Logic and Trick

Nico Robin could best describe her life as a rollercoaster of emotions. Mostly a downward ride, but the analogy felt appropriate, considering the highs she had close to her death.

Was it odd that she considered her death one of the least tragic parts of her life? Sure that she never figured out the secrets of the Void Century and the knowledge of how to read the Poneglyphs was lost with her, but she at least got out on her terms rather than executed like a dog in Marineford.

And was it odd that one of the highs of her life was her death? Philosophical questions that would need an answer another time. But it's no exaggeration to say that the Assassin of Ohara was nothing short of fascinated by that new world.

It was nearly inconceivable in her mind: a world united in large land masses called continents, the lack of a Grand Line, the near extinction of pirates -she could only imagine what her captain would think of that last statement. It was fascinating.

And thus, she did what she best did: research.

The Tohsaka's library was no Tree of Knowledge, but it was a deep trove of knowledge: not only about the workings of magecraft but also many stories of the world. Sure, the Grail gave all she needed about the era she currently was fighting in, but she also learned useful things from it.

“You are still reading?”

The woman looked at her Master, then to the window. ‘Huh,’ thought the Assassin. ‘It's already morning. I don't think I have such tranquility of mind to read since…since Ohara.’

“Did you read all of those books?” continued the man.

The woman nodded.

“I am quite the speed reader, you see,” said Robin. “And I can organize this room in a snap of my fingers. Treinta Fleur.”

From all the corners of the library, arms sprout from the tables, atop shelves, and even in the ground. Three of them distributed the books, which had been carefully stacked in piles representing each shelf, and then passed over until they were in place.

“This is… a mundane use for such an extraordinary power,” said Tokiomi.

“I suppose you could say that,” said Robin. “But it's something so useful~!”

Hana-Hana no Mi: The Hundred Flowery Hands of the Fiendess.

That was the name of Assassin of Ohara's single Noble Phantasm, allowing for the generation of parts of her limbs in other surfaces -although the man failed to see what that had to do with flowers. From what Tokiomi garnered from the woman, it was given to her by ingesting some type of ‘devil fruit,’ a term he had never heard before.

Then again, it was expected, as she and Kirei's secondary Servant weren't of this world.

“You seem to have many doubts in your head, Master,” said Assassin, continuing to organize the room with her arms. “Do you still have doubts about my world?”

“No, nothing at the moment, although some concepts still evade me.”

Compared to most mage families, the Tohsakas were more open to the idea of parallel universes. After all, the great benefactor of the family, Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg, the Wizard Marshall, established one of the five remaining Magics in the world, the Second, dictating the Operation of Parallel Worlds. Thus, once provided with enough proof, Tokiomi accepted without much thought the idea that Nico Robin and King Bradley were heroes of other worlds. And Kirei, the good follower he was, also accepted that.

“Hm, I suppose it's a lot to handle,” says the Servant. “If it wasn't for the Grail, I suppose I would be in shock with the lack of a Grand Line, the inexistence of the World Government, and with this continent thing. I found it rather interesting how they are formed, by the way. Never thought you would have such content in your library.”

He raised an eyebrow, picking up the book in question.

“This is from my daughter,” said the man. “She usually comes here to study, so she keeps her books here unless needed in school.”

“I see,” she said, putting the school books in separate piles. “She and your wife leave the house today, correct?”

He nodded.

“I judged that it would be too dangerous for them to stay here. Aoi's parents were kind enough to allow them to stay there for the duration of the war, and Risei is helping cover their tracks.”

The Assassin nodded. While the Tohsaka estate was a magical fortress, not even it could hold a Servant down for too long, and stopping a child of scholar age from going to school would only raise questions. And, in a most pragmatic sense, it would reduce the chances of them being used as hostages.

Tokiomi glanced at the books when he noticed an older tome.

“What the-? How did you find that?!” he asked, a bit nervous.

She smirked, materializing one of her Fleurs close to a candle holder, and pulling it down. Old mechanisms triggered, opening a hole in the roof, from which a shelf, filled with runes, went down. It was currently empty, but the materialized hands were soon putting books into it.

“I was an amateur archaeologist when I was alive, you see,” she said. “Old tribes used tricks like these all the time. It didn't take too long to figure out how to trigger the mechanism. Did you install this?”

The man grimaced.

“My grandfather,” said the magus. “At the time, it was a useful measure to avoid magical invaders, but I personally never liked it too much. What's the point of feeling the spell when you can't break it in the first place?”

