"Seventh Master, you originally had no connection to this Holy Grail War. Did someone offer you something to bring you into it?"
Despite the predicament of having his Workshop invaded, Darnic showed no anger. Instead, he immediately proposed a solution based on the situation.
"If someone hired you to fight me, then whatever they offered you, I am willing to offer more."
"Oh? What makes you so sure I didn't come to kill you for the Holy Grail? After all, you're a holdover from the last war."
Roland asked with interest.
"I believe I have kept a sufficiently low profile. Even if the mages participating in this war were hostile toward me, neither my Servant nor my location had been exposed. Even if they wanted to strike, they would have to consider whether doing so might push a potential ally into the enemy camp."
Darnic said respectfully, "An attack this clearly premeditated can only mean that I was your target from the very beginning."
Although they were enemies, he still answered Roland humbly. For a mage who had already approached the Grand rank and held a place in the Clock Tower, Darnic was surprisingly willing to bend when necessary. Roland raised an eyebrow.
"You're acting like this even when I've only brought Caster with me. Darnic, what exactly are you after in this Holy Grail War?"
"I merely wish to express my respect," Darnic continued, without answering the question directly. "What am I compared to someone who possesses a miracle such as a Reality Marble?"
Indeed, that was Darnic's assessment. An ordinary Familiar could not infiltrate his Workshop, but something produced by a Reality Marble was another matter entirely.
If possible, Darnic had no desire to make an enemy of such a dangerous individual.
That was why he had remained so humble. Still, he had no intention of yielding too far, lest Roland demand an exorbitant price.
"Lancer."
He called softly, "If you are unwilling to hear my terms, then we will have no choice but to fight here. This is no idle boast: Lancer is very strong."
Most Servants had personalities and pride of their own. Their relationships with their Masters were more like partnerships than those of master and subordinate.
Darnic's display of fear before the battle had even begun would have been enough to offend any proud Servant. Yet Lancer remained silent throughout. Only after Darnic spoke did Lancer slowly step forward and reveal his true appearance, like a tool with no will of his own.
Once Lancer's true appearance was revealed, even Medea, who had remained silent until then, could not help speaking.
"What a pure creation... You're almost like a fairy."
Coming from Medea, who hailed from the Age of Gods, that was high praise. The reason she described Lancer that way was that he was simply too beautiful.
Unlike beauty defined by distinctive features, Lancer's face had almost perfect proportions, as though he were a conceptual embodiment of humanity's pursuit of beauty. Like the being named Venus, his features defied description.
For him, distinctions of sex and race-male and female, human and nature-were meaningless.
Lancer was wrapped in a slightly oversized white robe, his chest and waist well concealed beneath it. His hands and feet alone gave a somewhat petite impression, while long, pale blue-green hair with an air of the forest fell down his back.
His skin was exquisite, his features soft. Judging by his face alone, one might have taken him for a woman. Yet his innate, childlike innocence prompted an instinctive doubt. Either male or female seemed equally plausible.
If anything seemed out of place, it was only the air of a mage-crafted doll created by such excessive perfection. Even his voice was gentle.
"Thank you, Caster. Your beauty is worthy of that excellent eye."
Even when Medea's assessment pointed out that he was not human, Lancer's face showed no trace of resentment.
Roland studied Lancer in silence before speaking again after a long moment.
"You really did draw a good card."
Enkidu was a cheat in the truest sense. Strictly speaking, his Master was merely an accessory. As a weapon created by the gods, he could receive an almost limitless supply of magical energy so long as he stood upon the earth.
"Then may I present my terms?"
Darnic showed no smugness and merely bowed slightly.
"Go ahead."
Roland clapped his hands. "The other party offered me entry into this Holy Grail War and support afterward. I'd like to see what you can offer."
"The Holy Grail."
Darnic lifted his head and stared at Roland.
"I can relinquish ownership of the Holy Grail. All I ask is that you form an alliance with me until it appears."
Darnic took a sheet of parchment from his breast pocket and let it drift slowly toward Roland.
Medea waved her wand gently, unfolding the parchment before them. After studying the words and their arrangement for a moment, she nodded to Roland.
A Self-Geas Scroll. Kiritsugu Emiya had once used one to win the trust of Kayneth, a Lord of the Clock Tower, through deception. That alone was enough to demonstrate its potency.
It was an absolute curse that used the functions of a Magic Crest to impose itself upon the user, reaching into the soul. In principle, its effects could not be removed by any means.
Roland skimmed the parchment. After confirming that Darnic's terms did indeed involve withdrawing from the Holy Grail War, he turned to the obligation he would have to fulfill.
-Remain allied with Darnic until at least four Masters and their Servants had been eliminated.
The obligations of this alliance were utterly unequal. Roland had never believed in windfalls falling into his lap, but Darnic's actions at least made one thing clear.
He had little interest in the Holy Grail. By contrast, he had a reason that compelled him to obtain something from the other Masters and Servants in this Holy Grail War.
Although he, too, had been possessed by Shendu, this man behaved completely differently from the Einzberns.
Roland chuckled softly. "In principle, I can agree to these terms. Just don't come complaining to me if you regret signing the contract."
Suddenly, he changed tack.
"But how can I be sure you aren't someone who relies entirely on his Servant's strength? If we form an alliance and another Master kills you while your Servant is perfectly fine, that would be ridiculous."
"You need not worry about that."
Darnic breathed a sigh of relief. He had no wish to be eliminated before fulfilling his long-held ambition. Only knowledgeable mages understood how terrifying a Reality Marble was. With bad luck, even a Servant could fall within one.
Although he had absolute confidence in Enkidu, Roland could certainly hold his Servant up for a while. Darnic himself, however, had no such confidence when facing Caster, who practiced the same craft as he did.
Darnic had not lied about his interest in the Holy Grail. He had entered this Holy Grail War because it was the only place where he could achieve his goal.
Thus, his willingness to sign the contract was sincere. Even knowing that Roland's ready agreement might conceal a trap, Darnic was not afraid.
The effects of a Self-Geas Scroll were absolute. Even a Lord could not violate it. Besides, an alliance was more than the stipulations of a contract; there was also the cooperation that would follow.
As long as Roland was willing to talk, everything could be negotiated.
Whatever Roland wanted, Darnic would give him!
Whether wealth or precious hidden treasures, anything was acceptable so long as it could keep this temporary alliance intact until the conditions were met.
As for proving his strength, that was even simpler. Unlike Kayneth, he had fought his way up from the bottom, and he was exceptionally good at balancing research with combat prowess.
"An ordinary Master could not possibly have the means to injure me. If you doubt that, please test it yourself."
Darnic waved a hand, signaling for Lancer to give him and Roland some room.
Seeing this, both Servants voluntarily retreated to the rear, leaving the two Masters facing each other.
After taking out his cane, Darnic narrowed his eyes and studied the surrounding shadows.
How will he test me? Will he simply use magical energy to fight at close range, employ some special curse, or summon those ninja-like Familiars from the shadows?
Whatever the method, he was confident he could handle it. He quietly activated the Mystic Code he wore and poured all his magical energy into it. Only after discreetly preparing a thorough defense did he speak with confidence.
"You may begin."
"Sure." Roland nodded with a smile. "Just don't die from this move."
Then, before Darnic's shocked eyes, Roland pulled a walnut-stocked firearm from behind his back, swiftly aimed it at him, and pulled the trigger without hesitation.
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