"Arthur, you should keep this Command Seal, since you did most of the work." Iri raised her right hand, revealing the crimson Command Seals engraved on the back of it.
"You can hold onto them for now, Iri. We'll need them later anyway," Arthur said, waving his hand dismissively.
"What do you mean, 'we'll need them later'?" Iri tilted her head in an extremely innocent manner, her eyes filled with genuine curiosity.
"Well…" Arthur smirked slightly and leaned closer, whispering a few words into Iri's ear.
Almost instantly, her face turned red—a visible blush that quickly spread all the way to her ears.
She looked away, clearly shaken by what she had just heard.
At that exact moment, Arthur's phone vibrated.
It was Kiritsugu.
He informed them that he had found a new "base," since the previous one was neither safe enough nor suitable for future modifications.
When they arrived at the indicated location, Kiritsugu wasn't there—and in truth, that was already expected.
By principle, he would avoid meeting them directly as much as possible.
All for the sake of final victory.
…Though, deep down, there seemed to be another reason as well.
A faint sense of caution—or perhaps intimidation.
---
Some time later.
A black sedan slowly came to a stop in front of the heavy wooden gate of a traditional Japanese mansion.
After stepping out of the car, Arthur walked around to the other side and opened the door for Irisviel von Einzbern, who was still seated in the back.
"How was the ride, Artie?" Iri asked with a light smile, clearly in a good mood.
After all, the one who had driven them there was none other than Artoria.
"Personally, I still prefer riding my stallion," Artoria replied as she stepped out after parking the car in the garage, her posture as impeccable as ever, "but I must admit, this is an excellent means of transportation."
"Really? You looked like you were enjoying yourself quite a bit." Iri laughed softly.
"That has nothing to do with it, Iri," Artoria replied, slightly stiff.
Her gaze then shifted toward the mansion.
"This house is practically at the center of the battlefield… is it truly safe for you to stay here?"
"There's no problem at all." Iri raised her index finger and gently waved it, adopting an almost lecturing tone.
"The fundamental principle is that the Holy Grail War must be conducted in secrecy."
She took a few steps forward as she continued:
"Just like Tokiomi and Kayneth properly established their bases within the city…"
"…the Einzbern family, which built its castle in a remote and uncontrolled location, ended up at a disadvantage."
She lightly crossed her arms.
"Considering that this location is unknown, Kiritsugu's new base may actually be more advantageous than the previous one."
"I see."
Artoria nodded, absorbing the explanation seriously.
"However," Arthur interrupted with a faint smile, "this so-called 'secrecy' has pretty much ceased to exist after what happened earlier, hasn't it?"
"That's true…"
Iri let out a small sigh, showing a bitter smile.
There was no way to conceal a golden pillar of light that tore through the sky.
A phenomenon visible from kilometers away—something that could even be seen from space.
Something completely beyond human scale.
As they briefly recalled the confrontation between Arthur and Gilgamesh, and especially Arthur's words…
About the two of them somehow being the same existence—
Silence settled in.
Neither of them brought it up.
And neither intended to.
Everyone carried secrets.
Things they were unwilling to reveal.
And deep down, they were no different.
Irisviel hid the existence of the sheath of the Holy Sword.
Artoria concealed her past.
And also the fact that she seemed to know Arthur far more deeply than she let on.
"All of a sudden, things feel a bit dull." Irisviel clapped her hands energetically and declared with a radiant smile, as if trying to dispel any lingering tension.
Without giving them time to react, she grabbed Artoria's arm and dragged her through the mansion gates.
"Wow, what an amazing mansion!" Iri exclaimed, unable to contain her excitement. Despite having lived for so long in a luxurious castle, this was the first time she had seen a building with such a unique style—simple, traditional, yet filled with a completely different kind of rustic charm.
As they passed through the gate, a path of pale gray stone slabs stretched ahead, leading directly to the main house.
Beside the storage building, on the left side of the main structure, stood a dead tree, its dry branches twisted against the sky.
It was obvious that the mansion had been abandoned for a long time.
"…It looks like one of those haunted houses," Iri commented, tilting her head slightly as she observed the surroundings.
