Or, why don’t you find another savior?

"Anyway, let's do this for now. I'll call home in London tomorrow morning." Shiomi put down his cutlery. He had already finished eating. "After all, we have guests coming to stay. Let Sakura and Kallen help prepare the guest room a little bit, so we don't have to rush around tomorrow."

Chapter 23 Grey's New Arrival

For Gray, being stared at in the village was a common occurrence.

But the people in the village paid attention to Grey because of her changed appearance, a face that was exactly the same as the legendary King Arthur.

But now it was different. She was approached by two girls of the same age as her and they were staring at her. Although it was also because of her looks, the reason was even more unreasonable.

"Are they similar?" Silver-haired Kallen examined them carefully.

"Similar, very similar." Black-haired Sakura nodded slightly.

On the way from Wales to London, Professor El-Melloi II, at Shiomi's request, gave Gray a brief introduction to the common sense of the magician society.

There are many magicians with peculiar ways of thinking, and their ways of dealing with things are often very different from those of ordinary people. People like Shiomi and Nishi, who travel with Gray, should be classified as one of the rare ones.

Therefore, Gray did not expect that the two daughters mentioned by Shiomi would stare at her like this as soon as they met. She almost couldn't resist the urge to pull up the hood of her cloak.

"Okay, stop staring at people's faces. It's very rude." Shiomi, who was sitting on the other end of the sofa, said to the two of them.

The two were obviously very receptive to advice. Shiomi only said one sentence and they left Gray.

When Sakura sat back down, she helped Gray pull up her hood.

"Eh?" Gray looked at Sakura in confusion.

"You're not used to having your face seen, are you?" Sakura smiled gently.

Without any explanation, he discovered Grey's concerns, and this small gesture won Grey's initial trust.

"So where exactly is Miss Grey from?" Karen moved to Morgan's side and looked at her drinking tea. "She looks exactly like mother. Could she be the illegitimate daughter you left outside?"

Morgan was unmoved, but Shiomi was almost scalded by the tea because of Kallen's words.

"What a mess! How did you come to this conclusion?" Xi Jian wiped his mouth and asked unhappily, "After all, you still want to pretend to know nothing?"

"It's hard to say. Although Dad says he's under 30, no one knows his real age." Ying puffed out her chest and analyzed in a serious manner, "So there's no way to rule out this possibility."

Each one of them spoke a word, as if trying to suppress the fact that Gray was Morgan's illegitimate daughter that he had secretly had with Shiomi in the past.

But strangely, Grey understood that they were joking and no one took it seriously at all.

Although they are parent and child, they are surprisingly not restrained or concerned.

"You're right." Shiomi gave up struggling, which meant defeat for this sentence.

Ying placed the prepared cake in front of Gray and motioned for her to eat with her. "You will live here from today on. You will be considered a member of this place."

"It's always just Sakura and I, and sometimes it gets boring at home." Kallen huddled back on the sofa, her dangling feet swaying slightly, "But I didn't expect that there are still people in this era who want to revive the heroes of the Age of Gods. You're pretty unfortunate."

Gray shook her head and explained in a low voice: "Well... Actually, I don't feel unfortunate. It's just that since this face changed, the people and things around me have changed... Many times, I feel a little lonely."

"Hehehe! Gray has made friends, how arrogant! If there's an opportunity, I can join in! Although the box has no gender, whichever one is more beneficial at the moment will do! Whether it's a pajama party or a swimsuit shopping event, I will attend. It would be even better if you could find some beauties who suit my taste--"

Then, Yad's sharp voice broke the peaceful atmosphere in the living room.

Gray hurriedly picked up the cage on the table and shook it vigorously, and then Yade let out a scream like a bug being crushed.

However, the usual teaching was interrupted halfway because Sakura reached out her hand deftly, took the cage from Gray's hand naturally, and looked at Yade who was seeing stars.

"Is this the anchor that holds the world together, the shadow of the Holy Lance Longominyad?" Sakura examined it carefully. "But it looks like a replica made of something. It can only be used as a weapon."

Kallen ate the cream on the cake, feeling the sickly sweet taste, "It's a replica of the 'Reasoning of Principle' from the Atlas Institute."

"From what the dean said, it should be." Shiomi shrugged. "It is a copy of the personality of Sir Kay, the elder brother of King Arthur, among the Knights of the Round Table. The reason seems to be that he is the only Knight of the Round Table who is not interested in military exploits or mysteries."

Ying showed a somewhat embarrassed expression: "The legendary Knights of the Round Table are actually such frivolous people?"

She still remembered the only time she met the Knight King at home in the winter nine years ago.

