They've already fought their way through the Holy Grail War, and you still call them dragons?

Principal Ange persuaded him earnestly, "On this trip to Japan, you should come with me. Furthermore, with the Secret Party's background, finding a precious relic is a piece of cake. Just stay with me, Finger. The journey won't be as dangerous as you think."

"That's right," the Night Watchman waved his hand casually, as if discussing a picnic. "Don't be so scared. Since Ange is going with you and has prepared the best holy relics, why are you worried?"

"Vice-Principal, um... you see, I'm doing a great job in the News Department, and I'm also managing the Night Watch Forum properly for you," Finkel blinked and winked wildly at his mentor.

"...Can I quit this internship? Even if I have to be single from now on and stay in the academy, I can accept that!"

The night watchman exchanged a puzzled look with Ange, then turned and asked, "So what are you planning to do next year? Repeat your fifth year and then have your 'A-level' dropped a level?"

Finger's eyes lit up: "Is this really possible?"

"No!" Ange decisively rejected the master and apprentice's attempt to violate the school rules in front of the principal.

Chapter 173 Charlotte: What if I’m such a big Servant?

The Kuroishi Residence stood majestically atop a high cliff, a massive, pitch-black wall, like a throne overlooking Sagami Bay. Its silhouette loomed especially forbidding in the night, like a silent guardian gazing out at the tranquil sea beyond.

At the end of the Izu Peninsula, in the small coastal town of Atami, lies the Kuroishi Residence, nestled between the waves and the cliffs.

It was already dawn. A dim moonlight shone like a veil, casting a hazy silver glow over the weathered, ancient building. Like a warrior in armor, the Blackstone Residence stood quietly by the shimmering sea, guarding this sleepy town.

The elderly butler, Hiroshi Kimura, walked steadily up the stone steps in front of the official residence, carrying a dimly lit white paper lantern. The lantern's halo flickered in the night, illuminating the deep wrinkles on his face and the composure etched by time.

Just then, a stretched Lexus sedan slowly drove along the winding mountain road, its headlights piercing the night like a serpent of light, finally stopping in front of the official residence. The car door opened.

"Kimura Hiroshi, the butler of the Black Stone Residence, welcomes everyone!"

Kimura Hiroshi, who recognized the people, stood by the door and introduced himself to the guests who arrived at the mansion in a loud voice, with a hint of excitement in his tone. This excitement was not without reason -

After all, the mysterious owner rarely set foot in this mansion since it was bought three years ago. Instead, the owner's two cats regard this place as their own territory, chasing and playing here from time to time, and sometimes dropping a few cat hairs.

Besides the two cats, the only regular visitors to the mansion were him, the housekeeper, and a few maids who cleaned the house. Occasionally, a restoration company from Tokyo would come and trim the old cherry blossoms in the garden, repair the house with rocks from Kobe and wood from Hokkaido, and replace the old tatami mats.

As time went by, Kimura Hiroshi couldn't help but feel a little melancholy. He often worried that he would have to guard this empty mansion until he retired in his old age.

The owner had come once before. However, after unpacking her luggage for less than a cup of tea, she hurriedly boarded a private jet and flew to Tokyo. The most he heard the entire time was not the owner's questions, but the rustling of the private plane as it sailed away.

And now, there's no mistake! The owner has come with his friends, so he'll stay here for a while, right?

A glimmer of hope ignited in Kimura Hiroshi's heart, as if this long-silent mansion was finally about to usher in its spring.

Su Enxi, wearing a well-tailored suit and a light business suit, stepped out of the car gracefully. She took off her sunglasses and revealed a slightly surprised face.

"It's so late and someone is still awake," she said in a clear and calm voice. "Go get some pots of sake and tea. We need to go to the living room to discuss things."

"Understood. I'll have it ready for you and your friends right away."

Kimura Hiroshi bowed slightly, his tone respectful and quick.

He knew, of course, that the "we" the hostess was referring to was herself and her friends. His cloudy old eyes caught a fleeting glimpse of the tall woman stepping out of the passenger seat. She was dressed in a fashionable bodysuit, looking as if she had just stepped off the catwalk of a fashion show, her every move exuding a cool and elegant aura.

A pair of girls with long, light-haired faces, distinctly different from their local counterparts, emerged from the back seat. Their shared characteristics were aloof expressions and a distinguished demeanor, but the one with light-haired hair was petite, like a delicate doll, while the other, with silver hair, was wrapped in a full-body robe in the scorching heat, a look of puzzling conservatism.

