Time: Not long ago.
Location: London, Clock Tower.
That day, a young man who'd just dined with his fiancée returned to his office.
His name: Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald.
Current Lord El-Melloi, a renowned Clock Tower genius, hailed as a future Grand candidate after Aozaki Touko.
He served as Mineralogy (Kischur) department head, Necromancy director, Clock Tower lecturer, and Color-rank magus.
In his twenties, he'd reached a career peak as a Lord, backed by the El-Melloi faction and allied with the Yuliphis and Bartholomew noble families. A rising star.
Many Clock Tower elders believed he'd achieve Grand status, eager to see if he'd surprise them like Touko.
Already nearing life's pinnacle, basking in admiration, Kayneth was in high spirits.
Especially after successfully proposing to his mentor Lord Yuliphis's daughter, Sola, cementing an aristocratic alliance to secure more Clock Tower power, positioning him at its heart.
Or so he believed.
Young, he'd developed his universal magical tool, mastered Mineralogy theories, and excelled in Necromancy—a prized disciple of Lord Yuliphis.
To the old Lord, clinging to life through magecraft and mystery like a zombie, Kayneth was a rare talent.
Outsiders saw him as harsh and petty, clinging to noble glory. But those close knew his sharpness targeted lowborn students. For noble-born geniuses, he spared no effort in nurturing, and Kayneth was such a case.
Valuing his bloodline and talent, Yuliphis groomed him to lead the aristocratic faction against inept democrats and neutral fence-sitters after his passing.
Kayneth solemnly accepted, set to wed his mentor's daughter.
Unbeknownst to him, Yuliphis sought to extend his life, secretly contacting the sealed Touko for special methods.
To Yuliphis, Touko, from the Fifth Magic's lineage, was a noble magus with impeccable ability, so he held no bias. Much of his hope for Kayneth was to replicate Touko's brilliance.
Kayneth, unaware, believed himself the magical world's unmatched genius, surpassing Touko a matter of time.
His talent rivaled the Grand puppeteer—he might've already surpassed her, he thought.
But boasting was pointless without results to eclipse her.
Even so, Kayneth faced recent frustrations.
"Honestly… these idiots."
"Can't modern students see the situation?"
In his office, Kayneth slapped a thesis, his face grim.
This Waver Velvet dared publish such a thing in his class. Some points were novel, even intriguing to him, but the tone reeked of arrogance and ignorance.
Did he think this was the mundane world? This was the Clock Tower, a realm of factions and families.
Writing such a thesis here was like shouting to overthrow an emperor in ancient times—suicidal.
Especially as Kayneth was an aristocratic leader.
Proud, but not foolish, his high position gave him perspective…
The world wasn't kind. Some things couldn't be said or done, so he'd stopped this folly immediately.
"Fine… Confiscate his apartment, seize all drafts, have him write apologies here, and let it pass. It hasn't spread far, and I can suppress any backlash."
"Just a commoner student's delusion…"
Kayneth rubbed his forehead, sighing.
He never saw himself as kind or gentle. His pride often made him narrow-minded, his words cutting.
But he had principles.
As a professor, he had a duty to protect students, even fools, unless they crossed his line.
"Oddly, I miss Roy."
After Waver's antics, a calmed Kayneth thought of his star pupil.
Roy had left for business and hadn't returned, worrying Kayneth.
With his skill, Kayneth wasn't concerned for his safety, only that he might miss his Pride-rank ceremony—a big deal at twenty-one.
That kid's talent owed much to his legendary mentor, Kayneth smugly thought.
Once he absorbed Roy's family and bloodline into the El-Melloi faction, all would be set.
"Sigh…"
After a moment, Kayneth shook his head, shifting focus to a peculiar ritual—the Holy Grail War.
"Hmph, just some backwater magi's academic stunt. Another notch for my resume."
Kayneth thought smugly.
He barely regarded the Three Families.
Tohsaka, Matou, Einzbern—only the last warranted attention.
He'd met Tokiomi at a conference—decent, but far inferior. Even as Zelretch's disciple's heir, he lacked generational depth.
The Matou, descended from genius Makiri Zolgen, were a faded bloodline, irrelevant. Only the Einzberns, a Western magecraft family, mattered.
Unbeknownst to him, the Matou's ancestor, Makiri Zolgen, still lived, fully prepared, and Tokiomi, though less talented, knew the Grail War's true stakes lay in Servants, not Masters.
"Heroic Spirit summoning… Servants? A fanciful idea. Let's see if it works…"
"Just in case, it's their home turf. Losing would shame a Lord, so I'd better prepare…"
Despite his disdain, Kayneth wasn't reckless.
His short time as a Lord lacked achievements, so he joined this backwater ritual.
Representing the Clock Tower, he couldn't lose to those he scorned!
"For a relic, I have a fine Noble Phantasm fragment at home, and the London Museum lent the Conqueror's cloak fragment… That should suffice."
***
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