Detection, Deception, Decimation, Declaration

[Hakugi Rima]

Day 2, Morning

It was the day after the fateful summoning. The first day which Rima would contribute anything to the War which was going to take place within this city. Would it also be the day of her death? … Not if she could help it, although that her personal actions would affect her fate was unlikely. For now, she was to take maximum advantage of the fact that her Servant was Assassin and she herself was hardly even a magus with her amount of prana. Her greatest disadvantage had to turn into her greatest advantage, or she would never stand a chance. The chances of failure were huge. For victory, not a single mistake could be allowed. Every minute must be spent doing the most fruitful thing…!

… And as such, Rima found herself exiting a clothing store. It was a remarkable little turn of events that had turned her that way. Yesterday, when the plans were drawn, it had quickly been decided that a lone girl on the street would be too suspicious. Or, well, too unnatural. A young girl would be expected to at least have a guardian nearby. The only person nearby who could act like a such was of course Rima’s Servant, Assassin. … But the clothes the hero had available for presenting herself were hardly suitable for blending in among the streets of Lucca. As such, they had ended up taking a trip to the nearest clothing-shop.

Rima sighed, herself now dressed up in that brown jacket over whatever she wore under and some jeans simply in order to mix into the population better than a white dress would have. Still, her white hair still stood out, but not nearly as much as it would if she would have dressed unsuitably as well. Her Servant had been… pretty free to choose herself what kind of clothes she wanted to wear and what kind of clothes to have in reserve. She should now be dressed in the clothes of her choice, along with her special ability to change her appearance to appear as Rima’s big sister. And with that, the two of them should now be walking down the street of Ponte a Moriano… carrying a number of plastic-bags evenly distributed among them containing food which they were to survive on for the next part of the Holy Grail War.

We’ll just go back and drop these bags off. Then we shall search the streets for Masters bound to their Servants walking about, trusting my weakness and your Concealment to aid us in detecting them first. Yes. The most important part would be not being detected. … Unfortunately, the two of them would be rather easy to remember by someone who had seen the two of them. This certainly meant they would have to search for their enemies during day-time, due to Rima being seen by an enemy during night-time, even by accident, would be fatal. Rima would have to trust her big sis’ ability to sense other Servants on a distance and trust that their nature would keep them hidden from the enemies that would kill them instantly. Oh, well. For now, they’d only be two girls of different ages walking down the busy streets of Lucca’s residential section, having just come out of the marketplace on the way home, temporarily.

[Semiramis]

Semiramis finds the whole situation incredibly amusing. She walks alongside Rima, trying not giggle at the teasing she has put her adorable Master through. Before leaving the apartment the two of them were, she managed to change her hairstyle into a shorter one, white as snow in order to pass the idea that she was Rima's sister further. Hopefully that's what people think of her, though, as it would be dreadful to the vain Assassin to be mistaken for the young girl's mother. She does dematerialize before leaving the house, however, deciding not to show herself before the new clothes are bought.

Upon arriving the shopping district, however, she quickly looks around for suitable attires for someone such as herself, although the current economic situation of her Master ends up restricting her choices. And thus, Assassin ends up choosing three different sets, two of those being stylish light dresses and the last one being... Well, something akin to a waitress or maid outfit. Perhaps these new times have somewhat corrupted the Queen's aesthetics, or perhaps she just wants to see Rima's reaction.

When leaving with the bags, however, she decides to just wear one of the normal dresses they bought, a long white summer dress, with a matching hat upon her head. It must look like quite strange to Rima to see her previous dark-dressed Servant looking so... Devoid of color. Even so, it looks quite beautiful on her. "My, my. Do you actually think that they just go around the streets shopping like us, Little Dove? Worry not, though, with my concealment, your lovely Assassin looks just like one more face in the crowd." She gives Rima a warm smile while leaning close to her as the two head back home.

[William de Torquemada]

William de Torquemada surveyed the crowded shopping district with distaste. He had hunted here before, found only weakness. But they had a need to place devices that would gather information for the War, so here he was.

The young magus sipped at a cup of coffee in the middle of the shopping district while Assassin moved about, only slightly noticeable in her newly generated clothes that were, it seemed, a few years out of date. Still, the Servant moved with such grace and poise that instead of being looked on with contempt, the Torquemada heir heard mumblings of other women wanting to try such a ‘vintage’ style.

Pathetic. He drew eyes, himself, a boy who looked barely fourteen yet carried himself with authority and power, dressed in all black. Humans were disgusting creatures. His skin crawled at the thought of their envious eyes panning over him. He was better than they were for a reason. The pathetic vermin of the earth should know well enough to keep their eyes on the ground.

Assassin performed her work with speed and precision. The magus respected those traits of hers. There was never a need to check her work for sloppy mistakes or demand that she hurry up. The quiet woman was dedicated to her tasks and completed them satisfactorily, every time.

The boy made another note in his books, between sips of coffee. There was a woman here who had drawn his eye. She had snow white hair, a striking face, and a long white dress. She didn’t appear to be as much of a stand-out as his Assassin, but something kept bringing his eye back to her and her little sister as they walked through the thick Italian crowds. Neither was an Italiani, not that it was strange. Still, as strange as it was that her face continually pulled his eyes to it, a pretty face did not guarantee a strong soul. Perhaps if the opportunity presented itself, he would attempt to capture her. That had yet to be seen.

Assassin. There is a tall woman, white hair, about 1.75 meters in height, 50 kilos, white dress. Accompanied by a smaller girl. Approximately 1.3 meters in height, 30 kilos. The older one might be of use in my experiments. Something about her attracts my gaze, but I cannot place it. At the least, she is worth watching.

His pen scratched into his notes as he thought, his eyes looking only at the paper but his peripheral vision watching the white dressed woman as she walked around, talking in low voices and laughing with the other girl. Why was it that this woman could force the Torturemagus to pay attention to her?

Did she… have that which he desired? A spirit that could survive hardships without breaking?

William flipped through his notes fervently, looking for a passage that might help. There was none. How could he know what her soul was like from only the look on her face? It was preposterous. Yet every time he looked at her, he became more convinced that she was special. Perhaps it was simply the whimsy of the Divine that he was seeing. She was an attractive woman; he’d noticed the gazes of every man in the district well before he saw her. Or perhaps her face was just as mystifying as he had considered on first glance.

Whatever the reason, William’s curiosity had been ignited. He needed to know what it was about that woman that made her… special. Perhaps she was not special in a way he wanted. But he had to know, or he would curse himself for having missed the opportunity.

Change of plans. I’m going to start tailing them. Finish what you’re doing and find me, Assassin.

He had paid for his drinks in advance; it made it easier to leave if a target did become apparent. William quickly pocketed the small book of notes he had and strode out, absently brushing a hand against the knives he had hidden in each sleeve. Nightmare was not with him, for obvious reasons, but it would have been no use on a capture anyway. Any escape attempts would have to be stopped before they began. William was not willing to allow a potential subject to escape any more than he was willing to fail to catch one.

The Torturemagus blended into the crowd as he walked, careful to keep close enough to see the tall woman without being close enough to be easily spotted.

[Mochizuki Chiyome]

All in all, human society had not changed very much in the time which Assassin had been away. Worried workers still scurried the streets, people were still hunting for their own welfare and differences in wealth and position were still very clear in each individual. What had changed was the technology, the connections through the world and the feelings of safety in the average person. But human mentality would remain the same. Heh. Assassin was moving through streets at an average pace, obviously acting like she was just anybody else heading towards an average destination. Presence Concealment was in effect, and the woman was simply searching through town for what a Servant would be seeking, however due to the current mission objectives she was keeping watch for some things that she wouldn’t usually look for as well.

