The silent crescent moon shed a silvery glow, bringing a little light.
Standing in the open space outside the abandoned factory, Shirou endured the temperature dropping in the middle of the night and the cold wind that blew from time to time.
Finally, the summoning was carried out smoothly. Even if there was no holy relic, it was still possible to summon; that was one of the rules.
It was just that what kind of Heroic Spirit would be summoned was not something Shirou could control.
This is why other magi go specifically to find relics.
Although it is possible to summon high-spec Heroic Spirits without one, this is like drawing cards in a game, and the drop rate of high-spec cards is always the hardest to rely on.
Swordsman, Saber.
Spearman, Lancer.
Archer, Archer.
Cavalry, Rider.
Magician, Caster.
Assassin, Assassin.
Berserker, Berserker.
Between these seven Classes, Shirou could only summon a Servant in one of the ranks.
"So... Who could it be?"
When the smoke and dust that filled the air from the summoning ritual cleared, Shirou saw the true form of the figure in the gray smoke.
What came out was a handsome, even beautiful man.
The high bridge of his nose, the awe-inspiring eyebrows, the delicate facial contours, and the delicate lips made one feel he was strict and ascetic, but the gentle and melancholy eyes made one strongly appreciate his masculine charm.
Although his black hair hid a little of his appearance, it did not fully mask his looks, and his handsomeness was as good as those so-called male idols.
His weapon was quite eye-catching: a spear that was taller than a human, about two meters long.
Of the seven Classes, there are three who can be considered knights: Saber, Archer, and Lancer.
The man in front of him, judging by his weapon, was undoubtedly Lancer.
What was unusual was that, in addition to the long spear he held on his shoulder in his right hand, there was also a short spear in his left hand, which was about one-third the length of the other.
If you can make use of the length of the spear, you can use two short spears for a long one.
From the handle to the blade, both spears were wrapped in a talisman-like cloth that made it impossible to see them for what they were.
After seeing the face of the visitor clearly, the corners of Shirou's mouth turned up slightly, revealing a playful smile.
"It's him... Looks like things are getting interesting."
...
"Damn, who the hell is it!? Snatching the Servant I was about to summon... You filthy rat scurrying down the sewers, I'm going to make you pay!"
Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald slammed the relic in his hand to the ground.
He was going to summon the head warrior of the Knights of the Fianna, known as the Peerless in Celtic mythology, Diarmuid Ua Duibhne of the Radiant Face.
For this reason, even the holy relic was ready, and everything was prepared, but when he began to summon, he found that there was no way to summon the Servant.
Originally, Kayneth intended to summon the famous conqueror Iskandar, but the relic was stolen by his own student, Waver Velvet.
This had already made him very unhappy, but now there was something even worse for him.
There are only seven Servants in the ritual, and if they can't be summoned, that means there are not only seven people who will participate in the Holy Grail War this time.
"Why is there an eighth person who received the Command Spells?"
The location where he was now was the tallest building in the whole of Fuyuki City, the Fuyuki Hyatt Regency.
Looking down from the windows on the top floor, the 32nd floor of the Fuyuki Hyatt Regency, the awe-inspiring height offered probably the most awe-inspiring scenery in Fuyuki City.
However, the title of the tallest building was probably about to give way to the soon-to-be-completed Shinto Center Building.
Because Shinto is still a city under development, this Hyatt Regency was one of the first buildings to be built.
With the continuous development of Shinto in the future, there will be more and more new hotels.
But the Hyatt Regency, which boasts the highest level of facilities and service in Fuyuki City, will not give up that status to anyone else.
It's not just the hotel's managers and service staff who think this way, but even the hotel's guests are impressed by Hyatt's high-quality service and business model.
But even in such a luxurious suite, Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald, who sat on the leather sofa by the window, did not relieve his depressed mood in the slightest.
In his view, the mundane things in this room were nothing more than a collection of waste.
It was just a gloomy house, high-priced furniture, and luxurious daily necessities.
For Kayneth, who was born into aristocracy, the most unbearable thing is that these originally cheesy things put on a luxurious coat to make themselves look noble.
And that was the case with the rooms in this hotel now.
There was no historical background and no cultural background.
It was just a pigsty decorated with a luxurious surface.
This feeling of despicability was not confined to this hotel, but the whole tiny island nation known as Japan was filled with ugly feelings that made Kayneth's nerves unpleasant.
However, the current Fuyuki Shinto does not reflect local customs at all.
If you look at the city at night from a high vantage point, you won't even know which city you're in.
It's just a collection of cheesy stuff. If asked what this city is, Kayneth thinks it's just like a mountain of garbage.
The easternmost island nation would be much more interesting than it is now if it still retained the rustic charm of its original remote fishing villages... However, the Japanese race may not be able to comprehend the ability to understand this kind of thing.
This uncivilized country, which did not even have a constitution a hundred years ago, simply wants to rely on science and technology and economic development to compete with Western countries, which is simply the act of brazenly trying to squeeze into the ranks of civilized countries.
It's really hard to reason with them.
Kayneth tapped his fingers lightly on his head, which had a slight headache from disgust, and exhaled a cloudy breath of irritation.
He had never felt such frustration.
"Damn!"
Scolding again, Kayneth sat down on the soft couch and began to think about his next steps.
Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald was given the title of genius from a young age.
This is recognized by all.
No one has ever doubted his title of genius, and there has never been anything that threatened his status as a genius.
So he needs neither pride nor arrogance, but just enjoys the title of genius as a matter of course.
For him, there was no time when he hit a wall, nor did he worry about limits, and in the world of young Kayneth, he was the master of everything.
There is no need for even any doubt about this realization. He was a gifted magus genius.
He is also the son-in-law of the famous Archibald family.