The top floor of the Hyatt Hotel could rank second among all the Magical Workshops Shirou Amamiya had ever infiltrated.
Kayneth had not only spent an enormous sum to rent out the entire floor, but had also completely transformed it through magecraft.
On this thirty-second floor alone, he had layered twenty-four barriers. The level of defense was so meticulous it could be called a magical fortress. The Matou family's insect pit was nowhere near comparable.
And that wasn't all. Kayneth had summoned dozens of magical beasts as guard dogs, set up numerous magecraft traps, and even converted the entire top floor into a different space.
As Shirou carefully infiltrated the upper floor, he couldn't help but reassess the man he had never met, only seen in a photograph from Byakuya Matou.
This was the pinnacle of modern Magi. The strength of a Lord of the Clock Tower truly was extraordinary.
Of course, no matter how impenetrable a Magical Workshop might be, in Shirou's presence, its fate was to be breached.
Compared to the city walls of the Fairy Kingdom, built from the bark of the World Tree, a makeshift alternate space constructed by a Magus was nothing special.
It took quite a bit of effort, and there were several moments where he nearly exposed himself, but in the end, Shirou slipped inside without incident.
Following that familiar presence, he arrived at a room at the end of the corridor.
This is it.
He could clearly sense the presence that belonged to that girl, Melusine.
Shirou removed the Hassan mask covering his face and quietly pushed the door open.
"...What is this?"
He frowned.
What lay before him was a scene he couldn't make sense of.
The spacious suite had been completely cleared of furniture, leaving only three objects.
Three "stones."
It was obvious they had once been a single whole.
Their shapes represented a heart, a torso, and wings.
The complete form must have had a head, body, arms, and legs, though not entirely human, with certain elements of fantasy mixed in.
A Phantasmal Species.
Even this division into heart, torso, and wings was likely the result of later generations piecing things together based on speculation.
This was not its original form.
Over countless ages, it had been split apart and reassembled again and again, until its true shape had long been lost.
Shirou stepped forward unconsciously and reached out to touch the heart-shaped "stone."
A pulse of magical energy throbbed beneath its rigid surface.
Despite having existed for eons, it was still continuously generating an immense amount of magical energy.
"This isn't Melusine…"
He confirmed it the moment he touched it.
It wasn't the girl he knew, yet it carried exactly the same presence as her.
It wasn't a dragon's heart, nor could it compare to the strongest heart of the planet, Albion, but it possessed properties extremely similar to the magical energy core of a dragon.
Shirou narrowed his eyes.
A fairy?
And not just any fairy, but one born from the primordial blood nurtured within the Inner Sea of the Planet. A highest-ranking fairy known as the "Great Mother," a Sub-Bell.
No… it was too soon to conclude that it was a fairy.
But even if it wasn't, it was still a Phantasmal Species of the same category.
Shirou couldn't help but frown.
Why would something like this end up in the hands of a human Magus?
Could Magi of Proper Human History even understand its true value?
…No, perhaps they had already realized it.
If these pieces were fused back together, it would exhibit far greater capabilities than it did now.
But that was not something human hands could wield. It was not a Mystic Code meant for humans.
History had proven time and again that reaching for power beyond one's control only leads to destruction.
That was why the ancestors of Lord El-Melloi had wisely divided it into three parts, passing it down as three separate Mystic Codes with independent magical cores.
So… should I destroy it?
Even now, it was still alive.
Within this heart, this torso, and these wings, there still existed a soul with its own consciousness.
Shirou fell into deep thought. From a strategic standpoint, he had no choice but to destroy it, yet the dragon-like aura lingering within the "stones" made him hesitate.
Why did these stones carry Melusine's presence?
He almost wanted to capture Lancer's Master and interrogate him to get a clear answer.
"..."
At that moment, Shirou sensed footsteps and voices coming from the corridor.
He quickly put on the bone mask and slipped behind the only curtain in the room that could conceal him.
...
...
"My Lord… is this really all right?"
Lancer followed behind Kayneth, speaking with unease.
This man had taken a direct hit from the strongest Holy Sword at point-blank range last night, and yet… at least on the surface, he had almost fully recovered.
That recovery was inseparable from Kayneth's top-tier magecraft.
Under the treatment of a Lord of the Clock Tower, Lancer had regained about twenty percent of his original strength in just one night.
But even so, this was far from enough to win the Holy Grail War. Kayneth himself understood that clearly.
"What exactly are you referring to?"
"You just ordered me to lock Miss Sola-Ui in an empty room… isn't that a bit unwise?
She's been saying that once she returns home, she'll immediately go to the Archibald family and call off the engagement."
"…Guh."
Kayneth's expression shifted between pale and flushed.
Just moments ago, the Lancer faction had been holding a post-battle blame session.
While Kayneth was relentlessly mocking and berating Lancer—his fiancée, Sola-Ui, suddenly burst into the room, defending Lancer while criticizing Kayneth.
"That's enough, Kayneth."
"Lancer already did everything he could last night. Your criticism is completely unreasonable.
His opponent was that famed wielder of the Holy Sword. There's no shame in failing to defeat her.
Just uncovering her True Name already counts as an excellent performance."
"Lancer did everything within his power. As for you… Kayneth, think about what you were doing last night."
Sola-Ui spoke as if passing judgment, like a queen addressing a subordinate, merciless in her tone.
"Why did you ignore Saber's Master last night?
That woman from the Einzbern family was standing there completely defenseless.
While Lancer was holding Saber back, you had more than enough chances to attack her, didn't you?
But what were you doing? From beginning to end, you just stayed hidden in the shadows.
Just like Rider said… you're nothing but a disgraceful coward…"
"Enough!!!!!"
The humiliation of last night's defeat, combined with his fiancée's scorn, finally pushed Kayneth past his limit.