Assassin had started her task in the War by seeking places where Servants were likely to pass by and place nodes from her search-grid Noble Phantasm. She didn’t want to put out too many, seeing how the grade of their Presence Concealment would drop if she put out too many. However, she had started with putting one reasonably close to their base to see if anyone came spying on them. Not too close in the off chance that it would be discovered, that would be a horribly unprofessional way to be found, but close enough to find people following them. Then she’d have a few that she could switch locations on a bit then and there to find the patterns of different Servants… well, that would be during the night. The night would be interesting.

… Hm, that girl over there… Assassin noticed a small girl, very young and huddled in a corner, with brown hair and completely unrelated to anything even the slightest unnatural. She looked a bit depressed, though her clothes revealed she obviously had somewhere to live. However, just seeing her made the former teacher imagine what kind of schedule she would have used to turn her into a deadly ninja… But she didn’t let those thoughts cloud any judgment of hers. It would take too long to be useful for her current Master, unless… Well, she could always mention it. She could always mention her ability as a teacher, and have him know the option. However, it would probably be more merciful for the girls never meet that fellow. Oh, here he’s calling right now. … He was going to follow a specific woman. He wanted her to find him. That she could do, no problem.

Very well. I am straight across the street.

Assassin had displaced herself to an alley out of sight and moved quickly to emerge from a door from a shop closer to the location specified. Of course, the entire unseen bit had happened under high Presence Concealment and nobody could have sensed a thing. After that, she merely joined the crowd, within line of sight of Will. Of course, she never looked at him. She never looked at the target either, she didn’t even need to do that in order to confirm their presence. The kunoichi moved like any other person on the street, no specific attributes shown, clothes standard enough to just be looked at once, certainly no proof of being a Heroic Spirit in person.

[Hakugi Rima]

Rima looked up at the woman who was her Servant as she had dressed herself in this long white summer dress, looking quite stunning, and… Rima made a very small frown for a mere moment as this was also quite eye-catching. Not as much as walking around in centuries old clothes would, but this woman was still drawing eyes. … At least it was with the admiring eyes of looking at a beautiful individual rather than the surprised eyes of looking at somebody who didn’t belong there. Rima assumed that was acceptable enough, considering their white hairs would make them memorable enough already so the added clothes on top of that didn’t exactly do any further damage. As such, Rima merely nodded without much other reaction as the two of them began walking home.

Perhaps not, but I’m counting on that our opposition doesn’t have Presence Concealment so merely coming close to the location of an enemy Servant should suffice to locate it and by that assume the Master shouldn’t be far away. I’m not exactly sure about your Servant-sensing range, but walking through every single street in Lucca during the day should be a start, right, big sis? Rima reported back to her Servant asking if the opposing teams would just be out shopping. Of course, we’ll never walk anywhere where the population of Lucca won’t cover for us. That way, the other teams cannot attack us while we’re taking cover under the mundane population, even if they do locate us. Even our home is one I specifically made sure was surrounded by as many non-magi as possible, if we get tracked there we will only have to escape outside to be in vision-range of the normal inhabitants of the city. We’re the team of subterfuge in this war, and we’re going to use it. How does that sound, big sis?

The plan formed in Rima’s mind was transmitted to her Servant even as they were walking home with these bags in each hand filled with the food and clothes they’d need to survive for any amount of time. Firstly, home and drop off the bags. Secondly, they’d move out again before it got dark and seek. Hopefully they would not be found first, but due to her big sis looking so pretty the somewhat insecure Master couldn’t help but look around a bit if there was anyone specific looking at them… Um. There was a young boy… Dressed in all black, seemingly drinking something and holding a book. She couldn’t quite determine what, but… she felt a shiver looking at him. Quickly deciding there was nothing to be seen, Rima tried as naturally as possible look forward and keep moving. She didn’t have the range to be able to sense other Masters due to her weak powers, she had to trust her big sis to sense other Servants. But… something felt off. Rima tried to look indifferent, but her inexperience with danger would make her discomfort obvious from up close. It was just a boy, nothing specifically noticeable or anything. No proof of being anything but a normal young boy. Yet why did she feel so… so… frightened?

[Semiramis]

Assassin is quite content with herself at the relative attention brought by her appearance. It seems that even though she tried to disguise her appearance, most men and some women are too fascinated by the woman in white. Of course, there is the downside of their cover being at risk, but once they find out a good veil for sale, perhaps even that will be a problem of the past. She does notice Rima's sudden stop. The girl looks too frightened by something... And it's the Servant's job to do something about that.

“Hm, is there something wrong, Little Dove?” Assassin asks her master while tilting her head. “Have you found something you want removed?” Her smile turns cold, becoming an evil grin. “Or someone, for that matter. Remember that threats must be dealt like that, Master. Please, just direct me to the target and I'll make sure it dies in a quite discreet way." The Servant makes a quick hand gesture near Rima's face, as if to show her the deadly fingernails where her deathly poison lies.


Just one quick scratch in a human or Magus and it would die in quite a peaceful way, as if their body would lose all sense. Quite a merciful death, Semiramis thought to herself. Unlike other servants who used such barbaric and violent methods such as weapons and magic to torture people before dispatching them... She was a woman who valued pleasure, and if she knew a way to make people feel pleasure in death, she would quickly use it for her own ends. But preventing the victim from feeling agony, that would make the poor creature owe it to Assassin in the afterlife.

[William de Torquemada]

To say that he was surprised to see the young girl’s eyes meet his, to see the involuntary cringe, the way she drew herself inward at the sight, would have been an incredible insult to someone like William de Torquemada.

His attention had never left the pair as he walked through the crowd, though his eyes often did, creating the illusion that he was walking without purpose or direction as he followed in their wake. He had noticed the glances, the smiles, the way she stepped closer to the taller woman without seeming to notice. Something told her that he was dangerous, that she should avoid him.

Torquemada supposed that he was dangerous. His desires here were predatory in nature; to capture and abduct his prey, for later use in his experiments. So few could understand that pain was the price of greatness. No one grew without suffering. No one could transcend humanity without offering themselves in return. His gifts were curses in the eyes of the uneducated.

Still, he didn’t require their acceptance of his methods, only their compliance, and the precise application of sufficient force would be enough to coerce compliance. The question that remained was the matter of approach. The vermin teeming these streets were too populous for him to use his magecraft without being detected and he couldn’t simply abduct a woman from a busy street in broad daylight.

The two women stopped, exchanging quiet words. The older seemed to be comforting the younger, gesturing at the small girl’s face with a hand, saying something with a rather… vicious grin. Torquemada almost allowed himself a small one of his own, enjoying the hunt as he was, but he did not. Instead, the boy magus pulled out his notebook and flipped to the pages he had most recently been drawing. They had hurriedly sketched faces and lists of notes in Spanish, which, judging from their appearance, he doubted either would be able to read. He intentionally flipped to a page of a woman with notes that would not draw attention even if they did manage to puzzle out a few words, things like her height and the way she had walked.

”Assassin, I am going to make contact.” It was a risk, but nothing could be gained without risk. There was little a young magus could do if he wasn’t willing to dirty his hands or stain himself with blood; Torquemada had few retainers, none of whom were in Italy, and there was no one he trusted to carry out what he knew needed to be done but himself. Things could have been different—

William forced that train of thought out of his mind, perhaps with more force than was necessary. With a smile, he walked toward the women as they stood still, trying to move through the crowd without resorting to force. When he got close enough for them to see, he held out the notebook, showing the woman’s face to the pair.