Kimura Hiroshi had served as the butler of the Kuroishi Residence for decades. He had seen countless high-class guests brought by the previous owner, mostly female celebrities and fashion icons. However, the temperament of these guests before him was completely different. He secretly suspected that they might be members of a Western royal family.

As expected of the elusive current owner, the guests he brought with him were indeed of extraordinary status.

Su Enxi led her group into the hall. Within two minutes, Kimura Hiroshi arrived in a hurry, wine and teapot in hand. He was breathless, yet he maintained the professional demeanor of a butler. He gently set down the already poured wine glasses and tea sets, then bowed and excused himself, not forgetting to quietly close the door before leaving.

"Can you please let me take a look? What on earth is this thing that is worthy of the boss personally issuing an order to send a heroic spirit to retrieve it from the trench?"

Su Enxi took a sip of Kubota Manju sake from her glass, her gaze fixed on Anastasia, the dignified and delicate figure standing beside Ling. Who could have imagined that such a seemingly fragile woman could be a Heroic Warrior capable of such a difficult mission as salvaging the Abyss?

It turns out that you can't judge a servant by his appearance.

"Actually, it's the embryo from the wreckage of the Lenin at the bottom of the Abyss." Jude Mai pushed a black suitcase in front of Su Enxi. "After Zero's Servant helped salvage the sunken ship, I discovered the embryo was deformed when I boarded the ship. What we dug out was a core... I'm not sure if this thing can form a new embryo."

Su Enxi opened the suitcase, and white low-temperature steam immediately rose up. However, before she had time to observe it carefully, a hand suddenly appeared and reached into it, impatiently taking out the stainless steel cylinder soaked in liquid nitrogen at minus 200 degrees Celsius.

"Hello again, my dear pet."

The boss, Lu Mingze, wiped off the thick white frost on the surface of the steel cylinder with his hands, and the surface of the container suddenly revealed spider-web-like crisscrossing blood vessels.

It was obvious that the snake contained within was the first generation black snake that he was very familiar with. Without the assistance of this black snake, the plan to escape from Black Swan Harbor would probably not have been carried out so smoothly.

The trio was no longer surprised by their boss's elusive appearances, but Anastasia looked in surprise at Lu Mingze who suddenly appeared, took out the steel cylinder and revealed his true feelings. However, when she saw that her master did not react much, she put down the elf familiar "Wei" in her arms.

Lu Mingze put down the steel cylinder, then glanced at the elf doll on Anastasia's chest with a hint of realization, muttering softly, "Is this the 'Life Creation' of the Seven Kingdoms? Norton's alchemy skills have reached a new level..."

"So it's still okay?" Jude Mai turned her attention back to the cylinder. She had initially thought the core was doomed, but she hadn't expected it to recover so quickly, beginning to erode the surrounding area and spread out fine blood vessels.

"The first generation of species is certainly very resilient," Lu Mingze said thoughtfully, "but it's not completely safe either."

"More than a decade ago, someone sank it into the sea along with the Lenin as a blood sacrifice... At the bottom of that abyss, its fetal blood was squeezed out as a blood sacrifice for the resurrection of a more noble king."

Lu Mingze's voice suddenly deepened. "After such a long period of fetal blood sacrifice, it's expected to suffer from soul damage and amnesia. If it were a few years later, it might have chosen to force hatch in order to avoid a complete blood sacrifice. By then, the consequences would have been even more serious."

"But fortunately, the more noble one was coincidentally awakened not long ago and left Jiyuan." Lu Mingze patted the suitcase gently, "Now we have a chance to retrieve my old friend."

"But fortunately..." Su Enxi's hand trembled slightly as she held the wine glass. Did the boss just casually mention something horrible?

----

The next evening, the Emiya residence welcomed a new round of family dinner.

Under the warm yellow light, once the steaming delicacies are served on the table, the aroma immediately fills the entire Japanese-style room. Hand-rolled udon noodles are served with bonito broth and nori sheets, teriyaki chicken legs and grilled silverfish are shiny, and abalone bowls are cooked in clear soup with clear and reflective soup surfaces.

The happy faces of Emiya, Eri, and Natsumi were reflected.

Emiya was in a particularly good mood. Today, Minamoto no Chisei had been chosen by the Holy Grail, and while preparing the relics for the Heroic Spirit Summoning, he had taken Emiya on a tour of the family vaults. Emiya had also taken advantage of the tour to memorize the designs for a new batch of Noble Phantasms.

