A soft, moonlight-like silver glow emanated from 'Irisviel's' body.
Her hands were clasped at her chest, as if she were a true saint devoutly praying.
Every inch of her skin seemed to shimmer with a gentle halo, her bare feet as white as snow, exuding an inviolable sacred aura, as if she didn't belong to this world.
To be precise, she truly didn't belong to this world...
After all, the Winter Saint had died over two hundred years ago.
So, what existed now in Irisviel's body was merely a lingering fragment of her consciousness.
Even so, pulling off a slight 'cheat' to locate Lancer wasn't particularly difficult.
After all, in a sense, the Winter Saint was the Greater Holy Grail.
Unfortunately, she was now far too weak, with too little magical energy at her disposal.
As Alvin looked at her almost ethereal form, he couldn't help but worry that she might dissipate mid-'divination' due to mana depletion.
After about five minutes, the glow around Irisviel gradually faded.
The woman slowly opened her eyes, turning to Alvin as her red lips parted, and she said softly, "I've found Lancer's location."
Her voice was as melodious as a heavenly melody, yet it carried an ethereal, almost unreal quality, as if she could vanish from the city at any moment.
Noticing the concern in Alvin's eyes, 'Irisviel' gazed at him gently.
"Don't worry, Saber... Even if I disappear, Irisviel won't die."
"In the end, I'm merely clinging to the surface of this body. Once my consciousness fades, the real Irisviel will awaken."
Her tone remained soft and calm, as if she were speaking of something utterly ordinary.
Since sacrificing herself two hundred years ago to create the Greater Holy Grail with the Third Magic for the sake of humanity, the Winter Saint had never placed much weight on her own life.
For her, as long as her wish could be fulfilled, she would be content...though, from the current situation, that wish seemed utterly unattainable.
To materialize souls and save all of humanity...
That was the wish of the woman named Justeaze Lizrich von Einzbern.
Yet now, the Greater Holy Grail was tainted by the 'black mud,' and the 'friends' who had once promised to save humanity alongside her were no longer in this world.
The mages participating in the Holy Grail War today were mostly driven by their own desire to reach the place every mage dreamed of.
—The Root.
Alvin silently gazed at the silver-haired beauty before him.
Though she was manifesting through Irisviel's body, her demeanor, tone, and aura were worlds apart from Irisviel's.
Cool, gentle, her eyes filled with a compassionate love for humanity, she exuded an elusive, untouchable ethereal quality.
Yet, when those vivid crimson eyes turned to Alvin, their flowing gaze seemed to carry an indescribable allure, a natural charm.
To save all of humanity... Such a wish sounded lofty and intangible, yet the Winter Saint of the past had indeed given everything for it.
Even now, with only a fragment of her consciousness lingering in the world...
Alvin didn't consider himself the type to sacrifice himself for the world.
For him, it was enough that the people around him were safe.
"..Is there perhaps some way to keep your wisp of consciousness preserved?"
Alvin suddenly said.
The Winter Saint from two hundred years ago gave a gentle smile.
She wore a plain white long dress, pure white thigh-high stockings wrapping a pair of shapely beautiful legs as she walked to the windowsill and picked up the red wine glass on the table.
She only lightly swirled the wine glass, not drinking, and looked at Alvin with ambiguous yet gentle eyes.
Her proud, upright chest stretched the fabric, faintly revealing a glimpse of snow-white skin, exuding a charm that blended purity with allure.
She glanced at the tightly closed room door outside, knowing without thinking that Illya must be waiting for them outside at this moment and then walked to Alvin's front, slightly lowering her eyelids.
"..Why would you want to help me, Saber?"
From this angle, it seemed possible to faintly glimpse the perfect curve of Irisviel's chest.
Though he knew this body did not belong to the Winter Saint, Alvin was still nearly dazzled blind by the beautiful curve of the silver-haired beauty's chest and almost blurted out what he thought in his mind unconsciously.
Isn't this the reason enough?
Fortunately, he slightly restrained his thoughts, gave a light cough, and said: "..Irisviel… why did you want to save the humanity in the past?"
When unsure or unwilling to answer a question, answering a question with a question is often the best method.
Hearing Alvin's inquiry, Irisviel clearly showed a trace of confusion.