“Mi scuzi,” he began, his Italian flawless. “My name is William and I am an artist, of sorts. I couldn’t help but notice the two of you walking down the street; I would love to have a chance to draw you both. If you have the time, could we sit down and talk?” He smiled as guilelessly as he could manage, which was a significant amount for the young boy. He focused his attention on the taller woman, knowing he had already lost a chance with the other. She was already scared of him, so there was little chance he could get her to accept despite her instinct to flee. No, the better chance was to intrigue the older, more mature beauty and get her to bring the younger along. Or not. William would likely only have time for one subject anyway, perhaps not even that much time once the war started to expand.

“I’ll buy you both something to drink,” he offered, attempting to appear both helpful, polite, generous, and a bit desperate. No one ever suspected such a young, adorable, shy boy.

((For the record, he’s not lying; he would love to draw both of you, it’s just for Torquemada, the act of drawing someone’s face for records is a natural part of him torturing and killing you.))

[Mochizuki Chiyome]

According to the information supplied by the Grail, each war was to contain a single of each Class. Since Assassin could not sense any other Servants nearby, that would mean that there should be no reason to worry. Of course, there were no guarantees in a war of this magnitude, every single pedestrian could be a magus working for the opposing team who had somehow uncovered their secret without them finding out. Each one of them could potentially have the tools to kill her Master with but the flick of a muscle. While she knew Will was more than capable of handling himself, it was not as much a worry in normal combat when foe and friend had long been confirmed. However, out here, he was only a normal human among many others. As such, Assassin had to be forever vigilant. There was no telling just exactly how thorough the opposing Masters had been.

The younger girl’s reaction did not go undetected by Assassín. Hm? What reason did she have to react like that? The female ninja had only seen the reaction in the corner of her eye, having placed herself by the roadside as if she was awaiting a bus or other kind of ride along with a whole bunch of normal people. The distance to her Master’s side would look long to an onlooker, but for Assassin she’d be able to be there and save him before anyone knew the better. Sure, that would reveal who she was… but at such a stage that wouldn’t matter very much as someone would already know enough about William to make an attempt on his life. So, Assassin stood in these normal clothes, seemingly a normal lady distracted looking at cars with a convenient heap of other people while her Master announcing he’d make contact over there.

If you wanted me to, I could easily follow them in Spirit Form to make pursuit of anyone you wish to target. … But I suppose my Master is the kind to want to make contact himself, aren’t you, Will? You’re scaring the little girl. And so Assassin stood in place, awaiting any kind of change.

[Hakugi Rima]

... It appeared big sis reacted to her feelings of fright. Rima needed to be educated in the art of hiding her emotions, she concluded quickly. Too bad she wouldn’t be allowed to endure the training needed for such a feat. With the emotional turbulence of a young girl, and being aware of it at that… Rima silently cursed her immaturity. Even with this amount of prana, she’d still have had a better chance if she at least was an adult. But… that was not to be. Rima took a moment to calm down before answering her Servant.

“Don’t.” She spoke silently instead of using the separate channel. “There is no proof he was in any way a bad person. I don’t need an additional scene, we’re already eye-catching enough as it-” But what she was saying was cut short as Rima came to realize someone was moving towards the two of them, and he was going to open up a conversation-

It’s him. … Rima instantly messaged her big sis. As the boy began talking, Rima turned around (and slightly towards behind big sis) as she looked towards him. He looked… somewhat nice? The boy, William, was seemingly pretty polite for an individual randomly talking to them on the street. At the same time… He could as well be someone from the local crime underground seeking new women to sell to dirty places. As amusing as it would be to see big sis, someone Rima had brought here by her own will, turn such a place upside down… Wait, maybe taking over such a place to have them do her bidding was exactly what they needed!? … No, the church would object, and that was the LAST thing they needed. So this young boy… who frightened her a lot by some reason, reducing Rima to the status of hiding behind her big sis, was… … … No, she did not mistake what her Servant had just informed her.

[here’s the part where big sis informed her about William]

… Don’t kill him. Since we cannot sense a Servant and given that there can only be one Assassin in this war, he’s most likely the Master of Archer, the Servant capable of acting far away from his Master. With Rima’s information, this was what Rima figured from her limited information. … I don’t believe in coincidences. He already knows who we are. Archer is likely waiting for us to act from afar with a long-range barrage attack or a Noble Phantasm ready. We cannot assume he will not kill civilians. As Assassin, we’re a large threat to Archer if he wants to use his Independent Action to go out on his own keeping his Master safe. It is in our best interest to not make a scene. ... Either he’s prepared a trap, or he wants to suggest something. Either way, he wouldn’t have revealed his identity to Assassin unless he was sure he’d get away with it. Meaning Rima was convinced she had already fallen for Archer’s unknown Noble Phantasm and already lost. We need to get away. … You’re my older sister. Talk to him. It was slightly in desperation to avoid whatever trap this… William had prepared which Rima wanted to leave. William was probably a cover-name, anyway, and Rima was probably going to be dead in an hour, according to her own calculations of this trap they had ended up in.

[Semiramis]

Semiramis shakes her head and whispers back at her Master upon receiving her order to stand down for the moment."Better to be safe than sorry. Are you aware that we are in a war, Little Dove?" Indeed, despite her carefree attitude, the Servant has been quite serious about the current situation the two are in. Still, her Master is right on the part about raising a scene. If anything, Assassin must wait for an opportunity where there are less people around to notice a man suddenly falling down after being struck by every toxin known by man.

"Such an adorable boy. Indeed, you can even smell the Prana coming out of him, Little Dove. Be warned, for he's definitely a Magus." Assassin messages back to Rima as the black-clad Torquemada comes closer. He doesn't look too dangerous, but then again... Neither did she. Semiramis makes a mental not to herself to take care when dealing with that one, especially as they don't know if him or his Servant noticed Rima. That being said, that only makes his story about being an artist the more suspect. It's obvious he wants something of them, but for now it's better to just play along.

Archer? The cowards who stay hidden until hitting from afar? Yes, it appears that they are an open target for those, and knowing their ability to stay materialized for a good time, killing the Master could still give the Servant enough time for a retaliatory strike. She lets out an annoyed sigh. That's the kind of situation Semiramis really didn't wanted to be dragged into.

"Oh my." She answers the black-haired boy, trying her best to look surprised by his approach. "What would an artist want of my little sister, I must ask? She's too shy in front of strangers, unfortunately, and our mother is waiting for us." Yes, this was a bold lie, but the current times demand that sort of thing. Hopefully the bastard will give up on them, but Assassin is not stupid enough to think that just that will be enough to dissuade him if he knows who Rima is.

[William de Torquemada]

Interesting. So the older did speak Italian, and quite well. With as much ease as a native, though her appearance made that seem… odd. Will filled that away for later reference, making sure that his false smile didn’t waver. Something was strange about her, the way she eyed him. He was the one making the approach, yet something told him that he was at a disadvantage here.

William knew to trust his instincts, but nothing ventured was nothing gained. If he left now, then he would simply be a strange man approaching women; he had to salvage this scenario as best he could. He couldn’t rely on talking quickly and using difficult words to mystify them if the older sister was fluent, so that was out.

“You both are stunning,” the magus began, quickly guiding his words along lines that his thoughts were weaving as he went. “I’ve drawn a hundred people, more, but it gets boring to draw people who look the same. I’m surprised to hear that you speak Italian; your looks are so distinctive, so uncommon, that I took you both for tourists.”

