Chapter 140: The Outbreak of Conflict
"Hey, hey, Lancer, are you really planning on running away just like this?" Wever, sitting inside Fuyuki Park, took a gulp of beer and complained with a helpless expression.
"You're still too young to understand." Lancer patted Wever's head with a worldly-wise expression and fell silent once again.
"...... It's been ten years already, you know. I'm long past being that little kid from before." Depressed, Wever finished his drink in one go and angrily crushed the empty beer can into a flat shape.
"Though I'd love to broaden my horizons, but..." Lancer could only feel a profound sense of regret now. Why on earth did every woman he attracted have to possess queen-like personalities? In front of them, he had zero confidence to repeat what he had just said.
"Tch, does your era have laws against bigamy or something? I've never heard of such a thing." Wever, on the other hand, looked completely unconcerned.
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Just as a certain Heroic Spirit was receiving a life lesson, both the Matou Residence and the Tohsaka Mansion came under attack simultaneously.
"Wahahaha! This is so exhilarating! It's been way too long since I last experienced a blanket bombardment!" A certain hot-blooded idiot with short blonde hair stood atop the roof of a sedan, loudly mocking the Matou Residence in the distance.
"Can you please shut up, you idiot? The only purpose of our mission this time is to do a headcount. This place is the old lair of that giant creepy worm; did you really think it would be that easy to deal with?" The speaker was still struggling to maintain the barrier. Because the mana in this world was simply too scarce, even keeping it active was a huge hassle, but it was precisely because of this that, as compensation, he had earned the right to summon the seventh Heroic Spirit.
"Tch!" Knowing that the other person was speaking the truth, yet still feeling deeply annoyed, the man simply shouted at the top of his lungs, "Full firepower coverage across the board! Empty all your magazines within one minute!" Unable to vent his frustration elsewhere, he could only take it out on his subordinates.
"SIR! YES, SIR!" A dense and unified roar was his only response.
"No matter how many times I see it, it's still amazing. You, of all hot-blooded idiots, actually acquired a command-type ability, and that oversized greatsword on your back... I really have to complain about that." Looking at the troops whose firepower had instantly doubled at the very least, he couldn't help but sigh.
"Tch, this just proves that I am the only one truly fit to be a commander, while you are at best just my lackey helping me out with odd jobs." Fully immersed in his combat-idiot mode, he hadn't the slightest inkling of what consequences his words might bring. However, just by looking at the silent figure beside him, who was quietly pushing up his glasses, one should have known that the other idiot was about to meet a terrible end.
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"Uncle." Shinji was sitting in the parlor clutching a law textbook, but the continuous, violent vibrations finally drove him past his breaking point.
"Now, now, don't be impatient, Shinji. An attack that completely disregards mana conservation like this can't possibly last long. After all, according to our mana detection, there are only two people out there." Kariya calmly crossed his legs and continued reading the latest newspaper.
"But this is severely disrupting my studying, you know? My goal is..."
"MIT, right? Seriously, why not set your sights on École Normale Supérieure in Paris? That way I could look after you more often. If all else fails, Tokyo University would let big brother..." Kariya began complaining just like any typical middle-aged uncle.
"No way! The reason I'm studying law is precisely so I don't end up like the two of you—one who spends all day staring at money and hasn't been back in ages since mother passed away, and as for you, what's the point of running all over the world like a headless chicken? I intend to become a lawyer and seek justice for the people." At this, Shinji couldn't help but clench his fists.
"Honestly..." Feeling utterly helpless inside, Kariya reached up to rub his head. At that moment, Aoi, who had been sitting beside him, smiled and handed him a cup of coffee.
"Lancer, looks like you were right after all. Kids really do turn out useless when they grow up. And without a doubt, our little Sakura is still the best." Taking a sharp turn out of nowhere, Kariya instantly reverted into an absolute doting father.
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"Father."
Though ten years had passed, Illya still looked much the same as before, bearing no resemblance to Shirou's older sister. Every now and then, a flicker of anticipation would surface on her face.
"What is it, Illya?" Kiritsugu was no longer the cold-blooded Magus Killer; right now, he was simply a father.
"Is little sister in that place?" Although Illya was no longer a small child, the household maids were all either mechanical or magecraft-created constructs. Aside from her father and mother, she had never experienced the warmth of anyone else's affection, which made her all the more eager to meet the daughter Kiritsugu had adopted.
"Mm, she's in the place where father used to live. After this trip, we won't be going back—we'll live there permanently." Kiritsugu had long since grown tired of returning to that place. Although everyone held him in utmost awe, he could always sense other, darker things mixed into that reverence. Thus, fulfilling his promise to the Einzbern family this time around meant he had finally made up his mind to settle down in Japan.
"Yay!" Illya immediately looked overjoyed, but then she asked with a troubled expression, "Papa, will that place have enough room for Archer?" She still felt rather worried about that.
"Don't worry, it definitely will." Kiritsugu assured her that everything was fine, but what no one saw was his other hand continuously typing out a message, sending it to his old underworld buddy in Fuyuki.
"Hey, hey! Are you sure you want to attack it?" On a certain highland within the territory of Fuyuki, the two individuals who had previously appeared near the Tohsaka Mansion were currently busy making adjustments.
"Cut the crap! I've been wanting to try this for ages!" With a calm expression, he gave the launcher a vicious kick.
"Are you kidding me! We agreed to press it together!"
Ignoring the bickering pair down below, a single missile was already flying in a straight trajectory toward the Einzbern family's private jet.
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"What is this feeling?" Kiritsugu, sitting quietly on the sofa with a smile, watched Archer, who was sitting with his head lowered, playing along with Illya. Yet, this lingering sense of foreboding refused to dissipate.
Archer, sitting opposite them, also furrowed his brows.
"Not good! It's a missile lock-on!" The battle-hardened Kiritsugu realized it instantly. However, they were on a private jet flying on a pre-set flight path; it was completely impossible to shake off a missile lock instantly. Kiritsugu could only issue a warning.
"Archer, protect Illya!"
"Hmph!" With a roar, the giant who had been sitting there with a gentle smile instantly sprang to his feet, expanding his already robust physique even further to pull Illya beside him, along with Kiritsugu and Irisviel behind him, tightly into his embrace.
"Boom!"
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"Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah!" A heart-stopping, agonizing scream echoed through the air.
"What are you screaming your head off for? Weren't you the one who pressed the launcher? Why are you screaming so miserably just from seeing a spark?" A certain bystander complained with utter helplessness.
"Ah? Why? I've been wanting to try shooting down a plane like Papa Kiritsugu for the longest time! Since I'm going to learn, I have to learn the whole set, you idiot!"
Fine. Many people probably want to know why the author gets so tangled up over the trap (crossdressing male) trope. It's all because of a certain 'friend' of mine! How on earth is someone who looks like a trap able to hand out rejection cards to three different girls in a single week at a gender-balanced school?! Why are you even the psychological counselor?! Why?! This is complete BS! Are you kidding me?! As an ordinary middle-aged man pursuing pure lolis while still remaining single, that guy is actually being so picky!