Fujimura Taiga, Mitsuzuri Ayako, Ryuudou Issei, Kuzuki Souichirou, and the others who were watching Sajyou Manaka were all taken hostage by her.
To threaten Shirou to leave Ryuudou Temple and hand over the Lesser Grail.
This was Sajyou Manaka's compromise that was not really a compromise to Artoria.
In her eyes, if Artoria was truly angry, then it was better to coax her.
However, the way she coaxed was a bit wrong.
Like a kitten wanting to drink water, she brought over a pile of cookies.
The kitten got angry, so she crushed the cookies and continued placing them in front of her. It was probably something like that.
Shirou was angry too. So angry that he could only let the system take over.
Not because he was afraid of dying, but because he feared he would recklessly rush in and fall into Sajyou Manaka's trap.
So he could only leave it to the system.
The system was even more ridiculous. It actually planned to let Medea take Illya and the Lesser Grail and run away.
What does that mean?
The target runs away, that's the best solution?
'Why so useless?'
He cursed the system a thousand times in his heart.
Shirou finally calmed down.
At present, Illya still hadn't woken up. Sajyou Manaka gave them a deadline until tomorrow night to leave Ryuudou Temple after leaving the Lesser Grail.
No small moves were allowed during this period, or else not a single hostage would survive.
What a messed up brain. Shouldn't hostages be used one by one to threaten?
Directly treating them as disposable cookies, this was just birth trauma.
"What do we do now, Berserker?", Tohsaka Rin crossed her arms and leaned against the wall of the room.
She said it was to wait for Shirou's idea, but actually, she wanted to see his attitude.
If he chose not to save those people, then they would part ways here.
"We can only leave the Lesser Grail first and withdraw from here."
As expected, he didn't disappoint her.
'He wants to save everyone?'
"Impossible, Berserker," Bazett was comparatively much colder, "How can we believe that girl will keep her word?"
Exactly, this was the situation Tohsaka Rin was worried about.
Sajyou Manaka, a girl who couldn't be understood by common sense.
"How about saving them instead?", Sakura proposed.
"Impossible to do, Sakura," Medusa spoke, "Since she dared to say it so confidently, she must be prepared. Moreover, we don't even know where the hostages are."
"That's the biggest problem," Tohsaka Rin sighed.
"No, that actually isn't a problem," Shirou calmly said, "Don't forget who Caster is."
Medea proudly raised her head, "You really underestimated me. You thought I was only prepared to run away?"
Several women looked at her with skeptical eyes.
Especially Bazett, her dead fish eyes almost popped out.
"Hmph!", Medea was furious, but fortunately, Shirou believed in her.
So she chuckled and said, "Ever since coming to Fuyuki City, my surveillance network has covered the whole city. Finding the hostages' hiding place is as easy as flipping my hand."
"Oh!"
Everyone's gaze finally shifted.
'As expected of a mage from the Age of Gods, she has some skills.'
Medea smugly snorted twice. At Shirou's signal, she took out her crystal ball.
"..."
One second later.
"No, wait," Medea hugged the crystal ball, speaking in disbelief, "My magic has been counter-hacked?"
"Knew it wasn't a good idea to trust this vixen," Bazett's mouth twitched.
Tohsaka Rin facepalmed, "Are you really a mage from the Age of Gods? Being counter-hacked by a modern mage, is this a joke?"
"Um," Sakura timidly said, "Does counter-hacked mean we're being watched?"
The group fell silent. You look at me, I look at you, and finally all gazes landed on Medea.
"CASTER!"
"Don't panic," The calmest of them, Shirou, said, "Don't worry, even if Sajyou Manaka intercepted Caster's information network, it doesn't really matter."
Before the girls could speak, he said to Tohsaka Rin, "Don't forget I told you before, Sajyou Manaka is nearly omniscient and omnipotent, so your information is basically transparent to her."
"That's true," Tohsaka Rin frowned, "But exactly because of that, I don't understand why she did this."