This amount of unwillingness, unease wasn’t uncommon. Even if they were telling the truth, something as simple as a rush to meet their mother could be enough to inspire this amount of hurry. The people moving around were beginning to watch, to wonder why this boy had stopped the two women in the middle of the street.

Vermin.

William de Torquemada calmed himself, not thinking about the teeming insects around him. Most he could tell were weak at a single glance, from the way they held themselves or the way they hid. The girl, for instance, the one even smaller than he was; he doubted she would last a single day in his experiments. She quailed just at the thought of having a stranger close, moved to hide behind her older sister. At least that one had the spirit to talk to him.

“But if you’re busy, I understand. You don’t know me and I’m sure you have a lot to do. Does your mother look like the two of you? I would love to see her. Do you mind if I draw you from memory? Or could I get your name, a number, so I can contact you later?” He let the words exist him in a rush, the breathlessness of speaking so much so quickly making him seem urgent, flustered. Little tricks to cover up what he was really thinking and feeling.

A Torquemada learned to not see a failure as an end, but rather a fork in the road. If his first thought to benefit from this situation didn’t work, perhaps the next would.

[Semiramis]

"Tourists? Oh, you are right about that, actually. Our family is travelling through Italy, and I couldn't resist but to go in a shopping trip. This country's fashion is always avant-garde after all." That... Was careless of her. She didn't account on the fact that Rima's slight Japanese accent could become a problem if he heard her. "Pardon me for guessing this, but William does not sound like an Italian name. Even though I had to pay a good amount of money to be coached into losing my native accent... I guess there is an easier way to do so?" Yes. Better to deflect the conversation from them and into him. Yet the little twerp still keeps insisting on accompanying them.

And then he wanted to contact them in the future. Semiramis smiles at that, and that is painfully evident to the artist, although only she knows her reasons to do so. That is an opportunity to trap him, yet chances are that he'll also have a way to track and trap them himself. "My, my, aren't you a bold one, Mister William? Other women would call for help from the police if they found themselves in this kind of situation. Although you look too... How can I say? Too cute to be a creep or a stalker." She giggles while saying that, but then instantly opens her closed channel to Rima, sending this message in a split second. "Quick, Little Dove! What should I answer him? You must tell me before he starts to suspect something!"

[Hakugi Rima]

... There was no way the Master of Archer... or Caster, Rima admitted was also possible… didn’t already know who they were when approaching them like this. On the other hand, did he at all suspect that they hadn’t figured out who he was at this range? Speaking of that, Rima had not yet sensed his Master-ness and only trusted big sis’ words, but that should mean he hadn’t sensed her yet even if he knew. Her mind momentarily processed the possibility he didn’t even know he was talking to another member of the War and didn’t even consider that he might be talking to Assassin, but Rima discarded the possibility as being WAY too unlikely and that she wasn’t that fortunate. No, this individual had located her yesterday when she summoned and used the eyes of either Archer or Caster to identify everything about her to corner her the day after like this… But… his alias had openings if he wished to know their identities.

There is no reason you would seem suspicious. You are a completely normal person. Your name is Hakugi Saika. Only give your first. There was no time to make up anything complicated. She stole the name from a classmate back at home. And from the name, it would obvious that the Japanese heritage was not to be hidden. We’re temporarily living here in Lucca because we’re waiting for our family to catch up. Our mother is actually waiting for us to call her phone, and we’re going to do that when we’re done taking these home. The apartment is registered with our mother’s name. It actually was. We’re not going to give anything, but he’s going to give his number and you’ll call him when we have the time. And you were merely considering what to say since last time you spoke while admiring the cute boy. Rima had completely drawn herself behind her big sis and out of sight-range of William while pressing her face against her Servant’s back, hiding. Due to the Akasha record or whatever it was called, big sis should have no problem speaking Japanese if she had to prove it. Everything else… could be explained when it came up. Rima knew this was the most deadly trial she had ever gone through in her entire life. She could not help but feel very frightened by the prospect of failing. Chances were… she had already.

[Semiramis]

Aha~ Good thing that Little Dove is quite a quick thinker, although maybe she just had the time to think of that lie while this William boy was distracted. Still, it's a good story for the current circumstances, and Semiramis makes a mental note to pat Rima's head later.

Assassin slowly extends her hand William's face and starts caressing it. So close... With only a scratch she could end him this same instant. Yet if this is not what Little Dove wants, then the Servant has no choice but to obey her directives. Hopefully that (and the following actions) don't come to bite them in the behinds later... "My, my, if you are so eager to learn a girl's name... It's Hakugi Saika. How about you give me your phone so we can meet again in a less crowded place. Just the two of us, in fact. I just need to bring my little sister home, the poor girl is quite tired from our trip." She smiles and turns her gaze to Rima, kindly patting her. "Aren't you, my cute little Imouto? Don't worry, we'll get rid of those heavy bags as soon as possible~ Just you wait~" She says before turning back to look at the young man's face. Even though he's a Magus, he's still just a man, and thus vulnerable to her biggest weapon... Her charm and seduction. It's just a matter of weaving the web around him before readying the poison fangs.

"Now, now, it's not polite to keep a girl waiting."

[Mochizuki Chiyome]

So... this is how her Master hunts.

Chiyome motionlessly inspected the scene from the corner of her eye where she was standing at a convenient location close enough in a gathering of people. There were numerous people giving his attempt at getting to draw them a curious look, but nothing special. It probably would have been less noticeable if Will hadn’t specifically targeted the two people on the street that just happened to have white hair. … Hm, if it later will be reported that they’re missing, there could be witnesses capable of informing about her Master having spoken to the two of them just before their disappearance. Chiyome made a mental note of every single person who gave them an inspecting look, memorizing their appearances. Just in case. There was no harm in otherwise.

… Tourists, and yet they spoke the native language fluently? There were potential excuses for that, but it felt quite unlikely. Chiyome merely made a mental note of all the information which was shared in order to track down any further potential inconsistencies. It wasn’t that she was particularly suspicious of them, her trade required her to be suspicious about everything from everyone, certainly about someone who Will was currently targeting. More information was shared, there was nothing further to note from that, the ninja momentarily wondered if perhaps the older sister was more to Will’s target than the younger and if she could have a moment with the younger if that was the case, and… The older sister was reaching her hand to seemingly caress William’s cheek.

Don’t let anyone touch you. Chiyome quickly commanded. A moment later, which would be after that particular action, she added more. Anyone could be after your life in this War, and I cannot guarantee your safety from any range if you’re already touched. Keep range from any peculiar attention, no matter from whom, or I will have to take action. Of course, her Master probably already knew of these chances. However, Chiyome’s policy had to take into account that her Master could possibly be an idiot, and as such she fully instructed with reason and all anyways. She was still exactly where she was before, using her experience to seem like any other person on the street.

[William de Torquemada]

How strange this woman was. She moved like a hunter herself, a woman used to getting what she wanted based on her looks and her smile alone. How strange it felt for the Torquemada to feel that he was the prey in this woman’s eyes.

He stepped backward, slowly, as she reached for his face, one hand dropping to his side and feeling the knife in his sleeve bumping against his hand. William did not like to be touched, that was true, and something was making his danger sense work over time... oh, it was Assassin. She was right, of course; He needed to be careful, there were too many unknown variables at this stage in the game.

William de Torquemada, known as the torture magus, had never felt this way about another human before. The curve of her hand as she reached toward him was graceful, her stature womanly and refined, her smile alluring and cold. Cold? That didn’t seem like an adjective that would be positive.

