In Type-Moon, it all starts with adopting Sakura.

A red-haired woman in a trench coat, a cigarette dangling from her lips, pressed her foot hard on the accelerator, pushing the already overpowered SUV to its limits as fast as possible. She wanted to get the two guys she had just rescued from the missile strikes out of Fuyuki City before the city was locked down due to panic.

"Professor Kenneth, were those missiles aimed at us just now?"

In the back seat of the SUV, a disheveled Webber spoke shakily. At this moment, he no longer had the anticipation he had when following the King of Conquerors, nor the composure and determination he had when facing the King of Heroes. His bewildered eyes were filled with lingering fear.

"Isn't that obvious? It's clear... they're after us... ah."

Not only Webber, but Kenneth was also not in a good state at the moment. He had just been rescued from the brink of explosion and the feeling of going through a life-or-death race was not a good one for him.

Although the missile landing was nowhere near as spectacular as facing the Divergent Star head-on, it was still the closest he had ever come to death. If his reconnaissance familiar hadn't foreseen the danger and if someone hadn't prepared transportation for his rescue, he would be on the verge of death, if not dead. After all, he wasn't arrogant enough to believe that his Moon Spirit Essence could withstand that level of explosive damage.

But then again...

Kenneth looked at the red-haired woman driving the SUV, a cigarette dangling from her lips, her eyes filled with confusion.

He certainly couldn't possibly not recognize the red-haired beauty driving in front of him.

After all, the other party was a renowned genius in the Clock Tower and even the entire mystical world, and the age difference between him and his generation was not that great. He had always compared himself to this genius.

So the moment he appeared, Kenneth recognized him.

She was many years ago—

The Clock Tower, the most vicious wanted criminal sealed by the Department of Law and Politics, is a genius who revived the original Rune Magic foundation in the modern era, and at the same time reached the unprecedented level of Grand Magician Aozaki Touko on the path of puppet magic.

When Kenneth saw her suddenly appear and urge them to get in the car quickly, he was actually stunned. However, the situation was too urgent, and his familiar had already sensed the approaching deadly threat, so he didn't have time to think and could only pull Waver into the car with him.

The subsequent series of explosions and towering flames in the forest confirmed his findings and proved that his choice was absolutely correct.

Some damn guy actually started using missiles to bombard the area, trying to wipe out all the Masters who came to attack him once and for all.

As for who that damn guy is...

Kenneth could have guessed it even with his toes.

It's Kiritsugu Emiya again, that damned scoundrel of magic.

Kenneth knew about the other party's underhanded tactics as early as the first night. It was supposed to be a battle between magicians, but he not only used firearms such as pistols or submachine guns, but also pulled out an RPG.

Furthermore, in order to hunt down magicians more efficiently, they created targeted bullets that would terrify magicians.

Upon seeing this, Kenneth thought that Kiritsugu Emiya had already used all the tricks he could muster.

However, to his surprise, the opponent's methods were far more despicable and extreme than he had imagined, even resorting to weapons like missiles. They completely disregarded the rules and principles of the Holy Grail War, seeking only victory and aiming to kill them.

The mess is so huge that even if the supervisor of this place were to personally lead the entire Minerals Department, they wouldn't be able to handle it. A slight misstep could trigger a large-scale leak of secrets. For now, the only solution is to report it to the Clock Tower.

And the Church of Saints is also involved in this incident; they are undoubtedly responsible for the dereliction of duty by the supervisors.

I wonder what the attitude of the magic organizations in East Asia, such as the Spiral Mansion, is?

After all, the fact that he and Waver caused such a commotion in the Far East while participating in the Holy Grail War was practically the same as blowing up someone's gate. If they weren't careful, it could lead to friction between the Clock Tower and the Spiral Mansion, two magical organizations. He might even have to go out and lay low because of this.

"Ugh... what terrible luck!"

Thinking about how he had set out full of confidence, only to end up in a disheveled state and fleeing in panic, Kenneth felt a mix of emotions and couldn't help but sigh.

However, when he looked at Weber beside him, his mood suddenly improved a lot.

Regardless, the fact that he not only survived the hellish battlefield but also found his two traitors was the greatest achievement.

Besides that...

The Holy Grail? Heroic Spirits?

They're all a bunch of damned bastards; he's not going to play along.

Even during the retreat, he used a three-stroke Command Spell to have Finn block the threat for them, then broke the contract and decisively withdrew from the Holy Grail War to avoid being pursued by Gilgamesh.

"Ugh……"

After calming himself down a bit, Kenneth controlled his emotions and then looked at Aozaki Touko, who was driving ahead, with a questioning look.

"Um... Miss Aozaki, where are you taking us?"

Kenneth's tone was somewhat doubtful and uneasy. Although he was able to escape unscathed thanks to Aozaki Touko's help, he did not intend to let his guard down towards his savior.

After all, no matter how you look at it, this could never be a coincidence.

After all, how could someone possibly happen to be passing by the battlefield where you are, then coincidentally encounter them just before the missiles hit, and even more coincidentally have prepared a means of escape to send them away in an incredibly coincidental way?

Anyone with a brain would know that Aozaki Touko was obviously waiting for them there beforehand.

However, this matter puzzled Kenneth greatly, since he had neither enmity nor favor with Aozaki Touko, so why would she come to pick him up?

Moreover... before Gilgamesh's Ea Star completely shattered his dream of winning, he always seemed confident of victory. How could he possibly arrange for someone to help him escape? That's why Kenneth was extremely puzzled by the current situation.

