"Kirei Kotomine, you've come?"
When Iphis spoke those words, she caught a faint flicker of light in the man's otherwise hollow eyes.
Then, from him, she caught a whiff of a sharp, pungent scent—one nearly as intense as the spiciness of the bowl of mapo tofu Satsuki had served just a few days prior.
Even Father Risei Kotomine frowned slightly, unable to fully adapt to the smell coming from his son. Still, it wasn't something worth making a fuss about, and he said nothing further.
"Miss Iphis, regarding the Church's pursuit of Kiritsugu Emiya, I will personally continue to carry out the mission in my capacity as Executor…"
"That answer isn't sufficient." Iphis lifted her hand, revealing the Command Seal. "You understand perfectly well what I mean."
"As for my other identity—as one of the Masters in this Holy Grail War—I will continue my strategy. Since the battle between Servants is beyond my interference, they have every right to choose tactics that suit them best. From a Master's standpoint, all I can say is that until Kiritsugu Emiya is eliminated, I will not take action against anyone else."
"Oh, what a meaningless yet airtight answer. It seems you'd already prepared it in advance. But tell me—today, your Servant is nowhere to be seen, even with the war nearing its end?"
"Hm~ He is a unique Servant. My own studies in magecraft are still shallow, so I cannot fully command him."
Kirei's words were disarmingly frank, almost uncomfortably so, and his eyes remained as lifeless as a stagnant sea.
Hearing this, Iphis chose not to pry further. She bowed lightly to the two Church officials and quietly departed, leaving father and son to exchange hushed words within the chapel.
...
After leaving the Church and returning to the streets of Fuyuki City, Satsuki's voice finally echoed through her mind.
"So, did you notice any unusual communication devices?"
"For something that should've been easy for you to figure out, you really made me go through the trouble myself? Weren't you worried they might decide to eliminate me together while I was there?"
Angra Mainyu's tone was tinged with mock irritation.
"Unless they were prepared to start a war with me, they wouldn't dare act there…"
"Alright, fine. I can't argue with that. Anyway, though the old priest's face looked terrible, he still reluctantly transferred the Command Seal to me. That at least proves your theory—the Holy Church isn't truly neutral in this conflict."
"That's hardly surprising. The Third Magic is something anyone would covet—especially the Church, having observed its progress up close. Why would they willingly help the Mage's Association complete such a mystery?"
"Setting aside their distribution of benefits, it at least shows that in the matter of pursuing the Third Magic, the Church and the Association are cooperating. Such a partnership can be established in many ways—between organizations, or between individuals. Considering that both sides are composed of only a handful of exceptional beings, personal relationships must play a significant role."
"And since this priest is a veteran who has overseen multiple Grail Wars, it's most likely that his ally is also a seasoned participant."
"The Matou family has already been wiped out, and the Church hasn't shown any real reaction. As for the Einzberns, with Kiritsugu Emiya's presence, they're unlikely candidates. If we narrow it down, that leaves only the Tohsaka family—and the horn-shaped magical communication device you spotted in that church serves as direct evidence."
As Satsuki said this, her figure materialized beside Angra Mainyu—this was the first time the two of them had walked the streets of Fuyuki City together in such a form.
"Well, for something your eyes could've seen instantly, you really chose a complicated way to handle it."
"These eyes can only see so much. I've said it before—'the appearance of things' is not the same as their truth. Even I can't rely too heavily on one ability. If I do, it'll eventually become a weakness."
That was a lesson she'd learned from her first encounter with Karna, when he had turned that very strength against her. The Rinnegan's insight was formidable, but its sensitivity made it equally vulnerable.
The more intricate the mechanism, the greater the care it demanded in both use and maintenance.
That was one of the reasons why, even after obtaining the Golden Body of the Demon Buddha, she had developed the Dead Line Boundary as an additional defense.
One black and one white—two beautiful women of contrasting styles walked side by side down the bustling street. Ordinarily, such a sight would have drawn countless stares, but thanks to Angra Mainyu's skillful application of suggestion magic, the passersby seemed entirely unaware of their presence.
