章節 28: Chapter 28: New Cards!
Self-Enforced Pact
This is a magical contract that magi use to create agreements that neither side can break. It's usually employed to enforce mutual restrictions and terms for deals.
'We did it!'
Seeing the two parchment scrolls Emiya Kiritsugu pulled out, Waver felt a bit relieved. Now that they were at this point, Kiritsugu was essentially agreeing to the alliance. All that was left was to negotiate the specific terms both sides had to follow.
"Ugh…"
Saber swallowed another bite of food, but something still felt off to her. Given Kiritsugu's reputation, things should not have gone so smoothly.
"Heh,"
Rider leaned back in his chair, looking completely at ease as he watched everything unfold.
---
As the discussions progressed, Kiritsugu and Waver finalized their alliance.
[The terms of this agreement will be enforced as binding law. The parties involved shall be bound without exception, contingent upon the success of the specified conditions.]
The agreement clearly outlined the terms of mutual assistance between Kiritsugu and Waver.
Emiya Kiritsugu!
Waver Velvet!
Once both parties confirmed the details, they signed their names on the respective parchments.
"The pact is sealed."
"Well, that's the first step taken."
Now that the tense moment was over, Waver began to feel like Kiritsugu wasn't as intimidating as he'd thought. He seemed almost… normal.
"Though we may be enemies later, I look forward to working with you for now, Rider," Saber said enthusiastically, clearly pleased to have made contact with another King of Britain.
"Those are my words too, Saber. I'm counting on you as well," Rider replied, standing up with a smile. He didn't point out the obvious loophole in the pact right away.
"..."
Kiritsugu, without saying a word, stood up and left immediately.
"I hope our next meeting can be as peaceful as this one," Saber added, confused as she watched her Master leave so abruptly. She had no choice but to follow him.
"For someone known as the Mage Killer, he's still just a regular man in the end," Waver said as he slumped into his chair, finally able to drop his facade of composure.
"Deceived so easily by a simple ruse… you've let your guard down," Rider mocked, causing Waver to freeze.
"What?"
"You haven't even noticed the obvious flaw in the contract you signed with him."
"?"
Baffled, Waver looked down at Kiritsugu's copy of the contract, scanning it closely.
"You're still too naive," Rider sighed, pointing to a specific clause.
[During the duration of the alliance, neither Emiya Kiritsugu nor Waver Velvet shall harbor the intent or take any action to harm or kill the other.]
"You don't actually think this clause means he can't kill you, do you?"
"There's no restriction in the contract on what the Servants can do."
Waver's eyes widened as Rider's words sank in. Kiritsugu couldn't kill him directly due to the pact, but Saber wasn't bound by the same rule. Kiritsugu could easily have Saber kill him whenever it suited him.
"Then why didn't you say something earlier!?" Waver shouted, his face turning red as he slammed his hands on the table in frustration. He had thought the negotiation had gone perfectly—who could have guessed it was this flawed?
"Don't be in such a hurry," Rider said calmly. "That same flaw works to our advantage as well."
"What do you mean?" Waver asked, still confused.
"The terms of the contract leave both sides with loopholes they can exploit. It's a double-edged sword," Rider explained, grinning.
The reason Rider hadn't pointed it out earlier was because he saw an opportunity. If the contract had been perfect, there wouldn't be any room for maneuvering. But with these gaps, both Kiritsugu and Rider had space to act when the time was right.
From Rider's perspective, it was actually ideal that Waver's innocence had allowed the contract to be drafted this way. That's also why he'd remained silent during the negotiation.
"You guys… you probably had this whole thing planned out before we even met, didn't you!?" Waver exclaimed, realizing that the entire meeting had been a mere formality. The real outcome had already been decided from the start.
'This is what real scheming feels like…'
For the first time, Waver fully grasped the weight of political intrigue. He had been completely outplayed.
---
"Something doesn't feel right…"
"Hm?"
Seeing Jounouchi arranging his cards on the table, Kyoko Sakura hopped off the sofa.
"What's up?" she asked, walking over to see what he was doing.
"Well, I finally got two cards I'm familiar with…"
"But the rest of them are all weird," Jounouchi replied, picking up two monster cards. Kyoko glanced at the card names:
[Red-Eyes Black Dragon]
[Time Wizard]
Even just looking at them, Kyoko could sense the power they held. Then she looked at the other cards, the ones with red and green borders she had seen before:
[Skill Drain]
[Dark Ruler No More]
[Fiendish Chain]
[Monster Reborn]
"It's hard to believe these little cards hide so much power," Kyoko murmured. She couldn't read the text, but after their previous encounters, she didn't dare underestimate them.
"So, where are you going?"
"I'm heading out to get some food!"
Jounouchi was still focused on his cards, only noticing Kyoko at the door when she answered.
"Make sure you don't steal it," he warned.
"Tch, I won't!" she snapped, turning back to glare at him.
'So annoying, just like Sayaka…' Kyoko thought. Being around someone with such a strong sense of justice meant she had to constantly restrain herself.
After her family fell apart, Kyoko had become a magical girl who refused to help others. To her, using her abilities for others seemed foolish. But then, Sayaka Miki had entered her life, with all her naive ideals.
"Well, I guess it's not so bad…" Kyoko mumbled to herself, a smile creeping onto her face as she left.
"Who would have thought I'd meet two idiots just like her."
Thinking back to Sayaka and Jounouchi's similar personalities, Kyoko couldn't help but chuckle.
"Maybe one day I should introduce them to each other."
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