The gentle fragrance of tea wafted through the Tohsaka Family's balcony.
Within the gilded patterns of the white porcelain cup, the crimson liquid rippled. Anyone with even a slight understanding of tea would recognize the subtlety hidden in its fresh aroma.
Abner wore a gray suit. Having lived at the Clock Tower in England for many years, he had long cultivated the manners and refinement of an English aristocratic gentleman. He carefully took a sip, and the scorching tea numbed his tongue.
In truth, Abner did not care much for black tea. He was a coffee person, and specifically an instant coffee person. In the Magic World, which prided itself on nobility and elegance, he was undoubtedly an oddity.
"So, what brings you here? A Heretic Magus coming to see the Dismantling Witch can hardly mean anything good, can it?"
Tohsaka Rin also took a sip of tea, but there was not the slightest warmth in her voice. Beneath the heavy self-mockery, her question carried no concern whatsoever.
The Dismantling Witch was not a title born from any bloody legend surrounding Tohsaka Rin. Rather, forty years ago, the people who had advocated dismantling the Greater Grail had been none other than Abner's mentor, Lord El-Melloi II, and the Tohsaka Rin before him.
After a series of conflicts, the two had ultimately succeeded in dismantling the Greater Grail, bringing the Holy Grail War to a complete end.
After that, although they had "reconciled" with the Mage's Association... it had only ever been a superficial arrangement. Abner's circumstances as Lord El-Melloi II's disciple made that obvious. Without this incident, Abner would likely have risen to become one of the Clock Tower's central figures.
The term "Dismantling" was a derogatory nickname some Magi passionate about the Holy Grail War had given Tohsaka Rin.
Tohsaka Rin's principles had also led her to largely sever ties with the Clock Tower. Using Fuyuki City as her base, she peacefully devoted herself to researching magecraft. Only when she made a major magical discovery would she send a familiar to the Clock Tower to publish her findings. She had personally visited the Clock Tower only a handful of times.
And Heretic Magus was the insult the "aristocrats" of the Clock Tower used for Abner.
Born into the Winifred Family, Abner should have enjoyed far better prospects. He could have studied his family's magecraft, visited renowned Magi, and become the head of a great house.
Yet he had neglected the proper path and become the disciple of Lord El-Melloi II, who was only second-rate!
Not only that, under Lord El-Melloi II's misguided teaching, this man! A proper Magus, no less, had actually gone to study "science"!
The Family Head of the Winifred Family had actually earned a master's degree in fluid mechanics! In the world of Magi, this was an enormous joke! It was like a cat studying how mice ran—absurd and utterly incomprehensible.
Those unable to surpass Abner in magecraft happily seized upon this matter as material to mock him, fabricating the title Heretic Magus and secretly pinning it on him to vent their resentment over their own inadequacy.
Because of their unusual statuses, though Abner had long admired her reputation, this was the first time they had met face-to-face.
Though both were Family Heads, Abner was still young. Facing Tohsaka, who had served as Family Head for decades, he remained somewhat cautious.
Faced with Tohsaka Rin's self-deprecating joke, responding might offend her, while not responding would make him seem lacking in spirit. After considering it, he finally avoided the subject and directly stated his purpose.
"This time, I hoped to confirm some details regarding the Holy Grail War with you."
"Oh?"
The woman like a crimson lotus let out a sound that was both amused and entertained.
She shifted her posture, crossing one leg over the other and resting her right elbow on the armrest, propping up her chin. Such a pose was hardly elegant for the head of a prestigious family, yet when Tohsaka Rin assumed it, it conveyed an imposing presence without the slightest hint of languor. She looked like a ruler seated high above, listening to a vassal's counsel.
"Why are you concerned about that? The Holy Grail War ended forty years ago."
Tohsaka Rin's words carried deep helplessness and vigilance.
"Can you still say that after seeing this...?"
Abner directly revealed the back of his right hand. Beneath the white glove he had removed were three crimson marks, shaped like spirals and matching the water attribute he excelled in. The surging magical power flowing through them was like a tsunami, flooding Tohsaka Rin's senses.
"!"
Tohsaka Rin rarely showed such alarm. "Th-this is! How is this possible? Command Spells?"
"Yes. Command Spells. I have been chosen as a participant in the Holy Grail War."
