Under the cover of night, Guinevere departed with Kenneth. This scene was witnessed by a surveilling Assassin and quickly reported to Tokiomi Tohsaka, further confirming his suspicions.
"No matter," Tokiomi mused. "I've already drawn the strongest card. Let Kenneth deal with this hot potato."
Meanwhile, inside Fuyuki City's most luxurious five-star hotel, Guinevere swirled a glass, savoring the finest red wine Kenneth had offered.
Though Kenneth had chosen to participate in the Holy Grail War, he remained inwardly dismissive of it, viewing it merely as a convenient way to earn some military honors.
Because of this arrogance, if Guinevere was brazenly strutting about, then Kenneth was practically putting an exclamation mark over his own head, carelessly revealing his residence to all other participants.
"Is this all the intelligence you've gathered?"
Inside the opulent, gilded luxury suite, Kenneth remained bowed and attentive. His arrogance was reserved only for those he deemed beneath him.
"Yes, Your Grace. If you find it insufficient, I will dispatch Lancer immediately."
Diarmuid Ua Duibhne, a heroic figure from Celtic mythology, the First Warrior of the Knights of Fianna in Ireland.
However, he was a figure from around the 3rd century AD, while Guinevere was from the 5th century AD.
In his era, Ireland's primary adversary was neighboring Britain.
In other words, Guinevere could be considered one of the enemies who had destroyed his nation.
Though he seemed completely unconcerned by this fact.
"It is my honor to serve such a beautiful lady."
With Kenneth's words spoken and Guinevere offering no objection, Diarmuid vanished to carry out his orders, ignoring the forlorn Sola standing nearby.
"Kenneth," Guinevere remarked, "you truly drew a fine card."
Since Diarmuid had already sung her praises, Guinevere naturally wouldn't speak ill of him. And with her having said as much, Kenneth wouldn't contradict her, merely swallowing the slight bitterness in his heart.
"At least in loyalty, Lancer is impeccable."
Bowing slightly again, Kenneth tried to convince himself. He then stepped aside, allowing Guinevere to continue flipping through the documents.
Arrogant as he was—believing he could win effortlessly—he still took his pre-war preparations seriously.
After a long while, he heard Guinevere speak:
"Kenneth, this Waver in the documents... is he your student? Why isn't he with you?"
She asked, knowing full well the answer, deliberately trying to make conversation.
Then, she listened as Kenneth began to tell his little story.
Having decided to participate in the Holy Grail War, Kenneth had long ago prepared a Holy Relic for himself: a small fragment of the cloak of the Conqueror King, Iskandar.
But he had an utterly disgraceful disciple. Not only was this student of lowly birth—a mere third-generation mage—but he was also arrogant enough to write a thesis attacking the theory of bloodline supremacy.
Furthermore, after Kenneth publicly tore up the thesis in class—a humiliation meant to shield the boy from even greater malice—the student stole the very Holy Relic Kenneth had so carefully prepared.
"Hmph. Foolish boy. He does possess some talent in Magecraft theory, but he fails to see his own limitations and lacks the sense to bide his time. The theory of bloodline supremacy, passed down for millennia—who is he to challenge it?"
Arrogance was etched onto Kenneth's face, yet Guinevere unexpectedly detected a hint of frustrated disappointment—the kind one feels for a promising student who has gone astray.
Kenneth was indeed a rare genius among mages. At a young age, he had become one of the Twelve Lords of the Clock Tower and a First-Class Lecturer in the Spiritual Evocation Department, even having a Magecraft course named after him.
The fact that he had allowed Waver into his class at all was a tacit acknowledgment of the boy's talent.
"Tsk. Bloodline supremacy, you say? You do know that in the beginning, the Magecraft Department didn't care about bloodlines, right? As long as you had the talent, you were accepted."
"Your Grace, that was because during the Era of the King of Knights, the Mystery of Great Britain had not yet fully receded. In those days, individuals born with magic circuits were numerous, unlike now, where bloodlines are the most reliable means of inheritance.
"Moreover, due to the accumulation of time, older mage families are generally more powerful. Magecraft knowledge requires time to amass."
Listening, Guinevere was somewhat surprised. Kenneth was actually explaining his reasoning seriously, not stubbornly clinging to bloodline supremacy as she remembered from her past life. His argument seemed to respect knowledge itself more than bloodlines.
Could it be my influence?
Guinevere wondered inwardly, a smile naturally appearing on her face. The next moment, she nodded and resumed reading the documents.
Tokiomi Tohsaka, Matou Zouken, the Einzberns...
Aside from the detailed file on Waver, the next most complete sets of information were on these two individuals and the Einzbern family.
But even this information was less than what Guinevere already knew.
"Forget it. I'm not reading any more. I'm not particularly interested in the Holy Grail anyway. Just tell me, did the House of Einzbern truly obtain the King of Knights' scabbard? And what is the Holy Relic the Mineralogy Department is holding for me?"
After her death, Morgan had handled the arrangements for both her and the King of Knights. Being dead, Guinevere had no way of knowing what had happened afterward.
"Your Grace, the House of Einzbern did indeed obtain the King of Knights' scabbard. However, you should know that possessing the scabbard does not guarantee the summoning of the King of Knights. Even if he were summoned, he might not be the same one who stood by your side.
"Because you concealed the true history, the King of Knights summoned by later generations has always been a version corrected by the collective perception of the masses.
"After you and the King of Knights died, their body was taken to Avalon. Your body was buried in a mountain village in Wales, alongside a cenotaph for the King of Knights."
"Furthermore, by the Undertaker's arrangement, your Holy Sword and the King of Knights' scabbard were buried together in Mordred's Royal Tomb. The King of Knights' Holy Lance was entrusted to your Tomb-Guardian Clan to serve as a tomb-guarding weapon.
"The item the Mineralogy Department is safeguarding is the seven-colored artificial gemstone once gifted to you by the Old Man of the Jewels, which the Undertaker returned after your death.
"By the way, the Undertaker also left a message for you. She said the necklace was buried in your tomb and urged you to retrieve it soon."
Listening to this, Guinevere gained a basic understanding of what had happened after her death. Knowing that the Mineralogy Department was only holding the seven-colored gemstone, she no longer felt any urgency to reclaim it.
She set down the documents and pondered for a moment, her gaze shifting to the slightly stirring suitcase.
"Kenneth, would you be interested in providing me with mana for a time? During this period, I can serve as your ally and fight alongside you."
"Your Grace, is that all you require? You've deduced that I am Lancer's contractor, but Sola is the actual mana provider?"
Surprise was written all over Kenneth's face. He hadn't expected Guinevere, with her rudimentary knowledge of Magecraft, to see through the arrangement.
"My apologies, but I dislike having a Master who holds three Command Spells over me."
"No, that is only natural. How could Your Grace, Guinevere, be compared to a mere Familiar?"
Binding a Servant to an incompetent Master while a qualified Mage supplied the Mana—this was a feat only Kenneth could accomplish in this Holy Grail War.