Chapter 16: Lancer is a Loyal Subject

For Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald, the world, in truth, did not possess much value.

His life had unfolded as a series of "obvious" progressions. Born into a family with an ancient history, it was only natural to possess superior talent in Magecraft. Inheriting the Archibald name—originally of the nobility—and aspiring to be a ruler was only natural. Becoming a professor at the Clock Tower and leading a faction was likewise natural. These were paths prepared for him by others, yet simultaneously, they were the only choices he had from a selection that barely existed.

Nurturing the talent he possessed, attaining the positions prepared for him, and striving for the honors presented to him. He had walked this obvious path as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

To the people around him, his life likely appeared incredibly glamorous. Kayneth himself had no intention of denying that. However, if asked whether he could truly affirm it, he would have tilted his head in thought.

A beautiful, magnificent life, guaranteed for success. A life envied by all.

But no matter how beautiful it might be—if there is nothing but brilliance, how is that different from a world in monochrome? One can perceive beauty only because they know ugliness. One feels loneliness only because they know the radiant. Surrounded only by splendor, could he truly believe that his life was "wonderful"?

Humans always make relative evaluations. Even what we believe to be absolute is, in reality, a relative judgment based on experience. Without a subject for comparison, value remains at zero.

Can a person covered only in blood consider themselves unhappy? Can a person who has absolutely nothing consider themselves empty? Not without knowing anything else.

And so, for example: Could Kayneth truly believe his life was wonderful, when for him, everything was merely "obvious"?

He possessed a sense of omnipotence. He desired nothing to begin with, so he felt no dissatisfaction. Things he didn't even seek would fill his life automatically, simply because he didn't refuse them. This was... well, it was enough to taste a fragment of omnipotence as a sensation. But it was an utterly meaningless sensation, as if to say, "So what?" Something that wouldn't change whether it existed or not—that is all it was.

In short, it was just "there."

His only job was to keep walking the path. There was nothing else, and no one he sought. He simply existed as he was.

This was also reflected in his stance as a Magus. Take, for instance, the thesis Waver had brought to him. To put it simply, it argued for "improving the ventilation" of the Clock Tower and granting rights to third-rate Magi like themselves.

It was meaningless. Kayneth even felt it was incomprehensible. To him, the current state of affairs was the natural order; anything else was unnatural. It wasn't even a matter of whether Waver's thesis was good or bad. Both the Clock Tower and Magi were exactly as they should be. Altering that form was not good. Because it would no longer be the natural shape that belonged there.

That was how Kayneth had lived. Under normal circumstances, it would have been so until his death.

But then, she appeared. The existence that created a point of comparison for him.

The girl introduced as his fiancée was someone he felt was more beautiful than anything else. In a life where everything had looked the same, for the first time, a "superior" point was born. No matter how slight, he was finally able to make a comparison.

He wanted her. But taking her by force would be meaningless. Doing so would surely tarnish her beauty.

He wanted Sola-Ui’s heart. And...

He wanted to be loved.

Once he allowed himself to think that, there was no stopping it.

Kayneth’s life began to revolve around Sola-Ui. From dawn to dusk, he thought only of her. How could he catch her attention? How could he make her happy? He thought of nothing else, twenty-four hours a day.

These emotions, while not massive, began to influence his values. Though, to be fair, they were already aligned in the same direction. His aristocratic tastes and his pride as a Magus were merely emphasized. But, well... it meant that Sola-Ui, a single woman, had taken root even in those minute details. Deeply, so very deeply.

His one and only beloved. And... someone who was no longer there.

"Sola-Ui..."

His unconscious mutter was likely swallowed up by the void and vanished. It was from a place with a clear view of the battlefield. In one of the nameless, lined-up buildings. With an intense expression, he was embedding a spell into his Mystic Code.

Because his entire Workshop had been wiped out, his pace had slowed significantly. Even so, thanks to Sola-Ui’s sacrifice, his Noble Phantasm had narrowly remained safe. Combined with Kayneth’s caliber of magecraft, he was finishing a task that would take an average magus several days.

In his hands were two silver spheres. Held in perfect spheres by Magecraft, they were heavy and cold, like true metal. ...They bore no resemblance to her hands.

Suddenly, he was seized by an impulse to crush them.

(In exchange for something like this, Sola-Ui is...)

If it was something involved in her death—even if it was something she had protected at the cost of her life—he wanted to destroy it. The world, everything, all of it, whatever caught his eye. What value could there possibly be in such a world, a world without Sola-Ui? How was it different from a world overflowing with dust?

A searing rage overflowed. A purgatory that threatened to lead him to his own ruin. He didn't even feel like trying to control it. Yet, the reason he did not destroy the Mystic Code was, after all, because Sola-Ui had protected it. That must have been it.

He relaxed his grip and gently held the silver spheres. Even as he felt the freezing cold against his palms, his thoughts remained only of Sola-Ui.

That last smile he saw on her face. As he desperately tried to recall it, it seemed vivid, yet blurred.

(Was that... truly directed at me?)

He almost wished his hands would freeze and shatter. If they did, perhaps the coldness in his heart would vanish as well.

He was confident that he loved Sola-Ui more than anyone else in the world. Yet, by the same measure, he did not understand her at all.

Why wouldn't she look at him? What did she like about Lancer? Her favorite things, her favorite foods, her favorite places... he understood those small things, yet he understood nothing of what truly mattered.

...In truth, was that smile directed at Lancer? That suspicion would not leave him. To the very end, the Servant he had desired and summoned would haunt him. Should he even bother laughing at this point?

Even if invisible, he could feel the intense convergence of magical energy from the Command Spells. How many times had he considered pouring strength into them to order Lancer to commit suicide?

Sola-Ui was taken from him. That was the sole reason he detested Lancer.

A superficial loyalty. To that man, what mattered was the seat of the Master; as long as the one sitting in that seat was within his range of tolerance, anyone would do. The one he pledged loyalty to was not Kayneth, but merely the one holding the Command Spells. Yet, Kayneth had been able to compromise on that. He surely felt displeasure. But if it was for the sake of victory... no, even the pretext of victory wasn't necessary. To Kayneth, such things were, in the end, just one of many irrelevant factors.

