The Teacher-Student Alliance

He wanted to see just how far those two bastards could go.

In the end, after Rovey pulled out a loudspeaker and gave an impassioned recital of that love letter, Kenneth's expression finally cracked completely.

Bang!

With a dull sound, the doors to the Magic Workshop opened before those two traitorous disciples without the slightest hesitation.

The atmosphere around them instantly grew even more stifling.

Weber's heart died completely.

"Move."

Rovey beckoned to him.

"I know..."

"You know my ass. If you really knew, you wouldn't be kneeling over there." Rovey rolled his eyes at him.

"Get moving already!"

Under Rovey's urging, Weber was kicked through the doors into the workshop's core area. With unease in his heart, he slowly moved forward, taking each step with extreme caution.

The countless magical restrictions lining the corridors, along with the various familiars, were enough to make his heart tremble just from looking at them.

Finally, under Rovey's urging, they quickly arrived at the deepest part of the Magic Workshop—the door to Kenneth's room. Weber could practically imagine Professor Kenneth glaring fixedly at that door with a stern and impatiently furious expression, waiting for the two of them to enter.

At the last moment, Weber and Rovey exchanged a glance, then nodded lightly.

...Knock, knock.

Accompanied by a low knocking sound, the two spoke in unison.

"Excuse us, Professor Kenneth."

Then Rovey took the lead, gently pushing open the unprotected door and dragging Weber inside.

Inside the room, Kenneth, who had been waiting for a long time, sat in a chair facing them.

"Rovey Crowley, and Weber Velvet. You two certainly made me look everywhere for you..."

As Professor Kenneth's familiar face turned toward them, his expectedly sharp voice immediately called out both their names.

"Especially you, Weber Velvet!"

"Yes, Professor Kenneth!"

Hearing that familiar voice, Weber, who had still been feeling uneasy, suddenly shuddered. His body straightened reflexively as he bowed deeply to Kenneth.

"You really are as foolish as ever, aren't you?"

He criticized him without mercy.

Weber sighed. He had long expected this.

"I'm sorry, Professor. I shouldn't have..."

"Never mind stealing the Sacred Relic for now. Let's first discuss the foolish mistake you made this time! I should have said this in class before—what does it mean to enter another Magus's Magic Workshop?"

Kenneth looked him over, then deliberately raised his voice. "Look at the state you're in. You barged in without even preparing the appropriate Mystic Codes. What exactly did you come here for? To die? If I hadn't noticed, the magical restrictions outside would have been enough to eliminate you!"

"Did you think I would go easy on you because of our past grievances? Or did you think that you and Rovey together could subdue a Lord like me inside my own Magic Workshop? If that truly was your plan, then there is no need for me to remain polite..."

As he spoke, Kenneth stood up and snapped his fingers.

Snap!

With that crisp snap, countless magical restrictions hidden throughout the workshop activated at once. Innumerable familiars gathered around him, while a terrifying mass of magical energy continuously converged beneath his feet.

At that moment, even Fionn mac Cumhaill, who had been waiting in a corner, stepped forward to face Iskandar, who had just materialized from spirit form.

The atmosphere in the room instantly became incomparably tense.

Kenneth looked beside Rovey, yet saw no sign of either Scáthach or Caster. He could not help asking coldly.

"Rovey, where is the Servant you summoned?"

Compared to Weber's timid manner, Rovey was far calmer.

The instant Kenneth grew angry, the Volumen Hydrargyrum hidden in Rovey's pocket automatically activated its protective mode, surrounding him at the center. At the same time, an Alchemy Array calculated through the combined use of Jewel Magecraft and Volumen Hydrargyrum rose beneath his feet, offsetting this workshop and freeing him from the weakening effect of the Magic Workshop.

"Hallcraft... I never expected you to have made progress so quickly. Is this the prototype of that theory of yours?"

Seeing the Volumen Hydrargyrum and the Alchemy Array beneath Rovey's feet, Kenneth's tightly furrowed brows eased slightly.

"The interoperability of Alchemy and Magic Workshops, supplemented by Mystic Codes for calculation, allowing a movable Magic Workshop to be completed in a short time—the so-called... Hallcraft."

"When you fully complete that theory, it may be enough for you to become a Color, perhaps even... a Grand Magus."

Seeing Rovey's achievement, he gave a calm assessment. He no longer seemed as angry as his expression had suggested.

That made Weber breathe a sigh of relief.

