บท 250: Assassin

As Artoria was busy pondering what to do, a sudden familiar voice interrupted her thought.

"Ahh, so soon, huh..."

She looked at the approaching Arkhan, her eyebrows slightly furrowed.

"Lancer, what do you know?"

"Do you want an explanation first, or should I save her first?" Arkhan raised an eyebrow while glancing at the unconscious Irisviel.

Artoria remained silent for a moment, then lowered her head slightly.

"Please, go ahead."

A faint, imperceptible smile played on his lips as he summoned Abyss Flower and made it touch Irisviel's shoulder.

The sacred lily pattern glowed, and after two or three minutes, Irisviel's dense eyelashes trembled slightly, and her crimson eyes opened once again.

"Ugh... Sorry, Saber... I was too tired and accidentally dozed off..."

A weary smile adorned Irisviel's snow-white and attractive face, radiating both beauty and sorrow.

"Do you take me for a fool, Irisviel?" Artoria's pale golden eyes exuded a dragon-like intensity, showcasing the aura of a tyrant. "Tell me, what's going on!"

Irisviel gently bit her lower lip and then lowered her head.

"You don't want to talk about it, huh?" Artoria stared coldly at Irisviel, one hand around her waist, the other around her knee, lifting Irisviel in a princess carry.

"Ehh? Wh-What?!" Irisviel exclaimed in surprise.

"If you won't talk, then I'll go ask Kiritsugu." Artoria's delicate face showed no emotion as she carried Irisviel away. "If that man can't give me a satisfactory answer, I'll just cut him down with my sword."

"That woman..." Kayneth raised an eyebrow, observing Irisviel's retreating figure.

"What do you think?" Arkhan asked with a smile.

"This Holy Grail War is truly a disgusting affair..." Kayneth expressed clear disdain on his face. "I need to seriously consider whether to include such a thing in my life's list of achievements."

"Ugh..." Sakura, lying in Kayneth's arms, slowly opened her eyes, then looked at Arkhan with confusion. "Onii-san, did I fall asleep?"

"Yes, you did, Sakura."

Arkhan smiled and patted her head gently.

"It's okay, everything has passed."

===

Far west of the Fuyuki's deep mountain area, a meandering road stretched westward, its back turned to the city lights. Ahead on the road, awaiting visitors, lay an undeveloped forest. Crossing the county border, the road quietly snaked into the distance.

Though a two-lane road, the dimly lit path showed almost no signs of oncoming cars. Only a faint mist lingered with the soft morning light as if forgotten in this silence.

In this silence, a silver beast raced.

It was a Mercedes-Benz 300SL.

Its elegantly streamlined body akin to a dignified lady, roared like a beast with its side-by-side six-cylinder engine. Driving this graceful yet savage classic car at over 120 kilometers per hour was a girl who appeared to be no more than fifteen or sixteen years old.

"Sa-Saber, do-don't you think that you're driving a bit too fast?" Irisviel, seated in the passenger seat, displayed obvious nervousness, managing to squeeze out a faint smile.

"It's fine; my riding skill is B. Driving this kind of vehicle is a piece of cake for me."

Artoria's terrifyingly calm tone carried no expression on her face. Although she had just recently familiarized herself with this car, her skilled shifting was enough to make seasoned drivers feel inferior.

"Saber, you're not angry, right?" Irisviel asked cautiously while watching Artoria's face.

"Why would I be? I'm just a Servant, not entitled to such emotions." Artoria's tone remained unchanged.

Stepping on the gas, the speed of the Mercedes soared again, the speedometer needle instantly breaking the 150-kilometer mark.

Although it was early in the morning, the traffic on the road was relatively low. Still, reaching 150 kilometers per hour on this winding mountain road was extremely dangerous. Artoria, however, remained calm and composed, as if on a leisurely outing in the countryside.

'Oh no! She's very much angry!' Irisviel lamented in her heart.

She regretted her decision to let Saber drive them back to the Einzbern Castle. She should have just stayed in Fuyuki and waited for Kiritsugu.

Watching the slowly rotating needle on the speedometer, her heart raced.

She wasn't really worried about her safety, considering Saber's capabilities. Even in the event of an accident, Saber could save her in an instant. But the problem was, if such a thing did happen, this legendary car worth 10 million yen would be completely totaled!

This was the vehicle Kiritsugu specifically prepared for her, which she had only driven around in the courtyard of Einzbern Castle. She hadn't even been on a proper road yet. If it were to be totaled like that, it would be too tragic!

Just as Irisviel was recalling whether Kiritsugu had insured the car, Artoria suddenly slammed on the brakes.

*Screeech—!!!*

The car's tires screeched against the asphalt, and Irisviel's body uncontrollably leaned forward, then was pulled back by the seatbelt.

"Saber?" Irisviel blinked in confusion. However, before she could get a response, a small knife tore through the car roof and headed toward her head.

*Clang!*

A black sword swung out, clashing with the knife tip, creating a brief and piercing clash of metal.

Seeing the failed attack, the attacker didn't hesitate. They immediately jumped down from the car roof, disappearing into the nearby forest.

"Want to run?" Artoria's eyes flashed with a hint of coldness.

She immediately opened the car door, got out, and her clothes instantly transformed into a black magical armor. The black holy sword, exuding a powerful magical energy, swung straight toward the retreating figure.

"Excalibur Morgan!"

The purplish-black magical beam roared out like a magical dragon.

*BOOOM—!!!*

The smooth cement road, along with the nearby mountain wall, seemed to be sliced like tofu, heading straight towards the distant sky.

When everything settled, only the residual smoke formed by the magical beam lingered in front. The road and the mountain wall had been completely destroyed, turning into a desolate landscape.

Artoria stared expressionlessly into the distance, her armor and the holy sword in her hand dissolving into light particles.

"Saber, what was that just now..."

Irisviel, coming down from the passenger seat, still had a clear look of fear on her face. She looked at Artoria with concern.

"It's a Servant." Artoria replied in a calm tone.

"Servant?" Irisviel was slightly surprised, her crimson eyes widening a bit. "That means..."

Artoria nodded slightly.

"Without a doubt, it should be Assassin who hasn't shown up until now."

To silently climb onto the roof of a car traveling at 150 kilometers per hour, revealing only a hint of presence right before taking action—this clearly indicated the use of Assassin's class skill to conceal one's presence.

But the fact that even her intuition didn't sense the arrival of the enemy proved that this Assassin's 'Presence Concealment' was at least of A-rank or higher.