Tokiomi Tohsaka's Desire

Having received Iskandar's answer, Kenneth narrowed his eyes. A dense killing intent spread around him, making Weber's hair stand on end.

"Then let me ask a different question, Weber Velvet. What is your choice now? Will you join me, assist me in claiming victory, and make up for your foolish mistake? Or will you be eliminated here and wait to be punished once you return to the Clock Tower? Give me your answer now..."

Kenneth delivered his final ultimatum.

Within this workshop, Fionn's agility was undoubtedly extremely high. Iskandar's mobility could not be fully displayed here, and being held back by Fionn was inevitable.

Rovey had not brought Scáthach with him, nor had he deployed Hallcraft to oppose Kenneth's workshop. Within just a few breaths, Kenneth could easily kill a third-rate Magus like Weber, cut off his hand, and force this pair out of the war entirely.

That would directly eliminate one opponent.

And he would also capture one of his traitorous disciples, so it would not be a loss.

So... should he still make a move?

Kenneth pondered as he waited for Weber's answer. Meanwhile, Iskandar, who had been speaking with Fionn, narrowed his eyes as well, ready at any moment to unleash his trump card and give that Lemon Head a little shock.

"We'll join!"

Yet just as the atmosphere grew increasingly heavy and tense, an answer shattered the suffocating silence. Rovey stepped smilingly between the two of them and handed Kenneth a Magic Contract he had prepared in advance.

Its contents roughly stated that, in this Holy Grail War, Kenneth's disciples Rovey and Weber would make amends for their previous mistakes by bringing their Servants, Rider and Caster, to assist Kenneth in fighting until the very end. Once only three people remained, they would each rely on their own abilities to obtain the Holy Grail.

It emphasized that during their cooperation, none of the three could harm one another, nor could they allow their Servants to harm one another.

The price of the contract was their Magic Crests and their own Magic Circuits.

"You even prepared a Magic Contract beforehand?"

Weber tilted his head. He had never expected Rovey to pull something like this.

"That's right. If we're making up for our mistakes, then naturally we need to show sincerity through action, don't we?" Rovey grabbed Weber and Kenneth's hands and placed them together. "What could show more sincerity than this?"

"Besides, the Holy Grail War is a cruel magical ritual. It is slaughter. It is war. But that is only for other people, for those provincial magi. For elites of the El-Melloi Faction like us, it is no more than a lump of mana. We are teacher and students. There is no point in fighting to the death over something like this, is there?"

"So rather than fighting among ourselves, becoming a joke to others and letting them reap the benefits, why not join forces as teacher and students and wipe them all out in one go? We can compete afterward and treat it as extracurricular homework. After all, no matter which one of us wins, the prize will still belong to the El-Melloi Faction, won't it?"

Rovey looked at Kenneth, then at Weber, and spoke with a serious expression. His attitude was so sincere that Kenneth's expression shifted slightly.

"Settle the victor afterward? Hmph. You think you can beat me?"

Kenneth crossed his arms and snorted disdainfully. "However..."

His tone changed, and an inscrutable smile appeared on his face.

"What you said does seem to make sense. Rather than letting others benefit, it would be better to bring the prize into the El-Melloi Faction. Though the final victory will definitely be mine!"

"In that case, let all previous grievances be canceled. From now on, this will be an extracurricular test. The subject will be claiming victory in this Holy Grail War."

"It is wonderful that you understand!"

Rovey smiled and shook Kenneth's hand. "Rest assured, Professor Kenneth. We guarantee that we will not disappoint you. We absolutely will not tarnish El-Melloi's reputation."

Why don't you ask for my opinion first?!

Thus, beneath Weber's dumbfounded and astonished gaze, Rovey, Kenneth, and Weber's hand were stacked together before they pressed their handprints onto the contract.

Then, through his rash actions, the greatest alliance since the Holy Grail War began was formed just like that.

