The newcomer had a pair of bright black eyes.
Unlike Kiritsugu Emiya's dull gaze, the other man's eyes were exceptionally bright and piercing.
He had a delicate, well-defined face and thick, dark hair.
He held a book in his left hand and wore a long black robe that reached his knees.
"Who are you?"
Irisviel, subtly glancing at the metal wire bundle in her hand, asked Chen Yu with a hint of nervousness.
Judging a Magus's power by their age and appearance was an unreliable method.
Take Irisviel herself, for example; even though she had given birth and her appearance suggested a mature physiological female, her actual life experience amounted to only nine years.
As an artificially created being, a homunculus synthesized by magic, her purpose was decided even before her birth, during the design phase: to become a mobile vessel for the Holy Grail.
Her crucial duty was to bear the Holy Grail's descent.
To enable her to fulfill her role as the lesser grail, both her body and mind were manufactured in optimal condition, and she possessed more than twice the anti-magic ability of ordinary humans, with a heightened sensitivity to the flow of magic.
Without the influence of the Confundo, Irisviel could clearly sense the immense amount of magical power contained within the newcomer's body.
His body was like a magical furnace, with surging, powerful magic restrained within his small frame.
"I forgot to introduce myself."
The newcomer gave Irisviel a wide smile, a smile that seemed to contain no hidden schemes or tricks.
"I am Chen Yu, a Wizard."
Upon hearing Chen Yu call himself a Wizard, Irisviel's eyes showed a look of surprise.
Since the decline of the Age of Gods, very few Magi referred to themselves as Wizards.
Especially in modern times, the term "Wizard," which Magi had collectively abandoned, only appeared in novels and picture books.
Those who still insisted on using the term "Wizard" were either ancient relics from the Age of Gods or secret societies descended from these relics.
Of course, there was another possibility: perhaps the person came from an even more remote, primitive region.
Only in such out-of-the-way places would tribal priests or chiefs who possessed special abilities refer to themselves as Wizards.
Because they were remote and isolated, Magi rarely went there.
Anyone who was internationally connected and frequently interacted with other Magi would not call themselves a Wizard, but rather a Magus.
As Irisviel pondered his origins, Chen Yu revealed the Command Spells on his right hand, which resembled a 【BEEP—紋】, indicating his other identity.
"And I am also the Master of Caster, participating in this Holy Grail War."
Irisviel stared at the Command Spells on Chen Yu's right hand, her expression gentle and her face very calm.
Thanks to Irisviel's lack of exposure to the outside world, having stayed indoors since arriving in Fuyuki, she lacked sufficient common sense.
Otherwise, any knowledgeable "old hand" seeing the Command Spells on Chen Yu's right hand would have shown a mysterious smile.
"Are you the Magus in the silver metal armor who appeared in that forest? Was it you who saved Maiya and me from Kirei Kotomine? Did you also help treat Maiya's injuries?"
Irisviel carefully scrutinized Chen Yu's height and build, mentally comparing the height of the silver-armored figure she had glimpsed with Chen Yu's.
The two figures' sizes almost perfectly matched, making it almost certain that he was the silver-armored person who had appeared in the forest.
There weren't that many coincidences in the world; to appear in the forest near Einzbern Castle, fight with the Holy Church's Executor, and save her and Maiya, she had already suspected he was a Magus participating in the Holy Grail War.
And the Command Spells on Chen Yu's right hand confirmed Irisviel's suspicion was correct.
Although Irisviel found "Tin Man" more catchy, it seemed impolite to call him that directly, especially since he had saved her and Maiya.
So, Irisviel changed "Tin Man" to "the Magus wearing silver metal armor."
"Yes, it was me. Miss Maiya's ribs were fractured and her lungs were punctured by the broken ribs before treatment, but now she is out of danger after treatment. However, her body is still weak and she will need a period of rest to fully recover."
Chen Yu nodded, looked at Miss Maiya, who was still unconscious on the bed, and then shifted his gaze back to Irisviel.
One had to admit that Kiritsugu Emiya had good taste.
Unlike Nyarlathotep's almost inhuman beauty, Irisviel's beauty was like the warm sun in spring, bright yet not dazzling.
Her exquisite face was like a masterpiece meticulously carved by a top artisan; truly, every detail was just right.
Even sitting by the bed, her hands were clasped together, resting naturally on her knees, and her back was straight, showcasing excellent sitting posture.
White hair, red eyes, plus the wife attribute.
These anime attributes were practically doing a flamenco dance on Chen Yu's XP.
Red eyes didn't matter; it was mainly the white-haired wife.
This also made Chen Yu's favorability towards Irisviel very high.
However, he couldn't dwell on this, as Chen Yu always suspected Nyarlathotep had mind-reading abilities.
If Nyarlathotep found out his motives for saving her were impure, given her personality, she would probably make a huge fuss for quite a while.
It was precisely because their XPs aligned that Chen Yu stopped Kirei Kotomine before Irisviel was stabbed.
Otherwise, sitting back and watching the tigers fight, then appearing to "collect the corpse" after Kirei Kotomine left, would have been more in his interest.
Indeed, after he saved Maiya and herself, Irisviel immediately stood up and bowed deeply to Chen Yu.
"Thank you so much for saving Maiya!"
Although Irisviel, deep down, didn't particularly like this female assistant who had an unclear relationship with her husband, always feeling that she had taken away a part of Kiritsugu's love for her.
But Irisviel knew that the relationship between Maiya and Kiritsugu couldn't be described with the simple word "love."
Maiya had never developed a sense of self since childhood, always seeing herself as a part of Kiritsugu, believing that everything she was belonged to Kiritsugu Emiya.
If Kiritsugu Emiya was compared to a complete doll, Maiya was like a part within that doll, but also a crucial component that made up the person Kiritsugu Emiya.
Questioning whether she loved Kiritsugu Emiya was like questioning whether an organ loved a brain; the question itself was meaningless.
If Maiya, as a part of Kiritsugu Emiya, were to die, then Kiritsugu Emiya as a person would no longer be complete.
If compared this way, Irisviel was still quite grateful that he had saved Maiya's life.
"My apologies, I forgot to introduce myself. I am Irisviel von Einzbern, a Magus of the Einzbern Family."
Irisviel did not mention that she was the Master of Saber, Artoria Pendragon.
During the initial battle with Lancer at North Port, Irisviel had still been wearing gloves, pretending to conceal the existence of her Command Spells.
Now, in her hasty escape, she hadn't had time to disguise the back of her hand, so any discerning person could see that the back of her hand was empty, with no Command Spells present.
Naturally, she couldn't be Saber's Master.
This meant that Kiritsugu Emiya's plan for her to act as Saber's proxy Master had already failed.
"You're welcome. After all, there's no such thing as a free lunch in this world. Going to the Einzbern forest to save you and Maiya naturally had my own interests in mind."
Chen Yu smiled and straightforwardly extended an invitation to Irisviel.
"So, Madam Irisviel, seeing as I saved you and Maiya, shall we form an alliance?"