Chapter 13: Caster's Hostility
Not long after Ryuunosuke Uryuu died, Caster, who was building his own magecraft workshop far away, received the news.
"No—! My recently acquired friend, Ryuunosuke! He was so important to me... Ah, well, actually not that important. But... who killed you!!"
Caster was situated in the darkness—not a hollow darkness, but a viscous, concentrated darkness, a darkness beyond limits, like a rancid decay. An overpowering, nauseating smell of blood emanated throughout, mixed with faint moans and sobs from various places.
It was a place where various horrors could be perceived. The dark curtain that currently obscured all sight was perhaps a merciful screen.
In this darkness, there was a circle of faint white light, like a full moon seen while looking up from under the water.
It was a crystal ball, about the size of a yarn ball.
The hazy white light was an image floating within the crystal ball. In that image, the corpse of Ryuunosuke Uryuu appeared, along with a fleeting glimpse of a red-haired boy.
"Was it you..."
After knowing the culprit, Caster did not immediately take action for revenge. This recently acquired friend was ultimately something that could be discarded at any time compared to Caster's objective for participating in this Holy Grail War.
Taking a deep breath, the sorrowful expression on Caster's face gradually disappeared. He continued to look at the image in the crystal ball as if nothing were wrong, and in that image, fingers like withered wood tightly gripped a yellowed book.
.
.
.
"Damn it! Why is there no response?! Has the Lancer Class already been taken by someone else?!"
The mood of Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald could be described as utterly terrible at this moment.
Having his Sacred Relic stolen by his own student was already extremely irritating. Now, even the spare Sacred Relic he intended to use to summon Diarmuid Ua Duibhne, known as the 'Luminous Countenance' in Celtic mythology, had become ineffective.
"Why is this happening..."
Originally, even if he couldn't summon Diarmuid Ua Duibhne under the Lancer Class, he could still summon him under the Saber Class. However, it was a known fact that the Saber Class had already been summoned by the Einzbern side.
"Damn it! Which bastard did this? If I find you, I will make you pay the price!"
Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald was an undeniable genius; this was universally acknowledged. And he himself rightfully accepted this title, constantly training his magecraft to live up to the name 'genius.'
And now, Kayneth's magecraft had reached a height where virtually no one among his peers could compare.
In addition to the title of 'genius,' Kayneth also carried the high expectations of countless people. Everyone in his family believed he was the one who could ultimately reach the Root.
If he continued to grow, this outcome was practically guaranteed. Therefore, Kayneth believed that what he needed was no longer slow learning, but the baptism of battle.
It was precisely for this reason that Kayneth had come to this country, which he considered incredibly backward, and to Fuyuki City to participate in the Holy Grail War, which he viewed as akin to a peasants' brawl.
Although Kayneth looked down on the mages participating in the Holy Grail War, he did not dare to underestimate the power of the Heroic Spirits. Even the most powerful Magus would not dare to compare themselves to beings like Heroic Spirits.
The modern Age of Magecraft, compared to the former Age of Gods, could be said to have reached its ultimate decline. Magecraft from the Age of Gods was mostly lost, and modern sorceries were largely the result of continuous research and study by later generations.
Of course, there were a few exceptional sorceries that would have been dazzling even in the Age of Gods, but overall, they were few and far between. Furthermore, some of these were Grand Sorceries that required enormous magical energy and the efforts of many magi to cast.
That level of magecraft was simply not a power an individual could achieve. And Kayneth did not believe any human could individually cast such powerful Grand Magecraft.
As Kayneth fumed over his Sacred Relic losing its effect, a red-haired woman walked out of the bathroom. She had hair as crimson as an apple, and her beautiful face seemed devoid of emotion, giving the impression of an ice-cold beauty.
Kayneth could be angry with anyone, but with this fiancée, he absolutely did not want to hurt her in any way.
"What in the world happened, that you would be so angry?"
To Sola's inquiry, Kayneth took a deep breath. Only after suppressing his anger did he reply in a calm tone, "I made all the preparations, but now I can't summon the Servant I want. This humiliation is something I have never felt before!"
Sola frowned at his words, asking in a somewhat challenging tone, "So, are we just going to go back like this?"
Although Kayneth deeply loved his fiancée, Sola did not seem to appreciate it at all. After all, their union was merely an engagement, so Sola actually held no affection for him.
"I..." Kayneth was stunned for a moment, and he anxiously paced back and forth, unsure of what to do.
While he was racking his brain for a solution, a knock sounded on the door of the luxurious suite.
Knock, knock, knock!
"Who is disturbing us this late? What is wrong with this hotel?" Sola stood up irritably, walked to the door, and opened it.
Then, upon seeing the person outside the door, a high-pitched female scream immediately erupted.
"Ah—!!!"
Hearing Sola's startled cry, Kayneth immediately rushed forward, regardless of anything else.
"What happened?!"
When he reached the doorway, Kayneth froze upon seeing the figure standing outside the door.
"You are..."
The man, with eyes nearly bulging out of their sockets and wearing a large robe, stood at the doorway performing a noble-like courtesy toward Kayneth. The irregularly twitching corner of his mouth formed a bizarre smile.
"Shall we make a deal?"
That eerie smile gave the impression of a devil.