Chapter 425: Shadowy Conspiracies
Shirou wanted to continue his investigation, but he could not find Moriarty's true plan anywhere.
Shirou glanced at the sleeping female executive and thought to himself: 'Is her clearance not high enough? She's a leader-level cadre. Merlin couldn't have made such a low-level error.'
At that moment, the landline on the desk suddenly rang. The ding-ding sound echoed through the empty room, sounding extraordinarily piercing.
The executive was dead to the world on the sofa bed. Although she had ordered her subordinates not to disturb her, it was clear that something else was happening. If he didn't answer the phone, the people below would definitely grow suspicious.
Shirou pondered for a moment and picked up the receiver.
"Moshi-moshi, Leader. Urgent business, please come down," a man's voice came from the other end.
Shirou, unhurried, placed the receiver to his mouth. He sucked in a deep breath, letting the air fill every corner of his oral cavity, then tightened his muscles and made his vocal cords vibrate rapidly. Opening his mouth, he roared:
"I am currently busy! If you have a problem, call back in an hour!!!"
Magically, the voice he emitted was identical to the female executive's. He mimicked that haughty, S-tier queen demeanor with 90% accuracy; unless they saw it with their own eyes, no one could possibly be suspicious.
Without waiting for a response, Shirou slammed the phone down.
He had learned this skill thanks to Merlin. Initially, Shirou had only seen Merlin use vocal mimicry to flirt with girls at the bar counter or to make cutesy sounds while gaming. Shirou had never understood the utility of learning such a thing, but he hadn't expected it to actually come in handy.
Shirou unplugged the phone line, sighed in relief, and went back to tinkering with the computer, scanning folders.
His earlier outburst was consistent with the executive's volatile and overbearing persona. Since she was "busy" and didn't want to be disturbed, all communication tools like cell phones and landlines were turned off. Yet, only minutes after it had gone quiet, they had persistently come knocking.
At that moment, there was a knock at the door.
"Terribly sorry to disturb you, Leader! Please come out quickly! It's urgent!" the executive's subordinate shouted from the doorway.
Knock-knock! Knock-knock-knock! The urgent knocking continued.
There was no time to hesitate. Shirou stripped off his clothes, projected a black bodysuit similar to the executive's, and put it on. He threw on the projected wavy-curled wig, topped it off with a black hat, and donned the black outfit. He looked like a cross-dressing version of the executive. But to a keen eye, one could see that Shirou's shoulders and arms were actually a size larger than the woman's.
Though he could mimic the voice, changing his skeletal frame was difficult. He had not mastered the kind of magic Merlin used to swap between male and female forms. Fortunately, combined with the illusion magic passed down by Merlin, it provided an instinctive suggestion that ensured 100% doubt-free compliance.
Shirou took a step, unlocked the deadbolt, and threw the door open.
"Lea... Leader..." The attendant waiting outside stood there, looking hopeful.
BANG! The door was slammed shut violently.
Shirou glared with a fierce expression. His pupils, having turned crimson from his inner agitation, looked just like a starving wolf whose food had been stolen.
"Lead the way!" This stare-down lasted for over ten seconds before Shirou finally ordered the attendant.
"Yes..." The attendant's nerve had long since been shattered. In his eyes, he saw the face of the ferocious executive, her murderous intent seemingly manifesting as an invisible monster, leaving him feeling cold and numb.
Trembling, the attendant didn't dare speak further and ran to the front to lead the way. He reached the elevator and pressed the button.
They stepped inside.
"What exactly is going on?" Shirou, now certain the illusion and disguise were holding, asked using his mimicked voice.
"Yes, Leader. The Big Boss's helper has arrived. He specifically asked for you, saying there is an emergency task," the attendant said.
"Helper?" Shirou muttered to himself. The magi in this building were Moriarty's lackeys, and none of them were important enough to be called a "helper." Who could that be?
Shirou probed, "Did he say what the task is?"
"No, how could such a big shot pay attention to a small fry like me? Only a powerhouse like you, Leader, is qualified to speak with him," the attendant said, not forgetting to butter her up.
"Is that so? That's enough. Go back to work," Shirou said with a wave, knowing he wouldn't get anything out of the attendant, who was just a normal human and likely didn't even know what magecraft was.
"Yes," the attendant bowed, looking as if he'd been granted a pardon.
The elevator reached the first floor and the doors slid open. Shirou walked into the lobby and looked toward the center stage. A foreign man in a suit stood straight as a statue, motionless. His gaze seemed fixed on the symphony orchestra on the central stage, listening to the music as if enjoying it, yet with a critical and discerning air.
Just then, the previous piece ended, and Mozart's Serenade began to play.
In that instant, a murderous aura erupted from the man, and black magical energy flared from his body. In the venue, the crystal chandelier above the orchestra suddenly exploded.
"Kyaaaaaaa!!!" A chorus of female screams erupted. The orchestra stopped playing as crystal shards rained down.
Shirou looked at the foreign man with alarm! He felt a lethal, dangerous aura coming from him.
'A Servant!'
The Western man with gray curly hair and a pinstripe suit noticed Shirou and strolled over. Every move he made carried the elegance of a court aristocrat, yet his eyes were filled with a misanthropic coldness. He kept his face icy and joyless; he didn't get close to anyone, nor did he look at anyone else.
He likely hadn't even looked at the executive properly, which is why he hadn't noticed any abnormalities in the magical energy of Shirou's illusion compared to the executive's usual signature. Because of this, Shirou's identity hadn't been exposed.
The gray-haired man swept his gaze over the chaotic venue, the musicians who had stopped playing, the manager rushing to salvage the situation, and the guests retreating in panic. A look of disdain crossed his eyes. After a while, he turned his cold gaze to Shirou and said, "Follow me. The Professor has a task for you."
