Why hasn't the enemy attacked Shirou yet?
It can't be out of kindness.
There is only one reason.
The enemy believes Shirou might be accompanied by a Servant in Spirit Form.
He's half right. Shirou did come with a Servant.
It's just that this Servant is completely useless in combat.
Even if someone attacked the Master, she wouldn't be able to do anything, and wouldn't do anything.
From everything observed so far, the one who attacked Assassin-onee-san is extremely cautious.
He would never risk being detected by a Servant just to attack Shirou.
So he had to remain calm.
He absolutely could not show any weakness.
Shirou continued casting the healing magecraft at a steady pace, faintly regretting that he hadn't put more effort into studying healing magecraft back in Britannia.
At that moment, he noticed Hassan of the Hundred Faces' right hand, tightly gripping the transmitter he had given her.
"Zabaniya: Delusional Illusion" was without a doubt an extremely useful Noble Phantasm in the Holy Grail War.
By summoning a single Servant, one effectively gained the skills, abilities, and thoughts of eighty-eight individuals, along with the ability to act as all eighty-eight.
However, Hassan of the Hundred Faces had one fatal flaw.
Each body was an independent individual, and once separated, they could not communicate telepathically.
Because of this, when Assassin-onee-san was attacked, she couldn't call for help from the other Hassans, nor could she inform them of what had happened.
At the brink of death, she used the last of her strength to send a distress signal to Shirou.
"I'm done here."
Shirou finished the healing magecraft and spoke to Lady Avalon through telepathy.
The large hole in Hassan of the Hundred Faces' chest had already disappeared. Although she had yet to regain consciousness, her life was no longer in danger.
Fortunately, the enemy's marksmanship had been precise enough to avoid damaging her Spirit Core. Otherwise, even Morgan would have been unable to save her.
"How are you planning to leave?"
Lady Avalon asked. She didn't believe the enemy would simply let Shirou walk away.
But Shirou was counting on exactly that.
"I'll walk out in the open."
He lifted the unconscious Hassan of the Hundred Faces onto his back and began to retreat openly, without trying to hide.
Just as he had expected, the overly cautious enemy did not attack from the shadows.
...
...
In the darkness, the man watched the red-haired boy carrying Assassin from afar, his deep, chaotic gaze fixed on him until that small, staggering figure disappeared completely from the open harbor.
"..."
He slowly lowered his Walther sniper rifle.
...
...
On the way back to the inn, Hassan of the Hundred Faces woke up.
"Oh, Assassin-onee-san, did you sleep well?"
"I… what… ugh!"
"You'd better not move too much. My healing magecraft isn't exactly refined. I basically just pieced your shattered flesh back together. Still, at least your life is no longer in danger."
"Shirou… you really came?"
Hassan of the Hundred Faces was genuinely shocked that the red-haired boy had actually come to save her. For a moment, she even wondered if she was dreaming.
After taking a few seconds to accept reality, she said, "Honestly, I never thought you'd actually come."
"Call it a moment of impulse. To be honest, I'm already starting to regret it."
"Did something happen?"
Shirou explained everything to Hassan of the Hundred Faces in full.
They were now being watched by a terrifying enemy whose identity was completely unknown.
Based on what he had seen tonight, Shirou tried to sketch out the profile of an enemy he had never met.
An assassin among assassins, someone with exceptionally advanced sniping skills and Presence Concealment. Someone adept at every form of assassination, including ambushes, and even highly skilled with both firearms and magecraft.
On top of that, the enemy was probably very familiar with the rules of the Holy Grail War.
Cautious. Ruthless. Willing to use any means necessary to achieve his goal.
Things like the supreme dignity and honor that Saber and Lancer held above all else were probably worth less than nothing in his eyes.
Killing was the very way he existed.
He had likely taken countless lives, but he was not the kind of person who killed recklessly. He killed again and again in pursuit of some ultimate objective.
A person like that had entered the Holy Grail War for a purpose.
After hearing Shirou's description, Hassan of the Hundred Faces stared at him in disbelief.
"No, all you did was face him briefly in the dark, right? You don't even know where he was hiding."
Shirou nodded.
"Yeah. But how do I put it… I just have that feeling.
It's like I've known this person for a very long time."
"And yet you have no idea where he was hiding or what he looks like," Hassan of the Hundred Faces said teasingly.
"That's rich coming from Assassin-onee-san, who got taken out," Shirou shot back immediately.
Hassan of the Hundred Faces' expression turned grim.
"To be ambushed by the enemy during a mission... without question, that is the greatest humiliation of my life."
She clenched her fist.
She would remember tonight's blood debt, and one day she would repay it in full.
Otherwise, even if she returned to the Throne of Heroes, she would have no face to meet the successive leaders or that person.
And she would also have failed that genius girl who had bitterly lost to her in the election for leader.
"I don't intend to report what happened tonight to Master."
If tonight's events were reported to the Tohsaka faction, Shirou's existence would be exposed.
Shirou nodded.
"Yeah. That's what I was thinking too."
Hassan of the Hundred Faces said, "But will you be all right? Do you need me to send a few 'me's' over to guard you?"
"No. For now, the fewer people who know about our relationship, the better. It'll be a problem if Kirei Kotomine notices something."
"I understand. Then be careful."
The female Assassin paused, then turned her face away as if embarrassed.
"And... thanks for tonight.
Because of me, even your identity ended up being exposed to the enemy...
Tch. I'll make up for today's mistake someday."
"I only saved you to earn your trust. This is the result of my own choices, so don't feel too guilty about it.
Besides... if Assassin-onee-san died, taking care of that kid by myself would be way too much trouble."
Hassan of the Hundred Faces let out a cold laugh.
"I knew that was the reason."
"But it's true, having my identity exposed is a serious problem. Hiding in the shadows was my only advantage to begin with."
He still had no idea which faction the other side belonged to, yet the enemy had already memorized his face.
There was hardly a worse position to be in, Shirou complained.
"Is that so..."
Hassan of the Hundred Faces looked at the boy with a puzzled expression and murmured,
"But... Shirou, you look kind of happy..."
"What?"
Shirou raised a hand to his cheek and was surprised to find that the corners of his mouth really had lifted.
...Am I enjoying this?