In the latter half, he had made some effort to understand the man. But as expected, that fool didn't get it. What mattered weren't trivial things like background or qualifications.

No matter how likable a Servant he might have been, simply having Sola-Ui by his side made Kayneth hate him. If only that one thing were different, Kayneth might have even been able to play the role of the lord Lancer sought.

Sola-Ui was gone now. There were no longer any obstacles to killing Lancer. Thus, it should have been fine to kill him.

But not yet. At least, not until he had slaughtered the sworn enemy who killed Sola-Ui.

Whether he could call it "fortunate" or not, he didn't know. But Kayneth no longer doubted Lancer's loyalty. He hadn't sworn loyalty to Kayneth, but to his Lord. Once he understood that, it was easier to accept. It was something akin to a desire for honor. As long as that desire wasn't satisfied, he wouldn't betray him.

As long as he knew that. Even if that final smile had been stolen from him, he could continue to use him. Until every last enemy was eradicated.

Perhaps this way of thinking was possible only because Sola-Ui’s death had removed what stood between them. To finally be able to use him while ignoring personal feelings, only after the person he wanted to protect most had died... what a cruel irony.

He gripped the silver spheres a little tighter and stood up. He would suppress his dark thoughts for now. It wasn't difficult; for a magus, self-restraint was a matter of habit.

However, the emotion that overflowed next... that alone he could not control, nor did he have any intention to.

"Just you wait..."

In short, it was a hatred.

If anyone had seen his expression then, they likely couldn't have even approached him due to his terrifying countenance.

An anger and sorrow that transcended all concepts of madness and sanity. In a sense, it was the emotion most fitting to direct at an Avenger.

"I will make you taste a hundred times the pain and humiliation you inflicted on Sola-Ui..."

For the current Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald, that was his only reason for living.

And so, Kayneth leapt from the roof of the building. It wasn't a familiar sensation, but it was an easy one. Despite the rapidly approaching asphalt, not a hint of panic showed on his face. In a single action, he naturally performed physical reinforcement and gravity control. The impact when his feet touched the ground was no more than if he had stepped off a staircase.

The moment he landed, he sprinted at full speed. He had never engaged in useless, barbaric exercise beyond what was necessary to maintain his health. But even with that level of training, by utilizing Magecraft, he was far faster than poorly driving a car.

As he neared the scene, he noticed one thing. The surroundings were too quiet, yet simultaneously noisy.

He had no special intention of investigating the cause. The source simply happened to be in his path.

What appeared before him were the insects he couldn't forget even if he tried. Black, ominous, filthy—a towering heap of waste covered in defilement. And above all—the killers of Sola-Ui.

The rationality he had desperately maintained collapsed in an instant. Sparks flew behind his eyes, and his Magic Circuits activated on their own. Even his Magic Crest groaned as it activated his only remaining, and strongest, Mystic Code he possessed.

"CRUSH THEM!!!"

It was no longer even an incantation, just a raw scream. Merely the act of passing magical energy through the mold of a Mystic Code to give it form. It was almost insulting to even call it magecraft.

Even so, the fact that it could display such power was thanks to Kayneth's skill. To exercise magecraft while losing the most important element—composure. Still, it was enough to kill the few insects there.

The ground beneath his feet shook violently from the powerful strike. Having carved a large crater into the asphalt, Kayneth finally regained a sliver of calm. Knowing all the insects were dead, he hurriedly lifted Volumen Hydrargyrum and cut off the parts that had come into contact with them.

The silver that fell with a splat alongside the black mud no longer moved by Kayneth’s will. It had returned to being mere mercury, truly devoid of magical energy. The amount of mercury he had to discard wasn't much. However, the insects had certainly failed to exceed the amount of mercury consumed.

He clicked his tongue.

"At this rate, no matter how much I have, it won't be enough."

Muttering curses, he went to look at the remains. Abominable insects. But the fact that they were in such a place was certainly bothersome.

In the corner of the crater, scraps of cloth were scattered. Torn apart by the bugs, and further crushed by Volumen Hydrargyrum. It was only by finding the shape of a cuff that he could tell they were clothes. Not just for one person; likely for about two.

"Onlookers? Beyond saving, these fools."

With a snort, he spat contempt at the remains.

Even knowing that those Einzbern fools had engaged in acts bordering on terrorism using modern weaponry. Even after witnessing that massive uproar, these were the idiots who came out to a place like this. Normally, one should immediately evacuate far away. In fact, the surrounding residents had begun evacuating shortly after the Civic Center collapsed.

The self-inflicted end of fools lacking a sense of crisis. To Kayneth, these corpses were worth no more than that.

But, if the subject changed, the context changed.

"So these things... were harvesting magical energy through Soul-Eating even while possessing the magical energy of the Holy Grail...?"

He thought as he resumed running.

If he recalled correctly, this entity was originally supposed to be a Magus as well. Then, did it retain the common sense of a Magus regarding the Concealment of Mystery? The moment the thought occurred to him, he shook his head to deny it. It was far too ridiculous an idea for something that seemed driven by nothing but desire.

It was impossible that it lacked the Holy Grail's magical energy. Even if it consumed every human in the city, it wouldn't even amount to ten percent of the Grail's power. Perhaps there was a limit to the amount of magical energy it could output at once, and it was soul-eating in search of more. If so—even if only slightly—it could obtain magical energy exceeding its limit.

He shook his head again, deeper this time.

No matter how much he thought, it was only speculation. Furthermore, it was worthless information to know now. Yes, the problem was...

The fact that they were secretly increasing their numbers outside the battlefield.

He passed through a gap between buildings, and his vision opened up. The battle was still fierce. Even though it was a mere two against a hundred million, it held up as a fight. A tactic born from Lancer capitalizing on his speed while Archer crushed them with raw firepower. Those who prided themselves on speed and technique, paired with those boasting firepower and volume of attacks. If it weren't for these two, it would never have worked. It was also lucky that they were allies and capable of a certain degree of coordination.

He already knew the number of insects had significantly decreased. Through his shared vision with Lancer, he had confirmed that Rider had sealed most of them within his Reality Marble.

They were closing in on the main body, just one step away. But Kayneth knew. He knew that very soon, using multiple onlookers as bait, the insects would gather to increase their numbers.

