A soft silver glow, gentle like moonlight, quietly spilled from "Irisviel's" body. She clasped her hands together in front of her chest, like a true saint praying devoutly.
Every inch of her skin seemed to be bathed in a faint halo. Her bare feet were white as snow, as if she did not belong to this world at all, filled with an untouchable sacred aura.
To be precise, she truly did not belong to this world. After all, the Holy Maiden of Winter had died more than two hundred years ago. What existed now inside Irisviel's body was only a lingering trace of consciousness.
Even so, if she wanted to cheat just a little and find Lancer, it was not difficult.
After all, in a sense, the Holy Maiden of Winter was the Great Holy Grail.
It was just that she was too weak now, and the amount of magical energy she could use was far too little. As Alvin stood to the side watching her rather illusory figure, he even worried for a moment that she might disappear during the "divination" because her magic ran dry.
After nearly five minutes passed, the glow around Irisviel slowly faded.
The woman gradually opened her eyes, turned her head to look at Alvin, and parted her red lips slightly as she said in a soft voice, "I've found Lancer's location."
Her voice was as pleasant as heavenly music, yet it carried a hazy sense of unreality, as if she might vanish from this city at any moment.
Seeming to notice the concern in Alvin's eyes, "Irisviel" gazed at him gently and said softly, "No need to worry, Saber. Even if I disappear, Irisviel will not die."
"In the end, I am only attached to the surface of this body. Once this trace of consciousness of mine fades, the real Irisviel will awaken."
Her tone remained gentle and calm, as though she were simply talking about something entirely ordinary.
Ever since two hundred years ago, when she willingly sacrificed herself for the world and used the Third Magic to build the Great Holy Grail, the Holy Maiden of Winter had no longer placed much weight on her own life.
For her, as long as her wish could be fulfilled, she would be satisfied. Though from the current situation, that wish seemed to have no chance of coming true at all.
To materialize the soul, to save all of humanity. That was the wish of the woman named Justeaze Lizrich von Einzbern.
Yet now, the Great Holy Grail had been tainted by the "black mud," and even the "friends" who once promised to save humanity together with her were no longer in this world.
The magi who now took part in the Holy Grail War were mostly striving simply to reach the place every magus dreamed of.
The Root.
Alvin silently looked at the silver-haired beauty before him. Though she descended using Irisviel's body, in truth, whether it was her temperament, tone, or expression, the Holy Maiden of Winter was completely different from Irisviel.
Cool and gentle, her eyes seemed filled with compassion for the world, giving off a distant and untouchable feeling.
Yet when those bright, beautiful eyes looked at Alvin, there was something hard to describe in the way her gaze shifted, a natural charm that felt almost seductive.
To save all humanity. Just hearing it sounded vague and unrealistic. But in the past, the Holy Maiden of Winter had truly given up everything for that wish.
Even now, only a trace of her consciousness remained in this world.
Alvin knew he was not the kind of person who could sacrifice himself for the sake of the world. For him, as long as the people around him were safe, that was enough.
"Is there any way to preserve this trace of your consciousness?", Alvin suddenly asked.
The Holy Maiden of Winter from two hundred years ago smiled gently. She wore a plain white long dress, pure white thigh-high stockings wrapping around her full and beautiful legs, and walked to the window, picking up the red wine glass from the table.
She only lightly swirled the wine without drinking it. With an ambiguous yet gentle gaze, she studied Alvin. Her proud, upright chest stretched the fabric slightly, faintly revealing a hint of snow-white skin, blending sacred purity and allure together in a unique charm.
She glanced at the tightly closed door outside. There was no need to think; Illya was probably waiting outside right now.
"Irisviel" walked over to Alvin and lowered her eyes slightly.
"Why do you want to help me, Saber?"
From this angle, one could faintly glimpse the perfect curve of Irisviel's chest.
Even knowing this body did not belong to the Holy Maiden of Winter, Alvin was nearly blinded by the beautiful curve before him.
