(Attendance… plz…)
….
Deep underground, within the fortified, soundproof workshop of the Tohsaka estate.
Tohsaka Tokiomi stood over his mahogany desk, his posture rigid as he listened to the sympathetic vibrations of the jewel communicator. Through Kotomine Kirei, and by extension the myriad eyes of the Assassin network, Tokiomi had been receiving a continuous stream of information this entire time. He knew of the arrival of the Servants, the clash of Noble Phantasms, and the sudden, explosive death of Lancer.
He was, to put it mildly, completely taken aback. For a Heroic Spirit of the Lancer class to die this early on in the war, and in a confrontation that didn't even last a full minute, was absurd.
Still, the intelligence gathering had been highly successful. He had obtained the True Names of the new arrivals: the Rider-class Servant, Iskandar, King of Conquerors, and the one who killed lancer Caster-class Servant, Gojo Satoru.
The entire situation had been at a tense standoff. Tokiomi had been waiting by the communicator, expecting the next report to detail a massive three-way battle between Saber, Rider, and Caster or any way off.
However, what came next was entirely unexpected.
"Master..." Kirei's flat, unreadable voice echoed from the brass horn. "The Assassin... or to be more exact, the specific Assassin stationed at the scene, is dead."
Tokiomi's eyes widened slightly. "Explain."
He was far more interested in the how than the what. An Assassin's entire existence in this war revolved around their A-rank Presence Concealment. They were meant to be entirely undetectable by senses. For someone to bypass that skill, pinpoint Assassin's exact location, and kill him before he could even attempt to retreat from the scene... it was deeply alarming.
Not to mention, the other Servants had been gathered hundreds of meters away down on the street. None of them should have been able to sense Assassin perched high up on the crane to begin with.
Or he thought so.
"It was Caster," Kirei's voice returned, perfectly calm despite the loss of his familiar. "Not only was he able to sense Assassin's presence, but he closed the distance instantly, entirely undetected by Assassin until he was already beside him and spoke. Furthermore... Caster acted as if he were meeting him for the very first time. He wasn't surprised in the slightest that an Assassin Servant was alive and watching them."
Tokiomi perked up, his sharp mind immediately seizing upon the tactical implications.
The elaborate, theatrical display they had put on at the Tohsaka manor the previous night, having Archer aka Gilgamesh "kill" Assassin, was a fake show entirely designed for this purpose.
It was a ruse to let all the other Masters believe Assassin was eliminated, lowering their guard against espionage.
If a Master had witnessed that event through a familiar, they would have naturally informed their Servant.
But for Caster to act completely unsurprised upon finding an Assassin alive, treating him as a brand new encounter... it meant one of two things.
Either Caster's Master hadn't informed him of the events at the Tohsaka estate, or they simply hadn't been watching and didn't know about the ruse to begin with.
"Could it be that Caster's Master didn't pass that knowledge to his Servant?" Tokiomi mused aloud, tapping his cane thoughtfully against the stone floor.
"Possibly," Kirei replied. "Or perhaps Caster's Master simply does not know. If it is the latter, if their Master is unaware that Assassin was supposedly killed in front of the other Masters' familiars, then we can be somewhat sure they won't be receiving that news for a while. Our deception could be far from over."
It was a highly plausible theory, though it hinged entirely on Caster's Master being ignorant of the "death" orchestrated by Archer.
Of course, if Caster's Master did know, and now realized Assassin was secretly still alive, they certainly wouldn't share that vital piece of intel with the other competing Masters unless they were forming an alliance.
"Though," Kirei added, "if Caster's Master already knows and simply hadn't informed Caster yet, there is a possibility that, provided they are not foolish, they will keep Assassin's status a secret to leverage it later. It is somewhat of a double-edged sword in that regard. Regardless, I do not think this deception of ours will play out for far too long before it is exposed to the rest."
Tokiomi remained silent for a moment, weighing the risks. Finally, he spoke. "Is it possible to track down Caster's Master and locate their hideout without them knowing?"
It was somewhat of a big deal. Although there hadn't been a direct threat to the Tohsaka estate yet, Caster was a massive wild card in his meticulously crafted plan.
First, his True Name, Gojo Satoru, didn't ring a single bell in Tokiomi's vast repository of magical and historical knowledge.
Second, his ability to take out a Servant like Lancer in just one attack, so effortlessly was highly concerning.