The noisy crowd flowed past them like a river, yet it felt as though they existed in another world altogether—so close, yet infinitely distant. Just as Angra Mainyu now walked beside Satsuki, and yet the distance between them seemed to subtly widen.
Then Satsuki sensed something amiss and turned her head.
She found Angra Mainyu, in a girlish gesture, slipping her arm through Satsuki's and gently leaning closer.
"…"
Satsuki did not react, continuing to walk forward casually.
Angra Mainyu's heart fluttered wildly like that of a startled fawn, a quiet sweetness filling her chest. Having been given a female body by Satsuki through Status Infusion, her thoughts and emotions had become delicate and sensitive—like the white blossom that adorned her hair.
"Breaking News: In connection with the recent string of serial murders and child disappearances in the city, police have discovered the body of the primary suspect. The deceased has been identified as Ryuunosuke Uryuu, age 18, an unemployed local resident…"
The two walked past the enormous screen broadcasting the report without a hint of reaction. Around them, however, people had stopped, their eyes fixed on the massive display, voicing their outrage and fears.
Most were locals, deeply concerned by the serial murders in Fuyuki—especially since the victims included children. The atmosphere of the city had grown tense and anxious.
"The police are completely useless. So many people dead, and all they've found is the suspect's corpse."
"I doubt the real killer is even dead. The police probably just found a scapegoat to quiet things down."
"That boy, Ryuunosuke Uryuu… the name sounds familiar. I think he helped out part-time at my convenience store recently. Seemed like a decent kid, honestly."
"I'm telling you, there's definitely something fishy about all this…"
...
The murmurs and outrage of the crowd did nothing to disturb the strange, quiet mood between the two women. Together, they followed the familiar streets until they arrived at one of Fuyuki City's busiest areas—the entrance to the Hyatt Hotel.
Of course, Satsuki hadn't come here on a whim. Her reason was clear—inside this very hotel resided Kayneth, gravely wounded by the Origin Bomb.
From the top floor of the Hyatt Hotel—its thirty-second story—one could gaze down upon all of Fuyuki City, for no other building stood taller.
Originally, as the city of Shinto was projected to continue developing, new hotels were expected to spring up one after another. Yet the management and staff of the Hyatt Hotel had no intention of relinquishing their dominance. Their facilities and service quality remained unparalleled throughout Fuyuki.
Of course, so were their prices.
That had always been the case—until that dreamlike catastrophe struck, shifting the course of everything.
Humans, by nature, carry a subconscious impulse toward self-destruction. Observing, with cold clarity, how people knowingly approach danger only serves to make this truth even clearer.
Now, Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald, who continued to reside in one of these luxurious suites, found his mood utterly unlike the prideful arrogance of days past.
His dull eyes stared at an empty spot in the room, vacant and lifeless.
He had no excuse for the state he was in. Despite his superior skill, the overwhelming difference in power had left him in this condition. His hatred for Kiritsugu Emiya burned deeply—but for the first time, he also began to doubt himself.
"Kayneth, you have visitors."
A woman's gentle, uneasy voice came from beside the bed.
It was the one remaining comfort in his life—his fiancée, Sola-Ui Nuada-Re Sophia-Ri.
When his magic circuits had been on the verge of collapse, it was her calm and decisive action that had saved his life. By leveraging her family's resources and negotiating with another Lord, she had managed to procure rare alchemical medicine—barely enough to stabilize a third of his ruined circuits.
"Master, the visitors are Iphis and her Servant."
The voice of Karna echoed softly from the empty air.
Hearing his Servant's report, Kayneth struggled to sit up, but the searing pain wracking his body and the spiritual backlash from his collapsed circuits left him unable to gather strength.
Thus, when Satsuki and Iphis entered the room, they found him half-reclined on a soft cushion, too weak to stand.
After nodding in thanks to Sola, who had brought over a high chair for her, Iphis began to speak.
"Lord Kayneth, it's been only a few days since we last met, and yet so much has changed."