Torquemada wasn’t certain what to think.

He had considered taking a wife, but it would be a political play, to gain power for his family. The Torquemada line could not end with him, but he also would ensure that the wife he did take would increase his power and standing. He could not sense any form of energy from this Hakugi Saika—and why did everyone he meet have the most difficult to pronounce names?—but he couldn’t deny that he felt somehow attracted to her, as if pulled by a string. He wanted her to touch him, to run her hands along his skin that couldn’t respond to her affections.

That thought centered William’s thoughts. “Forgive me, Miss Saika,” he muttered, a little coldly. “I have an… aversion to being touched. A genetic disorder in my family that reduces our ability to feel things, you see.” Close enough to the truth without revealing much. Revealing too much. Why couldn’t he keep his thoughts straight around this woman?

With an effort, William managed to focus again, and smiled as he ripped a page free from his notes and scribbled down the number for the hotel. “I’m new to this area; finding new people to immortalize in my art, finding fresh air, you know how it is. I’m staying in a hotel while I look for a place to live that fits my needs, so if you want to talk to me in the next few days, call this number and ask for room two-zero-one.” It took effort just to keep the right amount of emotion in his voice. Whatever it was that had attracted him to this Saika, whatever had made him desire to have her in his experiments, made it very hard for him to think.

William held out the paper with a small smile, crushing his inner turmoil and his doubts without mercy.

[Hakugi Rima]

Rima kept her head against her big sister’s back as she listened to the scene play out, too frightened to look at what happened. Was she frightened? Rima had known something terrible could happen. The man they were talking to would likely slice her in half given half the chance. Her mind inwardly commented on what was said while staring into the back of the dress big sis was wearing. I told you only to use your first name, with our last he can track down where we live, she thought but didn’t send. When she turned around, Rima briefly looked up at her with slightly panicked expression which hadn’t exactly expected to be in this terrible situation, although her brain center continued considering the situation and all that could be taken into account.

… The man had avoided being touched. Of course… letting those he knew were his enemies touch him would be just dumb. He then uttered his obvious excuse and actually… gave the number? It could very well be fake. In fact, he could possibly have prepared a trap at that hotel. Or he… he… it was difficult to think. What would she have done, if she had identified Assassin from a range? Hunt her down. … No, wait. If she had identified Assassin… there would be no more threat from her, no longer a fear of the darkness. In fact, if you know who Assassin is, then you can supply Assassin the knowledge of who is the other Masters and have her assassinate them for you. It is the ultimate team-up. A Servant that cannot kill you because you know of it, but can kill the other Masters while you’re engaging the Servant… and that you can practically kill at will… Was that the intention of this other Master!?

… L-let’s not draw hasty conclusions, Rima quickly decided as the number was given to her big sis. But… that would be sensible… if all he appeared for was to trade contact information… So the two could make contact… Not as allies, but as enemies sharing common enemies… At this point, that would be the best case scenario. But… she couldn’t assume that was the case… she could hope, because it would make the situation less lethal…

… Big sis. Rima silently uttered in her mind. … Do you have any techniques or magecraft which could provide me something later to protect myself with in a worst-case scenario? It… may be good to have… So she concluded herself, just having anything at all would be better than this feeling of powerlessness. In any case, let us leave. We will with highest likelihood be followed either in person or by the eyes of the Servant. To do about that… I… There was nothing. No matter what she thought, Rima couldn’t think of a way to avoid them. She peeked at the other Master. He… terrified her. Being at his mercy would be the same as being dead, so she felt. The short girl immediately had to look away from him, turning towards the street and pulling lightly at her big sis’ clothing that she wanted to be on her way while standing still near her.

[Semiramis]

Ah, so this Magus is indeed but a shy child, Assassin thinks to herself. It seems that this genetic disorder of his is just an excuse for his awkward behavior... Still, it appears that he has bitten the bait. It is inevitable, Semiramis thinks to herself, for one whose hormones are barely developed to become like that on her presence... Fufufu~

"Ah... Is that so? Sorry for that, then." She smiles while backing a bit away from William. Of course, the second he shows any kind of hostility against her Little Dove, she wouldn't hesitate in striking down the young man. That line of thought disappears once he gives her his phone address. So that's how this is, no? A hotel would make tracking the man somewhat more difficult, and Semiramis smiles at her own insight of not actually giving the one of the apartment they are in, as unlike him, they would have more trouble moving from apartment to apartment. "Two-zero-one? Aha~ Will do that later tonight then... If I can actually find the Hotel, in fact. Lucca is bigger than I thought! That is not entirely true. It's up to Rima if she will contact the man again, although Assassin will try to make a case in favor of that.

"Ah? What is the matter, Little Dove?" Semiramis answers in their private mental link. "...Well, there IS some Magecraft I dabbled back in my age... Stronger and more powerful than the ones used at this Era, and perhaps too difficult for someone from this modern age to learn... But worry not, Big Sister will do her best to start you through the basics. She tried to reassure her trembling Master, the young girl's fear being fairly obvious to her big sister.

"Now, will you excuse us?" Semiramis politely nods her head to William and gently holds Rima's hand, taking her little Dove away with her back on the way to a safer place, yet vigilant to the possibility of them being followed...

[Mochizuki Chiyome]

So the woman in white requested that they were to be given the information in a “Don’t call us, We’ll call you” kind of way, which of course could mean they were not going to call. Not that it would matter, Chiyome had them targeted. … Hm, her Master had really provided the number to the hotel they were staying? She couldn’t tell if what he had scribbled was fake or authentic from here, however she was aware that in the off chance that the two were connected to the Holy Grail War and by some reason knew of Will’s Mastership they could provide the number to another Master who in turn could storm the hotel. That could potentially turn into more excitement than Chiyome would care for, and certainly a great risk. … That’s it, Chiyome concluded. They’d have to end these lives quickly, which was probably what Will was intending.

Do you wish me to follow them? The question was simple, and asked at the precise moment when the two were apparently intending on leaving. All other things like “I am very efficient at following” or “I can find out where they’re going” as well as a lot more strange sentences of things needed not be pronounced at this moment. It wasn’t as dangerous as the “don’t let anyone touch you” thing, so the question she asked was the only thing needed. Now the only question was what Will intended to do. In case he decided to not follow for whatever reason she’d gently remind him of the situation he was potentially putting them in. In any other case, it would be clear that such wasn’t an obstacle and they’d simply continue with the mission at hand. There would not be any problem at all.

[William de Torquemada]

do you wish me to follow them

William was having trouble thinking. Of course, Assassin, he responded without concern. Of course they needed to be followed. How could they do anything else? These people now knew too much. They would have to die. It was only logical. Letting someone live with knowledge of his face and methods was unacceptable. Their deaths would be unfortunate and regrettable if they provided nothing to his research, but unfortunately he had to put aside his morals for the sake of the war. His partnership with Assassin was based around winning the Holy Grail; he could not allow petty mercy to interfere with his chances.

Such was the life of a magus. There was no room for remorse. A Torquemada had even less room for pity. The refuse of society was not even worth a glance. Only the best, the brightest, the most noble deserved a spot in his world.

And those were the ones who would kill him if they knew he existed. It was glorious.

And the magus was rambling again. He cycled a small bit of prana through his circuits, a precaution against any spells that may have been affecting his mind. His inability to think may have been a cause of that. However, it seemed that it was not the case, as his thoughts remained elusive and difficult to control.

