"I never imagined that the King of Heroes would actually be summoned. It seems I'll finally have a chance to witness a miracle in this Holy Grail War."
Late that night, Kirei Kotomine walked down the street with his father, a rare occurrence.
The two had just left the Tohsaka Residence after witnessing Tokiomi Tohsaka's summoning from start to finish.
"Yes. For a king of such power, my teacher's three years of preparation were well worth it."
As always, Kirei Kotomine answered his father with a respectful attitude that stopped short of seeming cold.
"Indeed. That brings us to six Heroic Spirits already summoned."
As though to confirm it, Risei Kotomine took the Church's Spirit Disc from inside his coat. It was a privilege afforded to the overseer, allowing him to check which Heroic Spirits remained alive. But with the Church firmly on the Tohsaka Family's side, it had also become the perfect tool for cheating.
"Only the Caster class remains vacant. Presumably, the Holy Grail has yet to find a Master. Still, anyone entering in such a rush would be a mere nobody making up the numbers, not worth our attention. If you discover his whereabouts, eliminate him."
His words were certainly biased, but considering that Risei Kotomine had already served as overseer when the previous war began, his assessment carried considerable weight.
"I understand, Father."
"And regarding surveillance of the Masters, remember to have Assassin keep watch at the airport. The local Three Founding Families have bases here and experience from several wars, so they won't expose much information. Masters from elsewhere, however, will inevitably need transportation to get around."
Risei Kotomine rubbed his forehead as he offered his son these valuable pointers. They were useful little lessons that only someone who had experienced the war firsthand could have learned.
"After all, Fuyuki City already has two local families, the Tohsaka and the Matou. Foreign Masters generally wouldn't be so careless as to enter someone else's territory without their Heroic Spirits. With a little luck, you could easily obtain firsthand intelligence on them."
"I'll see to it right away."
He wasted no time. His years as an Executor had long since instilled in Kirei Kotomine an exceptional ability to act.
Risei Kotomine watched his son's retreating figure with satisfaction. Although he had once wondered whether having a son so late in life had led him to spoil the boy, Kirei Kotomine's conduct gave him little reason for concern.
"One more thing." The only thing he needed to worry about was this child's tragic fate.
Risei Kotomine reminded him, "You should stop your morning runs as well. Once the war officially begins, you cannot afford to be careless as a Master. I know you seem to have made a new friend recently, but dragging a friend into this for your own selfish reasons would only make the consequences worse."
"Yes, Father."
Without looking back, Kirei Kotomine silently walked deeper into the shadows.
"So that's why you came all the way to the store to see me in the middle of the night?"
Roland looked at Kirei Kotomine in some bewilderment. While Roland was working the night shift, Kirei Kotomine had suddenly come in and solemnly informed him that he would be going away for a while.
Knowing that the other man was off to fight in the Holy Grail War, Roland had readily accepted that explanation. The only puzzling part was when, exactly, the two of them had become such close friends.
Apart from their names, they hadn't even exchanged addresses or phone numbers. They had no contact beyond their daily morning runs and encounters at the store, yet Kirei Kotomine was clearly treating him like a dear friend.
"That's right. Please take care of yourself, Roland. If you have any more night shifts coming up, please turn them down."
Kirei Kotomine hesitated, but still extended an invitation.
"If you encounter anything you cannot understand, you can also seek shelter at the Church."
As he said this, he discreetly lowered his gaze to the gloves on Roland's hands.
"Really? Thank you, then."
Roland replied with a smile, as though he hadn't noticed Kirei Kotomine's gaze.
Seeing that response, Kirei Kotomine said no more and quietly left the store.
Once he was out of Roland's sight, a low voice behind Kirei Kotomine offered a suggestion.
"Master, that man feels dangerous to me. If he might participate in the war as well, it would be better to eliminate him beforehand."
"There's no need." Kirei Kotomine rejected the request in a cold voice.
"You must not harm him. In fact, if you see him in danger, you must protect him, even at the cost of your own life, regardless of whether Roland is our enemy by then."
Faced with the unreasonable demand to protect a potential enemy, Assassin raised no objection and obediently agreed.
After a stretch of silence, it was Kirei Kotomine who spoke first.
"Assassin, aren't you curious why, despite agreeing to an alliance with my teacher, I would still do something that amounts to betrayal?"
"You have your own reasons, of course. I need only obey."
"Even if my wish is vile? Even if I don't desire the Holy Grail at all? Even if I betray the teacher to whom I owe so much?"
Kirei Kotomine's voice grew lower, and his body began to tremble despite himself.
"Do you know, Assassin? Whenever I see the passion my teacher pours into the Holy Grail, I can't help imagining him dying a ridiculous death along the way."
"That feeling excites me, thrills me, gives me... pleasure."
"If that is your wish."
Assassin's reply remained obedient. Without the slightest reservation, he accepted Kirei Kotomine's command in full.
By human standards, he certainly could not be considered a good man.
Yet when it came to his master's commands, he would carry them out with absolute fidelity. His was blind loyalty in the truest sense. Whether the intent was good or evil, he would accept it all.
No matter how vile or noble his master was, no matter how incomprehensible the orders, he would silently obey.
That was who he was. Even among the many Hassans, he was a singular outlier, utterly devoted and loyal-a man of mediocre talent who had gone so far as to bargain with a demon god to obtain this position.
"On my name as Hassan of the Cursed Arm, I swear that I will give everything I have to present you with Tokiomi Tohsaka's head."
Naturally, Roland knew nothing of the tangled relationship between this complicated master and servant. After Kirei Kotomine left, he went back to leisurely waiting for his shift to end.
"He even came to say goodbye. Looks like pretty much all the Heroic Spirits are here?"
Zouken Matou was also scheduled to hand over both the magical energy channel and the Holy Relic that night. It seemed he really couldn't wait any longer.
"I'll have to quit after today, won't I? Ugh. I know it's necessary, but it's still irritating."
Feeling his growing nails catch inside his gloves, Roland sighed and took them off, preparing to tidy his nails during the last peaceful hours of the night.
But as though fate were determined to spite him, the sound of the store door opening rang out again.
"Welcome."
With no time to put his gloves back on, Roland raised his head to look at the new customer. Then, what came into view was-
A cold gun muzzle.
Maiya Hisau regarded the night's unexpected catch with an icy gaze and issued her command.
"Don't try anything. Make one unnecessary move, and I'll kill you on the spot. Now, you're coming with me."
"Ah, sorry." But to her surprise, the young man at gunpoint showed no fear or panic. He simply looked at her calmly and made a polite request.
"Before we leave, could you wait a moment while I ask for some time off?"