Dating Caster

"Could it be Caster..."

Kayneth turned his head to look at Wang Xiaoming, who was sitting calmly in his seat, his expression one of astonishment.

"I think, other than my Caster, there shouldn't be anyone else capable of reaching this level," Wang Xiaoming said with a shrug, his demeanor relaxed.

With Medea's perspective as a mage from the Age of Gods, which far surpassed modern standards by several tiers, tampering with this barrier was as easy as turning over one's hand. Furthermore, this barrier was powered by the mana furnace Kayneth had brought, meaning Medea didn't have to waste a single drop of her own mana.

Previously, they had only taken partial control to mask the fluctuations in mana, all to avoid exposing their presence.

Since they were already at the point of tearing off the mask...

"Tell Caster to stop immediately!"

As the youngest lecturer in the Department of Spiritual Evocation, how could the vengeful spirits in Kayneth's possession be anything ordinary? Losing even one elite-level spirit would cause him immense pain, let alone the lesser ghouls and monsters.

"OK~"

Wang Xiaoming complied readily and snapped his fingers, causing the barrier to cease its operation instantly.

"What exactly is your intention?"

Kayneth glared at Wang Xiaoming, his expression dark; he didn't believe for a second that Wang Xiaoming would be this easy to talk to.

"I just wanted to let you see my 'odds of winning'," Wang Xiaoming replied with a beaming smile.

"Are you joking? It's just a mage workshop. If I wanted to, I could build another one!"

Kayneth sneered, seemingly dismissive of Wang Xiaoming's trump card.

"No, no, no—"

Wang Xiaoming shook his head, his smile remaining unchanged as he looked at Kayneth.

"What I mean is, since my side has been in control of this barrier for so long, do you really think I haven't gathered any intelligence on you?"

"What are you trying to say?" Kayneth's face turned terrifyingly dark.

"For instance... the noble daughter of the Sophia-Ri family, your fiancée, Miss Sola, seems to have become infatuated with..."

Wang Xiaoming didn't continue to provoke Kayneth, as a blade formed from mercury had already arrived right in front of him.

"Why don't you continue?"

Kayneth asked in a low voice.

"Because I came here today to discuss a partnership, not to court death," Wang Xiaoming shrugged.

"But your current insolence is exactly that!" Kayneth growled.

"I can offer compensation for my insolence that will satisfy you," Wang Xiaoming bowed slightly.

"..."

Kayneth did not reply, though the mercury blade retracted.

Watching Kayneth sit back down in his original position, Wang Xiaoming smiled.

"So, can we sit down and talk calmly now, Lord Kayneth?"

The scene felt as if time had flowed back to that earlier moment, only the roles of the two had been reversed.

"First, regarding the potential partners, I want to say that aside from our Caster team, everyone else is trash!"

Right from the start, Wang Xiaoming spoke with brazen confidence.

"But in my eyes, you are the weakest combination in the Holy Grail War."

Kayneth said, hitting the nail on the head. It seemed his earlier anger had not yet subsided.

"I won't deny that, but when it comes to the ability to cooperate, we completely outclass the other teams." When he said this, Wang Xiaoming appeared exceptionally confident.

"Heh—"

Kayneth's mocking laughter spoke volumes about his attitude. However, Wang Xiaoming didn't mind and continued.

"I assume you wouldn't be interested in cooperating with Archer, that is, Tohsaka Tokiomi, right?"

"..."

Kayneth did not answer. Setting aside the fact that Tohsaka Tokiomi was colluding with the Holy Church, Kayneth could never tolerate the temperament of that golden Archer. As an equally arrogant man, how could Kayneth allow someone else to stand above him?

"I'll take your silence as an admission. Assassin has already allied with Archer, so we can cross them off. Now, let's talk about the Rider team..."

"Skip!"

Kayneth's face was as cold as water. He was already planning to teach that brat Waver a lesson; how could he possibly cooperate with Rider? That was absurd.

"Then Berserker..."

"Skip that too!"

Kayneth thought back to the scene at the warehouse district last night. A Master who had no control over his Servant was undoubtedly a failure.

"Then, aside from us, that only leaves Saber. This was likely your original plan, wasn't it? To use Archer's true name and the removal of the curse on Saber's left hand as conditions to reach a partnership, and after clearing the other enemies from the field, decide the ownership of the Holy Grail."

"Correct."

This line of thinking could be deduced by anyone with access to information and a bit of analysis, so Kayneth was not surprised and nodded in direct acknowledgment.

"Naive!"

Wang Xiaoming threw the word into Kayneth's face without mercy, and before Kayneth could react, Wang Xiaoming launched into a tirade:

"If Tohsaka Tokiomi can collude with the Holy Church, how could the Einzbern, also one of the Three Founding Families, not have a contingency plan?"