「Lancer, these things were gaining numbers by soul-eating on the outside. They will arrive shortly.」

Briefly, he unilaterally delivered the message. With this, perhaps... the main body might be eliminated before Kayneth even had to lift a finger.

Half expectation, half resignation. He thought it wouldn't matter as long as it was killed, but he also wanted to slaughter it himself, as brutally and ungraciously as possible.

Whether he heard Lancer relaying the message or not, Archer's movements changed. Had he tried to use some powerful Noble Phantasm? However, the insects' offensive intensified, hindering that movement. He had returned to the original strategy of pushing in bit by bit to reach the main body.

(As expected.)

It was a turn of events he could have easily predicted. Furthermore, it meant Kayneth had gained the chance for his revenge.

There was no longer any value in watching from here. Without a doubt, the insect reinforcements would arrive faster than Lancer and the others could reach the core. When that happened, even if the scales of offense and defense weren't completely flipped, the gap would undeniably narrow. Whether Rider was defeated, or Archer's line collapsed. Either way, time was on the enemy's side.

That is, assuming Kayneth hadn't crafted an Anti-Holy Grail Mystic Code.

「I order you, Lancer. By the power of the Command Spell, unleash the hidden power within you. Close the distance as much as you can before I arrive.」

「As you command, my Lord!」

He used all his remaining Command Spells to boost Lancer’s power. Since Lancer was weak against multiple enemies, a great effect likely couldn't be expected.

Lancer's movements accelerated by a full tier. He wielded his augmented strength to the fullest, shaving away the intensifying resistance. With luck, he might perform well enough to offset the reinforcements.

(According to our shared vision, it should be this way...)

He slaughtered every stray insect he saw. He was no longer swallowed by an anger so intense it robbed him of his sanity. The inner citadel was waiting, exposing its pathetic form. The thought of executing it left no room for madness. Though he would certainly trample it once it was reduced to mud pierced by Volumen Hydrargyrum.

He had caught a fleeting glimpse of the direction Rider had flown off. If so, he should be over there.

The object of his search was found without even needing to look. Standing alone, he was clutching a large sword to his chest—was that the one Rider used? The oversized arming sword was far too large for him, as he was slender like a magus and short in stature; it looked terribly unbalanced.

"Waver! Waver Velvet!"

"Huh? ...Eh, Pro-Professor? Why?"

Waver's response was nothing but sheer bewilderment. His eyes darted around in a panic—yet he kept his tight, protective grip on the sword.

It was only natural for a Master to retreat before his Servant made a suicidal gamble. There was no Master who would willingly die alongside their Servant. If so, it made perfect sense that Waver, the Master, would be in the direction Rider had headed just moments prior.

"Come with me."

He didn't even wait for a reply or an action. Grabbing him by the shoulder, he dragged him along.

Every time he stumbled, Kayneth’s arm was pulled. It was incredibly irritating and troublesome. He felt like throwing him away.

It seemed he had no intention of resisting. He stopped stumbling, and walking became easier. Kayneth quickened his pace, increasing their speed toward the battlefield. To Kayneth, it felt like a brisk walk, but perhaps because of the difference in height, he could hear the sound of Waver jogging.

"Professor, what is going on?! Please explain the situation!"

(Despicably slow on the uptake!)

He nearly shouted at him on impulse. The reason he didn't voice it wasn't that he recognized his own unreasonableness. It was because he felt that energy should be directed at the insects instead.

Waver was a ubiquitous, poor-performing student. His lineage was understandably shallow, he lacked the assets to properly research Magecraft, neither his Magic Circuits nor his Magic Crest had any points worthy of praise, and his actual spellcasting was utterly atrocious. If he differed from other students in any way, it was his needlessly inflated ego and his shameless demands for rights. Either way, he was worthless.

To put it bluntly, he was useless. Of course, in front of a rare genius like Kayneth, most people would end up that way.

But even a third-rate like him was necessary now.

"From now on, we will separate that filth from the Holy Grail. You're at least a shred of a Magus; you're going to work."

"But, I... I have almost no magical energy left."

"Did you think I wouldn't know something that simple? Just be quiet and follow my instructions."

He pressed one of the silver spheres he held into Waver's hand. Waver held it and observed it closely. It was a pointless effort. For someone of Waver's skill, it would take years just to extract the formula. Even looking at it here, he wouldn't even understand how to activate it.

"Watch closely."

He placed his hand next to his shoulder so Waver, who was behind him, could see. He chanted a short incantation.

The sphere sitting in his palm stretched into a cylinder. The tip, which had been sharpened, looked almost like a small arrow.

"This is the launch form. Remember it well. You only need to hit a somewhat clustered target from two points simultaneously. There is no need to affect the Holy Grail itself. Those black things act independently, yet are connected. If the formula invades at one point, the two embedded formulas will resonate with each other, and the effect will cascade to the rest."

The explanation flowed out of him smoothly. Even his tone was disproportionately gentle compared to before.

...Naturally. Because this was something he had prepared for Sola-Ui. She might not have needed such an explanation. But if he made her memorize it, he might have been able to speak with her for even one second longer. That was why he had prepared it.

To think he would end up using it for someone other than Sola-Ui. Kayneth mocked himself.

In truth, he didn't want to entrust a Mystic Code meant for Sola-Ui to anyone else's hands. However, that was nothing more than his own sentimentality. Right now, he had to endure it.

"There is nothing special you need to do. If there were, I would have taken the time to find someone else."

"Yes."

He tried to look down on him with a mix of provocation to regain his pace, but Waver’s voice showed no agitation at all, and his stride remained the same.

Conversely, it threw Kayneth off even more. He didn't like it.

With a snort, he continued.

"There are three things you must do: activate it, aim it, and hit the target at the same time as me. That's all. You don't even need the skills of a Magus. As long as there's a certain cluster within range... I will give the instructions."

With this, there was almost nothing for Waver to do. The chance of failure was practically nonexistent.

All that remained was to slip into the path Lancer and Archer were likely creating and hit the target. With that, he could strike with all the rage he held.

Perhaps there was some arrogance on his part. To begin with, Kayneth was not a warrior. He didn't know the exact places or moments to be wary of. To an attacker, he was the perfect target. Yet he was able to cope only because Volumen Hydrargyrum was extraordinarily exceptional.