At the sight, Fionn smiled. He was clearly very pleased with the result. Rider, Iskandar, displayed his personality to the fullest, acting completely like an insider as he opened Kenneth's wine cabinet, took out the expensive red wine Kenneth had prepared to celebrate his victory, and set it on the table. He then grabbed everyone's hands and immediately wanted to hold a banquet to celebrate the alliance, making Kenneth's eyelids twitch furiously.

"Well then, Professor Kenneth, please guide us well during this extracurricular exercise."

Once the contract was formed, all of Rovey's earlier politeness vanished without a trace. He sat directly opposite Kenneth, raised his wineglass, and celebrated alongside Iskandar, a brilliant smile on his face.

"You brat..."

Seeing Rovey reveal his true colors, Kenneth, seated on the sofa, let out a helpless sigh and could not help lamenting inwardly.

My school is truly unfortunate. I was careless in taking in disciples...

How did I ever let this little bastard into the family?

And when he thought of how this bastard would marry into his family in the future and inherit his Magic Crest and faction, Kenneth felt even more strongly that his decision back then had been far too impulsive.

No, this would not do. Even if he became a Lord, he would only disgrace him. Once they returned to the Clock Tower, he had to make this brat cram proper etiquette.

After falling silent for a while, Kenneth looked at Rovey and sighed helplessly. Then, at Rovey's invitation, he raised his wineglass with an exceedingly reluctant expression.

As he looked at Rovey, who had yielded to him and decisively surrendered, Kenneth suddenly felt that it all seemed somewhat unreal...

Was it over just like that?

Had this brat really yielded so easily?

The earth-shattering battle he had expected never happened. He had even brought Weber, that mediocrity, back along the way.

For a moment, he could not help wondering if he had been too nervous and made a mountain out of a molehill.

He did not actually care much about this Holy Grail War.

Originally, he had merely come here to earn some achievements.

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

Forget it. At most, it was just a lump of mana. It might not even be worth any one of the Mana Reactors in his room.

After all, there were not a thousand, but at least eight hundred things in this world bearing the name Holy Grail. Every region claimed to have excavated one, yet none of them were real. How could something containing the blood of the Holy Son possibly appear in the outside world? The madmen of The Church would have recovered it long ago.

If one wanted to find the true Holy Grail, one would probably have to search The Church's headquarters. Perhaps one could even find the Holy Son's blood or the Holy Maiden's battle flag. Though many magi wanted to do so, apart from a few who had truly lost their minds, none actually dared.

With The Church's combat power, even if the White Wing Lord led multiple Twenty-Seven Dead Apostle Ancestors in an assault, they would only be throwing their lives away, let alone ordinary magi. Kenneth felt it would be better if those freaks died anyway, so they would stop lowering the average intelligence of magi.

Therefore, Kenneth did not even need to think about the Holy Grail War advertised here. He knew it was definitely another counterfeit that had appeared from who knew where. Why would a Holy Grail appear in Eastern Europe? The magical standards here were so poor that he could barely stand to look at them.

Although the continental region did indeed possess top-tier powers such as Spiral Manor, Kenneth did not believe they would be bored enough to construct a Western European Holy Grail using an Eastern European system.

So, he would treat this Holy Grail War as extracurricular instruction...

It would be a good chance to reestablish his authority as a teacher and find an opportunity to drag Rovey, that bastard, back for the rank advancement ritual. This time, he could not let him run away.

Unfortunately, there were no girls of suitable age for that brat in the El-Melloi main family lately. Otherwise, he could simply arrange a marriage for him and see how he could run then.

After all, once he had a family, that brat would surely settle down quite a bit. Before Kenneth met his fiancée, Sola-Ui, he had not been particularly settled himself. Now that he had a lover, things were obviously much better.

Should I... promote someone from a branch family first?

Kenneth pondered inwardly.

Tokiomi Tohsaka's Desire

Tohsaka Family

At this moment, Tokiomi Tohsaka, who had always valued elegance and treated maintaining elegance as his family precept, 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 naturally longed immensely for the Holy Grail War's prize, the so-called omnipotent wish-granting machine.

