Starting in the Type-Moon World, Adopting Sakura

Iskandar's reply caused Kenneth's eyes to narrow, a potent killing intent radiating from him, making Waver's hairs stand on end.

"Then let's change the question, Waver Velvet. What is your choice now? Will you join me and help me achieve victory, thereby making up for the foolish mistake you made? Or will you be eliminated by me here and wait for punishment when you return to the Clock Tower? Give me an answer now..."

Kenneth issued his ultimatum.

In this workshop, Fionn's agility was undoubtedly very high, and Iskandar's mobility could not be fully displayed. Being held back by Fionn was a foregone conclusion.

Rovey hadn't brought Scáthach with him, nor had he deployed his territory's magic to counter his own workshop. In the span of a few breaths, he could easily kill a third-rate magus like Waver, sever his hand, and eliminate this pair completely.

In that case, it would undoubtedly eliminate an opponent directly.

He could also capture one of his rebellious disciples, so it wasn't a loss.

So... should he still make a move?

Kenneth pondered, waiting for Waver's answer. Meanwhile, Iskandar, who had been talking with Fionn, also narrowed his eyes at this moment, ready to unleash his trump card and give this "lemon head" a little shock.

"We'll join!"

However, just as the atmosphere grew increasingly tense, an answer shattered the heavy silence. Rovey, smiling, walked between the two of them and handed Kenneth a pre-prepared magical contract.

The content of the contract was roughly that in this Holy Grail War, Kenneth's disciples, Rovey and Waver, would help Kenneth fight to the end to make up for their previous mistakes, with their respective Servants Rider and Caster. Only when there were three people left would they compete for the Holy Grail based on their own abilities.

Emphasis: During the cooperation period, none of the three were allowed to harm each other, nor were their Servants allowed to harm each other.

The price of the contract was the Magic Crest and their own magic circuits.

"You even prepared a magical treaty in advance?"

Waver tilted his head, completely taken aback by Rovey's move.

"That's right. If you want to make up for your mistakes, you have to show sincerity and take action, don't you?" Rovey grabbed Waver's and Kenneth's hands and placed them together. "What could be more sincere than doing this?"

"Besides, the Holy Grail War is a cruel magical ritual, a slaughter, a war. But that's for others, for those country bumpkin magi. For us elites of the El-Melloi Faction, it's at most a magic core. We are master and disciple. It's not worth fighting to the death over such a thing, is it?"

"So, instead of fighting amongst ourselves and letting others take advantage, it's better for us, master and disciple, to join forces and deal with them all at once. Then we can have our competition. Think of it as an extracurricular assignment. After all, no matter who wins between us, the prize will still belong to the El-Melloi Faction, won't it?"

Rovey looked at Kenneth, then at Waver, and spoke with a serious expression. His sincerity moved Kenneth.

"We'll decide the winner later? Hmph, do you think you can beat me?"

Kenneth crossed his arms, snorted dismissively, and said, "However..."

His tone shifted, and a knowing smile appeared on his face.

"What you said seems correct. It's better to keep the prize within the El-Melloi Faction than to let others take advantage. Although the final victory will, of course, belong to me!"

"In that case, all previous grievances are canceled. From now on, we'll have an extracurricular test, and the topic will be to win this Holy Grail War."

"I'm so glad you understand!"

Rovey smiled and shook Kenneth's hand. "Don't worry, Teacher Kenneth, we promise not to disappoint you and will never tarnish the prestige of El-Melloi."

Why don't you ask for my opinion!

And so, under Waver's bewildered and surprised gaze, Rovey, Kenneth, and their hands were all placed together, and they pressed their handprints onto the contract treaty.

Then, through his hasty actions, the greatest alliance and cooperation since the start of the Holy Grail War was completed.

Seeing this, Fionn's face broke into a smile. He was clearly very satisfied with this outcome. Rider, Iskandar, on the other hand, fully embraced his personality and treated himself as one of them, opening Kenneth's wine cabinet and taking out the expensive red wine Kenneth had prepared to celebrate victory. He placed it on the table and, grabbing everyone's hands, was about to start a banquet to celebrate their alliance, making Kenneth's eyelids twitch.

