Chapter 4 - Like déjà vu

London - Year 2014

Heathrow International Airport was as busy as she remembered, incredibly crowded too at this hour when several world flights had chosen to land and disembark their passengers. Despite their priority privilege, they had had to wait several long minutes before the staff decided to place the bags on the large conveyor belts in the concourse. Archer, however, had been less prone to boredom than he had been on the plane, enjoying pacing the concourse to see the different origins of the flights and observing the passengers waiting beside them, not failing to raise a few quips here and there, his boyish features eliciting sympathy from the people.

He helped her place her checked bag on the cart, alongside her checked bag and carry-on, before they made their way to the arrivals hall in a rather light-hearted mood. The distraction and the multiple questions he asked her were very welcome after the events of Baghdad, Adelaide trying to keep her anonymity and avoid the looks of the other travelers. She was not so keen on being noticed and asking indiscreet or disturbing questions about the "martyrs of the archaeological site of Uruk" and the terrorist attack.

The arrival hall was a real anthill at this hour, and the culinary smells of the nearby food stalls reminded her that the meal on the plane had been more than frugal. She had not taken anything too substantial either, her stomach still knotted by the incident of the expedition, the interrogation of the international army, Karim's corpse and the upcoming fighting. She stopped for a moment, looking for the parking lot where her husband would be waiting for her, before noticing an august and familiar figure carrying a sign with his name on it, wearing a suit. The young woman had a shadow of a smile on her lips as she walked towards the man and greeted him:

- Hello Gilbert, I hope you didn't wait too long. There were a lot of people at customs, I guess they've tightened up the controls coming from the Middle East countries.

- Ma'am. No more than the usual time, I'm getting used to the delay in arrivals. Sir will be delighted to see you. Please leave your luggage with me. I take it that the young man beside you is Sir Godric, is he not?

- That's him!

- God, this is Gilbert, our butler and old friend. Don't hesitate to turn to him if you have a question or need something in our absence, he knows the house well.

It was necessary to play the game of the little charade they had set up for the cover of her young servant. The latter, determined not to let anyone take his place, was quite cooperative for the moment and played the role of a curious and alert young child to perfection. Let's hope it lasts a little longer! Adelaide was already quite preoccupied with the introductions to come.

For the time being, she hoped that her husband would not be too perceptive, not as usual.

A "small" anthracite limousine was indeed waiting on the parking lot closest to the "drop-off". Nearby, with his back against a wall, a man was smoking a cigarette, his dark eyes scanning a book. His long, straight black hair reached down to his waist, framing a dry, thin face with a light complexion. He wore a suit consisting of canvas pants and a black jacket, with an equally dark T-shirt, which curved his tall figure close to six feet. This austere appearance was brightened up by the red trench coat he had put on his shoulders and by the long viscose scarf of an almost golden yellow.

The man straightened his head when he heard them approaching and put his dark eyes on them. Without saying a word he closed his book with a sharp snap before putting it away in the inside pocket of his jacket, then extinguished it and threw his cigarette in an ashtray. He approached Adelaide in long strides without a word, before he held her against him with so much force that he would almost suffocate her.

Adelaide already felt much better now that she was in his arms. The teacher wrapped her arms around him and hugged him back, nestling her head against his chest. Had she been less proud, the Franco-British woman would have burst into tears as she felt some of the pressure evaporate at her touch. She was finally back home. Home sweet home.

They remained for long minutes in complete silence, detached from what surrounded them.

Her fiancé and best friend of long date ended up almost reluctantly loosening partly his embrace. Putting his hands on her shoulders, he moved back just enough to be able to auscultate her first of the glance, then of the touch by brushing her arms. The air more reassured by this first examination, Adélaïde saw him to put his hands with delicacy on her cheeks then to lean to kiss her with ardour.

His lips, his presence, his contact, his warmth... she had missed them, more than she had thought.

When their faces separated again after a long kiss, Adelaide could not hold back a broad smile in spite of the mishaps she had gone through and tried to comment cheerfully.

