My family runs an adventurer's guild.

Meanwhile, Kariya Matou, a novice in magic, was completely unaware of the surveillance arrangements left behind by Tokiomi Tohsaka.

Therefore, Tokiomi Tohsaka sent his disciple Kirei Kotomine back to check on the situation, and if the opportunity arose, he might as well try to launch a sneak attack.

Then, before Kirei Kotomine could even get back to the Tohsaka residence, he encountered Kariya Matou in the nearby wasteland... But even Kirei Kotomine himself did not expect that this magician who had forced his way into the Tohsaka residence was so weak that he could not even block his probing attack!

Such a pathetic fellow dares to participate in the Holy Grail War? That's utterly absurd!

What exactly did he consider the Holy Grail War to be? A friendly competition like tennis or chess?

Thinking this, Kirei Kotomine first turned on his flashlight and shone it on the Command Seals on Kariya Matou's arm to confirm the guy's identity. Then he moved the beam of the flashlight up and examined Kariya Matou's face. "...So this is...the Matou family's participant in this Holy Grail War? He seems quite weak! Why didn't this guy use Command Seals to recall his Servants to protect himself until he died?"

With these questions in mind, Kirei Kotomine continued walking towards the ruins of the Tohsaka residence, where he came across a gleaming golden trophy.

"...How strange, could this little bronze statue of the evil dragon... actually be a heroic spirit?"

He frowned and said, puzzled.

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At the same time, a burst of malicious, mocking laughter erupted from the Matou family's dark and damp underground insect storage.

Although he did not directly receive the Command Seals and participate in this battle for the Holy Grail, Zouken Matou, the bald old man who has ruled the Matou clan for two hundred years, is a magistrate who prolongs his life with evil magic and looks like a mummy. He has been monitoring Kariya's movements through the Crest Mushrooms.

"...Hehehe! What a useless fellow! He was so confident back then, but he was defeated in the very first battle? A piece of trash is indeed a piece of trash! Tsk tsk! Oh well, I never expected Kariya to be able to bring back the Holy Grail anyway! Fortunately, I had prepared a backup plan."

Sensing the defeat of Matou Kariya, this "sacrificial pawn," Matou Zouken seemed to smack his lips with a hint of unsatisfaction, first letting out a contemptuous sneer, then slowly turning around and giving an order to the purple-haired girl beside him, whose gaze was blank and expressionless:

"...Sakura, Kariya is dead! Starting tonight, you'll continue to lie inside the insect and undergo modification, just like always!"

“…Yes, Grandpa…” Sakura Matou, who had been completely transformed by the insects, replied with a numb and bewildered expression.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

And so, with the collapse of the Hyatt Hotel, the renewed flames in Fuyuki City, and the death of Matou Kariya, the first day of the Holy Grail War in Fuyuki City finally came to a close.

Then, seemingly exhausted by the fierce fighting on the first day, or perhaps finally remembering the fundamental principle that "magic should remain hidden," the participating parties remained silent after the sun rose on the second day.

Aside from the two defeated soldiers who had already died, the remaining people were largely incapable of making any further moves.

Chapter 54, The Brief Truce (Part 1) - Double update today.

In Fuyuki City's western suburb of Fukayama Town, in a rural farmhouse, is the room where Webber stayed.

Given the profound lesson learned from the unexpected encounter at Tohsaka's house last night, Webber, the young apprentice who traveled from England to participate in the battle, finally abandoned his previous careless playful attitude and began to do his best in preparing for the battle.

In short, it means urgently manufacturing a batch of "weapons" in preparation for duels with other Masters.

As he prepared various magical potions with beakers, test tubes, and an alcohol lamp—such as arson agents, antidotes, and liquefied poison gas—he would occasionally look up at the "Phili-brand cat balloon" floating on the ceiling, sighing repeatedly: "...I say, little kitty, how long are you going to float on the ceiling? No matter how you look at it now, you can't possibly go out!"

"...Meow! This kind of bad luck, you're asking me? Who am I supposed to ask? Meow! I don't want to become an urban legend either!"

