Chapter 169: City of Winter (Bonus)

Germany, officially known as the Federal Republic of Germany, is located in central Europe, between latitudes 47°N - 55°N and longitudes 5°E - 15°E. Despite its northern location, the country experiences a moderate climate due to the cool westerly winds between the Atlantic Ocean and the continental climate in the east. It can be characterized as having mild winters without extreme cold and summers without scorching heat.

However, this is a general description and not an absolute rule. In the southern region of Germany, especially in the Bavarian Plain bordering Austria, the climate is different. This area is situated at an average altitude of over 1,000 meters and experiences complex and variable weather conditions. Due to the higher elevation, temperatures are colder than in other parts of Germany, especially during January and February when snowstorms are frequent, creating a seasonally frozen landscape that stretches for miles. It can be said that this is the least suitable area for habitation in Germany.

On the first day of February, with the howling north wind and heavy snowfall, the temperature reached a new low. In this harsh weather that even the German soldiers stationed on the border found unbearable, two figures quietly crossed the border between Austria and Germany, arriving at a mountain pass not far from Germany's highest peak, the Zugspitze.

"Whew, it's really cold. How much longer until we get there?"

The shorter man, wearing a padded jacket with a hood, a large mask covering his face, and goggles on his head, shivered from time to time.

The taller man, dressed similarly, replied in an unchanging voice, "We have entered the territory of Einzbern. The next turn is the boundary of the 'City of Winter,' the bounded field."

"'City of Winter'... It's been about 200 years since I last came here." Amidst the falling snowflakes, a woman of the same color as the sky and earth appeared out of thin air, gazing silently at the familiar scenery before her.

The "City of Winter" is an ancient city with a history of over 2,000 years, the headquarters of the Einzbern family. Justeaze and Irisviel were born here and lived here for a long time.

"Have we finally arrived?" The shorter man lowered his goggles, revealing deep blue hair and eyes. "Mr. Kiritsugu, this is where we stop. Leave the rest to me. I will bring out your daughter, Illyasviel von Einzbern, and the samples."

The group of three, Shinji Matou, Emiya Kiritsugu, and Justeaze, departed from Japan, first sneaking into Southeast Asia, then using underground channels to forge their identities and enter Europe. They changed their identities for the third time upon arriving in Austria and quietly crossed the border into the Alpine frontier.

After various trials and spending half a month, their goal was to infiltrate Einzbern's headquarters, the "City of Winter," unnoticed. The purpose of their infiltration was twofold:

First, to find the samples that Touko Aozaki needed for creating the artificial body.

Secondly, they wanted to bring out Emiya Kiritsugu and Irisviel's daughter, Illyasviel von Einzbern.

On the second day after the Holy Grail War ended, Emiya Kiritsugu wanted to go to the "City of Winter" to bring back his daughter. However, due to Irisviel's unstable condition and the need for constant care, they had to delay the plan for two months. During this time, Kiritsugu and Irisviel worried about their daughter every day, fearing for her safety.

When they learned that Touko Aozaki needed sample materials, the couple knew they couldn't delay any longer. After careful consideration, they decided that Shinji, who possessed numerous Noble Phantasms, would accompany Kiritsugu on the mission.

Kiritsugu was responsible for planning the infiltration and escape, while Shinji would handle the execution.

"I'm counting on you," Kiritsugu lowered his head deeply. Regardless of his past exploits, at this moment, he was just a worried father concerned about his daughter.

"Please rest assured."

Shinji removed his mask and gave Kiritsugu a confident smile. He preferred this Kiritsugu, who worried about his daughter, over the cold-blooded killer. He was willing to do his best for Kiritsugu and Irisviel.

"Then I'll depart."

A shadow cast over, and a gray cloak enveloped Shinji's body. At the same time, Justeaze, in her spirit form, silently slipped into the cloak.

"The Cloak of Hades," originally a helmet (in mythology, Perseus borrowed a helmet, so it's unclear why Type-Moon designed it as a cloak), is the highest-ranked invisibility Noble Phantasm in Greek mythology. It is said to be able to deceive even the gods. Previously, due to a lack of magical energy, Shinji couldn't fully unleash the cloak's effects. After consuming a Golden Apple, both the quality and quantity of his magical energy greatly increased, allowing him to use the Noble Phantasm without any reservations.

His body vanished, his presence disappeared, his voice ceased, and his magical energy signature was completely concealed. Apart from the footprints left on the snowy ground, there was no trace of him. This is also the only flaw of the cloak—it cannot eliminate the physical form. However, this flaw is compensated to some extent by another Noble Phantasm, the Feathered Boots. The boots' special effect is flight, and leaving no footprints in the snow is a trivial matter.

Shinji, in a completely concealed state, didn't recklessly enter the bounded field. Instead, he roamed along the bounded field, searching for nodes and gaps.

The era of the gods has long passed, and now it is the era of humans. The top human experts and technologies are no less inferior to the gods. Revering the past and despising the present is not only meaningless but also a path to self-destruction. Shinji will never forget Scáthach's earnest teachings.

The Einzbern family has been managing the "City of Winter" for 2000 years. Even Justeaze and Kiritsugu are unaware of how many layers of bounded fields and magical mechanisms are set up here. To ensure a successful infiltration, Shinji must be extremely cautious.

The larger the coverage of the bounded field, the more nodes are required, and the more likely gaps are to appear. Shinji's goal is to find these gaps.

After calculating with Justeaze's assistance and searching for fifteen minutes, Shinji finally found a gap on a mid-level cliff, which was difficult for monkeys to climb. The location, inaccessible to humans, posed no problem for Shinji. With the aid of the Feathered Boots, Shinji silently slipped into the bounded field, exhibiting movements and awareness comparable to a professional assassin.

Once you have one, you have two; once you have two, you have three. With the experience of breaking through the first layer of the bounded field, the subsequent infiltration became smoother. After breaking through more than twenty layers of bounded fields, Shinji saw the white castle group located among the mountains.

The style of the castle was similar to the ancient castles on the outskirts of Fuyuki City, with white exterior walls and tall spires, but on a larger scale and with a more ancient history.

Shinji stopped by a snow cedar tree, silently gazing at the main gate of the "City of Winter."

"How is it?"

An invisible thought was conveyed through the contract.

"No, there are no blind spots or gaps from here."

"As expected. If there were gaps, I would have to think carefully if they're traps or not."

"What should we do?"

"We can only rely on the performance of the Hades Cloak. If we're unlucky and get discovered, we'll forcefully rescue her. For today, I've brought all my Noble Phantasms. I also want to see if the Einzbern family is truly incapable of combat."

"Don't cause too much commotion. After all, this is the place where I was born."

"I'm just saying. The chances of being discovered are not high. Even if we are, I'll be cautious as long as they don't go too far."

"Prepare for action. According to Kiritsugu's information, their castle should be on the far right edge."

"No, we won't go there."

The uninterrupted exchange of thoughts suddenly encountered a slight pause.

"Then... where should we go?"

"The artificial human's grave, the Einzbern family's junkyard. There's a good chance Illya was abandoned there."

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