CH 53

The forest that borders the main road in Fuyuki City is a place shrouded in mystery and legend.

The dense, untamed wilderness is rumored to be the site of a fantastical castle, with stories circulating of children who venture into the woods in search of it, only to find themselves with no memory of their experience upon returning.

The existence of the castle remains a mystery, but it is a topic of frequent discussion among the citizens of Fuyuki City. Some believe that it is a real place, hidden away in the forest, while others think it is nothing more than an urban legend. Perhaps one day, as the land is developed, the truth of the castle's existence will be revealed.

In fact, deep within the heart of the forest lies an ancient castle, built by the Einzbern family as a strategic fortress for the Holy Grail War. It was completed long before the Meiji Restoration, shrouded in secrecy and hidden from the eyes of the outside world.

The ancient castle is fortified with many powerful Bounded Fields, designed to protect it from intruders. The one that confuses local residents is just a small aspect of the castle's defenses.

At this moment, the castle serves as the base for Artoria and Irisviel, two powerful individuals who play an important role in the ongoing Holy Grail War. With its strategic location, advanced defenses, and hidden nature, the ancient castle is the perfect stronghold for them to plan their next moves and protect themselves from their enemies.

The sound of galloping horses echoed through the forest, growing louder as they approached the ancient castle.

Artoria, her hand gripping the hilt of her holy sword, stepped out of the castle gates and gazed towards the forest. The visitor had made no effort to conceal their approach and was now emerging from the trees, riding towards her with purpose.

It was none other than Iskandar, astride his beloved horse.

"Conqueror King, what is the purpose of this uninvited visit? Is this an attack on us?" Artoria asked, her tone laced with suspicion.

"Haha, that's not it. I've come to invite you to join me for a drink." Iskandar laughed in response, his demeanor light and friendly.

Artoria's gaze shifted to Iskandar's horse, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion as she asked, "Where is your chariot? I don't see it with you."

Iskandar scratched his head, a hint of distress in his voice. "My chariot got destroyed by a hero. I thought I'd come and see if you could just give me the Holy Grail directly."

"Do you really think that's possible?" Artoria looked at Iskandar incredulously. The idea seemed even more naive than her own.

"Why not? War isn't just about physical weapons," Iskandar said, with a chuckle. "If you could just give me the Holy Grail, we could avoid all the fighting and the heroes wouldn't have to get hurt. We could conquer the world together!"

"We?" Artoria's brows furrowed tighter.

Iskandar nodded, "On the way here, I saw that shiny king and brought him along."

"Insolent mongrel! A king should not be insulted in such a manner!" Gilgamesh appeared, his eyebrows raised in anger as he glared at Iskandar. "If you ever refer to me as a 'shiny king' again, I will see to it that you are punished."

"Why are all of you so narrow-minded?" Iskandar laughed. "But it doesn't matter what you call me, as long as you have great ambitions and an open mind, anyone can be a hero."

He then looked at Artoria and asked, "Knight King, my companion and I have come a long way. Won't you invite us in for a seat?"

Artoria looked at the two of them, then turned and said, "Come in."

...

After Ryuunosuke committed suicide, Kiritsugu spent countless hours mulling over potential solutions to the crisis caused by the Mystery leak. Finally, after much contemplation, an idea came to him.

In an effort to remedy the crisis, Kiritsugu used "Suggestion" to infiltrate a prison and murder six inmates, branding them with various red markings resembling Command Seals. He then used "Suggestion" on the police chief to reveal their deaths.

However, Kiritsugu's own picture has been exposed and the ramifications of the incident could not be quickly erased, even with the police chief's efforts to minimize the impact.

To eliminate the possibility of the Mystery being exposed, Kiritsugu tasked Maiya, his assistant in hunting magi, with performing plastic surgery on one of the prisoners.

Although Maiya was an ordinary person, her work with Kiritsugu had led her to acquire various skills, including makeup and plastic surgery, which were useful in infiltrations and changing one's appearance.

However, transforming a criminal into Kiritsugu's appearance would take time. So, Kiritsugu instructed Maiya to acquire a criminal's corpse first.

"Where are you headed off to now?" Maiya queried.

"I'm going to inspect Caster's Master's corpse," Kiritsugu replied.

"Do you suspect something is amiss?" Maiya asked.

"It's strange that things seemed to be leading me to kill that young man from the very beginning," Kiritsugu said, deep in thought.

Kiritsugu lit a cigarette, gave Maiya a brief wave, and departed, leaving behind a solitary and forlorn silhouette for her to gaze upon.

...

As the early morning light began to filter through the trees, Shirou quietly waited for Spartacus to settle before making his move. Once he was sure Spartacus was in position, Shirou carefully set up his ambush near the police hospital, ready to strike at just the right moment.

Following Ryuunosuke's suicide attempt the day before, he miraculously survived. However, the bullet was lodged in the center of his brain, making it impossible to remove. He was currently receiving treatment at the hospital where Shirou had set up his ambush.

Kiritsugu had been able to track down Ryuunosuke's whereabouts by following a trail of clues he had left behind.

The reason Shirou was so certain was that he had gone to the police headquarters to check the surveillance footage. He discovered that the footage was missing for certain periods of time, specifically from 1:25 PM to 1:47 PM, and 5:14 PM to 5:34 PM.

Out of all the Masters, only Shirou and Kiritsugu would have the skills and cunning to play the game in such a way. Additionally, it was Kiritsugu himself who had led the police pursuit of Ryuunosuke the previous day.

Shirou's plan was not particularly complex, he had simply counted on the revelation of Mystery to draw out his enemies and force them to come after him. In the end, it was Kiritsugu who had taken the bait.

Kiritsugu had not made his move the previous night as Shirou knew that the Masters were most active and engaged in battles during the night. The most crucial point was that the thing he had set on Ryuunosuke's body had not been triggered, indicating that no magus had yet come into contact with him.

Now, during the day, Shirou would stay put and wait to see if he could catch Kiritsugu in his ambush. Even if he failed to ambush him, losing one day would not be significant enough to cause concern.

Perched in the forests, Shirou without using his Saint Graph kept watching over the police hospital with the help of binoculars. However, there was something that made him feel a bit strange.

It's too quiet!

The entire police hospital appeared to be abandoned, the eerie silence adding to the sense of unease. It was a bit frightening.

Shirou's eyebrows furrowed as he tried to understand why the hospital appeared to be deserted. He had expected it to be bustling with activity, but instead, it was eerily quiet!

It was deathly quiet as if there wasn't a single soul inside.

The silence was unsettling, like the calm before a raging storm. It made Shirou uneasy.

And just as that thought crossed his mind, someone appeared.

Is it Kiritsugu?

Shirou quickly turned his head to see who had appeared and his eyebrows raised in surprise.

He had been expecting to ambush Kiritsugu, but instead, he had stumbled upon another Master.

Gilgamesh's Master, Tohsaka Tokiomi!

But how did he end up here?