Waver bit down on his cigar, frowned, and looked back and forth several times at the spot Seiji had pointed out. He even pulled out a quill pen and began scribbling rapid calculations on scratch paper.
Finally, it hit him.
"You're right... damn it, I actually overlooked this!"
He slapped his forehead hard, his tone tinged with frustration and a touch of dread. "If that's really the case, then the scale and danger of the next Holy Grail War will far exceed anything we've imagined! Participants might even be eroded by the polluted mana without knowing it..."
The way he looked at Seiji was growing more appreciative, and now carried a hint of relief.
This young man was simply the strongest brain, tailor-made for him, always able to light a lamp in the blind spots of his thinking.
Seiji played the role of "strongest support" to perfection: humble, efficient, and "harmless."
His contact with Gray also began to increase.
He would often "casually" discuss legends of ancient Britain with her while she was brewing black tea for the teacher.
"Miss Gray."
One time, holding a thick old tome, he asked as if in passing, "I read in this book that legend says King Arthur didn't actually die. He just sleeps in Avalon. Do you think... that legend is true?"
Gray's hands, holding the tea tray, paused slightly. She kept her head lowered, the shadow of her hood hiding her expression, her voice very soft. "I... I don't know. That's only a legend."
"Is that so?"
Seiji smiled gently, softening his voice. "I just feel that if a king fought her whole life to save her country, only to end up like that, it would be far too sad. If it were me, I'd want to give her a... better ending. An ending where she no longer needs to bear everything, where she can live for herself."
His words were like an invisible needle, lightly pricking Gray.
Her fingers tightened unconsciously around the tea tray. Those emerald eyes glanced at him with something complicated in them, as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she only shook her head silently and walked away quickly.
From her scattered words and subtle reactions, Seiji pieced together everything he wanted to know.
He learned the secret of the Holy Lance, learned of Gray's origins, and even more, learned of her hatred and fear of the "kingly visage" she bore.
A "vessel" who longs to be an ordinary person, hm...
Seiji sneered inwardly.
How pitiful. And what a... delicious setup.
In his head he had already begun to design how he would refashion this "false king" into the exact shape he wanted.
Then, one day.
A piece of airmail from Japan broke the peace of the El-Melloi Classroom.
It was a letter wrapped in a modern envelope, but on its surface, branded by magecraft, was the emblem of a gleaming red jewel.
"A letter from... the Tohsaka family?"
When Waver saw that emblem, his expression shifted slightly. He even forgot to smoke the cigar in his hand, letting ash fall onto the expensive carpet.
He tore open the envelope and pulled out the letter inside.
Seiji stood off to the side, head down, organizing documents in his hands. But out of the corner of his eye, through the system, he could already read every word on the letter clearly.
[To my respected mentor, Lord El-Melloi II:]
[...Ten years have passed since the last ritual. The Spiritual Veins of Fuyuki City have once again grown active to their peak. According to the records my father left behind, and my own personal observations, the fifth "Heaven's Feel" (HeavensFeel) ritual will formally begin within the next several months...]
[...As the heir of the Tohsaka family, I will of course participate in this war. But this ritual seems to show signs of instability. To ensure the fairness of the ritual, and to fulfill your former duty of oversight as a past participant, I, in the name of Tohsaka, sincerely invite you to grace Fuyuki City once more, as a representative of the Mage's Association, to oversee this Holy Grail War...]
[Your former student, Rin Tohsaka, respectfully.]
Holy Grail War!
The moment he saw those four words, Seiji's heart leapt.
It was finally here!
The best stage he had been waiting for, the one that could bring him out from behind the scenes and onto center stage!
If the Clock Tower was the "central server" of this world, then the Holy Grail War was the "super port" that could bring "myth" into reality.
There, he would finally see real Heroic Spirits.
There, he would finally see the ultimate target of this journey: the living, full-prime King of Knights, Artoria Pendragon.
Waver held the letter and fell into a long silence. His knuckles paled where he gripped the paper, the cigar in his mouth had gone out without him noticing, and his whole body seemed drained of strength.
An extremely complex expression appeared on his face. There was satisfaction in a former student's achievements, painful memories of that war, fear of returning to that place, and also a trace of... a sense of duty he could not cast off.
"Fuyuki City..."
He murmured the name he could never forget for the rest of his life. That place had buried his youth, his innocence, and the receding figure of the king he had followed.
Seiji knew the moment had come.
He set down the documents in his hands, stepped over to Waver, and put a perfectly measured look of concern and confusion on his face.
