"I'm sorry, Caster. I still haven't found any trace of the Matou clan."
"It matters not. If it truly is him, he'll have no reason to refuse my challenge later."
Inside the restaurant Kenneth had booked, Guinevere was speaking to Diarmuid.
For a day and two nights, Diarmuid had found nothing. Meanwhile, Kenneth's familiar had reported Assassin's death and the Tohsaka Servant's extreme abnormality.
After all, in the current understanding of mages, each Servant was expected to possess only one Noble Phantasm—two or three at most. Who had ever heard of a Servant with hundreds, even thousands, who used them as mere projectiles?
"Your Grace, please reconsider. While the situation remains uncertain, it would be wiser to let Lancer scout first."
"Kenneth, did the Tohsaka House's Archer frighten you? Or do you think I can't defeat him? You just need to follow the plan: you and Lancer will guard my Master. Just don't let him die too quickly.
"Besides, whether the Einzbern House summoned my King of Knights or my Mordred, it is my duty to greet them personally."
Within a day, Kenneth had fulfilled Guinevere's request and become her Mana supply. He had also learned through his connections that the Einzbern homunculus would arrive in Fuyuki today.
Guinevere spent her time in the restaurant accumulating Mana and sparring lightly with Diarmuid, always stopping the moment she saw an opening to victory.
With Kenneth as her Mana source, Guinevere's base stats had become:
Strength: A
Endurance: A
Agility: A
Mana: A+
Luck: B
Noble Phantasm: EX
Is this truly the power of a Clock Tower Lord?
As dusk approached, Guinevere left the building according to plan. On her way out, she casually dismantled a bomb she found on the ground floor—a level Kenneth hadn't rented—and tossed the components to him.
Seeing Kenneth's expression instantly turn ugly, Guinevere knew no further words were necessary.
She walked calmly through the bustling streets, observing the endless flow of traffic and pedestrians. At the same time, she extended her senses, searching for the Assassin with the Presence Concealment Skill.
She had already confirmed that the attack on the Tohsaka Residence had unfolded exactly as she remembered, and that the actors in this play were indeed the same two Servants.
Others might not know, but how could I forget that the "dead" Assassin is Hassan of the Hundred Faces?
She knew this Servant was weak in direct combat but could split into up to a hundred bodies using his Noble Phantasm, making him a specialist in reconnaissance.
"Killing one Assassin to make all participants believe the class has been eliminated... It's certainly a clever tactic."
"But why, in my memories, did Assassin reveal himself again so quickly? Why would he go to such a conspicuous location as the top of a crane at the docks?"
Guinevere couldn't understand. Her memories suggested it was an accident, so for now, she could only assume...
...that Assassin had become overconfident in his Presence Concealment, forgetting that he could still be spotted by the naked eye.
After walking a considerable distance, she reached the beach near the airport. Hearing the roar of an airplane overhead, she watched its descent with anticipation.
Guinevere knew her movements were surely being watched by several Master-Servant pairs. A sniper rifle might even have been aimed at her head multiple times.
Yet no one appeared. They let her stand there, gazing at the sunset, waiting alongside her for the Einzbern homunculus and her Servant to set foot in Fuyuki.
White flat-soled boots, a short skirt above the knees, a thin, dark red blouse with shoulder pads...
To avoid drawing attention, Irisviel von Einzbern had done her best to choose ordinary clothes.
But the Einzberns had lived secluded in the mountains for so long that they had forgotten what "ordinary" truly meant.
Or perhaps, with Irisviel's model-like figure, exquisitely beautiful features, and silvery hair that flowed like liquid silk, she could never look ordinary no matter what she wore.
And this beautiful woman was not traveling alone. Beside her, another woman in a suit frowned, her gaze fixed on a photograph she had received the day before.
Neither Kiritsugu Emiya, the Magus Killer, nor his assistant, Maiya Hisau, recognized Guinevere. Yet they had detected her presence, secretly taken her photograph, and sent it as intelligence to Irisviel before she boarded the plane.
Irisviel, being more knowledgeable about history, was the one to analyze it.
It was this very photograph that had plunged her Servant—a King of Knights completely different from the one Kiritsugu knew—into deep thought.
Kiritsugu could accept that the King of Knights was a woman. What he couldn't stomach was her lack of motivation, her disbelief that the Holy Grail could truly grant her wish.
"The Holy Grail? I've seen that thing twice already. It's no omnipotent wish-granting machine. And I highly doubt a False Holy Grail created by three Mage families could possess the power of the genuine article."
That was what the King of Knights had said on the day she was summoned.
Only after researching later historical accounts of Camelot did her motivation stir. She decided to place a sliver of hope in Fuyuki's False Holy Grail for the sake of a newfound wish.
What was the King of Knights' wish? To return to the past and personally rewrite the kingdom's tragic end.
This time, she would not accept Guinevere's plan to deceive the Human Order. She was willing to face her death.
In later histories, too many knights bore undeserved infamy. She found it utterly unacceptable that Guinevere, in particular, was slandered as a harlot.
In the King of Knights' eyes, all of Guinevere's actions had been solely to ensure she survived Camlann Hill.
In life, she had underestimated the cost of deceiving the Human Order.
"Saber, do you still believe Guinevere is the best person in the world? Do you still wish to clear her name, even if it means truly dying at Camlann Hill? But would your Guinevere accept such a wish? Have you thought through what you'll do when you return to the past?"
"That's why I don't want to see her now. It would be a betrayal of her resolve. But I... I simply cannot accept the infamy she bears."
Aboard the plane, Irisviel's excitement had faded considerably. As a woman, she understood why the King of Knights was trapped in such a painful contradiction.
She was far too fond of Guinevere.
The conversation stalled, and Irisviel recalled the time she had her maids gather works related to the King of Knights and Guinevere.
The maids hadn't taken long, quickly returning with a massive pile of doujinshi featuring the two—most of which were NTR.
If she were in Saber's shoes, she wouldn't be able to accept it either.
"Saber, the plane is about to land. Why don't you..."
Irisviel left the rest unsaid. No amount of persuasion could sway the King of Knights now. She was beginning to understand Kiritsugu Emiya's despair regarding her.
Setting aside their incompatible personalities, the war hadn't even begun, yet the King of Knights' morale had already hit rock bottom. How were they supposed to fight like this?
However, driven by her boundless curiosity, Irisviel had read through all the doujinshi. Her curiosity then led her to specifically seek out yuri doujinshi, opening the door to a whole new world.
"Saber, it's time to get off the plane."
The plane had arrived, but the King of Knights' mind was still a whirlwind of chaotic thoughts. She walked unsteadily, practically floating, as Irisviel dragged her out of the airport and to the waiting ultra-luxury sedan.
She was finally jolted back to her senses by the deafening roar of the engine and Irisviel's driving skills—so terrifying they made even her scalp tingle.
After becoming a Servant, the King of Knights possessed A-Rank [Riding], allowing her to pilot even airplanes.
But Irisviel's wild driving was still utterly terrifying.
"Saber, I want to see the sea first! I've always been so curious about what the seaside looks like!"
"Irisviel, slow down! We're in the city!"
The King of Knights was forced to stare straight ahead.