"Before we go any further," Rin said, fixing Rowan with a sharp stare,
"what exactly are you?"
She didn't even look at Shirou.
"I'm not as easy to fool as he is. I don't believe a ten-year-old maple tree just turns into a top-tier magus."
Shirou might be honest.
But he was also inexperienced.
Easy to mislead.
And Rowan had openly suggested taking Shirou's Command Seals.
That alone made him suspicious.
Everyone in the room turned toward Rowan.
Saber.
Archer.
Rin.
Shirou.
All waiting.
Rowan blinked once.
"I am a maple tree," he said.
A beat.
"And I'm also more than a maple tree."
He lifted his teacup.
"As for how I became one, that's my business."
No elaborate backstory.
No tragic origin.
No mystical lineage.
Just a simple refusal.
Rowan had no reason to invent lies.
He didn't need their trust.
He didn't need their approval.
If he chose not to explain himself, that was the end of it.
Rin's expression hardened.
"If you won't be honest, we can't trust you."
Rowan took a slow sip.
"I don't recall asking for your trust."
The air turned heavy.
Shirou quickly raised his hands.
"Rin, everyone has things they can't talk about. Mr. Maple saved me. Twice. I don't think he's a bad person."
Rin glared at him.
"I'm trying to keep you alive, idiot."
Then she looked away with a click of her tongue.
"…Fine. If you're okay with it, I won't push."
She sighed inwardly.
Someone like Shirou had no place in a war like this.
Too soft.
Too selfless.
Too easy to kill.
And if something happened to him…
Sakura would never forgive anyone.
Shirou took a breath.
"Mr. Maple… I'll give you my Command Seals. But you have to promise that if you win, you won't use the Grail to hurt people."
Simple.
Naive.
Sincere.
Rowan smiled faintly.
"I could take them by force if I wanted," he said casually.
"But I won't."
He set his cup down.
"And you don't need to worry about me making an evil wish. I have standards."
Rin, Saber, and Archer all reacted the same way.
Skepticism.
A magus claiming moral boundaries was already strange.
A magus claiming he could overpower everyone in the room?
That crossed into arrogance.
They all knew the unspoken truth.
If Rowan tried anything, Saber would strike first.
Rin would back her.
Archer would follow Rin's command.
One magus versus two Servants.
No one in modern history could survive that.
Rowan noticed their expressions.
"Don't believe me?"
He tapped the table lightly.
"Time. Stop."
The world froze.
Tea stopped steaming.
Breaths halted.
Eyes locked in place.
Only Rowan moved.
He stood, walked around the room, and examined them leisurely.
He snapped his fingers.
Rin and Saber's outfits swapped.
Another snap.
Shirou and Archer's clothes exchanged.
Rowan tilted his head.
"…Huh. You two really do look alike."
He stepped closer to Shirou and Archer, studying their faces.
Same bone structure.
Same underlying presence.
Different ages.
Different lives.
Rowan reached out and drew a thread of essence from each of them.
Compared.
Identical.
Rowan's smile deepened.
"So that's how it is."
Time resumed.