Xia Mi was equally overwhelmed with joy. After several days of investigation and selection, she had finally finalized the candidates for most of the Holy Grail War's Masters. Among these candidates, one possessed exceptional magical talent, perfectly matching Norton's description of the "Pseudo-Servant" experiment. This meant she was one step closer to being able to transform into Attila at any time and in any place.

Eri was also very happy, of course, she was just enjoying this rare moment as usual. Although she didn't know why everyone was acting like this, she was happy to see them all happy.

Emiya's eyes swept over the stack of project materials in Xia Mi's hand, and his brows raised slightly, "Are you planning to study late tonight?"

Xia Mi nodded, picked up a piece of fish and put it into her mouth, and said vaguely: "Work harder to catch up with the progress! Although the quality of this project is indeed..."

She deliberately dragged out her tone when she said this, "But we can still win by quantity!"

She waved her chopsticks, as if to encourage herself, muttering to herself... A rope saws through wood, and water drips through stone! Brave Xia Mi, don't be afraid of difficulties!

Emiya shook his head, thinking to himself that you are really more stubborn than the people in Tokyo.

"Why are you asking that?" Xia Mi suddenly changed the subject. "Could it be that Senior Brother has a team-building activity this evening?"

"Not really. I'm just meeting an old acquaintance. It's okay if you don't go," Emiya said, pulling out his phone and his eyes fell on a text message sent before evening. "But I might have to go out late at night."

The text message lay quietly on his phone screen. The words on it were brief and provocative: "Midnight, summoning night, traitor butler, come if you dare. Coordinates..."

Emiya stared at the message, his lips twitching slightly. He didn't even need to check the chat room to know it was Charlotte who had sent him the message after arriving in Japan. She had even casually boasted about her Master qualification.

This little sister is still as stylish as ever.

"Can I go too?" Just as the two were talking, Eiry, who was standing beside them, raised her notebook and suddenly interrupted.

----

The night saturated the sky like pouring ink, and iron-gray clouds obscured the heavens like the scales of a giant beast. In the middle of the night, in a deserted beech forest on the outskirts of the city, an alchemical array used for seditions emanated a faint glow of flowing mercury and blood.

Charlotte presented an ancient Chinese jade artifact as a holy relic, held out the back of her hand with the bright red stigmata mark, and muttered something.

"Full, full, full..."

Invisible cyclones gathered around her, and leaves fell without a breeze. Her lips uttered clearly, and the spell and the rhythm of magic symphonied together, "... Cross the Wheel of Suppression and appear! Guardian of the Scales!"

As the words fell, a shining golden light instantly surged out, and a majestic torrent of magic power exploded, condensing into a thick mist and rushing out in all directions. Charlotte subconsciously covered her eyes, and opened them again two seconds later, only to see that there was no one on the summoning circle.

Hmm? Where's her Servant?

Charlotte once again checked the Command Seal on the back of her hand. She had indeed summoned a Servant, but it was strange that it had disappeared... Could there have been a problem with the summoning? Impossible, absolutely impossible...

The girl's pupils darted around nervously, her fingertips dug deep into her palms, and as time went by, anxiety gradually appeared on her face.

As luck would have it, Emiya soon came over with Eri, who was joining in the fun. The latter was munching on a few hot ricotta cakes she bought from a night vendor, her cheeks bulging.

"Charlotte, you're really here. I heard you've obtained the qualification to be a Master in the Holy Grail War?

He glanced at the empty summoning circle, "So, you're planning on having me watch the Heroic Spirit summoning?"

Chapter 174 "Be Afraid, I'm Not Normal"

As soon as Emiya finished speaking, the air seemed to freeze in an instant, and fell into an awkward silence.

The only thing that echoed in my ears, apart from the subtle sound of the wind in the middle of the night, was the crisp sound of Eri chewing crepes beside me - the collision of red lips and white teeth with cheese slices and burnt crust seemed particularly clear in this quiet night.

"Charlotte?"

Thinking the other party hadn't heard, Emiya raised his voice slightly and asked again tentatively. He carefully studied this "online friend" whom he had never met before.

From the outside, she was indeed just as he had imagined. When she sent him the photo, Emiya had thought it had been beautified, but he hadn't expected the real person to be so similar to the photo.

Charlotte is relatively young, wearing a navy blue vest and blazer layered over a short skirt and a beret. Her Tweed Run-style outfit makes her look like a British little lady on an outing, but her petite figure makes her look more like a delicate doll.

Charlotte finally recovered from the shock of her suspected summoning failure when she heard Emiya's question. Her cheeks flushed red from the intense scrutiny of Emiya and Eri. "I heard it, I heard it! I'm busy, can you guys be a little patient?"

