Kayneth’s Plan

'How long has my consciousness been lost in the depths?'

After witnessing the tiger devour the evil spirit, Naoki completely lost control of his own consciousness. He was still aware, but he couldn't control it. It was as if someone else was controlling him, drawing him closer and closer to the tiger.

And then, in one bite, he was swallowed!

"AH------!"

At the moment the tiger swallowed him, Naoki's consciousness returned to his body, but when he opened his eyes, all he saw was pure whiteness. He reached out his hand to touch it.

"Who covered my eyes?"

"I did."

It was Kayneth's voice that answered.

At this moment, Naoki's eyes were covered with a cloth, and the cloth itself was inscribed with a large number of suppression spells written by Kayneth. Although it was unclear how much a Mystic Eye of Gemstone-level could be suppressed, they only needed to wait until the Mystic Code was delivered.

Until then, this was all they could rely on.

"First of all, I want to congratulate you, Naoki. You've shown extraordinary talent as a Magus."

"Your elemental attributes are wind and fire. Dual attributes aren't particularly rare, but your Magic Circuits are quite impressive for a first-generation Magus. You have thirty main Magic Circuits and eight sub-circuits. The quality of your circuits is also quite high."

Naoki didn't fully understand the professional terms, but this was supposed to be praise, right?

"And what amazes me even more is your Mystic Eyes."

"Mystic Eyes?" Naoki touched the seal over his eyes. "I have Mystic Eyes? So this eyepatch is..."

"Your Mystic Eyes awakened when your Magic Circuits were unlocked. It seems your eyes were influenced by your Origin. The ability of your Mystic Eyes is extremely powerful, enough to be evaluated as a Mystic Eye of Gemstone-level. If you were in the Clock Tower, you would undoubtedly be given a Sealing Designation."

"A Sealing Designation?!"

Naoki's body trembled involuntarily.

Of course, he knew what a Sealing Designation was. It was a system created by the Clock Tower to protect Magus with rare talents. Of course, it was protection in name only—in reality, it was used as an excuse to detain and capture Magus who possessed rare talents or violated taboos, imprisoning them for life.

The Mage's Association treated and protected holders of Magecraft that couldn't be learned and were only possible due to lineage and physical traits as valuable assets. Once a Magus designated for sealing was captured, the Mage's Association would do everything in their power to ensure that the Magus's Magecraft remained unchanged and could be passed down to future generations as a valuable sample. In other words, it was no different from being a specimen preserved in formaldehyde.

It was a Sealing Designation based on good intentions for the Mage's Association, but for the chosen Magus, it was no different from a death sentence.

And now, Kayneth was saying that he would be given a Sealing Designation and preserved in formaldehyde just because of his Mystic Eyes? What exactly were his Mystic Eyes? They couldn't possibly be on the same level as the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception!

"Master, can you tell me more about my Mystic Eyes... what exactly can they do? Since you've sealed them, you must have made this decision after understanding their danger."

"Spiritual erosion. They forcibly corrupt all spirits and turn them into evil spirits. Even Servants cannot withstand their power and absoluteness. Sola and I almost became living corpses after just one or two seconds of eye contact with you."

Spiritual erosion?

Did that mean if he went back and walked around a graveyard, all the ghosts there would turn into evil spirits? A Hyakki Yagyo? And even Servants weren't immune. If this seal were removed during the Holy Grail War...

Placing his hand on the sealing cloth, Naoki hesitated for a long time before finally suppressing the urge to try removing the seal: "I won't remove this seal until I can control my Mystic Eyes."

"No, this seal is only temporary. I've already contacted a rare Magus through El-Melloi. She can create a Mystic Code capable of sealing Mystic Eyes. The Mystic Code will be delivered in two days. Once it arrives, you can replace this cloth with the Mystic Code."

'A Mystic Code to suppress Mystic Eyes... Mystic Eye Killer? Does that mean Touko is in Japan?'

The Grand Puppeteer, Aozaki Touko, is currently one of the two Magus in the Type-Moon world explicitly stated to be Grand Magus. The other is the head of the Yggdmillennia clan in the Fate Apocrypha timeline, Danic Preston Yggdmillennia. However, the latter was not granted the title of Grand due to his level of Magecraft but was promoted to the title through political maneuvering.

In fact, the only known Magus to truly possess the level of a Grand Master is Aozaki Touko.

If the Mystic Eyes she created could kill, then a Mystic Eye of Gemstone-level should be able to suppress them.

Kayneth sighed wearily, sitting on the sofa and narrowing his eyes: "You are undoubtedly talented, Naoki, though your value is heavily concentrated in your Mystic Eyes. Without them, you're just an ordinary Magus with modest talent. You must remember this clearly."

"I see."

"Let's end this teaching session here. Honestly, I've already done far more than just teach. Saber, take your Master back to his room and wait until the Mystic Eye Killer is delivered before starting the remaining four teaching sessions."

"Thank you very much for your help, Lancer Master."

After thanking Kayneth, Arthur helped Naoki to his feet and walked toward the door.

"I can walk on my own, Saber."

"Don't be so stubborn right now, Master. You're very tired. I'll help you back to your room to rest."

Watching the two leave, Kayneth fell silent for a moment before chuckling: "A pleasant surprise, truly a pleasant surprise. I didn't expect to acquire such a trump card. It seems the final winner of this Holy Grail War has already been decided—it will be me."

"Master, are you planning to use those Mystic Eyes?" Lancer immediately guessed Kayneth's intentions.

Indeed, if Naoki's Mystic Eyes were used correctly, they would be a devastating and unbeatable advantage in the Holy Grail War. Moreover, since they are Mystic Eyes, they are difficult to avoid and could be considered the ultimate first-sight kill.

But—

"I must object to this, Master." Lancer knelt on the ground and said, "Master, there's no need to use such an unpleasant power. I, Lancer, will surely present the Holy Grail to you with my two spears in hand."

"Are you trying to defy my orders?"

"I wouldn't dare. It's just that using someone else... Moreover, Master Saber is currently considered your student. This move is too cruel and inhumane."

"Hah, I thought you'd say something like that."

Kayneth stood up and walked to the French window, overlooking the city of Fuyuki below.

"It's only natural for a student to dedicate themselves to their teacher in return for the kindness of their guidance. He's not a Magus and still has the common sense of a normal person. I doubt he would refuse my request as his teacher."

"Besides, guiding a student to conduct field observations and training is also part of a teacher's duties."