I am the protagonist

Rune magic is truly enviable. Waver had heard that using runes requires very little magic power and doesn't require chanting spells. This kind of magic is a lifesaver for a third-rate magician like him.

Unfortunately, he couldn't access rune magic.

After all, this is magic from ancient times. Waver also saw that the runes used by Saber's Master were completely unknown, which means that the rune magic was very likely a family heirloom.

"It is certain that Saber's Master is an exceptionally skilled magus."

"Yes, Saber's Master is indeed a troublesome kid."

"That kid kept shifting the topic to other Heroic Spirits, while he himself easily made a clean getaway under those circumstances."

"Moreover, that kid can provide Saber with the greatest assistance during the battle."

"During the battle between Saber and Lancer, Saber had fallen into Lancer's traps several times, but it was that kid's timely reminders that made all of Lancer's traps fail, and instead gave Saber the upper hand."

Saber's Master is an excellent magician, a fact that Rider also acknowledges.

Having observed for so long, even though Saber's Master is still young, her combat experience is extremely rich, and her eyes are incredibly sharp.

Not only did he choose the right tactics, but he also guided Saber onto the right path, easily saw through Lancer's Noble Phantasm abilities, and even revealed Lancer's true name.

Using magic to support Saber from behind, Lancer, who could previously fight Saber with skill, was forced into a one-sided battle.

"This time, Saber's advantage was not due to Saber's own efforts, but rather to her Master, who was the key to Saber's victory over Lancer."

"Not only that, that kid also dragged Yu, who had just barged in, into the chaos, trying to make things even more muddy."

"...Now that you mention it, Rider, you really do have some hidden methods, don't you!"

I remembered Saber's Master saying that no Servant is a fool, and the King of Conquerors dared to interrupt the duel between the two knights so directly because he had enough confidence to do such a thing.

"Well, I am a Heroic Spirit after all. No Heroic Spirit would show all of their abilities at the beginning."

"Then why didn't you tell me?"

"Boy, have you ever seen a Heroic Spirit willingly reveal their trump card?"

"A trump card is something that cannot be revealed until a certain time has passed. If it were so easy to show, it wouldn't be a trump card."

"That's what they say, but it's still been exposed now."

Even if he didn't intentionally reveal his trump card, his recklessness made it clear that he was holding back a trump card that could be used against Saber and Lancer.

This is a situation that Rider didn't want to see, but even so, he still had a bright smile on his face.

"But that's what makes it even more interesting!"

"This is the essence of the Holy Grail War!"

"If only I have enough trump cards to win, then the Holy Grail War doesn't need to continue. Wars are more interesting and worthwhile when they are evenly matched!"

As an ordinary magician, Webber felt a lot of pressure listening to these words. He just wanted to win the Holy Grail and didn't really want to experience something that would thrill his heart.

Seeing the excited look on his heroic spirit's face, he knew he couldn't stop it.

The one who fights is ultimately a Rider. Although the Master can use Command Seals to command Servants, there are only three Command Seals. Besides, do Servants really want to be commanded?

Deep down, I've always had this feeling that once he uses the Command Seal, his relationship with Rider might be completely ruined.

This feeling was so strong that even Waver, who was often driven half to death by his own Heroic Spirits, never used Command Seals.

"Since you put it that way, then you must have some ideas about the final battle ahead, right?"

"That's a question for you to think about."

"what?"

Rider took off his coat and continued lying on the floor eating senbei (rice crackers).

"The task of finding Heroic Spirits is naturally entrusted to you. As a Heroic Spirit, I am now being targeted by many Masters and Heroic Spirits, and my actions will inevitably attract the attention of some Masters."

"So only when you find the location of the Heroic Spirit can I take action."

That makes a lot of sense.

Weber couldn't refute such a reasonable argument, and it seemed he would have to continue doing his grueling work.

"Hey……"

"It seems that the only option now is to find Caster's lair."

Starting with the weakest Servant in theory should be fine. Although Caster hasn't shown up yet, Waver still has some direction in his search for her.

"Oh~ Are we going to find Caster next?"

"Isn't that obvious? Saber and Lancer are of similar strength. If they start a war with you, things will never end. Besides, it's best for Saber and Lancer to target each other."

I could just hear Kenneth's voice, so it goes without saying who Lancer's Master is. Right now, Lancer is the Servant that Waver least wants to come into contact with.

"Assassin left the stage yesterday, so the golden Heroic Spirit is Archer."

"The Berserker's Master is in big trouble now, but targeting the Berserker right now is not a good idea."

"So our best goal now is to find Caster."

Chapter 147 Caster's Underground Magic Workshop Has Been Found

The next morning, Webber sent Rider to the river to fetch water at a fixed point. Caster's location was currently unknown, but given Caster's personality and fighting style, he certainly wouldn't set up a position on the open ground. Therefore, searching from underground was the best option.

Speaking of underground, it naturally refers to the drainage system beneath Fuyuki City.

"Kid, you've brought the stuff back."

Weber, who was already prepared, opened his backpack, placed the test tubes inside on the shelf, and then dripped the alchemical reagents he had prepared into the test tubes.

Seeing that the water in the test tube had changed color, Rider was a little curious about how the water had turned red.

"How is this going?"

"After any magic trick is used, some residue will be left behind. These traces of magic can be made to appear with some special potions."

"...Kid, so you already knew Caster was underground?"

"How could there be someone with such foresight?"

"Caster's job design means he is not a Heroic Spirit who cannot engage in close combat, so if he wants to establish a base, it will definitely not be in a very obvious place, because places that are too obvious are too easy for Heroic Spirits to investigate."