Robin chuckled a bit. The magus was biased towards his practice when put against technology.

“What did you read from those books?” he asked.

“Hm…” said Robin. “Nothing too much. Unfortunately, the Grail can't make me understand other tongues besides my native one and Japanese.”

The man seemed to relax.

“Good, good…” he said. “These documents are supposed to be a family secret. Could you please not look at them again?”

He phrased it as a request, but it sounded like an order. The woman nodded.

“I will not read them,” said the Assassin of Ohara. “And excuse me for snooping.”

The Master nodded.

“Good, good. Also, I want you in the dining room once Aoi and Rin leave. We have something to discuss. It's important, so be present."

With that said, Tokiomi left the room.

The smile that Robin had been holding all the time disappeared.

“Oh, Master…” said the woman. “If you knew that I knew.”

She looked at the shelf with the forbidden books. The Assassin didn't lie that she wouldn't look at them again because there was no need.

Library of Stored Knowledge (Forbidden).

With it, Robin did not need to see the books again because she knew their contents almost by the letter. And the prohibition that her Master applied only made that skill better. Of course, it was all written in the tongue called German, but…

She glanced at the books of Rin Tohsaka and its most recent addition. Japanese-German Dictionary.

“Thank you, fraulein,” said the Assassin. “Now I know everything there is to know about this ritual,” she paused. “Now what?”

Her gaze returned to the shelf. Once more, she held the metaphorical forbidden fruit. The truth about that ritual, discovered by chance. Seven/Fourteen souls summoned to fight until two remain. But, to reach the Root, all would need to be tributed.

“What to do, what to do.”

Running away wasn't an option: she had no doubt she could kill Tokiomi before Archer could do anything, but finding another Master would be troublesome. Besides, she would be the target of the vengeance of the priest, Kirei, and his Servants. And maybe Gilgamesh, just because she destroyed one of “his” belongings.

(By the way, was it only her, or the voice of the king reminded her too much of Rob Lucci?)

Point is, killing was not an option. And no one wanted a Servant that murdered its Master on a whim.

Thus, Nico Robin decided to be patient and watch. Of all people, she knew that information was power, and she held an invisible Sword of Damocles over his head. Maybe she would release it, maybe not. It all depended on which type of person Tokiomi Tohsaka was.

The Servant couldn't help but chuckle sadly to herself.

“It seems some things just don't change.”

Kirei nearly had his life ended by a little girl.

“Watch out!”

The priest glanced at the suitcase flying in his direction at high speed. Then, with reflexes honed by years of training with Executors, he grabbed the flying case.

“...you should be more careful with your steps,” said the man, in a deadpan tone.

The little girl sighed.

“Oh, it's you.”

Kirei had no idea why Rin Tohsaka hated him. From the moment they first crossed eyes, the daughter of Tokiomi disliked him, even though he had no memory of harming her. He didn't share the same feelings, although he tried to avoid the little girl.

He had heard that children could be more perceptive than adults in some subjects.

“You shouldn't be in such a hush,” said Kirei. “To be elegant it's not to be hasty, it's to do things at the right time in the right way.”

The girl bit her lip, and Kirei recognized he made a mistake.

“Don't you come with such lectures to me,” she grumbled. “I know that.”

It was a sore spot for her that a man from outside the family spent so much time learning with her father, and she was in the background. It was inevitable, however: Kirei had to spend a considerable amount of time learning the ways of the magus, or otherwise, Magic Circuits be damned, he would be a sorry excuse of a Master.

“Now, now, there is no need for fighting.”

Rin positively jumped when Saber of Amestris appeared behind her. He smirked.

“It was an accident, no? No sense in getting heated up by that.”

The girl gagged, still flustered.

“Eh, uh, well…yeah, you are right.”

“See? No need to fight. Now, come on. Your mother is looking for you.”

The girl blinked.

“A-ah! Right!”

With that, the little girl went down the stairs, picked up her suitcase -not before glaring at Kirei -and went down a corridor.

“Oh, children,” said King Bradley, shaking his head amused. “They are always troublemakers.”

He held the same smile that he gave to Rin, and, like before, Kirei felt a shiver down his spine.

It was so…fake.

One old saying that Kirei disliked was ‘It takes one to know one.’ He never understood what it meant: it was impossible how someone is by a glance.

And yet, that was what happened with him and the Fuhrer of another world. He put on a mask with naturality and went his merry way. The unaware eye would be unlikely to notice how dangerous he was.

Mad Enhancement, a skill that sacrificed the sanity of the Servant for further power. Commonly exclusive to the savage Berserker class.

