Chapter Twenty-Two: The Eve of the Great Battle

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My name is Lin Hao.
I am on my way back to Einzbern Castle.
200:40:12

Winterwood was originally a historic coastal mountain town, limited to the area west of the Uenokawa River, a place now called Deep Mountain Town. The New Capital, on the other hand, was developed on the plains east of the Uenokawa and formed a new town. A large bridge spanning the river connected these two areas, creating a city that combined both vintage and modern architectural styles, still in the process of development.

The New Capital was not initially planned to look like it is today. The original intention was to build a port-type city centered around Winterwood Harbor, but rapid growth in surrounding towns led to a population boom, forcing a revision of the urban plan and continued development of reserved land. The newly planned residential districts were only about sixty percent complete but were already nearly fully occupied. As a result, supporting infrastructure like stations, parks, shopping streets, and various service facilities were hastily put together, leading to a mixed quality.

For instance, near the towering thirty-two-story Winterwood Hyatt Hotel, there was an eight-story, modest inn whose lobby and front desk were passable but at best comparable to a business hotel. “Passable” was relative—like when Kiritsugu Emiya, dressed in a black trench coat and carrying a long suitcase, entered late at night. Despite looking suspicious, no one questioned him as he passed through the lobby and took the elevator.

Knock, knock, knock—knock—knock, knock.

Kiritsugu tapped rhythmically on the door of room 703 and said, “It’s me.”

The door was quickly opened by Mai Kuyu, who let Kiritsugu inside before locking the door behind him. “No sign of anyone watching here.”

“No ‘inhuman’ presence either,” Saber said, dressed in a black suit with golden hair and eyes.

Is this a hint of magic? Mai hadn’t noticed Saber following Kiritsugu at all before she spoke.

Kiritsugu Emiya and Mai Kuyu’s relationship could be described as comrades or as master and apprentice. In Kiritsugu’s magic, summoning familiars was her proudest technique. She could control almost any small animal as her eyes, most often bats that could operate in darkness. Equipped with cameras or video devices attached to them, their reconnaissance and alert capabilities were nearly flawless.

“Even when attacked, they didn’t detect my position…” Kiritsugu murmured as he placed his suitcase on the coffee table and opened it to reassemble the terrifying equipment he had used to snipe Assassin—a 90-centimeter-long Walther WA2000 semi-automatic sniper rifle, paired with an AN/PVS04 night vision scope and a Specter IR thermal imaging device.

“The Assassins tried to follow after Madam left but scattered around Saber without approaching your sniper position. The ‘breath concealment’ effect is far beyond expectations,” Mai reported, explaining what she observed through her familiars. In fact, when Mai personally observed, the Assassins nearly vanished from sight, and even the bats, who lacked eyes, lost track of several. Yet the cameras they carried captured clear images of figures in black clothing and skull masks.

“I see. They cause people to subconsciously overlook them.” Kiritsugu lifted the sniper rifle and looked through the scope at the building opposite the Hyatt. The upper half of the building glowed brilliantly in the specially modified scope—a sign of a magical barrier’s presence. “What about the other Masters?”

“There’s no activity at the Hyatt Hotel. There was a brief flash that looked like an explosion but quickly disappeared. Several Assassins ambushed around a reserved open area in a residential zone and attempted to attack a young man walking there. However, a robust heroic spirit suddenly appeared, driving a thunder chariot, eliminated three Assassins, and took the young man away. It’s almost certain that was Rider and his Master.” Mai responded as she inserted a videotape into the player and turned on the TV.

The footage taken by the bats showed a faint but real red flash at the top floor of the Hyatt. It was impossible to tell exactly what it was. Rider and his Master’s faces and figures were identifiable, but the camera was damaged by a subsequent thunderstorm, leaving the film unclear.

“So, Tokiomi Tohsaka ordered the Assassins to probe all the Masters. Judging by the number of Assassins sent, this heroic spirit’s incarnation limit could exceed fifty—quite troublesome.” Kiritsugu studied the screen thoughtfully. “Saber, what do you think?”

