*Knock* *Knock* *Knock*
A series of knocks sounded from outside the door, and the abnormal source of magical energy was precisely detected by both Roy and Iskandar.
"…Who is it?" Waver asked nervously.
"Should we check it out?"
Roy exchanged a glance with Iskandar and asked for his opinion.
In this kind of unknown situation, it was more appropriate for Iskandar, as a Servant, to investigate rather than either him or Waver taking the risk. But of course, they needed Iskandar's agreement first.
"Naturally, leave it to me. You stay here and protect my little Master for a moment. I'll be back in no time."
"Don't worry."
"Hey, Rider, be careful too."
A few minutes later...
"Oh, boy... "
Iskandar pushed open the door, a bright smile on his face.
"This King has returned victorious!"
"So quickly?!"
"Of course, come see who I ran into."
Following him into the room was Kayneth, and behind Lancer came a strikingly beautiful silver-haired woman of remarkable presence and grace.
However, she wasn't a guest. Her body was tightly bound by magical chains made of flowing water, and her mouth was sealed by Kayneth.
On that night, when the C4 explosion went off, the bounded fields Kayneth had prepared in advance activated automatically. Protected by the mystic codes, he narrowly escaped with only minor injuries, which were easily healed by Fionn's water of healing.
Since both Roy and Waver were wearing mystic codes crafted by Kayneth beforehand, which contained defensive spells and life-sign monitoring, Kayneth relaxed upon confirming they were still alive.
Using C4 to blow up the building... such a shameless act. Kayneth didn't even need to think to figure out who was responsible. But as the proud Lord and a genius of the Mage's Association, how could he tolerate such an insult?
A gentleman seeks revenge swiftly, so after recovering somewhat, Kayneth takes Lancer and directly charges into Emiya Kiritsugu's base, determined to eliminate the detestable magus-killer first.
With Lancer's Noble Phantasm, finding Kiritsugu's hideout was easy, and he intended to catch him off guard. Kayneth already had a good measure of Saber's combat prowess, so Lancer could keep her occupied without any issues, allowing Kayneth to take down Kiritsugu.
To ensure everything went smoothly, Kayneth had not only prepared defenses against Kiritsugu's Origin Bullets and other heavy modern weapons but also crafted numerous countermeasures specifically for modern firearms. For instance, he used lightning-based magecraft to simulate an electromagnetic pulse bomb, disabling all surrounding modern devices.
To prevent Kiritsugu from calling for help from other Masters, Kayneth also set up familiars and signal disruption spells, silently isolating the Einzbern castle.
But when Kayneth and Fionn broke through the castle's defensive barriers without alerting anyone and stormed inside, they found that Kiritsugu was nowhere to be seen. Apart from the patrols of mindless homunculus, the only person of value in the base was Irisviel, a high-class homunculus with abundant magical energy. So, Kayneth captured her.
This morning, he followed the trail of magical energy from Waver's garment to this place to reunite with his two unfortunate students.
Compared to the battles the other Masters had fought last night, Kayneth's own adventure was nothing short of extraordinary.
"Professor, who is she?"
Seeing Irisviel bound by Fionn, Waver curiously asked.
The previous night, Waver and Rider had arrived at the port late and hadn't encountered Irisviel, who had left earlier.
"Just a homunculus, a smokescreen deployed by Emiya Kiritsugu. But now, she's my prize."
"More importantly." Kayneth frowned as he scrutinized the hideout, "Is this... your workshop?"
"Waver Velvet!"
"Yes, Professor Kayneth!!" Seeing Kayneth's expression, Waver instinctively stood up to respond. "Ah, ouch!"
Stretching his body caused his wounds to flare up with intense pain. With a cry of agony, Waver's forehead was soon drenched with cold sweat.
"Fool! Why are you trying to act tough when you're already in such bad shape? Do you want to make your frail body even worse?"
"No, I don't..." Under Kayneth's scolding, Waver hung his head like a chastened student, not daring to refute him.
"Hmph, even an incompetent should take care of themselves and not burden others."
"Still... this hideout is quite exaggerated, isn't it?"
Kayneth examined every corner of the room with the eye of someone inspecting homework.
He touched the walls.
"No magical reinforcement."
He knocked on the door.
"No bounded field on the door either."
As Kayneth pointed out, due to a lack of time and resources, the two hadn't properly set up the hideout.
Waver's magecraft wasn't strong enough to set it up, and Roy had never learned how to create a magical workshop.
Seemingly aware of these factors, Kayneth didn't say anything too harsh.
"At least you've set up plenty of warning familiars, and the transformation you've undergone is quite remarkable. It seems you've been through a lot in my absence."
"Moreover, it looks like you've got quite a few secrets I'm unaware of... So? Don't you think it's time to explain some of the little secrets between you and your Servant to your mentor?"
Kayneth sat back in his chair, slightly raising an eyebrow, awaiting Roy's response.
"…"
"Understood, professor. I will explain everything to you."
"Hmph, a wise choice."
Hearing this, Kayneth's tightly furrowed brows slightly relaxed. He then approached Waver and tossed a vial of water into his hands.
"As for you... drink this, then get some rest. Your injuries should be mostly healed by tonight."
