In Emiya Shirou's eyes, "Odin" had only a fraction of a true deity's power, but even so his final display of strength could easily be called that of a first-rate Servant.
In other words, the peak of Odin's power was comparable to that level.
Was that level of strength enough to make the Clock Tower afraid to act recklessly?
Emiya thought back to the Clock Tower's past behavior.
In FGO's London Singularity storyline, the Clock Tower was wiped out by Jack the Ripper and Paracelsus — neither of whom were even first-rate Servants.
On the Fate/Apocrypha worldline, when Darnic of the Yggdmillennia family declared rebellion (effectively declaring war on the Clock Tower), their response was to send a fifty-man magus task force — which Vlad III then annihilated with a casual wave.
…Yeah, he should be fine. With this level of strength, he could force the Clock Tower to cancel a Sealing Designation the same way Aozaki Touko did.
As long as he didn't provoke the monsters at the very top, there were few in this world who could stand against him. No need to keep living so tense anymore.
So… what to do next?
Seeing his expression finally relax, Joude Mai also breathed a small sigh of relief. She'd already heard from Chip Girl that their boss seemed to value Emiya highly.
And it looked like it wouldn't just be this mission — future ones were likely to involve him as well. That practically made him a long-term teammate. Even without their boss's "treat big clients well" policy, showing some concern for a comrade was only right.
"By the way — those two weapons I brought you, you used them up with 'fantasy collapse.' Are you sure that's okay?"
Emiya changed the topic, referring to the Futsunomitama and Ame-no-Habakiri she'd delivered in battle.
"Ah, those? Just tools our boss provided for the mission. He said they were for you to use anyway — no need to be polite about it."
Joude Mai tilted her head, blinking. "And hey, if you join our team, you can have as many mission tools as you like — our boss's pay is generous. Plus, you get a team of beautiful girls as partners. A harem life, right, Three-No?"
Sitting on her little stool, Zero quietly counted the tiles on the floor. Without looking up, she sniped back:
"If you want to sneak a taste of Emiya, go ahead. But after that, Wanu will kill you."
Pft! Joude Mai nearly choked on her own spit. She turned to Emiya — who was staring at her, eyes wide, clearly thinking: "So this is the kind of team you are?!"
"Hey, hey, Three-No! Jokes are fine, but don't cause misunderstandings!"
Joude Mai waved her hands hastily. "Do I look that desperate? I was just trying to help our boss win him over. Don't go setting me on fire for no reason!"
Then she added to Emiya: "Don't mind her — Three-No may not talk much, but she's got a wicked sense of humor."
"Wicked humor?" Emiya glanced at Zero's frosty face. "Like… ice-cold jokes that kill the mood?"
"Ahaha. Spend enough time with her and you'll see. Outside of work, she'll sometimes pop up with a sharp little comment just to jab at people."
Oh! Emiya slapped his forehead. He got it now. Hidden sadist attribute, huh?
"Without the boss's orders, we can't just recruit whoever we like," Zero added flatly, clearly annoyed by Joude Mai talking about her. "You tried to pull Chen Motong into the team too, last time."
"Alright, alright! My fault! You're the boss's darling little princess — I'm just a tool. Spare me, Three-No."
Joude Mai raised her hands in mock surrender.
"The Chen Motong you're talking about — that's the girl in the private room?" Emiya asked. He hadn't yet had a chance to ask about the other girl Wanu had arranged to be here.
"Yup. Your long-lost half-sister!"
"…Could you please drop that already?!"
"Fine, fine… half-sister! Hahaha — don't glare at me. Alright, seriously: Chen Motong was our mole inside the Chen family. You killed Odin, but she's the one who really threw their camp into chaos."
"But don't call her Chen Motong — call her Nono. She hates her family, resents everything about them, which is why she agreed to help us. And now you know: the Chen family are scum. Nono's just another victim."
Emiya slowly sat up on the sofa, leaned back against the soft, wide armrest, and massaged his temples as he thought it through. "…I see. Then what you just said — she can't join your team?"
"Not can't. Impossible." Zero glanced toward the door to the private room, where Nono's bed was.
"The boss won't allow it."
Given Joude Mai's earlier "half-sister" comments, Emiya more or less understood what this play was.
"So… you're handing her over to Wanu, hoping she finds a new place? You mean… pushing her to me?" Emiya pointed to himself.
Joude Mai folded her arms.
"I didn't say that. Nono isn't some mindless puppet — she'll choose who to follow. But if you ask me? After seeing you kill Odin, she's likely to pick you — her avenging hero — over a Zhou family that's just another version of her own family."
Joude Mai could tell: Emiya staying with the Zhou family wasn't a permanent arrangement. He was working for them while building his own strength. After the Odin battle, his mindset had already shifted.
What else could Wanu possibly offer to keep him? Her beauty? Joude Mai doubted that would be enough — he'd already rejected her offer of marriage without hesitation.
Rustle.
The three of them suddenly heard a faint sound from the other room.
"She's awake?" Joude Mai turned to Zero, who'd treated Nono earlier. "Wasn't her injury serious?"
Zero answered blandly: "She was injected with serum."
"Didn't the suppressor keep that in check?"
Zero shook her head. "I don't know… She's different. Her body's undergone unknown experimental adjustments. Maybe she retained certain traits."
As Joude Mai clicked her tongue, unsure what to say, Emiya slowly moved his limbs and stood.
"I'll go check on her."
If things were really as Joude Mai had said, he needed to talk to her. Following him wouldn't necessarily be a good choice. Staying with the Zhou family would probably give her a more stable life.
(End of Chapter)
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