- You look great, Waver. The students and teachers haven't been able to wear out "Mister Enigma" it seems. I admire your resilience in times of sessional advice, you know.

- What do you want, I'm getting practice? I admire your resilience in the face of a Peru #2'.

- Aha, the gods don't want me yet it seems! It's really good to see you again, you know.

Certainly, Warka's attack dethroned the accident in Peru a few years earlier. What was going to be an important mission, but also one of her oldest dreams, had turned into a nightmare with the terrorist attack that had hit them.

- I'm glad to have you back too, in one piece.

- You might have me around for a while. I've done my two yearly workcamps and with Warka, I won't be going back to adventure anytime soon. If you'd like my company, of course.

- It would be nice to have you home for a while," he said with a smile.

- To think a little more about us than about school and my job, we agree. Especially since Karim, James, Edward, Diana and young Ethan won't be so lucky.

- There is nothing you could have done to save them. Indeed, it is an additional reason to live the life they will not have lived and to enjoy yours, he answered her by gently caressing her shoulders in gesture of comfort.

Adelaide suspected that Waver must be right, but she still had to convince herself. The feeling of survivor's guilt was a pain that only time could dissipate. Her smile, which had faded in the last few months, became more vigorous. The professor then remembered Archer's presence, who had helped her get out of this predicament while endorsing her participation in a war that was not religious, but more formidable in its own way.

Moving aside reluctantly, the archaeologist shook her fiancé's hand in hers and pointed to Gilbert and God, who were talking a little further away while placing the suitcases.

- Do you want to make the presentation now or in the car? I don't know what the traffic is like today, and you'd probably prefer some semblance of privacy.

- I wouldn't say no to getting together. Let's go, we have a long way to go.

This return to relative normality was welcome, even if the archaeologist had the feeling that something was worrying the director of the Academy of Magic and companion of almost ten years. She took her place next to Waver in the passenger seats behind the driver's compartment, while Archer sat in the last row of seats, holding the game console and its matching pouch of game cartridges with a victorious air. Adelaide suspected that he would keep an ear out for their discussion, but it would probably keep him busy enough for the duration of the trip. After a short time of comfortable silence, the one known as Lord El Melloi II spoke again.

- Can you introduce me to the young man who is accompanying us?

- I am Godric, Godric Gilderoy Kingsley, God or Gil for those close to me. Pleased to meet you!

Intrigued, Waver turned to the teenager with his eyes fixed on the DS and asked him in Sumerian:

- Adelaide was telling me that you know a lot about ancient languages?

- A couple of things," the young man replied in the same language.

- Very well, we will discuss more comfortably at home.

Adelaide followed their exchange with a distracted ear, eyes closed, before getting lost in her thoughts. She had hardly had time to let her guard down since Uruk, which had fed a lot of tension in her muscles as well as stress. With the priority of reaching England and her husband accomplished, other important tasks came to mind, calling for prioritization.

The teacher should alert her spouse to the reemergence of a Grail and the appearance of new marks, these "Command Spells", hard as it may be to believe for veterans such as him, who had gone to such lengths to dismantle the previous one. It was urgent that the few trusted survivors of the previous wars be alerted to the beginning of the new one, so that the proper authorities could put in place the protections and guidance necessary for it to work. First bad news to give.

Then she would have to swallow a second piece of bad news: her election as Master for this war, from which she could not and would not want to escape. While Adelaide didn't have any particular wish in mind yet, the stories Shirou, Rin and Waver had told her about other participants had been chilling enough that she didn't want the mythical artifact to fall into the wrong hands. She would never run away from danger, she would face it. She owed it to the Servant who had helped her get out of the mess in which the emergency mission of the UNESCO Mages had landed her. Being a total novice on the subject, she would gladly accept Waver's advice and experience on the matter.

Her eyes wandered over the London buildings for a moment, thinking of the chilling memories of Fuyuki by her Japanese colleagues and friends. They had to prevent such a tragedy from repeating itself in the English capital, and even more so within the walls of the London magic academy. However, she had no certainty that the fight would be limited to the borders of Albion. She would have to make discreet inquiries within her networks of researchers without revealing herself too much.