Though Kayneth's heart was heavy, a trace of pride still lingered within him. He would not allow others to see him falter so easily. "Indeed, fate is unpredictable. That is the most important lesson I've learned here."
"I've already heard my Servant's report regarding your condition. Seeing you in person, I've come to a certain idea. I wonder if you might be willing to assist me."
"Miss Iphis, I no longer possess much bargaining power. Please, speak directly."
Iphis brushed aside a lock of her long hair and said calmly, "After this Holy Grail War, I am willing to yield my wish from the Grail to you. In return, I hope you can introduce me to the [Wandering Sea]."
"What—!!"
At those words, not only Kayneth but even Sola-Ui looked at her in stunned disbelief.
The Wandering Sea—to magi, it was a name both mysterious and familiar.
To speak of it, one must first mention the greatest cradle of modern magi—the Mage's Association.
This vast organization was divided into three branches.
The headquarters: the Clock Tower, located on the outskirts of London. It was where the majority of the world's so-called "academic" magi gathered and worked.
Then there was Atlas Academy, situated in Egypt's Atlas Mountains—also known as the Tomb of the Giants. It was a research institute focused on alchemy, operating under an extreme code of secrecy. Little concrete information was known about it.
However, Kayneth had once heard from the future Lord El-Melloi II about the pseudo-spiritual computing device known as Hermes, a product of Atlas's spiritron research.
Originally, Kayneth had planned to make contact with Atlas after the Holy Grail War concluded.
But for now, that ambition had to be shelved.
As for the Wandering Sea—it was the most enigmatic of the three divisions.
The Wandering Sea was said to be a massive mountain range drifting across the North Atlantic—also called the "Moving Stone Coffin." Within the organization, there existed no formal hierarchy. Unlike the Clock Tower, which pursued the further advancement of magecraft, the inner structure and true purpose of the Wandering Sea remained entirely shrouded in mystery.
Generally, within the world of magi, the Wandering Sea was regarded as the original archetype of the Mage's Association. Its research was devoted to human modification and divine-era magecraft, holding the belief that the magecraft of the Age of Gods was supreme—and that any magic developed after the Common Era was nothing more than childish trickery.
"Miss Iphis, I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you," Kayneth said quietly. "I am merely a member of the Clock Tower. Though I have some contact with the Atlas Institute, I have no real connection with those stubborn fossils of the Wandering Sea."
"Is that so?"
A playful smile flickered in Iphis's eyes—because through her mental link, she could faintly hear Satsuki's quiet guidance.
The internal discord among the three branches of the Mage's Association was common knowledge among magi. For example, while both the Clock Tower and the Wandering Sea were technically part of the same Association, the two had long ceased meaningful communication. Though not outright enemies, their philosophies were too different to reconcile; one could easily say there was a significant divide between them.
"The Mage's Association and the Wandering Sea are essentially in a state of cold war. And magi themselves are consummate egoists—they all share the same goal of 'reaching the Root,' but only if they can reach it alone."
"As a result, the Association has become a whirlpool of rivalry, schemes, suspicion, and hostility among its own members. In that sense, the Clock Tower—being the most public and accessible—makes for the perfect target of infiltration and manipulation."
Satsuki had once speculated about the true purpose behind Chaldea's existence.
Ultimately, she concluded that the most likely goal of that organization was the restoration of the Age of Gods.
And that purpose was almost perfectly aligned with that of the Wandering Sea.
How convenient—a coincidence, or perhaps not?
That man who called himself Lord El-Melloi II had once mentioned that seventy percent of Chaldea's founding funds came from London's Mage's Association—from the Animusphere family.
From that, Satsuki deduced one possible conclusion: the Animusphere family was very likely connected to the Wandering Sea.
...
And so, Iphis smiled faintly and revealed her true intention as if in passing.
"In that case, I wish to become a student under the Lord of the Department of Astromancy at the Clock Tower—Marisbury Animusphere. I wonder if Lord Kayneth could assist me in this?"
"Hmm…"
Kayneth pondered for a moment, then nodded slowly.
"That should not be a problem."