The establishment of the Time Travelers Alliance began in the first year of Conan

Chapter 356 The Alliance's Ambition (Waveper's Own Perspective)
In fact, Rider and Webber watched the entire match from beginning to end.

They appeared at the location mentioned in the mission around 4 p.m. today, before Saber and Lancer engaged in battle.

That is, the highest point of the Fuyuki Bridge, which spans the entire Miwon River, at the top of the bridge arch, which is over fifty meters high.

Two figures stood there, seemingly oblivious to the safety regulations.

In Iskandar's words, he was trying to teach Weber to use strategy, complete tasks, and train his courage.

Weber, who had been forcibly brought here, shivered from the cold night wind and couldn't help but complain loudly to Rider.

Who would have the guts to come here?!

Rider glanced at Webber, who was clinging tightly to the red steel frame as if afraid of falling, and gave him a big, carefree smile.

"Boy, didn't I say I would protect your safety? What are you afraid of? Here, take this."

A can of beer was tossed to Webber by the Conqueror.

Weber instinctively caught it, and then immediately glared angrily at the cunning fellow in front of him.

"Rider—! Do you know that if I don't catch it, someone will find out we're up there!"

"Haha! Now I can stand up, can't I?"

Rider's response was completely irrelevant.

Moreover, this statement made Weber realize his situation—

He instinctively stood up and even rushed to the center of a steel cross beam to catch the bottle of beer.

Weber immediately tried to banish the thoughts that were making him tremble from his mind and focused all his attention on the ingredient list on the beer can in his hand.

Then I kept hypnotizing myself.

"I'm on the ground now... I'm on the ground now..."

This method was clearly very effective for the timid Weber.

Out of the corner of Rider's eye, the kid's trembling legs seemed to gradually become stronger.

This kid did a pretty good job this time.

Thinking this, Rider shook his head, then finished the rest of the wine in the bottle in one gulp, and turned his gaze back to the distance on the west side of the bridge.

In the seaside park that occupies the area from the river mouth to the coast, the presence of two followers is so clearly visible.

This is also what Weber meant when he said Rider was cunning.

This morning, after receiving his new day's "salary," Webber used [Detect Evil] again at Rider's request.

Saber is in an old mansion in a deep mountain town; Lancer has left the hotel and seems to be heading somewhere; Archer has not moved an inch.

Although at the time, I didn't know the specific class that the three bright red dots represented.

However, even with all intelligence revealed, the three powerful Servants were still unaware of Rider's location, and his base for rest and recuperation was completely exposed.

In Rider's view, what was more important were the annoying spies who had been sent out from the church.

Looking at the document that Waver had spread out, which stated that the Assassin Master was protected because of his defeat.

Rider made a disdainful sound.

"Hmph, as expected, the Church and the Master of the Tohsaka family have colluded."

What puzzled Webber was—

This man, whom he considered magnanimous and intolerant of any wrongdoing, even after personally confirming their location from the sky while riding in his chariot, still did not attack the seemingly weak Assassins.

Upon hearing Weber's question, Rider simply sneered.

"It is not a good strategy to expose the enemy's scheme before it even begins."

"Right now, all we need to do is be wary of Assassin's movements. If we strike ahead of time, not only will it be troublesome to track them down one by one, but if the enemy becomes aware of our plans, they might change their strategy to something unknown."

"Listen up, kid. The most important thing to do in a chaotic battle is to preserve your strength and wait for the right opportunity. Just like hunting wild beasts in the mountains, you just need to wait for the prey to exhaust itself, and then accept the victory in a concealed manner."

……

Of course, the more important reason is—

The number of blue dots displayed by the "Detect Evil" indicator has increased.

The Conqueror King remembered the meaning of that spell very clearly: red meant hostility, yellow meant neutrality, and blue meant friendliness.

Unlike Waver, who was happy to see more allies there, the Conqueror knew—

This means that the alliance's actions have become more obvious and they are no longer willing to hide them.

Just like Weber exclaimed in surprise this morning.

Those two magical dots that should have been Servants on the map have inexplicably turned blue.

"So Rider, you mean there should also be two Servants, or their Masters were recruited by the [Alliance]?!"

Weber spoke in a tone of delight.

In the eyes of this naive magician, he was certain to win the Holy Grail War.

"Great! Then let's meet up with them right away—ouch! That hurts!"

