Chapter 64

"What have you let slip away?"

Shinji, enraged, raises his voice.

It was a curse directed at Caster, who had chased the fleeing priest and returned without being able to kill him. Considering Caster's exhaustion and the power of the priest, it was an understandable outcome.

If it's a pursuitMagiciancasterthanArcherArcherI think that's what they do, but Shinji deliberately chose the opposite. He probably felt that Caster, who was far from perfect, would not be a reliable bodyguard for him.

"Geez, you guys are really useless! Even the two of you could beat that golden one."

In any case, even though he was grumbling to himself, Shinji's expression still softened. He seemed to have a little bit of relief now that he had achieved his goal of seizing the spiritual stronghold.

"So, what do we do from here?"

"That's right..."

When I asked him a question, he put his hand to his chin and thought deeply. It seemed he didn't have a clear vision for what he wanted to do.

"Let's start by looking for Emiya."

"Why?"

In response to what he muttered as if it had just occurred to him, or rather that it had probably just occurred to him, I replied with a genuine question.

In response to that question, Shinji looked as if he had heard something unexpected and went back into deep thought.

"...Nothing really. I just thought it'd be funny to laugh at him crying after losing his Servant. Besides, if he really wants to, I'll make him my minion."

After much thought, he replied with that excuse and turned away. It seemed he couldn't think of a reason himself.

"I don't think having a brat like that on your side will be of any use."

"What?! Who cares about that?! Don't give me your opinion on everything!"

I let out a small sigh and muttered to myself. This seemed to offend Shinji, as he raised his eyebrows again.

When I quietly looked at Shinji, he was obviously taken aback. His overly aggressive personality was probably the flip side of his innate timidity.

"Wh... what is it? Do you have a problem with that?"

"No, but it will be difficult for you to win the battle. I have nothing bad to say, but I recommend that you return your Command Spells to Rin and retire."

If timidity is innate, then so is attachment to vanity.

I had no ulterior motives in my words, and was simply concerned about him, but Shinji seemed to take it as an insult. His face turned bright red and he began to tremble.

"N-No! Everyone is making fun of me! Why am I the only one being treated like I'm inferior!? What good are Emiya and Tohsaka?! Aren't they losing in the end too?"

It must have been such a humiliating experience for him that he even started stomping his feet in anger. Behind him, Caster had a shocked look on his face, but he didn't seem to notice.

"...You don't like Emiya Shirou that much, do you?"

"Oh, I don't like it! So what!"

"I see."

It's likely that what we're saying is barely registering and that we're merely replying reflexively.

Still, there was no lie in those words, and even if they weren't everything, they were undoubtedly his true feelings.

Then that's enough.

"Oi... Hey, what is it?"

As if he had noticed the change in my behavior, the anger disappeared from Shinji's face, and instead, one of agitation became evident.

I paid no attention to it and continued walking towards Shinji.

"Wh... what is it?! Stop!"

As I continued to move forward, ignoring his warnings, Shinji backed away, obviously frightened.

「I told you to stop! Stop it already…!」

"『Start ProjectionTrace On""

"……!?"

Finally, Shinji raised his left hand as if to show off the Command Spell, and his eyes widened when he saw "that" that I had projected. Caster was equally astonished.

『All the signs that should be brokenRule Breaker"

Caster's Noble Phantasm that destroys all contracts.

Shinji knew firsthand just how effective it could be.

"Ha, it's just a bluff! No matter what, you can't copy a Noble Phantasm...Whaaa?!"

In the middle of that perfectly reasonable, yet largely wishful, line, I pressed the tip of the Rule Breaker into the palm of my hand.

At the same time, the left hand that Shinji had been holding up in front of his face emitted a slight shock, causing him to lose his balance and fall on his backside.

"…………!?"

Shinji turned to his left and confirmed that one of the two remaining Command Spells had already disappeared, and his face turned pale.

"Damn... don't come! Stop! Aren't you coming this way!?"

He looked back and forth between me and Caster, then fell on his bottom and stepped back. I continued walking without paying any attention to him.

When he was close enough to reach out and touch, Shinji let out a small shriek and crouched down, clutching his head in his arms.

I looked down at Shinji, then walked past him and put my hand on the door.

"I'll go get the boy's head. Just wait a moment."

"…………fart?"

As he pushed open the thick oak door, Shinji looked up at him timidly with teary eyes, and continued speaking.

