who gets to fight, and the participants slaughter each other until there are only one Master and their Servant left.

"Thinking about what you just said, Lancer, would this contradiction make sense if Kirei actually took the Fourth War's Archer away from Tohsaka's father somehow?"

Rin inhaled a dreadful gasp.

"Hmm…" Connla murmured to herself. "Ms. Hortensia had considered the possibility. Risei's reports don't necessarily state that Kirei had used up all of his Command Spells to issue orders to Assassin. Unfortunately, I don't know if the Grail is so stringent in its selection process that it can actually grant brand new Command Spells to the participants that it chooses."

Sakura suddenly said, "Grandfather told me it's possible."

"Is it, now?"

"Yes. He was the one who developed the Command Spells for the original ritual, after all. If a Master loses their Servant early on, and if the Grail itself sees them fit to continue participating, they can be granted a new set of Command Spells. From there, they can either summon a new Servant or steal someone else's. Furthermore, since Kirei inherited the right to be the War's overseer after the previous arbiter's murder, he'd likewise possess the surplus Command Spells. If there's anyone suitable for stealing other people's Servants, it's him."

"So that's why he was so confident about stealing Master's original Servant," Connla uttered. "I had thought the arbiter was merely an ordinary human-"

"This can't be!"

Rin's shrill cry rung throughout the entire room, startling everyone else. They gazed at her as she struggled to contain her agitation, yet a couple of tears spilled over her cheeks.

"This just can't be…" she moaned, clenching her fists into tight balls. "Are you trying to say what I think it is…?"

Connla lightly brushed her shawl, as if Rin's outburst had ruffled the fabric somehow. Then she murmured, "Ms. Hortensia and I didn't have any concrete proof before, but with my evidence regarding those children, it's safe to assume that Kirei was leeching their life force in order to sustain Lord Gilgamesh for almost 10 years. Since he had lost Assassin, and Tokiomi perished, this created the perfect storm where a morally devoid Master and an overindulgent Servant could join forces to go after the Grail. Since the Grail was destroyed however, Kirei and Lord Gilgamesh have since maintained their contract, and Kirei has made certain that his stolen Servant will survive to take part in the Fifth War, hence the sacrificed orphans."

"B-But for Kirei to steal Gilgamesh from Dad, he would have to… he'd have to…"

Connla paused, not wanting to say the inevitable. She then murmured, "Ms. Tohsaka?"

"What?"

"Some of the participants were taken in for forensic analysis, and both the Church and Mage's Association ensured that they remained strictly confidential. I have all of the forensic reports if you want to know how your father died."

Rin gazed in anticipation at Connla. Without hesitation, she blurted, "Yes, please tell me! Tell me how Dad died!"

"The results might be difficult for you to accept in your current state of mind."

"I don't care! Just tell me already!"

The young Servant sighed, then relented, "If you're that prepared, then I'll oblige. Let me see here…"

The young Servant foraged through the numerous papers for a minute, mumbling to herself, "Kotomine Risei… Uryuu Ryuunosuke… Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald… Sola-Ui Nuada-Re Sophia-Ri… an anonymous female sniper… several children who had been sacrificed for Caster's rituals… Here we are; Tohsaka Tokiomi."

"What does it say!?"

"… Oh," Connla paused, clearly disturbed by her findings. Her cheeks seemed to blanch from disgust. "Cause of death: Penetrating spinal injury caused by a large knife."

"No way!" Rin gasped in dismay. "That can't possibly be a suicide!"

"You're right. This can only be a homicide. If we put everything together, that means the killer was…"

The teenager's chest flared with rage and grief. She clenched her head and squeezed her eyes shut, but she couldn't let go of the memories of those last moments she spent with her father.

"Damn it…" she gasped. "Damn it, damn it, damn it, DAMN IT! That goddamn fraud! I hope he gets lost in the afterlife! Even Hell wouldn't want anything to do with someone as rotten as him! Purgatory would call him a bad influence and pass him off somewhere else! Of course, he's not suited for Heaven, so he should just tangle himself in a bed of thorns outside the gates and suffer for all of eternity!"

