Chapter 3 I Didn't Hear This Was a Horror Movie Set
In the early morning, there are usually few people on the streets.
However, even fewer than "few people" is "absolutely no one." By the time Shirou stood on the street outside the gates of his target destination, he had already realized this.
While Shirou's level of magecraft made it unlikely for him to fully grasp the structure of the spell itself, the effect of the enemy's Bounded Field for repelling people was laid bare. Fortunately, Saber, whose magical knowledge was a perfect match for his own, was standing beside him watching.
"Shirou, your information was correct. This is indeed a magus's workshop. But I cannot judge what kind of Bounded Field this is."
The building before them was a massive, old-fashioned estate that easily evoked the image of nobility. The obvious difference from the Emiya household was that the décor and design were clearly intended to project authority. Despite this, the Kuruoka residence was distinct from the Tohsaka manor; it held an exceptionally chilling air. The main residential building sat far across a central courtyard, obscured by austere, cold trees.
What Saber meant just now was that no one knew the specific effect of the Bounded Field extending to the front gate. It was entirely unknown what traps might be triggered upon stepping inside. But even so, Shirou and the others couldn't just stand outside staring. While theoretically Saber could simply fire a blast from the outside to level the entire estate, not only would that likely reduce everyone to ash—leaving them with no information to find—but it was also rude, so the two of them wouldn't resort to that trick today.
Shirou and Saber stepped forward in silent unison. From the very first step into the Bounded Field, the scenery changed. First came the piercing, warning cry of a bird. Then, blue arcs of light manifested on both sides of the garden path. An aura of magical energy looked down upon Shirou, weaving dangerous weapons to greet him. For instance, two perfectly uniform rows of inorganic-looking bow-frames filled the sky ahead. Without even giving them time to retreat, countless cold sounds of slicing air shattered the standoff.
'Are you serious? Shooting arrows in front of me... Are they for real?'
"Trace on."
Shirou wordlessly caused a monochrome short blade to manifest in his right hand, snapping the blade to swat away roughly fifty consecutive shots glowing with blue light. Dozens of them ricocheted back, blowing the original magical bow-frames to smithereens. Shards of magical energy brushed past his field of vision and sank down, dissolving into the soil. Shirou then dropped Kanshou, letting it also melt into the air. Beside him, Saber, who had been focused and on guard for other attacks, also put away her sword and relaxed her guard.
Compared to the bows of the strongest Heroic Spirit, the interceptive magecraft of an ordinary magus was pathetically lacking.
"Since the alarm was triggered and the automated defense system was shattered, the master of the house certainly won't turn a blind eye."
"In that case, even if we do nothing and wait here, they will definitely come looking for us."
This was the strategy Shirou and Saber had agreed upon from the start. Shirou drew the cold morning air deep into his lungs, letting it mix with his body temperature as he began to wait.
.
.
.
"...?"
Ten minutes passed. Nothing happened. Not only did no one emerge from the residence, but there weren't even monitoring familiars or new interceptive spells. Shirou had been stood up completely and perfectly. If Shirou wanted to, one release of Saber's sword could blow away the house two hundred meters away. To remain in the mansion waiting for death would be beyond "carefree"...
"Perhaps they escaped through a secret passage inside?" Saber walked ahead of Shirou, approaching the building.
"Even so, wouldn't they at least release a familiar to observe?"
Shirou saw through the abnormality instantly.
"Though I think it's impossible. Saber, to anyone else, you look like a normal person, right? The two of us look as ordinary as can be; they wouldn't just tuck tail and run because a random person barged in to pick a fight, would they?"
Saber's current state of existence was such that as long as she didn't release her Noble Phantasm, other Servants wouldn't realize she was a Servant. In other words, from the Kuruoka family's perspective, this was just a troublemaking magus bringing another human to the front gate to ask for a beating.
They've already summoned a Servant, yet they don't dare respond? Shouldn't they have come out swaggering, feeling fearless after summoning a Servant?
"...Fine. If they really did run away, we'll go inside and see if there's any data they didn't have time to take. It won't be a wasted trip—" Because they had waited alone for another minute with absolutely no response, creating a very unfriendly atmosphere, Shirou had to add that last sentence, but he stopped abruptly mid-sentence.
A gust of wind swirled leaves around their bodies and blew into the garden's woods. Under normal circumstances, that grove of European small-leaved lindens would likely be a place where many small animals gathered—squirrels and small birds active and oblivious to the situation—perhaps even a place popular with young girls.
"..."
However, there was now a total silence. Suddenly, an empty, skin-crawling sensation rose within him.
"Saber, do you feel it? Is there something watching us from those woods?"
Saber didn't answer directly, but said instead: "...My Instinct has no reaction."
The premise of that sentence was that this had to be a problem that Instinct could respond to.
Shirou turned back to stare at the eerie woods. The layout was somewhat similar to the small grove behind Homurahara Academy, where Shirou had graduated.
Shirou had seen small woods under the setting sun during the Holy Grail War, but the atmosphere here at the Kuruoka estate was different. These woods were missing some decisive element compared to a normal situation. Just before entering the mansion's front door, Shirou used his vision—which could pierce through distances far exceeding this estate—to see through the depths between the leaves.
Directly beneath a spiderweb, a spider crouched on the ground, motionless. Its body was covered in unknown spots that definitely did not belong to its camouflage. Shirou was lost in thought. If Shirou wasn't mistaken, a normal forest should at least have the chirping of morning or evening insects.
"…"
There was no one in the mansion either. That's not quite accurate. Rather, even though they had trespassed into this private space, even though their heavy footsteps echoed, no magus appeared to say "How dare you invade my manor." When the strangeness exceeded its limit, suspicion turned into certainty.
"Saber."
"I understand. If I detect a Servant's presence, I will prioritize retreating with Shirou."
Even Saber switched to an incredibly solemn expression, rejecting the option of fighting inside this mansion in her reply.
Only lonely footsteps echoed, hollowly. If Shirou and Saber were to separate now, a powerful sense of foreboding would surely arise. As they aimlessly checked one empty room after another, Saber suddenly spoke: "So, Shirou, you really shouldn't have come alone today. If you had come alone, there's no telling what would have happened."
The logic was sound; the problem was the phrasing.
Shirou retorted crossly, "Don't talk about me like a child, Saber. Even I'm not reckless enough to just barge in blindly. If I were alone, I'd probably find a high vantage point and watch with my eyes... then retreat if things looked bad."
"Would Shirou retreat? That is a truly presumptuous statement. Didn't you come here today precisely because you were determined not to retreat?"
Saber looked at Shirou with a gentle but certain gaze. It was a bit stinging.
"Is that so strange? If anything, I suspect Saber is the type to go flying in head-first."
"I was the one who proposed the retreat plan for this reconnaissance. I have already proven with my actions that I am not as reckless as I once was."
"You really are self-aware, aren't you..."
To ease the tension, Shirou and Saber engaged in a completely meaningless verbal spat. While they bickered, their hands didn't stop; they had mechanically pushed open the final door of the annex. That door let out a creaking scream.
"..."
"..."
The time that was read as "argument" but written as "small talk" was over.
Shirou was forced to realize that it wasn't that there was "no one" in this house; on the contrary, the masters might have been here from the very start. A male and female magus lay motionless on the floor. On their human skin... Spots as black as fungal plaques in a petri dish stared back at the two at the door, silent as a spider's compound eyes.
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