"It was my wish to get rid of him in the first place. If that satisfies you then you can quietly withdraw from the fight."

"Hana?"

"So until then -- don't lay a hand on Rin."

"Huh?!"

He gives a final glare at the confused Shinji, and after making sure his threat has worked, he heads outside.

I continued walking, listening to the sound of the door closing under its own weight, and as I entered the woods, the church disappeared from view.

That's where I reached my limit.

"Damn it...!"

I couldn't help but groan.

Although I didn't break my knees, I couldn't stand without putting my hands on the trees to support myself. I managed to get to a place where no one could see me by enduring the pain, but the damage was so great.

"Well... I guess it would have been better if I'd tried it myself first..."

His abilities are particularly suited to weapons, especially swords.

If the item is compatible, a copy can be produced with almost no magical consumption and with almost the same performance.

However, on the other hand, if you project something that is not compatible, the quality and magical efficiency will drop significantly.

Although the Rule Breaker mentioned earlier looks like a dagger, its true nature is the crystallization of Caster's episode of betrayal.

It just has the shape of a sword, and conceptually it is not even a weapon. In other words, it is incompatible with my ability.

So although the copy itself was successful, it ended up being a much rougher product than the original.

"If this worked, I was planning on freeing Rin, but..."

Even this unskilled Rule Breaker was still capable of cancelling the magic, but perhaps because it was so crudely made, the aftereffects of breaking the commandment of the Command Spell had even done damage to his Spirit Root. From the looks of it, if things went badly, it might even cause a crack in his Spirit Core.

Using such a thing on a human could result in death. Even if they were extremely lucky, the magic circuits would likely never be usable again.

"I guess the only way to break that curse is for Caster himself."

Caster had put a sleeping curse on Shinji by order. Although he was only sleeping, he couldn't just leave him there.

After all, it was a curse cast by a magician from the Age of the Gods with the boost of a Command Spell. If things go badly, there's even a chance that he might never wake up.

That being said, ordinary means are ineffective. At the very least, it's probably impossible to remove the curse with force.

In any case, the only thing he can do to save Rin is to negotiate with Shinji.

Fortunately, it's hard to say whether this is the right word, but Shinji himself is not the type of person who would be satisfied with embracing a woman who is still asleep. He probably has no intention of leaving things as they are.

"I guess that gives me some leeway..."

In some ways, this situation could be seen as a godsend.

He has several goals, and the Master who opposes them is asleep. Most of these goals are nothing more than very personal grudges and are not a high priority, but they can also be used as bargaining chips to save the Master.

Then.

I set my target and ran out into the night.

"…………Emiya, are you asleep yet?"

In the darkness, I called out to the person who should be beside me.

It's the middle of winter now, and we're all lying on the floor covered with just a blanket, but thanks to the high-quality carpet and underfloor heating, it's surprisingly comfortable to sleep.

"...No. What's wrong?"

"Sorry. I can't sleep."

After a short delay the voice came back and I gave such a casual reply.

"Well, it can't be helped. A lot has happened."

Emiya responded with a wry smile.

Yes, a lot happened. Too much.

Even though my body is exhausted, I can't feel sleepy at all.

The exchange of information with Haruno-san was left almost entirely to Bazette-san, while Emiya and I mostly just listened.

The difference in the amount of knowledge required was too great, so I couldn't get in. Still, I think I did pretty well by being able to offer my opinion on the future direction and countermeasures for the remaining Servants.

First of all, the current situation is that the Holy Grail War is divided into four major factions.

Among them, the most important one is the golden servant. His name is Gilgamesh, but I'm the only one who doesn't know his name. He's a king of Mesopotamia, and it seems he's quite famous among magicians.

According to information that Haruno-san had independently obtained, it is believed that he is almost certainly connected to Kotomine Kirei. Or rather, it seems that it has been confirmed that Kotomine had contacted Yukino-chan... Yukinoshita-san. However, it seems that he was noticed by surveillance after that, and they have not been able to track him down.

What this means is that Gilgamesh is already unstoppable, and he has Assassin and Lancer as his entourage. However, considering Yukinoshita's character, it is hard to imagine her resorting to such a tactic that is practically unfair, so it is highly likely that she is being used without her knowledge.

Next up is Matou Shinji, the same Wakame who barged into the fight at the park.

