"What's wrong? Not happy?"
Xia Yu took a packaged ice cream bar and pressed it against Illya's face, making the latter jump from the sudden cold.
Growing up in a land of ice and snow didn't mean she was immune to the freeze.
"Berserker!" Illya glared at her indignantly.
"Here, I brought this for you," Xia Yu said, stuffing the ice cream into her hands. "Why are you just watching from a distance? If you care that much, just go over there."
"You!" Illya instantly lost her nerve.
She still hadn't decided how to deal with this unfamiliar "younger brother."
Originally, she had planned to seek revenge during the Holy Grail War. Heh, it was only natural for a few Heroic Spirits to "accidentally" kill an ordinary person during a fight, right?
No one would care about such a thing. For the community of Magi, as long as you didn't conduct a massive slaughter that exposed the Mystery to the public, killing a single ordinary person was a non-issue, provided you cleaned up the aftermath.
Illya had long hated Emiya Kiritsugu. He had promised to come back for her, but... but she had lived in that cold castle for ten years and never saw him again.
Finally, she learned from her grandfather's mouth that Emiya Kiritsugu had abandoned her, started a new family in Fuyuki City, and even had a child...
Therefore, she was fully prepared to kill Emiya Shirou to vent her anger. Forget about kindness; for a Homunculus of the Einzbern family, moral sentiments were secondary. Winning the Holy Grail War and completing The Third Magic was all that mattered.
From a young age, the Einzbern family had never taught Illya the concepts of good and evil.
The only reason she hadn't acted yet was because the Holy Grail War hadn't started... of course, that was just her stubborn excuse.
In reality, she was also lost. Emiya Shirou was just an ordinary person, and killing him would only require a flick of her finger. But even if she killed him, she would never know... why Kiritsugu abandoned her back then...
In the original story, this was exactly how Illya viewed Emiya Shirou with such conflict. She had arrived in Fuyuki before the Holy Grail War began, yet Emiya Shirou remained unharmed until he summoned a Servant and became a Master. It was only when they were officially on opposing sides that Illya made her move.
Of course, she didn't succeed in the end. Either she was stopped by Archer, or Emiya Shirou himself rushed out to use Avalon to tank a hit from Heracles for Artoria, which sparked Illya's interest in understanding this brother and led her to spare him for a while.
"Wait, you have some nerve talking about me!" Illya's eyes darted around as she turned to question Xia Yu. "Berserker! Was that you fighting someone just now?"
She couldn't have mistaken those soaring flames; it was definitely Berserker's Noble Phantasm... attack.
"Ran into an old friend," Xia Yu said, gently rubbing the top of her head before picking her up and carrying her back into the mansion. "Had a bit of a scrap with him."
"Miss Firefly seems to be in a very good mood," Sella said tentatively, carrying armfuls of various vegetables. "I assume the fight was quite satisfying? It's just that it's broad daylight... I originally wanted to buy more ingredients, but the market is full of panic-buyers right now..."
"It doesn't matter if it's day or night," Xia Yu shook her head. "Since we're all in this city, we were going to fight sooner or later. It was just a matter of time."
She couldn't stand the foul-mouthed attitude of that chuunibyou Gilgamesh, and he likely wouldn't be interested in her either; this clash was unavoidable.
So, the moment they met, Xia Yu decisively started the fight and moved the battlefield out of the city.
"Is it a nemesis?" Illya frowned. "But aren't you a person from the future? How could you have a nemesis in this era?"
"Not exactly a nemesis," Xia Yu shook her head. "We just simply don't get along. Since a battle was inevitable, it was better to deal with this unstable factor before the Holy Grail War."
"As for his identity, it was Gilgamesh, the King of Uruk."
"Wait, Gilgamesh?" The two of them instantly became alert. "A Heroic Spirit? Someone else summoned a Heroic Spirit early just like us?"
"It wasn't early," Xia Yu said cryptically. "Actually, his state is quite strange. He possesses a physical body, and his clothing suggests he's clearly accustomed to this era. Even after I sent him back to the Throne of Heroes, his Master didn't use a Command Spell."
