Chapter 221: Just Passing By
Hikigaya Hachiman didn't mind having a little tail following him.
After all, Rin Tohsaka did have some degree of magical power, but it was at a completely non-threatening level.
Rather than spending time worrying about the little girl, it was better to quickly locate Caster's hiding place and deal with him as soon as possible…
While Hachiman was still scanning all of Fuyuki City for Caster's base, Waver and his Servant, Iskandar, had already arrived at Caster's hideout in the sewers, riding on a bullock cart. They determined Caster's location by measuring the magical energy in the river water.
Unfortunately, Gilles and Ryunosuke were not at the hideout at that moment, but the "works" they had left on the walls were horrifying to Waver.
Although he already knew that this Holy Grail War's Caster was a perverted killer, seeing row after row of children's corpses on the walls made Waver vomit involuntarily.
While Waver's guard was temporarily down due to the gruesome scene, an Assassin suddenly threw a throwing knife from a dark corner, trying to take advantage of the moment to kill Waver and force Rider's team to retreat.
However, the battle-hardened Iskandar had already noticed Assassin's presence.
After deflecting the knife aimed at Waver, he took a few strides toward the sneaky Assassin.
With a deafening roar, the Assassin was split in two by Iskandar's sword!
"Is… that… Assassin?"
The battle happened in an instant. Waver, still retching, only heard his Servant's roar before looking up to see a masked corpse dissipating on the ground nearby.
Seeing the Assassin defeated by Iskandar, Waver could hardly believe it.
Before the Holy Grail War began, Assassin had attempted to infiltrate the Tohsaka fortress but had been killed by Archer—everyone believed that as a fact.
Even Assassin's Master had gone to the church to seek protection after defeat. How could Assassin still be around?
"It seems we were all tricked by a show."
After thinking for a few seconds, Iskandar realized that the earlier news of Assassin's retreat was just a smoke screen.
Assassin's team must be colluding with the Church!
But that wasn't the main concern—Iskandar's worry was that Tohsaka, the Master of Archer, might also be colluding with Assassin's Master.
After all, while that golden-haired guy had a bad temper, his strength was undeniable.
If combined with the intelligence-gathering Assassin and the Church's supervision…
"Hahaha! If that's the case, this Holy Grail War is going to be extremely interesting!"
Thinking about the predicament before him, Iskandar didn't look worried at all. Instead, he laughed heartily.
"Rider, why are you laughing all of a sudden?"
Next to him, Waver, a bit frail, covered his ears and complained about Iskandar's loud laughter.
Given the brutality of the scene, how could he be laughing?
"I naturally feel sympathy for the scene before me, but the dead cannot be revived. The only thing we can do is avenge them, right?"
Hearing Waver, Iskandar stopped laughing. He lowered his head, patted Waver's shoulder, lifted him onto his chariot, and set the entire Caster hideout on fire.
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"Does this guy never get tired?"
Watching Hikigaya Hachiman still moving forward ahead, Rin Tohsaka rubbed her aching legs and complained.
Since noon, she had been following him through Fuyuki City.
Hachiman moved as if without a goal, wandering casually. Though he paused briefly at many locations, he quickly moved on again.
If Rin hadn't been convinced that his actions were suspicious, she would have given up long ago. Her friend might have already been captured if she hadn't kept following.
But after several hours, though Rin was a mage, her small child's body was reaching its limit…
"I'm so hungry…"
Holding her protesting stomach, Rin hesitated whether to continue following. At her current state, even if she found her friend, she wouldn't be able to rescue them.
Worse, she might even risk her own life!
"Hey, are you just wandering around with nothing to do?"
While lost in thought, Hachiman's voice suddenly came from above her head.
"What?!"
Eyes widening, Rin realized she had been discovered. She stepped back and formed a gun shape with her hands, ready to fire a magic projectile she had only recently learned.
"Come on, don't give that 'I'm the bad guy' expression when you've been the one following me…"
Hachiman's tone was filled with exasperation.
Watching Rin step back, he thought her speed was painfully slow.
With a casual grab, Hachiman lifted Rin by the collar again effortlessly.
"Let go of me!"
Rin struggled wildly in midair.
"First, tell me—why have you been following me all afternoon?"
Shaking Rin in his hands, Hachiman asked without any patience.
He had expected the child to give up midway, but she had followed him the entire afternoon.
Preparing to return to the inn, Hachiman didn't want a little tail trailing him. Helplessly, he had to grab Rin, question her, and hope she would abandon the idea of continuing to follow him.
"I'm not following you! I just happened to be passing by!"
Of course, Rin wouldn't admit to following him. If Hachiman were the mage who kidnapped her friend, she would be in immediate danger.
"Oh? Just passing by?"
Seeing Rin stubbornly deny it, Hachiman's face formed a slightly sinister smile.
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