He is said to be the heir to one of the three great families of magicians in this city, but the Matou family has long since lost its power and fallen into decline. For this reason, Bazett-san, or rather the Clocktower, was not on his guard, but he never expected that the person he picked up would beNoble PhantasmRule BreakerIt would have been unthinkable, let alone foreseeing, that a Servant would be stolen from him. It was also painful that the Rule Breaker was destroyed in the confusion at that time.

By the way, it seems that he and Emiya are friends, but they didn't know that each other was involved with magic until the Holy Grail War began.

Then there's Einzbern, with its Berserker. This is also one of the big three.

Although she hasn't made any major moves so far, Emiya has apparently had contact with her on several occasions and even engaged in combat with her. Her Master is a young girl, and her Servant is none other than Hercules.

Bazett's eyes widened at the appearance of such a big name that even someone as unfamiliar with the occult as me knew it. I wondered if he was just bluffing, but judging by his abilities, it seemed likely that he was the real deal.

Finally, us.

To be honest, she's probably the lowest ranking. After all, she doesn't have a single Servant, and the only one who could be called a decent fighting force is Bazette. To be honest, she's out of the question.

Honestly, I want to run away, but that's not an option. So I have to find a way to deal with this...

In any case, there is no point in talking about this unless we prepare our fighting power. There are two possible ways to achieve this.

One is to recall an ally who has been taken away.

Medea and Archer were just being forced to follow the Rule Breaker's effect, they didn't betray us. If that's the case, then if we can just do something about it, they'll join us again. The same can be said for Lancer. And maybe Saber, who was kidnapped by Gilgamesh.

The problem was how to remove the commandment spell, but Haruno said that Emiya might be able to do something about it.

Apparently, Yukinoshita's magic is specialized in "observation" and "analysis," and upon investigation, it was discovered that Emiya possessed an extremely rare ability. At the same time, he had also guessed Archer's true identity, and Emiya had a very complicated look on his face.

By the way, it seems that the reason why the women of Yukinoshita have such sharp intuition is largely due to this magical property. In particular, the aunt and Haruno-san make active use of it on a daily basis. (The uncle is an adopted son-in-law, so he cannot use magic.)

...Well, it's not like it violates any rules or anything. Isn't it a little unfair to use something like that for political or business purposes?

People say, "What's wrong with making effective use of the skills you have?" But to me, it feels like someone casually using cheat tools in an online game. Or a scalper who does whatever he likes because it's not prohibited.

Anyway, back to the main topic.

As for the other option of replenishing their forces, they could consider joining forces with other forces. Specifically, they were wondering if they could attract the Einzberns, who had been keeping a watchful eye on things, to their side, even if only temporarily.

That's because, for some reason, her master, a girl named Illya, seemed to know about Emiya. Emiya had never met her before and had no idea about her, but for some reason, she was viewed as an enemy despite being unrelated to the Holy Grail War, and yet she didn't seem to dislike her.

He said that if I just went to see him, he would probably meet me. I wonder if he's the protagonist of a gal game or a harem manga.

And so we decided to head for the Einzbern castle (for real) once dawn broke.

Haruno-san also told me that it was in a forest on the outskirts of Fuyuki City. Magic is so convenient in every way.

It seems that Haruno will be going off separately to search for her sister.

At present, there are no clues, but they will try to find out where Wakame escaped to. It seems that this is not a metaphor or anything, as they have placed sensors all over Fuyuki City.

"Hayama, why are you fighting?"

As I was thinking about the discussion we had just had and my plans for the next day, Emiya asked me that question.

"You don't know why. I just got dragged into it."

"I heard that, but it's not that. It was the same in our previous discussion, but you're being proactive considering you got dragged into it, and you're clearly fighting of your own volition. Why is that?"

"Well, you should say that."

From what I've heard, Emiya is the type who is easily dragged into things.

"Is that Yukino for your daughter after all?"

"Well, there is that, too."

I guess it's going to be misunderstood.

"We're childhood friends, right?"

"Yeah. And I can't just leave Hikigaya alone either."

"Hmm."

Other kids from class would have persistently pestered him, but that doesn't seem to be Emiya's personality.

Before Emiya changes his mind, I'll ask him instead.

"Why is that Emiya fighting?"

"Me? I just got caught up in this, but...how should I put it, we can't just leave it like that."

He had heard that he'd been dragged into it, but it seemed that there was more to it than that.

"Did someone you know get caught up in this too?"

"I wouldn't say we were acquaintances, since we've never really had a proper conversation. And the other person was involved in the whole thing, or rather, was a party to it."