He gathered his thoughts slightly, cleared his throat, and said, "Irisviel… In the past, when you wanted to save humanity, what was your reason?"
When you do not know or do not want to answer a question, answering with another question is often the best solution.
Hearing Alvin's question, Irisviel clearly showed a hint of confusion.
Two hundred years might not sound that long, but those who had truly lived through such time understood the weight of it.
Over those two hundred years, her only obsession had been "saving humanity." As for why she wanted to do so... she had completely forgotten.
"Maybe I forgot. Or maybe, I just simply wanted to do it. There was no reason," Irisviel spoke softly.
After saying that, she seemed to realize something and instinctively looked at the boy.
"You…"
"I'm the same as you."
Alvin smiled, "I just simply want to help a little. There's no special reason."
"If I have to give one, isn't our current relationship enough, Master?"
Master. In the Holy Grail War, that word meant an unbreakable contract. At least, for most Servants and Masters, it did.
The contract between Alvin and Irisviel had been purely accidental. But no matter how it happened, they were now truly in a master and servant relationship.
So when she heard that word, Irisviel seemed to freeze for a moment.
Soon after, her bright red eyes gradually softened.
Her pale, slender fingers gently tucked a strand of silver hair behind her ear. Then she said softly, "You're right. You are my Servant now. It makes sense for a Servant to want to save his Master."
"The reason this trace of my consciousness can last until now is entirely because of the magical energy originally belonging to this body. But that energy will soon be completely exhausted."
"After all, the 'Lesser Grail' is no longer inside Irisviel's body."
Originally, Irisviel could summon a Servant and supply magical energy because of the Lesser Grail's presence. But now the Lesser Grail had been transferred to Sajyou Manaka.
Simply put, once the magical energy in Irisviel's body completely vanished, it would mean that this trace of the Holy Maiden of Winter's consciousness would also disappear entirely from this world.
Unexpectedly, the two of them as master and servant, one unable to provide magical energy, the other with his connection to the Root in a "sealed" state. Just thinking about it made Alvin sigh inwardly.
"Is there any way I can help you?", Alvin suddenly asked.
"The Great Holy Grail is now hidden deep within Ryuudou Temple. As long as I get close to it, I have a way to obtain magical energy."
Irisviel paused, and a trace of complexity soon appeared on her face, "But before that, this body must first acquire magical energy. Only then can I analyze the structure of the Great Holy Grail and let its power flow into my body."
She needed magical energy to analyze the Great Holy Grail, but Irisviel currently did not have enough magical energy to support the analysis. Wasn't that already stuck at the very first step?
Alvin was momentarily speechless.
But soon, a thought flashed through his mind.
Perhaps Kayneth might have some solution?
"An eighth Servant?"
Inside a building in the new district, a man with neatly groomed blond hair stood by the window, looking down at the city at night through the floor-to-ceiling glass.
Fuyuki. Before coming to this city, Kayneth had never taken it seriously.
Compared to the Clock Tower, whose heritage and strength far surpassed Fuyuki, this small coastal town had nothing worth his attention.
Yet in less than two days, the Servants summoned by these Masters had given Kayneth a heavy blow.
Perhaps those Masters were ordinary in strength and background, but the Servants they summoned were not to be underestimated.
And now there was even a suspected eighth Servant.
"Under normal circumstances, only seven Servants can appear in a Holy Grail War. But there are exceptions. If I'm not mistaken, this eighth Servant is likely a Ruler summoned to ensure the fairness of the war."
Kayneth turned to look at Mordred, who sat on the sofa looking rather uninterested, and said, "Lancer, are you still thinking about tonight?"
To ensure their safety and advantage tonight, Kayneth had no choice but to recall Mordred. Though he had promised that if the White Dragon were in danger he would allow Mordred to go support him, it still left the Knight of Treachery quite dissatisfied.
