C332

"The last guy really knows how to hide. He's been in hiding for so many days. Originally, he only planned to have his Servant return to the Holy Grail. Now, the Master probably doesn't even dream of surviving!"

Kain thought impatiently. After dealing with Gilgamesh, the remaining three Servants were quickly located—except for the final one.

But this last one was a master of concealment. The Japanese police, FBI, CIA, Interpol, and other agencies had practically scoured all of Fuyuki City, yet they still failed to find the final Servant.

Technically, the final ceremony of the Holy Grail War could proceed with one less Servant in the Lesser Holy Grail. But what Kain intended to do was too important. He had to be extremely cautious—there could be no mistakes.

He had no intention of risking the final ceremony without accounting for the last Servant.

"It's probably because you made too much noise earlier. The Holy Grail War was already chaotic enough—and you keep erasing people's memories like it's nothing. How could any normal person dare show themselves now? The last Master is probably planning to hide until the end of the War before reappearing,"

Rin Tohsaka commented, sitting on the nearby sofa. Her long legs, wrapped in black stockings, were crossed and occasionally swaying—a sight that would surely captivate any adolescent boy. Unfortunately, only two people were present in the room.

"The last one might be a half-baked magician, like Emiya-san—unfamiliar with the Holy Grail War and easily spooked. If Ruler were still around, finding the last Servant would've been much easier. But no, you just had to send her away in a rush."

"Leaving the adjudicator behind would've only made things harder for me. There's no way Jeanne d'Arc and I could have worked together—unless she was as morally compromised as Artoria,"

Kain scoffed.

At the time, he hadn't given it much thought. With the amount of magic power he had then—along with Medusa, Medea, and Black Saber—he was confident in his ability to handle any Servant. But people in hiding were a different story.

Medusa still scouted regularly. While she had some investigative skills, they were far inferior to Jeanne's. Even with the Japanese police practically turning Fuyuki City upside down, they hadn't been able to uncover the last Master.

"I can't stand it anymore. Wasting time is the most unforgivable sin,"

Kain said, standing up and preparing to leave.

Rin Tohsaka looked up and asked curiously, "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to ask the Japanese Prime Minister and several chaebols to expand the search to the entire country. And if we still don't find him, I'll enlist the help of nations around the world. I refuse to believe he can hide on the moon."

Kain walked out as he spoke. Tohsaka Rin quickly followed and said, "Wait, I'll go with you."

"Why bother? You can't Apparate. I'll end up having to take you anyway,"

Kain said with some irritation.

Rin blushed, flustered and indignant.

"Stop being so annoying! It's only because you didn't teach me properly that I haven't learned it. Hmph~"

"Medea picked up almost all of my magic as a proper magician. But someone else took three days to learn just one spell. Sigh…"

"Y-You...!"

The influence of the Holy Grail War had already spread far and wide. Thanks to Kain's use of the Imperius Curse to control the upper echelons of the government, the war hadn't yet spilled over into the world of ordinary people. But the magical world had taken notice.

Kain had distributed the unique magic gems of the Tohsaka family and hired mages to hunt down Kotomine Kirei and the remaining two Masters in Fuyuki. Though results had been decent, the effort had also drawn attention from the Mage's Association—especially the Twelve Lords of the Clock Tower.

Among them was Kenneth of the El-Melloi family, who had participated in the previous Holy Grail War. None of them had expected the ritual, usually occurring once every sixty years, to take place a full decade early. As a result, they hadn't been prepared.

Kain hadn't placed every mage under control, and the Holy Grail War was nearing its conclusion.

Now, the Lesser Holy Grail within his body was fully connected to the spiritual veins beneath the Greater Grail. He could tap into immense magical power at any time.

In this state, Kain was practically invincible—so he no longer cared if information leaked out.

Thus, once the newly arrived mages in Fuyuki noticed something was off, they quickly sent word back to the Clock Tower.

What they witnessed was a battle on par with a natural disaster. With Interpol, American intelligence agencies, national leadership involvement, and a flood of hired magicians, two more Masters had fallen—killed by Kain and absorbed into the Lesser Grail.

He was released, but after leaving, he was captured by other magicians and interrogated for information.

