'Moreover, the reason this Holy Grail War has caused such a huge disturbance is largely because of Saber's previous Master. It's necessary to make contact with Saber and understand the exact situation.'
"I'm going to check the scene myself. If someone has really done something that violates the rules during the Holy Grail War, I will correct it."
As she finished speaking, Ishtar stood up and left the hall. In the next moment, a huge bow appeared beneath her feet.
It was the heavenly vessel called Maanna, capable of carrying her across the skies.
With it, Ishtar could travel through various parts of Fuyuki in a short time. In a sense, with her serving as the Ruler class, there was no need to worry about a referee arriving too late at the scene.
Tohsaka Tokiomi hesitated for a moment before suddenly saying, "Ruler… I still have a daughter who is currently with Saber. Does that count as violating the rules of the Holy Grail War?"
"I just happen to have something I want to ask Saber. If he really has violated the rules, I will punish him in my capacity as Ruler."
"As for your daughter, I'll bring her back to the Tohsaka household later."
After saying this, Ishtar sat on Maanna. With a sudden whoosh, she disappeared from the residence.
———
The sound of sirens, the chatter of the crowd, and the blazing flames engulfing the building formed a chaotic scene.
Kayneth clutched his arm, anger filling his gloomy eyes.
Although Mordred had reacted quickly and carried him out of the building, he still suffered minor injuries from the aftershock of the explosion.
Looking at Sola beside him again, although her expression was a bit uneasy, she was fortunately unharmed. This made Kayneth's expression ease slightly, though he still felt lingering fear.
Fortunately, before the explosion happened, he had used "mercury" to shield everyone. Otherwise the consequences would have been unimaginable.
Thinking back to how he had just bragged about the magical barrier he had set up not long ago, only for it to be blown to pieces in the next moment, it was nothing short of a slap in the face.
Standing among the crowd and looking at the burning building, Kayneth's face darkened as he muttered in a low voice, "Who exactly was it… to resort to such despicable means!"
Magecraft might not have been able to break through the building's defenses. The other party clearly knew this, so they simply used physical methods instead. No matter how you think about it, this person definitely has no mage's soul at all.
Although his expression remained unpleasant, Kayneth tried to stay calm as much as possible and said in a deep voice, "Alvin, how are you?"
"Fortunately, thanks to teacher's mercury protection, I'm fine."
After Alvin finished speaking, he lowered his eyes slightly.
Although the scene was extremely noisy, he still felt a very distinct gaze among the crowd.
Perhaps Kayneth believed that tonight's attack was someone trying to kill him.
But only Alvin understood.
The attached was targeting him.
In the darkness of night, sirens suddenly began to sound, completely shattering the quiet.
Kayneth stepped forward toward the bombed building, secretly observing the surroundings and trying to find traces left behind by the enemy.
Meanwhile, Alvin lowered his gaze and quietly closed his eyes. His perception slowly spread out in all directions.
Too many things had happened tonight. Not long ago, he had just gone to the harbor and rescued Irisviel.
Perhaps from that moment on, someone had already begun secretly watching him.
After all, he was Sajyou Manaka's Servant. At least, that was how the person who used such exaggerated explosives to destroy the building must see it.
If that was the case, the attacker's identity was very likely, Emiya Kiritsugu.
Perhaps he believed that tonight's plan by Sajyou Manaka to directly attack their Master-Servant pair was underway. Or perhaps, Kiritsugu had other plans in mind.
However, one thing could be confirmed.
If Kiritsugu knew that both Lancer and Saber were present, logically they wouldn't launch such a suicidal attack without confidence.
After all, he calls himself a partner of justice and even intends to save the world. Why would he want to seek death?
So the question becomes: what trump card supports Kiritsugu's sudden assault tonight?
Alvin could only think of one possibility, 'A Servant.'
But logically speaking, Kiritsugu shouldn't have the qualifications to participate in the Holy Grail War, unless the changes to the rules of the war allowed Kiritsugu to exploit a loophole?
Alvin quickly shook away the messy thoughts in his mind.
The moment he closed his eyes, the flow of magical energy in the air, people's breathing, even their heartbeats quietly entered his perception.
After a moment, he opened his eyes again, feeling somewhat regretful.
Each Servant in the Holy Grail War had their own strengths, and perception was not Saber's specialty.
Moreover, the enemy had probably already left before the building was blown up. At least at the scene, Alvin hadn't sensed the presence of Emiya Kiritsugu or his companion.
In the end, facing two Servants, attacker probably never expected tonight's sneak attack to succeed from the start.
Alvin shook his head secretly.
Suddenly, it was as if a blue bolt of lightning flashed through his mind, and his pupils widened.
'Wait… What if the one who attacked the building tonight wasn't Kiritsugu himself, but his assistant?'
'Then where would Emiya Kiritsugu be right now?'
'Hiding in the shadows?'
'No… that doesn't match Kiritsugu's personality. He is the kind of man who sees three steps ahead before taking one.'
'Tonight, with two Servants still present, he should know the bomb can't harm Kayneth.'
'Yet he still did it.'
'Why?'
One possibility Alvin thought of was that the attacker deliberately caused such a huge disturbance to attract the attention of the Masters.
As for the reason…
"Irisviel and Illya?"
The moment he thought of this possibility, Alvin felt a chill run down his spine.
After all, Irisviel currently didn't even have a Command Seal.
