There are exceptions to everything. Masters don't necessarily have to be enemies if they get along well.
Just like Suyano and Rin Tohsaka.
Suyano's Servant, Saber, has a wish to fulfill, but Suyano doesn't.
Rin Tohsaka only wants to prove herself, and her Servant, Red Archer, wants to help her do so.
Therefore, there's no irreconcilable conflict between them. They only need to exchange Servants, allowing Rin to lead Saber to victory.
All problems could be easily solved.
Even the energy required by the Holy Grail could be addressed.
Except for Saber and Medusa, the other Servants, including Red Archer, would be enough to meet the requirements.
It's a good plan, but it's a bit unfair to Red Archer.
Suyano also feels conflicted since Red Archer is his future self.
Sacrificing the self for the greater good?
There's actually a way to avoid sacrificing Red Archer.
After all, they only need five Servants. Excluding Red Archer, this Holy Grail War still has four other Servants.
Beyond those four, this Holy Grail War also includes a special Servant.
At the end of the Holy Grail War ten years ago, an incident occurred.
The Archer of that war, King Gilgamesh, was so strong-willed and mentally resilient that even the Grail couldn't consume him. With the help of another Master's mana, he survived in the human world for ten years.
Therefore, this time, there are actually eight Servants in the Holy Grail War.
Additionally, there's one more thing to clarify.
During the previous Holy Grail War, Gilgamesh showed a strong affection for Saber and even proposed to her, though he was ultimately rejected.
In this Holy Grail War, upon seeing Saber again, he is bound to continue his proposals.
For Suyano, both publicly and personally, Gilgamesh cannot be allowed to continue living.
The four current Servants, plus Gilgamesh, make exactly five Servants.
As for now, Suyano feels it's necessary to have an honest discussion with Rin Tohsaka.
"Tohsaka, would you like to come over to my place for a bit?"
As soon as Suyano spoke, the atmosphere immediately turned awkward.
Inviting a 17-year-old girl to his house in the middle of the night could easily be misunderstood.
Saber's expression didn't change as she naturally doesn't show much emotion.
But Red Archer was different. Although he maintained his poker face, internally, he was in full-on sarcastic mode.
'Oh come on! You're so shameless! Just outright inviting a girl to your place—aren't you blatantly exposing your inner villain?'
'Besides, there are already three people at your place, plus Saber makes four. Isn't that enough? Now you're bringing Rin too? What, are you planning to take on five people? Aren't your ambitions a bit too grand?'
'Ah, so my younger self really was just a reckless fool, huh? Like a kid who refuses to choose and wants everything?'
'Ah, youth. Listen to my advice, young man: you don't know the value of restraint in youth; you'll regret it when you're older...'
'Are you really that old?' Suyano suddenly interjected.
'I…' Red Archer thought for a moment. He was barely thirty, hardly an old man.
To many, he was still a young man oblivious to the value of restraint.
At this thought, Red Archer suddenly felt like he had wasted his youth.
If he had realized this earlier, he should have not only helped his younger self fulfill the dream of collecting everything but also had some fun himself.
For example, the Caster-class Servant Medea.
In the Fifth Holy Grail War, she was possibly the only Servant in any Holy Grail War to have a true marital relationship with her Master.
Moreover, winning over Medea is actually quite simple.
Medea's initial appearance involved conflicts with her Master, and after deceiving him into using all three Command Spells, she killed him.
Without a Master, Medea inevitably faced mana depletion and was on the verge of disappearing, but at that moment, her destined partner, Soichiro Kuzuki, appeared and saved her.
Because Kuzuki saved her, they formed a Master-Servant contract through an unspeakable method.
If one could rescue Medea before Kuzuki did, then maybe…
At this thought, Red Archer stopped caring about Rin Tohsaka.
"Rin, listen to what he has to say. Know your enemy and yourself, and you'll never lose."
With Red Archer's suggestion, Rin didn't hesitate and followed Suyano home late at night.
Meanwhile, Red Archer activated his senses and headed toward where Medea might be.
According to the original timeline, Medea and Kuzuki should have already formed a contract by now.
But as Li-Ning says, anything is possible, and Adidas says, impossible is nothing.
So it's worth a try—there's nothing to lose anyway.
Suyano glanced at Red Archer. Their mental link was still active, so he clearly understood Red Archer's thoughts—this guy was planning some side hustle for fun.
After all, they were Servants—nothing to gain in life or death, so might as well enjoy the moment.
Suyano himself had some thoughts about Medea. Despite being known as the "Witch of Betrayal," she was fiercely loyal to Kuzuki. If it were him instead, she'd probably be just as loyal.
But now, his house was about to have five people, and as Red Archer said, greed could be overwhelming.
'Good luck!'
Bidding farewell to Red Archer, Suyano led Rin and Saber back to his house.
By then, the battle between Medusa and Taiga Fujimura had already concluded, and after some rest, Sakura Matou slowly woke up.
At this moment, Medusa was holding Sakura Matou in her arms, comforting her, while Taiga Fujimura lay collapsed nearby, unable to accept her defeat.
What was even harder for Taiga to accept was that Medusa was cuddling with Sakura in her arms.
After all, that was usually her favorite thing to do.
Soft and cuddly Sakura was like a human pillow—holding her brought a deep sense of comfort and happiness.
Now, this pleasure that was originally hers alone had been taken by someone else.
Taiga Fujimura wasn't about to accept this. She, the "Tiger of Fujimura," had never been afraid of anyone. This purple-haired woman? Just slightly longer hair, slightly bigger chest—her victory was pure luck.
"Zhen Yao Museum"
The Tiger of Fujimura would surely strike back and claim her too.
As Taiga was eyeing Medusa from behind, contemplating the best angle to tackle her, Suyano returned with his companions.