Two hundred years may not sound long, but those who have truly experienced this long time can clearly know the weight of this time unit.
In these two hundred years, her only obsession was 'saving humanity,' but as for why she wanted to do so… she had already completely forgotten.
"..Maybe I forgot, or maybe… I just simply wanted to do it, without reason."
Irisviel said softly.
Just after finishing speaking, she seemed to realize something and instinctively looked at the young man.
"..You…"
"..I'm the same as you."
Alvin smiled:
"..Just simply wanting to help a bit… no reason."
"..If I had to give a reason, isn't our current relationship enough, Master?"
Master, this name in the Holy Grail War signified an unbreakable contract relationship...at least for most Servants and Masters, it is so.
Alvin and Irisviel's contract was purely an accident, but regardless of how it came about, they were undeniably Master and Servant now.
So, upon hearing this term, Irisviel seemed stunned for a moment.
Then soon, her vivid red beautiful eyes slowly softened.
Her fair, slender fingertips gently tucked a wisp of silver hair behind her ear, and then she softly said:
"..You're right, now you are my Servant… wanting to save your Master is also very reasonable."
"..My wisp of consciousness can persist until now entirely because it relies on this body's original magic power… but this magic power will soon completely vanish."
"..After all, the 'Lesser Holy Grail' is no longer in Irisviel's body."
Originally, Irisviel could summon a Servant and provide magic power because of the Lesser Holy Grail's existence, but now the Lesser Holy Grail had been transferred to Manaka Sajyou's body.
To put it plainly, once the magic power in Irisviel's body completely vanished, it meant that the Winter Saint's wisp of consciousness would also completely disappear from this world.
Unexpectedly, this master-servant pair....one unable to provide magic power, the other with a Root connection in a 'sealed' state… just thinking of this, Alvin couldn't help but secretly sigh in his heart.
"..Is there any way, I can help you?"
Alvin suddenly said.
"..The Greater Holy Grail is now hidden deep within Ryudou Temple. As long as I get close to it, I have a way to obtain magical energy."
Irisviel paused, her expression soon becoming more complex as she said: "..But before that, this body needs to first acquire magical energy. Only then can it analyze the Greater Holy Grail's structure and let its magical energy flow into my body."
Needing magical energy to analyze the Greater Holy Grail, but Irisviel's current magical energy is insufficient to support the analysis… isn't this already stuck at the first step?
Alvin was momentarily stumped.
But soon, a thought flashed through his mind.
Perhaps Kayneth might have some way…?
…
"..The eighth Servant, huh…?"
In a skyscraper in the new city district, a man with meticulously combed blonde hair stood by the window, looking down through the floor-to-ceiling glass at the nighttime city.
Fuyuki...
To be honest, before coming to this city, Kayneth had never given it a second glance and why would he?
After all, compared to the Clock Tower, which far surpassed Fuyuki in both heritage and strength, this small seaside city had nothing worthy of attention.
However, now, in less than two days, the Servants summoned by these Masters one after another had given this young master a heavy blow.
Perhaps the strength and heritage of those Masters were mediocre… but the combat power of the Servants they summoned could not be underestimated.
Now, there was even a suspected eighth Servant…
"..Under normal circumstances, the Holy Grail War can only have seven Servants… but there are always exceptions.
If I'm not mistaken, this eighth Servant is likely a Ruler descended to ensure the fairness of the Holy Grail War, right?"
Kayneth turned back to look at Mordred, who was sitting on the sofa, looking completely disinterested, and said. "..Lancer, are you still thinking about tonight's events?"
Tonight, to ensure the safety and advantage of their side, Kayneth had to recall Mordred…
Although he had promised that if the White Dragon was in danger, he would allow her to go support, this had ultimately left the rebellious knight quite dissatisfied.
Mordred looked at Kayneth with an annoyed expression and said.
"..Since you know, why bother asking, Master?"
"..You also know the relationship between Saber and me. If something really happened to him tonight—"
Before she could finish, Kayneth interrupted and spoke.
"..Tonight, Morgan le Fay and King Arthur were also present, right? With them there, Saber can't possibly be in trouble, can he?"
Morgan le Fay…
Before this, no one would have thought she would travel to modern Fuyuki and even participate in the Holy Grail War.
