Shirou, who returned from the Fairy Kingdom

She heard her fiancé declare that he was giving up the Holy Grail War for her sake.

What is this man doing?! Don't accept the enemy's terms so easily!

Aren't you from the El-Melloi family? Why did you abandon the Holy Grail War?! Kill this brat!

You idiot! You coward! You incompetent man!

While Sora angrily berated Kenneth's weakness, a subtle change was also quietly taking place within him.

She saw a side of her fiancé that no one else knew.

It turns out that even the proud and arrogant monarch El-Melloi has a side that compromises and yields.

Not for anyone else, nor for himself, but for Sora Nazele Sofialy.

Suddenly, Sora felt a feeling she had never experienced before.

It wasn't because she was deeply moved or fell in love with Kenneth because of his endless devotion, but rather—

Sora developed feelings for him that were almost like maternal love, thinking, "This guy is so useless, I can't just leave him alone."

Now, even Kenneth's sarcastic expression seems somewhat endearing.

“Sora…”

Kenneth looked at Sora walking towards him, his lips trembling uncontrollably: "Are you really alright... Am I dreaming?"

"I'm not dreaming, you idiot..."

Sora spoke softly as she bent down and put her arm around Kenneth.

"what?"

Kenneth's eyes widened.

Upon reflection, although they had been engaged for many years, this was their first physical contact.

“Uh, Sora…”

Kenneth was at a loss, his hands hanging limply in mid-air.

At this moment, Sora, nestled in his arms, murmured:

"Kenneth, can't you even hold your own woman tight?"

……

……

Turning his gaze away from the embracing couple, Shirou walked to the side and sighed.

"You should probably stop crying too."

Webber, lying on the ground, wiped away his tears with his sleeve and whimpered plaintively, "Ugh... I... I wasn't crying!"

Volume 1, Chapter 68: The Housewife Killer, Amamiya Shirou

And so, tonight's Holy Grail War ended with the departure of Kenneth's faction.

Thanks to Shirou Amamiya's machinations, Kenneth lost the Holy Grail War, but unexpectedly won his fiancée's heart. He might just be the biggest winner tonight.

On the other hand, if we were to choose the most hurt person tonight, it probably wouldn't be Lancer, who was ordered to commit suicide by his Master.

Lancer didn't harbor much resentment about losing to some kid's cunning scheme; instead, he accepted the fact quite calmly.

Only one person was truly hurt – Weber.

He was first completely fooled by Shirou, and then he got beaten up by Kenneth-sensei, gaining nothing in return.

However, when Rider came to pick him up, Webber never expected that he would be finished off again.

"You knew from the beginning that Shinji was lying to me?"

Rider nodded dismissively: "Yeah."

The Conqueror King knew from the beginning that "Lancer kidnapped the Master" was just Shirou's wild claim, since there were too many loopholes in the story.

Although it seems logical at first glance, careful consideration reveals many problems, and it did not fool Rider.

Weber's eyes widened, and he said angrily, "Since you saw through Shinji's plan, why didn't you tell me?"

Rider scratched his cheek and replied innocently, "It's always the ministers who give advice to the monarch, never the king who offers suggestions to his subjects."

Moreover, that brat had no intention of framing you; he was only targeting Lancer and his Master.

I also thought his strategy for tonight was quite good and worth trying, so I decided to take a gamble on him.

Rider adopted an attitude of detachment, stroking his chin and clicking his tongue in praise: "Hmm, just as I expected, that kid is even more capable than I imagined."

Weber, standing to the side, was completely speechless.

"It's worth a try... I almost got killed by Mr. Kenneth!"

Weber was so angry he could barely speak.

After all that, it turns out he was the only one kept in the dark tonight, like a clown.

Despite putting in so much effort and making such a strong decision, in the end no one cared about his performance at all.

Suddenly, Weber felt dizzy as if he were anemic, and his whole body trembled.

Rider, he also... has never taken me seriously.

I am clearly his Master!

He's nothing more than a magician's familiar!

It's unforgivable that they would collude with outsiders to deceive me!

Weber clenched his right hand, his nails digging deep into his palm— channeling magic into the three engravings on the back of his hand.

He was determined to use Command Spells to make Rider understand his position, but just then, a large hand patted the boy on the shoulder.

"And, kid."

The red-haired giant spoke up: "Since you are the man who is my master, you would not die because of such a small predicament, would you?"

