"So, that's roughly the future I observed."
Roy said, then took a sip of the cola that Iskandar handed him.
"That hits the spot..."
After telling such a long story, he needed to wet his throat.
"How... how could something like that happen?"
After seriously listening to Roy's entire earnest and bizarre account, Waver's expression grew increasingly strange.
In the end, unable to face it, he buried his head back under the covers, pulling the pillow over himself as if to escape reality.
"What's wrong? Don't you like this story?"
Roy sat on the floor, starting a new round of the game with Iskandar, while turning back to address Waver, who was sprawled on the bed.
"Or do you think it's too outlandish to believe? About you becoming El-Melloi II in the future. Do you really think I'd be bored enough to make up such a ridiculous lie to trick you?"
"Uh, it does sound far-fetched, but I can tell from your tone and eyes that you're serious... and my intuition tells me it's probably true."
"I never expected you'd come into contact with magecraft similar to the Second Magic—parallel world observation—and witness such an absurd event in a parallel world... But for me, this is just full of malice."
Waver huddled under the covers, continuing in a helpless tone, "As expected, there's no way I can accept this calmly..."
He had heard that Kayneth would die in the Fourth Holy Grail War, and that he himself would inherit his title and classroom.
Though Waver couldn't fully grasp the feelings of his parallel self, the complexity in his heart right now was no less intense.
"Oh, what can't you accept?"
Roy tilted his head, skillfully executing combos on the controller, demonstrating a set of Kusanagi Kyo's special moves to the Rider beside him, making him scratch his head in frustration, while continuing to speak to Waver: "Is it the fact that Professor Kayneth might die? Or the possibility that you, a half-baked, third-rate magus, could inherit El-Melloi II?"
"Does that even need saying? Of course, it's everything!"
Waver retorted exitedly: "Though I dislike Professor Kayneth and hate his arrogant attitude, that's from an ordinary person's perspective. As a magus, I respect him and admire his talent! I aspire to one day become a magus like him..."
"But I know full well that a third-rater like me could never become a magus like Professor Kayneth. Unlike a genius like you, he must really despise me—maybe he doesn't even see me as his student at all?!"
Waver's voice grew more agitated, and with a flurry of movement, he emerged from the covers, his eyes slightly red, looking aggrieved at the two below who were still focused on the game.
Without suspense, Iskandar's Iori Yagami was taken out in one combo by Roy's Kusanagi Kyo, making him grab his hair in exasperation.
"Sigh, you..."
Roy sighed, about to say something, but Iskandar, who had just been thoroughly beaten, beat him to it. He flicked Waver's forehead with a finger and said irritably,
"Master, you're spouting immature nonsense again... No wonder that so-called Kayneth looks down on you."
"How does the saying go... something like all bark and no bite? Hmm... You're certainly small, but your brain isn't much sharper."
Iskandar stroked his chin, murmuring thoughtfully.
"Why are you bringing up my height again? Roy said that in the future, I'll grow another foot taller!!"
Waver protested vehemently.
"Hahaha, the future's the future—right now, you're still a kid."
"Damn it..."
Faced with Rider's teasing, Waver could only sulk, powerless against him.
"Hey, Waver, you know? Sometimes human growth happens in an instant~"
Roy set down the controller, declining Iskandar's invitation for another three hundred rounds, and looked at Waver as he spoke: "Human futures are the most changeable, with the most possibilities. No one can absolutely predict what a person's future will be. I know a very skilled diviner who can predict future events with one hundred percent accuracy. Even the legendary clairvoyance of Merlin might not compare to her."
"You mean... absolute future sight? Does something like that exist in this world?"
Hearing Roy's example, Waver was surprised, and Iskandar beside him thoughtfully stroked his chin.
"Absolute prediction, huh? That's a cheating ability. If this king had that in life, I could have foreseen Darius's army movements and won the war in no time!"
As the King of Conquerors, Iskandar was clearly very interested in the hundred-percent divination Roy mentioned.
"Alright, this king has decided! Once I obtain the Grail and gain a new body, I'll recruit that absolute predictor into my ranks! Then I'll rebuild an invincible army!!"
"..."
"..."
Neither Roy nor Waver paid attention to Rider's foolish interruption. Of course, he wouldn't reveal the existence of the Mother of Kanpu City; he continued as if telling a story.
"But... Waver, think about it. Even if it's absolute prediction, is it truly absolute? If they predict you'll eat cake tonight, you can choose not to, avoiding their prediction and creating a new possibility from the original future... If that's possible for small things, what about big ones? Like your growth?"
Roy pointed at his height and continued: "Before I told you, who could have imagined you'd grow another foot in the future? So don't belittle yourself or deny your future. Who can say for sure about possibilities? What kind of person you become is always up to you. Whether to become better or worse—it's your decision..."
"I feel like you're just feeding me empty encouragement..."
"Maybe? But isn't everything I said true? As magi, you and I should understand the meaning."
