Something's wrong with how I'm watching anime.

Unlike orthodox magicians who abandon humanity and pursue only the root of all evil, Paracelsus places great importance on human emotions.

Furthermore, he has a particular trait: he enjoys teaching others.

He will respond to anyone who is willing to seek knowledge.

Even if those seeking knowledge from him are not ordinary people from the other world, he will generously bestow upon them the mysterious mysteries.

It was precisely because of this act of revealing mystery and diminishing its mystique that Paracelsus offended a whole host of magicians.

Kazama bowed to Paracelsus.

That was the etiquette students performed towards their teachers in the 16th century.

Paracelsus did not refuse, and returned the greeting with normal courtesy.

Kazama turned around and looked at Fujimura Taiga, whose attention was now completely drawn to Paracelsus in the magic circle.

His wide eyes were filled with curiosity about the unknown.

Kazama moved closer to Fujimura Taiga and coughed, which brought Tiger back to his senses.

But by this time, Kazama had already untied the ropes binding Fujimura Taiga.

As she regained her freedom, Kazama placed a voucher for a barbecue restaurant in her hand.

"Now I will fulfill my promise and set you free."

"And then, this is your compensation."

Fujimura Taiga stared blankly at the paper coupon in his hand for a moment, then his whole body went ballistic.

"Kazama, is this the barbecue you promised to treat me to?!"

Tiger roared and threw a straight punch at Kazama's face.

But Kazama didn't dodge; instead, he just stood there.

He knew someone would help him stop the tiger's fist.

Sure enough, just before Fujimura Taiga's fist reached Kazama's face, just millimeters away from touching Kazama's nose, the fist suddenly stopped.

After activating the magic circuit, Kazama easily observed the traces of magic flow.

The dim yellow light enveloped Fujimura Taiga, fixing her in place.

'Earth element...gravity?'

Kazama looked thoughtfully at Paracelsus, who was raising his hand.

"master".

Paracelsus spoke.

"This girl is an ordinary person."

Although Paracelsus didn't say it directly, Kazama knew very well that he was asking him whether Fujimura Taiga was a participant in the Holy Grail War.

Kazama shook his head:

"She was just dragged into this by accident."

Kazama's gaze returned to Fujimura Taiga. The girl was struggling desperately, and even though her body wasn't moving, Kazama could still tell what Fujimura Taiga was doing from her eyes.

"Ordinary people getting involved in mysterious fields are prone to accidents and misfortunes..."

"Caster, please erase the memories of these three days from this lucky person's mind."

While the aura of luck is powerful, it also has its downsides. The price of a tiger's good fortune lies in its susceptibility to getting involved in all sorts of strange and unexpected events.

An accident is the last thing Kazama wants to encounter.

"Ah."

Paracelsus nodded slightly in response to Kazama's words.

Hypnosis is a skill that any professional magician needs to master.

It is generally used when someone accidentally intervenes in the inner world and encounters a mysterious ordinary person, thereby concealing the mystery from being revealed.

.............

After leaving the abandoned industrial area, Kazama dropped Fujimura Taiga off at the police station in the next district. He watched as the police officers came out and took Fujimura Taiga inside before turning and leaving.

Paracelsus was following behind him in a spiritized form.

Upon entering a park, Kazama sat down on a bench.

"To make a long story short, Caster."

"My name is 'Kazama'."

Kazama said his name in Chinese, but the Holy Grail imparts basic knowledge to Heroic Spirits, so Paracelsus understood him perfectly.

"Then there's the purpose of participating in this Holy Grail War ritual..."

Paracelsus listened attentively until Kazama spoke next, at which point his expression changed slightly.

“But I didn’t come for that so-called omnipotent wish-granting machine…or rather, my wish was already fulfilled after I successfully summoned you.”

"My only goal is knowledge; the honor of winning this ceremony is not what I seek."

“I hope to receive your guidance during this time of the ceremony, rather than wasting time on a Holy Grail that has been tainted and distorted.”

"And then there's your wish..."

Kazama said to Paracelsus beside him.

"The spirits of the fallen respond to the call and descend into the material world to fulfill the wishes they could not fulfill in their previous lives."

“I know what your wish is, or rather, it is the pursuit of all magicians in this world—to reach the source.”

"But I regret to inform you that if you are trying to achieve this wish through this ceremony, it is destined to be impossible."

Chapter 108 Group C's Inherent Synergy Bonus

The Holy Grail War may seem grand and impressive, but in essence it is a ritual full of deception.

Deception between the initiator and the participants.

The claim that the seven men and seven riders fairly competed for victory is completely unfounded.

Aside from the three main families, the other four were simply brought in to make up the numbers.

There's an ancient agreement among the three starter families that they'll join forces to eliminate outsiders at the beginning of the ritual. Of course, whether this agreement will still be effective after the last Holy Grail War, when the three starter families turned against each other and the Einzbern family secretly cheated, remains to be seen.

Aside from the competition format, the Holy Grail is also a lie in its very nature.

The publicly disclosed understanding of the Holy Grail, including that of the Tohsaka family, one of the three founding families, is limited to the concept of an 'omnipotent wish-granting machine'.

It is impossible to enter the source by making a wish.

The Holy Grail War's path to the Root was not through the Grail's immense magical power, but through the opening made when the Seven Knights returned to Valhalla, leading to the outside world and the Root.

“It is indeed possible to go to the Root through the Holy Grail.”

"The premise is that all seven riders must return to the Throne of Heroes."

"In other words, you have no part in the realization of this wish."

“Each Master will leave behind a final Command Seal.”

"How to use that Command Seal is something that all participants in the Holy Grail War know perfectly well."

Kazama looked at the bright red tattoo on the back of his hand and spoke slowly.

Paracelsus sighed.

Although he was an outlier among magicians, he was still one of them, and he knew what it meant to be called a magician.

After Kazama's prompting, he instantly understood what the last Command Seal was for.

Kazama observed Paracelsus's expression.

In addition to compatibility, the relationship between a Servant and their Master also requires them to share the same goals.

Kazama's goal was not to win the Holy Grail. In order to achieve a unified goal, he directly told Paracelsus the secrets of these Holy Grail Wars that only Zouken Matou and the head of the Einzbern family knew.

Of course, simply telling the other person that their wish will not come true is not enough.

Everything needs a reason. Kazama's reason for participating in the Holy Grail War was to gain knowledge, so Paracelsus also needed a reason to participate.

"Although your wish cannot be fulfilled through the final prize, perhaps it can be achieved through the ceremony itself."

Kazama added, "I know the details of your wish—"

"Is it to verify that [Starlight]?"

"Ok?"

It was only then that Paracelsus was truly surprised.

That was a wish he kept buried deep in his heart, never told to anyone but himself. Not even his closest disciples or best friends.

"You can create the Philosopher's Stone, which is essentially a substance called ether, a material that only existed in the age of gods."

"When the five elements come together, they can manifest true ether, which is the prototype of the legendary starlight."

"You want to know what the real starlight looks like, and whether it is light that shines from the source."

Your wish is to verify whether this theory is correct.

Kazama remarked with a sigh:

"What a unique wish."

"At a time when other magicians make the path to the source their entire life."

"Everything about others is just a validation tool in your eyes."

"You don't care about the root cause; all you value is what truly belongs to you."

"Your magnanimity and demeanor are admirable."

"If you wish to witness the light of the stars, you can absolutely achieve that goal during this ceremony."

"The Holy Sword of Stars..."