Comics: Starting from Killer Queen

"Yes," Emiya Kiritsugu's expression became much more solemn, "This is also the really tricky part about this man. Although he has made great achievements in magic, he is more like a politician. As long as he finds an excuse, he will make a big move and confuse right and wrong to seek benefits. With his own strength and means, several small families have been devoured by the expansion of the Thousand Worlds Tree."

Speaking of this, Emiya Kiritsugu's eyes were also very complicated. "Although Danic is a magician, he is very familiar with human nature and various dark means. He calls himself a noble, but he has no bottom line. This guy and I have a very bad compatibility. I heard that he was immersed in the research of a ceremonial dress more than ten years ago, and he wasted a lot of time."

After pausing for a moment on this line of text, Emiya Kiritsugu tapped his fingers lightly on the table, making a low sound.

"Now it seems that this is just proof that Danic is preparing for the Fourth Holy Grail War. That guy must have gained something extraordinary in the last war, which is why he is so persistent. He already has the means to prolong his life, but he still wants to participate in the war in person. Fortunately, he has already got into bigger trouble."

"What does it mean?"

Irisviel tilted her head and looked at Emiya Kiritsugu in confusion.

"The Clock Tower's quota for this battle was originally reserved by the Lord of the El-Melloi family."

"The El-Melloi from the Minerals Department?"

"That's right," Emiya Kiritsugu smiled as he said this. "For a spot in the Far East Magic Competition, the El-Melloi family would never get entangled with a troublesome existence like Danic. But obviously, that prodigy named Kenneth doesn't think so."

"I guess he couldn't get over it. He circumvented the rules of the Magic Association and forcibly bought an extra spot. I guess he's preparing to compete with Danic."

Chapter 16 Irisviel's Speculation

For Emiya Kiritsugu, it was not much good news that Kenneth took the initiative to get involved with Danic because of this old grudge.

Whether it is Danic, who has lived for hundreds of years and is known for his insidiousness, or Kenneth, who has been dubbed a child prodigy since he was a child and many people believe that he will be regarded as the top magician in the future, they are all famous magicians.

Even though he is known as the magician killer and has the absolute killing weapon of the Origin Bullet, Kiritsugu Emiya must still deal with it carefully and take advantage of the opponent's carelessness to create the most appropriate killing plan.

Although he is just a mediocre person who uses magic as a tool, he is still a magician. Because of this, he knows how difficult it is to deal with a great magician.

"In short, in this Holy Grail battle, I will try my best to make Danic my first priority. If there is no chance, I will consider Tōsaka and Matou. Irisviel, when you control the Heroic Spirits, just make these two the first strategic points."

"I see."

Although she represents Einzbern's surveillance and support for Emiya Kiritsugu, strategically, Irisviel, who is not good at fighting, has no intention of interfering with Emiya Kiritsugu's choices. Let professionals do professional things. This is the strategy chosen by Einzbern after many failures.

"Including you, there are six of them, right? Is there still one Master that we haven't heard from yet?"

"No, after all, the truth of the Holy Grail War was not exposed under the protection of the Three Great Families. If it weren't for the two people in the Clock Tower, the attention it received would have been lower. However, the quality of these magi who were chosen at the last minute is generally not very outstanding. They may perish on their own without our help."

"I hope so."

Irisviel turned her head again and looked out the French window, ending the conversation.

In the momentary silence, Emiya Kiritsugu sighed silently, stood up, and after being several steps away from Irisviel, he also stood in front of the French window.

Against the white ground, the nearby forest also had a grayish tone. He didn't even need to look carefully to spot the girl running freely in the snow.

Irisviel was distracted before because of her.

"Are you watching Illya again? That kid likes to go out and play every time the snow stops."

Perhaps noticing the complicated expression on Irisviel's face, Emiya Kiritsugu said softly that among the Einzbern family composed of androids, Irisviel, who had humanity, was one of the few people he could chat with.

