The next morning.
Einzbern Castle, Dining Room.
"Ah, ah! It seems Britain isn't a culinary wasteland either!" Merlín was nibbling on a grilled lamb chop.
"Hahaha, as long as you have money, even in hell, King Yama will send you delicacies!" Sora laughed.
"Mr. Yuki's words are very interesting." Irisviel covered her lips and chuckled.
"It's the truth. And, my family name is Yuki." Sora shook his head.
As a representative of Death, he knew this well.
Just then,
At the dining room entrance, Kiritsugu stood in the corner, observing the two new Servants.
Sora and Merlín.
Both were powerful, but were they trustworthy?
The magus, Merlín, was one thing. He knew her background was similar to Artoria's… the Grand Caster Merlin, a female form from another timeline.
But what about Sora? This guy had directly killed his own Master. Could he be trusted?
Would he kill him?
What were his intentions regarding the Holy Grail?
At this point, Kiritsugu was still unaware of the truth and history behind the Holy Grail War. He only thought that by eliminating the other Masters, he could activate the Holy Grail and fulfill his wish for 'world peace'.
Thus, he instinctively distrusted anyone who got close to Irisviel!
Especially two Servants who approached voluntarily.
Wasn't the Holy Grail War supposed to have seven Servants?
Now, his keen calculations suggested there was one extra.
That Servant who looked exactly like Artoria and called herself 'Okita Soji'.
This confused him.
Originally, there should be only Saber, Archer, Lancer, Rider, Caster, Assassin, and Berserker.
Now, according to his intelligence, the Servants were: his own Artoria, Soji, Gilgamesh, Iskandar, the two Servants with Irisviel, plus Lancer, and the already revealed Berserker, Lancelot.
That was eight!
Who had summoned the extra one?
Emiya, true to his reputation as the resourceful [Magus Killer], had acutely noticed the information Sora had inadvertently leaked: irregular summoning.
Servants could also summon Servants.
The key was the magical energy required for sustained manifestation.
His naturally cautious nature prevented him from meeting the two directly. Instead, he sent a message to Irisviel's phone: "Meet me in the garden."
He had to ensure his victory in this Grail War.
He couldn't afford such a major oversight.
…
In the castle's rear garden.
Irisviel and Kiritsugu sat facing each other.
Looking at Irisviel, who was smiling happily, his eyes softened slightly.
Kiritsugu asked: "Are those two trustworthy?"
Irisviel replied matter-of-factly: "Of course they are trustworthy!"
"Merlín and Yuki-kun are both very good people."
"Is that so?"
"And what kind of Servant is this Yuki Sora?"
"He's Assassin. He said he killed his Master, Kotomine Kirei, because that man was a villain." Irisviel answered instinctively.
"He's Assassin? Then what is Merlín?"
"She's Caster." Irisviel also began to sense something was off.
'Yes. Was Caster's Master killed too?'
As expected of Kiritsugu. He had hit the nail on the head.
Indeed, Ryunosuke Uryuu, Caster's Master and a serial killer, had been killed by Sora from the very beginning.
It was using Uryuu's Command Spells that Sora had summoned Merlín.
In a short time, by analyzing a few actions Sora had taken in this Nasuverse World, Kiritsugu was already piecing things together.
Of course, as long as he remained ignorant of the Holy Grail's true nature and mechanism, his fate was still a tragedy.
"Two Servants simultaneously killed their own Masters to come and join you."
"I don't think I possess that much charm." Kiritsugu shook his head.
"You don't, of course. It's because they have that much charm!" Irisviel propped her face in her hands, a starry look in her eyes.
"Uh..." Kiritsugu sighed helplessly.
His intuition told him that those two strange Servants, whose behavior was unlike any typical Servant, definitely harbored a significant secret.
If he couldn't uncover it, it would pose a huge obstacle to his goal: obtaining the Holy Grail and achieving world peace.
"Forget it. I'll go meet them directly."
"Yes! People can understand each other if they talk. As long as you talk properly with Yuki-kun, I'm sure you can become good friends!"
"Mm."
Kiritsugu naturally didn't take Irisviel's words to heart.
After all, she was the precious treasure he was protecting, untouched by any corruption.
He wanted to create a peaceful world for her!
Of course, he didn't yet know that the true Holy Grail had long been tainted by the [Angra Mainyu]. If he succeeded and made that wish, the result would be only one thing: "All life in the world would be consumed by the infinite magical energy from the Root."
In the dining room.
Kiritsugu finally appeared.
"Hello, you two. I'm Emiya Kiritsugu, Artoria's Master." He got straight to the point.