“Very weak. Even my immature self could handle seven or eight of them alone. From their behavior, although they gained superhuman stealth abilities, they probably can’t identify who the Master is. They can only follow the heroic spirit. So as long as you don’t reveal your Command Spells or use magic to draw attention, there’s no danger.” Saber Alter stated calmly, watching the Assassins surrounding the open area but constantly looking in other directions.

“Then, track Rider and his Master’s whereabouts with all your strength. Once found, start following them without being noticed. A mage who clearly cannot control their Servant will inevitably reveal significant flaws. Tokiomi Tohsaka will not miss such a breakthrough.” Kiritsugu nodded, putting down the rifle and moving to the table. “As for that first-class Clock Tower instructor, let him leisurely overlook the scenery.”

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“Understood.” Mai turned off the TV and began communicating with her scattered familiars.

It seemed this place would be their base for a while. After drawing most attention to the castle in Altriel, Kiritsugu would gain a significant intelligence advantage. As he thought this, he opened the takeout Mai had ordered earlier.

“What’s that, Master?” Saber suddenly spoke, her eyes gleaming with an inexplicable light. “That thing called a hamburger.”

“…Food.” Kiritsugu looked at the packaging puzzled. “Do you want to eat it?”

He would later regret this offer countless times.

———

Kenneth chose Winterwood’s tallest building as his base—not for the view. On the thirty-second floor of the Hyatt Hotel where he stayed, besides magical barriers and various protections, a massive crystal orb was installed to receive magical signals from scouting devices placed around Winterwood.

If a magic effect can be achieved through technology, it is called magecraft. Conversely, as long as the concept of “magic” exists, all effects attained by technological means can be realized through magecraft.

For example, Kiritsugu Emiya, the mage killer, seemed to have made strange modifications to his firearms. About twenty mages who were hit by his bullets could no longer use magic, as if their magical circuits were completely destroyed. Isn’t this effect no different from the Red Rose of Disruption wielded by Lancer?

As for the pinnacle of human science, those two “toys” that exploded in Japan half a century ago? Ha. Not to mention myself as a top Clock Tower instructor, even Tokiomi Tohsaka with his clumsy gemstone magecraft could achieve similar effects, though perhaps not affordably.

Kenneth did not regard these country mages highly, but even the most awkward Servant like Assassin could infiltrate silently and pose a threat. The saying “a lion must give its all to catch a rabbit” applies. So he reluctantly bestowed his magnificent alchemical creations upon this fishing village.

At that moment, the giant crystal orb displayed Altriel, Saber, and the girl called Lin Hao strolling through the shopping street. This was a magical image transmitted hours ago by a still-image crystal placed there.

“Look, Sola, these are the Einzbern family’s artificial humans and the Servant she summoned. The girl in the wheelchair holds a Command Spell and is likely the captured or allied Master of Caster,” Kenneth said, courteously pulling out a chair for his fiancée.

“Hmph.” The queen tilted her head, glanced at the chair, and the silver-glinting Lancer beside her dusted it off with a handkerchief before Sola settled down nonchalantly.

Though Kenneth could give everything to Sola, the fact that the Moon Spirit Mercury, after gaining self-awareness, no longer recognized him was somewhat vexing. But perhaps Dilumdu, who looked exactly like her but was thoroughly despised, felt even more frustrated? He glanced at the genuine Lancer standing expressionless behind him.

“Notably, the Assassins had been lying in wait long before the attack, yet they were completely undetected,” Kenneth controlled the crystal orb and began playing the magical footage, marking the black-clad Assassins with red circles as they appeared.

“Also regarding—” Kenneth was about to continue but noticed Sola suddenly pull out a makeup mirror to check herself, so he changed course: “Their combined beauty doesn’t equal a tenth of yours, Sola.”

“Of course… Hmph, am I the type to care about that?” Sola proudly put away the mirror and shot Kenneth a sideways glance. “Continue.”

