To become a king and a magician

"teacher?!"

Sora was somewhat surprised.

"Kenneth, what... what kind of contract did you sign?"

"It's nothing, just teaching him some basic magic knowledge in exchange for Saber being completely harmless to us during the Holy Grail War. Of course, we can't attack her either, which means we've lost a competitor in disguise."

"Yes, in that sense, I might have to call you 'Master's Wife' now, Miss Sora."

"Well......"

Seeing Natsukawa Tora's somewhat enthusiastic smile and eyes, Sora couldn't help but take a step or two back.

Meanwhile, Arthur faced Lancer: "I'm sorry, Lancer. Although it was Master's order, interrupting the duel was indeed my inappropriate behavior. I apologize to you."

“No need to apologize, Saber. It is a knight’s duty to be loyal to his lord. If I were in your shoes, I would probably do the same.” Lancer smiled bitterly. “It’s just a pity that I thought the first battle of the Holy Grail War would be a thrilling fight to the death. It seems I can only hope that the opponents in the future will be as strong as you, Saber.”

18. Magic Circuit

The first night of the Holy Grail War ended with an alliance between Natsukawa Torato and Kenneth. Aside from Saber and Lancer, no other Servants appeared in the public eye that night. While it's unknown how many eyes witnessed the battle, given that it was only the first night of the Holy Grail War, the primary objective for all sides was likely probing.

Only Kenneth and Natsukawa Torato would openly launch an attack on the very first night.

As things stand, the one who suffered the most was undoubtedly Natsukawa Tora, who used up a crucial Command Seal on the very first night, which will inevitably be a potential threat in the subsequent battles.

But for Natsukawa Torato himself, exchanging a mere Command Seal for at least five magic lessons from Kenneth was a huge win. Not to mention that because of the contract, Kenneth, in order to ensure his safety, directly pulled him out of that cheap bachelor apartment and arranged for him to stay on the top floor of the Fuyuki Grand Hotel!

Their material life has undergone a complete transformation!

"A hotel life that's been taken for free, and it's even the top-floor King's Suite. I don't know whether to praise Lord El-Melloi for being rich or the Clock Tower for being rich."

"Hmph, this kind of residence is nothing but a decorative facade, full of nouveau riche boredom. In comparison, I would much rather experience a traditional Japanese house, a 'Japanese-style house'? I think that's what it's called."

Kenneth listened to Natsukawa Tora's praise without a care, and then said, "Let's end this small talk. Since you want to learn magic from me, let's get started now."

"Huh?" Natsukawa Torato was taken aback. "Now? It's still past midnight, teacher. Don't you need to sleep?"

"For magicians, it is perfectly normal to be active at night. After all, night is a very important factor and attribute in magic. Alchemy, spirit possession, celestial magic... many magic tricks are closely related to the night."

“Ah… alright then.” Natsukawa Torama scratched his head. “But I… don’t know if I have magic circuits.”

Kenneth paused for a moment upon hearing this, then took a deep breath: "The fact that you can summon a Servant proves that you have the aptitude to become a magus. Furthermore, Command Seals are magical crystals that can only be given to magus. You don't even know this basic common sense, yet you want to learn magic!"

The sudden increase in volume startled Natsukawa Tiger, who instinctively recalled the fear of being dominated by his teachers in high school. He shrank back, put his legs together, and tried his best to appear as a good student.

Kenneth sighed, rubbing his forehead. "It seems you really know nothing about magic, an innocent bystander caught up in the Holy Grail. Fine, since I've agreed to teach you magic, I'll officially treat you as a student of El-Melloi's classroom. My teaching will be quite strict, so don't think I'll be lenient with you just because you're a beginner."

"Oh my! Mr. Kenneth!"

In another corner of the room, sitting at a tea table, Sora watched Kenneth reprimanding Natsukawa Tiger and suddenly let out a series of soft laughs.

Seeing this, Lancer couldn't help but smile and say, "You seem to be in a good mood, madam."

"Because I rarely see Kenneth like that, in my interactions with him, I mostly see him as Kenneth. As a teacher, he is very rare to see, let alone him being so emotional."

"Could this be interpreted as Master being in a good mood right now?"

"probably."

Sora took a sip of black tea.

“This black tea is delicious, Mr. Saber. Your cooking is excellent.”

