Chapter Twenty-Five: Roland Under Surveillance

“I never expected that legendary King of Heroes would actually be summoned. It seems that in this Holy Grail War, I will finally witness the arrival of a miracle.”
On the midnight streets, Kirei Kotomine was walking alongside his father, a rare occurrence.
They had just left the Tohsaka residence, having witnessed Tokiomi Tohsaka’s summoning ceremony in its entirety.
“Yes, such a powerful monarch. Sensei’s three years of preparation have truly paid off.”
Kirei replied to his father as always, respectful but not cold.
“Hmm, that makes six Servants already summoned.”
As if to confirm, Risei Kotomine took out the church’s spiritual disc from his pocket—an overseer’s privilege to monitor the status of Servants. Now that the church was fully allied with the Tohsaka family, it had become the perfect tool for cheating.
“Only the Caster class remains vacant. Presumably, the Grail hasn’t yet found a master for it. But those who enter so hastily are usually insignificant, mere fillers unworthy of attention. If you track him down, dispose of him.”
Though biased, Risei’s words carried weight; he had served as overseer during the previous war.
“I understand, Father.”
“And remember, for monitoring the Masters, send Assassin to the airport. The local Three Families have participated many times and have strongholds, so they won’t expose much information, but outsiders will inevitably travel by public transport.”
Risei rubbed his forehead, imparting valuable advice to his son—lessons only learned from firsthand experience in war.
“After all, Fuyuki has the Tohsaka and Matou families already. An outsider wouldn’t enter someone else’s territory without their Servant. If we’re lucky, we might easily get firsthand information about the Servants.”
“I’ll do it right away.”
Without hesitation, years as an executor had instilled in Kirei decisive action.
Risei watched his son with satisfaction. He had wondered if having a child late in life had made him too indulgent, but Kirei’s conduct left little room for doubt.
“One more thing,” he cautioned, the only worry being his son’s tragic fate.
“Your morning runs should stop. Once the war officially begins, as a Master you can’t be careless. I know you’ve made new friends lately, but acting out of personal sentiments and involving them will only make things worse.”
“Yes, Father.”
Kirei did not look back, silently walking into the depths of shadow.
——
“So, that’s why you came to see me at the shop late at night?”

Roland looked at Kirei in confusion. During his night shift, Kirei had suddenly appeared, then solemnly announced he’d be away for a while.
Knowing Kirei was off to fight in the Holy Grail War, Roland accepted it without much trouble. The only puzzling thing was—since when had the two of them become such close friends?
Aside from names, they hadn’t exchanged addresses or phone numbers, and apart from morning runs or meeting at the shop, they had no contact. Yet Kirei clearly treated him as a confidant.
“That’s right. Take care, Roland. If you’re scheduled for night shifts, cancel them.”
Kirei hesitated, then extended an invitation.
“If you encounter anything incomprehensible, you can seek shelter at the church.”
He lowered his gaze, looking at Roland’s gloves.
“Is that so? Then thank you.”
Roland smiled as if oblivious to Kirei’s gaze.
Seeing this, Kirei said no more and quietly left the shop.
Once out of Roland’s sight, a deep voice sounded behind Kirei, offering a suggestion.
“Master, that man feels dangerous to me. If he might participate, it would be best to eliminate him ahead of time.”
“No need.” Kirei rejected the request coldly.
“You are not to harm him. If you see him in danger, you must protect him—even at the cost of your own life, regardless of whether Roland becomes our enemy.”
Faced with the unreasonable command to protect a potential enemy, Assassin offered no objection and readily accepted.
After a moment of silence, it was Kirei who broke the quiet.
“Assassin, aren’t you curious why, though I’ve accepted Sensei’s alliance, I still do things that seem like betrayal?”
“You have your reasons, Master. My duty is only to obey.”
“Even if my wish is vile? Even if I have no desire for the Grail? Even if I betray the Master to whom I owe so much?”
Kirei’s voice grew low, his body trembling.
“Do you know, Assassin, every time I see Sensei’s passion for the Grail, I can’t help but imagine him dying pathetically on this path.”
“That feeling excites me—it makes me thrilled, it makes me…delighted.”

“If that is your wish, Master.”
Assassin responded obediently, without the slightest hesitation, accepting Kirei’s command completely.
From a human perspective, he was by no means a good man.
Yet he would carry out his master’s orders with absolute loyalty—true blind devotion, whether the intent was good or evil.
No matter how base or noble his master was, no matter how incomprehensible the orders, he would obey in silence.
That was him: among all Hassans, the singular anomaly, boundless in loyalty, a mediocrity who bartered with a demon for this role.
“—By the name of Hassan of the Cursed Arm, I swear I will devote everything to bringing you the head of Tokiomi Tohsaka.”
Roland, of course, knew nothing of the complicated bond behind this master-servant pair. After Kirei left, he began leisurely waiting for his shift to end.
“That guy came to say farewell. Looks like the Servants are almost all here?”
Zouken Matou was scheduled to hand over the magic channel and relic tonight; clearly he couldn’t wait any longer.
“After tonight, I’ll have to quit my job. Sigh, I know it’s necessary, but it’s still irritating.”
Feeling the resistance of his growing nails inside his gloves, Roland sighed, took them off, and prepared to trim his nails during this last peaceful night.
But as if fate wished to thwart him, the sound of the door opening rang out again.
“Welcome,”
Not having time to put his gloves back on, Roland looked up at the new arrival—and saw
—a cold gun barrel.
Maiya Hisau gazed impassively at her unexpected catch tonight, issuing orders.
“Don’t make any sudden moves. If you do anything unnecessary, I’ll kill you on the spot. Now, follow me.”
“Ah, pardon me,” but to her surprise, the young man facing the gun showed no fear or panic. He simply looked at her calmly and politely made a request.
“Before I leave, could you wait a moment? I’d like to request some time off first.”