A moist, soft touch brushed against his lips.
A mist of moisture filled Gray's beautiful eyes. It seemed that just doing this alone had already reached the girl's limit.
Yet she still bravely stared at him, "Just like now… no matter what I do, it should be decided by my own will."
Alvin froze for a moment, but before he could speak, he saw the girl lower her head and flee the room as if escaping.
The Clock Tower at night was especially quiet. Soft moonlight filtered through the white curtains and spilled into the room.
Alvin sat under the dim desk lamp, looking at the girl who had already left, and subconsciously touched his lips again.
Even though he had just been a bit intimate with Morgan, and it also counted as kissing Gray. The feeling now seemed completely different from when Morgan had been attached to Gray earlier.
Thinking back to what the girl had just said, Alvin finally snapped out of it, feeling somewhat relieved.
If he couldn't understand what Gray meant just now, then at this moment… he felt like he could understand it a little.
This kiss really was completely different.
He never expected that a girl who was usually a bit airheaded and gentle could do something like this. Alvin looked up at the silver-haired girl who had already gone far away, filled with emotion.
That feeling didn't last long, because soon Alvin heard faint footsteps coming from not far away.
He paused slightly, then quickly stood up and walked to the door.
As he pulled it open, he smiled and said, "What's wrong, Gray? Did you forget something?"
As he spoke, Alvin looked up.
Then the smile on his face slowly stiffened.
Sajyou Manaka… and Reines.
[Congratulations, Host. You have triggered a special CG: Clock Tower's Shura Field.]
At this moment, the system kindly popped up a reminder.
Alvin's eyelid twitched hard.
'Why didn't you remind me earlier? What's the point of your stupid system reminder now?'
———
In the blink of an eye, two days had passed without him noticing.
During these two days, Alvin had been mostly safe… at least, nothing had threatened his life.
But emotionally, he had a terrible headache.
It had been two days since the incident between Gray and Alvin. He didn't know exactly when Reines and Manaka had been standing at his door, nor did he know whether they had heard what was happening inside.
But judging from the meaningful look in Manaka's eyes at the time, she had clearly noticed something.
Luckily, this was the Clock Tower. If it had been somewhere else, Alvin might already have been experiencing a "little black room" treatment.
Even though the two girls didn't dig deeper into it, these past two days hadn't been easy for Alvin. His relationship with Reines had originally warmed up quite a bit, but after what happened with Gray that day, Reines's attitude toward him became noticeably more subtle.
Even in class, there was hardly any conversation between Alvin and Reines.
As the time to return from transmigration drew closer, that afternoon, after class ended, Kayneth called Alvin to his office.
The Department of Mineralogy had its own teaching and experimental buildings, and Kayneth's office was deep within the teaching building.
When Alvin arrived as agreed and pushed open the door, he saw the blond man with slicked-back hair sitting at his desk, flipping through documents laid out in front of him.
"Teacher, did you need something from me?", Alvin stepped inside and asked respectfully.
"What's going on between you and Reines these past couple of days?", Kayneth didn't look up, his tone casual.
"I'm not really sure… maybe I upset her somehow without realizing it," Alvin replied.
There was no way he could tell Kayneth, 'Your sister might've found out what happened between me and Gray in my room last time, so she's mad.'
He thought Kayneth would press further, but fortunately, he didn't dwell on the topic and instead changed the subject lightly, "You've been getting along alright with Sajyou Manaka, right?"
'Is the Department Head here just to gossip today? That doesn't really fit his personality,' Alvin muttered inwardly, but still nodded, "Pretty well."
Kayneth stood up and walked to the tea table nearby, taking out a bag of black tea.
He placed the tea leaves into the pot. Watching the steam rise as hot water was poured in, he said slowly, "During the last Holy Grail War, I witnessed the power of the Root with my own eyes… that girl possesses a power that countless magi would go mad for."
"She came for you, didn't she?"
Before Alvin could speak, Kayneth continued, "Over the past two days, several Lords at the Clock Tower have had multiple conflicts. Did you know about this?"
Alvin thought to himself, 'I've been so overwhelmed dealing with Reines and Manaka these past two days, how would I have the energy to pay attention to outside events?'
But on the surface, he put on a listening expression and said, "I've been busy these past couple of days, so I haven't heard."
"What happened?", he asked.
"The original purpose of the Clock Tower, in the end, is inheritance… every major magus family values it immensely. Although magi are beings who hide in the shadows, within the Clock Tower, if a family wants to grow stronger, reputation is essential."
"A talented student might play a crucial role in strengthening a family in the future… that's also one of the reasons I accepted you as my disciple."
Hearing this, Alvin had already vaguely guessed something and said instinctively, "You came to talk to me about Manaka's teacher, didn't you?"
Not every student at the Clock Tower would have a "Lord" as their teacher, but if someone was exceptionally talented, or if a Lord took a liking to them, they might still accept them as a disciple.
Sajyou Manaka had joined the Clock Tower three days ago, and from the very day she joined, the Lords had already set their sights on her.
After all, a student who could be admitted as an exception. No matter how you looked at it, her talent had to be extraordinary.
Moreover, in these past few days, her outstanding performance in magical theory at the Clock Tower had already proven her talent.
But he didn't expect Kayneth to also have his eyes on Manaka, did he not know how dangerous she was?
Because of a lack of proper guidance and education since childhood, Sajyou Manaka's worldview was completely different from that of ordinary people.
A girl like that was essentially a ticking time bomb. If handled carelessly, it could explode at any moment.
Back in Fuyuki, Kayneth had known how Matou Zouken died, so why would he still want to take her as a disciple now?
"The one who wants to accept Sajyou Manaka as a disciple isn't me."
