Kapitel 72: Chapter 71: Operations Meeting
At the same time, at the Tatsuya residence...
Unlike the last time when the Noble Phantasm arrived in an chariot, Rider and Waver came this time in a proper car.
"It's really early. I thought we were going to meet at noon," Tatsuya teased as he opened the door for the two of them.
"I came here after receiving a message from your familiar," Waver pouted, seemingly dissatisfied with the fact that he had to be summoned so early in the morning.
"More importantly, how did the battle with Saber go? Did you win or lose?" Iskandar asked, his concern shifting as they followed Tatsuya into the yard and towards the house.
"No clear result," Tatsuya responded with a helpless smile as he opened the door. "Originally, since the Saber camp didn't accept what we discussed yesterday, we planned to either control them first or force the Servants to withdraw. But our plan to avoid bloodshed had some loopholes."
"Mistake?" Waver asked, somewhat surprised.
"And that mistake is exactly why I asked you to come here," Tatsuya added as he led them into the entrance hall.
After leading the two into the living room and seating them, they noticed that Morgan had changed clothes again. Instead of the modern shirt and skirt she wore a few days ago, she now donned a blue kimono with a distinctly Japanese style.
Even the tea served to the guests had changed from black tea to the more traditional Japanese Gyokuro.
But those were secondary matters. After sitting down, Tatsuya briefly recounted to Waver and Iskandar what had transpired the previous night.
Their reactions shifted from curiosity to surprise, and finally to uneasiness. Even though Waver was merely an observer, just from Tatsuya's description, he could sense that the Holy Grail War was once again heading toward an unpredictable abyss.
"Wait a minute. When your familiar sent the message, didn't you say you had summoned the other Masters to discuss this together?" Waver asked, his mind snapping back to the present after hearing the battle report.
Tatsuya's familiar had contacted both Waver and Tokiomi simultaneously.
"Because the familiar that tried to contact Tokiomi was not accepted, it disappeared on its own," Tatsuya calmly recounted the situation. "Except for the Saber camp that fought with us last night, I sent out meeting requests to you and Mr. Tokiomi. But in the end, only you came."
Although there was speculation that Tokiomi had been betrayed by his Servant, considering Gilgamesh's behavior during the Holy Grail War thus far, it seemed likely that Archer had no real loyalty to Tokiomi. Instead, Tokiomi, needing Gilgamesh's power, had to become subservient to his own Servant.
"So you're saying Tohsaka Tokiomi rejected your proposal for a meeting today?" Waver asked as he was about to take a sip from his teacup.
Iskandar patted Waver on the back, nearly causing him to burn his tongue on the hot tea. "Don't be so cautious at a time like this. Judging from what this young man said, Archer has probably betrayed his Master. No, it's more accurate to say he's simply given up."
It would be easy for a Master's ally to turn against them, and restraints such as the Command Spells became mere formalities.
"So now there are a few issues we need to discuss first," Tatsuya stated directly to Waver. "If you don't accept it, that's fine, but understand this: Kotomine Kirei and Gilgamesh definitely don't intend to stop the Holy Grail War, whether it continues or they use the contaminated Greater Holy Grail for their purposes. The truce probably only extends to our two groups. Einzbern hasn't shown any signs of contacting us, so for the time being, they remain a faction we need to keep an eye on."
In fact, after the attack by the "Garden of Disappointment," whether it was Artoria or the others, the mental strain was significant. The real variable was someone like Kotomine Kirei, who was not only unscathed but also reacted quickly and planned to take the Lesser Holy Grail container.
"Boy, you're the Master, so the decision is yours," Iskandar said, placing a hand on Waver's shoulder. Though always heroic, this time he spoke in a more earnest, almost mentor-like manner.
In just a few days, Tatsuya had also noticed that Waver was now much calmer than when they first met on the night of the initial battle.
"Tell me what you think first," Waver said to Tatsuya.
In terms of magical skill, especially in combat, Tatsuya was far superior. Given the current situation, Lancer had also been defeated. This meant that Tatsuya had even bested Keyneth, who was known as a "prodigy" and "genius" in the Magic Association, which was full of elites.
After all, Keyneth was a monarch of the Clock Tower.
"First, Tohsaka Tokiomi did not accept the message from my familiar, letting it disappear. This doesn't necessarily mean something went wrong; he might have gone to the Cathedral Church early this morning. After all, the Tohsaka family manages the land of Fuyuki, and purifying the Greater Holy Grail is a very important matter," Tatsuya explained, raising a finger. "But we can't rule out the possibility that Tokiomi has been killed. Once we're ready, we need to visit the Tohsaka residence first to check the situation."
"Well, he is an important figure after all," Waver said, finding the plan reasonable. If it were him, he would also try to confirm Tokiomi's status at this time.
"Second, there's the matter of Kotomine Kirei," Tatsuya continued with a frown. "You should have noticed that although Kirei participated in the Holy Grail War as the Master of Assassin, he is actually the son of Kotomine Risei, the overseer of the Holy Church."
Iskandar was slightly surprised. "That old man looks to be in his seventies or eighties, and his son is only in his twenties? Did he have a child in his old age?"
"That seems to be the case," Tatsuya replied with a wry smile at the King of Conquerors' focus. After all, Alexander the Great had died suddenly in his thirties, so he would be surprised by this.
Regaining his serious demeanor, Tatsuya continued, "So the second place we need to investigate is the Cathedral Church. I think it's necessary to go there again and get in touch with the old priest."
Of course, this was just the ideal plan.
Considering Kirei's abnormal behavior last night, Tatsuya could only consider the worst-case scenario: that Kirei had embraced his true nature and fully degenerated into a villain.
If that were the case, Risei, the overseer of the Holy Church who was supposed to be protecting Kirei, might have also been killed.
But regardless of the likelihood, whether he was alive or dead, the truth needed to be confirmed.
"So what you're saying is that we should form two groups—one to investigate the Tohsaka residence and the other to investigate—"
Before Waver could finish, the doorbell rang.
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T/N: I Guess I'm back
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
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Rangliste 
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Stein