"Is that so, Kirei Kotomine...?"
Several hours later, night had fallen...
As Guinevere called Kiritsugu Emiya, he, who was operating alone, frowned again.
During the Fourth Holy Grail War in Fuyuki, Kirei Kotomine had shown an abnormally intense interest in him—so much so that it reminded Kiritsugu of a personality type called yandere from the storybooks Irisviel had been reading lately.
Being targeted by someone with a yandere personality was, for Kiritsugu, genuinely troublesome.
He put another cigarette to his lips, but when his contracted Archer materialized a lighter and moved to light it for him, Kiritsugu waved him off.
"I've quit smoking, Archer. Should I tell you about Kirei Kotomine? Guinevere wants us to deal with him."
"Deal with him?"
"I think if I challenge him to a one-on-one duel, he'll accept."
"Won't you use his daughter? For instance, demand his suicide in exchange for her life."
"Kirei Kotomine isn't the type to care about family. If we threatened to kill Caren, he'd probably tell us how to do it in a way that would bring him the most pleasure from the slaughter."
In a modest double suite in a small Romanian town hotel, only Kiritsugu Emiya and his Archer were present, discussing the situation.
Kiritsugu Emiya had chosen not to bring either Maiya Hisau or Irisviel von Einzbern with him.
"Master, what do you want me to do, then?"
"Improvise. For now, deliver the letter of challenge for me. Use your arrows."
"Understood..."
While Kiritsugu and his Archer were grappling with the headache that was Kirei Kotomine, another scene unfolded elsewhere—in the dining hall of a star-rated hotel that had been entirely booked out.
Guinevere's "tour group" was busy consolidating intelligence.
In the recent battle, the enemy had suffered one death and one capture, while Guinevere's side had one death and one seriously wounded. Overall, it was a minor victory for their side.
However, when considering the Servants deployed and the intelligence exchanged, it was a major win for Guinevere's faction.
"Amakusa, is Waver still not coming out to eat?"
"He's curled up in the center of the bed, wrapped in his blanket. I called him twice, but he didn't respond. I assume he doesn't want to eat."
With Waver absent, everyone in the dining hall could eat in peace—even the captive Caren and Cu Chulainn.
"Lady Guinevere," Cu Chulainn began, "Assassin and I have discussed something, and we have a request to make of you. Though... we both know it's an unreasonable one."
Guinevere's 'Falsification' seemed omnipotent, but only on matters she had some understanding of. When it came to dolls, she was completely clueless. On the surface, she had repaired the damage to Mordred's body, but in reality, Mordred remained seriously wounded.
Healing Mordred would require the doll-maker who had provided her body in the first place.
Therefore, Guinevere desperately wanted to tell Amakusa, "If you know it's unreasonable, then don't say it." But even after seeing her expression darken, Amakusa didn't leave.
"Speak."
The youthful priest smiled, having long since discerned that Guinevere was the type to act tough but have a soft heart, deeply valuing emotions. He took Assassin's hand and began:
"I intend to withdraw from the Holy Grail War with her, to enjoy a world that belongs just to the two of us for a while."
Guinevere had long given up hope that the Ruler would act impartially, but for Amakusa to abandon even his duties...
"Are you serious? You're not just a Ruler; you're a Master on our side. And you're withdrawing with Assassin? Do you really think I'd trust that? That I wouldn't suspect you're planning to be the oriole stalking the mantis that stalks the cicada?"
"Lady Guinevere, I have merely stated our intentions. How you choose to interpret this is up to you. You could kill us here to eliminate any risk, or you could waste more of your manpower monitoring us.
"But if you let us go, after we've enjoyed some time together, we will return in the final moments to fight for you with all our strength. This is our gratitude for your wish that brought us together, and it is our promise to you."
As he spoke, Amakusa's address to Guinevere shifted to a more respectful tone.
Guinevere considered the three options Amakusa had presented. Her own instincts screamed to eliminate the threat—to play it safe and cut the weeds at the root.
But Sakura and Mordred were here...
Even though Sakura has already witnessed enough darkness, I should set an example. Let her see that a little trust can make the world a better place. And even if I fail to set that example, if Amakusa betrays us, it will only teach her a harsher lesson about the world's dangers, Guinevere thought.
When she was alone, she could act entirely as she pleased. But with her juniors present, she genuinely considered the educational implications.
Ultimately, the core reason Guinevere was willing to consider their request was that she didn't believe Amakusa and the Empress—even if they turned against her—had the power to pose a real threat.
"Fine. Just remember to post daily updates on your social media."
"Wait, you two..."
The dining hall was packed, even with people who shouldn't have been there, like Jeanne.
Halfway through the meal, she had finally pieced together the composition of Guinevere's faction and understood that Amakusa was their Ruler.
Thus, Jeanne found Amakusa's current actions completely unacceptable.
"Ruler of the Red Faction, how is this any different from a guard robbing the very vault they're supposed to protect? And you call yourself..."
"Shut your mouth, Ruler," Amakusa cut her off. "So what if I'm robbing the vault? What does it have to do with you?"
Jeanne, who had never been formally educated and was barely literate, had little talent for verbal sparring. Stunned into silence by Amakusa's retort, she shut up and focused on her meal. It was true—this had nothing to do with her.
The Red Faction's Master and Servant were abandoning the Great Holy Grail War. This was a matter for the Red Faction's Ruler to handle, but Amakusa was the Ruler.
As Amakusa and the Empress left, the dining hall grew quieter. Just as Cú Chulainn was about to share some intelligence on the Black Faction, Caren used a Command Spell again. Her order was...
"Stupid dog, kill yourself! I don't need your concern!"
Cú Chulainn truly killed himself and vanished. Caren, however, wasn't entirely foolish; she had long realized that he had proposed surrendering from the start out of concern for her.
Even just now, he had planned to use intelligence on the Black Faction and his own transfer of allegiance as bargaining chips to secure her adoption by the Pendragon family.
"Stupid dog, I really don't need you meddling in my business! Just disappear! Disappear! Do you hear me?!"
Speechless, wordless, helpless. But Cú Chulainn was already dissolving into light. Having come this far, there was truly no reason for him to remain. As for Caren's twisted personality...
He knew that a distortion ingrained since childhood would take time to correct, but as Servants, they never had much time.
By the time the meal was over, with Amakusa and his Servant gone and Cú Chulainn withdrawn from the war, the conflict seemed to have evened out to five pairs against five.
"Hey, Big Sister Guinevere, can I stab this little brat? Just once, one stab is all I need!"
In truth, from the moment Shiki Tohno first laid eyes on Caren, the blood in his veins had been roaring.
He couldn't understand why. Why did he feel such murderous intent toward this girl who looked cute but had a personality that was anything but?
After she dismissed her own Servant, Shiki's rationality snapped. He couldn't hold back any longer.
Losing control, he tore off his Mystic Eye Killers, revealing the uniquely unsettling Mystic Eyes of Death Perception. The world, now filled with cracks, flooded his vision once more.
On Caren, the primary focus of his gaze, hundreds of lines crisscrossed her body. Only a single, exceptionally faint death line lay over her heart. The moment he saw that faint line, he understood what he truly wanted to stab.
At the same time, inside the coffin Gareth was helping him carry, the Berserker known as Arcueid broke through the first layer of seals and began frantically pounding against the second.