My family runs an adventurer's guild.

Class Skills:

Aura Concealment: B

After activating the skill, you can minimize your presence to prevent being noticed by enemies or outsiders, and even make yourself invisible to others.

Skills:

Physical attack immunity: C

Ordinary weapons are ineffective against ghosts that have no physical form; only certain enchanted weapons and Noble Phantasms can damage them.

Noble Phantasm: None

……

After reading the page containing the message about the female Assassin Heroic Spirit handed to him by his apprentice Kirei Kotomine, Tokiomi Tohsaka felt something was off.

If we were to describe his feelings in simple terms, it would be:

weak!

Very weak!

Extremely weak!

It's really too weak!

They are really, really too weak!

They're so weak they don't even have a Noble Phantasm!

How could there be such a weak Heroic Spirit in this world?!

Even if you are the weakest Assassin in terms of individual strength, you can't be this weak, right?

How can one even begin to criticize a hero who is utterly useless?

Tokiomi Tohsaka felt that if he had a Mystic Code, he could probably take on ten Servants as weak as these.

Alas, it seems that Kirei's Assassin won't be able to play much of a role in this Holy Grail War; at most, he'll just be cannon fodder.

Tokiomi Tohsaka sighed, wondering how to comfort his disciple, when Kirei Kotomine continued, "...And then...there's another problem...Master, you know, the Heroic Spirits we summon should have the ability to materialize, right?"

"...Yes, that's right! Could it be... that your Assassin can't materialize?"

To this purely common-sense question, Tokiomi Tohsaka frowned and retorted, "...In that case, things seem a bit complicated!"

—After the Masters summon Heroic Spirits, although these Servants who descend from the Hall of Heroes only obtain temporary bodies that can move by relying on the magic power of the Greater Grail, they are still "completely realistic bodies" that can be seen by ordinary people.

Unfortunately, as a magical ritual, the Holy Grail War, like other magical rituals in the Type-Moon universe, requires "maintaining mystery" in front of ordinary people and being as unknown as possible to the general public.

Therefore, in order to conceal their presence, the Heroic Spirits in the Holy Grail War can usually transform into specks of starlight and disappear instantly, which is known as "spiritualization".

However, occasionally, the summoning process of some heroic spirits goes wrong, or there are inherent problems with them, which can lead to the problem of them being unable to become spirits.

For classes like Berserkers who excel at frontal assaults or Casters who can construct magic workshops for positional warfare, the inability to become a phantom isn't a major problem. However, for Assassins, whose primary tactics are stealth and assassination, the inability to become a phantom is quite troublesome.

However, Kirei Kotomine's next answer once again greatly surprised Tokiomi Tohsaka.

"...No, teacher, the situation of this ghost lady Portia is not that she cannot become a spirit, but quite the opposite. As a ghost, she originally had no physical body, so what was summoned by the Holy Grail System was also a spirit, which could not materialize at all, nor could she pick up any weapon to fight the enemy—her hand would pass directly through the hilt of the sword."

In this way, apart from quietly emerging from the walls and ceiling like the vengeful spirits in traditional Eastern ghost stories, using roars and strange faces to scare people, this ghost lady has no other means of physical attack.

Oh, and also, Miss Portia said she hasn't learned any sonic attack techniques like the "Banshee's Howl," so her howls are only good for scaring people. Unless the other person happens to have a heart condition, they definitely won't kill anyone..."

Chapter 26, You are the worst generation of Heroic Spirits in history! (Part 3)

Upon hearing Kirei Kotomine's explanation, Tokiomi Tohsaka felt his vision go black again, almost unable to catch his breath and suffering a heart attack.

Just how useless is this Assassin?!

They're ridiculously weak!

While immune to physical attacks, it is also unable to launch any physical attacks against enemies.

How can an Assassin who is just like a vengeful spirit carry out an assassination mission even if he can infiltrate enemy lines?

Fortunately, he suddenly remembered a piece of data he had just seen, and his expression became much calmer and more composed.