And Bradley possessed it. Not at a low rank, as one would think. But at EX. Something unquantifiable. By all ways, he should be nothing but a raving maniac roaring for blood. Yet, here he was, putting that mask of control.

“How do you do it?”

It took a second for the priest to realize he said that out loud. Bradley raised his (visible) eyebrow.

“What?”

The priest didn't elaborate, however. He opted to leave the room hurriedly. The Saber blinked.

CRACK!

Bradley looked to the hand that held the wood rail, sighing at the sight of the crack.

“Oh my, that will not do,” he said. “I hope our host does not see that. Do I trust you to keep this secret?”

He proceeded to dematerialize, blinking devilishly at their invisible spectator. Gilgamesh smirked in amusement.

“So you knew I was here all the time, huh?”

The king appeared in a burst of golden particles. Then, glancing at the cracked handrail, the man chuckled.

“My, my. For such a dull man, you know how to surround yourself with interesting figures, Tokiomi,” said the Archer. “A man filled with potential, another filled with rage, and a she-devil. Did this war provide me with other interesting figures?”

Gilgamesh didn't like these additional Servants at first: for him, they were like annoying bugs buzzing without permission in his garden. On the other hand, the figures that he was provided so far had been quite eye-catching.

So, he would spare them…as long as he felt entertained.

“Fufufu…I barely can not wait for the battles to begin.”

Kayneth committed a terrible mistake. He knew that.

The problem was the when.

The moment he didn't personally take the first catalyst? When he rushed things to get the second? Or when he decided to enter the Holy Grail War in the first place? Hard to say.

Still, it said something that, even before the end of the breakfast, he already felt more stressed than ever.

“So…Diarmuid Ua Duibhne, right?” asked Asuka…something. Kayneth had asked her name before, but he hadn't bothered to pay attention beyond the first name. The Rider now wore a yellow dress with red Mary Jane shoes, with a lavender choker around her neck. “Weird name.”

The Lancer with the Love Spot raised its eyebrow.

“It's the one I received from my mother,” he said. “For me, there is nothing natural. If anything, I would say that Asuka Langley Sohryu is a weirder name.”

Oh, so it was that. No wonder Kayneth didn't bother to remember. It was too long.

(Of course, he was unaware of how hypocritical he was being, considering that he was Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald)

The Rider giggled.

“Why, it's because I am quarter Japanese, quarter German, and have an American dad,” she huffed proudly. “As you see, I am a person with lots of skills. Three tongues, university degree, and ace pilot of humanity, fighting against the Angels.”

“The biblical ones?”

“You wish. Yes, I was the best at what I did!”

“Hmph!”

Asuka stared at the huffing Sola-Ui.

“What was that?” asked the Rider, raising an eyebrow.

“You heard me. You, a child, fighting against monsters? Don't make me laugh. Now, leave the adult talk for the grown-ups, would you?”

Silence. Then, slowly, the Rider of Tokyo-3 lifted from her seat.

“Listen here, you arrogant piece of-”

“Cease!” interrupted Kayneth. “I am only trying to have a nice breakfast, and I don't want any fights to interrupt this moment. Do you understand?” he said, glaring at the trio, who reacted differently: Diarmuid bowed his head, ashamed; Sola ignored him, staring lovestruck at the Lancer; and Rider glared outraged at her Master but ultimately returned to her seat. “Good.”

Kayneth returned to eat: sausage, black pudding, and toast complemented by some green tea. Simple for a Clock Tower lord, but it was one of his favorite foods.

It was a shame that the bitterness of the fight ruined it.

After that, Kayneth went to the last floor to think. One of the perks of renting the top of the Hyatt, and a rather convenient one: he needed space to think.

The place was empty: there was a heliport that the Lord didn't expect to use. Helicopters were beneath his attention. Oh, if only he had brought one of the larger Mystic Codes!

‘Well, it was already hard to convince the family to allow the Mystic Codes I have stored,’ thought the magus.

“Bah!” he said. “Useless worries. Those Codes will give me all the power I may need in this war.”

He already used many of them to form the magical security that surrounded the twenty-four floors he rented: he managed to bring even the Magical Reactors that his family had pride in. Yes, there was no risk to the integrity of those artifacts.

Besides, most were only there for precaution and/or exhibition. He needed only one Code to fight.

Kayneth passed the hand in a flask, uncorking it and letting the mercury inside flow.

“Fervor, mei sanguis.”