"I admit that compared to Weber, your talent surprises me—and pleases me—far more. But do you think this alone means you can defeat me?"

Kenneth glanced at Rovey. The ease had vanished from his face, and his gaze gradually grew solemn. Even within his workshop, and even with Lancer's assistance, he knew very well that his odds of winning were not high.

After all, the other side might possess the strength of three Servants, including two top-tier beings like Iskandar and Scáthach. It was nearly impossible for him and Fionn to win alone.

But one could lose the battle without losing face.

As their teacher, his dignity would not permit him to flee before the fight had even begun, especially before his two students.

If he were scared away, where would his dignity be? How could he continue to stand at the Clock Tower...?

Thus, Kenneth steadied himself and prepared to wage this final battle against those two traitorous disciples within his own Magic Workshop.

"Now, let me show you what a Lord-class battle truly is!!"

However, just as he raised his hand and prepared to strike first—

Rovey, who had been maintaining the Alchemy Array, slowly raised both hands in surrender. Then, completely defenseless, he dispelled the Magic Crest beneath his feet.

And he answered with utter bluntness.

"I surrender."

"Eh?!"

That swift and decisive surrender left even Weber, who had been prepared to have Rider flee with him, stunned. It also made Kenneth, who had been ready to fight to the death, frown slightly.

"What kind of trick are you playing?"

Master-Disciple Alliance

"..."

"..."

Sometimes, the most frightening thing was for the atmosphere to suddenly fall silent.

Because at times like that, an unexpected development had usually occurred, forcing everyone present to think and briefly freeze up.

"Rovey, what trick are you playing? You dispelled the Hallcraft—aren't you afraid I'll take the opportunity to attack? Or did Scáthach and the Caster you summoned leave some kind of contingency behind? Something that will trigger once I attack you..."

Seeing Rovey not only dispel the spell but also raise his hands in surrender, Kenneth, who had been ready to fight to the death and suppress his traitorous disciple, could not help staring blankly. He was genuinely startled by this unexpected development.

"..."

He watched Rovey warily, then used magecraft to scan the surroundings once more. After carefully confirming that no one or no Servants were hiding nearby, his gaze grew even more confused.

Kenneth had considered whether Rovey had hidden his Servants nearby, waiting for him to expose a weakness, but he quickly dismissed that absurd thought himself.

Leaving aside whether Rovey truly harbored such dangerous intentions, within his own Magic Workshop, it was impossible for him, as its master, to fail to detect an intruder's traces. Forget Lancer or Caster—even Assassin could never evade his senses. So...

"You really didn't bring any Servants with you?"

Thinking of that possibility, Kenneth's gaze toward Rovey was filled with surprise.

"Rest assured, Professor Kenneth. I didn't bring any Servants this time."

Facing Kenneth's question, Rovey nodded lightly. "Because Weber and I didn't come here to declare war on you. We came to do something more important..."

"Hmph. I didn't think you had that much nerve anyway."

Receiving Rovey's confirmation, Kenneth snorted. His expression was no longer as grave as it had been at the start.

Weber quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Then tell me. What exactly did you come to my door for?"

Seeing that Kenneth was no longer quite so angry, Rovey struck while the iron was hot. He hurriedly patted Weber on the shoulder, signaling him to take out what they had prepared beforehand.

Then, under Kenneth's utterly astonished gaze, Weber tremblingly took two self-criticisms that had been written before they came from his pocket.

One was his own, and one he had written for Rovey. Then he bowed and handed them directly to Kenneth.

Then, as though resigning himself to fate, he shouted, "We're terribly sorry, Professor Kenneth! We caused you trouble. These are our letters of self-criticism!!"

"...Eh?"

Kenneth froze, looking at them with a strange expression. Clearly, he had not expected the matter to take such a turn.

He had a familiar seize the self-criticisms Weber offered. To guard against possible magical traps on the papers, he deliberately ran a detection spell over them before opening them. Only then did he unfold them with both doubt and suspicion, wanting to see what tricks these two traitorous disciples were playing.

"You two..."

After opening the letters and carefully reading them for several minutes, Kenneth let out a long breath. He then crumpled the letters in his hand into a ball and looked at the two traitorous disciples before him, whose expressions were completely different. He actually felt as if his punch had landed on cotton, and the anger in his heart had nearly dissipated.

He had wanted to say something, but a thousand words ultimately condensed into one sentence. "Forget it. Come with me first..."

