Chapter 51: Mr. Gold's One-Sided Massacre

Night fell quickly. Jeanne, her hair still damp from her bath, was suddenly dragged into the room by Takashi Kuroda.

The room immediately filled with the woman's startled cries and the man's muffled laughter, as if he had succeeded in some mischievous scheme.

"Are... are you sure about this? Isn't this a little inappropriate?" Jeanne's voice was laced with doubt and unease.

"Just for a little while. Besides, everyone does this kind of thing. The sooner we start, the sooner you’ll get used to it, right?" Takashi reassured her.

"But..."

"No buts. Who knows? You might even be amazed by what you see."

"...Still, I can’t help thinking... instead of hiding in a room, why don’t we just do this openly outside?"

"Wow, Jeanne, I didn’t know you could be this bold. Aren’t you afraid of getting caught?"

"Uh... fine, let’s just do it at home." Jeanne sighed in resignation.

"Alright, here we go. Watch closely—I guarantee you’ll be shocked."

"!!!"

"So? See it clearly? Pretty surprising, huh?" Takashi said smugly.

"It’s... very clear. I’d only heard that familiars could act as a person’s eyes, but I never imagined they could share images with this metal box." Jeanne stared at the television screen in awe.

Now, don’t get the wrong idea—the two weren’t playing cards or popping champagne in the room. They were actually engaged in something entirely serious. Takashi had just explained to Jeanne that he was controlling a number of small animals as familiars, observing the two major families of Fuyuki—the Matous and the Tohsakas—and using magecraft to transmit the images to the television.

He also elaborated on the purpose: since the Holy Grail War in Fuyuki was originally hosted by the three families—Matou, Tohsaka, and Einzbern—keeping an eye on them would yield valuable intel. However, since the Einzberns hadn’t yet sent anyone, there was no need to monitor them for now.

Jeanne had initially disapproved of this voyeuristic method, even suggesting they investigate openly. But Takashi managed to persuade her, and she eventually settled beside him, watching the mostly static images.

"Doesn’t seem like much is happening," Jeanne remarked after a while.

"Not every session yields results. The Holy Grail War hasn’t even started yet. With such a long night ahead and nothing better to do, this is just a way to pass the time. If nothing happens by bedtime, we’ll just call it a night," Takashi said.

"That’s true... Huh? What’s that?" Jeanne suddenly pointed at a dark figure darting swiftly through the woods.

"Finally, some action?" Takashi mused inwardly before feigning surprise. "Well, well, looks like we’ve got a situation. Jeanne, your luck’s incredible—something special right off the bat."

"A special occurrence right before the Holy Grail War... Is that really good luck or bad luck?" Jeanne sighed, her eyes fixed on the fleeting black dot.

"Don’t worry, I’ll switch the feed. I’ve planted familiars all over—there’s no escape." Takashi swiftly adjusted the viewpoints, tracking the figure.

"A concealed figure in a black cloak... Could it be last night’s Assassin?" Jeanne frowned. She hadn’t expected them to strike again, this time targeting the Tohsaka residence. The darkness lurking behind this Holy Grail War was proving even more troublesome than anticipated.

"Not sure, seems a bit different... We’ll know once he leaves the woods—there! He’s out!" Takashi zoomed in as the figure leaped into the moonlight, revealing the skull mask covering their face.

"Wait, that’s not last night’s Assassin," Jeanne said.

"Right. More than that, this is the origin of the word 'Assassin'—a Hassan-i Sabbah. Their traits are too distinct; you don’t even need to see their Noble Phantasm. Just that mask is enough to identify them," Takashi explained.

"So... there really are two Assassin-class Servants. Combined with the extra Caster from earlier, that makes three irregular Servants." Jeanne’s frown deepened.

"Adapt and overcome. We already prepared for the worst—this just confirms our suspicions. No need to dwell on it. Overthinking will only cloud your judgment," Takashi reminded her.

"You’re right... Is that Hassan destroying the Tohsaka’s bounded fields?" Jeanne refocused on the screen. The Hassan flicked stones with precision, shattering the gem-based alarms scattered across the garden.

Then, with a graceful dive into the bushes, the Hassan emerged unscathed.

"Ah, the good ol’ Leap of Faith. Brotherhood never disappoints," Takashi quipped.

The Hassan moved like a gymnast, effortlessly bypassing the remaining traps until reaching the central node of the bounded field—a crimson gem.

"Hmph. Child’s play." The Hassan smirked, reaching for the jewel.

Whoosh—

THUNK!

"GAAH—!!" The Hassan screamed as a spear pinned his hand to the pedestal. Gritting his teeth, he looked up—only to hear a cold, imperious voice from above:

"Vermin who crawl upon the earth—who gave you permission to look upon me?"

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Dozens of Noble Phantasms rained down, obliterating the helpless Hassan in a series of explosions. By the end, only a pulverized corpse remained in the cratered earth.

"Know your place, insect. Keep your eyes on the ground—then die."

Standing atop the Tohsaka roof was the golden-armored man from earlier, his back adorned with countless floating portals, each brimming with weapons.

The feed cut to static.

"Gilgamesh vs. Hassan mooks—what a one-sided slaughter," Takashi muttered.

"That man... he was the one from this morning. Is he the Tohsaka Master’s Servant? No wonder he carries himself with such arrogance. To annihilate a Servant so effortlessly... and those countless Noble Phantasms..." Jeanne was momentarily stunned. She had expected a fierce battle, but this was sheer domination.

"Wait... doesn’t this mean a Master has already been eliminated before the War even started?" she asked.

"It’s happened before. This time, Servants were summoned earlier than usual. Once all are gathered, the War has technically begun—it’s just waiting for the Grail’s mana to peak," Takashi explained.

"More importantly, what’s your take on that fight?" he asked.

"That man is formidable... but as the Ruler, I can restrain him. Still... I’d prefer if he weren’t among the irregular Servants. Also, a Heroic Spirit should only possess a few Noble Phantasms in life. How does he wield so many...? If only I’d been there, I could’ve used my True Name Discernment."

"Don’t worry. A king that proud might just reveal his name if asked directly. Those who rule history are rarely modest. We’ll learn soon enough when the War begins."

"Takashi, do you think you can handle him?" Jeanne asked curiously.

"Heh. You might not believe it, but—‘Below demigods, I’m unmatched. Against a demigod? I’ll trade one for one.’ Not my words—that’s what the one who gave me this power said."

After all, buddy... afraid of Enkidu’s embrace? Your Divinity’s a tad too high.

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T/L: Hello! This is the translator for this fanfic. As you have probably noticed, sometimes Jeanne calls the MC Takashi or his psuedo-name (Shirou). The name MC gave to Laeticia when they met. You're probably confused but I'm sorry, it's also what's in the original. I'll remove the Shirou in the following chapters to avoid misunderstandings. Or just make a reason how Jeanne's true name discernment have noticed Takashi's true name.

That's all. Thank you for understanding and I hope you enjoy reading.