The liquid turned into a metallic blob that grew as he poured more and more of the flask into it until a ball of 140 Kg floated in the air. He caressed into it, not a single ripple appearing with the touch.

Yes, Volumen Hydrargyrum was all he needed in a battle. It had conquered him countless victories in mock fights on the Clock Tower, and, when he used that, no magi had ever pierced its impenetrable defenses.

Most of the time, however, he used it for an infinitely more mundane task.

‘Automatic consideratione.’

He felt the blob slowly starting to go down to the floor. However, when Kayneth focused on it, Volumen answered and returned to its height.

That was one of the first commands he imputed in the metallic blob when trying to refine it into the perfect Mystic Code that it was today. He also discovered that it was an outstanding tool for meditation, needed in a political world as stressful as the Clock Tower. Not that he would ever reveal that to anyone: using a Mystic Code for such a banal task would make him the subject of mockery in the Clock Tower.

Not that he did not already feel mocked.

“What did I do to deserve this?” he grumbled. Then, he added, “What specifically?”

Kayneth was under no illusions of being a good man (not that he particularly cared), but the pair of sevens that fate gave him was too harsh in his humble opinion.

“We have a man that charmed my fiance and a brat that can only think of putting herself between the legs of the man that charmed my fiance. Why would you give me that, world?”
“Excuse me, who the hell are you calling a brat?!”

Only an extraordinary amount of control that Kayneth didn't let the blob fall. He turned to Rider of Tokyo-3.

“What do you want? Are you not seeing that I wish to be alone?”

“I want to talk to you personally about-” she started before noticing the mercury sphere. “What the hell is that?”

“I was testing my Mystic Code,” he lied. “It's always good to check if he's in good condition.”

It always was, but he needed an excuse.

Asuka analyzed the blob.

“That thing…” she grumbled. “Metallic shine, yet liquid. It does not seem to be irradiating heat. So, mercury.”

“Hmph,” grumbled the magus. “So you do know one thing or two about the world. Yes, my Volumen Hydrargyrum is quite a versatile Code. A peerless spear and an ultimate shield! Yes, this will be one of the great relics of the family.”

The girl ignored him, instead touching the blob with her fingers.

“Hey, I'm talking with you, spirit,” snarked the man. “Be polite, and answer.”

“First, my name is Asuka, not Spirit,” she said. “And second, I call bullcrap in this being an ultimate shield.”

The magus gaped, outraged.

“Excuse me?!” he snarled. “A little girl like you claims to be more knowledgeable about magic than me?! A lord?!”

Rider's veins throbbed.

“Who are you calling a little girl, huh?! I'm fourteen! Fourteen! Almost a teenager! And I only need to know about hydrodynamics to tell that your statement is utter crap! Anyone with two guns of different calibers could pierce that shit!”

“Oh yeah, huh? Prove it, smartass! You are no better than some of my students, and guess who always comes on top in those discussions?!”

“Oh yeah?! How about some practice?! Put your shield up, and I will show your mistake!”

The Lord sneezed.

“Fine then. I warn that the blows of a weakling servant like you won't do anything to my defenses. Volumen Hydrargyrum can resist even the most powerful explosions! Fervor, mei sanguis!”

The ball exploded, making Asuka take back a few steps.

“See?! No magic affects this membrane! Punching it is like punching a steel wall! You have no chance of-!”

BONK! CRACK!

A hand covered in red grabbed the Master by the neck and pushed him out of the defense of Volumen Hydrargyrum to the meeting of Asuka's smug smile.

“Wha-!”

“Impressive. You use surface tension to make a defense strong enough to protect against almost everything,” stated the Rider. “But, if you ever watched on the outside, you would have noticed that it cannot adapt to too many attacks simultaneously. So, if you are hit too quickly by attacks of different strengths in the same spot, you are a sitting duck.”

The man blinked, his face red with rage.

“You-!” he snarled. “It does not count! Not even an Executor would be able to react that fast!”

The Rider shrugged.

“If you say so. But don't cry if you get hit by a stray bullet,” said the Rider. “What was I doing here again…oh, right. Can you control your wife and make her stop hitting on Lancer?”

His anger disappeared immediately, exchanged for confusion.

“Explain.”

“Exactly what I said, you deaf old man. Keep your wife in the chain and away from Lancer. You are already in a relationship, for Pete's sake!”

“First, she's my fiance,” said the Lord. “Different thing. Second, our relationship is complicated. And third, don't ask that of me! The fault is of that damned Love Spot that snared you!"

