Under the moonlight, her slender, willow-like legs swayed gently in the air, as if dancing a silent waltz.
Her miniskirt fluttered in the wind, complementing her legs and drawing the eye involuntarily.
Her pink nail polish, illuminated by the moonlight, appeared even more vibrant and dazzling, like blooming peach blossoms adorning her fair, jade-like toes.
The moonlight shone on her skin like a thin veil, making her snow-white skin appear even more translucent and captivating.
Her legs, her toes, her skin—all exuded a unique charm under the moonlight, making one want to look more closely, to understand her more deeply, to explore her inner world.
This made Haruka Kasugano sigh in admiration at the witch's beauty.
"System, are the Heroic Spirits within the missionary range of your Mengde Cult?"
[Ding! Of course, as long as the host meets the requirements!]
Hehehe~~
The Piglet Witch still retains her charm, doesn't she?
However, according to the system's requirements, the mission is only complete if the opponent is completely under her control. Even a Master-Servant relationship shouldn't count as meeting the requirements.
Furthermore, the Command Seals won't make her completely submit. She'll need to put in some effort.
But, she can take it slow.
"Little Piglet, what are we going to do now? Let me tell you, by summoning this great witch, you're very close to the Holy Grail!" Circe grinned smugly.
She clearly didn't know who the other Servants were, if she did, she wouldn't be so arrogant.
But her strength is considerable.
As for what to do next?
Of course, she'll continue to...become stronger!
But now she really needs to plan her next move.
Following the original plot, the instant he summons the Heroic Spirit:
All Masters and the Holy Church will sense it.
At this moment, Tokiomi Tohsaka and Kirei Kotomine will stage a grand spectacle: one of the Assassin clones will feign an attack on the Tohsaka family's magical fortress.
Then, Gilgamesh, the King of Heroes, will appear and instantly kill the Assassin.
Afterward, Kirei Kotomine will ostentatiously seek protection from the Holy Grail War's overseer at the Church.
They want to create the illusion that only six people remain in the Holy Grail War, and that Kirei Kotomine is no longer a threat.
Then, Kirei Kotomine will secretly use hundreds of clones of Hassan the Hundred Faces to monitor all Masters and Servants.
Because everyone believes the Assassin is dead, they will lower their guard.
This is the Assassin's chance to shine.
He can monitor and assassinate—he has truly maximized the Assassin's capabilities.
Knowing this, I can't let him succeed.
As for my own actions…
The best method is to imitate the methods of Ryunosuke Uryu and Gilles de Rais, hiding in the shadows and using my understanding of the events to gradually erode them.
This requires me to imitate Ryunosuke Uryu's actions to avoid disrupting the course of events.
Of course, I have no interest in the corrupted Holy Grail, my only goal is to cuckold them… to become stronger!
Therefore, there's no need to fight them to the death.
In this Holy Grail War, besides Aoi Tohsaka, whom I already have, my other targets are Irisviel and Sola.
But Irisviel is a bit difficult.
First, she's inseparable from Artoria, and she has deep feelings for Kiritsugu Emiya. She's also somewhat naive, making her difficult to win over in a short time.
I'll focus my attention on Sola.
Sola already possessed the potential to cheat, her infidelity stemmed from her infatuation with Diarmuid's beauty.
He could exploit this.
First, of course, was gaining the trust of Kenneth and Sola.
Only by staying close to them could he better execute his plan.
Using his [mathematical thinking], Haruka Kasugano quickly devised a plan.
So, he immediately went to Kenneth's base, the most luxurious hotel in Fuyuki, to the presidential suite, hundreds of meters high.
…
"Hello? Is this the front desk? Oh, someone wants to see me? Can you help me turn them away? Hmm? He says he knows the truth about Archer killing Assassin tonight? This…"
Kenneth answered the phone from the front desk on the first floor.
Originally, he didn't want to answer at all, but upon hearing the last sentence, he was tempted.
"Tell him to come up!"
Kenneth then hung up the phone.
"Who was it?" Sola asked from the sofa beside him.
Sola possessed striking, fiery red hair. Tall and elegant, her attire was opulent, and thanks to the meticulous care she received from childhood, her skin was flawless, like porcelain. Regular maintenance by top skincare professionals made her look like a model.
Furthermore, her aloof and noble demeanor, like an ice queen, attracted countless nobles who knelt at her feet.
Kenneth, the Clock Tower's most powerful magician, was captivated by this very quality.
"Someone who claims to know the truth about Assassin's death tonight," Kenneth replied.
Sola stretched out her delicate hands, then looked at the video recording sent by the Church, asking doubtfully, "Isn't Assassin's death a foregone conclusion? What other truth is there?"
"Let's see what he has to say. I've already turned this presidential suite into a magic workshop, he wouldn't dare to play any tricks," Kenneth said confidently.
"Lancer, materialize and stand by!"
"Yes!" Diarmuid, who had been standing ramrod straight, nodded and then vanished in spirit form.
A moment later, Haruka Kasugano entered the presidential suite alone.
Because his magical power was very weak, he looked like an ordinary person.
Moreover, with the added bonus of [Disguise], he gave off a very approachable vibe.
