My family runs an adventurer's guild.

"...This is unbelievable! Where did things go wrong? I prepared the relics of Diarmuid, the chief knight of the Fiona Knights, but I summoned this little guy instead? Momo, the god of sleep? Which fairy tale book is this god from? I've never heard of this name before?"

Sitting on the luxuriously decorated leather sofa, Kenneth muttered to himself as he used his Master privileges to check his Lancer's attributes. "...Hmm... Magic EX? That's not bad. Luck EX? That's even better. But Agility and Durability are too poor."

And what the heck is this "soft, fluffy cotton blanket spear"?

How could such a childish treasure exist in the world? Is it for playing pillow fights?

"...Alright, alright! Kenneth, now's not the time to complain like a gossip. Now that we've summoned Lancer, let's prepare for battle! Although things aren't quite what we expected, this little girl is really...so cute!"

Kenneth's fiancée, Sora, a stunningly beautiful woman with short, fiery red hair, said with a complicated expression as she rubbed the mouse ears of the sleeping goddess Momo.

She was a beautiful woman in her early twenties, looking slightly younger than Kenneth, and at first glance, she seemed like a sensitive and noble young lady. But the stern aura emanating from her gaze made her as majestic as a queen.

Faced with the fate of being used as a tool in a political marriage by her family, the strong-willed and aloof female magician Sora deeply resents this life, where everything is calculated, used, and planned from birth. She also has little affection for Kenneth.

She wanted to live her true self and gain true freedom.

But achieving such a goal would be extremely difficult for the pampered Miss Sora.

That's why she agreed to come to the Far East with Kenneth to participate in the Holy Grail War. Her real purpose was to obtain the omnipotent wish-granting machine—the Holy Grail—in order to fulfill her own long-cherished wish.

However, in this Holy Grail War, the summoning process went wrong from the very beginning. Sora was extremely conflicted when faced with the unexpected Dormouse Girl Servant. She seemed to feel somewhat helpless about this unexpected situation.

However, since the war has already begun, it must continue, so the battle plan must be adjusted.

"...Kenneth, no matter what, Lancer has been summoned. What are you going to do next?" she asked casually.

"...Well, according to the previously drafted battle plan, we'll rest here for a day or two to recover the mana and stamina depleted from summoning the Servants. We'll also see if any other Servants or Masters will come to attack us. This way, we can use my magic workshop to wage positional warfare and gain a favorable position. If we don't receive any attacks from other Masters, then we'll have Lancer set up a battle formation in the wilderness and initiate a challenge..."

Kenneth pulled a notebook from his pocket, glanced at it, sighed, and replied, "...Well, it seems like I don't need to rest now..."

He tried moving his body and limbs and found that the fatigue and weakness he had expected were not there. He was full of energy, and his magic power was also abundant... Perhaps it was because of the sleep god's power overflowing from the teleportation array, and he had just had a good sleep?

Thinking of this, Kenneth's expression softened a bit, and he looked at Sleepy Mother Momo with less criticism.

"...Ah, I don't feel tired at all, but I'm a little hungry. I'll call room service and have them bring my food up!"

Sora walked away from the sleeping loli Mengmeng and picked up the phone on the bedside table. "...Hello? Huh? What's going on? Nobody's answering the phone?"

Meanwhile, Kenneth, who happened to turn his head to look out the window, also noticed something unusual about the streets of Fuyuki City. "...Strange, why are there so many police cars parked on the street? And there seem to be burn marks on the houses over there? Uh...and they've even built fortifications on the street?!"

Kenneth was startled to see the Japanese police outside threatening to besiege his Hyatt Hotel. While he wasn't afraid of ordinary people's firearms, he was worried about revealing his magic to them and breaking the rules.

Kenneth immediately checked the Magic Workshop's surveillance system, but was puzzled to find that there seemed to be nothing particularly unusual.

