"Hehehe… It's started, finally started! I've been waiting for this day forever!"
A joyful whisper echoed through a secluded workshop deep underground in Snowfield City. The workshop was an odd mix of cutting-edge surveillance equipnt and ancient magical attire. Dozens of cold-toned screens displayed every angle of the amusent park without blind spots.
In the depths of the workshop, Francesca curled up in a soft swivel chair, lazily swinging her slender legs wrapped in pure white stockings. She rested her chin on both hands, giggling as she watched the screens.
She turned her head toward the deep shadow behind her. "Hey, over there—did you see it?"
"Look at that blue-haired goddess on the screen! Don't you think this is the true original art? She's clearly the most terrifying monster in the world, yet in front of her master she acts like a weak, helpless little girl. How fascinating!"
Francesca's eyes sparkled with sick delight, a wicked smile curling her lips. "If the one under her protection suddenly realized her master had vanished without a trace, how would this great mother react?"
From the shadow, François slowly materialized before her. He let out a chilling, eerie laugh. "The over here seems to be enjoying this quite a bit."
"But I hope this move is just a test… Until we fully identify the true nature of that blue-haired goddess, it would be wiser not to cause uncontrollable chaos."
"Don't worry. I'm always very sensible. Besides, another …" Francesca tilted her head, a bright smile blooming on her beautiful face. "You're pretending to lecture , but don't you want to see with your own eyes how this unprecedented drama ends?"
"Don't you want to see just how high the ceiling of that blue-haired goddess actually is?"
Hearing this, a smile also appeared on François's pale face.
"Of course I do."
The mont he finished speaking, the wall beside him suddenly vanished. Under the control of illusion magic, the entire room transford into a high platform floating in the sky. Cold rain poured from above, and the night city pulsed with even greater vitality.
François stood with his back to the rooftop, elegantly spreading both arms. Without any protection, he fell backward, plumting straight down! A sick yet deeply satisfied smile spread across his face.
"Well then, everyone participating in this Holy Grail War—please dive into this bottomless dream!"
At that instant, the highest-level illusion technique capable of forcibly replacing reality with fantasy and distorting the world's common sense quietly enveloped most of Snowfield City.
…
Almost simultaneously with François unleashing that grand illusion—
"Uwah…"
In a cheap hideout at the edge of Snowfield City, its windows sealed with thick bulletproof and soundproof panels, a white-haired heroic spirit suddenly raised his head. He seed to have sensed a strange change in the magical flow of the air; a mischievous, intrigued smile appeared on his handso face.
"A dream…?"
"How remarkable. I never imagined there was a master in this era who could create such a magnificent illusion. Moreover… the thod is truly clever—and vicious."
The white-haired heroic spirit muttered to himself.
In the dim corner of the room, a boy nad Sigma, who had been cleaning a modern firearm, looked up in confusion.
"Um… may I ask a question?"
"Ah… of course. Since you are my Master, I shall answer all your questions without reservation." The white-haired Servant leaned on his wooden staff, offering a warm smile like a spring breeze.
"You ntioned before that your true form isn't on the Throne of Heroes and that you have no worldly interest in the so-called Holy Grail, right?"
Sigma paused his work and voiced the doubt that had lingered in his mind. "If that's the case, why did you answer the Grail's call and descend here?"
Sigma.
This boy, who didn't even have a real na, was born as the daughter of Maiya Hisau—Kiritsugu Emiya's right-hand man during the Fourth Holy Grail War. Maiya gave birth to him amid the chaos of war, but he was separated from his mother before he could rember anything and was raised as a cold-blooded killing machine by a rcenary group. Since then, he had walked a lightless path where even the feeling of being alive no longer existed.
Originally, Sigma had only been hired by Francesca as a scout and disposable soldier. Yet last night, he had unexpectedly summoned a Servant who completely deviated from the rules.
To be precise, it was an extrely special class called "Watcher."
So-called "Watchers" possessed no direct offensive power and could not inflict physical damage on other Heroic Spirits. They usually manifested in the form of illusions or projections and could not fight like normal Servants, nor did they even possess a physical form. Their sole purpose was observation and guidance.
The white-haired heroic spirit before him showed no signs of tension. He even conjured flowers in the room to play with—truly descending as a guardian.
Hearing Sigma's question, the white-haired Servant lightly tapped his staff and said, "Because… inside that sealed tower, I witnessed several very interesting things. I simply couldn't resist using a little privilege to co watch the show from the front row."
Sigma nodded thoughtfully, then suddenly noticed a blind spot and hesitated. "Wait. If the enemy's illusion has covered the entire city, then our hideout should be included too, right?"
"But why… even though I'm trapped inside the illusion, I don't feel anything abnormal?"
"Hmm… how should I explain this?"
The white-haired mage, scratched his cheek with a slightly troubled expression, pondering his words. Eventually he looked up, his magnificent purple eyes gazing quietly at the young Master who had summoned him—as if seeing through everything in the world.
"Because of Big Brother rlin…"
Pink flower petals drifted down from nowhere as he wore a mysterious smile.
"I happen to know a little sothing about tricks like illusions."
…
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