The Uruk affair had had far more repercussions than she had thought and wished.

The mere thought of Warka's former name made her tense and straighten her back, fixing her gaze on the outside as if to make sure, unconsciously, that she was now far from this mass grave. The fear, the anxiety, the diffuse pain chose this moment to strike against her mental barriers to recall to her memory, to evoke her so much darkness, the freshness of the palace, the suffocating dust that the putrid odor of the freshly slaughtered bodies. The adrenalin had allowed him to postpone these emotions to find a way to survive and escape from the trap.

Unconsciously, her slightly shaky hands gripped her knees tightly as she tried to keep her breathing under control and reduce the fluttering in her chest.

- Relax a little, it's not the end of the world.

Waver's words tore through the veil of memories, bringing her back to the present. She felt then the hand of this last one posed on one of hers, tightening it with softness in order to calm it. A little more posed, she approved of the head with a light smile, her eyes much more alert and determined.

It wasn't the end of the world, at least not yet. They still had some time ahead of them.

Behind his apparent calm, however, she could notice the furrowed brows and piercing gaze he was giving God as he watched her through the rearview mirror of the limousine. Waver then turned to her, his gaze oscillating between the professor and Godric before raising an eyebrow and then he began to shake her hand forcefully. Because of their work in the same institution and their choice to keep their relationship unknown, they had both developed a gestural code so that they could communicate without saying a word in complete discretion. The one he was currently using meant, "I know you haven't told me everything. Let's talk about it. "

The archaeologist turned to Waver, a tight smile on her lips. She hadn't had much choice in the matter of discretion at the embassy. Her free hand approached that of her fiancé and of a finger tapped him twice the wrist. The gesture, a familiar sign between them, meant "Later". In return, the English mage delivered a light tap on his arm, which translated into "No mistake".

Glancing around the backseat, she noticed Archer watching them from time to time while pretending to be fully absorbed in the video game he was happily playing.

Given their arrival time at the mansion, the suggestion to prepare a brunch had been made rather quickly. Traffic had been hellish, delaying their schedule by nearly two hours. It was fortunate that it was the weekend, otherwise the principal of the London Academy of Magic would have been forced to chip away at his sacrosanct reputation for unfailing punctuality.

Leaving Archer to explore the manor at his leisure, with Gilbert to guide him, Adelaide had volunteered to prepare the meal. Waver had taken the opportunity to join her in the kitchen to help concoct the various dishes for the hearty late breakfast. They generally divided the tasks according to their field of expertise. If the archaeologist, used to living independently since her student years, knew the rudiments of cooking and was an expert in sweet things, Waver was more of a cook when it came to savoury dishes, especially when it came to seizing meat and fish at the right temperature and cooking them properly.

However, Professor Fleury was well versed in the preparation of the typical English breakfast and took care of the sliced bread toasts and the cutting of fruits, vegetables and cheese, leaving the scrambled eggs and bacon to her husband. Both worked in a comfortable silence, lulled by habit, but Adelaide remained attentive. She knew her companion of nearly ten years well enough to know when he wanted to talk to her seriously, and waited patiently for him to make the first move. So she was not surprised to hear him ask.

- What you told me... is it the truth?

- About what? About events or about Godric?

- Both. If you don't have the Bible, would you swear on Champollion's book?

She interrupted her cutting of the cherry tomatoes, and turned halfway to him. He had his back to her three-quarters, watching the eggs and bacon cook while observing her from the corner of his eye.

- About Champollion? Well, you're quite serious then.

- I'm dead serious. What's up?

- Let's start with the facts, then. I told you the truth. The terrorists did hit us in Warka. Karim and I were in the ruins when they started their assault, I inspected one last room and he was waiting for me at the entrance. By the time I finished, they launched a rocket at us. The building collapsed. I had time to take cover, but Karim... the bastards who had already got Karim got the punishment they deserved when the main entrance collapsed on them.

