About ten minutes later, Rin Tohsaka emerged with a complicated expression.
"How did it go?" Emiya asked first.
Rin Tohsaka shot Yu Feng an irritated glare. "You already knew she'd ask that many questions, didn't you?"
Yu Feng neither confirmed nor denied it, while Rin Tohsaka sighed. "She probably won't be able to participate in this Holy Grail War. That's good news for us, at least."
"But... I never expected it to be him." Remembering something, Rin Tohsaka spoke with a complicated look on her face.
Emiya appropriately voiced his question. "Him? Do you know who took the Command Spells?"
Rin Tohsaka nodded. "Yes. It was Kirei Kotomine. He's an executor of the Holy Church, the overseer of this Holy Grail War, and also a participant in the previous Holy Grail War who luckily survived."
Mordred said, "Oh? Then this Holy Grail War has gotten interesting. The overseer of the Holy Grail War actually stole a participant's Command Spells and intends to enter the war himself? Interesting."
Rin Tohsaka did not continue speaking. Instead, she glanced toward Bazett's room.
Yu Feng checked the time and said, "It's getting late. Rin, just get some proper sleep. Besides, that guy might know a lot more things you don't. Just keep your distance from him in the future."
Rin Tohsaka nodded, then seemed to realize something. "I was wondering whether that faint magical fluctuation at school today was also his doing."
A magical fluctuation?
Yu Feng froze and looked at Emiya. Emiya nodded, leaving Yu Feng puzzled.
What was going on? Could it really have been Kirei Kotomine's handiwork? It shouldn't have been, right?
Would that guy really do something like that at school?
Forget it. He would find some time to take a look tomorrow. Maybe then he would know.
"I'll go take a look with you tomorrow. Get some sleep first. We'll talk about this tomorrow; there's no point thinking about it now."
Rin Tohsaka said helplessly, "That's all we can do."
The Tohsaka Estate fell silent shortly afterward, and Yu Feng lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling.
At that moment, Mordred's voice sounded beside him.
"Today, I sensed a familiar presence at your school." Mordred's tone was filled with complicated emotions.
Yu Feng gave a quiet acknowledgment. "Avalon, right? It's a Holy Relic. Perhaps it will summon her."
"Is she the acquaintance you told me about?"
Yu Feng asked, "What? You don't know how to face her?"
"W-Who said that?! How could that be? You're overthinking it!"
"Then that's fine. There might be another fight tomorrow..."
"Hm? Now you've got me fired up. Hey?"
Mordred called out to Yu Feng several times, but all she received in response was the sound of steady breathing.
"Tch, you..." Mordred muttered unhappily, then fell silent as well.
After Yu Feng fell asleep, he distinctly felt as though someone was calling to him.
When Yu Feng opened his eyes again, he found himself atop a tall tower, surrounded by a dreamlike landscape.
Countless Phantasmal Species lived here without a care in the world. From time to time, he could even spot several Ladies of the Lake among them. Petals danced in the wind amid the fantastical scenery. Though this was clearly a dream, it all felt so real to Yu Feng.
It was like an ocean of flowers.
"Pantaleon, it's been a long time." At that moment, a voice came from behind Yu Feng.
A person appeared before him whom both Pantaleon and Yu Feng knew extremely well.
Yu Feng murmured in surprise, "Merlin?"
Merlin smiled faintly. "Hi~"
Then Yu Feng swiftly strode over, intending to do something.
Seeing that things were going badly, Merlin's figure flickered, and Yu Feng's attack passed straight through him.
"Hey, hey! Is that how you greet an old friend you haven't seen in so long?" Merlin complained.
Yu Feng ignored him and said, "Merlin must die!"
With helplessness tinged with smugness, Merlin said, "Give it up. You're in a dream. I pulled you here, so in a sense, you can't touch me while I'm in the gap between dreams and reality. Besides, this is Avalon."
Only then did Yu Feng stop. "I was just venting my dissatisfaction. All I can say is that your personality is even worse than mine."
Merlin smiled. "After all, I am the child of a nightmare."
Yu Feng looked out over the scenery of Avalon.
"Also, there can't possibly be Phantasmal Species and Ladies of the Lake in Avalon, right? This is because of my dream, isn't it?"
Merlin looked at the Phantasmal Species and Ladies of the Lake outside. "Of course. They're merely a beautiful, dreamlike scene temporarily created by your dream. Once you return, they'll vanish, and poor Merlin will go back to those lonely days without anyone to keep him company. Boohoo, how pitiful."
Ignoring Merlin's pitiful act, Yu Feng looked over the sea of flowers.
"So, why did you bring me here? Don't tell me you just wanted to chat?"
Only then did Merlin grow slightly more serious, though he still retained that same frivolous demeanor.
"Mm~ After the Holy Grail War ends, I need to ask you to do something. It's the mess you left behind in Britain." Merlin said so, but in truth, he wanted to drag Yu Feng completely into this situation.
How could Yu Feng fail to hear Merlin's implication? Still, upon hearing that it was his own mess, Yu Feng froze, seemingly never having expected that he had left behind any such mess.
"You're not lying to me, are you? Eight out of ten things you say can't be trusted." Yu Feng looked at Merlin suspiciously.
Merlin shrugged indifferently. "Believe it or not."
"I'll trust you this once."
As Yu Feng spoke, he discovered that his body was slowly fading away.
"You bastard, you were waiting for me to say that, weren't you? You damned Merlin!" At that moment, Yu Feng understood Merlin's plan.
Merlin gave a crafty smile. "Yu Feng~ The contract has been formed~"
"Damn it..." Before Yu Feng could finish, he vanished from the dreamlike Avalon.
Leaving Merlin alone, still laughing after his scheme had succeeded.
"Looks like learning a few things is useful after all. This contract will come in handy later. So, when you get there and see what it's like, will you be surprised?"
"Just thinking about that scene is so amusing. Hahahaha."
"Achoo~ Honestly, could someone be cursing me? But speaking of which, Cáer Ibormeith should have landed by now, judging by the time. Be grateful to me, Cáer Ibormeith. You'll get to experience the beautiful things in this world."
Before you continue