"You actually know my name. It seems you are not one of the lucky ones who knows nothing about the Holy Grail War."
The corner of Matou Zouken's mouth curled up in a strange arc, "What do you want to get from the Matou family by sending this kind of thing to me?"
The decayed old man took out an ancient book from the sleeve of his kimono. It was the spoils that Roland got from Ryunosuke Uesugi.
"It's just a tiny bit of help."
Roland smiled, as if he was not frightened by Zouken Matou's appearance at all. Admittedly, the old man had a bald head, skinny limbs, and sunken eyes, and he didn't even need to dress up on Halloween to stand out from the crowd. But after yesterday's incident, Roland's tolerance for disgusting things had increased a lot.
"Want some help?
Matou Zouken narrowed his eyes slightly and tapped the cane lightly with the hand that was holding it.
"This book was left behind more than a hundred years ago, around the time of the Second Holy Grail War. It should have been left behind by the guy who was used to make up the numbers and ran away in disgrace after failing a few days ago."
"But even so, that guy can barely be called an orthodox magician. So, even if he failed, he must be full of reluctance and desire. But I can't sense that kind of clear desire in you, right?"
The old man stared at Roland, his pupils gleaming with a sharp light.
He was the original creator of the Holy Grail War, a major event that affected Type-Moon.
Although they are both one of the three great families, compared to the Tousaka family with an orderly inheritance and the Einzbern family whose entire members are homunculi, the real ruler of the Matou family has always been this seemingly thin old man.
He abandoned his former name, his former family, and invested everything he had into that sad ambition, but ironically, even that wish was discarded over the course of time. Now, he is just an old monster named Matou Zouken who survived by relying on his obsession.
However, even though his strength has declined, his vision has become more profound.
It is difficult to detect the breath of magic when the magic circuit is deliberately closed, but Matou Zouken is sure in his heart that the young man in front of him is definitely not a magician.
If one has ever devoted himself to the path of evil, no matter whether his ideals are justice or evil, no matter whether his aptitude is excellent or inferior, it is impossible for him to show such a look.
As calm as a plant, as if he was forced to participate and had no interest in it at all.
"Ah, that's right. I'm not a magician. To be more precise, I don't have anything called a magic circuit."
To Zouken Matou's surprise, Roland readily admitted this.
"You can't even build a channel for magic power. How arrogant are you to participate in the Holy Grail War? What qualifications do you have to join this grand event?"
Matou Zouken felt a sense of disappointment. This morning, he suddenly received a note in the mailbox of Matou's family with the location of the book. He thought he would find new fun, but in the end, he was just an arrogant lunatic?
"I am no longer interested in you. This thing should be returned to its original owner. Boy, you should live smarter in your next life."
Matou Zouken threw the book in his hand to Roland. Although the other party did choose a good location, in order to prevent the secret from being leaked, the magicians could not cause a big commotion, but for a monster like him who survived by sucking life, this taboo was not absolute.
The book is already full of his bugs. When approaching an opponent, they will quickly drill into the body, eat the flesh and internal organs of the host, and finally turn it into a corpse puppet that he can control.
That would be fun.
"Hehe--"
Matou Zouken let out a creepy laugh that slowly seeped into the cold air.
The tattered book was flying in the air in a steady arc. The wormholes that originally existed in only a few places were now all over the book. From time to time, black worms would stick their hideous mouthparts out of the holes.
"Really? I don't think so. It's ridiculous to talk about qualifications. If we have to talk about it,"
Roland said with a cold smile: "——That power is my qualification."
Killer Queen's arm stretched out from his body and grabbed the book before anyone else. The next thing was a flash of flame and a silent explosion in an instant.
The item that was transformed into a small insect nest by Matou Zouken and could be called a ceremonial item was destroyed in an instant, leaving no room for resistance.
Matou Zouken's laughter stopped abruptly.
He knew the strength of his own familiars. Although they looked disgusting, those insect familiars had mouthparts as sharp as blades and their bodies were extremely hard. Ordinary weapons could not hurt them at all. They also had excellent resistance to high temperatures. However, they were destroyed by the guy in front of him in an instant.
"Guardian spirit? But its strength and ability are very abnormal. Is it a super power or a supernatural power?"
In Type-Moon, although the main group that wields supernatural powers is magicians, ordinary humans can also possess abnormal powers due to factors such as fairies and innate talents.
Furthermore, in many cases, the strength of this ability is even greater than that of an ordinary magician.
"It's called Killer Queen. Its ability is to turn any object it touches into a bomb that can be detonated at my will. It can be anything, whether it's a small coin or an entire human being."
"Is it okay to expose your abilities so easily?"
"It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter if the Killer Queen's abilities are known to others," Roland looked at Matou Zouken and slowly stretched out his right hand. "Besides, I think being honest with an ally can help build a good relationship."
Matou Zouken stared at the three scarlet Command Seals on the back of Roland's hand, and his cloudy eyes seemed to light up.
He looked at the young man in front of him again. His handsome face had a fake smile on his face, and there was a sense of danger that did not match his physique.
What made Matou Zouken feel most depressed was Roland's dark and cold pupils.
There is no unnecessary expectation, only despair and silence as if falling into a bottomless abyss, and nothingness with a sense of destruction.
Just by looking into those eyes, Matou Zouken understood the other person's true nature.
He immediately accepted Roland's request, whether it was providing suitable holy relics, financial and intelligence assistance, or the most troublesome magic channel.
It wasn't because he had much hope that Roland would win, it was just a simple reason.
They are the same kind, the same kind who need to rely on devouring the lives of others to get satisfaction.
Although the means are different and the nature is different, this innate evil cannot be erased.
It is definitely not a smart thing to do to push such a person to the enemy side.
——What's more, in this Holy Grail War, he had a reason to need a sharp knife.
"So, what is your request?"
After reaching an agreement, Roland said casually, "Is it the opportunity to make a wish for the Holy Grail? It's okay to give that thing to you, right?"
As Roland had known the truth of this session for a long time, he was determined not to get involved in this poisonous wish. He had decided that once he had the chance, he would blow up this broken cup again to let the other party know what the consequences would be if he randomly brought people in.
Moreover, he was also very curious about Matou Zouken's purpose. Even if he showed his ability as a strong foreign aid, in the original work, the other party should not have any hope for this war. Judging from today's performance, this old bug was too easy to talk to and agreed to Roland's request.
"No, no, no... As the first wave of investment, how dare I ask for so many things?"
Matou Zouken forced a pretentious and kind smile on his face, "You can get these things by yourself even without Matou, so I won't make any unreasonable demands."
Then, he slowly extended a finger towards Roland and said, "This is my request to you. During this Holy Grail War, I hope you can prioritize killing a Master as much as possible."
"Who?"
When talking about this person, just the thought of it made the ugly old man reveal a chilling, vicious smile.
"That shameless thief from the Clock Tower!"
"Ha?"