Upon realizing this possibility,
Alvin felt a chill run down his spine.
After all, Irisviel currently didn't have even a single Command Spell.
If Kiritsugu Emiya was really going after her…
Before the Holy Grail War, the Einzbern family had deliberately hired Kiritsugu Emiya as a surface Master and had Irisviel pose as his 'wife' to divert attention.
Though they were nominally husband and wife, Alvin knew very well that if Kiritsugu Emiya noticed anything unusual about Irisviel, even the closest person wouldn't stop him from acting for the sake of his justice.
And now… the one attached to Irisviel's body was the 'Winter Saint,' who was deeply connected to the Greater Holy Grail!
"..Lancer, take care of Teacher. Remember… don't leave his side no matter what. I have an urgent matter and need to head back!"
After hurriedly giving instructions, Alvin didn't wait for Mordred to respond before turning and heading toward the new city district.
At the same time, on the rooftop of a distant skyscraper, a slender, graceful figure quietly descended onto the top.
Her black twin-tails fluttered in the wind, and she stood on the 'Maan,' like a deity descending from the moon, exuding a sacred and noble aura.
She looked down from above at the crowd below, and at a certain moment, her gaze quietly shifted toward the direction Alvin was leaving.
For the first time, a strange glint flickered in her deep blue eyes.
"..Saber is actually him…?"
All Rulers of the Holy Grail War possess the special ability of True Name Discernment.
Not long ago, after hearing from Tohsaka Tokiomi about Saber taking his daughter, Ishtar, as Ruler, had intended to bring the daughter back.
But she hadn't expected… this trip would yield an unexpected harvest.
Alvin, and even his daughter, were here?
Watching her father hurriedly leave, Mordred was in a state of confusion.
At that moment, she suddenly noticed a gaze from the rooftop and instinctively looked up.
When she saw the figure of the woman on the rooftop, a look of astonishment crossed her face, and she muttered to herself.
"..It's her…?"
Ishtar gave her a polite smile, then turned and transformed into a speck of light, quietly disappearing from the scene.
As a Ruler… she naturally couldn't interfere with the balance of the Holy Grail War.
But—
In the spirit of fairness and justice, she had the right to know why Saber had taken Archer's Master's daughter.
…This was all to ensure the fairness of the Holy Grail War!
With Ishtar's departure, outside the skyscraper, after surveying the magical traces at the scene, Kayneth had just returned to Mordred's side with Sola, when he saw the rebellious knight's expression as if she had seen a ghost.
Looking at her, he quickly asked in confusion: "..Lancer… where is Alvin?"
"..My… he had something urgent and left just now, telling you to take care of yourselves."
Mordred instinctively almost blurted out 'my father,' but quickly realized and corrected herself.
"..Is that kid so busy? Could he have friends he knows in Fuyuki?"
Hearing her words, Sola raised her brow slightly, speaking with surprise.
Kayneth looked up at the destroyed skyscraper and saw Mordred's grave expression as he frowned slightly and spoke. "..Why do you look so serious? Did you find some clues about this attack?"
"..No… it's just that I saw the Ruler earlier."
Kayneth and Sola exchanged a glance, both seeing astonishment in each other's eyes before he immediately pressed: "..Where is she now? Do you know the Ruler's identity?"
"..She already left just now… I don't know her name."
Mordred looked toward the rooftop of a certain tall building and murmured: "..But looking at this, this Holy Grail War is going to be something…"
Though she wasn't familiar with Ishtar, having lived in the palace for a long time, Mordred had some understanding of her.
And she clearly knew one thing… Ishtar was, in a way, half her mother.
The reason it was half was because Ishtar had no blood relation to her, and just had some intimate connection with her father.
In a single Holy Grail War, in less than three days, she had already gathered her father… and four mothers.
Thinking of this, Mordred's heart was filled with mixed feelings.
If the situation weren't inappropriate, she would want to ask the Greater Holy Grail hidden in Fuyuki…
Is this a Holy Grail War or a parent-teacher conference?!
…
..
The night was quiet.
Even from a distance near the bombed skyscraper, Alvin could faintly hear the sound of sirens weaving through the streets.
Police cars were rushing to the scene.
Alvin quickly returned to the skyscraper where he was staying and quietly pushed open the door.
In the hall, only a single table lamp was on, its warm light like a balm against the cold of the winter night, bringing a touch of warmth.
He passed through the corridor and soon saw the gentle and delicate 'Irisviel' in the hall.
