Fate: Hammer Time

by TedTheRabbit

Shirou Emiya wanted to become a hero. That was clear to all who truly know him. For a long time though, he lacked the power to actually achieve that goal. No longer. No longer will he lack the power, now that the Hammer of the Odinson has chosen him as new wielder. Prepare for Thunder. ShirouxMultiple, Thor-Shirou.

51. Catching One's Prey

Catching One's Prey

---

'CRASH'

The Wolpertinger crashed through the underbrush in an almost comical manner, flying into the bushes headfirst after Lorelei nailed it in the side with a clever little spell.

Just like every time before however, it returned almost instantly, shrugging off the hit like it was nothing and bouncing back at her with its massive hindlegs, grunting loudly in anger and lowering its antlers in preparation for a bull-rush.

When Lorelei had first seen the creature, she had compared its size to that of a wild boar. By now, she had learned that size wasn't the only similarity between the Wolpertinger and said creature.

The rabbit-like Phantasmal Beast had various forms of attack, but its undisputed favourite move was to charge headfirst at its opponent, like a bull or indeed, a boar. It hoped to spear Lorelei on its antlers or, failing that, to crush her underfoot or at least knock her back or bowl her over. Exactly like a boar would.

Undoubtedly, it was what had happened to the poachers she'd found earlier, whose blunt-force injuries were now perfectly explained. They had been trampled and crushed by a being that was vastly stronger than them, their guns and knives providing no defence against a Phantasmal Beast.

Lorelei was no mundane poacher however, and she managed to side-step its charge, dodging it with relative ease. With her Reinforcement Magic, her Runes, and several other Crafts, her base speed was slightly greater than that of the Wolpertinger, and in terms of agility, she won by far.

That was not to say that the Wolpertinger was cumbersome or clumsy however. Unlike an actual boar, it was fairly agile on top being strong and fast. It could switch directions in the blink of an eye, jump high or low, stop its charge in an instant and then continue right where it left off, and it could even do that typical rabbit thing where it twisted itself into all kinds of shapes in the middle of a leap.

It wasn't enough to seriously inconvenience Lorelei, but it did mean that she always kept a sharp eye on its movements. Her ability to Reinforce herself made her more durable than most, but she was not eager to test her Magic-Enhanced durability against a creature that might very well be able to either pierce through it or even ignore it entirely.

What further complicated the matter was that the Wolpertinger could attack in virtually any direction. It had its charging attack, its mighty hindlegs that could kick anything behind it to death, and the wings that packed a surprisingly powerful punch when she tried to approach the beast from the side. It had no blind spots she could profit from.

"Achared!"

So Lorelei fell back on a true and tried method of hunters everywhere, and unleashed a wide berth of flames at the beast.

The light and the heat made the Wolpertinger retreat a few paces, its animal instincts forcing it to fear fire, and Lorelei used the few seconds she'd gained to start charging up more powerful spells.

Despite the beast's fear of fire, her flame-spell was no danger to it. Being a Phantasmal Species, the Wolpertinger possessed a great amount of Magic Resistance, more than enough to endure such minor attacks.

Magic Resistance came from innate Magical Energy cancelling out the effects of foreign Magical Energy. The Wolpertinger could not consciously use Magic of any kind, but its very nature as a Phantasmal Beast ensured that it had plenty of Magical Energy circulating through its system to cancel out all Lorelei's low-level spells and weaken her moderate-level spells to the point where they were basically useless.

In order to deal any kind of serious damage, she needed to use her high-level spells right off the bat.

But even with those high-level spells, there was a problem.

"Maihad!" She intoned, finishing the chant for one such high-level spells, firing a beam of pure, concentrated light right at the Wolpertinger. If she'd been a little more aware of pop culture, she would have called it a laser, but she wasn't, so a beam of light was the name she had given to the spell.

"IIIIEEEEE!"

The Wolpertinger let out a displeased screech when the beam hit, piercing through its Magic Resistance and searing into its fur and skin, leaving a significant burn wound on its thigh.

The spell would have vapourised any human and even most Dead Apostles, but in light of the circumstances, Lorelei was satisfied with a second-degree burn in a sensitive place. She'd take what she could get.

But just like every time before that she managed to injure the Wolpertinger, the wound evened out and disappeared in mere seconds, leaving it in top-condition again, as if Lorelei had never landed the hit at all.

On top of the Magic Resistance, it had a healing factor that could rival Fujimaru's, and Lorelei was not too proud to admit she'd scowled when she'd first realised that.

It wasn't as if she had no experience with enemies that possessed potent healing factors –Dead Apostles for instance were famous for their healing and regeneration– but when combined with Magic Resistance, it was doubly as difficult to deal with.

Its injury healed, the Wolpertinger turned back to her, and Lorelei crouched in preparation for another combat roll, ready to continue the game of cat and mouse.

The Phantasmal Beast was quickly proving to be a tedious opponent. It wasn't quite as lethal as some of the Dead Apostles she had fought, and it wasn't anywhere near as deadly as the Ancestors, yet its Magic Resistance, healing factor, and the weight of its Mystery were rapidly proving quite the challenge to overcome.

"Heh."

Which happened to be exactly how Lorelei liked it.

Rather than an insurmountable god-beast that would crush her in the blink of an eye, or a total pushover that would fold at the first attack, the Wolpertinger had turned out to be exactly powerful enough to present a serious challenge to her while still being beatable.

She couldn't drop her guard or treat the creature with flippancy, but at the same time, sufficient focus and a good plan could very well see her to victory.

It was a challenge that was exactly difficult enough to draw out the optimal thrill of the hunt, and far from being afraid or worried anymore, Lorelei was genuinely enjoying herself.

So when the beast charged again, its wings in an attacking stance and the tips of its antlers ready to gore her, Lorelei eagerly received it.

Its charge was dodged by a hair, and Lorelei, who had purposely stuck close to the beast, swept her leg low against its hindleg.

The kick did very little however, barely making it stumble a bit.

The beast retaliated with an attempt to directly jump on top of her to crush her underfoot, seeing that she was only a short distance away now.

A powerful gale of wind aimed straight upwards slowed down its descent however, giving Lorelei sufficient time to throw a lightning bolt into its soft underbelly before she had to get out of the way.

That attack did considerable damage, enough to throw the Wolpertinger completely off its game, and the beast smacked onto the ground, hard, before curling up a bit, releasing another distressed screech at the agony ripping through its inner organs.

Restoring those organs to good health took quite a bit of time, about five seconds, and by the time it got back to its feet, Lorelei was long since ready for it, having cast another high-level spell.

"Nan iChîr Gelair!" She spat out the last words of the chant, and the spell's effects took shape.

The gravity in the area around the Wolpertinger multiplied tenfold, and a dozen ethereal chains sprang up from the ground to further inhibit its movements.

It was a spell that had successfully captured numerous Dead Apostles and other monsters, that had seriously impeded more than one Dead Apostle Ancestor, and that was utterly lethal against any human being.

The Wolpertinger however just snorted, giving Lorelei an almost exasperated look, before it snapped the chains and walked out of the gravity field like it was nothing.

Once more, its Magic Resistance and the weight of its Mystery had prevailed over Lorelei's spells.

From there, a pattern started to repeat itself. The Wolpertinger attacked and Lorelei dodged. Lorelei cast a spell, and the Wolpertinger tanked it. And so it continued, on and on.

At the start, it was amusing and challenging, but as the minutes ticked by, the monotony of it was getting more and more tedious.

Her reinforcements had started trickling in as well, arriving in groups of three or four, but Lorelei had ordered them to keep their distance. This was a prey she wanted to catch herself, and she wouldn't stand for any interference, especially not since she was aiming to capture it alive.

Which was also why she hadn't used her really destructive spells yet.

In her repertoire, Lorelei had spells that were powerful enough to level city-blocks, to pierce through a mountain to hit something on the other side, or to lock thousands of people up inside their worst nightmares. Undoubtedly, there was something in there that could significantly injure the Phantasmal Beast.

However, she couldn't use those spells, not when they might very well kill the creature in one blow.

It would mean breaking her promise to Fujimaru after all.

But now that it had shown itself to be resistant to her lower-levelled Magic, Lorelei felt secure in slowly increasing the power and potency of her spells, carefully taking note of the effects.

It was an approach that would have been unthinkable to any other Magus, whose Magical Energy reserves would be sucked dry in a manner of minutes by this style of fighting, but to Lorelei, it was a perfectly sensible tactic.

Her reserves of Magical Energy were still overflowing, her stamina was top-notch, and she hadn't had any close calls worth mentioning so far. She had all the time in the world to find the precise level of power at which she could seriously injure and then capture the Wolpertinger without killing it.

Not that the creature realised it. It was still attacking her with all the energy and abandon it had shown at the start of the battle, not changing its approach to the fight in the slightest nor showing any signs it was executing a plan of its own.

Most likely, it didn't really have a plan. It was a Magical variant of a rabbit after all, which meant it wasn't a predator. It probably didn't even want to fight and had no idea what to do with an opponent that was too swift to catch.

If it had any sort of plan at all, which Lorelei frankly doubted, it couldn't be much more complicated or sophisticated than wearing her down, forcing her to jump around until she was exhausted and became easy prey.

Not that it would work.

Lorelei could do this all day.

---

On a bright summer morning, inside the lobby of a decently good hotel in Fuyuki that was located not far away from the Tohsaka-manor, a rather tense meeting was taking place, hidden under a protective dome of anti-eavesdropping spells.

On one side of the table, a black-haired girl was sitting on a comfortable sofa, her legs crossed and her lips curled up in a gentle smile. Behind her, a plum-haired girl was standing guard, while holding a phone to her ear for some reason.

On the other side of the table, a man and a woman were seated on hard-wooden chairs, both looking distinctly uncomfortable with the situation and like they'd rather be anywhere else.

The tense silence dragged on for a few very long moments, and then the black-haired girl spoke up at last.

"Well then. Now that we're all sitting here, would you like to explain to me what you are doing in my city?" She inquired, lifting an eyebrow at the two people across from her. "Without informing me in advance even?"

Gwen and Flash, the mercenaries hired by the Edelfelt to gather information and blackmail material on Tohsaka Rin, the Second Owner of Fuyuki, shifted uncomfortably under the gaze of exactly the person who they had been supposed to stealthily tail, visibly hesitating on what to say in response.

In person, Tohsaka Rin was far more impressive than had been implied in the report that the Edelfelt had compiled on her, and they found it difficult to adjust, especially under their current circumstances.

Said report had stated that Tohsaka was a naïve, sheltered girl with little knowledge about the world, who had lost her parents at a young age and had been raised by a low-level priest of the Burial Agency. As far as Magi went, she should have been well below average.

But that was not what Gwen and Flash had found. The opposite rather. In person, Tohsaka turned out to be an experienced Magus, who ran her territory competently and effortlessly caught all interlopers in her domain.

Even now, sat across from two mercenaries with years of experience in the cesspool that was the Clocktower, she appeared entirely at ease, fully confident in her ability to handle them should they become difficult.

There was not a trace of unease to be found anywhere in her body language, not the slightest tremor in her voice. She had them dead to rights, having caught and cornered them while they were doing something highly illegal in her domain, and they all knew it.

In other words, Gwen and Flash had to come up with some stellar arguments and apologies soon, or they would be in deep, deep trouble.

Hence their hesitation to respond to her inquiry.

"Well?" Tohsaka pushed when they remained silent for too long, her voice becoming noticeably less gentle.

"We are on holiday." Gwen ended up taking the word first, making her voice as pleasant and subservient as she could. "Fuyuki is quite famous for its Grail Wars, and it has a powerful leyline, so we wanted to see it for ourselves. We are experienced travellers, you see, and it is our goal to see the whole world."

"We've already seen everything there is to see in Europe." Flash added, seamlessly going along with the lie. "So we thought we'd try Asia next."

"Well, that sounds innocent enough." Tohsaka allowed, making the mercenaries perk up hopefully, before a shadow passed over her face. "But if that is all you intended, then why did you not tell me of your plans to enter my territory beforehand? As per the rules?"

"A complete oversight on our part." Gwen explained, as the penalty for honestly forgetting to inform the Second Owner of your coming was a lot less than for actively spying. "We deeply apologise for our improper conduct."

"Deeply." Flash agreed, lowering his head.

Being thrown out of Fuyuki by their ears would not be pleasant, but it would be far better than being killed and having their heads sent to the Edelfelt as a warning.

But it seemed Lady Luck was not on their side that day.

"So you are not here at the orders of the Edelfelt to spy on me, to find my new source of gems, and gather blackmail material on me in preparation for taking that source from me?" Tohsaka suddenly nailed a verbal arrow right in the bull's eye, showing a scary amount of insight.

"No!" Gwen kept her face perfectly straight though, adopting an expression of confusion and slight indignation. "We would never do such a thing!"

"Never!" Flash parroted. "We are just travellers!"

"Hihi." The girl standing behind Tohsaka's sofa suddenly giggled, looking deeply amused as she grinned at the Second Owner. "Senpai wants you to know that you were spot on, Nee-san, and that he is sorry for doubting you."

"Of course I was right." Tohsaka preened, her eyes narrowing in happiness and enjoyment, before she turned back to Gwen and Flash with a beaming smile. "You really are quite good at lying. If I'd been alone, I might have had some trouble determining whether you were telling the truth or not. Fortunately for me and unfortunately for you though, I have capable associates who can spot a lie from a kilometre away."

"But we-"

"Don't worry though. I am not going to punish you for your transgressions, provided you cooperate with me going forward." Tohsaka interrupted Gwen swiftly, leaning forward with a smirk that told them in no uncertain terms that she had made up her mind. "To put it more clearly, you can either do as I say, or you can die."

"But we-!"

"One, as soon as this conversation is over, you are going to board a plane back to Finland." Tohsaka interrupted Gwen again, holding up a single finger, which was soon joined by a second. "Two, you will never come back to Fuyuki. Three, you will tell me exactly who hired you, when they hired you, and why they hired you. And four, when you return, you will bring a message to the Edelfelt from me."

"Miss Tohsaka, we honestly have no idea what you are talking about!" Gwen tried again, denying the allegations as fiercely as she could. "We aren't here to spy on you! We never had any contact with the Edelfelt! We only wanted-"

"Could it also be a plane to London?" Flash suddenly interrupted her in a gruff tone, rubbing his temples to stave off a headache. "It would be more convenient for us, as we live there, not in Finland."

"Flash!" Gwen snarled furiously, no longer bothering to pretend to be an innocent woman on a simple holiday, as her expression twisted into something unseemly as she turned to him, grabbing his collar with both her hands. "Shut up!"

"What's the use, Gwen?" Flash countered, giving her a frustrated look, though he didn't lift a finger to defend himself. "They have us all figured out. Continuing to deny the truth will do nothing but waste our time as well as theirs. Can't you just be happy we aren't going to be tortured and killed?"

"Well… Even so!" Gwen didn't relent, shaking her head in denial. "We can't just give in without resistance! We can still fight and escape!"

"We would be facing at least two Magi in their own territory, without any idea what their capabilities are and what tricks they have hidden up their sleeves." Flash pointed out. "Furthermore, please recall the phrase miss Tohsaka just used, that she has an associate who can spot a lie from a kilometre away. I don't believe for a moment that was just an idle turn of phrase. In other words, we have two Magi here and at least one more who can be here in mere minutes at most. We aren't going to win this one, Gwen."

