To become a king and a magician

The Mystic Eyes, capable of defeating Servants with a single glance or even corrupting them into evil spirits, are far beyond the scope of the Holy Grail War.

Kenneth's biggest regret right now is signing that contract, which prevented him from harming Natsukawa Toru. Otherwise, the first thing he would do right now would be destroy those demonic eyes!

Even if it's an incredibly precious gem-grade magic eye!

20. Kenneth's Plan

How long has one's consciousness been lost in the depths of one's being?

After witnessing the tiger devour the evil spirit, Natsukawa Tiger completely lost control of his own consciousness. He still retained his consciousness, but could not control it, as if another person was controlling him, and he kept getting closer to the tiger.

Then, it swallowed him whole!

"ah------!"

In the instant he was devoured by the tiger, Natsukawa Tiger's consciousness returned to his body. However, when he opened his eyes, all he saw was pure white. He reached out and touched it.

"Blankets? Who blindfolded me?"

"I guessed."

Kenneth's voice answered him.

Natsukawa Torato's eyes are currently covered by a cloth, which is covered with numerous suppressive incantations written by Kenneth. Although it is unclear to what extent it can suppress the Gem-level Mystic Eyes, all that is needed is to wait for the Mystic Code to arrive.

Until then, this was the only thing we could manage with.

"First of all, I want to congratulate you, Tiger. You have demonstrated an incredibly powerful talent as a magician."

"Your magic attributes are wind and fire. Dual attributes are not uncommon, but your magic circuits are quite excellent by the standards of a first-generation magician. You have thirty main magic circuits and eight auxiliary magic circuits, and the quality of the circuits is also quite high."

Xia Chuanhu didn't quite understand the technical terms, but this should be a compliment to him?

"What surprises me even more is your Demon Eye, Tiger."

"The Demon Eye?" Natsukawa Torato touched the seal on his eyes. "I have the Demon Eye? Then this blindfold..."

"Your Mystic Eyes awakened along with the opening of your magic circuits, seemingly influenced by your origin. Your Mystic Eyes are incredibly powerful, worthy of being rated as gem-level Mystic Eyes. If you were in the Clock Tower, you would surely be sealed away."

"A designated seal?!"

Xia Chuanhu's body trembled instantly.

He certainly knew what the Sealing Designation was. It was a system established by the Clock Tower to protect magicians with rare talents. Of course, nominally it was protection, but in reality, it was a way to imprison and capture magicians with extraordinary talents or those who had broken taboos, confining them for life under the guise of "protection."

Those who possess magic that cannot be learned through study, solely due to their bloodline or physical constitution, are treated as "precious items" and protected by the Mage's Association. Furthermore, when a magician designated for sealing is arrested, the Mage's Association will go to great lengths to preserve their magical characteristics, ensuring their legacy as a valuable specimen. In a sense, they are no different from specimens preserved in formalin.

For the association, the sealing designation was based on good intentions, but for the chosen magician, it was tantamount to a death sentence.

And now, Kenneth is saying he'll be sealed away and soaked in formalin just because of his Mystic Eyes? What exactly are his Mystic Eyes anyway? They can't possibly be on the same level as the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception!

"Teacher, my Mystic Eye... could you tell me about its specific abilities? Since you sealed it away, you must have understood its dangers before making this decision."

“Spiritual corruption. It forcibly corrupts all spirits and transforms them into evil spirits. Its coercive power and absoluteness are so strong that even Servants cannot resist it. Sora and I almost turned into living dead after just a second or two of eye contact with you.”

Spiritual invasion?

Wouldn't that mean if he went back and wandered around the cemetery, all the ghosts there would turn into evil spirits? A moving parade of demons? And even Servants wouldn't be spared. If he were to remove this seal during the Holy Grail War...

With his hand on the sealing cloth, Natsukawa Tora hesitated for a long time before finally suppressing the urge to remove the seal: "I will not remove this seal until I can control my Mystic Eyes."

