"Rider has been eliminated?" Jiang You had just logged in when he received the news from Kiritsugu Emiya. He checked the email in his inbox—[Gordius Wheel] ×1—confirming the truth of the message.
"Yes, it happened just last night. His opponent was Lancer Romulus, and the battle ended in an instant. The aftermath of their fight even destroyed the modern equipment attached to my familiars. The entire port vanished without a trace in that single strike." The night sky over Fuyuki had been illuminated by golden light, as rain-like golden spears descended upon the land, resembling divine wrath.
"So how did the Church cover it up this time?" Jiang You felt like he already knew the answer, but he still asked.
"…Gas explosion. Everything else was explained as hallucinations caused by excessive gas inhalation," Kiritsugu said with slight hesitation, clearly aware of how unconvincing that sounded.
"It's a miracle Fuyuki's gas company hasn't gone out of business yet!"
"Romulus being that strong isn't surprising." Despite his three-star ranking in FGO, Romulus's actual lore made him an incredibly powerful Servant. It was reasonable for him to defeat Iskandar. But that wasn't the real issue here. "So what about Rider's Master? Did he get taken out by Kayneth?"
"No, Waver left together with Kayneth. He showed up at the Church this afternoon and officially withdrew from the Holy Grail War. The Church has granted him sanctuary." Kiritsugu had gathered extensive intel through a combination of modern technology and magecraft. He and Waver might even have a lot to talk about when it came to magic.
"This timeline's Church is actually doing its job… Makes sense, though, since Risei Kotomine is still alive." Jiang You nodded in understanding. "Alright, let Kariya Matou know. Tell him to check in with the Church too, or he might end up dead before he knows it." Now that Kariya had barely managed to stay alive, he was struggling to maintain Berserker's existence. Forcing him to continue would only be a burden.
Kiritsugu nodded. That was one less competitor to worry about. Plus, since Jiang You's upkeep cost as a Servant was practically zero, the extra mana could be used to take command of Berserker.
"Alright, let's get ready to head out."
Kiritsugu was about to contact Maiya Hisau via radio when he turned to Jiang You. "Of the remaining three Servants, we still don't have solid information on Assassin. The others and their Masters are well-documented. Who's our target?"
Jiang You snatched the radio from his hands. "The amusement park. Have you ever taken little Illya out for some fun since you got here? Don't worry about running into enemies—under my Noble Phantasm's effect, card games decide everything. Relax a little, and start acting like a father for once."
The truth was, before logging in, Jiang You had checked the forums and discovered that NPC affinity could be increased not just through gifts but also through casual invitations. He was still salty about how Gilgamesh had avoided a duel by exploiting the forced duel challenge mechanic, which made Jiang You eager to collect some powerful cards.
His goal? Maxing out Illya's [Dress of Heaven] form and Sakura Matou's [Black Grail] form. The forum suggested that card stats roughly reflected a Duel Spirit's combat power. If opponents refused a duel, he could just force a mass battle and make them surrender their cards.
"So you summoned me just for this? Caster, you're too idle. I was in the middle of war preparations!" Illya protested as she looked at the roller coaster before her, realizing Jiang You hadn't summoned her for combat.
"Here, ice cream." Jiang You had initially planned to summon Sakura as well, but the forums warned that inviting multiple Duel Spirits at once would actually reduce the overall affinity gain. One user even commented:
["I invited Water, Fire, and Wind all at once, and not only did my affinity drop, but I also got physically attacked."]
Jiang You envied that player's progress in collecting so many waifu cards early in the official release. But one thing puzzled him: wasn't Water, Fire, and Wind all the same person? It's not like this was some weird 'Earth Blade Saya' situation.
Since he already had one copy of Illya's [Dress of Heaven] form, he had a decent chance of maxing it out. He pulled out a map of the amusement park. "Eat whatever you want, play whatever you like. Today, everything's on the house, courtesy of the Hero of Justice!"
"Kiritsugu? He's here too? What about Mom?" Illya took the map, but after only a quick glance, she turned to Jiang You and asked.
"Irisviel's still back home. She'll be here in a few days. As for Kiritsugu…" Jiang You pointed toward the carousel, where Kiritsugu was riding with little Illya, an uncharacteristic smile on his face.
"…Forget it. I don't need him. You're coming with me today, Caster." Illya scoffed, but her expression softened. She was envious of her younger self—unlike in her own timeline, where Kiritsugu never returned after the Holy Grail War and died without fulfilling his promise.
"Let's start with this one!"
The first ride was the roller coaster. Jiang You was impressed by the game's commitment to realism—despite being a card battle game, it had accurately recreated an old-school amusement park. Kudos to the developers.
"This is too slow! Triple the speed, and maybe it'd be decent!" While the other riders turned pale or even threw up, Illya stood tall and scoffed, unimpressed. For a mage, high-speed movement was nothing special.
Still, the slight upward curve of her lips gave away her true thoughts—whether it was the other passengers' screams or something else, she was definitely enjoying this.
"Next, let's go to the aquarium."
Illya had spent her entire eighteen-year life in the snow-covered Einzbern estate, only leaving for the Holy Grail War. The Fuyuki City she had longed for over ten years was practically imprinted on her soul. But the ocean? That was something she had never truly seen.
The 1994 aquarium wasn't designed with modern underwater tunnel exhibits, which was a bit disappointing to Jiang You. But Illya was utterly fascinated. Pressing her face against the glass, she watched every colorful tropical fish for minutes at a time.
"Caster, you said polar bears like cold environments, right? The climate at Einzbern Castle is perfect for them. I think I'll capture a few to bring back. What do you think?"
Later, they watched the penguin and dolphin shows, but Illya's favorite was undoubtedly the polar bears. She seemed to have a thing for large creatures.
She refused to leave until the aquarium closed for the night.
"I think that's a great idea…" Jiang You was about to continue when he noticed something strange as they exited the aquarium. The amusement park was now completely deserted, and Kiritsugu had already taken little Illya home.
Near the carousel, a familiar figure sat alone, slowly rotating to the tune of a children's melody.
A solemn priest, his expression grim, spinning gently on a wooden horse.
A sight utterly at odds with the setting.
"…Mapo Priest!?"
At Jiang You's exclamation, the priest turned his head. Their eyes met.
"..."
"..."
"..."
An unbearable awkwardness filled the air.