"Could it be Caster...?"
Kayneth turned to look at Wang Xiaoming, who was sitting calmly in his seat, his expression stunned.
"I think no one else could have pulled this off besides my Caster." Wang Xiaoming shrugged, looking relaxed.
With Medea's knowledge as a Divine Era Magus, several levels beyond anything modern, altering a bounded field like this was child's play. What's more, the field was powered by the Mana Furnace Kayneth had brought, so Medea didn't need to expend even a trace of her own mana.
Earlier, they had only taken partial control to conceal the fluctuations in their mana and avoid exposing themselves.
But now that things were about to come to blows...
"Tell Caster to stop!"
As the youngest lecturer in the Department of Spiritual Evocation, Kayneth had no shortage of spirits at his command. Even losing a single elite-grade wraith would cause him considerable pain, let alone all those lesser fiends.
"Sure~"
Wang Xiaoming readily snapped his fingers, and the bounded field stopped operating.
"What exactly do you want?"
Kayneth glared darkly at Wang Xiaoming. He didn't believe for a second that Wang Xiaoming would be this accommodating.
"I just wanted to let you see my 'chances of winning.'" Wang Xiaoming replied with a broad smile.
"Don't be ridiculous. It's just a Magecraft workshop. If I wanted to, I could build another one!"
Kayneth scoffed, apparently dismissing Wang Xiaoming's trump card.
"No, no—"
Wang Xiaoming shook his head, his smile never wavering as he looked at Kayneth.
"What I mean is, since my side has controlled the bounded field for so long, do you really think I haven't looked into your affairs?"
"What are you trying to say?" Kayneth's face turned terrifyingly dark.
"For example... the noblewoman of the Sophia-Ri family, your fiancée, Miss Sola, seems to have fallen for..."
Wang Xiaoming stopped provoking Kayneth. A blade of mercury had already appeared right in front of him.
"Why don't you finish what you were saying?"
Kayneth asked in a low voice.
"Because I came here to discuss cooperation, not to get myself killed." Wang Xiaoming shrugged.
"But your insolence is already asking for death!" Kayneth growled.
"I can make whatever amends you deem satisfactory for my rudeness." Wang Xiaoming bowed slightly.
"..."
Kayneth didn't answer, but the mercury blade had already withdrawn.
Watching Kayneth return to his seat, Wang Xiaoming smiled.
"So, can we sit down and discuss this calmly now, Lord Kayneth?"
It was as if time had turned back to the scene from a moment ago, except the roles of the two men had been reversed.
"First, regarding who we should cooperate with, let me say this: aside from our Caster group, everyone else is garbage!"
Wang Xiaoming opened with a shameless boast.
"But in my view, you're the weakest team in the Holy Grail War."
Kayneth cut straight to the point. It seemed he still hadn't gotten over his earlier anger.
"I won't deny that, but when it comes to cooperation, we're better than every other team." Wang Xiaoming sounded exceptionally confident as he said this.
"Heh."
Kayneth's scornful laugh made his attitude clear. But Wang Xiaoming didn't mind and continued.
"I don't suppose you'd cooperate with Archer—in other words, Tohsaka Tokiomi?"
"..."
Kayneth didn't answer. Aside from Tohsaka Tokiomi's collusion with the Holy Church, there was also the golden Archer's temperament, which Kayneth absolutely couldn't stand. He was an arrogant man himself; how could he allow someone else to lord it over him?
"I'll take your silence as confirmation. Assassin has already allied with Archer, so we can cross them off too. Now, let's talk about the Rider team..."
"Pass!"
Kayneth's expression was impassive. He had been planning to teach that brat Waver a lesson. How could he possibly cooperate with Rider? That was ridiculous.
"Then there's Berserker..."
"Pass on them too!"
Kayneth thought of what had happened in the warehouse district the previous night. A Master with no control over his Servant had to be a useless fool.
"Then, aside from us, that leaves only Saber. This was probably your original plan, too. You'd offer Archer's true name and a way to remove the curse on Saber's left hand as terms for an alliance. After the other enemies were eliminated, you'd settle who got the Holy Grail."
"Exactly."
Anyone with the information could deduce that plan with a little analysis, so Kayneth wasn't surprised. He nodded and admitted it.
"Naive!"
Wang Xiaoming hurled the word at Kayneth without mercy. Before Kayneth could react, Wang Xiaoming launched into a tirade.
"If Tohsaka Tokiomi can collude with the Holy Church, how could Einzbern, one of the Three Founding Families, possibly have no backup plan?"
After pausing for breath, Wang Xiaoming began to "spoil" the truth.