If Kiritsugu really went to find Irisviel...
Before the Holy Grail War began, the Einzbern family had hired Emiya Kiritsugu as the public Master, while letting Irisviel disguise herself as his "wife."
Although they were nominally husband and wife, Alvin knew very well that if Kiritsugu discovered Irisviel's abnormality, even someone close to him would not stop him from acting in the name of his justice.
And now, attached to Irisviel was the "Holy Maiden of Winter," intimately connected with the Great Holy Grail.
"Lancer, take care of my teacher. Remember… do not leave his side. I have something urgent and need to go back first!"
After hurriedly explaining, Alvin turned toward the new city district before Mordred could even respond.
———
At the same time, on the rooftop of a distant building, a graceful figure quietly descended.
Her black twin-tails fluttered in the wind. Standing on Maanna, she looked like a goddess descending from the moon, radiating a sacred and noble aura.
She looked down at the crowd below, and in a certain moment, her gaze quietly shifted toward the direction Alvin had left.
For the first time, a trace of unusual light flashed in her azure eyes.
"Saber… is actually him?"
The Ruler of the Holy Grail War possessed the special authority of True Name Revelation.
After hearing from Tokiomi earlier that Saber had taken away his daughter, Ishtar had originally come as Ruler intending to bring the girl back.
But she hadn't expected, this trip would bring an unexpected gain.
'Alvin… and even his daughter are here?'
———
Watching her father leave in a hurry, Mordred was still in confusion.
At that moment, she suddenly noticed the gaze from the rooftop and instinctively looked up.
When she clearly saw the woman standing there, a look of surprise appeared on her face.
"It's her?"
Ishtar smiled politely at her.
Then she turned into a point of light and quietly disappeared.
As the Ruler… she naturally couldn't interfere with the balance of the Holy Grail War.
However, in the name of fairness and justice, she had the right to know why Saber had abducted Archer's Master's daughter.
After all, this was to ensure the fairness of the Holy Grail War.
After Ishtar left, outside the building, Kayneth had just finished examining the magical traces and returned to Mordred's side with Sola.
Seeing the rebellious knight looking as if she had seen a ghost, Kayneth frowned.
"Lancer… where is Alvin?"
"I… he had something urgent and left first. He said you two must take care of yourselves."
Mordred almost blurted out "my father", but quickly realized her mistake and corrected herself.
"This child is that busy? Could it be he actually has friends in Fuyuki?"
Sola raised her brows in surprise.
Kayneth looked up at the destroyed building again, then saw Mordred's unusually serious expression and asked, "Why do you look so serious? Did you find some clue about the attack?"
"No… I just saw the Ruler earlier."
Kayneth and Sola looked at each other in surprise.
"Where is she now? Do you know her identity?", Kayneth immediately asked.
"She already left. I don't know her name."
Mordred looked toward the rooftop of a distant building and muttered, "But judging from this… this Holy Grail War is going to be interesting."
Although she wasn't very familiar with Ishtar, having lived in the royal palace for a long time meant Mordred knew a little about her.
And she knew one thing clearly, she was basically half of Mordred's mother.
The reason she was only half was because Ishtar had no blood relationship with her, but had certain intimate connections with her father.
In less than three days since the Holy Grail War began, Mordred had already encountered one father… and four mothers.
Thinking about it made her feelings extremely complicated.
If the situation weren't inappropriate, she would almost want to ask the Great Holy Grail hidden within Fuyuki, 'Is this a Holy Grail War or a parent-teacher conference?'
———
The night was quiet.
Even far from the bombed building, Alvin could still faintly hear the sound of sirens racing down the streets.
Police cars were rapidly heading toward the scene.
Alvin quickly returned to the building where he lived and quietly pushed the door open.
Only a single desk lamp was on in the living room, its warm light dispelling the cold of the winter night.
Alvin walked down the hallway and soon saw the gentle and fragile Irisviel.
She wore a black dress embroidered with dark crimson patterns. Her silver hair cascaded down like a waterfall, and beneath her skirt a pair of fair, plump legs were revealed.
As always, she looked elegant, intellectual, and delicate.
Yet in those crimson eyes there was a hint of enchanting allure.
From Alvin's angle, he could even vaguely see the proud curve of her chest stretching the fabric slightly, carrying a subtle temptation.
Resting on Irisviel's lap was a silver-haired girl wrapped in a black coat, covering most of her body, with a pair of small delicate white feet peeking out.
She lay sideways in Irisviel's arms, sleeping peacefully.
With her mother's embrace, Illya's cute little face was filled with a sense of security.
Seeing Alvin's anxious expression, Irisviel looked at him in confusion.
Her gentle gaze seemed to ask, 'What happened?'
After thinking for a moment, she carefully placed Illya on the soft sofa, propped a pillow under her head, then slipped her white feet into house slippers.
She walked toward the nearby balcony and gestured for Alvin to come over.
"Saber, why do you look so flustered?"
When Alvin stepped onto the balcony, Irisviel asked quietly, her crimson eyes full of doubt.
After all, he was the White Dragon of Britain… there should hardly be anything in this world that could make him panic.
'So what exactly happened?'
Alvin looked out the window. Snowflakes slowly fell in the darkness reflected in his black eyes.
"I just found Kayneth, but not long after that, we encountered a bombing attack."
Irisviel was stunned for a moment.
"Bombing attack? Was it the enemy Master?"
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