Chapter Fourteen: The Twisted World Line

"Thief?" Roland looked utterly astonished. What was Weber's capability, to have caught the attention of this old fiend, and even prompted him to invest ahead of time despite the high risks, merely to exchange for a bounty on someone’s head?

If this were ten years later, with the identity of the second generation, it might be possible—but now? It was the Fourth War. If a stolen holy relic ended up here in the Far East, it would be little more than a joke. Yet the undisguised hatred etched across the shadowed face of Zoken Matou was all too real; for a monster who had survived five centuries to show such vulnerability, something truly egregious must have occurred—something that danced on the very edge of his bottom line.

"That’s right. That fellow is filth, compounded from base bloodlines and a vile character. He brazenly trespasses into others’ homes and covets their most precious treasures," Zoken’s usually gloomy face was now filled with rare rage, cursing that so-called thief with venom.

At this point, Roland seized upon the crucial detail. Such curses, coming from Zoken Matou, were only uttered when he was powerless against someone; otherwise, given his perverse penchant for his own bloodline, he would have already obliterated the target.

"So, the name of this thief?" Roland cut straight to the heart of the matter, staring intently at Zoken, sensing something was amiss.

"It was my oversight; you aren’t yet aware of the other Masters’ information for this war, are you?" Zoken narrowed his eyes. "Apart from the original Three Houses, under normal circumstances, the Mage’s Association responsible for overseeing magical affairs also holds a seat. This time, the one who secured that seat… is the thief."

"His name is Darnic Prestone Yggdmillennia."

Roland’s lips parted, momentarily rendered speechless. He was all too familiar with that name. In another story, Darnic was the one who single-handedly triggered the seven-on-seven Holy Grail War.

During the Third Grail War, this unremarkable magus, with the power of a Heroic Spirit, discovered the location of the Greater Grail. After several fierce battles with the old fiend, he leveraged both the Heroic Spirit and real-world forces to seize the Greater Grail, single-handedly altering the world’s trajectory and ending the later tragedies of Fuyuki City—he could well be called its savior.

Had Roland slipped into the wrong world line? This was the timeline of the Grail War—no, impossible. The Fourth Grail War was still underway, proof enough. But why was Darnic participating in the Fourth Grail War?

Now that he knew the target, Zoken’s deep-seated animosity toward him was easy to understand.

For Zoken Matou, the architect of the Greater Grail, someone like Darnic—who refused to participate properly and instead coveted the treasure Zoken had sacrificed everything to build—was the highest-priority threat. The outcome of the Grail War itself was irrelevant; there would always be another chance. But if the Greater Grail was stolen, all would be lost.

To achieve this aim, it was no wonder Zoken became so amenable after confirming Roland’s qualities. Until this hidden danger was dealt with, Zoken would seek every power he could borrow, regardless of their motives.

In other words, by current reckoning, these two arch-enemies still clashed during the Third War, but this time Darnic failed to seize the Greater Grail. Unwilling to accept defeat, he now prepared to participate in the Fourth Grail War.

As Roland digested the shifts in the world line, a critical issue dawned on him. The easy, confident smile he usually wore faded, replaced by urgency.

"Zoken Matou, in the previous Grail War, what sort of Heroic Spirit did the Einzbern family summon?"

Roland stared at Zoken, his breathing growing rapid. He knew the fork between the Fourth Grail War and the timeline of the Grail Battle lay in Darnic seizing the Greater Grail, and whether Einzbern summoned Shirou Tokisada Amakusa or the Absolute Evil of This World.

"The last one?" Zoken seemed puzzled, but it was hardly classified information, so he replied without hesitation. "I recall it was a pitch-black fellow—don’t remember the name, he was quite weak and killed right at the start."

"I understand. I accept your terms. Let’s end this meeting here. Send the relevant information and instructions for assistance to this address." Roland glanced at the clock on the wall, then stood without hesitation.

"So rushed—do you have something important to attend to?" Zoken eyed Roland strangely. The man could no longer remain uninvolved; his methods and resolve were impressive. Why was he still so cold and detached?

With the Grail War about to begin, the most important tasks now were to gather intelligence on the other Masters, choose a hideout, select a Heroic Spirit, and plan strategy.

"Of course," Roland replied without turning, his tone relaxed. "My work shift is about to start."

For the first time, Zoken Matou’s façade of profundity twisted into a contorted expression. He wanted to say something, but Roland was already walking away.

"Young people today are truly unfathomable. I hope he won’t squander my efforts," Zoken’s gaze flickered, threatening an outburst, but ultimately he lapsed into silence.

No matter what, even if he had to suppress his most malignant instincts for now, the Greater Grail was the one thing he would never let anyone take.

—

As Roland walked on, he unconsciously clenched his fists, his gaze growing deeper. The current information was still too sparse.

He pondered why the events of the Third Grail War had been so distorted, why Darnic remained stubbornly involved in the Fourth Grail War, producing a world line Roland had never heard of.

Much of his foreknowledge from the original story was now obsolete, but alongside his losses, Roland had gained something new.

The factor that twisted and changed the world’s path.

Undoubtedly, it was caused by the Contract Spirit.

The Key of All Spirits had not misdirected him; the Contract Spirit had wrought immense changes and influence in Fuyuki City—only, it happened sixty years before Roland’s arrival.

In the last Grail War, regardless of what that Contract Spirit was, it had already caused great upheaval.

Judging by the scope of the changes, the Contract Spirit must have possessed several hosts, and some had already reaped rewards from its rampant corruption.

Moreover, even now, it might still reside in some artifact or person.

It seemed this Grail War was one he would be compelled to engage in.

With the morning light rising, Roland strode forward purposefully.