"What's up with that old bastard?"
"Didn't I tell you before that I'd have my subordinate magi help look for him and Lancer?"
"What, you got news?"
Roy's eyes lowered slightly.
The reflection off his glasses hid his eyes, making it hard to read his expression.
But at that moment, Nakano felt like she was sitting on pins and needles.
Roy, when wearing glasses, always had a very gentle aura.
But right now, the atmosphere he gave off couldn't be described as gentle at all—it was more like shards of ice. Just looking at him felt cold enough to get frostbite if touched.
Even with the glasses on, he radiated a dangerous sense of being on the verge of snapping.
Miku finally sensed the shift in atmosphere, quietly drawing in her neck, pretending to be invisible. If she could, she would've loved to write a spell on her face: you can't see me.
"No, there's still no news."
Rin shook her head.
Ichika's eyes widened slightly, a look of unexpected confusion spreading across her face.
She had assumed Rin brought up the mummy freak now because there was some information, ready to inform Roy so they could go deal with him together.
But you're saying there's no news?
Then why bring it up now? What's the point? What if you trigger Roy and he takes off his glasses?!
Utaha and Illya remained silent.
"It's exactly because there's no news that I find it strange."
Rin continued explaining, unaware of Ichika's inner turmoil.
"I don't have a huge number of subordinate magi, but there are a few, and they cover multiple disciplines. Theoretically, even with nearly four hundred years of experience, Uemon shouldn't be able to vanish without a trace. And yet, he's disappeared without leaving even a footprint—that's not normal."
If only they had managed to stop Lancer yesterday.
After waking from the dream, Rin learned that the saint Jeanne who appeared in the dream was actually Uemon's Servant, Lancer—Jeanne d'Arc in her corrupted state. For some unknown reason, Jeanne had come of her own accord to rescue Roy.
Why she did this remains unclear for now.
After unleashing her Noble Phantasm in the dream, she woke up and immediately fled the Aozaki residence without saying a word, not giving them a chance to communicate.
If they had been able to stop her, they might've obtained some intel on Uemon.
Such a pity.
"I understand."
Roy nodded calmly.
He glanced at the people at the table, all looking somewhat uneasy.
"…I'm done eating. You guys go ahead."
He smiled faintly and got up to leave the kitchen.
The atmosphere at the table instantly thawed like ice melting.
Ichika let out a long sigh of relief.
Even though she now had a deep connection with Roy, she still couldn't get used to his transformations.
Or rather, because she had been intimate with him when he had taken off his glasses, looked into his eyes, and seen his expression, she truly understood how terrifying that version of Roy was.
Even when doing those kinds of things, his face didn't show lust.
It showed malice.
"Lord Roy probably left so we could eat comfortably, right? He's such a kind person."
Miku's whisper beside her was barely audible.
Her tone showed she was clearly moved by Roy's thoughtfulness.
Ichika blinked.
That… might actually be true.
So complicated.
Roy stepped out of the kitchen.
Wearing only a thin shirt, he went into the front yard and let the cold wind blow on him. His overheated mind quickly cooled down.
"No matter how you look at it, it's impossible that not a single trace of Uemon's whereabouts can be found, even with so many magi involved…"
Why?
There was only one answer.
Someone was helping cover his tracks.
Who?
And for what reason?
What's there to gain by helping Uemon stay hidden?
Roy sank deep into thought.
***
Morning.
At the front entrance.
Roy rotated his right arm. It could now move just like a normal arm.
"Lord Roy, is your arm okay?"
Utaha had put on her outdoor coat, with a black scarf around her neck, and looked at him with concern.
"It's fine now. No discomfort at all."
Roy smiled gently, his face relaxed and at ease.
As expected of the spare body Touko had prepared for him—the arm he had taken from it seamlessly integrated with his body. Its strength was two or three times that of his previous one, and he had fully adapted to it overnight. A truly terrifying level of craftsmanship.
Roy felt a wave of emotions rise in his heart.
The years right after he came to this world were the most miserable in his life.
He hadn't kept track of exactly how much time had passed on that mountain. At first, he counted days by watching the cycle of light and dark, but later, after repeatedly losing consciousness, he stopped counting altogether.
Fortunately, after escaping that hell, his luck finally began to change.
Meeting Aoko and Touko was the best thing to happen in his life so far.
Especially Touko, who had even been willing to offer her body to help him vent his curse. Though it was joked she had an "infinite virgin mode" due to her body-switching technique, for someone like her to make that kind of gesture… Roy felt it was almost like his ancestors were smiling down on him.
With those thoughts swirling in his head, Roy accepted the coat Utaha handed him, pinned on the "Frame" tag, and headed out the door with her.
"Lord Roy, do you have enough money?"
Once outside, Utaha suddenly thought of a serious problem and quickly tugged at Roy's sleeve to quietly ask him.
Roy stopped in his tracks, his expression instantly serious.
"Hold on."
He turned back toward the house.
"No—come with me."
Halfway there, he remembered it was still the Holy Grail War period and he couldn't leave Utaha alone outside. He quickly brought her back in.
Roy found Rin.
"Rin, do you have any money? Lend me some for emergencies!"
"You're really that broke?"
Rin looked at him in disbelief.
"Don't get me started. Those two gold-eaters are driving me crazy."
Roy looked up to the heavens in exasperation.
No matter what they did, the Aozaki sisters were always at odds—except when it came to their shared dislike of part-time jobs.
Rin remembered the rumours about the Aozaki sisters and gave Roy a sympathetic look.
She pulled out a document from her luggage, wrote something down, tore it off with a rip, and handed it over to Roy with great flair, her face full of pride.
"Here, go cash this in!"
"…You're embezzling public funds?"
Roy looked at her with shock, as if seeing her for the first time.
"What are you saying? How is this embezzlement? This is a stipend—specifically approved to ensure the mental and physical well-being of the magi under my command!"
Rin stared at him righteously, like some paragon of incorruptible public service.
"Bottom line—do you want it or not?!"
Why are you so good at this?!
***
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