"The white-haired woman you saw last night was just a decoy put out by the Saber team. Saber's real Master is someone else entirely."
"Who?" Kayneth asked instinctively.
"Emiya Kiritsugu."
The name Wang Xiaoming uttered sent Kayneth into thought. It sounded familiar, but he couldn't remember where he'd heard it.
"The Magus Killer."
"That's him—"
When Wang Xiaoming repeated the man's title, the memories in Kayneth's mind gradually came into focus.
The man the outside world called the "Magus Killer" was a first-rate Magus. As a Magus himself, he understood other Magi well, yet hunted them using methods they disdained. His reputation was infamous because he would stop at nothing to "kill enemy Magi."
If Saber's Master really was him, and Kayneth had made no preparations...
A bead of cold sweat slid down Kayneth's temple.
"All right!"
Wang Xiaoming clapped his hands, drawing Kayneth's attention back to him.
"We've analyzed all the other teams. That leaves our Caster group."
"Other than being a little weak, our Caster group has plenty of strengths. Like intelligence, intelligence, and intelligence..."
"Enough! I agree to the alliance!"
Unable to bear Wang Xiaoming's chatter any longer, Kayneth resigned himself to taking out the Geis.
"Clever man!"
Wang Xiaoming smiled and snapped his fingers. At the same time, he felt relieved. Only then did he realize that his back was already soaked with sweat.
"Oh, right. About the compensation I mentioned earlier." Wang Xiaoming raised an eyebrow at Kayneth. "How about I help you win back Miss Sola's affections?"
"Wait—"
Kayneth's hand, which had been about to sign the document, suddenly stopped. He raised his head and looked at Wang Xiaoming, his expression seeming a little odd.
"What is it?"
Wang Xiaoming put on a calm front, but inside he lamented, At a time like this, could you please not throw a wrench in the works?
"I looked into your background too. If I remember correctly, you're single yourself, aren't you?"
Kayneth had sources of information of his own. While digging up highly secret matters on the mysterious side was rather difficult, Wang Xiaoming was an ordinary person, and it hadn't taken much effort to compile a detailed report on his life from childhood onward and send it to Kayneth.
There was no story that made you sit up and take notice, nor any first love worth remembering. Wang Xiaoming's life was so unremarkable that Kayneth had nearly fallen asleep reading the report. It was also what had made him consider refusing Wang Xiaoming's request for cooperation and looking for another powerful team instead.
"..."
You don't even have a girlfriend, and you think you can help me?
That was what Wang Xiaoming read in Kayneth's doubtful gaze.
@＃￥%...＆*
Wang Xiaoming nearly spat blood. Damn it, I was so focused on you that I completely forgot about myself!
"Then that settles the matter of our cooperation. As for Sola..."
Kayneth hesitated, then declined. "I'll handle my own family affairs."
"There's one thing you got wrong."
A cool voice suddenly sounded in the reception room. A purple figure appeared beside Wang Xiaoming.
—It was Caster.
She still wore that same oversized purple robe and hood.
Almost simultaneously, Lancer appeared in the reception room, moving directly in front of Kayneth.
Medea, who had appeared inside the room, ignored Lancer. She reached up and removed the hood she had worn to conceal her face during battle, revealing the exquisite features beneath.
"Modern Magi have rather poor manners toward their guests..."
Medea spoke coldly, her gaze passing right through Lancer to Kayneth behind him.
"When guests arrive so unexpectedly, it's only natural for their host to be displeased."
After signaling Lancer to stand down, Kayneth returned the retort without backing down.
"Enough—"
Watching the two trade barbs made Wang Xiaoming's head throb. He hurried over to mediate.
"Caster, what did you say Kayneth got wrong?"
"He said you were single. He was wrong about that."
Wrong? How?
Wang Xiaoming stared blankly. He himself couldn't make heads or tails of it. Then he suddenly felt something press against his arm.
That sensation—
Wang Xiaoming stiffly turned his head and saw Medea leaning against his arm.
Her usually cool eyes were now half-lidded, like those of a lazy Persian cat. A blush touched her charming cheeks, lending her normally refined beauty a hint of seductive allure.
He could even catch the faint fragrance of her pale blue hair...
"You're clearly my man."
P.S. I finally made it home T_T. The old man's condition wasn't too serious, and looking after him wasn't too much trouble. I stayed up while taking care of him and managed to write nearly four thousand words... I guess this can count as a double-length chapter, lol.
I'd planned to post two chapters today anyway, but things have been pretty exhausting under the circumstances.
Please bear with me~
I'll try to post two chapters tomorrow~~
Thanks~
I'm going to bed~
"You're clearly my man."
Before you continue