Fate is owned by Type-Moon and Kuroinu is owned by (I couldn't find the owner)

Welcome to the archive: This story was heavily inspired by An Archer Promise by NimtheWriter but I was curious to see what would happen if instead of Counter Guardian Shirou EMIYA what would it be like if a version of the Counter Guardian Kiritsugu EMIYA was in it. I don't know much about the Kurinou story and I don't really feel compelled to learn it so I just made a test for it and left it for a few months but now that I've made the catalog I felt I could put it here.

Hope you enjoy

-OtherwiseR00K

Assassin took the combat knife and placed it into the small crack between the door knob and the door itself. In one quick and smooth motion thrust it into the crack before twisting it to the right and breaking the lock. After a quick glance down the hallway where he came from and one opposite of that, he entered the room.

The room was obviously a study but a very messy one from the looks of things. Strewn about where books and papers that Assassin could only guess were for whatever work the noble did. Speaking of nobles, in the middle of the room was most likely the man he was there for.

Count Henry Blueborn. Obese. 5.4ft when standing, possibly 5.5ft. 32 years old. Possibly the rapist of Freed's wife. Henry was passed out at his desk, most likely because of the time he'd spent there working on papers.

Assassin turned back toward the door, crouched down to the doorknob, and closed the door completely with his hand. Assassin, still holding the door shut, raised the combat knife to the broken knob and thrust it through the door into the door frame, he left the knife and conjured another one before repeating the action at the bottom of the door. He repeated this action one final time at the top of the door and finally let go of the broken knob.

The door stayed closed, literally nailed shut by three identical combat knives.

After testing the door with a small push, Assassin placed a bounded field onto the door so no one outside would hear anything in case it got too loud. Turning back toward the study, Assassin walked further into the room.

Curiously, Assassin grabbed one of the papers on the floor and read its contents, something about several crates of food coming from Thorne. After filing that info away in his head, Assassin grabbed another paper as he walked closer to the Count sleeping at his desk.

Assassin stopped right at the desk still reading the paper. His gray eyes narrowed at the words in the correspondence. Dark Elf trafficking.

Assassin glanced at the Count before looking back at the letter. Apparently, Count Henry Blueborn was a trafficker. It didn't really surprise him, Earth was similar in trafficking people so it stood to reason humans in another world were capable of the same cruelty.

Assassin silenty huffed in morbid amusement at the fact, Humanity truly can be a very cruel species.

On the letter itself; apparently, a shipment of a dozen elves had been sold a few days ago to a pair of brothers called Mortadella. Discarding the letter Assassin grabbed another paper that lay next to the slumbering Count's hand.

This document was another correspondence but was to Vault and Hicks about tunnels. Tunnels that lead straight into the city from outside Ken and into Maia's castle bypassing all conventional defenses. It'd be a quick and easy takeover.

Whoever designed the tunnels was an utter fool. The person who approved of these designs was an absolute idiot who Assasin would have strangled if he didn't know whoever had made and approved these plans had been dead for a long time.

At least these plans gave Assasin an idea of Vault's possible strategy if he was to rebel against the seven kingdoms. Not like he would. Assassin was already closing in.

Assassin looked at the Count still sleeping at his desk, at the very least I now have a proper reason to kill him.

Assassin wasn't really going to honor the deal he made with Freed. He hadn't planned to, he'd definitely meant to check on the info given but this was mostly a detour from Vault to get more info on the world he was in. Still, at least he was actually capable of keeping his word, that was a rare thing nowadays.

Assassin pulled from Tools of the Trade and brought out an M19 handgun while also resummoning the combat knife. Assassin raised the knife above his head and brought it down right onto the Count's hand.

"ARGHH!"

The Count screeched at being awoken to his hand being stabbed into. Effectively securing him to the desk. Assassin wouldn't kill him just yet, he still needed some information about his dealings and Vault.

