Why Not Find Yourselves Another Savior?

This time, Xi Jianxi was dumbfounded.

Whether it was El-Melloi II or Reines, the current pillars of the El-Melloi faction, their way of handling things went far beyond his understanding.

They had actually asked a Magus who had killed the faction's previous Lord to serve as a tutor for the heir who controlled the faction and would become a Lord of the Clock Tower upon coming of age.

That was a little too Magus-like.

"Hahahaha!" Reines laughed happily, as though this were not a serious meeting but an interview for a private tutor. "It is only natural for Mr. Xi to be surprised. But as I said earlier, I have no interest in things like revenge. Rather, I am more interested in just how capable a Magus must be to kill a genius like my adoptive brother."

Reines was not lying.

Before his departure, the faction had already been filled with warnings about Kayneth's death, yet Kayneth had never taken them seriously or considered Xi Jianxi an opponent worth watching.

Even after seeing that Xi could fight Diarmuid with ample composure, realizing those warnings were not lies, and instinctively trying to strike first for the sake of survival, he began underestimating his opponent once more after the latter was seriously injured.

That repeated vacillation was what ultimately cost him his life in his duel with Xi Jianxi.

After the Holy Grail War ended, Xi became a subject of intense attention because he had killed the Lord of the Aristocratic Faction.

Of course, that did not mean he would be held accountable.

For Magi, life and death were commonplace. Much less in a bloody game like the Holy Grail War, where seven Masters and seven Servants slaughtered one another over a single wish-granting machine.

The moment Kayneth entered with the childish mentality of treating it like a magical competition, his death had become inevitable.

Thus, Xi Jianxi did not get into trouble. Instead, the outcome became his calling card to the Democratic Faction. Since Xi already had some personal ties with Inorai, he became an honored guest of the Democratic Faction.

A Magus with no background who could kill another Lord, Xi Jianxi fit the Democratic Faction's ideals perfectly and dealt those self-important Aristocratic Faction members a vicious slap in the face.

Furthermore, Xi had discovered the problem with the Greater Holy Grail during the Holy Grail War. Together with the Tohsaka Family, Einzbern, and the Holy Church, he had purified the Greater Holy Grail, avoiding the danger posed by a corrupted Grail and laying the foundation for the Holy Grail War to continue in the future.

With those two achievements behind him, the Democratic Faction represented by Inorai had begun planning to promote Xi to the rank of Brand.

It was an unprecedented exception, so the Aristocratic Faction naturally fought desperately to obstruct it. Five years had passed since the Fourth Holy Grail War, yet the two factions were still deadlocked with no progress.

Meanwhile, over the past few years, Xi had paid closer attention to the Clock Tower for the sake of himself and his family.

After Kayneth's death, the El-Melloi faction fell apart. Outside forces seized its assets, while its many branch families also fragmented after looting what they could.

Only Sola-Ui, the former fiancée—and one of the survivors of the Fourth Holy Grail War—stepped forward. Using her own resources, she worked with Waver, who had returned to the Clock Tower on borrowed money, to buy Kayneth's classroom. Waver then stepped up to run it as an instructor.

After many twists and turns, Reines, whose compatibility with El-Melloi's origin crest was the highest, became the heir. She brought Waver, who ran the El-Melloi school, into the faction and granted him the name Lord El-Melloi.

As for "II," Waver had requested that addition himself.

Whether Reines wanted revenge on Xi or not was beside the point.

For the El-Melloi faction, it was entirely in their interests to divide up the assets and run rather than rack their brains trying to avenge themselves on Xi Jianxi.

After all, no one could guarantee that Xi Jianxi would not someday be elevated by the Democratic Faction all the way to Grand rank, or even become the Lord of some department.

Thus, once the proposal to promote Xi's rank surfaced, a rumor began circulating:

"Once that guy takes a Lord's seat, who knows how many Aristocratic Faction heads he will kill? By then, the Clock Tower might already belong to those Democratic Faction people."

Xi had wanted to hold whoever spread those words accountable, but the source could not be traced, so he could only let it go.

"So that was the reason you arranged to meet me here through Lady Inorai?" Xi looked at Inorai. "Can this be taken as a sign that El-Melloi is preparing to side with the Democratic Faction?"

Reines waved her hands dramatically. "How could that be? If I sided with the Democratic Faction, I would not have enough lives to spare. But negotiating with them and inviting a top-tier Magus like you to become my tutor is nothing—"

At that point, Reines suddenly swept her gaze over Xi and Inorai with a cunning far beyond her age. "Of course, if I truly become Mr. Xi Jianxi's student, then leading El-Melloi into the Democratic Faction as your disciple in the future would be much safer, would it not?"

