That makes sense too. More than half a century has already passed. There were hardly any survivors left from Fuyuki back then, and modern magi's understanding of the Holy Grail War all comes from the sub-type Holy Grail Wars held in various places over the years.
Those things are indeed cruel, but in the eyes of the Clock Tower elites, they are nothing more than a bunch of wild dogs tearing at each other. If they were to step in themselves, winning would not be difficult at all.
Well, that is not entirely wrong. The overall level of sub-type Holy Grail Wars is generally quite low. Many of them are amateur operations, some cannot even gather all seven classes.
At most they manage to summon five Servants, sometimes only three, and they are usually not particularly strong. Often they lack powerful Servants from the Three Knight classes.
There is one piece of evidence that shows just how low their level is.
In sub-type Holy Grail Wars, the combination with the highest win rate is the Assassin Master and Servant pair…
Of course the Clock Tower elites are confident. At the very least, they can produce high-quality relics and summon sufficiently powerful Servants.
However, these people seem to be unaware that something called "difficulty scaling" exists in this world.
Easy mode and hell mode are not the same thing at all!
"Right now, the backbone forces of the Clock Tower's various factions have already taken the war against Yggdmillennia as a chance to make a name for themselves. To them, a Master slot is an invitation to a higher rank."
"In other words, when assigning Master slots, the balance between factions must also be considered… otherwise they would not have asked a neutral person like me to handle this."
El-Melloi II said with some fatigue and impatience, "Now, you seized a slot in advance. That means you are destined to replace someone."
"If you were an independent magus, it would be fine, but if you join the Clock Tower… as the one who recommends you, my position would be questioned."
"So even a dignified Lord has many things he cannot help," Sella said, looking at the prematurely aged Second with a hint of pity. Then she spoke with full confidence, "But you will still help me."
"Hm?" The Second raised an eyebrow. "Why are you so certain?"
"Because… Your Excellency is short on money, right?"
"…!"
The Second's whole body shook. The corner of his eye twitched a couple of times, but he still forced himself to endure it.
"You really are well informed… but then again, the Clock Tower has no privacy. As long as someone asks around a bit, they will know about my situation."
"That's right. The El-Melloi family already owed a huge debt before I inherited it. I have been working hard to repay it… but what does that have to do with you, Lady?"
"Because I have 'Rhine Gold'."
"Huff…" The Second instinctively straightened his back.
"That 'Rhine Gold'? The Rhinegold depicted in Norse mythology and Wagner's operas, the source of endless greed, the origin of the so-called 'dragon phenomenon'?"
"The Einzberns actually have it… Ah, now it all makes sense!"
"All these years, you have failed countless times, wandering around without daring to settle anywhere, yet even so you kept pouring resources into hopeless experiments…"
"So that's it. You possess this gold that symbolizes infinite wealth, so you never had to worry about resources!"
Shock flashed through the Second's eyes, but he quickly asked in confusion, "Leaving aside the wealth Rhine Gold can bring, as a holy relic and crystallization of mystery, it is itself a treasure all magi desire… and yet you dare to leak this information?"
"Because I trust the Lord's integrity." Sella nodded politely, though what she was thinking inside was completely different.
If it were not for Iori telling her to say this, if it were not because the Einzberns only had this one last chance and keeping Rhine Gold would be meaningless anyway… she would never have told anyone this secret.
Joking aside, even if it were not just the El-Melloi family, even the Barthomeloi family, the head of the Clock Tower, would not be able to resist the temptation of Rhine Gold. That was a secret treasure passed down from the Age of Gods!
After a brief pause, Sella recalled Iori's instruction.
[Give him a condition he cannot refuse!]
"Lord, you would not want your 'little sister' to find out that you rejected the trivial request of someone who possesses Rhine Gold, would you?"
The Second, "..."
———
Ding~
After leaving the cafe, Sella slowly let out a breath, looked up at the gloomy London sky, then walked along the rough stone-paved road toward the street corner.
Turning the corner, she saw a man in casual clothes squatting on the ground, holding half a sausage and shaking it back and forth.
In front of him was a mixed-color kitten being led around by the sausage, jumping and spinning from time to time, yet its cute, fleshy little paws just could not reach the longed-for delicacy.
"You're quite at ease," Sella said in surprise at the sight. She really could not associate the boy's behavior with the word "Berserker."
Without even turning his head, Iori said, "Well? Isn't it pretty much what I said?"