"...Wait, Kirei, isn't her magic level D? It seems she can fight using magic, right?"

"...I regret to inform you, Master. According to my inquiry, Miss Portia admitted that she does indeed possess some basic necromancy and evocation spells, albeit at the apprentice level. However, the problem is that this time, when she was summoned, she was not given the Caster class, but rather the Assassin class. Therefore, her already mediocre spellcasting abilities have been further and significantly weakened."

Kirei Kotomine shrugged and replied, "...At most, the only spellcasting ability she retains is enough to cast minor spells like [Telekinesis] or [Invisible Hand] to move some lightly weighted objects around her instead of using her arms. If she were fighting in a place like a cemetery filled with death energy, especially in the dead of night when yang energy is weakest, she could probably summon a few skeletons to help her. But if the battle were to take place outside of a cemetery, then her remaining spellcasting ability would be practically nonexistent. Not to mention Servants or Masters, she'd have a hard time even killing small animals..."

Uh, it has absolutely no physical attack capabilities, and its magical attack capabilities are practically nonexistent in most cases.

Doesn't this mean that Kirei Kotomine's Assassin doesn't even qualify to be cannon fodder in this Holy Grail War?

What a disgrace! She's so weak it's indescribable. What right does this woman named Portia have to be a Heroic Spirit?

If you have any sense of shame left, you should quickly leave the Heroic Spirit race! Don't tarnish the title of Heroic Spirit any longer!

Hearing this, Tokiomi Tohsaka was at a loss for words, his mind racing with a thousand thoughts. "...Ahem, so in this Holy Grail War, your Assassin role will probably only be good for reconnaissance missions..."

To conceal the turbulent emotions churning within him, Tokiomi Tohsaka coughed a few times and casually remarked in a perfunctory manner.

To his surprise, Kirei Kotomine hesitated for a moment before speaking again, delivering a blow to his wits, "...This...Teacher, I'm afraid it's still not feasible. Even for a reconnaissance mission, this Assassin named Portia probably wouldn't be able to handle it."

"...What? Why can't you do it?" Tokiomi Tohsaka's forehead veins bulged as he spoke through gritted teeth.

"...Because she is a ghost, she is in a spirit form all the time, so she can only float around in her ghost form and cannot disappear from other people's sight by spiriting. Unless she uses the skill [Aura Concealment], she can avoid being detected by others. But after using this skill, she cannot move at all. As long as she moves even slightly, this skill will automatically become invalid."

Kirei Kotomine said with a straight face, "...If we send her out to investigate, the result will either be a flood of urban ghost stories in Fuyuki City, such as 'daytime ghost sightings' or 'female ghosts roaming at night,' and there might even be unsuspecting shrine maidens and onmyoji being summoned for exorcisms, causing even bigger trouble. Or we'll have to send a special operations team to follow her and kill all the ordinary people who see her along the way to silence them..."

Upon hearing this, Tokiomi Tohsaka could no longer maintain his composure; a torrent of sarcasm welled up inside him, threatening to burst forth.

Desperate!

I'm completely desperate!

I'm completely desperate!

I'm utterly hopeless about this useless, good-for-nothing heroic spirit!

Hurry up and put her back in Valhalla, then summon another one that can take her down!

At this moment, Tokiomi Tohsaka really wanted to roll his eyes, and wanted to roar and shout. But he still remembered that he was a descendant of nobility, a member of a prestigious magical family, and that he had to maintain his elegance at all times. No matter how bad his mood was, he could not lose his composure like a lowly commoner.

Hmm, take a deep breath and calm down. We haven't lost this Holy Grail War yet!

This is merely a Servant summoned by Kirei Kotomine, not one summoned by Tokiomi Tohsaka. It's not worth getting so angry...

However, after barely suppressing the surging anger in his heart, Tokiomi Tohsaka suddenly felt a sense of guilt and fear for no apparent reason.

It's astonishing that the relic acquired by Kirei Kotomine, the so-called skull mask of Hassan al-Sabah, the "Old Man of the Mountain," has such a huge flaw.