"That's right. Look, Kiritsugu. Even though the child isn't wearing much, he's not afraid of the cold at all."

Emiya Kiritsugu looked over when he heard it, and indeed, the little girl who was playing in the snow, looking like a little deer, was only wearing a purple coat and a velvet hat of the same color. Even if the child was not afraid of the cold, this kind of dress was very scary in the current environment.

This is an area that is covered with snow all year round. Even in the warm castle, Kiritsugu wears a winter windbreaker. If he were outside, even if he was wrapped tightly, his body temperature would drop to freezing point within a few hours.

But Illya seemed not to feel the cold, and danced freely like an elf in the snow.

While the two were staring at her, Illya seemed to have discovered something. She squatted down, two blushes appeared on her face, and then, with a gentle blow, a scorching line of fire came out of her mouth, instantly melting the snow around her, revealing the charred ground.

Even chanting is not needed to achieve this level. After seeing this scene, it is no wonder that Irisviel, who always loves her children, did not stop Illya from running out in such thin clothes.

"Is this technology from Einzbern? It's amazing..."

Seeing this scene, Kiritsugu couldn't help but feel a palpitation in his heart, and subconsciously looked at Irisviel. If this winter beauty could also do such a thing, the scene was still a little shocking.

But despite saying so, Kiritsugu Emiya did not show it on his face. He had long known that the core of Einzbern was the technology of artificial humans. Irisviel was the Lesser Holy Grail of this year, and Illya was the backup for the next one. Both their magic circuits and growth conditions had been adjusted. Irisviel, who looked like a noble lady, was actually not even one-third of his age.

Although Illya is an artificial human, she was conceived by Irisviel alone and is said to have no father. She is usually under strict supervision, and Kiritsugu Emiya has basically no contact with her situation. However, seeing that Irisviel seems to have something to hide, he also became curious.

"Is this impossible?"

"Of course I can't. This child was born from me. Although I shouldn't say that, her performance is far superior to mine, but it is limited to the Einzbern technology. Everything about her is normal, but she has also shown many abilities that I didn't expect."

Irisviel subconsciously put it on her collar and clenched it tightly, using this action to ease the anxiety in her heart.

"Obviously the growth cycle and weight are the same as in theory, but she was able to control the flames at a very young age, not afraid of the cold, and has a high resistance to flames. She only needs to expend some physical strength to use a comparable A big magic level attack."

"Moreover, her physical abilities are clearly not specialized, but even without using any magic, she is still superior to most combat maids... Even when I asked my great grandfather, I only got a vague answer like this is normal."

Irisviel became more and more excited as she spoke, with tears glistening in her pupils.

"But there's nothing else wrong with this, right? This should be a good thing, right?"

Although he could understand Irisviel's feelings as a mother, Emiya Kiritsugu, who had no children of his own, still spoke his mind from a conventional practical perspective.

"Is it a good thing?" Alice smiled bitterly, and finally seemed to have made up her mind.

“Kiritsugu, I will reveal some of the secrets of Einzbern to you. In exchange, I hope you will win this Holy Grail War. Otherwise, Illya…”

"That was my goal in the first place, Irisviel."

Emiya Kiritsugu's eyes also turned serious. Even though Einzbern had opened up a lot of information to him, as an outsider employed by the company, there were still some things he couldn't access.

"You should know that Illya is not just a cyborg, but a child I conceived like an ordinary person. However, apart from me as the mother, what really gave her those strange abilities was what my great grandfather obtained in the last Holy Grail War."

Irisviel took a deep breath, subconsciously touched her abdomen, and recalled with some nostalgia.

"That is not some tangible power, but simply the remnant of traces of magic. Great Grandfather intercepted these remnants and used them as a model to create Illya."

"But this power does not come from the Heroic Spirit, nor is it any tangible thing that I can understand at present. It is a ball of invisible gas. There is no process. When the ball of gas attached to me, combined with the technology of Einzbern, Illya was born in my belly."

