> "Fifty-one magic circuits? A genius!"
The middle-aged man's eyes gleamed with excitement as he spoke in a low, intense voice.
Little did he know—Emiya Shirou had originally only possessed twenty-seven magic circuits. But after fusing with the Lesser Grail, his body had been completely restructured by the overwhelming mana it released. Now, magic circuits covered almost his entire body.
Those fifty-one circuits were what he had intentionally revealed—part of his plan.
Cydra Nazele Yorifis knew this wasn't a place they could linger. Other mages had already started converging on the area.
With one hand, he lifted Shirou and headed downstairs.
There, Shirou saw his parents collapsed on the floor, unconscious. Cydra didn't even glance at them as they left the house.
> "That boy… seems quite promising."
A hunched, bony figure emerged from the shadows—a frail old man whose skin clung tightly to his skeleton, as if a gust of wind could blow him away.
Shirou's pupils narrowed—so slightly it went unnoticed.
He recognized that disgusting old man instantly.
Zōken Matou.
To think he'd run into Zōken here… That meant the other mage families in Fuyuki were already watching from the shadows.
They hadn't made any moves yet—still waiting to assess the situation.
> "Zōken Matou, this boy is now under the protection of the Yorifis family."
Cydra Nazele Yorifis's voice was cold and detached.
Yorifis?
Shirou's heart skipped a beat.
He knew that name—the House of Yorifis, one of the Twelve Lords of the Clock Tower.
Their current head was Luviazetta Nazele Yorifis—a name not widely known, but anyone familiar with her would certainly know her disciple and would-be fiancé:
Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald, the future Master of Lancer in the Fourth Holy Grail War.
Kayneth, too, was the teacher of Waver Velvet.
> "That's a shame. But… did you discover anything?"
Zōken's voice rasped like sandpaper.
He was clearly referring to the massive mana surge from the previous night.
> "No. Whatever triggered it has already disappeared."
Cydra responded curtly, then carried Shirou away at a quick pace.
The burst of mana had been colossal, but it hadn't lasted long.
All the magi could determine was a general area—not the exact source or its nature.
---
Inside a luxurious black sedan, Cydra Nazele Yorifis sat at the wheel, driving.
> "Where are we going…?"
Shirou's voice trembled, feigning fear and confusion.
He had to act like this. In truth, he was perfectly calm.
From Cydra's exchange with Zōken, Shirou now understood one crucial thing:
They had no idea what really happened last night.
His secret was still safe.
By deliberately exposing fifty-one circuits, he had led the Yorifis magus to believe he was a once-in-a-lifetime magical prodigy.
This was all calculated.
If they discovered his entire body was practically laced with circuits, he'd be dissected without hesitation.
Even Illyasviel von Einzbern, a homunculus from a renowned magus lineage and a Lesser Grail herself, had only managed to achieve 70% body circuit coverage after countless modifications.
Shirou, however, could freely manipulate his internal state.
That's how he limited his visible circuits to just fifty-one.
For a child from an ordinary household to possess fifty-one magic circuits—that alone would qualify as a once-in-a-million genius.
> "Kid, do you want to become a magus?"
Cydra finally spoke, voice laced with arrogance.
To him, giving Shirou the honor of being trained as a magus by the House of Yorifis was a gift beyond measure.
As one of the Twelve Lords, Cydra was prideful to the extreme.
But in truth, Shirou had never been given a choice. He was taken—plain and simple.
> "A… magus?"
Shirou echoed dumbly, eyes blank.
But behind that vacant stare, his mind was already racing.
---
The Clock Tower, located on the outskirts of London, was the headquarters of the Mage's Association. And the Yorifis family… was one of its ruling bloodlines.
Cydra was likely bringing him there.
> Perfect.
At the Clock Tower, Shirou could study true magecraft, gain control over the chaotic power within him, and master his own circuits.
Once he learned to harness it… the Yorifis family would be nothing more than tools in his hands.
Puppets under his control.
But he was on a tight timeline. He couldn't afford to waste a second.
Sakura might be handed over to the Matou family any day now.
Before that happened, he had to gain control of his power.
If he couldn't… he had no chance of saving her.
But if he could?
Then even as a human—he could tear Heroic Spirits apart with his bare hands.
---
> "Kid, there's no need for you to understand so much right now. Just do as you're told. Got it?"
Cydra's tone shifted to one of command.
Shirou nodded obediently, feigning fear.
> You think you can order me around?
Fine. But one day, I'm going to make you pay for it.
---
On a massive ocean liner, Shirou shared a room with the middle-aged magus.
Cydra often left him alone for long periods, disappearing without explanation.
He assumed the six-year-old boy had no way of escaping the ship.
Cydra was in a great mood.
He had only come to Fuyuki for another matter, but stumbling across a prodigy like Shirou was a stroke of pure luck.
Once he brought the boy back to the family, the House of Yorifis would surely reward him handsomely.
Shirou, meanwhile, kept quiet, acting deeply interested in magecraft.
Cydra didn't bother teaching him anything. He didn't see the need.
---
One day, as usual, Cydra left the cabin.
Shirou cautiously opened Cydra's suitcase and found several grimoires—books on magic.
They were complex and difficult, but thanks to Shirou's sharp mind, he could mostly decipher their contents.
These books were invaluable to him.
Thanks to his heightened sensitivity to mana, he always restored the suitcase to its exact original state before Cydra returned.
Over the following days, Shirou kept experimenting.
He tried again and again to control his circuits, learning how to use magic properly.
As the Lesser Grail, his mana reserves were effectively infinite.
If he could just gain control…
Even at age seven, his power would be enough to turn the world upside down.