So, is there any problem with the sacred relic he kept for himself, which is said to be a fossil of the skin shed by the world's first molting snake in the distant ancient times?

Or, to put it another way, is this piece of aged snakeskin, which at first glance looks exactly like a fragment of a mummy, actually real?

Although we had previously sought expert evaluation for this, what if the black market dealer secretly bribed the appraiser?

It should be understood that counterfeit cultural relics are commonplace, both among mortals and in the demonic world.

For example, even in the most remote rural churches in Europe, there are an astonishing number of various "sacred objects".

According to some busybodies, if all the "fragments of the True Cross" claimed by every church in Europe were collected, it would be enough to build several churches; if all the "tears of the Virgin Mary" were collected, it would probably be enough to fill an entire swimming pool; and if all the "toenails of St. Peter" were real, then he would have been almost ten thousand years old when he met Jesus.

A devout believer once saw so many fragments of the True Cross that he concluded Jesus must have been crucified in a large forest.

Therefore, after seeing the extremely weak Servant summoned by Kirei Kotomine, he couldn't help but worry about whether his relic was real or fake.

If it's just a piece of snakeskin picked up from somewhere, that's fine, but if it's made of plastic or synthetic fibers... what kind of weird thing would it summon?

Thinking of this, he could no longer contain himself and was determined to go home as soon as possible to examine the snakeskin fossil again carefully.

"...Well, Kirei, I have a general understanding of the Assassin's situation now. However, I still need to carefully consider how to modify the tactics. Also, since your Assassin doesn't have much combat power, you and Risho don't need to come and observe the summoning ritual at my house tonight. I'll contact you again if anything comes up. Uh, that's all, goodbye..."

As Tokiomi Tohsaka put on his hat, he stammered, "...It's getting late, I'll go back and get ready."

Having said that, he turned and left in a hurry. He even tripped on the threshold as he left, which showed how anxious he was.

Chapter 27, You are the worst generation of Heroic Spirits in history! (Part 4)

Seeing that his magic teacher Tokiomi Tohsaka had not offered any constructive advice and had almost stumbled away in a panic, Kirei Kotomine felt no disappointment, no resentment, and certainly no anger.

To be precise, it was a state of complete stillness, with almost no emotional fluctuation whatsoever.

For some reason, since his birth, Kirei Kotomine has never experienced the joys and sorrows of a normal person, and lacks a sense of being alive.

To be more specific, ever since he could remember, he has never felt that any ideal could be considered lofty, never felt that any pursuit could be considered joyful, and never felt that any entertainment could relax him.

To outsiders, Kirei Kotomine was a Christian who devoted all his energy to his faith, a model of diligence, self-discipline, and selfless dedication. The Church lavishly praised him as an outstanding clergyman, and even his father, Risei Kotomine, was proud of him.

But Kirei Kotomine knew that he was merely living a life like a walking corpse, lost in nothingness and numbness.

Since he had no idea of ​​the meaning of his birth, he would not have any ideals or wishes, let alone passions or obsessions.

Kirei Kotomine's previous efforts, struggles, and ascetic practices, even his wielding of a sword and bloodshed to fight heresy for the Church, were all merely attempts to mask his inner confusion.

Even when participating in the Holy Grail War in Fuyuki City, Kirei Kotomine was merely following his father's orders to assist his mentor, Tokiomi Tohsaka, in achieving victory, fulfilling his duty as a disciple and assistant.

Since they had no desire to win from the beginning, they naturally wouldn't care about the quality of their chips.

At this moment, Kirei Kotomine has not yet grasped the "path to pleasure" from betrayal and destruction.

Therefore, at present, he is just a taciturn, conformist, and deadpan "man in a shell".

He looked up at the ceiling, appearing as if he had seen through the ways of the world, but in reality, he had nothing on his mind.

Well, he had been thinking about some things. Or rather, a question kept lingering in his mind.

That is, why did the Holy Grail's miraculous power choose him as its Master?

