Chapter 247: A War Sparked by a Woman
"Isn't that Saber's Master?"
The ox-drawn chariot slowly landed on the street.
Waver and Iskandar jumped to the ground, looking at the unconscious Irisviel on the street and exchanging glances.
"Did Saber withdraw too?"
"But the Church hasn't issued a statement announcing Saber's withdrawal."
"Well, since we ran into her, let's take her back first and wait for her to wake up..."
Saying this, Iskandar bent down and hoisted Irisviel onto his shoulder, ready to carry her back to the chariot.
"She's surprisingly light."
The moment he picked Irisviel up, Iskandar felt that something was amiss.
Even if Irisviel was an Homunculus created by the Einzbern family, as an adult woman, her weight should absolutely not be this light.
Something is wrong!
In an instant, Iskandar made his judgment, and then he handed Irisviel over to Waver.
"W-what are you doing?! Throwing her at me so suddenly..."
Waver, still an innocent young boy, watched Iskandar toss Irisviel towards him. While fumbling to catch Irisviel, Waver anxiously questioned Iskandar about the reason for his sudden action.
"I feel like there's something wrong with her, so I need you to check her out."
Looking at Waver's flushed face, Iskandar laughed heartily, showing no concern, before stating his suspicion.
Hearing that Iskandar expected him to examine Irisviel's condition, Waver's eyes darted to the unconscious Irisviel's profile. His body instantly shivered, and he shook his head resolutely.
"No way!"
"Tsk, what a shy fellow..."
Iskandar was quite helpless, seeing that Waver would refuse to check for any abnormalities with Irisviel over such a matter.
However, since Waver was unwilling, he wouldn't force him.
Leaving Irisviel lying on the chariot, Iskandar drove the chariot and first dropped off all the rescued children at the gate of the Fuyuki City Police Department.
"Hey, is that…?"
Just as the children were settled, Waver looked up and saw a white fox flash across a nearby wall.
"What is it?"
Hearing Waver's words, Iskandar, who was beside him, turned his head curiously.
"I think I saw Lancer's Master's fox."
"You mean the guy with the weird mask?"
At the mention of the fox, the image of Hikigaya Hachiman when using his divine power instantly flashed through Iskandar's mind.
He was clearly just a normal human, yet the power he displayed had already reached the level of a Heroic Spirit. To have such power while still alive—it was hard to imagine what his strength would be like when he appeared as a Heroic Spirit...
But since that guy's fox appeared nearby, did that mean Lancer's Master, upon hearing the news of Berserker and Assassin withdrawing, couldn't resist setting their sights on them?
"Does he think I'm weaker, so he's prioritizing kicking me out of the game?"
Iskandar, thinking that Hikigaya Hachiman might have approached him with this thought, was not angry at all. Instead, he became excited.
After all, both Lancer and Hikigaya Hachiman were excellent warriors, rarely seen. If he could fight them and bring them under his command, wouldn't that be one step closer to conquering the world?
"Then, I shall personally invite you out!"
With that thought, Iskandar picked up Waver, quickly returned to his chariot, and then commanded the chariot to ascend into the sky, freely radiating his spirit!
"What is Rider trying to do?"
Just as Rider released his aura, inviting Hikigaya Hachiman and Lancer to battle him, Hikigaya Hachiman had just learned Irisviel's whereabouts from the returning Inari Fox.
However, before he could set off, Rider proactively exposed his location.
Sensing Iskandar's high-spirited aura and the magical energy that conveyed an urgent desire for war, Hikigaya Hachiman was quite speechless.
He had originally intended to try to exchange Irisviel back, paying a certain price through negotiation, but it now seemed that this route was closed...
However, even if it came down to a fight, he wasn't afraid at all.
Thinking this, Hikigaya Hachiman glanced out of the corner of his eye at Artoria, who was standing quietly beside him.
After a period of deliberation, she had agreed to become his Servant and had re-signed a contract.
While one person having to supply magical energy to two powerful Heroic Spirits was very draining, as a result, the combat power of Hikigaya Hachiman's team had leapfrogged.
"Irisviel is with Rider. Since he has actively revealed himself, let's go over there now."
After briefly stating the current situation and seeing that Artoria had no objection, Hikigaya Hachiman took Sakura, Karna, and the newly joined Artoria, following the magical energy trail left by Iskandar.
"They really came!"
After releasing his aura, Iskandar didn't have to wait long before he spotted Hikigaya Hachiman and his companions heading his way in mid-air.
"Hey, why is Saber with his team too?"
As Hikigaya Hachiman approached, his four-person team came into the view of both Iskandar and Waver.
Seeing Artoria bringing up the rear of the team, Waver frowned with some anxiety.
After all, Saber's appearance was not part of their conjecture.
"No matter, the worst result is only fighting two at once. You are too nervous, kid!"
Compared to the worried Waver, Iskandar was unconcerned about Artoria's unexpected appearance.
He believed that people with the character of Hikigaya Hachiman's group wouldn't resort to a two-on-one scenario, and even if they did, he wasn't afraid of being outnumbered anyway.
Instead, Iskandar was more curious as to why Artoria had abandoned Irisviel and switched to Hikigaya Hachiman's camp.
Given her self-proclaimed knightly spirit, it should be impossible for her to betray her Master, shouldn't it?
"Rider, and Mr. Waver, good evening..."
While Iskandar was contemplating, Hikigaya Hachiman and his companions had arrived before him. Hikigaya Hachiman raised his hand to greet the two on the chariot opposite them, then went straight to the point, explaining the reason for his visit.
"If possible, could you please hand Irisviel over to me?"
New Fanfiction!
Danmachi - Emiya becomes the protagonist
Shirou Emiya awakens on the 18th floor of the Dungeon and is brought back to Orario by the Loki Familia.
Can Shirou becomes a Hero in this World? (No Bell)
Read ahead (60 chapters) by supporting me on buymeacoffee com/varietl or ko-fi edwriting