After pressing the doorbell outside the Shiomi residence, Irisviel was greeted by a young girl about the same size as her daughter Illya. She had long silver hair with softly curled ends and golden eyes.
"Guests?" the girl asked.
Irisviel and Artoria had come prepared to visit Tenkei Shiomi as fellow Masters, but they hadn't expected to be met with a scene like this.
Crouching slightly to speak through the iron gate, Irisviel smiled gently. "Yes... We're acquaintances of Mr. Shiomi. We arranged to meet with him today."
"They're guests. Let them in, Caren," Shiomi's voice called from the front steps.
It seemed he had come out when Caren went to answer the door.
"Okay." Caren promptly opened the gate and let them in.
Shiomi came down to greet them and casually lifted Caren with one arm.
"What a surprise! Is this your daughter?" Seeing the child who looked to be about Illya's age, Irisviel couldn't help but ask, touched by the resemblance.
"My youngest daughter. Her name is Caren," Shiomi replied naturally.
"You have more than one?" Irisviel was taken aback.
Shiomi looked quite young—having one child wasn't too surprising, but two? That was unexpected.
The younger one looked around four or five, and the older had to be at least six or seven.
"Yeah."
Ignoring Irisviel's surprise, Shiomi simply nodded to both her and Artoria, then led them inside.
Once they were indoors, he set Caren down and told her to go play with Sakura in the garden. Then he welcomed his guests into the living room.
"Your Servant... Morgan isn't here," Artoria noted.
To meet with another Master and Servant unaccompanied—even if they had agreed beforehand not to fight—was bold, to say the least.
"She's out playing with the kids," Shiomi said, gesturing toward the window that faced the backyard.
Through the glass, Morgan could be seen seated on the sun-drenched green lawn, teaching Sakura Magecraft.
She'd found the workshop too stuffy for lessons and had decided mid-way to move the class outside. Shiomi had no choice but to let her do as she pleased.
Artoria, still a little surprised, looked away and decided not to question what Morgan might be thinking. After all, even if she tried to understand, it probably wouldn't help.
"Before we move on to the main topic, there's something I'd like to confirm first." Shiomi gestured for them to help themselves to the tea, then asked, "Early this morning, the Holy Church issued an emergency message. They're calling on all remaining groups to unite and eliminate the Caster faction for violating the secrecy rules of the Holy Grail War. Are you two aware of this?"
Irisviel's expression turned solemn. "Yes, we've heard. According to the Church, they're the ones behind the recent string of child abductions in Fuyuki—targeting children in their sleep, causing disappearances and even deaths. And—"
"And?" Shiomi followed her gaze toward Artoria.
"Yesterday, while I was on my way back from your residence to reunite with my Master in the Einzbern Forest, I encountered Caster," Artoria said, frowning deeply, clearly troubled. "He was... mentally unstable. He mistook me for Saint Jeanne d'Arc."
"Jeanne d'Arc?" Shiomi raised an eyebrow. "Is Caster connected to her in some way?"
"He introduced himself as Gilles de Rais," Artoria added.
"Ah, Bluebeard," Shiomi muttered, referencing the infamous moniker from folklore.
But that detail was secondary.
Originally, the plan had just been to discuss with the Einzbern group whether they should agree to the Church's proposal and temporarily suspend hostilities to deal with Caster.
But now...
"Judging from how Caster approached Saber, he'll most likely try to contact us again," Irisviel said, relaying Kiritsugu's assessment. "If we can use that chance to set up an ambush..."
"I doubt it'll be that easy," Shiomi replied. "The Church is offering a Command Spell as a reward for this mission. Judging from the situation, the one who likely used theirs up... is Tokiomi."
Whether Archer's retreat was related to that was uncertain—Tokiomi hadn't made a direct appearance—but it was the most probable explanation.
And Command Spells are invaluable sources of magical power. Even just using one to support a Servant can completely turn a battle around.
"I thought so." Irisviel nodded. Shiomi's assessment aligned closely with Kiritsugu's.
Shiomi paused to think. "Let's say we exploit the fact that Caster mistook King Arthur for Jeanne d'Arc and set a trap. Kayneth will no doubt try to seize the opportunity, sending his Servant to interfere and steal the credit—reclaiming a Command Spell in the process."
"You want to hit two birds with one stone?" Artoria caught on quickly.
Shiomi gave a small grin. "Exactly. Initially, I just wanted to coordinate with other Masters to arrange a ceasefire and focus on eliminating the Lancer group. But now that the Church has issued this order, whether I get involved or not, Caster is bound to come after you again."
"So you're escalating your previous proposal—from a truce to a full alliance?" Irisviel asked calmly.
Everything was proceeding just as Kiritsugu had predicted.
Tenkei Shiomi wasn't like a typical Magus. He seemed... human.
Especially since—he had children of his own.
"Caster is running wild in town. It's only a matter of time before Sakura and Caren become targets." Shiomi's expression darkened as he glanced toward the garden. "Even if my barrier is strong enough to keep them out, as a father, I can't just sit by and do nothing."
His reasoning was sound. Neither Irisviel nor Artoria had any cause for doubt.
"I understand. If Illya were living in this city, I'd ask Saber to defeat Caster immediately," Irisviel said.
"Illya?"
"My daughter—Illyasviel von Einzbern," Irisviel said with a warm smile, the unmistakable expression of a mother. "When the Holy Grail War ends, she may come to live in Fuyuki. I hope she can be friends with your daughters then, Mr. Shiomi."
Shiomi returned a soft, understanding smile. "Let me confirm this formally. Ms. Irisviel, you agree to a ceasefire between our sides, and to form an alliance to eliminate Caster—and, if necessary, repel interference from Lancer and his Master."
"Yes." Irisviel extended her hand.
She had a personal motive as well.
Kiritsugu considered Kirei Kotomine dangerous. If possible, she wanted to use Tenkei Shiomi's strength to eliminate him from the Holy Grail War.
This alliance was essential—for both her and Kiritsugu.
"Then it's settled. We're allied."
Shiomi shook her hand and nodded.
After releasing her hand, he didn't move to see them out. Instead, he leaned back into the sofa and added,
"As a gesture of goodwill—and to hinder the other groups—I can also share Archer's true name with you."
"Please do," Artoria said, her expression turning sharp.
Shiomi narrowed his eyes slightly.
"His name is Gilgamesh, the King of Heroes of Babylonia."
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
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