- I am sorry for Karim and the others. How did you manage to leave the room you were in?

It was a good question, and the one that had given her the most difficulty when she had been questioned by the international coalition soldiers. However, she didn't want to lie to her fiancé and best friend, which is why the teacher opted for the conciseness he liked so much.

- With a bit of audacity, a lot of luck and a stylus.

- It doesn't have to fit on a telegram. You can elaborate, he teased.

- I found a solid gold stylus with cuneiform engravings there. I didn't have time to date it precisely, but I estimated that it must be several millennia old. My magic crystals were shattered or lost in the landslide. Customs refused my vials of mercury, as you know. In my exhausted state... I took a risk, and it paid off. With his help, I was able to get out of the trap with as little breakage as possible.

- Why do I get the feeling you're leaving an important detail unsaid?" replied Waver with amusement and a hint of caution. I know the French have made an art of beating around the bush, but I hope you won't exercise it with me.

- Because it's related to the second point. I didn't tell you the truth because a call wasn't safe enough.

- I understood that from your signal earlier, but we can talk about that now, if you'd like.

- I gave you the official version for fear of being bugged and to avoid complications. Actually, you were right. There was no young translator with us. They never knew Godric, and I didn't know him until I was trapped six feet under.

With that, Adelaide put down her utensils and approached the English mage. She had made up her mind even before leaving Baghdad on this point. If there was anyone who had the right to know the full truth, it was him. Before he could comment, the archaeologist removed the glove from his left hand to reveal purple marks that would surely be familiar to him.

- I thought his face looked familiar, even though he's younger than I remember. That said, you're not the only one who's suffered from the appearance of a spontaneous tattoo, Waver replied after a slight sigh, taking the glove off his hand and showing him similar features.

- That makes it simple. I tried the invocation with the stylus and a little bit of my own blood without really believing it. It worked. We were able to come to an agreement and he helped me make my way through the main entrance of the building into the open air without getting limestone rocks on my skull.

- And I guess he took care of the other terrorists? he commented with great seriousness.

- With my approval, yes. It was either them or us. I'm an altruist, but not so altruistic that I end up a martyr.

- I think self-defense applies in this case, although I understand that you didn't explain the exact circumstances to the authorities.

- They wouldn't have believed me if I had told them that swords and spears had fallen from the sky, Adelaide commented with a slight shrug.

- That's understandable. Let's get to the table before it gets cold, we'll talk about it after dinner in the quiet. The hardest part will be getting my guest back to the table. He's very... busy.

- Let me guess. The same video game addiction?

- He's the one who gave it to me after all.

- Ah, so that's who you're talking about! Interesting. However, one point bothers me. Gilbert should have finished giving Archer a tour of the manor... but I don't hear anyone in the dining room.

- Let's go see Iskandar in the playroom. Maybe our two larons will be there.

They placed the steaming, cold dishes on the large dining room table before making their way jointly to the staircase that led to the second floor. Noises and clamor echoed loudly in the hallway from the game room. Intrigued, the two Masters walked up to the open front door of the room where all the English mage's consoles were located.

A fierce battle was underway... controllers in hand!

The scene reminded her a bit of that David vs. Goliath tableau. To the left of Gil's small, youthful figure, a colossal, towering giant sat staring at the screen. While he was dressed in soft pants and a short-sleeved shirt, with open-toed sandals, the man was hardly discreet. Besides the "World's Conqueror" logo on his top, his scarlet hair, his gruff, outspoken and enthusiastic demeanor set him apart from the crowd. Letting out a sigh, Waver shook his head slightly and commented humorously.

- I think the only casualties will be the shifters.

- Well, that's okay, you have three of each. You've still got plenty to go around.

- If they last a week, it will be good.

- You're a pessimist. I'm sure they'll last a few more weeks out of the stacks. Better than walls to patch or furniture to repair, right?

- Yes, it costs less. Except when you buy dozens or hundreds of them.

- Look at the bright side. You'll have people to play with instead of some old teacher who's completely out of touch.

- I'm... glad.

