CHAPTER 4

Location: Tbilisi. Time: 6:40 AM. Date: 7th August 2008.

There was only one more day.

Alyza sat once again at her dining table. This time, she had a cup of instant coffee and a plate of light toast. No letter or paper could be seen around her.

But this did not mean that she was not yet once again at work.

The faction of the East had made a move.

The report came late in the form of a letter dropped by her window last night. A familiar in form of a black raven eyed the letter until Alyza deigned to open it and read its contents. Only then did it bother to take off.

Alyza frowned.

Yesterday, around 7Pm in a town called Kvaisa near the border, an enemy servant had attacked.

There had supposedly been an operation. The Army wished to retrieve the corpses of citizens scattered across the town after one of the recent raids from the enemy army around the border.

Officially it was so that the bodies could be returned to family members for proper burial, but Alyza knew better as she was one master taking part in the war.

The Caster Of West would use the corpses.

Alyza didn't really know the details of the servant or of the master, but her opinion was irrelevant. 

Needless to say, the operation had failed and the operation, consisting of a total of 35 soldiers, had been decimated without remorse.

To put it blankly, the entire area had been levelled.

Alyza clucked her tongue and took a sip of her coffee. Conflicts were to begin on 8th August. Such was the condition agreed between the association and the man who had set this all into motion.

But these conflicts only counted between the contestants of the holy grail war. In other words, the deaths of countless innocents by servants and their masters didn't register as 'conflict'.

Alyza found it disgusting.

Her orders were to remain stationary until tomorrow. The matter regarding the defeat of a saber would be taken care of by the 15th servant. Ruler.

Ruler was unlike all other servants. They had no master, but instead enforced the rules of the grail war. The defeat of a saber before the agreed date of conflicts counted as 'breaking of rules'. 

What would happen? Alyza had no clue and it would remain so until she received further orders.

A helpless sigh escaped Alyza's lips.

For now she could only prepare herself appropriately. Her workshop as a magus was set up in the basement of this house that the Association provided for her. Set around it was a simple boundary field that acted as an alarm. And as a counter measure she had security spells cast around every entryway to the house.

Today, she planned to finalize everything she needed. And tomorrow she would make a move.

She finished her breakfast and headed for the basement. 

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The boy stared around the cottage idly. Nothing but nonchalance could be read as his expression as he set brewing himself a cup of coffee.

He had occupied this cottage for a day now, and it was extremely comfortable. Superb plumbing, excellent decor and warmth from the automated heating system installed. 

But the boy never changed his expression of indifference, no matter what he came across within the cottage.

If one glanced around the kitchen with the boy as their centre of rotation, they would notice a large black duffel bag placed on top of the marble kitchen island. Because of the closed zip, its contents couldn't be viewed.

The boy finished his brewing and set about pouring it into a cup.

He then walked toward the kitchen island and sat on a swivel chair. Two, three sips in he placed the cup down and mumbled something.

"How putrid..."

With a gloved hand he picked up the duffel bag and stood up.

He was dressed in complete black. A black trench coat, black cotton gloves, black cap, boots and pants. 

Only his grey eyes, pearl-like complexion and recently blonde dyed hair stood out.

But this hardly mattered to the boy for what he planned to do today.

Without a word he left the cottage and the steaming cup of coffee.

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Location: Tbilisi. Time: 1:50 PM. Date: 7th August 2008

7 hours.

Such was the time Alyza had taken within her temporary workshop. She had prepared in every thorough sense of the word. To her, the idea of immediate loss was unacceptable and so she strived to do everything in order to avoid it.

Mystic codes, her go to method of combat was prepared.

All the while her servant had remained silent, not a word dared to interfere with her concentration and Alyza felt a tiny glimmer of hope for her servant.

Just a tiny glimmer.

She emerged from the basement/workshop to the landing covered in sweat. 

And for the first time in 7 hours, she had contact with her servant.

There they sat. Two beautiful girls on a hanger out on the backyard porch with a view of the city in the day. 

There was nothing but silence between the two, but Alyza had a feeling that silence was also some form of communication.

Of course Alyza was now familiar with the true name of her servant and thus their legend.

Anne Bonny and Mary Read.

Two legendary pirates from the Golden Age of Piracy. They had been part of the crew of the most famous pirate of the time.

They had even been in love.

But Alyza cared little for this detail. And so, without a word, she turned away and headed for the kitchen to make a quick, simple sandwich for her lunch.

Yet another water cress sandwich later, Alyza sat by her table and stared at the varnished wood tabletop. Every bite in her sandwich seemed robotic, automated and without any heart or enjoyment behind it. 

"..."

Suddenly Alyza felt a presence beside her. A quick glance and she met the gaze of the short white-haired girl that was the one half of her servant, Archer.

Mary Read was her true name but Anne simply referred to her as Mary.

"What is it Archer?..."

Alyza referred to her as Archer.

Mary stared at the eyes of her master in silence before revealing her mouth from the collar of her jacket to say something.

"...why so little."

Alyza raised a brow in confusion. For a moment the idea that possibly Mary may have been referring to her in particular made Alyza fume. But this was quickly dissolved when Mary pointed at the sandwich in Alyza's hands.

That's when it clicked.

"My sandwich?..."

Mary nodded in assent and Alyza returned her expression to one of nonchalance.

"Food isn't really a priority to me. Don't worry I have enough magical energy to support your existence in this world without it."

Alyza interpreted Mary's inquisition in her own train of thought. To Alyza food was nothing more than a source of nutrition, one could even simply say she viewed it as a rather recurring waste of one's time.

And so Alyza only thought the reason her servant would be curious would be because they worried for their magical energy supply. Not directly connected to one's eating habits but simply this was how Alyza interpreted it.

"She doesn't mean it like that, Master~"

On the opposite side of the table sat a beautiful blonde woman with sparkling blue eyes and a mischievous smile like a cat.

Anne Bonny.

Alyza audibly clicked her tongue as she returned to staring at the tabletop and eating her sandwich.

"...Why do you treat yourself so roughly?"

"Excuse me?"

Alyza glanced up at her servant and wondered what could she possibly be talking about.

"You're always rushing about. It's only been a day with you and you've already got Mary worried~"

"..."

"Looking at you. One might even think you don't have any kind of selfish motivations for this war."

"..."

Anne smiled and closed her eyes cutely, better resembling a smug cat. But Alyza remained in silence.

"So master~ It's better we ask now than later... what are your wishes for the grail~"

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