Ever since Tiamat arrived in the Fifth Holy Grail War timeline, Jiang You had frequently struggled to find her.
By the way, Minamoto no Raikou didn't get along well with Tiamat, mainly because their roles overlapped. She always felt Tiamat was trying to steal Illya from her, unaware that Tiamat saw her as just another child.
"You mean the girl with the big horns?"
Tiamat was quite active in Fuyuki City. Her striking appearance made her instantly recognizable. In this city, it was common for Duelists to win opponents' cards through Duel victories. Of course, Medea's model shop also offered card exchange services, allowing Duelists to trade their cards.
For example, one card particularly sought after was Overtime All-Nighter. Once per turn, it allowed the user to pay half their Life Points to draw two cards—essentially a life-point-draining Pot of Greed. Though simple in origin, its effect was quite powerful.
Some skilled Magi and ordinary people even attempted to challenge servants, as the cards wielded by servants were far superior to their own. Tiamat, being the kind who never refused a challenge, had already come to Rin Tohsaka's attention.
"Her name is Tiamat? What an imposing name," Rin mused.
Rin Tohsaka possessed extensive knowledge of mythology, originally acquired in preparation for the Holy Grail War. Now, that knowledge was finally proving useful.
"She's still accepting challenges from passersby, just like always... Not to be rude, but isn't her deck a bit too overpowered? Can anyone actually beat her? She's lowered the bar to just needing to lose some HP, and she'll let the challenger take any one of her eleven cards as a reward. But so far, no one's succeeded."
Jiang You recalled the cards he'd obtained from challengers. Few had Attack Power exceeding 2000, making it indeed difficult to lower Tiamat's HP.
"Let's get back to our previous topic."
Having gained some insight into Tiamat's current situation, Jiang You steered the conversation back on track.
"I apologize for the extra workload the invitation thefts have caused you. Moving forward, I'll ask Medea to add a new feature that allows invited Duelists to treat attacks from would-be thieves as Duel invitations, giving them a means to respond to sudden threats."
In truth, Jiang You was also motivated by his desire for the automatic sweeping function to work properly. If participating in a Duel wasn't required to earn rewards, the system wouldn't function as intended.
"That's not exactly what I meant."
Bazett turned her head away slightly, feeling a bit embarrassed. As an Executor of the Clock Tower, she was long accustomed to the infighting and bloodshed among Magi; killing for possession of something was hardly a major matter. She simply wanted to point out that Jiang You had issued too few invitations. The products of the Third Magic were worth far more than the combined wealth of all living Magi. Acquiring such a thing would provide an opportunity for their families to advance significantly.
"Actually, I came to request that Lord Jiang You issue additional invitations to the Clock Tower."
"I recall issuing two invitations per department, based on your organizational structure. Isn't that sufficient?"
"Because each department is divided into numerous factions..."
Bazett lowered her head. The Clock Tower seemed to have concluded that Jiang You wouldn't think less of them for this, so they sent her to brazenly demand more invitations.
"Since the invitations couldn't be distributed evenly, some internal strife has erupted. We've been forced to resort to this rather... desperate measure."
"I thought your style would be more along the lines of 'Only the victors deserve the invitations!'"
Jiang You would have enjoyed watching the Clock Tower tear each other apart, but they were more likely to unite and seize invitations from others, a scorched-earth strategy he couldn't condone. So, he agreed to their request.
"So, have you decided on the venue? If so, we need to start clearing the area immediately."
Rin Tohsaka had already given Jiang You a map outlining potential locations. The selected sites were all spacious, situated near or directly above spiritual veins for easy access to magical power.
"Decide soon. Setting up the arena takes time. You can't expect Medea to handle everything again, can you?"
That was exactly what Jiang You had been thinking. Medea was the only Caster he had at his disposal. Merlin, the wily fox, was impossible to persuade. If not Medea, who else could he rely on?
Jiang You glanced at the map again and noticed that Mount Enzou hadn't been listed as an option. The mountain also possessed a Great Spiritual Vein, and the ruins of the First Duel Tournament were still there. With some repairs, hosting the second tournament there shouldn't be a problem.
When Jiang You voiced his confusion, Rin Tohsaka quickly provided an explanation.
"That's why I came to find you. Aren't you using the Holy Grail as a battery to power your Noble Phantasm-covered city? Theoretically, its existence should be incredibly stable, but we've encountered some recent issues. The magical power fluctuations have been... odd."
"You should have told me sooner!"
Isn't this a warning sign of something going wrong? Jiang You thought. Good thing I asked. With Rin Tohsaka's track record of dropping the ball, she probably wouldn't have told me until halfway through the Duel, and then anything could happen.
"We need to deal with this immediately. Take me there now!"
"What do you take me for?" Rin Tohsaka pouted. I'm the one working tirelessly for Fuyuki! How can Jiang You think I'm the problem?
"While I'm not an expert on these kinds of sudden events, there are plenty of Magus in Fuyuki right now. I asked them to take a look. It's just resonance, nothing to worry about. Since the Holy Grail connects to the Reverse Side of the World, it seems another Holy Grail War is happening in another world, and our Holy Grail is resonating with theirs. At most, someone from that world might slip through."
"Don't try to trick me. I haven't read enough magic books to fall for that."
Jiang You didn't believe crossing Worldlines was a simple matter, even though he could switch Scripts with a mere blink.
"Don't worry," Rin Tohsaka said confidently, patting her chest. "This time, I hired a Puppeteer with a 'Sealing Designation.' It cost a fortune, but their abilities are guaranteed." To fulfill her duty as Administrator, she had spared no expense. "She said there's nothing to worry about as long as the other side doesn't wish to come here. Once their Holy Grail War ends, the resonance will cease, and things won't look so complicated anymore."
Just as Rin Tohsaka finished speaking, a massive surge of magical power erupted from the summit of Mount Enzou, radiating outward in a circular wave. The sheer magnitude of this magical energy instantly drew everyone's attention.
"What did I tell you?" Jiang You said with a sigh, watching Rin Tohsaka rise helplessly from her seat. "Let's see which servant from the other side is causing this."