"W-What's wrong?"
"It suddenly feels like the mood got a little heavy."
Clapping her hands together, Irisviel smiled brightly in an attempt to lift everyone's spirits.
Then she naturally slipped her arm around one of Artoria's, the two of them looking as close as sisters as they stepped through the gate and entered the courtyard.
"Wow... What an incredible house."
Irisviel couldn't help marveling at it.
Having spent most of her life in the luxurious halls of Einzbern Castle, this was the first time she had ever seen such a distinctly Japanese residence. Compared to the castle, it was almost rustic.
Low walls enclosed the property on all sides.
Beyond the gate, a broad path of gray stone slabs stretched straight toward the main house, flanked by waist-high patches of overgrown grass.
Beside the storehouse stood a leafless withered tree.
It was obvious the estate had been abandoned for quite some time.
"...It feels just like one of this country's 'haunted houses.'"
Irisviel hugged Artoria's arm a little tighter, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
"The hallways must be wooden."
"The rooms probably have floors covered with woven straw mats..."
"And paper partitions separating each room."
"Hehe..."
Her bell-like laughter echoed through the courtyard.
Turning back toward Leon, who was closing the gate behind them, she smiled happily.
"I've wanted to see a Japanese house for a very long time."
"And today I finally have."
"Is that so?"
Leon walked over with a faint smile.
The two of them accompanied Irisviel as she explored the entire house.
Along the way, they cleaned out the most important room—the one they would be using later—as well as the bedding inside.
The house itself was remarkably clean.
Aside from a thin layer of dust accumulated over time, there was little clutter.
Artoria efficiently dispersed the dust using Invisible Air, leaving everything spotless.
They eventually arrived at the spacious dojo.
Irisviel stood there quietly, taking it all in.
"What is it?"
Artoria asked.
"Is it different from what you imagined?"
Irisviel shook her head.
"No."
"As a place to live, I'm more than satisfied after a little cleaning."
"But if we're going to use it as a magus's base..."
"...it presents a few challenges."
"Setting up a bounded field isn't difficult."
"But establishing a proper Magecraft Workshop is."
"The structure is too open, making it easy for mana to dissipate."
"If possible..."
"I'd like a room enclosed by stone and earth."
"In that case..."
Leon twirled a ring of keys around one finger.
"Let's take a look at the storehouse."
"The storehouse?"
Before Irisviel had even finished speaking...
Leon had already carried her there in what almost looked like a teleportation.
Selecting the oldest, most rusted key from the ring, he unlocked the heavy wooden door.
Creak—
The interior was dimly lit.
Besides the entrance, only a few small windows—barely larger than a person's head—provided ventilation.
After stepping inside, Irisviel's face immediately lit up.
"This is perfect."
"It's a little cramped..."
"But I can construct the workshop using the same methods we used at the castle."
"Once the magic circle is completed, I can establish this place as my territory."
"Then neither Leon nor Al will have to worry so much about supporting me outside of battle."
"Let's get started right away."
She walked up to Leon and Artoria, looking completely fired up, as though she intended to transform the storehouse into her secret workshop immediately.
"Sorry, Leon... Al..."
She pressed her palms together and stuck out her tongue playfully.
"Could I ask both of you to help me?"
"Of course."
Leon and Artoria answered in perfect unison.
"Then..."
Irisviel pointed toward the center of the room.
"First, we'll draw a magic circle about six feet in diameter."
"I'll need you to begin by preparing the mercury mixture."
"Irisviel..."
Leon gently pinched her soft cheek.
"Are you serious?"
"I should warn you in advance."
"I know absolutely nothing about magecraft."
"So you'll have to be a very patient teacher."
Artoria nodded in agreement.
Although her mentor, Merlin, had been one of history's greatest magi, Artoria herself had devoted her life to swordsmanship and kingship.
Her knowledge of magecraft was only superficial.
"Don't worry."
Irisviel smiled reassuringly.
"I'll tell you exactly what to do."
She immediately began assigning tasks.
"Leon, could you bring the materials from the car?"
"Al, would you mind clearing out the dust and miscellaneous items stored in here?"
Hearing that, Artoria frowned.
Based on everything she knew about Irisviel...
This wasn't like her.
Normally, Irisviel preferred handling small tasks herself rather than inconveniencing Leon or Artoria.
She had once joked with a self-deprecating smile,
"If I have to ask you two for help with even little things like this, then I'm completely useless to the team."
She wasn't someone who liked relying on others out of laziness.
Quite the opposite.
Behind Irisviel's gentle appearance lay an exceptionally strong heart.
"Irisviel..."
Artoria's expression gradually became serious.
"I wanted to ask you while we were cleaning the rooms earlier."
"Today..."
"You've been carefully avoiding touching almost everything."
"Am I imagining things?"
"Driving..."
"Taking the keys..."
"Opening doors..."
"Making the beds..."
"Those things alone wouldn't have caught my attention."
"But now..."
"Even when it comes to the actual magecraft, you don't seem willing to perform it yourself."
Faced with Artoria's question...
Irisviel instinctively looked away.
She couldn't bring herself to meet Artoria's eyes.
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