Aozaki Aoko Case File

Credits: NovelReader

Kiritsugu Emiya returned to the Einzbern Castle in Fuyuki with a heavy heart.

 The combat strength of the participating Servants in this Holy Grail War far exceeded his expectations, and even their Masters were proving to be formidable opponents, not ones that could be easily dealt with.

Tokiomi Tohsaka, holed up in his residence surrounded by numerous Bounded Fields, had turned his home into an impenetrable magical fortress. Breaking through such defenses would likely require an enormous amount of explosives.

The Master of Berserker remained unknown. Kiritsugu believed the Servant's raw strength itself wasn't as overwhelming as others, but Berserker's ability to manipulate modern weapons was noteworthy. However, the complete lack of information about his Master seemed highly suspicious.

Initially, Kiritsugu suspected Berserker's Master might be connected to the Matou family. But considering the Matou family had already been eliminated by Tohsaka before the war began, Berserker's Master was most likely an unknown outsider magus.

Aoko Aozaki—a Magician—was both incredibly powerful and deeply mysterious. Neither Aoko nor her sister had revealed their hiding place, not even to Kiritsugu, their so-called ally. Maiya Hisau had been actively investigating their whereabouts, but no trace of them could be found. (Even mundane tasks like grocery shopping seemed to be handled via teleportation or flight spells.)

Among the two Lords of the Clock Tower, Kiritsugu initially thought Kayneth Archibald was the easiest to target because the man had chosen the top floor of a luxury hotel as his workshop—a move that practically invited attacks.

However, after tonight's battle, Kiritsugu realized Kayneth had brought his student along and summoned two Servants. This significantly complicated matters; a diversion to lure both Servants away would likely fail. Any rational Master would never leave their stronghold undefended.

If Kiritsugu wanted to deal with Kayneth or his student, he would need a more covert and meticulous approach. Blowing up their base alone wouldn't suffice; he needed a more effective strategy.

Marisburyl Animusphere, who had summoned King Solomon, was an entirely unexpected participant. The head of the Astromancy Department had always maintained a low profile within the Clock Tower, presenting himself as a dedicated scholar. Information on him was scarce.

Typically, such a figure would lower others' guards, but for Kiritsugu, this was a massive threat. He knew nothing about Marisbury.

To make matters worse, the Lord of Astromancy had openly allied himself with Aoko Aozaki, the Magician. This was a disaster among disasters. Neither of their bases in Fuyuki City had been revealed yet.

Kiritsugu knew he needed to intensify his intelligence-gathering efforts. He came to this conclusion as he picked up the phone.

"Iri, tell Semiramis that the ritual can begin," Kiritsugu instructed his wife over the phone.

["Understood, Kiri. Be careful out there,"] Irisviel said. ["Illya is waiting for you."]

"Yeah, I know." Kiritsugu's cold expression softened slightly. "Take care of yourself, too."

After ending the call, Kiritsugu returned to his cold, professional demeanor as a magus killer. He dialed another number. This time, the other end of the line remained silent.

"It's me, Maiya," Kiritsugu said. "Any movements at the Hyatt Hotel?"

["Nothing,"] Maiya replied, staring through her binoculars. ["I haven't seen the carriage return to the hotel, and the surveillance devices haven't detected any abnormalities."]

Kiritsugu frowned. Rider's fast mobility and aerial tactics were particularly troublesome. Originally, he thought keeping an eye on the Hyatt Hotel would be enough to confirm Kayneth's movements, but clearly, it wasn't that simple. The enemy must be using concealment magic.

"Keep watching," Kiritsugu ordered. "If you spot any trace of Kayneth or his student, notify me immediately."

...

"Another surveillance camera…" Waver Velvet muttered as he combed through the Hyatt Hotel with his homemade electronic detection mystic code. He meticulously searched for suspicious surveillance devices, disrupting their signals using his magecraft.

He'd started this task after, shortly upon checking in with Kayneth, he accidentally discovered a tiny surveillance camera hidden in one of the hotel's busiest corridors.

The camera was discreetly placed—not something set up by the hotel staff.

When Waver looked up the price of the camera, he found it astonishingly expensive, something an ordinary voyeur couldn't afford. After deliberating, he decided to report it to Kayneth.

"You're saying this device can transmit images remotely and is quite costly?" Kayneth asked, pausing his work on adjusting his magic furnace.

"Yes, professor," Waver replied. "That's why I'm worried it might have been installed by a magus participating in the Holy Grail War."

Kayneth didn't respond immediately. He paced the room, deep in thought. Normally, reputable magi avoided using technological devices because doing so could diminish their mystique. Kayneth himself adhered to this principle.

But what if the culprit wasn't a traditional magus?

Before arriving in Fuyuki, Kayneth had studied the hidden history of the Holy Grail War. The Matou, Tohsaka, and Einzbern families—known as the Three Founding Families—were at its center.

With the Matou family eliminated early, and the Tohsakas being purist disciples of the magical arts, it was unlikely they would resort to such dishonorable tactics. That left the Einzberns.

Kayneth recalled rumors of the Einzbern family hiring outside magi due to their lack of combatants. Could these loathsome little devices have been planted by the Einzberns' mercenary?

At least Waver wasn't entirely useless. Kayneth conceded that, among all his students, Waver Velvet had the sharpest observational skills.

"Waver, I have a task for you," Kayneth said seriously. "I need you to locate all suspicious devices in this hotel as soon as possible. Can you do that?"

"I'll do my best, professor," Waver responded eagerly, though with some hesitation. "But this hotel is massive. I can't guarantee I'll find them all."

"Prioritize your search," Kayneth commanded sternly. "Start with the areas where we spend the most time. Do I need to teach you even that?"