"..."
"..."
Sometimes, the scariest thing is sudden silence.
Because it often means an unexpected development has left everyone momentarily stunned, their minds processing.
"Roy, what trick are you pulling? Dispelling your Hallcraft, aren't you afraid I'll attack? Or... did Scáthach and your Caster leave some trap that'll trigger if I strike?"
Seeing Roy not only dispel his spell but raise his hands in a gesture of surrender, Kayneth, ready for a desperate fight to subdue his rebellious disciples, was stunned by this unexpected turn.
"..."
He warily eyed Roy, scanning the surroundings with magecraft to confirm no one or Servant was hiding, his confusion deepening.
Though Kayneth suspected Roy might have hidden his Servants to exploit a lapse, he quickly dismissed the absurd idea.
Never mind if Roy had such dangerous intentions—in his workshop, as its owner, he couldn't miss an intruder's presence. Not Lancer, not Caster, not even Assassin could evade his detection, so...
"You really didn't bring a Servant?"
Realizing this, Kayneth looked at Roy with astonishment.
"Rest assured, Professor Kayneth, I didn't bring a Servant this time."
Facing Kayneth's doubt, Roy nodded gently. "Because I brought Waver here not to declare war on you, but for something far more important..."
"Hmph, I figured you didn't have the guts."
Getting Roy's confirmation, Kayneth snorted lightly, his expression less tense than before.
Waver quietly sighed in relief.
"So, tell me, what are you here for?"
Seeing Kayneth's anger subside, Roy seized the moment, patting Waver's shoulder to urge him to present their prepared items.
Under Kayneth's astonished gaze, Waver, trembling, pulled two pre-written self-criticism letters from his pocket—one his, one written for Roy—bowed deeply, and handed them to Kayneth.
Then, as if accepting his fate, he shouted, "We're terribly sorry, Professor Kayneth! We've caused you trouble. These are our apology letters!!"
"...Eh?"
Kayneth froze, looking at them oddly, clearly not expecting this development.
He manipulated a familiar to take Waver's letters, cautiously running a detection spell to check for magical traps. Then, with a mix of doubt and curiosity, he opened them to see what these two were up to.
"You two..."
After reading the letters carefully for a few minutes, Kayneth let out a long breath, crumpled them with a complex expression, and looked at his two disciples—one defiant, one nervous—feeling like he'd punched cotton, his anger nearly dissipated.
He wanted to say something, but it turned into, "Fine, come with me first..."
Waver felt a wave of relief.
"But don't think I'll forgive you easily! Especially you, Waver, daring to steal my relic and join the Holy Grail War without knowing your limits."
Kayneth glared fiercely at Waver. "I must say, your audacity surpasses even Roy's."
Waver's body tensed instantly.
"But..." Kayneth shifted his gaze to Iskandar, who was chatting with Fionn. "I didn't expect you to actually summon a top-tier Servant like the King of Conquerors. That's surprising and doesn't disgrace El-Melloi's name, so I'll let it slide."
"But..."
His gaze swept over Waver again. "With your third-rate mana supply, you can't possibly sustain a Servant like the King of Conquerors. If he goes all out, how long could you last?"
"How about it, King of Conquerors Iskandar? Being paired with a third-rate magus must be restrictive, right? Interested in becoming my Servant? My mana supply can fully support multiple Servants in battle, making the Grail's victory a breeze."
Ignoring Waver, Kayneth extended an invitation to Iskandar.
Before coming, to ensure this battle's success, Kayneth had brought the El-Melloi school's supreme magecraft tool from before the Volumen Hydrargyrum's creation, plus two Lord-level mana furnaces borrowed from other Lords.
With his current mana reserves powering the workshop, supplying multiple top-tier Heroic Spirits like Fionn and Iskandar was effortless. The idea that a Master could only support one Servant didn't apply to him.
Seeing himself ignored, Waver pursed his lips but said nothing. He'd anticipated Kayneth would try to recruit Iskandar—Rider was meant to be his professor's Servant, and he was just a thief. Kayneth's words were true; his third-rate mana couldn't support a top-tier Servant like the King of Conquerors, dragging down his strength.