"Well then, Teacher Kenneth, please guide us in this extracurricular practice."

With the contract established, Rovey's initial politeness vanished without a trace. He sat directly opposite Kenneth, raised his wine glass, and began to celebrate with Iskandar, a bright smile on his face.

"You brat..."

Seeing Rovey's true colors revealed, Kenneth, sitting on the sofa, sighed helplessly, lamenting in his heart.

He truly had a terrible lineage and had chosen his disciples poorly...

How had he taken this scoundrel into his fold back then?

And thinking that this rascal would eventually marry into his family and inherit his Magic Crest and faction, Kenneth felt even more that his decision back then was too impulsive.

No, in this state, he would disgrace him even as a lord. When he returned to the Clock Tower, he would have to give this kid intensive etiquette lessons.

Kenneth was silent for a moment, then looked at Rovey and sighed helplessly. Under his invitation, he reluctantly raised his wine glass.

He looked at Rovey, who had yielded and surrendered so readily, and suddenly felt a sense of unreality...

Was it over just like that?

Had this brat really backed down so easily?

The epic battle he had anticipated hadn't happened at all, and even Waver, the mediocre talent, had been brought back along the way.

For a moment, he even began to doubt if he had been too nervous and overreacted.

He actually didn't care much about this Holy Grail War.

He had originally just wanted to gain some merit here.

As for the wish-granting machine and the universal cauldron advertised?

Forget it. At best, it was just a magic core, and its value might not even compare to any of the magic furnaces in his room.

After all, there were easily hundreds, if not thousands, of things called the Holy Grail in this world. Every region claimed to have found the Holy Grail, but none of them were real. After all, how could something containing the blood of the Holy Son appear in the outside world? The fanatics of the Church had already collected them all.

If you want to find the real Holy Grail, you'll probably have to go to the Holy Church headquarters. Maybe you can even find the blood of the Holy Child, or perhaps the battle flag of a saintess? While many magi might want to do that, there aren't many who dare, besides those who are truly out of their minds.

Given the combat power of the Holy Church, even if the White-Winged Duke brought multiple Dead Apostles and the Twenty-Seven Dead Apostle Ancestors, it would be a suicide mission. Not to mention those magi. Kenneth felt it was for the best that these oddballs died, saving the magi from having their average intelligence lowered.

So, he knew without a doubt that this advertised Holy Grail War was definitely a fake that popped up from who knows where. How could there be a Holy Grail in the Eastern European region? The level of magic here was so poor it was painful to even look at.

While there were indeed top-tier forces in the continental regions, such as the Spiral Tower, Kenneth didn't believe they would be idle enough to construct a Western European Holy Grail using an Eastern European system.

Therefore, he decided to treat this Holy Grail War as an extracurricular lesson...

It was also a good opportunity to re-establish his authority as a teacher and find a chance to capture that scoundrel Rovey and continue his advancement ritual. He wouldn't let him escape this time.

It was a shame, though, that there weren't any girls of the right age in the main El-Melloi household recently. Otherwise, he could have arranged a marriage for him and then he wouldn't be able to run.

After all, once he was married, this kid would definitely settle down quite a bit. Before he met his fiancée Sola-Ui, Kenneth himself wasn't exactly the most settled person. Now that he had his lover, things were clearly much better.

Perhaps I should promote someone from a branch family first?

Kenneth pondered internally.

Chapter 44: Tokiomi Tohsaka's Desire

Tohsaka Residence

At this very moment, Tokiomi Tohsaka, who had always valued elegance and made it his family motto, was far from calm. He could even clearly feel that he was somewhat at a loss.

Like the other participants in the Holy Grail War, Tokiomi Tohsaka was immensely eager for the spoils of victory, the so-called omnipotent wish-granting machine.

After all, whether he could obtain the Holy Grail had become the last path for him, a magus of mediocre talent, to reach the Root in his lifetime.

Though inheritance was also an important meaning of existence for a magus...

