They kissed and embraced, but they were still in a public place. After a long kiss, the King of Knights masked her shyness with a stern expression. Guinevere then swept her up in a princess carry, intending to take her straight to the bedroom.
Guinevere was the Master, and the King of Knights was the Servant. So, when the Master was low on Mana, it was perfectly normal for them to engage in the proper Master-Servant act of "Replenishing Magic," right?
But there was a problem with that. It was always the Master who replenished the Servant's Mana, and Guinevere's current Master... was Irisviel von Einzbern.
Just as the couple was about to head back to their room for some "Replenishing Magic," Kiritsugu Emiya stopped them. He proactively placed Irisviel's hand in Guinevere's and said:
"Saber, your Mana is full. Can you accompany me to the Holy Church? I have a feeling Tokiomi Tohsaka will make a move against the Church's Supervisor. He has to go all-in at this point."
"Caster," he continued, addressing Guinevere, "don't worry. I know Saber is no match for Archer, so I won't recklessly send her into battle. I need her help against Kirei Kotomine. Even without his Servant, that man is still a venomous snake."
"Besides," he added, "if you need to replenish your Mana, you should be asking Irisviel."
Should one say Kiritsugu Emiya was a man who would do anything for victory? His judgment of Tohsaka was flawless, his request to Saber was perfectly reasonable, and his arrangement for Irisviel...
From a purely logical standpoint, even Guinevere couldn't find fault with it.
So, caught between her own gritted teeth and the King of Knights' duty-first nature...
"Kiritsugu Emiya, this is the second time you've done this!"
After her outburst, Guinevere still allowed the King of Knights to leave with Kiritsugu. She would hurry to join them after completing her Mana Replenishment.
While they were on their way, right there in the messy courtyard, Guinevere began to seek Mana from Irisviel.
Of course, although both methods involved the exchange of bodily fluids, the Mana Replenishment with Irisviel was entirely different from what she had intended to do with the King of Knights.
At Irisviel's insistence, Guinevere used her Noble Phantasm, the Holy Sword, to drink a small amount of blood, then drew Mana from the sword itself.
From its very creation, the Replica Holy Sword possessed the ability to extract Mana from consumed blood.
Once her Mana was partially restored, Guinevere dripped her own blood into Irisviel's mouth and began a more thorough Falsification and Reinforcement of her body, ensuring her fragile flesh could withstand more Servant souls.
By first imbuing her with blood and then applying Falsification, Guinevere could perform the reinforcement more easily and with less Mana.
"Irisviel, your physical constitution and soul strength have now been doubled."
The replenished Mana was consumed rapidly, even forcing Guinevere to draw upon the small amount of Mana stored within the Physical Holy Sword.
Her Second Noble Phantasm was excellent in every way, except for its immense Mana consumption. And Falsifying the Lesser Grail was proving to be far more demanding than she had anticipated.
Of course, there was another reason: she was unwilling to perform the orthodox Mana Replenishment ritual with Irisviel.
"Caster, I'm sorry to trouble you, but in your current state..."
"The Command Spells—I'm giving them all to you. I no longer have any use for them."
After completing the Falsification on Irisviel, restoring her to apparent health, their next move was naturally to head toward the Holy Church for support.
But before that, Guinevere needed to replenish her Mana again, and she couldn't afford to drink any more of Irisviel's blood.
They performed the ritual to transfer the Command Spells. After what the King of Knights had said, Guinevere truly no longer needed them as a failsafe.
Once all four remaining Command Spells were transferred to Irisviel, she used three of them in quick succession, instantly refilling Guinevere's Mana.
If everything went smoothly, they would intercept the King of Heroes' party outside the Holy Church. By then, Guinevere would be at full Mana while the King of Heroes would still be nearly depleted. They could eliminate him for good tonight.
Tokiomi Tohsaka is out of Command Spells, Guinevere thought. And two men can't perform the normal Mana Replenishment ritual, can they? If they resort to blood, even draining Tohsaka dry wouldn't convert to enough Mana to fully restore the King of Heroes.
Falsification created wings, allowing Guinevere to fly while carrying Irisviel. Meanwhile, Kiritsugu's voice crackled through Irisviel's earpiece. He reported that they had been waiting outside the Church for some time but had seen no sign of Tohsaka and his Servant.
So...
"Irisviel, since Caster's Mana is fully replenished, attack the Tohsaka Residence directly!"
This was Kiritsugu Emiya's judgment. Hearing his order, Guinevere changed course and flew straight toward the estate.
However, when she arrived minutes later, she found only Rin Tohsaka and her mother unconscious, and Tokiomi Tohsaka—his soul shattered, his body reduced to a vegetative state.
His contract with the King of Heroes seemed to have been severed.
-
Rewinding time to the moment Tohsaka's party returned home, just after he entrusted Rin to his wife's care...
At that moment, he was about to proceed to the Holy Church as planned, intending to ask Risei Kotomine to bend the rules and grant him a few Command Spells.
But just as Tohsaka was about to step out the door, he received a communication from Kirei Kotomine. Kirei reported that he was still near the Einzbern Castle. He had witnessed the King of Conquerors and his Master depart, and had seen Kiritsugu and Saber driving a luxury car toward Fuyuki.
Kirei's assessment continued: "He knows you've lost your Command Spells, and the King of Heroes is hardly an obedient Servant. The Holy Church is likely his primary target for surveillance."
This judgment halted Tohsaka in his tracks. It also reminded him of a much easier source for three Command Spells.
Though Kirei Kotomine had lost his Servant, his three Command Spells remained intact.
Thus, while Kiritsugu and the King of Knights headed for the Holy Church, and Guinevere was still tending to Irisviel's recovery...
Kirei accepted Tohsaka's invitation and returned to the Tohsaka Residence. He was led to Tohsaka's study, where he endured a lecture on various grand principles.
But in the end, all Tohsaka wanted were Kirei's Command Spells.
As for Kirei, his mind was consumed by the King of Heroes' words from when he had first entered the mansion:
"Do you still wish to oppose Kiritsugu Emiya? Are you willing to abandon the first desire your heart has ever known, the first pleasure you have ever truly savored?
Yesterday, as you fought Kiritsugu Emiya to reclaim Rin and her mother, your heart pounded fiercely in your chest.
Kirei Kotomine, follow the voice within your heart. Pursue your own pleasure.
This is your only chance!"
In the study, Tohsaka's voice echoed in Kirei's ears, while the King of Heroes' voice resounded in his heart.
By the time he realized what he was doing, the Azoth Sword—the Mystic Code dagger Tohsaka had gifted him as a sign of his apprenticeship—was already plunged into Tohsaka's back, piercing his heart.
As Tohsaka stared in disbelief, the King of Heroes suddenly materialized. He flicked the teacup Tohsaka had been drinking from, yet intervened to preserve his physical body.
"I have decided to bestow the Holy Grail upon him," the King of Heroes declared. "Therefore, he must remain alive."
Due to the rift Guinevere had created between them, Tohsaka had been wary when seeking Kirei's Command Spells. He had even prepared to seize them by force if necessary.
But he never anticipated being outmaneuvered by the King of Heroes, who had orchestrated Kirei's betrayal. At the critical moment, Tohsaka found himself unable to cast any Magecraft.
In his final moments of consciousness, Tohsaka watched as the King of Heroes drew a bizarrely shaped dagger. With it, he severed the contract between Tohsaka and his Servant, then immediately forged a new pact with Kirei.