Chapter 384

Chapter 384: Chapter 384

Early the following morning, Kiriya opened his bedroom door and stepped into the hallway after a night of exhausting activity.

He stretched his arms overhead and let out a long, satisfied breath, feeling remarkably refreshed.

In fact, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d been in such excellent condition.

"See? Sometimes you really do need to find a proper way to relieve stress," he murmured to himself.

He had barely finished speaking when the door opposite his opened, revealing Caster’s beautiful but utterly expressionless face.

The sudden appearance startled Kiriya.

"Uh... Caster? What happened to you? You’ve even got dark circles under your eyes!"

He hurried over, looking genuinely concerned.

"Come on, there’s no need to push yourself so hard. I know you’re researching the Greater Grail system, but we still have plenty of time. You shouldn’t sacrifice your health over it."

His expression and tone were those of an exceptionally considerate employer who placed the well-being of his subordinates above everything else.

"Oh, I’m perfectly fine."

Caster gritted her teeth and forced a smile that was anything but friendly.

"I’m more concerned about you, Master. I know you’re young, strong, and full of energy, but you really should take better care of yourself! Working yourself so hard every night can’t possibly be good for your health."

Kiriya was about to respond when someone suddenly pushed past him from behind.

Jeanne hurried out of the bedroom, practically fleeing down the hallway as though a ferocious monster were chasing her.

The Saint had always been rather shy about such matters.

Finding herself caught in an awkward conversation right outside the bedroom had pushed her embarrassment to the point where her mind was practically shutting down.

She had hastily dressed and escaped at the first opportunity, deciding that helping Sakura prepare breakfast would be an excellent way to calm herself down.

Once Jeanne disappeared, Kiriya’s expression immediately changed.

The warm, considerate employer vanished, replaced by a stern superior preparing to reprimand an unreasonable subordinate.

"Caster, I really need to have a word with you about your attitude."

He folded his arms with complete seriousness.

"As a Servant, you need to understand the bigger picture. Everything I’ve been doing is for the sake of maintaining harmony within our group. How can you talk about whether it’s exhausting or not when I’m making such sacrifices for everyone?"

"..."

Caster’s eyes widened slightly.

She had encountered countless people during her lifetime. Kings, heroes, nobles, Magi, and all manner of shameless individuals had crossed her path.

But someone like Kiriya?

She had genuinely never met someone like him!

’His skin is unbelievably thick!’

No, that wasn’t quite right.

’This bastard doesn’t have any shame to begin with!’

"Hehe..."

Caster’s mouth twitched twice.

She desperately wanted to say something, but after considering the consequences, she swallowed every word.

With a Master like this, arguing would only bring additional suffering upon herself.

So she settled for a couple of dry laughs to make her feelings clear and turned to leave.

Just then, another door farther down the corridor opened.

Rider’s tall, graceful figure emerged, and she greeted them in an unusually pleasant voice.

"Good morning, Master. Good morning, Caster."

Caster stopped so abruptly that her footsteps almost made an audible thud.

She turned toward Rider, her expression becoming extraordinarily complicated.

Medusa’s eyes still carried traces of fatigue, yet her complexion was radiant and her entire body seemed to be brimming with vitality.

The magical energy circulating through her was so abundant that it was practically overflowing.

Clearly, she had benefited enormously from the previous night’s mana replenishment.

And what about Caster?

She had spent the entire night watching, her mind stretched taut with excitement and curiosity.

Repeatedly using dream-entry Magecraft had consumed a considerable amount of her own magical energy, leaving her both physically exhausted and mentally drained.

The contrast between their conditions was almost insulting.

’We’re both Servants! Why does she get everything?!’

The unfairness of it made Caster’s expression turn distinctly unfriendly.

She approached Rider and transmitted a message directly through magical energy.

’Bitch!’

’Shameless bitch!’

Rider remained perfectly composed.

She knew that any reasonably competent Servant or Magus would immediately notice the extraordinary amount of magical energy within her.

She had never expected to conceal what had happened from Caster.

Still, the intensity of Medea’s resentment surprised her.

And after that initial surprise came a rather delightful sense of mischief.

The angrier Caster became, the happier Rider felt.

After all, being able to replenish her magical energy until she was practically overflowing, while her rival could only watch helplessly, was surprisingly satisfying.

