It is about 30 kilometers west from the busy streets of Fuyuki City.

There is an east-west national highway that crosses the mountains far from the village. The highway is lined with dense forests, and the forest area seems to have been forgotten by the surging land development boom.

The land may be state-owned, but it appears from the land register to be privately owned by a foreign-owned company, and it is uncertain whether the foreign-owned enterprise actually exists. If you have to investigate this land, the first thing that makes people puzzled is this magical urban legend.

Legend has it that in the deepest part of this dense forest, there is a mythical city.

Of course. This legend is just a boring oddity. Although the forest has not yet been developed, it is less than an hour's drive from Fuyuki City. If there really is such a strange castle, everyone will know about it. In fact, there have been several land surveys in this primeval forest in the past, but no traces of artificial structures have been found.

But every few years, someone recalls the legend.

A group of children walked into the forest with a half-play, half-adventure mood. There is also a lost hiker. Out of the fog they saw an ancient city suddenly appear, a magnificent castle made of rock. The castle was uninhabited, like an abandoned city. However, the castle is well-equipped and everything is in order, which makes people feel as if someone lives here. It is said to be an unusually bizarre ancient city.

Of course, no one will believe this legend. At best, it's a one-page story told in a summer weird story in a third-rate magazine with no news material.

Only a handful of magicians know that this castle is real.

The castle only welcomes its owner who enters the castle to participate in the war once every sixty years, and it is a castle of demons.

The castle is shrouded in multiple layers of illusion and magic enchantments, which are never revealed except by the most occasional circumstances. It's a bizarre space. People who know about the existence of this castle call this dense forest the Einsbelen Forest.

At that time, the Holy Grail War was being fought in Fuyuki City, and the patriarch of the Einzberen family, Yubstakuhayd, felt that it was inappropriate to set up a stronghold in the direct territory of the Tosaka family, the arch-enemy. Therefore, he made full use of his family's financial resources to buy out the spiritual vein land closest to Fuyuki City and used it as the base of the Ainz Belen family. It was the eve of the Third Holy Grail War, which coincided with the period of tension just before the outbreak of World War II.

This vast primeval forest is shrouded in enchantments and completely isolated from the outside world, and the Einzberen family has transferred all their original castle to this forest. This shows that the Einzbelen family's huge wealth and dedication to chasing the Holy Grail are extraordinary. At that time, the Tosaka family negotiated for the purchase of land in Fuyuki and toiled for covert work in the area, which was only a laughable move compared to the Einzberen family.

The dreary air made Alice Phil sigh several times. After receiving the summons from the Fuyuki Church, Alice Fell and the three of them rushed back to the castle in Einzbelen non-stop to discuss countermeasures with Emiya Kiritsugu.

"Are you tired? Alice. Kiritsugu asked.

Alice hid her melancholy expression and shook her head with a smile. In fact, since the fierce battle in the harbor that night, Alice Phil has not had a good rest. Especially when I came back in a hurry just now, I suddenly felt very tired.

But Alice Phil still pulled herself together, "It's nothing, I'm not tired." Go on. ”

Alice urged Kiritsugu. Kiritsugu went on to tell all sorts of information about Fuyuki City. On the table in front of Kiritsugu, a map depicting the entire city of Fuyuki unfolded

"There are two places that are central to the whole region. One is Tosaka's mansion. Needless to say, everyone knows the other, and that is Enzang Mountain. All the spiritual veins in the surrounding area converge on the Enzo Mountain. The details are as Patriarch Ahad recounted. ”

The servants came to the castle before Alice Fell and the others, prepared everything for the venue, and left. Therefore, the venue where the meeting was held appeared to be impeccable. From the table legs to the teacups, it is spotless, and the vase is filled with vibrant flowers. It is impossible to imagine that this place has not been inhabited for sixty years.