Perhaps it was simply a bad idea to push his luck on the first day of the war. Or maybe he shouldn’t try to pursue his work while he searched for targets in the grail war. His goals and Assassin’s were not irreconcilable, but care had to be taken to make sure that he did not jeopardize either to further the other. Sacrifices would have to be made.

Pity. Saika might have had a place in his world. Maybe she would have been the one to have the way to human perfection. But Torquemada was not a man to believe in idle fantasies. Saika was just a mortal woman. William didn’t think she had even more than marginal ability in what he needed of her, nor did she seem to be possessed of true resilience. More likely she would be a suitable candidate, one that lasted weeks under the strains, giving him bits and pieces of useful information but ultimately unable to transcend her boundaries.

What a pity.

Now that the two women were gone, it was becoming easier to think. Hormones, William decided, were the culprit. Simple infatuation. A ridiculous thing for a killer to have problems with, but there it was. He would need to take more caution in the future. The knife in his sleeve helped him remember why he was here.

Begin the hunt, my Servant.

[Hakugi Rima]

… No, I didn’t mean like that. Rima told her big sis. Due to my prana, I won’t be able to master any of your spells. I meant… more something you could give me. A poisoned knife, a protective amulet… anything. The little girl clarified her meaning slightly.

It was highly likely that those who followed her knew where she lived already. That way, actually, maybe they weren’t following her. Maybe, if she were to take complicated maneuvers to shake off a pursuer then the Servant would merely laugh at her attempts. Truth be told, Rima had no idea how major abilities to expect from the enemy Servants. Was an Archer staring at them from miles away with some form of see-through vision that could never lose sight of them? Was a Caster keeping a crystal ball constantly fixed to show an image of their exact location? Even worse, was there a hero with Assassin-like abilities walking unseen right behind the two females? There shouldn’t be one, since Rima had Assassin, but… Negative emotions of feeling helpless ran through her. This… this wasn’t a situation she could get out off, could she? She’d… have to trust big sis on this one, didn’t she?

That’s when the thought struck her. This… wasn’t helping her at all. This was fleeing. She was fleeing the eventuality of an encounter. This was running away. When all was said and done, what was occurring now was a chase of cat and mouse, the cat would always catch the mouse in the end. However, Rima realized, this was no ordinary mouse. This was a poisoned mouse, with fangs to go with it. If she was pursued… then let it be known she wouldn’t be an ordinary animal, just retreating from any eventual encounter. No… this… this was the Holy Grail War. Just retreating from all risks wouldn’t cut it, especially for Rima, who was most likely the weakest magus of the War. There was no chance of winning for somebody who was constantly fleeing their opponent. If there was a time for guts… this was it.

Big sis. The young girl seemed to have noticeably calmed down, all of a sudden. There was also a sign of determination in there. Change of plans. We’re dropping these bags off in the clothing store to the right, and then you’re going to go into Spirit Mode in a changing room. I will be seemingly leaving the store by myself. Then we’re going to pursue William. Stating so, Rima made a little show of raising her left hand, pointing towards the store and stating in Japanese ‘Big sis, I want to go in there.’ and pulled at her with an (acted) childish eagerness.

[Semiramis]

"Ah... If you aren't afraid of having to kill someone yourself, I could indeed give you an envenomed weapon... And yes, a talisman as well. Quite smart of Little Dove, no? One must search for all possible advantages." She nods knowingly to her little sister while trying to keep the illusion of the two being unassuming sisters.

Yet... Semiramis feels like she can't just go home like planned. While she noticed the identity of that Magus, what chance there is that he didn't do the same? While Rima barely has Prana, perhaps a Servant could pierce through her Presence Concealment and notice Assassin's identity? Or maybe locate Rima's tattoo? It's a risk that she wouldn't take, and she is ready to propose Little Dove a quick return so she could poison and eliminate this William kid, but it seems that the Master beat her to that.

"Oh my, if you say so, my Little Dove. But it took us quite a while to buy these clothes, no? What a shame it would be if we just threw them away *chuckle*. But I guess we can just get new ones, no? She says while quickly leading Rima into one of the closest stores. "Calm down, my lovely little sister, we will find you something cute there." She answers while entering the shop with her Master. Assassin then gives her bags to Rima before heading to the changing room, sighing at what appears to be quite a waste... "Ah... So it shall begin." The Servant mutters to herself as she dematerializes in thin air, passing through the walls and heading back into the street. Hopefully the William boy is still there...

"Ah, there he is, such a cute boy. What a shame it will be to kill him." She says while heading in his direction.

[Mochizuki Chiyome]

That was all she needed. Without anyone knowing the better, Assassin had already tactically walked to a location behind a door where nobody watched her and gone into temporary Spirit Mode to prevent anyone noticing her following them. With a certain speed and with Presence Concealment aiding her step, the Servant quickly caught up to the two girls. She’d start leaving abrupt reports every so often, like They are moving up [insert name of street here]-street, at suitable timing. If at any time her Master would give her a command, she’d obviously follow it, but for now she was keeping watch from a short distance behind them, hidden from sight. Hm, Japanese, huh? Interesting how the target just happened to be someone from her original nation… And among them a young girl, one of those she was known to save… Was this a way for the world to tell her she was no longer under command of an honorable man, and that following this man’s command would cause people pain? By making her assist the kill of one of her own past kind and those she used to save? Ridiculous. As much as this was symbolic, Assassin would cut them down if it was the command of her Master. She was a professional, after all.

For now, Assassin was content in finding their place of residue and report it to her Master whereas he could afterwards make the complete decisions. If ever she realized she’d get an opportunity to strike at them she’d quickly ask for his preference before striking. Hm, maybe they should make a system for quick commands. … Maybe she’s been too reliant on commands in general during her time alive. She was used to getting large commands and then herself giving large commands, but here was probably the first time a Master of hers was physically on the field to give on-the-spot commands. Assassin could consider if allowing herself to get used to asking before acting or if acting as she believes suits best would be preferable for her Master, she’d need to ask that. Not that she believed there would be anything wrong with her decisions. If she found a good time to capture them, she probably would. Oh, they’re heading into that clothing store? Alright, then. Assassin took a few seconds to plant a node from her Sengoku Undercover Network on a wall outside the shop, so she’d notice if anyone left. The special attributes allowed the node to be deployed under Presence Concealment and it could have been done right beside a magus and he would not have noticed a thing. After having planted that for safety-reasons and reported They have moved into [insert name of clothing store] to her Master, the Servant followed them in.

So, the two white-haired females entered a clothing-store. The Spirit Mode Assassin was behind them, hidden beneath were she couldn’t be found. She kept track of both females, deciding that there were a few too many people in the store to do something mindless. The spirit woman was kind of interested in the reason the two split up, and kept avid watch on both of them since the store wasn’t all that big. She did see Saika walking into the changing room, she saw the young white-haired girl by herself. Saika has decided to try some clothes in a changing room, so the little sister is by herself. Only in case he was interested. … Did Saika bring any clothes to change into? While still in Spirit Form, Assassin quickly made her way to the changing room, and…

Hakugi Saika has disappeared while in the dressing room, seemingly into thin air. So read her report. It only took a fraction of a moment before Assassin was speeding back in Spirit Mode, the possibility having arisen in her mind. She couldn’t sense anything, but… A woman doesn’t simply disappear. There was little chance of that being a getaway planned in advance that not even she could see through, not to mention the little sister would unlikely have been left behind unless she had no real importance whatsoever. It was just… the possibility. If this turned out to be idiocy, so be it. However… for now…!

