Dating Caster

"My little Master is still just a child, Goldie, so don't be so harsh on him."

Rider reached out to gently pat Waver on the back, speaking toward Archer, though a faint smile played on his lips.

Waver, having finally managed to stop coughing, wished he could just dig a hole and bury himself. However, none of the three kings present saw fit to blame him for his clumsiness.

"Goldie, how is this wine?"

Picking up the ladle again to refill Archer's cup and his own, Rider asked with a hearty laugh. Waver, no longer able to drink, took the initiative to pick up the ladle Rider had set down to serve the others.

"As a collection piece among commoners, it is passable, I suppose."

Archer gave his assessment after taking an elegant sip.

"Oh? I actually think this wine is quite good."

Rider scratched his chin while looking at the wine in his cup, his expression appearing somewhat troubled.

"That is merely because your horizons are limited."

Completely disregarding Rider's status as the King of Conquerors, Archer turned up his nose at his taste.

Rider, not in the least bit bothered by Archer's attitude, looked at him with eyes that seemed to have been stirred by some sort of desire:

"I am becoming increasingly curious about your identity! Goldie."

"If you wish to know this King's identity, it is simple enough."

Archer took a sip of the wine in his cup before speaking casually.

"Oh? Do tell."

It wasn't just Rider; Saber, Irisviel, and Waver all leaned in to listen to the topic the two were discussing.

"Kneel before this King and beg me, and you shall know."

Archer's words left the scene in silence, the heavy atmosphere in the air making it difficult to breathe. Everyone's gaze was fixed on Rider.

"My, that would be difficult."

Contrary to everyone's expectations of Rider flying into a rage, he was not provoked by Archer's attitude. After finishing the red wine in his cup, he muttered:

"If you want to make me bend my knees, that would likely be even harder than making me die."

"Hahaha!"

Seemingly pleased with Rider's answer, Archer laughed wantonly while clapping his hands, his ruby-like eyes looking at Rider with increasing satisfaction.

"Rider, this King feels it is necessary to add your head to my treasury as a collection."

"That would truly be an honor!"

Rider laughed just as heroically. After the laughter subsided, Rider suddenly posed a question:

"Say, Goldie, if you were to obtain the Holy Grail, what wish would you make?"

No chapter promotion today hhhhh

Chapter 53. Tohsaka Tokiomi

"To think they are actually gathered together drinking..."

Sitting alone in the mage workshop of the Tohsaka estate, Tohsaka Tokiomi rubbed his forehead in distress after receiving the message from his disciple, Kirei Kotomine. As a proper magus, he feared he would never understand the thoughts of these Heroic Spirits in his lifetime.

"Is it really alright to leave Archer to his own devices?"

The slightly stiff voice of Kirei Kotomine came through the magecraft communication device, and Tohsaka Tokiomi gave a wry smile:

"There is nothing else to be done."

Slowly stepping back to sit in his chair, the spacious and comfortable armchair did not alleviate even a shred of the distress in Tohsaka Tokiomi's heart.

"Since it is a meeting of heroes, how could he ignore those questions directed at him?"

After all, as his Master, Tohsaka Tokiomi had gained a deep understanding of this King's temperament over this period of time.

As long as they hadn't figured out Archer's true strength, it would be fine. Fortunately, they had spent the entire night engaged in a battle of the wine table. As long as they didn't draw their swords to start a war, Archer would not easily reveal the Gate of Babylon.

The Holy Grail War had reached its fourth day, and Tohsaka Tokiomi had not yet stepped a single foot outside his mansion in Miyama Town. He had spent several days in his own residence inquiring about the progress of the Holy Grail War. It was also thanks to the Assassin servant summoned by his disciple, Kirei Kotomine—

Due to their surveillance and control over Fuyuki City, Tohsaka Tokiomi had already investigated the situations of the several hidden Masters quite thoroughly:

Whether it was the hidden Master of the King of Knights, Saber—the "Magus Killer" Emiya Kiritsugu; or the Master wielding Lancer: Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald, one of the Twelve Lords from the Clock Tower, the intelligence on both of these individuals had long been placed on his desk through the Tohsaka family's intelligence network.

And right now, what he was focused on was Rider, the King of Conquerors Iskandar, and his Master, Waver Velvet. Because these two had not yet engaged in battle with other servants, Tohsaka Tokiomi had very little information on them.

And then there was...

Caster, whose true name remained unknown, and Caster's Master—Wang Xiaoming.

An investigative reporter sent from Tokyo to Fuyuki. There was no record of him ever having contact with the mystical side. Despite appearing to be nothing more than an ordinary person, he had repeatedly done things that surprised Tohsaka Tokiomi.

Due to the report from Kirei Kotomine regarding Wang Xiaoming taking in his second daughter, who had been adopted into the Matou House, Tohsaka Tokiomi had also begun to pay close attention to the investigation of the Caster pair.

As the information in his hands gradually became complete, Tohsaka Tokiomi felt increasingly alarmed the more he read.

On his first day arriving in Fuyuki City from Tokyo, he had accidentally encountered the roaming serial killer Ryunosuke Uryu, and subsequently summoned Caster. After being discharged from the hospital, whether intentionally or unintentionally, he had moved directly into the stronghold of the Lancer pair.

After that, there had been no movement, until the night when the Heroic Spirits appeared one after another—

In the first battle against Lancer, Wang Xiaoming, whom Tohsaka Tokiomi originally believed should have been eliminated, unexpectedly survived and even seemed to have formed a cooperative alliance with Lancer's group.

The following day, the bases of both Lancer and Caster were destroyed, and both parties actually broke directly into the Matou House, which, like the Tohsaka family, was one of the Three Founding Families. Although it was unclear what had happened inside the mansion, the battle between the two Servants, Lancer and Berserker, was recorded in its entirety by Assassin.