Abner enunciated every word. Each syllable was like a heavy hammer, smashing anxious cracks into Tohsaka Rin's calm defenses.
"In other words..."
"In other words, someone with ulterior motives has restarted the Holy Grail War."
"That is impossible. The Holy Grail War was a system made possible only through the techniques of the Tohsaka, Matou, and Einzbern families... I truly cannot believe it..."
Tohsaka Rin's brows drew tightly together. The elderly woman, who had been at peace for decades, seemed ready to release all the anxiety she had accumulated at once. Worry appeared on her beautiful face, untouched by the marks of time.
"Then... where will this Holy Grail War take place? As the administrator of Fuyuki City, I have not detected any abnormalities in the Leyline."
"Indeed. This battlefield is in China, in a city called Qianxi in Hebei Province. Strangely enough, from the moment I received the Command Spells, I knew this information. It was like common knowledge."
"Qianxi? I have never heard that name. Who manages the Leyline there?"
"No one. It is a newly developed city that emerged three years ago, and the Mage's Association's influence has not yet reached it. The Holy Church is in the same situation. It seems the enemy chose this place only after making thorough preparations."
Enemy.
Tohsaka Rin was surprised that such an elegant man as Abner would use so blunt a word.
"...I see. If possible, I truly would like to go there myself... but I can only entrust this to you."
Tohsaka Rin sighed helplessly. The dignity of one in power finally faded away, and before Abner now stood only a senior worried about a looming disaster.
"Yes, I will naturally do everything in my power. I will investigate the cause of this Holy Grail War, and if possible... I would also like to truly obtain the Grail... To glimpse the Root is truly a temptation one cannot easily cast aside."
Abner smiled honestly. He knew that when speaking with an ally, revealing some of one's true feelings and being open with each other was the wise course. If they were going to mistrust one another, they might as well not form an alliance from the beginning.
And honesty was not something Tohsaka Rin disliked.
In truth, as a member of the Tohsaka Family, she truly wanted to go to Qianxi herself.
However, she could not.
Tohsaka Rin's seclusion in Fuyuki was not merely "seclusion."
Her identity was far too special.
Because she had dismantled the Greater Grail, Tohsaka Rin's name was "renowned" throughout the Mage World. Every action she took could become a target for those with ulterior motives. At best, the Tohsaka Family would face coordinated resistance, and Fuyuki would be dragged into a struggle among Magi. At worst, it could trigger large-scale factional alignment across the Mage World, followed by internal conflict and slaughter.
Tohsaka Rin could neither afford to fight nor endure such a struggle. If she had still been the original Tohsaka Rin, the young lady who feared neither heaven nor earth, she would not have cared.
But now, she was the Family Head of the Tohsaka clan. She was Tohsaka Mina's grandmother and teacher. Before Mina had fully grown, she could not take even the slightest risk. As Family Head, there were many times when she had no choice.
She was a smart person. In a dangerous game like Death Roulette, she would never agree if there was even a one-in-ten-thousand chance that it could throw her family into chaos.
It was precisely because she no longer wished to see her descendants, as Magi, slaughter one another without restraint in the Holy Grail War that she had agreed to dismantle the Greater Grail.
This directly meant that Tohsaka Rin could not act recklessly. She had to be careful in every action she took. The reason she had allowed her daughter to marry far away in Germany without pursuing her was also related to this: she could not leave Fuyuki.
This was the same reason Abner had visited Tohsaka Rin rather than his own teacher, Lord El-Melloi II.
Lord El-Melloi II was even more dangerous than Tohsaka Rin. Though he himself was not a first-rate Magus, he had many disciples, enough to influence the situation at the Clock Tower. Now that the Holy Grail War had appeared again, as Lord El-Melloi II's disciple and a Heretic Magus, Abner visiting Lord El-Melloi II could easily give rise to unfavorable rumors and draw too much attention to himself.
"Then, Abner, as a reference, may I ask what kind of Heroic Spirit you want?"
As a former participant in the Holy Grail War, Tohsaka Rin could only offer her junior as much advice as possible in this regard.
Abner smiled gently and was about to speak when Tohsaka Rin suddenly furrowed her brow.
"What is it?"
"No, nothing. Just a family matter. Continue. What kind of Heroic Spirit do you want to summon as your Servant?"
Before you continue