"Ah, why can't I be here?"
Saber's whole body was tense. Judging from the scene, a battle had occurred here, but she couldn't comprehend it.
Given this witch's strength, the fight would have been over in an instant, wouldn't it?
So...
Did the witch help Irisviel? But why would Irisviel then tell her to leave?
Saber couldn't figure it out, nor could she ask. She could only carefully keep her eyes on Kurumi, afraid the witch might suddenly do something outrageous!
"Thank you very much for your help earlier."
Kurumi narrowed her eyes, her crimson gaze seemingly holding an inexplicable magic.
"Did you take care of Caster?"
"It was my lack of skill that allowed him to escape."
"Is that so?" Kurumi turned to look at the castle. "Kiritsugu Emiya certainly lives up to the name 'Mage Killer.' But aren't you worried about letting Lancer go? Aren't you afraid he'll be returned to the Throne of Heroes?"
"Witch! Please do not insult a knight's honour!"
Kurumi grinned, slowly walking towards Saber.
Finally, she stopped beside the young King of Knights.
Turning her head slightly, her night-black hair accidentally brushed against Saber's exposed skin.
"That's why a knight with noble ideals is not suited to be a king."
"You!"
With a scent of fragrance, the witch and her alchemical doll, who bore a striking resemblance to her, vanished completely before Saber's eyes.
Apart from a slight magical fluctuation, Saber felt nothing.
Their teeth clenched, and the muscles in her cheeks tensed but soon relaxed, like the sword in her hand, Excalibur.
Witches were always known for their charming ways; her words... could never be trusted!
At this moment, Saber had forgotten that calling Kurumi a 'witch' was her own idea, first, and Kurumi herself had never confirmed it.
"Irisviel!"
Saber hurried to her side, reaching out to help her up.
Irisviel could feel Saber's forearm muscles stiffen for a moment. It would be hard for an ordinary person to notice, but as a homunculus, she was susceptible to such things.
'Saber knows about the scabbard...'
Irisviel looked up at Saber, her crimson eyes revealing a lot to her.
"I'm fine." Irisviel slowly removed her right hand from her abdomen. In the pale moonlight, apart from the bloodstains and the torn fabric from the blade's stab, the wound had vanished.
"How is Maiya?"
"Her?" Saber quickly adjusted her mood. She made a swift judgment based on her experience in numerous wars and her understanding of injuries.
"She's seriously injured and unconscious. If she doesn't receive timely treatment, she might have lasting injuries."
Irisviel stood up from the ground. As long as Saber was by her side, the sheath within her would continually heal her.
A white light glowed in her hand, and a faint magical fluctuation rose, slowly healing Maiya.
The two tacitly avoided discussing the scabbard.
Saber looked towards the castle, then at Irisviel. Even when performing healing magic, which should have given her a sacred aura, it was... less than one per cent of that witch's power!
Was she the reviled, heart-bewitching witch or the revered, saintly maiden with countless followers?
Saber shook her head, forcing herself not to think about these things.
"Irisviel, did that witch do anything excessive to you?"
"She?" Irisviel smiled bitterly. "If I could thank her, Maiya would be willing to go."
Saber frowned. "What exactly happened?"
"We tried to stop Kirei Kotomine from getting to Kiritsugu, but we didn't expect him to be so powerful. If he hadn't heard that the witch was coming here, Maiya and I would've been in serious trouble."
"But... the alchemical doll with the witch took some of my blood and hair."
Saber's furrowed brow did not relax. "We should inform our Master about this. Although Merlin often guided me in magic, I don't have much talent."
"After all, when those terms are entangled with the witch, one tends to be cautious."
Irisviel nodded. The magical fluctuations subsided, and the white light in her hand gradually disappeared.
"Saber, can you help me carry Maiya back?"
"With pleasure."
Saber hoisted the black-haired woman onto her shoulder with one hand, glancing in the direction Kurumi had left.
Who exactly was she?
...
"Ahhhhh!" Red Queen tugged at her long black hair, her magic network model calculations constantly failing.
She felt like she was going crazy!
She was an intelligent lifeform! Why was she feeling this way?
"Hmph!"
Red Queen manipulated the strand of silver hair again, dozens of drops of crimson blood floating in the air, with various magical patterns intertwining around them, creating a magnificent scene!
Sakura Matou watched with wide eyes, closely observing the scene.
To her, even her so-called 'father,' Tohsaka Tokiomi, couldn't easily manipulate such a vast amount of magic while furiously constructing different spells.
Her big eyes sparkled with stars, and Sakura became hugely interested in this alchemical doll who resembled her big sister by three points!
They were currently in a mansion. Sakura was delighted that her range of activities had expanded.
Swinging her legs in the air, she rested her chin on her hands, not even watching the TV programs, just staring at Red Queen.
Another experiment failed!
Red Queen was about to go mad! Despite a little fan watching, why was her luck so bad today?!
"Bang!"
With a soft sound, Red Queen gave up hope.
The materials in the test tube turned utterly black, indistinguishable from what they had been before.
Scratching her head again, she realized that her originally smooth black hair had a randomly grown cowlick due to some mysterious force!
Her master was in the basement analysing the [Gamma] magic pattern and probably wouldn't come out anytime soon.
She had enthusiastically tried to decipher Irisviel's structure but kept failing.
'Is the magic network not yet mature?'
Red Queen couldn't figure it out, turning to look at Sakura, who blinked her big eyes at her without a hint of shyness.
Red Queen flew around her in a circle, mimicking her master by crossing her arms and rubbing her chin with a small hand.
"Are you Tohsaka's daughter?"
"I... I don't know."
Red Queen twitched an eye. "Your father didn't give you any protection? I seriously doubt if you're his daughter from a mistress."
Sakura looked at Red Queen with big eyes, tears welling up.
"Don't cry! If the master finds out I bullied you, I'll be in trouble!"
As Red Queen tried to comfort the little girl, the 'pocket watch' hanging around Sakura's neck caught her attention.