“Not the point!” snarled the Servant. “The point is to put the damn pants in your relationship and take control of that hoe!”

“YOU. WILL. NOT. ORDER ME!”

The Servant visibly recoiled as Kayneth felt a burst of magic in the back of his hand. His eyes widened, and he looked, seeing five command seals. In the heat of the moment, he used one of them to make the Rider of Tokyo-3 back off! How could he commit such an amateur mistake?

Asuka looked livid but managed to force herself to calm down.

“Alright, alright, so I won't boss you around, alright,” not that she had a choice with the Command Seal. “Look, see this as one washing the hand of the other. I'm not very good at this, but if I help you with your relationship with the…milady,” the girl forced herself to say, “Then I help you with your ‘love spot’ problem. You will not get a better deal.”

Kayneth bit a lip. It irked him to accept the help of the Rider, but he had no choice: not after wasting a Command Seal on such a trivial matter. If anything, he felt that the girl would be a troublemaker.

“Fine,” he said. “I accept your deal. But you will pay if you do not do your part!”

“The same to you,” replied the pilot coldly. “I will leave you to your…’ maintenance.’”

The girl dissipated in a cloud of red particles, leaving Kayneth staring at nothing.

“GAH! That insufferable brat!”

‘I still can hear you!’

“As you should!”

After that, the magus tried to return to his meditation, only to find himself too frustrated to meet his standard. He decided to return to the workshop to plan his first attack.

“Stupid War. Stupid Servants. And stupid Sola-Ui,” he mumbled before leaving his meditation place.

???, Fuyuki
Night Time

Silence filled the room. Then, a hand touched the ‘Play’ button of the player for what seemed the umpteenth time.

The image was a bit blurry, but it was high-quality. It started with a vision from the top of Fuyuki, its flying cameraman navigating without issue through the city. But that was not of her interest, so she pressed to fast-forward. The image accelerated for a few hours before stopping when the scout entered a forested area.

The image kept playing on, leading to an ancient house, in the Tohsaka State. The position that the bat stood was that of the front garden. Two men were there, one dressed as a priest and one dressed formally. She couldn't hear anything, so she couldn't figure out what they were talking about.

The body language of the two men started friendly at first, but soon something changed. The priest said something that his companion in red didn't like. Soon, they were close to arguing before the formal man calmed down and turned his back.

It was a mistake, as a black man with a skull mask appeared and tried to stab him in the back.

THUMP!

He never had the chance.

“!" he looked surprised at the blade in his chest. He tried to retreat.

The Assassin never gave the first step. A second blade pierced his brain, killing him. The Heroic Spirit burst into golden particles, never to be seen again.

“Hmph. How loathsome for that bug to stain my garden.”

The voice of the golden Servant on the roof boomed through the scrying, although he never raised his voice. The priest seemed to snarl, summoning his second Servant and barking an order. The older man in a military coat drew his sword and, with a swift move -

SLASH!

-the arm of his Master split from the remainder of the body, where his Commands Seals should be.

The priest didn't scream, only looking shocked at his Servant, agape. He immediately put his hand on the stump, trying to stop the bleeding. Something seemed to snap on him as he roared to the heavens:

“ASSASSIN, YOU-!” he roared as she deciphered the lips.

His former Servant -a Saber perhaps -put a blade in his throat. However, the man in red uttered a few things, looking disapprovingly at his partner. Then, picking up the arm, he barked a few orders to the treacherous Saber, who nodded silently. Putting his blade down, he forcefully grabbed his former Master and, with a jump, left the garden. The other man entered the house, presumably to forge the new pact with the rogue Servant.

There were more things to see, but Maiya judged nothing else was worth her attention. She had watched the record four times already, and each time she got the feeling that something was wrong about all that.

The mercenary let her back against the chair, sighing.

Treachery was not uncommon amongst magus. In a world where politics decided the fate of entire lineages, backstabbing was a common practice. If Tokiomi Tohsaka had adopted any other man as his apprentice, the assistant of Kiritsugu could have found the situation believable.

Kirei Kotomine was not like most magi.

Of all the contestants of the Holy Grail War, that was the one that she and Kiritsugu had studied the most. Every known achievement, piece of personal life, relationship. All of that is accounted for in their notes.

Maiya would already have found the whole situation weird, considering the historical relationship between the Kotomine and Tohsaka families since the end of the Third Holy Grail War as staunch allies, but the situation was simultaneously simple and complex. She did not doubt that she would be tricked without knowing so much about that group.

