"You get off this, don't you?" I protested impotently as Medusa put me down, not at all flustered. "That's the only thing that makes sense."
She took every chance she had to pick me up till now. Granted, there were only two such chances till now but still... that was a 100% princess carry rate. Whatever, I didn't care. Hmph.
The tall Rider shook her head innocently, "That's not the case, Mas-... Henry."
I knew that was a lie. I just couldn't prove it yet.
"It is the easiest way to travel."
"Boo~, don't bring logic into this."
She let her head fall to the side, "Huh."
With Shinji as a Master, her performance was negligible, to the point where I was easily capable of utterly destroying her. When I killed him, that changed. The contract returned to her original master. Sakura was much better at supplying her with magical energy.
Now, that contract belonged to me.
For all of Sakura's talents, she simply didn't measure up to my quantity, quality AND control over mana.
Medusa covered the distance between the Emiya Residence and the Tohsaka manse rising in front of us in the mere blink of an eye. In the next blink, she had already rounded the estate for any irregularities.
"There is no trace of an attack." She said softly, "But I can not sense any presence inside, either."
Humming, I checked the time on my phone. It was well past the closing time for Homurahara Academy so... she should have been here. If she went to my place, Nobunaga or Caren would tell me. That was strange indeed.
"The Sun's still up so it's not like she got attacked, right?" I wondered aloud, staring at the lonely mansion.
"The rules forbid any conflicts during the day."
I only snorted at that, shrugging my hands.
"The 'rules' only matter if you get caught. That's how the Clock Tower works. I don't see why this place should be any different."
Admittedly, the Holy Grail War was a ritual overseen by the Holy Church but in my experience, there was no real difference between how the two organisations often operated.
"Alright, I'll check it out myself."
Unceremoniously, I wrenched upon the front doors and stepped into the corridor. One pair of shoes was missing from that sad little rack by the door. The lights were off.
That alone should have confirmed she never came home.
For some reason, I still went through every single room on both floors and even the attic where she'd enacted the ritual to summon Archer... noting a rather distinct hole in the ceiling in the living room right underneath the summoning circle.
"Master." Medusa spoke up finally. "There is no one here."
Where the hell was she then?
I plopped down on one of Rin's ornate chairs, crossing one leg over the other and unwittingly inhaling a mouthful of the dust lingering in the air. Knowing Rin, it was probably because she never received guests. No, she was exactly the sort of person to actively avoid bringing people into her home.
"A known safehouse makes for an easy target." Her calm voice wavered for a fraction of a second when those words left her mouth, "Maybe she decided to stay somewhere else for the duration of the war to throw the other Masters off her scent?"
I shook my head. "Nah, too proud and stubborn."
Medusa picked a book off the floor, dusting the cover off with her forearm. She then carefully placed it on the table behind me.
"Then, another servant?"
"Possible. Assassin's still out there. And Berserker's master seems like the kind of wackjob to just attack anyone."
Unfortunately, there was no way to find either of them-... no wait, Rin had told me of the Einzbern Family. Their base of operations was, if I recalled correctly, a massive castle tucked away in the forest around the city's outskirts, hidden through various spells and magicks to ensure only those they wanted were able to find it.
"Master?"
There was still a decent chance Assassin had nabbed her too. But, that was no real cause for concern either. It wasn't like I had to do everything by myself.
Shaking my head, I dialled up Nobunaga.
"Oh? Master! I was waiting for you to use this. Although, haha, you could've just spoke through our bond... Wait, you forgot, didn't you?! You're so stupid-"
Not expecting her sudden onslaught, I ripped the phone away from my ear before shouting right back.
"I didn't forget you shitty servant. You begged me to let you have a phone. What's the point of having one if you don't get calls on it?"
"I don't know, this snake game is pretty fun-"
"Ah right, you never expected anyone to call you cause you're such a bum."
