Weber felt a little embarrassed.
Not long ago, he questioned Shinji about the Maio incident, causing their relationship as otakus to plummet to the point where they even played their own games. Now he's asking for help again. Anyone would find it embarrassing.
But he has reached the end of his youth after all, and is no longer the young and energetic self he was ten years ago. Time has smoothed his edges, and society has faded his immaturity. He now knows what is light and what is heavy.
After adjusting his mood a little, Waver knocked on Shinji's door and said to the boy who lived next door:
"I need your help."
Seeing Waver's expression, Shinji knew that this was not the time to get upset, so he immediately pulled everyone in and asked three questions in a row: "What happened?"
"'His'; holy relic is lost."
"What's going on? Didn't you put that thing right under the nose of the Law and Politics Department? How could someone steal it there?"
Shinji's pupils suddenly shrank.
He is the man who holds irreplaceable significance in Waver's life, the King of Conquerors, Iskandar.
The relic, a fragment of the cloak used by Iskandar, is Weber's most important treasure and has been kept in the office of the Clock Tower Headquarters in the heart of the Clock Tower.
"It's usually kept there, but..." Waver lowered his head, not daring to look Shinji in the eye, "but it was recently moved to the hidden safe in the Modern Magic Department. Since the Holy Grail War is about to begin, I want to keep it with me as much as possible."
"You are usually so smart, why are you so confused now? No matter how safe the modern magic department is, it can't be higher than the headquarters. If I had known this, I would have tied you up and thrown you to Fuyuki..."
Shinji was speechless for a while and wanted to curse, but when he saw his annoyed look, he sighed instead.
"Forget it, let's not talk about this, let's talk about how it was lost."
"Here's the thing—"
The Fifth Holy Grail War was about to begin, and Waver's heart began to stir.
Emotionally, he wanted to participate. It didn't matter who won or lost, or what the outcome was. He wanted to see the king he was loyal to again. He wanted to tell his king about his growth, about his efforts, and then they could fight side by side again and stand together on that hot sandy land.
But rationally, he knew he shouldn't go. On the one hand, modern magic was in a golden period of development, and leaving at this time, even if it was only for ten days or half a month, would be a big loss. On the other hand, he had studied the mechanism of summoning Heroic Spirits and knew that the re-summoned Servant would not have the memory of the last Holy Grail War. His King would no longer remember him, and everything would have to start all over again, which made him feel quite panicked.
Weber had dreamed of meeting him again more than once.
Accompanied by a whirlwind and flashes of light, the huge figure appeared from the other side and became real. It spoke in the same rough voice as before:
"Oh, I am glad to have attracted this king. King of Conquerors Iskandar will open a path for you. I want to ask you, are you my master?"
"No, you are my king."
The man who had grown from a boy to a young man suppressed his excitement, held his head high and spoke in a trembling but firm voice.
"Please guide me again and let me see the same dream."
The Overlord, who was the same as he was ten years ago, was slightly dazed, but soon he showed a hearty smile again.
"Ah, isn't this Waver? He has changed so much that I didn't recognize him at first. He has really grown into an outstanding man. Hahahahahahahaha, I am very happy. I am so happy that I want to drink a lot."
"Now? But it's two in the morning and there's no—"
Waver tried to persuade him subconsciously, but before he could finish his words, he was slapped in the face by the King of Conquerors.
"Fool, I've already told you that the king should live more vividly than anyone else. So why should we care about time?"
"You're just making excuses. You just want to drink." Weber complained.
"Yes, I just want to drink. You are my subject, so don't be so fussy. Go find me some wine..."
"What a messy king." Weber shook his head and sighed, but the corners of his mouth unconsciously curled up.
"I have always been like this. I will just keep drinking until dawn - let's have a party!!!"
...
However, this only exists in dreams, the reality should be—
"I'm asking you, you are my master, right?"
"No, you are my king. Please guide me again and let me see the same dream."
"Hmm... Who are you? Do I know you?"
Although with the King of Conquerors' generosity and magnanimity, it would probably take only a few minutes for him to accept reality and accept Waver's loyalty again, but that was not what Waver wanted. He did not want the bond between the two to be erased, and even scolding him was better than forgetting him. When he thought of such a scene, he could not help but feel fear.
He was struggling like this, from the summer when he received the notice from Shinji to late autumn, and from late autumn to early winter, until the recent Izeroma incident, when he was ridiculed by Atram in person.
"To Lord El-Melloi, the Holy Grail War may be just a game. To you, it may be pie in the sky, but to me, it is a real war. Watch carefully. I will let you and other magicians know that the victory or defeat on the battlefield is decided long before it begins."
The look in the brown-suited young man's eyes irritated Waver. He glared at him and spoke briefly and stiffly.
"I hope you can remember one thing, Mister—do not underestimate the Holy Grail War."
The moment he said this, a strong feeling of unwillingness and a thought that was firmly suppressed by reason emerged in Waver's heart.
I will participate in the Holy Grail War and teach this ignorant idiot a lesson - if it were you, you would be able to do it, because you are the King of Conquerors and have been conquering all your life.
Once the thought came up, he could no longer suppress it. So he took the treasure from the headquarters and placed it in a place closest to him, as if he wanted to urge himself to make up his mind in this way.
Of course, he also knew that his strength was low and it was too risky to carry it with him, so he placed the relic in the safe of the Modern Magic Department.
The safe itself is of the same type as the headquarters, requiring both magic and physical verification. Because of the presence of Flat, the master of intrusion, the security system is also quite complete, so even a "crown" lord like Kenneth would not have an easy time breaking through the defenses and taking away the treasure.
Weber thought nothing could go wrong, but he didn't expect that less than a week later, the things were lost.
It was the day after Sven Shegulat was promoted to "Pride".