"...Huh? From the ninth floor of the hotel to the thirty-second floor where we are, there has been no intrusion from outside!"

"...What about the bottom eight floors of the hotel? Is there anything special about them?" Sora asked, frowning.

“…Uh, well…I don’t know…” Kenneth’s forehead was covered in a few beads of cold sweat.

"...Sigh, what a useless man. And you call yourself a genius..." Sora curled his lip in disdain.

—In fact, Kenneth spared no expense in transforming the Hyatt Hotel’s residences into a magic workshop and a fortress for the Holy Grail War, bringing in three expensive magic furnaces to replace the non-existent spiritual veins beneath the Hyatt Hotel.

In addition, he summoned dozens of evil spirits and goblins to act as hunting dogs.

Of the 32 floors of the Hyatt Hotel, 24 were covered by Kenneth's personal barrier, including the sewers, and the corridors were also enchanted, turning them into dangerous otherworldly spaces.

Even for Assassin-class Servants, it is difficult to enter this "magic workshop," which can be called a magic fortress, without being noticed. It is an excellent place to fight a defensive battle.

The problem is that even so, Kenneth's personal barrier only covered the top 24 of the Hyatt Hotel's 32 floors, and on most floors, only security and surveillance measures were deployed.

As for the true combat fortress filled with traps and deadly traps, only the top few floors were truly filled—it wasn't that he didn't want to turn the entire building into a demon king's castle from a Japanese RPG game, but rather that he lacked the ability to do so.

Even with the use of a magic furnace to extract magic from the atmosphere to replace the spiritual veins, Kenneth could only expand the barrier to this size at most.

Because of the huge surveillance gaps on the bottom floors of the Hyatt Hotel, Kiritsugu Emiya in the original work was able to calmly plant explosives on the ground floor and underground parking lot of the Hyatt Hotel, and carry out a directional blast to bury Kenneth's magic workshop and a bunch of powerful gadgets under the rubble in a simple and brutal way.

—If Kenneth could set up a barrier around the entire building and turn it into his magic workshop, then Kiritsugu Emiya would be discovered as soon as he barged in. How could he possibly have the leisure to install bombs and set up traps?

But then again, who can be blamed for Kenneth's Magic Workshop revealing such a fatal weakness?

Kenneth was so concerned with grandeur and appearances that even when fighting the Holy Grail War, he showed no awareness of enduring hardship and suffering. Instead, he insisted on staying at the most luxurious Hyatt Hotel, specifically the most luxurious penthouse suite, just to enjoy the superior feeling of looking down on everyone else. He completely failed to consider that the hotel was too large to be completely contained within his barrier.

If Kenneth had chosen a mid-range hotel, such as a Japanese guesthouse, or simply rented a small villa with its own yard, he wouldn't have had this trouble—ultimately, it was his pampered upbringing and lack of seriousness in battle that brought this trouble upon himself.

At this very moment, a similarly awkward situation was unfolding before Kenneth—there seemed to be some serious problem in the building beneath his feet, but it was precisely outside his surveillance range, leaving him completely baffled.

Fortunately, as a powerful traditional magician, Kenneth still had other investigative methods.

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Next, after sending out several familiars disguised as birds, dogs, and geckos to scout the situation on the lowest floors of the Hyatt Hotel, and after turning on the television in the suite for the first time to watch the local news, Kenneth finally understood what was going on.

"...In broad daylight, he parades around the city with a Caster, robbing banks and jewelry stores, and even indiscriminately using magic to kill people in the streets? This, this, this... God! This is completely trampling the precepts of the Magic Association and the Holy Church into the mud! Are there really magicians like this in the world?"

Seeing Caster, the monster wielding a bone wand and wreaking havoc in the streets on TV, followed closely by his orange-haired Master carrying a sack of loot, Kenneth, a traditional magician from the Type-Moon world, could hardly believe his eyes. After confirming he wasn't seeing things, he was completely bewildered. "...The Command Seals on my arm have been filmed on the news, and might even make the newspapers. It's unbelievable..."