Still inflated, "Orange Balloon" Phil was clumsily standing upside down, using his four short legs to hammer and bang on a blanket in the corner of the ceiling, trying to make himself a warm little bed to sleep in, all the while complaining in a rather depressed tone.

"...The little imp trick that caused this living balloon effect is completely different from the magic and alchemy I know, meow, so I can't undo it myself, meow! And you, this useless apprentice, are of no help at all, all you do is spout sarcastic remarks, meow..."

Such a merciless and harsh assessment made Waver's lips twitch repeatedly. "...Then, what about that little fairy riding you? Since she was the one who cast the spell that inflated you into a balloon, she should also have a way to restore you to your original state, right?"

"...Unfortunately, Flor will only cause trouble, not restore order. Fairies are just that kind of chaotic, erratic creature; they never consider the consequences of their actions. So, besides patiently waiting for the magic trick to expire, I have no other choice..."

Phili finally secured the blanket, then curled up against the ceiling and said to Weber, "...Oh, right, Mr. Weber, Flor said she was too stuffy inside and flew out to play! You'd better find her before she causes a commotion..."

Upon hearing this, young Weber's hands, which were gripping the flask and dropper to add the medicine, trembled slightly. A cloud of pungent, thick fog billowed up with a "bang," causing him to cough repeatedly. At the same time, he almost angrily shouted:

"...Ahem! Damn it, she actually went out to play by herself in broad daylight? Doesn't she have any self-awareness as a rare animal?"

"...I think that's unlikely, meow! Little fairies, they're all a bunch of clueless, optimistic, and silly goofballs, meow!" Phil said lazily, nestled in a corner of the ceiling. "...Even if she gets caught in a children's bug net, Flor will still have a lot of fun playing with them..."

"...Whoa! This is really going to cause a stir and a commotion! My Servant, I, Waver Velvet, issue this command with a Command Spell... Uh, never mind, let's try the conventional method first! I'm going to go find your rider now, so you're not allowed to wander out and cause any more trouble!"

At first, Waver instinctively wanted to use a Command Spell to recall Flor, but after thinking about it carefully, he couldn't bear to waste it. So, he lowered his arm, turned around, grabbed a small butterfly net, and angrily rushed out the door to chase after his little fairy servant.

"...Don't worry, meow! I'm just about to catch up on some sleep, meow..." Phil raised her paw and shook it at him before closing her cat eyes.

In short, until Phili, the only barely usable familiar, can stand on all fours again, Waver will be unable to take any action for the time being.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

An abandoned factory that went bankrupt on the outskirts of the "New Capital" in eastern Fuyuki City.

"...Hmm...It's already morning...Achoo—Achoo—"

Kenneth, the ninth-generation heir of the Archibald family, a contestant appointed by the Clock Tower Magic Association, and an instructor in the Conjuring Department, muttered as he stretched his body, crawled out of his sleeping bag which still smelled of plastic, and slowly stood up from the cold, damp cement floor while sneezing.

The surroundings were silent and empty, filled with the pungent smell of earth and rust, and permeated with choking dust.

This was the temporary residence Kenneth found overnight after the collapse of the Hyatt Hotel—an abandoned factory in the suburbs.

In fact, when he first saw the Hyatt Hotel collapse, Kenneth did not leave the city immediately. Instead, he took his fiancée Sora and walked only a few blocks away from the busiest commercial area. They then checked into a cheaper and older Japanese-style family inn.

The problem was that Kenneth had just taken a quick shower at a Japanese-style inn and was about to go to sleep when, unfortunately, he received a stern warning from the Clock Tower Magic Association in London through his personal secret channels.

—The Holy Grail War overseeing Fuyuki City, without any investigation, blamed all the chaos and disaster in Fuyuki City yesterday on him, claiming that Kenneth violated the secret principles of the Holy Grail War by allowing Lancer to unleash his Noble Phantasm during the day, hypnotizing most of Fuyuki City and causing all this tragedy.

