Reactionary Fate

" Hey, Silva, I'm bored; when are we going to meet, mommy?"

Illyasviel asked me as I made lunch, and I answered her somewhat honestly.

" Currently, your mother is busy with the Holy Grail War, and things are a bit chaotic right now since both Assassin and Lancer are already defeated, so I am sorry, but you will need to wait a bit, Illyasviel."

The half-homunculus girl pouted at what I told her and complained.

" But you said we would meet her!"

" And we will, Illyasviel, but let me make it up to you for having to wait."

Illyasviel tilted her head as she asked.

" How are you going to make it up to me, Silva?"

" How about a trip to get some goodies and new clothes?"

The half-homunculus girl brightened at my suggestion and demanded excitedly.

" Let's go! Let's go!"

" Sure, we will head out after lunch."

I made some hamburger steaks with cheese in them, which Illyasviel enjoyed enough to ask for seconds. Skadi then showed up in her casual wear, a purple pullover sweater with skinny black jeans and purple ankle boots. She had her hair in a neat ponytail and said.

" I am coming along."

" Sure, sure. By the way, you have a cow lick."

She immediately went to the bathroom to fix her hair with a blush, but I was lying to mess with her, and she came back looking unamused, which made me grin.

" You are an insufferable trickster!"

" Please forgive me, oh great queen, but your reactions are far too endearing and cute for me to pass up."

" Regardless of how favorably you look upon my countenance, you should refrain from deceiving me for your amusement or else."

I shrugged as I replied.

" I will lay off messing with you."

" As you should!"

Caster said with a triumphant look that cramped after I spoke.

" For today."

Skadi glared at me for a few moments, then turned away as she muttered various unflattering things about me. Caster is too cute for me not to tease when I had the chance, but I better make sure I don't take it too far.

" Skadi."

I called out to her, and she looked at me with narrowed eyes.

" You look lovely in that outfit."

" You are stating the obvious."

Despite her arrogant wording and tone, she preened at the compliment with a pleased expression. Illyasviel innocently asked as she looked between us.

" Are you two married?"

Caster gave a sputtering reply to the question with embarrassment.

" I and he?! Who would even?! He should consider himself lucky that?!"

I grinned at Skadi as I couldn't resist calling out to my blushing Servant.

" Dear."

The temperature of the house drastically dropped as ice formed from Skadi's embarrassment, and I snickered as I was grateful for summoning my cute little Servant.

***

Waver Velvet was scared out of his mind. Kayneath, despite being a complete and utter arse, was still a skilled and highly skilled Mage that he had zero confidence in facing in battle; he died without a word if Lancer's reaction was any indication which showed in him first hand that he was in a War and not a game. The young Mage felt out of his depth as this was the second death of a Master in this Holy Grail War, and he had no idea who did it. He was pulled from his thoughts by his Servant, Iskandar.

" Master, look, this flying weapon called a F-74 Fighting Falcon is truly magnificent! Such speed and maneuverability! It's arsenal is nothing to scoff at! If I had something like this back in my era, conquering the world would have been fulfilled in my life with ease!"

" Rider! Do you not understand?! Another Master died last night, and we have no idea who or how!"

Rider just toppled his puny Master with a powerful flick and said.

" Quick whining! So long as you stay close to me, no one will be able to assassinate you under my watch."

Waver rubbed his forehead with a groan and tried to point out to the King of Conquerers.

" Rider, Lancer's Master, was no pushover, and yet he was taken out without a word or anyone noticing until it was too late, and that includes you!"

Iskandar sighed as he promised.

" Master, no, Waver Velvet, I swear to you on my name that no harm will befall you as long as I draw breath."

" But-!"

Rider held his hand up, readying to flick his Master again, and Waver clammed up as he protected his still-sore forehead. Iskandar stopped as his Master got the message and then asked.

" Master, are you sure Assassin is dead?"

Rider thought about the most likely candidate that could have killed Lancer's Master, but Waver denied him.

" Yes, Assassin is dead without a doubt, along with his Master."

" Hmm... What do you know about modern-day assassins?"

Waver considered the question for a few moments, then shook his head.

" Unlikely, the preferred choice of weapons these days are guns, and they are not quiet. With exceptions like the Magus Killer, modern assassins lack the necessary skill and know-how to take down a fully-trained Mage from an old bloodline like Lancer's Master."

" Then what if it was one of those exceptions that took out Lancer's Master?"