"...Yes, the rule that the Holy Grail War can never be held in public places has probably been thrown into the trash by them!"

Faced with such unpredictable opponents who weren't even afraid of being sent off, Sora was also feeling a headache, "...Where are those two bastards now?"

"...Those two scoundrels who tarnished the magician's reputation are currently feasting in the hotel's fourth-floor buffet restaurant!"

Kenneth said with a sullen look, "...The problem now is, what should we do?"

Just like the dilemma that Tokiomi Tohsaka had faced before, Kenneth was also in a difficult position dealing with the Caster group located downstairs from him.

This doesn't mean he lacked confidence in defeating the Caster group downstairs.

As a highly renowned genius within the Clock Tower, Kenneth was quite confident in his fighting abilities. However, the problem was that maintaining secrecy while eliminating his opponent, surrounded by so many police officers, reporters, and hostages, was simply too difficult.

The underlying principle is probably similar to how a modern country's regular army combats terrorists. Although terrorists are poorly equipped and poorly trained, they have the advantage of being able to act with impunity, fighting however they want, killing whomever they want, and not caring about burning, killing, looting, or using poison gas to massacre cities.

While a country's regular army may possess greater military strength and more systematic training, it is constrained by various tangible and intangible rules and regulations, and must take into account the law and public opinion. This can actually make it more difficult for them to fight effectively on the battlefield and unleash their full combat potential.

Now that the Caster group has already reached his doorstep, Kenneth could certainly activate his Mystic Code "Moon Spirit Elixir," summon the newly summoned Dormouse Lancer, and rush to the fourth-floor buffet to engage in a magical duel with the Caster group... But the problem is, it's daytime, and there are so many people watching inside and outside the Hyatt Hotel! There might even be television cameras filming the scene!

—The Caster group has already brought this upon themselves by violating the rules and exposing their magic in broad daylight, and their elimination is inevitable. But Kenneth is unwilling to follow suit and engage in a Holy Grail War with the Caster group in public, thus getting himself into trouble as well.

Even if we win, so what? Who knows if the Church's agents will use this as an excuse to put us on the disciplinary list as well?

The Caster group dared to do this because Caster Quark was an outsider from another world. He wouldn't be staying here for more than a few days anyway, so he had no ties and wouldn't have to take responsibility no matter how much trouble he caused.

Master Ryunosuke Uryuu's soul was controlled by Quark, which is why he appeared so fearless—truly, the barefoot aren't afraid of those wearing shoes. Kenneth, on the other hand, had to consider all the consequences and didn't have the courage to throw caution to the wind.

However, it doesn't seem quite right to continue hiding in the magic workshop on the top floor of the Hyatt Hotel like an ostrich and ignore the chaos downstairs... In any case, Kenneth is an important and powerful member of the Magic Association and has an obligation to prevent the leakage of knowledge and information about magic.

Sitting still in the penthouse suite that has been converted into a magic workshop, he is certainly safe, but after returning to England from the Holy Grail War, he might be used against him by his political enemies at the Clock Tower, and he might even be smeared and branded as a "coward".

Just as Kenneth was feeling conflicted, the Lancer he had just summoned, the Dormouse girl Momo who had the title of Sleep Goddess in another world, suddenly tugged at Kenneth's sleeve, yawning as she said, "...Hoo...Um...Master, you want to deal with the Caster Group that broke into this building, but you're worried that outsiders will see the battle and cause some secrets to be leaked, right?"

“…That’s about it!” Kenneth frowned and glanced at her. “…Do you have any good ideas?”

“…Then, please allow me to unleash my Noble Phantasm!” Momo said. “…As long as I sing a lullaby here, and you and your fiancée take precautions, once the Caster group and the onlookers below are all asleep, we can take care of them without them even noticing. Hmm!”