[William de Torquemada]

William’s smile twisted upwards, a cruel grin replacing the false mask he wore in public. Now things were getting interesting.

Subconsciously noticed the cues of an enemy Servant. Will need to be more observant in the future. Take first chance to catalogue entire meeting in notes, use as reference material. Spirit form for scouting. Difficult to locate. Most likely alternative, doubling back to attack me. Likely class? Only the last was a question or required Assassin’s input, but William allowed her to hear his thoughts as he blended into the crowd.

At his first opportunity, the magus ducked inside a store and purchased an overcoat, pulling it over his distinctive black jacket. The color was the same, chosen to blend in with the other teenagers moving through the shopping district, but a patch of fur on top would momentarily confuse an enemy who wasn’t absolutely certain that he was their target.

Risky for them to engage in conversation with an enemy master. Could have let something slip. I did. If hotel wasn’t a trap, could have tipped our hands. Spy node still present on hotel?

William was far from defenseless, even with the odds against him. He doubted that he would see Saika’s face now that she had decided to hunt him; even if he didn’t know that she was a Servant, seeing her again could tip him off. No professional killer would allow such a mistake to happen.

Which, of course, is why William de Torquemada had ordered his Servant to stay in spirit form. The girl, either the Master or a relative thereof, had no idea what Assassin was like. She would be a valuable chip even if Saika got the upper hand against William. Assassin. The girl is your target. Get close enough to eliminate her in a single strike if I give the order. I am uncertain if she is the Master, but she is important to the Master even if she is not.

This was turning into quite an exciting day. First contact. Possibility for his first kill. Maybe the girl would even be worth killing, unlike so many others in this city. His fingers twitched at the thought of that. William had faith that eventually his persistence would be rewarded, but something to augment his faith would be good.

[Hakugi Rima]

Rima gave an extended sigh after knowing her big sis took off from the changing room. OK, this was what she had been preparing for, wasn’t it? It… really wasn’t the kind of encounter she had been hoping for, but now was the time to go on the offensive. It was do or die. … Or die and die, depending on. Rima had no problem imagining how suddenly the giant foot of Atlas crashing down through the store right beside her, emanating a prana reading beyond anything she had ever felt before being squashed to death by his unforgiving world-carrying palm. … But no Servant could do that with this many people nearby. That is what her logic dictated. However, her logic needed only to be flawed once for her impending death to be a fact. It was so close she could feel it. It was just… the feeling she’d die… this vulnerable feeling. This feeling like being a deer in the woods during hunting season, with no vision, that a bullet could come from any direction at any time. Like every possible passer-by could take out a knife and stab her heart before she realized what was going on. Or worse, that she’d just… die, not even knowing what killed her, that it all would just suddenly end without explanation… It was excruciating.

‘… Could you please hide these bags behind the counter for a little while? I need to go somewhere, and I’d rather not have to carry these all the way when I’m going back this same way…’ Rima asked in perfect Italian to the woman behind the counter of the store. Fortunately, it was a friendly person, and after an ‘Of course, just remember that we’re closed after 7 pm!’ she took the bags, making sure to remember the (rather distinguished) girl in front of her. ‘Thank you very much. I will be back.’ Rima said to her, before walking out on the streets again alone, without her big sis. She had said to the woman behind the counter that she would be back, even though she knew this would possibly have been a lie… At least someone would miss her here if she died. The tiny girl knew which direction her big sis had gone, so it was just to follow. Her intention was to follow William on a distance, absolutely not come within sight-range.

Big sis, follow him. Tell me his location and where he’s heading… I’m going to follow as well, but I don’t want him to see me. We… still don’t know anything about his Servant other than that the spirit is unaccounted for. Just… stay on his tail. Pursue. … And in the worst case, threaten. Her white hair would be disadvantageous here, William would recognize her instantly only be seeing the color. Ergh… Rima’s plan had never included being seen. She was practically a target-box here. A tiny but easily destroyed one, currently protected only by the passive stares of Italian citizens walking around by their own agendas with no knowledge of what was happening right beside them. At least she had a weapon. A weapon ensuring she would not die without a mark. From this range, should Rima suddenly die, big sis would certainly kill her target…

[Semiramis]

“Threaten… Is this really the correct action for worst-case scenario, Little Dove? Eliminating him as quickly as possible should be the best course of action. Remember that he has the same link with his servant that the one we share, and exposing myself to him will give him the opportunity to defend himself… Or worse, find and maybe harm you.” Assassin’s tone when sending this last thought is quite sincere in how worried she appears to be. Yet a part of her thinks to herself: Why does Semiramis needs to carry that… Burden of a girl?

Anyways, it’s now a matter of keeping things under control now. “Keep close with packs of people. If the enemy servant is on the lookout for you, it won’t be able to attack with the same kind of stealth that I can.” Yet if the enemy is an Archer, perhaps it could kill Rima with incredible precision… Yet it’s better not to tell her of this possibility. Does he even know that the girl is a Master? Her low Prana output would make detection hard, but the fact he approached the two of them was incredibly suspicious.

Finding the enemy Master seemed to be more difficult than what she expected, though. While Assassin committed the facial features of the young man to her memory, finding him in the crowd of people, especially in this sea of black-haired males was quite challenging. “...This is not good. I might have lost him, Little Dove. Should I keep trying?”

[Mochizuki Chiyome]

Chiyome listened to her Master's thoughts in silence, silently working to store the information said. Oh? He had noticed something about the Servant? She would have to ask him about that later, since she had not. For now, though, there was that single question to answer. Assuming there can only be one Assassin, I would guess a Caster. We could have seen a copy, and as such it was not detected as a Servant due to superior Magecraft. Her disappearance would then only be the clone disappearing. This is, however, only a theory. So Chiyome reported to her Master, she was still heading back to defend him at that point. In response to his next question… Yes. If anyone we know of approaches the hotel, we’ll know. There were two nodes placed to watch all sides of the hotel, sharing a Presence Concealment B at this moment. It was still high enough to require a great fluke to find them, and their location was chosen at what Chiyome’s experience named minimally suspicious spots.

After receiving her new orders Assassin immediately complied, turned around and went after the girl. That was a simple assignment, however, it bore risks. It was highly possible an enemy was going after Will at this moment, and what if the girl was in fact not as important as Will had assumed. So… This plan will be dangerous if the girl is not as important as you’re assuming. Heading to intercept the target. She was easy to find. Her own node Assassin had placed outside the store informed her of the girl’s exact location, and Chiyome was soon right beside the little white-haired girl. … The tiny female was stiff with tension. She definitely knew something was happening, Chiyome concluded. Very well, then. Time to inform…

She’s moving northwards via the southern street. (let’s just say that makes perfect sense) She is moving back towards where we met at a modest pace. She’s displaying subconscious troubled emotions. Hmmm. How old was this girl? There certainly was no age limit for who could be Masters, but… What situation had dragged her into this? It wasn’t Assassin’s place to consider, but… She couldn’t help but wonder. Oh, well. I’m within striking distance, but she’s moving with the masses. If I am to kill her without being seen, I can take form out of sight and shoot a dart at a distance. If I am not to leave a dart, I can take form and approach her from behind and stab her without anyone seeing. Either case, I can kill her from here.

[William de Torquemada]

Chiyome had already found the girl. Excellent. William was pleased with her progress. And in so little time, too. This was why he had summoned her, of course. The Torquemada line was obsessed with perfection and efficiency; it was only natural that his Servant be able to do the exact same thing.

Excellent work. Stay close.