Sigh, understanding is one thing, but accepting it is another!
"A traitor like me ending up inheriting the professor's title..."
Waver's expression remained awkward, his heart still unable to accept that reality.
"Hey, anyway, this is just one possibility, right? Thinking about it isn't a bad thing."
Roy waved it off, not forcing the issue.
"The future you is far more excellent than the current you..."
Especially in terms of overtime work—that's top-notch.
"Far more excellent, huh..."
Waver murmured to himself, then looked at Roy again and asked.
"Roy, can I ask you a few detailed questions?"
"Ask me questions? About your future? Sure, there's nothing I can't say."
Roy shrugged, indicating no problem.
"Then I'll ask..."
"First, why didn't the future you inherit? Even if Professor Kayneth really died, you'd be the more suitable heir, right? How could it fall to me!"
"Oh? You finally spotted the key point."
Roy clapped, then answered Waver's good question.
"Simple: In that parallel world, I didn't exist—or rather, I died early, in some magecraft experiment accident."
Just like the fool in this world who studied the Book of the Law and sacrificed his soul for an angel summoning ritual.
What a complete idiot.
He thought to himself.
"You died?"
"Yeah, died young, that sort of thing."
Waver looked surprised, then hesitated before asking the next question: "What about the others? Even without you, there should be someone more suitable than me, right?"
"Yes, there were people more suitable."
Roy nodded, "But they all chose to refuse."
"Why? Inheriting a Lord's position and legacy—shouldn't that cause a scramble?! Why refuse?"
As Roy answered, Waver sat up seriously; he had grasped the crux.
"Yeah, normally, Professor Kayneth's legacy would be vast, including the school, classroom, and research results."
"But that's assuming a normal death. What if I told you... after he died, he left not just legacy, but an enormous, exaggerated debt?"
"At that point, do you think anyone would want to inherit? So the sucker naturally became you."
"Debt..."
Hearing Roy's words, Waver showed an incredulous expression, replying in shock: "How is that possible? Others might not know Professor Kayneth, but you definitely do—he's a prodigy and genius in the magecraft world! Every concept, every discovery of his shakes the field; their value can't be measured in money. How could he owe so much debt?! What happened?"
"Very simple..."
Roy tilted his head slightly; he had anticipated Waver's question.
"As I said before, unlike you dreamers, Professor Kayneth is a doer who turns theory into practice. In his hands, those theories become valuable results. But if... he died? Who would implement them? You? Or the other students? Who do you think has that level?"
"Moreover, after his death, the other Lords would swarm in and mercilessly divide his legacy—who would leave the good stuff for the next heir? And Professor Kayneth's Magic Crest was destroyed, leaving less than one layer..."
"You, you said... Professor Kayneth's Magic Crest is down to one layer?!!"
Hearing this, the already uneasy Waver lost his balance and tumbled off the bed, scrambling to Roy's side, looking at him in disbelief.
"That Magic Crest passed down for nine generations, reduced to one layer... All the inheritance destroyed..."
Just thinking about it made him tremble uncontrollably.
Then, instead of asking more, he wracked his brain, thinking furiously, his face changing colors like he'd eaten something poisonous...
"Kid."
Seeing this, Rider wanted to ask what was wrong, but Roy stopped him.
He knew Waver was close to figuring it out.
Ten minutes passed quietly.
Finally, after long contemplation and torment, Waver pieced together the cause and effect. Like a broken machine, he stiffly turned his head toward Roy and asked word by word.
"Then, Roy... please tell me, does Professor Kayneth's death have anything to do with me? Was it because I stole his prepared relic that he... died?"
"Yeah... there is a connection. According to that world line, because you stole his cloak fragment and summoned Rider, he had to summon a very troublesome Servant, indirectly leading to his death."
Roy didn't lie.
Even in the original world line, it was because Waver stole the cloak fragment that Kayneth summoned Diarmuid.
And for Diarmuid as a Servant, Roy could only say: "Good for nothing, great at ruining things."
Though seemingly obedient, he'd defy his lord's orders on the battlefield for his knightly honor, and due to his cursed love, Kayneth's fiancée was charmed, leaving Kayneth distracted throughout, killed without using his full strength.
What if, just suppose, Kayneth's Servant was Iskandar?
Though Roy saw no compatibility between them, it couldn't be worse than Diarmuid, right? At least no charming the fiancée.
Even if slim, Kayneth might have survived.
"So it is like that... Then, the reason you joined the war, is it also to..."
Saying this, Waver lowered his head, staring at the vivid red Command Spells on Roy's hand, and asked: "...save Professor Kayneth."
"That is a factor. After all, Professor Kayneth has treated me well, and I owe him. Knowing he might die, as his disciple, I have no reason not to help."
Roy nodded, admitting it directly. Though he joined the Holy Grail War for his own schemes, undeniably, he wanted to help Kayneth—that feeling was genuine.