A suddenly appearing insect tried to bite him from beneath his feet. Reacting to it, a silver screen deployed in an instant.

"Uwaaah!"

A scream from behind. Kayneth clicked his tongue and moved Volumen Hydrargyrum.

His judgment was not fast, to put it mildly. However, with the deployment and movement speed of Volumen Hydrargyrum, it more than made up for it. He pierced the approaching insect with countless needles and swept it away with a whip of mercury. The part that had become mere mercury fell. But the current amount was still within tolerable limits.

"Professor, I'm sorry..."

"If you feel that way, then learn to defend yourself next time."

He knew he couldn't, but he still wanted to voice a complaint.

He was carrying a burden, but that had been factored in from the moment he decided to use him. The insects could only come here using their spare strength. For Kayneth, who could even defeat a Servant under the right conditions, they were manageable with room to spare.

The only thing he needed to be mindful of was the remaining amount of Volumen Hydrargyrum. After all, it wasn't some cheap Mystic Code where you could simply 'replenish the mercury.'

Overlapping his grudge with the gathering worms, he continued his lecture.

"The effective range of this item itself isn't very long. A few dozen meters at best, but... I will handle the control this time. You don't need to worry about that either. The only thing you must pay attention to is the timing."

The insects were gradually decreasing in number. Was it thanks to Archer and the others fighting valiantly, or Kayneth's own skill? Kayneth himself didn't doubt for a second that it was the latter.

Pierced by silver thrusts. Cleaved in two by blades, pinned down by needles. When they swarmed in a mass, he swept them away with his fastest liquid-flow maneuver, blending with the wind.

Every time a miserable corpse was exposed to the earth, Kayneth's heart cleared, and at the same time, his dark grudge increased.

(Yes, come at me more. If you are to know Sola-Ui's suffering, no matter how many of you die, it won't be enough!)

Precisely because he knew it wasn't such a situation, he didn't chase them around, but he found dark joy in the way the lower organisms—inferior even to maggots—desperately swarmed. He was even secretly enjoying the situation.

It was impossible for the world to not go as he wished. A mindset born precisely because he had lived a smooth, flat life with no real hardships. In this situation—even faced with the tragedy of Sola-Ui's death—there was a naive thought, almost like entitlement, amidst his bitterness at the absurdity. In this situation, there's no way the one to deliver the final blow to my mortal enemy won't be me.

However, that logic applied to the enemy as well. In this situation, there's no way they haven't devised a countermeasure.

"Ah..."

Kayneth let out a hollow sound, as if in a daze. His halted legs lost so much strength he nearly collapsed. He couldn't think. He simply stared blankly ahead, looking as if he were about to cry.

Standing there, was Sola-Ui.

Naturally, she was a fake. Kayneth had seen the exact moment she was devoured alive. It would be one thing if it were a mere accident, but having been attacked by worms possessing magical destructiveness, resurrection was impossible. So, this... that full smile, an expression of affection she had never directed at him. There was no way that belonged to the real Sola-Ui.

(Attack...)

The only ones capable of such a stunt were the worms. Because of that, his judgment was correct. The absolute evidence that it was a fake, coupled with his fury at the enemy for defiling his beloved, forced him to make a decision at maximum speed. It was in a realm that could be called a reflex. Without a doubt, that processing speed alone was in the realm of Servants.

He raised his arm. Even without an incantation, the Volumen Hydrargyrum responded perfectly. All he had to do was swing it down, and he could kill the sickening illusion standing there. He could teach those hateful insects what a grave sin it was to disgrace even Sola-Ui's remains. It was the perfect opportunity to teach them how much that was something they must never touch.

And then... Kayneth's arm froze.

(...I can't.)

In his frustration, he bit his lip hard enough to draw blood.

Even knowing it was a fake. Sola-Ui was the one thing he could never harm. The silver guillotine, held in the shape of a blade, lost its destination.

"Professor!"

A voice like a scream came from behind. The agonizing pain filling his lower body was far faster than the warning.

He instinctively looked down at his own body. Before he knew it, numerous insects had latched onto him. They were currently ravaging him, eating their way upward from the inside. The blade he had formed to execute his enemy was, ironically, used to sever his own body. A sensation of repulsive flesh being bisected just above the waist, as if excising the pain. What he felt was more nausea than pain. An urge to vomit that made him want to spew everything from his mouth—not just gastric acid, but blood and organs as well.

"STOP ITTTTT!"

Waver leaned forward, screaming, and held out his hand. From the tip, a shockwave of little power burst forth. Something so lowly it was insulting to even compare it to Volumen Hydrargyrum. Yet, it was enough to break the humanoid figure imitating Sola-Ui.

Centering on the left chest where it hit, it crumbled back into worms. This time, Kayneth didn't hesitate. He skewered them all at once, along with the ones swarming his severed lower half.

Only his upper body fell with a heavy thud. He didn't brace his fall. He didn't know how, and even if he did, he didn't have the physical strength to spare. That was the extent of his exhaustion.

Perhaps, falling asleep just like that would be very pleasant. At least, if he could part ways with this nausea, that alone seemed meaningful. What interrupted that was a hand slowly cradling his head.

"Pro...fessor. Ah, ahhh..."

The face of his student, reflected upside down. Had it not been for the Holy Grail War, he probably wouldn't have even left an impression. Waver's face felt abnormally large, and at the same time, the sky seemed very small. He learned for the first time just how different the world looked when viewed through complete exhaustion.

He was incredibly sleepy. And tired. It was a miracle he was even conscious.

The Volumen Hydrargyrum lost its shape, returning to mere mercury and spilling out over the ground. It had run out of magical energy. Every last drop of remaining mana was being siphoned by his Magic Crest, barely sustaining Kayneth's life.

Those who inherit Magecraft are not permitted to die by their own will. No matter which Crest it is, a spell for life extension is embedded to pass the techniques to the next generation. However, the Archibald Crest did not specialize in life-preservation. Furthermore, even if he searched the whole world, he could count on one hand the Magic Crests that could compensate for and restore functionality after losing half a body.

In short, there was no saving him. The human known as Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald... would end here.

