"Is that so? Ahaha…"
Waver scratched the back of his head like an obedient kid and asked,
"So… Sensei, where are we going now? Should we take you back? By the way… where are you staying?"
"The Hyatt Hotel."
Kayneth replied calmly.
Although his confidence had been shattered earlier by that Saber, in front of his student Kayneth still maintained his usual aloof arrogance.
At most—
He no longer scolded Waver the moment he opened his mouth like he used to.
"I also heard about what happened between you and my Master," Iskandar said.
He scooted over and plopped down beside Kayneth with the familiarity of an old friend, giving him a heavy slap on the shoulder.
The force knocked Kayneth—who had been standing with his hands behind his back—straight into a seated position.
"You—"
Kayneth was speechless. Reluctantly, he found himself sitting beside this rugged giant over two meters tall.
"Originally, the one who was supposed to become my Master was you," Iskandar continued.
"But my Master here got upset and secretly stole the Holy Relic used as my catalyst."
"I honestly thought that after losing Lancer, you would demand the forced transfer of my Servant contract from my Master. Hahaha!"
Iskandar's booming laughter made Kayneth's ears ring.
Frowning impatiently, Kayneth brushed away the large hand resting on his shoulder.
"Hmph."
"I'm not that tasteless. No matter how useless Waver may be, he is still my student."
As he said this, Kayneth glanced back at Waver.
It was deep into the night.
At some point, Waver had fallen asleep on the carriage seat, his cheek pressed against the velvet cushion, drool glistening at the corner of his mouth.
Like a child resting beside his parents, he looked unusually relaxed.
Kayneth's mouth twitched slightly before he looked away.
"To begin with, I only joined this Holy Grail War on a whim."
"It was merely a way to obtain some 'achievements'—a trivial diversion."
"Since Waver has already entered the game, letting him continue isn't unacceptable."
"I'll see just how far he can go in this struggle."
"I see."
Iskandar, sitting cross-legged, stroked his thick reddish-brown beard thoughtfully.
"I think I understand now."
"You're just a tsundere, aren't you?"
Then—
He suddenly produced a manga from somewhere like a cartoon character pulling a gadget from his pocket.
On the cover was a voluptuous blonde teacher wearing black stockings and a tight professional outfit, shyly covering her face.
The title read:
"My English Teacher Can't Possibly Be This Cute."
"W—What?!"
Kayneth's old aristocratic face instantly flushed red.
His thin lips trembled as he tried to speak, but no words came out.
Nearby—
Still half-asleep, Waver seemed to be having a pleasant dream. A foolish grin spread across his face.
"Hehehe…"
Hyatt Hotel
This was the tallest building in Fuyuki City, barely worthy of matching the prestige of the Lord of El-Melloi.
Kayneth had extravagantly rented the entire building, converting it inside and out into his Magecraft Workshop.
Unfortunately—
Before he even had the chance to use it, Lancer had fallen prematurely in battle, killed by Berserker's spectacular backstab.
What humiliation.
What a catastrophic mistake.
Just thinking about it made Kayneth furious, veins bulging on his forehead.
"Whoa—!"
Iskandar's chariot landed.
On the rooftop—
A beautiful woman with flame-red hair had been waiting anxiously.
The moment she saw Kayneth, she rushed forward.
It looked like she was about to throw herself into his arms—
But instead she grabbed his collar with both hands and anxiously looked behind him.
"Kayneth, where is Lancer?"
"Why can't I feel my mana connection with him anymore?"
"…."
Hearing that his fiancée's first concern wasn't him—but a man she had only known for a few days—Kayneth's proud expression finally revealed disappointment and jealousy.
Although Kayneth was Lancer's Master, Sola-Ui Nuada-Re Sophia-Ri could sense Lancer's existence because—
Kayneth had modified the standard Master–Servant contract system.
To maximize his own combat capabilities, he removed the mana supply responsibility from himself.
That way, during the Holy Grail War he could fight other Masters at full strength without worrying about draining his own magical energy.
The mana required to sustain the Servant instead came from Sola, acting as a secondary Master.
This ingenious workaround truly lived up to Kayneth's reputation as the prodigy of the Department of Summoning.
Unfortunately—
Leon's cheat abilities were simply far greater.
"I'm sorry, Sola."
"Lancer was killed by Berserker. We've already been eliminated from the war."
Facing the woman he loved—even though she had clearly begun to develop feelings for another man—Kayneth lowered his head and admitted his failure with sincere shame.
"Huh…?"
"That can't be…"
Sola's pupils trembled violently. Her pink lips quivered until she bit them hard enough to draw blood.
"Lancer… my Lancer… he actually…"
"AAAAAHHH!!"
She suddenly screamed like a madwoman, clutching her head.
Her shriek instantly woke Waver, who had been sleeping in Iskandar's arms.
"Gah—what happened?!"
He opened his eyes and rapidly scanned the surroundings like a gamer checking angles in an FPS match.
Then he saw Sola having a breakdown.
Like someone who had just seen a ghost—
Waver quietly buried his head back into Iskandar's arms and pretended he hadn't seen anything.
A short while later—
The group gathered in a luxury suite inside the Hyatt Hotel.
By now, Sola had recovered from her emotional meltdown.
She once again wore the cold, noble expression she displayed in front of outsiders.
Sitting beside Kayneth on a leather sofa, legs crossed and arms folded, she scrutinized Waver, who sat upright like a well-behaved student next to Iskandar.
"So…"
"Kayneth, are you saying we should give up being Masters and instead assist this brat?"
Sola frowned and turned toward Kayneth, who was rubbing his temples.
"Yes."
"That's my decision."
"The Magecraft Workshop is already established. Lancer is gone. Waver is my student."
"If we establish a nonstandard contract with Rider, it doesn't matter who holds the title of Master."
"Since we're already here…"
Kayneth opened his eyes and leaned forward, fingers interlocked.
"Ah?"
"I can really do that?"
Waver pointed at himself in disbelief.
If Kayneth had demanded Rider's contract outright earlier, Waver would have refused without hesitation.
But now—
Kayneth was openly stepping back and even offering himself and his fiancée as support.
That unexpected move left Waver completely unsure how to react.
"Teacher… maybe you should take it instead?"
Waver cautiously stretched his neck forward and said it politely.
"Sure~"
As if seeing right through him, Sola answered with a disturbingly sweet smile.
"Huh?!"
Waver panicked immediately.
"Well then—uh—actually…"
"Enough, Sola."
"I've already made my decision."
"And Lancer's matter is over."
"I don't want to hear his name from you again."
Kayneth finally showed some backbone.
He could tolerate Sola's emotional betrayal—but she also needed to correct her attitude toward him.
"You don't love me anymore."
Sola covered her face as if crying and said those words.
Instantly—
The room fell silent.
"…"
"…"
"…"
Two men and one boy sat speechless.
That single sentence landed like a punch.
A punch that instantly humbled everyone present.
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