"Master, it would be best to retreat for now."
Jeanne looked at the two opposing Master-Servant pairs before her, her expression slightly relaxed as she advised her Master.
"Fighting two against one is a battle I cannot win."
Especially when one of them was an Archer—a long-range specialist.
Juggling a swordsman of equal skill while simultaneously guarding against a powerful bow user was far more dangerous than facing two close-combat experts.
"Don't be ridiculous! I've finally found the traitor who slaughtered my entire clan, and you want me to run away now?!"
The armoured elder glared at Jeanne with fury.
He wanted nothing more than to tear Roy apart on the spot.
How could he possibly retreat like this?
Jeanne sighed softly, her exasperated expression resembling that of a mother dealing with a stubborn child.
"If you die here, your wish will never be fulfilled. Is that truly acceptable to you?"
"Guh—!"
The old man froze.
His eyes flickered between the desire for revenge and the yearning for his wish, his expression twisting grotesquely.
"If this fight continues, I may survive, but you will not withstand that Archer's attacks. He is exceptionally skilled."
"Enough! We retreat!"
The armoured elder abruptly cut her off.
"Understood, Master."
Jeanne exhaled in relief.
She truly didn't want to see the old man and Roy kill each other.
Both were tragedies born of unreasonable fate—their lives already filled with enough suffering. The best outcome would have been for them to never cross paths again.
Yet who could have predicted they would meet once more in the Holy Grail War?
"Roy..."
Jeanne glanced at the white-haired, crimson-eyed boy from afar.
A deep, unshakable guilt flashed in her eyes.
"I'm sorry."
Then, she lifted the armoured elder with one arm and swiftly retreated into the distance.
"Master!"
Okita's gaze locked onto the fleeing pair.
If they pursued now, they might still catch them!
But no order came from Roy.
Confused, she turned to look at him.
Roy was staring in the direction Jeanne had left, his face a mix of bewilderment and shock—as if he had been struck by an unexpected counterattack. His lips moved faintly, as though muttering something.
"Let them go."
Rin Tohsaka's voice cut in, halting any further action.
"They're heading toward the city center. Fighting there would cause too many casualties."
Roy suddenly turned his head, his icy gaze piercing Rin.
Those blood-red pupils sent a chill down her spine.
The red-coated Archer tensed, subtly stepping between them.
Okita's eyes flickered, and without hesitation, she positioned herself in front of Roy.
The atmosphere instantly grew tense.
"Archer, stand down."
"...Rin."
"It's fine. Trust me."
The red Archer's expression twisted.
He had seen real malice in Roy's eyes—leaving Rin unprotected was unthinkable.
But under Rin's increasingly insistent gaze, he reluctantly took a few steps back.
Still close enough to act if needed.
Roy watched their silent exchange with cold indifference.
"He entered the city illegally and attacked a Master protecting it. By all rights, he should be expelled."
Rin met Roy's gaze head-on, her tone firm yet gentle—as if soothing a temperamental child.
"I'll mobilize our forces to track him immediately. After that, I'll help you deal with him. For now, could you put your glasses back on?"
Okita blinked in surprise.
Rin's approach seemed practiced.
This wasn't her first time handling Roy like this.
Roy's frigid stare bore into Rin, as though trying to drill holes through her skull.
Then—
He raised a hand and slid his glasses back on.
"You make a fair point."
Roy's demeanour shifted instantly, the oppressive aura vanishing as he smiled.
"We shouldn't lose sight of the bigger picture. The priority is the Corrupted Servants outside the city. If we don't eliminate them, Fuyuki is in real danger."
The tension in the air dissipated at last.
Rin visibly relaxed.
"I'm glad you understand."
Though she had faced Roy's unglassesed state before, the sheer killing intent he radiated was real.
Every time, her heart pounded.
One wrong move, and she might end up a charred corpse.
"By the way, your Servant's been exposed."
Rin gestured at Okita Souji, then pointed upward.
"Bazett will probably come for you soon."
Roy glanced at the sky.
Even at night, Servant battles were too conspicuous. Numerous familiars circled overhead—no doubt Okita's appearance had already spread among Fuyuki's magi.
At the latest, Bazett would be at his doorstep within a day or two.
"I was prepared for this the moment I summoned Saber."
Roy shrugged.
Bazett was indeed a troublesome opponent.
But if he could defeat her once, he could do it again.
Even the Mage's Association meant nothing before his Mystic Eyes, which could control any magecraft. To him, even a Grand-class mage was as powerless as a child.
Roy had never feared the Mage's Association.
Moreover—
At this point, five Servants had been revealed: Saber, Archer, Lancer, Rider, and Berserker.
Of these, he knew the identities of the first four. As for Berserker, given the Einzberns' usual strategy and Illya's demeanour, it was undoubtedly that famed Greek hero—the notorious sea pillar.
A reputation built on hype, a track record of constant humiliation.
That left only Assassin and Caster unaccounted for.
Given Bazett's personality, if her catalyst remained unchanged, he already had a good guess as to her Servant's identity and class.
Only Assassin—both Master and Servant—remained hidden.
But working backwards—
Of the seven Master slots, he held two, Rin and Illya one each, the armoured elder and Bazett two more. The last spot was obvious.
Matou.
The last of the Three Great Families had been eerily silent.
If Zouken Matou still lived, he would undoubtedly be a Master by now.
If he truly was long dead, the Greater Grail might select Sakura Matou from Misaki City—or a branch family member. Either way, that slot had to belong to the Matous.
"I'll arrange for someone to track that Lancer's Master immediately. Do you know his name? Or any other details—the more, the better."
Rin prepared to contact her secretary at City Hall via familiar, hoping to gather intel.
With multiple magi working together, they could uncover the old man's entire background within a day or two.
"I do."
Roy's voice was cold.
"His name is Uemon Ji. A magus who has lived for nearly four hundred years."
***
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