"Tch!"
"They ran fast."
With a dissatisfied click of his tongue, Iskandar sheathed his Sword of Cypriot.
"If this place weren't so cramped, I'd have surrounded every last one of them. Let's see where they'd run then!"
In truth, he could have activated Ionioi Hetairoi, his Reality Marble, and dragged all of the Hassans inside to wipe them out in one stroke.
But...
"Given the situation, who knows how many Assassins there really are? Their Master is almost certainly watching this through shared vision."
He didn't finish the thought, but Waver immediately understood.
The failed assassination had likely been nothing more than a probe, an attempt to force Rider into revealing his trump card.
They couldn't allow the enemy to seize that advantage. If Rider's Noble Phantasm was going to be revealed, it had to be on their own terms.
"Since Caster isn't here, there's a good chance he's already run into either Archer or Saber. With those two around, we'd better hurry. Otherwise, by the time we get there, Caster and his Master's graves might already be overgrown with weeds."
Iskandar grabbed Waver by the collar and tossed him back onto the Gordius Wheel.
Looking back uneasily, Waver asked,
"We're just leaving this place?"
"Even if we investigated, I doubt we'd learn anything useful. There's no point trying to understand the mind of a madman."
He glanced around the grotesque underground workshop.
"We'll destroy everything we can."
"Fortunately, this place has already been abandoned. Otherwise..."
His expression darkened.
"...I don't even want to imagine what would happen if these things were washed into the city's water supply."
"D-Don't say any more, Rider!"
Waver hurriedly interrupted him, dry heaving.
"Urgh... I don't even have anything left to throw up..."
"Fair enough."
Shrugging, Iskandar urged the divine chariot forward.
The Gordius Wheel thundered through the underground chamber, crushing everything in its path as emerald lightning reduced the macabre furnishings to ashes.
Bathed in crimson fire and azure lightning—
Waver looked back one last time.
His eyes were filled only with pity.
"...I'm sorry."
"Hyah!"
Elsewhere
After Hundred-Faced Hassan's assassination attempt on Waver ended in failure, Kirei Kotomine immediately contacted Tohsaka Tokiomi .
"My apologies, Master Tokiomi. Assassin's mission has failed."
"Don't concern yourself with it, Kirei."
Although Tokiomi sounded somewhat disappointed, his composure remained unchanged.
"While exposing Assassin before we completely uncovered Rider's trump card is certainly unfortunate..."
"...we've still gained valuable information."
"Even if he's Kayneth's student, Rider's Master is nothing more than a third-rate magus."
"And now we know Rider's Noble Phantasm is most likely a Reality Marble."
"Although a Reality Marble is one of the highest forms of magecraft—something approaching True Magic—it is completely countered by Archer's Ea, the Sword of Rupture."
"There is no need to worry."
"Our only real opponent now is Saber."
"However..."
"Rin is still in Saber's custody. Until he safely returns her, the Assassins monitoring him are not to act recklessly or alert him. Understood?"
"Kirei."
"There is elegance even in battle."
"Now that victory is firmly within our grasp, all we need do is demonstrate the composure and refinement befitting true magi."
"I understand, Master Tokiomi."
Kirei answered respectfully before hanging up.
"Composure... and refinement..."
He murmured the words to himself.
Gilgamesh's earlier assessment of Tokiomi resurfaced in his mind.
"I never expected him to be such a boring man."
At that moment...
Kirei found himself agreeing wholeheartedly.
"The fact that you're still worried about your daughter only proves you possess neither true composure nor elegance."
"That won't do, Master..."
A strangely delighted smile appeared on his otherwise expressionless face.
"Since the enemy has obtained such an enormous weakness..."
"Then as your disciple..."
"I'll erase it for you with my own hands."
"So that we may win the Holy Grail War with perfect composure... and elegance."
Meanwhile...
"Rin..."
"She actually went to Fuyuki all by herself..."
The moment Aoi Tohsaka realized her daughter was missing, she immediately drove back to Fuyuki City in search of her.
Now she sped through the nearly deserted streets beneath the night sky, intending to regroup with Tokiomi at the Tohsaka Mansion.
Suddenly—
A blond man dressed as a medieval knight caught her attention.
Then she saw the little girl with twin tails in his arms.
"Rin!"
Aoi slammed on the brakes, drifting smoothly to the curb before rushing out of the car.
"Mom?"
Without hesitation, Aoi embraced Rin tightly.
"Honestly... You must never do something this reckless again."
"If anything happens, you have to tell your father or me first."
"I know, Mommy..."
At first Rin had been reluctant to leave Leon's arms.
But the moment she was held by her mother, all the fear she'd been suppressing flooded back.
The terror of encountering Caster and Ryunosuke Uryū finally overwhelmed her, and tears streamed down her face.