"Ghk." Gwen made a very displeased noise in the back of her throat, and she opened and closed her mouth several times as she searched for counterarguments. When they failed to present themselves however, she looked down, gritting her teeth.

For she too was forced to acknowledge that this was not a battle they were going to win.

The two of them were experienced mercenaries who had encountered and fought Magi from the Far-East on several occasions, and they knew better than to think they were all hicks without any talent at Magecraft.

Moreover, a three-against-two battle in enemy territory was one they were pretty much guaranteed to lose, no matter the nationality of their opponents. Even just escaping with their lives was likely impossible, considering Tohsaka's Bounded Fields.

In other words, taking Tohsaka up on her offer was the only choice they had if they wanted to stay alive and free.

Fully realising that now, Gwen slumped in her chair, releasing her grip on Flash's collar and letting her hands fall by her sides. The taste of defeat was galling to the proud woman, and she effectively removed herself from the conversation, letting her companion do the talking.

"So, about that plane to London?" Flash went back to where they'd left off earlier, turning towards the Second Owner again.

"That should not be an issue." Tohsaka allowed magnanimously, politely pretending that the argument between the mercenaries had never taken place. "Don't you want to report back to your employers in Finland though?"

"We will report back to them, but, said between us, it would be better to be a good distance away from them when they hear we botched the mission." Flash admitted. "They don't like failure, and they like the ones doing the failing even less. If we go to Finland, we might never come back."

"Then yes, it can definitely also be a plane to London." Tohsaka pursed her lips at Flash's words, and pursed them even more when she looked at the plum-haired girl, who nodded to show that Flash was telling the truth. "As long as you get far away from here."

"Thanks a bunch." Flash grinned, relieved to find that Fuyuki's Second Owner was not an unreasonable woman. "Right, what were your other terms again?"

"Tell me who hired you." Tohsaka reminded him. "And I don't mean just the Edelfelt as a whole, but the specific individual."

"We were commissioned for this job by Luviagelita Edelfelt." Flash replied readily. "She is the heiress-apparent of the Edelfelt-family. She pretty much runs the show, as her faction is currently the most powerful within the family."

"The heiress? What about the head of the family?"

"That old crone pretty much stays cooped up in her attic all day, or so the rumours say at least." Flash shrugged. "It's Luviagelita Edelfelt who takes care of most of the day-to-day business. Including hiring us."

"I see." Tohsaka mused, carefully absorbing the information. "I can take an educated guess, but even so, I want to hear why they hired you to spy on me."

"Gems." Flash had his response ready. "What else?"

"What else indeed." A glint of amusement entered Tohsaka's eyes, though it was gone the next moment, as a cold look took its place. "Did your plans involve killing or otherwise harming me or my associates?"

"We only collect information, we are not assassins." Flash explained quickly, hoping that Tohsaka's lie detector would do their job properly. "And I don't think the Edelfelt want you or yours dead either. They just want you compliant."

"To get their grubby little hyena-paws on my gems, just like I expected." Tohsaka surmised, her cold expression shifting towards annoyed. "Thank you for answering my questions."

"Wait, that was it?" Flash blinked in surprise.

"Yes, that was it." Tohsaka nodded with a small smile, apparently deriving some amusement from his confusion. "Unless there's more you wish to tell me?"

"…No, nothing."

"Then all that remains is the message I want to send." Tohsaka concluded, before she sat up straight, throwing her arms wide as if she were a queen bestowing gifts. "Rejoice, mercenaries, for if you promise to deliver my message, I will let you go unharmed and with all your possessions."

"Please dictate, my lady." With a twirl, Flash took out a notepad and a pen, holding them at the ready so as to note down every word she said.

"Tell them that if they are so eager to get their hands on my gems, they can come in person to negotiate a fair price." Tohsaka indeed dictated. "Any spies, mercenaries, assassins, and other hired folk will be returned immediately, with their condition depending on the level of their cooperation. If such attempts persist, I will send my own agent to Finland for retribution. I won't need to send a second."

"Hm." Flash made a humming noise as he wrote the words down, before he nodded in satisfaction. "Got it. I'll make sure this ends up in the hands of the Edelfelt."

"Splendid." Tohsaka beamed, and really, why wouldn't she be happy? Her victory was now total. "Do you have a return ticket to London?"

"No." Flash shook his head. It wasn't practical to buy a return ticket before they had finished their mission, as they would have no idea when they would be returning. They had been planning on purchasing one once they had everything they came for.

Though of course, that was never going to happen now.

"Then take these." Tohsaka handed them both a plane ticket, with on them a text indicating they were for the two o'clock flight from Fuyuki to London. How she'd gotten her hands on them so fast was a mystery, but Flash knew better than to ask about it. "Now get out of here."

"We can leave by ourselves?" Gwen asked, emerging from her dejected funk at the shocking words. In general, it wasn't smart to let your captives out of your sight, and Tohsaka had proven that she was nothing if not smart.

"We'll keep an eye on you." Tohsaka winked, and Flash inadvertently cleared his throat at the reminder that this girl not only had eyes all over the city but was also powerful enough to construct a Bounded Field that covered at least three city blocks and possibly even more.

In the face of such overwhelming power and ability, even the most fired up and warlike Magus would know better than to make trouble.

As such, it was less than two hours later that the duo was seated in the plane back to London, their luggage on hand and their purpose mostly unfulfilled.

The Edelfelt weren't going to like hearing that they had failed. They were going to like it even less that Tohsaka had foreseen their every move and had made suitable preparations before the order to spy on her had even been given.

It was Tohsaka's message that they were going to dislike most of all though, Flash was certain of it, and frankly, he dreaded having to bring those hyenas the news.

Still better than staying in Fuyuki though. Tohsaka had spun a terrifying world of ever-repeating streets as a mere warning, and something told him that her tricks would only have gotten nastier if they'd continued to defy her.

Hyenas were much better, much more pleasant, than that.

---

"Di 'weriennin anann!"

Yet again, Lorelei cast a spell at the Wolpertinger, and yet again, it inflicted only superficial damage on its skin and its outer muscles. Damage which was healed in an instant when the Phantasmal Beast jumped backwards, out of Lorelei's immediate range.

The brunette didn't pursue though, nor did she follow through with other Magecraft, but instead, she used the few moments of distraction to put in some further work on the trap she was preparing.

The trap that might end the battle at last.

Lorelei carefully kept all traces of satisfaction and anticipation off her face in case the beast was able to read human expressions, but on the inside, she was making all kinds of content noises as the Wolpertinger allowed itself to be led around by the nose.

So far, it had resisted all her attempts to bind it, whether it was with Magical chains, enhanced gravity, or Projected ropes and cables. Its Magic Resistance and its ridiculous strength enabled it to break free every time, ignoring her Thaumaturgy like it was not even there.

She had given up on the matter altogether after the fourth failure, not willing to expand energy on something that was clearly not working, and instead returned to probing the Wolpertinger for weaknesses she could exploit.

While doing so, she'd made an interesting discovery.

As said before, using nothing but pure Magical Energy didn't work on the Wolpertinger. Her low- and middle-level spells had no effect worth mentioning on it, while her high-level spells only inflicted minor damage that was easily healed.

Theoretically, she could go even higher in the quality and potency of her spells, much higher, but those spells might kill the creature outright, which would mean she'd fail in her mission objective. In other words, they were not a valid option either.

For a while, she had thrown an array of low- and middle-level spells at the Wolpertinger, hoping to discover something interesting, before she had, in a momentary flash of annoyance when the creature snorted mockingly at her, taken out her riding crop to give it a good whack.

The effects had been astonishing.

A single blow from her riding crop, which at the moment of striking was infused with nothing more than a simple wind-based Enchantment, struck a wound that was not unlike what she'd expect to see if she'd slashed it with a broadsword.

Knocked back by the unexpected force, the Wolpertinger tumbled through the air, before bonelessly smacking down onto the ground, warm blood splattering every which way from the deep gouge in its flank.

It was without a doubt the most serious wound she'd dealt the creature since the fight began, and when it failed to get up at first, Lorelei worried that she might have inadvertently killed it.

But no, it did get up eventually, slowly and with great effort, as the wound healed, like all other wounds before.

It did not escape Lorelei however that this injury took far longer to disappear than it should have based on the healing factor's previous performance, nor did she miss that it was clearly much more debilitating to the creature than any spell she'd cast so far.

For a while, that had perplexed her, until she had remembered the ancient myths.

According to the legends that she was aware of, Phantasmal Species like the Wolpertinger were almost never defeated with spells. In fact, Lorelei could think of perhaps only half a dozen stories in which the hero had used Magic alone to win against their opponent.

In the vast majority of legends and tales, Phantasmal Species were defeated with swords, spears, axes, maces, nets, or even fists. The hero had to get up close and personal, trading massive blows, in order to achieve victory.

Magical weapons helped of course, as did Divine Blessings and auxiliary spells during battle, but winning through naught but Magic was often a hopeless endeavour, unless your name was Merlin or Medea or the like.

In light of that, it was perhaps only logical that using her riding crop yielded much better results than just slinging her spells.

It was an interesting little tidbit, and a confirmation that the tales of old held a surprising amount of truth in them. Lorelei could already think of more than a few people who would be happy to hear about her findings on the subject of Phantasmal Species purely out of theoretical interest, never mind its practical value now that Phantasmal Species were returning.

Her riding crop was far from the only 'weapon' that Lorelei used however. Throwing rocks also worked perfectly well to put the Wolpertinger on the backfoot, and hitting it with trees she'd just ripped out of the ground seemed particularly effective for some reason. Lorelei wasn't shy about using that move as often as she could, knocking the beast around.

She did not use her rapier though. If she did that, then all she'd be able to present to Fujimaru would be a crate of minced rabbit meat.

The discovery had also prompted her to change her approach to trying to capture the beast. Purely Magical means had proven ineffective, but with that weakness to physical weapons, she might have more success if she included some natural focus points.

In other words, she was building a trap out of the materials that she found lying around in the forest. A trap which she would use to capture the Wolpertinger once and for all, far more effectively than any purely Magic-based alternative.

It wasn't easy, building that trap while fighting, especially not since she had to hide it from the Wolpertinger, which had shown itself to be unsettlingly intelligent, but she managed to stealthily prepare it while still pressing the creature hard enough to render it unable to focus on anything but her.

The first step of the process was creating the trap's physical component. For this, Lorelei wove together several bundles of twigs, each about a quarter of a metre long, consisting of as many different species of tree as she could find in her surroundings. By using those natural resources, she could use the strength of the land to her advantage. It was a little trick out of Shamanism, which she had picked up during a trip to America.

She had woven together twigs of oak, birch, fir, pine, beech, and spruce. Each bundle contained three twigs of every species, and there were seven bundles in total.

Three and seven were very important numbers in Magecraft after all. Stable, secure, reliable, and pretty much universally applicable to any form of Thaumaturgy, they had been a staple in European Mystic Arts since the very first Celts.

They might not give the overwhelming sort of results that could be achieved with maverick numbers such as five and thirteen, but at the same time, they weren't liable to blow up in your face either.

Especially that last part was important while trying to create an elaborate spell in the middle of a battle.

With the physical component of the spell prepared, the next part was preparing the Magical component. To this end, Lorelei placed the bundles in a heptagonal pattern below a young bush, before she used the blood that she had spilled during battle so far to draw a Magic Circle around the bundles.

It wasn't her best Magic Circle ever, but the vitality and hunger for growth of the young bush coupled with the blood she had shed during honourable battle would go a long way in making up for that.

That the Magic Circle was actually sufficiently complex to qualify as a masterpiece to any Magus except Lorelei and a handful of others was something the brunette remained blissfully unaware about.

Lastly, she provided a power source by channelling Magical Energy into it whenever she could, priming the Magic Circle and making it ready for deployment.

With that, the trap had been set, and all that remained was getting the Wolpertinger into position.

It was more than a little amusing to Lorelei that she had spent multiple minutes on preparing the Magic Circle and that in all that time, the Wolpertinger had noticed precisely nothing of what she was doing.

Intelligent it might be, but it certainly wasn't very observant.

"…?"

As if to punish the brunette for her hubris however, the Wolpertinger chose that exact moment to suddenly freeze in place.

Perhaps it had seen something in her expression, perhaps it had smelled the blood that Lorelei had used to paint the Magic Circle, or perhaps it was instinct.

Whatever the reason, the Wolpertinger suddenly ceased its reckless pattern of attack, and instead grunted lowly, glaring at Lorelei with a cautious gaze.

"My lady?" One of her followers called out to her, requesting instructions.

"Remain where you are." Lorelei replied shortly, holding up a hand to signal that no one but her was allowed to attack the creature.

The Wolpertinger stood still for a moment longer, but then, perhaps deciding it couldn't do nothing while Lorelei was still in its territory, came at her again.

Unlike before however, it no longer stormed forward as fast as it could, which would give the brunette ample opportunity to dodge and draw it towards her trap. Instead, it stalked forward at a pace that was more brisk than racing, cautiously approaching Lorelei from an angle.

Just like Lorelei had foregone purely Magical means in favour of building a trap out of physical components, the Wolpertinger gave up on frontal charges and instead tried the controlled approach.

With it advancing so slowly, there was no way Lorelei could just jump out of the way. If she tried, it could just follow her, and if she tried to ward it off with fire, it could adjust its course to avoid it.

Then it just had to get close, and it could calmly break all of Lorelei's bones.

That sudden calm didn't suit the brunette's purposes at all, and she huffed in annoyance. Drawing the beast into her trap would be far more difficult if it refused to overextend anymore.

So she drew a quick Rune on the ground with the tip of her boot, before she took several steps back. The Wolpertinger followed her calmly, and the moment it passed over the dormant Rune, Lorelei activated it, resulting in several spikes of rock erupting from the ground, stabbing right into its vulnerable underbelly.

As she had hoped, that enraged the beast sufficiently that it resumed the high-speed chase, having learned that handing control of the battle's pace to her was a very bad idea.

Now the time had come to spring the trap.

Lorelei dodged a swipe of a mighty paw, which would have turned her organs to mush and her bones to pulp had it connected, and then another, and another, backtracking all the way, until both she and her opponent were in position.

She and the Wolpertinger were now standing near the edge of the small clearing in which they'd done battle so far, with the Wolpertinger between her and the forest, right in front of the young bush underneath which she'd hidden the Magic Circle.

All she needed to do now was push it backwards a few steps, and then, with some luck, the battle would be over.

Which was going to be difficult, as rabbits in general didn't do backwards and the Wolpertinger in particular didn't seem to have any intention to do anything except charge at her again, away from the trap.

So in the split second she had available before the beast would jump away again, ruining the perfect positioning she'd worked so hard on, Lorelei took action.

She charged at the beast.

Forgoing any spells or tricks, as they would take too long to deploy, she chose the frontal assault, essentially copying the Wolpertinger's favourite method of attack.

Whatever the beast had been expecting of her, that was clearly not it. It was so surprised that it forgot to jump away or brace itself, and it just stood there, watching her with wide eyes.

Right up until she slammed into it, her head smashing against its head in a headbutt so perfect that Shirou would have gasped in admiration.

The Wolpertinger was sent flying backwards, and then it tumbled down, right on top of the Magic Circle.

Seeing that, Lorelei snapped her fingers, and the trap activated.

The twigs in the bundles melted together into seven branches, which then elongated quickly, increasing in length and growing in a specific shape. The branches grew in straight lines, twisting and turning at ninety-degree angles, thickening and hardening more and more, until they had encapsulated the Wolpertinger in a square cage, with the bars so close together that only a single human finger would fit between them.