"Then you might as well run away. It's not like you're a champion of justice."

"That's why I can't run away."

That's where the conversation stops.

"So"? Where does that conjunction come in?

"Sorry, what do you mean? Are you aiming to be a champion of justice or something?"

"ah"

The simple affirmative reply was met with silence once again.

There was no hint of a joke in his voice, and it seemed likely that he was serious. Really, this guy...

"...I see. You're amazing."

After a moment, I answered yes. That was my honest thought.

It's extremely difficult to honestly talk about your dreams to other people. At least, it's impossible for me.

As I was honestly impressed, I sensed a confused look coming from Emiya.

"what up?"

"...No, he's not laughing."

"Well, if you said something like that in a normal situation, I would think you might have a fever."

It seems foolish to be a champion of justice at this age. It's a natural thought.

But I think that's because there are no champions of justice, and they're not needed.

Now I know about magicians, servants, and other supernatural beings that cannot be measured by common sense. Since there is a high possibility that they could harm people, it is not strange to aspire to become someone who can fight against them.

It's the same as aiming to become a police officer or a member of the Self-Defense Forces to protect people from crime and disasters.

"…………Yeah. I think it's cool after all. Good luck."

"…………Ah. Thanks."

Emiya answered with a tone that sounded like he had something stuck in his teeth. Perhaps he was embarrassed.

"Hey, what kind of guy is Hikigaya?"

Whether he was trying to cover it up or not, he said something completely different.

"What's with that all of the sudden?"

"Well, I was just wondering because it seems like you and that Haruno person are really conscious of each other."

"...Does it look like it?"

"Ou"

Seriously?! Wow, even I feel disgusted.

"Plus, he helped Tohsaka and Shinji, who were supposed to be his enemies. I wonder why he did that."

I think that was just a sudden reaction. Well, it's understandable that he would be confused if it was done by someone he was hostile towards.

"Hmm... It's difficult to explain, but in a word, he's a strange guy."

"A weird guy?"

"Yeah. If you ask him if he wants to go out somewhere, he'll say no and then ask you where you want to go."

"What is that?"

No matter what you ask, this is what it is, seriously.

It was dark and I couldn't see Emiya's face, but I could hear him laughing.

"Anyway, he's a twisted guy. He hates fitting in with others, and although he doesn't try to get along with others, he's extremely observant, he's good at confusing people, and he uses correct arguments, extreme arguments, lies, and delusions depending on his convenience... What is it?"

Sensing some unpleasant presence coming from Emiya, he stopped talking.

"Oh man, you seem to enjoy badmouthing people like that."

"...Did it look like that much fun?"

"Yeah. How should I put it, I can tell that you really like Hikigaya."

"...That can't be true. I hate that guy."

As if to escape from the teasing tone, I turned over in my sleep and faced away from Emiya. I don't think the other person could see, but I was in the mood.

"I'm going to bed now. I have to get up early tomorrow."

"Ah, good night."

There was a hint of amusement in Emiya's voice as he answered.

"Stop it! Please stop!"

I don't know if he can hear me or not, but either way, it doesn't seem like his behavior will change.

As if to prove this, Gilgamesh swung his blade down smoothly.

"What the..."

As I slumped to the ground, slumped powerlessly, Gilgamesh spoke to me as if nothing had happened.

"Well then, let's go, Yukino."

This is the trigger that causes emotions to explode.

"Don't mess with me! What on earth are you planning?!"

"What are you angry about?"

I was shocked to see his shocked expression.

What is this guy upset about?I really don't understand...

With disappointment, his vision lowers and he sees his feet.

There was a red puddle, and in the center of it was a headless woman, crucified with countless blades, unable to even collapse.

Hearing the sound of his teeth crunching, he stood up and glared at the golden hero with tear-filled eyes.

"I told you not to kill people."

"These are homunculus. Not people."

"It's the same as with humans!"

"Correct yourself, Yukino. What you just said was an insult. Even you will never forgive me."

There was a glaring silence, which was broken not long after by a loud roar.

Breaking through the castle walls and cutting through the smoke, a giant appeared, holding a young girl in its arms.

The girl in white quickly glances in my direction and murmurs softly.

"Sera... Liz...!"

Even though it was quite a distance away, the sound of grinding teeth could be heard from far away, so it was probably not just my imagination.

The girl quietly became enraged and gave an order to the titan who was likely her servant.

"Berserker! Kill them now!"