On the third day, he took Sakura to the amusement park...

Every single event, when viewed in isolation, seemed perfectly fine, but what if they were connected?

Tohsaka Tokiomi discovered that every action taken by the Caster group possessed an extremely strong sense of purpose.

It seemed—

This pair had an intelligence network of their own.

So, did this information stem from Caster's own abilities... or did it belong to a hidden force behind Wang Xiaoming?

"Teacher?"

The voice of Kirei Kotomine came through the communicator, interrupting Tohsaka Tokiomi's train of thought.

"Oh, right, Kirei. Regarding the Caster group... what is your take?"

"They are very mysterious. They have yet to reveal their trump card. The only time they took action was during the duel with Lancer, but unfortunately, in order to avoid exposing itself, Assassin could only observe from a distance."

Kirei Kotomine's steady voice emanated from the communicator; as Tohsaka Tokiomi's disciple, he had naturally reviewed the information on the Caster group as well.

"Is that so..."

Upon hearing his disciple's reply, Tohsaka Tokiomi fell into deep thought.

"However, I believe that even if Caster's trump card were revealed, it would still not be a match for Archer."

Kirei Kotomine's words made Tokiomi snap out of his thoughts, and he couldn't help but offer a wry smile.

It seemed he had been overthinking things; after all, he held the strongest card in his hand.

With the trump cards of others fully exposed, Archer naturally had no reason to fear other Servants.

It was just that his compatibility with that King of Heroes...

Tohsaka Tokiomi sighed, but the Tohsaka family's motto of maintaining elegance and composure helped him regain his mood. Since the Caster group posed no threat, that left only...

Rider.

"Kirei, how long would it take to assemble all of the Assassins?"

Tohsaka Tokiomi suddenly asked his disciple.

"It would take about ten minutes."

Although it was merely a question, Kirei Kotomine on the other end of the communicator already understood his teacher's intent.

Among the currently known Servants, only Rider caused Tohsaka Tokiomi the most unease.

As for Berserker, it now seemed likely that he was the Servant of the Matou House. However, based on the previous situation, the Matou House might have already been eliminated from this Holy Grail War.

In other words, there was no longer any need to continue monitoring the other groups, aside from Rider.

In order to fish for valuable intelligence, it was now perfectly feasible to send Assassin to probe them.

With Rider and his Master currently holding a banquet without any precautions, it was an excellent opportunity for a surprise attack. At this moment, victory was not the priority; the difference in combat power between the two sides was. If they could successfully eliminate Rider, that would be for the best, but even if they couldn't, forcing him into a desperate situation to reveal his hidden trump card would be enough.

"Very well, issue the order. Although this is a massive gamble, fortunately, even if we fail, we have nothing to lose."

For the participants of the Tohsaka family, whether it was Assassin or Archer, they were merely tools used to reach the Root to obtain the Holy Grail—disposable items to be discarded once used.

On this point, both Tohsaka Tokiomi and Kirei Kotomine were perfectly aligned.

The Command Spell on the back of his hand emitted a faint red glow. After Kirei Kotomine deployed his teacher's orders, he continued to silently observe the Fuyuki Bridge, which remained brightly lit in the dead of night.

After deploying the plan, Tohsaka Tokiomi sat in his armchair, picked up the black tea on his right, and inhaled the aroma, preparing to wait for the upcoming results with ease.

Little did he know that on a hillside not far from his mansion, a pair of eyes was silently watching this luxurious residence belonging to the Tohsaka family.

"Lancer, let's go."

After a long while, the owner of those eyes suddenly spoke, then turned and walked into the dense forest behind him.

I have to work tomorrow.

Tomorrow night's update...

I'll leave it to fate.

(Runs away)

Chapter 54. Accident (Happy New Year~)

"Lancer, let's go."

Kayneth, who had been watching the Tohsaka mansion, suddenly spoke, then turned and walked into the dense forest behind him.

Walking through the forest where tree shadows danced, Kayneth's speed was not particularly fast, but his steps were extremely steady.

"My Lord?"

The Lancer who had been following Kayneth keenly noticed that the direction his Master was heading was not the location previously agreed upon with Wang Xiaoming to rendezvous with Matou Kariya, but rather the exact opposite direction.

"Lancer..."

Kayneth suddenly stopped in his tracks, the tranquil moonlight casting a long shadow behind him.

"My Lord."

With a flash of fine golden light, Lancer appeared before Kayneth.

"Are you wondering why we didn't rendezvous with Matou Kariya?"

Looking at the Servant kneeling before him, Kayneth's tone was unexpectedly calm, completely devoid of his usual haughty demeanor.

"..."

Lancer lowered his head, offering no reply.

"What kind of person do you think Wang Xiaoming is?"

Instead of pressing Lancer further, a question that sounded strangely familiar slipped from Kayneth's lips.

"A person who is kind to his friends, stands up against injustice, and lacks any grand ambitions—an ordinary man."

Lancer recalled his interactions with Wang Xiaoming. Though he did not know what his Master was thinking, his knightly nature, which rejected falsehoods, compelled him to speak his honest assessment.

"Is that so..."

Kayneth nodded. Far from the resentment Lancer had expected, he simply looked up at the bright moon in the sky.

"Based on the current situation, Archer is indeed the most powerful Servant in this Holy Grail War. Therefore, after eliminating his Master, Tohsaka Tokiomi, we will join forces with Berserker the moment Archer is deprived of his magical supply to force him out of the war. Once Archer is gone, the landscape of this Holy Grail War will become relatively clear."

Recounting Wang Xiaoming's plan, Kayneth sighed, a rare occurrence for him: