[FMMISM] Chapter 15: Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald and His Knight

Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald.

He was a born genius.

From a young age, he had always stood out as more exceptional than other children.

No matter the problem, no one could find a more perfect solution than him and no opponent could surpass him in competition. Because of this, he was already acknowledged as a genius during his youth.

No one ever doubted his title of genius, and nothing ever threatened his status.

In other words, he neither needed to be proud nor arrogant, but simply enjoyed the title of genius as a matter of course.

He never faced obstacles or worried about his limits.

At this time, in his world, he was the absolute one, without barriers or concerns about limitations.

All these facts made the various honors he received seem natural.

He believed that there was nothing in this world that his power could not achieve. This was not just his own arrogance, but a consensus shared by everyone around him.

His belief did not change even after he began working.

Becoming one of the Twelve Lords of the Clock Tower, dean of the Department of Mineralogy, and a first-class professor in the Department of Spirit Evocation in his early twenties, he felt no satisfaction or sense of achievement, as these were merely the inevitability of his life.

His attitude toward the Holy Grail War was the same.

Although the Tohsakas and the Einzberns were also renowned figures in London, in the end, the Holy Grail War was just a boring event held in a remote island nation.

His participation in the Holy Grail War was not out of necessity or urgency, but rather to add it to his own resume.

As a Lord, he believed victory was a given, and made perfect preparations befitting his status.

However, he never expected a mishap before departing for Japan.

The catalyst he had prepared was stolen.

What was worse was that the thief who disappeared from the Clock Tower along with his catalyst was his own student, Waver Velvet.

Waver was a mediocre student from a mage lineage only three generations old, who had harbored resentment after Kayneth publicly criticized his thesis. However, the Clock Tower deemed his actions as a mere act of revenge and no one expected Waver to go to Japan to participate in the Holy Grail War.

On the other hand, although Kayneth was furious, the most important thing for him to do right now was to prepare for the upcoming Holy Grail War.

And so today, he took the first step on his glorious path.

===

On the 32nd floor of the Hyatt Hotel in Fuyuki, this was the highest and most luxurious corner of the entire city.

Although the room was originally filled with modern mundane items, since Kayneth checked in, it had become a magical workshop.

Kayneth quietly took an object out of his suitcase, it was a warm, broken piece of wood.

"Is this the catalyst for the summoning? What is it?"

A red-haired woman peeked over, asking curiously.

She was Sola-Ui Nuada-Re Sophia-Ri, Kayneth's fiancee and the daughter of his mentor, the dean of the Department of Spiritual Evocation.

The marriage between the Archibald family and the Sophia-Ri family was a well-known story in the Clock Tower, a perfect match between a peerless genius and the daughter of a department dean.

For this Holy Grail War, Sola accompanied Kayneth to Fuyuki as his assistant.

"This is a fragment of the Round Table, a catalyst obtained from the Department of Summoning."

Since it was too well-known, a further explanation of the catalyst was unnecessary, so Kayneth only said this much.

The Department of Summoning was a branch of the Department of Spiritual Evocation, meaning the department that preserved a large number of relics used as catalysts was under the command of Kayneth and Sola's father.

"You mean... the Round Table in Arthurian legend of Britain? Could it be, King Arthur?!" Sola stared in disbelief at the ordinary-looking piece of wood in her fiance's hand.

Needless to say, the Knights of the Round Table were the knights under King Arthur.

It was said that King Arthur designed the table to be round to eliminate the distinction between ruler and subject, creating a sense of equality.

Each knight sitting around the Round Table was a hero celebrated in legend.

King Arthur himself, along with Lancelot, Galahad, Gawain, Tristan, Percival, and others, obviously boasted undeniable fame and status as summoned Servants.

"...However, with this Round Table's fragment, it's still unknown which knight will be summoned. But without a doubt, it will be a hero befitting my status." Kayneth raised the corners of his mouth.

He was certain that this was a trial.

He firmly believed that he had the absolute talent to turn uncertainty into inevitability, which was why he chose the fragment of the Round Table as his new summoning catalyst.

Finally, the time had come.

Kayneth stood up quietly and placed the catalyst on the altar beside the summoning circle.

===

After a while, the tense moment of the summoning passed in an instant.

A great knight, who had once galloped across Britain during the Age of Gods, appeared in the hotel's living room.

With golden hair, silver armor, a majestic body, and a dignified appearance, he undoubtedly embodied the hero fitting of a noble knight.

Kayneth's expression remained unchanged as he scrutinized his Servant with the finest class, the finest knight—everything was just as it should be.

The blond knight knelt on one knee before the unmoved mage, performing a gesture of loyalty.

"Saber, a Knight of the Round Table, Gawain. By the name of the Knight of the Sun, I will bring you absolute victory."

Gawain, one of the Knights of the Round Table from Arthurian legend, was among the first knights to follow King Arthur, fighting alongside and serving the king loyally until the very end. He wielded the Holy Sword of the Sun, sister to Excalibur, and was renowned as an unparalleled knight during the day.

In Gawain's eyes, Kayneth, a Lord of the Clock Tower who upheld Britain's glory in the modern era, was a Master worthy of his service. Consequently, he felt quite pleased upon his arrival, confident and eager about the Holy Grail War.

Kayneth gazed down at his Servant, about to speak, when his fiancee, Sola, hurried over to Gawain and helped him up.

"Please, Sir Knight, rise at once."

"…Yes, thank you, milady."

With a somewhat complex look in his eyes, Kayneth watched as Gawain was assisted by Sola.

As soon as Gawain stood up, Sola coldly addressed her future husband.

"El-Melloi, why don't you say something? Isn't Saber your Servant?"

Upon hearing her words, Kayneth snapped out of his daze and nodded in a flustered manner.

"…A-Ah, yes, right. Welcome, my knight."

"Thank you, Master. And to you, milady." Gawain bowed his head to the two of them.

Although the atmosphere in the room was initially awkward, it quickly turned harmonious.

However, until now, no one had noticed the subtle glances that the only woman in the room directed at the knight.

If only Kayneth had noticed sooner.