Logically speaking, a guy like him, who has neither obsession nor passion, would only become the most demoralized deserter on the battlefield, right?

Kirei Kotomine has been thinking about this problem for three years, but he still can't figure it out, and it's inconvenient for him to ask others for advice.

—After all, he's a very reserved person, and it's impossible for him to openly display his sadistic tendencies like some unrestrained types.

Then, Kirei Kotomine couldn't help but wonder what kind of Heroic Spirit would a Master like him, who lacked motivation, summon to serve as a Servant?

"...Hey! Assassin, you've come to participate in the Holy Grail War, is there something you want to achieve? Hey! Assassin! Assassin!..."

"...Uh? Are you calling me? Ah, sorry, I'm still not quite used to the new title 'Assassin'..."

Kirei Kotomine called out several times before Portia, the ghost who had been floating around the room, finally reacted and slowly drifted to Kirei's side. "...Can you still call me Portia? And, about my wish... oh dear, I almost forgot!"

She seemed to suddenly realize something, clenching her right fist and lightly clapping it against her left palm, striking a standard "aha!" pose. Then, she turned and floated directly in front of Kirei Kotomine, pleading with exceptional sincerity, "...This is a once-in-a-lifetime request, Master! Please do me a favor! It's very simple; you can do it without even asking the Holy Grail!"

"...Ah, if conditions permit, I will try my best to help." Kirei Kotomine thought for a moment and replied vaguely in a formal tone.

"...Not troublesome at all! Master! You are a priest, and this is your temple, right? So there must be a cemetery behind the temple, right?"

"Please get me a few corpses that have just been buried or haven't been buried yet, so I can practice my flesh golem transmutation technique, okay? Ah, the requirements are female, not too old or too young, young girls and young women are fine, as long as they were buried within seven days and haven't severely decomposed..."

Miss Ghost Portia excitedly uttered words that would send chills down the spines of ordinary people, her eyes burning with an intense light!

Uh? You want some corpses to practice spells? To learn necromancy?

This is truly a... extremely small wish!

If an ordinary citizen of Japan, a peaceful country, heard such a request, they might be quite shocked.

But for Kirei Kotomine, who once worked as an agent assassin for the Church, a few corpses were nothing.

He was a veteran of countless bloody battles, having personally slain enemies for the Holy Church—enough to fill this room and still have room to spare. With his skills and cunning, acquiring a few corpses wouldn't be particularly difficult for him.

But the problem is... in Fuyuki City at this time of year... this matter is really troublesome.

"...Unfortunately, Assassin, this is not Europe or America, so this church does not have an attached cemetery. In Japan, all graves are managed by Buddhist temples. Churches do not have the authority to operate cemeteries."

Kirei Kotomine answered with a stern face and a monotone, monotone tone.

"...Huh? No way? All the graves are managed by that Buddhist temple? Does that mean that even believers in your gods have to be buried in other churches' cemeteries after they die?" Miss Ghost Portia opened her eyes wide in disbelief.

"...Although it is truly shameful to God, in most cases, Japanese Christians do indeed need to be converted to Christianity before they can be buried. We, the servants of the Lord, still need to make greater efforts so that the Lord's glory can truly spread throughout this land of the Far East..."

—It may sound unbelievable, but in Japan, the funeral industry has indeed been almost entirely monopolized by Buddhist temples since ancient times, with virtually no domestic competitors.

As is well known, in any industry, unless there is government regulation, monopoly will inevitably lead to exorbitant profits.

Therefore, in modern Japanese society, a tiny burial plot, no bigger than the palm of your hand, can often be sold for millions of yen by unscrupulous monks.

Even worse, according to Japanese tradition, after a family member is buried in a temple cemetery, although the cemetery is nominally theirs, they still have to pay rent to the monks every year to thank them for their maintenance and care. If they don't pay for several years in a row, some unscrupulous monks will bulldoze the grave and resell the burial plot to the next group of "tenants".

Chapter 28, You are the worst generation of Heroic Spirits in history! (Part 5)