Cards of Type-Moon: Servants

"First, if I were Saber, how would I ensure my own safety?" In Waver's eyes, Saber was a very cautious person. He had discussed it with the King of Conquerors and felt Saber was quite a prudent individual.

Although on the surface it seemed like he exposed a lot, in reality, the other party hadn't revealed anything, and their ability to conceal themselves was very strong.

According to the King of Conquerors, Saber was a master of hidden strength, possessing the power to defeat others but choosing not to display it, instead projecting an image of 'frail weakness.'

'If I were Saber, I would check every room after arriving here to prevent anyone from eavesdropping.'

At this moment, Waver's mind was working at full capacity. He had to protect his own life while also finding out what Saber intended to do by coming here.

"Crrk." Waver cautiously opened the door to an empty room. It was still some distance from the room where Saber's Master had entered. He didn't dare to release any familiars to infiltrate that room. Instead, he took a deep breath, his heart pounding.

He was extremely nervous now, terrified that Saber might suddenly decide to become intangible and appear beside him, then, without a word, smash her Noble Phantasm at him, turning him into "Waver-chan."

However, to gather intelligence and prove he wasn't incompetent, Waver took a deep breath, suppressed his fear deep within, and began to wait quietly.

"Knock, knock, knock."

A knock sounded in the hallway. The hotel staff member, who had just been subjected to a suggestion spell, knocked on Emiya Kiritsugu's door.

"Creeak." The door opened. Maiya Hisau looked at the staff member calmly, her tone frigid. "What is it?"

"Excuse me, may I ask if the two who just entered will be staying the night? If so, could I trouble you to register their names?" the staff member said unhurriedly. She wouldn't normally care about such a small matter, as it happened frequently at this hotel.

However, due to the suggestion spell Waver had cast, she felt it was her 'duty' to remind them.

"They won't be staying. They'll be leaving shortly." Maiya Hisau saw it was the staff member, put away the gun in her hand, and said calmly, "If there's nothing else, please don't disturb us."

As soon as she finished speaking, Maiya Hisau closed the door. The staff member looked embarrassed and finally nodded, saying softly, "What a happy life."

The staff member didn't leave immediately but went to the room next to Emiya Kiritsugu's and knocked again, this time a little louder. "Excuse me, we've received a complaint that you're being too loud. Could you please keep your voices down and not disturb others?"

"Creeak."

The door opened again. A young man in a yukata gave the staff member an apologetic smile and quickly assured them it wouldn't happen again.

"Knock, knock, knock..."

The knocking sounded once more. Waver had already emerged from the empty room, his palms sweating. This was the moment of truth.

He intended to use people's blind spots to create an advantageous situation for himself. The first time, he had the staff member, who was under a suggestion spell, knock on Emiya Kiritsugu's room. The second time, she knocked on the room of the couple making a lot of noise. The third time, she knocked on the room adjacent to Emiya Kiritsugu's.

"Wh–" As the middle-aged man opened the door, he looked at the staff member, about to ask what was wrong. Waver immediately used magic! Causing the man to 'hear' his commands for a brief period.

"I've already warned the room you complained about. Please rest well." The staff member, as if not seeing Waver, offered a gentle smile, acting as if the middle-aged man had just complained about the couple.

"Oh, oh, oh~ Thank you very much."

The middle-aged man also seemed to understand, a gentle smile appearing on his face. He then walked back into the room with a somewhat vacant expression. Waver followed him into the room and decisively hid under the bed! For the first time, he was grateful for his slender build. Otherwise, someone of the King of Conquerors' physique wouldn't have known how to hide.

He didn't immediately press himself against the wall to listen to what was being said in the next room. He suppressed his magical energy to avoid being detected by Saber.

'Success!' Waver breathed a sigh of relief inwardly. The most difficult step was complete. Now came the intelligence gathering.

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Chapter 90: What the Heck?!

