At the other end of the Far East, Roland had no idea that a bizarre duo had officially formed at the Clock Tower.
Perhaps because he had dealt with so many problems, Roland had enjoyed a rather peaceful few days. Apart from his daily meetings with Kirei Kotomine, he had nothing worth worrying about. Under these circumstances, his hand model helped him barely maintain a balance between the influence of his hand fetish and a peaceful life.
"Fuyuki City really is a beautiful city."
Leaning against a tree deep in Central Park, Roland rested the hand model on his hand and used it like a piece of tableware as he took small bites of his sandwich.
The toasted bread had been spread with a thin layer of yellow mustard. Crispy bacon supported eggs scrambled in butter, with another layer of bacon on top and not a single leafy green in sight. It was an indulgent sandwich Roland only went out of his way to make when the weather was particularly nice.
Yoshikage Kira's Contract Spirit was steadily being assimilated, too. At this rate, his influence would disappear completely by the end of this Holy Grail War.
He was also close to uncovering the whereabouts of the Contract Spirit responsible for that unknown influence. Next, if he made good use of Killer Queen's ability to kill an unsuspecting opponent and aimed to seize Contract Spirits rather than the Holy Grail, he would be under considerably less pressure.
Besides, if he really encountered some extreme, irreversible situation, Roland still had one crucial trump card.
Third Bomb: Bites the Dust was True Magic capable of reversing time, practically a miniature Spring Autumn Cicada. As long as he did not get too reckless, it would be enough to turn defeat around.
Though Roland was not particularly fond of this ability. After all, its activation conditions were far too troublesome.
"Well, whatever. No point thinking so much about it. I'm not some Hero of Justice..."
Beneath the winter's rare warm sunshine, Roland leisurely enjoyed this comfortable moment. Uninvited guests, however, always arrived without warning.
"Roland, I'm disappointed."
At some point, a hunched old man had appeared on the other side of the tree and spoken in a hoarse voice.
"Hmm?"
Roland looked up, then glanced at the sandwich in his hand. "This is really good, you know. I made it myself. If I sold it somewhere, it would definitely become a signature dish."
Who asked you about that?!
Zouken Matou roared inwardly, his malice-filled eyes seeming to freeze.
"Oh?" Roland shook his head with a troubled expression. "Even if you look at me like that, there's nothing I can do. I only made one, so I can't share it with you. If you really want some, I'll send you the recipe later."
"Ahem!"
Zouken Matou struck the ground hard with his cane, looking utterly exasperated. Every time he spent time with Roland, something felt deeply wrong.
Even amid the dangerous Holy Grail War, this fellow acted as though he had nothing to do with it, carrying an alien air of indifference.
"I'm asking about the Holy Grail War! These peaceful days are the last calm before the storm. The other Masters should have almost all their holy relics by now, and the time to summon Heroic Spirits is surely fast approaching. Yet you're still this idle."
"Does it matter? Your goal isn't the Holy Grail anyway, right? Neither is mine. Finding some fun while keeping things as peaceful as possible-that's the true essence of the Holy Grail War."
Roland's attitude was lukewarm.
"Heh heh." Looking at Roland's delight in his own twisted humor, Zouken Matou could not help laughing.
"Though I hate that attitude of yours, we really are the same kind."
"What makes you say that?"
Roland slowly put his sandwich away and sealed the bag, intending to eat it later. The rotten smell coming off Zouken Matou had already spoiled his appetite.
"While pursuing a certain goal, we always find ourselves drawn away by other things, don't we? Casting aside unnecessary emotions for our primary objective would clearly be the more sensible approach. But over my long life, I've come to understand that the sights along the journey may bring more enjoyment than the distant goal itself."
"To ordinary humans, compared with magi whose logic they can still understand, fellows like us must seem more like monsters they cannot coexist with."
Zouken Matou glanced at the hand model Roland held, recalling the somewhat intoxicated expression he had worn earlier, and spoke softly.
"That just sounds like you're mocking me."
Roland sighed. "So, what did you come here for today?"
"To check your progress and prepare for the assistance I'll be providing later. At the very least, you should have decided which class of Heroic Spirit you wish to summon. Otherwise, how am I supposed to prepare a holy relic for you?"
Though Roland had not considered this matter at all over the past few days, he had decided on his answer long ago.
"Caster. Just prepare a holy relic for that class."
"Are you certain? It's one of the two weakest classes."
"Weak or strong depends on who you're comparing them to, doesn't it? Surely no one actually believes a Holy Grail War has to be king against king, general against general."
Having watched multiple Holy Grail Wars, Roland would not claim he had mastered the game. But at least from an ordinary person's perspective, Caster was an excellent choice.
Most importantly, as long as they were not some guest star masquerading as one, orthodox Casters generally possessed abilities that amounted to cheating. Compared with the gradually fading mystery of the modern era, their knowledge and power were among the few things capable of bringing change to the present world.
Whether making items or serving as a teacher, those were tangible benefits. Were they not a better deal than some nebulous Holy Grail?
"I was right about you after all." Zouken Matou was very pleased with Roland's answer. "An ordinary Master cannot possibly stand against Caster. In that respect, Caster surpasses even Assassin."
No one understood magi better than magi themselves.
"As it happens, I have a very good holy relic for Caster. I'll deliver it to you later."
"Right. More importantly, I'm concerned about something else. Have you prepared the thing that will supply magical energy? Part of why I chose Caster was that she requires less of it. With an ordinary person like me as the principal party to the contract, can you really change the magical energy supplier so easily?"
"Normally, of course not. After all, this contract is granted directly by the Holy Grail. However... who do you think I am? It was the Matou Family that modified the Holy Grail's contract system and added Command Spells, granting absolute authority to command Heroic Spirits."
With a thoroughly arrogant expression, Zouken Matou put Roland's mind at ease.
"I can say with certainty that no one in the Matou Family, past or future, could possibly understand Command Spells better than I do. I'll give you that thing tomorrow."
At this point, as though he had thought of something amusing, Zouken Matou's lips spread into a strange grin, and he glanced at the hand model Roland held.
"I guarantee you'll be quite satisfied. I only hope you can restrain yourself and avoid breaking it before the war ends."
"What do you mean?"
Roland asked in some confusion, but Zouken Matou had no intention of answering and simply left.
After Roland had brushed Zouken Matou off, evening arrived, and that familiar figure once again appeared in the store.
"Four mapo tofu boxed meals. I'd like to pay, please."
"Certainly."
Roland deftly picked up the boxed meals and began ringing them up. Ever since their previous meeting, Kirei Kotomine had come to the store where he worked every single day without fail. Each evening, he bought every discounted mapo tofu boxed meal, and he was showing signs of becoming an urban legend.
"You really do love mapo tofu, Kotomine. Here you go."
After Roland packed the bag and handed it to Kirei Kotomine, the troubled priest did not leave as usual. Instead, a hint of hesitation appeared on his face.
"Hmm? Was there something else, Kotomine?"
Roland was somewhat puzzled. Over the past few days, he had used working the register as an excuse to keep his gloves firmly on, and Kirei Kotomine had never paid any attention to them. His identity as a Master should not have been exposed so easily.
Besides, Kirei Kotomine had not looked at the back of his hand even now. Still, just in case, Roland prepared to summon Killer Queen.
"Roland..."
Kirei Kotomine took a deep breath as well. Finally, he gently clasped the cross at his chest and looked at Roland with a solemn expression.
"What... is life?"
"?"
Did you wander onto the wrong damn set? Is that something a priest should be saying? You're not a voice actor!
Roland shifted slightly, instinctively moving a little farther away from Kirei Kotomine.