"Right. That's what I promised you before—and since this is all to lure Caster out, as a knight, I will naturally keep my word.
So… what exactly do you plan to do now? Where should we go, and when do we start?"
After hearing Ren Kuroda's explanation, Saber clenched her teeth, as if she had just made a grave and solemn decision, and spoke decisively.
"Saber, are you insane?! You can absolutely refuse a demand this outrageous!
I knew it—this Assassin was never a good person to begin with. We completely misjudged him! Forget hunting down Caster—this was clearly premeditated from the start!"
Rin Tohsaka simply could not accept Saber's decision. Was a promise really so important to a knight that even her own chastity could be cast aside so lightly?
Ren Kuroda, who still hadn't figured out why Saber and Rin were reacting so violently, was already forming a rough plan in his mind as he looked at Saber.
So he spoke quite naturally.
"Anywhere won't do. If Caster really takes the bait, we can't risk innocent people getting caught in the crossfire.
And if we want Caster to see Saber being 'defiled,' we'll need the help of one more person."
The moment Ren Kuroda said this, Rin finally exploded.
Not only was he talking about violating Saber—he even wanted to record it and show it to Caster?!
What was this, some kind of explicit video shoot?! Wasn't this going way too far?!
Saber looked no more than seventeen years old. Before this, Rin had never imagined that Assassin could be such a shameless, despicable man!
"Assassin, this request of yours is far too excessive. I'm afraid I cannot accept it."
This time, it wasn't just Rin— even Saber herself felt Ren Kuroda had crossed a line.
No matter what, she was still a king. Doing something like this was far beyond her bottom line.
No—anyone with even a shred of shame would find this unacceptable.
"That's exactly why I've been completely baffled this whole time by your reactions.
All I meant was having Saber wear some… rather special outfits to destroy her radiant 'Saint' image in Caster's mind.
That kind of thing exists in this era too, doesn't it? It's called cosplay. Pretty common among modern people, right?
I know it'll hurt Saber's upright and majestic image as the King of Knights a little, but surely it's not that unacceptable?"
The moment Ren Kuroda finished explaining, everyone present froze.
Then, as realization dawned, faces flushed red across the room, and one by one, everyone lowered their heads in embarrassment.
"So when you said 'violate' earlier… you meant an image violation?"
Rin asked awkwardly, glancing at Ren Kuroda, fully aware now of just how wildly she'd misunderstood him.
"Yeah. What else could it be?
Wait—don't tell me you all thought I meant I was actually going to do something to Saber?
Are modern kids' minds really that impure these days…?
And do I really look like that kind of guy? The Servant behind you is way more suspicious, okay?"
Only then did Ren Kuroda finally understand why all the women present had reacted so strongly—and why they'd been glaring at him with such hostility.
They'd straight-up labeled him a full-blown NTR villain.
What truly crushed Ren Kuroda's spirit, though, was the fact that the outrageous request they'd imagined—Saber had actually agreed to it.
At that moment, Ren Kuroda deeply regretted explaining himself.He felt like slapping his past self a few times.
That was losing out on a hundred million yen worth of opportunity right there.
The heroine had already agreed—why the hell did he have to clarify?!
Was it that the girl lacked basic common sense… or that she valued so-called knightly honor above literally everything else?
Suppressing his regret, Ren Kuroda hypnotized himself repeatedly—Medea and Medusa are my type. Mature women are my thing. Saber's flat is not my thing—and led Saber and the others toward Ryūdō Temple.
The reason was simple.
If Caster truly took the bait, Ryūdō Temple was unquestionably the most suitable battlefield.
And to truly enrage Caster, Saber alone wouldn't be enough. Medea's help—and some of her carefully collected "props"—would also be necessary.
As they approached Ryūdō Temple, Saber and Rin immediately sensed that something was wrong.
The magical energy here was overwhelming, and an ominous sense of danger hung thick in the air.Clearly, this place had been meticulously prepared and fortified—turned into a full-fledged stronghold.
"Stay close and follow me. This entire area is covered in defensive bounded fields set up by our side's Caster.
One wrong step, and the spells will automatically counterattack."