In the blink of an eye, the Wolpertinger had been trapped.

"IIIEEEEEEEHHHHH!"

The Wolpertinger did not take its imprisonment well, and it screeched angrily, ramming and kicking against the bars in an attempt to break free.

It was no use though. The cage held strong against the blows, and even the Wolpertinger's Magic Resistance did not influence it. Through the mixture of Shamanism, Blood-Magic, Formalcraft, and Celtic Arts, the Phantasmal Beast had been overcome.

Lorelei had won the battle.

"My lady!" The moment it became certain that the battle had ended, the head tracker approached her at a brisk pace, holding out an orb-shaped Mystic Code of Healing for her to take. "Please tend to your wounds!"

"Hm." Lorelei hummed in agreement, accepting the Mystic Code and using it to mend her injuries, complementing it with several healing spells of her own.

It had gone mostly unnoticed during the fierce battle, but Lorelei had in fact been injured by the Wolpertinger. Flying debris and glancing blows had managed to cause bruises and grazes, and if she was interpreting the stinging pain in her chest correctly, some hairline fractures in her ribs as well. She might also have broken a finger at some point, but she didn't recall when exactly that had happened.

In short, it was nothing to be concerned about. Lorelei had experienced much worse in the past, on many occasions, without flinching, so a few bumps and bruises were not going to be the end of her.

Fighting was a risky thing to do, and no matter how strong Lorelei was, it was impossible even for her to completely avoid being injured. Combat was nothing if not unpredictable, and there were a plethora of beings out there who were more than capable of landing a hit on her in the heat of battle.

As long as she could keep on fighting though, she hadn't lost. The Wolpertinger might be in perfect condition because of its healing factor while Lorelei required medical assistance to patch her up again, but it was the brunette who had won all the same.

She had achieved a flawless victory in her first ever fight with a real Phantasmal Species. It was a feat worthy of celebration, and one that clearly astounded her head tracker, who was looking at the creature with his mouth agape.

"My lady." He eventually breathed out, sounding mystified. "Is that a Phantasmal Beast?"

"It is." She confirmed. "A Wolpertinger, I have been told."

"You have trapped a rabbit-like Phantasmal Beast, in a rabbit cage." He continued, his tone shifting from mystified to almost scandalised. "My lady, is that not too cheeky?"

"To the vast majority of the people currently alive, the first image to come to mind when someone mentions a rabbit is that of a rabbit in a square cage." Lorelei explained a bit of the motivation behind her choice. "I admit that it is slightly rude to use such a concept against a creature of legend that is clearly sapient, but the beliefs of close to seven billion people should never be underestimated. It is a vital part of the Incantation."

"If you say so, my lady." The head tracker inclined his head, accepting her explanation. "Congratulations on your victory."

"Thank you." She nodded at him, before she shifted gears. "Give me your report of the situation."

"Everyone of the team is present and accounted for, Vice-Director." He promptly responded, snapping at attention. "Your message and the signal of your honing beacon were accurately transferred to us all, and we all responded to the summons at once."

That they had turned out to be unnecessary for the battle itself was not worth mentioning, as that was by no means unusual.

"A perimeter has been created, and several scouts are carefully monitoring the movements of your rival." The head tracker continued, diplomatically referring to Ariadne Lissenbaum, who was still prowling the woods in search of the Wolpertinger, though she didn't know to call it that. "Can I assume that you do not wish her to learn of the creature's survival?"

"You assume correctly." Lorelei nodded. Lissenbaum and her followers would never stand for letting a Phantasmal Beast live, so it was vital that she believed the threat to have passed. Lorelei would have to spin a story about finding a Chimaera and defeating it so thoroughly that no traces were left, but that should not be too difficult. The agents of the Burial Agency already thought she was a mindless Berserker after all, so Lorelei would lean into that. "I will convince her that I have won our competition by slaying the 'Chimaera' before she could."

"As you say, my lady." The head tracker appeared more than a little relieved it wouldn't be him who would have to inform Lissenbaum of her loss, but he quickly patched up the cracks in his professional demeanour. "Transport for the creature has been arranged at the nearest airport."

"Already?"

"Your intention to capture the Phantasmal Beast was evident. As such, while you were fighting, I took the liberty of arranging an unmarked cargo plane to transport it back to the Clocktower. I assume it is your intention to bring it there?"

"Indeed." Lorelei was pleasantly surprised by his show of initiative, and as a reward, she entrusted him with a bit more information. "I will have Doctor Kix study the creature, to discover its properties."

"Study?"

It was clear what the head tracker was implying with his question, and Lorelei shook her head in response.

"It is imperative that the creature is not harmed." She told him, her voice firm. "I have promised to give it to Fujimaru, and I will not present him with anything that is in less than pristine condition."

"The Sorcerer?!" The head tracker froze for a moment, before he looked around, as if searching for something. "He is here?"

"No, but he contacted me before I encountered the Wolpertinger." Lorelei replied, before holding up a hand to stave off further questions. "Enough. There is still much to do. Obscure the Wolpertinger to ensure none can see it and transport it to the airport. I will contact Fujimaru again and then deal with Lissenbaum."

"It shall be done." The head tracker nodded, and with a few commands, he arranged for the cage to be covered by a white blanket and taken along, to the airport.

At about the same time, Lorelei finished patching herself back together, and she handed the Mystic Code of Healing over to a passing Enforcer.

After that, she started looking around for a private place to contact Fujimaru again to update him on the situation.

She'd barely started her search however before the next problem already presented itself.

"My lady!"

It came in the form of Eleonora, one of the senior Enforcers in Lorelei's team, who rushed towards Lorelei as fast as she could. She was normally a very composed woman, some might even say dispassionate, so the fact that she was now running towards the brunette like the hounds of hell were on her heels was enough to raise a few eyebrows all around.

"There are more Phantasmal Beasts at the cage!"

Her words though made it clear immediately why she behaved the way she did.

"What?!"

The head tracker let out a cry of surprise and dismay, but before the sound had fully left his mouth, before his lips made their last movement, Lorelei was already gone, rushing past Eleonora so fast that the woman didn't even have time to blink.

She did shout something else, something that sounded like warning, but Lorelei couldn't hear exactly what. The only thing she sort of picked up on was a word that sounded suspiciously like 'babies', but that couldn't possibly be what Eleonora meant.

'Or,' Lorelei amended once she arrived at the cage and saw the Phantasmal Beasts that were pawing at it. 'Or it could be that 'babies' is exactly what Eleonora meant.'

Because the creatures that were now scratching at the wooden bars, either trying to get in or trying to get the beast out, were undoubtedly…

Wolpertinger babies.

And in that moment, everything made sense.

Why the creature had so doggedly defended a specific area in the forest. Why it had chased off and killed predators and poachers while leaving prey animals alone. Why it had refused to flee once Lorelei had proven to be a match for it in battle.

It had been guarding its young.

The Wolpertinger babies were about as big as the average adult rabbit, with tiny stumps instead of antlers and a few feathers where the wings should be. Their hair was short and dark, their eyes half-closed, and their ears were flopping around as they moved.

There were three of them, and they were all making soft noises of complaint, groaning and squeaking in protest as the bars prevented them from reaching their… mother?

In the meantime, the adult Wolpertinger was looking sadly at its… her offspring, its one visible eye exuding so much pain that any rabbit-lover would instantly have opened the cage to reunite mother and children.

Lorelei couldn't do such a thing though. She couldn't release this Phantasmal Beast, partially because it was a dangerous creature that had already killed over a dozen people, and partially because it would swiftly be hunted down by the Burial Agency if she let it walk free.

So instead, she did the opposite.

"Come here." She ordered the baby Wolpertingers, gathering them together in her arms, before she grabbed one of the cage's bars.

The mother Wolpertinger glared at her with suspicious eyes, audibly grinding its teeth.

"Calm down." Lorelei ordered her, giving her a hard look in return. "And sit still."

The grinding became even louder, but the creature followed instructions, sitting still even when Lorelei bent the bar she was holding to the side, creating just enough room to let the baby Wolpertingers through.

Lorelei then placed the little beasts into the cage, before bending the bar back.

And just like that, she had captured the entire family.

"My lady?" The head tracker, who had caught up with her by now, spoke up in askance, clearly requesting both an explanation and instructions.

"We'll take them all with us." Lorelei said, her tone allowing no protest. "With some luck, Fujimaru will be happier with four than with one."

She really hoped that was the case. She was not equipped to keep Phantasmal Species in her office, or anywhere else for that matter. If Fujimaru didn't want them, all she could do was kill them swiftly before an enterprising Magus would claim and vivisect them.

She would hate that.

"My lady! Executor Lissenbaum is coming this way!"

She couldn't think about the matter for long however, as yet another problem cropped up.

"When it rains, it pours." The head tracker commented, and everyone around nodded in agreement.

Lorelei herself let out an almost imperceptible sigh, realising that contacting Fujimaru would have to wait even longer.

Hopefully, he wouldn't worry too much.

Or maybe… She did want him to worry?

She couldn't entirely explain what she felt, but if she had to try, she'd say…

That it was nice to know that someone was worrying about her?

How odd.

---

There were times when Eduardo di Stanza almost forgot how scary the family of his fiancée, Sofia Edelfelt, could be.

Sofia was a beautiful woman after all. He'd said it before and he'd say it again, she was an absolute stunner. She was almost ethereal in her beauty, at least three steps above the average, and Eduardo had to admit, to his slight shame, that his passionate Italian blood never let him forget it either.

In addition, her demeanour was impeccable. She was always polite, always cheery, and whenever they were talking with others as an engaged couple, usually in a political environment, she always knew what to say, even when Eduardo had no idea. She'd cover for him time and again with a bright smile on her face, saving his reputation without fail.

That she usually acted quite lovingly towards him also helped considerably, and even knowing that it was all an act did not stop his body from relaxing whenever she would rub his shoulders, or comb his hair, or when she would place his head on her lap.

During times of peace, when nothing of particular importance happened, Sofia and the Edelfelt-family were, dare he say it, almost pleasant to be around.

But then something bad happened, something that seriously disadvantaged Sofia or her family, and Eduardo learned all over again why the Edelfelt were terrifying.

"You were caught as soon as you entered the city?!"

Sofia didn't quite shout as she asked the question, only raising her voice a bit to show how agitated she was, but there was a weight in her voice that sent shivers up Eduardo's spine, and not the good kind.

Sofia was pissed, that was clear as day, and Eduardo was doing his utmost to make himself as small as possible, so as to escape her wrath.

They were currently in a tiny office in the Department of Lore, together with two mercenaries who were pretty much permanently in the Edelfelt's employ, though based on the current situation and Sofia's mood, their state of employment might change drastically very soon.

Apparently, they had been sent on a mission recently by Luviagelita Edelfelt herself, to go to Fuyuki, a city in Japan, in order to gather information on Tohsaka Rin, the city's Second Owner.

A mission they had royally botched.

"Embarrassingly enough, we were indeed caught as soon as we entered the city." 'Flash' admitted. The mercenary appeared rather blasé about his own failure, which of course ticked Sofia off even more. "Don't know how she did it, but Tohsaka had us in her sights from the moment we left the plane. She trapped us in a Bounded Field, and only let us out when we promised to get the hell out of her city."

"You did not think to take measures?" Sofia demanded. "To hide your Magical signatures and your country of origin?"

"That was all taken care of." 'Gwen' protested indignantly against the notion that they had taken their assignment lightly. "Our preparations were no worse for this job than they normally are."

"Then clearly, your 'normal preparations' aren't good enough!" Sofia fumed. "This operation depended entirely on Tohsaka remaining unaware of our movements and our intentions to move against her. Because of your bumbling actions, we have completely lost the element of surprise."

"You never had it." Flash countered easily, making Eduardo more and more jealous of how composed and relaxed he looked, even while Sofia was glaring at him. "Tohsaka was expecting us all along. That's why she could nab us so easily mere minutes after we arrived. I gather she's been expecting the Edelfelt to try and pull one over on her from the moment she put her gems up for sale, perhaps even before then."

"O-Oh…" That piece of information made Sofia deflate a bit.

"I suppose it was a rather predictable action to begin with." Flash continued mercilessly, leaning his face on his fist with a bored look. "Anyone with even a passing familiarity with your family, perhaps the most well-known blackmailers in the world, would have known you'd try something like this. It is no more than obvious that someone as powerful as Tohsaka would take measures to prevent you or your lackeys from invading her territory. If she had been any less merciful or in a slightly worse mood, you would have sent us straight to our deaths."

"Are you saying we're predictable?!" Sofia asked with no small amount of horror, completely disregarding the complaint about having sent their mercenaries to their deaths, before turning to Eduardo, who only just managed to suppress a start at her sudden movement. "Eduardo, are we predictable?!"

"Well, yes." He nodded with nary a thought, having found that being honest was usually the best policy when it came to his fiancée. "I too saw your operation coming from a mile away. A new source of gems in the hands of one of your enemies is not something you would ever ignore. Everyone knows that."

"Ghk!"

"But that doesn't have to be a bad thing." He quickly continued, wary of causing a tantrum. "That everyone knew that you were going to try something in relation to Tohsaka doesn't mean that you have no chance of succeeding. It only means you have to be clever about it."

"Lady Luviagelita told us she was fully aware that Tohsaka was likely to expect an action from the Edelfelt." Gwen provided helpfully. "That's why she hired outsiders like us and had us arrange new identities for ourselves. I don't think we were ever meant to have the element of surprise, at least not in the sense that Tohsaka remained fully unaware that your family is planning to make a move against her. We just needed to slip beneath her vigilance, like we have done to so many other Magi in the past."

"Luvia said that?" Sofia asked, wincing slightly.

"Pretty much." Flash nodded. "We still failed big time, no doubt about it, but it's not like we told Tohsaka anything new. Hell, her response after we fessed up pretty much came down to 'just as I expected'. Which is why I don't get why you're tearing us a new one over supposedly tipping Tohsaka off. We didn't, nor did anyone say we did. That's just your assumption."

"Forgive me for saying this, lady Sofia, but your focus today seems… slightly off." Gwen agreed, giving the young woman a concerned look. "Were you even informed about this mission?"

Sofia stilled completely, her face becoming expressionless.

To Eduardo, this spelled certain doom. Sofia had been challenged now, her knowledge had been questioned, and it was only a matter of time before her anger would change into apoplectic rage.

In the privacy of Sofia's own mind however, something completely different was taking place. Rather than enraged by the mercenaries' comments, she was…

Utterly embarrassed!

She had done it now! She had gone and made all kinds of assumptions and had now embarrassed herself in front of the family's employees as a result. Undoubtedly, Gwen and Flash now thought of her as a fool.

Worse, this was not the first time that something like this had happened either.

It was well-known among the Edelfelt that Sofia wasn't the brightest bulb in the family, to put it mildly. That was why she was pretty much at the bottom of the family's hierarchy, and why her father had been so quick to agree to marry her off to a veritable nobody like Eduardo.

Because of her less-than-average intelligence, her relatives had never taken her seriously. Not even her older sister, someone whom Sofia looked up to and admired, saw any worth in her. She had trouble completing even the simplest of tasks, and it hadn't taken long before she had been told to sit down and shut up for the rest of her life, so as not to embarrass the family any further.

It had taken her months of begging to be allowed to go to the Clocktower with Isabel and Nikolas, to convince her father and Luvia that she wouldn't make a fool out of herself, and even then, it had been a close thing. In fact, the only reason she had succeeded at all was because her father and Luvia had eventually taken pity on her.