A sharp tap on the head, accompanied by a loud voice, arrived as expected.

"Fool! Do you really think they'll help you?"

“Isn’t that right?” Weber scratched his head, speaking with an air of self-righteousness. “If everyone is part of the same faction, then helping each other is only natural.”

"After all, it's just a Holy Grail worth only one string. If I really go to the [Alliance]..."

"You're really bold to say that."

Seeing that the guy was completely caught off guard, the Conqueror King sighed.

He could only describe it in terms that Weber, who now tends to be "money-grubbing," could understand.

"So who will take this string? There's only one Holy Grail. Even if it's an ally and they won't take your life, that doesn't mean there won't be any competition, right?"

This burly man, though rough, was actually quite shrewd. He immediately made Waver turn to the third page of his treasured grimoire, which he never let go of.

"Go and take a look, kid. I think the money-making opportunity you've been longing for is about to arrive."

The conqueror sighed inwardly.

"They lure me with benefits and show me their power... They really don't give me a single chance to turn against them."

Iskandar didn't believe that those "blue dots" were all of Webber's colleagues at that moment, nor did he believe that two more teams of masters and followers had joined the force called the "Alliance" overnight.

"Are you telling us not to have any other thoughts...?"

"Rider! How did you know?!"

Weber's excited voice interrupted the Conqueror King's speculation about the faction's objectives.

Rider was genuinely annoyed as his Master excitedly shoved the grimoire in front of his eyes.

How can this guy be so easily fooled?
Also, what exactly did that "alliance" see in this kid?
However, the words on the page with the mission written on it gave Iskandar a jolt.

Today's assigned task (1):
Head to the top of the Fuyuki Bridge and use the reconnaissance spell to record relevant movement information.

(During the mission, the [Detect Evil] skill can be used an unlimited number of times without affecting the user's effect value.)
Task reward: 33 basic strings.

Reward for completing all tasks: [CYZ Tuning Interface - Type 1].
"The effect of a full 33 universal strings!"

“Yes, that’s close to your current full effect value.” Iskandar immediately changed his attitude and nodded. “It is indeed necessary to complete it.”

Rider had to admit that, not to mention that Webber and he had already joined the League.

Even if it's the enemy's sugar-coated bullet, our side still has a reason to take it.

……

In the eyes of the Conqueror King, what is completely different from the Holy Grail Wars of the past is—

The CYZ effect provides a tremendous advantage in combat power to either side.

According to the principle of completing one magic spell with one string.

At this moment, I can use the unique barrier called [King's Army Force] 36×3, which is 108 times.

Yes, Weber's effect size has now increased to 36 sine waves.

Including the one-string used this morning to use [Detect Evil] and the one-string that replenished all of Rider's Spirit Origin's mana.

The total increase of 6 strings comes from his drawing of that "very simple" [flying magic], and today's "salary".

In fact, when Weber saw that drawing a single [Flying Magic] would earn him a reward of a full "5 Strings", a strange feeling arose within him.

Keep in mind, Rider's cape is only worth 2 strings!
This is a relic that, if sold, could pay off 70% of the El-Melloi family's future debts in one go!

Although Weber knew very well that there must be a reason why this task offered such a high reward.

But flying magic tricks are too simple!
It's important to understand that the procedure itself is very simple, and the cost and difficulty depend solely on the quality of the patient.

Even the most ordinary apprentice magician can float a small pebble—yes, that includes Webber.

So, excited by the grand idea of ​​"unifying the theory of magic," Webber immediately accepted this seemingly free task.

Yes, in the eyes of this young magician, the purpose of the [League] had long been "revealed" through those subtle details.

For example, the details of naming and classifying [techniques].

【Detect Evil】, whose full name is 【Mind Perception Detect Evil】, indicates that it belongs to the "Mind Series" of spells.

And of course, there's no need to elaborate on the long list of techniques belonging to the "Earth Vein Series".

All signs indicate that this organization called the CYZ Alliance seems to be trying to perform a quantitative "calculation and allocation" of all magic.

This is the closest possible motivation Weber could come up with for this action.

It is undoubtedly a move and decision that could cause a bloodbath or a major upheaval in the entire magic world.

"Wow! This is absolutely fantastic!"

The Weber of today is not like the Weber of the future, who stands on the side of those annoying aristocratic factions.