"Rin!" Sakura got up and grabbed her sister's shoulders. "Please, calm down!"

"How can I!? That eunuch killed Dad, and then had the nerve to live a normal life like it was no big deal!"

Artoria held her frantic Master upright, then said, "That's enough. Yelling insults at someone who is not present is a waste of your energy."

"Saber… Uh… Aah…"

"I understand your frustration. But now is not the time to bare your soul like this. Second Lancer has been given the task of eliminating that man on her Master's behalf. Once she does so, then you may speak your mind to him as he lays dying. Only then will you be able to find the peace you've so longed for."

"Uh… Mm…"

"Come on," Sakura implored, and guided the distraught Rin upstairs to her room so she could rest for the day. All the while, Connla had tensed up and grew visibly upset again.

"What's wrong?" Illyasviel asked her.

"I guess I shouldn't have said anything… I knew Ms. Tohsaka would not like what I had to say, but…"

"Tohsaka's a lot stronger than you think," Shirou told her. "She's just angry at Kotomine, not you. I'm sure she actually appreciates all of the closure you have given her just now."

"You think so?"

"I'm positive. Let's just give her some time, okay?"

"Okay…"

Chaldea

Cuchulainn Lancer was astonished when he recognized the man standing at the bathroom door. He was none other than Fergus mac Roich, the Celtic hero who was a member of the Red Branch Knights like Cuchulainn was, and also acted as a foster father to the young spearman. He looked the same as when he was summoned in the alternate Fifth Singularity; short purple hair, constantly closed eyes, a bare chest showing off three diagonal scars, and wearing only a pair of torn green pants. Fergus' smile was virtually plastered on his face at all times, barely wavering in any situation unless it was absolutely serious.

Right now though, Fergus was delighted to see his foster son once again. Even though they had been once enemies who sided with nations that warred against each other, none of that enmity existed right now. The swordsman stepped in and said, "Bet you're surprised, huh? I was only summoned a short while ago."

"No kidding," Cuchulainn murmured. "Wish I could have a drink or two with you, but I'm a little busy right now."

"Hm… I bumped into Medb while checking the place out for some good women, and she told me to find you here. I hardly understood what she was talking about, going on and on about some person named 'Connie'. I don't think I've ever seen that woman look so worried sick, and I know her well enough."

"She's talking about Connla, the kid I had with Aife. The two other Cuchulainns and I are swapping in and out to take care of her."

"Ho ho. So this little pipsqueak is the mystery kid you slew in battle shortly after the Cattle Raid? In Connacht, there was only hearsay about some child warrior being crazy enough to last an entire day against you in battle. I didn't think it would actually be true, and Medb passed it off as some baseless rumor. But look at this – the myth is here in the flesh. I mean, just look at that penetrating scar on her chest. That had to have been caused by Gae Bolg, right?"

Cuchulainn winced. "Stop reminding me about it…"

"Whoops, sorry. Forgot you're sensitive about that subject," Fergus' smile cracked a little. "Well anyway, just thought I'd pop in and say hello. You need a helping hand with Connla?"

"I should be fine," the Lancer said as he wrapped his daughter in a towel and carried her back to the bed. "She's been unconscious for almost three weeks now, and I have a feeling she's not gonna wake up anytime soon."

"Did something happen to her?"

"A lot, actually. Not that you'd be interested, seeing as she's not a fully-grown woman you can sleep with."

"Oh come on, I don't have that much of a one-track mind, do I?" Fergus chuckled. "If anything, I can help you get Medb off your back, but I'd need to first know what the deal is with her being so worried about her greatest enemy's child. Besides, I might have a thing or two I could teach Connla about battle, the same way I did with you during your childhood."

"That sounds like a good idea. Just don't go around teaching the kid anything weird, or there's gonna be trouble."

"You don't hold me with much esteem, do you…?"