Once he was certain of that—for some reason, it was incredibly peaceful. If it were his usual self, he would have been screaming hysterically. He even had the leeway to look at it objectively. And, while smiling bitterly, he could accept it.

He could no longer do anything. Then, he should just die in vain like this.

(No.)

There was one thing he had to do. Kayneth’s last resort.

Crying and crumbling down, Waver looked nothing like a Magus. Kayneth forcefully grabbed the side of his face, seemingly oblivious to Kayneth's gaze.

"How long... do you intend to stay like that, Waver Velvet?"

"Ah... Professor! You're conscious... but..."

Perhaps still in confusion, his words were a mess. As if to correct him, Kayneth put strength into his hand... though he didn't know how much strength he actually possessed.

"Take this... and find one more Magus... You are the one who must do it."

"Wh-what are you saying! We need to treat you immediately!"

"Forget about me... I won't survive anyway..."

"That's not true! That's right, Archer might be able to do something!"

It was a naive reaction. A way of thinking a magus shouldn't have, like an ordinary person.

He inhaled once more to produce the air for words. Even a motion that simple felt dreadfully heavy and bothersome. The air tasted and smelled only of blood, yet it didn't even evoke discomfort. He merely, mechanically, took in the fuel to speak his next words.

"He... is not omnipotent either. If he had that kind of leeway... he'd use it on himself. Just shut up and listen to me."

"But! If we do that, you'll die, Professor!"

That's right. He was absolutely correct. There was truth in his words. When gravely injured, living creatures head toward death—an unwritten rule that even a magus, a transcendent being, cannot avoid.

"Yes. So... don't make me waste any more time."

Waver's tear-soaked eyes wavered. Eyes he knew well; the eyes of a loser. The same kind of gaze frequently directed at Kayneth, who had endlessly walked the path of glory.

They were everywhere. Those who learned their limits and despaired.

"Me doing it... is impossible. Because, in the end, I couldn't do anything, I couldn't do anything for Rider, and my magecraft, I... in truth, was nothing special... Even though I was supposed to be an exceptional magus..."

Normally, he could have just ignored those words and continued talking. No, given his limited time, that would have been the smart thing to do.

But Waver's words... he simply couldn't let them slide.

Moving his heavy, sluggish arm, he grabbed Waver's collar. Or rather, his fingers lacked strength, yielding easily to the weight of his arm. Only his fingertips caught the collar, barely hanging on.

He forcefully aligned Waver's shifting, evasive gaze with his own. Staring into the tear-streaked eyes of the boy, he told him strongly, forcefully.

"You... are a Magus, aren't you?"

And then.

Waver's previously wavering eyes finally settled into focus.

"Kayneth-sama!"

Suddenly, Lancer's voice rang out. Why is he here? he wondered, but reconsidered that it was only natural. Their connection was still intact. If there was an anomaly, he would know instantly. That Servant, starved for loyalty, couldn't possibly not come.

"I... what a fool I am, to have once again..."

"Be quiet, Lancer."

He spoke to Lancer, who had collapsed on the other side of Kayneth's severed torso.

Lancer, raising his tear-soaked face, fell silent as ordered. Yet, he made no move to leave.

"I don't recall... giving you permission to leave your post. Besides... I am in the middle of... a conversation."

He said only that without even turning his gaze. Once again, he crafted words for Waver.

"Listen, Waver Velvet. If you... intend to keep calling yourself a Magus from now on... remember this. Those who are superior... always have duties. A king has a king's... an aristocrat has an aristocrat's... And for a Magus, who is superior to humans... it is only natural. Listen carefully. As long as you are a Magus, exterminating vampires or... any existence like this that has become a Threat to Humanity... is a duty. No one can refuse it... to do so is to stop being a Magus. The extent of your power is irrelevant. Waver Velvet... if you claim you will continue to be a Magus..."

There, he paused his words.

Perhaps there was no meaning in it anymore. He could have just discarded it. Because the root of it all was gone.

But, he denied. The fact that Kayneth was a Magus. And his skill. It was because Sola-Ui, a woman of few words who rarely showed emotion, had praised him for it. It was the source of his pride, the reason he held his head high as a Magus. He didn't think there was any point in holding onto it now that he had lost her. The one who would praise him for it was no longer here.

And yet.

Even if Sola-Ui was gone. He felt that if he threw away his pride, he would be denying her very existence as well. He absolutely could not throw it away.

That was why Kayneth would remain a Magus until his final moments. Believing that even if there was no meaning, there was still value.

"Fulfill your duty... as a Magus."

He tried to press the silver sphere in his hand into Waver's, but it slipped. However, before it hit the ground, it was caught firmly. It was undeniably Waver's hand.

Waver's eyes were still wet with tears. However, he no longer felt the weakness of a loser. ...No, what was the reality? His eyes were blurred, and he couldn't see well. He just felt that was the case.

"Lancer."

"Yes... by your side."

The presence of someone kneeling nearby. And his hand was taken.

To be completely honest, being touched by the man Sola-Ui had touched displeased him. But, well, he could overlook it just this once at the very end.

"I... hated you. You, who stole Sola-Ui... I despised you to no end. How many times did I consider ordering you to kill yourself with a Command Spell?"

"..."

"But... no, perhaps because of that. Your loyalty, that alone I believe in. Let me ask you one thing... I have used all my Command Spells... and am now heading toward death. Even so... do you still pledge your loyalty?"

"Of course! I have no Lord other than you, Kayneth-sama!"

His hand was gripped tightly, very strongly. It was utterly incomprehensible. Seemingly cool, yet overly passionate. That, it seemed, would not change until the very end.

"Then... it is my final order. Take... revenge for Sola-Ui. And, as one who serves me, the Magus... do not forgive that thing. Make sure you kill it. That thing... must not be allowed to roam free."

"...I swear it. Upon everything I have."

Who are you to say that? That was how he normally would have responded to Lancer's words. Yet, for some reason, he was able to believe him genuinely. Perhaps he was just growing weak in the face of death. Perhaps he simply had nothing else to cling to. Even so, if Lancer accepted it, Kayneth could at least find peace.

And, as his consciousness faded into dark oblivion, Kayneth thought faintly.

(Come to think of it... it wasn't a very satisfying life.)

