Shirou, who returned from the Fairy Kingdom

The communicator on the clock tower boy emitted the voice of "Shinji-kun".

"I've taken care of things here. Miss Sora is now under my control. You should prepare to retreat."

"Phew, that's great..."

Upon hearing that Sora had been "safely rescued," Weber finally breathed a sigh of relief.

As expected of Shinji, he didn't disappoint; he truly broke through Kenneth-sensei's barrier...

Due to overwork and intense concentration, Weber collapsed to the ground.

However, before he could even relax, he felt an unprecedented pressure.

He looked up and saw Kenneth's furious expression, which resembled that of a malevolent demon.

"Webb Wilvet...how dare you collude with outsiders to deceive me!!!"

Weber: "...Huh?"

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Volume 1, Chapter 67: Then, everyone lived happily ever after (except for the spearmen) (6K)

When Kenneth returned to his presidential suite on the top floor of the Hyatt Hotel, he finally met the mastermind behind the night.

Although he had heard Weber's explanation along the way, he dared not believe it until he saw it with his own eyes:

The mastermind behind Saber's command, the instigation of Waver, the manipulation of himself and Lancer, and the kidnapping of Sora was actually an 8-year-old child.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Kenneth."

The red-haired boy stood proudly in the very center of the room.

"No, it should be our first meeting for you, but it's not for me, right? Oh well, it's all the same."

"You brat! How dare you...!"

Kenneth gritted his teeth, and the mercury beside him seemed to sense his master's anger, transforming into countless blades that slashed towards the boy in the room.

However, just as those blades were about to slice Shirou's fragile body to pieces—

"Is your fiancée all better now?"

These words caused the mercury blade, which had already taken an offensive stance, to instantly change direction, slicing the surrounding carpet and furniture to shreds as if in a fit of rage, while the boy remained unharmed.

Kenneth asked, his eyes red, "Where is Sora right now? If you dare lay a finger on her, I will never let you get away with it!"

I won't kill you easily. I'll let your lungs and heart regenerate while I chop you to pieces, starting from your toes, so you can neither live nor die in endless regret and pain!

The magician's words, imbued with a powerful magic, become a curse. Ordinary people without magical training might even be affected, suffering cardiac arrest or dying on the spot.

However, Shirou seemed completely unfazed by the other party's oath, gesturing with his chin towards the large bed in the center of the room.

"...Sora!"

Kenneth's eyes widened, and then he lunged to the bedside.

He had been blinded by rage, and only then did he notice a woman lying quietly on the bed as if asleep.

The woman with bright red hair was Kenneth's fiancée, Sora.

Although Sora was pale, her heaving chest proved that she was still breathing.

"What did you do to Sora?"

Kenneth gripped Sora's hand and questioned her in a trembling voice.

Shirou said casually, "It's nothing, I just gave her a piece of my specially made 'candy'."

I'm not only skilled at setting traps, but also at herbalism...

I have a smattering of knowledge about the subject you magicians call "witch studies."

Kenneth frowned and said, "...You poisoned Sora?"

Shirou said, "Don't worry, as long as you cooperate, I will give you the antidote."

"........."

Kenneth's forehead twitched as he stared intently at Shirou.

He had just personally experienced Shirou's skills.

Although his methods were despicable, his skills in setting traps and barriers were absolutely top-notch, even making Kenneth feel sorry for him.

Despite possessing such superb skills, he has no interest in glorious magic duels, instead using them for unorthodox methods.

I can't even imagine how vicious the poison made by such a brat could be.

Seeing the confusion and fear on Kenneth's face, Shirou kindly explained.

"This is a drug that takes effect when magic is used or when magic is inputted into the user, so please don't try to use healing spells on it."

At this moment, the person who had been silent since entering the room spoke up.

"Why! Shinji! Have you been deceiving me and using me all along?!"

It was Webber, who had been beaten black and blue by Kenneth, who let out a furious roar of resentment.

"You're here too? Didn't I tell you to retreat?"

Shirou nodded in agreement, “That’s right, you must have heard about it from Kenneth already.”

There was no truth to the claim that Lancer betrayed his Master; it was all made up by me. I can't believe you actually believed it.

"Weber, you trust others so easily; your future won't be easy."

"Shut up! You liar! I don't want to be lectured by someone like you!"

I thought I'd met a like-minded friend... Damn it!!!