The Clock Tower had already become aware of the Holy Grail War occurring in Fuyuki City. In fact, they had known about the ritual for some time—but not its true purpose.

The Holy Grail War was originally kept tightly under wraps. But once secrecy became impossible, word began to spread. To the outside world, the Holy Grail War was simply a ritual to create a device capable of granting wishes. However, the process was brutal, requiring seven Servants to fight to the death.

As for the truth—that the Holy Grail War could open a hole in the world and reach the Root—only a select few were aware. If the magi of the Clock Tower knew that the Holy Grail War had the potential to lead to their ultimate goal, Akasha, then far more than a few representatives would have arrived. The entire organization would have descended upon Fuyuki City, and the so-called imperial families would have been wiped out.

Upon receiving the new intelligence, the Clock Tower convened a meeting to decide on a response. But since not all monarchs understood the Holy Grail War's significance, many merely sent proxies.

Twelve individuals stood in a circle. Beneath them, a glowing time-based magic circle—the symbolic seal of the Clock Tower.

"Magdaniel, what is the purpose of calling this emergency session? If it's nothing urgent, don't expect me to stay,"one of them said coldly.

"If it weren't important, I wouldn't have gone through the trouble of summoning you all," Magdaniel replied. "Before anything else, take a look at this."

He projected a pre-recorded video for the group—a battle scene captured by a distant observing mage. Several segments played, but the one that drew the most attention featured Tsunade and Gilgamesh in combat.

The scale of magic on display—especially the destructive power—was beyond what most magi at the Clock Tower could muster.

And then there was Gilgamesh's Noble Phantasm.

"That magic... it has to be the King's Treasury from the legends. The same magical artifact used by the oldest Hero King," one of the mages muttered, frowning.

"Gilgamesh isn't just a legend," another said. "Everyone here is familiar with his lore. The one who knows him best among us is Waver Velvet, now known as Lord El-Melloi II."

Waver recognized the figure immediately. Seeing Gilgamesh's face again brought back memories of the battle from ten years ago, when his own Servant had fought valiantly in the Fourth Holy Grail War, only to die helplessly at the hands of the Hero King.

"Unfortunately, barring any strange coincidence, this is indeed the legendary Hero King, Gilgamesh," Magdaniel said. "They've clearly been manipulating something in this land—and some of us have even collaborated with them... haven't we, Lord El-Melloi?"

Magdaniel glanced pointedly at Waver, but the provocation went unanswered.

Seeing no reaction, Magdaniel continued, "This so-called 'Holy Grail War' is fascinating. It touches upon the Third Magic and enables familiars like Gilgamesh to gain physical form and persist in this world."

"He's not alive anymore," Waver interrupted flatly.

The remark momentarily threw off Magdaniel, silencing him. He gave Waver a cold glare but moved on.

"This kind of reckless behavior has blatantly violated the principle of magical secrecy. And this man—Kotomine Kirei—a former member of the Holy Church, used the Holy Grail War to summon Servants and caused mass civilian casualties. The Common people were drawn into the conflict."

As he spoke, the scene shifted again. This time it showed Cú Chulainn rampaging—killing, setting fires, destroying everything in his path. Several magicians were confirmed killed by him. Reports linking these events to Cú Chulainn had already reached the Clock Tower.

"So, what's your proposal?" one of the mages asked.

"We summon all magicians currently in Fuyuki City. Interrogate everyone who participated in the Holy Grail War."

"Do you think they'll comply?"

"This is the will of the Mage's Association," Magdaniel said firmly. "Some of these magicians have violated our laws—using magic to manipulate world leaders and governments. Can we truly tolerate this?"

He gestured to a still image: dozens of police officers, FBI agents, CIA operatives, and Interpol units firing on Cú Chulainn.

Modern firearms and heavy weapons were mostly ineffective against Servants—but for magicians, they were deadly. Unless protected by enchanted robes or defensive spells, few could survive that kind of barrage.

"Issue the summons," another said. "Magic leaks, mind-control on civilians, manipulating politics—every one of these breaks the Association's core principles. If we let them continue unchecked, the consequences will fall on us all."

"And don't forget the Third Magic," another added grimly. "They're playing with forces beyond control. One misstep, and legends of the past will return to this world. That's what matters most."