The young Mage frowned as he could not think of a counter-argument at first, then realized.

" The Church wouldn't allow it! If someone did have the bright idea of sending an uninvolved party against the other Masters, the Church would have noticed and acted by now. Plus, considering that Masters can summon their Servants to their side at a moment's notice, most would not even consider it as it would be a death sentence regardless of how much money they are offered."

Rider held his chin and then asked as he had a thought.

" We still don't know anything about Caster or their Master, correct?"

" It could be them, but precisely because we don't know anything about them is what makes it difficult to make an educated guess at their involvement or actions, although now that you pointed out, I am leaning towards agreeing with you that it could be them."

" Then it's decided!"

Iskandar roared out, much to his Master's surprise as he asked.

" What's decided, Rider?"

" We seek out Caster and their Master!"

Waver looked at his Servant with exasperation as he asked.

" And how are we going to find them?"

***

Gilgamesh watched Tokiomi with amusement as he paced with frustration at his lack of knowledge of what was going on, especially with Lancer and his Master's death. Archer drank his wine as he lounged on the loveseat, and the Tohsaka head asked his Servant.

" Your majesty, do you have any insight on the cause of Lancer's Master's death?"

Gilgamesh considered the question and decided to throw his vassal a bone to fuel his own amusement.

" Whoever did it could escape my senses with ease. Let alone Lancer's Master."

Archer drank his wine as he tried to savor the sub-bar, at least to him, drink, and Tokiomi started to consider the possible suspects. Gilgamesh enjoyed watching the gears in the Tohsaka's head grind to a furious degree. The Servant was enjoying this game against this unseen foe and looked forward to seeing whether or not they met his standards once they undoubtedly revealed themselves. Archer drank his wine when Tokiomi came to a conclusion.

" Caster!"

Gilgamesh arched an eyebrow at the sudden exclamation as the Tohsaka head thought out loud.

" Caster and their Master are the only ones uncounted for so far in the War, and depending on who was summoned, escaping the purview of everyone else would not be impossible!"

Archer considered his vassal's hypothesis and felt it was the most likely explanation. Considering his abilities, he thought that Caster would at least be from the Age of Gods or, at the end of it, since they could escape his senses. Still, he kept that to himself as watching Tokiomi scrambling to find a probable candidate for Caster's identity with limited information amused him. The King of Heroes went to try and find a better vintage of wine than what he was currently drinking was dissatisfying.

***

" It was likely Caster that dealt with Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald, as I only took my eyes off him for a moment before his death."

Kiritsugu Emiya informed his wife, Irisviel von Einzbern, along with Saber. The homunculus woman asked her spouse.

" Did you see any sign of Caster that could give us a clue on their identity or who their Master is, Kiritsugu?"

" I did manage to get a brief glimpse of Caster before they disappeared. The only things I could make out were they were exceeding tall and broad with a long staff that matched their height, and they were likely male."

Artoria thought about who Caster could be, but a giant Mage was too unusual, and she could not think of any that could fit the bill. There were plenty of warriors known for their size, but a Mage of similar stature did not cross her mind. She also considered the fact that Caster directly took care of Lancer's Master without anyone noticing until it was too late, which fit the Assassin Class more than the Caster Class. Saber could not think of anyone of renown that fits the description of immense size, well-known Magecraft ability, and impressive stealth.

" Saber?"

Irisviel asked the Servant as they looked lost in thought.

" Apologies, Irisviel, I was wondering about Caster's identity, and I think they may not be a well-known figure or if they are even mentioned in history or myth."

" If you can't think of anyone despite the Grail's information, then they may be unknown to most of the world outside of the regions of their birth."

Kiritsugu then ordered his wife expressionlessly.

" Iri, make sure to keep Saber nearby, as Caster has shown twice that he is adept at ambushing."

" Twice?"

Irisviel asked with a confused expression, and the Magus Killer explained.

" Caster is also the one who likely ended Assassin's Master despite losing his Servant to Archer, as the scene of his death showed none of Tohsaka's handiwork or his Servant's from what I could tell of the pictures Maiya took."

The homunculus woman frowned along with the Servant in the room at learning the implications of this information. Kiritsugu then told his wife while ignoring Artoria.

" I will be making it my priority to find information on Caster and their Master, as they are arguably the most dangerous and least known. Until I get more information, make the necessary fortification in the castle."

The Magus Killer left without another word as he went hunting down more information on his adversary.