Kenneth immediately lowered his guard.
"My name is Haruka Kasugano, a magician born and raised in Fuyuki City!" Haruka Kasugano said, trying to deceive him.
Kenneth couldn't help but smile and said, "Nice to meet you! I am Kenneth, a magician from the Archibald family of the Clock Tower!"
Then, he took out the video recording given to him by the Church and showed it to Haruka Kasugano.
"You say you know the truth about Archer killing Assassin. Tell me, in a situation where it's undeniably a killing, what other truth can you come up with?" Kenneth asked directly.
Haruka Kasugano smiled slightly and said, "Obviously, in the video, Assassin was indeed killed!"
Upon hearing this, Sola and Kenneth both showed disdain on their faces.
Did you even need to tell me? Even a fool could see that, right?
But Haruka Kasugano's next words immediately made them stop their sneers.
"But... what if this Assassin is Hassan the Hundred-Faced One of the 13 Elders of the Mountain?" Haruka Kasugano chuckled.
As soon as he finished speaking, Kenneth's pupils dilated three times.
Sola hadn't even reacted yet, and was about to scoff, "So what?"
Before she could finish her sneer, Kenneth interrupted, "If that's the case... the problem is serious..."
"What do you mean?" Sola asked, bewildered.
"Hassan the Hundred-Faced One can have hundreds of clones... If it really is Hassan the Hundred-Faced One, then it's not a big deal that one of his clones just died. This is probably just an act for us!" Kenneth crossed his arms, looking troubled. "Yes! As expected of a monarch! The Assassin's Master and the Archer's Master are master and apprentice, they're in cahoots!" Haruka Kasugano pressed his advantage.
Kenneth paused, clearly shocked by the news.
Sola was also shocked, and even the spirit-like Diarmuid was surprised.
Kenneth thought for a moment, this was no small matter… but since Haruka Kasugano had already flattered him, he had to play along, smiling, "Of course… if it were Hundred-Faced Hassan, I would have already guessed their plan!"
"By the way, you… how did you know this information? How can I guarantee its authenticity?"
Haruka Kasugano calmly replied, "Don't worry about that. I'm very confident in observation-type magic!"
Then, using the skill [I Am Asara], he demonstrated a trick to Kenneth, showing him a view of the outside world reflected in a mirror, which astonished Kenneth.
Because the clairvoyance magic Haruka Kasugano demonstrated was something even someone of his level found ingenious.
Of course, this was just Haruka Kasugano's trick, it wasn't actually magic.
"Impressive! The information you provided today must be accurate!" Kenneth exclaimed excitedly.
"Thank you for coming to tell me this today. May I ask why you came to tell me this, and what do you want in return?"
Kenneth was as direct as ever.
Haruka Kasugano didn't mince words. After all, he knew Kenneth's personality, continuing to flatter him would gain his trust.
"As a wild magician from a remote part of the Far East, of course I want to climb the ranks. If Your Excellency Kenneth could grant me a position within the Clock Tower, I would be willing to do anything for you!" Haruka Kasugano bowed deeply at a 90-degree angle, speaking respectfully.
Kenneth immediately realized that this was just a vulgar magician trying to curry favor with someone for power!
He despised people like this the most, but unfortunately, they were easy to control and use!
"Fine! Then you can continue providing me with intelligence. After the Holy Grail War ends, I'll take you to London!" Kenneth said with a disdainful smile.
Sola also gave a disdainful snort.
Seeing his goal achieved, Haruka Kasugano's lips curled into an indescribable smile.
Looking at the arrogant Sola before him, he couldn't help but lick his lips.
Laugh, laugh, keep laughing~
Using his understanding of the plot and his deception skills, Haruka Kasugano quickly gained Kenneth's trust.
He was recruited by Kenneth as his personal intelligence agent, responsible for using a non-existent "observation magic" to help Kenneth obtain intelligence.
Although he had gotten close to Kenneth and Sola, because Kenneth kept a close eye on Sola, and because Sola was already captivated by the incredibly handsome Diarmuid, Haruka Kasugano couldn't possibly win Kenneth over through normal means.
He could only resort to methods that made Sola "unwilling." Two days later, Haruka Kasugano delivered new information to Kenneth.
—Tomorrow, the Einzbern family's Master and Servant will arrive in Fuyuki.
And they will be making a grand tour of Fuyuki City.
The Einzbern family's Servant is none other than the strongest Saber!
Initially, Kenneth was very skeptical of this information.
"Lancer, do you think this information is reliable?" Kenneth asked.
Diarmuid frowned slightly as she looked at the fax Haruka Kasugano had sent. "I think it's reliable that this Einzbern family Servant is Saber. If it were fake, Haruka Kasugano would be utterly worthless."
"But...would her Master and Saber be openly strolling through the city?"
"Why would they do that?
Even though we risked our lives in the Holy Grail War, we must still adhere to the Mage's Association's principle of 'secrecy and secrecy.' We would never perform magic in front of ordinary people."
"Therefore...Saber and her Master's behavior is completely illogical, their purpose is completely unknown."
Kenneth nodded after hearing Diarmuid's words.
As expected of the renowned knight who protects Ireland, he's quite adept at tactical analysis.