To put it shortly, nobody respected Sofia, and she'd pretty much given up on ever finding anyone who did hold her in any sort of regard.

Enter Eduardo, not a bright light himself, who had no clue that was the case. He believed with all his heart that Sofia was an evil genius, like all Edelfelt, and constantly saw double meanings in everything she said or did. In his eyes, she could do no wrong, and every mistake or gaffe she made was a cunning ruse to trap her opponents and gain an advantage.

He treated her with the utmost respect, no matter what, and had continued to do so even after they had gotten engaged.

In light of that, was it any wonder that she had fallen for him so hard?

It was tragic, really. A foolish girl and a blind boy, trapped together in a cruel world that simultaneously sustained and destroyed them.

But whatever the circumstances, Eduardo rushed to his fiancée's defence again, like a knight in shining armour.

"Lady Luviagelita did not think it necessary to fully inform Sofia, Isabel, or Nikolas about her intentions regarding Tohsaka's source of gems." He hastened to explain, trying to appease Sofia before she exploded. "Because of operational security, we were indeed left uninformed."

What he said was mostly true. Sofia had indeed not been informed about the mission to obtain Toshaka's new source of gems, and since Eduardo couldn't possibly fathom it was because Sofia was too dumb for anyone to bother informing her, he reasoned it had to be because they were compartmentalising the information.

In his mind, it wasn't Sofia's fault, but Luvia's.

"But even if that is so…" Flash frowned, clearly not convinced, and Eduardo hastily switched to another diversion tactic before the mercenary could say something to anger Sofia even further.

"In the first place, you weren't meant to come here at all, were you?" He asked accusingly, almost crying in relief when the mercenaries both winced, confirming his suspicions. "If your intentions were to report back about your failure, then why are you here in the Clocktower? You should be in Finland, talking with lady Luvia herself."

Throwing blame elsewhere was a great tactic to distract people from your own mistakes, or your fiancée's in this case, and it proved successful yet again when the mercenaries both fell silent, refusing to meet his gaze.

That would teach them to question Sofia's intelligence! Did they have a death wish or something, to challenge her like that?

Eduardo closed his eyes in relief over his success at defusing the situation, and so completely missed how Sofia shot him a look full of gratitude and loving appreciation for getting her out of that mess.

"I may have spoken too soon when I accused you of revealing our hand to Tohsaka." Sofia then said, her tone conciliatory. "And I apologise for it. Now, if you continue your report and give me all details on Fuyuki's layout and defences, as well as everything you have observed and deduced about Tohsaka herself, I would be willing to speak with cousin Luvia on your behalf."

"As far as Fuyuki's layout goes, it is not much different from other Japanese cities." Gwen replied promptly, not about to refuse such a generous offer. "Accurate maps are sold at various points throughout the city, and it does not appear like Tohsaka changed anything in her immediate surroundings to suit her tastes."

"We didn't see much in the way of defences, aside from the Bounded Field she captured us with." Flash took over. "It trapped us in a sort of pocket dimension, as we told you. No matter what corner we turned, we always ended up back on the same street. We didn't get out until we surrendered. Then Tohsaka let us return to the hotel."

"Tohsaka herself was quite young. About the same age as lady Luviagelita, if I had to guess." Gwen picked up again. "She had black hair, blue eyes, she was rather small, though that is not unusual for the Japanese, and she appears to have a confident personality. At the very least, we inspired no fear whatsoever in her."

"She also had a companion, possibly her sister." Flash delivered the most interesting piece of news yet, and Sofia fully turned towards him. "A younger sister, with purple hair and purple eyes."

"As well as another accomplice who remained at a distance." That was Gwen again. "I'm sorry to say that with the three of them, they completely dominated the conversation. They learned far more about us than we learned about them."

"That was probably inevitable once you were caught in her Bounded Field." Sofia sighed, having expected no different. "Is there anything else you can tell me about that sister you mentioned?"

"Her name was Sakura, I think." Flash replied ponderously, scratching his head. "But that could just as easily be a fake name. She mostly remained quiet, as she was in contact with the accomplice who remained at a distance."

"Hm." Sofia made a contemplative noise, before she shook her head, letting the matter of Tohsaka's possible sister lie for now. "Is there anything else you have to tell me?"

"Yes." Flash nodded, before reaching into his pocket and pulling out an envelope. "Tohsaka wanted us to give this letter to the Edelfelt."

He then handed the piece of paper over to Sofia, who curiously turned it over in her hands, studying it from all angles.

The envelope itself was blank, revealing nothing new, and there were no visible Enchantments or Curses on it. The contents could not be discerned, but logic dictated it was probably indeed a letter.

"Will you open it?" Eduardo asked, and Sofia would be lying if she said she wasn't curious too.

"Better not." She nevertheless shook her head, suppressing her interest. "I'll give this to Luvia. She is the head of the family after all, and the one who hatched the plan to deal with Tohsaka in the first place. Undoubtedly, whatever Tohsaka wrote was meant for her and her alone."

The concept of not opening Luviagelita's personal mail was one that Eduardo could absolutely get behind, and he nodded in agreement.

"Pardon me, but would it be possible for us to leave now?" Gwen raised her hand as she asked the question, drawing their attention back to her. "This job was a bust, and we'd like to find another soon. We have told you everything we know, so there's no reason for us to stick around."

"You can go." Sofia nodded, waving them off. "Though make sure to submit a written report about the mission to Luvia before the end of the week."

"Of course, of course." Flash nodded, already halfway to the door. "See you around, Soof."

"Her name is Sofia." Eduardo said by reflex, his voice harder than he'd intended.

"See you around, lady Sofia." Flash corrected himself, holding up his hands in a gesture for peace.

"Come on." Gwen said irritably, before pulling him along, out of the room, leaving Sofia and Eduardo alone.

The door closed behind them, giving the duo some privacy, and Eduardo let out a sigh of relief.

"All things considered, I think that went pretty well-"

Then a yellow-white blur suddenly slammed into him, almost giving the poor boy a heart-attack, and he had to fight to remain standing when he realised it was Sofia hugging him again.

She was really pressed up against him, her soft body his to embrace as he liked, and Eduardo wondered what he had done for the World to curse him with such a beautiful yet terrifying fiancée.

"Thank you for covering for me." She whispered against his chest, so softly that he almost didn't hear it, otherwise occupied as he was. "I really didn't know what to do when they surprised me like that. Luvia never tells me anything."

"W-Well, uhm…" Eduardo had only caught a few words of what she said, and he struggled to formulate a proper answer. "I-It was not your fault. Y-You had no choice but to make your own valid plan."

"That is kind of you to say." Sofia spoke a bit louder than before, allowing him to hear her properly. "But you don't have to try to make me feel better."

"But I want you to feel better, for both our sakes." He replied, a sliver of his true intentions leaking through. "You mustn't let it get to you. It isn't like you to look so sad, my dear."

"…My dear?"

Damnit!

Eduardo almost froze when he realised what he had said. He'd given her an affectionate nickname! He'd never done that before, always addressing her by name, but this time, it had suddenly slipped out of his mouth before he'd realised that it was coming.

"My dear." Sofia repeated, straightening her back and bringing her hands to her cheeks, which, to Eduardo's surprise, were suddenly a flaming red. "I-I am your dear?"

"…Yes." He nodded, unable to take it back now.

"I am your dear." She whispered, and she started moving in patterns that looked suspiciously like happy wiggles. "I am your dear!"

Wait. Did she… Did she like it?

"O-Of course you are." He confirmed, wondering if, by some miracle he probably didn't deserve, this was perhaps a good thing after all.

A thousand emotions flashed across Sofia's face at his confirmation, all of them too swift for him to make out, and then she stepped away from him, her face determined and her gait strong.

"You were right, Eduardo, I mustn't let this get to me." She said strongly, having suddenly regained some courage. "I can easily deal with minor setbacks like this."

There was not a trace left of her earlier morosity and shame, and although Eduardo had no idea what had caused the sudden change, he was nevertheless pleased to see her in a better mood.

Mostly for his own sake, but there was a small part of him, so small he didn't even know of its existence yet, that was also happy that the beautiful woman, his beautiful woman, was no longer sad.

"This is no time to lose myself to such negative thinking. I will report back to Luvia and inform her about the latest developments, as well as give her the letter. Then she and the other executives can decide what to do."

"…Right." Eduardo agreed after a moment, licking his lips. "Luvia will know what to do. We should tell her."

"And then we'll wash our hands of this matter." Sofia said imperiously, turning her nose up slightly. "Luvia clearly does not want us to get involved, so we won't. We have plenty of things to deal with here, at the Clocktower, without adding her pet-projects to the list as well."

"Isn't that the truth." Eduardo huffed before he could stop himself, agreeing fully with his fiancée. "I'm getting exhausted by the thought alone."

"It is quite a list, yes." Sofia sighed, before she started counting off on her fingers. "The Purge, the fall of the Meluastea, our ill-timed decision to join the Democratic Faction, and even the rise of a Sorcerer."

Of course, the Edelfelt were not directly involved with most of those matters, but that didn't mean they could safely ignore them. They had to network, to limit the fallout, to try and piece together their broken plans, and somehow find the time to perhaps profit from the situation as well.

"Speaking of Fujimaru, has there been any new information on him recently?" Sofia asked.

"None." Eduardo replied promptly, having stayed on top of the matter since the day they had first approached the wielder of the Third. "Which suits me perfectly well."

Eduardo didn't like scary things after all, and Sorcerers were one of the scariest things out there. Frankly, he'd rather marry every woman in the Edelfelt-family than make an enemy out of Fujimaru.

"I agree." Sofia gave a firm nod, before scratching the side of her head. "I do wonder what he is doing right now though. He left the Clocktower in a hurry a few weeks ago, and I haven't heard from him since."

"Undoubtedly, he is working on all kinds of Sorcerous matters." Eduardo replied, his mind automatically conjuring images of Magic beyond his belief and understanding. "Experiments that are far beyond mere Magecraft."

"Probably." Sofia nodded, looking rather excited at the thought of what a Sorcerer might get up to in his spare time. "I mean, there's no way a Sorcerer would ever waste his time on trivial matters."

Eduardo almost laughed at the thought.

Sofia was right. There was just no way.

---

"Sit still, Senpai."

"Are you still not finished?"

"It's difficult! Your hair is almost as tough as you are. If you'd just sat still since the beginning, it would have been done already!"

Shirou sighed at Sakura's response, but as always, his heart melted at the sight of her pout, and he did his best to sit perfectly still, even as she drew a razorblade across his cheek with a hand that he could not possibly describe as steady by any meaning of the word.

Did he appreciate that she was giving him a hand with shaving his beard? Yes, absolutely.

Could he have done it himself in less than half the time and without coming perilously close to cutting his own throat? Also yes, without a doubt.

But Sakura had insisted on helping him during his first ever time shaving his stubble, and he had accepted, blissfully unaware of what was to come.

Once more, it had been Taiga who had alerted him to the fact that he was growing a beard, and although it was no more than stubble right now, barely visible to anyone aside from Tigers, it still seemed prudent to shave before school would begin again.

Hence the fact that Sakura was now fumbling around with a razor blade made out of a metal that had been mined from the core of a broken planet. It was a bit fancy, but since normal razors were not capable of cutting his hair, Shirou had no choice but to dig it up from the Vault.

Unfortunately, it was also more than capable of cutting his flesh, which was why he was sitting as still as possible, so Sakura's hand wouldn't slip.

It was a lot harder than he'd anticipated.

Taken on the whole though, his current situation was by no means an unfavourable one. He and Sakura were both sitting in the main hall of the bathhouse that had replaced his bathroom during the great makeover, in the corner with the benches, showerheads, and abundance of toiletry articles. They were both naked aside from the towels they had wrapped around their bodies, but the steam rising from the hottest bath in the hall ensured they were still comfortably warm.

Though even if that steam had not been present, Shirou would still have been plenty warm from the sight of Sakura sitting naked in front of him, covered only by a towel that was a size too small to properly cover all the important bits. It left both a massive amount of cleavage exposed, to the point where he could see the upper halves of her areolae, and teasingly hinted at the tip of her womanhood every time she shifted the tiniest bit on the bench.

It wasn't the first time he'd seen Sakura half-naked or even fully naked, but by the golden spires of Asgard, she somehow managed to make herself maddeningly enticing every time again, without fail.

So yes, he sat perfectly still, even as the plum-haired girl clumsily made passes over his skin with the razor blade, every time only being a hair away from cutting into his flesh. He had his healing factor after all, and pain was temporary and insignificant anyway.

This sight was more than worth some minor blood loss.

In the end though, it turned out that he'd been too negative. By some miracle, Sakura managed to finish her self-appointed task without cutting or nicking him a single time.

He could scarcely believe it, yet when she made a last pass over the right side of his throat and then retracted the razor entirely, he was forced to acknowledge she'd done a good job.

Sakura then carefully wiped the remaining shaving cream off his face and throat with a wet cloth, her gentle fingers not missing a single spot, before she leaned in and pressed a loving kiss to his lips.

Then, she rubbed her left cheek against his, nuzzling him gently, before repeating the process on the other side. While she was doing so, her rather sizable breasts also pressed into him, and Shirou was now really starting to get uncomfortably hot.

"Hm, perfectly smooth." Sakura hummed, her voice throaty and satisfied, before her pink tongue darted out from between her purple-red lips to lick his jawline, after which she made another satisfied noise. "Seems like I did a good job."

"Yes." Shirou agreed breathlessly, inadvertently letting out a sigh.

"…Was that relief?" Sakura pulled back a little at his sigh, giving him a suspicious look. "Senpai, are you relieved about something?"

"…No?" He tried.

Something in his expression must have revealed his guilty conscience however, as Sakura pouted angrily at him, stomping her foot in frustration.

"Senpai! I told you I do it without cutting you! Why didn't you believe me?!"

"Ah, no, I-"

"Stupid Senpai!"

Sakura rose from her bench, her fists balled and her face set in a fierce pout, before she resolutely turned around and marched towards the warm bath, not giving him another glance.

He made to call out to her, to apologise, but then she suddenly removed her towel, exposing her beautiful back and flawless bottom, thereby striking him silent until she had lowered herself into the bath, to the point where only the top of her head was still visible above the surface.

"Ah." Shirou let out another sigh at that point. It seemed he'd hurt her feelings and made her angry.

He better make it up to her then.

He looked around for a bit, and then he picked up a comb. It was apparently made of sterling silver and rose gold, fitting in with the rest of the ludicrously expensive items lying around, but Shirou didn't care about that right now. It just seemed to be the right size for his hand.

He then walked over to Sakura, who was still immersed in the warm bath, grumpily blowing bubbles in the water and refusing to acknowledge him even when he sat down on his knees behind her.

Even when angry, she was adorable, and Shirou struggled not to coo out loud as he placed his free hand on top of her head, before arching his fingers into her hair, scratching the skin beneath with the very tips of his nails.

Like her sister, Sakura absolutely couldn't resist being pampered, so in order to cool her temper, he'd have to spoil her a bit.

Slowly and carefully, Shirou weaved his fingers into her hair, before slowly moving his hands in circles, making sure to ever so slightly scratch his nails over her scalp.

Then, he began the combing in earnest. He checked for tangles and knots with his fingers, the digits ghosting over her skin, before gently pulling them loose, while he used the comb to make smooth passes over her scalp.

