Abner's Leisurely Combat Exploration

"Abner, how many people did you run into?"

The hulking man, dressed in a black suit as if he were a movie bodyguard, asked in a low voice.

However, for this giant, his idea of "low voice" was still too loud for ordinary people, completely failing to achieve the purpose of whispering. The boisterous sound immediately drew the attention of those around. But upon seeing the bodyguard's massive frame, no one dared to stare for too long, fearing that this man who looked like a gangster might lash out if provoked…

"Many, mostly familiars. Among them, I could identify familiars from the Einzbern family mixed in. One Servant… I estimate the Assassin class is also targeting me. The objective isn't perfect, but it's within my calculations, with minimal deviation."

Abner replied mentally.

Mages and Servants who have established a Master-Servant relationship can communicate simply by thinking the words. Anyone with a basic understanding of magecraft could do this easily.

Without a doubt, the hulking man beside Abner was his Servant, a warrior of the Lancer class, Leonidas. His exaggerated physique, even when wearing bodyguard attire, couldn't conceal his imposing presence. The level of attention he drew from onlookers was comparable to Archer Loxia.

Furthermore, Leonidas greatly disliked the occult and, by extension, disliked "Spirit Form" related to the occult. Naturally, he wouldn't easily enter Spirit Form. Such a massive figure couldn't possibly engage in subtle disguise.

The strange sensation Archer Loxia felt earlier was precisely because Lancer didn't know how to control his mana, thus naturally releasing a torrent of magical energy.

This made stealth operations absolutely impossible… Therefore, Abner conceived a strategy similar to Archer Loxia's.

It was to do the opposite: instead of making his presence faint, he would make it overwhelmingly strong.

However, their objectives were completely opposite.

Loxia's goal was to make her presence prominent in order to make Tsukahara Meiji disappear from everyone's sight. This is what's known as "cover."

As for Abner sending Leonidas out, it was to openly inform his enemies: I am Abner, a participant in the Holy Grail War, and beside me is my Servant. If you have a problem, come and fight me.

In other words, he would cast aside "stealth" and, by revealing his location, lure enemies to his workshop for a defensive battle where he could wait for them.

A good idea.

Moreover, it was an idea that possessed the proud aura befitting a family head.

However, it was also foolish.

As soon as one's hiding place is known, there's a considerable chance of being killed.

For instance, during the Fourth Holy Grail War, Lord El-Melloi II was subjected to a bombing barrage precisely because he exposed his workshop's location.

Loxia, fully utilizing her special ability "Stealth," employed all her experience from her living days. Like a competent Assassin, she quietly followed Abner and his group, preparing to discover their hideout.

Abner's actions today were very simple.

His objective was to draw everyone's attention to himself.

This course of action had three reasons.

The first, as mentioned before, was to focus the enemy's attention on himself. Since his Servant wasn't planning on using Spirit Form, stealth was pointless. It was better to allow Leonidas to appear in his physical form, attracting targets while also establishing a good Master-Servant relationship.

Moreover, Leonidas's abilities were perfectly suited for "melee combat." The more difficult the battlefield, the more powerfully Leonidas could perform. From this perspective, if two or three Servants attacked, it would actually be more advantageous for Leonidas.

The second reason was to provide cover for Tohsaka Mina.

From Tohsaka Rin's anxious correspondence, Abner already knew about Tohsaka Mina's disappearance and confirmed that she had purchased a plane ticket to China.

Such a young girl, not good with machinery, must have attracted a lot of help at the airport, and many people would remember the little girl who cried at the automatic ticket machine. And when she almost missed her flight, the announcement had kindly included a reminder: "Miss Tohsaka Mina, your flight is about to depart. Please board immediately."

Going to China? Abner could only think of the Holy Grail War. Generally, the Three Families were the first to receive Command Spells. If it wasn't Tohsaka Rin… then the most likely candidate was Tohsaka Mina.