After all, obtaining the Holy Grail had become the final path determining whether he, whose talent was mediocre, could reach The Root in this lifetime.

Though inheritance was also an important meaning of the magecraft path...

Even if he could not reach it in this life, Tokiomi Tohsaka was willing to believe that his outstanding descendants could reach the Swirl of the Root in his place. If that happened, he could still die smiling.

Yet rather than entrusting the burden entirely to his descendants, Tokiomi Tohsaka, as a Magus, hoped even more to personally witness that miracle come to pass...

That was why he had staked everything he possessed, both his hopes and his pursuits, on this Holy Grail War, praying only for that miracle to descend.

And in order to ensure his final victory, even before the Holy Grail War began, he had made extensive preparations to win it. Whether in terms of connections and resources or Heroic Spirits, he had spared no effort in paving the way for himself.

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

Risei was a priest of Fuyuki City Church and its person in charge. He bore the important responsibility of overseeing mystery, so he naturally became the overseer of this Holy Grail War. During the war, he would be responsible for mediating conflicts, rendering fair judgments, preventing the exposure of mystery, and avoiding excessive casualties.

However, Tokiomi Tohsaka did not quite agree with the matter of fair judgment, because the first people to break the rules would be the two of them...

Long before the Holy Grail War began, Tokiomi Tohsaka had contacted this old friend through the relationship his family had built over generations as residents of Fuyuki City who enjoyed close ties with the local Church.

Moreover, through reason, emotion, and his own sincerity, he had moved Risei and thereby obtained some extraordinary assistance.

He promised that all building damage and cleanup costs incurred during this Holy Grail War would be borne by the Tohsaka Family. He would also voluntarily maintain the stability between reality and mystery and absolutely would not allow any major trouble to occur during the war.

Furthermore, before his elderly old friend, Tokiomi Tohsaka did not hide anything. He decisively confessed his wish and the Tohsaka Family's long-held aspiration. He also promised that if he obtained the Holy Grail, he would make only the single wish to reach The Root, swearing that he would never do anything harmful to the world, justice, or the Lord.

At first, Risei Kotomine, as a believer of the Lord and the overseer of the Holy Grail War, naturally had no desire to do something that violated doctrine, much less rig the contest.

But beneath Tokiomi Tohsaka's tearful pleas and repeated assurances, Risei looked at this younger man he had watched grow up, one who was practically a friend despite their age difference, and finally softened.

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

Thus, faced with Tokiomi Tohsaka's desperate pleas, Risei Kotomine ultimately did not refuse. Instead, he chose to turn a blind eye and grant his request.

The reason he gave himself was that he trusted Tokiomi Tohsaka's character. Moreover, the Holy Grail's power 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, meanwhile, was merely the ordinary pursuit of a Magus seeking The Root and would not affect the world.

Since that was the case, after all the effort Tokiomi Tohsaka had put in over the years, what harm was there in agreeing to it?

And once Tokiomi Tohsaka reached The Root, Risei could recover the Holy Grail and send it to The Church's headquarters for permanent sealing, eliminating the danger of the Holy Grail War...

From the standpoint of righteousness and humanity, would that not be a good thing as well?

With those thoughts, Risei Kotomine allowed his son, Kirei Kotomine, to participate in this Holy Grail War and help Tokiomi Tohsaka claim victory. At the final moment, he would also hand over the Command Seals left behind from previous wars to Tokiomi Tohsaka and help him secure victory.

Tokiomi Tohsaka was deeply grateful for what his old friend had done.

Having gained such assistance, his confidence naturally surged. To guarantee victory, he had even spent an enormous sum to acquire from Western Europe's magecraft circles an unparalleled Sacred Relic—the shed skin of the Primordial Serpent. Using it, he summoned the strongest Heroic Spirit, the king among kings, the hero among heroes, the oldest hero, King of Heroes Gilgamesh.

When that powerful, golden figure appeared with eyes that looked down upon all things, Tokiomi Tohsaka's heart erupted with joy.