Her tone was filled with anger and shame, but also with a hint of guilt, as she was afraid that her embarrassing appearance would be exposed by the netizen she was meeting offline for the first time.

The air became quiet again, leaving only the rustling of the night wind through the treetops.

Charlotte stretched out a finger, trembling slightly with nervousness, and pointed at the empty summoning circle. The bright red Command Seal on the back of her hand and the empty spirit summoning circle seemed to silently mock her failure.

She carefully used the Command Spell to sense a void channel through which she devoured her magic power. There was no mistake. The summoning had just succeeded. Now she just hadn't found the Servant. It would only take a little extra time...

As luck would have it, Emiya next to him started interrupting again: "Hasn't that already revealed the Command Seals? In other words, you just performed a summoning, right?"

You bastard "God Killer", why did you say it out loud if you already knew it!

"So where's your Servant?"

I'm looking for it right now! Why are you in such a hurry?

"Your text message means you want to test your skills with me, right? So now you've spirited your Servant away, and are planning to fight me alone?"

Hey, hey, hey! You, who can kill the Dragon King head-on, want to fight me in a one-on-one duel? You have no shame!

Charlotte had a lot to say but ultimately couldn't express it, and it simply turned into complaints and grievances lingering in her heart. As she was still young, she could only be a "loudmouth king" on the Internet. Once she encountered a situation where she had to face real people in reality, she instantly fell silent.

Wait, spiritualization...myself...

Charlotte blinked, suddenly remembering something. Her lips moved slightly, and she whispered to the void, "Does directly possessing the Master conform to the rules of the Holy Grail War? Sima—"

Before she finished speaking, a deep laugh seemed to come from behind her, "Little girl, although you are young, you are much more interesting than those idiots of the Cao family."

The voice didn't seem to carry on the breeze, but only echoed in the mind. "The contract is concluded. There are no rules to follow in the Holy Grail War, little girl."

Charlotte felt the power of the Heroic Spirits surge through her body like a tide. The magic circuits she had trained in the Clock Tower expanded and grew, their rotational efficiency and precision surpassing previous levels.

At the same time, the servant's information finally became clear... Rider, Sima Yi.

She thought of the servant's past experiences and silently replied in her heart, "No need to follow the rules. The victor writes history anyway, Sima Zhongda?"

"No, history is not written by the victors, but by those who survive to the end," Emperor Xuan of Jin said, his words filled with profound meaning. "I will lend you my power for now. Consider carefully how to survive the Holy Grail War."

Survive?

The sudden surge of power filled Charlotte with joy, as if the entire world was under her control. However, the last words of her servant Sima Yi before he died were like a tiny thorn that quietly pierced her heart, leaving her somewhat bewildered.

A sudden gust of wind blew, bringing with it a hint of coolness that was out of tune with the midsummer, blowing up the fallen leaves on the ground and making a rustling sound.

"Ok?"

Emiya, who was feeling bored after watching Charlotte "dazed" for a while, suddenly raised his head as if he realized something.

In the sky, dark clouds formed like gaping maws, slowly engulfing the crescent moon, which shone with a dim silver glow. The deepening darkness suddenly descended, like a surging inky river, instantly submerging the entire empty countryside.

"Wow! Emiya, I got the power of a Servant! This isn't some spiritual transformation, but truly mastering the Servant's strength in a human body. Humph, you must have never seen this—"

Charlotte still didn't understand where Sima Yi's warning came from, but she couldn't help but feel a little inflated when she suddenly gained the power of "pseudo-servant".

The timidity he had towards Emiya gradually faded, replaced by an unprecedented confidence.

She felt the power in her body surge like a tide. She simply estimated that compared to her ordinary human self, her physical fitness alone was dozens of times stronger, not to mention her servant skills, treasures, and leap-forward magic abilities.

Although she hasn't had time for careful experiments and accurate calculations, with the power of her servants, Charlotte may be able to fight against Emiya!

"…Emiya?"

Charlotte was disappointed to find that her smug display and provocation did not seem to arouse the other party's desire for a confrontation at all.

Instead, Emiya narrowed his eyes and observed his surroundings quietly, as if he was wary of something... As for the red-haired girl Eri, who had been sitting quietly beside him, she was still chewing the crepe innocently, like Emiya's sister, not caring about anything around her.

Eri blinked her clear, beautiful eyes, instantly noticing Charlotte's gaze. However, she didn't show any admiration, surprise, or fear, instead offering the extra crepe she had in her arms.