"Huh?"
"Master, I think... they're staring at us."
The silver-haired girl felt a little flustered under the direct gaze coming from behind the sunglasses, and she instinctively clung to her Master, as if trying to find a sense of security.
However, the latter simply shrugged.
"Well, that's about the long and short of it."
"?"
"There's no way those two could trace my observation spells back to me," [Illya] said, resting her cheek on her hand, her tone languid.
"Illya, Manaka Sajyou has been trying to find your hiding place ever since you two parted ways."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. I guess after your fight last night, the trail went cold."
"And today's battle..."
"While eliminating Gilgamesh and Enkidu was probably part of her plan, her real goal was to use this opportunity to pinpoint the true location of this magical workshop."
"...Isn't this house just... a normal house?"
"...You little idiot. It might look normal, but it's an existence on the same level as that man-in-the-ham-can's pyramid."
"Mom, Jeanne, and Kiritsugu were only able to enter because I guided them."
"Without my guidance, no one would ever find the true location of this house, probably not even by the end of the Holy Grail War."
"After all..."
---||---
At the peak of Mount Enzo, Manaka Sajyou looked at the seemingly dilapidated single-family home with considerable surprise.
"I never thought it would be hidden in a place like this. No wonder I couldn't find a single clue after searching every nook and cranny of Fuyuki for the past few days."
"...It looks unremarkable on the outside, but its true form is a temple of the highest order."
"The true body of that house should be located within the Mirror World."
Morgan's voice was cool, but it couldn't completely hide her astonishment.
Although she could perform similar feats of magecraft, the creator of this place... by the Clock Tower's standards, was likely a being worthy of the rank of Grand.
---||---
"Looks like we have visitors," [Illya] sighed, feeling the prying gazes.
"Master, what should we do?" Illya asked, a hint of panic in her voice.
[Illya] brushed back her snow-white, silky hair.
"Eh? Master, where are you going?"
"Well, they've already come knocking. It would be rude to keep hiding," she replied. "You all wait here. I'll be right back."
"I'm going too!" Miss Illya declared with rare firmness.
"I'm your Servant!"
She had a bad feeling about letting [Illya] meet that Manaka Sajyou alone. For safety reasons—yes, purely for safety—she felt it was absolutely necessary to go with her. After all, according to [Illya], Manaka Sajyou was a very dangerous woman!
Mr. Jiang Qiao, now as [Illya], didn't mind. She answered casually:
"Alright then. Let's go together."
Just as Manaka Sajyou was attempting to use magecraft to cross over into the Mirror World, to the true location of the Einzbern villa, the front door slowly creaked open.
The first person she saw was [Illya].
The moment she laid eyes on her, Manaka's expression soured with annoyance and anger.
However, in the next second, as Miss Illya also stepped out, she froze.
She looked back at the first girl...
"Ah, yes, this is the feeling..."
"It's you, my Prince." Manaka's cheeks flushed slightly, her eyes fixed on [Illya] with a mixture of excitement and adoration. "I've finally found you."
"Well, if I didn't come out, you'd probably tear down all of Fuyuki City," [Illya] replied dryly.
To that, Manaka did not deny it.
Without a doubt, Manaka was the type of person who would abandon everything for the object of her obsession.
Even the world, or life itself.
If she couldn't find Jiang Qiao, she would have continued escalating the destruction, a course of action she had deliberately set in motion.
Ozymandias's giant ball of lightning, Ishtar's repeated use of An Gal Ta, Gilgamesh's Ea... the clash of top-tier Servants was more than enough to achieve her goal of smoking her target out.
It was just a bit unexpected that Enkidu had managed to hold her off and, with his life, saved Ozymandias while Gilgamesh was eliminated as planned.
Manaka wasn't angry about it.
After all, for someone whose life had been smooth sailing, the unexpected was a form of entertainment.
Besides, eliminating Gilgamesh and Enkidu was just a side plot. Her true objective for the night had always been to tear Fuyuki apart to find the one she was looking for.