If the Aristocratic Faction tried to cause trouble then, Xi Jianxi would step forward for the sake of the faction's interests and their personal bond.

In other words, it was a blank check promising to join the Democratic Faction, with no set date for cashing it.

Even so, merely being able to offer such terms was enough for Inorai, a politician of the Clock Tower, to willingly act as an intermediary and connect Xi with El-Melloi.

"I have never formally taken on a disciple. Other than my own children, I have only given occasional magecraft lessons to Rin Tohsaka, the head of the Tohsaka Family in Fuyuki, Japan." Once Xi understood the purpose of the meeting, he did not waste words and directly stated his situation. "My teaching ability remains to be seen. If you would still be satisfied with that, then I have no intention of refusing."

It could even be said that Inorai, Reines, and El-Melloi II had all anticipated that Xi would never refuse, which was why they had arranged this meeting.

After all... he really had an entire family to support. He would not turn down respectable work that paid well.

"One final question. Does that young lady from the Sophia-Ri family have no objections to this?" Xi asked, making one last confirmation.

Reines kept laughing. "Please rest assured, Lady Sola-Ui absolutely does not wish to see you, and you will not need to see her either."

"Then that could not be better."

Xi nodded and shook hands with Reines, signaling that they had reached an agreement.

Private Tutor

July, 2003.

Even after summer arrived, London could not really be called hot. The high temperature barely reached around twenty-five degrees Celsius, while the daily average was as low as fifteen degrees, enough to require protection against the cold at night.

Yet even in such a cool summer, the garden of this elegant residence on Sula Street was still bustling with activity.

Reines gathered magical energy at her fingertips, intending to command her Mystic Code, Moon Cell Essence, to attack the person before her. Yet what she thought was a fully prepared assault lost its sharpness the moment it touched Xi, even slipping free of Reines's control.

Meanwhile, he had merely raised his index finger and used an inconspicuous magical gesture to defend against the attack.

"Not bad at all. Then—"

Growing more enthusiastic as they fought, Reines prepared to attack again, the fiery Mystic Eyes gleaming with an even stronger light.

But the excessive reaction of those Mystic Eyes disrupted the operation of Reines's magic circuits. She shut her eyes in pain and reached into her pocket for specially prepared eye drops.

Then, through her slightly opened left eye, Reines saw Xi approach. He still held out his index finger and touched it to her forehead.

A faint radiance clung to his fingertip. It was the power of earth returning to spring and trees sending forth new growth, gentle and enduring as it flowed into Reines's Mystic Eye nerves, driving away the scorching pain caused by the excessive reaction.

Reines's mind became clear again.

"That will be enough practical training for today. Continuing would do you no good." Xi withdrew his hand and walked toward the shade in a corner of the garden.

A table and tea set had been placed there. Xi naturally picked up the teapot and poured himself a cup.

"What a shame. Is it already over?" Reines said regretfully.

That was merely what she said aloud.

Lineas El-Melloi Arch Zolti knew her physical condition well. Even though the special eye drops had just suppressed the excessive reaction of her Mystic Eyes, she could no longer operate her magic circuits and continue today's practical lesson.

"But you truly are remarkable, Teacher. You can even suppress the overheating of my Mystic Eyes." Reines sat across from Xi and smiled with great interest. "I am increasingly convinced that my brother was absolutely right to hire you as my tutor."

Xi remained impassive. "It is not difficult in itself. The problem is that while suffering an excessive reaction, the person involved lacks the strength to divide her attention and do it herself. El-Melloi II is simply not skilled at this sort of operation."

Besides, Reines trusted almost no one. While suffering an excessive reaction, the only person she would allow to touch her and cast such magecraft to relieve her pain was her private tutor.

Of course, Xi had only been able to help her in this way for the past two years.

"The technique you used just now to stop Trimurti from continuing its attack... was that what you used to defeat my adoptive brother?"

With practical training over and break time beginning, Reines asked that question again. The Trimurti she referred to was the mercury maid created by further overwriting Moon Cell Essence with a personality. It was Reines's proudest Mystic Code.

From the start, she had held no particular grudge over Xi Jianxi killing Kayneth. When Reines was young, she had been among the most inconspicuous members of the Arch Zolti branch family. Naturally, she had never entered the field of vision of Kayneth, the favored genius. They had shared nothing beyond blood ties.

As trust developed between them, Reines had always been deeply interested in how Xi Jianxi had killed Kayneth.

After Kayneth's body was transported back to the Clock Tower, the autopsy report had merely stated that he had died after a sharp weapon pierced his heart. Because it carried a curse, El-Melloi magecraft had been entirely unable to provide any restorative treatment.

Yet from 1999 until now, four years later, Reines had never seen Xi use any weapon.