Having successfully infiltrated the room next to Emiya Kiritsugu's, Waver slowly released a familiar, instructing it to 'stick to the wall' and listen to what was being said in the adjacent room.

To avoid being discovered by Saber, the familiar Waver summoned was historically minimal in both size and magical energy. Its primary purpose was likely to listen to the conversation next door.

Under Waver's control, the middle-aged man continued watching television, having returned to his normal state as if nothing had happened. He even hummed a little tune, seemingly recalling something happy.

"Saber."

A man's voice came from the next room. He said with a hint of relaxation, "Iris's condition has returned to normal. You don't need to maintain that form anymore. Hurry up and change back."

"Is that so? This magic can only last for a short while. If I want to sustain it, I'll need to inject mana into Irisviel's body from time to time."

Just as Waver was wondering who the man in the room was, the response he received made his breath hitch for a moment!!!

'It's here!! Big news!!! The thing Saber has been hiding!!!'

Waver was incredibly excited. He hadn't misheard; the voice coming from the room was another woman's.

Yes, another woman. Waver had met Mikaela before and knew that Mikaela's voice was rather androgynous, not feminine. So, who was this woman responding to the man?

Although Waver was excited, he remained exceptionally calm. He knew that the crucial part was yet to come and that he had to remain hidden. If Saber discovered him, she would undoubtedly kill him without hesitation.

"No, it's fine. Aila-chan, my body is much better now."

The voice of Saber's Master, the noble lady he had met that morning, came from the next room. Her name seemed to be Irisviel. Her voice was weak at the moment, as if she had sustained some injury.

'Strange.' Waver frowned slightly, finding it peculiar. He had been with Kayneth and Irisviel all evening.

He had paid some attention to Irisviel. Her body was very healthy. As an artificial human, her physical condition was naturally much better than that of ordinary people.

But why was her voice so weak, as if she had suffered a severe injury?

During the battle with the Sea Demon, she, like him, had set up a magical barrier to disperse ordinary people and had not personally participated in the Servant battle. Even when he and the King of Conquerors had 'feigned departure,' her demeanor had been perfectly normal, showing no apparent problems.

"Madam, please don't move. Please lie in bed and rest. You've had a tiring day." Another woman's voice came from the room, causing Waver's frown to deepen. Although he hadn't seen her, he remembered her voice. It was the woman who had appeared when the staff member arrived.

At the time, Waver hadn't dared to peek out and see who had opened the door, only listening to the sounds in the hallway.

Her capable and calm voice had left a slight impression on Waver. At the same time, he was very curious about how she addressed Irisviel.

'Madam?'

Is this referring to Irisviel's relationship with that man, or a term of respect for Irisviel?

Although Waver wasn't as astute as he would become in the future, able to grasp the truth from mere fragments of conversation, he still managed to identify the crux of the matter.

"Speaking of which, you didn't call us here just for this, did you?" The female voice, presumably Saber's, spoke again, her tone utterly flat. "Tonight's action has already revealed part of my hand. We should be heading back quickly, not wasting time here."

'Part of my hand?!!!' Waver almost stopped breathing. That was only part of her hand? As King of Conquerors had said, Saber was indeed like a viper. That terrifying Noble Phantasm was merely a fraction of her capabilities?

"I've already seen that Noble Phantasm. It's perfectly suitable as an overt trump card, just as planned. But I didn't call you here tonight solely for that."

The male voice spoke again, accompanied by the sound of a lighter. He seemed to have lit a cigarette, his tone slow. "According to reliable intelligence, the Matou family has withdrawn from the war. I don't know if their patriarch is dead or not, but their Servant has been eliminated. Since I blew up the Tohno residence, Tohno Shiro has nowhere to go and can only temporarily occupy the Matou family's house for the night."

"Furthermore, the Master of Assassin, Kotomine Kirei, is currently with Tohno Shiro. If you're confident, we might be able to eliminate four Servants in one go tonight."