If you can't even handle a situation like tonight, how can you be worthy of being my Master? How can you fight alongside me on the battlefield in the future?"

"..."

Weber was taken aback.

Rider's words were too self-righteous, overflowing with his arrogance and conceit as a king, and containing not a trace of respect for his Master.

If anyone else had said such a thing, Weber would have felt disgusted, but when Rider said it, it didn't offend him at all.

This is probably what is known as charisma. Perhaps it was this quality that attracted the great warriors of the past two thousand years to the King of Conquerors, which led them to swear allegiance to him.

Waver bit his lip, lowered his head, and asked, "So... do you think I'm qualified to be your Master now?"

The red-haired giant laughed heartily: "Is that even a question?"

Those who can become my Master must be brave warriors who fight alongside me on the battlefield.

Kid, there's no better man than you in this era.

"........."

A wave of dizziness washed over Weber again.

This time, however, he wasn't losing his mind because of anger; it was pure joy.

Finally, someone truly recognized my value.

Weber once believed that the praise of others was worthless, and that it was foolish to be complacent because of the praise of others.

The boy, who had never received any attention before, firmly believed this.

So now Weber doesn't know how to confront this awkward joy in his heart.

He couldn't suppress his overwhelming joy, but his pride wouldn't allow him to be so carried away.

Weber's mind was in turmoil, but he had a premonition that tonight's experience would become a treasure he would never forget.

……

……

"Shirou, I've come to pick you up!"

When Irisviel brought Saber to the top floor of the Hyatt Hotel, Shirou was saying his final goodbyes to Kenneth and his wife.

Kenneth has lost his Servant and his last Command Seal. He readily accepted his defeat and will take Sora with him and leave Japan by plane tomorrow morning.

However, before they even land at London's airport, news of Lord El-Melloi's defeat in a minor magical ritual in the Far East will probably already be spreading through the Clock Tower.

The democratic faction will likely make a big deal out of this and try to undermine El-Melloi's reputation at the Clock Tower.

But no matter what those people say, Kenneth no longer cares.

For him, his most important wish has been fulfilled.

More importantly, this defeat has helped him understand many things.

He first recognized the fact that he was not a born warrior.

To participate in the magician's battle in order to enhance one's resume now seems foolish and laughable in retrospect.

What was the point of all this... that I wasted such precious time on something as futile as the Holy Grail War?

Since you are someone who pursues the demonic path, you would be better off using that energy for some down-to-earth research, rather than pursuing illusory glory.

Kenneth decided to return to London and then formally proposed to Sora.

This would make Elmello and Euryphus an even stronger ally.

He has already decided on a small goal for the next 50 years of his life: to make aristocracy great again.

"...Hmph, Tramberio and Baljereta! Your good days will be over when I return to London."

Kenneth grinned smugly, while Sora wrapped her arm around his and gave him a doting smile.

He's getting carried away again...

As expected, things will go wrong as soon as I leave, she thought to herself.

"Shirou."

Kenneth looked at the red-haired boy and asked, "What do you plan to do after the Holy Grail War ends?"

"what?"

Shirou was stunned.

He thought to himself, "This Holy Grail War is only halfway through. Who knows if I'll even make it to next week?"

After the red-haired boy truthfully expressed his inner thoughts, Kenneth showed a disdainful expression.

"What discouraging talk! You are the one who defeated me, Archibald, how could you die in such a bizarre ritual?"

Now that you've defeated me, you must perform well as my successor, utterly crushing every single one of those involved in the Holy Grail War, and showing them who the true powerhouse is!

"Yes, yes, I'll try my best to win."

Although Kenneth was emotional and fired up, Shirou's reaction was lukewarm.

"Then let's go back to what happened after the Holy Grail War."

Kenneth asked with a serious expression, "Shirou, have you considered pursuing further studies as a magician?"

"So you want to invite me to the Clock Tower?"

When Shirou asked that question, Kenneth looked somewhat embarrassed and awkward.

"If you're interested, come to the Clock Tower. I'll train you to become the best magician in the world."

After tonight's unseen encounter, Kenneth has already sensed the immense potential hidden within Shirou.

He did not receive any systematic training in magic and had little understanding of many basic facts about the world of magic, yet he has reached his current level solely through talent.

If someone could teach him the basics of the world of magic, Shirou's future achievements would be unimaginable.

Kenneth felt a certainty that sounded completely impossible: