The Most Important Transaction

"That still really hurts."

Leaning against the corner, Naoki clutched his chest tightly.

"That idiot, even though I told him to do as he pleased, he still drained my Mana without mercy. My vitality is almost completely depleted... cough cough cough!"

He coughed heavily a few times, leaned against the corner, and stretched his head to glance at the warehouse diagonally across from him. After all, he had come here during the day to scout the area, so Naoki had a good idea of where he could get a full view of the battle between the two men. Earlier, he had checked almost all the spots, and the only one left was this warehouse not far away.

Given Kayneth's arrogant personality, he would definitely choose a position where he could observe the entire battle from a high vantage point. Noble Magi from the Clock Tower like him always considered themselves superior to others. For Kayneth, the Holy Grail War was the most worthy drama for him to watch.

"However, if he's not here either, then tonight we truly won't gain anything and will have been drained dry for nothing."

Sneaking into the warehouse from a blind spot, trying to keep his footsteps as quiet as possible, Naoki quietly approached the stairs leading to the roof and climbed to the second floor.

'Considering the opponent is a Magus, he might have already detected my presence and set up sensory or barrier Magecraft, so I can't avoid it even if I want to. If this is the premise, the opponent hasn't made any moves so far. Either I missed him, or the opponent doesn't take me seriously at all.'

With Kayneth's pride, even if he discovered Naoki, he wouldn't leave. Instead, he would patiently wait for him to appear and then kill him. In Kayneth's eyes, all the participants of this Holy Grail War except him and Tokiomi were third-rate and wouldn't be given much attention.

This carelessness and underestimation of the enemy was Naoki's only chance.

Crouching at the door and holding his breath, Naoki already had a plan in mind.

'Quick and decisive, capture him before the other party summons Lancer back!'

Glancing at the Command Spells on the back of his hand, Naoki immediately said: "By the power of the Command Spells, come to my side, Saber!"

Red light flashed, and on the Command Spells that resembled the Millennium Eye, the top stroke exploded into a vortex of pure Mana, and the next moment Arthur's figure appeared beside Naoki.

"Saber! The roof!"

"Yes!"

Arthur immediately understood Naoki's intention, then swung his sword to cut through the ceiling of the building, and leaped to the roof while holding onto Naoki.

Seeing Kayneth standing not far away with a clearly frightened expression on his face and even preparing to use his Command Spells to summon Lancer, Naoki hurriedly said: "Subdue him, Saber! Keep him alive!"

"Yes!"

As the words fell, a strong wind blew past Naoki. In just a blink of an eye, Arthur had rushed in front of Kayneth. The defensive Magecraft around Kayneth shattered instantly. The invisible sword was placed against the opponent's neck, and the blade slightly cut into his throat.

"If possible, I don't want to attack anyone other than Servants. My Master seems to have something he wants to ask you, so please cooperate."

It was a very polite statement, but coupled with Arthur's murderous gaze, Kayneth reluctantly lowered his hand, which was engraved with Command Spells and about to be raised.

He would die. Even if he wanted to resist, he would be beheaded before he could activate the Command Spells. Kayneth clearly realized this. He had actually used his Command Spells during the trial stage on the first night of the Holy Grail War. How reckless!

Any suggestions?

Is there no sense of etiquette at all? As a Magus, the opponent is extremely rude, which is even more despicable than Kiritsugu, who uses modern technology!

"Huff... Haaah…"

After taking a few deep breaths and finally recovering from the emptiness caused by Arthur draining his Mana, Naoki dragged his trembling legs toward Kayneth. This time he truly admired himself for not fainting from the Mana depletion.

'Compared to the pain of the curse, the Mana depletion is actually a bit easier. Have I gotten used to the pain or even slightly accustomed to it?'

Sighing softly, Naoki looked at Kayneth and said, "Nice to meet you, Lord Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald. Sorry to meet you in such a rude manner, but unfortunately, this is the only way I can do it."

"Master Saber, didn't I think he was just a brat? Hmph." Kayneth's face was full of disdain, as if it wasn't him who had a sword pressed against his neck. He remained as arrogant and haughty as ever—and he deserved a beating.

Naoki smiled bitterly. "It might sound a bit sudden, but I'd like to ask Lord El-Melloi to sign a simple contract with me. Of course, since I don't know Magecraft, you'll have to prepare the parchment."

If possible, Naoki wanted a self-enforcing certificate with stricter rules, but that was a contract that used Magic Crests as the medium, and Naoki didn't have a Magic Crest, so he could only settle for the next best thing.

"A contract?"

Kayneth couldn't help but frown.

'He went through so much trouble to sneak up on me, even using a Command Spell to summon his Servant to threaten me, and his main goal is to make me sign a contract with him?'

"What are you planning?"

"I want to ask you to become my Magecraft teacher, Lord El-Melloi." Naoki said.

"The contract contains three clauses."

"First, Lord Kayneth El-Melloi must teach basic Magecraft to Natsukawa Naoki at least five times during the Holy Grail War. No conditions are allowed."

"Second, Lord Kayneth El-Melloi must do his utmost to guarantee the safety of Natsukawa Naoki during the Holy Grail War, and must not allow Natsukawa Naoki to be harmed directly or indirectly by the Master or Servant."

"Third, Natsukawa Naoki and his Servants are prohibited from doing anything that endangers Lord Kayneth El-Melloi during the Holy Grail War."

Making a contract with Kayneth to teach him Magecraft was the fastest way Naoki could think of to gain power. Kayneth was a top-tier lecturer at the Clock Tower and a Magus of the Brand: Color rank. His Magecraft and teaching level needed no further explanation. Getting his guidance would undoubtedly shorten the time needed to learn Magecraft.

Of course, Naoki also considered Tokiomi, but the existence of Gilgamesh made him abandon this idea from the start. He might be able to make a fuss about saving Sakura, but regarding Gilgamesh... Naoki truly had no idea what actions he would take.

Moreover, targeting Kayneth would be relatively easier. The Servant's combat power crushed Magi, and as a non-Magus, he could make the arrogant Kayneth lower his guard as much as possible.

And—

"For me, these three clauses might cause some problems, but compared to the price you're paying, these issues can be completely ignored."

After carefully considering Naoki's conditions, Kayneth frowned and asked, "What is your goal? What do you want to achieve by paying such an unequal price?"

"You don't need to know this, Lord El-Melloi. Right now, you only need to answer whether you're willing to sign the contract with me. This is a great opportunity to reduce one enemy. You only need to pay a little basic knowledge for a Magus, and you can make Saber and me semi-permanently retire. You've gained a lot of profit."

"Do you also have unrealistic fantasies like that idiot Waver Velvet?" Kayneth looked at Naoki with disgust.

"Whatever you say, if you don't sign it, I'll let Saber do it."