"But isn't the gacha pool limited to five stars?"
"It's still not enough, after all." Tohsaka Tokiomi massaged the bridge of his nose as he looked over the account books in his hands. However, just like his troubles, the financial shortfall refused to disappear.
Since the Tohsaka family practiced gem-based magecraft, most of their wealth had been spent on acquiring gemstones. The repair costs from Romulus's direct destruction of the Tohsaka residence had yet to be covered, and now, a magical explosion at the port had followed right on its heels.
As the actual administrators of Fuyuki, the Tohsaka family had to bear a significant portion of the expenses required by the Church to handle the aftermath of magecraft incidents. As a result, the astronomical cleanup fees for the earth-shaking explosion from the other day had also landed squarely on Tokiomi's shoulders. Even if he sold off his entire stock of gemstones at their best market price, it wouldn't be enough to fill the hole in his finances. The aid offered by the Zenjou family was far from sufficient as well.
With the Tohsaka family's finances in dire straits, he was beginning to seriously consider whether he should wish for wealth from the Holy Grail if he managed to win the war.
To make matters worse, his overly arrogant Servant—Gilgamesh—had been missing for two days. Ever since being defeated by that Caster named Jiang You, no matter how much Tokiomi called for him, there had been no response. If not for the fact that the Command Seals maintaining their bond had not disappeared, he would have thought Gilgamesh had already been eliminated.
On top of that, his apprentice and supposed ally in this Holy Grail War—Kotomine Kirei—had suddenly submitted his resignation last night. He claimed that he was withdrawing from the war to pursue the ultimate mapo tofu. His plan was to sample every localized variant of mapo tofu across Japan before traveling to the great Eastern nation of Sichuan, where he would seek out the most authentic version of the dish. The reason was so absurd that Tokiomi even wondered if he had been subjected to some kind of suggestion magecraft.
To make things worse, Kirei had also handed over his Command Seals for Assassin to Caster, leaving Tokiomi constantly on edge—even when using the restroom—for fear that an unexpected Servant might jump out and attack him. Or rather, in the current situation, jump out to play cards with him.
Did this Caster come with some kind of charm skill? Why did his abilities feel so bizarre?
"This is truly unfortunate." When Tokiomi had summoned Gilgamesh, he had been certain that the Holy Grail War was in the bag. Yet, he had clearly underestimated the figures of legend—whether it was the Lancer who had effortlessly blocked Gilgamesh's attack or the unfathomable Caster, both possessed the strength to claim victory. As a result, not only were his chances of winning dwindling, but he was also drowning in debt.
Just as Tokiomi was contemplating ways to make money, his Command Seals suddenly grew hot, and an abnormal surge of magical energy emanated from the direction of Ryuudou Temple.
"The leyline… and Gilgamesh. What's happening?" A sense of foreboding welled up in Tokiomi's heart. As the leyline's overseer, he had no choice but to investigate.
—
At the Hyatt Hotel, Waver was furiously scribbling away, struggling under the massive workload his teacher, Kayneth, had just assigned him. If he failed to complete it in time, he wouldn't be allowed to eat.
After finally solving a particularly difficult magecraft application problem, Waver slumped onto his desk, utterly drained. He had been studying non-stop for eight hours, and Kayneth hadn't even given him lunch.
Right then, a plate of fruit and vegetables was placed in front of him.
"Lancer!"
Recognizing the person before him, Waver cautiously glanced around to make sure his teacher wasn't nearby before hesitantly asking Romulus, "Is it really okay for me to eat this? You won't tell Professor Kayneth, will you?"
Romulus was Kayneth's Servant, and Waver didn't know much about him. He was worried that this was some kind of test from Kayneth.
"Do not worry. This is my own decision. Rider entrusted you to me, and thus, Rome shall also protect you." Romulus wasn't rigid in his thinking—he firmly believed that one could not function properly on an empty stomach.
Only then did Waver grab a piece of fruit and start eating voraciously. Kayneth had left early that morning with his fiancée, Sola, and there was a good chance he wouldn't be back anytime soon.
"Thanks, Lancer. But shouldn't you be protecting my teacher? He's still participating in the Holy Grail War. Shouldn't he be wary of attacks from other contestants? Besides, I feel like he's not as eager for victory as he was before."
"Your teacher is among the finest magi. If there were no countermeasures against him, he would be the strongest contender in this Holy Grail War. You need not worry about him."
Romulus's thoughts drifted back to the previous night as he answered Waver's questions.
—
"Lancer, the Servant I was supposed to summon wasn't you, was it?"
Having ensured that Waver was settled in and that Sola was asleep, Kayneth brought Romulus up to the hotel rooftop and voiced his suspicions.
"That is correct. You, Master, have seen the future revealed by Caster's Noble Phantasm. According to the relic you prepared, you should have summoned Diarmuid. However, due to Kiritsugu Emiya's erroneous summoning of Caster, Rome has come forth instead."
Romulus patiently explained the situation.
"Lancer, you're still hiding something from me, aren't you? You should know that's not what I meant by 'supposed to summon.'"
Kayneth shook his head. He had already sensed something off during their previous battles.
"With my magical energy, there is no way I should be able to sustain your Spirit Origin. In fact, for a Servant of your scale, there isn't a single magus alive capable of providing the necessary mana."
Since childhood, Kayneth had been praised as a prodigy, and his life had been smooth sailing—until his duel with Waver had poured cold water over his arrogance, slightly tempering his personality. Looking back, he had started analyzing his past experiences more critically.
"In our fight at the Tohsaka estate, you were protecting Caster, weren't you? Archer wanted to avoid Caster's Noble Phantasm, but you forced him into a duel instead."
Kayneth paced along the edge of the rooftop, organizing his thoughts as he spoke.
"Archer, the oldest of heroes, is prideful beyond measure, looking down upon all other Servants and Masters. Yet, he restrains his arrogance in your presence. Your identity is far more significant than just the First King of Rome, isn't it?"
"Lancer, with your level of strength, no modern magus—except for perhaps the Marshal of Magecraft—would stand a chance against you. If you bore me any malice, you could kill me in less than a second. I only want to satisfy my curiosity."
"Master, please activate an isolation barrier."
Romulus paused for a moment before giving his response.
This hotel had already been reinforced into a temporary magecraft workshop by Kayneth, providing ample security. Even so, he followed his Servant's request and erected several additional layers of barriers.
A golden armor, representing Quirinus, manifested around Romulus. The sheer presence it exuded nearly shattered the barriers on the spot.
"Rome arrives… with the title of [Grand]."