But soon after, she let out a light laugh.
Turning around, she looked at Arthur, who was closing the gate behind them, and said with renewed enthusiasm:
"I've wanted to see a Japanese mansion for a long time… and today I finally got to."
"Yeah."
Arthur walked up to her and gently patted her head, a faint smile on his face.
Without wasting time, he and Artoria began showing Iri around the main house. After that, they quickly cleaned one of the rooms and prepared the bed they would use later.
The structure of the house was surprisingly well preserved.
There was no mess.
Only a thin layer of dust accumulated over the years—something Artoria removed with near-perfect precision and efficiency.
Iri then shifted her gaze.
Her eyes settled on the well-ventilated dojo.
The space was wide and silent, with an atmosphere that blended tranquility and… something undefined.
"What is it? Is it different from what you imagined?" Artoria asked, noticing the change in her expression.
Iri blinked a few times, as if pulled back to reality.
"No…" She shook her head gently. "As far as living here goes, I'd be quite satisfied after a bit of cleaning."
She lightly crossed her arms, thoughtful.
"But if we're going to use this place as a base… things become a bit more complicated."
"Setting up barriers is feasible," she continued, analyzing the space more seriously, "but building workshops here is inconvenient. The structure is too open… magic dissipates too easily."
She let out a small sigh.
"If possible, I'd like a more isolated room."
"Then let's take a look at that storage building over there." Arthur pulled out a keyring, spinning it casually on his index finger.
"Storage building?"
Iri still seemed to be thinking, but she was already being guided along.
Soon, they stood in front of the warehouse door.
Arthur chose the most rusted key from the ring.
The door opened with difficulty.
The interior was dimly lit, with only small high windows—barely larger than a person's head—allowing limited ventilation.
Aside from that, only the entrance provided light.
Iri stepped inside first, and her eyes lit up.
"This place is perfect!" she said with a radiant smile. "Although it's a bit cramped, we can work perfectly with spells here."
She took a few steps further in, already evaluating the space like a magical architect.
"In short, as long as a proper magic circle is established, this place can be considered my domain."
She turned to the two of them with a confident expression.
"That way, Arthur and Artie won't have to worry as much about me outside of battles."
"Let's get things ready quickly!"
Full of energy, Iri approached them, her determination to transform that forgotten storage room into a functional base almost contagious.
"Could you help me, please?" she clasped her hands together, bowing slightly in an adorable request.
"Of course."
Arthur and Artoria answered at the same time.
"Well… first, let's draw a six-foot diameter magic circle right there." Iri pointed to the center of the storage room. "I'll need you to start by mixing mercury."
"Iri, are you serious?"
Arthur lightly pinched her cheek before continuing:
"Let's make one thing clear right now: despite having domain creation abilities, I know absolutely nothing about magecraft."
Artoria, though silent, nodded slightly in agreement.
Even having been guided by Merlin, her knowledge of magic was, at best, superficial.
"Don't worry, I'll explain everything properly." Iri smiled gently, already organizing the tasks.
"Arthur, could you help me get the materials from the car?"
"Artie, could you clean the remaining dust and organize the space?"
Upon hearing that, Artoria frowned slightly.
Something… wasn't right.
Knowing Irisviel, she was well aware that Iri would normally never ask for help with such simple tasks.
She always did everything herself—even the most trivial things.
That was the kind of person she was.
"If I need to ask for help with something so small… then it means I'm truly useless as part of the team."
She had once said that jokingly, but with a clear hint of self-deprecation.
She was never someone dependent—quite the opposite. Behind her delicate appearance, there was a quiet and admirable strength.
And precisely because of that, this felt strange.
"Irisviel," Artoria called, her tone now serious, "there's something I've wanted to ask for a while."
She stepped forward.
"While we were cleaning the room earlier… you avoided touching almost everything."
Her eyes locked directly onto Iri's.
"Driving, picking up keys, opening doors, folding blankets… you avoided even the simplest actions."
A brief pause.
"Is it just my imagination… or is something wrong?"
Iri looked away upon hearing that question.
(End of Chapter)