The fishing went smoothly—for the most part. Aside from Cú Chulainn's offhand "elder's wisdom" that earned a sharp retort from Tamamo-no-Mae: "Oi! Try saying that to Miss Scáthach instead—and then go DIE!"—even Miyu surprisingly caught quite a bit. Everyone else had their fair share as well.
"Phew… Guess break time's over." With a flick of his wrist, Sakatsuki reeled in his line. A silver fish arced through the air and landed cleanly in the basket. Rising to his feet, he handed the half-filled basket to the scratching-her-head Ritsuka, gave her shoulder a pat with a smile, and turned away, walking off in his usual relaxed fashion.
"…He just left?" Tamamo's fox ears twitched in curiosity. "Felt like he was reporting in to you, didn't it, Master?"
"Well, duh. I was the one who dragged him here in the first place," Ritsuka chuckled, hugging the fish basket like it was tonight's dinner. "He's not like us. We got stranded here from a failed Rayshift. He came here on purpose. His mindset was different from the start."
"Sakatsuki came on his own?" Miyu blinked in surprise, her fishing line forgotten as ripples spread across the water. "Then… why? Was it because of Miss Draco?"
The bond between Draco and Sakatsuki was obvious to anyone with eyes. Was that why he crossed worlds—to be by her side?
"Nope. Not even close." Ritsuka waved the idea off with an amused glint in her eyes. "Why would someone—someone who doesn't need to sleep, eat, and whose very presence puts someone like Miss Artoria on edge—need Sakatsuki's protection?"
She, Fujimaru Ritsuka, was the Master who saved Human Order. Anyone who mistook her for just a cheerful girl was fatally underestimating her.
All those unseen deductions, quiet observations, and scattered clues had long since come together—like rain seeping into the earth. Five days was more than enough for someone as sharp as her.
No more hiding. Ritsuka laid it out plainly:
"He came for you, Miyu. You and your companions. Haven't you realized it yet? If Sakatsuki truly meant you harm… then even with my protection, you wouldn't have made it off this island."
A chill spread from her heart outward, and Miyu couldn't stop the shiver that ran through her. The warmth of the moment shattered like glass.
Ritsuka had once asked about Sakatsuki's magecraft ranking. His answer: A+.
That was a level approaching True Magic—power that even top-tier Servants would take seriously.
His displacement magecraft could whisk them away without a trace. His projection magecraft possessed devastating potential. If he projected a mass of Noble Phantasms… even magical girls wouldn't last long.
And then there was his mana. So deep and unreadable, it defied understanding.
"So… when you and Miss Tamamo asked about Sakatsuki's magecraft…"
"Miku~ Correct, little Miyu! Though it was spontaneous, Master here played along beautifully."
Tamamo flashed a smug peace sign. As a fox famed for her trickery, trust wasn't something she gave lightly—especially not to someone who had cleaved a magical beast in half in one strike.
But even so, Ritsuka still had one unanswered question.
"Miyu, I remember Illya said… there were two Sakatsuki in your world, right? Can you tell me the identity and appearance of the other one?"
"Eh?" Miyu tilted her head and began, unguarded: "The other Sakatsuki was a priest. Child-sized, white hair, golden eyes. He used Black Keys and wore a black cassock most of the time…"
"Wait—stop. Did that Sakatsuki have slitted pupils?"
"Yes, he did… ah!"
Ritsuka's words were like a gust of wind dispelling fog—and Miyu finally saw the truth hidden beneath what she hadn't questioned.
Because of the difference in size, she had assumed the two were unrelated. Especially since the priest appeared as a Caster-class Sakatsuki, while this one presented himself as Saber. That had only solidified her assumption.
But how could she have overlooked it?
That identical white hair… those golden, vertical pupils… and their nearly mirrored personalities—or rather, states of being.
In the world of magecraft, changing physical form was child's play.
"I have to tell Illya—now!" Miyu bolted upright, abandoning her fishing rod as she ran full speed back toward camp.
Watching her go, Tamamo lazily flicked her rod. "By the way, Master—how'd you figure it out? Back then, I only noticed because I was in Caster class and caught him casting something on himself way too fast."
"Oh, I didn't see anything." Ritsuka grinned. "I mean, I've got no magecraft aptitude, right? But Sakatsuki's spells are ultimately just smoke and mirrors. If you take a little time to untangle them—well, even a half-baked disguise won't hold up forever."