"Who are you...?"
Holding Rin protectively, Aoi looked at Leon with caution.
She had already recognized him.
The Saber Servant contracted to the Einzbern Family.
Although the truce between Masters was technically still in effect, this was the family that had accepted the infamous Magus Killer, Kiritsugu Emiya.
She couldn't help fearing they might disregard the rules entirely.
"Mom, let me explain..."
Rin carefully recounted everything—
How she had rescued her classmates...
How she had encountered Caster...
How Leon had saved her.
When Aoi finished listening, her face turned pale.
Without hesitation, she gently set Rin down before bowing deeply—nearly ninety degrees.
"Thank you, Saber."
"If you hadn't arrived when you did..."
"...Rin might have..."
"You give me too much credit, ma'am."
Leon smiled warmly as he helped her back to her feet, gently taking her soft hand.
"I simply did what I should."
"And besides..."
He winked at Rin, who was clutching the edge of her mother's dress.
"She's such an adorable child."
"I couldn't let Caster and his Master harm her."
"Aoi..."
The shadows beneath their feet rippled almost imperceptibly.
Before they could stir any further, Leon shifted his footing ever so slightly, suppressing the disturbance.
"Not yet."
"This isn't your time to appear. Don't expose yourself."
"L-Likes..."
Rin's face turned scarlet.
Aoi simply assumed her daughter was embarrassed by the compliment and thought nothing of it.
"Saber..."
"Leon is fine."
"Then..."
"Mr. Leon."
Aoi tucked a lock of her emerald-green hair behind her ear.
Her hairstyle gave off a mature elegance, while her timid demeanor only made her appear even more gentle and nurturing.
It wasn't hard to understand why Matou Kariya had remained hopelessly in love with her for so many years.
"The Holy Grail War isn't over yet."
"My daughter and I shouldn't keep troubling you."
She bowed once more.
"I hope we'll have a chance to properly thank you someday..."
Her eyes filled with regret.
She knew such an opportunity would likely never come.
With Archer's overwhelming strength, even the legendary King of Knights stood little chance.
"I understand."
Leon merely smiled.
Bright.
Warm.
The kind of smile that seemed capable of dispelling the gloom buried deep within Aoi's heart.
She found herself momentarily dazed.
Then, realizing it, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.
She hurriedly bowed again before taking Rin's hand.
Only—
She couldn't pull her daughter away.
"Rin?"
"No!"
"I want to stay with Mr. Knight!"
Rin pouted, pulled free from her mother's grasp, and scampered behind Leon.
Only half her face peeked out from behind him.
"Rin..."
Aoi had never seen her daughter behave so stubbornly before.
She was completely at a loss.
"Rin."
Leon gently rested a hand on the little girl's head.
"You need to listen to your mother."
"Children who don't behave won't be very popular."
"But..."
Rin hesitated.
For some reason...
She had a feeling that if they parted here...
She might never see Leon again.
She didn't yet understand what romantic affection was.
But just as she never wanted to miss out on a magical artifact she liked...
She didn't want to lose this precious connection either.
"If there's something you want..."
"Fight for it."
Those were her father's words.
"I have an idea."
Leon glanced at the time.
Midnight was fast approaching.
He also cast a subtle look toward the distant darkness, where unseen currents were quietly stirring.
Turning back to Aoi, he said,
"Rin's father promised me one Command Seal as payment for rescuing her."
"I originally intended to collect it after Caster had been dealt with."
"But I can escort both of you safely back to the Tohsaka Mansion and receive my reward there."
"How does that sound?"
"Wouldn't that be too much trouble for you?"
Aoi asked apologetically.
"Not at all."
Leon waved it off.
"I'm very fast."
"It won't delay me for long."
"...All right."
"Then we'll gladly accept your help."
Seeing that her daughter clearly had no intention of leaving unless Saber came with them, Aoi finally relented.
Truthfully...
She felt much safer with Leon accompanying them.
"Yay!"
Rin jumped happily before waving excitedly at Leon.
Motioning for him to crouch.
Although he had no idea what the little girl was planning, Leon knelt anyway, determined to maintain King Arthur's approachable image.
Then—
To Aoi's astonishment—
Rin climbed onto Leon's shoulders with practiced ease, sitting triumphantly atop them while gripping his head for balance.
It was something she had always wanted to do.
Her own father was far too dignified to even imagine such a thing.
But her beloved "Mr. Knight" was different.
"So high!"
When Leon—standing well over 190 centimeters tall—rose to his feet, Rin immediately experienced the exhilarating view from above.
Her little face lit up with excitement.
Aoi could only stand there speechless.
Then, shaking her head with a helpless smile, she laughed softly.
"You really do spoil her..."
"...Mr. Knight."
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