Weber immediately felt as though a great burden had been lifted.

"But don't think I'll forgive you so easily! Especially you, Weber. You dared to steal my Sacred Relic and enter the Holy Grail War without even considering your own capabilities."

Kenneth turned back and glared viciously at Weber. "I have to say, you have even more nerve than Rovey."

Weber's body instantly tensed.

"However..." Kenneth shifted his gaze once more to Iskandar, who was speaking with Fionn. "I truly did not expect you to summon such a top-tier Servant as the King of Conquerors. That does surprise me. You haven't disgraced the name of El-Melloi after all, so I won't pursue the matter further."

"However..."

As he spoke, his gaze swept over Weber again. "With your third-rate magical energy supply, you clearly cannot sustain a Servant like the King of Conquerors. If he were to fight at full strength, how long could you possibly hold on?"

"What do you say, King of Conquerors, Iskandar? Partnering with such a third-rate Magus must be terribly restrictive, mustn't it? Are you interested in becoming my Servant instead? My magical energy supply can fully support multiple Servants in battle. Obtaining the Holy Grail would be effortless then."

Ignoring Weber, Kenneth directly extended the invitation to Iskandar.

Before coming here, to ensure that this battle would be foolproof, Kenneth had brought the Mana Furnace from the Supreme Mystic Code of the El-Melloi Faction that predated the Moon Spirit Core. He had even rented two Lord-class Mana Reactors from two other Lords.

With the total amount of magical energy currently at his disposal, even while supplying this Magic Workshop, supporting several top-tier Heroic Spirits like Fionn and Iskandar in full combat would be effortless. The notion that one Master could only support one Heroic Spirit no longer applied to him.

Being ignored, Weber pursed his lips and said nothing. Before coming here, he had already expected Kenneth to try to recruit Iskandar. After all, Rider should have been his teacher's Heroic Spirit from the start; Weber was merely a thief. Besides, everything Kenneth had said was true. His third-rate magical energy supply truly could not support the King of Conquerors fighting at full strength, and instead only weakened him.

At this, Fionn smiled slightly. Clearly, he did not mind his lord gaining another Servant. Possessing a Noble Phantasm of special wisdom, he could not, like the Clairvoyance of Solomon or Gilgamesh, directly see the outcome of the future, but he could still glimpse traces of what lay ahead.

For some reason, his lord's fate seemed as though the goddess of death, Morrigan, had taken a particular liking to him. Countless fated paths to death were bound around him, which troubled Fionn greatly.

He did not dare tell Kenneth this directly. Most of the time, exposing a prophecy would not change the future; it would instead hasten tragedy's arrival, just as it had in Asgard of Northern European mythology.

But as a retainer, he had a duty to protect his lord and help him change the future, letting him live. If they could truly recruit a hero as powerful as the King of Conquerors, his confidence in saving Kenneth would undoubtedly grow greater.

However, things would not go as smoothly as he imagined. In response to Kenneth's invitation, Iskandar reached out and rubbed his chin. Without even bothering to think, he directly rejected the offer.

"No. This King has no intention of serving another, nor does this King accept recruitment. Why don't you become this King's subordinate instead? This King particularly likes heroes like Fionn."

In just a few words, he not only rejected Kenneth's invitation, but treated him like a free Master included with the purchase of Lancer. How could a Lord standing at the pinnacle of modern Magi tolerate such contempt?

Weber's expression changed, because he could tell that this was a sign Professor Kenneth was about to lose his temper.

Rovey, on the other hand, did not react much, because he had expected this outcome long ago.

Compared to Diarmuid, who would have cuckolded Kenneth in the original timeline, Fionn was certainly much better. But Iskandar and Kenneth had visibly terrible compatibility. Even if Kenneth had truly summoned Iskandar, their differing personalities would inevitably make them unable to stand each other. The final outcome would likely be Kenneth getting so furious that he suffered a cerebral hemorrhage.

With Professor Kenneth's personality, the Servants best suited to him should have been Karna, Arjuna, and... Fionn.

Looking at the Age of Gods Kenneth Fionn standing in the corner, Rovey could not help applauding his teacher inwardly.

Professor Kenneth, I have to say, you really are lucky.

You actually summoned a Heroic Spirit with a one hundred percent Holy Grail War win rate.

And your personalities matched so well. Even your experiences were so alike—you had both been cuckolded by the same guy with a lance... Ahem...

"What a pity..."