"No need, this seal is only temporary. I have already contacted a rare magician through El-Melloi's connections. She can make a Mystic Code that is strong enough to seal the Mystic Eyes. It will be delivered in a couple of days. You can just put on that Mystic Code then."

(A Mystic Code that suppresses the Mystic Eyes... Mystic Eye Killer? Does that mean Orange is in Japan at this point?)

Aozaki Touko, a Grand Puppeteer, is one of only two magicians in the Type-Moon universe explicitly stated to be Grand-ranked. The other is Danic Preston Yggdrasil, the patriarch of the Yggdrasil clan in the Fate/Apocrypha timeline. However, the latter was not ranked as Grand-ranked due to his magical skill, but rather through political maneuvering.

In fact, the only known magician with a true Grand rank is Touko Aozaki.

If it's a Mystic Eye Killer she created, it should be able to suppress even a Gem-level Mystic Eye.

Kenneth let out a weary sigh and sat down on the sofa, squinting his eyes: "You are undoubtedly a talented person, Tiger. Although your value lies in your magic eyes, without those magic eyes you are just an ordinary magician with some talent. You must remember this clearly."

"I see."

"Let's end the teaching here for now. In fact, I have already done far more than a professor would. Saber, take your Master back to your room. We will begin the remaining four lessons after the Mystic Eyes Killer arrives."

"Thank you very much for your assistance, Lancer's Master."

After thanking Kenneth, Arthur helped Natsukawa Tora up and headed for the door.

“I can walk by myself, Saber.”

"Don't push yourself like this, Master. You're exhausted. Let me help you back to your room to rest."

Watching the two leave, Kenneth remained silent for a moment before chuckling, "What a pleasant surprise! It really is a pleasant surprise. I never expected to acquire such an ace. It seems that I am destined to be the final victor in this Holy Grail War."

"Master, do you perhaps intend to use those demonic eyes?" Lancer immediately realized Kenneth's intentions.

Indeed, if Natsukawa Torato's Mystic Eyes are used properly, they are practically hopeless and disadvantageous in the Holy Grail War. In addition, since they are Mystic Eyes, they are difficult to avoid, and can be said to be the ultimate first-encounter kill.

but--

“Please allow me to object to this, Master,” Lancer said, kneeling on the ground. “My lord need not resort to such ominous power. I, Lancer, will surely offer the Holy Grail to you with my twin pistols.”

Are you trying to disobey my orders?

"I wouldn't dare, it's just about using someone else... Besides, Saber's Master is currently considered your disciple, so this action would be far too ruthless and cruel."

"Hmph, I thought you were going to say something."

Kenneth stood up and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, looking down at Fuyuki City below.

"It is only natural for a student to dedicate himself to his teacher in order to repay the kindness of his education. He is not a magician, but still has the rationality of an ordinary person. I think he will not refuse the request I, as his teacher, make."

"Furthermore, leading students to conduct on-site observations and practical exercises is also a task that teachers should undertake."

21. Emiya Kiritsugu begins his explosion.

"Wumi, how are things going on your end?"

In the crowd below the Fuyuki Grand Hotel, Kiritsugu Emiya was making a phone call as he moved forward with the flow of people, while on the other end of the line was his assistant, Maiya Hisau.

"All in position, target shows no signs of moving."

"We managed to handle both groups smoothly in one go... Continue monitoring."

"learn."

After hanging up the phone, Kiritsugu Emiya looked towards the Fuyuki Grand Hotel.

Last night, the first night of the Holy Grail War, the battle at the port—although only Natsukawa Torato and Kenneth's groups actually showed up, almost all Servants and Masters secretly observed the battle using their own methods.

Unlike most people who only watched the battle between Servants, Kiritsugu Emiya watched until the very end, including the scene where Natsukawa Torara and Kenneth made a deal. Even after the two left together, Kiritsugu Emiya and Hisau Maiya followed closely behind.

