Deep within the forest, Beryl Gut was doing everything he could to flee the Einzbern woods.
He hadn't expected the Masters of the Fuyuki Holy Grail War to be such dangerous opponents.
Shinji Matou's Servant, Perseus, the Heracles controlled by a hijacked Einzbern Homunculus...
And himself, alongside Hassan-i-Sabbah lurking in the shadows. It had seemed like a guaranteed kill. But then a third party appeared—someone who, with the skill of a Magus, effortlessly killed Assassin and brought down the berserk, nearly invincible Heracles as well.
"They've even got Reality Marbles... Servants really are unpredictable monsters," Beryl muttered as he cautiously navigated the trees.
The Einzbern Homunculi were likely all dead, their bodies reduced to nothing more than containers for the Lesser Grail.
With that, the forest's barrier had also gone quiet.
But Beryl didn't care. None of it had anything to do with him.
He had just stumbled upon information about the Holy Grail War in Fuyuki and decided to crash the party for fun.
That's why he had chosen the Assassin class—perfect for killing.
Murdering under the guise of the Holy Grail War was far more exhilarating than taking assignments from the underworld.
And he got to watch Servants devour human souls.
Especially when he had broken the Homunculus' fingers one by one—he could have sworn he heard music not meant for human ears.
Now that Assassin was dead, the Grail War no longer concerned him.
Should he take shelter at the Church, or just skip town entirely?
Or perhaps, while the Grail War was still underway, he could impersonate another Master and take out a few more targets.
There were still a few marked victims he hadn't gotten around to killing.
"Maybe I'll head back to the city first and look for—"
Muttering to himself with a grin, Beryl was suddenly interrupted by a sharp voice cutting through the air.
He leapt aside just in time. Three Black Keys embedded themselves in a nearby tree trunk.
"Where do you think you're going, Master of Assassin?" A clear, cold voice rang out.
Beryl turned and saw a woman in a nun's habit standing on a branch, another Black Key ready in her hand.
"Oh my, if it isn't the Overseer from the Holy Church. I was just about to seek refuge with you," Beryl said with a cheeky smile, completely unfazed. "There's a Servant battle raging at Einzbern Castle, and my Assassin's already been defeated."
"Oh?" Ciel showed no reaction.
"Your elaborate trap failed, so now you're running away, serial killer."
Another voice chimed in. Shiomi stepped out from behind a tree behind Beryl.
"You're...!" Beryl recognized him immediately—things had just taken a turn for the worse.
"Sister Ciel, leave this one to me," Shiomi said calmly as he walked toward Beryl. "I was entrusted with this task, and I intend to see it through."
"Be my guest." Ciel remained still.
Beryl's expression changed, but he quietly began casting a lethal Magecraft spell, ready to ambush Shiomi.
"Oh come on, is this how the Holy Church treats a defeated Master?"
"From the moment you ordered Assassin to massacre civilians across Fuyuki and feast on their souls, you broke the rules of the Holy Grail War," Shiomi said as he walked forward. "You became a target for other Masters and Servants to eliminate."
Beryl tilted his head slightly, glasses catching a sharp glint of light.
"Didn't think a Magus would care about ordinary lives. In that case—"
His tone suddenly shifted. A deadly curse flew from his hand.
At this range, Beryl had never once missed.
He never expected—
The curse spell landed squarely on Shiomi.
But the effect took hold not on Shiomi... but on Beryl Gut himself.
"Huh?"
It was as if he couldn't understand what was happening. The curse engulfing him was far stronger than the one he'd cast—several times stronger—devouring his body whole.
"What fitting Magecraft for assassination. No wonder you were Assassin's Master," Shiomi said coldly, staring down at the collapsing Beryl.
The half-human, half-witch hybrid could no longer speak.
He understood better than anyone how dreadful his curse was. Yet all he could do now was stare at Shiomi in fear and confusion, unable to fathom where it had gone wrong.
The sixth of the Primordial Runes—The Rune of Curse Reversal.
Even with the blood of a witch, a human's curse was still just that—human.
The curse clinging to his body slowly rotted it away, inch by inch.
An excruciating, soul-searing agony wracked his remaining consciousness. But even the strength to resist had been stripped from him—by his own curse.
Before long, Beryl was fully consumed, his body crumbling like a weathered husk, as if centuries-old. A breeze blew past, and he scattered into ash, carried away on the wind.
"I sensed a battle from the church, so I came to investigate. Never thought I'd catch the Master of Assassin," Ciel said. "The job of an Overseer is truly endless. I'd only just finished treating the Master you sent to me."
"How convenient. Now you can file your report on the way back," Shiomi replied, raising an eyebrow as he glanced at the pile of ash.
"So how did you find him, Mr. Shiomi?"
"Tracking Magecraft. He left traces at Einzbern Castle."
That was all Shiomi said.
Of course, it was a lie.
...
Ten minutes earlier, inside Einzbern Castle.
After the battle ended, Shiomi and the others entered the castle, spreading out to investigate.
In the master bedroom on the third floor, he found the Homunculus.
She looked exactly like Illya—but she was already dead.
Shiomi guessed that Shinji had used the bond between Perseus and Heracles to have Rider interfere with Heracles, and in the chaos, had worked with the Assassin faction to attack and kill the Homunculus.
"How pitiful. A life created without even a wish of its own... burdened with a thousand years of a family's legacy, only to die like this."
BB's voice suddenly came from behind him.
"What is it?" Shiomi asked calmly, turning his head.
BB stood proudly, hands on her hips, looking smug. "Oh, I came to drop off some intel. Assassin's Master is currently in full retreat."
As she spoke, she swung her pointer, and a Magecraft projection appeared before Shiomi's eyes.
"What do you want me to do?"
"That's up to you, of course," BB said, offering no instructions. "But if you plan on forgiving the one who tried to assassinate your precious daughter, then even adorable, all-powerful BB can't help you, you know~ Ehehe~"
"You really do know me."
Shiomi turned and walked out of the castle.
"Well, duh! I'm Daddy's girl, after all~"
BB, left behind, said something ambiguous and cryptic—and then vanished.
What followed was Shiomi's rendezvous with Ciel and their joint ambush on Beryl.
...
(100 Chapters Ahead)
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