Chapter 32: Preparing for the Raid

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My name is Illya.

I am reflecting on what I have done.

170:12:33

As noon approached in Fuyuki’s New City, the streets grew increasingly crowded. Yet Tokiomi Tohsaka, standing inside an apartment atop a twenty-two-story office building, could hear none of the bustle below. He was carefully observing the upper floors of the Hyatt Hotel across the street.

To anyone with only a rudimentary understanding of magecraft, the entire building seemed to radiate an indistinguishable magical glow. Tokiomi, however, saw things differently. In a certain sense, his jewel magecraft was akin to constructing a workshop, and by observing the building from outside, he had already identified several anti-flight and deflection spells, immediate detection systems, and reactive bounded fields designed to summon defensive familiars.

“As expected, it appears to be the work of that ‘genius.’ The exterior defenses of this workshop are utterly flawless, and the interior is presumably filled with mechanisms as well.” He turned around and looked at the two disciples who had come with him. “What do you think? How should we breach it?”

At the center of the apartment stood a large round table covered with the architectural plans of the hotel opposite them. The building’s overall structure and the floor plans for every level were included. Such documents had been obtained with ease through the influence of the Tohsaka family, though there was no guarantee that Kayneth had not modified the building.

“Assassin can infiltrate directly through Presence Concealment, but the moment he makes a move, the pre-established spells will react. His speed will be restricted, and he will become even more vulnerable to magical attacks,” Kirei Kotomine said first.

That conclusion had been reached after ordering Assassin to launch an all-out attack earlier. Even without Magic Resistance, they should not have been so easily defeated by a magus—not even one who was a genius of the Clock Tower.

“Berserker can claim as his own anything he touches that is called a weapon.” Ryuunosuke Uryuu was studying the floor plans and several additional notes attached to them. “A pre-established spell can be called a trap, and a trap is a kind of weapon.”

“...” Kirei had no reply. He had no idea how to respond to such blatant sophistry.

“That is a very… interesting perspective.” After a moment of thoughtful silence, Tokiomi’s expression brightened with delight. “If it proves feasible, then the defenses of this workshop will be utterly meaningless.”

He drew a small blue crystal from his suit pocket and gave it a slight squeeze in his palm. Its originally transparent blue color turned a strange violet, and within it, something resembling a flickering flame seemed to dance.

He placed the enchanted crystal on the table and drew a triggering spell around it. Thus was formed a simple explosive trap. Anyone who entered its range, other than the one supplying the crystal with magical energy, would cause it to detonate.

“Give it a try.” Tokiomi nodded to his senior disciple.

“Berserker! Seize control of this trap,” Ryuunosuke commanded the empty space beside him.

“Ogogogogo…”

A black vortex appeared, churning violently. From within it emerged Berserker, clad in black armor. Without hesitation, he reached for the crystal.

Sss—Vmmm—

The explosive trap emitted a dangerous sound, as though it were about to burst apart, when the black-armored knight’s hand touched it. But in the next instant, the noise vanished. Once Berserker finally seized the jewel, the entire simple formation was stained black and red with something terrible—and, contrary to expectation, it did not explode.

“Excellent.” Tokiomi nodded in satisfaction. “Once the obstacles have been cleared away, I can face that legendary genius in a direct confrontation.”

“What?” “Wait!”

At the simultaneous exclamations of his two disciples, Tokiomi smiled and elegantly raised his cane toward the building across the street.

“Although the Tohsaka family was taught by the Clock Tower, they do not seem particularly willing to acknowledge us. Many of them privately call me a provincial magus,” Tokiomi said. “And in this Holy Grail War, one of the geniuses they admire is participating. If I defeat him in a direct confrontation, I can silence many of those shallow-minded fools.”

“If the plan is executed properly, the two of us alone should be able to take it. Master, you should not put yourself in danger—”

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“That would not be enough. Kirei, you tell him.”

Tokiomi interrupted Ryuunosuke, then turned toward Kirei Kotomine, who seemed to have realized something.

“What you wish to obtain is not the recognition of the Clock Tower, but the willingness of that ‘King’ to take action,” Kirei said, having just understood the reason behind Tokiomi’s decision.

“Oh? Oh…” Ryuunosuke, too, wore an expression of sudden realization.

“As his subjects, we can only offer the King our counsel. What he chooses to do is his own freedom.” Tokiomi nodded. “Suppose there were one vassal who did nothing but boast and order his subordinates to act, and another who acted personally and proved his own ability. Between the two, which would be more likely to earn the King’s favor?”

“The latter, of course.” Since Gilgamesh had been mentioned, Ryuunosuke spoke as though assuming the King were nearby in spirit form, listening to them. “We cannot presume to know the King’s intentions, but even a slight increase in the possibility that he might bestow his aid of his own accord would be worthwhile.”