For now, he could only reach the top of her head, as the rest was hidden under water, but he did his best nonetheless.

As expected, Sakura very much liked having someone play with her hair, and the angry bubbles soon stopped emerging as his pampering cooled her temper.

Shirou pretended not to notice anything though, knowing that making a comment now would only set her off again. He just continued to comb her hair and massage her scalp, gently and wordlessly.

Beckoned by the promise of more pleasure, Sakura then slowly started to emerge from the water. First, her head rose above the surface, and when he adjusted the range of his ministrations accordingly, it was followed by her slender neck and her pale shoulders.

Shirou didn't need to be told twice, and he extended his gentle pampering to include massaging her neck and shoulders. He kneaded her supple skin, and whenever that would tussle her hair, he switched back to using the comb, straightening the purple silk.

A quick spell then summoned a tray full of shampoos and soaps from the corner, and he selected an odourless shampoo which he knew to be Sakura's current favourite. He opened the bottle and poured a generous amount onto his hand, before he rubbed his hands together to activate it.

He then placed his hands on the sides of Sakura's head, just above the ears, and started working the shampoo into her scalp with gentle, circular motions. He began with the sides, before he brought his hands together at the nape of her neck, and then moved to the crown of her head.

He used more force than during the combing, really weaving his hands into her hair, and Sakura let out a small groan of enjoyment, which became louder when he outright began massaging her scalp with his fingertips.

He then worked the shampoo downwards carefully, making sure not to damage the strands by pulling or rubbing too hard, and when it was all covered in soapy suds, he combed her hair with his fingers from her scalp to her upper back, just for fun.

Then, to remove the suds, he Projected a bowl, which he filled with water to pour over Sakura's head several times, while using the other hand to tussle her hair, ensuring that all shampoo was gone.

He then combed her hair one last time, and with that, he was finished.

"Thank you, Senpai." Sakura's mood seemed to have increased leaps and bounds, and she turned her head slightly to smile at him, before a frown formed between her eyebrows. "Sorry about getting angry."

"There is no need to apologise." Shirou shook his head. "It was my fault. I should have trusted you to know what you were doing, rather than doubting you."

"Hm." Sakura made a small noise, before she brought the tips of her fingers together, looking away shyly. "Was it really so scary to have me shave you?"

"…Maybe a bit." Shirou admitted after a moment, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head. "Your hand did not seem very steady."

"It was surprisingly difficult. It's much easier when I do it to myself." Sakura muttered dejectedly, before her expression became determined. "I'm sure I'll get better if I practise."

"Of course." Shirou nodded with a smile, resigning himself to being a training dummy for the foreseeable future. For Sakura, he'd happily endure it.

For a minute or so, he and Sakura sat in companionable silence, as he traced his fingers over her neck and shoulders, before he spoke up again.

"Now, is there anything else you want to do now that we're in the bathroom? I could use the distraction."

"Distraction? Ah, right, she still hasn't called back, has she?" Sakura asked as she opened her eyes again, correctly realising what he needed to be distracted from.

"No, she hasn't."

It had been over sixteen hours now since their call with lady Barthomeloi, sixteen hours of no further contact, and Shirou was honestly starting to get worried at this point.

Rationally, he knew that being worried was wholly unnecessary. Lady Barthomeloi was immensely powerful and tough as nails, so the idea that she could have lost the battle was ludicrous. Unless the Wolpertinger had suddenly and spontaneously developed Divine properties, he was pretty sure that her victory was a given.

But why then did it take so long for her to contact him again?

He'd been fretting about it, a lot, and at the fourteen-hour mark, his fretting had become so bad that Sakura had dragged him into the bathroom, if only to distract him.

It had worked, for a while, but now the worry was returning, and Sakura knew that she had to go a step further in her distractions.

"You shouldn't fret, Senpai. It doesn't help anyone." She told him, before she shifted her gaze to the tray of shampoos and soaps. "Instead, you should help me apply… this."

She picked a bottle of odourless body lotion from the selection, studied the label for a moment, and then handed it to him.

"…Alright." Shirou nodded, now very effectively distracted, feeling his cheeks heat up at the prospect of helping her apply the lotion. "Where do you want me to apply it? On your shoulders, or…?"

"Everywhere." She replied, her voice almost purring.

"…Everywhere?" Shirou swallowed through his suddenly dry throat, acutely aware once more of the fact she was completely naked right now.

"Everywhere." She confirmed, before she turned around at last.

Everything Shirou wanted to say in response was lost as he found himself unable to do anything but admire her full, perky breasts, sufficiently big that he needed both hands to cover just one of them and topped with lovely pink nipples.

Sakura only gave him a few seconds to look though, before she placed her hands on the side of the pool and began lifting herself up.

Her midriff was the first to appear, followed closely behind by her smooth belly, which he knew from experience to be highly ticklish.

Her hips appeared next, beautiful and wide, fitting perfectly with her flawless bottom.

And then, in a fraction of a second that seemed to be stretched into an eternity, he saw how her hips came together into a gentle V-shape, which extended in a gentle slope of beautiful pale skin, that ended in-

'RING-RING'

A sudden pinging noise made both teens freeze, and Shirou almost face-vaulted at the realisation that it was the folding mirror that served as his means of contacting lady Barthomeloi, which he kept at the ready near him, even in the bath.

What kind of timing was this?!

"Moo." Disappointed, Sakura let herself slip back into the water, pouting moodily again, but she did gesture at him to pick up.

So he did, promptly, remembering once more why he had been expecting and worrying about this call.

"Fujimaru." Lady Barthomeloi greeted him when her face appeared in the mirror, and Shirou was relieved to see she seemed perfectly well, without a single scratch on her. "I apologise for the delay-"

"I am glad you are alright, my lady." He interrupted her, not hiding his relief at all. "When you didn't contact us for so long, I feared the worst."

"…You were concerned about me." She surmised after a moment of surprised silence, her expression turning a tad confused, though also pleased. "There is no need for that. I subjugated and imprisoned the creatures many hours ago, but I was unable to contact you because of the presence of Church-affiliated forces."

"Is that what happened?" Shirou immediately understood why that would be a hindrance, as the Church would never stand for letting Phantasmal Creatures live. "I understand. You managed to shake them off though?"

"I did." The brunette nodded, before the background began moving, as if she was walking somewhere else. "Currently, I am returning to the Clocktower. My hunt has been concluded, and I need to arrange proper accommodation for the Wolpertingers in my department."

"Wait. Wolpertingers? Was that a plural?"

"It was." She confirmed, before turning the mirror around to show him what lay before her.

Seeing the boar-sized, rabbit-like Phantasmal Beast in a cage was not unexpected, as lady Barthomeloi had already told him she'd captured the creature.

The three babies with it in the cage however, which were currently lying on their sides, fast asleep, were in fact a total surprise.

By reflex, Shirou held the mirror down so Sakura could look into it too, and she promptly released a squeal of excitement.

"Babies!" She beamed, instantly forgiving lady Barthomeloi for the interruption. "Senpai, there are baby rabbits there!"

"Correct." Lady Barthomeloi said from her end, and she must have turned her mirror back around again, for her next phrase sounded a lot flatter in tone. "Miss Sakura, why are you naked?"

"Ah, sorry." Shirou apologised, turning the mirror back to him. "We are in the baths."

"In the baths?" Lady Barthomeloi repeated, before she inclined her head in understanding. "I interrupted you then."

"Maybe a little." Shirou confirmed, unable to entirely wave away the fact that she had cut him off at the very worst point imaginable, just when Sakura was about to come into view entirely. "But I was expecting your call, so it's not too bad."

"I'll forgive you if you give us the rabbits!" Sakura called out, her eyes shining at the prospect of obtaining the Wolpertingers.

"That was always my intention." Lady Barthomeloi replied. "Though I and my finest researchers will have to study them first. If Phantasmal Species are indeed returning to the world, it is of paramount importance that we understand their inner workings. Even if no two Phantasmal Beasts are the same, studying the Wolpertingers could still provide critical insights that can save many lives."

"Well, it's hard to argue with that." Shirou began, before clearing his throat when Sakura glared at him. "But I must insist that you tell me what 'study' means in this context."

"Nothing intrusive, you have my word on that." The brunette responded, her tone serious and sincere. "Doctor Kix, my main medical researcher, is of sufficient skill to have outgrown the need for any sort of vivisection. The Wolpertingers will not be harmed, and when you come to the Clocktower this winter, you will find them in perfect condition."

"Normally, I would not trust the word of a Magus when it comes to matters like this." Shirou frowned slightly, before he smiled, placing his hand on his heart. "But I know you are as trustworthy as they come, lady Barthomeloi. Very well, I will believe you."

His words got him another confused look from lady Barthomeloi, and she opened her mouth slightly, before she closed it again.

"…Your words please me to hear." She said eventually, in a tone that was so much softer than her usual that Shirou almost blushed.

It remained silent for a while after that, but lady Barthomeloi recovered quickly, and she returned her focus to the matter at hand.

"When you return to the Clocktower, we will also discuss the return of Phantasmal Species in detail." She ordered him. "We are among the few in the world who are capable of fighting these creatures, and among the fewer who are willing to. It is imperative that we coordinate our efforts."

"Of course." Shirou nodded, speaking much easier now that they had returned to a business-topic. "I will be there."

"I look forward to it." Lady Barthomeloi said, before glancing past him, at the tiled floors of the bathhouse. "I will keep you from your business no longer. Until we meet again."

"Ah, yes, goodbye." He responded, before smiling at her again. "Congratulations on your first victory against a Phantasmal Beast, lady Barthomeloi."

"…Lorelei."

"Pardon me?"

"If you are going to congratulate me, you may call me Lorelei." She explained, giving him an expectant look.

What?

Shirou was baffled by her order, and he almost, nearly thought it to be a joke despite the fact she never made jokes, but lady Barthomeloi looked so serious he instantly realised that refusing was not an option.

"C-Congratulations on your first victory against a Phantasmal Beast, L-Lorelei."

His poor, Japanese heart was beating a mile a minute at the immense familiarity he was displaying, but the brunette nodded in satisfaction, an actual sparkle appearing in her eyes.

…Hold on, had she always been this attractive?

"I look forward to seeing you again." She said warmly, before she disconnected, leaving him to stare at his own reflection, his cheeks flushed and his mouth open.

It took him some effort to compose himself again, and then he looked at Sakura…

Who was looking back at him with an empty gaze.

"S-Sakura?"

"Senpai is a horrible man." She spoke in a dead tone, and her words were like a hammer to the gut.

"W-Why?!"

"Seducing poor older ladies like that, what a terrible thing." She sighed, before waving him off. "Please leave, Senpai. I want to dry myself off. Alone."

"W-What did I do?" Shirou asked, unable to understand why she was giving him the cold shoulder like that.

"Hmpf." Sakura resolutely turned away from him, refusing to give him another second of her time. "Senpai is such a villain."

"What?! N-No! I'm innocent!"

What on Earth was going on?!

---

At the same time that Shirou was desperately trying to get Sakura to talk to him again, the team of undercover Burial Agency-Executors in the Clocktower, the ones investigating the Magus Association's links to the Dead Apostle Ancestors, were trying just as desperately to get a grip on the Clocktower's maddening bureaucracy, with varying levels of success.

Holed up inside the office given to them by Lord El-Melloi, they tirelessly laboured to discover discrepancies in the records that they had obtained. Discrepancies such as an excess of money or resources, a sudden disappearance of personnel, or even a direct mention of a paymaster.

The Ancestors were extremely capricious and unpredictable masters to have, and to answer to them meant dealing with difficult and sometimes even outright unreasonable requests. They were vampires in more ways than one, and tended to suck their accomplices dry of everything they had, including their energy, their motivation, and their very will to live.

As such, those accomplices were often unable or unwilling to properly hide their illegal transactions and cover their tracks, which made following the money a very effective way of tracking them down. The method had proven its worth several times within the Burial Agency, and the undercover Executors had hoped it would be the same within the Magus Association.

Only to learn very quickly that a loosely connected conglomerate that was held together by nothing more than greed, intimidation, and duct tape didn't keep its books in order anywhere near as good as an oiled and well-functioning organisation like the Burial Agency.

The long and the short of it was that the paperwork of the Clocktower was an utter mess. Its bureaucracy had grown completely out of control, and trying to make sense of it was a titanic effort that did not guarantee any worthwhile returns.

But even so, they tried their hardest.

"Alright, done!" Jonah cheered as he threw a file over his shoulder, a huge smile on his face. "That concludes my audit of the research group 'Animal Fertility' of the Department of Zoology. As far as I can see in the papers, nothing suspicious is taking place there, like bribes or gifts or resources they shouldn't have, and certainly nothing related to the Bloodsucker Ancestors."

The young man clearly expected to be praised, but if that was his aim, he'd chosen the wrong crowd today.

"Animal Fertility is the smallest research group of that Department." Kayla noted, cocking her head to the side as she gave him a bemused look. "It took you two weeks to audit it?"

"Don't ruin the moment, Kayla." Jonah replied, half admonishing, half pleading.

"Just auditing the group itself is not enough though." Lily added, lifting an eyebrow. "You also need to gather witness statements, you need to make personality sketches, and do a full audit of everyone they work and trade with, to ensure they aren't doctoring their own books."

"W-Well…"

"And if you do find clues that something is amiss, you still need to gather evidence to actually prove they have done misdeeds." That was Kayla again. "Which involves actual legwork."

"B-But-"

"And might I remind you that we agreed that you would audit the Department of Zoology in its entirety as well as the Department of Lore?" Lily's tone had become sterner at this point. "Are you planning to take years before you finish?"

"Ugh." Jonah's head landed on his desk with an audible thud, his body-language speaking of total defeat.

Upon seeing this, Sidonus, the oldest member of the group, shook his head with a sigh.

Doing paperwork certainly wasn't the young man's forte, that was apparent, but Sidonus couldn't offer him a helping hand, not when he had his own departments to check and audit.

Sidonus had been an agent of the Burial Agency for almost all his life. How long that was exactly was a secret, but he could say with confidence that he had served His Excellency the Pope for more decades than could be counted on the fingers of two hands.

In that time, he'd been an Executor, an Exorcist, a blade-master, a spy within several Asian Magus Conglomerates, and he'd even had a brief stint as an honorary Cardinal as a reward for exemplary services, though that hadn't lasted long.

The point was, Sidonus had lived a very long and active life, always doing something, and that meant he was no stranger to either a fast life of fighting every other day, or to a slow life filled with weeks of hard, tedious work.

Especially the latter had been difficult for him to get used to, as he was by nature not a calm, patient individual, but he had learned quickly. He'd done multiple deep cover missions in the past after all, so if he hadn't learned the value of patience early on in his life, he'd have died long ago.

Yes, he had learned the value of patience, and right now, he was very grateful for that experience, because the Clocktower's administration had proven itself to be a fearsome opponent even to someone of his level.

It had been very generous of Lord El-Melloi to procure all these files and forms for them to check for any suspicious activity that might hint at the hands of extremely powerful and wealthy figures that seemed intent on undermining order, but there were so many they were practically drowning in them now.

And that wasn't even mentioning their quality.

The only departments that had records that were worth the paper they were written on were the Department of Policies and the Department of Modern Magical Theories, but considering that the former department was run by the Barthomeloi and the latter by Lord El-Melloi himself, none of them expected to find any treachery there.

The forms and documents of the other departments… The less said about them, the better.

Frankly, Sidonus expected a lot more results from their other line of inquiry.

