Chapter 19: Shadow Assault

My name is Lin Hao, and I am currently out shopping with my mistress.

20:35:11

"As I thought, there must be something wrong with my outfit..."
"I think it looks perfectly normal."

At daybreak, a very peculiar group appeared on the streets of Fuyuki's New City. One was a woman of noble temperament and gentle demeanor, with long silver hair and crimson eyes. She wore a magnificent white gown that would have been appropriate for a grand banquet. Beside her was a young girl with blonde hair and blue eyes, whose attire, while also resembling a formal dress, was significantly more lively. Had it not been for their complete lack of resemblance in temperament and appearance, they might have been mistaken for mother and daughter.

Such a rare combination of beauties shopping in a small place like Fuyuki’s New City was already eye-catching enough, but what made it even more intriguing was that they were pushing a wheelchair. Seated in the chair was a girl with short hair whose appearance and clothing could only be described as lackluster by comparison. She seemed self-aware of her situation and appeared quite uncomfortable.

"I’m telling you, even if you two aren't aware of your own looks and temperament, the price of your clothes alone is worth a year’s salary for any of these passersby. It would be stranger if we didn't attract attention," Irisviel heard Lin Hao grumbling.

"Hmm... Kiritsugu actually taught us about those things, and I do have less flashy everyday clothes," Irisviel replied with a smile, "but our goal right now is exactly to 'attract attention'."

"And don't worry about the ordinary people being caught in the crossfire," Saber Lily added. "I have set up a barrier to keep them away."

"Hmm..." Lin Hao looked around and, seemingly convinced, said nothing more.

On a level imperceptible to the pedestrians on the street, the blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl was radiating an undisguised fluctuation of magical energy. Any ordinary person who intended to approach—whether they were talent scouts or had some other motive—would change their minds and turn away at a certain distance.

This was a small piece of magecraft that Merlin often deployed during Artoria’s travels, though it was usually ruined by the busybody nature of this king-in-training.

However, in the eyes of other Masters and Servants, this magecraft made her as conspicuous as a torch in the dark night. Yet, because they were in a busy downtown area, they could not start a battle there, even if only for the sake of secrecy.

To respond, one would have to use the same method to draw Saber’s attention, but that would mean putting oneself in the same disadvantageous position of being watched by everyone. The hidden observers might be suspicious, but they would hardly guess that this was a strategy adopted because they possessed two Sabers.

"Kiritsugu should be nearby." Although they were shopping, Saber Lily kept a vigilant watch on her surroundings. Even though Heroic Spirits could easily sense each other, it was not easy to detect those who were actively concealing themselves, especially types like the Assassin, who possessed the [Presence Concealment] ability.

"Of course, he must be in a safe position where he can see us," Irisviel replied confidently.

Since Kiritsugu had proposed the baiting plan, the subsequent support and contingency arrangements must have been made. No matter what happened here, he would certainly be able to execute the pre-arranged response; all they had to do was trust him completely.

Although the Einzbern family had a deep foundation in magecraft, they were completely incompetent when it came to tactics and planning, having never held the advantage in previous Holy Grail Wars. That was why they had hired the "Magus Killer" to assist, though him accidentally becoming a live-in son-in-law was another story entirely.

"From the sniper scope," the girl in the wheelchair said with a tone of disdain.

"Don’t worry, Xiao Hao. Saber’s perception range is about three hundred meters. If a Servant approaches, she will definitely sense it." Irisviel, pushing the wheelchair, reached out to stroke the girl’s soft hair with practiced ease.

"Hmph, if an Assassin were twenty meters away... she wouldn't be able to sense them either," Lin Hao said sullenly after failing to dodge the touch.

Upon hearing this, Saber immediately looked around nervously, but because they were in a commercial district filled with pedestrians, she found nothing—even if she wanted to judge by sight, their group was already attracting quite a lot of attention.

***

20:12:23

Although still in the development stage, New Fuyuki still had many high-end specialty stores that met international standards. The jewelry in some of these boutiques would have been deemed "very suitable" even if worn by Irisviel or Saber. However, they only looked, occasionally commenting on the displays in the windows, but never entered any of the shops.

This was only natural. Not to mention whether those stores would allow customers to bring in a wheelchair, if they entered a relatively narrow shop where dodging was difficult, an enemy Servant could launch a fierce attack while avoiding the eyes of most ordinary people. As long as it wasn't seen by the entire street, no matter what kind of commotion was caused, the magus responsible for the cleanup could just pass it off as an "accident" and seal the scene.

Although the combination of Irisviel, Saber, and Lin Hao was very striking, they did not encounter any trouble due to their own affairs and the influence of the suggestion magecraft. After passing through the shopping street, they reached the end of the main road currently under development.

"This is not the Einzbern castle, and you don't have to worry about your Servant being trapped by a magical barrier," Saber said suddenly as they stood outside the "Keep Out" sign of the construction site at the end of the main road and prepared to turn back. "If I pledge on my honor as a knight that I will not be the first to strike against Caster, could you call her out for a talk? Miss Lin Hao."

"...Why?" the girl, paralyzed in her lower limbs, asked in a low voice. After all, this was the second time Saber had made such a request, and with Kiritsugu not by her side, she did not refuse directly.

"Because of your wish, Xiao Hao. You don't have any catalyst, do you?" Irisviel joined the conversation. "When summoning a Servant, if there is no catalyst, the Heroic Spirit that is most similar to the summoner’s mental state, conduct, and wishes will be given priority."