Instead of backing down like a good girl, Nobunaga only grew more enthusiastic, "You have six contacts! You don't get to talk! Besides, it's not like just ANYONE is worthy of having the number of the Demon King of the Sixth Heaven!"
"Shut up. DeMOn KinG. Get off that couch and start scouting."
"Woah, hey now. Did you finally remember I'm an Archer?"
"Look for Assassin."
"Isn't Assassin supposed to be the servant best suited for hiding?" I could picture her confusedly tilting her head. "But very well! Since I'm in a good mood. I shall! What am I to do after inevitably finding the no-good scum with my super awesome skillset?"
Every time I talked to her my image of a mad demon lord that struck fear into the hearts of men faded more and more, to be replaced by someone who'd definitely be right at home on internet forums.
"See if they've got Rin." I said calmly, staring out at the setting Sun from a window.
"Oh~? Mhm, mhm, I see. Ah, what a flippant master, employing one as grand as I for skirt-chasing-"
I cut the call and shoved the phone back in my pocket. A moment later, I decided to power the thing off just for good measure. Through all that, Medusa stood in front of me, cool as ever.
"Well, sorry you had to see that."
"It is-" A ghost of a smile broke onto her lips, "-endearing that you get along so well."
I raised a brow, "You're not going to try the glasses on?"
"I wouldn't want to... break them."
Apparently, she treasured my spare set a lot more than I did with the way her voice softened at that.
"You have to show me though? Alright?"
"Yes." She lowered her head.
"Promise?"
Her pale features grew faintly flustered. Then, after a long pause, "I promise."
"Alright, let's get going then-"
She was reaching out before I ever even finished. This time, I reacted in time. Actually, I just yelped and jumped onto a table behind me, arms wrapped around my body.
"If you keep doing that, I won't be able to get married."
"...Huh." She expressionlessly retracted her long hands. "As you say, Master."
I couldn't help but feel that those words were a bit sheepish.
-
In the forests beyond the city, there was a great castle veiled within an unnatural mist. Any who wandered into would suddenly find themselves lost, their minds clouded until they eventually wandered out of the forest with no idea what they were there for.
At least, that was what the Bounded Field erected around a decent section of the forest did. Mental compulsion. A typical defense against the mundane for such large-scale workshops.
Granted, the code was intricate enough to influence even magi. The make was older than most magecraft I'd stumbled across.
"It is kind of counter-productive against someone like me though." I noted with a hum, staring at the very literal wall of code rising right in front of me.
"Master?" Medusa inquired from beside me.
I put a hand to my chin, and pointed to the sky with another, "I saw it from halfway across the city. But, I guess, you don't really account for someone literally 'seeing' mana or mystery."
That was how I found it, after all.
After calling Nobunaga, I simply took off my aviators and teleported about a hundred meters up into the sky. My Mystic Eyes immediately caught the curtain wrapped around a decent section of the otherwise unassuming forest.
"Hm. I don't recall hearing something of that nature in my time."
I found it hard to believe that, honestly. Magecraft from her time should have been easily capable of accomplishing something of this nature. At the same time, my ego was greatly stroked by her words.
"Well," I eyed the barrier up and down, "Weren't most of the people who came after you heroes?"
"Yes... heroes."
"Not that I'd call them heroes though, you know? I just mean the warrior types. You were just protecting your sisters. If anything, the conventional hero there is... you, for fighting so long, I mean."
Medusa answered my casual musing with silence. I realised then that my words must surely have been highly insensitive so I piped down, pushing those thoughts away.
"I see." She said after a while.
I chuckled, "No, you don't."
"No, I don't." She relented with a soft laugh.
See, this was nice. She wasn't just a robot like Saber, even if she was fairly reserved.
"I guess I should make a grand entrance."
Of course, I could easily make the bounded field ignore me. But, destroying it entirely made for a much cooler moment.
With that thought in mind, I grinned and reached out with a hand.
-
Hope you enjoyed.
I had to write this chapter in two excerpts so if there's ANY difference in quality, point it out.