"No Master?" Illya and Sella spoke in unison. "How is that poss—wait, Gilgamesh? I remember now, isn't that the Heroic Spirit from the last Holy Grail War?"
"How did he stay until now?" Illya looked at Xia Yu. "Berserker, did he reveal any information?"
"No," Xia Yu shook her head bluntly. "We started fighting as soon as we met. I didn't ask."
"According to the records from the last Holy Grail War, Gilgamesh was a Heroic Spirit with overwhelming power," Sella began to analyze. "In fact, Emiya Kiritsugu didn't sync the details of the final battle with the Einzbern family, so we don't know how he defeated him."
"But looking at it now, there were really big problems with the last Holy Grail War!"
Actually, Emiya Kiritsugu had mentioned it, but Acht only cared that he hadn't obtained the Holy Grail and ignored the internal details.
"And as for Miss Firefly's strength," she turned to look at Firefly, her eyes full of admiration, "to take down the King of Heroes without a scratch... as expected of a warrior from the Interstellar Era!"
Einzbern had truly drawn a god-tier card. It was just... Jubstacheit von Einzbern wouldn't be able to see this for himself.
Based on the repair progress over the past month, it was hard to say if he could be fixed... and even if he could, he absolutely must not be fixed during the Holy Grail War.
Miss Firefly hadn't hidden her disgust for Jubstacheit von Einzbern at all. If he were fixed and offended this powerhouse, what would they do if she stopped playing along with Einzbern?
One had to realize this wasn't an ordinary Servant. She didn't need a Master to provide Mana, nor was she restricted by Command Spells.
She was truly free. In contrast, it was Einzbern who was currently serving her needs.
"Hmph, Berserker," Illya muttered quietly under her breath. "She's quite capable, I suppose."
She was as stubborn as ever.
"Yes, yes, Berserker is very capable," Xia Yu smiled and looked at Sella. "Go put those ingredients away. That fight felt great, so we must have a banquet tonight!"
"I'll go invite two great chefs back. Have Leysritt get ready!"
With that, she set Illya down and walked toward the door.
"The Chef?" Illya and Sella looked at each other. "Berserker knows a chef?"
"Miss Illya," Sella sighed. "Please show Miss Firefly at least a little respect... at least stop calling her Berserker. Since she's a warrior from the future, you don't have to worry about leaking her True Name."
"Why should I? She's Berserker!" Illya argued softly. "She has never shown me any respect as her Master!"
"In reality, she doesn't need to respect the Einzbern family," Sella sighed. "I see she's quite fond of that girl from the Matou family. If you ever make her unhappy, what will we do if she turns around and becomes a Servant for the Matou family?"
"As one of the three founding families, the Matou family certainly doesn't lack the means to make a Servant switch Masters."
Sella saw it clearly. The two main methods Magi used to restrain Servants—Mana and Command Spells—were useless against Firefly. She could truly go wherever she pleased.
If it weren't for the fact that Illya had summoned her due to their shared compatibility as Homunculi, Sella would have worried if she would truly tear down the entire Einzbern house.
Firefly's blatant disgust wasn't fake; she had killed Jubstacheit von Einzbern the moment she appeared...
"I understand..." Hearing this, Illya could only nod obediently.
Sella wasn't just a maid; she was also her Magecraft teacher. Over the years, Sella and Leysritt had been the ones accompanying her, effectively acting as mother figures.
Though they hadn't done a great job, it wasn't Sella's fault; Acht had intentionally raised Illya to be this way.
On the other side, Xia Yu opened the door only to see the two people across the street acting all lovey-dovey.
Even though they were standing right in front of each other, both had their heads down, not daring to look at the other's face.
A few days ago, they wouldn't have had so many reservations, but after those words just now... honestly, it wasn't much different from a confession. "If you go, I'll go," "If you don't go, I won't go either"... Eww.
"You two over there," Xia Yu's voice interrupted their intimate atmosphere. "We're having a celebration banquet tonight. Interested in joining? You don't need to bring anything—just yourselves."
"...I'm sorry," Matou Sakura subconsciously declined. "We have things to do in a bit..."
