"Impressive, I must admit, even I am in awe."
"In such a short time to reach this level, it seems you have a high talent for illusion magecraft." Kayneth remarked, flicking away the blue butterflies fluttering before him.
"I deduce that your origin is likely very much related to the aspect of Illusion. Only by combining the false with the real can one outline excellent illusions."
"The butterfly magecraft itself is the best medium for casting illusions. Coupled with your outstanding talent, it truly gives you a significant advantage. If it were someone else, even if they had the magic crest, they wouldn't be able to perform as adeptly as you have in such a short time."
Having tested Roy's magical level, even this Lord of the Clock Tower, known for his strictness, generously offered high praise.
Whether in terms of the quality of magic circuits or magical aptitude, he was an extraordinarily gifted genius... such geniuses were rare even within the entire Clock Tower. Even if they did exist, they were usually elites from other prominent magus families or monsters with extraordinary talents.
Kayneth felt quite envious of a genius like Roy, who had a clean background and did not belong to any magus family. He thought that as long as he brought him into the El-Melloi family to foster even more excellent descendants and invested resources for focused training, within three generations, the El-Melloi family would gain a powerful and exceptional branch of illusion magecraft bloodline.
A brand new, exceptional bloodline inheritance, without having to worry about issues related to the magic crest's inheritance... this would undoubtedly make the El-Melloi family even more prosperous. The temptation for Kayneth, as the head of the family, was significant.
While Roy was still pondering his own origin, Kayneth was already considering how to bind Roy to the El-Melloi family's chariot after the Holy Grail War concluded.
Using both kindness and authority, and then a marriage arrangement to bring him into the family was the best approach, but the choice of candidate required careful consideration.
"Reines seems a bit too young, but this kid isn't very old either. His talent and the magic crest are exceptionally excellent. If it works out, it wouldn't be too unfair to her; after all, there's still time, and feelings can be cultivated..."
"Um, excuse me, Professor, how should a magus explore their origin?"
Roy's call disrupted Kayneth's thoughts.
Though he had watched many works in the Fate series, his main focus was on the fierce battles of the Servants. He couldn't say he had no understanding of magus, but it was close to nonexistent.
He only knew about Emiya Kiritsugu and Kayneth's trademark magecraft; as for the principles of activating their magecraft and matters of origin, even the series had not explained them clearly, so how could he know?
While the Kara no Kyoukai series did contain knowledge in this regard, unfortunately, he hadn't remembered it, or rather, aside from watching Shiki, he hadn't really paid attention to anything else.
Who would have thought that the illusion knowledge that had once seemed completely unrelated to him would reveal its great significance when he truly embarked on the path of magecraft?
Additionally, being a self-taught magus, Kayneth couldn't provide him with much advice, leaving him with significant gaps in knowledge. Therefore, he humbly sought Kayneth's guidance.
His initial decision to ally with Kayneth stemmed from this. Compared to the fanatical pursuers of the Holy Grail like Tohsaka Tokiomi and Emiya Kiritsugu, Kayneth was the best choice; his desire for the Holy Grail wasn't as great, and they shared a common path. Furthermore, his strength and rich magical knowledge would help Roy grow more quickly.
While Merlin had been teaching him life-saving techniques applicable in battle during the night, he had no time to guide him on magical knowledge and theory, leading to a scarcity of his magical theory. Now, with Kayneth's guidance, he could fill in those gaps in magical theory.
"Origin?"
Kayneth fell silent for a moment upon hearing this, then took a deep breath. "You've already practiced butterfly magecraft to this extent, and yet you say you don't know what an origin is?"
"By the way, the Servant you summoned should be a Caster, right? Hasn't he taught you even this basic knowledge of magecraft?"
Hearing Roy's question, Kayneth was somewhat speechless, his voice suddenly rising, startling Roy, who instinctively shrank his neck and quickly put on a studious expression.
"Forget it, it's understandable for a civilian magus to be ignorant. Your Caster probably hasn't had the time to teach you due to the demands of the Holy Grail War."
Rubbing his forehead, Kayneth then began patiently explaining the knowledge about origins, maintaining a serious demeanor but still being quite earnest.
"Now, listen carefully. The so-called origin..."
.
.
.
After a long lecture, Kayneth let out a weary sigh, sitting back on the sofa with his eyes half-closed. "Alright, I've basically covered the knowledge of origins. Digest it well, and if you have any questions, come ask me again. You can leave now; I need to rest."
"Okay, thank you very much for your help, Professor."
As he left, Roy nodded in thanks to Kayneth before opening the door.
After such a long time, he was also very grateful to Kayneth. Though his attitude was fierce and his words sharp, there was no denying that he was indeed a good teacher, worthy of respect for both his teaching ability and sense of responsibility.
To ensure he could learn, he had extended the content of the two-hour lesson to nearly four hours, starting from the basics, with detailed explanations to help him understand what origins were.
He naturally grasped more knowledge in this area and formed more hypotheses about Origin.
According to Kayneth's explanation, the so-called Origin could be understood as a person's essence.
The human body and soul are both capable of change and replacement, but the essence itself never changes.
Everyone has their origin, and magus can understand a person's origin by exploring and discovering the principles behind it.
To illustrate with his own understanding, for example, Shirou's origin is Sword, which is why his obsession and benefits concerning swords stem from this; his Unlimited Blade Works also extends from his origin. Only when Shirou Emiya awakens his origin can he execute Unlimited Blade Works to that extent... if it were in someone else's hands, it would be like wasting magical energy.
Kiritsugu's origin is Severing and Binding, which particularly targets magus, hence he dismantled ribs to powder them into origin bullets, fully utilizing his origin.
His high talent for illusions had been praised by both Merlin and Kayneth, so his origin was likely related to illusions.
But could it really be said to be Illusion?
He felt that there was something off about this.
It seemed not to be just that.
"How was it? Did you get the answers you were looking for?" A familiar voice pulled him back from his thoughts; he saw the Count leaning against the wall, waiting for him to emerge from the room.
"It's you, Count." Upon recognizing the person, Roy smiled slightly.
"I would say it was quite fruitful. Thanks to Professor Kayneth, my thoughts have become much clearer."
"Is that so? It seems you've completely stepped into the realm of magecraft; you're doing quite well, Master."
"Thank you for the compliment. How about you, Count? Have you found any traces of Emiya Kiritsugu?"
The Count shook his head. "No, I'm monitoring every floor, and I can confirm that no suspicious rats have slipped in to stir up trouble."
"Really? Isn't today the day for the building to explode? Or do they have some new plan?"
Roy pondered for a moment, beginning to speculate on Emiya Kiritsugu's calculations, then instructed, "I'll need you to remain vigilant. If you find their traces, don't hold back... just kill them directly."
With his own involvement alongside Amakusa and even the appearances of Proto Gilgamesh and Fionn, this Holy Grail War diverged significantly from the expected fourth war. Without the foresight of a thousand-mile gaze, he had no way to grasp the overall situation.
Regardless of Emiya Kiritsugu's plans, if he dared to play with high-rise demolitions again, Roy would surprise him.
Even if the Count were to launch a surprise attack, Emiya Kiritsugu, despite being a master of Time Alter, wouldn't escape death; after all, the Count's speed was no joke.
"…Kill them directly?"
Upon hearing this, the Count nodded in agreement. "Understood. I will continue to remain alert, but…"
The Count suddenly shifted his tone, his gaze returning to the fatigued face of Roy.
"Before that, you shouldn't push yourself too hard, Master. You're still very tired. Go back and rest."
"Eh? Wait… I still have things to…"
"I know, but right now, what you need more is rest."
Without waiting for Roy to agree, the Count picked him up and forcibly carried him back to his room.
"Have a good sleep, Master. Don't be too tense; just let things happen naturally from now on."
"I'll be here to help you."
…
The scene shifted to the Einzbern household.
At that moment, Emiya Kiritsugu was engulfed in busyness.
Looking at the uninvited young priest before him, Emiya Kiritsugu had a gloomy expression. If he hadn't recognized him as the boy who had saved his life the previous night, he would have already pulled the trigger.
However, considering that the other party had saved his life last night, along with his Saber standing next to him with her sword at the ready, he didn't mind giving Amakusa an opportunity to explain himself.
"There's no need to carry such hostility, sir. I am not your enemy; we can sit down and talk properly."
Amakusa Shirou smiled helplessly, observing the Saber who was always ready to take him down.
"State your purpose, intruder."
Saber obviously didn't believe him. Her delicate brows furrowed as she focused her gaze on the handsome boy.
For some reason, she sensed a very ominous aura from Amakusa Shirou, yet she couldn't quite pinpoint it, which made her cautious.
As her magical energy surged, the gale swirling around the Sword of Stars intensified. If this boy dared to make any strange moves, she would not hesitate to sever his head with her sword.
"There's no need for such wariness, King Arthur. I am not your enemy; on the contrary, I am a friend here to help you achieve your wish."
Hearing her true name spoken aloud, Artoria became calm. Her true name had already been exposed by that Lancer last night, and almost everyone present knew her true name; there was no need to keep it a secret now.
"My wish? Absurd! Do you even know what you're saying?"
"Of course, I do, because I'm serious."
Amakusa Shirou nodded, then disregarded Saber's blade and turned to speak to Emiya Kiritsugu, who was on guard at a distance. "Mr. Emiya Kiritsugu, before you make any moves, would you be interested in hearing about my wish?"
"A great wish to save all of humanity…"
The salvation of all humanity!
"…"
Emiya Kiritsugu froze for a moment, maintaining silence, but his heart couldn't help but tremble.
The previously tense atmosphere became silent due to those words.
"We will not…"
Saber wanted to say something more, but Emiya Kiritsugu raised his hand to stop her.
"Wait, Saber. Let him continue."
"Kiritsugu, you?"
"Very well, it seems Mr. Emiya Kiritsugu also harbors noble ideals of saving the world? If that's the case, then let me tell you a story."
Amakusa Shirou's gentle face broke into a slight smile as he slowly opened his arms, preparing to tell this man, who also yearned to save the world, his story.
It was a story filled with sorrow and desire.
At the same time, it was a story filled with hope.
----
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