London, Clock Tower, an office in the Department of Spiritual Evocation.
"How dare he! What was that fool thinking, pulling a stunt like this!"
Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald swept the documents off his desk with one hand, his face a mask of rage and disbelief.
The reason for his fury was that the catalyst he had ordered had not arrived. Puzzled, Kayneth had contacted the Clock Tower's delivery personnel, only to learn that the piece of the King of Conquerors' mantle he had acquired through special channels had been stolen by one of his own students.
Rage flooded his mind. Kayneth's breathing grew ragged, his expression dark. It wasn't until he remembered there was another person in the room that he reined in his emotions. He took a deep breath, straightened his hair, and looked at his fiancée sitting on the sofa.
"My apologies, you had to see that, Sola. I just never imagined that one of my own students would be so blind to his station..."
"Forget about that. What do we do now, Kayneth? Since the catalyst you planned to use was stolen, we'll have to prepare a new one. So, shall we use the one my family originally prepared for you?"
The red-haired woman named Sola-Ui Nuada-Re Sophia-Ri asked nonchalantly as she tended to her nails. Throughout the entire exchange, she never once looked up to meet the man's gaze, which was filled with affection and concern.
"Yes... The Holy Grail War is about to begin, and it's too late to prepare a new catalyst. I'll have to trouble the Sophia-Ri family..."
Kayneth's expression was awkward, and he felt a sense of shame. After all, he had insisted on using his own catalyst to win this "backwater magecraft competition," only for things to turn out like this.
"Isn't this for the best? While the fragment of Iskandar's mantle would likely summon the King of Conquerors himself or one of his retainers, the foundation stone from an Athenian temple that my family prepared can almost certainly summon a Greek hero. No matter who appears, our chances of winning will be much higher. Besides, you can handle the matter with your student, can't you?"
Sola-Ui glanced up at the man and asked casually.
"Naturally. Whether it's dealing with the theft or the so-called Holy Grail War, both are child's play for me. You have nothing to worry about."
A confident smile appeared on his face. Kayneth knew his fiancée was still somewhat cold towards him, but that didn't matter to him now.
After all, as long as he demonstrated his strength and talent in the upcoming Holy Grail War, he was certain she would see him in a new light.
Just you wait, Sola. I will show you that I am a man worthy of entrusting your life to...
...
The moonlight was bright, the stars dotted the sky.
In the "botanical garden," lush with various plants and flowers, Aozaki Rin and Sajou Manaka had finished drawing the summoning circle.
Three days had passed since the Command Spells appeared on Manaka's hand.
Originally, Manaka had intended to start preparing for the Servant summoning two days earlier. After all, if she waited too long, the more advantageous Servant classes might be taken by other Masters.
Although she wasn't particularly concerned about such things, since the goal was to secure victory in the Holy Grail War, having a relatively useful Servant would make things much simpler.
However, when she was about to begin the summoning, her adoptive brother, "Sajou Rei," persuaded her to wait two more days. Although she was a bit confused, it was a request from her adorable younger brother, so Manaka naturally didn't refuse. That was why they had delayed the ritual until tonight.
"By the way, why did we have to summon today, Rei?"
Manaka asked casually, not particularly interested in the reason, but subconsciously wanting to talk more with the young man.
"Because normally you need a catalyst to summon a Servant, right? But you were chosen so suddenly this time, and you refuse to withdraw. That means we can only rely on compatibility or the surrounding environment to determine which Servant is ultimately summoned."
Aozaki Rin checked the summoning circle with his paper cranes. After confirming there were no problems, he stood up and continued.
"So, through prediction and research, I concluded that summoning a Servant tonight would be more advantageous."
"Is that so? Then, may I ask, what kind of prediction and research was it, Teacher Rei?"
Seeing the young man's serious expression, Manaka raised her hand like a student in class, her lovely face filled with curiosity.
"—It was the guidance of the stars."
Aozaki Rin played along, pointing a finger to the sky and speaking mysteriously as he turned his head.
"I see, astrology... That's a rather cute way of putting it, Rei."
Manaka chuckled a few times, then stood on her tiptoes to pat the young man's head. She then withdrew her hands, placed them behind her back, and took a few steps back to look at the summoning circle on the ground. She smiled.
"But even without all that trouble, I have other methods, you know. But since this is your kind gesture, I'll gratefully accept it. Well then, I'm going to begin the summoning now. I hope a Servant who's easy to talk to appears."
"Right, let's begin, Sister. And don't worry, even if you summon a Berserker who's lost their reason, I should be able to hold them off temporarily."
Aozaki Rin nodded. Then, with a snap of his fingers, the hand wearing a white Mystic Code glove, countless sheets of paper flew out from the two small pouches strapped to his waist. In an instant, they nearly filled the entire space above the "botanical garden," surrounding the summoning circle in layers upon layers.
On each sheet of special paper, a faint thread of magical energy could be seen connecting back to the young man's body. At the same time, under the reflection of the moonlight, one could vaguely see that the papers were covered in dense incantations, holy words, and blessings.
Ever since he learned that his adoptive sister intended to participate in the Holy Grail War, Aozaki Rin had crammed on the subject with the help of his adoptive father. To be fully prepared, he had brought out his entire stock of magical tools accumulated over the years to ensure the girl's summoning would proceed without a hitch.
Although at a glance it was just a strange spectacle of countless papers floating fixed in the air, with a thought, Aozaki Rin could use his alchemy and the calculations of his Magic Circuits to rapidly arrange these papers, allowing him to cast numerous types of spells or even combine them to form simple tools.
"You're a little too worried..."
Looking at the exaggerated scene before her, Manaka couldn't help but mutter to herself. But even as she said it, the smile in her eyes grew brighter and more gentle.
And so, after reminding the young man one more time, Manaka began the ritual, properly chanting the incantation.
The girl's clear and melodious voice echoed quietly in the "botanical garden." Soon after, as the chant concluded, a dazzling light emanated from the summoning circle.
Following that, a man wearing a Roman-style helmet, a segmented cuirass and lamellar armor, and a bright red cape slowly materialized within the circle. He held a large rectangular shield in one hand and a crimson spear in the other.
The man looked up, a gentle smile on his face, and introduced himself.
"Lancer, Lucius Longi... wait, why are you here?!"
-------
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