"Kayneth's worst fear has finally come true. He was betrayed by Lancer."
In a tragic tone, Shirou calmly continued his completely fabricated story.
Faced with Waver's cry of "That's impossible!", Shirou unhurriedly pulled a photograph from his pocket.
"Lancer, Diarmuid Ua Duibhne, was once, without question, a warrior of noble character and unmatched loyalty."
"But after losing to Saber that night, the darkness hidden deep in his heart was drawn out.
"He is no longer the foremost knight of the glorious Fianna. Now, he is this."
Waver and Rider both looked curiously at the photo Shirou had produced.
The background showed a forest at night, with two figures facing each other beneath the moonlight.
On one side of the photo stood a blonde beauty in pale silver armor. On the other was a figure wrapped from head to toe in an utterly vile black aura.
Its entire upper body was covered in sharp, bristling fur, and perched on its shoulder was a horrifying boar's head.
Waver was stunned.
"T-That's Lancer?!"
Irisviel and Saber were equally stunned.
When did you even take that picture?!
Naturally, Shirou had secretly taken it while Saber and Lancer were facing off. Who went into a Holy Grail War without a miniature camera?
The red-haired boy continued explaining, photo in hand.
"Waver, since you're an outstanding student of the Clock Tower, then you've definitely heard the legends surrounding Diarmuid, right?
"It is said that the demonic boar that killed the hero Diarmuid was none other than his half-brother, transformed into that form."
"You could call it a cruel twist of fate."
"A warrior returning from the underworld and becoming a monster for the sake of revenge. That old tale is now being reenacted in Diarmuid himself."
Waver looked dazed.
"H-How could this happen...?"
Saber looked like she wanted to say something, but Shirou stopped her with a glance.
"Waver, if I remember correctly, the reason Kayneth chose Diarmuid as his Servant in the first place was because you stole the relic he had prepared beforehand, right?"
"Ugh...!"
At Shirou's words, Waver's face went even paler.
As a Magus, Waver Velvet did not come from a prestigious lineage. His family history only stretched back three generations.
He had accumulated his knowledge largely through self-study, and in the end, he was admitted into the highest institution in the world of magecraft.
Waver himself had regarded that as the greatest of honors, and it only deepened his belief that he was a truly gifted genius, one destined to become the greatest student in the history of the Clock Tower.
However.
After enrolling, he was quickly forced to face reality.
The true top students were all children of distinguished Magus Families with lineages of six generations or more. The nobility of one's bloodline and the age of one's lineage determined a Magus's innate talent. That was a truth proven time and again over the Clock Tower's thousand-year history.
But Waver refused to accept it. He believed the gap in family pedigree could be overcome through experience and skill.
That dangerous line of thinking, one that shook the very foundations of the Clock Tower, quickly earned him rejection from those around him.
Kayneth was the first to strike.
That bloodline supremacist prodigy of the Clock Tower had publicly torn apart the thesis Waver had poured his heart and soul into. It had been an unbearable humiliation for the proud young boy, and from then on, he carried that resentment deep in his heart.
It was under those circumstances that he learned of the Holy Grail War in the Far East, stole Kayneth's prepared relic, and fled straight to Japan to enter the war himself.
Waver wanted to win the Holy Grail War to prove that Kayneth and the Clock Tower were wrong.
And yet, what he had not expected was that even after losing the relic he had prepared, Kayneth had quickly secured a replacement. After all, the Department of Spiritual Evocation was never short on spiritual mediums.
Seeing his teacher appear in the Holy Grail War had not made Waver excited. It had filled him with fear.
Because no matter how inflated his ego became, he knew perfectly well what a terrifying Magus Kayneth was. He was no match for him.
And now.
He was suddenly being told that Kayneth had not only accomplished nothing, but had actually been taken hostage by his own Servant?
My fault? This is my fault??
Was it because I stole the fragment of the King of Conquerors' cloak that his life was now in danger?!
"That's impossible!" Waver shouted anxiously.
He knew very well that Kayneth was a cautious and suspicious man. He would absolutely have taken precautions against his own Servant. There was no way he could be easily controlled by him.
And besides, did he not still have Command Spells?
"As long as he has Command Spells, there's no way Kayneth could be controlled by Lancer! You're lying!"
Shirou nodded.
"You're right. Under normal circumstances, Kayneth would never be taken hostage by his own Servant.
"But even that man has a weakness."
Waver frowned.
"A weakness? What weakness?"
"Sola-Ui Nuada-Re Sophia-Ri."
Shirou said, "Lancer took control of Kayneth's fiancée, Sola-Ui, and used her as leverage to force Kayneth into submission."
"Ah???"
That was something Waver truly had not considered.
