Chapter 178: Illya and the Extraterrestrial Visitor
Chapter 178: Illya and the Extraterrestrial Visitor
Inside a spacious and cozy room of a castle in the snowy expanse, a small girl with white hair and crimson eyes lay on the windowsill. Resting her hands on the window, she gazed out into the snowy night, surrounded by the darkness of the dense forest beyond.
"When will Kiritsugu and Mom come back?" Illya sighed with disappointment as she peered into the pitch-black woods covered in snow.
"My lady, they will be back soon. Just a few more days of waiting," a white-haired, red-eyed artificial girl, like a sister or a young mother, came up behind Illya and placed her hand on Illya's shoulder reassuringly.
"Really?" Illya turned her head back with anticipation.
"Certainly. So, my lady, it's time to go to sleep. It's already past midnight, and if Master Kiritsugu and Madam find out you haven't gone to bed yet, they will be displeased," the maid said, pointing to the grandfather clock nearby.
Illya nodded eagerly, knowing that the sooner she slept, the closer it would be to seeing Kiritsugu and her mother again.
"Yes, yes, I will go to sleep now," Illya affirmed. After her response, she glanced one last time at the nearly pitch-black forest covered in snow before heading to bed.
However, just as she turned her head back, a red dot suddenly appeared in the sky. Illya was puzzled, tilting her head slightly, not quite understanding what it was. At first, she thought it might be a shooting star and was about to make a wish, but then she noticed something oddthere was no tail following the red dot.
Typically, shooting stars flew in a specific direction, leaving behind a trail. However, this one seemed to be suspended in the air or... was it flying towards them?
Curious, Illya tugged on her maid's sleeve and asked, "Hey, what's that?"
"What's wrong?" the maid inquired.
"Look over there," Illya pointed her index finger at the red dot that had suddenly appeared in the sky.
Following Illya's direction, the maid looked over and, upon seeing the object, her expression grew serious.
"That is..."
As a pure artificial being, the maid possessed heightened physical abilities, including exceptional vision. This allowed her to see clearly in the night sky. At this moment, an object was hurtling into the atmosphere at supersonic speed. Its size appeared small, but the friction with the air caused flames to trail behind it, making it visible from the ground.
"Is there a Magus attacking the Einzbern family?" The maid immediately became vigilant at the sight of the falling "fireball." Given the critical timing of its appearance and the castle's location, it was hard to believe it wasn't a targeted attack.
"Attack?" Illya blinked, not quite understanding the situation.
"Don't worry, my lady. You don't need to concern yourself with it." The maid reassured Illya, patting her head gently. "Rest assured, a mere magic attack like this can never breach the protective barrier of this place."
With her confidence, the maid raised her head to observe the incoming "fireball." Right as the "fireball" approached, a semicircular, pale blue barrier, encompassing a square kilometer, became visible, resembling the shield of a starship.
But then...
"Bu~plop." As the "fireball" collided with the barrier, a sound reminiscent of a muffled fart echoed. The subsequent impact was swift, as if the barrier had been made of thin paper, instantly crumbling before the "fireball," with not even a millisecond of resistance.
Before this "fireball," the barrier's effectiveness was as limited as a facial mask or a sheet of toilet paper.
"Huh?" The maid tilted her head in confusion, utterly bewildered by the sight of the barrier being instantly destroyed.
However, she quickly snapped back to reality, grabbing the small Illya with one hand and turning to rush toward the inner part of the castle, attempting to evade the incoming attack.
But before she could start running, the "fireball" descended like a true meteor, crashing directly into the courtyard in front of the window.
"Boom!!!" The impact triggered a massive explosion as the "fireball" hit the courtyard, followed by a shockwave that spread in all directions. Even the windows in Illya's room shattered instantly.
Fortunately, the shards of glass miraculously avoided hitting the maid or Illya, as if they had been deflected by an invisible force. However, a few fragments managed to hit the position of the bedroom door, effectively jamming it shut.
Opening the bedroom door became an impossible task after several futile attempts. The maid reached under her long skirt and pulled out a wolf's tooth club, aiming a strike at the jammed door in an attempt to force it open.
"Bang!!!" With just one strike, the bedroom door was effortlessly reduced to dust. The wolf's tooth club was kept in a holster on her thigh, seemingly invisible and unarmed during regular times. But when needed, she could easily retrieve it.
After smashing the bedroom door, the maid intended to flee with Illya. However, just as she shattered the door and was about to take action, the red rod-like object that had previously resembled a fireball emerged from the crater, flying smoothly into the bedroom.
The maid noticed this development and had no choice but to turn and face the red rod-like object. She assessed the menacing object and then looked at Illya, whom she still held in her right armpit. The maid nodded slightly, firm in her decision to hold the line.
No matter what, she had to ensure Illya's escape.
"Run, my lady, hurry!" The maid's expression turned solemn as she held Illya, ready to make the ultimate sacrifice.
Illya, however, had a large question mark above her head. After struggling fruitlessly for a few moments, she looked perplexed at her maid, who was now determined to protect her.
"Eee, if you don't let go of me, how am I supposed to run?" Illya exclaimed, bewildered by the situation.
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