Abner wouldn't harm Mina, but that didn't mean others would be as gentle. If this young girl were to act recklessly, it might lead to uncontrollable consequences. And Tohsaka Rin was known to value her family greatly; if Mina were to get into trouble… this woman, who had once dissolved a Holy Grail, might do something earth-shattering!

To prevent chaos at the Clock Tower, Abner deliberately put himself in the spotlight. This way, compared to an unknown Master, a Master whose workshop location he knew intimately would be easier to handle. It would effectively distract other Masters, making them focus their attention on him.

The third reason… was due to Abner's special strategy. To win, he had prepared a "killing secret maneuver."

Therefore, today, he took Leonidas… to watch a movie.

At the entrance of the crowded cinema, a large banner hung high, with blood-red characters printing the number 300. Beside it stood a powerful, burly man, his posture as if roaring from the depths of his soul.

Needless to say, in this world, there weren't many movies with "300" as the number, and even fewer with that number as the title.

300.

Abner had researched Leonidas, but the man himself seemed completely different from the historical descriptions. To initiate a conversation, he brought Leonidas to the cinema.

Of course, he didn't believe the movie itself was reliable, but bringing Leonidas himself to watch it was different.

If there were discrepancies, it would inevitably lead to questions like, "Why did it unfold like this? It wasn't like this!" Then Abner could naturally follow up with, "Oh? What was the real situation?" naturally leading to conversation and deepening their understanding.

And there was another advantage.

Where are the most people gathered? The cinema.

Where are the most young people? Schools and cinemas.

What do young people use the most? Smartphones.

Abner believed that if he brought a heroic figure like Leonidas, it would ignite fervent excitement, and then, whether on Twitter or other platforms, there would surely be countless mentions of him and Leonidas. This would naturally spread his "declaration of war."

Abner possessed the typical pride and self-importance of a mage, but also a rare calmness and caution for a mage. He understood himself well, was skilled in combat, and at the same time, never underestimated his opponents, never missing an opportunity to win.

Tactics are meant to bridge the gap between the weak and the strong, a method for the weak to overcome the strong.

So, what if a strong individual also began to focus on tactics?

Naturally, it would be difficult for a weaker opponent to make a comeback against him.

At first, I was a little worried that Leonidas might not follow the cinema's rules, but when I explained them to him, he quickly accepted that he couldn't be loud and watched the movie intently until the end. Come to think of it, Spartans are merely "barbaric" and not "lawless"; they highly value their laws.

In the cinema, Leonidas's imposing figure was illuminated by the faint blue light reflected from the screen, giving him a sense of heroic weariness. His sturdy face revealed no expression, making it difficult to understand what he was thinking, other than that he was focusing all his attention on the screen in front of him.

(What must it feel like? To see one's own story depicted by others.)

Abner caught a glimpse of his face and couldn't help but think this.

It was a decent movie.

The main plot was the Battle of Thermopylae, with combat depicted at a highly imaginative level using the latest technology. The actor playing Leonidas was clearly someone who worked out regularly, with a strong physique. Unfortunately, compared to the real Leonidas sitting beside him, it was hardly worth mentioning.

Leonidas frowned throughout the film, watching very seriously. I wondered if it was a look of concentration, or anger at his story being altered?

Regardless, Abner was enjoying the moment.

At the Clock Tower, as a magus, he rarely had the chance to watch movies.

Such high-tech things were always disdained by magi.

However, a magus who had obtained a master's degree in fluid dynamics, strictly speaking, couldn't be considered a conventional magus, could he? From that perspective, it wasn't unreasonable for him to be called an "heretic."

(Watching a movie with my own Servant? Perhaps I'm the first person to do something like this in the history of the Holy Grail Wars.)

He thought this, quietly adjusted his body to sink deeper into the soft chair, enjoying the plush texture, and continued to watch the "Leonidas" in the film bravely fight his enemies.