In her impression, she was just a heroic big sister, and she fit the aura of the Knight King in the story. But if all the Knights of the Round Table under her command were this kind of people... Sakura couldn't help but feel a little disillusioned.

After all, she had heard her father tell her bedtime stories about the legend of King Arthur many times.

"It's just a simulated personality." Morgan told Sakura at this time, "Knight Kai's real personality should still be sleeping in this box. If no special method is used, or if there is an unexpected situation, it will generally not emerge."

Gray then recalled what had happened that evening in the hunter's cabin.

With just a little contact, Morgan had a brief conversation with the true personality sleeping inside Yade.

"Although it can't be used as a holy relic, it has the power of a Noble Phantasm." Morgan commented with a smile, "If it releases its true form to attack, even I will have to take it seriously."

Of course, it all depends on the extent to which Yad's power is liberated.

"Holy relic..." Xijian whispered to himself.

Sakura hasn't told him about her idea yet, and Morgan is probably the only one who knows about it, so let's not rush to ask, Shiomi thought to herself.

"Is that so? Then you must cherish it." Sakura returned Yad to Gray without any intention of coveting the power of this weapon.

Her action earned Morgan a subtle look of approval.

"Ying, if you have nothing to do after this, come to the study." At this time, Shiomi put down the teacup, "I have something to tell you."

Sakura was stunned for a moment, a little unresponsive, but still nodded and agreed, "Then I'll come over later and show Gray her room first."

"Don't worry, take care of things here first." Morgan gave Sakura a reassuring look.

Xi Jian couldn't help but smile, "I didn't say I'd come right away. I'll wait for you in the study. Let's settle Gray first."

"It was prepared according to that standard." Sakura clenched her fists and showed off excitedly, "Kallen and I have been busy all morning!"

Gray became more and more embarrassed and buried her head even lower.

"...I'm really sorry to bother you all..."

Chapter 24 Sakura's Wish

An hour later, in the study.

"Have you found a suitable relic?"

Sakura had just sat down when Shiomi asked from behind the desk.

Apparently, Dad has learned about Sakura's participation in the Holy Grail War, and wants to have a serious talk with her.

"No, not yet." Sakura shook her head in embarrassment. "Considering the situation of the Fourth Holy Grail War that my father mentioned before, apart from mother, there are several servants who are super-standard servants. It is not easy to prepare the appropriate relics."

The Knight King Altria. The Conqueror King Iskandar. The Hero King Gilgamesh.

Putting aside these three, if we look at it more rationally, the remaining three servants are not bad either.

Including Hassan of a hundred appearances.

For a camp that focuses on gathering intelligence, the ability of one Servant to serve as dozens of Servants to conduct intelligence gathering, combined with aura concealment, can already be considered an exceptional level.

Diarmuid himself is also a top-notch Servant. If he is summoned with the Saber class, he should be even stronger with the Great Wrath Sword and the Micro Wrath Sword.

As for Gilles de Ray's treasure, it can even function independently as a magic furnace. If it is not a one-on-many situation, but a one-on-one situation, it can also cause considerable trouble to the opponent.

Therefore, although Sakura had plans to participate in the Fifth Holy Grail War, the matter of the holy relic had not yet been determined.

After all, Dad hadn't prepared any relics at all, and was planning to summon the Berserker with the best compatibility, but he ended up finding a wife for himself and a mother for her and Kallen...

It sounds outrageous, and if you think about it carefully...it's even more outrageous.

"Really? Then we have to hurry up." Shiomi looked at Sakura, "I won't object to this matter, as long as it is out of your own will. As a magician, you are certainly qualified to pursue the Holy Grail."

"…Dad agreed…"

Sakura was so surprised that her mouth couldn't close. Although she knew that her father was open-minded, the Holy Grail War did not leave an easy memory for her father.

This immediately made her feel more at ease. Ying smiled sheepishly, knowing that she could now talk to her father about this matter with a calm mind.

The reason why I didn't say it before was because I was afraid of opposition from Xi Jian.

"But there is some bad news about the participants in the Holy Grail War." Shiomi continued, "The Clock Tower is different from the last time. This time there are two seats. One of the seats has been confirmed."

"Dad's information is so timely." Ying immediately perked up and listened carefully to what Shiomi said.

Shiomi shook his head and smiled, "The seat decided is for the monarch of the astronomy department, Marisbili Animusphia."

"...It's the astronomy department?" Sakura was slightly surprised.

The last Clock Tower Lord to participate in the Holy Grail War was the previous El-Melloi, who was proficient in both subjects, but he was facing off against his father, and the struggle between the Democrats and the Aristocrats was involved, so he was basically doomed to die.