There was nothing that didn't go well. Despite a few hardships, everything went his way. And yet, there was no sense of accomplishment or anything. He just lived aimlessly, looking only at today. He never had anything to worry about, so it was only natural.

That didn't mean he particularly desired hardship or a sense of achievement. To begin with, he didn't know what those things felt like. They could never be more than aspirations. In short, the same as delusions. The same as not existing at all.

Kayneth's world was complete with just himself and Sola-Ui. And that was fine.

(Thinking back, I wanted Sola-Ui to look at me more. If I gained martial fame, she would surely look at me more... that was my motive for joining the Holy Grail War, wasn't it?)

What a foolish thing to do. Because of that, she was stolen by Lancer, leaving him no room for excuses. It was probably his first true regret in life. Furthermore, if Sola-Ui was going to die, he shouldn't have participated at all.

Even so. If Kayneth could return to the past, he would probably end up participating again. If I win this time, Sola-Ui will be happy. Thinking that. Because his world was narrow, he could risk his life just to look good for the woman he loved. ...Well, if he went next time, he would probably leave Sola-Ui behind.

At that time, would he be able to obtain his life's first satisfaction—Sola-Ui's smile? If so, he'd have no complaints.

His thoughts had become quite dull. No, he hadn't been the type to look back on the past like this. He must have been a little off from the start.

He could no longer see anything, and he understood nothing. There wasn't even a sensation. He might not even be able to judge whether he was alive or dead.

Not light, but not darkness either. Not day, but not night. A pure space where all distinctions had vanished. Just expanding and existing there. Perhaps this was exactly what people called Heaven.

Before he knew it, his body felt light. His previous lethargy felt like a lie. No, it must have been a lie. After all, the Kayneth here had his lower half. The very thing he had just lost forever a moment ago.

The ridiculously wide space was, as expected, still ridiculously wide. In that space spreading pointlessly, there was only one thing. A woman he knew well, with red hair in a short cut, dressed in a simple yet noble-looking outfit.

As always, her expression remained stiffly closed. It wasn't the soft, blooming smile she had shown after meeting Lancer.

Should he be happy that she had returned? Or should he lament that she wouldn't direct a smile toward him?

But, there was one thing. The fact that she was the one who came to meet him; that alone filled him with joy.

And Kayneth reached out his hand toward her and said,

"Sola-Ui, I am coming too..."

Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald fell into a quiet sleep.

A sleep from which he would never wake.

---

There is no such thing as a life that ends completely perfectly and with absolute satisfaction. That was not some grandiose philosophy, but the conclusion drawn from the life of Diarmuid Ua Duibhne.

Whether it was beyond his control or not, in the end, he had betrayed trust, chosen love, and laid down his life for it.

He had no regrets about his choice and his determination to follow through with it. That was exactly why he had decided that if given another chance, he would live for loyalty even if it meant throwing away love.

(Was that truly the right path?)

However. When confronted with the reality of the situation, what surfaced was, after all, regret. Finding satisfaction in one place meant leaving regrets in another. Just like in his first life, it had happened again in this one.

What he held in his grasp was the limp hand of his lord. It moved no more.

He had let the one his lord loved die. And now, he had failed to protect even his lord.

(What am I? Am I truly a knight?)

He asked himself, but no voice answered. It was natural, for the only one holding the answer was none other than himself.

If only there had been a slightly better way. Just a slightly better choice. Had it not been buried somewhere? These were the thoughts he constantly pondered every time he felt regret. And his chivalry had always been mired in such things.

He had blindly followed his path to the point of foolishness. He possessed no tact to cleverly evade problems. The path he had carved open was always forged through martial prowess. The power and strength to choose everything and see it through simply didn't exist anywhere in him. Just an individual. A single knight. He had no confidence to declare that his devotion to chivalry wasn't just the flip side of his own inadequacies.

Even while being called a hero and revered as such. Yet, he wasn't such an extraordinary human. He agonized normally, failed normally. It was simply that the parts where he succeeded became his honor.

Even so, he had a corresponding amount of confidence in the parts where he had earned that honor.

But now, even that was shaken. In the very area where martial prowess was required, he had failed to deliver.

What could someone like him possibly accomplish?

He couldn't find the answer himself. No matter how tightly he squeezed the hand, his Lord gave no response.

"Hey, Lancer."

The boy, hanging his head in the same manner. Rider's Master muttered hollowly. Gently lowering the head of Kayneth he had been holding. Looking down at the Mystic Code resting in his hands, he muttered.

"You know, I hated Professor Kayneth. Really. He was always so arrogant, always looking down on people. He tore up the thesis I wrote before even looking at the contents. No, it wasn't just me. I'm sure plenty of others felt the same way. But no one could ever complain. The Professor had a short temper, and honestly, he was scary. I thought he was the worst teacher ever."

His words bluntly depicted just how awful a person Kayneth was. And yet, his expression eloquently told the story that there was more to it than just that.

"That hasn't changed even now. But..."

Drip. A transparent droplet fell onto the silver sphere. Then two, three. Hitting the silver, they slid across its surface. Unstoppable tears.

It should have been nothing but painful memories. Looking at how Waver had been initially, one could be certain that finding good traits in the man would have been the harder task. Yet, he was crying. Clutching the memento, he raised his voice in a loud, sorrowful wail.

"There were still so many things he hadn't taught me!"

Seeing that, Lancer realized. He truly understood nothing.

To pledge loyalty to his Lord and risk his life. There was no lie in that. But in the end, it was merely for his own convenience. Ultimately, what he sought from his Master was the vessel of a Lord. While pushing such a selfish desire onto him, Lancer himself had shown absolutely no understanding of his Lord's true nature.

Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald died fulfilling his duty as a Magus to the very end. It probably wasn't the right choice. At least, not within the framework of the war over the Holy Grail. But he was more of a Magus than anyone else. Even in the face of death.

(Compared to that, what about me...)

A knight's pride, and battles befitting it. There had certainly been feelings of lament over not being shown understanding. ...What a foolish thought.

A fool who focused only on the surface layer, unable to see any of its true essence. Aside from a person willing to dedicate his life to his duties, where else could one find a man fit to be called a lord! Where would you find someone who would compromise with an idiot who had abandoned all attempts to understand! Feeling as though he had sworn loyalty, feeling as though he had understood... when the one who understood nothing the most was himself.