Right now, Mira, the only one of their group not present in the room, was going around the Clocktower, searching for physical traces of Dead Apostles or anything related to them.

Every Executor and Exorcist was thoroughly trained at being able to recognise the inhuman. Whether it were Dead Apostles, Wraiths, Ghouls, or anything else, they were able to sniff them out quite handily from the traces that their presence would inevitably leave behind. These traces could stick to areas, to objects, and even to people.

Mira was particularly skilled at finding these traces, which was why, of the five of them, she had been chosen to wander around the Clocktower, clandestinely looking for clues.

But that avenue too had yielded little result so far.

It had been three weeks already since they had started, with both the paperwork and the fieldwork. In all that time, the returns had been small, nowhere near enough to seriously accuse anyone of colluding with the Ancestors, but at the same time, not small enough either to confidently state that no collusion was taking place at all.

Sidonus wished they could have said that the Magus Association was on the straight and narrow, as much as Magi could be at least, but there were just enough discrepancies and odd entries in the books to hint at the fact that the Ancestors, or some other nefarious group, could very well be influencing matters in the Clocktower, and that meant they couldn't give up yet.

It wasn't much, but it was worth checking out. Even Lord El-Melloi himself, who frequently visited them for an update, thought so.

"This really is tedious though." Lily inadvertently complained a few minutes later, before she blushed slightly. "Ah, did I say that out loud?"

"You did." Kayla nodded. "But I don't disagree. The returns are quite low when compared to the work we have to put in."

"I just hope that Mira is having more success than us." Jonah sighed wistfully, having recovered from his earlier bout of depression, before looking at the clock. "By the way, shouldn't she have been back by now?"

"She is a bit late, yes." Sidonus confirmed, having already noticed that, before he shrugged his shoulders. "Though not so much we need to worry just yet."

"It's a bit odd though, she is normally so punctual." Lily mused, before smiling when the door opened. "Speak of the devil. Welcome back, Mira-"

Lily stopped in the middle of her sentence.

Then she, as well as the other three Executors, got up from their chairs, all happiness and cheer disappearing as the air of caution took its place.

For Mira had not returned alone.

With her was an old woman, a woman none of them recognised.

"Good afternoon, everyone." Mira greeted them, before gesturing at the elderly lady behind her, who was smiling innocently even in the face of four people who seemed ready to bash her head in. "I met this lady during my tour. She was quite insistent on accompanying me to our room, as she has something to tell us."

Mira spoke a total of three sentences, and in those sentences, no less than five key words and -phrases had been hidden, together indicating that she was not being actively threatened or coerced by the elderly lady, but that they shouldn't trust her either, as she was by no means an ally.

In short, it wasn't a full-blown emergency, but it certainly wasn't the all-clear either.

"Thank you, my dear." The elderly woman said, entering the room fully and closing the door behind her, showing a brazenness that Sidonus normally only saw in veterans. "I will keep this short, for I imagine we are all short on time here. You can call me Miss Marple for now, and I want the five of you to join my operation to hunt down traitors within the Magus Association instead of floundering around on your own."

Sidonus kept his poker face on, not giving anything away, but Kayla sucked in a breath while Lily audibly gulped.

"What do you mean?" Jonah asked, doing a good job of sounding genuinely confused. It was a brave effort to turn the tide, but ultimately, it proved futile.

"Your efforts to track down the Magi who are in league with the Dead Apostle Ancestors have been quite impressive so far." Miss Marple smirked, revealing that she was perfectly aware of what they were doing in the Clocktower. "I wish that everyone in my employ worked as hard as you did. However, I know that you haven't been making much progress, and I am offering you the chance to join my investigation and work as part of a larger force. Many hands make light work and all that."

"You want us, to join you, in your investigation that is exactly the same as ours?" Sidonus asked, just to clarify.

He'd thought about continuing to deny that they had anything to do with traitors or Ancestors, but at this point, that would just be a waste of time.

She already knew about their purpose, and while it wasn't yet confirmed she knew their true allegiance, Sidonus wasn't willing to bet a single dime on her being ignorant either.

"I do." Miss Marple confirmed. "I admit that you being agents of the Burial Agency makes this matter a bit more complicated, but in the end, I cannot be too picky about my allies, not when I have so few."

So she did indeed know they were Executors.

Caught red-handed in enemy-territory, Sidonus considered making a break for it, to overpower this elderly woman and run, but even if she didn't have contingencies in place for something like that, which she probably did, that would still leave them stranded in the middle of the Clocktower, with no allies, resources, or plans.

His mind raced, frantically searching for a way out, and to gain himself some time, he played along for now, stealthily gesturing at his young companions to let him do all the talking.

"But how would you benefit from including us into your force? How would we benefit from accepting your offer?"

"To answer your last question first, you would benefit from not having to do all this paperwork anymore." Miss Marple grinned, giving a pointed look to all the forms on Sidonus' desk. "I have quite some influence over the Clocktower's bureaucracy, and I can check far quicker than you whether any of the books have been doctored. In other words, if you accept my offer, you can focus entirely on practical investigation and leave the files to me."

"..." Jonah twitched slightly at the notion of no longer having to do paperwork, but he obeyed Sidonus' instructions and remained quiet.

"You didn't tell us how you benefit." Sidonus reminded the elderly lady.

"I get five new skilled agents whose hatred for our enemies is without question, and whose loyalty, at least to the Church, is beyond doubt." Miss Marple replied, her expression turning serious. "I cannot overstate the importance of such things, not when the Ancestors have their claws so deeply in my institution."

"Hm." Sidonus made a contemplative noise, as he found himself seriously considering the offer now.

The woman's arguments were, at first glance, quite sound, and the principle of 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend' was what laid at the very foundation of every collaboration and alliance between the Clocktower and the Burial Agency ever. If it was to fight the Ancestors, Magi and Executors could easily and gladly work together. They had proven that numerous times in the past.

If he could take the woman's words at face value, Sidonus wouldn't have been opposed to accepting her offer.

Unfortunately, Magi lied; they lied often and they lied well. This woman might mean every word she said, or she was just spinning a tale she knew they wanted to hear, in order to lure them into some sort of trap.

Hence, he remained uncertain.

"If you have doubts as to my honesty in this matter, I can have Lord El-Melloi confirm everything I have said." Miss Marple offered when she saw him hesitate. "I believe you consider him trustworthy, do you not? He'll definitely vouch for me."

It was another surprise on top of all the others, but even with that assurance, that Lord El-Melloi would vouch for her, the Executors just couldn't accept an offer like that out of the blue.

This called for a private discussion.

"…Please give us a moment of privacy." Lily spoke up after a moment, voicing what they were all thinking. "We need to discuss this between ourselves."

"Of course." The elderly lady nodded, before turning around and leaving the room, though not without a last comment. "I'll wait outside. Call me when you have made a decision."

The door then closed behind her, and after a heartbeat of silence, the group of Executors-turned-spies quickly huddled together.

"Seems like we weren't as clandestine as we'd hoped." Jonah spoke up first, a terse smile on his face. "I can't say it's a complete surprise that we were found out, but honestly, I thought we'd be killed immediately, not offered a deal of mutual benefit."

"Can't we just shut the old lady up?" Kayla ventured, not feeling at all bad about attacking old people if they were Magi.

"She likely has many contingencies in case we do something like that." Sidonus shook his head. "It would be better if we decided how to react to her proposal."

"If she's genuine in her offer and she meant what she said about wanting to weed out traitors, joining her would be our best option right now." Lily said bluntly. "We aren't really getting anywhere with our own investigations, so getting access to the information network of someone who is clearly much more connected and much better informed than us would be an outright blessing."

"I agree." Sidonus nodded, as Lily pretty much echoed his own thoughts. "But that is only if she's actually genuine. She might very well be lying to us, to lure us into a trap."

"What kind of trap?" Jonah asked.

"I do not know." Sidonus admitted. "As far as I can see, there's nothing she stands to gain from stringing us along that she couldn't get by force at this point. We are, after all, at her mercy now."

"Which implies she is honest in her proposal, does it not?" Lily pointed out.

"What if she can really get Lord El-Melloi to vouch for her?" Mira was clearly on Lily's side, looking as if she was also seriously considering accepting the elderly lady's offer. "Would that help?"

"A little, though we still cannot be certain." Sidonus grumbled. "We cannot discount the possibility that it was Lord El-Melloi who told Marple about our presence here in the first place. He might have plans of his own."

"I'm sorry, but if we cannot be certain about Lord El-Melloi's motives, we never should have come here at all." Lily reminded him sharply, frowning in disapproval. "Might I remind you that we are only here because he arranged literally everything we needed? It's a bit late to have doubts about his trustworthiness now."

"You are right of course." Sidonus inclined his head, accepting her rebuke. "It was not my intention to sow even more confusion. I apologise."

"So Lord El-Melloi's vote of confidence is enough?" Mira pressed, once more making it rather clear which side she was on. "We are going to accept her offer?"

"…" Sidonus didn't immediately reply, and instead looked around at his team members. When he received nothing but nods, some eager and some reluctant, he let out a sigh of resignation. "I fear we'll have to accept, for our own sakes as well as for the mission."

That closed the discussion, and they called miss Marple back into the room to tell her the good(?) news.

"I'm so happy to hear that." She smiled in jubilation after they finished. "Honestly, when I first noticed you, several weeks ago, I considered throwing you out by your ears. Now I am very glad I exercised some self-control before I did that."

"So am I." Jonah muttered softly, rubbing his right ear, making Mira roll her eyes.

"But if you already knew we were here weeks ago, why did you wait until now to approach us?" Sidonus asked, before sighing yet again when he realised the answer to his own question. "Because you wanted us to be desperate enough to accept your offer."

"Quite so." Miss Marple nodded, smiling innocently. "I couldn't take the risk that you would reject me, so I waited until you realised that you weren't getting very far on your own. I judged that you would be likelier to hear me out if you had very few other options aside from me."

"You are a crafty old lady, aren't you?" Kayla asked brusquely, eliciting another smile from the lady. "Manipulative too, and underhanded."

"Oh, you're making me blush." Miss Marple giggled, and from what Sidonus could see, she was genuinely taking Kayla's remarks as compliments.

Magi sure were a weird lot.

"Can I ask a question?" Jonah raised his hand as if he were in class.

"Of course, dear."

"Is Lord El-Melloi working with you?" He asked suspiciously. "Did he tell you of our presence here?"

"No, he didn't tell me. He probably suspected that I knew, rightly so, but he hasn't breathed as much as a single word about your work to me." Miss Marple shook her head. "I don't need that young man to tell me what is going on to stay on top of everything that happens here. You'll find that I am more than capable of discovering secrets on my own."

"Right." Jonah nodded. "Of course."

"Now, before we continue in earnest, I'll go and get Lord El-Melloi so he can vouch for my good intentions. I don't think you'll trust anything I say before then." Miss Marple smirked slightly, before a shadow passed over her face, and she slumped in exhaustion. "Yet more work to do. It seems as if it never ends."

"You must be very busy." Lily nodded, a sympathetic look on her face.

"Oh, dearie, you won't believe how much work I have to do." Miss Marple groused, apparently taking the remark as an invitation to complain. "It was already a lot, between diplomatic talks, paperwork, running the department, and making sure that at some kind of justice is done, but now I also have to track down deep cover agents of the Dead Apostle Ancestors themselves, and help take care of four rabbits on top of that."

"Taking care of rabbits doesn't sound so bad." Lily ventured, trying to set the elderly lady at ease a bit. "It might even be relaxing."

"They are… rather special rabbits." Miss Marple mumbled, the look in her eyes becoming a bit haunted. "Which reminds me I am also in the middle of preparing a public statement that will rock the Moonlit World and the Church on its foundations."

"Oh?"

"You'll hear about it soon enough." Miss Marple sighed. "Now, I am off to fetch Lord El-Melloi. After he has confirmed my story, we can get to work. I already have numerous leads, and far too few people to track them all. If you could take one or two off my hands, I'd appreciate it."

"Which one is the most promising?" Kayla asked immediately, getting a curious look in return. "Don't get me wrong, I will not trust you until Lord El-Melloi vouches for you, but even so, I would like to know."

"…Gladstone Phamrsolone." Miss Marple answered after a few moments. "He is currently the most promising lead, though he is simultaneously the hardest, as he is the chairman of the Neutral Faction. You can investigate him, if you want, but make sure not to ruffle any feathers just yet. We cannot use another large-scale conflict so soon after the Purge."

"Sounds exciting." Lily grinned, the idea of bringing down some high-level Magus being quite appealing to her. "Leave it to us, miss Marple."

"Gladly then. It's some work off my plate at least."

With those words, the elderly lady left the office again, and the Executors returned to their duties. This time though, they did not bother with general audits, and instead devoted all their attention towards the Phamrsolone-family.

And in his office, Gladstone Phamrsolene felt cold shivers run down his spine, prompting him to put on a sweater.

Summer was nearing its end after all, and it could get a bit chilly outside.

---

Inside the dojo of his house, which had recently been transformed into a sporter's paradise, Shirou stood on the recently added archery range, trying to clear his mind, so he could engage in a round of kyudo, Japanese archery.

Not to use in battle though. Frankly, kyudo was far from the most efficient style of archery, and utterly unsuitable for battle of any kind. In fact, it could almost be considered a form of meditational yoga rather than a style of long-range fighting. Its entire foundation rested on the idea that you could stand upright in the open on a completely flat surface, take a calming breath, aim carefully, shoot the arrow, and then maintain your position until the arrow had struck something, all without being chopped in half by your target or your target's friends.

That only worked in some of Illya's anime, not in the real world. His days as a vigilante had made that perfectly clear.

Despite Shirou's low opinion of kyudo's usefulness however, he was still going to practise it now. It was after all the only form of archery that was taught at Homurahara, and he really needed to learn how to limit his strength and skill to not arouse suspicion during training. He could hardly go in there with Olympic class talent after all, not if he wanted to keep a low profile.

Most importantly, he needed to practise his grip strength.

During his time as Rakurai, he had used a special, Reinforced bow that had been able to withstand his strength without breaking. This was very much necessary, as Shirou could currently shatter normal bows merely by drawing them. In the archery-club though, they were not allowed to use their own bows. Only the school's equipment was allowed, to keep things fair.

In other words, Shirou better find out quickly what the limit of those standard bows was, before he accidentally snapped one in half during practise in front of all the other members of the club.

That would be hard to explain, to say the least.

Hence his decision to spend some time on his new archery range, practising kyudo, before school would begin, to ensure nothing like that would happen.

The range was about a hundred meters long and thirty metres wide, with a hard wooden floor and hard wooden walls to both sides of and behind the targets, to ensure that any inaccurate arrows would not end up in another section of the dojo, where they might hit someone.

The range consisted of twelve different 'lanes', split into four groups of three, with the first group having the targets at a distance of twenty metres, the second group at fifty metres, the third at seventy-five, and the last at a full hundred meters.

Considering a normal indoors archery range was only twenty metres long, while even an Olympic range was only seventy meters, the last section could be considered a bit much, but since it was a range meant for demigods, it was perhaps only fitting.

Shirou picked up one of the standard bows that had been prepared next to the range and grabbed a quiver of arrows, before walking to the range's first lane, where the target had been put at twenty meters.

Hitting the bull's eye at twenty meters was a breeze for Shirou, who during his time as Rakurai had been able to snipe moving targets at more than a hundred with his bow. It didn't even qualify as a warm-up really.