"..."

Emiya Kiritsugu tried his best to pretend to be indifferent, but because the content was too absurd, he wanted to interrupt several times to confirm whether it was a joke, but Irisviel's serious expression had already denied this.

"And now, as the Holy Grail War draws closer, as the child's mother, I can feel something is wrong. She has not yet been infused with the knowledge of the Holy Grail. Recently, she has always unconsciously looked in the direction of Fuyuki. I asked the child, but I couldn't get any useful information."

"There is no doubt that my great grandfather must have obtained something in the last Holy Grail War. Recently, I have been looking up the data of the last Holy Grail War and came to a somewhat incredible conclusion."

Irisviel put down her hands, put them behind her back, and said seriously: "I know you may not believe it, because this is just my guess, but I think - the last Holy Grail War was cursed."

"There is an invisible spirit, or demon, that uses the connection of the Holy Grail War to travel between the Master and the Holy Grail."

Irisviel's voice was as soft as a mosquito's, and in the end, only her lips were moving silently.

But during his many years of war, Kiritsugu Emiya, who had already honed the skill of lip reading, still understood what Irisviel was saying.

——I suspect that the invisible demon is attached to my great-grandfather.

Chapter 17: Changes in the Clock Tower

"Ah, Matou Zouken is really quick."

During lunch break, Roland used the store's fax to receive a message from Zouken Matou.

"I'll have to wait a few days for the magic channel, but will it be ready soon? As for the holy relics, will they do their best to provide them according to the job I choose?"

Zouken Matou is indeed disgusting when he is an enemy, but he is still very reliable when providing help.

However, compared to these things, Roland still looked through the information he was most concerned about.

When it is almost certain that Qi Ling must have caused a huge deviation, it is very important to confirm how much advantage you still have in understanding the plot.

"Hasn't there been any major changes to the Big Three? But it's still troublesome not being able to find out about the Holy Relics..."

The differences in personalities and abilities of the Heroic Spirits will have a huge impact on the entire battle, which has been clearly demonstrated in many of Type-Moon's works and needs no elaboration.

But at least there are some familiar characters that make people feel at ease. These groups are all led by the Master to control the Heroic Spirits. Knowing their plans and styles is very helpful for the upcoming battles.

"Are these the two that are in trouble?"

Roland gently pointed his finger at Kenneth's proud face on the intelligence and sighed.

"Director Ken, Director Ken, if you don't take the road to heaven, you will fall into hell."

Although people who don't know the whole picture may be very afraid of Kenneth, after all, the other party's financial resources and abilities on paper are daunting.

But Roland, who had watched the Holy Grail War many times, knew that for the Master, his own ability was not important at all. After all, he was just a tool for the devil. Unless he encountered some rebellious heroes, the key to victory or defeat was the quality of the Master.

Tolerance for Heroic Spirits, the ability to adapt to changing situations, and persistence in winning or losing are the key factors that determine whether one can escape unscathed. Having experienced three wars, Matou Zouken saw this very clearly, so he invested in Roland without hesitation.

As for Kenneth, although he was prepared to risk his life to join the war, his biggest flaw was the arrogance he had developed since childhood in the Clock Tower. When the Heroic Spirits could not help him, this was the guy Roland least favored.

On the contrary, Danic was very good in this aspect. Even if he had not had the experience of participating in the last battle and was standing on the same starting line as Kenneth, Roland and he did not think that he would retreat easily.

"But what will their heroic spirits be like?"

In the original work, Danic chose Vlad III, but that was an excellent choice for positional warfare because he had the advantage of being on home soil and could allow the Grand Duke to maximize the power of his Noble Phantasm and home field. Without the support of spiritual veins, Vlad III would be just a second-rate hero. Roland didn't think that someone like Danic, who had fought in the Holy Grail War once, would be confused by this.

