Chapter 382

Chapter 382: Chapter 382

From Illya’s perspective, whether she was the Lesser Grail or not should have been completely irrelevant to Kiriya.

He had no reason to go through all this unnecessary trouble.

All he needed to do was participate in the Holy Grail War as intended, defeat the other Masters and Servants, and allow the ritual to proceed naturally.

With his overwhelming strength, he was more than capable of crushing every opponent in the competition.

By then, her body would have absorbed the souls of the defeated Servants and accumulated enough magical energy to activate the Greater Grail.

Everything would have been simple and straightforward.

Yet the young man standing before her had deliberately chosen a far more complicated path. Rather than eliminate the other Servants and sacrifice their souls, he intended to supply the magical energy required for the ritual himself.

He had even employed a mysterious power approaching the realm of True Magic to remove the hidden dangers within her body.

What could he possibly hope to gain from doing all this?

Thwack—!

Faced with Illya’s stubborn, questioning gaze, Kiriya apparently had no interest in explaining himself.

Instead, he flicked her on the forehead, bringing tears to the corners of her eyes.

"Ow! What was that for?!"

"Nothing in particular. I wanted to do something, so I did it."

Kiriya shrugged as though the answer should have been obvious.

Then he glanced over Illya and added, "Instead of asking questions like some little detective, you should probably worry about your own situation first."

Illya initially failed to understand what he meant.

Then a cool breeze brushed against her skin.

She shivered, looked down, and suddenly realized that her clothing had never been properly adjusted after the operation.

"AAAAAAAH!"

Her shriek was nearly loud enough to rupture everyone’s eardrums.

"PERVERT! CREEP! YOU DISGUSTING WEIRDO!"

Illya scrambled off the bed, crouched on the floor, and desperately pulled her clothes together, glaring at Kiriya as though he had committed the most unforgivable crime imaginable.

Kiriya merely gave her a disdainful smile.

"Heh. Relax. I’m not interested in little girls. I prefer grown women."

The remark struck Illya’s already wounded pride like a needle driven straight into her heart.

She had been pushed to the limits of her patience, and that final insult was enough to break her composure completely.

"UWAAAAAAAH!"

Illya burst into tears.

And whenever Illya cried, Berserker became furious.

Unfortunately, things were very different from before.

The legendary hero could no longer unleash his mountain-shattering strength at will.

Bound tightly by the wooden vines and continuously deprived of energy, all he could do was struggle and roar helplessly.

"Hehehe..."

Seeing Illya’s tear-streaked face and thoroughly defeated expression, Kiriya felt an inexplicable sense of satisfaction.

Smack.

A hand lightly struck his back.

"Why are you bullying a child now?"

Ryuu gave him a gentle but unmistakably reproachful look before removing her own coat and wrapping it around Illya’s small frame.

Only then did the silver-haired girl recover some sense of security.

She immediately buried herself in Ryuu’s embrace, sobbing quietly and refusing to come out.

Kiriya looked up and discovered that Jeanne and Esdeath were also watching him with expressions that practically said, ’So this is the kind of person you really are?’

"Hey, I can understand Jeanne and the others looking at me like that, but Caster, what’s with that expression?"

Kiriya turned toward Medea.

"I didn’t realize you had such a compassionate side."

"Oh, Master. I happen to adore cute little things too, you know."

Caster giggled.

Ever since meeting Kiriya, she had been the one constantly suffering setbacks and humiliation.

Now that she finally had a chance to tease him, there was no way she intended to let it pass.

Unfortunately, the moment she noticed the somewhat unfriendly look in his eyes, her confidence faltered.

’Oh, right. This bastard can be ridiculously petty. He isn’t going to make my life miserable over a little joke, is he?’

The possibility was troubling enough that Caster immediately changed the subject.

"Ahem. Master, what are you planning to do with Berserker? Who’s going to become his new Master?"

The question immediately attracted everyone’s attention.

Illya, in particular, stopped crying altogether. Her eyes were still red and swollen, but she stared at Kiriya without blinking.

Ever since being captured, she had understood that she was unlikely to retain control of Berserker.

And yet a tiny, stubborn hope remained in her heart.

’What if... What if he suddenly changes his mind?’

Kiriya raised his chin toward Caster.

"How about you?"

"Really?!"

Caster’s eyes immediately lit up.

Admittedly, her personal preferences leaned more toward petite, adorable girls.

