"Hmm..." Kayneth frowned and pondered.
He paced in place while his chin rested on his hand.
Originally, he thought this so-called Holy Grail War was just a farce concocted by a bunch of third-rate mages chasing after the delusion of an almighty grail. While he didn't disdain it, he didn't give it much importance, considering it akin to creating a research paper.
Now, with Arkhan's reminder, he realized that this war might be far more dangerous than he had imagined.
"I've heard of the exploits of the King of Heroes, Gilgamesh. If the Tohsaka family really manages to summon that king, it will indeed be troublesome. I've also heard of Makiri Zolgen; I just didn't expect that man to still be alive, probably thanks to the Crest Worm. But you say I'll die at the hands of that Mage Killer? What do you mean by that?"
Kayneth's expression darkened slightly as he mentioned that nickname. As the recognized genius of the Clock Tower and the promising Lord El-Melloi, he couldn't accept the idea of dying at the hands of a war dog like that.
"The Mage Killer's name is Emiya Kiritsugu, the fifth-generation heir of the Emiya family. His father was Emiya Norikata." Arkhan explained in a calm tone.
"Wait a minute, that name sounds familiar..."
Kayneth began to ponder, stroking his chin.
"I remember that man's magecraft is quite fascinating—accelerating or stagnating the flow of time. It is classified as a greater magecraft in the form of a bounded field that can be regarded as a type of Reality Marble in a way, free from the world's interference. Even in the Clock Tower, such time-based magecraft is rare... But he's just a mere son of a mage with a Sealing Designation. He doesn't pose much threat to me."
While obtaining a 'Sealing Designation' was indeed rare, Kayneth viewed it as nothing more than that. In his eyes, a truly powerful mage wouldn't be concerned about someone with 'Sealing Designation' at all, not to mention it was just the son of a dead man.
"What troublesome about Emiya Kiritsugu isn't how high or skilled his magecraft are, but the fact that he's not a mage in the traditional sense. So, don't expect that guy to engage you in a fair fight using magecraft. Poison, sniper assassinations, RPG face-offs, bomb blitzes—those are his favorite methods."
"Hmph, another heretic deviating from course..."
Despite saying that, Kayneth's expression became more serious. After all, he was aware of how troublesome someone without any moral constraints could be.
Mages generally have a common flaw—when facing battle, they focus only on various magecraft and bounded fields, underestimating pure physical attacks that don't rely on magecraft and treating them as secondary threats.
However, Kiritsugu earned the moniker of Mage Killer by using such tactics, indicating his expertise in this regard.
Yet, relying solely on that, Kayneth still didn't believe there was a real possibility of him being killed. As long as he took precautions in advance, that war dog's tricks couldn't threaten a genius like him.
"The 'Origin' of his magecraft is rooted in his name, 'Emiya Kiritsugu'—Severing and Binding, not in the sense of repair, but a disorderly recombination, an irreversible transformation." Arkhan glanced at Kayneth. "You should know what that means, yeah?"
Now, Kayneth's expression completely changed.
"The Holy Grail War is not just a war between Servants; it's also a clash between Masters. That guy is a purpose-driven person. His goal is to achieve the maximum results with the minimum cost. When the time comes, you will undoubtedly become his primary target." Arkhan continued.
"He's just a barking stray dog, that man... that man..." Kayneth clenched his fists tightly, his face looking extremely unpleasant.
He didn't want to admit it, but when he heard Arkhan say that he would be Kiritsugu's primary target, a hint of... fear actually welled up in the depths of his heart.
"It seems you finally realize the gravity of the situation, huh?" Arkhan chuckled. He went through all this trouble with words to make Kayneth tone down his arrogance and superiority, after all, he was a Servant now. If something happened to his Master, he would be implicated.
Unfortunately, in this Holy Grail War, there was someone who specialized in targeting Masters.
"Tch, I just need a solution. Give me a month—no, a week, and I'll find a way to counter him." Kayneth proudly declared. He wasn't trying to be evasive; without this confidence, he wouldn't be the genius of the Clock Tower.
"I naturally believe in your abilities, but sometimes we have to consider other factors..." Arkhan glanced at the Command Spells on Kayneth's right hand. "Like time, for example."