"Yeah," Bazett came back to her senses from the idea of omniscience, "If it's just to stop us from finding the hostage location, cutting off Caster's network is enough. Why go so far as to counter-hack?"
"Maybe... perhaps, it's voyeurism?", Shirou hesitated.
"VOYEURISM?"
The girls exchanged looks and then all stared at Shirou.
That expression didn't need words: 'You sinful man!'
After all, there were only two people special to Sajyou Manaka.
Her Saber, and this Berserker in front of them who didn't seem like a Berserker.
"Cough! Cough!"
Shirou lightly coughed, "In short, we leave the Lesser Grail here and leave Ryuudou Temple as the last backup... but we need to take action immediately. That lunatic, who knows what she'll do next."
Everyone nodded.
"Alright."
Medea showed joy.
She had just finished organizing her information network, and even cut off the interception, adding false leads.
Even if that woman was fierce, she'd be fooled out of her underpants.
To use a hacker analogy, by the time you react, your account's already transferred across the ocean.
Confirming that she had brought out enough of her magical prowess, Medea confidently nodded, her chin's curve beautiful.
"I've found the hostages' hiding place, Berserker."
"Where?", Shirou immediately asked.
Medea said, "The church basement."
"Hmm?", Shirou immediately became serious, "Did you see that priest?"
Medea said, "Let me look."
"Priest!", Bazett's eyes turned sharp. She hadn't forgotten about being ambushed.
Tohsaka Rin felt a very bad mood.
'That fake priest!'
After Kotomine Kirei was attacked, she went to the church once with Archer.
She always felt she saw something very bad in the basement.
So she had some speculation about her father's death.
Only Sakura was puzzled by the sudden change in the two.
Before long, Medea exclaimed, "Can't find him."
"As expected," Shirou wasn't surprised.
After he kicked that priest, he hadn't shown up again. He was definitely scheming something.
Not being able to find him now was normal.
After all, Fuyuki City really had too many hideouts.
For example...
After a moment's silence, Shirou spoke, "Caster, check Rin's villa."
"So that's it," Tohsaka Rin reacted and sneered, "That guy, really is a bastard! Berserker, I only have one request, let me finish off the fake priest!"
Her tone was firm.
"No," Bazett said coldly, "That guy is mine."
"Who the hell do you think you are? Why should he be yours?", Tohsaka Rin glared at her, "This is my family matter."
"Hmph! Like it has nothing to do with me," Bazett didn't even look at her, only stared at Medea.
"Alright."
After two seconds, Medea got the information she wanted, "That's right, that guy is hiding in the villa's basement."
"As for the priest, I have my own thoughts. You all calm down for now," Shirou said, "Right now the most important matter is rescuing the hostages, then dealing with Manaka."
The two confronting each other finally calmed down.
"Since we know where the hostages are, then we shouldn't delay."
Shirou stood up, "Caster, we'll move at the fastest speed, lightning strike."
"You go save the hostages, I'll deal with Sajyou Manaka and Saber."
"Rin, Bazett, Sakura, you and Rider take Illya and leave Ryuudou Temple. Go to wherever you think is safe, to prevent Sajyou Manaka from raiding the base."
"Should we bring the Lesser Grail?", Tohsaka Rin asked.
She had no objections to this plan.
Since it needed to be fast, it was best for two Servants to act.
"We probably can't take it," Medusa said, "If they see us leaving with the Lesser Grail, it likely won't end well for the hostages."
"Then don't take it," Shirou made up his mind.
Even if this wasn't his world, he couldn't abandon Fuji-nee and Issei.
As for Mitsuzuri Ayako and Kuzuki Souichirou… well, with Shirou's personality, he couldn't abandon them either.
———
Meanwhile, Sajyou Manaka made no comment on the intercepted information network.
She merely chuckled and said, "You actually dared cut off my view of Berserker. Caster, huh…"
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