“…Let her give it a try, Kenneth, there’s no other way right now…” Sora thought for a moment and chimed in.

At first, Kenneth felt that this seemed a bit unreliable, but after careful consideration, he thought that with the sturdiness of the magic workshop at the Hyatt Hotel, even if something went wrong, the Caster team probably wouldn't be able to break through it in a short time, so he finally nodded in agreement.

Thus, the first battle of this Holy Grail War quietly began amidst the lullaby of Hypnos.

However, not only Kenneth, the Master, but even Momo herself hadn't anticipated the terrifying destructive power of this lullaby...

Author's message

PS: To celebrate the top recommendation, here's the fourth update of 4500 words.

Chapter 45, Sleep's Lullaby (Part 1)

Fuyuki City, Hyatt Regency Hotel, 4th floor, buffet restaurant

"...Woof! The food here is really delicious! Lots of spices! It's a pity the wine isn't to my taste!"

Quark, a kobold slave sorcerer who descended to the Type-Moon world as a Caster, lay comfortably on the sofa, holding a curry chicken in his hand, gnawing on it with oily flesh. He also tried to drink a few sips of Japanese sake from a small white porcelain bottle, but pursed his lips in dissatisfaction.

A circle of chefs and waiters stood around Quark, each carrying a plate and taking turns serving him food, as if they were attending to a distinguished guest. But just by looking at their blank stares, stiff movements, and sleepwalking gait, it was clear that they were in a completely abnormal state.

Not to mention, not far from where Quark, the kobold warlock, was feasting, lay several still-warm corpses...

—Clearly, these chefs and waiters had all been controlled by Quark's mental magic, and from the depths of their souls they regarded Quark as a master they had to serve diligently, even ignoring Quark's hideous inhuman appearance and the customers and colleagues who had been killed on the carpet.

Besides, Ryunosuke Uryu, the master of the serial killer controlled by Caster Quark using "Dominate Humanity," was also sitting by the window in the cafeteria, cutting a rare steak with a knife and fork. However, he was clearly not interested in enjoying the food, but instead kept peeking out the window, anxiously watching the changes outside. "...Master, there are more and more police officers outside! Is this really... alright?"

"...It's alright. These mortals who don't understand magic, I'll kill as many as they come!" Quark glanced at him and said dismissively.

—When Caster's Servants and Masters caused such a commotion in a modern Japanese city, even though the Church of Christ and the Mage's Association's "underworld" members tried to control the situation, it could not help but attract the attention of the Japanese police, who regarded it as an extremely serious terrorist kidnapping case.

Not only were all the police officers in Fuyuki City mobilized, but police officers from several nearby cities were also ordered to come to Fuyuki City as reinforcements.

Strangely, although about three hours had passed since the two villains, Quark and Ryunosuke Uryu, broke into the Hyatt Hotel, the police's response was unusually slow.

During this time, they merely removed the remaining customers and staff from the Hyatt Hotel—except for Kenneth and his girlfriend Sora in the top-floor magic workshop, and the unfortunate souls who had already been killed or controlled by Quark.

Then, using sandbags, debris, barbed wire, vehicles, and so on, they built temporary fortifications at several intersections leading from the Hyatt Hotel to the outside world, looking like they were going to hold out for a long haul.

This is not because Japanese police lack courage: after the defeat in World War II and the collapse of the bubble economy, with the gradual decline of the island nation's society and the long-term stigmatization of the Self-Defense Forces, the true inheritors of the samurai spirit of this country are probably only a small number of Japanese criminal police officers.

Well, perhaps we should also add some yakuza and underworld organizations.

The problem is that the Japanese police in the Type-Moon world have not been trained in magical combat.

With just a wave of his bone wand, Quark could cast a mere "Confusion" spell, causing even the most capable and reliable Japanese detectives to inexplicably turn their guns on their colleagues and superiors in public.

—Ordinary people in the Type-Moon world have little resistance to this type of magic that directly affects the soul.