"Count Henry Blueborn, this is a negotiation, you tell me what I want and I won't kill you painfully. If you don't tell me what I want to kno-"

"Help me!" Henry cut off Assassin, "Please someone save m-"

Assassin punched the yelling man in the nose, cutting off his plea and breaking his nose, "I suppose you've chosen the second option."

Assassin turned, grabbed a chair, brought it over, and sat down across from the Count. Henry meanwhile was scared and very confused. Where the hell were his guards?

"Now," Assassin began, "I'm rather curious about something I've read from one of your letters-"

"You worthless cur!" the Count screamed at Assassin, "Do you have any idea who-"

Assassin grabbed the knife still in the Count's hand and pulled it toward himself, cutting open more of the Count's hand. The Count screamed in pain, Assassin idly noted the screaming sounded a lot like a pig's squeal.

"As I was saying before, the letters to Vault and Hicks, about the tunnels. I doubt the knights are so incompetent that they wouldn't notice dark elves being shipped through the docks, so I have to assume you're using the tunnels."

"I-i have no idea what you're talking abou-" He didn't finish his play at ignorance as Assasin tore the combat knife through the Count's hand cutting it open and splitting the tendons that held the bones in place.

The Count cried out in pain. He recoiled back and held the split hand in his other hand looking at it with wide eyes in terror and pain.

"You're not very bright, are you? I've already read through several of the letters spread out through your study and they all told me a story about you. Now, you're going to be truthful and not spare any details or I'll cut your hand off."

Henry shivered at the dull tone Assassin delivered that ultimatum. Honestly, where the hell were his guards, how was this man even getting away with this? He'd paid for the best defenses and guards he could find!

"I'd suggest you actually start talking and not staring at the door."

"I-i-i, Fine! I'll tell you just don't hurt me!" Henry begged.

Assassin didn't answer, instead motioning him on with the M19 still in his hand.

"Y-yes, I am using the underground tunnels…they lead from my home to the docks and outside of Ken. They-uh-they have been around for a very l-long time, even before Celestine came to power. I-i'm fairly certain they were meant for evacuations in case of a demon attack and it wouldn't really surprise me if the other kingdoms have the same tunnels underneath them."

That was a slight surprise to Assassin. If the other kingdoms did have these old evacuation tunnels shouldn't people know about these things? It didn't make sense, the Princess Knights may be moronic when it comes to their armor, laws, the way they treat others, and how they govern but they're not complete idiots. His encounters with Maia told him that. So how did they not know about these potential disasters?

Thankfully it seemed Henry was getting to that.

"O-only a select few N-nobles and high-ranking officials k-know of their existence. We-we aren't allowed to spread their existence or else…"

Interesting, so people in high positions know about the tunnels, and the capability of doing so with powerful people across Eostia speaks of their influence.

"Vaut and Hicks are also aware of these tunnels?"

Henry nodded, his eyes on the hand he was still cradling.

"And who are the people keeping you from spreading this information?"

This was important for Assassin to know, any allies of the Kurinou could cause problems for him in the future. Especially ones he doesn't know about. He had momentarily wondered if it was Olga herself keeping this information out of the hands of the Princess Knights but discarded the idea after remembering how long this war had been raging. Olga would've used those tunnels to destroy the seven kingdoms long before Assassin arrived if that were the case.

"The church of Lucrose" Henry quietly admitted.

BANG

"AHHHH!" Henry screamed. Assassin shot him through the shoulder at the answer.

"I doubt that. Celestine is the church." Assassin said as if he hadn't just shot Henry in the shoulder.

"No, no it's true! Celestine is a separate entity from the church itself!" Henry squealed in fear, "S-she may be the patron deity of the church, creator, and the very figurehead but Celestine has no actual control over the church itself."

Assassin waved the M19 for Henry to continue.

"C-celsestine's grasp on her Kingdom and followers isn't as ironclad as she believes. The people truly running things, keeping the kingdoms afloat, are the clergy and most just use Celestine's name to gain more favor with the people. N-not everyone does however, the nuns are truly devout followers of the Goddess Reborn and most of the templar groups are in the same boat."