'You're lucky this time, hmph!'
Taiga muttered under her breath, then saw Suyano enter with two girls, and her heart felt comforted.
'Our little Suyano has grown up. Brother Su, if your spirit watches from above, you can rest in peace now…'
Taiga clasped her hands and offered a prayer to Suyano's father's spirit. But in that moment, she couldn't recall what Brother Su's name was or what he even looked like.
On the way back, Suyano roughly explained Sakura Matou's situation to Rin Tohsaka.
Of course, he only mentioned that Sakura had suffered greatly without detailing the specifics. After all, the idea of a six-year-old girl being thrown into a pit of worms and enduring years of torment from crest worms was too horrific.
Besides, the culprits, Zouken Matou and Shinji Matou, had already been killed, so it was best to leave the matter behind.
If Rin still had any grievances, she should blame her father, Tokiomi Tohsaka.
After all, everything is always Tokiomi's fault!
Suyano didn't participate in Rin and Sakura's reunion and instead waited in a separate room—this wasn't the kind of occasion for an outsider.
Taiga, meanwhile, shifted her attention to Saber, who had returned with Suyano.
This girl was different from Rin and Sakura. Taiga had never met her before, but Saber exuded an aura that made people want to approach her, which Taiga found very appealing.
With no one disturbing him, Suyano enjoyed his peace and decided to connect with Red Archer to check on his situation.
On Red Archer's end, it wasn't just about the Caster-class Servant Medea; there was also Sasaki Kojirou, the Assassin-class Servant.
The Holy Grail War is said to have seven Masters and Servants each time, but there are always anomalies.
Not only was there the anomaly of Gilgamesh, but Sasaki Kojirou was also unique—he wasn't summoned by a Master but by Medea, another Servant.
Thus, when Red Archer went to Medea, he was likely to face both Medea and Sasaki Kojirou in battle.
'Hey, old A, how's it going?'
From a distance, Suyano casually asked Red Archer as if making a phone call.
Although Suyano could use their mental link to directly access another's senses—seeing through their eyes, hearing through their ears, or even controlling their actions—
Red Archer had resistance to such interference, and since he was essentially Suyano himself, some mutual respect was in order.
'Take a guess.'
On the other end, Red Archer cheekily dodged the question instead of giving a direct answer.
Judging by his tone, he seemed quite pleased, at least not like someone who had suffered a loss.
'Guess if I'll guess?'
Suyano snorted and, without waiting for Red Archer to reply, asked directly.
'When will you be back? It's about time we discussed our next plans and strategies.'
'Already on my way back, I'll be there soon,' Red Archer replied and then fell silent.
Suyano was puzzled—heading back so soon and in such good spirits? Did he hit the jackpot?
Still, upon hearing that Red Archer would be back soon, Suyano felt a bit regretful.
With Red Archer's speed, he'd probably return in less than ten minutes—not enough time to accomplish anything else.
Suyano had intended to call Medusa over for a quick private chat to deepen their bond while everyone else was preoccupied.
Unfortunately, ten minutes was too short; they wouldn't even get through the opening act.
In less than ten minutes, Red Archer returned. Suyano, along with Saber and Medusa, waited in the living room with Rin.
Taiga Fujimura and Sakura Matou did not attend since the upcoming strategy meeting wasn't suitable for non-combatants.
"Yo! Waiting for me, huh?"
Red Archer entered with a smile, but no one looked at him—their attention was on the person he was carrying.
It was a woman who appeared to be in her thirties, wearing a purple robe. Though her figure wasn't as voluptuous as Medusa's, she exuded an undeniable charm and familiarity.
"Archer, what's going on? This person is a Servant!"
The woman in Red Archer's arms looked pale and ghostly, as if she might dissolve at any moment. Rin Tohsaka jumped up in surprise.
This person was a Servant—their enemy. Why on earth did Red Archer bring her back instead of killing her outright?
Suyano also gaped in shock.
'What's the meaning of this? Did you really bring Medea back?'
"This is the Caster-class Servant. When I found her, she was in terrible shape and could vanish at any moment, so I brought her back."
Outwardly, he gave Rin a serious answer, but internally, what he said to Suyano was completely different.
'Guess what? As soon as I reached Ryuudou Temple, I saw her lying there, about to die. Kuzuki was just about to show up in the distance. If I hadn't gone, everything would've played out exactly like the original story.'
'But now, it's like this mage was placed there just for me, waiting for me to trigger a mission. What could I do? Leave her to Kuzuki? No way!'
'Since I went and saw her, of course I had to bring her back!'
Suyano sighed.
'Fine, you're always right. Bringing her back is fine, but what's next? You'll form a contract with her and replenish her mana?'
Suyano's tone was dripping with sarcasm.
You're me, sure, but you're a Servant. You need mana replenishment yourself, so how are you going to supply Medea? You're not even a mage, and your mana reserves are low. Her needs must be massive.
Aren't you afraid she'll drain you dry?
Red Archer froze. 'Damn, I was so busy being happy about scoring a free wife that I didn't think about this…'
He instinctively turned to look at Suyano and muttered, 'Damn, again.'
'Did I seriously just bring back another wife for you? I must be a sucker!'
'No, wait!'
Red Archer turned to Rin again and asked, "Rin, would you consider forming a contract with this Servant?"
Before Rin could reply, Medea, who was still in Red Archer's arms, spoke, "I don't form contracts with women…"
Well, that single line shot down all of Red Archer's plans.
'Forget it. What's yours is mine. If it benefits you, it benefits me too.'
In the end, Red Archer could only comfort himself with that thought.
On the other hand, with Medea's consent, Suyano gained another Servant.
Three women serving one master—no, rather, three Servants contracted to one Master, plus Red Archer as an inside agent.
In this Holy Grail War, how could anyone else even compete!