Chapter 5

Although not a mage, Roland, in his current role, had no way to access information about the Holy Grail War.

However, he could still estimate the timing based on the plot's information.

Even without obtaining a Stand ability, such minor obstacles were easily resolved.

In a modern city composed of soulless steel, glass, and paint, quite different from the nostalgic town in the deep mountains, there were still things to be proud of.

The Kayhiet Hotel in Fuyuki City, not only the tallest building in the city but also the most excellent.

Even Fuyuki residents with a nostalgic feeling for the past would express admiration when mentioning the hotel.

The business suites there were often unoccupied, and it was easy to hear such information.

Besides this, regularly praying at the church, checking the frequency of a certain priest's appearances in daily life, and paying attention to whether the head of the prestigious Tohsaka family was present at various large public events in Fuyuki were dumb but effective methods.

As long as one had the determination to execute them, they were more effective than intentionally inquiring through people.

However, the first to know the information was someone related, like Tohsaka Aoi.

To avoid any unnecessary suspicion, Roland didn't intentionally seek traces of the Tohsaka mother and daughter but had unexpectedly encountered this surprise while working.

"Well, it's time to start preparing for the move. According to Tohsaka Aoi, it'll probably be next week or so."

Roland unconsciously bit his nails, his gaze turning gloomy.

Though he had no interest in the Holy Grail War and didn't want to disrupt his peaceful life, whether for maintenance or future considerations, Roland was still tracing the whereabouts of the Familiars.

As for how to find them, that wasn't difficult. Familiars weren't natural beings; they were created through the Key of All Things.

Without the knowledge and help provided by the Key of All Things, it was impossible to successfully form a contract with a Familiar or even digest its power.

Escaping Familiars followed their instincts, attaching themselves to things or living beings that attracted them.

If they latched onto inanimate objects, that was manageable; they might slowly consume or drive the user insane, which wasn't a terrible outcome.

But if they clung to living beings, it was dangerous.

With lower compatibility, one would often hear inaudible mutterings, be unable to utilize the Familiar's power, and at best gain some knowledge from another world that couldn't be understood.

This might lead to a distorted obsession, eventually driving the person insane.

This outcome wasn't terrible.

What was truly frightening was those "lucky" individuals with high compatibility with the Familiar.

Using the Familiar's power, their own souls and essences would be tainted by the power situated between life and death.

If they were lucky, they'd just lose their personalities and become incomprehensible lunatics.

If they were unlucky, they'd become twisted monsters or even unleash calamities that affected the whole world.

However, up to now, Roland hadn't gathered any information regarding anomalous phenomena.

Using the excuse of being familiar with the environment, he had made several trips to well-known landmarks in recent days.

He pretended to be a tourist visiting the Ryuudou Temple, passed by the Tohsaka and Matou residences, and even visited the Einzbern Castle on the outskirts on his days off.

But the Key of All Things remained silent, providing no information.

This could only mean two things.

Either the escaping Familiar was very weak, causing minimal effects, or it had already caused a massive impact, making it impossible for Roland to detect information due to information gaps and the environment.

From either perspective, it wasn't exciting news.

However, the fact that the crossing point of the Key of All Things was here indicated that the main trace left by the Familiar was in this city.

"Does that mean the Familiar could have attached itself to one of the Masters in this Holy Grail War?"

Roland sighed, feeling overwhelmed.

If not necessary, he really didn't want to get involved with these things. Nevertheless, he decided to take things one step at a time and leave the rest to his future self to worry about.

Looking at the manager coming over with a slightly thick envelope, Roland remained calm but wore a genuinely hopeful smile.

Today, he had something even more important to take care of.

Late at night on the street, a tall blond youth squashed an empty bottle in his hand, as if venting his frustration, then tossed it aside.

"That damn old man, couldn't he die more peacefully? Does he have to cause trouble for me? Those idiots from the Matou group are so dense. The house clearly belongs to me now, but they won't let me exchange it for money, all because of some dead guy's request. And they want me to cherish it?"

At this point, as if recalling something unpleasant, the blond youth opened a new can of beer and began chugging it down. He muttered to himself with irritation.

In the town of Fukuyuki, he was somewhat notorious, though in a negative sense.

In this declining society with many idlers, he was quite the troublemaker, and in the common sense of ordinary people, he was the worst.

Neglecting proper work, bullying the weak, indulging in alcohol, lust, and greed – he had done it all.

He had squandered most of the family's fortune, and after his bedridden mother passed away due to his actions, he was kicked out of the house.

In less than two years, he returned with a pile of debts and a group of relentless debt collectors.

For this reason, his aging father had to liquidate the family's last assets, leaving only the ancestral mansion that had been passed down for generations.

Then, the father passed away, leaving this world.

Even the funeral was funded by friends.

Despite the family's wealth, it had not been greatly affected by the burst of the economic bubble.

Ironically, its properties were torn apart by its heir in just a few years, turning it into a mockery.

However, it was clear that this matter hadn't had any extra impact on the blond youth. He was still immersed in the joy of receiving a windfall.

Although the real estate market had gone cold, this old mansion had a good location and size due to its ancestral status.

It was a hot property, and he could sell it at a considerable price.

Once he listed it for sale hastily, the blond youth realized that the consequences of his past actions had caught up with him.

Because of the mansion's value, the buyers were all individuals with social status, and for them, face mattered more than price.

None of the people who could afford this "hot potato" were willing to take it off his hands.

Even when the blond youth gritted his teeth and planned to take a substantial loss, he offered an appealing price to the Fuyuki city's largest yakuza group, the Matou, they still rejected him mercilessly.

These buyers weren't people he could bully, so in the end, he could only drink cheap canned beer alone on the side of the road.

"Darn it, everyone looks down on me. Even you, this cat, dares to..."

The blond youth, caught in a fit of anger, fiercely hurled the beer can in his hand. However, due to it

being less than half full, he underestimated its weight, causing it to land near the cat's feet.

Frightened by this, the cat, which had just found its balance after rising due to drunkenness, darted away like an arrow, leaving the drunk youth far behind.

And then, this frightened black cat rammed directly into a young man who had just walked around the corner.

Contrary to the blond youth's expectations, although he seemed unresponsive, his hand seemed to be possessed by some unimaginable force, accurately gripping the cat by the nape of its neck, lifting it up, and cradling it in his arms.

Roland cast a sidelong glance, one hand subconsciously protecting the bag in his hand and the other holding the cat.

He looked at the man and the cat, wearing a baffled expression.

"So, what's the situation here?"

Although the cat was suspended in mid-air, it didn't appear panicked.

Instead, it comfortably licked its paw, nuzzled Roland's hand affectionately, and made a contented sound.

"Meow..."