An indignant voice rang out in the pitch-black alley.
"Wait, isn't this the Type-Moon world? Since when did it have Host Authority? You're forcing people to play your game? In Little Garden, someone like you would absolutely be hunted down as a Demon Lord!"
Roland rubbed the back of his hand in frustration. The Command Spell seemed fused to his skin, remaining unchanged no matter how hard he rubbed.
Although Fuyuki City's nightlife was hardly bustling and everything was dark at this hour, Roland still cautiously took off his jacket and carried it in the hand bearing the Command Spell, concealing the unwanted mark.
Even after returning home, he was still thinking about his future.
What's done is done. The Command Spell is already on me, and there's no explaining it away. Is it still possible to get out of Fuyuki City?
But the answer was obvious. The Holy Grail War was a ritual jointly overseen by the Holy Church and the Mage's Association. Withdrawing without fighting was allowed, but that meant going to the church to have his Command Spell removed and exposing himself.
If he refused and secretly fled, then, although there was no precedent, even Roland, who knew nothing about magecraft, could guess there would probably be some corresponding punishment. In a serious case, he might even be hunted down.
The Contract Pact he was so close to assimilating would also be interrupted. Roland could never accept simply running away like this. He was an honest, trustworthy young man who worked hard to earn his money and even helped rid society of dangerous people in his spare time. Why should he slink away because of a bunch of terrorists who had lost their humanity?
Besides, the Holy Grail probably wouldn't let him go anyway. The way it had forced a Command Spell on him made that clear. Roland knew perfectly well that the seemingly magnificent Greater Grail was currently filled with black mud formed from surging malice.
Rather than hope for the Holy Grail's goodwill, he would be better off ending his own life and getting it over with.
Even if he obediently went to the Holy Church and withdrew, would that really guarantee his safety?
Roland sank into thought, then firmly rejected the idea.
Risei Kotomine, the overseer of this Holy Grail War, was reasonably fair. However, he had chosen to secretly cheat in cooperation with Tokiomi Tohsaka during this war. Roland couldn't entirely rule out the possibility that they would threaten or entice him, helping him supply magical energy in exchange for gaining a Heroic Spirit as an ally.
"Then I'll participate in the Holy Grail War."
Roland spoke unhurriedly, his expression growing calm instead. This was no reckless surrender to despair, but a final ultimatum born of settled resolve.
Whether it was the suggestion those words planted in his mind or his already parched heart yearning for the chance to indulge itself, Roland felt adrenaline pumping through him. Even his normally placid heart began to burn with a fierce, excited flame.
Heroic Spirits, beings beyond all normal standards, were one thing. But if it was only the Masters, Roland didn't believe he would lose to any of them, provided he prepared properly.
The books Ryunosuke Uryu had left behind filled the gaps in his basic knowledge of the Holy Grail War, but if he wanted to participate properly, the matter of supplying magical energy couldn't be overlooked.
If a Master couldn't even maintain the supply of magical energy, then, setting combat aside, their Heroic Spirit would have to hunt merely to meet its everyday needs. In battle, that consumption would multiply several times over. Whatever his reasons, Roland needed to find a way to supply magical energy.
Based on his circumstances, Roland came up with two methods.
The first was relatively simple: kill a mage with an obsession and see whether he could use the Key of All Spirits to turn them into a Contract Spirit.
The problem was that eligibility to become a Contract Spirit wasn't determined by a person's abilities. Killing someone powerful didn't guarantee a Contract Spirit. Only those with particular obsessions who met the requirements qualified to be made into one in the gap between life and death.
And even if he obtained one, its abilities would be determined by its experiences in life. It wouldn't necessarily give him the ability he wanted most.
After Ryunosuke Uryu's death, Roland had confirmed through the Key of All Spirits that Ryunosuke Uryu didn't qualify to become a Contract Spirit. Perhaps that was because he hadn't yet met his true love and achieved spiritual growth by completing more works of art.
Still, given the man's personality and experiences, it was hard to say whether he even knew he possessed Magic Circuits. Even if he had become a Contract Spirit, the ability he provided would most likely have been a serial killer's techniques. As for the influence he exerted, perhaps it would have been something like a distorted sense of aesthetics?
Hunting other mages was even less feasible. With the Tohsaka and Matou mage families entrenched here, there was essentially no unclaimed spiritual land left. Not to mention the Holy Church's presence. Almost no outside mages stayed here.
"So finding an ally is my only option?"
Roland sighed. Unlike the relaxed atmosphere of the Fifth Holy Grail War, where the participating Masters could attend school while fighting the war and occasionally even bring their Heroic Spirits into someone else's workshop for a visit, the Masters of the Fourth Holy Grail War were fairly serious about fighting an actual Holy Grail War.
Even Tokiomi Tohsaka had to keep his alliance secret and hold something in reserve. The other factions each displayed their own special talents, too. Waver was the weakest of the lot, but what could you do about his luck? He had met the Heroic Spirit destined for him.
Despite having the Great Fortune buff, Roland didn't believe he would be that lucky himself.
So, given his current circumstances, his best bet was to find someone ambitious and farsighted, who understood the stakes and was willing to invest in the Holy Grail War. That investment would include, but wasn't limited to, supplying magical energy and finding a suitable holy relic, while accepting that the Command Spell would remain in someone else's hands.
After summing up his circumstances and requirements, Roland's disappointment was written all over his face.
"No matter how I look at it, I'm searching for a sucker. Would someone like that really exist?"
Roland rubbed his chin, his gaze shifting.
"Huh, wait. There actually might be someone..."
Early the next morning, in Fuyuki City's central park, an old man in a kimono sat quietly on a bench beside the lawn. The cool morning dew had already dampened his sleeves. In weather like this, even a healthy adult walking down the street would instinctively pull their clothes tighter.
Yet the old man seemed not to notice. His back was perfectly straight, and what he rested both hands upon looked less like a cane than a keen sword.
It stood in stark contrast to his decrepit, almost mummified appearance.
The old man stared coldly at everything around him. An intimidatingly sharp gaze shone from his sunken eyes, and the faint, intermittent chirping of insects could just barely be heard from within his small, thin body.
Suddenly, the old man raised his head and looked toward the end of the path. In weather this damp and chilly, the only person besides himself likely to be alone in the park was the mysterious individual who had arranged this meeting.
"Oh, you actually came..." Looking at the decrepit old man before him, Roland showed no reverence whatsoever. Instead, he gave a flippant smile.
"Zouken Matou, I've come to negotiate."