"What exactly are you trying to do, Rider?"
"What do you mean?" The King of Conquerors scratched his face.
"What?! Do you still have the nerve to ask me that? You completely ignored Professor Kayneth's plan! How are we supposed to explain this when we get back? A-And you made me look like a fool in front of all those Servants! I'm your Master! Don't forget, I'm the Master!"
On the streets of Fuyuki City, having just left the battlefield, Waver angrily tugged on Iskandar's cloak and yelled, his face flushed with embarrassment.
"Is that all you're upset about? Haha, well, in a gathering of so many heroic spirits, how could this king's heart of conquest possibly remain still?"
Listening to his little Master's endless nagging, Iskandar picked at his ear with his pinky, clearly irritated. The boy had been whining ever since they left the battlefield, repeating the same things over and over... it was enough to give him ear sores.
But what annoyed him even more was his Master's attitude.
It was hard to look at... an awful mix of insecurity and arrogance, with no trace of the spirit of conquest. Naturally, someone like that couldn't understand his actions.
"Stupid Rider! Idiotic Rider! The situation was perfect just now. If we'd just followed the plan and continued observing, everything would have gone smoothly. But you charged in, and even revealed your true name to everyone! What were you thinking?"
"Ahhh! Once we get back, Professor Kayneth is definitely going to kill me! What should I do?! It's all your fault, Rider."
Hearing Waver's frantic complaints beside him, Iskandar frowned slightly.
"Enough! Quiet!"
Finally losing his patience, Iskandar grabbed Waver by the collar, effortlessly lifting him off the ground. With his feet dangling in the air and the sight of Iskandar's fierce tiger-like eyes, Waver felt a wave of fear.
"What... what are you doing?! You're not going to... kill your Master, are you?"
Terrified by Iskandar's threat, Waver's entire body began trembling, and he slowly raised his right hand.
"I-I'm warning you, don't forget, I still have Command Seals!"
"Hmm..."
At such close range, Waver found himself face-to-face with Iskandar's intense gaze. The shrinking distance between them only made him tremble more violently, tears were about to spill from his eyes.
With Iskandar's massive frame, the pressure was unbearable.
"Hmph, I was just teasing you, kid."
Seeing Waver's panicked expression, the previously serious Iskandar suddenly broke into a grin. Then, with a casual flick, he tossed Waver to the ground with a thud and burst into hearty laughter.
"Hahaha! My little Master, how was it? Did you feel the aura of dominance this king possesses?"
"Ouch!"
Waver yelped in pain. Seeing Iskandar laughing, he quickly scrambled to his feet and protested.
"Feel your dominance?! What nonsense! Why can't you be more like Lancer? How can there be a Servant like you who treats their Master this way?!"
"Hmph!"
*Flick!*
"Ouch!"
"Hmph, I am who I am. My dominance is naturally different from Lancer's, and this is part of your training."
"Training?"
"You're timid and lack ambition. Did you join the Holy Grail War just to assist your lemon-headed professor? Don't you have any ambitions of your own? You've been whining since earlier, and I can't stand it anymore."
"Since the Holy Grail chose you, it means you have a wish you want to fulfill. If that's the case, then you should fight for it. What's the point of being so cowardly?"
"Ambition… Of course, I have something like that! But..."
"There's no 'but' about it!"
Iskandar suddenly interrupted. "You entered the Holy Grail War to prove your worth, to gain that lemon-head's recognition, didn't you?"
"But if your ambition is really just that, then you're truly pathetic. That would make you nothing but a useless tool with no spirit of conquest!"
"…A useless tool?!"
That phrase made Waver recall his time at the Clock Tower.
Whether it was his classmates from prestigious magus families or the high-ranking instructors, they had all called him that... those words had deeply wounded him.
"No matter how hard you try, you're still just a worthless tool with no lineage."
A useless tool?! I'm not a tool!!
Enraged and humiliated, Waver stood up, glaring at the stern-faced Iskandar, and shouted, "Yeah! I'm exactly as you said... pathetic and small-minded! I didn't expect even you would lecture me. What's wrong with wanting to prove myself?"
"After all, you're just a mere Servant. What do you know? Can you understand what it feels like to be despised and ridiculed by your professor, your classmates, and the entire world? Do you know how hard I've worked in silence just to prove myself?"
"You're right! I want to prove myself! I want to destroy this ridiculous noble bloodline theory, become a renowned magus, and show Professor Kayneth and the entire world what I'm capable of! What's wrong with that?!"
"…"
Listening to Waver's furious outburst, Iskandar didn't respond. He merely observed the young man in front of him... a boy who was prideful, insecure, and not inherently bad, but trapped within his own mental cage.
How tragic.
As he advanced on what he thought was the right path, he was unknowingly trapped within his own world... a prisoner of his obsessions, unable to see the truth, unable to glimpse the vast possibilities ahead, and blind to the reality around him, only sinking further.
"Why aren't you saying anything, Rider? Are you scared? That's right, you should be! If you don't want to be eliminated from the start, then follow my lead! Remember, I'm the Master!"
"Hahahaha!"
At Waver's ridiculous demand, Iskandar didn't argue. He merely laughed heartily and said, "Afraid? The only thing this king has ever feared is that my legs might give out before I reach the ends of the earth and complete my journey of conquest!"