From this perspective, Finn, whom he had used in the last Holy Grail War, would have been a better choice. But we cannot be sure. Judging from the intelligence, he gradually went into seclusion in the later period and did not come out until the Fourth War. It is very likely that he has been influenced by the Contracted Spirit. Blindly being influenced by the image in the plot will only put himself at a disadvantage.

"Kenneth is much easier to guess, provided that his holy relic is not stolen,"

Roland raised his head and covered his face with the information. As if he had thought of something funny, a teasing smile appeared on his face.

"Speaking of which, with Danic and Kenneth already at loggerheads, would Waver still dare to steal the relic just because he was in a hurry?"

---

"Damn it, no one understands my talent!"

Webber Velvet was walking quickly on the road with an angry look on his face.

Just now, the thesis that he had worked so hard on for three years was taken out and severely criticized in public by his lecturer Kenneth, which made Weber rush out of the depressing classroom before the class was even finished.

Although the get out of class was not over yet, I was afraid that even before tomorrow, the name Waver Velvet would become the latest laughing stock in the Clock Tower.

For Weber, this was the greatest insult he had ever experienced in his 19 years of life.

His self-esteem was simply thrown to the ground and trampled to pieces. For Weber, who was mostly self-taught and had a poor bloodline for three generations, he was very proud of his talent for being able to pass the exam and be admitted to the Clock Tower, the highest institution of learning in London.

Compared to his classmates who had at least fifth or sixth generation bloodlines, he was theoretically worthy of pride for having accomplished this so early.

But that's all. In this clock tower, the best magicians gather here. Excellent learning ability is not important at all. Everyone is chasing more profound techniques and better magicians.

That is, they are the descendants of famous families, with excellent bloodlines carefully passed down for many generations, strong and complete imprints, and people are chasing after these guys.

In Weber's view, this is simply unreasonable, but flatterers are just people who repeat what others have said, standing on the shoulders of their predecessors. No one will care about people like him with shallow blood.

To this end, Weber conceived for three years and wrote for a year, and wrote a paper that severely criticized the corruption of the Magic Association's system, but it was suppressed by Kenneth before it was made public.

"A person with delusional disorder like you is not suitable for the study of magic."

Thinking of the other party's condescending words, Weber became furious.

"What? He must be afraid of me! Afraid of my terrifying talent!"

Weber complained unwillingly, and then encountered a turning point at the corner.

After bumping into the delivery man from the Finance Section, he gets the delivery for Kenneth.

"Then I'll leave it to you."

"it is good."

Seeing the back of the delivery person leaving, Weber looked at the small box in his hand suspiciously.

"Goods from Macedonia? Come to think of it, that lemon-head did seem to have a dispute with the leader of the Thousand World Trees, and he's going to participate in the magic competition in the Far East."

——Holy Grail War.

Unlike other students who were just watching the competition, Weber, who has always been studious, immediately looked up relevant information after hearing the news and learned the format of the competition.

He is full of affection for this form of competition that does not recognize his background, but due to his undecided studies, lack of money, and the absence of holy relics, these insignificant things hinder his progress.

"So this is Kenneth's relic?"

Looking at the small box in his hand, Weber suddenly had a bold idea. Although the ending would be miserable, it would definitely teach that lemon head a lesson he would never forget.

At this moment, a cold voice suddenly interrupted his thinking.

"Is that a package for Kenneth?"

A young and handsome man with long blue hair and a luxurious dress, more like a nobleman than a magician, stood at the exit of the road at some point.

"Danik..."

Weber stood there in a daze as if he hadn't reacted, and spoke out the name of the visitor with trembling teeth. As another protagonist in the recent melon in the Clock Tower, this man's information was easier to check than Kenneth's.

Then, a scene that Weber had not expected happened. Danic walked over slowly, stared at the package in Weber's hand with a weathered and gloomy look, and then stretched out his hand.