Fujimaru Ritsuka stood over the summoning circle at the Emiya Residence, looking dejected as she let out a sigh.
"This is the fifth time already, isn't it?" Tohsaka Rin looked at her with a face full of doubt. "I mean, do you people actually have the technology to summon Heroic Spirits?"
"This... it shouldn't be happening," Fujimaru Ritsuka was also bewildered. According to her experience in other Singularities, either Heroic Spirits had already been summoned by Alaya in advance and she just needed to gather them, or she could use the Leylines to initiate a summoning herself.
Usually, there would be an answer from a Heroic Spirit.
But this time was different. No matter how she tried to summon, there was no response at all.
It was as if... someone had cut the signal to the Throne of Heroes.
"Given the current level of crisis, Alaya shouldn't be refusing Senpai's summons, right?" Mash was completely baffled.
"...Perhaps I know why," Fujimaru Ritsuka wasn't as naive as her; she had long since guessed the truth.
"Um, Senpai, what did you think of?" Mash immediately looked up at her curiously.
"It might not be that I failed the summoning, Mash," Fujimaru Ritsuka's expression darkened. "It's that... Alaya believes I don't need the help of Heroic Spirits."
"How is that possible?" Mash hadn't caught on yet. "Since Miss Firefly compared herself to the Great God who Ends the Age of Gods, how could we possibly defeat her with just the strength we have now?"
"Even with me, we have the combat power of six Heroic Spirits, but to face such a Great Calamity... it seems impossible no matter how you look at it!"
"You're so naive, little girl," Tohsaka Rin said, even though she didn't look much older than Mash herself. "Even I understand what Miss Fujimaru means."
"Mash," the Doctor's voice came through the Communicator, "what Ritsuka means is... perhaps as guardians of the Human Order, our stance this time will be on Miss Firefly's side."
"That's why Alaya judged that we don't need any assistance."
Or rather, if there was even a sliver of a chance of affecting the future, It would not allow it. That was why Fujimaru Ritsuka couldn't summon a single Servant.
"But if that's the case, what's the point of us coming here?" Mash still couldn't understand. "With Miss Firefly's strength, she should be able to achieve her wish easily, right?"
"You... forget it," Tohsaka Rin was about to get angry, but looking at those innocent eyes, the frustration in her heart suddenly vanished.
"Have a little confidence in me at least, Mash," she said, tossing her head irritably. "Regardless, we already have five Servants on our side. Surely we can do something?"
"Mash, perhaps the point of us coming here is just to act as a fuse," Fujimaru Ritsuka said with a bitter smile. "As long as things don't spiral out of Miss Firefly's control, we won't have to act. But the moment a problem arises, Chaldea has to step up and face the newborn Beast."
"So, to prevent us from becoming the problem ourselves, Alaya refused my summons."
"How can this be..." Mash said, losing herself in thought. "Then doesn't that mean Miss Sakura is truly..."
"That's none of your concern," Tohsaka Rin said, her face turning cold. "Since your stance is now clear, isn't it time for you two to leave?"
"Go across the street. Didn't you say Miss Firefly is an old acquaintance of yours, just like Furina? She'll surely take you in."
"Or..." She narrowed her eyes. "Are you planning to eliminate us 'threats' right now?"
"...No, Miss Tohsaka," Fujimaru Ritsuka pondered for two seconds, finally closing her eyes as if accepting her fate. She sighed, made up her mind, and then opened her eyes. "That is Alaya's stance, not Fujimaru Ritsuka's stance."
"I... I still can't just stand by and watch an innocent girl die right in front of me."
"Are you saying you're going to betray your mission?" Tohsaka Rin's eyes widened. she had been ready to give up hope!
"It's not exactly betrayal," Fujimaru Ritsuka said, forcing a smile. "After all, 'Alaya' has never personally given me a single direct order."
She gave Tohsaka Rin a wink. "So, as for a mission, Ritsuka doesn't know anything about it. I only know that a Beast is nothing good. As a Master of Chaldea, I definitely have to stop that thing from descending, right?"
"In that case, welcome to the team," Tohsaka Rin finally let a smile appear on her face as she reached out a hand. "Even though our chances of winning are slim."
"Ha, I'm all too familiar with this situation," Fujimaru Ritsuka shook her hand. "This is basically how I've gotten through everything so far."