Even if he couldn't reach it in his lifetime, Tokiomi Tohsaka was willing to believe that his excellent descendants could reach the Swirl of the Root in his stead. That way, he could still smile in his grave.

However, compared to entrusting the heavy responsibility entirely to his descendants, Tokiomi Tohsaka, as a magus, preferred to witness that miracle happen with his own eyes...

Therefore, he had placed everything he had, both his hopes and his pursuits, onto this Holy Grail War, all in the hope of that miracle's arrival.

And to ensure his ultimate victory, he had made thorough preparations before the Holy Grail War began, sparing no effort in terms of connections and Heroic Spirits to pave his way.

In terms of connections, he had contacted his old friend, Risei Kotomine.

His position was the priest of the Fuyuki City Church and the person in charge, bearing the important responsibility of overseeing mysteries. Therefore, he naturally became the supervisor of this Holy Grail War. He would play a crucial role in mediating conflicts, making fair judgments, preventing the leakage of mysteries, and avoiding excessive casualties during the Holy Grail War.

However, Tokiomi Tohsaka was somewhat skeptical about the fair judgment, as they were the first ones to break the rules...

Even before the Holy Grail War began, Tokiomi Tohsaka, leveraging his family's generations-long good relationship with the Fuyuki City Holy Church, had contacted his old friend.

He had also reasoned with him, appealed to his emotions, and moved him with his sincerity, thereby gaining some extraordinary assistance.

He promised that the Tohsaka family would be responsible for all architectural damages or cleanup costs incurred during this Holy Grail War. Furthermore, he would voluntarily maintain the stability between the mundane and the mystical, ensuring that no major chaos would occur during the Holy Grail War.

Moreover, facing his old friend who was already advanced in age, Tokiomi Tohsaka did not conceal anything. He frankly confessed his wish and the Tohsaka family's long-held aspiration. He also promised that if he obtained the Holy Grail, his only wish would be to reach the Root, vowing that he would never do anything detrimental to the world, justice, or the Lord.

Initially, Risei Kotomine, as a believer of the Lord and the supervisor of the Holy Grail War, was naturally unwilling to do something that violated doctrine, nor did he want to be a biased referee.

But under Tokiomi Tohsaka's tearful pleas and repeated assurances, seeing the junior he had watched grow up, almost a friend across generations, Risei Kotomine finally softened his heart.

Considering Tokiomi Tohsaka's law-abiding conduct over the years, his contributions to Fuyuki City's development, and his respect for Risei, as well as the fact that he was his son's teacher...

Therefore, facing Tokiomi Tohsaka's earnest begging, Risei Kotomine ultimately did not refuse but chose to turn a blind eye and grant his wish.

He justified his decision by stating that he trusted Tokiomi Tohsaka's character. Furthermore, the power of the Holy Grail was too terrifying; if it fell into the hands of an evil person, it would inevitably bring immense destruction to the world. Tokiomi Tohsaka's wish was merely the common pursuit of a magus to reach the Root, which would not affect the world.

Since that was the case, considering all his efforts over the years, what harm was there in granting his wish?

Moreover, after he reached the Root, Risei could then retrieve the Holy Grail and send it to the Holy Church headquarters for permanent sealing, thus eliminating the hidden danger of the Holy Grail War...

From the perspective of the greater good and humanity, wasn't this also a good thing?

With this thought, Risei Kotomine agreed to allow his son, Kirei Kotomine, to participate in this Holy Grail War to help Tokiomi Tohsaka achieve victory. He would also hand over the Command Seals left from previous wars to Tokiomi Tohsaka at the end, helping him win.

Tokiomi Tohsaka was deeply grateful for his old friend's actions.

With such assistance, his confidence surged. To ensure victory, he even spared no expense in acquiring a peerless, world-rare Catalyst from the European magic circles – the [Shedding of the Primal Serpent]. Using this, he summoned the most powerful Heroic Spirit, the king of kings, the hero of heroes, the oldest hero, the King of Heroes, Gilgamesh.

When that dazzling, all-disdaining powerful figure appeared, Tokiomi Tohsaka's heart was filled with elation.

