The Hyatt Regency Fuyuki stood only a few blocks away from the hotel where Ludwig had taken up residence. As the tallest building in the New Town district, its thirty-second floor—the very top—had been completely reserved by Lancer's Master, Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald.
Currently, Kayneth sat alone on a leather sofa by the window, looking down at the Fuyuki cityscape with a sullen, dissatisfied expression.
"How are your injuries?" he asked, his voice directed at the Servant kneeling on one knee beside him.
"Thanks to my Lord's grace, the external wounds have vanished. However... the internal damage will require a bit more time to fully recover," Lancer replied in a low, apologetic tone.
"Hmph..."
Kayneth had originally intended to berate Lancer for his failure to kill Saber, but the opportunity for such a lecture had passed. The battle at the harbor had concluded in a manner no one could have predicted. Although no Servants or Masters had been eliminated, the situation was far from optimistic.
"What is your opinion on that youth of unknown origin?"
At this stage, gathering information was a higher priority than venting frustration. Even with the element of surprise, that boy—who wasn't even a Servant—had beaten Lancer into a state where he couldn't fight back. Had Rider not intervened, Lancer would likely have been retired tonight, and Kayneth's Holy Grail War would have ended then and there.
"He is a formidable foe. Alone, I fear..." Lancer furrowed his brow deeply.
Meeting a powerful opponent on the battlefield was usually a source of joy for a hero, but there was no joy to be found in that boy. He was like a perfectly crafted killing machine, an existence that seemed born solely for the sake of combat. Setting aside his pity as a hero for a child and viewing him strictly as an enemy, Lancer found himself dreading a second encounter. His speed and power were both terrifyingly inhuman.
"In a moment like this, shouldn't you be expressing your resolve to eliminate that nuisance?" Kayneth barked, unable to accept the slim margin of victory and letting his bottled-up frustration explode into anger.
Lancer lowered his head. He believed his Master's anger was justified, for he felt the same way. If such an enemy was merely a Master—and if he were to acquire a Servant—what would they do then?
"Instead of taking your anger out on Lancer here, shouldn't your priority as a Master be to uncover the identity of that mysterious intruder?"
Kayneth's fiancée, Sola-Ui, stepped out from the inner room, her voice laced with reproach.
"Sola-Ui, what are you saying...?"
"The boy's name, whether or not he is a Master, and where to begin an investigation—isn't that your responsibility?"
Having watched the battle at the harbor through a familiar, Sola-Ui was also incensed—particularly by the way Ludwig had repeatedly kicked Lancer's handsome face.
"Ludwig Brunestud," Kayneth repeated the name. Before Lancer had dematerialized to retreat, he had heard the youth announce himself. As he spoke the name now, a sense of dissonance washed over him.
"My Lord, is something the matter?" Lancer asked, noticing the change.
"No, I just... the name 'Brunestud' suddenly feels familiar," Kayneth muttered, stroking his chin in deep thought. "Sola-Ui, do you recognize the name?"
"It doesn't ring a bell," Sola-Ui answered flatly. Even the rising stars of obscure magus families were known to her as the daughter of the Head of the Department of Evocation at the Clock Tower. Brunestud was not among them.
"I see..." Kayneth rose slowly. "I'll have to investigate. Logically, it shouldn't be..."
Muttering "Brunestud" under his breath, Kayneth turned and walked further into the room. His mind was consumed with uncovering the connection, completely failing to notice that Sola-Ui's expression had shifted. She was now gazing longingly at Lancer, who remained silent and kneeling on the floor.
As the eastern sky began to pale with the first light of dawn, Tokiomi Tohsaka met with Risei Kotomine of the Fuyuki Church and Kirei Kotomine—who had ostensibly retired from the war but secretly still possessed a Servant—to discuss the movements of Caster.
Thanks to the unique Noble Phantasm of Kirei's Assassin, the "Hundred-Faced Hassan," the one who had "died" in the public eye was merely a single segment of the collective. Kirei was now utilizing his Assassin, per his father Risei's instructions, to use those segments to covertly gather intelligence on the other factions for Tokiomi. This was Kirei's original purpose for joining the war, and it remained his primary duty.
"Very well. Per Father Risei's suggestion, we shall issue a formal hunt for Caster and his Master," Tokiomi's voice echoed through the magical communicator.
"Excellent. I shall begin the arrangements immediately," Father Risei said. "And then, there is the other matter, Tokiomi-kun."
"...The youth who so abruptly intruded upon the Holy Grail War?" Tokiomi's voice dropped in pitch.
Archer was heavily wounded. It was only after Tokiomi had used a Command Spell that the King of Heroes had begrudgingly retreated, rather than forcing a continued engagement.
"According to Assassin's report, after Lancer and Berserker withdrew, the youth spoke with Saber and Rider for a time," Kirei said. "It appears he is not a Master."
"Meaning he is an individual who stumbled into the war for unknown reasons, or perhaps he failed to be chosen by the Grail in time?" Tokiomi found the situation highly problematic. He had tried to get details from Archer, but the King refused to divulge anything.
"Those seem the most likely scenarios," Kirei offered.
"What say you? Should we simultaneously issue a bounty on the boy? If his goal is to seize a Servant, he is a highly volatile variable for all participants," Father Risei suggested. His logic was simple: get the other factions to do the dirty work of removing an element even more dangerous than Caster.
"Even if we don't arrange it, someone else will likely take action," Tokiomi noted, holding a different view. "Kirei, what do you think?"
"Based on the current situation, the one the mysterious youth has set his sights on is the Saber faction," Kirei replied. "According to the conversation Assassin overheard, he favors the 'strongest' class."
"Barring any surprises, the Saber faction will be his next target," Tokiomi mused. "While it would be troublesome if such an enemy acquired a Servant, if we use him to eliminate the other factions first, we can simply reap the rewards at the end."
"Understood. We shall proceed as you suggest, Tokiomi-kun. We will not issue a hunt for the unknown youth for the time being," Father Risei agreed.
Kirei remained silent as he listened to his father and his teacher converse. He was hiding one crucial piece of information: before Ludwig had withdrawn, he had tracked down Kiritsugu Emiya and wounded the man.
Now, Kiritsugu was injured and forced to retreat to the Einzbern Castle on the outskirts of the city. He had essentially locked himself in a cage like cornered prey. If Ludwig were allowed to continue his hunt, Kirei feared he wouldn't have the chance to face Kiritsugu himself—and the man who potentially held the answers Kirei sought would vanish before his eyes.
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