"So, what do you think? For you, how about a future like that?"
"Professor Kayneth dies tragically, and you, the denied one, inherit everything... Is that what you've always wanted?"
Roy stared seriously into Waver's trembling eyes, asking word by word: "Tell me your choice now?"
"Your wish? And what you'll do next..."
"I... my wish."
Waver slowly raised his head, after learning everything.
Especially knowing that his recklessness would kill Professor Kayneth, his heart held no longing for the future, even knowing he'd become a Lord.
Right now, his heart was filled only with deep regret and fear.
He resented Professor Kayneth's disdain and disrespect, wanting to prove himself, but not like this... and certainly not by killing him...
This outcome wasn't what he wanted!
Murmuring to himself for a long time, Waver took a deep breath, then slowly raised his trembling hand, clenching it into a fist, and...
Smashed it mercilessly into his own face.
Thud!
A muffled sound, and Waver's body toppled to the ground, startling Iskandar nearby.
"Kid, you..."
It was hard to imagine how much force he used—he actually staggered himself with one punch.
"This punch... is for my willfulness and arrogance."
Not stopping, Waver punched his face again.
"This punch is for Professor Kayneth, who might lose his life because of me!"
Another punch. Waver had used full force, flipping himself over. The ugly smile that had unconsciously appeared when he heard Kayneth would die and he'd inherit El-Melloi II vanished completely. In this moment, his mind was crystal clear.
"The last punch... is for that ugly smile and my schadenfreude."
After three heavy punches, Waver stopped.
"Roy, thank you. I understand everything now."
"You've realized it, so what will you do next?"
Waver stood up from the ground, wiping the nosebleed from his face with his sleeve until no trace of his earlier expression remained, then faced Roy and Rider, answering.
"I'm going to find Professor Kayneth."
"...You've made your choice? You know what Professor Kayneth will do to punish you for this."
Roy looked at the determined Waver and said seriously: "Are you really prepared to bear the consequences?"
"Preparedness... Sorry, that's too distant for me. If I'd had that earlier, things wouldn't have turned out as you described."
Waver wiped away his nosebleed, then met Roy's eyes. "I know how Professor Kayneth will punish me, and I'm scared of being expelled from the Clock Tower... But I'm more afraid of the future you described happening! For selfish desires, to prove myself, harming a professor who guided me, knowing he might die but standing by for his legacy—I can't do that..."
"I can't go through the Holy Grail War hoping for Professor Kayneth to die. I came to prove myself, not to wait for him to die!!"
Waver's eyes were slightly red as he seriously looked at Iskandar beside him; this time, his attitude was different from every before.
"Rider, you said before that joining the Holy Grail War just to prove myself to others is too petty and pathetic... Now I admit, that guy back then was pathetic. But now, I know what I should do."
"My wish is to help Professor Kayneth survive! Save him, make up for my mistakes! I won't use the Grail to prove myself—I'll prove it through my actions to him!"
"Well said! Kid, that's the spirit!"
Hearing Waver's declaration, Iskandar clapped his hands, standing up with stirred emotions. "That's the resolve! That's the confidence you need! Only this level is worthy of this king."
"Master, I'll acknowledge your resolve for now. So this king is willing to listen to you."
"I'm your Master—you should have listened to me from the start."
Waver complained helplessly.
"Ahahaha, is that so?"
Iskandar laughed heartily, then slapped his palm and looked at Waver, then at Roy beside him. "Then let's form an alliance starting now! This kid, me, and your professor—we three will ally."
"First, eliminate all the other Masters and Servants in one go, then decide the winner among our three groups. This way, we ensure everyone's safety and fairly determine the victor. What do you think of this king's proposal?"
Iskandar was worthy of the king who once conquered half of Europe; his heart was not as crude as his appearance suggested. To achieve such feats, a hero must have his own ambition and wisdom.
Right now, in less than a minute, he had formulated the next plan.
Form an alliance, using the master-disciple relationship between Waver, Kayneth, and Roy to create an unbreakable barrier, eliminating all outsiders. This fulfilled Waver's wish while continuing the pursuit of the Grail for his dreams—truly bold and clever.
Roy gained a deeper respect for the big man before him.
'This Holy Grail War is truly filled with heroes...'
"I have no issue; I'm willing to cooperate."
After hearing Iskandar's suggestion, Roy nodded, then extended his hand to Waver and asked: "What about you? What's your choice, Waver?"
"I'm going to save Professor Kayneth! I'll prove myself through my own efforts! One day, I'll make him acknowledge my talent!!"
This time, Waver didn't hesitate; he gripped Roy's extended hand, speaking with firm eyes.
"That's the best, my friend."
"Then let's name this operation [Saving Private Kayneth]."
Roy said with a smile.
"Good name; this king approves."
Iskandar clapped in agreement, while Waver looked at them with a strange expression, unable to resist complaining.
"What kind of name is that?!"
***
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