Fuyuki Church.
Following his meeting with Kayneth, Tokiomi Tohsaka had negotiated a temporary armistice—an alliance of convenience to eliminate the other factions before settling their own score.
As far as he was concerned, the Einzberns were already out of the running.
The Matou family was represented by nothing more than Kariya, a man who had abandoned the path of magecraft for years and only returned to the fold two years ago, barely qualifying as a Master. Tokiomi was well aware that Kariya's target was himself. While he lamented that of the three founding families who established the Holy Grail War, only he remained steadfast in the pursuit of the Root, he ultimately dismissed any thought of negotiation.
Tokiomi knew full well that the truce with Kayneth was a mere formality. Kayneth undoubtedly hoped that Tokiomi and Archer would exhaust themselves against other factions, or be weakened by them, allowing him to step in with his slightly advantaged Lancer to sweep up the remains.
As for the youth named Ludwig, Kayneth was clearly intent on avoiding an early confrontation with him if at all possible. However, since the curse from Lancer's Noble Phantasm still afflicted Saber, Tokiomi suspected Lancer might become the next target. If that happened, Kayneth would likely be the first to lose his Servant and be disqualified; as for whether the Lord of the Clock Tower would survive such an encounter, Tokiomi could not predict.
Truthfully, Tokiomi's own position was hardly better. Even if he and Kayneth seriously coordinated to eliminate Ludwig first, Archer was unlikely to cooperate with such an arrangement. Caster was still operating in the shadows, yet Archer couldn't even be bothered to lift a finger against him. The moment the meeting concluded, the King of Heroes had dematerialized and vanished from the church.
Sitting alone on a bench in the chapel, Tokiomi felt a long-absent weariness regarding this unpredictable Holy Grail War.
"Master Tokiomi."
Kirei, who had been arranged to listen in on the meeting from the shadows, stepped out alongside his father, Father Risei.
"The situation does not look optimistic, Tokiomi-kun," Father Risei said, his expression grave. "What was this 'Brunestud' you mentioned?"
"To put it simply, it refers to a great war led by the Tohsaka ancestor's mentor, the Wizard Marshal Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg, seventeen hundred years ago. He led a multitude of magi into a battle at a location known as the Millennium Castle, Brunestud."
Tokiomi couldn't actually provide more details than that, but for now, this was sufficient to illustrate the gravity of the situation.
"Meaning, that youth has such a background?" Kirei asked.
"I cannot rule out the possibility that he is merely using the name to bluff," Tokiomi said, shaking his head. "However, given the strength he has displayed, it is possible he is one of the rumored Dead Apostles."
At these words, Father Risei's expression grew even more solemn.
"If it is a Dead Apostle... then this is no longer a matter we can handle alone," the old man whispered. "Do you need me to contact the Holy Church headquarters and request the intervention of the Burial Agency?"
"Not yet." Tokiomi shook his head.
Inviting the Burial Agency was a tempting idea, but the problem lay in the Holy Grail War's public persona as a "universal wish-granting machine." Once the Burial Agency intervened, the war would come under intense scrutiny. It would then be entirely possible for the truth of the Holy Grail War to be exposed to the Clock Tower and the Mages' Association at large.
If they learned that the so-called Holy Grail was actually a manifestation of the Third Magic—a path to the Root—it would inevitably become a prize for the entire Association. Countless magi seeking the Root would descend upon Fuyuki to compete for it, likely reducing the entire city to ruins. The Tohsaka family, and indeed all three founding families, would face immense trouble for concealing this fact, becoming the primary targets for elimination.
This was a scenario Tokiomi wanted to avoid at all costs. Once the secret of the Holy Grail War was made public, everything the three families had built and accumulated over two centuries would vanish into smoke.
"If the Burial Agency intervenes, it means the situation of the Holy Grail War has spiraled completely out of control," Kirei said, agreeing with Tokiomi. "The Mages' Association would not simply stand by."
"That is true..." Father Risei conceded. Out of professional habit, the moment he heard the term "Dead Apostle," his mind had jumped to the Burial Agency rather than himself or his son, who were members of the Eighth Sacrament.
"Furthermore, according to the reports from the Assassins stationed in the Einzbern forest, Ludwig left the area with Saber after dawn. He made no effort to avoid sunlight; in fact, he loitered openly in Miyama-cho for quite some time before his trail vanished in Shinto a short while ago," Kirei reported.
Kirei found it deeply perplexing how Ludwig managed to hide his tracks so effectively that even the stealthy Assassins lost him.
"He does not fear sunlight? Does that mean he isn't a Dead Apostle?" Father Risei sat down beside Tokiomi. "Or is he an even higher-ranking one?"
If it were the latter, the situation would be even more dire. The biggest problem was their inability to verify anything. If this was all just a smokescreen laid by the boy, they would look like the most pathetic fools of the Holy Grail War for taking it so seriously.
"In any case, we must consider increasing our surveillance on Ludwig. Have more Assassins search for his whereabouts," Tokiomi said. "We must prepare our defensive positions before he launches an attack."
After much deliberation, Tokiomi decided that rather than an impulsive offensive, further fortifying the Tohsaka manor as a workshop and stronghold was the most effective strategy against such an enemy.
"Then, Master, do you require my assistance?" Kirei asked.
"I was planning on it. I'll need you to handle the perimeter surveillance and any necessary harassment tasks," Tokiomi said, looking up and nodding warmly at Kirei.
At this point, there was little point in keeping Kirei strictly in the shadows. Using the Assassins to create obstacles would be more beneficial for Tokiomi and Gilgamesh when they eventually launched their counterattack.
Of course, the only question was whether Gilgamesh would cooperate.
Tokiomi looked at the two remaining Command Spells on the back of his hand and frowned deeply. He did not want to waste another Command Spell under any circumstances, fearing he might lack sufficient leverage to order the King of Heroes to commit suicide at the end of the war.
Thinking of this, Tokiomi couldn't help but feel a surge of resentment—resentment toward the King of Heroes for dragging Ludwig into this war in the first place. According to the limited reports from Assassin, it was Gilgamesh who had struck first, initiating the conflict that led to their current predicament.
Because Assassin couldn't get too close for fear of provoking Gilgamesh, even Kirei didn't know the exact details or underlying circumstances.
Tokiomi let out another long, heavy sigh.
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