Because of the magic props made by Caster, the two remained undetected throughout the entire process. It was only at times like this that Kiritsugu Emiya would marvel at how useful magic was compared to modern technology, especially since Caster was using magic from the Age of Gods.

After locating Natsukawa Torato and Kenneth's residence, Emiya Kiritsugu began preparing how to deal with them. After an afternoon of preparation, a large number of bombs had been planted on the middle three floors of the Fuyuki Grand Hotel. He only needed to press the detonator switch in his pocket to detonate all the bombs and destroy most of the hotel in one fell swoop.

Kiritsugu Emiya knew that Kenneth had already set up a large number of magical defenses on the upper floors of the hotel. From a magical point of view, it was already a demonic realm where death was certain, and probably no other magician could easily break through it.

However, those were ultimately defensive structures that only worked against magicians; they were almost entirely ineffective against physical interference. If the entire hotel were destroyed, these magical barriers would be completely useless. Furthermore, Kenneth and Natsukawa Tora, who had not established any other defensive measures, would perish in the flames caused by the explosion.

"Everyone has been evacuated! There's no one left in the hotel!"

A policeman's shout could be heard in the distance.

In order to prevent ordinary people from being affected, Kiritsugu Emiya used a hinting magic to spread the news in advance that the Fuyuki Grand Hotel would be attacked by terrorists. Now, those who are destined to die are the only ones left in the hotel.

With his hand in his pocket, Kiritsugu Emiya pressed the detonation switch.

“Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang!”

On the middle floor of the Fuyuki Grand Hotel, the silence of the night was shattered by explosions! The steel castle, built of cement and steel bars, crumbled and collapsed in an instant under the impact of weapons of war. The fragile glass shattered and scattered like fireworks, and countless fragments fell from a height of hundreds of meters!

"Aaaaaah!"

"It really exploded!"

"Get out of there! You'll get shot!"

......

A huge commotion erupted in the crowd, with cries, screams, and chaotic footsteps filling the air. All the sounds that come with a disaster were deafening, and the whole scene instantly descended into extreme chaos!

Kiritsugu Emiya was probably the only one who remained calm amidst the chaos. His eyes, devoid of any brilliance, stared at the top floor that had fallen from the sky, before he took out his phone again and dialed Maiya Hisau: "How is the situation?"

"The target did not move until the very end and did not escape from the hotel."

“A free fall from a height of 150 meters is impossible to survive, no matter what kind of magical barrier is used for defense. In addition, the bomb also contains a Caster-enhanced magical bomb... He's definitely going to die.” Kiritsugu Emiya took a drag of his cigarette, paused for a second, and then added, “Maiya, continue monitoring for three hours.”

"Understood—Kiritsugu, the target has appeared."

"what?"

Hisayuu Maiya's sudden change of heart startled Kiritsugu Emiya.

Is it possible to escape alive under these circumstances?

"It's Saber and his Master; the Lancer group is nowhere to be found."

"You continue to monitor the hotel."

"Understood. The Saber group is heading southeast."

After hanging up the phone and stubbing out his cigarette, Kiritsugu Emiya sighed: "So it wasn't that easy to solve after all—I'm leaving the Saber group to you, Caster. Just take care of that Master, right?"

"Of course, no problem."

The voice of the rare witch echoed in his mind.

————————————————————————

"boom!"

Carrying Natsukawa Tora, Arthur landed on a rooftop and turned to look at the hotel engulfed in flames: "Such a commotion... could it have been done by another Master group?"

"Cough cough... cough cough... It's probably... Emiya Kiritsugu... cough cough!"

Although Natsukawa Tora covered his mouth and nose with something immediately after the explosion, he still accidentally inhaled a mouthful of smoke when Arthur carried him away from the hotel, and coughed several times before recovering.

Clutching his throat, the burning sensation made Xia Chuanhu wince in discomfort.

"By the way, what about Arthur, Kenneth, and Lancer?"