Fuyuki City is split in two by the Mion River. To the west lies the older, more traditional Miyama Town, while the east is home to the rapidly developing Shinto, the economic heart of the city.
The Hyatt Hotel, currently the tallest building in Shinto at thirty-two stories, stands as a symbol of this progress.
The top floor of the hotel had been lavishly reserved by a single guest—Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald.
At the moment, Kayneth sat in his room, his body battered and breath ragged. His Servant, Lancer, knelt quietly at his side, just like a loyal knight out of a film or drama.
Having served a lord in life, Diarmuid could easily sense how foul Kayneth's mood was—he had just suffered a humiliating defeat.
It was his second one.
Despite all his meticulous preparation for the long-awaited Holy Grail War, Kayneth had suffered repeated setbacks, and the damage to his confidence was severe.
A genius who had always stood head and shoulders above his peers—whether among his family or within the Magus Association—Kayneth had never experienced true failure.
No matter the challenge, he always outperformed others with ease.
He had never been driven by a burning ambition or lofty goals. He simply excelled at everything he attempted. That was all.
He'd realized early on that he was what people called a prodigy. But he never let it go to his head, nor did he take pride in it. He simply accepted his talent as the natural order of things and kept moving forward.
He'd never known hardship or the fear of losing his edge. The young Kayneth had always been in full control of his world, and not once had he doubted that truth.
An exceptional Magus. The legitimate heir of the distinguished Archibald family. He had not only inherited their Magic Crest and generations of magical knowledge, but was also gifted with rare and extraordinary talent of his own.
All of these "facts" gave legitimacy to his pride. It was no wonder he truly believed that nothing in this world was beyond his grasp. And that belief wasn't just his own—it was shared by everyone around him.
Whether it was completing brilliant research at the Clock Tower or rising through the ranks faster than anyone before, Kayneth's path had always been smooth and unchallenged. Everyone naturally accepted it, because he was the "renowned Lord El-Melloi."
He was used to being called a child prodigy. Even if people envied or resented him, he never felt particularly satisfied or proud—this was simply the expected outcome of his life.
That had always been the case. And his future success, too, had never been in doubt.
To Kayneth, this was a sacred and inviolable pact—his "contract with life." An absolute premise.
Because the order of the world had always been so clear and self-evident to him, any rare and unforeseen inconvenience or coincidence that led to an "unexpected" outcome felt like utter chaos—an intolerable disruption, a blasphemy against the very order of existence.
Like now.
Twice in a row, Tenkei Shiomi had made a fool of him.
The first time, Lancer fought alone and couldn't take down Shiomi. The second time, Kayneth misjudged the situation and, flaunting his prized Mystic Code, tried to challenge Shiomi personally—only to run into Berserker.
Kayneth had never thought highly of Tenkei Shiomi.
He was aware of Shiomi's existence within the Mage's Association, currently favored by the democratic faction's Valualeta. After stepping down from his role as a Sealing Designation Enforcer, Shiomi had continued to take on assignments as an independent Magus.
Though known as the disciple of the Grand Puppeteer and someone who had studied Age of Gods Runes restored by Touko Aozaki, Kayneth dismissed Runes outright as a worthless, obscure field of Magecraft.
After all, the Mage's Association was founded by Solomon's disciples—the King of Magecraft himself. Rune Magecraft, being a completely separate system with no ties to Solomon's lineage, had declined over time. That alone, in Kayneth's eyes, made it unworthy of respect.
He had never interacted with Shiomi directly, nor had he ever reviewed the man's mission history. Even though, as Lord of the Clock Tower, he had full access to those records, he simply hadn't bothered.
That was why this outcome was so hard to believe—so impossible to accept.
A Magus able to stand toe-to-toe with Servants, even challenge that mysterious golden Servant?
A Berserker who, despite being under B-rank Mad Enhancement, retained its sanity and could use Magecraft on par with the Age of Gods?
Each fact piled atop the next, and after nearly losing his life tonight, Kayneth had reached the peak of frustration.
"Lancer, what are your thoughts on the battles ahead?" Kayneth asked.
"With all due respect, if our goal is to claim the Holy Grail and offer it to you, my lord, then for now, we should adopt a defensive stance—wait as the others wear themselves down, and only then consider striking." Diarmuid, casting aside his usual fiery spirit, gave his advice with calm composure.
Now was no longer the time to seek out duels or uphold knightly ideals.
This was a battlefield, pure and simple—where one misstep could mean death.
Lancer was well aware that even without his intervention tonight in the Einzbern Forest, the sea demon wouldn't have been able to harm Shiomi.
He had only stepped in because he felt guilty for the ambush he had been forced into the night before.
"So even you think that's all we can do." Kayneth groaned, massaging his temples.
There was no helping it. Lancer had been his backup plan. Kayneth had originally intended to summon the King of Conquerors, but after Waver stole the relic, he'd been left with no choice but to summon Lancer—and his odds of victory had dropped significantly.
"If the situation's against you, just admit it already. Stop pretending you're still in control."
A woman emerged from the bedroom, her voice sharp with reproach. It was Sola-Ui Nuada-Re Sophia, Kayneth's fiancée.
"Your opponent is an independent Magus. You brought this on yourself by underestimating him and skipping the preliminary investigation." Sola-Ui didn't hold back, directly pointing out Kayneth's blunder.
"Sola-Ui…" Kayneth didn't snap back at her. Instead, he looked hesitant, even conflicted.
"I looked into Tenkei Shiomi through my contacts in the Association. He's not just doing odd jobs. He's been involved in Sealing Designations, and even cooperated with Executors from the Holy Church. He's a battle-hardened Magus."
Of course, Sola-Ui didn't mention that she'd first investigated him out of curiosity about a strikingly handsome Magus around her own age.
Though that vague curiosity had long since vanished with the summoning of Lancer—what remained now was hard intel.
"Sealing Designation Enforcer…"
Kayneth's frown deepened, but before he could say anything more, an alert rang out from the bounded field he had constructed as a makeshift workshop.
Both Lancer and Sola-Ui sensed it too—an intense surge of approaching Mana.
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
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