"Since you insist, do as you please. Stay by my side and witness the true power of conquest. Perhaps one day, you'll break free from that narrow cage of yours."
With that, Iskandar effortlessly picked Waver up again like a kitten and summoned his Gordius Wheel, thundering across the sky once more.
"Ahhh! I've told you so many times, you stupid Rider! Stop carrying me like this! And don't go so fast, I can't handle it!"
"Hahahahaha!"
The cheerful sound of laughter and Waver's cries echoed through the sky, accompanied by the rumble of thunder.
...
"Dammit!"
Tokiomi Tohsaka cursed angrily.
He never expected Roy, a mere outsider, to be so ruthless. Not only did Assassin's assassination attempt fail, but the entire force was wiped out, leaving behind a huge mess.
As Tohsaka looked at the towering flames in the distance, veins bulged on his clenched fists.
He was, after all, the overseer of Fuyuki City's leylines and a secret collaborator with the Holy Church in this Holy Grail War. The chaos and destruction caused during the war would partially fall on him to compensate.
Roy's cunning move, abandoning his base and orchestrating a chain of gas explosions, had completely caught him off guard.
"Kirei, have you found any trace of that boy?"
"No, Sensei. The fire over there is too intense, and the residents are in chaos. We can't track him in such a dense crowd."
"I see..."
Tokiomi sighed helplessly and said, "I'll leave the cleanup to you, Kirei."
"As you wish, Sensei," Kirei nodded, giving a detailed report, "The area was in the outskirts, so the explosion didn't cause any casualties, though the flames have engulfed many nearby shops. The fire is now under control, but the financial losses are substantial."
"I understand. You may go. Don't forget to silence the media... under no circumstances can the mystery be exposed. As for a reason... let's say it was a natural gas leak."
"A natural gas leak, huh..."
Kirei nodded and replied, "Understood, Sensei."
...
What is it like to burn down your own home?
He wasn't sure if there was any thrill akin to the art of explosions, but watching the place he had lived in for so many years, the fruit of his hard work, turn to ashes in an instant, left his heart far from calm.
But now, none of this mattered to him anymore. Sacrificing a house to deal with a Servant's clone? No matter how he looked at it, it was a huge gain. Besides, the aftermath would be enough to distract Tokiomi Tohsaka and Kirei Kotomine, giving him a bit more time to catch his breath.
Roy shook his head, running through these thoughts in his mind as he jogged against the flow of the crowd. Eventually, he arrived at an abandoned outpost of the Fujimura group on the outskirts, using it as a temporary shelter.
After all that running around, Roy glanced at the fiery sky in the distance and managed to pull out a weary smile.
The fatigue in his eyes and the bittersweet smile on his lips were unmistakable.
Witnessing the immense power of the Servants, along with the ever-lowering standards of the Masters, had left him mentally drained.
After working so hard for so long, maybe it was time to rest for a bit...
Looking at the makeshift bed of cardboard boxes beside him, he smiled tiredly and collapsed onto it, falling asleep instantly.
A good rest was needed... what lay ahead would be even tougher.
[I've arrived. Where are you?]
The shadows of the night stretched silently...
A sleek, black figure skillfully avoided the few blue butterflies lingering at the entrance and quietly slipped in.
He had survived. He was the only one who lived through the chain of gas explosions.
At that time, his mission had been to stand guard and monitor the perimeter, but the sudden blast near him had sent him flying. Thankfully, the distance had spared him from death, though he was heavily injured.
Afterward, he began scouring the area, continuing his search for the Caster's Master, who had yet to reveal himself. Although it was difficult to find someone in the crowd, it wasn't impossible.
Facial expressions, physical states, and body language all convey information. As a Hassan, he was adept at reading these signs. And since they had seen Roy's face at the Holy Church, recognition would be immediate if he found him.
In his swift search, he soon noticed someone quietly moving against the flow of the crowd and began following him, hiding his presence with A-rank presence concealment to track his target effortlessly.
However, something puzzled him... Master had said this boy was just an ordinary person, so why did he now carry the aura of a magus?
This made him hesitate to strike, suspecting it could be a trap.
Then, when he saw a few pale blue butterflies being released by Roy...
Assassin understood.
He realized why Roy now bore magical energy... he had become a magus. No longer an ordinary person, he had become a Master. Judging by the timeline, this meant he had transformed from a regular human into a magus in an incredibly short period.
It seemed absurd, but it wasn't incomprehensible. After all, Roy's summoned Servant held the most mysterious of the Caster classes, and helping Roy become a Master in such a short time wasn't out of the question.
This place, an incomplete and makeshift magical workshop, was Roy's temporary base.
So, Assassin decided to strike while the boy had lowered his guard, and with Caster not around, it was the perfect moment.
Yet, just as he skillfully bypassed all obstacles and reached Roy's side, preparing for the kill...
"Ugh!!"
A sudden attack caught him off guard, and before he could react, his body was flung back several meters.
"Who are you?!"
Turning his head, he saw a pair of golden eyes glaring fiercely at him.
And then, a hand wreathed in black flames effortlessly pierced through his chest.
The speed was unavoidable.
In shock, he looked up, only to see a face with a mocking smile, as if ridiculing his incompetence.
"Hmph."
*Boom!*
The black flames surged again, and with the shattering of Assassin's saint graph, his body was entirely consumed by the fire before him.
----
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