Fionn smiled slightly, unbothered by the idea of another Servant joining his lord. With his special wisdom Noble Phantasm, though not as omniscient as Solomon or Gilgamesh, he could glimpse traces of the future.
For some reason, his lord's fate seemed favored by the death goddess Morrigan, with countless destined death lines binding him, making Fionn's task especially difficult.
He couldn't tell Kayneth directly, as most times, revealing a prophecy doesn't change the future but hastens tragedy, like Asgard in Norse myths.
As a retainer, it was his duty to protect his lord and change his future to ensure survival. If they could recruit a hero like the King of Conquerors, his confidence in saving Kayneth would grow.
But things wouldn't go as smoothly as imagined. To Kayneth's invitation, Iskandar scratched his chin, not even bothering to think before rejecting it.
"No way. This king has no interest in serving others or accepting recruitment. How about you become my subordinate? I quite like heroes like Fionn."
In a few words, he not only rejected Kayneth but treated him like a bonus in a buy-Lancer-get-Master-free deal. Such disrespect—how could a Lord at the pinnacle of modern magecraft tolerate it?
Waver's face changed, recognizing the signs of Kayneth's impending anger.
Roy, unfazed, had expected this.
Compared to the original Diarmuid, who'd cuckold Kayneth, Iskandar was much better, but his compatibility with Kayneth was visibly poor. Even if Kayneth summoned Iskandar, their clashing personalities would lead to constant conflict, likely ending with Kayneth having a stroke from frustration.
For Kayneth's personality, the ideal Servants would be Karna, Arjuna, or... Fionn.
Glancing at the Age of Gods-era Kayneth-Fionn, Roy inwardly applauded his professor.
I must say, you're incredibly lucky, Professor Kayneth.
Summoning a hero with a hundred percent win rate in the Holy Grail War.
And with such compatible personalities, even sharing similar experiences, both betrayed by the same brush... cough...
"Such a pity..."
Getting Iskandar's response, Kayneth narrowed his eyes, a thick killing intent radiating around him, making Waver's hair stand on end.
"Then let's try another question, Waver Velvet. What's your choice now? Join me to aid my victory and atone for your foolish mistakes? Or be eliminated here and face punishment back at the Clock Tower? Give me your answer..."
Kayneth issued his ultimatum.
In this workshop, Fionn's agility was exceptionally high, while Iskandar's mobility couldn't fully shine, making it inevitable for Fionn to hold him off.
Roy hadn't brought Scáthach or raised his Hallcraft to counter the workshop. In a few breaths, Kayneth could easily kill a third-rate magus like Waver, sever his hand, and eliminate their group.
This would take out one opponent.
And capture a rebellious disciple—not a bad deal.
So... should he act?
Kayneth pondered, awaiting Waver's answer, while Iskandar, chatting with Fionn, narrowed his eyes, ready to unleash his trump card to give this lemon-head a little shock.
"We're joining!"
But in this increasingly tense moment, a voice broke the heavy atmosphere. Roy, smiling, stepped between them, handing Kayneth a pre-prepared magical contract.
It outlined that in this Holy Grail War, Kayneth's disciples, Roy and Waver, would atone for their mistakes by having their Servants, Rider and Caster, assist Kayneth until the end, with only the three of them left to compete for the Grail by their own merits.
Emphasis: During the alliance, none could harm each other, nor allow their Servants to do so.
The contract's price was their Magic Crests and circuits.
"You even prepared a magical contract?"
Waver tilted his head, completely blindsided by Roy's move.
"Exactly. To atone for mistakes, you need sincerity and action, right?" Roy grabbed Waver's and Kayneth's hands, placing them together. "What's more sincere than this?"
"The Holy Grail War is a brutal magical ritual, a slaughter, a war. But that's for others, for those rustic magi. For us elites of the El-Melloi school, it's just a mana block. We're master and disciples—fighting to the death over this is pointless, right?"