"Yes. Just as you expected, although he was reluctant, Lord El-Melloi II still agreed to fight for a Master slot for us and to provide us with Clock Tower intelligence afterward."
Sella could not understand why Iori, a Servant, knew the Clock Tower so well, even knowing about the El-Melloi family's debts. She did not even know about that herself. Iori had just been summoned. Where did he get this information?
Maybe he had some special skill, like 'Information Gathering' or 'Clairvoyance'?
But those were usually abilities of Casters and Assassins. He was a Berserker…
"As expected, he agreed. No matter how aloof the Second may be, financial pressure is an objective reality. Even if he refuses to bow for money, his adopted sister would absolutely not mind stabbing him in the back for cash."
Iori raised his hand, and the kitten immediately stopped, staring at him with a pair of adorable big eyes, as if waiting for something.
He smiled slightly, then let the kitten watch helplessly as he ate the remaining sausage himself.
"..."
The cat blinked, and a very human-like look of shock appeared on its face, as if it could not believe there was such a shameless human in the world. It had worked so hard to perform, yet he would not even pay the "petting tax."
Even Sella, a homunculus, could not help blushing at Iori's childishness at that moment.
"Interesting expression… don't worry, I'm not some kind of devil." Iori chuckled, then took out another fish sausage from his pocket, tore open the packaging, and placed it on the ground.
"Bye-bye!"
"Meow~"
Iori and Sella walked side by side along the street. He had already materialized, so passersby could see him, and he did not care at all about the Holy Grail War rule of "concealing one's true form as much as possible."
Both of them had striking looks, and there was an air of loneliness and nobility about them. Even though their outfits did not really match, they still drew many curious and admiring glances as they walked.
It did not matter. Even if someone with ulterior motives saw them, so what? Was there anyone in this world who could state Iori's true name?
"Iori, where exactly did you get all this information?"
Sella felt that her Servant was strange from beginning to end.
First of all, he called himself "Aizen Iori," but Sella had checked many records and found no hero in history or mythology that matched him.
Second, his class was Berserker, yet he was extremely rational and had never shown any madness or obsession.
When Sella tried to investigate further, she discovered that she could not "read" his status panel at all.
The Master's privilege was completely useless here, leaving her knowing nothing about her Servant, which made her deeply uneasy.
Lastly, and most importantly, Iori was far too adapted to modern society.
Servants are generally infused with some modern common sense, but that is usually just enough to stop them from making jokes like "there are tiny people inside the television." Yet Iori knew a fair bit about modern food, transportation, daily habits, and even trends.
Sometimes he seemed more like a living human of the present world than Sella, a homunculus.
"As a Servant, I do not want to lie to you, nor can I casually make up a reason to brush it off. But regarding this question, I can only say… this information already existed in my head, and I can retrieve and use it when necessary."
Iori looked quite happy. If not for London's awful weather, he would probably be in an even better mood.
The technology tree of Soul Society is more advanced than the modern world, but that was still "two hundred years ago," and various technologies were not widespread. The standard of living was closer to that of ancient times.
As for the Empire… that did not even need mentioning.
Only in the Nasuverse, in late twentieth-century London, could he once again enjoy the convenience of modern technology. And this time, he also temporarily possessed a "spirit core," allowing him to enjoy things freely like a physical body… naturally, he was very happy.
As a result, his attitude toward Sella could absolutely be called gentle and friendly.
"It already existed?" Sella frowned, then relaxed, as she thought of a possibility.
"Is it an ability similar to 'future sight'?"
"Mm… heh, you could say that." Iori smiled. "After all, what I 'see' hasn't happened yet."
"That explains everything." Sella suddenly understood.
'Future Sight' is a relatively rare skill in the Nasuverse, or rather, a talent. For ordinary people or magi, it is a double-edged sword.
Sometimes being able to foresee the future does not bring happiness, but instead completely destroys their lives.
"My 'Future Sight' is a 'measurement-type.' It lets me see possible futures, but they are not fixed. They change based on our actions… so don't expect me to tell you the final answer, Sella."
Iori added with a smile, "The outcome of this war is something you must witness yourself in the end."
"I… I understand." Sella nodded somewhat timidly.
Even though she had already imagined the worst outcomes countless times and had long prepared herself for sacrifice, once she truly became involved in the Holy Grail War, she still could not help feeling uneasy.
And this "unease" was exactly what set her apart from other homunculi, just as the earlier Einzbern predecessors had once commented about her, for a homunculus, her emotional circuits were far too sensitive.