Of course, Tokiomi wasn't truly worried about facing him in open combat. He possessed the strongest Servant in this War: the King of Heroes, Gilgamesh. However, Tokiomi absolutely despised having things not go exactly his way. Variables needed to be controlled or eliminated.
If Caster could be brought down simply by killing his Master, first by tracking them down, and then having Assassin eliminate them in the dark, it wasn't a bad idea. In fact, it could work perfectly.
However, it would only work if the Servant was not in close proximity to his Master. If Caster left his Master behind to go out fighting or wandering, just as he had done today, Assassin could strike.
No magus in the modern world was equal to a Servant's power, even a physically weaker one like Assassin.
But there was the issue of Caster's sensory abilities. He had bypassed Assassin's concealment and appeared right next to him.
Tokiomi deduced this was likely tied to the instant teleportation spell he had used to appear on the battlefield against Lancer.
"Possibly," Kirei's voice echoed from the device. "I will have the remaining Assassins follow his trail, but I will instruct them to maintain an extreme distance from Caster himself... but yes, it is possible. Should I instruct Assassins to begin?"
"Yes," Tokiomi nodded. "Though, as you said, ensure they do it from far away. We just need to locate their hideout, if they have established one, and uncover the identity of Caster's Master."
"Understood."
…
Somewhere on the outskirts of the city, hidden deep within the dense forest, sat the Einzbern family's secret villa.
Emiya Kiritsugu stood silently by the window of a darkened room. He and Maiya had just arrived at the safehouse and were currently waiting for Saber and Irisviel to arrive so they could discuss their next move.
They had already spoken briefly over the radio after the chaotic battle at the docks had cleared out, just long enough for Kiritsugu to transmit the coordinates of this hidden villa to Irisviel. Now, he and Maiya were simply waiting.
He struck a match, lighting yet another cigarette rather than using a lighter, and took a deep, slow puff. He exhaled sharply, the thick smoke hitting the glass of the window before slowly fading away.
Maiya stood quietly near the heavy door, her eyes occasionally flicking to Kiritsugu as she waited for the others. Irisviel and Saber should have been here by now. They were running later than Kiritsugu had anticipated.
It was just supposed to be a tactical meeting to process what had happened and piece together a concrete plan.
Not to mention, he had to figure out how to deal with his biggest problem. Kiritsugu's greatest obstacle in this war was no longer just the enemy Servants, but the lingering presence of a Master who was supposedly already out of the war.
There was something much deeper and darker going on with the Church's supervisor and the Tohsaka faction than he had initially thought at first.
A few minutes later, the faint sound of footsteps approached. Irisviel and Saber had finally arrived at the secret villa.
Maiya stepped out to receive them and guide them to here. A moment later, the door to the room opened. Irisviel stepped inside, looking slightly winded but unharmed, followed closely by Saber, who was still dressed in her sharp black butler suit.
Maiya entered last, quietly shutting the door behind her.
"Kiritsugu," Irisviel said immediately, her voice tight with an unusual urgency. "We need to tell you something."
Kiritsugu turned away from the window, his cold eyes narrowing. He wasn't really expecting this tone. Irisviel had said we, meaning this involved Saber's judgment as well. Had something happened while they were en route? No one else should know the location of this secret villa. Or was it something else? He quickly scanned them, they weren't injured, so it likely hadn't been an ambush by an enemy Master or Servant. Was it something personal?
Kiritsugu gave a curt nod. "What is it?"
Irisviel looked nervously at Saber, then back to her husband.
"On our way here, we met... the Caster-class Servant," Irisviel explained, her crimson eyes filled with deep confusion. "His name was Gilles de Rais. And he seemed to know or think he knew Saber. He kept frantically calling her 'Jeanne.' And by telling you this, I think you already know what I am trying to say..."
Kiritsugu froze, the cigarette hovering halfway to his mouth.
There couldn't be two Servants of the exact same class in a single Holy Grail War. The system didn't allow it. There was already a Caster-class Servant in this war, the white-haired man with the blindfold who had casually killed Lancer.
Kiritsugu's mind raced, trying to force the variables to align. He lowered his hand, his raspy voice breaking the heavy silence of the room as he muttered the one question that suddenly confused him.
"But... isn't 'he' the Caster class?!"
….
A/N: Few Stones?!!!
Next chapter already on my discord.
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