"This... What in the world happened here?!"
A voice filled with shock, anger, and other negative emotions broke the silence, making the deserted street even more terrifying.
The voice ca from a tall, gaunt, and stern-looking middle-aged man dressed in a black trench coat. He wasn't trying to scare anyone intentionally; he had genuinely been frightened by the sight before him. After all, anyone returning to find their ho in utter chaos, with more than half of it destroyed, wouldn't be in a good mood—especially after a long and exhausting journey, hoping to rest. His current reaction was already restrained.
"Iri, Illya, please be okay!"
Muttering the nas of his family, the man was about to rush inside.
At that mont, the short-haired woman beside him, dressed similarly and exuding the sa cold deanor, reached into her jacket for a gun, while using her other hand to gently grip the man's arm, whispering:
"Calm down. Don't act rashly."
"!"
The man's body stiffened, and the anxiety on his face quickly faded, replaced by a cold, almost chanical deanor. He, too, pulled out a gun, and with movents more silent and agile than a cat, pressed himself against the wall and slipped into the half-destroyed house.
The woman swiftly set their luggage aside and infiltrated the house from another direction in the sa manner. This was not only the man's ho but also her own, her only refuge.
Since it was their ho, the two managed to infiltrate smoothly, encountering no obstacles along the way. Before long, they found the only room still lit, which had sustained the least damage and offered protection from the elents.
Inside, a group of people were cleaning up. There were n and won, young and old, so were family, others were not, so were familiar, and others were strangers.
A tall woman in a deep purple leather coat was carrying a massive beam out of the house. As she walked, she asked:
"Should I just leave this in the yard?"
"Yes, that's fine for now. I'll have a construction team co by tomorrow to clean and repair everything. I promised Kiritsugu I'd help take care of things, and letting it get this bad was my failure... Oh, Illya, make sure to leave a ssage for Kiritsugu; otherwise, I'm afraid he'll lose his mind."
"Got it."
"Once we've cleaned up, I'll take you all to the guest house. You can stay there for the ti being; it's much safer than here. Sakura, you and Rider will drive and lead the way."
"Understood, Brother. What about you?"
"I'll stay here to handle so follow-up matters—Oh, and you two vampires, I know you're awake and mostly healed by now. Let's have a proper conversation. I'm sure Irisviel and Illya are curious too—when did Kiritsugu get two won willing to give their lives for him? And they're vampires, no less. Don't worry, out of respect for Kiritsugu, I promise this will be a peaceful and friendly chat."
Upon hearing this, Maiya lurking by the wall made a strange face, while Kiritsugu on the other side twitched at the corner of his mouth.
Shinji continued speaking:
"Oh? Silent treatnt? Not willing to talk? That's fine too. But if that's the case, I'll have to ask you to co with for a while. Once Kiritsugu returns, he can talk things over with you—"
"—No need. We're already back."
Kiritsugu finally stepped out of the shadows, no longer hiding. Maiya followed closely behind, and together they entered the room.
The sudden appearance of the man and woman drew everyone's attention. Irisviel and Illya's eyes lit up instantly, and they almost simultaneously left their spots and rushed toward the man.
"Kiritsugu!"
"Dad!"
"Iri, Illya!"
Kiritsugu couldn't contain his emotions as he opened his arms and embraced his wife and daughter, holding them tightly.
"Are you alright? You scared to death."
"We're fine."
"We're fine."
Though they said this, both mother and daughter instinctively snuggled closer into his arms, showing just how terrified they had been by the previous attack.
Seeing this, the two vampires nearby looked on with envy, while Shinji's expression finally relaxed. It was clear from their reactions that they truly cared for Kiritsugu, not just in words.
On the other side, feeling the trembling bodies of his wife and daughter, Kiritsugu gently patted their backs as he asked, "What exactly happened here?"
"It was the Einzberns. They found us," Irisviel replied.
"The Einzberns?!"
Kiritsugu's eyes narrowed, and he quickly scanned the wreckage around him.
Modern magecraft shouldn't be able to cause this much destruction. Coupled with the involvent of the Einzberns and the current situation, Kiritsugu imdiately deduced the answer.
"Servants! They sent Servants after you?"
"Yes, the class was Berserker."
"It was terrifying, Dad."
"Einzberns!"
Kiritsugu gritted his teeth, the murderous intent radiating from him lowering the temperature in the room noticeably.
Ever since he had abandoned his lofty yet laughable ideals, all of his thoughts had been focused on his family. Now, soone has used such extre thods to harm them. It was unforgivable—even if it was his wife's family.
"Kiritsugu, don't scare the madam and the young lady."
Maiya standing quietly in the back gave another tily reminder, helping Kiritsugu regain control of his emotions.
"Thank you, Maiya."
"Ah, welco back, Maiya."
"Welco back, Maiya-mama."
Irisviel and Illya both smiled warmly at Maiya, then, without hesitation, hugged her just as they had Kiritsugu. After ten years together, their bond had beco incredibly close.
"Yes, I'm back, madam, miss."
"Haha, the affection here is as strong as ever," Shinji chuckled intentionally, casting a sidelong glance at the two vampires nearby.
Imdiately, the expressions of the two vampires beca even more peculiar. And that laugh also drew Kiritsugu's attention.
"Thank you, Shinji, and Sakura. Without you, they—"
The damage to the house indicated that a powerful Servant had been involved, one far beyond what Irisviel and Illya could handle. Only the Matou siblings, who had two Servants, could have managed.
"No need to thank us. I promised you I'd help, yet your ho still ended up like this. I should be the one apologizing. If you're going to thank anyone, it should be these two. If they hadn't fought so hard to delay the enemy, we wouldn't have been able to arrive in ti."
As Shinji spoke, he stepped aside, guiding Kiritsugu's gaze downward.
Kiritsugu stood at a height of 175 cm, roughly the sa as Shinji.
As the two were speaking face-to-face, it was easy to overlook what was on the ground. The two female vampires, still severely injured from the earlier battle, had been lying there quietly, recovering from their wounds.
Because of this, Kiritsugu hadn't noticed their presence when he entered. And with his wife and daughter rushing to embrace him, he'd montarily forgotten about the conversation he'd overheard.
He was just about to express his gratitude as Shinji had suggested, but as soon as he lowered his head and saw their faces, his entire body froze. A look of disbelief overtook his features, far more exaggerated than when he had seen his ho destroyed. He began muttering under his breath:
"Impossible, impossible, impossible, impossible, impossible... You, you two aren't supposed to be...!"
Reviews
All reviews (0)