"Instead of fighting each other, letting outsiders mock us and take advantage, why not join forces as master and disciples, wipe them all out, then compete among ourselves? Treat it like an extracurricular assignment. Whoever wins, it stays in the El-Melloi school, right?"
Roy looked at Kayneth, then Waver, speaking earnestly, his sincerity softening Kayneth's expression.
"Compete later, huh? Hmph, you think you can beat me?"
Kayneth crossed his arms, snorting disdainfully. "But..."
His tone shifted, a meaningful smile appearing.
"You're not wrong. Better to keep it in the El-Melloi school than let others take advantage. Though the victory will definitely be mine!"
"With that settled, past grudges are wiped clean. Let's start an extracurricular test—the goal is to win this Holy Grail War."
"Glad you understand, sir!"
Roy grabbed Kayneth's hand, shaking it with a smile. "Rest assured, Professor Kayneth, we won't disappoint you or tarnish El-Melloi's name."
Ask my opinion, will you!!
In Waver's stunned and shocked gaze, Roy, Kayneth, and his hand were stacked together, pressing their prints onto the contract.
And with his rash actions, the biggest alliance in the Holy Grail War was formed.
Seeing this, Fionn smiled, clearly pleased with the outcome, while Rider Iskandar, true to his personality, acted like he belonged, opening Kayneth's wine cabinet, grabbing the expensive red wine Kayneth had saved for victory, setting it on the table, and pulling everyone to celebrate the alliance with a feast, making Kayneth's eyelids twitch.
"Well, for this extracurricular practice, please guide us, Professor Kayneth."
With the contract sealed, Roy's earlier politeness vanished, and he sat across from Kayneth, raising a glass with Iskandar, a bright smile on his face.
"You little..."
Seeing Roy's true colors, Kayneth sighed helplessly from the sofa, feeling a pang of regret.
What an unfortunate master, taking in such disciples...
How did he recruit this troublemaker back then?
And thinking that this brat might marry into his family and inherit his Crest and school, Kayneth felt his past decisions were too impulsive.
No way—if he became a Lord like this, it'd disgrace him. Back at the Clock Tower, he'd have to drill some etiquette into this kid.
After a moment's silence, Kayneth looked at Roy, sighed helplessly, and reluctantly raised his glass at his invitation.
Looking at Roy, who had surrendered so readily, he suddenly felt an unreal sensation...
It ended this easily?
This kid just gave in?
The anticipated epic battle never happened, and even Waver, that mediocre talent, was brought back along the way.
For a moment, he wondered if he'd been overly nervous, making a mountain out of a molehill.
He didn't care much about this Holy Grail War.
He'd only come to rack up some achievements.
As for the so-called wish-granting machine and omnipotent cauldron?
Forget it—it's just a mana block, probably worth less than any mana furnace in his room.
After all, there are countless things called "Holy Grails" in this world. Every region claims to have found one, but none are real. The vessel holding the blood of the Saint would never appear publicly—the Church would've reclaimed them all.
To find a true Holy Grail, you'd have to raid the Church's headquarters, maybe finding the Saint's blood or Joan's banner. Many magi dream of it, but only the truly unhinged try, and even they don't succeed.
With the Church's combat strength, even Lord El-Melloi with multiple Dead Apostle Ancestors would be walking into death, let alone magi. Kayneth felt those oddballs dying was fine—it'd raise the average intelligence of magi.
So, this Holy Grail War was obviously another fake from who-knows-where. No real Grail would appear in Eastern Europe, where the magecraft level is abysmal.
Though there are top forces in this land, Kayneth doubted they can craft this Grail.
So, treat this Holy Grail War as an extracurricular lesson...
A chance to reassert his authority as a professor and catch that scoundrel Roy to continue his advancement ritual—no letting him escape this time.
Pity there weren't any suitable girls of age in the main El-Melloi family. Otherwise, he'd arrange a marriage to settle this kid down.
After all, after meeting his fiancée Sola, Kayneth himself had calmed down a lot.
'Maybe... promote one from a branch family?'
Kayneth mused inwardly.
***
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