Fate/Magus Path

117 Problem

"A large number of Dead Apostles have infiltrated Misaki Town..."

The next morning, in the hotel base where Roy and his group stayed.

Despite the unpleasant events of the previous night, with the main culprit being killed by Aoko Aozaki and Roy offering an apology with enough sincerity, their relations eased, preventing a complete fallout.

As for the cooperation agreed upon last night...

Looking at the intelligence gathered by Emiya Kiritsugu throughout the city, both Aoko and Alice clenched their fists.

"How could so many Dead Apostles infiltrate under the coverage of a great boundary field?"

"Dead Apostles scattered throughout the entire city... When did Misaki Town become this dangerous? This situation is far beyond what we anticipated, Alice."

The thick dossier, detailing the many missing or deceased individuals, left Aoko Aozaki deeply alarmed.

It wasn't just Misaki Town... nearby residential areas were also affected. The scale had reached hundreds of victims, indicating the Dead Apostles had been operating for quite some time. As the local overseers, they had been completely unaware. If not for Roy's investigation, they might have remained in the dark, a significant dereliction of duty.

"..."

Alice Kuonji fell into deep thought as she looked over the intelligence.

Why was it suppressed to this extent? Although she rarely left her residence, she did keep up with the local news. As far as she knew, only about a dozen disappearances had been reported in the past month, all within her control. Yet in reality, the situation was far worse...

Emiya Kiritsugu had found the answer to her doubts. Due to the overwhelming number of deaths and disappearances, authorities, aiming to prevent mass panic and protect their reputation, had covered up most of the incidents. Only a small portion was reported to the public to maintain order. The upper echelons were now pressuring the police to solve the issue within a deadline.

However, this situation wasn't simply about a deranged serial killer or human trafficking ring. A powerful force from the hidden side was involved.

No matter how many police were deployed, they would not be able to solve the problem.

Setting the report down, Alice let out a long breath before turning to Roy. "Do you have any more information?"

"No, this is as much as I could gather." Roy shook his head slightly while continuing to eat the sandwich freshly made by Shiki. Poking at its overly toasted surface with a fork, he thought to himself that it might have been a bit overcooked.

However, seeing Shiki silently prodding the sandwich with her knife and fork, clearly dissatisfied with her own cooking, Roy decided not to comment.

"These Dead Apostles aren't just hunting or roaming randomly. This involves many influential figures and conspiracies. Without sufficient resources, continuing to investigate would be very dangerous, which is why I haven't let my subordinates take any more risks."

He had only asked Emiya Kiritsugu to investigate the Dead Apostles and gather intelligence on the local overseers and the demon hunter families, without pushing him to delve deeper.

Although Kiritsugu was skilled, with his Origin Bullet he could potentially defeat even a lord-level magus like Kayneth. But against the Dead Apostle Ancestors, his chances of survival were slim, and he could even lose his life.

Illyasviel, who had just been saved by Touko, was still waiting for Kiritsugu in Fuyuki City. Roy did not want them to be unable to reunite due to an unfortunate accident.