The decision regarding the Crown was made in just a few words.

The disturbance in Fuyuki City had become too great, and it was gradually spreading across Japan. If left unchecked, magic would inevitably be exposed to the world and torn from the veil of mystery.

This is no longer the Age of Gods. In a world dominated by science and technology, carelessly exposing a realm beyond the comprehension of ordinary people would bring only chaos—benefiting neither side.

Once the decision was made, the Clock Tower began collecting intelligence on the Holy Grail War. This was easy for them; after all, several participants had ties to the organization—including two Monarchs.

Waver Velvet shared what he knew, though he admitted that his understanding of the Holy Grail War at the time had been shallow. He had entered the ritual blindly and exited early, knowing little about its true nature.

For now, the Clock Tower still did not understand that the ultimate goal of the Holy Grail War was to reach the Root. If they had known, they would have pulled out all the stops to seize the Grail.

To them, the Holy Grail War in Fuyuki City seemed like nothing more than a crude ritual devised by a few rural mage families. Yet those families had achieved something remarkable—such as the realization of the Third Magic.

"You like running away, don't you? Didn't your Servant tell you? Once you receive the Command Seal, you're obligated to participate in the Holy Grail War."

Kain's voice was cold as he spoke to the last Master, who was curled up in the corner. Then, taking Caster's hand, he channeled power into it, forcibly returning the final Servant to the Lesser Grail.

He turned back to look at the Master—a registered mage of the Association. But this man hadn't visited the Clock Tower in years, having lived in Japan for personal reasons. After being chosen by the Grail, he had come to Fuyuki City as if on vacation. But when he witnessed the brutality of Servants in battle, he panicked and fled.

He quarreled with Caster, and in the end, used a Command Spell to force her to protect him as he ran to Tokyo and hid.

There, he even encountered a mage from the Clock Tower and begged them for protection—desperate and mentally shattered by the war.

If it hadn't been for the search area being expanded—eventually drawing the attention of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police—Kain might still be waiting for this coward back in Fuyuki.

"Since you hate magic so much," Kain said coldly, "then live the rest of your life as a Commoner."

With that, he destroyed the man's magic circuits. They were few in number, but without them, the man would never be a mage again.

Rin Tohsaka watched and shook her head. "That was... decisive."

"He didn't even have the courage to face reality. If he'd kept his circuits, he'd only use them to bully civilians. It's better to erase them now."

Kain paused, sighing. "I'm being too kind. If this were the ninja world, I'd have put him in the bio-weapon corps for fifty years."

"It's over. Let's go back."

Kain placed a hand on Tohsaka Rin's shoulder and Apparated back to the Matou residence in Fuyuki City.

Upon returning, he immediately held a meeting. Everyone was present—including Matou Sakura—except for Artoria, whom Kain had returned to the Lesser Grail after restoring her and returning her to Avalon.

The two were utterly incompatible. Kain, a pragmatic capitalist, was naturally at odds with Artoria's rigid sense of chivalry. If his Master had been Emiya Kiritsugu instead of Sakura, Kain suspected he and Kiritsugu would have gotten along quite well.

As the group gathered, Kain looked around. Now only Medusa and Medea remained as active Servants within the Lesser Grail. Illyasviel was also present—picked up earlier to fulfill Rin Tohsaka's promise. Kain didn't mind her presence, though Rin gave a soft snort in disapproval.

"Everyone, the Holy Grail War is over. The remaining participants are now either my subordinates, maids, or members of the alliance. And—"

Kain glanced briefly at Rin Tohsaka, then shook his head and continued.

'This guy!! He was definitely about to say I'm the only one who didn't join!'

Rin clenched her fists in silent frustration.

So did Medusa, thinking the same. She planned to give Kain a lesson before returning to the Grail—to remind him she wasn't just some maid.

…Though she conveniently forgot that she had already been doing maid-like tasks, such as serving tea and cooking.

Kain smiled. "The Holy Grail is often seen as a wish-granting device, but in truth, the war is a path to the Root. All of us, in one way or another, have had hopes tied to that. Once I seize control of the Root, I'll help fulfill everyone's wishes—together."

…

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