The woman sighed, unconsciously petting one of her bats, currently sleeping. Maiya was certain that the treason was a ruse, a way to give Tohsaka an advantage in the war -even at the cost of the well-being of his disciple. However, she felt as if something was missing, a thing that she couldn't see.

‘Assassin,’ she thought. The class that Kotomine summoned and conclusively(?) eliminated by the golden Servant. Then, the military man, clearly of high-standing judging by the quality of his clothes. So did that mean he tried to “bargain” with one of his teacher's Servants and got betrayed by it?

The more she analyzed, the more Maiya found things to analyze. The mercenary picked up a notepad and a pen and started the video again. Kiritsugu was already informed of the developments of the night, but he should currently be on a ship to Fuyuki, arriving in the afternoon with the hedgehog (did she read that part of the message, right?) Servant, while his wife and Saber would come by plane.

It would take a whole night to analyze every detail, but it was alright.

If it was for Kiritsugu, she would do anything.

“The mission is done,” said Bradley. “Kirei Kotomine is now under the care of the Church.”

Tokiomi nodded.

“Good job, Saber,” replied the man to the Saber of Amestris. Assassin of Ohara was in the corner, reading a book. “Come, let's celebrate with a good wine.”

He popped the bottle open.

“You can go and have a drink as well, Assassin. You were crucial for our stunt tonight.

The woman took her eyes out of the book and smiled.

A few hours earlier

“So you wish to fake treason?” asked Robin.

The man nodded. The Tohsaka group was sitting around the dining table, where Tokiomi revealed his intentions. One of the faces of Assassin -that Kirei commented was called Asako -sat beside Saber of Amestris and her Master, while Assassin of Ohara sat beside the owner of the house, with Archer on the opposite side, drinking a cup of wine with disinterest.
“Indeed,” said Tokiomi. “Before the unexpected changes in the war, that was the plan. The supervisor of this war is Kirei's father, Risei. He is collaborating with us for this battle.”

Saber of Amestris nodded.

“It's always good to have a powerful man as an ally. Not bad.”

The magus bowed his head slightly.

“It's something that already goes through generations. My grandfather and, later, my father were close friends with him. If anything, I thank them for providing this connection,” he coughed. “But that is not the point. One of the unwritten rules in a Holy Grail War is that once a Master loses his Servant, he can forgo any wish to fight the war for safe housing. It didn't happen in the past because…well, let's say that previous wars rarely left survivors.”

“Hm…makes sense,” replied Robin. “A living Master is still a menace for the winner, considering they can always get vengeance.”

Tokiomi nodded with a pained expression.

“Indeed, but we can exploit this rule,” he pointed to Hundred Faces. “Our idea was to summon an Assassin, then fake their death, while Archer would provide the power we required for victory. In the safety of the Church, a neutral land, few would be able to see the truth, and, thinking that Assassin was gone, they would get their guards down.”

Asako glanced at Archer and couldn't help but snarl internally. If they ever had to face Gilgamesh in one and one, there was no doubt they would lose. They were fodder. And speaking of that…

“To fake our death is easy,” replied the woman. “I will deploy one of our least usable faces and let it die.”

It would be painful, but the Hundred-Faced Hassan saw no other way to do that. Besides, she didn't think Samir, the Speaker, would be useful for their work.

“Good,” said Tokiomi. “This will make it more convincing. We had plans to disguise it in case we didn't get someone capable of hiding the death, but this will make it more authentic. Now, however, we face another issue.”

He stared at Saber of Amestris.

“Hm, I suppose it's the fact we are duos, correct?” said the homunculi.

Tokiomi nodded.

“This made the logistics for that to work a bit more complicated. We want to make this situation look as believable as it can get, so Kirei and I had planned for the last week how to approach the situation. Thankfully, Robin is just the piece we needed to finish the plan.”

The pirate raised her eyebrow, curious.

“I suppose you are interested in the powers of the Hana-Hana No Mi?”

“Correct. As you know, if the body part that contains the Command Seals of a magus is ripped from them, they essentially are out of the war. Kirei, show them your Seals.”

The priest nodded, showing his right hand, the seals of his Servants contrasting with the white skin.

“Assassin, are there any restrictions we should know about your Phantasm?”

The woman scratched her chin.

“Hm…besides the fact that I can't mimic Kirei's arm properly, I also need to have visual contact with the surface where Fleur appears. Besides that, part of the damage they suffer is inflicted on me."

And also a crippling weakness to seawater, but Robin didn't see the need to say that.

“I see. But this is easily solvable if you look at it beforehand, correct?”

