"Master, I have finished counting. There are a total of 232 boys prepared as sacrifices, ranging in age from 8 to 16. The majority are of East Asian descent, with a significant portion even being local."
Hundred-Faces reported everything she had learned to Jiang You.
These children couldn't have been brought here by Atrum himself; otherwise, their ethnic composition wouldn't be so heavily skewed towards the local population. The only possibility was that he had been dealing with local organizations to acquire them.
"So, they really are sourcing locally."
Jiang You looked at the boys lying on the ground and noticed that their tongues had already been cut out to keep them from making any noise. He hadn't felt this level of disgust even when dealing with Atrum's remains. The game's level of realism was a little too much—he had only come here to play cards, after all.
But now that he was here, Jiang You couldn't ignore it. A side quest was practically being shoved in his face—there was no reason not to take it.
"Did those magi mention where they bought these sacrifices from?"
Jiang You punched the central altar, shattering it instantly. The remaining magical energy in the pipes still carried the scent of blood. Who knew how much mana this altar had already produced before he arrived?
"There is a contact in Fuyuki City's black market. Master, do you intend to…?"
Though she hadn't been with him for long, Hundred-Faces had already grasped Jiang You's personality. This was the man who had once used the Holy Grail to save 800,000 people in a city—an undisputed Heroic Spirit. There was no way he would ignore an atrocity like this. The answer was obvious.
"That's right. I want to see just how big their operation is."
Jiang You planned to pay these people a visit and find out what color their hearts were.
"Medea also has experience extracting magical energy from ordinary people. Let's have her check how much mana we can squeeze out of these bastards."
"And what about the children?"
Hundred-Faces tried to adjust her thinking to align with Jiang You's. Naturally, they couldn't just leave the children here to fend for themselves.
"Go grab a few reporters. There are always some brave enough to blow the whistle on this kind of thing."
Jiang You stroked his chin. He only planned to deal with the people responsible for this mess—then he'd make sure the whole thing exploded into a scandal. Cleaning it up would be the problem of the authorities who had failed to prevent it in the first place.
"Make sure one of your clones protects any reporters who step forward. Don't let them die too soon."
-
[Breaking News]
"Recently, we received an urgent report regarding a remote mansion in Fuyuki City. Authorities successfully rescued dozens of boys who had been illegally detained there.
"Initial investigations have revealed that a vast underground facility beneath the mansion was being used for illicit human experimentation.
"Acting on a tip-off, police executed a well-planned raid on the mansion, securing the safety of the kidnapped victims. All rescued individuals have been properly relocated and are receiving necessary medical and psychological care.
"This case has drawn widespread public attention and concern. Officials have declared a zero-tolerance policy against such crimes and have vowed to crack down on any form of illegal human experimentation, ensuring the safety and well-being of all citizens. The public is urged to remain vigilant…"
-
In front of the television, Taiga Fujimura instinctively scratched her rear and shouted toward the red-haired boy busy in the kitchen.
"Shirou, did you hear that? Things have been dangerous lately! Make sure you stay home at night and don't wander around!"
As she spoke, a sudden thought struck her, and her face twisted in panic.
"Wait—you don't think Sakura suddenly disappearing means she was kidnapped, do you? Shinji Matou told me she hasn't been going back to the Matou house lately. Should we call the police?!"
Shirou Emiya lightly tapped Taiga's head with a plate, sighing.
"You're overreacting, Fuji-nee. Sakura is careful; you don't need to worry. Besides, she was at school today."
Thinking back on the day, Matou Sakura had seemed the same as always—if anything, maybe a bit more confident?
And Shinji had been avoiding his sister, which felt… odd.
"You should've said that earlier! I stressed myself out for nothing and lost my appetite!"
Taiga collapsed to the floor, rolling around dramatically, completely ignoring her role as Shirou's guardian.
"Shirou, you owe me!"
"Fine, fine. I'll make sukiyaki for you tomorrow."
After Matou Sakura left, Shirou had resumed cooking duties for the household.
Once he finished settling his childish guardian, he headed to his workshop. Gripping a discarded metal pipe, he habitually activated his Magic Circuits.
"Alright, time to train! Trace, on!"
Mana coursed through his arm, spreading into the pipe.
"Basic structure… analyzed."
"Material composition… analyzed."
"Basic structure… altered."
"Material composition…"
Shirou struggled to maintain a steady mana flow. Sweat dripped from his forehead as the pipe's usual stable blue glow flickered into chaotic yellow and ominous red. In the end, his Reinforcement failed—the pipe exploded, launching Shirou into a pile of junk.
"I can't even do something this simple…"
He lifted his hand, staring at the glowing circuits along his arm. The frustration was evident in his eyes.
"At this rate, how can I ever become a Hero of Justice…?"
Just then, the summoning circle beneath him reacted.
A surge of magical energy erupted, sending the scattered objects in the workshop flying.
"W-what's going on?!"
Shirou had never tampered with the summoning circle left by Kiritsugu—his magical knowledge wasn't deep enough to even understand what it was.
"Honestly, what a troublesome Master."
As Shirou tried to make sense of the chaos, a bronze-skinned hand emerged from the pile of debris.
A tall, white-haired man in a red and black outfit pulled himself up from the wreckage.
For the first time in his life, Shirou—normally bright and welcoming—felt an instant aversion to someone.
"Who are you?"
Gripping a wooden stick as an impromptu weapon, Shirou eyed the man warily.
"Breaking into someone's house in the middle of the night isn't exactly polite."
"You're treating me like an intruder?"
The white-haired man sighed and rubbed his forehead.
"Thanks to you, I can't even remember my own name. But you can call me… Archer."
With a wry smile, the red-clad Archer flashed his teeth.
"If you join this war without knowing anything, you'll die like a stray dog on the roadside.
"Why not use up your Command Spells and withdraw from this bloodbath, Master?"