The boy weeping before his mentor's corpse. Despite saying he hated him, in truth, he understood him far better than Lancer did.

(I am deeply sorry for being an inadequate knight, Kayneth-sama. However...)

No matter what must be sacrificed, I will absolutely fulfill your dying wish.

He gently laid Kayneth's hand on the ground. Placing his hand over his Lord's eyelids, he slowly closed them.

"It is not my place to say this, but... at least, may you rest in peace with Lady Sola-Ui."

Leaving his final words, Lancer stood up.

Without the Independent Action skill, the time he could operate after losing his Master was a few hours at best. In combat, he didn't even know how many minutes he would last. To accomplish his final order, there was no time to spare.

"Wait, Lancer."

Waver’s voice called out to him as he turned his back.

"Rider just passed away. Since he’s gone, the Reality Marble will be undone before long."

At the muttered words, Lancer looked behind him. There, Rider's sword sheath was dissolving into particles of light. The reason the sword itself remained was likely because weapons possessed a stronger anchor to reality than armaments woven from magical energy, or the pure ether bodies of the Servants themselves. Or perhaps—ownership had already been transferred. From Rider to his Master.

Waver also stood up, and then looked at Lancer. Tears were still overflowing, his face flushed and contorted. However, in his eyes alone, there was a strong, radiant gleam.

Holding the Mystic Code that served as a memento, he raised his hand. On the back of the hand he displayed lay a single, remaining Command Spell.

"Form a new contract with me, Lancer."

"I have no intention of serving two Masters."

"You're wrong."

Lancer quietly replied by shaking his head. That was immediately denied.

"You are the Professor's Servant. I'm not asking you to swear loyalty to me. I will avenge Rider, and you, Lancer, will avenge the Professor. Use me, since I still have a Command Spell left."

His features remained boyish, but he carried the intimidating aura of a demon. His clenched teeth boiled with an unbreakable will.

"You and I will get our revenge. Fulfill the Professor's final order!"

Lancer was momentarily bewildered by the words.

The boy's proposal was entirely correct. If he obtained the backup of a Command Spell, the chances of striking a blow would be vastly higher. But he asked himself if it was right. Forming a contract with another Master to achieve his goal. Wouldn't that be an insult to Kayneth? Above all, it lacked the decorum of a knight... Lancer thought that far, and then cast it aside.

He had decided to avenge them, no matter what it took. If so, he would cast aside any sense of rejection rooted in his own pride.

What was the point of keeping up appearances now? As the boy said, what they were doing was revenge.

He readied his dual spears before his eyes. The partners alongside which he had run the righteous path, believing in glory. Even them, he was now degrading into tools for vengeance. Lancer could not even bring himself to apologize to them. He was well aware of how selfish he was being. But he had to do it. Even if it was a path of thorns. If he lived on carelessly without clearing his lord's regrets, he could no longer even take pride in being human!

"Very well. From this moment forth, I recognize you as my comrade. Together, we shall strike down our common enemy."

"I promise you, Lancer. You as a knight, and I as a Magus... we will absolutely kill Zouken Matou and Kirei Kotomine."

Then, their hands touched. At that exact moment, Lancer felt it. Though there was no magical energy being supplied, the leakage stopped completely. His tenuous connection to reality was reinforced, erasing the instability that felt as though he could vanish at any moment.

He felt power surge into the back of his raised hand. Before the Command Spell was even invoked, he could feel the intent flowing into it. Pure killing intent.

"Lancer! Annihilate Zouken Matou, the core of the insects, with everything you have!"

"—Here I go!"

An emotion burning like molten lava, refusing to be extinguished. It felt like a torrent trying to incinerate Lancer from the inside out. Pushed by it, Lancer charged.

Shrinking a distance of hundreds or thousands down to a mere single step. Halfway through, he passed Archer.

He had abandoned his post without permission; normally, he ought to offer at least a word of apology. But now, even that brief time was too precious. So, he left behind only a single phrase.

"I will open a path! Kill him, even if it means taking me with him!"

Lancer temporarily elevated all his parameters, skills, and concentration by one rank. The sharpness of his spears was incomparable to before, and he displayed techniques that could be called the greatest of his life. Swinging his spears at speeds that easily surpassed supersonic levels, he slipped his body through the tiny openings he created, defeating enemies with minimal effort and advancing along the shortest path. It was truly an advance worthy of the title of the fastest.

Due to a cursed love spot, he had planted the seeds of an unwanted love. As a result, he betrayed the man who was his greatest friend and lord. He rode out to war without heeding advice, leaving his wife behind. And now, he had cast aside even the chivalry he had clung to at the very end, rushing toward vengeance.

It was strange. His spears were still this fast, even as he lost the very elements that made him who he was.

He felt a pain in his chest at how light he had become. Feelings that had never found salvation. Had it been only that, it would have been nothing but emptiness. But what filled that void instead... were Kayneth and Sola-Ui, his lords in this life.

He no longer cared about himself.

For Kayneth-sama. For Sola-Ui-sama.

To clear away their regrets.

To ensure everything up until now wasn't a lie.

—I would repay them.

"OOOOOOHHHHH!"

His roar violently shook the atmosphere. As if responding to his voice, his spears became even faster, and above all, more brutal. The bugs burst apart the moment they touched the tips of his spears.

At the core... that is, the several dozen meters around Zouken Matou, no matter how many insects he eradicated, there was no room to slip inside. This was also the reason why he couldn't approach via spatial teleportation using a Command Spell. Even if he appeared nearby, it would be meaningless if he was riddled with holes before he could do anything. Furthermore, the few meters centered around Zouken were packed so densely there wasn't even room for air to enter. For Lancer, who possessed no Anti-Army Noble Phantasm of pure destructive power, it was an incredibly thick barrier.

However.

It was true that, in terms of ability, Lancer might pale in comparison to other Servants. If his opponent wasn't a Magus, and he aimed to settle the match in a single clash, he practically became a Servant without a Noble Phantasm.

