At the sa ti, at the Shiomi residence...
Unlike their previous dramatic arrival in a bullock cart Noble Phantasm, Rider and Waver ca this ti in a proper car.
"You're early. I thought you'd be here around noon."
Shiomi teased as he opened the door for them.
"We ca as soon as your familiar delivered the ssage," Waver said, lips pursed, clearly annoyed about being summoned so early.
"Forget that. What happened with Saber? Did you win or lose?"
As they followed Shiomi through the courtyard toward the house, Iskandar brought up what was really on his mind.
"No conclusion," Shiomi replied with a helpless smile as he opened the door. "Originally, since Saber's camp rejected the terms we discussed yesterday, we planned to either restrain them or force their Servants to withdraw. But the strategy, which aid to avoid bloodshed, went awry."
"A mistake?" Waver looked puzzled.
"And that mistake is exactly why I called you here," Shiomi said, stepping into the entryway.
After leading them into the room and taking their seats in the living room, they noticed Morgan had changed outfits. She was no longer wearing her modern shirt and skirt from a few days ago but had switched to a traditional Japanese-style blue kimono.
The tea served had also been swapped—from black tea to a more fittingly Japanese gyokuro.
But those were just surface details. Once seated, Shiomi gave Waver and Iskandar a quick rundown of what had happened the previous night.
First ca curiosity, then surprise, and finally unease.
Even just listening to Shiomi's account, Waver could already sense that the Holy Grail War was veering into unfathomable territory once again.
"Wait a second. Didn't your familiar's ssage say you'd gathered the other Masters for a discussion?"
Thinking back to the battle report from the night before, Waver raised the critical question.
Shiomi's familiar hadn't contacted just one person; it had sent ssages to both Waver and Tokiomi simultaneously.
"The familiar I sent to contact Tokiomi wasn't accepted—it just vanished," Shiomi said calmly. "Aside from Saber's camp, who fought us last night, I sent eting requests to both you and Mr. Tokiomi. In the end, only you ca."
While it was likely that Tokiomi had been betrayed by his Servant, considering Gilgash's behavior throughout the war, it was doubtful that Archer had ever felt any loyalty toward him. If anything, it was Tokiomi who needed Gilgash's power and had to show deference.
"So you're saying Tokiomi Tohsaka turned down your request for a eting?" Waver asked, lifting his teacup.
Iskandar gave Waver a slap on the back, nearly causing him to scald his tongue with the hot tea. "Now's not the ti to play it safe. Judging by what this young man said, Archer's probably already abandoned his Master. No—'betrayal' might be too strong. He's more like… disinterested."
For a Servant under contract with a Master, turning traitor is no difficult task—Command Seals and such beco re formalities.
"So, we have a few things we need to discuss first," Shiomi said bluntly, making his stance clear to Waver. "If you're in, you're in. If not, then fine. Either way, Kirei Kotomine and Gilgash aren't going to stop. Whether they want the war to continue or plan to use the corrupted Greater Grail for sothing else, a ceasefire will probably only hold between our two groups. The Einzbern side hasn't made any moves to approach us yet, so we'll keep them on the watchlist for now."
In truth, after being hit by the Garden of Lost Will, everyone—Artoria included—was ntally drained. The real wildcard was Kirei Kotomine, who not only ca out unscathed but acted swiftly, even trying to abduct the Lesser Grail vessel.
"Kid, you're the Master—it's your call."
Iskandar placed a firm hand on Waver's shoulder. Normally bold and carefree, his tone this ti carried unexpected weight, like a seasoned ntor offering guidance.
In just a few days, Shiomi could already tell—compared to the first night they t, Waver had grown noticeably steadier.
"Let's hear it. What's your plan?" Waver asked, looking at Shiomi.
In terms of combat and tactical skill as a Magus, Shiomi far outclassed him. And with Lancer now defeated, it ant Shiomi had bested even Kayneth—renowned as a 'prodigy' and 'genius' within the Mage's Association, a place swarming with elites.
That man was, after all, one of the Lords of the Clock Tower.
"First," Shiomi began, raising a finger, "Tokiomi Tohsaka didn't respond to my familiar's ssage and let it vanish. That doesn't necessarily an sothing's wrong—he might've just gone to the Holy Church early this morning. The Tohsaka family are the administrators of Fuyuki, and purifying the Greater Grail is an urgent matter."
"But we can't rule out the possibility that sothing has happened to him. Once we're ready, we'll need to head to the Tohsaka residence and check the situation."
"Right. He is a key figure, after all." Waver nodded, finding the reasoning sound. If it were him, he'd also want confirmation.
"Second, it's about Kirei Kotomine," Shiomi continued, frowning. "You've probably noticed—though he's participating in the Holy Grail War as Assassin's Master, Kirei is actually the son of Risei Kotomine, the Overseer of the Holy Church."
Iskandar blinked in mild surprise. "That old guy looks like he's seventy or eighty, and his son's only in his twenties? A late-born child, huh?"
"Probably." Shiomi gave a wry smile at the Conqueror King's unexpected focus. Given Alexander the Great died in his thirties, it wasn't too strange for him to find the age gap curious.
Shiomi straightened up, getting back on track. "So, the second place we need to visit is the Holy Church. I think it's necessary to go again and et with that old priest."
Of course, that was just the plan in an ideal scenario.
Given Kirei's disturbing behavior last night, Shiomi couldn't help but assu the worst—that the man had embraced his true nature and fallen fully into darkness.
If that were the case, then Risei, the Overseer who was supposedly sheltering him, might already be dead.
Whether alive or not, no matter how likely it seed, they had to confirm it themselves.
"So you're saying our two groups should split—one goes to the Tohsaka residence, the other to the church..."
Waver was just about to confirm the plan when the doorbell rang.
Reviews
All reviews (0)