More than ten minutes later—
"I'm very sorry for being so flustered."
Haruri calmed down her emotions.
Ishtar instructed:
"This blessing, I originally planned to give it to you now… when the temple is completed… but, never mind. Next, you just need to do the work of the chief priest."
"Okay… May I ask what the chief priest actually does?"
"Well… in the past, it was managing offerings, but now… basically, it's guarding the temple when I go out to do errands. Anyway, we still have to build a temple tower… modern construction technology seems to be quite good at building upwards, right?
Plus my blessing, we must build a magnificent spire over two kilometers! I can't wait!"
Ishtar, who was originally full of excitement, suddenly frowned.
Her gaze looked towards the outskirts of the forest.
"Ah… before that… someone is coming to worship our temple as soon as it's built… You go and entertain them first.-"
Snowfield, outside the city prison base.
Faldeus had already received information from above that the higher-ups would "purify" Snowfield City in two days.
He was not surprised by such an order at all.
As one of the masterminds behind the establishment of the Holy Grail War, he understood when he sensed that the land itself had deteriorated.
The Holy Grail War was out of control.
Whether it was the deathly haze of the Pale Rider, or the battle between Enkidu and the blonde woman, or the sudden appearance of the temple.
These were no longer mysteries that could be concealed by human power.
"Is it really okay not to tell Director Orlando about the decision from above?"
"No need. We originally planned to cut Director Orlando off from the command system when we reached this point.
If there is a problem, it's only whether Miss Francesca will be nosy."
Faldeus's tone in answering the secretary was very calm.
It was as if the people who were about to be "purified" were not allies, but some unremarkable passerby on the street.
It was the same when he learned of the decision from above.
It was nothing more than feeling a little regretful.
Although this Holy Grail War had constant problems, destroying the city was a pre-arranged method.
The only thing to worry about was whether the fun-loving Francesca would stop them, and how the people from Britain would make their move.
Faldeus had learned that the negotiations between the higher-ups and the Clock Tower had almost ended in a breakdown.
In other words, the higher-ups had given up all hope, not caring even if there were Britons in the city.
They only wanted to end this nightmare as soon as possible.
As for international conflicts…
Those could only be discussed if the United States hadn't collapsed.
If this Holy Grail War continued, Faldeus didn't know if the United States could continue to exist.
"What should we do?"
"Evacuate within tomorrow. Although the curse set by Tsubaki Kuruoka's Servant still has some remnants, it should now be possible to break it with ordinary Mystic Codes.
Rather, ordinary people without such Mystic Codes wouldn't be able to escape, which could be considered a stroke of good luck. In addition, a hurricane is coming, completely cutting off Snowfield's internet and radio. With such a storm overhead, there's no need to worry about aerial observation."
Faldeus didn't show any emotion about sacrificing the innocent people of the city; it wasn't something he needed to care about.
After all, everything had already been decided.
There was no need for surprises.
The most important thing to watch out for was Ishtar, and Faldeus had a plan for that.
Even that new king of Britain…
Faldeus believed that the other party shouldn't start a war; he was one of the rule-makers of the world representing Britain.
In this existing world system, the new king was already at the top of the pyramid, with no need to start a war with the United States at this time.
Although the other party's actions were always unexpected,
Faldeus had a hunch.
The other party wasn't a so-called war maniac, and there were no signs of him trying to subvert the world's rules.
The reason he thought Ishtar was the most dangerous
was because she seemed to be an existence from the ancient Age of Gods, and she was trying to interfere with the world using mystery.
–Although it wasn't yet certain which goddess she was.
–But, she was too unstable.
This world could no longer accommodate the intervention of gods.
Once the other party descended as a goddess,
the first to suffer would be the United States, followed by the entire world. This was the one thing Faldeus couldn't allow to happen.
To that end, he would issue a final order to Hassan.
To have a mere Servant interfere with a god.
Such an order was tantamount to sending the Servant to their death.
Although Servants were essentially familiars,
for them, being summoned was like experiencing a second life.
No one would want to go to their death.
However—
"Contractor, there is no need to hide it."
The dark aura stirred.
Faldeus couldn't help but swallow.
He had already explained the seriousness of the situation as much as he could, and he emphasized that it concerned the safety of all mankind.
He had originally wanted to hint at it indirectly,
but he didn't expect Hassan to see through Faldeus's thoughts at a glance, knowing that his Master wanted him to die.
"You are well aware that the time has come to expend the full value of my Spirit Origin."
It was as if the darkness itself was speaking.
Cold sweat ran down Faldeus's face.
After spending a few days together, he knew something of this Hassan's personality, and he felt that the other party shouldn't be too impulsive.
And that was what gave Faldeus the courage to continue speaking.
He had to give the order no matter what.
"…Yes, that's right… Hassan… I… as your Master, order you to go to your death. But I'm not asking you to commit suicide, just giving you an order with a high probability of death. What you want to do afterward is up to you."
"…"
The black shadow didn't respond.
There was no hostility, no killing intent, and no sign of disappointment in his Master.
As if believing that his Master hadn't finished speaking, he remained silent in the swaying shadows.
He silently listened to the final order his Master was about to give.
"After completing the next order, you don't need to come back here. I, as the person in charge… to protect what you call your beliefs, will never leave the command system, but… I will give up my status as a participant in the Holy Grail War."