Kayneth loved his fiancée Sola-Ui deeply. That was common knowledge throughout the Department of Spiritual Evocation.
If Lancer really had control over Sola-Ui, then it was not impossible that Kayneth would yield to him.
After all, that Diarmuid had, in legend, once run off with his lord's fiancée.
Waver completely bought Shirou's nonsense.
Meanwhile, Saber and Irisviel both wore rather subtle expressions.
Shirou... really did not change expression at all when he lied.
"So now the question returns to where we started, Waver."
Fixing his gaze on the Clock Tower boy, Shirou asked,
"Kayneth is a man you hate to the bone, isn't he? Now that he's fallen into this situation, how do you feel? What are you planning to do?"
"I..."
Waver bit his lip, his expression deeply shaken.
As for Rider sitting beside him, at some point he had moved back to the floor and started playing a strategy game by himself.
Shirou was right. This was not something he could decide in place of his Master.
Even Iskandar, the King of Conquerors, should not force his way into his Master's personal affairs.
"I..."
Waver was still hesitating.
He really did hate Kayneth with all his heart. More than once, he had even felt the urge to kill him, but...
The moment he thought about how that man had ended up like this because of him, Waver did not feel happy at all. If anything, it only left him more upset and unsettled.
"Hup."
Shirou hopped down from Irisviel's lap.
"Let's go, Iri."
The silver-haired Homunculus blinked.
"Huh? We're leaving already?"
Shirou narrowed one eye with a sly look and said teasingly, "My job here is done. I'll leave it to him to carry the news of Professor Kayneth's death in the Far East back to London."
With that, he took Irisviel's hand and started toward the door.
"Wait!"
Waver, who had been hanging his head, suddenly shouted.
Shirou and the others turned back to look. The boy clenched his fists and spoke.
"I'm going to save Lord El-Melloi."
Shirou put on a look of surprise.
"Huh? Isn't Kayneth the enemy you hate most?
"I heard he humiliates you for fun every day at the Clock Tower."
Grinding his teeth, Waver forced the words out as if squeezing them through the gaps.
"You're right. I can never forgive that bastard."
"He's supposed to be a Professor at the Clock Tower, and yet he tore up my thesis in public and mocked my ideals in front of everyone. Someone like that has no right to be a teacher."
"When I heard from you that he was in trouble now, yeah, for a moment, I did feel satisfied."
"He deserves it! It's his own fault for always being so arrogant! But…"
"I still can't honestly feel happy about it."
"Why?" Shirou asked with a frown.
Waver answered, "Out of the other six Masters, he's the only one I actually know."
"And besides, the reason he ended up like this is partly because of me."
"If I hadn't stolen his relic back then, things probably wouldn't have turned out this way."
"But you're enemies fighting a war with your lives on the line," Shirou pressed.
"Gahhh! Anyway, I just can't ignore it, alright?!"
As if giving up, Waver clutched his head and growled.
Shirou sighed.
"Waver, it seems you're not a qualified Magus after all."
In a dejected voice, Waver replied,
"If being a Magus means standing by and letting your own teacher die... then I'd rather not become that kind of cold-blooded creature."
Shirou said, "Got it. Then I'll stick my nose into it too for once. I'll help you save Kayneth."
"Huh? Why? What are you after?" Waver asked suspiciously.
Shirou answered smoothly, "Didn't I already tell you? Lancer has already turned into a vengeful demon, and Saber is his target now. So don't get the wrong idea. This is all for the sake of defeating Lancer."
"I see."
Waver accepted Shirou's explanation very easily.
"Hey, Rider. Your Master's made his decision. What about you?"
Shirou looked over at the giant, who had his back to them and was silently playing a video game.
Waver swallowed nervously.
Even though he had just talked tough in front of outsiders, he knew perfectly well that if Rider refused, there was nothing he could do.
The King of Conquerors set down the controller, stood up, and stretched.
"If that is the boy's decision, then I shall see it through with him."
Hearing that, Waver was overjoyed and immediately drifted off into a fantasy.
Once Lord El-Melloi is rescued by me, he'll definitely realize how shallow his old way of thinking was! He'll understand what an outstanding Magus Waver Velvet truly is! Hahaha!
"Good. Then it's settled."
Shirou extended a friendly right hand toward Waver.
"It's a bit late for introductions, but allow me to introduce myself.
"I am the final Master of this Holy Grail War. My name is Shinji."
Irisviel: "..."
...
Next, Shirou began announcing the strategy he had prepared for everyone.
It was actually very simple.
Step one. Saber lures Lancer out.
Step two. Waver arranges to meet Kayneth alone.
Step three. While that is happening, Shirou sneaks back into the top floor of the Hyatt Hotel and abducts Sola-Ui from the room where she is being held.