Mordred looked at Kayneth with annoyance, "Since you know, why bother asking, Master?"
"You know my relationship with Saber. If something really happened to him tonight—"
Before she could finish, Kayneth interrupted, "Morgan le Fay and King Arthur were there tonight, weren't they? With them present, Saber couldn't possibly be in danger, could he?"
Morgan le Fay. Before this, no one would have imagined she would cross into modern Fuyuki and even participate in the Holy Grail War.
And her Servant was her own sister, King Arthur.
At this point, it felt less like a Holy Grail War and more like a family drama of Britain. Even Kayneth could not help wanting to complain inwardly.
"Well, that's true."
Mordred was still restless, "But I still can't just stand by and do nothing."
At the end, she looked straight into Kayneth's eyes, her tone full of seriousness, "Master, if something really happens to him tonight, I'll kill whoever targeted him, no matter the cost."
Kayneth glanced at Mordred casually. When he saw the determination in her eyes, he quickly looked away.
For Kayneth, it was difficult to empathize with Mordred. To him, the only thing that truly mattered was winning the Holy Grail War.
Starting internal conflict with Lancer over this was not something he wanted.
He had no idea what the White Dragon had done to make the so-called Knight of Treachery so devoted. Kayneth sighed inwardly.
Just as he was about to speak, a pleasant female voice suddenly came from the living room.
"Isn't that fine? If something really does happen to Saber, letting Lancer take revenge one by one wouldn't be so bad. After all, no matter what, only one winner will remain at the end of the Holy Grail War. The other Servants will have to be faced sooner or later."
In the living room, a short-haired woman dressed attractively walked onto the balcony, holding a glass of red wine, a faint smile on her face.
Sola-Ui Nuada-Re Sophia-Ri, Kayneth's fiancee.
Kayneth cherished this fiancee of his dearly, so even if he wanted to say something now, he could only sigh inwardly.
Soon, he continued, "Lancer's worry is actually unnecessary. Not long ago, I received intelligence that Berserker was already eliminated by Saber tonight."
"Vortigern was eliminated tonight?"
Mordred looked up in shock. Although she always believed Alvin would win, she still had not expected that the White Dragon who once crushed all of Britain, would be defeated on his first appearance.
Kayneth nodded slightly in confirmation, "So what we need to do now is focus on preparing for the Holy Grail War. Perhaps your father will end up being our enemy."
"Lancer, you must be mentally prepared."
Those words were both a warning and a reminder. This was a cruel Holy Grail War. Even if you faced your parents, you had to fight with everything you had.
Holding back was not an option.
Mordred fell silent for a moment, "I understand."
Whether facing Morgan, Artoria, or Alvin, she did have a kind of instinctive hesitation. But if she shrank before the battle even began, she would look down on herself.
Fine. Next time, even if she faced her mother or her father, she would definitely draw her weapon and confront them head-on.
Mordred quickly made up her mind, and fighting spirit burned in her eyes.
"By the way, Vortigern was the old king. Then what is your father's actual name?", Sola suddenly asked curiously.
People only knew that the new king who killed Vortigern was the Night Watcher of Britain. Few knew his real name.
"I didn't tell you?"
Mordred looked at Kayneth strangely, opened her mouth, and was about to speak.
Knock! Knock!
At that moment, there was a knock at the door.
Mordred's body tensed instinctively, while Kayneth remained calm and even a bit proud, "Relax. I've already set up numerous magical barriers. No magecraft can break through this building's defenses. Even if it's an enemy, there's no need to worry."
As he spoke, he looked toward the door and said in a low voice, "Who's there?"
The moment his words fell, a gentle young man's voice came from outside.
"Teacher…"
Hearing that voice, Kayneth clearly froze and almost blurted out, "Alvin?"
'How could he be here?'
'The Clock Tower is far from Fuyuki. How could Alvin, who is supposed to be at the Clock Tower… be here at this very moment?'
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