Instead, he resembled a typical Magus more than anyone.

Moreover, the postwar reports on the Holy Grail War were vague in many places out of consideration for the interests of every side. No matter how many times Reines reviewed them, she could not accurately deduce what had happened in Kayneth's final battle.

"That was merely a rune used to keep weapons from being useful." As Xi answered, he silently counted in his heart.

The twenty-sixth time.

This was already the twenty-sixth time Reines had asked since he became her tutor, yet Xi had no intention of revealing any details whatsoever.

"I know."

Reines had also studied Rune Magic, but she was gifted enough to keenly realize that although they were both runes, what Xi wielded and what she wielded were things from entirely different dimensions.

"There is no difference in the magecraft itself. The issue is the user." Xi raised a brow. "You have never been on a battlefield and lack practical experience. Do not worry about it."

Reines sighed, knowing that he had brushed the matter aside again.

She had asked II before as well, but his answers were always more or less the same: that Xi was among the most extraordinary kinds of Magi.

"Rather than that, Miss Reines, I would like to request a week of leave starting next week," Xi said.

His work as Reines's tutor was roughly as demanding as an instructor's position at the Clock Tower, and the compensation was equally generous—it was clear that Reines was doing everything she could to retain talent.

"Oh? Teacher actually wants to take leave. Is something happening at home?" Reines was very curious.

She had become quite familiar with Xi's two daughters. As for whether they should call each other friends, Reines was still considering it.

As far as Reines knew, Sakura only studied foundational courses in the Department of General Fundamentals and the Department of Individual Fundamentals, taking only the most ordinary Magus course examinations.

Karen, meanwhile, had been recommended to attend lectures in II's classroom.

It was now July, and the Clock Tower would soon give its students a break. Reines had originally expected to begin her vacation in August. She had not expected Xi, who rarely asked for leave during work outside regular holidays, to proactively request such a long vacation.

"You could say that." Xi set down his teacup. "I have something to do with my wife, and we need to go out for a while. We are not leaving Britain, so a week should be enough."

Reines laced her fingers together beneath her chin and stared suspiciously at Xi.

She knew Xi was married, but over several years, she had only seen the woman named Toneriko Xi four or five times in total. Her face was clearly Western at a glance, yet she bore a Japanese name.

She was mysterious in every possible sense.

"It is not anything major. II is going to investigate something," Xi continued. "You can ask him about the details."

Sensing the curiosity Reines could not hide, Xi decisively redirected the trouble elsewhere, then silently drew a cross for II in his heart.

Journey

The following morning, Xi brought Morgan to Paddington Station, where they boarded a diesel train bound for Wales.

Feeling the train sway beneath them and gazing leisurely at the fields beyond the window, Morgan spoke to Xi in a relaxed tone.

"To think you would ask me to travel with you at this time of year. Have the children grown up enough that you have begun to find them troublesome?"

"You know that is not the case." Xi sat on the sofa in the first-class carriage, reading a report in his hands as he pressed his lips together helplessly.

"Then where are we going today?" Morgan had not asked for any specifics before their departure.

More than nine years had passed since the Fourth Holy Grail War. Even she had never expected to remain in this era for so long.

Still, it had been her own choice, and Morgan had no intention of regretting it.

Her earlier words had merely been a whim-born joke.

Xi clearly loved traveling and took the entire family out almost every holiday.

At first, they had remained within Japan. Once Sakura and Karen grew a little older, they began visiting foreign countries as well.

During the Easter holiday a few months ago, he had even taken her and the two children to Easter Island.

Only this outing lacked the atmosphere of a honeymoon.

"We are going somewhere connected to you." Xi paused after saying that. "Or rather... somewhere that should be connected to you."

Morgan was slightly startled, then silently nodded.

Though he had never said it outright, Xi's sharp perception had long noticed Morgan's unusual nature.

Still, this was the first time he had spoken of it directly.

After roughly reaching a conclusion in her heart, Morgan relaxed and enjoyed the journey.

After two hours of swaying aboard the train, they arrived in Cardiff, the capital of Wales. They then changed to a bus. Road signs written in both English and Welsh flashed past the windows, and after another five hours, the two began climbing a mountain.

The mountain path was extremely rugged. Even Morgan could not help feeling that such a road had been created solely to destroy human feet more efficiently.

"Tired?"

At a particularly steep stretch, Xi climbed up first, then reached out a hand to pull Morgan along as he made a suggestion.

"This part of the path is hard to walk, and the air here is not exactly pleasant either. How about assuming spirit form?"

Sharp bird cries rang out from time to time, while the smells of soil, droppings, and rotting fruit mingled into the distinctive scent of the mountains.