Chapter 188

Just as he was slapping beef patties into shape with Kiritsugu, the world turned bright, and he found himself slumped in a chair set in the middle of an opulent room far more lavish than any of in the Japanese mansion he lived in.

It took a moment for his mind to get jogging, but once it did he remembered the ritual that Illya forced him to take part in. Looking down, he could still see the faint outline of the glyphs and symbols on the floor, carved into the surface, but they were no longer filled in, merely lines and curves in the marble. Shrugging of the blankets wrapping him, he shrugged off the cold as he patted himself, making sure nothing was missing.

He had no clue what Illya had done to him while he was unconscious, but he still remembered telling her about Kiritsugu, and then she had immobilized him, after which everything went dark.

Whatever she had done, at least it didn't look like there were any physical after-effects.

Abruptly, he almost fell to his knees as a sharp pain ran through his head. Falling back into the chair, he winced as it passed, leaving a dull throbbing headache in its place.

Taking a moment to make sure it wouldn't return, he gingerly stood up again, wary of another lance, but only the headache persisted. Whether that was a good thing or a bad thing, he wasn't sure, but taking it as a sign, he decided to continue moving.

The headache did affect his ability to think, but he was able to move just fine. After gathering the blankets on the floor and folding them neatly into a stack, he placed them on the chair and left the room, striding towards the door with thoughts of Saber, Caster and Kuzuki-sensei on his mind.

As he pulled the handle, he belatedly realized he should have checked for any Bounded Fields or magical traps, but the door swung open without any resistance, making him reflexively blink as the brightly lit corridors stung his eyes.

Adjusting quickly, he left the room behind as he closed the doors behind him, stepping slowly and carefully as he tried to make as little sound as possible. As he walked through the mansion, he wondered why there wasn't anybody in sight. Wasn't there supposed to be more people managing the place? How did they even keep the place clean? At the same time, it did make it easier for him to get around undetected, though it was slightly eerie to walk through the spacious halls which were completely devoid of life.

It took a while for him to realize that he was completely lost as he stumbled out into the open air, the winter air biting his bare skin as he walked into a courtyard in the middle of the mansion, almost as large as his entire house, if not bigger.

Looking around, he wondered where the hell he was supposed to go from there, when to his shock, a voice spoke up right behind him.

"Lost?"

He would be lying if he said his heart didn't leap out of his chest, and he did actually jump into the air slightly, followed by a quick dash forward as he turned around to face the person. It was impressively fast, but he found his efforts for naught as the person was already standing right in front of him the moment he spun.

He raised his hands in a defensive stance, spreading his legs apart for stability, while he kicked his Circuits into action. The headache was still there, but it wasn't aggravated by his Circuits activity, or that was what it seemed like so far.

"Who are you? Are you here to capture me again?"

It was a woman, dressed just like the maids he had briefly seen while floating at Illya's side, and she even seemed vaguely familiar.

"You don't remember me? How sad." Even though she didn't sound the least bit sad.

Then he remembered where he'd seen her before as the memory struck him. The toneless voice was the one he'd heard when Illya had restored his legs to him, the one who had assisted Illya during the ritual.

Making a bow, the maid spoke.

"I am the homunculus maid Leysritt, made to serve Illyasviel von Einzbern."

With the brief introduction out of the way, she returned to staring at Shirou's face with crimson eyes, boring holes into his head and making him slightly self-conscious. Seeing no intent to attack or do anything to him, he lowered his arms.

"Er, so you're not going to do anything?"

After a moment of processing, she shook her head.

"Lady Einzbern has ordered me to watch you, so I will."

His eyes widened at how literal her interpretation was, but he was also thankful she wasn't going to do anything.

Just as he was about to ask her a question, he found himself on one knee as sharp lance of pain skewered his head again, leaving him gritting his teeth as he tried to force a scream back down his throat.

Seeing him clutch his head and grunting while kneeling, Leysritt knelt in front of him.

"Are you alright?"

Maybe it was just because of the headache making his hearing fuzzy, but he thought her tone was just a touch warmer. After a second, he felt the pain subside a bit, and he lowered his arms while panting a bit.

"...hahh, I think I'm fine, it's just a small headache. That's all." At least, he hoped it was just that.

They both stood up, with Leysritt eyes never leaving his face, and he decided to follow his instinct and ask her now.

"Can you bring me to your Master?"

His direct request seemed foolish, to ask the a servant of the person who was imprisoning him to help him like that, but after a moment of consideration, she nodded.

"Follow me."

Without another word, she slid forward silently, back into the doors that led into the mansion. Following closely behind, Shirou wondered if he would be able to convince Illyasviel to reunite him with Saber and Caster. When they entered the mansion, the doors swung shut behind them.

As soon as their footsteps could no longer be heard, another hand pushed open the doors and entered.