Shirou took a deep breath, before he raised the bow and drew an arrow out of the quiver. He nocked the arrow on the bow and focused on the target, not yet drawing the string back. Only when he had perfectly visualised the path between himself and the bull's eye did he draw the bow, carefully pulling the string backwards, using Structural Analysis to ensure he wasn't damaging the weapon, before he let the arrow fly.

It flawlessly struck the bull's eye, penetrating deeply, and if the target had been an enemy knight's eye instead of a wooden board, the arrow would have killed them on the spot.

Satisfied with the result, Shirou moved on to the fourth lane, with the target at fifty metres, where he again struck the bull's eye with ease. He achieved the same result at the seventh lane, with the target at seventy-five meters, but it was in the tenth lane that it happened.

With the target a hundred meters away, far further than the standard bows should be able to reach, Shirou drew the arrow too far back, and the wood of the bow started fracturing. The weapon didn't snap, but it did warp and bend, ruining its firing power.

Upon feeling the damage, Shirou immediately moved the string back to its starting position, not about to fire an arrow with a broken bow, and he made a mental note of the precise point of pressure at which the bow had started to give in. That point, or actually a bit below it, would be his limit during practice at school.

The redhead then used Alteration to repair the bow, putting it back into its original shape, before he moved back to the seventy-metre lanes and started practicing some more.

Only when he was completely satisfied with his shooting, when it was sufficiently slow and inaccurate to be appropriate for a teenager with above average skill, did he stop.

After that, he retrieved the arrows he'd shot, repaired the targets, and put both the quiver and the repaired bow back at their designated spots.

Then Shirou made his way over to the girls, who were also in the dojo at the moment, practising self-defence.

Well, Sakura, Ayako, and Rin were. Illya and her maids had elected not to join, and while Caren had for a moment considered participating in the training, she'd ultimately decided she'd rather stay with Illya and watch anime with her. Physical labour was just not her thing, apparently.

That was fine. Shirou wasn't going to force anyone to train if they didn't want to. It was strictly voluntary, at least for now.

As his dojo had become huge as a result of his 'renovations', Shirou needed to cover quite a bit of distance to get to his girls, and he passed a lot of different areas on the way.

He walked past the tennis court, the baseball field, the running track, and the Olympic pool, and then crossed the football field and the fencing area. Only then did he arrive at his destination, the wrestling section of the dojo.

The section's floor had been covered entirely by tatami mats and other forms of cushions, except for the wrestling ring, which was located right in the middle of the section. It was quite a large area, and since wrestling was a straightforward sport that didn't require much in the way of equipment, it was also empty.

Hence, he could see the girls perfectly well as they practised together, a small distance away from the arena.

Currently, Sakura and Rin were sparring while Ayako watched from the side, giving pointers and warnings to both competitors, though mainly to Sakura, as the plum-haired girl clearly needed them far more than her sister.

Since Rin had been trained in fighting for years by Kotomine and Sakura had never done more than the absolute minimum at gym-classes at school, the black-haired girl was utterly dominating the match, even though she was obviously going very easy on her little sister.

As Shirou watched, Rin swept Sakura's legs out from under her and took her in an arm-lock with the same amount of effort it would have cost her to flip over a small table. Rin's movements were purposefully slow and obvious, yet still enough to defeat the plum-haired girl.

Upon being released, Sakura tried to lunge for Rin, but was caught in a hip-throw and smacked back onto the ground harshly.

She then made a brave attempt at a leg-sweep, trying to bring Rin down too, but the black-haired girl simply trapped her leg between her own, before grabbing it and twisting it into a painful position, effectively ending the fight for the third time within ten seconds.

Sakura still didn't give up though, and threw herself at Rin again. This time, Rin met her head on, and the two began grappling, pushing and pulling each other in an attempt to bring the other down, their bodies pressed together.

The sight of two beautiful girls doing a spot of wrestling was more than a little sexy, and Shirou stilled for a moment to properly appreciate the spectacle, which was only enhanced by the outfits that they had chosen to wear.

Rin wore black elastic sports pants that were both very tight and very short, seemingly painted onto her bottom, coupled with a small sports top and elbow- and knee protectors, all black. The outfit left her limbs and her stomach almost entirely bare, while the covered parts jiggled ever so slightly with every movement she made.

Sakura was wearing a one-piece sports suit, purple coloured, which sort of covered her torso but left entire swaths of skin on her back and her flanks bare. Her limbs were also uncovered, and since her suit was every bit as tight as Rin's, her 'assets' bounced like there was no tomorrow every time she was thrown onto the mats.

Ayako was a bit more conservative than the sisters, wearing sports pants that came halfway down her thighs and a top that completely covered her upper torso and her upper arms. Still, while the outfit may not be quite as sexualised as Rin's and Sakura's, she was rocking it nonetheless, the definition of her biceps being visible even underneath the brown cloth. The exposed belly and bare legs were of course added treats.

Seeing the most beautiful girls in the city, in the world even, in such a state, while knowing that they didn't mind him looking, was a blessing, and Shirou muttered a quick prayer of thanks to whatever deity was listening for allowing him to witness this spectacle.

It was a memory that would stay with him until the very end.

"Got you!"

Shirou looked back at the sisters upon hearing Rin's exclamation, and he let out a soft whistle when he saw that Rin had managed to pin Sakura down. The purple-haired girl was lying face-down on the ground, while Rin had locked her arms behind her back. The black-haired girl was lying flush on top of her little sister, bare skin pressing against bare skin, while Sakura squirmed in an attempt to escape, causing both girls to wiggle slightly.

That Rin was currently holding her face right next to Sakura's, their cheeks almost touching, only made the picture even more erotic.

"And that's ten!" Ayako called, having apparently counted the seconds since Sakura had been pinned. "Rin wins!"

"Ah." Sakura let out a noise of disappointment, ceasing her struggle now that the fight was over. "I lost."

"Did you think you ever had a chance of winning?" Rin asked with a frown, letting go of Sakura's arms and pushing herself off from the ground. "Aren't you underestimating me a bit too much?"

"I never thought I would win." Sakura shook her head, also getting up, before dusting herself off. "I just thought I could give you a little more trouble than I did. I was no challenge at all, was I?"

"No." As was typical of her, Rin was entirely blunt in her assessment, making no attempt to spare Sakura's feelings. "If I'd wanted to, I would have floored you long before you could have completed your first attack. You were, quite simply, hopeless."

Sakura slumped in depression, looking quite miserable at the negative assessment, and Shirou stepped forward to console her, before stopping when Rin shot him a quick look, her expression making it clear she wanted to deal with her sister herself.

The black-haired girl gave him a grateful nod when he stopped, before she sighed deeply, moving her hand towards Sakura's shoulder, as if to soothe her…

…Before she lashed out at the plum-haired girl's bottom instead, slapping it harshly in reproach.

"Eep?!" Sakura squeaked in shock. "N-Nee-san?!"

"Serves you right for being such a fool." Rin sniffed, giving the plum-haired girl a cross look. "Adjust your expectations! Of course you can't fight worth a damn if you've never trained before! What else did you expect?! No one is an expert right from the beginning, that would be preposterous!"

"B-But-"

"No buts!" Rin's reproach was coupled with another smack to Sakura behind, making the girl let out another squeak. "I never expected you to put up much of a fight. Our little spar was meant to give us an idea of your capabilities so we can train you properly. That you would lose was inevitable and nothing to be ashamed of."

"B-But it means I'm not good at fighting- EEK!" Sakura tried to protest, but received another spank for her troubles, unable to avoid Rin's deft slaps.

"It means you're untrained." Rin corrected her sternly, before finally softening her tone. "But we'll fix that. Between Ayako, Shirou, and me, there is a lot we can teach you. We'll train you, and I have no doubt that you'll become a decent fighter in no time."

"At your level, Nee-san?" Sakura asked, perking up slightly.

"Not a chance. Just decent." Rin promptly shot her down.

"You're so harsh." Sakura wilted again, before hastily shielding her butt when Rin raised her hand again. "Eck! A-Alright, I get it! I'll train as hard as I can!"

"Good." Rin nodded in satisfaction, before smiling kindly at Sakura, as she hadn't just scolded her. "I liked sparring with you by the way. I hope we can do it more often."

"Eh? Uhm, sure, I guess?"

"Marvellous!"

"If you want to, I would be glad to spar with you as well." Shirou fell in, offering his own services.

"Oh, Senpai!" Sakura turned towards him with a happy smile, only now noticing him. "I would be happy to spar with you too!"

"Me too." Rin nodded, looking more eager than when she'd offered to spar with Sakura. "Though I'll Reinforce myself during the spar. That's non-negotiable."

"Of course. It wouldn't be very fair otherwise." Shirou easily accepted her condition, before giving the sisters a lopsided grin. "You can even ask Sakura for help. I'll gladly fight both of you at the same time, if you'd prefer."

Both Rin and Sakura stilled, before they gave him very similar empty looks.

"…Hey Sakura?"

"Yes, Nee-san?"

"Do you also get the idea that our boyfriend is getting a little full of himself?"

"Why, I do."

"Wanna do something about it?"

"Excellent idea."

They both turned towards him, crouching slightly in preparation for launching themselves at him, and Shirou, who had purposefully goaded them a bit, smiled in anticipation, before also readying himself for battle.

"Surprise!"

But then someone suddenly jumped onto his back, and an arm was wrapped around his neck while another went over his eyes, effectively blinding him.

"Wha-?"

"I've got you!" Ayako cheered right next to his ear, having just successfully ambushed him. "Get him, girls!"

The brunette had joined the battle, and her first move had been to efficiently hobble him right at the start. Sakura and Rin didn't let such an opportunity slip by, and they threw themselves at him, with Rin swiftly Reinforcing herself in the same motion.

Blinded and off-balance, Shirou was unprepared for the attack, and the girls were not shy about capitalising on his weakness.

Unfortunately for the girls though, Shirou was far from helpless.

Yes, Rin had been trained by Kirei and Ayako had studied several martial arts, but Shirou had been taught extensively by Kiritsugu, a legendary assassin, he had broad experience in actual battles from his time as Rakurai and at the Clocktower, and he had even received some training from Taiga.

All that was to say that the situation was far from hopeless for him, which he further demonstrated when within ten seconds, he had Sakura on the ground, pinned down by his knee, he was holding Rin's wrists together behind her back, holding them high up so she was forced to bend over uncomfortably, and he had Ayako in a gentle chokehold.

An effortless victory.

"Do you surrender?" He asked, unable to suppress a victorious grin.

"Yes." Sakura said immediately.

"No!" Rin fumed, searching for a way to escape.

"M-Maybe." Ayako managed to wheeze out, her cheeks getting strangely flushed as he kept cutting off most of her airflow.

Regardless of their answers though, Shirou released all three of them at the same time.

"Again!" Unsurprisingly, it was Rin who spoke up first after that, demanding a rematch.

"Fine by me." Shirou nodded, not one to reject a friendly fight.

The fight ended the same as the previous one however, with Rin in a submission hold, as did the third fight, the fourth, and the fifth.

"Argh!" Rin groaned when Shirou caught her in a bearhug, ending their sixth fight in a row, before she started angrily kicking her legs. "You stupid, handsome, annoying, strong idiot!"

"Now now, Rin. Remember what you told Sakura." Shirou laughed, letting her go again. "Expecting to win against someone with more training, experience, and ability is a sign of arrogance."

"Hmpf." Rin scoffed, but she didn't argue with him, recognising he was right. "Just you wait! I'll start training now too, and I'll have you in a hold before you know it."

"I'm looking forward to it." Shirou replied honestly, giving her a fond smile.

The sneer he received in return was a thing of beauty, honestly.

Man, he loved his tsundere girlfriend.

---

The sparring sessions between the girls and Shirou continued for a while, periodically interrupted by some proper muscle training, until they were all too tired, mentally and physically, to continue.

At that point, Sakura, Ayako, and Rin returned to the house to take a nice bath and then tend to their own matters, while Shirou went to his shed, alone, to work on a private project.

So ended their first day of training together.

Over the course of the day, they'd made some good progress together, mostly in the form of identifying each other's weak points. Sakura was still a total novice, that was painfully obvious to them all, but she was showing great potential that was just waiting to be unlocked. Ayako meanwhile had a very strong theoretical foundation, having trained for hours to master the proper motions of her various martial arts, but her lack of actual experience meant that she couldn't properly apply them in a serious battle. Rin on the other hand did have actual experience, mostly in the form of sparring with Kirei, who had no compunction about breaking bones if she made a mistake, but she was largely unaware of the proper theory, making her repertoire a bit limited.

They were rather glaring weak points, but there was no reason for concern. They were all flaws that could be fixed with hard work, and if there was anything that they all did well, it was hard work.

With mindsets like theirs, it was inevitable that they would improve themselves. Even Shirou was determined to get better, gratefully accepting the girls' help in finding his own weaknesses.

But the prospect of getting better at martials arts provided the redhead no solace as he stepped into his shed-turned-research-hall, heading straight for the corner where he practised his spells. In fact, it felt entirely useless.

For Gilgamesh, the King of Heroes and his current greatest enemy, was not an opponent who could be defeated by sheer muscle or fancy moves.

No measure of training with the girls was going to prepare Shirou for dealing with him. No style or form would avail him in such a fight.

A fight that was inevitably going to take place, for the King himself had promised to meet him on the battlefield when the Grail War began once more.

To deal with Gilgamesh, one would need either a massive amount of raw power, equal to that of a major god, or an immense number of special attacks, preferably equal to Noble Phantasms, as well as some very clever strategizing to trap him.

Both things that Shirou did not have.

Sure, he had lightning, his many Runes, several other tricks and gimmicks, and most importantly, Mjolnir, but aside from his faithful hammer, those were not going to be of much use against the Golden King.

The weapons in his Vault, or at least the ones he had access to, were at the level of high-powered Mystic Codes, which was convenient, but not nearly sufficient to even hamper Gilgamesh, except perhaps when used by the thousands at once.

One way or another, Shirou needed to prepare himself better, much better, lest he be killed when Gilgamesh came for him again.

But that was easier said than done, especially in light of their previous encounter.

In truth, Shirou felt disheartened by that first encounter with Gilgamesh, disheartened and disappointed in himself.

After his adventures at the Clocktower, during which he'd saved many innocents, defeated numerous Magus families, and gained the respect of the Vice-Director herself, he had allowed himself to fall into complacency.

Everyone's praises had been lavished upon him. Time and again, he had been told how powerful he was, how extraordinary, by friends and foe alike. The mightiest of lords and ladies had trod carefully around him, and they had all been vying for his favour.

To his shame, he had to admit that he'd started unconsciously believing them. He too had begun to see himself as special, and he had thought himself to be capable of fighting anything the modern age had to offer.

But then Gilgamesh had pretty much mopped the floor with him. The fight had only lasted a few moments, yet it was clear that the King of Uruk had been the decisive victor. He had dominated the entire fight, all twenty-one seconds of it.

Granted, Gilgamesh had surprised him with the first punch, but the redhead was honest enough to admit that even if he'd been fully prepared and armed, he still wouldn't have stood a chance against the King of Heroes himself.

That had been painfully obvious.

Which, in turn, had a few nasty implications.

Gilgamesh hadn't used a single skill during the battle, nor had he used his favourite Noble Phantasm-rain attack. He'd fought mostly with his fists, and only used a few low-level Noble Phantasms to defend against Shirou's esoteric attacks and dish out a few pinpricks at most.

In other words, the demigod had been holding back so much it wasn't even funny anymore.