"But I still don't understand why we had to stake such a big bet, and why we specifically sought out El-Melloi II. There are plenty of people in the Clock Tower with more power than him."
After resolving one question, another immediately surfaced.
"Why the Second? Because he is one of the few magi who possesses something called a 'conscience.'"
Iori sneered. "If you negotiate with other Lords, you had better be prepared to be swallowed whole, skin and bones. They are magi, after all… judging them by mundane morals and ethics is extremely foolish."
"Only the Second is different. Once he chooses to cooperate with us, there is no need to worry about him scheming against you behind your back, nor about him wringing every loophole out of the contract. He knows how to find them, but disdains to do so."
"You have a lot of confidence in him… but even so, isn't 'Rhine Gold' too expensive a price?"
The contract Sella made with the Second was as follows: she would directly give the Second a large sum of money as payment, and in return he would settle the Master slot issue for her. During the subsequent war, the Second would continuously provide Sella with intelligence from the Clock Tower.
At the end of the contract, there was an additional clause. If the Einzberns were to win the Holy Grail War, then as thanks for El-Melloi's help, Sella would gift the top-tier holy relic "Rhine Gold" to the El-Melloi family.
"El-Melloi II is not stupid. If you don't put out some real bait, how can you expect him to work hard collecting intelligence for you?"
"Uh, shouldn't we only need the Master slot? As for later support from the Mage's Association, we could completely obtain that from Masters on the same side."
Perhaps she was still a bit reluctant. After all, Rhine Gold was already the Einzberns' only remaining heirloom. Handing over something that could continuously generate wealth…
"Masters on the same side?" Iori could not help laughing when this was mentioned. "You'd better not place too much hope in those people."
You have not even met them yet…Sella was about to say this, but when she remembered that Iori had 'Future Sight', she could only shut her mouth.
"In any case, I have my reasons for doing this. You will understand in the future."
"Then what's next?" Although Sella was dissatisfied with Iori's strong attitude of taking control of everything, she still felt that his decisions followed a set strategy and were reliable and trustworthy.
At the very least, they looked convincing, something she, as a homunculus, could not manage.
"How many Masters are there now?"
"According to the intelligence from the Second, the Master candidates were actually determined long ago. Our joining now will squeeze out one of them, but it is hard to say who exactly," Sella explained.
"Because the Clock Tower has already handed holy relics to them… some may have already successfully summoned Servants."
"In other words, not everyone has completed 'Servant summoning.' The Holy Grail War hasn't fully begun yet… then it might be worth trying something."
Iori then asked a question that seemed completely unrelated, "Who is the supervisor of this Holy Grail War?"
———
The supervisor, as the name suggests, oversees the progress of the Holy Grail War, ensuring it does not go off track and cause things that no one wants to see.
For example, in the FZ timeline, a certain Caster summoned a giant sea monster that was far too destructive and impossible to conceal, exposing the world of mystery to ordinary people. In such a case, the supervisor has the authority to call on other Masters to jointly attack that Caster.
This role is usually taken by a priest sent by the Church. He himself is not a Master and does not favor any side, making him an absolutely neutral figure.
However, this Holy Grail War in Romania is different!
What Yggdmillennia did not only offended the Clock Tower, but also made the Holy Church uneasy, fearing it would disrupt the balance of the world of mystery. As a result, they rarely expressed complete support for the Mage's Association.
They sent a priest as a supervisor, or rather, an envoy. He himself occupies a slot and will participate in the war as a Master of the Mage's Association's Red faction.
And this priest's name is…
"Kotomine Shirou~"
In a dense forest, Iori and Sella stood in a clearing, looking toward the small church at the end of the road. The black-haired boy slowly repeated this Japanese name.
"You seem very interested in this person," Sella asked curiously. "Aren't we going to the church to meet him?"
In theory, all the Red faction Masters were supposed to visit this supervisor once, symbolically register, and then gather together to discuss future plans.
After obtaining information about Kotomine Shirou, Iori pulled Sella onto a plane and rushed to somewhere on the European continent. Yet when they were only a few steps away from the meeting point, he inexplicably stopped.
"There's no need." Iori stared for a while with a deep gaze, then shook his head. "I originally thought we could take advantage of something… but now it seems we can't."
"Take advantage?"
"Calm yourself and try to sense it. Can you discover what is hidden inside that church?"