“...” Kirei was rendered speechless once again.

“In any case,” Tokiomi concluded, “after nightfall, I will join the two of you in raiding that genius’s workshop. Before then, however, we still need to devise a detailed plan of action for the battle.”

166:32:11

After Maiya Hisau awoke, she found herself lying on the floor.

She did not hurry to open her eyes. Instead, she immediately assessed the situation around her.

She was not injured. She was not bound. Her magical energy was circulating normally. From the sounds around her, she was indoors, and there was no one else nearby.

She abruptly opened her eyes and rolled over, intending to rise, but in the next instant her head struck a “wall” that was invisible yet solid enough to nearly knock her unconscious again.

Only then did Maiya realize that a dark red magical circle had been drawn across the floor beneath her. She had just collided with its edge.

Since her talent for magecraft was limited, Kiritsugu had never taught Maiya any advanced spells. At present, she could identify only a few of the runes inscribed upon the circle—those possessing functions such as restraint and isolation.

So that was it. A magical prison?

Maiya came to that conclusion.

“Oh? You’re awake?”

A young man’s voice, somewhat familiar, came from nearby.

Maiya instinctively reached for a weapon, but found nothing. Her clothes were unchanged, yet all the items she had concealed on her person had been removed.

“Ryuunosuke Uryuu.”

She turned expressionlessly toward the black-and-white screen before her, which resembled an old-fashioned television. The man displayed there was the same one she had encountered briefly before.

She had momentarily considered demanding to know why he had captured her, or angrily berating him, but quickly abandoned the thought. He should already understand her value and purpose.

“Ah, that’s right. As Emiya Kiritsugu’s intelligence operative, you’re quite competent,” the young man replied.

Apparently, he could communicate through the device.

“If you intend to obtain information about Kiritsugu from me, that is impossible,” Maiya said coldly to the screen.

“Oh? Why would you think that? We have sources of information of our own.” Ryuunosuke, displayed on the screen, put on an exaggerated look of surprise.

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“Your Assassin cannot find Kiritsugu.”

Maiya stated it as a certainty. At the same time, she was declaring that they could forget about tracking Kiritsugu through her.

“Exactly.” Ryuunosuke nodded in agreement, then continued, “That’s why we’re waiting for him to come find you.”

“That is impossible.” Maiya answered at once. “Kiritsugu can easily find another source of information, and he would sacrifice anyone to secure victory. There is no way he would risk coming to rescue me.”

“Is that so?” The young man on the screen smiled. “Then how do you explain the fact that Saber came rushing over from nearby the moment I captured you? He must have used a Command Spell, right?”

“I—”

She could have contradicted him, but doing so would reveal that Kiritsugu possessed two Sabers. Their battle plan required them to conceal that fact from the others for as long as possible, so Maiya closed her mouth.

“If he did not use a Command Spell to transfer there, then Saber had been protecting you from nearby all along.” Before Maiya could speak, Ryuunosuke interrupted her, waving his hand as though dispersing something. “And the price was that he himself was hounded by Assassin until he was left in a miserable state.”

“Is that so?” Maiya replied without sincerity. Though he had said Saber had been left in a miserable state, the phrase also implied that he was still safe and sound.

“According to the information we obtained, that man truly does not value human life.” Ryuunosuke suddenly leaned close to the screen, enunciating each word. “But that only applies when both sides being compared are human lives.”

Maiya seemed to have realized something. She said nothing more, merely staring coldly at the screen.

“Given Emiya Kiritsugu’s abilities, if we had intended to use you as bait to capture him, he would certainly have noticed and immediately turned away.” Ryuunosuke spread his hands. “So we have not set any traps targeting ‘him personally.’”

Maiya’s raised eyebrow made it clear that she did not believe him in the slightest.

“Based on our deductions, if rescuing you meant dragging himself into danger, he would certainly abandon you. You understand that yourself.” Ryuunosuke gave a sly grin. “But what if the price he had to pay were far lower than a human life?”

“You…” Maiya began, as though she had understood his meaning.

“So there are no traps here. Only a price.” Ryuunosuke raised two fingers. “Through various defensive arrangements that do not deliberately target him personally, we will make him lose at least two Command Spells.”

Maiya suddenly realized that Kiritsugu had been mistaken. He had always regarded Kirei Kotomine as his opponent, while overlooking Tokiomi Tohsaka, the new disciple he had taken.

He was entirely different from Kirei Kotomine, yet just as terrifying.

She could already foresee what would happen. Following this man’s scheme, Kiritsugu would infiltrate the Tohsaka residence, rescue her, lose one or two Command Spells, and then consider the operation a great success.

Yet she would be completely unable to tell him the truth.

The saddest part was that even after hearing the entire plan, she still believed herself more important than one or two Command Spells.

Ryuunosuke Uryuu was truly a terrifying man.

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