In the hotel suite, the atmosphere between Long Night Moon and Herta transitioned from initial scrutiny to a tacit pragmatic consideration.
"So, the preliminary intention has been reached?"
Long Night Moon picked up the lukewarm tea in front of her and took a gentle sip, her crimson eyes filled with a smile. "On this... stage full of surprises, having one more person to watch your back is always better than having one more uncertain opponent."
Herta leaned back against the sofa, her fingers unconsciously tapping her knee—a small habit she had when thinking.
"Share intelligence, and take coordinated action when clearing obstacles that clearly hinder our goals."
She repeated the loose alliance terms they had just finalized, her violet-black eyes glancing at Stelle beside her, who was trying to drink every last drop of the instant noodle soup. "Although my interest in the so-called Holy Grail is limited, that Golden Flashy and that hiding fox... relying solely on this one on my side..."
She paused, seemingly searching for the right words, "...master who focuses on waste materials, the efficiency might not be ideal."
Stelle acted as if she hadn't heard, focusing on lifting the paper cup and pouring the last bit of soup into her mouth.
Long Night Moon smiled and nodded. Just as she was about to say something, Herta suddenly looked up, her gaze scanning the ceiling decorated with exquisite reliefs and the subtle, hard-to-notice patterns in the corners.
"The defensive formations here,"
Herta's tone carried a hint of pickiness, "are quite numerous, but unfortunately, the structure is redundant and the efficiency is low. There are at least three obvious errors. The designer's aesthetics are okay, but their basic skills aren't very solid."
Long Night Moon followed her gaze and shook her head with a smile: "It's not my arrangement. In fact, directly above us is the Mage's Workshop of another master—Lancer's master, Mr. Kayneth. We are just staying in a normal guest room floor of this hotel."
"Oh?"
Herta crossed her arms, her brows slightly raised. "Setting up a workshop on the high floor of a crowded hotel? This designer's thinking is quite open. Aren't you worried about being attacked in the middle of the night by something as low-tech as a 'ceiling collapse'?"
"Normally, there's no need for excessive worry."
Long Night Moon's tone was light, as if discussing the weather. "Although the Holy Grail War is in the shadows, 'not interfering with the mundane world' is an underlying rule. To target the entire hotel building and involve a large number of unrelated people, such a crazy thing..."
She shook her head, indicating the possibility was extremely low. "Surely no one would be so dishonorable as to blow up the building just to achieve their goal, right?"
Just as she finished speaking—
BOOM!!!!
A dull and massive explosion sounded, not from the workshop above, but from the lower-middle structure of the building!
This was followed by the teeth-gritting sound of twisting steel and the loud crash of shattering concrete!
The entire building shook violently, as if struck in the side by a giant hammer!
The chandelier in the room swung wildly, cracks appeared on the walls, and the cups and plates on the table slid off and shattered!
The composed smile on Long Night Moon's face froze for a split second.
However, the corners of Herta's mouth couldn't help but curl up into a clear arc.
She even took her time to adjust her sitting posture to avoid sliding off the sofa due to the building's tilt.
"It seems,"
Herta's voice carried unabashed mockery, "your estimation of the martial ethics of this world needs an urgent update, Miss Memokeeper."
Amidst the heart-wrenching creaks, the building began to slowly tilt to one side.
Dust fell in flurries from the cracks in the ceiling.
Long Night Moon sighed softly, raising her hand to brush away a bit of dust that had fallen on her shoulder. Her expression returned to calm, but in the depths of those crimson eyes, a very faint trace of speechlessness flashed.
"Indeed,"
She admitted straightforwardly, "it was a miscalculation on my part. I underestimated the... directness of some participants' actions."
Stelle had already jumped up nimbly, grabbing the bat leaning against the sofa and the instant noodle cup she hadn't thrown away yet. Her golden eyes looked at Herta, questioning silently.
Herta stood up gracefully and straightened her loungewear, which wasn't even messy.
"Then, let's end today's meeting here."
She said to Long Night Moon, her tone as relaxed as if she were just finishing an afternoon tea. "When you find a... friendlier place next time, we'll continue. Good luck, don't get buried in the ruins."
After saying that, a faint purple glow rose around her, enveloping her and Stelle.
Before disappearing, Stelle quickly scanned the room, seemingly checking if there were any 'local specialties' worth taking. Finally, under Herta's slightly hurried gaze, the two disappeared into thin air together.
Long Night Moon looked at where they had disappeared, then at the floor that had already begun to tilt significantly, and at the small, uneasy cry of Sakura Matou coming from the inner room. She shook her head helplessly.
"Little March, take the children. We need to move."
She instructed calmly, while opening the black umbrella that never left her hand.
The surface of the umbrella seemed to ripple with a water-like shimmer, enveloping her and March 7th, who had quickly picked up the still-sleeping Tohsaka Rin and grabbed Sakura Matou's small hand.
"Sister, where are we going?"
March 7th asked while carefully holding Rin, looking nervously at the increasingly tilted floor.
"To find the gentleman who 'forcibly relocated' us,"
Long Night Moon's voice was still gentle, but a cold light flashed in her eyes, "to talk about the issue of 'compensation'."
A flash of light passed, and the room was empty.
In the shadow of a building near the hotel, Emiya Kiritsugu lowered his binoculars and lit a cigarette.
He looked expressionlessly at the hotel building, which was clearly tilted yet eerily stopped collapsing as if stuck by some invisible force. His brow furrowed deeply.
(The explosive yield was sufficient, and all structural key points were hit... Why didn't it fall?)
(Magecraft interference? Or... is there a Servant forcibly supporting it from the inside?)
(Lancer's master, Kayneth, has the ability to do this much?)
He was used to calculating everything, and the phenomenon before him that deviated from his calculations made him instinctively uneasy.
He needed to reassess.
Just as he was deep in thought, considering whether a follow-up demolition was needed—
"A very impressive directional demolition, sir. Precise calculation, cold and efficient. To eliminate the target upstairs, you completely ignored the hundreds of unrelated people who might be in the building."
A cold and pleasant female voice rang out without warning, very close behind him.
Emiya Kiritsugu's muscles tensed instantly!
Like a leopard whose Tail had been stepped on, he didn't hesitate or turn back to confirm. His left hand lightning-fast drew the pistol from the holster at his waist, while his right hand gripped another ordinary revolver loaded with an 'Origin Bullet' inside his trench coat. He was about to perform a tactical roll to the side!
However, his movement only got halfway before he completely froze.
A cold and hard object was gently pressed against his vital spot at the back of his heart.
That sensation... felt like the metal tip of a closed umbrella.
"I suggest you don't move, and don't try to use a command spells."
The female voice behind him continued, her tone as calm as if discussing a dinner menu, but the content made Kiritsugu feel as if he had fallen into an ice cellar. "The tip of my umbrella is only two centimeters from your heart. Moreover, it comes with a small function for reading memories. For example, I have already'seen'... a cold forest, a white castle, and a cute little girl with silver hair and red eyes named 'Illya'."
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