Meanwhile, Kenneth's wariness of Aozaki Touko had reached its peak. He secretly held the two gems in his hands, ready to throw them out as soon as he sensed something was wrong, then grab Webber beside him and jump out of the car to continue their escape.

"I'll take you to Tokyo, Misaki City, or Kanbuko City, and then we'll fly directly back to England from there."

Upon hearing Kenneth's question, Aozaki Touko didn't hide anything and directly told them about the itinerary that Lo Wei had arranged in advance.

"Huh? Back to England..."

Kenneth was taken aback by Aozaki Touko's answer.

He had initially thought that Aozaki Touko would take him to some ominous place, or take the opportunity to extort something from him. After all, unlike ordinary magicians, the crests on his body and many of his Mystic Codes were treasures that even Grand Magicians could not ignore.

Just as Kenneth had thought, Aozaki Touko originally intended to take this opportunity to extort some benefits from Kenneth, the incredibly wealthy lord of the Minerals Department.

However, a message from Rowe made her abandon this tempting idea.

With the Holy Grail War reaching its final moments, and with the withdrawal of Kenneth, Waver, and others, the only ones capable of competing for victory on the battlefield were him and Gilgamesh.

The situation will become increasingly out of control and will be completely beyond our expectations. We need to get Kenneth and the others out of here immediately and not come back.

So, given the critical situation, Aozaki Touko was too lazy to argue with Kenneth. After all, she had already made a huge profit this time, and she had also received so much kindness and favor from him. If she messed things up again at such a crucial moment because of her greed, then this matter would become completely unmanageable.

"Of course, I'll only take you out of Fuyuki City to meet up with Sakura. I've already arranged for her to stay in my safe house. After that, you just need to pick her up and fly back to England immediately. I'm not going back to that damned Clock Tower."

Aozaki Touko stubbed out her cigarette and then said casually.

"Sakura...you wouldn't be talking about something like this?!"

"What else did you think?"

Upon hearing this, Kenneth's eyes widened slightly. He had clearly figured something out, and his fragile heart was struck by an immense shock.

"Haha, that's right, that's exactly what you think, Lemon Head."

"Surprised? Unexpected?"

Seeing Kenneth's astonished expression in the rearview mirror, Aozaki Touko couldn't help but burst into laughter.

She had actually been looking forward to this moment for a long time.

Aozaki Touko had already felt sorry for Kenneth, the teacher who knew nothing from beginning to end and was kept in the dark by his good apprentice and led by the nose, when Lo Wei contacted her and told her about his plan.

She often complained that Kenneth was lucky to have such a gem as Rowe, who was a perfect student.

You could say he was both lucky and unlucky.

Unfortunately, that guy always manages to trick you without you even realizing it; fortunately, he will always help you on matters of principle and in important situations.

"...Love, where is that guy? Where is he now?!"

To Aozaki Touko's surprise, Kenneth's first reaction was not anger, nor did he care about anything else. Instead, he hurriedly asked about Rowe's whereabouts.

He no longer cared why his student was involved with Aozaki Touko, a wanted and dangerous individual, or what role he actually played in the Holy Grail War.

Kenneth just wanted to know how Lowe was doing. Was he in any danger? Now that he had brought them both out, was Lowe also waiting outside Fuyuki City to withdraw from the Holy Grail War, so they could fly back to England together for refuge?

"...Huh?"

When Aozaki Touko saw that Kenneth's first reaction to Rowe was not anger at being deceived and misled, but rather worry and concern, Aozaki Touko's expression faltered slightly.

He then turned around and looked seriously at Kenneth's earnest gaze, before letting out a helpless sigh.

"Now I understand why you two could become master and disciple... Although your personalities are completely different, your concern for each other is a perfect match."

She shrugged, then sighed helplessly, and replied,

"Don't worry, Crowley will be fine. He just has more important things to do right now, so he won't be going back with you. He wants you to trust him."

"Nonsense! Believe him...? -- What?!"

The car suddenly accelerated, causing Kenneth, who was about to continue asking questions, to stumble and lean back, almost hitting the handrail beside him.

"Hehe, it's nothing, it's just that the police have started blocking the road ahead."

"Hold on tight, Lemon Head! We need to speed things up!!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Aozaki Touko didn't give Kenneth a chance to refute her. She glanced at the city exits that were now under martial law and blocked due to tonight's missile strike, a smile playing on her lips. Then, she stepped on the gas, crashed through the guardrail, and sped away amidst the shouts of the police behind her, heading straight into the distance.

……

……

at the same time.

On the other side, at the edge of the forest.

A golden figure leaned on his spear, silently observing the devastation before him, gazing at the forest reduced to scorched earth.

A hint of sadness crept into his deep blue eyes, which were as blue as flowing water. A special blue magic surged around him as he did his best to heal this war-torn land.

With the protection of the elves, he vaguely felt the harm that nature suffered.

However, his unreserved consumption of magic power was not solely for the purpose of healing the damage to the forest.

—Da da da.

This sadness didn't last long. With the sound of footsteps echoing in the darkness, Finn turned his gaze and looked at the figure he had been waiting for.

A smiling black-haired youth and a bewitching purple-haired beauty beside him.

That is, Rowe Crowley and Scáthach, who appeared beside him.

"What a coincidence, Lancer, it's amazing to run into you here, um..."

They followed the immense magical energy deliberately emitted by Finn and found him there. When they saw Finn waiting for them at the edge of the forest, Rowe smiled, then casually raised his hand in greeting and asked,

"Since you're here, that means Mr. Kenneth and the others have already evacuated safely, right?"

"Don't worry, Mr. Crowley..."

Upon seeing this, Finn could only manage a wry smile.