Fate, Negotiation, and a Turning Point

"What should I do?"

Kaineth felt like an ant on a hot pan, extremely anxious.

He looked at the Black Knight and Lancer clashing fiercely on the battlefield, then glanced at the unfamiliar young man on the rooftop. He understood in his heart that this young man was Berserker's new Master.

"Lancer, it's no use, I can't win."

Kaineth was filled with despair. As Lancer's former Master, he knew the Servant's Noble Phantasm like the back of his hand.

Now that Lancer only had one Noble Phantasm left, facing the fierce and powerful Black Knight, he had almost no chance of winning.

Recalling the journey so far, from eagerly rushing to a small Holy Grail ritual in the Far East countryside, to facing one setback after another.

First, his stronghold was blown up by the "Magus Killer" Kiritsugu Emiya, and he barely survived.

Then, his attempt at revenge failed, and he was instead crippled as a Magus by the opponent, leaving him bedridden. Afterwards, his fiancée Sola took his Command Spells, and then, in a desperate struggle, he obtained a Command Spell from an old priest at the church, even shooting the old priest in his madness.

Just as he returned to his stronghold, he was attacked by Berserker again.

Each incident felt as though the entire world was against him. Ever since he came to Fuyuki City, nothing had gone smoothly.

"Boom!"

A loud explosion echoed, and the light of a Noble Phantasm erupted, slicing another factory in half.

Such a brutal and intense battle scene made Kaineth's scalp tingle. Berserker's ferocious combat power and imposing figure sent shivers down his spine.

At this moment, his spirit and energy were completely crushed, leaving only a deep sense of defeat.

He had utterly failed in Fuyuki City, both in battle and in his relationships, suffering a complete and utter defeat.

Participating in this Holy Grail War was undoubtedly a huge mistake.

He longed to go home, cherishing the memory of the warm Clock Tower.

There, he had been a praised prodigy, a respected lecturer, and had a beautiful fiancée. He was a high-ranking Magus.

"Sola!"

Thinking of his fiancée, Kaineth was consumed by worry. In his heart, he could give up anything, but Sola could not be in danger.

Although their marriage was arranged and perhaps lacked deep affection at first, after so many years, it was impossible to say there was no feeling at all.

Kaineth no longer wanted to stay in this terrifying place. He just wanted to take Sola home safely. Family honor and reputation meant nothing to him now.

Shiki stood on the rooftop and naturally noticed Kaineth's figure.

Although not conspicuous amidst the clashing swords and guns, the wheelchair still had a presence.

"Everything that should have come has come."

Shiki whispered, then leaped from the rooftop, landing steadily on the ground, and walked towards Kaineth and Sola.

Kaineth had just reunited with Sola and was about to persuade her to give up her Command Spells and return to the Clock Tower with him.

Just then, he heard footsteps. He turned his head and saw Shiki walking towards them.

As the young man approached, the echoes of his steady footsteps sent a chill down Kaineth's spine.

An inexplicable fear instantly seized his mind. He had a premonition that this young man would kill, and that both he and Sola would lose their lives.

He would die!!

Although he didn't feel any obvious killing intent, this intuition was incredibly strong, making him realize that if he didn't act, death would be inevitable.

Kaineth shouted hoarsely, "Wait, wait! We give up on the Grail, we withdraw from the Grail ritual!!"

Hearing the shout, Shiki stopped slightly, a faint smile appearing on his lips.

He had used magic to cast an illusion earlier, and the effect was decent, but the magic consumption was too high, making it not entirely worth it. It seemed he needed to study and improve it carefully.

However, at this moment, a problem bothered Shiki: he couldn't understand what the other party was saying.

English. He hadn't used it in a long time and had almost forgotten how to use it.

It was only then that Shiki truly realized that this world was vastly different from the ninja world. The languages of the ninja world were somewhat similar to Japanese, and the transition wasn't complicated, but foreign languages were much more difficult for him.

However, he remembered that the Black Knight was speaking Japanese, and he could understand it.

"..."

Shiki sighed inwardly. Since the Grail was so powerful, why couldn't it enrich the Master's language skills so that he could understand what other Masters were saying?

The young man's silence made Kaineth's heart race, thinking the other party was about to make a move. However, when he heard Shiki's broken English, Kaineth immediately understood that there was a language barrier between them.

"Do you speak Japanese?"

"...A little."

Shiki grinned. Although the other party's Japanese was strange, it was much better than his English.

"Since you know a little, let's speak slowly then."

He made the other party feel the terror of death, not because he truly wanted to kill anyone. He wasn't that perverted, killing people on sight.

It was just that after acquiring a large source of magic, he wanted to test the effect of illusions.

If he truly wanted to kill someone, he wouldn't need to go through all this trouble, just like dealing with the old monster and the killer from before – clean and swift.

"Are you going to give up on the Holy Grail?" Shiki asked.

Hearing the young man's response, Kaineth breathed a sigh of relief. As long as there was a response, there was room for negotiation. What he feared most was a complete lack of reaction, as that would mean the other party was determined to kill and there would be nothing to discuss.

"Young man, we will withdraw from the Holy Grail War and abandon the Grail ritual. As long as you promise to let us go, we will hand Lancer over to you."

This statement left Sola, standing beside him, utterly bewildered. She quickly inquired. After understanding the meaning, Sola's face was filled with displeasure. "What do you mean hand Lancer over to someone else? Kaineth, what are you thinking? We haven't lost yet. As long as we defeat the Master in front of us, Lancer can win!"

Kaineth roared, "Shut up!"

The roar echoed in Sola's ears. Kaineth, who had always treated her with courtesy, was now so out of sorts that Sola was at a loss. She had never seen Kaineth like this; he even had a hint of manliness about him.

Seeing Sola stunned, Kaineth grew anxious.

His fiancée speaking like this at this moment was simply courting death.

They were completely defenseless now. While Sola was the Master, her only notable trait was her considerable magic power. Her magical attainments, however, were not high. Unable to inherit her family's magic crest, her combat power might not even surpass that of a few ordinary people.

He himself was a cripple confined to a wheelchair.

In such a situation, provoking Berserker's Master was pure suicide.

Shiki turned his head to look at the red-haired Sola and couldn't help but admire her in his heart.

Even by his aesthetic standards, Sola was a rare European beauty.

It was just that her mind seemed to be affected by a curse, losing its usual rationality.

Lancer's curse was practically a special attack against women. Without strong Magic Resistance, one would inevitably be affected by the curse and controlled by Lancer.

This was also why Shiki had such a vivid memory of the "Minotaur Warrior" incident.

After yelling at his fiancée and telling her to be quiet, Kaineth urgently said to Shiki, "Young man, as long as you let us go, you can name any condition. I swear on the name of Archibald, the current head of the family, that I will do everything in my power to fulfill it."

Shiki's lips curved slightly upward. One of his plans had succeeded: gaining a connection to the Clock Tower. If he needed any special items in the future, he could obtain them through the Clock Tower.

After all, he had only been an ordinary person before, with nothing. Establishing relationships would have to be done step by step.

Shiki stated bluntly, "I don't trust you."

Seeing this, Kaineth quickly said, "We can sign a magical contract. This is a binding agreement for both parties. Neither side can violate it, directly or indirectly. Once one party violates it, their soul will be bound and unable to be freed."

"Oh? There's such a thing?"

Kaineth explained, "Yes, as long as one is a Magus, they can understand this contract. It doesn't matter if they can't read. As long as they have magic power, they will know its meaning. Don't worry, no one can exploit loopholes."

Shiki stared at Kaineth and said meaningfully, "There are some things you don't have to say."

"..."