And her Servant was none other than her sister, King Arthur.
This was less like a Holy Grail War and more like a Britannian family drama…
Even Kayneth couldn't help but feel an urge to comment inwardly.
"..That's true…" Mordred was still full of frustration and said: "..But I still can't stay out of it…"
At her final words, she looked up into Kayneth's eyes, her tone full of seriousness.
"..Master… if something really happens to him tonight, I will stop at nothing to kill those targeting him."
Kayneth glanced at her unintentionally, and upon seeing the seriousness in her eyes, he quietly withdrew his gaze.
For Kayneth, it was hard to empathize with Mordred…
After all, for him, the only thing that truly mattered was winning the Holy Grail War.
Getting into an internal conflict with Lancer over this was not what he wanted to see.
He really didn't know what the White Dragon had done to make the so-called rebellious knight Mordred so devoted…
Kayneth sighed inwardly.
He was about to say something when a pleasant female voice suddenly came from the living room.
"..Isn't it pretty good? If something really happens to Saber, letting Lancer take revenge one by one isn't bad.
Anyway, no matter what, the Holy Grail War will ultimately have only one winner, and the other Servants will have to face each other sooner or later."
In the living room, a sexily dressed short-haired woman walked to the balcony, holding a red wine glass with a faint smile on her face.
Sola-Ui Nuada-Re Sophia-Ri… Kayneth's fiancée.
For his fiancée, Kayneth could be said to dote on her to the extreme (well...you can use terms such as simp..the famous licking dog) so at this moment, even if he wanted to say something, he could only sigh inwardly and speak.
"..Lancer's worries are completely unnecessary… I received intelligence not long ago that Berserker was already eliminated by Saber tonight."
"..Vortigern was eliminated tonight?!"
Mordred looked up in shock.
Although she had always firmly believed Alvin would win, she still hadn't expected that the White Dragon, who once suppressed all of Britain to the point of suffocation… would be defeated in his first appearance.
Kayneth slightly nodded, confirming, and said: "..So now what we need to do is focus on preparing for the Holy Grail War… Perhaps, your father might end up being our enemy."
"..Lancer, you must prepare yourself mentally in advance."
These words were both a precaution for Mordred and a reminder that this is the cruel Holy Grail War…
Even if facing your parents, you must go all out.
Being a soft-footed shrimp in a great battle is unacceptable.
Mordred was slightly silent and said: "..I know."
Although whether facing Morgan, Altria, or Alvin, she felt a bit of innate timidity, if she were to cower before fighting… she would look down on herself, wouldn't she?
Alright… next time, even if facing her mother or father, she must draw her weapon and confront them directly!
Mordred soon made up her mind, her eyes igniting with fighting spirit.
"..Speaking of which, the White Dragon Vortigern was the old king… So what is your father's name exactly?"
Sola suddenly asked curiously.
The world only knows that the new king who killed Vortigern was Britain's Night Watchman, but few know what that person's name actually was.
"..Haven't I told you?"
Mordred looked at Kayneth strangely, opened her mouth, and was about to speak.
Knock, knock…
At that moment, a knocking sound came from outside the room.
Mordred's body instinctively tensed, but Kayneth beside her remained quite calm, saying rather proudly.
"..Don't worry, I've already set up numerous magical barriers in advance. No magecraft can breach this building's defenses, so even if it's an enemy, there's no need to worry."
Saying this, he looked toward the door and said in a deep voice:
"..Who is outside?"
As soon as his words fell, a young man's gentle voice came from outside: "..Teacher…"
Hearing this voice, Kayneth was clearly stunned, almost blurting out: "..Alvin?"
How could he be here…?
You must know, the Clock Tower is far from Fuyuki. Alvin, who was at the Clock Tower… how could he be here at this moment?
However, while Kayneth's heart was filled with confusion, the next word he heard Mordred beside him say, made him freeze. "..Father…?"
".."
For a moment, the atmosphere in the room seemed to fall silent.
After Mordred said those words, Kayneth's pupils slowly widened.
His expression first remained unchanged, then, as his mind turned to mush, his face gradually froze and he instinctively looked at Mordred, as if he had seen a ghost.
"..What did you just call him…?"
.
.