"My, Caster. How did you know I replenished my mana last night?"

Rider sounded both surprised and faintly troubled.

"Honestly, I kept telling Master that I’d had enough, but he was simply too enthusiastic. He insisted on giving me more and more. Now I’m so full I hardly know what to do with myself."

She even placed a hand against her flat stomach, looking thoroughly satisfied.

Noticing Caster’s increasingly dark expression, Rider tilted her head with an apologetic smile.

"Oh dear, did I say something wrong? Or could it be that you’re particularly interested in how Master and I... replenished my mana?"

"It has nothing to do with me."

Inside her mind, Caster was already overturning tables and smashing furniture.

Outwardly, however, she maintained an expression of practiced indifference.

"I was simply thinking that you ought to be careful, Rider. It would be terribly unfortunate if you overdid it and burst."

"How could that happen?"

Rider covered her mouth and laughed softly.

"For a Servant, the more magical energy we possess, the better. With my reserves in their current state, I almost feel confident enough to win an entire Holy Grail War."

That blatant boasting only made Caster angrier.

She could do little except console herself.

’I’m the intellectual backbone of this group. I’m a brilliant Magus, not some shameless woman who gets by through flirting!’

Unfortunately, Caster was hardly an inexperienced young girl.

She understood perfectly well that the adult world did not operate solely on strength, talent, and the ability to defeat one’s enemies.

Personal relationships and social maneuvering could be every bit as important.

Even if she possessed an extraordinary mastery of Magecraft, what good would it do her if she failed to establish a favorable relationship with her own Master?

Especially when Rider had already become so intimate with Kiriya.

In that regard, Caster had fallen considerably behind.

And to make matters worse, she and Rider were already on terrible terms.

’What if that bitch starts whispering things about me to Master?’

’What if she persuades him to abandon me, or convinces him to make my life miserable?’

The possibility was far from reassuring.

For the first time, Caster began feeling a genuine sense of urgency about her position.

Kiriya, meanwhile, watched the entire silent confrontation with barely concealed amusement.

Seeing two beautiful women engage in such a fierce rivalry was far more entertaining than he had expected.

"Come on, Master. Let’s go have breakfast."

Rider approached Kiriya as though Caster no longer existed and naturally slipped her arm through his.

"Sakura should have prepared something wonderful for us."

As she passed Caster, Rider raised her chin slightly and looked down at her with unmistakable superiority.

Caster felt as though something heavy had lodged itself in her chest.

’That bitch! Look how smug she’s gotten!’

For one brief moment, she desperately wanted to lunge forward and scratch that infuriating expression right off Rider’s face.

Creak—

Another door opened farther down the hallway.

Esdeath emerged from it while yawning lazily.

"Morning, Kiriya."

Almost the instant the door opened, Rider released Kiriya’s arm with lightning speed.

She moved behind him and assumed the perfectly composed posture of a loyal Servant accompanying her Master, eyes forward and expression entirely innocent.

The transformation was so swift and decisive that Caster could only stare in amazement.

’You can change your attitude that quickly?!’

"Morning."

Kiriya barely managed to return Esdeath’s greeting before she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulled him into an enthusiastic good-morning embrace, and pressed his face against her chest.

Then, without the slightest concern for the audience, she took his hand and led him toward the dining room.

The sheer confidence and uninhibited affection of the gesture left both Servants momentarily speechless.

Once she recovered, Caster gave a contemptuous little snort and swept her gaze across Rider.

"Hehe. So a shameless hussy really is just a shameless hussy. All that arrogance disappears the moment someone with actual standing shows up."

Rider immediately fired back.

"As if you’re any better! You’re just a useless Magus who hasn’t even managed to get to first base!"

Caster’s expression twisted.

’You FUCKING BITCH!’

’Just you wait!’

Wasn’t it merely mana replenishment?

As if she didn’t know how to do that!

Why should Rider be the only one allowed to enjoy such extraordinary magical reserves?

What made that woman think Caster couldn’t obtain the same benefits?

’Fine. Just wait until I get my chance.’

’Once I’ve established that kind of relationship with Master, I’ll push you straight out of the way!’

Caster clenched her fists with renewed determination.

’Then we’ll see how smug you are when you can’t get a single drop of his magical energy!’