It's a lie to say that you're not tired. But Alice Phil was still in bed for a while. But Kiritsugu didn't rest for a moment. When Kiritsugu and his assistant and lover Maiya Kuyu arrived at the castle, it was almost noon. [Damn Ginseng Winner! What other Holy Grail Wars are you involved in? Hugging left and right, he obviously owns the whole world. 】

However, as soon as Kiritsugu arrived at the castle, he received a notice from the Fuyuki Church, operating the demon, confirming the overseer, etc., and Kiritsugu was busy with all kinds of chores non-stop. Last night, after the Battle of Warehouse Street, Kiritsugu and the others attacked Lucky E's Master Ken, and even encountered Yan Feng Qili. There was another fierce battle. But Kiritsugu didn't show a hint of haggardness, so there was no reason for Alice Fell to complain about being tired.

No, Alice Fell sighed and had another secret.

A powerful barrier is set up at the Yandōji Temple on the top of Mt. Enzo as a base, so that in addition to the Servant. All other natural creatures can only enter the barrier through mountain paths. Be aware of this when Artoria and Mordred act.

If you want to pay attention to this kind of reminder, you can just say it directly to the servant. But Kiritsugu still didn't look at the girl in men's clothes standing behind Alice Phil. On the contrary, Mordred was more liked by him.

There are two reasons why the air becomes heavy. One is that Artoria has shown a resolute rejection of Kiritsugu. Artoria's attitude is not new, but has only become more pronounced since she arrived at Einzbelen Castle. The good mood of shopping is swept away.

"And, in addition to these two places. There are two other important places in the new capital where the leylines are concentrated. One is the Fuyuki Church on Minamigaoka. There is also a new residential area to the east of the metropolitan area. All in all, there are four Linggo locations in Fuyuki City that are capable of performing the Holy Grail Descent. ”

"In that case, wouldn't it be better to knock out Lancer first in order to be more foolproof against Caster?"

But in the face of Alice's repeated questions, Kiritsugu shook his head. "When Caster showed up, we didn't have to confront him head-on. You just have to make the most of the geographical advantage, and the two servants can escape and disrupt the enemy's line of sight. ”

Alice Phil was taken aback. And when Artoria heard Kiritsugu's words, she was already dumbfounded.

"Aren't you at war with Caster?"

"All the other Masters have already targeted Caster. We don't need to do anything, someone else will solve Caster. We don't need to do anything more. ”

"For those who are chasing the marshal, who are already bloodshot. Caster is a big piece of fat. ”

Emiya Kiritsugu paused, and then said, "Caster has his eyes on Saber, as long as Caster makes any movement, then one or two of the Masters chasing Caster will definitely step into this forest, and we will attack those Masters from the side." The Master, who was preoccupied with chasing Caster, would never have imagined that they would change from the role of a hunter to the role of a prey. ”

Kiritsugu has neither human ethics nor pride as a magician in his eyes. He was just a hunting tool that he deduced according to the formula of the jungle.

Originally, Kiritsugu had no intention of coming to this castle. Why did he suddenly change course and join himself, Alice Fell finally understood Kiritsugu's intentions.

"Master, how despicable do you want to be, this person?!"

Artoria shouted angrily, and Alice Fell felt a faint pain in her heart. Now Artoria's indignation. Unlike the anger that arose last night at the Emperor's taunts and the marshal's rampage, it was in a sense more intense.

"Lord Emiya Kiritsugu, you're insulting the Heroic Spirit. I joined this war to avoid a river of bloodshed. Compete for the Holy Grail, don't shed blood needlessly, minimize sacrifices, and carry the destiny of a man instead of thousands of horses, this is what we should do here as Servant. ”

At this time, Artoria's eyes were already filled with anger. She was very disdainful and puzzled by her master's behavior.

"Why don't you leave the responsibility for going to war to me? The same was true last night when the Master attacked Lancer. One wrong step leads to tragedy. I've made an appointment with Lancer to fight again! You don't have to resort to such despicable means, or do you say Kiritsugu-sama, do you not trust me as a Servant?"

Mordred just sat quietly, and she didn't say a word from the beginning until now. This matter is really not for her to meddle in, and it is up to them to solve it by themselves. So, Mordred chose to continue paddling.