For a young man who disliked those old-fashioned magic families who were unwilling to share their knowledge from the very beginning.

This was exactly what he wanted.

"But why is it so difficult?"

This was also the first time he realized that the missions announced by the Alliance were not so easy to complete.

In Weber's view, the "kind-hearted and righteous" organization seemed to have only one flaw—its techniques were simply too difficult.

Moreover, this difficulty is not a difficulty in understanding, nor is it a difficulty in magical power or precise operation.

"According to the grimoire, apart from extremely special spell series like [RSI Concealment Mimicry], all other spells can theoretically be cast using only magic power."

For example, there's a flying magic trick called "Floating Rhythm - Universal Flight" that requires you to successfully draw it once.

Weber could even spot the Flight Magic, a modification of the Clock Tower, at a glance.

In his view, the faction he now belonged to had undoubtedly taken it to a whole new level—the talent called [Insightful Eye] had played an extraordinary role.

Even without knowing exactly where some of the parts came from, Weber could still keenly distinguish the differences.

"Hmm, there are also traces of magic from Eastern Europe, it should be... a type of [Butterfly Magic]? And then there's [Runic Magic] from Northern Europe." "And this is... hmm, an indiscernible barrier technique, and [Elemental Manipulation] related to wind..."

This is also one of the reasons why Webber felt that this force seemed to have the ambition to unify the [magic world].

Different magic bases, in theory, have completely different and incompatible ideas!

However, through clever borrowing and reworking, this technique not only eliminates those difficult and contradictory aspects, but also reduces consumption while giving it greater speed and flexibility.

According to the description of its effects, one unit of magic power can make an object weighing no more than one ton fly at a speed not exceeding the speed of sound for one hour!

Under normal circumstances, even if Waver exhausted all 20 units of his magical power, he wouldn't be able to lift himself off the ground.

The difference between these two is too great!

Then Weber discovered that this technique was difficult to depict.

……

As Weber said, the grimoire undoubtedly provides detailed explanations and reasons for every spell and magical structure.

In fact, every single point sounds logical and makes no faults.

In other words, any practitioner who follows the instructions in the book, even if it's done by rote memorization, can succeed.

Even its memory and rhythm have clearly been carefully designed.

Just like how different songs seem to switch smoothly when in a "medley".

Its structure and incantation can be memorized so easily that any logical human being can deduce the final result as easily as reciting "1, 2, 3..."

But the problem is that "accidents" always happen.

According to Weber, he was sometimes completely unaware of why he would make mistakes in some parts of it.

The magic works in a way that is as common sense as it does, yet we always end up on the wrong path because of "carelessness," as if someone is deliberately deceiving us.

Or it's just luck.

Suddenly, a cat's meow sounded outside the window, and Martha and her husband came upstairs to tell her they wanted some snacks...

Even the sound of Rider suddenly turning the pages of his book became louder for some reason.

So, around 3 a.m.

Weber, who was really torn about this, quietly stood up again.

"The soundproofing technique is fine."

"All the clutter has been tidied up."

"Rider and the others are all asleep."

After confirming that everything was in order, he encouraged himself.

"Okay, this time there will definitely be no problem."

And in the end, of course, it was a success...

"It must have been a success, right?"

Seeing the words "Mission Complete" displayed on the magic book, the exhausted Waver collapsed onto the floor.

but--

He rolled around in distress.

"But even if we do that, it's still completely unusable..."

Without any external distractions, his mind was focused solely on the structure of the technique, even concentrating entirely on his own body.

The result of all that hard work last night was just—

The hair floated upwards.

"Sigh—no wonder most of those spells use the CYZ effect, it's like the whole world is against me..."

"Oh, what a misfortune."

However, the only thing that gave Webber some comfort was that Rider didn't laugh at him as usual.

He even used a complex look in his eyes to tell himself that he had done a good job and was a true genius.

"Hahaha! No wonder that [Alliance] insisted on recruiting you, kid."

Laughing loudly, the burly man patted Webber hard on the back with his large hand, causing him to cough.

"As expected, I was right. In the past, you might have been the most precious treasure in the magic world, haha!"

……

After completing that "simple" task, Weber received the "assigned task" this morning, or more precisely, at noon today, after Rider's explanation.

Weber tapped the flashing title and read aloud the explanation for this type of task:

"Tailor-made for the holder's situation, a task that can be completed as long as the instructions are followed."

