Sitting on the forest clearing a bit longer, fully realizing what happened, I get that something's missing. Y'know, like in a game when you do something epic and an achievement pops! That's what I want now, like "World Savior" or "Demon Slayer." Even "Bad but Good Guy!"
Seriously, Alaya could've been generous! I did part of her job! Looked at the sky, swear one cloud flipped me off, but closer look—nah, seemed like it.
Fine, no time to slack! Lots of work ahead, gotta haul all the loot! Yeah, decided to bail this city and take all the valuables—Matou and Tohsaka libraries. Maybe cash and jewels too, nah—just cash! Jewels are hassle.
Could hole up here like an owl—build defenses and tell incoming magi to fuck off! And Matou/Tohsaka manors are property and value, but honestly—as a magus I'm still weak, defense easier than attack, but doubt I'd last long. Hm, gotta check Einzbern manor too.
Know what I want short-term. Question's how. Ideally, need a Truck. Hey, good idea, so off to find a truck as a clone. Half hour later, city outskirts, found the spot—night but truck stop's lively. Tracked locals, waited for truck with biggest container trailer to pull out, phased intangible into cab.
Waited 5 minutes till trucker hits highway and stops at light. Stab knife in his neck, grab dying guy, summon to forest by old Illya storage spot. BTW, check if I can teleport living people like this? Probably, driver's still alive—finish him in two hits and...
Fuck, how do I get back to the truck? Took 5 minutes to return. Finally, climb in cab, drive out past city toward camp. Boring 15 minutes at wheel, reminiscing driving a car long ago, radio music playing. Remembered playing trucker as kid.
But all good ends: handling rig with trailer sucks, but parked on shoulder. Leave clone at wheel, shift to mage clone, cast Mirage—make truck empty space. Cars rare here, hope none pull over and crash into me.
Climb through wall into trailer—bunch disassembled furniture, useless—summon-toss into forest. 5 minutes later, load all books/docs from Rin's house, then Matou's.
Check work—something missing, dash to church for two coffins, put Rin in one, refreeze. Then hunt Kirei's body—morgues first.
2 hours searching, saw enough corpses for life. Found it, stole, put in coffin—admit, naked half-man not my fantasy. Freeze, close lid to spare eyes.
Space left. Transfer portable fridge and camp rations—nothing else valuable. Look around—bed, sofa'd be nice. Remember Einzberns, grab their furniture too!
Know where they live, got there fast—but forest before manor took half hour, traps everywhere! Reached mini-castle—cursed, even more defenses. Overcame, reached main foe—front door! Bumped stairs from top enemy spot!
Gotta go real-world here, door magic-soaked, can't phase. No biggie, what's threat? Maids? New clone at door just in case, manifest real, open—unlocked.
House tour—palace by paintings/decor—cut short opening corridor door: two maids with huge naginatas waiting.
Drew Pistol, fired few shots, but Homunculus unbothered, lunged, naginata weakly hit gut. Deep down expected death, but seeing result—clone's heroic spirit part, physical damage resistance off charts. What should've pierced normal human—full-force blade—mere discomfort.
Maybe swordsman clone boosted overall defense? Fair, mortals barely hurt me unless grenade, even then maybe not. Forgot amid Masters/Servants with god-tier defense/attack; my trait fades.
Homunculi no magi, fight turned drunken alley brawl: me Axe-chopping two agile figures futilely naginata-beating me. Problem: two, one stops me as I close on other.
Didn't last, I won. No pride though. No one else came to noise last minutes. Confirms: act bold, no threat.
No hiding sense—house magic-soaked, kept phasing out to open doors. Now stroll openly, kick locked ones.
Surprisingly no one else, though expected more than two maids! Huge house! Most rooms empty/conserved, but still! Found library—sadly just entertainment books.
Desk near Illya's room: lots cash, mostly euro, few plane tickets. More baffling—three tickets, guess Illya flew with maid-Homunculi. Who watched house?
Won't buy it stood unguarded. Magic fine, but doubt stops thief-magus. Homunculi couldn't either, but scare riffraff.
Tickets showed route—transfers no issue. Started Fribourg. City, German vibe, but unknown.
Now know rough ancestral castle spot. Not city-adjacent, but country's region good.
Passports/licenses/land docs useless—can't use legit. But could trace me.
***
Read the story months ahead of the public release — early chapters are available on my Patreon: Granulan