Even worse, the Church of Christensen is demanding that Kenneth and the Magic Association take full responsibility for the group of Church agents who died in the plane crash, practically calling for their deaths... seemingly forgetting that Caster, who openly abused magic in the street and even fought his way to Kenneth's magic workshop, was the real culprit behind all this!

Although the Clock Tower shielded Kenneth from most of the blame to uphold the dignity of magicians, the aforementioned pressure forced them to make some compromises. They forbade him from establishing any temporary bases in densely populated urban areas for the remainder of the Holy Grail War. If possible, he was advised to remain in the wilderness and not enter Fuyuki City until the end of the Holy Grail War, to avoid causing further disaster…

Even though Kenneth is the heir of the Archibald family and one of the twelve Lords of the Clock Tower (the official translation should be knight, lord, or lord, referring to a noble family that owns a territory, manor, or even a castle, but for some reason, it is translated as "monarch" by Moon fans, which feels very strange), he cannot take the severe warning from the Mage's Association lightly, because the pressure it represents is simply too heavy.

So, Kenneth had no choice but to endure his fiancée's glares and complaints, and once again moved overnight. He canceled the room he had just booked at the Japanese-style family inn in the city, and left the city with his fiancée and Lancer, the Dormouse Girl, to temporarily stay in this dirty, abandoned factory full of dust.

Clearly, faced with such a terrible living environment, Sora, a pampered young lady who had been born into privilege, was in an extremely bad mood.

After throwing a tantrum and having a hysterical outburst, and giving Kenneth a good scolding, Sora reluctantly crawled into her camping tent and fell into a deep sleep, dragging her soft Dormouse-girl body pillow along.

Kenneth himself was also extremely dissatisfied, as the terrible conditions of the abandoned factory were simply unbearable for him.

"...Damn Caster, damn the Holy Church, damn the Clock Tower, and this damn Far Eastern island nation..."

Upon waking up, Kenneth gently rubbed his still stiff and sore body while muttering curses under his breath as he looked to the side. He found Miss Sora and Dormouse Lancer curled up in the tent, fast asleep in each other's arms.

Upon seeing his fiancée Sora's sleeping face, Kenneth quickly shut his mouth and even moved stealthily.

Sigh, she's really had a tough time this time! Recalling yesterday's unpleasant experience, he couldn't help but sigh: Not only did she not get the soft bed in the luxury suite, but she didn't even get to sleep on a Japanese tatami mat. She had to suffer with him in this godforsaken place. Let her get some more sleep.

Lancer, on the other hand, as a fake object formed from condensed magic, should not need to sleep, so why is he sleeping even more soundly than Sora?

Is it because her race is the Dormouse, which sleeps for nine months of the year, that she also has to sleep eighteen hours a day during the Holy Grail War?

Well, considering she did a decent job as a body pillow for Sora, I won't make a big deal out of it.

—Kenneth didn’t mind her closeness to Sora at all because of Dormouse Momo’s loli appearance.

If it were some handsome, blue-clad male servant who was skilled in martial arts, and he dared to act like this in front of Kenneth, openly stealing his girlfriend and cuckolding him, then the narrow-minded Director Kenneth would probably be extremely jealous!

Fortunately, the aforementioned unfortunate assumption does not hold true in this time and place.

Therefore, Kenneth was in a relatively calm state of mind at this moment, and even felt a little guilty.

Sigh, the accommodations in this awful place don't seem like they're going to improve anytime soon. After thinking it over, the only thing I can do right now seems to be find a way to get a hearty breakfast to appease Miss Sora and calm her down a bit.

Kenneth thought this as he stood up and walked outside, but at the same time he suddenly felt dizzy and his nostrils were blocked...

Oh no! I think I've caught a cold! I guess I'll have to find somewhere to get some cold medicine. Hopefully, I won't get a fever... Achoo!

His mind was foggy as he thought, pulling his coat tighter around himself, feeling even colder...

Chapter 55, The Brief Truce (Part Two) - Second Update

On the edge of the "New Capital" district in Fuyuki City, inside an unfinished, abandoned building.