In fact, even without mentioning the task, it seems to have no difficulty at all.

The suffix "Detect Evil During Mission" alone makes it impossible for anyone to refuse.

More importantly, when Rider saw the contents of the page, it already indicated that Weber had taken it.

Faced with Rider's praise, Webber could only keep the words "I didn't think that much about it" to himself.

For a young magician who is now full of curiosity about the [League], the most important reason why Webber accepted this mission was the reward that seemed to be on par with the 33-string.

——【CYZ Tuning Interface - Type I】.

Core Effect (1):
Users equipped with this interface will have their number of Magic Circuits treated as the base value (excluding equipment bonuses) multiplied by 10 when using the [CYZ Technique]. The CYZ effect consumption will be reduced by 10% (up to 33 normal strings).
A very simple and unpretentious effect.

Upon seeing its first effect, Weber knew that even if the task was ultimately dangerous, he had no choice but to do it.

And that is indeed the case.

……

At this moment, Weber received the reward of 33 universal strings with some excitement.

As the grimoire flickered, the second assigned task appeared on the page.

Today's assigned task (2):

Head to the warehouse district of Fuyuki Harbor and prevent Lancer and his Master from being eliminated before reinforcements arrive.

(Provides three uses of the [Physical Barrier - Kinetic Deflection] skill.)
Task reward: 33 basic strings.

Reward for completing all tasks: [CYZ Tuning Interface - Type 1].
However, after hearing Webber's somewhat excited shouts, Rider's expression seemed a little strange.

He frowned, and his face even showed a hint of...sadness or sadness.

It seems as if they are lamenting the future that is about to arrive.

And for some reason, this sentiment also infected Weber.

Although he did find this guy, who never seemed to care about his own feelings, extremely annoying, but—

"No matter what, Rider should..."

Weber quickly looked up and stole a glance at Rider, who was still silent.

"—They should be my friends too."

Thinking this, although he really wanted that final reward, Weber still lowered his head dejectedly and said somewhat dejectedly:
“Well, if Rider thinks it’s too dangerous, then—let’s abandon this mission.”

"Hahahaha!" Weber's words made Rider suddenly laugh loudly and unrestrainedly.

That smile carried a hint of resistance to something.

Weber even felt that Rider at this moment was like an enraged lion, his voice filled with obvious anger.

Just as he was wondering what Rider was trying to say, the Conqueror finally spoke.

"I'm not worried about my own safety..."

"I was still hesitating about whether or not to—"

He paused.

"In short, it seems that I don't see things as clearly as you, kid!"

This sudden praise left Weber somewhat bewildered.

Rider continued:
"Oh dear, really... Even if there is an insurmountable danger, do you think I have no confidence in retreating with you?"

"It's just a one-time attack on all the Heroic Spirits."

"..."

Weber thought he might have misheard something.

He couldn't help but mutter to himself, "A single strike...against all?"

"Of course, such an opportunity to fight against heroes from different eras is a once-in-a-lifetime chance. I certainly cannot let any of them slip by."

Before Webber could protest his reckless behavior, Rider drew his sword from his waist.

"To conquer without destroying; to dominate without humiliating. That is true 'conquest'!"

With that proud declaration, the sword of Cyprus cleaved downwards.

The space in front of them was cleaved open by the sword, and with the surging magic power, the treasure called [Divine Wheel] was revealed.

"That's the end of the show, kid. Let's head over there."

"You idiot, you idiot... Who comes out saying they're going to take on all the Servants? That Saber's attack was clearly terrifying too—"

"Hmm? If you're unhappy, do you want to stay here and watch?"

"Hmph! Of course I'm going!"

"Excellent! That's more like it, worthy to be my master!"

That somewhat desolate yet bold laughter echoed above the deserted bridge.

Rider grabbed Webber by the collar and made him sit next to him.

……

Amid Webber's constant shouts of "Whoa!", the wheels of the Divine Might roared and sped away.

Unlike Webber, who was somewhat dizzy from the speed, Rider sighed inwardly.

Weber's keen intuition was correct.

Unlike the "historical inertia," the Conqueror King did not want to participate in that war at this moment.

Those conversations just now... they seem so familiar.

Rider actually wanted to find an opportunity, outside of testing that "League," to try and give Webber a second option.

but now--

"Fine, let's just consider it a moment of indulgence for this kid."

(End of this chapter)