Shirou, who returned from the Fairy Kingdom

Seeing the red-haired boy's serious eyes, Artoria nodded without hesitation: "I understand, I'll leave it to Shirou."

The reason Saber resisted cooperating with Rider was because she felt she could never be compatible with that king.

Regardless of strategy, it was simply her belief and pride as a queen that prevented her from allying with Rider.

what?

You said Shirou also wields the King's Sword (Excalibur), so why can I form an alliance with him?

Saber glanced at the boy: Hmm, Shirou is different... He's special.

Shirou stepped forward and knocked on the door.

Two elderly people opened the door to greet us.

"Excuse me... who are you?"

A woman in her twenties was with a girl of about fifteen or sixteen and an eight-year-old boy.

This strange combination left the Mackenzie and his wife speechless.

"Excuse me, Mr. Iskandar, are you staying here?"

"Yes, that's right."

Hearing the stranger mention the name of his grandson's friend, the old man lowered his guard slightly.

“We are friends of Mr. Iskandar. We heard that he came to Japan, so we came to see him.”

Mr. Iskandar must be staying in your grandson's room lately, would you please call him out for a moment?

Irisviel nervously uttered the words Shirou had instructed her to say beforehand.

Rider has certainly met Saber and Irisviel, so what's the point of telling such an easily debunked lie?

She thought to herself: Is Shirou hoping that Rider will let us in?

Unexpectedly, after the two old men summoned the red-haired giant, they simply glanced at the crowd and readily invited them into the house.

"Oh, you've come at the perfect time! I was planning to come see you guys tonight, this saves me the trouble. Come in!"

Rider's remarks were just like those of a host entertaining friends, leaving Saber and Irisviel completely dumbfounded.

Rider is a generous man who would welcome even enemies into his house without a second thought.

Saber was secretly amazed: this was both due to his upright and honest character and a manifestation of his confidence in his own abilities.

This is... Iskandar's magnanimity as a king, Shirou sees it all clearly.

The group followed them to a room on the second floor.

Rider pushed open the door: "Kid, I've brought some men."

A boy's voice came from inside.

"A person? Who did you bring back? Don't bring any weirdos—"

"Excuse me." Irisviel entered the house first.

When Webber Wilvet, who was sitting on the bed, saw who the visitor was, he was instantly dumbfounded.

"S...Saber and her Master!?"

Webber was terrified and scrambled to Rider's back, yelling, "You idiot, you idiot, you big idiot!"

How did you bring the enemy into your house?! What were you thinking?!

Hearing his Master's protest, Rider scratched his cheek in annoyance:

"The enemy general has come to us of his own accord; how can we refuse to see him? If word gets out, wouldn't I be seen as a coward?"

Weber retorted, "That didn't mean you had to let the enemy into your house! All my barriers were for nothing!"

You set up a barrier around this house?

Shirou and Irisviel surprisingly found themselves in unison, exclaiming: "They're so weak, we didn't even notice!"

In short, since they've already been let in, there's nothing that can be done. Even if Waver is unwilling, he has no choice but to let Shirou and his group stay.

Shirou followed closely behind Artoria.

She had originally intended to sit next to Saber, but Irisviel pulled her away directly.

In the end, he could only sit sullenly on Irisviel's lap, feeling the soft embrace on the back of his head.

"Who is this kid? Does the Einzbern army bring children into the Holy Grail War? That's outrageous."

Weber stared disdainfully at the red-haired boy being held in Irisviel's arms.

He thought to himself that as the host, he had to show some backbone and not let anyone look down on him, so he started picking a fight right away.

Rider stared at Shirou with great interest and said, "Kid, he should be the boy who destroyed the sea monster last night, am I right?"

Weber's eyes widened: "...Huh!?!?"

Shirou nodded, which was taken as an admission.

As expected of the King of Conquerors, my little tricks couldn't possibly have escaped his eyes.

This giant's eyes had long since witnessed countless heroes and valiant figures.

It is said that the Conqueror King's army included many warriors who could rival the great heroes of mythology, and they all bowed down at the man's feet in heartfelt admiration.

Weber was stunned: the one who killed that monster was such a small child!

Wouldn't it be incredibly bad if I called him a brat earlier? Would he hold a grudge against me?

Thinking of this, he quickly moved closer to Rider and grabbed the giant's T-shirt.

"What are you doing in my magic workshop?"

Shirou asked in genuine surprise, "You call this the Magic Workshop?"

"Well……!"

Weber's face turned ashen.

But he didn't dare to retort, and could only bite his lip with a resentful look on his face.

Shirou didn't mean to humiliate him; he simply found the statement unbelievable.

