Coming back to his senses, Kiritsugu Emiya gestured toward Maiya Hisau, who had already drawn her pistol and was aiming it at Berserker, now fully emerged from the shadows.
He motioned for her to lower the weapon.
Against Berserker, that level of vigilance was meaningless.
Kiritsugu had witnessed it with his own eyes the previous night.
Even after enduring Archer's Noble Phantasms raining down upon him, the black armor covering Berserker's body had suffered nothing more than a few scratches, with only the hem of his clothing slightly dirtied.
A handgun wouldn't even be capable of breaking his defenses.
The more Kiritsugu thought about it...
The more convinced he became that Berserker was the Servant best suited to him.
If he didn't still need to keep his trump cards in reserve for the inevitable confrontation with Leon and Berserker...
He might have seriously considered asking Leon to swap Servants.
"...This is..."
Kiritsugu frowned as he accepted the torn red-and-white "sheet" from Matou Kariya .
"It's human skin."
"A child's."
Leon's confirmation made both Kiritsugu and Maiya fall silent.
As a woman, Maiya found the sight especially difficult to bear.
Women naturally tended to empathize with children more deeply.
"The culprit is cruel, but they're also cautious," Leon said over the phone.
"They deliberately target villages and small towns on the outskirts of Fuyuki City to avoid drawing attention."
"I recommend starting your investigation in Miyama Town."
Kiritsugu raised an eyebrow.
"Why Miyama Town?"
"How should I put this..."
"Berserker's Instinct?"
Leon answered with complete honesty.
"Instinct..."
Kiritsugu assumed Berserker possessed an exceptionally rare form of Instinct specialized for reconnaissance.
Considering that Berserker remained unusually calm despite his class, it wasn't difficult to believe.
Perhaps he simply wasn't good at talking.
Or preferred not to.
"I'll begin investigating Caster and his Master from Miyama Town."
"I'll contact you as soon as I find anything."
"Make it quick."
"As of dawn, more than thirty children have already disappeared."
"A serial killer as the Master..."
"A mentally unstable Servant..."
"Caster's pair may well be the most dangerous team in this entire Holy Grail War."
"Understood."
Beep.
The call ended.
Kiritsugu stood beside the window, half his face hidden beneath the shadow cast by the curtain.
Only his cold, determined eyes remained visible.
"W-What are you doing?!"
Just as he was gathering his thoughts, Maiya suddenly cried out in alarm behind him.
Kiritsugu spun around.
His expression immediately froze.
Because—
Berserker...
Completely ignoring his dignity...
Had dropped to both knees like a hunting dog and was enthusiastically rummaging through the trash can beside the bed.
Ordinarily, that behavior wouldn't have shocked either of them.
But...
The trash can was filled with a large number of discarded contraceptives.
The implications hardly needed explaining.
"Stop!!"
Both Kiritsugu and Maiya shouted simultaneously.
Time Alter — Double Accel!
Kiritsugu instantly activated one of his signature Magecraft spells.
Moving at twice his normal speed, he reached Berserker before Maiya could.
Unfortunately—
He grabbed nothing but empty air.
Because Berserker had already sunk into the shadows...
Taking the entire trash can with him.
Kiritsugu could only stand there helplessly.
For a brief moment...
He could almost picture the mischievous grin that would undoubtedly spread across Leon's face once he heard about this.
…
"Heh."
"Looks like someone's still full of energy."
Leon chuckled to himself.
"Hm?"
"What was... full of energy?"
Beside him, Artoria mumbled indistinctly through a mouthful of steamed shumai.
"Your appetite."
Leon gently helped widen her cheeks just enough for the oversized shumai to disappear safely into The King's Bottomless Appetite .
"Hmph."
"This is nothing."
Artoria proudly lifted her chin.
Thanks to possessing the body of a Servant, she finally had the opportunity to enjoy countless delicious foods she had never been able to try during her lifetime.
"All right!"
"We've eaten enough here!"
"Next restaurant!"
"Go! Go! Go!"
Standing behind Leon, Artoria cheerfully pushed him forward.
Irisviel followed behind them, paying the bill while covering her smile with one hand.
She looked every bit like an amused older sister watching a young couple together.
Under Leon's subtle guidance, their culinary tour gradually moved closer and closer toward the districts where the child disappearances had been occurring most frequently.
Meanwhile—
At Fuyuki Church, Risei Kotomine and Kirei Kotomine had also received reports concerning the widespread panic caused by Gilles de Rais and Ryunosuke Uryuu abducting children.
"The Holy Grail War is supposed to remain secret."
"Caster and his Master have gone far too far!"
Risei slammed his hand against the table.
"...Even so..."
Kirei calmly closed the newspaper in his hands.
"The battle between Saber and Archer caused far greater destruction."
"That's different."
Risei folded his hands behind his back as he gazed toward the brilliant sunlight shining through the cathedral's stained-glass ceiling.
"Saber and Archer caused only physical destruction."
"That can still be explained away as another gas explosion."
"But Caster and his Master are different."
"They use Magecraft without the slightest restraint."
"They make absolutely no effort to conceal their traces."
"So many children disappearing overnight..."
"No explanation can cover that up."
"True."
Kirei nodded.
"It's almost as though they don't care about the Holy Grail War at all."
"If they attract the attention of the Japanese government, it will be disastrous for all of us."
After a moment of thought, Risei turned toward his son.
"Kirei."
"I'll notify the other Masters."
"You contact Tokiomi."
"The Holy Grail War will have to pause."
"Before things become any worse..."
"We must eliminate Caster's faction first."
"Understood, Father."
Kirei quietly disappeared into the shadows.
…
"I see..."
"A deranged Servant..."
"And a Master who not only refuses to restrain him, but actively joins in his atrocities..."
After hearing Kirei's report, Tohsaka Tokiomi fell into deep thought.
"Why would people like that even participate in the Holy Grail War?"
"...No."
"The reason no longer matters."
"So the Holy Church wishes for all Masters and Servants—except Caster's faction—to suspend hostilities until Caster has been dealt with?"
"Yes, my mentor. "
Kirei nodded.
"Caster's actions have completely violated the rules governing the Holy Grail War."
"They can no longer be ignored."
"Very well."
"As one entrusted with preserving the secrecy of Magecraft..."
"I cannot permit such a thing."
"For the Holy Grail to manifest properly..."
"Caster and his Master must be eliminated."
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