Although he wasn't summoned with the optimal Saber class but as Archer, he felt it was more than enough.

After all, this Holy Grail War not only had the referee's favoritism, but he also had the assistance of his disciple and his Assassin, plus this King of Heroes...

The Heroic Spirits were powerful, the Command Seals were abundant, and even the referee was on his side?

He couldn't think of any reason he would lose. Who in this Holy Grail War could possibly stop him? Who could stop him?!

Logically speaking, logically speaking, it should have been like this...

However, things did not seem to be going as smoothly as he had anticipated.

"What's going on with two Lancers appearing at the same time? Did someone perform an illegal summoning? And that golden Lancer is so incredibly powerful, actually suppressing the optimal class Saber in a head-on confrontation. Isn't the King of Heroes the only exceptional Heroic Spirit in this Holy Grail War?!"

He couldn't help but question aloud.

Even Tokiomi Tohsaka, who had been as steady as an old dog and felt he had victory in his grasp, was completely panicked after witnessing the all-star lineup last night.

Let alone Lancer, the God Slayer, Fionn, who could suppress Saber, King Arthur, in a head-on battle, the other illegally summoned Lancer, Scáthach, was also a renowned God Slayer. Without a doubt, they were both exceptionally powerful Heroic Spirits.

Compared to them, even the Black Knight and the King of Conquerors who appeared later seemed significantly inferior.

Oh, right, and there was King Arthur, who was suppressed the entire time.

You have to understand that most of these Servants manifest their special Noble Phantasms from the deeds and legends of their lives.

A Noble Phantasm is an armament praised in the legends of Heroic Spirits. It is said to possess power far beyond the reach of modern Magus, and once used, it unleashes effects just like in the legends.

And the legends of these two god-slayers naturally include the heaven-defying act of killing gods. This means that both of them possess extremely strong control over anything with divine characteristics.

And, unfortunately, Gilgamesh happens to possess the highest divinity among Heroic Spirits. With two-thirds god and one-third human, his high Divinity makes him almost invincible in normal combat.

So, without a doubt, these two god-slayer Heroic Spirits from Celtic mythology are extremely effective counters to Gilgamesh.

This was also the reason why Tokiomi Tohsaka's expression changed drastically that night, and he urgently recalled Gilgamesh, even resorting to using a Command Seal.

Even someone as powerful as King of Heroes, Gilgamesh, if cornered by two top-tier Heroic Spirits who both possess the god-slayer trait, would not fare well under such an absolute disadvantage in compatibility. Therefore, Tohsaka had to proceed with caution.

The simultaneous appearance of Scáthach and Fionn, the two god-slayers, cast a shadow of doubt over the previously confident Tokiomi Tohsaka.

"Even Teacher is starting to waver..."

In the room, the young man dressed in priestly attire clutched his cross, calmly looking at the sighing Tokiomi Tohsaka. His expression was neither happy nor sad, and it was unclear what he was thinking.

A day prior, as instructed by Tokiomi Tohsaka, he had ordered his Servant, Assassin, to sneak attack the Tohsaka Residence, and under the watchful eyes of all parties, had him killed by Archer.

Of course, this wasn't because he wanted to withdraw from the Holy Grail War. It was because his Servant, the assassin Assassin, whose true name was Hassan-i-Sabbah, was a special existence with hundreds of personalities and hundreds of clones. The one who died was merely one of those hundreds. By using his death, Kirei Kotomine could now completely hide in the shadows.

To cover for Tokiomi Tohsaka and prevent the other Masters from knowing that the Church was favoring him, Kirei Kotomine had not returned or shown himself. Instead, he stayed at the Tohsaka Residence, using Assassin to gather information.

Seeing Tokiomi Tohsaka's worried expression, he spoke from the shadows.

"...Yes, I hope the opponent doesn't possess a Noble Phantasm comparable to Ea."

Compared to his teacher, Kirei Kotomine's expression was very calm.

Perhaps he simply had no interest in this so-called Holy Grail. The only reason he was here was to help Tokiomi Tohsaka win it.