The phone call from London, England, the way of addressing Shinji by name, and the voice of a young man who had just entered his youth—these three clues converged into one point, indicating the identity of the person on the other end of the line: Waver Velvet.
The Fourth Holy Grail War brought tremendous growth and transformation to two individuals: Shinji, who had the opportunity to meet a renowned mentor, and Wave, who found an eternal friendship.
Waver, who had been taught by Iskandar what it meant to be a man and how to conquer, underwent a magnificent transformation in a short period. His frivolous, naive, and inexperienced demeanor disappeared completely, replaced by maturity, stability, and a sense of responsibility. It could be said that he had become a completely different person.
The fact that he spoke with such urgency, saying "something terrible has happened," indicated that the situation was indeed dire.
"What's going on?" Shinji asked.
"The contact between me and Professor Kenneth has been discovered," Waver replied.
"What?!" Shinji's body jolted at Waver's words, dispelling his drowsiness.
"How did they find out? Did you expose any vulnerabilities?"
"I don't know. Besides following your instructions to inherit the El-Melloi Classroom, I haven't done anything related to the El-Melloi family that could raise suspicion."
Shinji knew that Waver wasn't lying. Kiritsugu had an intelligence network at the Clock Tower, and Waver was a key target of surveillance. He truly hadn't done anything that would arouse suspicion.
"That's strange, then. It's been almost a year since you officially took over the El-Melloi classroom, so that can't be the reason. So, is someone deceiving you? Please tell me in detail what happened."
"Right after class this afternoon, I found someone waiting for me at the entrance of my rented apartment. The first thing that person said was that she wanted to see the professor. I told her I didn't know, but she didn't believe me and insisted that I must know."
"And then?"
"I kept insisting that I didn't know, and she kept insisting that I must know. We were in a deadlock for half an hour. In the end, she said she would come again and make me admit it."
Upon hearing Waver's description, an image immediately came to Shinji's mind.
The two of them stood in front of the old apartment building, repeating the phrases "know" and "don't know" for half an hour. What a bizarre scene it was! Passersby must have thought these two people were fools.
Suddenly, Shinji remembered a term Waver used.
"Did you just say 'she'? Was the person who approached you a girl? Do you know her identity?"
"Well, I do know that. Her name is Reines Archisorte."
Indeed, it was her.
The moment Shinji realized that it was a girl with whom Waver had been in a standoff, he had a faint feeling that it was her—the girl who was destined to be intertwined with Waver for a lifetime.
Reines Archisorte, despite being only 8 or 9 years old, is another key surveillance target for Shinji, on par with Waver.
From her surname, it can be seen that she is related to the Archibald family where Kenneth belongs. Archisorte is a branch of the Archibald family, and Reines is the next successor of the El-Melloi Title. However, Archisorte is on the outskirts of the El-Melloi faction and is not given much importance, but Shinji values Reines herself.
It is well known that the Type-Moon world has multiple parallel universes, but in all the known universes, Reines will inherit the Title of Lord El-Melloi and carry the banner of the El-Melloi faction. As for Kenneth, he will die for various reasons, regardless of whether he participates in the Fourth Holy Grail War.
Although Shinji has ensured Kenneth's safety, for now, he doesn't know when Kenneth will die. Following the principle of "not putting all his eggs in one basket," he has made other arrangements. Monitoring Reines is one of them, and investing in Waver is another.
Regardless of the universe, Reines will designate Waver as her guardian and bestow upon him the name of "El-Melloi II." Before Reines comes of age, Waver will act on her behalf and wield the authority and title of Lord.
Reines is a true genius who grew up in the Clock Tower, where various factions engage in power struggles. This has given her exceptional political wisdom and intuition. She was the first to recognize the potential of the El-Melloi classroom and the first to recognize Waver's potential. It is likely that, like in other parallel universes, she has been secretly observing Waver and collecting information about him. If she were to discover something, it wouldn't be surprising.
With these thoughts in mind, Shinji said to Waver, "Act as if nothing has happened for now and continue living your life as usual. I'll go back home and discuss it with your professor. His injuries have healed quite a bit, and I'll see if this is an opportunity for him to return to the Clock Tower."
"Okay, it's about time for the professor to come back. If he doesn't return soon, the El-Melloi faction will truly collapse."
"Before your class tomorrow, either I or your professor will contact you. Remember to keep your phone line open. That's it."
After saying that, Shinji hung up the phone, got up and dressed, and called the steward of the Observation Bureau's branch in the city of Misaki to arrange a vehicle.
At 8 a.m., Shinji rushed back home, and as he got out of the car, Byakuya was also preparing to leave.
"Shiki?"
"Father, mother."
The mother referred to is Elza Sajyou, no, now she should be called Elza Matou. Two years ago, the well-known "prodigal son" of the business world, Byakuya Matou, finally turned over a new leaf and married his longtime confidante, Elza Sajyou. After marriage, he no longer indulged in worldly pleasures. The couple lived harmoniously, leading a happy life. Shinji and Sakura also upgraded their address from "aunt" to "mother" to Elza.
"You, this child, why didn't you let us know in advance before coming back?" Elza affectionately said, "Have you had breakfast? I'll have someone prepare it for you."
"No need to trouble yourself." Shinji waved his hand, "I'll take care of it myself later. You and father should go to work. I have urgent matters to discuss with Mr. Kenneth. Where is he?"
"Mr. Kenneth, after having breakfast, went to the workshop. It seems like..."
Before Elza could finish speaking, Shinji had already dashed into the hallway, leaving behind a single sentence.
"Thank you, mother."
"That rascal." Byakuya muttered in the direction his son had left, "No manners."
"Don't blame him. There must be something urgent." Elza defended Shinji, "It takes half a day to travel from Misaki City to here. He rushed back overnight."
"Hmm." Byakuya crossed his arms and nodded thoughtfully.
"What happened?" Elza asked.
"I don't know, but it's related to that world, something we shouldn't meddle in. All we can do is manage this household well and provide them with strong support. Let's go, to our battlefield."
At this moment, Byakuya had a charming demeanor. Elza was once captivated by him and chose to follow him, walking together for ten years.
Now, she still followed behind him and would continue to do so for the next ten years, and the ten years after that, until he grew old and couldn't walk anymore, then they would look back on their lives together.
PS: "Thinking Out Loud" by Ed Sheeran is playing in the Background.
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