Although he had not been summoned in his optimal Saber class but as Archer, Tokiomi Tohsaka believed it was more than enough.

After all, in this Holy Grail War, he did not merely have the referee's favoritism. He also had his disciple and his Assassin assisting him, along with this King of Heroes...

A powerful Heroic Spirit, abundant Command Seals, and even the referee was one of his own?

He truly could not think of any reason he could lose. Who in this Holy Grail War could possibly stop him? Who could stop him?!

By all rights, by all rights, it should have been so...

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

"What is going on with two Lancers appearing at the same time? Did someone conduct an illegal summoning? And that golden Lancer is so powerful that he actually suppressed Saber, the most advantageous class, head-on. Is King of Heroes not the only exceptional Heroic Spirit in this Holy Grail War?!"

He could not help demanding.

Even Tokiomi Tohsaka, who had previously been as steady as a mountain and believed victory was already in his grasp, was completely thrown into panic after witnessing last night's all-star lineup.

Setting aside Lancer, Godslayer Fionn, who could suppress Saber, King Arthur, head-on, the other illegally summoned Lancer, Scáthach, was also a renowned Godslayer. There was no doubt that both were extraordinarily exceptional Heroic Spirits.

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

Oh, right. There was also King Arthur, who had been suppressed throughout the entire battle.

One had to know that most Servants would have the achievements and events of their lives elevated into special Noble Phantasms.

A Noble Phantasm was a weapon celebrated in a Heroic Spirit's legend. It was said to possess a power far beyond the reach of modern magi, and once activated, it would produce effects just like those described in legend.

Naturally, the legends of those two Godslayers included the heaven-defying act of slaying gods. In other words, both possessed extremely strong suppression against things with divine traits.

And unfortunately for him, Gilgamesh possessed top-tier divinity even among Heroic Spirits. He had a supreme divine nature of two-thirds god and one-third human, which made him nearly invincible in ordinary combat.

Therefore, there was no doubt that the two Godslayer Heroic Spirits of Celtic Mythology were extremely effective counters to Gilgamesh.

That was also why Tokiomi Tohsaka's expression had changed drastically that night, and why he had not hesitated to use a Command Seal to urgently summon Gilgamesh back.

Even an existence as powerful as King of Heroes Gilgamesh would not have a good outcome if he were besieged by two top Heroic Spirits possessing Godslayer traits at the same time, given such an absolute disadvantage in compatibility. Thus, Tokiomi had no choice but to face the matter cautiously.

The simultaneous appearance of Scáthach and Fionn, that pair of Godslayers, cast a shadow over the heart of Tokiomi Tohsaka, who had once been brimming with confidence.

"Has Professor begun to feel lost as well..."

Inside the room, the young man dressed in priestly robes held the cross in his hand tightly. He calmly looked at the sighing Tokiomi Tohsaka, his face devoid of joy or sorrow. No one knew what he was thinking.

A day earlier, following Tokiomi Tohsaka's instructions, he had ordered his Servant Assassin to attack the Tohsaka Residence. Before the eyes of every faction, Assassin had then been killed by Archer.

Of course, this was not because he intended to withdraw from the Holy Grail War. Rather, his Servant, Assassin, whose true name was Hundred-Faced Hassan, was a special existence with hundreds of personalities and hundreds of clones. The one who died was merely one among those hundreds. Through that death, Kirei Kotomine could now hide completely in the shadows.

Because he needed to cover for Tokiomi Tohsaka while also preventing the other Masters from learning that The Church favored Tokiomi, Kirei Kotomine had not returned or shown himself. Instead, he remained at the Tohsaka Residence and used Assassin to gather intelligence.

Seeing Tokiomi Tohsaka's worried appearance, he spoke from the darkness.

"...Yes. Let us hope they do not possess a Noble Phantasm capable of matching Ea."

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

Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that he had no interest whatsoever in this so-called Holy Grail. The only reason he was here was to help Tokiomi Tohsaka obtain it.