“Master, I feel a servant downstairs. Along with the presence of a magician. They are coming this way.”

“Really?”

I turn back towards the stairs. It seems that the owner of that familiar was someone from outside. But, they sure reacted fast. Or maybe a master that normally stayed here just happened to return now.

Guess, we’ll find out.

“Aaaand, they turned back.”

“What?”

“Wait, now they are coming back again. No, wait a second.”

“Which is it?”

He pauses and knits his brows.

“Sten?”

He suddenly turns towards and dashes past me. Before I can do anything, I hear a clang. It was low, but in the middle of the night, it was audible enough.

I immediately turn back.

“An attack?”

“That was a distraction. To be clear, it was a sense distracting spell. I apologize for not noticing immediately and putting you in danger. I didn’t expect such an indirect spell.”

Sense distracting spell? Something like a non-sight version of illusion spells?

“Don’t mind it. But what exactly does that mean?”

He is scanning the temple with his eyes, looking for something.

“It means there is no servant downstairs. It means there is someone in the temple, watching us. It means that someone in the temple can cast sense distracting spells and can throw needles at someone’s neck from afar.”

Needle? That clang sound? Then…

“It means we found Assassin and his master.”

Assassin? Heracles? Heracles is throwing a needle from the dark? Can’t be.

“It means there is something wrong with this war.”

* * *

[Interlude]

I got him. Now!

His servant fired one of the needles he prepared at the Tohsaka girl. The term fired was actually fitting here, because he was so skilled at this, that the needle he threw could match a bullet in its speed and accuracy.

But the girl’s servant still deflected it.

He saw through it. But at least I’m sure he hasn’t detected your exact location.

His servant stays mute and waits for an order from him.

All right, let’s do this. It might be risky, but now that they’ve broken the lock, this is a chance to escape, and there is no way I’m letting it go.

His servant’s muscles flex to their limit as preparation for a sudden charge.

I’ll go all out with illusions. They may attack when they hear my chant, so be prepared to dodge. When my chant finishes, charge.

Yes, master.

He is being carried in his servant’s arms. With just that short answer, he becomes sure that his servant will do as he says.

He begins chanting.

[Interlude End]

* * *

“It means there is something wrong with this war.”

Yes, it would fit if Heracles… Actually we’re just assuming he is Heracles because of what Rider said, right? Anyway, it would fit if Heracles was Assassin. But, if another Assassin is here, that means one of the servants we saw was either Berserker or Caster. Then, is this one not Assassin?

Changer keeps looking toward the temple, but it seems he can’t detect anyone. I don’t sense anyone either.

This one definitely is Assassin.

Changer doesn’t go in. Well, if the enemy is Assassin, I’d rather he stay with me.

“Let’s go in, Sten.”

“No, master. Protecting you in a closed space against Assassin would be too hard.”

I hear something. Like someone is murmuring something. With it, I start feeling magical energy converging.

“That’s a chant. Stay behind me, master.”

Changer steps in front of me and pulls out a bow. For the first time, I can clearly see the weapon he has as an archer.

By pull out, I mean have it appear in his hand. No, that is wrong too. It doesn’t appear in his hand. It… grows out of his gauntlet? He is not actually holding it. The bow is attached to his left gauntlet and looks as metallic as his gauntlets and sabatons. He points it towards the temple, where I think that chant is coming from, and starts firing repeatedly.

He is not using his right hand. The bow just fires arrows like rays of light, one after the other.

Since he is firing to disrupt a spell, there is no reason why I shouldn’t help.

Anfang.

I activate my magic crest, reach through it to the familiar Gandr curse, aim my arm towards the source of the voice, and start firing alongside Changer.

But, the chant continues as its source starts moving. Changer and I keep firing side by side. As the source of the chant dodges, I see a dark figure moving at a speed beyond a human.

Despite our continuous fire, the enemy completes the chant. With Changer’s magic resistance, he should be safe against any magical attack. I take out one of the ten jewels I have, and get ready to negate the spell in case I am the target.

Neither of us get hit. But shit happens.

The dark figure multiplies in number. Now, many similar dark figures start moving around. Similar to that, the columns and the gate of the temple, little pebbles on the courtyard, even the trees I see from over the walls, all multiply and start moving around.

It is obviously an illusion, so I send a wave of magical energy through my mind to dispel it.

Although, I don’t feel any interference in my mind. It is as if I am not the target of those illusions. But, I obviously am. So it should be possible to dispel it. I am quite confident in dispelling it.

It doesn’t stop. In just a few seconds, I start feeling sick. I close my eyes to keep myself from vomiting. I reach into the records in my magic crest and immediately cast a dispel spell at myself.

It doesn’t help.

Changer, I can’t dispel it.

I hear a few clang sounds. The enemy must be attacking.

Me neither, master. I’m sorry, but defence is about all I can currently do.

I hear more clangs. Apparently, Changer can still detect the enemy’s attacks.

I concentrate hard on finding the interference of the illusion spell in my mind. It is bound to exist. If I can find it…

The clang sounds stop.

“They ran.”

I open my eyes. The grounds and the temple are back to normal. I can see no dark figures around. Changer’s bow has vanished.

“What just happened?”

“They ran. It seems that was just a distraction to keep us from stopping them.”

“They?”

“Assassin was carrying a magician. A male, safe to assume his master. Assassin fired the needles, his master cast that spell. They ran.”

“Then, what? They felt threatened when we came, and just tried to escape?”

“Seems like it.”

I look around. No reason left to search this place. If he had his workshop here, he wouldn’t run. After all, he would have the advantage of a fortified position. They must have a base somewhere else, and were here only temporarily.

“But what was that illusion spell? Neither a magical energy wave, nor a dispel spell was enough to get rid of it.”

He looks down, as if he is ashamed.

“I realized too late, but it must have been an area phantasmal creation, or whatever term you use for them in this age.”

I look at him. I never heard of that term.

He raises his head and locks his eyes with mine.

“You know, unlike affecting the mind of a target as usual illusion spells do, these create images in the area. The practical effect is the same; showing unreal images. But this affects the light in an area, so those images are visible for everyone. Dispelling them would require an area dispel.”

Of course! I don’t know the term, but I know those kind of spells. No wonder I couldn’t dispel it.

Those spells create images in an area that are visible to everyone. Therefore, any bystanders and even the one that cast the spell becomes confused. Normally, the goal of an illusion spell is to confuse the enemy. Affecting both parties doesn’t give an advantage to anyone, so no one uses these kind of spells.

Well, this master does.

“Anyway, let’s go.”