"Since you mention it, I'm curious. As a Savior, what exactly have you been through in the past?" Tohsaka Rin had wanted to ask this for a long time, but hadn't found the opportunity.
"Well, Emiya and Sakura's dinner should be ready. Shall we go over and talk while we eat?"
"Hmm? Miss Tohsaka believes us that easily?" Mash asked, a bit confused.
"It's not that I trust you," Tohsaka Rin shrugged, recalling Firefly's upright and honorable conduct. "I just trust my opponent. With her ability, would she really need to plant moles if she wanted to use underhanded tactics against us?"
"Look, the physical distance between us is just one street. If she were truly someone who used any means necessary, we'd have been dead long ago."
"That's true," Fujimaru Ritsuka nodded. "She really does act quite honorably. At least we don't have to worry about schemes and conspiracies."
"Alright, let's head to the living room and talk while we eat," Tohsaka Rin said, stretching as she led the way.
Fujimaru Ritsuka lagged a step behind and whispered, "Sorry, Doctor, Da Vinci-chan... I did that without consulting you..."
"It's fine," the two at Chaldea exchanged a look, both unbothered. "In any case, this mission is actually quite easy. Don't put too much pressure on yourself, Ritsuka."
"We're just here to be a fuse—the kind of fuse that most likely won't even be used."
"Don't push yourself too hard. Just like Miss Firefly said, give yourself a vacation. Take Mash and enjoy modern city life properly."
"In the past several Singularities, you never had an opportunity like this. Everyone at Chaldea has been on edge lately; we all need a break."
"...Yes, I understand, Doctor," Fujimaru Ritsuka nodded. She took a deep breath, and with her face once again full of smiles, she walked toward the Emiya family's living room.
...
"Hmm? So you met that Mordred in London, then?" Tohsaka Rin ate the dinner her sister had meticulously prepared while glancing at Artoria across the table. "The Mist City? London is famous for its fog, and it's the headquarters of the Clock Tower. I didn't expect it to fall so easily."
"Mordred..." Artoria was uncharacteristically distracted from her food, only taking a few bites every now and then.
"Saber, I remember in the Arthurian legends, Mordred is the child of you and Morgan, right?" Tohsaka Rin's eyes sparkled. "But since you're a girl and Morgan is a witch, how was he born..."
"Rin!" Archer couldn't help but interrupt her.
"It's fine," Artoria didn't mind. She merely sighed and said, "That child was created by Morgan using taboo methods... Until she raised the banner of rebellion against me, I never imagined she would..."
"Wait, 'she'?" Tohsaka Rin keenly caught the point. "Mordred is a girl too?"
"Yeah," Fujimaru Ritsuka answered. "A very cool girl, at that."
Is this Arthurian legend even right? Tohsaka Rin couldn't help but complain internally.
"In short, Mordred is a very awkward child," Fujimaru Ritsuka continued. "She'd say things like 'only I can defile the land of Britain that Father loves' while helping us find the truth."
"She even helped us defeat Tesla."
"It was just the Wild Hunt King later on... sigh," Fujimaru Ritsuka didn't know how to continue, given that the victim, Artoria, was right there.
"It's fine, please continue," the latter waved her hand dismissively. "I do not mind such things."
"Uh, alright. After encountering the Wild Hunt King," Fujimaru Ritsuka resumed her story, "the first thing she noticed was the lance in the opponent's hand, Rhongomyniad. According to Mordred, in that battle, it was that very lance that killed her."
At this point, she carefully glanced at Artoria. Finding that the other woman's face showed no displeasure, but rather a low mood, she breathed a sigh of relief.
Truthfully, she didn't want to say these things in front of Artoria. Poking at someone's scars to their face was something Ritsuka wasn't capable of.
But Artoria herself had expressed a strong desire to know.
Ritsuka had no choice.
"Mordred thought that the Wild Hunt King appeared with that lance to kill her once more, so she immediately began the fight. In the end, through our joint efforts, she achieved victory."
Having finished, Fujimaru Ritsuka carefully checked Artoria once more. Good, she wasn't angry.
She intended to stop there. The appearance of "Solomon" later on... was really not something to be shared lightly.
After all, that was somewhat classified, involving the conspiracy behind the Incineration of Humanity.
"Mordred..." Artoria indeed wasn't angry, but she looked like she had gone into an immediate state of social withdrawal.
"Um, let's talk about the night watch for tonight," seeing that dejected appearance, Tohsaka Rin hurriedly changed the subject.