That confirmed and disproved a lot of theories Assassin had made about the seven kingdoms of Eostia. He knew the system was fucked and would take a lot of work to prepare. It also didn't help with the most obvious but occasionally nuanced discrimination against men, especially if what he's heard is true, most are in high positions in the government. It causes issues.

There was another thing Henry mentioned. The Templars. May as well ask.

"On the topic of templars," Assassin began, "would you happen to know one by the name of Freed?"

The moment the name slipped from Assassin's tongue Henry's eyes grew wide and frantic. The Count slid his chair back and stood violently, "N-no! I didn't do it, I didn't touch his wife! I never even knew she existed! Why wo-!"

Assassin slid over the desk and grabbed the obese Count by the collar before he could finish his words and lifted the man up with one hand.

"Don't lie to me. I've heard about the rumors and some accounts about you being spotted near Freed's home."

Henry grabbed Assassin's arm, "I'm not! I did not rape the fucking peasant!" he said through his sobs, "What you are referring to is when they saw my carriage not me!"

Desperate tone and leveled eyes, the sobs also gave a rather clear answer. Henry wasn't lying.

"Then who did?"

"H-hicks! That son of a bitch Hicks! The man borrowed my carriage without my permission and used it as a cover to travel to the Templars' home. When I returned that madman came bursting down the door! Killing my men and not giving me a chance to explain, I only survived because Maia defended me as I was with her the whole time!"

"What do you mean?"

"It was a mission, Maia asked me for assistance with an issue near Geofu. She clamed it was because I knew politics and it turned out she was correct. It was when I came back that the allegations came towards me about the rape of Freed's wife and the evidence pointed directly at me!"

"After I realized Hicks had taken my carriage to do the deed, I was furious, I demanded he confess to Maia! He just laughed at me, telling me no one would believe me and that Vault would kill me if I betrayed his trust like that. I couldn't do anything because fighting against Hicks would've guaranteed my death by the Kurinou!"

Assassin mulled over the answer. Henry didn't rape Freed's wife, Hicks did. That somwhat complicates things.

"I see." Assassin said.

"Y-yes see I'm innocent I've done nothing wron-"

"I wouldn't be too sure about that," Assassin said, cutting Henry off and instilling a building feeling into the obese man, "You may not be the rapist I've been looking for but you're nowhere near innocent."

Assassin adjusted his grip on the Count's collar and heaved him above his head before slamming him down onto the desk. The desk somehow held up to the Count's weight crashing down onto it, the Count screamed in pain as he felt something break.

"You're still in charge of a Dark Elf trafficking ring." Assassin's disgust finally showed itself in his voice, "You've sold people like cattle." Assassin dismissed the M19 and grabbed the Combat Knife in the sheath on his hip, "Destroyed lives." He raised the knife above the Count's heart, "You're still going to die."

"WAIIITTT-Aughh~" The plea turned into a gurgle as Assassin planted the knife in the Count's chest and piercing his heart.

Count Henry Blueborn was silenced forever.

Assassin took the knife out of the corpse and wiped the blood off with the dead Count's robe. Assassin still had a few things to do in the study so he turned from the corpse and began looking at some of the other papers strewn about.

He found several normal things a noble would have, transactions, payments, bills, and deeds to several pieces of land across Eostia. But Assassin also found several things that linked Henry to the Kurinou as well as more Dark Elf transactions.

Figuring he wouldn't find anything else important here he gathered up the documents related to the Kurinou and all transactions, Dark Elf included, and placed them within his leather journal before dismissing it back into Tools of the Trade. Afterward, Assassin went towards the window and slid it open, after making sure to dismiss the knives holding the door shut he lept out into the night.

Leave a review for the idea. I'm not confident in this one as a full story as it was based on a scene in An Archer's Promise but it was a fun writing exercise. The ability Tools of the Trade was taken from another fanfiction called Fake Dreams which has Kiritsugu come back as a servant.

-OtherwiseR00K