The man led Shirou into the elevator, but this time he pressed the button for the levels below. Using his mana, he touched the elevator panel; blue projections appeared on the side, revealing several hidden buttons. He pressed the very bottom one: Basement Level 13.
Shirou found himself in an underground arsenal. Automated machinery was producing firearms and artillery shells, while half-mechanical cyborgs stood guard. The gray-haired man didn't say a word, simply leading Shirou to an office, pulling a folder from a cabinet, and handing it to him.
"Look at this. Your primary task is this. The Professor said to put other work aside and finish the Second Plan first. We need the weapons from there to execute the Third Plan." After speaking coldly, the man waved his hand, clearly not interested in further conversation.
"Understood." Shirou took the folder and backed away.
Once outside, Shirou boarded the elevator and finally opened the folder. It contained three mission plans. The summary on the first page read:
Plan One: "Moriarty's Playground" Plan Two: "The Fall of the Black Holy Spear" Plan Three: "The Elimination of the Knights of the Round Table"
"What!?" Shirou exclaimed in surprise. Had they been exposed? Had they been targeted from the very beginning?
It was truly a narrow escape. If he hadn't been lucky enough to keep his identity hidden and if the enemy hadn't failed to anticipate him infiltrating, he would have likely been surrounded and shredded by the cyborg soldiers in the underground arsenal.
Shirou returned to the first floor, slipped into the restroom, removed his disguise, projected an invisibility cloak, and snuck out through the back door.
In a deserted area, Shirou opened his communication link, contacted the club, and urgently informed Merlin that they had been exposed.
"Shirou, calm down. We already know about the exposure. As for that Second Plan, you still need to go there and scout the situation," Merlin said, his holographic image appearing via a gemstone, speaking calmly.
"But... Understood." Shirou did not hesitate further, choosing to trust Merlin's judgment.
"Mm, good that you understand, Shirou. Be careful," Merlin said with a light chuckle.
"Leave it to me," Shirou agreed readily. He knew that even if Merlin loved to play tricks, he wouldn't do so in such a serious situation, nor would he send Shirou into danger without cause.
"Wait! Merlin, why send Shirou there alone? We could have sent two people to help!" the tall, wild-looking man cursed in annoyance.
"Calm down, Kay," Bedivere said, holding him back.
"It's not that. It's because we fell into the Professor's trap from the very beginning," Merlin replied softly, shaking his head.
Shirou followed the address marked in the files and arrived at the location. He discovered it was a food processing plant—the kind that produced ingredients for fast-food chains: two
slices of bread, a machine-compressed beef or chicken patty, and a leaf of vegetable, creating a simple burger.
"What kind of bug is peeking from outside!" A dignified female voice rang out, and then... a black, spiraling lance shattered the factory door and charged straight toward Shirou's face.
The violently rotating airflow acted like a tornado, blowing Shirou's hair upright. Though on flat ground, the power of that heavy spear-point was more terrifying than a knight charging down a hill in the Middle Ages. Shirou knew that if the tip touched him, his head would be pierced through in an instant, and he would be shredded into pieces within the rotating vortex.
In this moment of peril, Shirou had nowhere to dodge.
"So I was played!" Shirou shouted, projecting his dual blades in an attempt to trade injury for injury.
Meanwhile, on the other side, the gray-haired man had left the arsenal—but he hadn't left the tower. Instead, he entered the elevator and pressed the button for the top floor.
The elevator ascended rapidly to the penthouse and opened slowly. Beneath massive panoramic glass windows, a middle-aged man with a curved mustache held a glass of red wine, sipping it as he looked out at the night view. He turned to the elevator and said, "Hard work. Would you like a glass of your favorite Viennese red wine, Antonio?"
Indeed, the man's name was Antonio Salieri, the Avenger-class Servant summoned by Moriarty. The medium used was that green skull. His taboo word was Mozart; he was the Avenger who was suppressed during his life and burdened with the reputation of a murderer after his death. In a way, it wasn't wrong; he truly hated Mozart—hated him enough to want him dead.
Antonio, the gray-haired man, cast an annoyed glance at the middle-aged man and said, "No need. I have told him the plan as you requested. When he contacts those Knights of the Round Table, you'd better prepare your coffin, you old fossil."
"No, as for the coffin, I have had one prepared since the beginning," Moriarty replied with a wicked smile. He always carried a coffin—a symbol of his belief that he would live to commit crimes until the day he was laid to rest.
The middle-aged man said softly, "Besides... that level of bait is necessary."
"You were once on the same side as him. You truly are heartless," Antonio remarked.
"Of course, I am also grateful to him. It was because of our cooperation with the Demon Pillars and the subsequent experience of contacting Chaldea that I learned more inside information. Whether it is that King's Holy Spear or that Emiya Shirou—it is truly subarashii (magnificent)!!!"
Moriarty threw his head back and laughed: "Hehehe... Fuh-hahahahaha!!! Emiya Shirou, a hero walking the path of his ideals. When he clashes with the Dark Knight King who forcibly
snatched one of my Holy Grails, what kind of sparks will fly? A mere Shinjuku will likely be blasted to smithereens by their Noble Phantasms."
"Hmph! You say that, but didn't you purposefully let that King snatch the Grail? If that happens, won't your building be destroyed too?" Antonio said coldly.
Moriarty smirked: "Ah, it will be destroyed. This city lacks the magical amplitude of the Demonic Realm; it is far too fragile. Even without meteorites, I have countless ways to destroy this place! But it doesn't matter. Even if all these buildings are razed, I can just rebuild them using the power of the Holy Grail exactly how I like."
"Fight! Kill each other! And then we shall see the pale faces of those Knights of the Round Table." The scheming middle-aged man toasted the moonlight with his glass, making a prophecy—or perhaps a curse.
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