Kiritsugu did not answer. He remained coldly silent, as if Artoria's fierce words were just innocuous words. Kiritsugu's mask-like indifferent expression disgusted Alice Phil.

[That man is not the husband she knows. 】

She did know that Emiya Kiritsugu had a dual personality. She sensed that Kiritsugu had injected all his affection into his wife and daughter. On the other hand, there are also scars of the past hidden in the heart. What kind of life Kiritsugu lived before joining the Einsberen family, Alice also knows something. But is this the decisive factor that separates the two of them?

And, what prompted Alice to realize this was the woman in black who was present at the meeting. The woman remained silent, silently entrusting everything she had to Kiritsugu. That woman was another reason for Alice Phil's melancholy.

This isn't the first time I've seen Maiya Kuyu. I've seen Maiya Kuyu a few times in the castle of Einzberen. During the nine years that Kiritsugu retired, it was Kuyu Maiya who was in charge of all the affairs of Kiritsugu outside.

A woman who acts together with Kiritsugu before she met Alice Phil. During this meeting, there was not a trace of doubt about Kiritsugu's remarks, and he remained silent. I'm afraid that for Maiya, the current Kiritsugu is the Emiya Kiritsugu she knows.

Suddenly, a faint aroma wafted into Alice Phil's nose. That's the smell of tobacco. When Alice first met Kiritsugu. He still smelled of tobacco on his body. Alice remembers hating the smell at the time.

I hadn't smelled it for a long time since I married Kiritsugu, and now the smell of tobacco emanated from Kiritsugu's body again. Maybe that's what the smoke of the battlefield smells like.

There is no doubt that the current Kiritsugu has changed back to the Kiritsugu of nine years ago. At that time, in order to obtain the Holy Grail, Ahad took in Kiritsu. Kiritsugu is like a ruthless hound.

And at that time, Alice Fell was just a doll guarding the Holy Grail. While reminiscing about Kiritsugu's past, Alice Phil seems to be looking back on her own past. It's as if the nine years that the two of them have lived together no longer exist. Alice Phil's heart began to get restless.

The person closest to the man of Emiya Kiritsugu now is not himself as a wife, but Maiya Kuyu.

Alice Phil didn't put her thoughts and ideas out there. Instead, he asked a completely unrelated question: "How will the overseers respond to the new rules of war?" Doesn't he want us to enter into a truce with all the enemies except Caster?"

"Ignore that new rule. The overseer simply provided compensation for the implementation of the new provisions. There are no penalties for violating this new provision. If the Overseers really want to trouble us, we just pretend not to know about it. ”

Completely different from his attitude towards Artoria, Kiritsugu answered Alice Phil's questions one by one.

"And the overseers of this war have always found it unconvincing. Pretending to know nothing, he hid the Assassin's Master. Maybe he's with Tosaka. Before you know his details, it's better to be suspicious of him for the time being. ”

Artoria trembled with anger, and Alice Phil was in a state of confusion. For a moment, both of them fell silent. Kiritsugu saw this silence as a signal to end the meeting.

"Then that's it. Alice Phil and I stayed in the castle to prepare for Caster's attack. Maiya returns to the city to gather information. Tell me if anything changes. ”

"Yes." Maiya nodded without hesitation, stood up, and left the conference room. Kiritsugu, who got up later, gathered the maps and materials on the table and left the conference room. Until the end, Kiritsugu didn't look at Artoria.

Artoria, who was completely ignored by Kiritsugu, bit her lip angrily and stared at the carpet beneath her feet. At this moment, Alice Phil didn't know what words to use to comfort the angry Artoria.

No, Artoria, the self-conscious knight, would not expect others to comfort her with innocuous words. What must be done for Artoria now is to solve the current dilemma at its roots. Thinking of this, she looked at Mordred, who had been silent all the time, and Alice Fell put her hand on Saber's shoulder to show her gratitude, and then immediately followed Kiritsugu and left the conference room.

Mordred looked at his father worriedly, and then turned into a spirit and went to guard outside the castle.

The chest throbbed intensely, accompanied by a faint sense of ominousness. Mordred decided to go out and see what was going on.