- Never happy.

With a shadow of a smile on her lips, Adelaide nudged him lightly so that he would loosen what those around her commonly referred to as his "broom in the ass". She then turned to the two players, crossing her arms before calling out loudly to them.

- Attention, Your Majesties. I know the battle can't wait, but if you wish to feast with us, the meal is ready. You can wait to finish the campaign of course, if you prefer your victuals cold and not share a nice glass of wine with us.

- Ah good glass of wine is never refused bydi! That would be in bad taste," replied the "King of Conquerors" in his gruff voice, while giving Gil a vigorous, friendly tap on the shoulder.

- That's right. We accept your invitation to have a bite to eat before resuming our glorious epic, the young "King of Heroes" added cheerfully, without seeming offended by the familiar gesture.

Adelaide already felt a little more reassured that they had not been belligerent with each other without even needing to be introduced, and motioned for the duo to follow her. Waver followed her lead before taking her hand in his. More than long speeches of which both were not fond, these small signs of affection touched sincerely the archaeologist.

The meal promised to be very interesting.

The tradition of brunch was one of the few things Adelaide appreciated about Anglo-Saxon cuisine. These hearty breakfasts, usually eaten when one missed the morning meal or when one was up late in the morning, often mixed sweet and savory. Already good in cafés that knew how to make them properly, they were even better homemade. The smell of grilled bacon filled the room with the pleasant aroma of the teacher.

To celebrate the occasion, in addition to the customary coffee, the Franco-British woman had taken care to bring out one of the best vintages of red wine they had in their cellar.

An appreciative silence reigned for several long minutes, each one savoring his plate. It was broken by Rider's gruff, carrying voice, raising his glass of wine while exclaiming.

- Ah, this wine is always so good and even better in good company! So tell us about your journey in our beautiful Eastern lands!

- There are good wines in my native French region of Gascony. To answer you dear Iskandar, I was commissioned with four other professors for an emergency expedition to Iraq. Accompanied by a doctoral student, we were called to the remains of Warka, ancient Uruk, which a criminal organization was threatening to destroy by virtue of its beliefs. Our mission was to evacuate the magical artifacts and the most important objects in a very limited time. We were attacked by these criminals despite the guards we were assigned, and I was the only survivor of our group. I had the pleasure of meeting Archer, who helped me. The area is very beautiful, I wish I had had time to explore it in less tense times.

- It's true that it's a beautiful region, but I don't really like what it has become, Gilgamesh said in a slightly saddened tone.

- As I explained to you, Gil, it's the effect of the conflicts. I once went to Baghdad for a conference before the war. A splendid city, radiant with culture! When I see what has become of it, it saddens me greatly," replied Adelaide. Waver had told me a lot about you, Iskandar, since the time we met. How does our world seem to you since your last visit? What do you think has changed in the last twenty years?

- It's even better than twenty years ago. The consoles are more powerful, the games more realistic! The Wii U has nothing to do with the Super Nintendo," replied an amazed Iskandar.

- Oh, that. It's like good wine, consoles get better with time, commented Waver with his wine glass in hand.

- I can only take your word for it. These machines are beyond me," said Adelaide in a calm tone.

The subject of game consoles was not one of her favorite areas. The mage was, however, willing to make an effort to listen carefully, if not to comment. The professor let the three of them discuss the specifics between connoisseurs, slowly savoring the glass of red wine she had left. It pleased her to see the passion that still animated her fiancé around video games, he seemed more relaxed, radiant and more open. It also reassured her to see that despite their "rivalry" because of the Grail War, the Servants were able to get along well together outside the context of combat. The archaeologist waited until they had finished their heated debate to ask the question that haunted them all.

- Waver, it seems to me that you told me that the last Grail had been destroyed. You had seen to that with Rin. It was the one from ten years ago in Fuyuki, Japan, right?

- I can confirm that the Grail in Fuyuki has been dismantled. Rin Tohsaka and I made sure of that," answered her fiancé, who was immediately more serious.