The man's voice was filled with calm and decisiveness. Waver, hiding under the bed, trembled slightly. He hadn't expected this.

Not only Caster, but Berserker had also been eliminated tonight!!

Waver had deeply ingrained the classes of the other Servants who had appeared in his mind. With three days having passed since the start of the Holy Grail War, two Servants were already out. Based on King of Conquerors' deduction, Assassin should still be alive.

And the tone of the man next door suggested he also knew Assassin wasn't dead. The only remaining Servant class that hadn't appeared was Berserker.

"Saber, what do you think? Shall we go?" The man seemed to be asking for Saber's opinion, believing this to be an excellent opportunity. If possible, they could eliminate the Masters of Assassin and Archer tonight.

"No, we cannot." Saber seemed to ponder for a moment, then replied in a very calm tone, "Archer has Independent Action. Even if his Master dies, he can act alone and leisurely search for a new Master."

"If we do that, we will inevitably provoke that King of Heroes."

'King of Heroes.' Waver quietly jotted down these three words in his mental notebook.

Although Archer had appeared once, there had been no further news. Based on his true name and Noble Phantasm, Waver had no idea, but the title 'King of Heroes' was not something anyone could bear lightly.

He'd note it down and research it later. Perhaps he could deduce Archer's true name from this.

"That's true. While the opportunity is good now, the most difficult opponents we face are still Kayneth and his student, Waver. Those two are the most challenging existences in this Holy Grail War. We need to deal with them first before we can move against Tohno Shiro and Kotomine Kirei." The man's voice rang out again.

However, Waver was utterly bewildered at this point. What the hell?

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Chapter 91: Discovered

Waver was in a state of extreme confusion. What the hell? What was going on? Why were they talking about him? What had he done?

Honestly, while Waver felt he might pose a slight threat, that threat was primarily directed at King of Conquerors. What did it have to do with him, his Master?

If anyone was a real threat, it was his teacher, Kayneth, one of the Twelve Lords of the Clock Tower. If they were talking about him, Waver wouldn't be surprised.

But why was that man bringing him up? He, who couldn't even be considered a third-rate Magus, what could he possibly do?

In front of Kayneth, Waver would never admit he was inferior to a third-rate Magus, but in his heart, he knew he was just a useless Magus. In terms of threat level, his danger in this Holy Grail War was only slightly higher than Caster's Master.

He already knew who Caster's Master was: just someone lucky who had accidentally stumbled into the Holy Grail War.

He didn't even have the basic foundation of magecraft!! Theoretically, anyone who encountered him, even Waver, might be able to kill him with 'Magic Bullet.'

Yet, this unknown man seemed to place him on the same level as Kayneth. Why was that? Waver was deeply perplexed.

He listened intently to the voices next door, doing his best to keep his breathing steady. Indeed, high risk meant high reward!!!

"That's right." Irisviel spoke, her voice no longer weak, as if she had recovered. "Saber and I saw them today. As for the young boy named Waver, let's put him aside for now. Kayneth is definitely a tricky opponent."

"Both in terms of magical attainments and overall knowledge, he is an excellent Magus. Moreover, he seems to have perceived our hostility towards his disciple and has been protecting him, intentionally or unintentionally, along the way."

Although Irisviel was an artificial human, she was not blind. She had naturally noticed Kayneth protecting Waver at every turn during their journey. While Kayneth's words and actions suggested he was extremely angry with Waver's behavior, as if he wanted to break his legs himself, Irisviel was very perceptive. She was a woman, after all, and had noticed small details. For example, when Mikaela had wanted to make a move and fight King of Conquerors.

Kayneth had noticed Waver's awkward situation and immediately stopped Mikaela's actions.

Although a fight hadn't broken out then, Irisviel was certain that if the two sides had truly clashed, Kayneth would have brought Lancer to help Waver.

Similarly, if Kayneth were in trouble, Waver would definitely step in to help. Although their relationship seemed very poor on the surface, no one else had the right to comment on it, no matter how bad it was.

This was Irisviel's self-understanding. At the same time, she became even more certain in her heart that Waver and Kayneth had formed an alliance. The apparent anger and arguments were just a smokescreen.

"I see." The man's voice sounded again, his tone calm. "Just as we suspected, that Lord from the Clock Tower has long coveted the Holy Grail. He's probably like Tohno Shiro, publicly breaking with his disciple while secretly forming an alliance. If we hadn't discovered this early, we would have been completely annihilated."

The man's voice was tinged with a sense of relief. He seemed to be breathing a sigh of relief that they had confirmed the truth of this information so early.

'An alliance, my foot. That guy genuinely wants to kill me. You've guessed wrong.'

Waver was internally ranting furiously. In his eyes, how could the sharp-tongued, despicable Kayneth possibly protect him? Irisviel must have been mistaken.

Indeed, women's intuition was completely untrustworthy! There was no basis in magecraft for this at all!!!

Although he said this aloud, Waver sighed deeply inwardly. If their relationship were truly good, why would he need to participate in the Holy Grail War?!

'But, Tohno Shiro and his disciple... could they be Assassin's Master, Kotomine Kirei??'

'Meaning, Assassin hasn't been eliminated at all, but is instead assisting Tohno Shiro in gathering intelligence???'

Although he had suspected it, Waver felt a chill run down his spine. It was terrifying. If he hadn't been eavesdropping here, he probably wouldn't have known that two Masters and Servants were cooperating in this Holy Grail War.

But then again, in that mysterious man's mind, he and Kayneth were also allied. No, no, how could that be possible? How could I possibly be allied with Kayneth? That man's brain must have been kicked by a donkey.

"I will go find Tohno Shiro tomorrow to discuss how to deal with the Master and disciple duo, Kayneth and Waver. They hold an advantage in this Holy Grail War. King of Conquerors' Inherent Domain, as well as Lancer's magic spear, are things to be deeply wary of."

Irisviel spoke again, seemingly determined to drive Waver and Kayneth out of the Holy Grail War first.

"It would be better to deal with Diarmuid after killing the King of Conquerors first," Saber said, his voice returning to its original tone without any emotional fluctuation. "The King of Conquerors seems to be trying to gather information about me. With his intelligence, he might notice the slip-ups I've made."

"A man who once nearly conquered the world must be handled with care. After discussing with Tohno Shiro tomorrow, we'll finalize the plan to surround and eliminate the King of Conquerors. Without the King of Conquerors as a trump card, Kayneth, though troublesome, won't be as difficult to deal with as before," the man seemed to have made up his mind.

The plan was to kill the King of Conquerors first, then kill Kayneth!

"!!!"

Waver's heart was filled with panic. Although this was the 'recognition' he had always dreamed of, this recognition, called death, made him tremble uncontrollably.

If that man wasn't mistaken, he used the word "surround and eliminate," which meant... tomorrow night, he and Rider would attract two Servants... No! Possibly three Servants.

After all, Assassin was still alive, Archer was lurking in the shadows, not to mention Saber, who was hiding his trump card!!!

'Calm down, Waver, you need to be calm. What should I do now?'

'Should I summon Rider now and destroy that room directly? That might allow us to kill Saber's Master and the other two by surprise.'

Waver lay under the bed, his body trembling uncontrollably. He looked at the Command Seal in his hand, feeling that he couldn't just wait for death any longer!!

He had only come to gather intelligence, but he never expected that the information he obtained would exceed his imagination, even learning that he and Rider were going to be killed tomorrow.

As Waver was lost in thought, the room next door suddenly fell silent for a moment.

'Not good!!!' Waver seemed to realize something, and the Command Seal in his hand lit up.

"Bang—!!!"

Suddenly, the wall was smashed open! Countless golden chains flooded into the room. The middle-aged man, who didn't know what was happening and was watching TV, was immediately bound.