The Assassin of Ohara nodded.

“Good. And you will also be out of sight, meaning that no one will notice the reflected damage. Now, the most important part of this staging is what we want to say.”

The magus paused, taking a deep breath.

“The story is that Kirei will try to betray me. Before we get out, he manages to sneak past my defenses and brings Assassin to the land of the house. He also tries to sway Robin to his side, trying to have the numbers advantage.

However, Robin fakes being on his side and passes the information to me. Kirei sets a trap in the garden, where we argue -the anti-scrying defenses mean that no familiar will be able to hear the subject. When Gilgamesh strikes down Hassan, Kirei will summon Saber to his side…”

He paused.

“Then, Bradley will cut his 'arm' out, switching sides. Of course, this is only a Fleur, so Kirei will keep the arm and be able to request safe housing from Risei."

Silence. Then…

“A well-elaborated plan, Tohsaka.”

All eyes turned to Gilgamesh. The golden Archer finished his drink before throwing the cup into the air, where it dissolved in golden particles.

“Now, why should I obey you?”

He bowed his head to the king,

“Forgive my arrogance, your majesty. I assumed that it would be of your taste to flaunt your superiority amongst the participants of this war -even if it's only a performance, to say.”
Those red eyes pierced Tokiomi. The man contained his wish to gulp. If Gilgamesh didn't like the plan, then…

The king lifted from his chair.

“Well then. I shall entertain your wish to play games, Tokiomi. Do not expect me to partake in your whimsies anymore, however.”

Tokiomi nearly bit his lip to not scream at the Archer. At other times he would shrug that commentary off easily but the surprises so far were putting him on the edge. Archer raised his eyebrow, amused. ‘So he does have a spine after all.’

“I will be in the garden, enjoying the sun,” said the golden king, leaving the room.

With much control, Tokiomi managed to calm down. Goddammit, if they didn't need the power of Archer, he would-

CRACK!

Everyone glanced at Saber of Amestris, who looked comically at the piece of wood in his hands.

“Hm, it seems I am having quite the difficulty in reining my temper in today,” commented Bradley jovially. “My excuses for the table, Tokiomi.”

…That was a family heirloom.

Patience, nothing that a bit of magecraft couldn't solve.

“There's not much to say after that,” said Tokiomi. “Once Kirei ‘loses’ his Command Seals, Bradley shall act as my Servant for the time being. We can abandon the ruse if needed later, but for now, that is the plan. Questions?”

Silence.

“Good. If you excuse me, I need some remedy for my headache…”

Robin picked the drink with one of her blossomed arms, summoning another to pass it to her.

“Thank you,” said the Devil Child, sipping at the drink. “Hm. Good quality.”

Bradley nodded.

“Indeed. Not as good as some of the breeds in Amestris, but not half bad. Speaking of wine, where would our gold friend be?”

“He left for the city,” said Tokiomi. “His wish was to ‘watch modern humanity,’ whatever that meant.”

By the tone of voice of the man, he was relieved.

“For now, let's go down to the basement.”

The two Servants followed the Master down to the workshop of the man. Once there, the human walked straight to a gramophone-esque Mystic Code, turning it on.

“Hello, Kirei. How are things on your side?”

Silence. Then, the priest replied:

“All went smoothly, Tokiomi. Father accepted my request. Now, I'm safe in the Church.”

‘Good, good,’ thought the magus. ‘For once, things are going according to the plan.’

“You know what to do now. Order Assassin to spread and start gathering information.”

“Understood,” said the priest. “Have a good night, master.”

The call ended. Bradley raised an eyebrow.

“It would have been easier to use a phone for that. Or a radio.”

Tokiomi scoffed.

“Hmph. This is not something that a man of my position should ever consider using. So beneath me.”

“With a radio, you could communicate with more people, however,” said Robin. “And you could also intercept calls from others.”

“But with this, no one can hear what we have to say,” replied the Master. “And this is the important thing in the end.”

The two Servants shrugged.

“Hm, I suppose that is that, then,” said Robin. “Well, I will be in the library if I am needed. Farewell, for now.”

“And I will watch the house,” said the Saber. “Sleep well, Master: I feel that war comes tomorrow.”

As the two Servants left, Tokiomi turned his attention to a photo. ‘Weird,’ he thought. ‘I don't leave pictures here.’

He picked the paper up and opened it. His eyes widened.

All four of them. Him. Aoi. Rin. And Sakura. He remembered the day well. It was the first school day of the two, and Aoi wanted something to celebrate. All four of them were smiling, and happy.