- How can we explain the return of these wars then? And why so far away in Europe? I imagine that this is not the kind of knowledge that one usually exports to the Council of Mages...

- I've been looking into it, but so far the only thing I've been able to find out is that this Grail comes from France.

- From France you say... I still have contacts at the Academy of Magi in Paris, but I have not read anything suspicious. I could ask Lucas if he has heard of anything, for example.

- You could indeed ask Renoir if he knows anything, Waver replied with detachment and a touch of disdain.

His attitude surprised Archer, who leaned towards his Master to ask him not very discreetly.

- You slept together, didn't you?

- Aha! Not since I met Waver, but I dated Lucas before, when I was studying in Paris. He was my roommate and remains one of my best friends to date, Adelaide answered amused.

- That's what we call "Sex Friends", commented Iskandar, nodding his head in agreement.

- No, it is not that at all! Waver vigorously denied before adding, it's just a jerk that she took pity on.

- Dear, I did not think that after more than ten years together you would still doubt me of the kind, retorted the archaeologist by pretending to be vexed while crossing the arms on his chest.

- I do not doubt you ma chérie. I just find the association insulting for you and for me, rectified Waver by agitating his index to the horizontal.

- Obviously, replied Adelaide with an amused smile. In the meantime, remember that it is not to him that I gave my hand and that it is not for him that I emigrated in enemy territory.

- Enemy territory... now that's a big word, Waver retorted, raising his hands to the sky before resuming with a falsely tragic air. Do you really think that we are the perfidious Albion they describe across the Channel?

- If the English were all like Robert, I would think so. Fortunately, they are not. More seriously. If the Grail seems to originate in France, we'll have to go there. It would be safer to put some distance between the Academy and us for the sake of the students, and we could go and see what's going on there. Paris will be an obligatory passage, she answered.

- If it is necessary, resigned her fiancé with a weary sigh.

- Well, that's fine, you'll be able to patch things up by sleeping all three together. There's nothing better for rekindling a friendship, Gilgamesh commented with assurance.

Iskandar burst into a thunderous laugh before adding, putting his glass on the table with vivacity.

- I'd pay good money to see that!

- Over my dead body, Waver replied in a sour tone before passing an arm around Adelaide's shoulders who seemed to have a lot of difficulty not to let escape a burst of laughter.

- Well, since we all agree, we'll have to plan our trip to the land of my ancestors! I'll suggest we spend a few days at my parents' house in the Southwest to practice our team fighting skills and to get some information before we head to the capital. Any questions? Adelaide asked again to bring them back to the main topic of their discussion.

- Will there be video games? Archer and Rider asked simultaneously.

- My brother Thomas left some on site, Adelaide replied. Anything else?

- Are we taking the Iron Bird or are we going by boat?" asked Gilgamesh.

- It depends on the schedule, but I think it will be by plane and/or train. Waver?

- I can confirm that these are the means of transportation that we'll prefer. These are the ones we can book the earliest for four people," confirmed the magician.

- Do you have any vacation days left on your balance sheet, by the way? I will check mine, but I still have two or three weeks of head, if one does not stick me a sick leave to residence, says Adélaïde.

- Don't worry, I have more than enough.

The end of the meal passed in a good child spirit, more relaxed. Adelaide was already thinking about how to organize their stay and the mage's things she could take with her. In particular, she would have to take with her a precious grimoire that could be very useful. The French mage envied the apparent carefree attitude of their Servants towards the situation. It was hard for her not to think of the devastation that these mage wars could bring.

It was quiet in the living room a few hours later. The two Servants were well rested and had gone back to the virtual world to wage war, while their Masters were enjoying some well-deserved relaxation, which would become increasingly rare and precious during the coming conflict.

Adelaide's keen ear could hear their clamor and the sound of the Wii U from the stairs leading upstairs, but it didn't bother her too much. Too much silence made her a little tense from Iraq, reminding her unpleasantly of the burial of the mausoleum of Uruk.

