Private Homurahara Academy.
Zenith rarely wore a suit, but today he had one on. Standing before him was the school's principal. "I am truly grateful that Mr. Zenith has come to invest in our school. In Fuyuki City, our faculty is absolutely second to none."
"I know that, of course. A dedicated representative will discuss the investment details with you, Principal. If you don't mind, could Mr. Souichiro Kuzuki accompany me for a tour around the school?"
"Mr. Kuzuki?"
"It's like this. Shirou Emiya is my nephew, and I'm currently considering his and Rin Tohsaka's marriage after they graduate. Since Mr. Kuzuki is Rin's homeroom teacher, well..."
The principal nodded with a look of sudden realization. "No problem, I'll go call Mr. Kuzuki myself. And of course, I will keep the specific reasons confidential. You can rest assured."
Zenith looked down at the school from the principal's office while waiting for Souichiro Kuzuki to arrive.
Shirou Emiya was still undergoing special training at home. Today was Saber's specialized swordsmanship training, which had nothing to do with Zenith, so he had just left behind a few Potions of Regeneration and departed.
Over at the school, without Rin Tohsaka and Shirou present, many issues might go unresolved, causing the plot to run wild. To allow Shirou Emiya to develop in peace during this period, Zenith had no choice but to make the trip himself.
A faint trace of magical energy could be felt throughout the school, and everyone inside seemed connected to it. It was a Bounded Field. Someone had set up a large-scale Bounded Field within the school to replenish their mana by draining the physical stamina of ordinary people.
This was likely the Blood Fort Andromeda Bounded Field set up by Shirou's former friend and current scumbag, Shinji Matou.
The Matou family was a magus lineage as famous as the Tohsaka family, but Shinji hadn't inherited the family's Magic Circuits. He was someone with zero aptitude for magecraft.
Driven by an inferiority complex, he used to find a sense of superiority by bullying his adopted sister from the Tohsaka family, Sakura Matou—until he later discovered that Sakura was actually a genius in magecraft.
He began to abuse Sakura, venting the twisted madness buried deep beneath his inferiority. Now, having obtained a portion of Sakura's Master privileges through the Book of the False Attendant, he had become Rider's false Master, and his arrogance had skyrocketed.
"Speaking of which, I need to deal with those damn bugs in the Matou family," Zenith muttered to himself. "Sakura needs to be rescued, that scumbag needs to be crushed, and I wonder if that five-hundred-year-old monster in the Matou household is actually strong in a real fight."
*Tap, tap, tap.*
The sound of leather shoes stepping on the floor echoed. Zenith turned around to see Souichiro Kuzuki standing in the doorway in a crisp suit. His black-framed glasses couldn't conceal the sharpness in his eyes; this was a man with a history.
Zenith had specifically asked for him by name, and naturally, it wasn't just because he was Rin Tohsaka's homeroom teacher.
Rounding things out, he could barely be considered the true Master of the Caster class. His own combat skills were formidable; after receiving Caster's reinforcement magecraft, he could even defeat Saber barehanded. He was undoubtedly a ruthless character.
"Mr. Zenith, shall I lead the way?"
"I'll follow your lead."
Following behind Souichiro Kuzuki, Zenith noticed that the man was intentionally leading him to secluded areas of the school where people rarely passed by.
"For a public school teacher, Mr. Kuzuki, your killing intent is a bit too obvious."
Without a single word of nonsense, Kuzuki threw a simple straight punch that carried an inescapable sense of oppression. In terms of physical combat and martial arts, this guy was incredibly strong. Although he was an ordinary human, his technique was no weaker than that of certain Heroic Spirits.
This was an assassination martial art known as "Snake." In the original plot, he could effortlessly snap the neck of the Rider-class Heroic Spirit, Medusa, with a single strike, which was proof enough of his strength.
"Very strong, but not enough."
If he couldn't dodge it, then he simply wouldn't. Zenith glanced at his health bar; the ten little red hearts flickered slightly but didn't decrease. Excellent, his defense wasn't broken. The Netherite armor was as reliable as ever.
Unlike Zenith, who had absolutely no reaction, Souichiro Kuzuki—who had just landed the punch on Zenith—suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chest as blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
Turning a blind eye to his own injury, Kuzuki followed up with a whip kick that traced an arc of light, slamming heavily into Zenith's arm.
"Oh, not bad this time. You barely managed to scratch me."
Zenith raised an eyebrow. Caster, who had cast reinforcement on Souichiro Kuzuki, really had some skills. As expected of a magus from the Age of Gods, she actually managed to add a bit of physical penetration to ordinary punches and kicks.
Even so, the attack frequency and damage intensity still couldn't keep up with Zenith's health regeneration speed. After fighting for a while, Zenith was still at full health, while Souichiro Kuzuki was already covered in blood.
"Come to think of it, you don't seem to have any wish you want granted, do you? Are you doing this purely for that woman you picked up and brought home?"
Souichiro Kuzuki was not a magus, nor did he understand any knowledge related to magecraft. He had simply found a dying Caster on the street and straightforwardly agreed to her request, nothing more.
"I am merely a murderer. Neither the Holy Grail War nor the battles between magi have anything to do with me. I made a promise to her, that is all."
A former assassin, now a teacher. Zenith didn't know the reason for this guy's transformation, but it didn't matter. Minecraft players didn't have weak points like a head or a heart, so Souichiro Kuzuki's weak-point strikes and rapid punches posed absolutely no threat.
"Does a wish absolutely have to be granted by the Holy Grail?" Zenith met his cold, emotionless eyes. "Before we settle this fight, why don't you fulfill your duties as a teacher first? If the Bounded Field in the school isn't dealt with, all the students and faculty will silently die."
Souichiro Kuzuki remained as silent as a mute, but he lowered his fighting stance. It seemed he agreed.
A difficult man to understand. To say he had a cold exterior but a warm heart didn't seem quite right. Yet, judging from his actions, it did appear to be the case. He lived an empty life devoid of meaning, but he would risk his life for a mere verbal promise.
"You're going to look very suspicious walking around the school like that, aren't you?" Zenith pointed at the blood covering Souichiro Kuzuki. "It looks like I did something to you, even though you were the one attacking me the whole time."
Reluctantly, Zenith went to fetch Souichiro Kuzuki's spare clothes from the school. Then, by tracing the convergence lines of magical energy, he found Rider hiding in a classroom.
Medusa, who had manifested in the form of a witch at the peak of her power.
It was a pity that Shinji Matou, acting as her temporary Master, severely held Rider back, resulting in an incredibly powerful Heroic Spirit being soloed by an "ordinary human" like Souichiro Kuzuki.
"I've been found... It can't be helped. After all, Blood Fort Andromeda is far too conspicuous."
Souichiro Kuzuki slowly walked toward Medusa. Zenith quickly stepped forward and grabbed his clothes. "No, wait a second. Is there nothing but fighting in that head of yours?"
Medusa didn't rush to attack either, seemingly intending to see what Zenith was going to say.
"Beat the crap out of Shinji Matou, tear down the Matou family's bug nest, and rescue Sakura from that hell. What do you think of this proposal, Rider?"
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