After returning to Pan-Human History, Shirou "visited" Machiri and Kenneth's magic workshop.

Each one can be described as an impregnable magic fortress, a magical creation worthy of being called a work of art.

But... no matter how you look at it, this room is just an ordinary otaku's room. Why does it have a PlayStation that was just released last month? I haven't even bought it yet.

"Woo..."

The clock tower boy's shoulders trembled slightly.

Although Shirou meant no harm, his innocent expression and voice were seen as an extreme insult by Waver.

In that instant, he recalled the sarcastic remarks he had suffered several times while he was in London, courtesy of his lecturer Kenneth.

Just then, a large hand put its arm around Weber's shoulder.

Webber was taken aback. Rider's enormous hands, which would normally only have instilled fear in someone as short as him, now gave him a strange sense of courage.

Rider, who had been all smiles just moments before, stared at Shirou with a serious expression: "You didn't come here just to bully my Master, did you?"

"No, that's not what I meant. If my remarks have offended either of you, please forgive me."

Shirou lowered his head earnestly.

Rider turned to Webber and said, "That's it. He doesn't seem to have any ill intentions."

"I know, I know! I understand even if you don't say it! Anyway, the barrier I set up is garbage, that's a fact!"

Webber blushed and twisted his shoulders, shaking off Rider's large hand.

Seeing that his Master was no longer suffering from PTSD, the Conqueror King didn't take it seriously and asked on his behalf, "So what is the reason for the three of you visiting tonight?"

Iskandar was a man who was rough around the edges but meticulous at heart. Based on the reactions of the three men after they entered the room, he judged that Shirou was their leader.

Shirou, who was being stared at by the giant, spoke up: "We've come to seek cooperation."

"Oh? You mean you and Saber want to collaborate with Yu? That's quite unexpected."

Iskandar was surprised that Shirou would take the initiative to approach him.

Although this is their first meeting and first conversation, Rider, based on his experience, believes that Shirou, like Archer and Saber, is the type who would never cooperate with him.

On the other side, anxiety was evident on Saber's face.

What's going on... This is different from what we agreed on before we came in.

Why partner with Rider!

My ally, a member of the King's Servant lineage, don't you already have me?! Shirou!!

Unexpectedly, the red-haired boy gave a mocking look: "Don't get it wrong, Rider."

I don't want to cooperate with you, I want to cooperate with him—"

As he said this, he looked at the timid and hesitant Webber Wilvet.

"Huh? Me?"

Shirou nodded: "That's right, I'm not interested in Rider, but in you, Waver."

"..."

Weber's eyes widened in surprise.

Anyone can see that in his partnership with Rider, Rider is the absolute dominant one.

However, Shirou publicly declared his intention to cooperate with Waver, which greatly satisfied his vanity.

Waver participated in the Holy Grail War to prove himself; he craved recognition more than anyone else.

Although he wanted to be patient, the clock tower boy couldn't help but smile.

Weber: "Uh... I didn't expect you to have such good taste?"

Shirou: "That's right, that's right, I want to work with a magician as outstanding as you!"

Weber: "Is that so... No wonder he was able to take down that monster; he even saw through my potential! Haha, hahaha!"

Shirow calls this phenomenon "Shinji syndrome," which is prevalent among young people aged 8 to 18.

Shirou's interactions with his friends have made him adept at manipulating boys who desperately crave validation. With just a few words, he completely disarmed Waver, leading him effortlessly into the pink trap. Unfortunately—

“Ouch…it hurts!”

Rider will not allow his Master to be led by the nose by the enemy.

He flicked Webber's forehead to pull him out of the "Shen Erotic Syndrome" state, then sighed.

"You actually bypassed me to communicate with the Master; you'd better provide a reasonable explanation, otherwise—"

Rider said sharply, "I will take this as a provocation against me."

"I will explain."

Amidst Irisviel and Saber's surprised expressions, Shirou began to spout nonsense with a straight face:

“Waveber, if I told you that your teacher Kenneth is now being held hostage by his follower—the corrupted Lancer—and is currently imprisoned and in dire straits.”

What would you do if I said that? Would you just stand by and watch someone die?

Volume 1, Chapter 65: What kidnapping? I'm rescuing people!

"Kenneth's worst fears came true; he was betrayed by Lancer."

Shirou spoke in a solemn tone, spouting nonsense with an air of tragic grandeur.

Faced with Webber's exclamation of "How is this possible!", Shirou calmly pulled a photograph out of his pocket.

"Lancer, Diarmuid Ua Duibhne, was indeed a warrior of noble character and unparalleled loyalty."

However, after his defeat to Saber that night, the dark side hidden within him was brought to the surface.