The second step was absolutely crucial. Inside his own Magus workshop, Kayneth was nearly unbeatable, and Shirou had no intention of using [Dead Count Shapeshifter] tonight.
That made cooperation with Waver critically important.
If anyone else tried to ask Kayneth out alone, he would ignore them without question.
Kayneth was a Magus more cautious than anyone. He would never show himself carelessly in front of an enemy, just like he had not during the battle at Warehouse Street.
But if it was Waver, the bottom-ranked student from the Clock Tower provoking him, then Kayneth would absolutely accept the invitation with pleasure.
Of course, Shirou could not tell Waver any of that.
So when speaking to him, Shirou changed "abduct" into "rescue."
"As long as we rescue Miss Sola-Ui, Kayneth will regain his freedom and no longer be controlled by Lancer," Shirou explained.
"Ooh! Shinji, that plan sounds really good!"
Waver was extremely pleased with Shirou's proposal. Apparently, he still had not realized the most important part.
"Waver, once you meet Kayneth, he's going to attack you immediately without a second word."
Waver looked baffled.
"Huh? Why? Aren't we going there to help him?"
"Don't forget that Miss Sola-Ui is still in Lancer's hands."
"As long as his fiancée remains unrescued, Kayneth cannot resist Lancer and can only do as he's told."
"Even if it's just an act for Lancer's sake, Kayneth will still mock and ridicule you as much as possible, then try every way he can to kill you."
With a grave expression, Shirou said, "So until I rescue Sola-Ui, Waver... you'll have to fight Kayneth with everything you've got."
"...Huh?"
Waver froze on the spot.
Me? Fight Kayneth? Seriously?
...
"What is the King of Knights up to this time?"
At nine o'clock that night, just as Kayneth and Lancer were preparing to head out and search, they caught sight of an unexpected scene outside the floor-to-ceiling windows of the presidential suite.
It was the rooftop of a high-rise building still under construction, diagonally across from the Fuyuki Hyatt Hotel.
Saber was standing there on the rooftop.
Clad in pale silver armor, her beautiful golden hair fluttered in the night wind. Both her hands rested on the invisible sword stabbed into the ground. Her dignified figure naturally called to mind the phrase "beauty beneath the moon."
The intense aura coming from Saber blew into the top floor of the Hyatt Hotel like an open challenge.
Clearly, Saber was doing the same thing Lancer had done before the battle at Warehouse Street. She was drawing the enemy out.
And this time, the target was perfectly clear. Lancer.
"Come, Lancer. Let us settle this here and now!"
Saber's proud figure standing beneath the moon seemed to say exactly that.
"You're as nauseatingly upright as ever, King of Knights..."
The demonic Diarmuid looked down at the blonde girl in the distance.
"What do you say? Shall I answer her?"
A calm smile curled across Kayneth's lips.
"Hmph. Since she has called you out by name, why not indulge her?"
"Go, Lancer. This time, you will bring me Saber's head."
For Kayneth, a battle on the rooftop directly across from the Hyatt Hotel was practically ideal.
He could command and support Lancer from within his own Magus workshop.
It guaranteed his personal safety while also giving him a full view of the battlefield from above. Conditions this favorable were hard to come by.
Sneering at the King of Knights' old-fashioned honesty, Kayneth sent Lancer out.
Two minutes later, the warrior draped in the hide of a demonic boar appeared on the rooftop.
Only after arriving did he realize that the ones waiting for him were not just Saber and her Master, but Rider as well, dressed in modern casual clothes.
"Oh? So the handsome man really has turned into a monster-headed thing."
"How fascinating. It reminds me of the sorcery I saw in India."
Rubbing his chin, the King of Conquerors offered his blunt review of Lancer's new appearance. Demonic Diarmuid ignored him and glared at Saber instead.
"What is the meaning of this, King of Knights? Why is there another Servant here?"
Without changing expression, Saber replied, "Rider said he wished to witness our duel. Nothing more."
"A duel..."
Demonic Diarmuid gave a scornful laugh, and a crimson demonic spear and crimson demonic sword appeared in his hands.
"Saber, tonight will be your end. I have about had my fill of dealing with you."
"You will have to ask my sword first, Lancer!"
This was already their third battle, and there was little left to say. Before long, they were locked in fierce combat, and tremendous torrents of magical energy burst across the open rooftop with every clash of sword and spear.
Using a nearby rooftop by the Hyatt Hotel as the stage for Saber and Lancer's battle had actually been Shirou's idea.
On one hand, it was naturally meant to lull Kayneth into a false sense of security, to make him think he was in a safe zone and lower his guard.