"Huh, what's this?"
Catching the plastic bottle Kayneth threw, Waver noticed it didn't contain any magical potion. The clear liquid inside looked just like regular water, and Waver was curious, as he couldn't detect anything unusual from it. It looked like ordinary mineral water.
Could this really work? Maybe the mentor grabbed the wrong thing?
"Don't worry, I didn't."
Seeing Waver's doubt, Fionn spoke up to dispel his concerns, "This is life water that I made. It's highly effective for healing external injuries."
"Alright, thank you, Lancer."
"No need for thanks. We're allies." Fionn smiling.
"By the way, professor, about our previous base..."
"Even though I didn't want to believe it, our base has indeed been blown to pieces by that damn rogue magus Emiya Kiritsugu."
Kayneth's face turned grim.
"It's all gone!"
Although Waver had anticipated this, hearing it confirmed still left him in shock.
He knew the value of the magical materials inside, especially the three magical furnaces. He couldn't earn enough in his lifetime to afford those. And now... they were just gone?
"My workshop, the prepared Mystic Codes, everything was blown to smithereens. Although I took back some spoils from Kiritsugu last night, they hardly make up for the loss."
The more Kayneth thought about his destroyed workshop, the more his heart ached. Not all the items in there were his; those magical furnaces were rented from the Mage's Association. He would have to pay for their destruction.
And now, it wasn't just about damage; they were reduced to fragments. He would need to fully compensate for them. While it wasn't impossible, the amount would still cause significant financial pain.
"Therefore, even though I'm reluctant to admit it, in the upcoming battles, I'll need your strength." Kayneth took a deep breath. "This won't be like before, where you were just assisting me. We're going to be truly working together, and you both will need to give it your all."
"R-Really?"
Waver's face showed disbelief. The idea that his mentor, a noble magus from an ancient lineage, would team up with someone like him, a third-generation magus, was almost impossible to believe.
"Yes, the situation is dire. The Church has already amassed too much power." Kayneth exhaled before continuing, "We can't afford to separate Rider and Lancer's forces anymore. If we lose even one Servant, we'll be utterly crushed."
"And we also cannot allow Ruler's wish to be granted. No matter who claims the Grail, even if we have to destroy it, Ruler's wish must not be fulfilled. We must stop him, not just for ourselves, but for the future of humanity. Do you understand?"
Kayneth shivered when he recalled Amakusa Shirou's promised world. That future, where humanity was no longer human and all potential was cut off, was no salvation at all.
Anyone could win, but not them. If the Grail truly granted that wish, it would spell the end of humanity.
There were people in this world that Kayneth cherished, so he would never allow Amakusa Shirou to have his way.
"I understand!" Waver hurriedly nodded under Kayneth's serious gaze.
"Hahaha! You don't even need to say it. Of course, I'll stop that annoying fellow. How could I conquer the world if he turned it into such a hellscape?" Rider laughed heartily.
"I'll follow your lead, Professor." Roy nodded. He understood the stakes.
"Good. Then let's start with recovery and exchanging information."
"Waver, drink the potion and rest. By nightfall, I expect you to be fully recovered. Roy, tell me everything you know. From now on, we begin our counterattack."
"Understood."
"Lancer, go keep watch around the area. We're likely already under Assassin's surveillance, so don't let your guard down. Be ready for battle at any moment."
"As you command, my lord. What about this homunculus lady?" Fionn gestured to the tightly bound Irisviel, held in place by water chains.
"Hmm..."
Kayneth glanced at her briefly before casually replying, "Dispose of her. She's just a homunculus, nothing I'm interested in."
Despite her extraordinary beauty, Kayneth, who was already committed to someone, saw Irisviel as nothing more than an alchemical puppet, unworthy of sympathy. He would rather dismantle her and use her as a magical material.
"Mmph, mmph!" Irisviel began struggling fearfully upon hearing that she would be dissected into magical materials.
"Kill her? Understood." Fionn nodded. "I don't enjoy harming someone as beautiful as you, but this is the lord's order, so... "
"Wait a moment, Professor." Roy suddenly interjected, stopping Lancer. "She's not just any ordinary homunculus. She's the Lesser Grail of the Einzbern family, designed to realize the Third Magic."
"Hmm? The Lesser Grail?"
"Tell me more."
"This lady is the Lesser Grail prepared by the Einzbern family for the Fourth Holy Grail War. Her purpose is to collect and hold the souls of defeated or masterless Servants until the end of the war. The gathered souls will play a critical role in the final stage of the ritual conducted by the Greater Grail. She's also Emiya Kiritsugu's wife."
As Roy explained, and seeing the terror on Irisviel's face, Kayneth became more convinced that Roy was telling the truth. A smile slowly crept onto his face.
What had originally seemed like capturing a mere homunculus with high magical power had turned into capturing the Lesser Grail itself.
Compared to this, his workshop and Mystic Codes being blown up by Kiritsugu seemed far less significant.
Finally, he glanced back at Roy.
"Now, explain where you got this information and what's happening with you. How does a novice magus suddenly possess magical power comparable to a Servant?"
***
Keeping a precious item like the Power Stone is hard, so for your own sake, drop the Power Stone here, otherwise I can't guarantee your safety!