The monarch of the Astronomy Department also belongs to the aristocratic faction, but according to the information obtained by Shiomi, that faction is not very interested in political struggles.

Marisbury rarely appeared at important events in the Clock Tower, and his daughter Olga Marie Animusphia was responsible for these affairs.

So it can be said that Sakura knows little about the opponent she is about to meet.

"In my opinion, if there is only one spot left, Sakura must first find a way to get it." Shiomi supported his chin with one hand and calmly helped Sakura analyze the situation. "But currently, all parties who know about the Holy Grail War are planning to fight for the remaining spot. In addition to El-Melloi II, the branch of the Spirit Advent Department, the Sophiali family, is also vying for it. In addition, some senior officials have proposed to send designated executors of the seal to go."

The implication is that Sakura may have to choose to return to Fuyuki secretly in advance, waiting to be summoned by the Holy Grail and be given the Command Spell.

After all, even if we remove the seats sent by the original three great families and the Magic Association, there are still two remaining vacancies.

That kind of position is usually reserved for magicians in the wild. They have no support and no background, and cannot prepare good relics. In the end, they will most likely become cannon fodder in the Holy Grail War.

——This was also the secret plan of the three great families who established the Holy Grail War ceremony in the beginning.

But the advantage is that the identity is secret, and the opponent's origin can only be determined after the war begins.

"Don't worry about the quota. I already have a good idea." Ying said confidently, holding her hands.

Xijian was a little curious, but she refrained from asking any more questions, so as not to accidentally reveal the secret: "Then the remaining thing is the holy relic. I will use my connections in the Clock Tower and do my best to help you search for the right holy relic."

"...Can't you, mother, help me?" Sakura suddenly asked.

"If you think so, you can use her as a hidden force and let her appear after the middle stage of the Holy Grail War to help you eliminate your opponents." Xi Jian chuckled and didn't think the suggestion was inappropriate.

“No, no, no, I was just joking!” Sakura waved her hands quickly, “If that’s the case, there’s no point in me participating in the Holy Grail War… I can’t let Mother worry about this.”

"Your wish..." Xi Jian didn't know about this and wanted to ask, but after saying it, he denied it, "Forget it, I won't ask. This kind of thing is very personal. You are already sixteen years old. If you were in an ordinary school, you would be a high school student. I should give you some personal space."

Sakura thought for a moment and shook her head: "No, I can actually tell you. It's just a very humble wish that can only be fulfilled with the help of the Holy Grail."

Hearing Sakura say this, Shiomi signaled with her eyes for Sakura to continue.

"I hope... that the Holy Grail can give my mother real life. Instead of her remaining in this world as a demon forever." Sakura looked into Shiomi's eyes and expressed this trivial yet heartfelt wish sincerely.

Xijian Tianxi was shocked by Ying's simple wish and he was speechless for a long time.

"Besides, you are very talented in magic. As a magician, you have already reached the top level." So, Shiomi decided not to express his opinion, but to talk about something else, "But, you should understand what it means to participate in the Holy Grail War. The next head of the Tosaka family will definitely participate..."

At that time, Sakura will definitely have to fight with her biological sister Rin. Even if they can form an alliance in the early stage, they will have to turn their swords against each other when only they are left.

"I have this awareness." Sakura placed her hand on her chest and said in a low voice, "If it is not necessary, I will not risk my life. I think Tousaka-senpai will do the same."

"It couldn't be better."

Even so, after hearing this, Shiomi still felt mixed emotions and could only say this.

Kingdom of Shadows Interlude 1: Flesh and Blood ()

Once many things become a habit, it will become very uncomfortable to stop.

Even though it was training hell.

So when Xi Jian Tianxi found that he couldn't find his master near the usual training ground, he thought he could take the opportunity to slack off, but he was unexpectedly bored after he had some free time.

This is the land of the dead, there is nothing worth entertaining.

There are no records, no books, no objects.

In fact, if he doesn't train, there won't even be anyone he can talk to.

After sitting on the castle wall and staring at the endless wasteland and mountains for a long time, Shiomi finally felt bored, so he got up to look for his master.

That being said, the castle is huge, but there's really not much to explore.

Sense the magic here a little and find where the master is.

It was a garden.

Or maybe garden would be more appropriate.

Ever since Shiomi planted the first tree, a corner of the castle was gradually turned into a garden by him. Except for the only tree, the rest were trees that could not bear fruit.

The reason is not complicated. Scathach advised Shiomi not to cultivate too many fruit-bearing trees.