After catching his breath, Wang Xiaoming began to drop spoilers:

"The white-haired woman you saw last night was merely a decoy put out by the Saber team; the true Master of Saber is actually someone else."

"Who is it?" Kayneth asked instinctively.

"Emiya Kiritsugu."

The name spat out by Wang Xiaoming sent Kayneth into deep thought; it sounded familiar, yet he couldn't quite place where he had heard it.

"The Magus Killer."

"It's him—"

Once Wang Xiaoming uttered his title, the memories in Kayneth's mind gradually cleared.

A man known to the outside world as the "Magus Killer," a first-class mage. Because he was a mage himself, he understood mages thoroughly, yet he hunted them using methods that mages found beneath them. His reputation was notorious for his unscrupulous ways of "killing rival mages."

If Saber's Master was truly him, and he himself had no preparations...

A bead of cold sweat slid down Kayneth's temple.

"Alright!"

Wang Xiaoming clapped his hands, pulling Kayneth's attention back.

"We've finished analyzing the other teams, so that leaves us, the Caster team."

"Aside from being a bit weak in terms of raw power, our Caster team is quite strong in other areas, such as intelligence, intelligence, and... intelligence..."

"Enough! The cooperation is agreed upon!"

Unable to endure Wang Xiaoming's incessant chatter, a desperate Kayneth produced a Geis.

"A smart man!"

Wang Xiaoming snapped his fingers with a smile, though he felt a wave of relief wash over him; only then did he realize his back was already soaked with sweat.

"Oh, right, and the compensation I mentioned earlier." Wang Xiaoming raised an eyebrow at Kayneth. "How about I assist you in winning back the heart of Lady Sola?"

"Wait—"

Kayneth's hand, which had been about to sign the document, suddenly paused. He looked up at Wang Xiaoming, his expression appearing somewhat off.

"What's wrong?"

Wang Xiaoming feigned composure, though he was lamenting internally: Don't start causing trouble at a time like this!

"I've investigated your background as well. If I recall correctly, you are single yourself, aren't you?"

Kayneth had his own sources of information. While digging into the highly secretive inner workings of the occult world was a headache, gathering the detailed life history of an ordinary person like Wang Xiaoming had required almost no effort at all.

There were no eye-catching stories, nor any memorable first loves. The lack of any highlights in his life made Kayneth want to doze off after reading it. It was this very report that had made him consider rejecting Wang Xiaoming's proposal to seek out another, more capable team.

"..."

You don't even have a girlfriend, yet you want to help me?

This was the message he read in Kayneth's skeptical gaze.

@#￥%...&*

Wang Xiaoming nearly spat out a mouthful of blood. Damn it, I was so focused on you that I completely forgot about my own situation!

"Let's leave the cooperation as it is. As for Sola—"

Kayneth hesitated for a moment before refusing. "Let me handle my own family affairs."

"You are wrong about one thing."

A cold, detached voice suddenly appeared in the parlor. Immediately following, a purple figure emerged beside Wang Xiaoming.

—It was Caster.

She was still wearing that voluminous purple robe and hood.

Almost simultaneously, Lancer appeared in the parlor, stepping directly in front of Kayneth.

Medea, having manifested in the room, ignored Lancer and reached up to remove the hood she used to conceal her face during combat, revealing the exquisite features beneath.

"The hospitality of a modern mage is truly lacking—"

Medea said coldly, her gaze passing through Lancer to fixate on Kayneth behind him.

"When a guest arrives too suddenly, it is only natural that they would not be welcomed by the host."

Signaling for Lancer to stand down, Kayneth retorted without showing any weakness.

"Enough—"

Watching the two trade barbs, Wang Xiaoming felt his head swell. He hurriedly stepped forward to mediate.

"Caster, what was it that Kayneth got wrong earlier?"

"He said you were single. That was where he was wrong."

Wrong? How was that wrong?

Wang Xiaoming was completely bewildered. He didn't even understand it himself, when suddenly, he felt something press against his arm.

This sensation—

Wang Xiaoming stiffly turned his neck and discovered that Medea was leaning against his arm.

Her originally cold eyes were now half-closed, much like a lazy Persian cat. A faint blush stained her charming cheeks, lending a touch of seductive allure to her usually intellectual demeanor.

He could even faintly smell the delicate fragrance emanating from her light blue hair...

"You are clearly my man, after all."

PS: Finally made it home T_T. Thankfully, the old man's condition isn't too serious, so taking care of him isn't too much trouble. I stayed up late during the caretaking process to squeeze out these words—nearly four thousand characters... I guess this barely counts as a two-in-one chapter, haha.

Although I originally intended to post two chapters today, the current situation is honestly quite exhausting.

Everyone, please just make do with this for now~

I will try my best to provide two updates tomorrow~~

Thank you~

Off to sleep now~

Chapter 26. Chance Encounter

"You are clearly my man, after all."