Then, was Lancer incapable of defeating other Servants? The answer was no. If he did not have a Noble Phantasm, he simply had to elevate his own martial skill to the level of a Noble Phantasm. It was precisely because he could do this that he was the foremost warrior of the Knights of Fianna.

His spears, which had been thrusting with precision, now swept out like a storm. He was no longer thinking of finding an opening. All that remained was the intent to slaughter everything in front of him.

The twin spears were wielded in a spherical arc. Almost none of the bugs attempting to swarm inside could penetrate even halfway. The few that barely breached it only managed to bite his arms slightly. Even though Rider had taken the vast majority of them, the remaining numbers were still staggering. If even half of them were directed at him, he would have been killed. But abandoning Archer to do so would be a terrible move for the enemy.

Pushing his physical abilities to the absolute limit in a suicidal charge. Ironically, that was what turned the tide of battle.

Finally, catching Zouken within his range, Lancer roared.

"Prepare yourself, you fiend! I will have you pay for the sin of laying hands upon my lord!!!"

『FOOLS! IMPOSSIBLE... I HAVE... ETERNAL LIFE...!』

"Spout your delusions as much as you like in Hell!"

The castle protecting Zouken began to be torn down. While sustaining many wounds on a wall that had vastly increased its mass, Lancer still pushed forward.

If it were long-range attacks, there would be nothing left once his internal reserves of Magical Energy ran dry. But with weapons in hand, he could forcibly continue attacking. Even more so when the weapons in his hands were the crimson spear that nullified Magical Energy interference and the yellow spear that impeded recovery. As long as the premise was to keep fighting there, it wasn't a bad setup.

The insects rippled. It almost seemed like a mirror image reflecting Zouken's terror.

『MY... MY HOLY GRAIL... MY ETERNAL LIIIIFE!』

"As if something so convenient would ever fall into the lap of someone who desecrates life itself!"

—I found him!

Lancer's sharp eyes of observation did not miss the brief glimpse of Zouken's true body. Carrying his momentum forward, he would bisect him with the crimson spear... or so it should have been.

His arm certainly swung. But the spear didn't follow. To be precise, the spear itself was missing.

Impossible. Looking at his hand, there was a small anomaly. Out of five fingers, only the thumb was missing. Zouken's desperate resistance had unexpectedly brought a stroke of luck at the very end.

『Y-YES, IT IS MINE! THE HOLY GRAIL IS IN MY HANDS!』

Swelling up, the insects attacked the dying Lancer. Even with two spears, he had barely maintained the equilibrium. With only one, and in his currently exhausted state, there was no way he could fend them off.

However. If a fiend is to be kept alive by luck. Then it is only logical for a hero to shatter that luck through his own prowess and bonds.

Thud, a sound rang out at his feet. What had pierced the ground there was—Rider's sword. He glanced back for a fraction of a second. There stood the figure of a boy who, despite being terrified by the rain of swords, had rushed into the battlefield to help him.

Waver Velvet. At this crucial, final moment, with perfect timing, he had delivered the sword to Lancer.

"Splendid."

With four fingers, he picked up the sword. Knowing his thumb was missing, he could still manage one single, full-force swing. No, after making his temporary Master go that far, he had no right to say he couldn't do it. Despite the irregular grip, the hilt was firmly secured in his palm. With this, he would cut him down with everything he had.

『Wha—』

By losing his spear, his action was delayed by one step. Even so, he was the Servant who claimed to be the fastest. Sacrificing the vast majority of his body, he exposed Zouken.

Letting his flesh be cut to sever the body.

A body lacking strength. Most of the flesh on his arm was gone. He probably wouldn't be able to kill him instantly with one blow. However, inflicting a wound with the cursed Yellow Spear was enough. In terms of a fatal strike, it was more than adequate.

His torso was cleaved halfway through. He was different from the other worms and insects. Instead of immediately reverting to mud, he sprayed viscous fluid as if it were blood. A shriek rose up, sounding as though it had erupted from the depths of the earth.

『GIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEE! AAAAAAH! OOOOOOOOHHHHHHH!』

The insects, previously under perfect control, fell into absolute chaos in an instant. All of them began thrashing about meaninglessly on the spot.

The only exceptions were the few positioned around Zouken. They desperately tried to repair the core worm, but it was an exercise in absolute futility. The curse from the Yellow Spear could not be healed without a Mystery surpassing it.

『M-MY LIFE! MY HOLY GRAIL! M-MY! ETERNITY IS... MY... GRAIL... LIIIIIFE! AAAAAAAAAAAAA!』

Seeing that, Lancer realized.

This thing had long ceased to be Zouken Matou. It was merely a convenient vessel, an obsession using the tenacity he once held as a catalyst.

That was exactly why. It wasn't even unsightly. It merely leaked out meaningless desires. The disappearance of its core meant the equivalent of the loss of its identity. The breaking of the entity that was Zouken Matou meant it could no longer act based on that foundation. Its function as a terminal of the Holy Grail was already broken.

Shooting stars streaked across the sky. The rain of Noble Phantasms unleashed by Archer.

He was not a naive man who would let a perfect opportunity slip by. That trust was accurately reflected as he mowed down Zouken along with the worms and insects that had lost control. Such highly destructive concentrated fire was not something that mere insects, simply existing there, could stop.

Zouken crumbling into mere mud—no, that name was no longer fitting. It was Avenger, returning to its original liquid form.

Confirming this, Lancer smiled.

The revenge was complete. He didn't know if this was truly for the best, but at the very least, he succeeded in making them pay the price for his Lord's regrets.

What kind of face would Kayneth make if he knew? He didn't know. In the end, he was a lord whom he could never come to deeply understand until the very end.

He didn't go so far as to hope Kayneth would smile. But he hoped it would at least bring him some peace.

In the end, he was half-baked in everything. Until the very end, He hadn't realized anything until it was over. He couldn't say that was fine, even if his mouth were torn open.

But, he thought.

If given another chance, would Kayneth choose him as his Servant again? And if there was a next time. He wouldn't hide behind the convenient veil of loyalty; he would start by making the effort to understand his lord.

Dreaming of a sight where Kayneth and Sola-Ui could smile together.

Whether it was by Archer’s Noble Phantasm, or his own natural disappearance? He did not know which would be faster.

But he quietly waited for his end to come.