Meanwhile, Kiritsugu could not hide his bewilderment.
He had never imagined that he would lose his Command Spells right at the start of the Holy Grail War.
To make matters worse, the tracking device on Irisviel's clothes had already malfunctioned, adding to his confusion.
"Iri!? Is she safe?"
"We investigated the last confirmed location, but she vanished without a trace."
Kiritsugu thought she might have died because of him, but at the same time, he felt a sense of doubt regarding Saber.
"There should have been at least a sign of a struggle... Don't tell me Iri was taken hostage first, preventing Saber from fighting properly before being eliminated? But even if Saber was eliminated, the Command Spells should remain."
Kiritsugu's confusion turned into an inability to accept a situation that was beyond his comprehension.
Having lost his qualification from the very start, Kiritsugu couldn't give up on the Grail even if he wanted to.
"I have no choice but to watch for an opportunity... Maiya, could you investigate the young man who was with Irisviel?"
"Yes, but we may not find anything, Kiritsugu..."
Kiritsugu and Maiya were having an affair.
Maiya seemed to love Kiritsugu, but she never showed it openly.
And now, with his status as a Master revoked and Irisviel gone, Kiritsugu was in a position where he had no choice but to rely on someone.
============
As night fell, Medea came outside and said:
"The surgery is complete. I was able to remove the Lesser Grail, but that Noble Phantasm is truly amazing. I never imagined she would cling to life with vampire-like regeneration in a surgery where death would not have been strange. In any case, the operation was a success, but it's uncertain what kind of after-effects there might be. As a bonus, I'm exhausted from restructuring her Magic Circuits."
"You did well."
"Hmph."
Medea snorted and looked away, but I was glad it was her.
Any other Servant would not have been able to even conceive of such a possibility.
"Irisviel is safe, I presume?"
"Yes, yes~ She is safe. But before that, could you please put down that sword? And am I not your Master?"
"Kuh... still, I will not forget this grudge."
"Isn't it better than having Kiritsugu? A man who would ignore chivalry and even the rights of a Servant?"
"...Rights for a Servant?"
Saber looked at me with a bewildered expression.
"Even if they are familiars, they are still individuals and intelligent beings."
"...In that respect, I have no choice but to acknowledge you. And your way of thinking seems completely different from that of a magus..."
"That's because I'm an ordinary person."
"Is that so? (An ordinary person kidnaps Irisviel and steals Command Spells?)"
I could practically read the blatant skepticism in her gaze, but I decided to ignore it.
"Hmm... Medea, is the insecticide ready?"
"Yes, it is ready... Are you going to use it? I've made it in capsule form for easy carrying. It will activate the moment it receives an impact."
"Well, that should be enough. What are the chances of the Insect Mage detecting it?"
"Hmm... Its effects activate slowly, so I believe he'll only notice when it's already too late."
"That's good enough."
Meanwhile, Artoria just watched, looking as if she couldn't follow the conversation at all.
"What on earth are you planning..."
"I'm just an ordinary person fighting~ for a better story."
"...Is that the kind of person who kidnaps someone and drags them to a forced surgery? Does the other person's opinion not matter at all?"
I couldn't argue with Artoria's words, but it couldn't be helped.
"As if anyone would agree to a surgery proposed by a complete stranger..."
"That's..."
Whether I forced her or coerced her, as long as the result was good, that's all that mattered. My thinking might have been flawed, but in any case, the problem was that I had made a mess of things.
"Irisviel will wake up, right?"
"Hmm... she should wake up in a few hours."
"Eh? She's waking up sooner than I thought."
"Yes. I don't know what it is, but as long as that Noble Phantasm called Avalon is in her heart, she is bound to recover quickly."
"...Hey, Artoria?"
"Do not call me by my true name."
"Why did you choose the sword over the scabbard?"
"........."
Artoria simply remained silent.
The problem was Artoria choosing the sword over the far more powerful scabbard.
Well, Excalibur is good too... but its mana efficiency is terrible. If she had the ability to wield various armaments like Lancelot, wouldn't she have been the strongest?
If she had become a being who could fight without dying, like a vampire, wouldn't she have been the strongest of all?
"Umm..."
Just then, a groan came from the bed where Irisviel was lying.
"Irisviel!"
Artoria rushed to her side.
"Saber?"
Saber took Irisviel's hand and said:
"Are you alright?"
"Yes... I feel like my body is lighter, somehow."
Just then, Medea held up the Lesser Grail and said:
"The Lesser Grail is here. I extracted it with magecraft, so it looks like a cup right now, but with time, it will return to its original form."
"Oh... then I'm no longer the vessel for the Grail?"
"That's right. I can't do anything about your lifespan, but you should be able to live a normal human lifespan. It will require some adjustments, but if you're willing, we can go back to the operating room."
"Ahaha... I don't want to go back there ever again."
Irisviel's face turned pale as she expressed her refusal.
Medea... did you perform the surgery without anesthesia? I wanted to ask, but seeing Tiamat's face turn blue, the possibility that she did it raw was quite high.
She might have fainted from the pain, or Medea might have put her to sleep with magic.
I wasn't a magus like Medea, so I had no way of knowing what kind of surgery was performed.
"Anyway, have you recovered?"
"Yes... it just would have been better if it wasn't a kidnapping..."
"I don't trust Kiritsugu. He's the type to backstab you, and even if you used a Geass on him, there's a high chance he'd find a loophole to kill you."
Thinking about the tragic future of Lancer and his Master, trusting Kiritsugu was a foolish path.
If I don't want a hole in my head, then this method is the best.
"Isn't there a woman by Kiritsugu's side? Was it Maiya?"
I couldn't quite remember the name, but I figured if I said it roughly, Irisviel would correct me.
"Are you talking about Maiya Hisau?"
"Did you know that she and Kiritsugu are having an affair?"
"What? You expect me to believe that!?"
"It's probably true... For now, why don't you ask him when you see him later."
"If I ask Kiritsugu, I'll know for sure."
Meanwhile, Saber's eyes were filled with nothing but distrust.
"..."
Her stare is so intense...
I thought for a moment. Originally, after arriving in Fuyuki, she was supposed to have fun here and there before fighting Lancer.
I turned on my smartphone and checked Lancer's location.
Lancer was currently waiting at the Fuyuki container port.
"Saber, you can fight, right?"
"What? Yes, I can fight, but...?"
"Go fight Lancer now. With Irisviel."
"Hmph... and if I refuse?"
"You can't~ I wanted to see the fight between Lancer and Saber~"
"Hmm... now that you say that, I've become curious to see Saber's skills too."
At Irisviel's words, Saber looked at her with a flustered expression.
Irisviel was technically only nine years old, and as a participant in the Holy Grail War, she might have wanted to watch a fight between Servants.
The very reason Irisviel was created was for the Holy Grail War, so she might have wanted to watch even more because of that. Even if it meant risking her life...
Well, considering she's with King Arthur, she might be trusting Saber to protect her...
"Irisviel..."
"Then let's go right now!"
"Medea, can you teleport us to these coordinates?"
"Yes. We have plenty of mana, so it's more than possible."
"Tiamat, you're coming too!"
"Yes."
A magic circle formed beneath our feet, and Medea shouted:
"I'll teleport us a short distance away to avoid being detected by the enemy. Let's pretend that Saber and Caster are hostile to each other. Showing our hand from the start will only put us in danger."
"Let's do that."
And so, Medea's spatial transference took us near the Fuyuki container port. Saber and Irisviel headed towards the port, while we decided to watch from a nearby location.
My only regret was that I hadn't prepared popcorn and soda for the occasion.
And 3D glasses, as a bonus... It was a shame.