Fuyuki City

Fuyuki.

As evening approached, the dim clouds hung heavily in the sky, the air oppressive and humid.

The early winter rain, accompanied by a biting chill, descended from the heavens, falling onto the steel and concrete jungle, and casting a grayish-white hue over the city.

Once bustling streets were now sparsely populated, with the few pedestrians hurrying along.

The year 1993 cast a shadow over the city, with the burst of the real estate bubble and the 1992 international financial crisis weighing heavily on the island nation of Japan. Depression and desolation loomed in every corner of this land.

But evidently, whether Arkhan or Kayneth, they showed no empathy for the situation.

They had arrived in Fuyuki this morning, flying with a plane managed by the Clock Tower from London without any unexpected surface-to-air missile encounters. In this regard, the Clock Tower's confidentiality measures seemed to be quite effective.

Aware of the danger of the Holy Grail War, Kayneth had not brought his fiancee along. Apart from his Mystic Code, Volumen Hydrargyrum, he had abandoned all other Mystic Codes and items, following Arkhan's suggestion to increase the number of magical energy reactors from three to five.

His role was clear—to ensure his own survival and leave the rest to his Servant.

For Lord El-Melloi, known for his pride and arrogance, to make such compromises indicated that the impression left by King Arthur from another world was truly profound.

They were currently in the presidential suite of Fuyuki's largest hotel. The room was luxuriously decorated, and, more importantly, provided a panoramic view of the entire city.

"Completely devoid of any aesthetic sense..." Kayneth remarked while sitting on the leather sofa by the bed, his face displaying clear impatience and annoyance.

To him, the items in this room were just a collection of 'waste'. It was nothing more than a gloomy room, expensive furniture, and luxurious daily necessities.

For Kayneth, born into nobility, what he couldn't stand the most was the attempt to cloak mundane things in the luxurious attire of nobility. It made him feel like he was in a pigsty decorated with opulent surfaces.

If one were to delve deeper into this sense of degradation, it wasn't limited to just this hotel room. The entire world was filled with an unpleasant and ugly sensation that greatly displeased him.

"I was planning to bring Sola here for a trip next time. Now it seems unnecessary." Kayneth added.

Since the passionate confession that day, Kayneth and Sola's relationship had rapidly blossomed, leaving the people of the Clock Tower puzzled.

Some even suspected that Lord El-Melloi had secretly administered some strange potion to his fiancee. However, upon second thought, they realized there might not be anything wrong with such an approach.

"Judging a book by its cover is not a good habit. Every country has its unique beauty. The key is whether you have eyes to discover it." Arkhan, dressed in a hoodie and jeans, remarked from the other sofa while flipping through a newspaper.

Thanks to the modern knowledge bestowed by the Holy Grail, he could finally experience the sensation of mastering multiple languages.

"I don't think you have the right to lecture me on this matter. Have you ever stepped out of the British Isles in your entire life, O Your Majesty King Arthur?" Kayneth said with a hint of sarcasm, finally finding an opportunity to get back at his Servant.

"To be honest, I've been to quite a few places..." Arkhan put down the newspaper, looking at Kayneth seriously. "Want me to tell you about it?"

Kayneth's breath hitched slightly and soon forced a stiff smile on his face.

"No need, let's save it for another time."

Some intuition told him that if his Servant really started talking, his stomach would probably ache again.

As for why 'again', it was because the last time Arkhan played with Primordial Rune while saying 'I know a thing or two', he had already deeply experienced this feeling.

Seeing his Master's reaction, Arkhan chuckled, shook his head, and resumed reading the newspaper.

"But speaking of it, Lancer, you should be a Celt, right? Why are your hair and eyes black?" Kayneth asked in confusion.

"There's another power dwelling in my body. My eyes and hair changed because of its influence." Arkhan replied casually.

Kayneth nodded slightly, feeling a bit frustrated deep down.

As a Master, he knew nothing except his Servant's true name, identity, and origin. He didn't even know what his Noble Phantasm was. It made him almost no different from an incompetent third-rate mage.

He didn't want to waste a Command Spell on this, but if he really intruded without permission, he might end up in a situation similar to that day.

'No, I am the rightful Lord El-Melloi, the ninth-generation head of the Archibald family. How can I keep being led by the nose like this? I must take the initiative back!'

With this determination, Kayneth decided to take the initiative.

"By the way, Lancer, what is your purpose in participating in the Holy Grail War? In other words, do you have any wishes you want to fulfill?" Kayneth asked while smiling.

As a lecturer in the Department of Spiritual Evocation, Kayneth knew very well that Heroic Spirits responding to the summoning ritual often had their own wishes to convey to the Holy Grail.

As long as someone had a wish, there would inevitably be a loophole. Once he knew this, he could understand his Servant's bottom line and gain a bargaining chip for himself.

"Wish? I don't have that kind of thing. Even if I do, that fake thing can't help me at all." Arkhan looked at Kayneth strangely. "You're not going to tell me you really think it's a wish-granting machine, are you?"

"Don't look at me like that!" Kayneth exclaimed in embarrassment.

Arkhan's gaze involuntarily reminded him of how he usually looked at the underachievers in his class.

"Since you know that thing can't fulfill wishes, why did you respond to the Holy Grail's call then?"

"Of course, I came to save the world." Arkhan said matter-of-factly.

Suppressing the urge to strangle his Servant, Kayneth sneered.

"Is that so? You're not really timely. If you had come fifty years earlier, maybe you would have had a chance to fulfill your wish."

Ignoring Kayneth's sarcastic tone, Arkhan just smiled indifferently and refocused on the newspaper.

Suddenly, a piece of news caught his attention.

—Fuyuki City's bizarre serial killer suspect, Uryuu Ryuunosuke, was shot dead by a police officer.