“You flatter me, madam.” Arthur smiled. “It’s just that during the last Holy Grail War, Master was a young lady who unknowingly learned this skill.”

Upon hearing this, Lancer couldn't help but be somewhat surprised: "You still retain the memories of the last Holy Grail War? Saber."

“Yes. This is the third Holy Grail War I have participated in, but the previous two were in parallel worlds different from this one.” Arthur couldn’t help but recall his previous two experiences. “Strictly speaking, those two Holy Grail Wars were just me cleaning up the mess of my past, and this time is no different.”

What a mess.

Lancer narrowed his eyes: "I'm getting more and more curious about your real name, Saber. But what I'm even more curious about is what kind of opponents you encountered in the previous two Holy Grail Wars. As Holy Grail Wars, they must have been renowned heroes."

A renowned hero?

That's true.

Ayaka's opponents that time included the great Greek hero Heracles, Gilgamesh, the hero-king of Uruk, Cú Chulainn, the Celtic son of light, Perseus, a hero also from Greek mythology, the treacherous witch Medea, and the legendary swordsman Sasaki Kojiro.

The one about Aegean included Arash, the great Persian hero; Brunhilde, the Valkyrie from Norse mythology; Ramses II, the most famous pharaoh of ancient Egypt; Paracelsus, the legendary alchemist; Henry Jekyll/Hyde, a master poisoner known as "Hassan of Tranquility" and also called Doctor Jekyll.

Although he hadn't fought against everyone, most of the Servants left a very strong impression on Arthur, especially Gilgamesh, who was someone Arthur found difficult to describe with a specific relationship.

"Saber?"

Seeing Arthur fall silent, Lancer tentatively called out, then fell silent again. He could tell that Arthur was reminiscing about his past rivals, and at such a time, he shouldn't be disturbed.

————————————————————————————

Magic circuit.

The innate source of magic for all magicians.

The simulated nerves within a magician's body are organs used to convert life force into magical power. They are similar to nerves; without them, magic cannot be used properly. A magician's aptitude can be judged by the number and quality of their magic circuits, as these are determined at birth. A significant proportion of accomplished magicians possess superior innate talent.

For example, Kenneth.

Before learning magic, the first thing every magician must do is to open up the magic circuits. Through specific methods and mental suggestion, they become aware of the potential simulated nerves in their body and open up the nodes one by one, allowing magic to flow throughout the body.

"Relax, Tiger. Immerse yourself completely in your body and imagine the magic circuits within you being opened. That will be the key to activating your magic circuits every time you start in the future."

Kenneth's voice echoed in Natsukawa Tiger's ears, then gradually receded into the distance, and Natsukawa Tiger's consciousness sank deeper and deeper into the "ocean" of consciousness.

Imagine the moment the magic circuit is activated, imagine the method that best suits you, imagine...

"roar----!"

A deafening tiger's roar resounded through Xia Chuanhu's consciousness, and then, deep within his mind, he clearly saw that scene—

The scene depicts a ferocious tiger devouring countless ghosts.

19. Awakening of the Demon Eye

Just as Xia Chuanhu's consciousness was sinking and he was wholeheartedly focused on opening up the magic circuits, his body in the real world underwent drastic changes that were visible to the naked eye, and Kenneth, who was closest to him, noticed this immediately.

"A remarkably abundant and intense magical power... It seems his magic circuits are highly efficient at converting life force, focusing on quantity but slightly inferior quality, or focusing on quality but with limited quantity, or... both?"

Kenneth had witnessed too many instances of magic circuits awakening, and he had done things like helping others open their magic circuits many times. He had also seen Natsukawa Tora's situation once or twice, and the one or two people who had experienced this situation were now showing quite unique talents in the Clock Tower.

“The Natsukawa family… there doesn’t seem to be such a family of magicians in the Clock Tower’s records. Could it be the first magician?”

If that's the case, then Natsukawa Tora's magic value is immense. The first generation already possessed such outstanding talent; if he accumulated bloodlines and combined with an excellent magician, the offspring should have even more remarkable abilities.

Could it be that he's found a talented individual during his trip to Japan? And that this talent has actually come to him on his own?

Even the usually calm Kenneth couldn't help but feel a little excited at this moment.

And very quickly, Natsukawa Tora opened his eyes—

"Well--!"

"Varied--!"