He stared at the photo and sighed. Tokiomi made plans for his whole life, and yet he was still met with difficulties. In this case, was to be blessed with two daughters with exceptional talent in the magical arts: Rin, an Average One -a magus capable of manipulating all five elements. And Sakura, with the innate ability of the Imaginary Numbers.

His plan was always to make one of them his successor and let the other choose her path -just like his father offered a lifetime ago. However, such talents would mean that a life of normalcy was all but impossible: the one that chose not to follow the path of the magus would lead to nothing but grief to them.

Besides, some competitiveness was never bad for a beginner in the magical arts.

He stared at the photo more. He should do what he did with most photos with Sakura present in it and burn the paper. A magus of his level should not be attached to memories like that: it was all in the past.

And yet…He was unable to do so. The man put a hand in his face. Tokiomi couldn't even will himself to generate the smallest spark.

He put the document inside his suit's inner pocket. It was already late in the night, and it was time to rest.

King Bradley was right.

Tomorrow was war day.

Assassin of Ohara - Nico Robin

True Name: Nico Robin
Title: Devil Child of Ohara
Alignment: True Neutral
Alternate Class: Avenger

Strength: B
Endurance: C
Agility: D
Mana: C
Luck: D
NP: B

Class Skills

Presence Concealment - C+

Hides presence as a Servant. At this rank, it's suitable for spying. Robin worked for many years as one of the top assassins for the Baroque Works organization, thus having this rank. Besides that, her special abilities allow to ignore the drop in ranking characteristic from this ranking when attacking.

Personal Skills

Library of Stored Knowledge (Forbidden) - B

Allows to recall things from memory after a luck check, even if not knowingly processed at the time. For necessity and wish to uncover the truth of the world, Assassin acquired great information-gathering skills from her adventures. The Forbidden addiction relates to her infamy as being one of the few capable of deciphering the language of the Void Century: while virtually worthless in this world, Robin has an easier time remembering things considered taboo because of that.

Double Cross -D

A skill representing someone that betrayed and was betrayed many times. A wandering spirit that belongs to no house…or so one would think. In the end, Robin had found true comrades, but was unable to keep following them to the future. With that said, she still can very well simulate a treason situation, and keep it believable.

Calm and Collected - C-

Suppresses emotions to allow for cooler, calculated thoughts. Increases mental resistance for most mental interference attempts. A cool mind is a must for a fugitive as infamous as Nico Robin, who rarely lost her mind. However, if you press certain mental buttons, it's possible to break through her.

Noble Phantasm

Hana Hana No Mi - The Hundred Flowery Hands of the Fiendess
Rank: B
Classification: Anti-Unit, Anti-Team

Robin's Noble Phantasm. At some point in her childhood, young Nico Robin crossed through one of the famed Devil Fruits, powerful fruits that, once eaten, grant their user supernatural abilities. Many people can have eaten the same fruit over the course of centuries, but their powers are still unique enough to qualify as Noble Phantasms.

For Robin, she obtained a fruit of the common but diverse Paramecia class: the Hana Hana No Mi, also known as Flower Flower Fruit. The skills, however, are not completely indicative of the name: it does not grant power over flowers. Rather, it instead allows for its user to generate copies of their body parts in any surface -their own body included. Even compared to other users of Paramecia, who have less straightforward abilities than other Devil Fruit users, Assassin manages to truly make this fruit shine. As she specializes in assassination techniques, things like strength and speed are nearly worthless against her: as long as she can see, any part of her body can “bloom” and sneakily immobilize their opponents for the kill. This power also has defensive uses, as she can use the arms to shield from attacks -albeit damaging the arms causes some damage to Assassin herself. And, while limited by sight, Assassin can expand her range by blooming eyes on other surfaces. She can even combine her arms to create large wings that, while unable to fly for long, can at least serve to glide through the air. For her big moves, she can combine her arms to create enlarged versions called Manos, useful to handle larger foes.

However, this power has some drawbacks. As already stated, if any body part is damaged, Assassin suffers some damage, and she needs visual contact to bloom the body parts. Besides that, she can only manifest one hundred parts of her body at any given time (a Manos counts as 20 “fleur”). And, like most Devil Fruit users, she has a crippling weakness to the sea, a curse from using her fruit. Entering in any place with “standing water” will disable her powers and any active appendages. And she's also weak to a special type of mineral called Seastone, which shares the same properties as the sea, but it's unlikely to see this kind of material in a Holy Grail War.