Suddenly, Webber lost control and rushed forward, raising his fist to smash it into Shirou's face.

Before he could even figure out what was happening, he felt the world turn upside down—he was casually knocked to the ground by Shirou.

Weber, who was lying on the ground, did not struggle to get up, but buried his face in the carpet and sobbed.

Shirou ignored him and turned to Kenneth by the bedside.

He was still hesitant about whether to use the healing spell on Sora.

According to Shirou's statement, Sora was poisoned with a deadly poison that would kill her instantly if magic power were applied to her.

However, this could very well be a lie told by the little devil to deceive himself.

Shirou stared at him quietly: "If you want to kill your fiancée with your own hands, then try this treatment."

"..."

Kenneth was covered in sweat, but in the end he chose to give up. He simply didn't have the courage to put the life of the woman he loved on the gambling table.

Shirou said happily, "Alright, since Mr. Kenneth has no objections, let's get back to our original topic."

Kenneth remained silent, glancing through the floor-to-ceiling window of the presidential suite at Lancer on the rooftop of another high-rise building.

Lancer was currently engaged in battle with Saber and had no idea what was happening in the presidential suite.

But even if Kenneth notifies Lancer telepathically or summons him directly using a Command Spell, what difference will it make?

Sora's life is now in the hands of the enemy.

"...What is your purpose?"

Kenneth reluctantly asked the question he already knew the answer to.

Shirou replied, "My wish is that Mr. Kenneth and Miss Sora will return to London safely."

What a hypocritical statement! Kenneth thought to himself.

"...You want me to voluntarily withdraw from the Holy Grail War?"

Shirou nodded: "If you can do it voluntarily, that would be even better."

Kenneth's expression immediately turned cold.

Two paths now lie before him.

The first rule is to listen to Shirou and obediently withdraw from the Holy Grail War, which would save Sora's life.

The second rule is to ignore Sora's life-threatening danger and attack this arrogant brat in front of him.

If we defeat this brat, we can use torture to force him to hand over the antidote and save Sora's life.

There's no need to choose between these two answers; the second one is the obvious choice!

This has nothing to do with who owns the Holy Grail—

Kenneth's pride as a monarch would not allow him to yield to the demands of his enemies.

Kenneth secretly poured magic into the "Moon Spirit Essence Liquid" while preparing to launch a surprise attack.

First, cut off one of the brat's arms and one of his legs. We can't kill him directly; we need to get the antidote out of him...

However, at that moment, a painful groan interrupted Kenneth's thoughts.

"……Well!"

The red-haired woman on the bed suddenly showed a pained expression.

"Sora!"

Kenneth shouted nervously and gripped her hand tightly.

Shirou appeared just in time behind the two of them, glancing at his watch:

"Oh, I forgot to mention, the poison has less than five minutes left to expire."

"What did you say?!" Kenneth's eyes widened.

Shirou said, "What if Mr. Kenneth uses force to force me to hand over the antidote?"

I won't give you that kind of time.

"Hurry and think it over; Miss Sora's life is almost over."

The kid had already anticipated his own intentions, leaving him no chance to turn the tables.

A sense of despair enveloped Kenneth.

This left him with only two options: "give up the war and save Sola" or "give up Sola and continue the war".

Holy Grail?

Or Sora?

Don't even think about this kind of problem.

It can only be Sora.

Ultimately, the all-powerful wish-granting machine was utterly worthless in Kenneth's eyes. Similar items (like the Three-Core Magic Furnace Core) were relegated to the sidelines, replaced by "Moon Spirit Essence Liquid."

The Holy Grail War was something this man participated in casually, just to add some glory to his resume.

Even if he did not win this Far Eastern magic ritual, the Clock Tower Monarch's resume would not be diminished and would remain as brilliant as ever.

but--

A life without Sora.

Kenneth simply couldn't imagine it.

From the time the engagement was made... no, even earlier.

From the moment he first saw her, Kenneth had already considered this woman a part of his life.

So Kenneth had no choice.

But what puzzled him most was why this boy could understand Sora's value in his heart.

All his actions tonight are based on the premise that "Kenneth is willing to give up the Holy Grail War for Sora".

This is completely illogical.

Magicians are cold-blooded, profit-driven creatures.

For magicians, love and family ties are merely means to pass on magic and knowledge; Kenneth's feelings for Sora are an exception among exceptions.