“Uh, subsequent confirmation showed that the mage killer indeed lurked nearby.” Kenneth swiped on the orb to fast-forward to the moment they encountered the Assassin ambush. “Although the Assassin was killed by Saber’s Noble Phantasm, it was clearly shot earlier and slowed down.”

“Hmm, what do you think, Lancer?” Sola nodded slightly, turning her gaze to Dilumdu behind Kenneth.

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“I have seen through her sword and the restriction magic on its blade. Should we encounter her, I will not be deceived. My lady queen,” Lancer bowed his head and placed a hand over his chest, “I have also identified the hidden weapon used in the ambush. It will pose no threat to you or Lord Kenneth.”

“In that case, the original plan remains. That Saber wants to lure the enemy out, right? Tomorrow, you will have a real fight with her. Kenneth, you assist Lancer.” Sola issued commands. “I have Luna here; even if Assassin infiltrates again, it will be futile.”

“[Yes, my queen. I will risk my life to protect your safety.]” Moon Spirit Mercury—or rather Luna—spoke with a proud and resolute young woman’s voice. Coming from Dilumdu’s form, it sounded quite strange.

Risking one’s life… Even Lancer cannot defeat Kenneth’s prized creation. The magic used for its actions is mutually independent, so it is immune to the red spear, and since it is not a physical body, it is immune to the yellow spear. Unless struck directly by a Noble Phantasm of military rank or higher that can completely eliminate the mercury-wrapped magic, it will revert to liquid form. Even then, if given a chance to replenish magic, it will restore itself. The only true way to destroy it is by purifying it completely into ordinary mercury using a large-scale alchemy array, which is impossible in battle.

“Miss Luna, can you change your appearance?” Lancer frowned, unsure how to address a self-aware magical artifact. He decided to treat it like a child of two masters.

“[I refuse.]” Luna answered without hesitation. “[A normal humanoid form is less combat-capable than my original form. Currently, only your and Assassin’s appearances are usable, and your combat ability surpasses theirs.]”

“What about Saber?” Kenneth wasn’t keen on a young man constantly fawning over his fiancée, even knowing “she” was female.

“[Her appearance looks no different from an ordinary girl. Without direct contact, she can only manifest a powerless form.]” Luna still refused.

“Hmph, don’t mind such trivial matters. Is there another image? Doesn’t your still-image crystal activate upon sensing magical energy bursts?” Sola pointed at the next image after the playback ended, showing just an empty lot.

“That still-image crystal was damaged by the battle shock,” Kenneth said, somewhat annoyed, opening the short clip. The lot was quiet; then suddenly the camera fell straight down, and a blue-purple thunder chariot charged in, ending the footage. “Preliminary judgment: the camera activated due to invisibility magic in the lot, but captured nothing. Another Servant likely collided with the invisible heroic spirit or Master, knocking over the crystal. The combatants were probably Rider and Berserker.”

“Hmph, Iskandar? Lancer, if you find him, engage him and let that brat Weber know how important a Master’s ability is to a Servant’s attributes,” Sola lifted her chin. “But if you encounter Archer or Berserker, no matter if you see Assassin nearby, immediately take Kenneth and retreat.”

“Sola…” Kenneth was deeply moved by his fiancée’s concern for his safety.

“I am not deliberately taking care of you,” Sola looked away. “Currently, we hold an absolute advantage over the Tohsaka family, and with Einzbern allied with Caster, you must either subdue or ally with your little disciple before confronting them.”

“So, we can have friction with the Einzbern faction but must never fight the Tohsaka family. Otherwise, we will surely be caught in a pincer attack.” Kenneth understood quickly. “Lancer, do you understand?”

“Yes, I will prioritize Lord Kenneth’s safety.” Dilumdu nodded.

“[Our queen is indeed far-sighted.]” Luna responded.

Kenneth once again felt the urge to run his hands through his hair in frustration.