The archaeologist and the director of the Academy of Magic were sitting quietly on the sofa, side by side. As was their routine habit, Waver was consulting a thick file-either from the Academy, the Council of Mages, or her in-laws, she didn't know and didn't want to know-which he was reading carefully. To his left, Adelaide was reclining on the longer side of the corner convertible sofa, perusing the proceedings of one of the recent colloquia on archaeology, the history of ancient mage civilizations, and art history that had arrived in her absence.

Her thoughts were far removed from his reading, however, bent on the lunchtime exchanges.

- Gilgamesh seems very different from the one I knew.

Placing his file on the vacant seat of the sofa to his right, he slipped his fingers into Adelaide's free hand. Perceiving the seriousness of his tone, the professor closed her colloquial proceedings and pushed them further back on the dresser overloaded with documents and books with her remaining hand, before straightening up to sit cross-legged and turning her attention to him.

- I made the same observation to myself in Uruk. His character is much more composed than I thought.

- I can confirm that it has nothing to do with the adult version.

- After that he kept his temper. It's like the eddies behind the surface of the water. He's more settled, more open and more... curious, I think that's the word. Very curious.

- Let's hope his curiosity outweighs his upcoming violent tendencies. If anything, he's just a good kid gone bad.

- You know, if the older versions of the Epic are to be believed...

- Tell me, I don't have your in-depth knowledge of his story.

Adelaide crossed her arms over her chest, looking deeply pensive. When she spoke again, the archaeologist's voice was very serious.

- There are several phases in his legend. The Archer that you seem to know corresponds to the hero who left in search of immortality, perhaps after the death of Enkidu caused by Ishtar. From what I know, before being known as a tyrant he was a beloved king as a child. It is after his return from his unsuccessful quest for immortality that the versions diverge according to the texts.

- Don't you have an illustrated or film version?" asked Waver.

- I don't recommend them because they are too unreliable. I have bilingual translations of the various manuscripts. In particular, I recommend the reading based on the Sumerian manuscript once kept in Baghdad.

- And you have a copy I suppose?

- A translation that an Iraqi colleague was kind enough to send me for my thesis.

- Could I ask Dorian for a shorter version? He's very good at summarizing.

- No need, I can do that for you tomorrow. All in all, I have the impression that I am dealing more with the "Wise King" retained by the Eastern tradition than with the tyrant known by the Westerners.

- Perhaps the conditions of the invocation had some influence.

- It is possible, but I cannot confirm it. I will conduct my own research on the way.

- We'll discuss it again then. At least I'm glad you summoned the less psychopathic version. If you trust him, I trust him. That being said, I'm keeping an eye on the little cherub, in case he has more than one trick up his sleeve.

- I am not naive though. I'll be vigilant and I'll look into it. The fact remains that I am indebted to him. I have many faults, but I know how to recognize the services I have been given.

- Oh, I know you're not an ingrate, but let's be careful, shall we?

- I'm counting on you to reason with me if it turns out that I was wrong.

- You are often right, but a mistake could be fatal in this case.

Adelaide was well aware of this. If the servant that she had invoked turned against them, if he was indeed the one that Waver feared he could be, the archaeologist could very well lose his reason and at best his skin. The chilling account that her husband had given her of the end of Archer's Master's degree during the Grail War in which he had participated was explicit on the subject.

She would keep these precedents in mind, but they would not impose themselves on her personal judgment.

As the teacher pondered these words, she saw Waver lean in to place a brief kiss on her cheek before allowing a small smile to light up her features.

- If anything happens to us, it will be your fault.

- Permission to borrow some books from your office on the subject?

- Sure. You can start with Two Centuries of the Grail Wars by Takeshi Tohsaka, dear Rin's great-grandfather.

With that, he got up from the sofa and left the room with a quiet step. Adelaide stood up in turn, before going upstairs, her usual brisk pace a little slowed down by her slightly sprained knee. Before anything else, she needed to gain more knowledge about the subject. Spiritual and physical strength, power was an important value, but in her eyes less than knowledge.

She had too little time to prepare herself for the conflicts that were to come.

She was going to put it to use.