"Irisviel!"
When he saw Roland, the warning from his instincts made Saber instantly release his surging magic power, allowing the silver-white armor woven with mana to wrap around his entire body.
The release of mana stirred the wind, and in his hand materialized an invisible sword, an extension of his will to protect. In an instant, he was ready to strike, but it was already too late.
Although he could close the distance in a flash using magical acceleration, the magic circle hovering above the ground shimmered ominously, ready to drop a beam of light with devastating power.
The witch in the purple robe had already pulled Irisviel back and raised her wand, glowing with magical energy.
"Stand back, Saber, or I won't be able to guarantee your Master's safety."
"Despicable scum!"
Irisviel was the one Saber had sworn to protect. Watching her be used as a hostage twisted his heart with fury, but he barely managed to suppress it, lowering his sword slightly.
"This is still daytime. Do you intend to violate the rules of the Holy Grail War in plain view?"
Irisviel's tone was calm, even under pressure. "Even if you eliminate us, exposing yourself like this would make you a target. The Church, the Magus Association, and every other Master would be on your trail."
"Heh. Homunculus, if you think I'm afraid of that, then you're underestimating me."
Roland's words carried a cold mockery. "The moment you bumped into me, the concealing barrier was already deployed."
Only then did Irisviel realize the extent of his preparation, Saber had manifested fully in his regal armour, yet no one in the area seemed to notice. In fact, it was as if the surroundings had emptied themselves of any life entirely.
"Is he the Master of Caster?" she thought grimly.
It was unexpected. Casters usually stayed hidden, using their workshop as their stronghold. She hadn't anticipated that this Master of caster would be so decisive and strike directly.
"Since you're not killing us outright, what is it you want?"
Though she looked fragile, Irisviel's resolve had already been forged. The Grail War was no longer about wishes, it was about Illya's future. She had made peace with dying for it.
Her eyes met Roland's without fear.
"My original plan was to take Saber," Roland said quietly.
"That's absolutely impossible. You can kill me or take my Command Seals, but you absolutely can not take my Servant."
"Oh? Are you saying I'm incapable?"
"No, I'm saying someone clever and powerful enough to ambush us like this wouldn't make a move without a long-term plan."
"I'm just stating the facts," Irisviel replied. "Even if you could sever the contract, Saber would never acknowledge you. Ours is a bond that goes beyond command seals."
"That's right!" Saber's voice thundered, unwavering. "No matter how strong you are, I will never serve a man like you. Master, if you command it, even if it costs us the war, even if I must unleash my Noble Phantasm here, I will obey."
Medea's expression darkened. She silently produced a talisman from her sleeve, the kind that could sever contracts between Master and Servant in an instant.
But Irisviel's calm voice stopped him.
"No, Saber. You don't need to release your Noble Phantasm. Just escape."
Irisviel smiled faintly. "You're full of mana right now. As the strongest class, if you flee, Caster won't be able to catch you. When the time comes, sign a new contract, this time with Illya."
"…Irisviel."
Saber's hand trembled. Twice now, someone he vowed to protect had been placed in danger, and again, he was powerless.
"Don't look at me like that," Roland said casually, though his eyes glinted with fire. "You're making me out to be some kind of villain."
"You took a hostage," Saber growled. "Is that not villainy?"
"You say that…" Roland stepped forward, voice suddenly laced with biting cold. "…yet you let a thief walk away unpunished."
"A thief?"
Saber's brows furrowed, but Irisviel suddenly tensed.
"I don't understand."
"You don't?" Roland chuckled, then stepped closer and grabbed Irisviel's hand. The moment their skin met, Irisviel flinched and tried to pull away.
But Roland's strength was overwhelming. In that instant, a surge of magic flooded her body.
Even though her will screamed resistance, her body could not obey. Her eyes glazed over in shock as the warmth traveled through her limbs and spread like fire under her skin.
"Ha....ha...ha"
Hot breaths came out of Irisviel's mouth, and her pure and delicate face was stained with a layer of enchanting crimson. Her perfect legs with plump thighs shook, no longer able to bear the weight of her body, they gave in as Irisviel fell into Roland's embrace.
Her eyes seemed to be covered with a layer of mist, making her look weak and seductive
Roland caught her as she collapsed and whispered into her ear, "This is the mark left by the fire demon energy. Even as a vessel, you're still susceptible to its power."
For a few moments, Irisviel could only stare into his crimson pupils, deep, endless, and terrifyingly calm. She was mesmerized by his ruby eyes.
"I was going to take you away today no matter what… but I didn't expect the Einzberns to have done something useful."
As the Lesser Grail, Irisviel was crucial. Killing her would doom the ritual and like the previous holy grail wars, this one too would fail.
Roland refused to wait for another ten years to see his wish fulfilled, he decided not to kill her but keeping her under control? That guaranteed the ritual's success, and possibly Roland's wish.
Yet something unexpected had surfaced.
Irisviel wasn't just a homunculus. The Einzberns had added something more to her, some form of artificial compatibility with the Infernal demonic energy of fire.
She was not merely a vessel, but one biologically and mystically engineered to receive that energy.
That is, modifying the body for a natural acceptance of the demonic energy of fire. The demonic energy is extremely corrupting. Even if Einzbern wants to use its power through breeding a homunculus specially designed for that purpose, it wouldn'tbe that simple..
Sensing the changes within her and in order to prevent the embryo of the demonic energy from running wild, Irisviel's body was highly obedient to Roland's fire demonic energy, even to the point of instinct.
A smile tugged at Roland's lips.
He raised a finger to Irisviel's lips and passed a trace of mana into her. It flowed through her and settled into her belly, she could even feel the scorching energy traacing across her skin as if it was alive.
When he finally released her, she slumped to the ground, barely catching herself.
Clutching her arm, she looked up at him, her breath shaky, her eyes wide with disbelief.
"What… what did you do to me?"
Saber's blade rose again, trembling with fury, but Roland met his gaze with an indifferent grin.
"I simply left a mark," he said softly, "on what already belongs to me."