Hmm. William adjusted his collar against the wind and breathed a little, letting his breath steam out. No immediate notice of enemy presence. Slightly disturbing. Possibility of being flanked by enemy Servant in spirit form. Probable that if enemy Master is slain, secrecy will not be a priority for the Servant. Other possibility that girl is not Master. Distraction. Decoy? Consider unlikely.

William put a hand in his pocket, letting the long knife fall from his sleeve into the pocket where he could grasp the handle. It was the kind of thing he did to reassure himself when he was in a situation that could end with him dead. There was something simple and reassuring about cold steel and battle.

Expected enemy contact earlier. Possibility that simple disguise fooled them is minimal. Probable being tailed in spirit form. Waiting for a chance to ambush me? Probable. Class? Soldier. Not Berserker. Archer or caster less likely. Already have fired if that capability.

A cruel grin spread across his face. Conclusion: girl is decoy. Servant proximity—not here—supports conclusion. How to lure spirit? Take bait. William ghosted toward where he knew that Chiyome was, not hurrying his pace at all or leaving the crowd, but now he had a purpose.

Chiyome, drop a smoke bomb. That ought to scare the girl. And if she is a Master, her Servant will have to react.

[Hakugi Rima]

Big sis’ comment was well founded. But… Rima had her reason. … In case of worst-case, I’m already in danger. In that case, killing him will ensure my death. Should a worst-case happen, it is better to hold his life hostage than take it. Besides… Rima hesitated a bit before saying her next line. If I’m already killed, you can force him to take you as his Servant as well with the power you have left, leading you to have a better chance in the war. That’s only if I’m killed, though. … It might be a bit illogical of her to take into account even the situation in the eventuality she was killed, but… it just happened. Rima followed her sister’s commands and walked close to packs of people, hoping not to be too suspicious to anyone. Then… she got her big sis’ report. She lost him!?

… Of course. If he knew she was a Master, he would never allow himself to be rediscovered. He was probably a master of stealth, fully prepared to just simply vanish on the spot to make sure he got no rogue Assassin stabbing him in the back as he made his escape. Rima stopped for a moment, but she realized she was possibly still watched so she kept walking with the pack to not seem too suspicious. Ok… so William knew her position, but Rima didn’t know his. But… Rima pondered… If he knew Big Sis was a Servant, why did he go so close to them if he knew she would go after him? Why wouldn’t Rima have decided to capture him on the spot? … Actually, why didn’t she? A quick move from Rima’s sister, and even if an Archer had watched from the distance William would be dead. Even if he didn’t, there was a lot safer ways than to show your face to the opposing Master. … Could it be, a coincidence? But then, where was his Servant…? … …

[and here I am going to include what Chiyome will do in her next post because I saw no reason to wait an extra round of posting when William has already commanded a smoke-bomb to be used]

Big sis, return. We… need to consider something ne- Kapuffff. Rima flinched and almost tripped on the spot as all of a sudden a huge wave of smoke encompassed her and those around her. Purely by instinct, she held her breath staring dully into the smoke. Swearing and otherwise natural coughing was sounding from the average people who were also bothered and had their vision blocked by the sudden smoke. Was she… going to be kidnapped? Suddenly killed? Return. But… don’t act until something happens… Rima stood still, restraining her panic as she stepped forward, using the men’s shouting to navigate to simply walk out the smoke. If that worked.

… The smoke… it blew up in close proximity. Judging by the spread of the smoke, the position and the density… Rima could conjure a fairly good picture of it from where she was. However, that kind of a smoke bomb… it could only have been used like this from a close proximity. Since she hadn’t felt the prana of a Servant’s attack approaching, that meant the options were limited down to two. Firstly, there was the possibility that an enemy human was watching her this very moment, but that was too risky if Rima’s Servant had been here. In fact, if they assumed her Servant was here, it was possible this smokescreen was to make the Servant appear… But a human could not do that while feeling safe by their own, and there were no Servants nearby. The only remaining option was that there was an enemy Servant in close proximity that she could not sense… But the only Servant with those traits was… Assassin…

… … … … … If Rima assumed William in some way had an Assassin, that would explain why he felt safe approaching someone in the midst of the War when he felt no Servants nearby. Did he know Rima was a Master? … … … No, if he knew, he wouldn’t have approached her to let her know he was the Master of Assassin. More like, he would have killed her for being a Master without her Servant nearby. Also, if he had minions that would have dropped that smoke bomb, he would have used them to approach the target, not endanger himself with approaching the Master. This… didn’t make sense. The only thing that seemed to make sense was, and she didn’t want to believe it, that it was all a coincidence.

If he never knew she was a Master then he was able to approach her with just… talking. Their white hair must have awoken his curiosity. Then… this smoke bomb seemed to imply he had become suspicious of them. Yes… of course. If they had been followed by an Assassin, William would have found out that big sis disappeared into nothing, and by that he had found out that they were less than normal… This smoke was, with other words, a test. A test to check if something happened… if she got into danger. But big sis, an ancient hero Assassin of her own right, would definitely have noticed if she had been followed by William. That, combined with the information that William was a Master that confronted another Master by coincidence and all of this… Could it be that… He really didn’t know? Was this all… really bad luck on Rima’s part? But then… … It made sense. The entire scenario checked out. The only players on the stage were the two Masters and the two Servants. Rima had finally gained a grasp of the situation. But… did her opponent… Did William know…?

Big sis. Rima finally came to the end of her thought-process, which had actually all taken place during the short time inside the smoke-screen while big sis was probably returning. Don’t show yourself unless I’m in danger. The enemy… is another Assassin, however unlikely it sounds. There’s… something wrong with this War… And William might not know yet… So… if it was an Assassin that uses those kinds of smoke bombs, was that a clue to their identity? … It was too unclear for an immediate conclusion, but a few possibilities arose. Too many for any definite conclusion, but… Ergh… Not breathing was now taking its toll… she needed out of this… fast…

Big sis would find Rima holding her breath stumbling on her way out of the smokescreen.

[Semiramis]

“What are you talking about, Little Dove? I will never leave your side, no matter what happens!” Semiramis broadcasts her message back to Rima, sounding quite hurt by her Master’s beliefs that she would callously abandon her. Yet, those were empty words from Assassin, because since the start of the Holy Grail War, she knew that as if the situation called for it, the small girl could be easily cast away like the weight that she is… Yet, lately this became a grim thought to her. Perhaps is because the little girl is so attached to her big sister?

“Very well, I am already ne-” And then there is that. A smoke bomb? Semiramis’ first instinct is to materialize on the act and protect her Master, yet such a rash action in the middle of a crowd, especially in the confusion of running and panicked people that followed the sudden appearance of smoke in the middle of the street… Before Assassin can actually decide, however, her Master again contacts her. Do nothing… That order, what is Rima actually thinking?! “I… Obey, but be careful, Little Dove!”

And yet, no Servant presence in sight. Was that human-made then? Did William slipped back to where Rima is? No, it was impossible, unless he had some way to teleport himself. The only other options were that it was either another human accomplice… Or another Servant with Presence Concealment. Perhaps an Archer with stealth capabilities? Or perhaps… No, another Assassin? Was it even possible?

When her Master finally restarts communication, Assassin quickly replies her. “Are you sure, Little Dove? I’ve thought of that possibility, but it could be another kind of Servant with some unknown special power. Yet, if what you say is true, then may have arrived at the same conclusion considering you are alone and I cannot be found now.”

Seeing Rima helplessly coughing as she left the white smoke cloud made the black-haired Servant’s heart waver. Is she really becoming this affectionate for such a fragile thing…? “Just… Be careful.”