Faced with ordinary people who know nothing about magic, the only factor that limits Quark's efficiency in casting spells to kill enemies is the amount of magic power within Quark's body.

However, with the combined boosts of the Holy Grail system and the Caster (magician) class, the kobold warlock Quark's magical power was now excessively abundant, making it easy for him to control the minds of hundreds or thousands of people.

Therefore, the firefight between the Japanese police and the Caster group on the streets of Fuyuki quickly turned into a bloody tragedy of being on the defensive and killing each other. The number of Japanese police officers who died at the hands of their own men far exceeded the number killed by Quark's attack spells.

Even more critically, this triggered a crisis of trust within the police force, causing them to become suspicious and believe that many traitors had infiltrated their ranks.

In addition, the Magic Association and the Holy Church, after realizing the situation, desperately tried to cover it up, using various connections to issue orders from higher-ups, instructing the police to be "cautious," "not to act rashly," and to patiently wait for "professionals" to handle the problem...

Therefore, the Japanese police gathered around the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Fuyuki City adopted a strategy of surrounding but not attacking – after all, the case had only broken out a few hours ago, and they hadn't even had time to investigate the details of the perpetrator.

Considering the speed at which the international community dealt with terrorist incidents at the time, this was not considered slow.

(In the late 20th century, terrorist activities were mainly carried out by large organizations after careful planning. They were highly political and mainly involved hijacking and kidnapping. They often confronted the police for days and nights. Lone wolf-style random and nonsensical attacks were not the mainstream phenomenon.)

"...Ah, of course I believe it. A mere policeman can't possibly do anything to you, Mr. Monster!"

The orange-haired serial killer Master, Ryunosuke Amusei, nodded in agreement, praising him. He had personally witnessed Quark, the kobold sorcerer, basking in the midst of a hail of bullets (the bullets were all blocked by protective magic), and how he could make the police kill each other with a casual wave of his wand. He had no doubt about the monster's strength.

"...But what should we do next, sir?"

Yes! What should we do next?

Upon hearing Ryunosuke Uryu's question, Quark suddenly felt a sense of bewilderment, and his actions of tearing apart the roast chicken paused.

What should I do next?

Now, they've looted enough gold and silver, killed to their heart's content, and enjoyed the fine food and drink.

But after having such a great time, what should you do next?

Quark suddenly felt a sense of emptiness and felt completely unmotivated to do anything.

After all, no matter how much gold and silver he plundered in this world, he would never be able to take it all back in the end.

No matter how powerful his enemies are in this world, it won't enhance his reputation in his homeland.

No matter how powerful, awe-inspiring, and terrifying he was in this world, after returning to his own world, he, the kobold warlock Quark, was still a lowly slave at everyone's beck and call.

Therefore, even though he knew that the building above him was the territory of a powerful magician, Quark had no desire to attack it.

—As long as the other party doesn't interfere with his eating and drinking to his heart's content, why should he go looking for trouble?

Ultimately, this was not an adventure for him; he was merely following his boss's orders to come here and play games with the princess.

When the princess arrives, he has to obediently let her win; when the boss arrives, he has to continue to follow the boss's orders.

The problem is, he's already made such a big fuss, so where are the princess and the boss? Why haven't they come to find him or deal with him yet?

(Princess Saber Catherine Ingram, who is currently staying in Einzbern Castle in Germany and has not yet set off for Fuyuki, and Mr. Ernest the Berserker, who has lost his mind in the basement of the Matou family, both stated that they were completely unaware of the commotion caused by the kobold sorcerer.)

— As a "supporting actor" who was temporarily brought in, Quark was unaware of the basic plot of the Fourth Holy Grail War in Fate/Zero.

Just as the kobold warlock Quark was lost in thought and at a loss, he suddenly heard a song in his ear.

"...Sleep well~~Sleep well~~My dearest baby~~~~~"