On the other hand, it was also meant to let Saber fight at full strength if necessary.
"So it would make it easier for me to fight at full strength...?"
Saber had not quite understood at first.
Shirou explained, "Your job tonight is to keep Lancer occupied, Saber. You do not need to go all out. Save as much magical energy as you can."
"But if Waver and I fail on our side, then you will have to defeat Lancer head-on."
"And when that happens, the rooftop will become terrain that favors you."
"!"
Saber immediately understood.
Of course. Lancer's [Mana Burst] had a very unusual nature. Compared to [power], it prioritized [mobility] more heavily.
To fully exploit that advantage, Lancer would leap into the air and press Saber with aerial attacks.
And that would be Saber's chance to turn the tables in one stroke.
If they were fighting on a rooftop, Saber would not need to worry about collateral damage to the surroundings and could freely release her Holy Sword straight into the sky.
He had even thought that far ahead?
As expected of Shirou. He really was so thorough, Artoria thought happily.
"What do you think of tonight's plan, Saber?"
As they were separating, Shirou had suddenly called out to her.
Artoria had not quite understood what he meant.
"I think it is an excellent strategy. It may very well work, and if it does, we can defeat Lancer without bloodshed."
"Shirou, I will do everything I can to hold Lancer back. You need to be careful on your side as well."
"That is not what I meant."
Looking straight into her eyes, Shirou asked, "Do you not think this plan is too underhanded?
"And I lied to Waver too. He probably truly believes he is going there tonight to help his teacher, when in reality I used him and threw him out as bait."
"...?"
Saber frowned slightly. After a brief silence, she shook her head.
With conviction, she said, "You are doing this to protect the city and its people, are you not, Shirou?"
"Battles between Heroic Spirits inevitably bring destruction, and the current Lancer... gives me a very bad feeling."
"He is maintaining human form for now, but if his demonic nature is provoked any further, there is no telling what he may become."
"He may truly turn into a monster, a demonic boar that has lost all reason and cares only for destruction."
"I agree with your view, Shirou. There is no need to insist on defeating him head-on."
"Tonight's methods are admittedly a little... ruthless, but they are not shameless. This is a kindness that belongs to Shirou alone."
"...Thank you, Saber."
Shirou did not say much more. He simply turned and walked away.
"...Haa."
Saber drew in a deep breath.
If only to answer Shirou's expectations, she had to fulfill her role perfectly tonight.
She swung her invisible sword and slashed at Lancer.
Meanwhile, on the other side.
Standing by the floor-to-ceiling windows and watching Saber and Lancer fight, Kayneth suddenly received a strange message.
A rat familiar had entered his bounded field and been killed, and a letter had been found on its corpse.
When Kayneth opened it, he discovered that it was from none other than his worthless student, Waver Velvet.
"?"
Kayneth looked in confusion toward the distant rooftop.
Waver's Servant, Rider, was there with his arms folded, watching Saber and Lancer battle.
Yet in the letter, Waver claimed that he himself was currently somewhere on one of the middle floors of the Hyatt Hotel.
He had deliberately left Rider behind so that he could come challenge Kayneth to a fight to the death, demanding that Kayneth come down at once and duel him as a Magus.
"If you lose, you will apologize for tearing up my thesis!"
Waver had written that line in the letter with righteous indignation.
"...Waver-kun, have you gone mad like Caster?"
At first Kayneth was speechless when he realized it was a challenge letter. Then he let out a cold laugh.
He was one of the Twelve Lords of the Clock Tower, the youngest Professor in the history of the Department of Spiritual Evocation, while the other party was one of the Clock Tower's most hopeless underperformers.
If not for the Holy Grail War, someone as insignificant as Waver would not even have been qualified to speak grandly about magecraft in front of him.
And now he was talking about a duel.
How ridiculous, Waver-kun.
Kayneth immediately decided to go down to the middle floors and meet his foolish student.
But just before leaving the room, the thought flashed through his mind that this might be a trap.
Even so, the moment Waver's foolish, incompetent, cowardly face came to mind, that suspicion quickly vanished.
Besides, Waver's greatest support, Rider, was currently over there with Lancer, so there was no need to worry about interference.
There was nothing to worry about. Kayneth convinced himself of this, took his Mystic Code [Volumen Hydrargyrum], and left the presidential suite.
In Kayneth's subconscious, even though he had only established his Magus workshop on the top floor, the entire Hyatt Hotel still counted as his castle. The whole building was effectively home ground overwhelmingly in his favor.
What Kayneth did not know was this.
Three days earlier, a red-haired boy had spent a vast sum to book every floor of the Hyatt Hotel from the fifteenth to the thirtieth.
That place was about to become the land of nightmares for the genius Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald.