Fate, Negotiation, and a Turning Point

What should I do?

Kaineth felt like an ant on a hot pan, frantic with anxiety.

He watched the Black Knight and Lancer clash fiercely on the battlefield, then glanced at the unfamiliar boy on the rooftop. He already understood that this boy was Berserker's new Master.

"Lancer can't do it. He can't win at all."

Kaineth was filled with despair. As Lancer's former Master, he knew the Servant's Noble Phantasms inside and out.

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

Thinking back on everything, from setting off full of confidence for the Holy Grail War in the remote Far East to suffering setback after setback—

First, the Magus Killer, Kiritsugu Emiya, had blown up his base, and he had barely survived.

Then, when his attempt to take revenge failed, the other man had crippled his identity as a Magus, leaving him only able to lie there like a corpse. After that, his fiancée Sola took his Command Spells. Then, while struggling at death's door, he obtained a Command Spell from the old priest at the Holy Church, and in a fit of madness, he had even shot the old priest dead.

He had only just returned to his base when Berserker attacked again.

One thing after another, as if the whole world were against him. Ever since arriving in Fuyuki City, not a single thing had gone smoothly.

Boom!

A deafening blast rang out as the light of a Noble Phantasm erupted, cutting another factory building cleanly in half.

This brutal and intense battle made Kaineth's scalp tingle. Berserker's savage combat power and bearing sent chills down his spine.

At this moment, his spirit had been completely crushed, leaving only a deep sense of defeat.

He had failed utterly in Fuyuki City. Whether in battle or love, he had lost everything.

Taking part in this Holy Grail War had undoubtedly been a massive mistake.

He longed to go home, yearning for the warmth of the Clock Tower.

There, he had been a highly praised prodigy, a respected lecturer, and a high-ranking Color Magus with a beautiful fiancée.

"Sola!"

Thinking of his fiancée, Kaineth became frantic. In his heart, he could give up anything, but nothing could happen to Sola.

Though theirs had been a political marriage and they might not have shared deep feelings at first, after so many years, it was impossible to say there was no affection between them.

Kaineth no longer wanted to stay in this terrifying place. He only wanted to take Sola home safely. Family honor and reputation no longer mattered to him.

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

Though the wheelchair was not conspicuous amid the clashing of guns and blades, it still had a faint sense of presence.

"Everyone who needed to come is here."

Shiki murmured, then leaped down from the rooftop, landing steadily on the ground and walking toward Kaineth and Sola.

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

At that moment, he heard footsteps. Turning around, he saw Shiki walking toward them.

As the boy gradually approached, the echo created by the steady rhythm of his footsteps gave Kaineth a chilling feeling.

An inexplicable fear instantly seized his mind. He instinctively felt that this boy would kill them, that both he and Sola would lose their lives.

We're going to die!!

Though he could not sense any obvious killing intent, the feeling was incredibly intense. It made him realize that if he did not act, death would be unavoidable.

Kaineth cried out hoarsely, "Wait, wait! We'll give up the Holy Grail! We'll withdraw from the Holy Grail War!!"

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

He had previously used magical energy to cast an illusion, and the effect had been fairly good. It just consumed too much magical energy, making it somewhat not worth the cost. It seemed he would have to study and improve it carefully.

But at the moment, there was one thing that dissatisfied Shiki: he could not understand what the other party was saying.

He had not used English for a very long time. He had almost forgotten how to speak it.

Only now did Shiki truly realize that this world was completely different from the Ninja World. The language of the Ninja World was somewhat similar to Japanese, so switching between them was not difficult. Foreign languages, however, were much harder for him.

Still, he remembered that the Black Knight spoke Japanese, and he could understand that.

"..."

Shiki sighed inwardly. Since the Holy Grail was so powerful, why could it not improve a Master's language abilities a little, so they could understand what other Masters were saying?

The boy's silence made Kaineth's heart rise into his throat. He thought the other party was about to attack. However, when he heard Shiki's clumsy English, Kaineth immediately understood that there was a language barrier between them.

"Can you speak Japanese?"

"...A little."

Shiki grinned. Though the other man's Japanese was strange, it was still far better than Shiki speaking English.

"Then, since you speak a little, let's talk slowly."

He had made the other party feel the terror of death not because he truly wanted to kill anyone. He was not that much of a psychopath, killing everyone he saw.

He had only wanted to test the effects of his illusion after gaining a large source of magical energy.

If he truly wanted to kill them, there was no need to make things so complicated. Just like when he dealt with that old monster and the murderer before, he could do it cleanly and efficiently.

"Are you giving up the Holy Grail?" Shiki asked.

Hearing the boy's response, Kaineth finally let out a sigh of relief. As long as there was a response, there was room for negotiation. What he feared most was the other party giving no response at all. That would mean the other party had already made up his mind to kill, leaving nothing to discuss.

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

Sola, standing beside him, was utterly bewildered by this. She hurriedly asked what he meant. After learning the details, Sola's face 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 still win!"

"Shut up!" Kaineth roared.

The furious shout echoed beside Sola's ear. Kaineth, who had always treated her with courtesy, had actually lost his composure like this. Sola was at a loss. She had never seen Kaineth like this before. He even seemed to possess a trace of manliness.

Seeing Sola freeze, Kaineth became anxious.

For his fiancée to say something like that at a time like this was practically courting death.

They had no ability to fight back now. Though Sola was a Master, aside from having fairly decent magical energy, her accomplishments in magecraft were not high. Unable to inherit her family's Magic Crest, her combat ability might not even compare to that of several ordinary people.

As for himself, he was nothing more than a cripple in a wheelchair.

Provoking Berserker's Master under such circumstances was simply seeking death.

Shiki turned to look at the red-haired Sola and could not help but praise her inwardly.

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

It was just that her mind seemed to have been affected by the curse, causing her to lose her usual rationality.

Lancer's curse was practically designed to be especially effective against women. Without powerful Magic Resistance, one would inevitably be affected by the curse and manipulated by Lancer.

That was also why Shiki remembered the matter of the "cuckolded warrior" so clearly.

After roaring at his fiancée and making her quiet down, Kaineth urgently said to Shiki, "Young man, as long as you spare us, you may name any condition you wish. I swear in the name of the current head of the Archibald family that I will do everything in my power to fulfill it."

The corners of Shiki's lips lifted slightly. One of his plans had succeeded: he had established a connection with the Clock Tower. If he needed anything special in the future, he could obtain it through the Clock Tower.

After all, he had previously been just an ordinary person with nothing. Building connections had to be done step by step.

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

Seeing this, Kaineth quickly said, "We can sign a magical contract. It is an agreement binding on both parties. Neither side can violate it, directly or indirectly. Once one side breaks it, their soul will be bound and unable to break free."

"Oh? Such a thing exists?"

Kaineth explained, "Yes. Any Magus can understand this contract. It does not matter if they cannot read; as long as they possess magical energy, they can understand its meaning. Rest assured, no one can exploit loopholes in it."

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

"..."