As if seeing through Alvin's thoughts, Kayneth said calmly, "It's my teacher, Eulyphis."
Alvin paused slightly, recalling the white-haired old man who always looked gloomy.
After a brief silence, he said, "She's actually not suited to having any Lord as her teacher."
On one hand, it was Manaka's personality. On the other, the Clock Tower was a gathering place for magi. Manaka's magic circuits were too special. If any Lord realized her circuits were connected to the Root, it might attract a lot of unwanted attention.
Kayneth didn't seem surprised by Alvin's answer. He thought for a moment, then nodded, "I'll help you refuse this matter."
For Kayneth, he didn't care about others at all, but Sajyou Manaka clearly had a close relationship with Alvin.
And he also had his own motives. The El-Melloi family currently only had Kayneth as a reliable heir. Beyond that, Reines's talent as a magus was far from sufficient to inherit the family.
If something were to happen to him in the future, as long as Alvin was around, at least the El-Melloi family wouldn't completely fall off the stage of the Clock Tower.
"Is that really alright?", Alvin asked tentatively.
After all, although this Lord of the Department of Mineralogy always appeared extremely arrogant in front of others, when facing his teacher and father-in-law, he felt an inexplicable pressure.
His failure in the last Holy Grail War had probably already disappointed Eulyphis. If he couldn't even handle this matter well.
"My affairs aren't something a child like you needs to worry about."
Kayneth clasped his hands behind his back, his tone calm, "I know what you're thinking… you think that failing in this Holy Grail War will greatly reduce my standing in my teacher's eyes, right?"
'Isn't that the case?', Alvin remained silent.
"He probably knows a bit about what happened in the Fuyuki Holy Grail War, but he doesn't know that Sajyou Manaka was also a Master in that war."
Hearing this, Alvin silently breathed a sigh of relief for his teacher.
Anyone who knew the details of the Fourth Holy Grail War wouldn't think Kayneth had failed.
After all, among those Masters and Servants, being able to leave Fuyuki alive was already an achievement.
Thinking of this, Alvin suddenly remembered Illya and Matou Sakura, who were still in Fuyuki.
Several days had passed since then. They should have stabilized by now… he wondered how they were doing.
"The time to return to ancient Britain is this afternoon. Be careful on this trip," Kayneth suddenly said.
Alvin came back to his senses and asked instinctively, "Why do you say that?"
"Do you know what magi pursue their entire lives?"
Kayneth didn't answer directly, instead asking what seemed like an unrelated question.
Alvin thought for a moment, then said without hesitation, "The Root."
Magi spent their entire lives pursuing the Root. They believed that touching the Root meant becoming a true 'god'. This was also the real reason Alvin didn't want the secret of Sajyou Manaka being connected to the Root to be exposed.
Kayneth nodded, "In the past, the secret of the Greater Grail system in Fuyuki was guarded by the Tohsaka family, the Matou family, and the Einzbern family. But after the last Holy Grail War, this secret has been learned by many outsiders."
"In the past few days, there's been a rumor circulating in the Clock Tower… that obtaining the Greater Grail means gaining the qualification to reach the Root."
Alvin's heart skipped a beat, "But wasn't the Greater Grail already destroyed?"
Kayneth shook his head, "Not long ago, my teacher told me that the Greater Grail has been restored to its original state."
"However, the Fourth Holy Grail War has only just ended, and the Greater Grail system hasn't fully cooled down yet. But this also means that people from all sides will have more time to prepare for the next Holy Grail War."
"And Holy Relics are their targets."
Alvin frowned slightly. He suddenly understood what Kayneth meant and said softly, "So you mean, these transmigrators will try to obtain Holy Relics while traveling to ancient Britain, in order to prepare for the Holy Grail War?"
In the past, magi had only two ways to obtain Holy Relics. One was through auctions held by ancient noble families, the other was information.
The burial sites of certain powerful and famous Heroic Spirits might contain the "Holy Relics" they left behind.
But now, some magi had a third way.
After traveling to ancient Britain, directly obtain Holy Relics there.
After sorting things out, Alvin suddenly remembered something important, "Are you planning to participate in the next Holy Grail War?"
Kayneth raised an eyebrow, "What, are you worried about me going to Fuyuki?"
"I know your strength well, Teacher, I just feel that the last Holy Grail War already caused such a huge commotion. I don't know if the next one will be even worse," Alvin said.
He first showed his recognition of Kayneth, then tactfully reminded him not to act rashly.
Although Alvin had successfully helped Kayneth return to the Clock Tower last time, that Holy Grail War had already been quite dangerous.
If there was another one, Alvin couldn't guarantee that fate wouldn't correct itself and lead to Kayneth's death in the Holy Grail War.
Kayneth fell silent, thinking. After a while, he said in a deep voice, "Go back for now. I'll think about it."
During the Fourth Holy Grail War, this once extremely arrogant Lord of the Clock Tower had already seen immense risks… Servants of overwhelming strength, and even Masters whose power could only be described as cheating.
If the next Holy Grail War was the same, was it really necessary to participate?
Kayneth looked out the window. The brilliant afternoon sunlight fell across his sharply defined face, filled with contemplation and hesitation.
———
[Fuyuki]
"Cough!"
Another heavy cough echoed. Inside the Tohsaka residence, a man in homewear covered his mouth as he coughed, his face full of exhaustion.
Tohsaka Tokiomi, after the battle at Mount Enzo ended last time, although he avoided the tragic fate of being betrayed by his disciple, because he had come into contact with the black mud and was even cursed by the Avenger within it, he had been fine on the first night.
But starting from the second day, his body began to feel unwell and weak.
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