The moon was dark and the wind high, with nearly half of the moon obscured. A cool breeze swept through, bringing relief to the sweltering summer night.
Above Fuyuki City.
"Whoosh!"
A hippogriff soared past, carrying Astolfo and Red Archer on its back.
"Find anything, Archer?"
Astolfo asked. They had been circling for half an hour already, searching since dinner. The hippogriff's high mobility combined with Red Archer's clairvoyance made them as effective as radar.
"No, no suspicious individuals found. Hmph, everyone's surprisingly patient. This might be the most boring Holy Grail War in history."
As someone who had experienced the Holy Grail War in both childhood and adolescence, Red Archer understood its cruelty well. It was a battlefield of blood and fire, where Servants fought Servants and Masters confronted Masters, incredibly fierce.
Unlike now. It had been nearly two days, and there hadn't even been a single proper battle. The fight between Cú Chulainn and the mysterious Saber was an exception, but even that was more of a probing exchange. Neither side revealed their true killing moves, so it barely counted as a minor skirmish.
They circled for another ten minutes before the hippogriff landed on the roof of a tall building. Astolfo scratched its cheek and said to Red Archer:
"Just aimlessly circling like this isn't going to work. I've already covered most of the city; there's nothing unusual. There are only a few spots left we haven't checked."
Astolfo pointed.
"There, there, and also there."
Astolfo indicated three general directions. Red Archer raised an eyebrow; he was familiar with these three places.
"Fuyuki Church, the Matou Family, and the Tohsaka Family."
"The Tohsaka Family? Rin's house?"
"That's right."
"That's a big building!"
"Indeed. Rin comes from an extraordinary family; they had a glorious past, but it's faded now."
"Oh, so if she has her own home, why was she staying with Luvia before?"
Astolfo was puzzled. It seemed more comfortable to stay in one's own home.
Red Archer hesitated, then replied, "Perhaps that house holds some memories she dislikes. Plus, Rin hasn't been back in a long time. Such a large house, left unmaintained, would become run-down. It would take a lot of effort to restore it. She's probably just lazy."
From Red Archer's experience, Tohsaka Rin was quite lazy. She was the type who, if he were around, would rely on him for almost everything.
Thinking back to the past, a reminiscent look appeared in Red Archer's eyes, and a faint smile touched his lips.
Astolfo noticed this and asked again, "How do you know so much? Weren't you summoned here with me? It's like you've known each other for years."
"..."
Red Archer said nothing. He turned his head towards Fuyuki Church, or rather, Kotomine Church, and said, "That church seems rather unusual. Let's go check it out."
"Huh? Are you changing the subject??"
Astolfo blinked.
"Stop talking nonsense, let's go."
"Oh, fine, stingy."
Unable to get the answers it wanted, Astolfo pouted and had the hippogriff take off, flying towards Kotomine Church.
The silver-haired girl had just returned to the church, changed her clothes, and was getting ready for bed after a shower. She had school tomorrow, and as the school's only nurse, she still had to clock in.
Lying on the bed in light sleepwear, the silver-haired girl recalled the unusual Geomantic Vein she had discovered outside earlier.
"So troublesome… Sometimes I really don't want to get involved, but there's nothing to be done… I'll check the Geomantic Vein's flow tomorrow. If it still can't be resolved… Hmph~"
It had to be said that the silver-haired girl was truly a deep sleeper. She fell asleep within ten seconds of lying down.
Mordred materialized by the bed, reaching out to pull the blanket over the silver-haired girl.
Then.
Mordred looked up at the sky. Of course, this was indoors, but Mordred had heard the flapping of wings, and it sounded like a large creature.
Knowing it was likely another Master's or Servant's ability, Mordred didn't make a sound, slowly vanishing and minimizing her presence.
In the air.
The hippogriff flew past, but Kotomine Church was completely silent. The two saw nothing unusual and quickly left.
"Where next?"
Astolfo asked. Red Archer glanced around, then pointed towards the Matou Family's direction.
"There."
Red Archer knew Matou Sakura's past and felt deep sympathy and pity for her, but some things had already happened and couldn't be changed.
The Matou Family's residence was nestled deep in the mountains, a grim old mansion that gave off an uncomfortable aura.
Two figures were lurking in the forest not far from the old manor.
To be precise, one person was lurking, while the other, a burly man, stood fearlessly.
"Damn it! I'm going to make that bitch pay! Lancer! I'll use a Command Seal to power you up in a bit, then you unleash your Noble Phantasm and hit that castle hard! I'll scare that stinking woman to death!"
Matou Shinji grew angrier the more he thought about it. With his twisted and petty personality, he simply couldn't tolerate it. So, after nightfall, he and Lancer came here, ready to bomb the Matou Family residence.
Lancer scratched his head when he heard Matou Shinji.
"Master, that's your home too."
"Bullshit! It's either me or her now!!"
Matou Shinji's eyes widened as he spoke frantically; he couldn't care less about that now.
"But... my principle is not to harm women or children—"
"Shut up!"
Lancer tried to refuse but was cut off by Matou Shinji, who raised his left hand, displaying three vivid red Command Seals. The meaning was clear: he was the Master, he possessed Command Seals, and his word was law.
Lancer understood Matou Shinji's intention, his brows furrowed, and a hint of disgust flickered in his eyes.
If he had known his Master was this kind of person, he wouldn't have answered the summons in the first place. He was constantly annoyed.
"Alright! Get ready, I'm going to use a Command Seal!"
Matou Shinji turned to face the Matou Family residence, a chilling smile on his face. Just as he was about to speak,
"Oh? I didn't expect an unexpected bonus."
A voice suddenly came from the sky. Matou Shinji shrieked and scrambled behind Lancer, nearly wetting himself from fright.
Lancer sighed. Such a cowardly temperament was truly annoying. If a person like this were in his army, he'd probably stab them to death first, to avoid disgrace on the battlefield.
"You! Who are you?!"
Matou Shinji peeked out, his voice sharp and distorted as he questioned them.
Red Archer smiled at his old classmate and jumped down from the sky, landing in front of the two.
"Me, just an Archer passing by. What are you two doing lurking here?"
Red Archer's tone was chilling. Matou Shinji felt a cold shiver, as if Red Archer's gaze had chilled him. He forced himself to muster courage and shouted,
"You! None of your business! No, I understand! You're the Servant that bitch summoned! Damn it! Why are other people's Servants so handsome?!"
Lancer: "???"
"Lancer!! I command you! Kill him! An Archer dares to appear before the Three Knight Classes! You're asking for death! Lancer! Deal with him!"
Lancer: "...Sigh"
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