"What the..."
Standing by the window of an apartment, Kiritsugu Emiya watched through a pair of binoculars as Artoria enthusiastically devoured grilled corn cakes while accompanied by Leon and Irisviel.
The sight left him feeling utterly bewildered.
Once again, Artoria had shattered his image of King Arthur.
At first, he had assumed that even if the legendary king had truly been a woman, she would at least embody the dignity and bearing befitting the King of Knights.
But now...
She looked no different from an ordinary, immature young girl.
Ironically, seeing her like this only made Kiritsugu—who believed she should have been allowed to live as a normal girl in the first place—feel strangely disappointed.
Perhaps...
This was her true nature all along.
The heart of the king had always belonged to an innocent young girl.
The nation...
The society...
That had transformed her into King Arthur...
It could only be described as hell.
Kiritsugu reached that conclusion on his own.
He had come to find Leon to discuss how to deal with the remaining Masters and Servants.
Now that the Holy Grail War had officially begun, there was no reason to proceed cautiously.
The best strategy was to overwhelm the enemy before they even had a chance to react.
Their side possessed that level of strength.
After witnessing Leon's battle against Archer, Kiritsugu firmly believed so.
Never before had he fought a war from such an overwhelmingly advantageous position.
The power of the Holy Sword had far exceeded his expectations.
Before the Clock Tower discovered that Leon's counterfeit Saber was actually wielding the genuine Excalibur – Sword of Promised Victory, the war had to end as quickly as possible.
If the Mage's Association intervened before the Holy Grail War concluded...
Things would become far more troublesome.
As for whether Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald might notice something unusual about Leon's Servant identity...
Kiritsugu wasn't particularly worried.
Even if Kayneth realized the truth, a man as proud as he was would never ask the Clock Tower for outside assistance before the Holy Grail War was over.
With that thought, Kiritsugu took out his cellphone and called Leon.
After investigating throughout the night, he had already confirmed that Kayneth and his student, Waver Velvet, Rider's Master, had formed an alliance.
Whether Kayneth had officially taken over Rider's Command Seals or not was ultimately irrelevant.
As one of the Twelve Lords of the Clock Tower, he remained an exceptionally dangerous opponent.
Therefore...
Strike while the iron was hot.
Kiritsugu had chosen Kayneth and Waver as their next targets.
The Hyatt Hotel—the tallest building in Fuyuki City—which had been completely transformed into a Magecraft Workshop, was practically inviting attack.
It was as though it were announcing to every other Master:
"I'm powerful, and I'm right here. Come challenge me if you dare."
In truth...
That was precisely Kayneth's intention.
He intended to lure the other Masters into attacking before eliminating them on his own territory.
When it came to battles between magi, Kayneth possessed absolute confidence.
Even against weaker Servants such as Hundred-Faced Hassan, he believed he could emerge victorious.
As long as Volumen Hydrargyrum (Moon Spirit Mercury) remained fully supplied with magical energy, and with the home-field advantage provided by his Magecraft Workshop...
If he couldn't even deal with Hundred-Faced Hassan, it would be an even greater disgrace than losing Lancer.
"...What did you say?"
"Blow up the Hyatt Hotel?"
The moment Leon repeated those words over the phone, both Artoria—who had been happily eating—and Irisviel—who had been happily watching her eat—froze simultaneously.
The two exchanged glances.
Their expressions immediately turned serious.
Quietly, they listened for the rest of the conversation.
"That's right."
While observing the three of them through his binoculars, Kiritsugu calmly explained,
"I'll infiltrate the hotel disguised as a staff member during the day and plant explosives throughout the building."
"Tonight, after all the civilians have been evacuated, I'll detonate them and bring the entire hotel down."
"Once that happens, they'll lose the advantage of fighting on their own territory."
"After that..."
"The rest will be up to you and Sa—"
"...Artoria."
Even though Leon had long known Kiritsugu would resort to this plan, hearing him calmly explain the complete demolition of an entire skyscraper still made him sigh inwardly.
This guy really is something else.
Cold-blooded enough that he barely seemed human.
More like a machine.
A necessary sacrifice... for the sake of world peace?
"Kiritsugu."
"You're every bit as ruthless as the rumors say."
"I can see why other magi dislike you."
"Even though we're on the same side, I still find your methods... unsettling."
He smiled.
"It's enough to make me worry you'll stab me in the back one day."
"Just like Berserker did to Lancer."
As he spoke, Leon casually turned his head toward a distant apartment building.
"...!!!"
Looking through his binoculars, Kiritsugu suddenly found himself staring directly into Leon's eyes from several hundred meters away.
His pupils instinctively contracted.
Outwardly, his expression remained perfectly composed.
Inside...
His thoughts exploded.
I've been discovered?
When?
How?
Three questions flashed through his mind almost instantly.
Frowning, he turned toward Maiya Hisau, who was monitoring and encrypting the phone call.
"Any unusual activity around the apartment?"
"No."
Maiya shook her head.
"Everything's normal."
"...I see."
Kiritsugu remained cautious, though he relaxed ever so slightly.
Then Leon continued speaking, almost as though he could see every one of Kiritsugu's reactions.
"Stop looking."
"I'm not nearly as paranoid as you are."
"My eyesight is just... a tiny bit better than an ordinary person's."
In the distance, Leon pointed at his green eyes before holding his thumb and index finger barely apart to indicate an almost comically small difference.
Even without understanding the joke, Kiritsugu could tell Leon was openly showing off.
"..."
Kiritsugu fell silent.
Leon continued,
"Anyway..."
"Leave Kayneth and the others alone for now."
"They've got different opponents waiting for them."
"If that hotel comes under attack..."
"We might even have to help them."
"...Help them?"
Kiritsugu couldn't follow Leon's train of thought.
"Because that Magecraft Workshop is going to become one of my goddaughter's most valuable future assets."
"...What?"
Kiritsugu couldn't immediately process such an outrageously matter-of-fact declaration.
Goddaughter...
He means that purple-haired little girl he brought back to Einzbern Castle?
She had originally belonged to the Tohsaka Family, only to be adopted into the Matou Family.
But now...
The Matou Family had been wiped off the face of the earth by an unknown force.
Which meant—
Leon had very likely exterminated one of the Three Founding Families solely for that little girl.
And that same child was currently living safely inside Einzbern Castle.
The realization sent a chill down Kiritsugu's spine.
Cold sweat began forming across his forehead.
His breathing unconsciously grew heavier.
If anything happened to that little girl...
Even if the Einzberns had nothing to do with it...
Kiritsugu had no doubt Leon would still vent his anger upon the family and erase the entire Einzbern lineage from existence.
With the power of Excalibur – Sword of Promised Victory...
He absolutely possessed that capability.
After all...
Artoria, as a Servant, could not remain in the world forever.
Without someone capable of wielding Avalon – The Everdistant Utopia, the sheath itself would become meaningless.
"Huff... Huff..."
"Kiritsugu?"
"What's wrong?"
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