Kayneth blinked slightly, looking at the Command Spells on the back of his hand. His expression once again turned grim.
The Holy Grail War had officially begun, and within three days, they had to reach the host city, Fuyuki. Otherwise, they would be disqualified immediately.
The pace of the Holy Grail War was already tight, with unexpected changes possible at any moment. On top of that, without the support of the Clock Tower's various equipment, he couldn't possibly counter Kiritsugu before the end of the war.
"There's one simplest solution." Arkhan snapped his fingers. "Since our opponent is an unconventional mage, we can naturally employ unconventional methods against him. With the power of the Clock Tower, getting a decent-quality bulletproof vest shouldn't be a problem."
"I refuse!" Kayneth stated without hesitation. "As a mage, one should uphold the pride of a mage. Lowering one's standards because of the enemy's despicability is no different from a coward fleeing the battlefield! Such cowardly behavior is absolutely unacceptable in the life of Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald!"
Arkhan glanced at Kayneth with interest. Pursuing magecraft with such dedication, it's no wonder he was known as a mage with the chance to step into the 'Root'.
"Well, if that's the case, let's go for one or two defensive Mystic Codes. That way, it won't tarnish your pride as a mage, yeah?"
*Cough!* *Cough!* *Cough!*
Kayneth coughed as he choked on his own saliva several times, pointing at Arkhan in frustration.
"Do you think Mystic Codes are as common as cabbages on the street? And you want me to get the defensive ones at that?! It's been centuries since something like that has shown up!"
Among all Mystic Codes, defensive and healing ones were the rarest and most precious. Even the lowest-ranked defensive Mystic Code could be enough to exchange for the title of Lord in the Clock Tower.
"C'mon, you're the head of the Archibald family and Lord El-Melloi. Can't you even find a single Mystic Code?" Arkhan looked at Kayneth with a strange expression.
Kayneth clenched his fist tightly, resisting the urge to punch his Servant in the face.
"My goodness, it's troublesome to have a Master like you..." Arkhan sighed, extending his hand. "Show me your Volumen Hydrargyrum."
Knowing that Arkhan possessed clairvoyance, Kayneth wasn't surprised that he knew about 'Volumen Hydrargyrum'. He took out a small test tube containing a silver liquid that seemed to have solidified and handed it to Arkhan.
Arkhan removed the stopper from the test tube, tilted it slightly downward, and the viscous mercury flowed out, dropping onto the ground and forming a puddle.
He carefully observed this Supreme Mystic Code of Lord El-Melloi, with a deep green complex rune appearing in his eyes.
"Volumen Hydrargyrum combines defense, offense, and surveillance into one Mystic Code. It excels in both maneuverability and destructive power, ranking among the best. Even compared to the collections of the Twelve Mage Families, it's not inferior. Across the whole world, only a genius mage like me could create such an outstanding Mystic Code." Kayneth proudly declared.
Normally, he wouldn't make such a showy, nouveau riche display. Such deliberate superficial displays were far too low-level for his taste and didn't align with the elegance expected of a noble. But because of the overwhelming pressure Arkhan brought, he had to resort to this method to boost his confidence.
"Well, indeed, it's quite a decent Mystic Code..."
Before Kayneth could smirk, Arkhan suddenly added.
"If Merlin and Morgan were here, they'd probably give a rating like 'acceptable by ordinary mage standards.'"
Watching Kayneth gradually petrify, Arkhan couldn't help but feel a bit guilty. It seemed like he had played a bit too harshly.
*Cough!* Arkhan cleared his throat and continued. "To guard against Emiya Kiritsugu, we can only rely on this Mystic Code for now."
"It's useless. Volumen Hydrargyrum couldn't stop his origin and would still affect me." Kayneth said without enthusiasm as he was still consumed by the 'ordinary mage' statement.
"No problem at all. We just need to modify this Mystic Code slightly." Arkhan smiled.
"You know magecraft?" Kayneth glanced at Arkhan in surprise.
"Well, how should I put it... I'm just a Lancer, but when it comes to magecraft..."
As if containing the profound truths of the world, a deep green runic symbol hovered at Arkhan's fingertips, his face adorned with an innocent smile.
"I just... know a thing or two, that's all."