FATE: Target of Grand Master

"So, Master, what's our next step?"

Xia Yan didn't rush to make a decision. Just to be on the safe side, he first asked Cú Chulainn about what he had done before.

Cú Chulainn then recounted the entire process from the battle at the school to the evacuation from Emiya's residence.

As Xia Yan listened to Cú Chulainn's report, he compared it with the plot he already knew.

So far, it remains consistent with the original work.

This put Xia Yan at ease.

Then, Xia Yan mentally recalled what would happen later that night.

Rin Tohsaka will take Shirou to the Fuyuki Church to see Kirei Kotomine. Even though Kirei Kotomine discovers that his contract with Lancer has been broken, he doesn't have time to find out why.

After Shirou makes up his mind to participate in the Holy Grail War, they will meet Illya and Berserker at the church entrance.

At least Saber, Archer, and Berserker have full schedules tonight.

Caster is still focused on absorbing magic and won't leave Ryudouji Temple. The old gatekeeper can't move either. Even Hassan of the Cursed Arm from the Heaven's Feel route won't be summoned by the old bug until tomorrow night.

So, the only one who's free tonight is Rider.

Perfect timing! Xia Yan has always disliked Shinji, that seaweed-headed guy, so he might as well make him leave the stage early.

"Let's go to Homurahara Academy."

"School?"

Cú Chulainn immediately understood Xia Yan's intention.

"Master, are you going to find the guy who set up the school's protective barrier?"

"That's right. After all, that's where I work every day. I can't stand being in that uncomfortable barrier all day."

Cú Chulainn suddenly burst into laughter: "Hahahaha. I never imagined that Master would choose the first enemy just to improve your working conditions. You're a true model of a working-class person."

Xia Yan rolled his eyes at Cú Chulainn and immediately urged, "Stop talking nonsense and let's go."

Now that Xia Yan had made his decision, Cú Chulainn didn't waste any more words and dragged Xia Yan through the buildings.

It must be said that the Cú Chulainn vehicle was very efficient, and the two quickly arrived at their destination.

However, it is still not recommended for ordinary people to ride.

Seeing Xia Yan lying on the ground, clearly uncomfortable, Cú Chulainn gloated, "Master, your physical fitness still needs improvement."

Xia Yan had not yet recovered from her motion sickness and had no strength to retort.

Suddenly, Cú Chulainn looked around, clearly sensing the unusual magical energy in the area.

"Master, the barrier has become stronger again."

As Xia Yan gradually recovered, he wiped his mouth and nodded, which was within his expectations.

"Wait me a moment."

Xia Yan had already stood up, ran to a water dispenser, splashed water on his face, and gulped down several mouthfuls of water.

The cool touch completely relieved the summer heat.

"Lancer, if I say I'll leave after destroying the barrier, will you be disappointed?" Xia Yan asked.

"I wouldn't call it disappointment, but it would definitely be more exciting to fight the master of the barrier."

Faced with Cú Chulainn's battle-ready reply, Xia Yan laughed and said, "I'll grant your wish. After destroying the barrier's base point, we'll wait here for its master to appear."

huh~

Cú Chulainn whistled.

"Master, you have much more backbone than that Kotomine guy."

"But I'm not as good at fighting as Yan Feng, so you'll have to protect me then."

Cú Chulainn was amused by Xia Yan's frankness and increasingly felt that his choice to switch allegiance was a wise one.

"Haha, no problem, I'll get started then."

With his smile fading, Cú Chulainn flicked his finger, and a row of runes appeared in mid-air.

Then, each character of the rune flew off in a different direction.

"One, two, three... There are twelve base points in total. I have destroyed them all, and I deliberately made a big commotion so that the owner of the barrier can definitely sense it."

This was Xia Yan's first time seeing real rune magic, and he had to admit, it was a really convenient technique.

Before Medusa arrived, Xia Yan told Cú Chulainn about his next plan.

"Lancer, don't rush to kill her Servant. I still have something to say to her."

"Master, you're not trying to persuade them to surrender again, are you? Even if their Servant is willing to serve you, your body has to be able to handle it."

Seeing Cú Chulainn's wicked grin, Xia Yan rolled his eyes at him again.

"Hey, Lancer, don't use such misleading language. Of course I know that with my magical abilities, I'm already nearing my limit just supplying you with magic. What I need to do is something I can't explain to you in a short time. In short, you just need to know that this is an important matter that will affect the course of the Holy Grail War."

Seeing that Xia Yan wasn't joking, Cú Chulainn also abandoned his cynical attitude.

"Okay, I'll do as you say."

While waiting for the enemy to come, Xia Yan opened the Servant panel and checked Cú Chulainn's stats.

[Servant Panel]

Real name: Cú Chulainn

Job Rank: Lancer

[Strength: B]

Durability: C

Agility: A

【Magic Power: C】

Luck: E

[Noble Phantasm: B]

It seems that with the improvement of his magical skills, Xia Yan's stats are no longer a drag on the Servant's performance. Of course, it didn't have the effect of exceeding expectations.

That alone made Xia Yan happy enough.

As night deepened, Xia Yan and Cú Chulainn, master and servant, sat silently in the corridor of the teaching building, letting time pass by.

Suddenly, a whooshing sound came, and a short sword with a chain attached rushed towards Xia Yan.

Xia Yan remained motionless, showing no intention of dodging, because he believed that Cú Chulainn would take the hit for him.

This is true.

Cú Chulainn used the tip of his red spear to deflect the short sword, then used the shaft of the spear to wrap around the chain. With a strong pull, the chain was taut, dragging the Servant holding the other end out of the dark corridor.

Medusa, with her purple hair reaching the ground and dressed in a black leather jacket, leather pants, and black over-the-knee boots, appeared in Xia Yan's field of vision.

A young man with blue seaweed-like hair said in a very smug tone, "Isn't this our school's new student teacher? Let me think... Ah, sorry. It's not very important, so I really don't remember your name. But I was careless; I didn't even realize that someone coming to Fuyuki at this time of year seems very much like a Master."

The speaker was none other than Matou Shinji, who always holds a top-two spot on the Sakura fan assassination list. Incidentally, the other person on the list is none other than the old bug, Matou Ryouken.

As for which of the two comes first, it's really hard to tell, so to avoid the hassle, just eliminate them both.

"I remember you're Shinji Matou from Class C in the second year, right? Did you set up the barrier in the school?"

In Xia Yan's eyes, the worst thing was that Shinji wouldn't come tonight. Since he did come, he was practically a dead man.

In the long night, Xia Yan didn't mind teasing this guy first.

"That's right. You're causing trouble in the middle of the night, are you deliberately trying to antagonize the Matou family?"

Shinji Matou regarded Xia Yan as an unknown wandering magician, so he first invoked the name of the Matou family in an attempt to scare him.

I do have some communication skills, but unfortunately, they're useless to me.

Xia Yan deliberately put on an even more arrogant expression.

"What's so special about the Matou family?"

Shinji was taken aback, then burst into laughter in anger.

"Where did this country bumpkin magician come from, daring to disregard even the Matou family, a renowned magic clan in this area? Rider, kill his servant, then cut off his limbs. Remember to spare his life; I want him to remember the Matou family well."

Although he spoke with great force, Shinji still retreated behind Medusa as he spoke.

"Lancer, let me see what you're capable of."

Xia Yan also issued the order.

"Then you'd better keep your eyes open, Master."

Cú Chulainn held his guns in both hands, ready for battle.