"Speaking of which," [Illya] teased casually, "calling me 'Prince' seems a bit off the mark now, don't you think?"
"Although seeing that face, which resembles that little cat, is indeed unpleasant, my Prince, such things are unimportant," Manaka said, glancing at the other Illya behind her Master before speaking with deep affection.
"What's important is that I've found you."
"After all, for someone like you, changing your appearance is the simplest of matters," she cooed. "Of course, even if you stay like this, I will gladly accept you."
"Because whether you are a princess or a prince, the one I care about... has always been just you."
Honestly, she was a bit surprised when she discovered [Illya]'s true appearance, but she held no resentment towards Jiang Qiao personally.
It was just as she said.
Prince or princess.
Did gender really matter to people like them?
It was merely a biological distinction, a limitation of worldly morals.
Just as many gods in myths lack a definite gender, such concepts weren't binding.
It was just that Manaka preferred a Mary Sue-esque romance and her white knight, while Jiang Qiao was simply accustomed to using and adapting to the characteristics of her host bodies.
"What is this cheesy, cringey sweet talk?" Miss Illya muttered, shrinking back. The whole exchange was making her uncomfortable.
Of course, Manaka heard her, but she forced herself not to get angry. She had to maintain her image!
"Now, my Prince, please cast aside that little kitten and come to my side!"
Manaka extended a hand in invitation.
The gesture annoyed Illya, who subconsciously hugged the arm of the girl beside her.
Crack~
A faint, crisp sound. Without a doubt, seeing her beloved Prince's arm being held by that thieving cat, Miss Manaka was grinding her teeth so hard they might just shatter.
[Illya] looked a little helpless, but then she suddenly spoke.
"It seems you two are planning to do something very dangerous in this Holy Grail War."
Morgan's expression turned frigid, and a cold aura spread out, causing the air to mist over. But she was stopped in the next moment.
"Morgan."
Manaka frowned, calling her off. She then looked back at [Illya]. "I'm surprised you already figured it out."
"But the Holy Grail exists to grant wishes, does it not?"
"Well, I doubt others would be so accepting of your wish. You'll surely face a great deal of resistance."
"No one can stop me!" Manaka declared.
"Is your request for me to give up my wish? Hmm... no problem!" Manaka Sajyou smiled sweetly and raised her hand, revealing the bright red Command Spells on its back.
This attitude instantly made Morgan both angry and wary.
"Master?!"
But before she could say more, [Illya] spoke first.
"Nope~"
"You can't do that."
"While I'm not particularly fond of your ideals... in fact, to some extent, I might even be... what's the word? Intrigued? Hmm, it's rare for me to dislike a child like this."
"Besides, I can't just rashly accept your request."
Manaka looked disappointed, then spoke with a reluctant but sincere tone:
"Then, my Prince, what do you need me to do?"
"What must I do for you to come to my side? As long as it's something I can do, I'll do anything!"
Whether it was the Holy Grail, or anything else, even the world itself—all of it could be the price she was willing to pay.
"...You really only think about yourself, don't you?" [Illya] sighed, looking exasperated.
"I really want to refuse you, but it's hard for me to say no to a sincere girl... even if that love is too heavy, obsessive, even pathological and unreasonable."
"So..."
"Win this Holy Grail War!"
"If you can win this Holy Grail War, then I will grant your request. When that time comes, I will show you what you've been waiting for."
A look of pure joy spread across Manaka's face.
"However—"
"The opponents you must defeat in this Holy Grail War... naturally include me."
"After all..."
"I am Illya's Master."
"Win the Holy Grail War, you say..."
"No problem! Even if my opponent is you, my Prince, I absolutely will not lose!"
The blonde girl was excited and supremely confident, breaking into a radiant smile.
"When that time comes, you must come to my side!"
"No way!"
"?"
"The Holy Grail War... and Master... I will win them both! I will protect everything!"
As she spoke, Illya stepped in front of the surprised silver-haired girl, shielding her.
"I will absolutely, positively never hand Master over to you!"