"…You know, Master, you're surprisingly cool sometimes."
"What do you mean, 'sometimes'? I'm always cool, Tamamo-chan! Though, credit where it's due—thank you, Waver-sensei!"
***
At that moment, Sakatsuki—having had his fun fishing—was completely unaware that Ritsuka had effortlessly unraveled his identity. Then again, even if he had known, it probably wouldn't have bothered him much.
Now, he was experiencing firsthand the dull ache that came with hanging around a certain Ahoge knight… or maybe just the unique flavor of Round Table suffering.
"So that's how it is. That's why you called me out. Too many targets, not enough hands to clean up the mess, huh?"
Pulled aside by Artoria en route back to camp, Sakatsuki now found himself in the jungle. With Mash, Kiyohime, and the King of Knights herself present, he nodded in understanding.
"If it's about living off the land, then yeah—hunting's the go-to move. So how are we doing this? Have Mash flush them out while I snipe them when they bolt?"
At the sight of Sakatsuki, Kiyohime immediately shrank behind Mash, regressing from a serpent to a trembling little lamb.
Sighing, Sakatsuki could only step forward to shoulder her role himself.
"No, allow me to handle this," Artoria politely declined Sakatsuki's offer. "It's been a while since I've hunted. I could use a warm-up."
The King herself wants to join the hunt?
Sakatsuki, who had forgotten most of the original story due to the passage of time, had no objection. Still unaware of what lay ahead, he remained in his usual lazy posture, leaning against a tree trunk without a care.
"Then I'll leave it to you, Your Majesty."
"…Mm." Even though she'd braced herself, Artoria still felt something like a jolt run through her at that title. Yet, she found she didn't dislike it. Slowly, she drew the sacred sword from her side.
"Hunting is a knight's pastime. Especially as I currently stand in the Archer class—I don't intend to let a single prey escape."
As she spoke, a trace of nostalgia surfaced in her eyes. "If only my trusted steed, Llamrei, Don Stallion, and my loyal hound Cavall were here… it would be perfect."
"Don't worry, Your Majesty. We're only up against wild animals here. Look, there's a deer right at the foot of the mountain." Sakatsuki yawned, sounding entirely unconcerned.
In an instant, Artoria unsheathed her sword with a sharp shing. Just as Sakatsuki assumed she was about to give chase, he heard—
"Ex——"
"???"
"Pause! Pause!!"
"…Is something the matter?" Artoria obediently lowered her blade, mystified.
This time even Mash couldn't help but exclaim, "Of course something's wrong! Miss Artoria, what exactly were you planning to do?!"
"Hm? The foothills have poor visibility," the ahoge knight replied with her usual innocent seriousness. "I thought it would be better to start with a blast to clear the surroundings. I'm not saying I always do this—but sometimes it just seems like the best approach… Is it improper, or something else wrong with that?"
"This goes way beyond mere etiquette!" Sakatsuki was stunned. "Has no one ever told you this is completely insane?!"
Knights of the Round Table (and that damn Cowboy Corps)—what were they even doing all this time?! Was the southern flatlands of Britain cleared out by repeated Excalibur strikes?!
"…Wait, has it really gotten that bad?" Artoria blinked. "Whenever I hunted with Agravain, he'd always stare at me with dead fish eyes and say things like, 'As expected of Your Majesty. Such power and finesse.' He even clapped every time. Was… was that just for show?"
"Well, not so much for show…" Mash now mirrored Agravain's dead-eyed look perfectly.
"…Excalibur Hunting Grounds…" Kiyohime muttered from behind her, having fully regressed into trembling prey mode.
But alas, Artoria once again wore that undefeated expression—pure, unbothered, impossible to scold.
"…No, it's fine," Sakatsuki replied dryly, the corner of his mouth twitching. "As expected of His Majesty… even the hunting has to be on an imperial scale."
And so, amidst chaos, laughter, and an increasing number of "accidents," the first day of the holiday came to a close.
As twilight fell, flames roared under the sign reading:
"1st Annual Magical Girl × Servant × Master Fujimaru Friendship BBQ Summit"
After a long day of labor, everyone gathered around the fire. Their laughter carried a trace of tension.
Because now was the time.
The time when the Holy Grail would reveal the results of last night's Werewolf Game.
Ding!
A soft chime rang out, and a glowing screen appeared before them all.
[Night One Result: Silent Night]
…
…
…
"HUH?!"
***
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