She instinctively didn't want Senpai to come into contact with the world of Magi.
"Sakura is right," Emiya Shirou respected her wishes and gave Xia Yu an apologetic look. "We have plans later. Sorry, Miss Firefly."
"Are you really not coming, Sakura?" Xia Yu looked at Matou Sakura with a beaming smile and said, "Even though we'll be fighting for our lives in a month, don't you want to take this chance to gather some intelligence?"
"Wait, what do you mean by 'fighting for our lives'?" Hearing this, Emiya Shirou's pupils dilated as he looked at Xia Yu in disbelief. "Why would you do such a thing?"
"Yeah, why do such a thing?" Xia Yu shook her head. "I don't understand it either. That's something you should ask the one named Matou among us."
"Sakura?" Emiya Shirou looked at Matou Sakura.
"...I'm sorry, Senpai," Matou Sakura bit her lip, explaining nothing. She then turned to Xia Yu. "We will attend."
How despicable, she thought. And she calls herself a Berserker. Since when are Berserkers this smart?
In her heart, Matou Sakura didn't believe the other party was a Servant at all. How could a Berserker be like this?
By using a single sentence, she had forced Senpai into contact with them. Sakura couldn't bear to let Senpai go alone, so she had to follow.
Refusing was even less of an option. Even if she refused today, Senpai would still worry about her and would definitely try to see the woman in secret. Matou Sakura could not tolerate that.
"Great, then come on in," Xia Yu opened the door and looked at them.
Matou Sakura grit her teeth and followed.
Emiya Shirou followed closely behind.
And then...
"So, this is why we didn't need to bring anything but ourselves?" The two of them stood in the kitchen wearing aprons, staring at each other.
"Of course," Xia Yu said righteously. "Surely you'd be embarrassed to come empty-handed? Since it's a dinner party, we provide the ingredients and you provide the labor. It's only natural, isn't it?"
"It's natural," Emiya Shirou nodded. He actually felt it wasn't natural at all, but thinking she was a foreigner, he assumed it was just a local custom.
"Sakura, let's begin."
Seeing this, Xia Yu returned to the living room satisfied.
"Berserker!!!" As soon as she turned around, she saw Illya lunging at her with bared claws. "What on earth are you trying to do?"
"I want to have a good meal," Xia Yu caught her comfortably and pulled her into her arms. "Leysritt's cooking is decent, but I'd still rather eat something more Eastern."
"Sigh, if only Archer were here. These guys can't cook Chinese food. Archer could definitely satisfy my needs."
"Who is Archer?" Illya asked with wide eyes.
"A motherly figure with exquisite culinary skills," Xia Yu said, giving a thumbs up. "If I get the chance, I'll definitely kidnap him to be my cook."
"It doesn't sound like you're friends," Sella said, unsure of what to say. The word "kidnap"... wasn't very friendly.
"Our relationship is actually okay, I guess," Xia Yu said confidently, thinking of the max-bond Archer in her own Chaldea.
Illya and Sella exchanged a look, both understanding what the other was thinking.
Not believable at all!
Time passed bit by bit, and the two great chefs quickly finished the dishes.
"It's just some home-cooked food," Emiya Shirou said, removing his apron with a slight blush. "Please don't laugh at us."
"Home-cooked food is exactly what I wanted," Xia Yu waved her hand. "If I wanted a grand feast, why wouldn't I just go to a hotel?"
"Come, sit. Don't be formal; just treat it like your own home."
As she ushered them to sit down, she looked at Illya. "Stop pouting. Eat up without worry; just consider this as this kid showing you some filial respect."
"Uh... filial respect..." Emiya Shirou wanted to correct her choice of words, but since she was a foreigner, he let it go.
"By the way, Miss Firefly, you said this was a celebration. Is it a housewarming?"
"Nope," Xia Yu said, picking up a piece of tempura. "It's to celebrate that I had a very satisfying fight today."
"Huh?" Both Matou Sakura and Emiya Shirou froze.
"What, you didn't see it?" Xia Yu turned to them with a smile. "There was such a huge commotion in the mountains."
"I recall your school isn't far from here. You should have been able to see it."