Quark, a kobold warlock of the Caster class, sat in the shadows of the building, barely clinging to life against the mottled wall.

After losing his Master's mana replenishment, he felt weaker every minute than the minute before.

Quark didn't feel the effects much when his Master, Ryunosuke Uryu, was still alive. But once Ryunosuke died, Quark realized his situation was dire—his temporary body, formed from magical energy, felt like an oak barrel riddled with holes. Even curled up motionless against a wall, Quark could feel his magical energy gradually draining away.

If he were to engage in any strenuous exercise or use magic, the rate at which his magical energy would be depleted would be comparable to a flood bursting its banks.

Once the magic is completely depleted, the temporary body formed from the magic will also disintegrate, and he will have to say goodbye to this world.

So, after fleeing the Hyatt Hotel in a panic, Quark didn't go far before finding this abandoned, unfinished building to hide in.

—As a seasoned and experienced bandit, Quark has always excelled at assessing situations and bullying the weak while fearing the strong.

Those who only know how to fight recklessly and act rashly when in doubt will always be cannon fodder in a real bandit's den.

After he could no longer abuse his magic to bully those mortals, he dared not go out at all—although Quark was not familiar with this strange world, it was reasonable to deduce how conspicuous a different race like him would be in a city inhabited only by humans.

He was also well aware of how hateful his actions in this human city yesterday had been.

However, even if he hides away and stops talking and moving around, the problem of magic consumption remains unresolved—according to Quark's calculations, even if he hides here and does nothing, the body's magic will only last for about two more days before it disintegrates and disappears.

Although he had no chance of winning the Holy Grail War from the beginning, he still did not want to leave the stage in such a silent and frustrating manner.

Therefore, Caster Quark has been thinking about how to replenish his magic.

In the Holy Grail War of the Type-Moon universe, there are several ways for a Heroic Spirit who has lost a Master to replenish his magical energy and continue to maintain his existence: First, he can find another Master who has lost his Heroic Spirit, sign a contract with him, and re-establish a channel to replenish his magical energy... However, Quark currently does not know the identities and locations of the other Masters, nor does he know whether they have lost their Heroic Spirits. If he rashly goes to them, he will most likely be killed.

Secondly, magicians' bodily fluids contain abundant magical power, which can be used to "replenish the magic" of heroic spirits through "intercourse"... But the problem is, for Quark, who is unfamiliar with the place, let alone female magicians, he doesn't even know where to find male magicians!

Third, eating a lot can also replenish a small amount of magic power. Quark had certainly tried this trick, taking a lot of food with him on his way out of the Hyatt Hotel... but it turned out to be better than nothing. Even if he ate and ate non-stop, he couldn't keep up with the rate at which his magic power was consumed.

Fourth, while some treasures possess the ability to replenish magical energy, the only thing Quark possesses that comes close is a severed arm bearing Command Seals, cut from the corpse of his Master, Ryunosuke Uryu—in order to control Heroic Spirits, each Master in the Holy Grail War had Command Seals on their arms containing immense magical energy. However, despite pondering for an entire night, he still couldn't extract magical energy from the Command Seals.

Finally, the only option left is to extract life force from ordinary people and convert it into magic. A gentler method is to set up a life-drawing magic circle in a public place, discreetly extracting the life force from those caught in the circle. Ordinary people whose life force has been drained are roughly equivalent to having an illness, and they can recover afterward... However, Quark is not a professional researcher and cannot perform such delicate and complex operations.

Given this, if Quark wants to implement "self-service mana replenishment," there is only one cruel option left: large-scale blood sacrifice!

"...Woof! Although I don't have much magic left, I still have to give it my all before it runs out!"

Gazing at the bright sunlight outside the window, the kobold warlock Quark, who had hesitated for a long time, finally made up his mind and picked up his bone wand.

And so another wave of brutal bloodshed descended upon the disaster-stricken city of Fuyuki...