At this moment, the woman was wearing a black dress adorned with intricate dark red patterns, her silver hair cascading like a waterfall, revealing a pair of fair, shapely legs beneath the skirt.
As always, she was elegant, refined, and delicate, yet her vivid red eyes carried a hint of allure.
From Alvin's perspective, he could faintly see the proud curve of her chest stretching the fabric, exuding a touch of temptation.
On Irisviel's lap lay a silver-haired girl, wrapped in a black coat that covered most of her body, with a pair of delicate, fair feet peeking out from under it.
She lay sideways in Irisviel's arms, seemingly fast asleep, already lost in dreams.
With her mother's embrace, Illya's cute, delicate face was filled with a sense of security.
Seeing Alvin's anxious demeanor, Irisviel looked at him with confusion, her eyes carrying a trace of puzzlement.
Her gentle gaze seemed to ask: What's wrong?
She thought for a moment, gently placed Illya on the soft sofa, propped her up with a pillow, then slipped her fair feet into house slippers and walked to the nearby balcony, gesturing for Alvin to follow.
"..Saber, why do you look so flustered?"
When Alvin reached the balcony, Irisviel spoke softly, her alluring red eyes filled with confusion and uncertainty.
After all, he was the legendary White Dragon of Britain…
Logically speaking, there should be very few things in this world that could make him panic.
…What exactly was wrong?
Alvin looked out the window, his dark eyes reflecting the falling white snowflakes as he said slowly.
"..I just found Kayneth… but shortly after, I encountered a terrorist attack."
Hearing his words, Irisviel was slightly startled, a trace of confusion quickly flashing through her eyes.
"..Terrorist attack…? Was it an enemy Master?"
"..But logically, the Holy Grail War shouldn't allow such a big commotion, let alone attract the attention of civilians, right?"
"..How could someone…" As she spoke, she suddenly seemed to realize something and said softly.
"..Is it Kiritsugu Emiya?"
Although the Winter Saint had been slumbering in the Greater Holy Grail for a long time and didn't know what had happened recently, her current wisp of consciousness was attached to Irisviel's body.
Not long ago, when Irisviel had just awakened, she had mentally conveyed the general situation to her.
To win the Holy Grail War, the Einzbern family had hired the mage killer Kiritsugu Emiya.
In the eyes of the masters of Fuyuki, Kiritsugu Emiya was Irisviel's husband, and Illya was their child.
But in truth, their relationship was just a smokescreen for the outside world, mainly to make other Masters think Kiritsugu Emiya was the Master.
In reality… the true Master was Irisviel.
"..To win the Holy Grail War, even resorting to a terrorist attack is acceptable…?"
'Irisviel' blinked her beautiful eyes, soon frowning slightly.
After all, when she and her friends created the Holy Grail system, their original intention was to save humanity.
Though the Holy Grail War had completely changed in nature by now… at least the Masters had never caused such a massive disturbance before.
Yet… this time, someone caused an explosion in the new city district on the scale of a terrorist attack?
This was going too far.
You see, the greatest taboo for mages is exposure to the public eye… but this man the Einzbern family hired seemed a bit too… crazy.
Noticing that Irisviel's expression wasn't looking good, Alvin smiled and said. "..In any case, it's good that you're fine. At first, I thought the explosion was a diversion to strike elsewhere."
"..But if they weren't targeting you… what was the point of causing such an explosion?"
Alvin soon fell into thought.
Irisviel was also pondering, and soon, she seemed to recall something as she spoke softly.
"..The thing Kiritsugu Emiya truly cares about is only one… Could it be related to that?"
That?
Alvin hesitated at first, then quickly realized something and instinctively said. "..The Greater Holy Grail?!"
Does Kiritsugu Emiya know where the Greater Holy Grail is hidden…?
"..It's just a guess, but if this drags on, the situation will be bad for us." Irisviel said in a low voice.
"..We must purify the tainted Greater Holy Grail as soon as possible… If that thing manifests in this city, the consequences will be unimaginable."
Though she said this, with her current magical energy, she didn't have enough power to purify the Greater Holy Grail.
Thinking of this, Irisviel's bright eyes gradually dimmed.
If it were two hundred years ago, with her abilities, she could have easily purified the Greater Holy Grail single-handedly.
But now…
At this moment, Irisviel suddenly recalled something and asked.
"..You went to see your teacher today, right?"
"..Regarding how to restore magical energy… Did he give you any suggestions?"