Watching Ren Kuroda move effortlessly along a precise route, bypassing layer after layer of defensive magic, Rin finally voiced the doubt she'd been holding in.
"Assassin, this is a territory constructed using Caster's class abilities, isn't it?
If you can come and go so freely… doesn't that mean you're already working together with Caster?"
For a mage, a workshop was one of their most closely guarded secrets—even family members weren't necessarily aware of everything.
That rule applied universally, even to Heroic Spirits.
Yet their Caster had shared all the defensive layouts and countermeasures with Assassin without reservation.
That could only mean one thing—these two Servants were definitely cooperating.
And judging by the level of trust involved, it was a very solid partnership.
"So many defensive spells… and judging by the magical fluctuations, they're all at least Tier Seven.
And that's not even counting the other magical constructs scattered around here.
Maintaining all this would require an enormous amount of mana.
Looks like our Caster isn't an ordinary figure either."
Aside from Shirō Emiya—who was completely out of his depth—everyone present had at least some knowledge of magecraft.
Combined with Ryūdō Temple being one of Fuyuki's leyline convergence points, this was the kind of fortress other Masters could only dream of.
A perfect defensive stronghold.A Caster with overwhelming magical reserves.An Assassin powerful enough to obliterate Lancelot.
If the other Servants didn't unite, wouldn't Assassin and Caster practically sleepwalk their way to victory?
"I don't know how strong Caster really is, but setting this place up cost me a lot.
According to Caster, even three Servants at Archer's level attacking together wouldn't be able to break through easily."
Ren Kuroda casually spilled their intel as he walked, completely unfazed.
To him, Medea's numbers were merely reference data.
Holding off three Servants?That depended on which Servants.
If it were Heracles, he'd just go berserk, burn through one life, and bulldoze straight through from start to finish.
"Ren Kuroda, care to explain what's going on here?
This morning, when you left, I assumed you were gathering intel on the other Servants.
Yet now you're bringing them straight through my defenses.
Are you planning to betray me?"
Medea had sensed their approach long before they entered Ryūdō Temple.
By now, the temple was practically an iron fortress under her control—nothing within the surrounding area escaped her notice.
At first, she thought Ren Kuroda was luring them into a trap, so she remained silent as he guided Saber and the others past several defensive layers.
But as time passed and Ren Kuroda still hadn't acted—and worse, was leading them toward the core area—Medea could no longer sit still.
Compared to the risk of her territory being compromised, what she truly cared about… was Ren Kuroda's answer.
She had been used and betrayed too many times before.
This was the first time she'd finally found someone she thought she could trust.
Being betrayed by someone she trusted hurt far more than being called a "witch" ever had.
"Well… how should I put this? Don't get mad first.
You know I've been wanting to take out Red Faction's Caster for a while now.
But that guy's like a turtle hiding in its shell—I can't find him anywhere.
So I teamed up with Saber temporarily.
It was a spur-of-the-moment idea, so I didn't get a chance to tell you.
If you think letting so many people into Ryūdō Temple is a problem, we can just leave Saber behind. The rest are basically freebies anyway."
As Ren Kuroda finished explaining, the anger beneath Medea's hood slowly faded, and her tone softened considerably.
Knowing Ren Kuroda hadn't betrayed her was already a huge relief.
As for his habit of acting first and explaining later—she was used to it by now. This wasn't the first time.
"I really don't understand why you insist on picking fights.
Yes, Red Faction's Caster has killed many humans—but what does that have to do with us?
Even if it were only Saber, I wouldn't allow her into Ryūdō Temple.
Do you have any idea how dangerous it is for a Caster to let a Saber-class Servant get close?"
Medea felt Ren Kuroda was great in every respect except one—his battle style was far too reckless.
With their current buildup, simply surviving into the latter half of the Holy Grail War gave them an excellent chance of victory.
Yet Ren Kuroda insisted on stirring up trouble—now even allowing a Saber-class Servant to approach her directly.
Didn't he worry something might go wrong?
"Don't you have teleportation magic?
And I trust Saber's character—she wouldn't do something as underhanded as a sneak attack.
Most importantly…"
Ren Kuroda grinned.
"This time, Saber's help requires borrowing some of your collectibles."
..
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