Without warning, Lancer and Arthur's expressions changed drastically, as if they had encountered some kind of ferocious beast, and they fled from Natsukawa Tiger's sight as if they were running away. Kenneth, who was standing in front of Natsukawa Tiger, also turned extremely pale and hurriedly came to Natsukawa Tiger's back.

Kenneth quickly calmed the magical energy within him, then looked at the still-dazed Natsukawa Torato and murmured, "How could this happen... Along with the opening of the magic circuits, he actually awakened the Mystic Eyes?!"

Magic Eye.

This technique transforms one's eyes into magical circuits, converting the passive function of receiving external information into the ability to actively influence external things. In other words, all targets within one's field of vision are affected by magic; it is a type of magic that can be manipulated simply by "seeing."

In the world of magic, Mystic Eyes are not rare. Most top-tier magicians possess artificial Mystic Eyes, and there are even families within the Clock Tower that specialize in researching Mystic Eyes. Mystic Eyes alone are not enough to cause Kenneth and his two Servants to change their expressions so drastically.

What truly changed Kenneth's expression was the color of Natsukawa Tiger's eyes—a jewel-like color as clear as the sky.

"A natural gem-grade magic eye?!"

Even Sora was shocked.

Everything is divided into different grades, and so are the Mystic Eyes. In terms of grade, the Gem-grade Mystic Eyes are second only to the highest grade, the Rainbow Mystic Eyes. Currently, the Rainbow Mystic Eyes recognized by the Mage Association are mostly Mystic Eyes possessed by gods in myths and legends, such as the Death Eye of the Celtic god Balor.

In this modern age where magic is declining, let alone a Gem-level Mystic Eye, even a lower-level Gold-level Mystic Eye is considered an unrepeatable miracle, worthy of being sealed away. And a Gem-level Mystic Eye... the Clock Tower hasn't even recorded one in its last hundred years of history.

"Kenneth—"

"Come over here, Sora! Be careful not to get into his line of sight!"

As Kenneth spoke, he set up multiple layers of barriers, but even he was unsure whether his barriers could withstand the power of the gem-level magic eye, so he could only do his best.

After circling around for a long time, finally arriving at Natsukawa Torato's blind spot, Sora took a few breaths and asked, "Kenneth, his Mystic Eye... why did I feel like my whole body wasn't my own just from a brief glance?"

"That must be the power of his Mystic Eyes. Look at Lancer and Saber's bodies again."

Lancer and Saber?

Sora looked at the two Servants and was surprised to find that both of them exhibited signs of demonic transformation, indicating that their ethereal bodies had been severely corrupted. But they were Servants, great souls worthy of being etched in human history and ascending to the Throne of Heroes—how could they be corrupted?

Could it be that—

“You noticed it too, Sora.” Kenneth frowned deeply. “The power of those Mystic Eyes is probably to erode all spirits and souls within their field of vision, forcibly turning them into evil spirits. The effect is so strong that it can even affect us living beings and Servants. It is a Mystic Eye that is truly designed to attack spirits.”

Just one glance from those demonic eyes, and even if you are alive or a saint, your soul will be corrupted and transformed into an evil spirit filled with hatred, anger, and other negative emotions. Without your spirit, your body becomes nothing more than a corpse that can be manipulated at will.

If the target is a pure spirit, these demonic eyes will have no rivals.

A true spirit killer!

"What...what a vicious demonic eye! Why did he awaken such a demonic eye?"

"The innate Mystic Eyes are generally influenced by two factors: the holder's past experiences or the holder's origin. I don't think Tiger, who was once an ordinary person, would have any special experiences. In other words, what created his Mystic Eyes is his origin."

Origin, besides magical attributes, is the talent that most influences a magician's abilities.

What is the origin of Natsukawa Tora's ability to awaken such a gem-level magic eye?

Listening to Kenneth's explanation from the rear, Arthur suddenly remembered a possibility.

(Could it be Aika...? If her mind was interfered with by the larvae of Beast VI, would her origin also be affected?)

This possibility is not nonexistent. The combined identity of the evil offspring of humanity and the Root Princess, Sajō Aika, would have a profound and enormous impact on Natsukawa Torama, an ordinary person. No one can imagine.

But no matter what—

“Those demonic eyes must be sealed for now,” Kenneth said. “If they are allowed to unleash their power, the fall of this city is only a matter of time, and if they are used in the Holy Grail War…”