"Teacher, what's wrong?"
He had already begun calling Waver "teacher" in private. The title always softened Waver's expression a little.
"Is... is there some trouble in that letter? You look terrible."
Waver lifted his head and looked at this most capable assistant of his. He hesitated, but in the end held the letter out, as if wanting someone to share the weight with him.
"See for yourself."
Seiji took the letter with "trepidation" and began to read it "for the first time," word by word.
The expression on his face shifted with precision as he read deeper. From curiosity about the name "Rin Tohsaka," to shock at the words "Holy Grail War," and finally, into the kind of irrepressible, fanatical longing a scholar shows in the face of an ultimate mystery.
"The... the Holy Grail War?"
He raised his head and looked at Waver, his eyes shining with disbelief. "The one that... in legend, can summon ancient heroes and grant any wish... the Greater Grail ritual?"
"That's right." Waver leaned back wearily into his chair, lit another cigar, and inhaled deeply, as if trying to numb his nerves with nicotine. "A cursed ritual, full of deception, betrayal, and slaughter."
"But..." Seiji's breathing quickened. He took a step forward, almost pressing the letter against Waver's desk. "Those are... Heroic Spirits! To see the legendary heroes with my own eyes, to take part personally in the ultimate magecraft ritual... this is... this is the dream of every magus!"
He played the role of the "academic fanatic" to the hilt.
Watching his fervor, Waver's gaze grew distant, as if seeing himself from decades ago, that reckless youth who had stolen his teacher's Holy Relic and set off for Fuyuki City without hesitation.
"Teacher!"
Seiji took a step forward and bowed deeply, lowering his posture as far as it could go.
"Please... please, by all means, take me with you!"
"I... I know my Magic Circuits are weak. I can't be combat strength. I might even be a burden to you. But I can organize information for you and analyze the situation! The knowledge in my head is bound to be useful! Even if I'm only behind the lines, pouring your tea and sorting your documents!"
"I just... I just want to see the miracle of legend with my own eyes... even if it's only a glimpse..."
His voice carried a note of almost pleading earnestness, his eyes filled with pure, unadulterated longing for knowledge.
Waver looked at him and fell silent.
He knew Fuyuki City was dangerous. Bringing along an assistant with no combat ability was an enormous risk.
But he also knew Seiji was right. In that kind of complex, ever-shifting environment, this young man's mind might genuinely become a tremendous asset.
And besides...
Looking at the burning light in Seiji's eyes, he could not bring himself to refuse. He didn't want to snuff out the pure longing for knowledge in this genius's eyes. Because he knew that once such longing was extinguished, a magus's life was effectively over.
A long while passed.
He exhaled a heavy ring of smoke, as if expelling the hesitation in his chest along with it.
"Fine."
"I'll apply for a 'Temporary Observer' status for you in the name of the Mage's Association."
"But," his tone suddenly turned utterly severe, "remember this. Once we're in Fuyuki City, you do everything by my command. That place is not the Clock Tower. One wrong word, one wrong move, and you die. Absolutely no acting on your own. Otherwise, I can't guarantee your safety. Understood?"
At those words, a radiant, heartfelt smile bloomed across Seiji's face.
"Yes! Teacher! I understand! I swear I will not cause you any trouble!"
He bowed deeply again, his posture humble to the extreme.
But on that lowered face, veiled in shadow, deep in those pitch-black eyes, there lay something else entirely: the cold, chilling smile of a hunter watching his prey finally step into the trap.
Fuyuki City.
The Holy Grail War.
My "hunting ground"...
I'm coming.
...
...
After Waver agreed to take Seiji to Fuyuki City, the atmosphere of the El-Melloi Classroom quietly began to shift.
The air was no longer one of pure academic study. There was a new tension to it, the kind that hangs in the air before a storm.
Waver began devoting more of his time to preparations for the Fifth Holy Grail War.
The light in his study often burned all night long.
And Seiji, now his official assistant, naturally also earned the "privilege" of working those late hours alongside him.
This suited Seiji perfectly.
To him, Waver's study was a treasure vault.
A treasure vault that held the essence of modern magecraft theory, as well as first-hand, top-secret records of the Fourth Holy Grail War.
Here, knowledge was no longer cold text on a page, but a real account that Waver had lived through, written in blood and hard-won lessons.
Deep in the night.
In the Clock Tower's ancient corridors, the only sound left was the heavy footfalls of patrolling Golems, like boulders rolling across stone.
The monotonous noise echoed through the empty building, lending the place an even more sinister chill.
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