"...Compatibility?" Lin Hao looked a bit confused, then seemed to realize something and showed an expression of understanding.

"That kind of magecraft that transfers the illnesses of others onto oneself—at least to my knowledge, even a wizard cannot do it," Saber continued. "Since you wish to shoulder all the suffering in the world yourself, then the Heroic Spirit who responded to the summons must also be a hero who follows the path of kindness and justice and is full of the spirit of sacrifice."

Whether because she was hit on the mark or because Artoria’s words were too shocking, Lin Hao looked completely dumbfounded.

"Is it possible?" Irisviel interrupted her stupor by patting the girl's head.

"No, she is busy with more important things elsewhere," Lin Hao shook her head. "Unless I am in danger or use a Command Spell, she will refuse to respond."

The expressions of Irisviel and Saber became very strange.

The Holy Grail War was, at its core, a battle between seven pairs of Masters and Servants fighting for the right to make a wish upon the Holy Grail. Every participant had their own wishes, large or small, and the responding Heroic Spirits were no exception. How, then, could there be anything "more important" than ensuring victory in the battle?

"Don't worry, her Independent Action and Battle Continuation are both EX," Lin Hao added, fearing they wouldn't believe her.

Yes, they existed.

Independent Action EX. Battle Continuation EX.

A skill’s possession comes from the deeds of the Heroic Spirit’s life, while the skill’s rank represents the degree of excellence in that area. From these exaggerated but useless skills, one could deduce: this was a noble soul who, no matter how difficult the situation, no matter how many obstacles and hardships stood in her way, would always go to help others.

This respectable Heroic Spirit had no wish that relied on the Holy Grail—or rather, her wish was simply to "appear." That was all. Compared to slaughtering other Servants to gain an uncertain chance to make a wish, she wanted to seize the time in the present world to relieve the pain and misfortune of others.

And as for the Master who could summon such a noble Heroic Spirit...

When the white-clad Saber turned her gaze to Lin Hao, she saw a shadow striking her like lightning.

It was a tall, thin man in a black bodysuit, wearing a half-skull mask. He had just lunged from the side of a bush by the road, his left hand clutching a short dagger emitting an ominous dark light, his right hand in a grasping gesture. His target was the young Master sitting in the wheelchair, unable to dodge.

***

"Assassin!" she immediately identified the opponent's class.

Even knowing that this class could only take such actions against a Master, and even understanding that Lin Hao’s wish was meaningless to Assassin’s Master—that this was merely a probing strike to seize an opportunity—Artoria still felt an uncontrollable anger.

She was not yet mature as a knight, but her combat ability as a swordsman was already fully qualified. If it were a sparring match, even her adoptive brother Kay could not easily defeat her, and her strategies and schemes had improved significantly under Merlin’s influence during her travels.

Although she was not yet that future King of Knights, and her combat power was far behind that black version of herself, her ability to protect others was by no means inferior to them!

Because Assassin’s surprise attack was too fast and the target was not herself, she did not need to arm herself.

The spirited girl in the white dress took a step back, then thrust forward violently, as if gripping something in both hands.

Following Saber’s motion, a long sword appeared in her hand—gold-based, decorated with blue enamel, with gorgeous and intricate patterns, looking like a work of art.

Caliburn, the famous Sword in the Stone from the legend of King Arthur. It was said to be merely a symbol of royal power rather than a divine weapon, completely unsuitable for combat, and was eventually broken in a battle—but the wind pressure and the flickering golden light it emitted at this moment were enough to prove that those were mere rumors.

*Bang!!*

The assassin in black was struck by an unexpected blow during his charge. His right arm sprayed a large amount of blood as if pierced by something. After losing his balance, he was pinned in place by the golden light flickering from the golden sword, unable to move, and was finally pierced through by Saber Lily, subsequently dissipating into a cloud of spirit particles.

Only then did the barrier Lin Hao had cast for Irisviel and the shield Irisviel had created for Lin Hao arrive belatedly.

"Is this what they call sniping?" Saber Lily flicked her long sword and looked in the direction from which the gunshot had come. There were several buildings under construction there, and it was impossible to determine the exact location of the sniper. "Although it’s a bit difficult, if I have to block it, it's not a problem."

"Xiao Hao? Are you okay?" Irisviel pulled the wheelchair back a few steps and hurriedly checked the girl's condition.

"Ah... I'm fine." Lin Hao stared blankly at the dissipating Heroic Spirit.

"As you can see, the participants in the Holy Grail War are not all like us. There are also those who will stop at nothing to eliminate all competitors for their own selfish desires," Irisviel gently patted the startled girl. "So, Masters with roughly the same wishes should form an alliance, shouldn't they?"

"Hmm... let me think about it." Lin Hao did not seem to have recovered from the shock, her eyes fixed on the spot where the Assassin had disappeared.

"Well then, let's go back, Lily." Irisviel did not press her, turning to Saber and saying, "According to Kiritsugu’s plan, we should return to the castle immediately after one battle, and he will proceed with the next step of the plan."

Having eliminated a class she wasn't very good at dealing with, and potentially gaining an excellent ally, the beginning of this war could be said to be very smooth.

Putting aside the doubt about why the Assassin had been so weak, Saber Lily nodded to Irisviel with a faint smile and sheathed her golden sword.