"A-Are you really an Assassin? You don't have any assassination skills at all, do you?" Tohsaka Rin asked suspiciously.
"Why would I need assassination skills? Just walk over and hack the target and all witnesses to death. Isn't that a perfect assassination?"
"I-Is that how it works?!" Tohsaka Rin looked as if her entire worldview was being reshaped.
"Alright, alright, Miss Maid. It's getting late. Clean up and get some rest."
Although it had been early morning when Jean arrived, it was currently midnight here.
It was obvious that Tohsaka Rin, who had just summoned a Servant and then cried and made a fuss, was now extremely exhausted.
"Miss Maid? Who?"
"You, of course." Jean tilted her chin up with her hand. "Among the roles that require absolute obedience to me, 'Maid' is certainly a more gentle title. Or would you prefer to be called a 'Flesh Toy'? Or..."
"No, no, no, maid is fine. Maid is just fine."
They gave the house a quick cleaning. There was no way to deal with the broken furniture at this hour, so it was all shoved into the storage room.
Then, Jean casually walked into Tohsaka Rin's room and lay down on her bed.
"Um, that's my bed..."
"Isn't it perfectly normal for the master to sleep in the master bedroom?"
"Then where am I supposed to sleep?"
"I didn't expect a maid to be so picky about her bed. Well, I'll make an exception and allow you to'share the bed' with me."
If one were to use an idiom fitting for Jean's current Assassin class, it would be: 'The map is unrolled, and the dagger is revealed'—her true intentions were finally clear.
"..."
Despite a bit of resistance, Tohsaka Rin obediently took a spare pillow and lay down on the edge.
She curled her body up, protecting her vital areas with her hands, as if the person lying next to her wasn't a beautiful girl like Jean, but some creepy old man.
It must be said that her intuition was very sharp. The person next to her wasn't a creepy old man, but a'super veteran' who surpassed any creepy old man.
But in all honesty, while she enjoyed teasing, Jean wouldn't actually force herself on someone; besides, there was no need.
"You don't have to be like this. Let me tell you, I have a wife, and my wife is much cuter than you."
Tohsaka Rin froze for a second upon hearing that Jean had a wife, but then she got angry at the second half of the sentence. She covered her head with the quilt and lay with her back to Jean.
However, because the day had been so exhausting and a large amount of magical energy had been consumed, she soon fell uncontrollably into dreamland.
Meanwhile, Jean leisurely watched Tohsaka Rin's sleeping face while experiencing the unique power of this world known as magical energy.
---
In the middle of the night, lighthearted pairs like Jean and Tohsaka Rin were rare. Many other pairs were busy with preparations, reconnaissance, and tactical planning.
Just an hour before Tohsaka Rin summoned Jean, deep beneath the Kotomine Church, a Servant summoning circle was glowing with light.
The priest, with a face full of pleasure, used a holy relic left over from the past to summon the Heroic Spirit who had been his partner in the previous Holy Grail War.
"I am one who thirsts for all the pleasures of the world. Therefore, return once more, my ally."
He didn't follow the fixed summoning incantation, instead speaking casually. Even if the summoning went wrong, it would likely be an amusing event for Kirei Kotomine.
However, the link between the holy relic and their bond was too strong, and the summoning proceeded normally. Before long, the Golden King descended once again from the summoning circle.
"Good work, Kirei. Is this the next one? This time, this King will definitely seize victory!"
Fury burned in his crimson eyes. This time there would be no slackness, only a vengeful retaliation with his full power.
---
Due to the Golden King's resentment, Saber, who had just finished her patrol and was eating ramen, suddenly shuddered.
"What's wrong, Saber?" the 'young' girl beside her asked in confusion.
"It's nothing, I just felt a sudden chill. By the way, Illya, is it really okay to sneak out without telling Illyasviel von Einzbern?" Saber asked curiously.
"I'm not a child anymore! I'm a master participating in the Holy Grail War now. I don't need to tell Mama about things like this!"
"Shh, keep your voice down. The Holy Grail War is no joke. Who knows who might be listening?" Saber quickly covered Illya's mouth.
"What's there to be afraid of? Weren't you the winner of the last one, Saber? We'll definitely win this time too." Illya pushed her hand away with a look of full confidence.
"To be honest, the latter half of the last Holy Grail War is a blur to me. I have no clue what happened at the very end."
"It's okay, it's okay! Saber, you're the strongest, aren't you?"
Gaining Illya's trust made Saber happy. After paying the bill, the two of them walked toward the estate left behind by Kiritsugu Emiya.
Looking at Illya shivering slightly in the cold wind, Saber suddenly felt a bit nostalgic for the cloak she had when she was King.
---
Not everyone's summoning went so smoothly.
For instance, at this moment, the orange-haired puppet master was staring blankly at the Servant she had summoned.
"Didn't they say Servants are projections or clones of Heroic Spirits from the Throne of Heroes?"
Tapping on the sci-fi-looking robot in front of her, Touko Aozaki fell into deep thought. Where exactly did it go wrong?
In response to Touko Aozaki's actions, the robot emitted an unintelligible electronic static sound.
---
In the basement of the Twin Mansions (the Ghost Mansion), a woman in male attire wearing a russet suit and a rose-red tie, Bazett, was using her family heirloom earrings for the summoning.
But the summoning circle did not respond as expected. A flash of light appeared, but then it dimmed without anything happening.
Looking at the scene before her, Bazett was completely dazed. She didn't know what had gone wrong.
The hope she had held since childhood—'If it's allowed, I can have the wish to save him, right?'—vanished into thin air.
Just as Bazett was about to withdraw in dejection, the summoning circle lit up again.
However, the hope that had been rekindled in her heart quickly died out. From its appearance, the summoned Servant was definitely not the Celtic 'Child of Light,' Cú Chulainn.
But the summoned Servant shouted in surprise: "Eh! Bazett, why are you here?!"
-------------------------------
Hope you enjoy this fanfiction if you do and would like to read the next 50 chapters in advance, pls do check out my Patreon:
patreon.com/MariaLight
Also don't forget to give me a Power Stone if you do like this fiction. Your support really motivates me to continue doing my best in translating, Thanks!!