Fate: Holy Grail

[3rd POV]

The night had only just fallen when Rider Iskandar eagerly appeared from his spiritual form. 

This muscular, rough-looking man gazed at the tall building in the distance with interest.

"Hey, kid, is this the biggest library around here?" 

Iskandar asked impatiently.

"What are you doing, Rider?!" 

Waver Velvet looked around in panic, "Thankfully... there's no one nearby." 

He muttered softly.

There were few people on the streets, with only the streetlights casting a faint glow along the roads.

"Didn't we agree that you would never appear in front of outsiders?" 

He looked at Iskandar angrily.

"However, this king doesn't see any outsiders here." 

Iskandar replied, still looking around seriously to confirm there were indeed no people nearby.

"That's not what I'm talking about!" 

Waver shouted with courage. He nervously glanced at the dark alley in the distance with some fear. 

"You have to know that Assassin is still alive and well. What if he sees you exposed like this?" 

He said timidly, "This Assassin can fight Saber, you know." 

"People die when they're killed!"

"Assassin isn't some sneaky killer." 

Iskandar said casually, "He looks like a gentleman, but despite having powerful abilities, he insists on fighting a swordsman head-on." 

He stroked his chin, deep in thought.

"How can we place our hopes on Assassin?" 

Waver questioned, "As long as you don't appear, no one will know I'm a Master."

"Not necessarily." 

Iskandar's words silenced Waver, "You said the Holy Grail War isn't much of a secret in the magic world, and any magician could potentially participate, right?"

If that weren't the case, Waver would never have easily obtained the information about the Holy Grail War.

The three great families publicly announced it and portrayed it as a ritual that could grant wishes. 

Even participants like Kayneth believed it, thinking of it as just a ceremony. But in reality... it was the Third Magic as a means to reach the Root.

It represented the pinnacle of a magician's achievement: the path to the Root.

"That being said... how many magicians hidden away in the Clock Tower would actually participate in the Holy Grail War? They are all a bunch of cowards who only deserve to live under the shadow of their elders." 

He sneered at the aristocratic faction of the Clock Tower and added, "But traveling all the way from Europe to the Far East is indeed a bit troublesome." 

Waver's plane ticket had been generously sponsored by someone else.

"I thought all magicians who possess magic power would be targets to hunt, including anyone." 

Iskandar's words made him break out in a cold sweat, and he added, "Even if you don't see their Servants, anyone who could potentially participate in the Holy Grail War is an enemy. This is a battlefield, and there's no mercy."

"Alright, that's enough from me. Boy, hand me the books."

He gestured to the two thick books Waver was holding.

It wasn't hard for a magician to get into the library especially since Iskandar could simply enter as a spirit and open the door. 

Yesterday, Waver witnessed the battle between Assassin and Saber and saw Saber expose the golden holy sword.

The radiant glow emanating from the sword was undoubtedly the most superior of all swords. 

It was the king of holy swords, making anyone who saw it marvel in awe!

That was why Waver had decided to visit the library today to search for information about this holy sword. 

The library was already closed, and even the security staff had gone off work.

However, the dim light inside couldn't conceal Iskandar's heroic eyes. He saw bookshelves... everywhere. The shelves were filled with priceless treasures known as knowledge.

"There must be millions of books here, right?!" 

Iskandar rubbed his hands excitedly and said, "What a treasure trove!"

"It's just a small library." 

Waver muttered, involuntarily pouting. He had seen libraries much larger than this one in Britain.

"Alright, let's make good use of these treasures," 

Iskandar said, and with a click, he turned on the lights...

"Iskadan?!" 

Waver shouted out and immediately covered his mouth with his hand.

They were stealing books right now!

"What... are you doing?" 

He wanted to scold Iskandar loudly, but the situation forced him to keep his voice low.

"It's too dark in here." 

Rider said nonchalantly, "Since we're here to read, of course we need a light."

Without hesitation, he grabbed a geography magazine from the bookshelf, acting as if nothing was wrong.

"Oh, Forget it," 

Weber sighed helplessly, rubbing his forehead.

He decided to give up and just go with it. He grabbed a book about the legends of European holy swords under the light.

However, Waver didn't expect that someone was watching them through electronic surveillance...

...

The previous day, a bookstore had been robbed, allegedly by a Servant. 

The church and the Tohsaka family had taken over the case, but crucial information slipped through their fingers due to the magicians' complete indifference to technology.

The surveillance cameras had already captured Iskadan's appearance and footage of him carrying several books and forcefully exiting the store.

Kiritsugu Emiya analyzed what they were looking for but couldn't figure it out.

Since they were enemies, Kiritsugu planted explosives in the library.

There is no team that would take the risk of revealing themselves while Assassin is still alive. It would have been better to cause trouble than to just sit at home and wait.

"The target has appeared." 

Maiya Hisau reported through the surveillance cameras installed inside the library.

"Can you figure out what they're looking for?"

Kiritsugu asked.

"It seems the Master of the Rider team is seeking information on Saber." 

Maiya replied, "As for Rider, I'm not sure. It looks like he's looking at... different versions of world maps? I can't see it out clearly from here."

"Understood." 

Kiritsugu said, "They're already within the explosion range. Detonate it." 

He slowly pulled a lighter from his pocket and lit a cigarette.

Inside the library, Waver carefully put the book back on the shelf, trying his best to look as though nothing had happened.

He had found Saber's possible identity, but Waver firmly believed that King Arthur could not possibly be a girl. 

He told Iskandar it was time to leave, but before leaving, he noticed that he hadn't picked up the books he had brought with him.

"Iskandar, aren't you going to take those two books?" 

Waver asked.

"Just leave them here." 

Iskandar replied, "Isn't this the place where books are being kept?" 

He explained, "I have already conquered this place. Let's start here, and this will be the first step toward my conquest of the world!"

With great enthusiasm, Rider spread his arms wide, but what greeted him was the violent sound of an explosion!

After the first explosion, countless explosives detonate simultaneously. A series of chain reactions nearly obliterated the entire library!

To be continued...