"Thinking about it that way, the first place to investigate would naturally be the underground."

"Furthermore, Fuyuki City has a lake that connects to the underground drainage system. Isn't it the most logical thing to start by working through the water in the drainage system?"

Based on the direction Caster might build his base, and considering that the underground drainage system is closely connected to the lake in Fuyuki City, investigating the water situation could provide some clues.

It's uncertain whether Caster is truly hidden underground, but judging from these magical remnants, even if they weren't left by Caster, it's worth investigating.

"So, we can find Caster's location from these things?"

"There is a certain possibility, but even if we can't find Caster's exact location, we can still find some clues."

“Someone underground must have used magic recently, and these magical remnants already prove everything.”

Even if we can't find Caster's exact location, we should be able to find some clues about Caster.

These words sound obvious, but Rider doesn't think it's an answer that can be easily guessed.

"Kid, are you some kind of amazing magician?"

"...Are you laughing at me? A good magician would never use such a troublesome method as mine. A good magician would definitely use a simpler method to find the answer."

"Kid, you underestimate yourself too much."

"Although you have very little magic power and can't provide me with much support during battles, the fact that you were able to find clues about Caster proves that you are an excellent magician."

"Why do I feel like your words are more like sarcasm towards me?"

These past few days, Webber has gotten used to Rider's sarcastic remarks, and he's not as angry as he was at the beginning. Instead, he's slowly starting to adapt to the situation.

After all, I can't beat him.

If I can beat him, I'll definitely let Rider experience the wrath of being mocked.

But don't think about these things in your dreams now; you can dream all night.

The reagents were tested one by one, and finally stopped between P and Q.

The colors before P become increasingly darker, while at Q all colors are lost. In other words, the key to using magic lies between P and Q.

Weber immediately took out a map of Fuyuki City and looked at the location he had originally marked.

"Rider, is there anything special about these two points? Like a drain or something?"

"Hmm...it seems there's a very large drain outlet."

"Then it must be that drain outlet."

"The extension of that drain should lead to some clues about Caster."

After a busy morning, I've made some progress. I didn't find any clues about Saber's Master using familiars, but I have found a clue about Caster.

Deep inside that drain should be Caster's magic workshop, but since it's Caster's magic workshop, entering it rashly might cause a lot of trouble.

[Should we send the familiar to scout ahead first?]

"Very well! Then let's go, kid!"

His eyes twitched as he watched Rider about to leave the room. Although he didn't want to talk about it, he wondered if this idiot was planning to just barge in.

"You, you idiot, you don't intend to just barge into Caster's workshop, do you?"

"It's rare that you've found a clue about Caster. Now, naturally, we should go and see if there are any other clues related to Caster."

"……Are you stupid?"

“Caster’s specialty is setting up defenses. The magic workshop he built is definitely a dangerous place. Who would be as stupid as you to just rush in?”

“I’m telling you, kid, positions can change at any time during war. You finally found a clue about Caster, and if you don’t go and check it out, you won’t be able to find a single clue once Caster notices the problem.”

"That's true... Rider, why did you suddenly have this idea today? Don't you usually just watch TV and eat senbei all the time?"

“That’s normal. It’s rare that you, as the Master, have investigated some concrete clues, so I, as a Heroic Spirit, naturally start to get moving as well.”

Rider can slack off when he's not busy, but when there's something important to do, he won't slack off easily.

Today, the Master has managed to uncover some clues about Caster, so naturally, he's going to see for himself whether he's found Caster's magic workshop.

If Rider has indeed found Caster's magic workshop, then he can confidently say that he would dare to kick Caster out of the game today.

"...Well, there's no big problem in taking a look."

Ultimately, Caster has almost no melee abilities, so finding Caster now would indeed be the best opportunity to eliminate him completely.

"Then let's go!"

Fuyuki City has a vast network of underground drainage ditches, but with Rider's Kamui Chariot, finding a place isn't too difficult.

He drove the Divine Might Chariot directly into the drainage outlet.

Before long, they saw many strange tentacle creatures roaming around the outside of the drain. Now there was no need to guess anymore; this place was definitely Caster's magic workshop.

Those tentacle creatures lurking outside must be things Caster summoned.

Chapter 148 The Assassin Who Didn't Die

"This is like winning the lottery!"

Grinning broadly, Rider never expected that his Master would be so lucky as to run into Caster's magic workshop.

Caster is hiding so well underground, in a corner of an underground drainage ditch. You have to admire Caster's skill in hiding; he really is like a mouse hiding in the sewer.

However, I always feel uneasy about this Caster.

Since he had so recklessly barged into Caster's workshop, the other party must have been fully prepared the moment they sensed him. So what awaited him now might just be a huge trap.

However, Caster's ability to create strongholds is indeed quite troublesome. If Caster is always hiding in his workshop, it will be too difficult to deal with. Destroying one of Caster's strongholds now is the right thing to do.

"drink!"

He continued his journey quickly in the oxcart, and all he could do now was to completely destroy all the Caster's arrangements along the way.

As the chariot drove into a dark area, Rider saw the scene inside and his expression suddenly changed.

Even seasoned warriors couldn't laugh as usual when they saw this scene.

Many warriors have died at his hands on the battlefield, but Rider feels no fear because the warriors he fights are all brave warriors, and their deaths and their heroic spirits are etched into his soul.

Death on the battlefield is to be expected.

But seeing so many women and children being brutally murdered made Rider unable to laugh.