Kiritsugu had always said that Servants were existences far beyond humanity, and for the first time since the man had passed, Shirou felt he could properly appreciate just what that meant.

It really drove home that he wasn't ready for the Grail War. He'd been casual in his training, negligent in his preparations, and now, it was highly likely any Servant that would be summoned could kick his ass.

It was high time he changed that.

A fire had been ignited within him, a fire that called for him to become more powerful. Fuelled by his feelings of inadequacy and shame, it demanded that he became stronger. Strong enough to present an actual threat even to a full-powered and fully serious Gilgamesh, let alone other Servants.

It was a titanic mountain to climb, especially in three years or less, but Shirou intended to give it his all. He was going to get stronger, and unlike before, he was going to take his training seriously.

He would practise with his Magecraft, practise with the Mysterious Power, with Runes, and with all his other abilities. He wasn't going to wait passively anymore for him to gain strength as he changed into an Asgardian, but he would actively work at becoming more powerful.

And as a part of that, he was going to develop his latent talents as well, in particular his ability to copy weapons.

That was the whole reason he'd stopped by his shed after his training with the girls.

Ever since he was a young boy, Shirou had had a knack for Projecting blades. He was good at Structural Analysis and Projection in general, having even developed a more advanced version of them that he'd called Tracing, but it was with weapons that this talent really shone.

Recently, he'd even discovered that he could recreate Magical weapons with his Tracing spell, when he had successfully Projected a Katana-shaped Mystic Code that could cut through Magically Reinforced materials at the cost of being less effective against mundane materials.

With his access to the Magical Weapons in the Vault, his trip to see the collection of the world's most renowned blade-shaped Mystic Code-collector back in London, and with the vast supply of Magical Weapons lying in the world's many museums that were just waiting to be Traced, that meant he could carry a veritable arsenal of blades wherever he went, all of them just a fraction of a second of Tracing away.

It was an ability with massive potential, but Shirou had to admit he'd neglected it so far in favour of using Mjolnir and the Mysterious Power, which provided more immediate advantages and more power than any Mystic Code ever could.

But that might change, now that he'd possibly made another breakthrough.

Shirou reached into the Vault and pulled out a sword. A nodachi to be precise, one that appeared to be unpractically long yet still had been used to great effect by various users over the centuries.

It was Monohoshi Zao.

A sword that was technically a mere Mystic Code of unimpressive power, yet held within it a technique that was unlike anything else in the world.

Tsubame Gaeshi.

One swing that resulted in three simultaneous strikes. One line that became three, capable of catching a swallow mid-flight and cutting through anything in its way.

The strike contained neither Magic nor Mystery, yet it still slipped right past the boundaries of physical laws and restraints to become something that could rightly be called god-like.

Or rather, could be called a Noble Phantasm.

Of course, the sword did not actually hold that technique within it. Monohoshi Zao was not Mjolnir, capable of holding and transferring power and techniques. It had only been the nameless third wielder, later named Sasaki Kojiro, who'd been able to perform that flawless strike.

But now, the sword had ended up in Shirou's hands, and to Shirou and Shirou alone, the technique was clearly visible.

One could almost say… Traceable.

Shirou shifted into a battle-ready stance, placing his feet in the correct position while lifting the sword to eye-height, pointing it straight at an imaginary opponent.

He crouched slightly, and tensed his shoulders, before taking in a deep breath.

Then he moved.

"Tsubame Gaeshi!"

He swung the sword, exactly as the technique prescribed…

…And then almost emptied his stomach when he suddenly saw not double, but triple, as the world spun before his eyes and his sense of balance evaporated.

One straight line became three blurry, spotted lines that were aimed at nothing in particular as Shirou made a silly half-twirl that ended in him smacking against the ground hip-first, hard enough to actually hurt him, while the sword went flying off somewhere.

There was no way that strike would have hurt any opponent, save for perhaps making them laugh themselves to death at the sight of his clownish fumble.

"Ouch." He groaned in pain, before he sighed in relief when his healing factor quickly dealt with the bruise on his hip.

…If only it could heal his bruised ego just as easily. He was just grateful Caren nor Rin had been present to see that.

Safe to say, his first attempt at copying the third wielder's Noble Phantasm had been a laughable mishap.

Not strange, if one considered that Shirou was shorter than the third wielder, lighter than the third wielder, stronger than the third wielder, and not nearly as well-trained. All factors he had not accounted for.

When seen from that point of view, it should be considered a success instead.

For it confirmed what he'd already suspected.

He was in fact capable of Tracing Noble Phantasms.

No matter how shoddily, he had just performed Tsubame Gaeshi, something that was supposed to be utterly impossible.

It was a discovery that genuinely baffled him for a while. The fact that he'd expected, or rather hoped, that it would be the case did not prevent it from being an utter and complete bombshell.

It elevated his ability to Trace weapons from a convenient extra ability to a total game-changer on a fundamental level.

The idea of being able to make and use Noble Phantasms was incredible, and Shirou lost himself for a few moments to a pleasant fantasy of drowning Gilgamesh in an endless barrage that far exceeded the Golden King's firing speed.

But he quickly focused again, for there were more experiments to be done.

As said before, the third wielder's Noble Phantasm was one that was utterly devoid of Mystery or Magic. It depended on nothing but pure skill, and was technically attainable to any human who practised enough, at least in theory.

On top of that, the third wielder had lived relatively recently, had not possessed any special bloodline or inborn ability, and used a sword that was made of simple steel.

In other words, it was probably one of the easiest Noble Phantasms in existence to be roughly copied.

No insult intended.

If Shirou really wanted to be sure he could copy Noble Phantasms, and that Tsubame Gaeshi wasn't just a fluke, he needed to do it again with a different one.

Fortunately, after his scuffle with Gilgamesh, who was basically a Noble Phantasm-dispensing machine, he had just the one.

It would be a difficult one, as it was over four thousand years old, but even so, Shirou was pretty sure he'd be able to manage it.

"Trace on."

The redhead closed his eyes, cocked back the hammer of his mental gun, and then pulled the trigger, activating his Magic Circuits.

Power flooded his body, both Magical Energy and the Mysterious Power, and Shirou began the process of Tracing a difficult weapon.

Judging the concept of creation.

This step was inherent to Projection, and was essentially nothing more than indicating what sort of object you wanted to Trace, in this case a spear.

Hypothesizing the basic structure.

He had to imagine the spear's precise shape and structure.

Duplicating the composition material.

He had to recreate the material of which the spear had been made, which was Drake Bone.

A shape began taking form in his mind as he completed the first three steps. This part was roughly what a normal Magus with some skill in Gradation Air would be able to accomplish, and it would result in an object that looked similar enough to the original, but held nothing of its background or its properties. It would be a hollow copy, full of flaws, and would disappear quickly.

Hence, Shirou needed to go a little further.

Imitating the skill of its making.

This would give the copy some of the background that normal Projections lacked. It would make it seem as if it had been made by the same creator as the original rather than Shirou, removing one of the most glaring flaws that would make the world reject it.

Sympathizing with the experience of its growth.

This step did not really do anything for the Projection itself. Rather, Shirou took a good look at the weapon's past, saw everything it had been through, from the moment of its making until it had ended up in Gilgamesh's Vault, and he carefully memorised it all.

Reproducing the accumulated years.

This was where the Magic happened. Everything he had observed during the previous step was now added to the Projection, giving it all the background, the properties, and experiences that the original also possessed.

Excelling every manufacturing process!

The last step, at which every previous step was polished and perfected, and then…

"…!"

A weight settled in his hand, and something inside him shifted, something deep within his Soul that was now truly awakening at last.

Shirou let out a shaky breath. He'd Projected something, that was obvious, but whether it was what he had envisioned…

He almost didn't dare look.

But he had to. He had to find out whether he was on to something or whether copying Noble Phantasms was just a pipe dream.

So he opened his eyes…

And looked at his hand.

Then delight washed over him.

For there, in his hand, was the mean looking spear that Gilgamesh had flung at him during their confrontation in the church.

It was perfect. A perfect copy.

He performed a quick Structural Analysis to double check, but he hardly needed that to see that the spear was a genuine Noble Phantasm. The very Noble Phantasm he'd set out to recreate.

Four thousand years old and constructed from a Drake's bones after the wielder had beaten the beast to death with a rock, it was truly a weapon from the Age of the Gods. Wielded for decades to defeat all manners of Phantasmal Species, the only reason it was low in rank was because it was nameless and unknown.

It was uniquely suited for killing dragon-like enemies, carried a potent poison that was deadlier than anything the Modern Age had to offer, and possessed the ability to 'phase' through armour in order to strike what lay behind it, which apparently had been an ability of the Drake.

And yes, 'armour' in this sense did not only mean actual armour, but could also mean a force field, a vest of Kevlar, or even, and Shirou really liked this, a hostage.

If someone was holding a hostage in front of them as a 'shield', and Shirou stabbed this spear through both hostage and hostage-taker, then only the latter would actually be hurt, as the spear would phase through the hostage.

It was admittedly fairly low in Mystery when compared to other Noble Phantasms, meaning that high-grade armour-type- and shield-type Noble Phantasms could likely block it despite its ability, but that did not diminish its value at all in Shirou's eyes.

For he had just Projected it himself.

He had used his improved version of Gradation Air, a spell widely considered to be worthless, to create a very decent copy of a Noble Phantasm.

One that was so close to the original, so close to being flawless, that the difference was utterly negligible. In fact, Shirou was willing to bet he could place the spear in a nearby museum, walk away, and then return years later to find it still in perfect condition, like the Projected knickknacks in his shed.

Granted, it was only an E-rank Noble Phantasm that had been created by a human and wielded by a human, making it not very exotic or particularly unique as Noble Phantasms went, but even so, this was an incredible feat, one that would make the Magus Association tremble on its foundation.

But making it was one thing. Actually using it was another thing entirely.

Normally, Noble Phantasms could only be truly wielded by their creator and their owner. There were exceptions of course, as there always were with Heroic Spirits, but that was the general rule.

Shirou was neither the spear's owner nor its creator, as those had been that one guy four thousand years ago, but that only went for the original. For this copy in his hands, he was both the creator and the owner, so technically...

…He should be able to use it.

Intending to test his hypothesis, Shirou held the spear up in an attack position, before he channelled his power through it.

The tip immediately became covered in a baleful purple light, and glowing lines spread across the length of the spear, signifying that it was indeed being activated by Shirou's power.

A hopeful sign.

The redhead then turned around, towards an empty space.

In that space, he quickly Projected several practice dummies that were covered in various forms of armour, to test the spear's capabilities.

Shirou took a deep breath, before he pulled the spear back in preparation for throwing it.

All that was needed now to fully activate the Noble Phantasm was its name, which was of course fully known to Shirou now that he had Traced it so successfully.

"Pierce that what lies before and throughout, SARPANITUM!"

With a chant that was, unbeknownst to him, in ancient Sumerian, Shirou threw the spear, and it became a bolt of purple fire, shooting towards the dummies at breakneck speed.

Being dummies, they did not dodge, and the spear hit them full on, triggering a purple explosion upon impact.

Shirou's vision was impaired for a few seconds, but when the dust settled and he saw what had happened, he grinned widely.

The dummies themselves were greatly damaged, and covered with a purple poison on top of that, but the armours, the armours that they had worn…

They were perfectly undamaged.

Exactly as they should be.

"YEEEEEEEESSSSSSS!"

Shirou pumped his fist.

Both his fists.

He threw his arms wide.

And jumped in the air in joy.

All while shouting his delight to the ceiling.

"Yes, yes, YEEEEESSSSSS!"

His loss of control was almost embarrassing, yet there was not a soul alive, or dead, who would think anything disparaging of him.

For he had just done something that was supposed to be impossible.

"Take that, Gilgamesh!" Shirou laughed, grinning so widely it nearly hurt his cheeks.

It was a massive success! The Noble Phantasm had perfectly served its purpose, fully living up to its legend, not impaired in the slightest by being a copy!

Which meant his ability to copy Noble Phantasms could be a very decent counter to Gilgamesh's Gate of Babylon. Their attacks would cancel each other out!

Hopefully.

His massive, full-blown grin would surely have gained him a snide comment from Rin and a mocking remark from Caren, but he didn't care about that. He was just delighted his experiment had worked out so well.

This called for a celebration!

Shirou promptly left his experiments for what they were and made for the main house. He didn't even pause to retrieve the spear, content to let it lie when it had ended up.

He had obtained other Noble Phantasms from Gilgamesh, but those could be tested next time, as could that strange shifting feeling inside his Soul, something he experienced every time he Projected a special blade.

For now, he was going to spend the evening and the night with his girlfriends in glorious celebration.

School would start again in only two days, which would also mark the departure of both Ayako and Rin, so this was the last opportunity he'd get for a while to properly express his love for them.

He was going to make the most of it.

---

That night, while they were subjected to every sensual and amorous action that Shirou could think of, Sakura, Ayako, and Rin could only wonder what had their boyfriend in such an amazing and enthusiastic mood.

Asking him about it was impossible though. It was all they could do to keep up with him, and even Rin couldn't summon the breath or the energy to even make a token protest as she was kissed and fondled into a stupor.

There was no room for any other thoughts, and by the end of the wonderful, wonderful night, all three had collapsed in utter exhaustion.

Even Shirou was slightly spent, but that was good, for it meant he could lie down beside his girls and spend the night with them, cuddling them as he too fell asleep.

It had been a successful day, but exhausting too, and he should take this opportunity to rest while he could.

For when school would begin again, his schedule was going to get a lot fuller once more.

---

Okay, I am genuinely starting to get annoyed at this point. There is just so much to talk about I can't seem to get anything done in the story.

Ah well, back to typing then.

So, the Wolpertinger is caught, and it is caught pretty easily. It might be very strong and have some considerable Conceptual Weight, but Lorelei still ran circles around it with ease. It is, after all, merely a rabbit from a very local legend, a rabbit that really didn't ever achieve anything, as evidenced by the fact we know almost nothing about it.

So if you want to know whether Lorelei would do as well against a Sphinx or a Dragon, then the answer is a hard no.

Shirou and Sakura had a nice private moment in the bathhouse. Rin and Shirou already had a lewd moment together, with the massage, so it was only right Sakura got one too. Ayako will get one as well, somewhere in the coming chapters.

Shirou expresses his concern for Lorelei, which she appreciates, and she tells him he can come pick up the Wolpertinger when he returns to the Clocktower, which will be soon.

The Executors from the Church (remember them? If not, perhaps you should read some of the previous chapters again) didn't really get anywhere with their investigations, so now miss Marple (not her real name) offers them a helping hand. That should speed up the process.

(Especially since Gladstone Phamrsolone is already in her crosshairs…)

I also wrote a scene about Shirou and the girls training together. I hope you all liked it, and that I did them all justice. The strength and talent at martial arts in their polyamorous relationship is decidedly higher than the average in the Japanese population after all.

And of course, the thing everyone's been waiting for, Shirou Traces a Noble Phantasm.

I couldn't delay it any longer. He has become proficient at Magecraft, good with his Divine Properties, and more than capable of recognising his own innate talents. Delaying his discovery that he can copy Noble Phantasms for much longer would just be weird.

For now, all he's copied is some low-level spear from a no-name warrior, vastly inferior to Excalibur, Clarent, Balmung, Gae Bolg, and the rest. Which he has no way of obtaining by the way, so don't get too excited in the comments please. We're doing this slowly and steadily.

Thanks for reading. Bye.

Ted's off to school again.