A towering, rough-looking giant like Berserker was about as far from her preferred type as someone could possibly get.

But this was Heracles!

His legendary reputation alone was enough to make any Magus drool.

Add in his nearly all-A-rank parameters and the absurdly powerful God Hand: The Twelve Labors, and he became an almost irresistible prize.

For a Servant of that caliber, Caster felt she could certainly put aside her prejudices regarding appearances and welcome him with an open mind.

And once she possessed such a powerful Servant, perhaps she could finally escape from that bastard’s—

Her thoughts suddenly stalled.

’Wait a minute.’

’Would having Berserker actually help me?’

After all, this was the same Heracles whom Kiriya had just subdued.

Even if she obtained him, he might not be particularly useful against their current Master.

Still, having such a formidable subordinate would at least give her something to rely on.

Surely her standing within the group would improve somewhat?

"Hehehe. Of course, I’m joking."

Kiriya’s next words came down like a bucket of ice water.

Caster’s excitement instantly vanished.

She stared at him with an expression of profound resentment.

’Seriously? Does this bastard exist solely to torment me?’

"Then who are you planning to give him to?" Jeanne asked. "I’d rather not take him myself. I don’t think Berserker would be particularly suited to me."

Esdeath had no interest in becoming his Master either. Compared with commanding a Servant, she found it far more satisfying to fight powerful opponents personally.

Ryuu felt much the same way.

"In that case, I’ll take him."

Kiriya made the decision without hesitation.

"Master, I really must remind you of something."

Caster could not help speaking up.

"You’ve already contracted with two Servants. I know your magical reserves are extraordinary, but wouldn’t supporting a third place too much of a burden on you?"

"Heh. You have no idea how much power I possess."

Kiriya’s confidence was absolute.

Ever since advancing to Level 6, his Sage Physique had moved increasingly close to full completion.

Combined with his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, the total amount of chakra contained within his body had reached an almost absurd level.

By his estimates, he possessed at least six hundred Kakashi units of chakra.

Compared with Kiriya, even the so-called geniuses of the Clock Tower were little more than narrow streams beside an immense ocean.

Once converted into magical energy, reserves of that magnitude could comfortably support not merely three Servants, but even all seven.

Besides, the magical energy required for a Servant’s continued existence and basic activities was primarily sustained through the Greater Grail system.

Under ordinary circumstances, a Master’s own contribution served more as additional support than the sole source of energy.

Of course, Kiriya was anything but an ordinary Master.

Because his personal energy reserves were so immense, any Servant who contracted with him could receive an extraordinary enhancement to their parameters and overall combat potential.

Supporting another Servant would hardly pose a problem.

"Fine. I suppose my knowledge really is inadequate."

Caster sighed helplessly.

She had no convincing argument left.

"Now, take out that dagger of yours and transfer Berserker’s contract to me."

Kiriya spoke as though he were requesting an ordinary household tool.

"W-What exactly are you talking about, Master?"

Caster’s expression stiffened.

A moment later, she forced an awkward smile onto her face.

"What dagger?"

"What else would I be talking about? Your Noble Phantasm, Rule Breaker: Destroyer of All Spells."

Kiriya’s casual reply sent enormous waves crashing through Caster’s mind.

Rule Breaker was one of her most important trump cards, a dagger capable of severing magical contracts and nullifying Magecraft.

In the Holy Grail War, where the bonds between Masters and Servants formed the foundation of everything, its strategic value was almost immeasurable.

Yet Kiriya had just named it without the slightest hesitation.

"You... knew about it all along?"

Caster clenched her fists so tightly that her fingers turned white.

At this point, she was beginning to feel as though she possessed no secrets whatsoever in front of this man.

Kiriya gave her a strange look.

"Of course. Is there a problem?"

"Then aren’t you afraid I might...?"

Caster stared at him defiantly, intending to make some threatening remark.

Unfortunately, her courage began fading before she could finish the sentence.

"If you run away, I’ll chase you."

Kiriya smiled.

"And if I catch you... hehehe."

The malicious amusement in his laughter sent a chill crawling down Caster’s spine.

’This horrible bastard!’

He was practically waiting for her to make a mistake so he would have an excuse to punish her.

Fortunately, Caster had no intention of giving him that opportunity.

The seemingly casual exchange had carried an unmistakable warning, and by the time it ended, Medea’s wariness and respect toward her new Master had deepened considerably.

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