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Fuyuki Cathedral, the seat of the Holy Church

After hastily holding a simple funeral for his father, Kirei Kotomine, who had just tragically died in a plane crash, Father Kirei Kotomine silently returned to his office. Gazing at his father's black-and-white portrait on the desk, he remained silent for a long time.

Logically, he should feel sad and grief-stricken, but for some reason, he doesn't feel that way at this moment.

It wasn't the kind of numbness or stoicism caused by a severe psychological blow, or the cold-blooded ruthlessness of a legendary heartless person; rather, it was something much stranger. Even Kirei Kotomine didn't know how to describe it; it seemed a bit like… schadenfreude?

Oh no! This is terrible! This time, it's my father who died!

Although dying in a plane crash is certainly not a dignified way to die, nor can it be considered glorious...

He quickly shook his head, temporarily forgetting the aforementioned chaotic thoughts, and then picked up the intelligence documents on the table and began to read them carefully.

—Although as one of the participants in this Holy Grail War, Father Kirei Kotomine should seemingly avoid any appearance of impropriety, he is, after all, the son of Risei Kotomine, the head of the church. Therefore, before the Holy Church sends a new successor, various intelligence reports are still delivered to him.

Because this is the time of the Holy Grail War, these documents are mainly filled with information gathered by informants from various places regarding the damage to Fuyuki City, the Japanese government's response measures, and the Church's cover-up methods. In general, the situation in Fuyuki can be described as a "disaster" or a "catastrophe."

"...Wow, yesterday's commotion was really huge! Not only the police, but even the Self-Defense Forces and US troops stationed in Japan were mobilized!"

Looking at the data in the document, Kirei Kotomine couldn't help but gasp inwardly, "...So many people died again last night..."

Although Kirei Kotomine had already prepared a spell to expel idlers at the Hyatt Hotel last night before assisting his mentor Tokiomi Tohsaka in a "remote bombardment" of the Hyatt Hotel and attacking Instructor Kenneth's magic workshop on the top floor.

The problem is that even if the Hyatt Hotel was evacuated when it collapsed and was completely empty, it doesn't mean that the other buildings around it were also empty, not to mention the vehicles constantly passing by on the nearby roads.

It should be noted that the Hyatt Hotel collapsed after being hit by a single dragon's breath, something no one had anticipated.

Moreover, this unexpected skyscraper collapse was not the precisely calculated directional explosion in the original FATE/ZERO manga.

—As a modern high-tech demolition technique, the buildings that are targeted for demolition should have all their exterior walls collapse inwards, thus maintaining an upright posture, as if they were sucked into the ground and collapsed on the spot.

Ideally, not even fragments of bricks and stones would fly out; at most, a cloud of dust would rise from the collapse.

Therefore, while the scene of a directional explosion destroying a skyscraper is spectacular, it has little to no destructive power.

However, last night, the Hyatt Hotel, after being "bombarded," tilted to the side in full view of everyone. The 150-meter-tall hotel crashed down horizontally, like dominoes, crushing and knocking down the surrounding buildings one after another...

According to the subsequent investigation, a total of 15 buildings were severely damaged, and more than 200 people were buried under the rubble.

One of the gas stations, which was crushed by the wreckage of the Hyatt Hotel, suffered a serious gasoline leak, which then ignited a fire. Due to the water outage in the neighborhood, the fire could not be extinguished in time and spread to an entire street.

In short, Fuyuki City, which had already suffered heavy losses yesterday afternoon, is now facing even greater hardship.

Even though the Holy Church and the Magic Association tried their best to cover up the situation and attribute all sorts of unscientific events to "terrorist attacks by an unknown group," the alarmed Japanese government still dispatched the Ground Self-Defense Force to Fuyuki to handle disaster relief and suppression.

Even more surprisingly, the U.S. military stationed in Japan, upon learning of the situation, sent a small unit to Fuyuki City to join in the commotion.

And this is only the first day of this Holy Grail War...

Perhaps even God doesn't know what terrible things will happen in this disaster-stricken city in the next few days...