In the world of Type-Moon, it all begins with becoming Morgan's husband!

If you were lucky enough to get your hands on her headphones, you would find that there is no sound at all.

This is her way of covering up.

After all, if she wanted to communicate with Mr. Ghost, she would subconsciously look towards an empty place.

That would seem strange to those who don't know the situation.

If you could use headphones as cover, the situation would be much better.

"Mr. Ghost".

Sakura Tohsaka gently covered her earphones and asked the man beside her in a gentle voice.

"So, the large-scale arson attack ten years ago was actually part of the Holy Grail War?"

"That's how it should be."

"At least according to the existing records, there shouldn't be much difference."

[You and Sakura Tohsaka weren't just having a casual chat.]

With Vivian's help, you obtained some historical records from inside the Clock Tower regarding the Fourth Holy Grail War.

[And that series of fires was part of it.]

Ten years ago, in the outskirts of Fuyuki.

An ancient castle hidden in the forest.

This is Irisviel's residence in Fuyuki.

Or to be more precise, the Einzbern family's assets in the city.

Thanks to mysterious magic, its internal structure is almost identical to that of the ancient castle in Germany.

Therefore, both Artoria and Irisviel found it quite easy to adapt.

However, for Matou Kariya, who also came here, things were not so simple.

Having traveled extensively, he had never stayed in a place like this before.

Therefore, when he entered, Matou Kariya was somewhat at a loss.

In contrast, his servant Berserker was much calmer.

Or should I say...not quite normal?

He swaggered forward, commenting on the decorations in the corridor.

"Golden!"

"This isn't golden enough! Let's get more golden!"

"Without Golden, all the decorations would be meaningless!"

However, although it sounds a bit noisy.

However, in such a situation, having such a strange Servant to change the atmosphere is actually quite a good thing.

In this delicate harmony, the group sat down in the hall.

They began discussing the alliance plan that had been mentioned earlier.

As Masters (at least on the surface), Irisviel and Kariya Matou sat on opposite sides of the table.

Meanwhile, Artoria and Sakata Kintoki, who were Servants, stood behind their respective Masters.

of course.

They still don't know each other's Servant's true name—revealing this information prematurely during the Holy Grail War is quite dangerous.

"How about it?"

Matou Kariya brought up the topic from earlier.

"What have you thought about the alliance?"

"..."

Irisviel did not answer Kariya Matou immediately, but covered her ears, as if listening to something.

She answered quickly.

"Yes, yes."

"but--"

"You should know that there can only be one winner in the Holy Grail War, right?"

“Yes.” Matou Kariya nodded.

"Although there can only be one winner, we can still choose to consider each other as allies until that winner is decided."

"That would increase both your and my chances of winning, wouldn't it?"

"..."

Irisviel still did not give a direct answer to Kariya Matou.

She wasn't being impolite; rather, she was conveying this information to Artoria's true Master, Kiritsugu Emiya, through her familiar thread.

"understood."

Having received a response, Irisviel looked at Kariya Matou.

"In that case, let's demonstrate our sincerity through a joint campaign."

"Suppression?"

Matou Kariya was somewhat confused.

"What kind of punitive expedition? Is there such a thing?"

“Of course,” Irisviel replied, following the words her husband, Kiritsugu Emiya, had prepared.

“Caster’s actions in this Holy Grail War have crossed the line of what is reasonable.”

"The Church has now issued a censure order—if you can kill Caster, you will not only obtain the Command Seals that his Master has not yet used, but you will also receive an extra Command Seal from the Church."

"Kanetsuya Matou, do you understand what I mean?"

This is something neither you nor Sakura Tohsaka know.

Although the Clock Tower launched an investigation into the Fourth Holy Grail War, it wasn't as thorough as initially thought.

What you and she know is only a superficial understanding.

"so--"

Sakura Tohsaka lowered her voice.

"Were those serial arson attacks not accidental incidents, but caused by Caster?"

"Yes," came Mr. Ghost's reply.

"The actions he and his Master have taken have exceeded the limits of what the Holy Grail War can accept."

"Under those circumstances, Caster was identified as the target of the entire campaign and ultimately became the first to be annihilated in the Fourth Holy Grail War."

"That--"

Upon hearing this news, Sakura Tohsaka gasped in shock.

"Who led this campaign?"

The Clock Tower's records regarding the outcome of this campaign are quite vague.

Many things remain hidden in the unknown past.

This includes the truth behind the punitive expedition.

They silently bear witness to past tragedies, yet they have never been discovered.

Ten years ago, on the top of a high-rise building in Fuyuki City.

A Walther WA 2000 bullpup sniper rifle, mounted on its stand, was concealed at the edge of the building.

Its owner was none other than Kiritsugu Emiya, who had been hiding himself since the beginning of the Holy Grail War.

He was the first Master to know that the Church had issued a siege order against Casters.

His experience as an assassin allowed him to deduce the location of Ryunosuke Uryu from the repeated fires.

That's the tall building across the street.

Kiritsugu Emiya was indeed very good at hiding—Ryunosuke Uryu was completely unaware that a sniper rifle was pointed at him from the shadows.

However, this magician killer did not intend to make a move immediately.

Because he knew that he wasn't the only one who knew about the siege order.

Aside from Matou Kariya, who has already formed an alliance, and his Servant Berserker, information about the remaining five riders is extremely scarce.

In that case——

Then let Ryunosuke Uryu become one of my baits.

Use it to lure out the remaining Servants one by one and then obtain enough information.

Kiritsugu Emiya called this method highly efficient.

At the same moment, on the other side of the street.

As per his previous agreement with Irisviel, Matou Kariya and his Servant, Berserker Sakata Kintoki, arrived in the vicinity.

It was a street that was extremely quiet, but the man felt that he could keep hearing strange footsteps.

He realized he was very nervous.

However, this is understandable.

Because he knew that Caster, one of the Seven Knights of the Holy Grail War, and his Master were hiding nearby. Caster might not be the strongest, but he was certainly the most psychologically twisted.

This is a terrifying murderer who planned fifteen arson attacks in Fuyuki, to the point that the police had to issue an emergency public notice.

Under these circumstances, Matou Kariya naturally faced even greater pressure than before—especially since he didn't even have an absolutely trustworthy source of information.

"Berserker, be careful!" he warned his servant.