My family runs an adventurer's guild.

"...That's the situation, Alice. Fuyuki City has now become a real battlefield, with bullets, shells, and even missiles exploding everywhere. The original battle plan has to be scrapped, and we can no longer recklessly rush in."

Kiritsugu Emiya said, looking exhausted. The constant running around these past few days, and the huge changes that disrupted the entire original plan in the blink of an eye, had left the man feeling quite drained. "...So, we won't split up anymore. You and Saber don't need to go into the city to interfere with the enemy's vision. Let's all go directly to the Einzbern Castle on the outskirts of Fuyuki City, build the magic workshop, and then patiently observe the situation..."

In short, with the arrival of Irisviel, the "Minor Grail," and Princess Saber Catherine, the seven Heroic Spirits participating in this Holy Grail War in Fuyuki City have finally gathered together on the predetermined battlefield...

Although one of the heroic spirits had already reached the end of his road...

Chapter 59, Caster's End

In the afternoon, the gunshots and explosions that had been ringing out in the streets of Fuyuki City for over an hour finally began to subside.

—Although the Japanese police, Self-Defense Forces and U.S. troops stationed in Fuyuki City were indeed initially thrown into chaos by Caster's magic, fighting amongst themselves and falling apart, and were in a very sorry state due to their long period of peace after World War II and lack of preparation and experience.

However, once the command centers of these three forces realized what was happening, they immediately ordered their personnel to withdraw from the city and disengage from the fighting. With the intervention of the Magic Association and the Holy Church, by dusk, this absurd conflict was nearing its end.

However, despite all this, the disaster-stricken city of Fuyuki cannot escape its nightmares and fully return to its former peace in a short time.

Those unfortunate soldiers and police officers who had fallen under Caster's spell and had not yet managed to break free, along with the local thugs who had picked up guns and ammunition in the chaos, continued to run rampant in every nook and cranny of Fuyuki City, robbing, looting, and indiscriminately killing innocent people, indulging their evil desires to the fullest.

Meanwhile, the raging fire that consumed the city spread throughout Fuyuki, engulfing block after block and building after building... Thick black smoke swirled and billowed across the entire city.

Many citizens who had been hiding in their homes, locking their doors and trembling with fear, thought they had escaped the calamity, but were instead forced out of their houses by the fire and thick smoke. Then, amidst a hail of bullets, their heads were blown off, and they lay sprawled on the ground.

—Fire, gunshots, screams, wailing… all sorts of tragedies and tragedies continue to unfold relentlessly.

Quark, a kobold warlock of the Caster class, lay beneath a cooling tower on the roof of a building, looking down at the blood and fire on the streets below.

These horrific killings and destructions were like the finest wine to Quark, captivating him completely.

However, as an outcast, the kobold warlock Quark could only hide here, too afraid to join this feast of destruction and death.

After the initial panic and chaos subsided, humanity had actually found a way to deal with the kobold sorcerer Quark: his spells could certainly interfere with the soldiers' eyes and minds, but they couldn't fool missiles, thermal imagers, and cameras.

Quark had no means of retaliation against strafing by armed helicopters, bombardment by man-portable missiles, sneak attacks by long-range sniper rifles, or even long-range mortar fire.

After all, the attack spells he cast with the bone wand only had a range of one or two hundred meters at most, making them difficult even for snipers to hit.

Even so, Quark could still use protective magic to block these attacks, and even cannonballs and rockets could not kill him instantly.

It would be difficult for any of the active missiles in the US military and Self-Defense Forces to hit such a mobile and agile small target as him. Even the smallest man-portable missiles were designed to bombard tanks, vehicles or barracks, not to be used specifically to target infantry like bullets.

The problem is that Quark no longer has a Master at this point, so he cannot replenish his magic power directly from the local ley lines through the Holy Grail system.

Therefore, every spell Quark casts now consumes the magic power he painstakingly obtained through human blood sacrifice.

Once his magic runs out, that's when he's finished.

—This body is formed from condensed magic power, and when the magic power is exhausted, it signifies the end.

Therefore, Quark could only hide under the rooftop water tower, feeling very frustrated, watching the fierce fighting and bloodshed on the streets below.

"...I used up too much magic power in the battle against those mortal soldiers! It was a real loss!"

While suppressing the restlessness stirred by the blood in his heart, the kobold warlock Quark muttered to himself as he took stock of the little magic power he had left.

In short, Quark, having already suffered quite a bit before sunset, had no intention of leaving his relatively secluded hiding place for the time being.

Even if another large-scale blood sacrifice is needed to replenish one's mana, it can only be done after nightfall.

However, what the kobold warlock Quark didn't know was that he wouldn't last until the night was over.

Because, right there in the gaps between the concrete slabs of the roof, several small but sharp eyes had already quietly fixed their gaze on his back...

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Fuyuki City Cathedral, located in the southern suburbs of Fuyuki City and the site of the Holy Church.

Inside the empty yet eerie chapel, several figures were gathered together, gazing at the view of Fuyuki City's commercial street projected through a crystal ball.

"...We've found him! The monster Caster is under the water tower on the roof of that hotel! My bugs saw him with their own eyes!"

"Old Bug" Zouken Matou finished casting his spell, pointed at the hotel reflected in the crystal ball, and said decisively, "...My mission is complete. Now it's your turn." He turned to look at Tokiomi Tohsaka and Kirei Kotomine, "...Only Servants can defeat Servants!"

At the same time, Tokiomi Tohsaka's expression was one of surprise, uncertainty, and unusual complexity.

Because, only at this moment, he was shocked to discover that the Matou family's inherited magic was not the water-based magic he had originally thought, but rather the far more bizarre and disgusting insect magic...

This made Tokiomi Tohsaka suddenly realize: Could it have been a mistake to have made the decision to have his youngest daughter, Sakura Tohsaka, adopted into the Matou family and become "Sakura Matou"?

In the tradition of Japanese aristocratic families, it is common to send children who are not the heirs to other families to inherit the family business.

Back when the Tokugawa Shogunate still existed, successive Tokugawa Shoguns repeatedly changed their sons' names and adopted them into the families of daimyo who had died out or not, so that they could inherit their domains and expand the power of the Tokugawa family's direct line.

(This is how the Aizu Domain, a famous "loyal retainer of the Shogunate" during the late Edo period, came to be).

Based on this line of thinking, when Zouken Matou approached Tokiomi Tohsaka, claiming that the current Matou family descendants were all of low quality, with their magic circuits blocked and lacking any talent to inherit magic, and therefore wanted to adopt his youngest daughter, Sakura Tohsaka, to become the Matou family heir and inherit his magic crest and head of the family, Tokiomi Tohsaka readily agreed without any suspicion.

This is roughly equivalent to a powerful, wealthy feudal lord in ancient Japan coming to his neighboring feudal lord and saying, "Brother, my family is in dire straits. None of my descendants are capable enough to maintain the wealth and fortune I've worked so hard to build. I'm very worried about what will happen after I'm gone. I've heard that your two children are both very intelligent. Could you perhaps adopt one of them to inherit our family's wealth and name?"

—Don't treat this as a joke. Ancient Japanese family concepts were very different from those in China, and there were indeed many such incidents.

How could Tokiomi Tohsaka possibly refuse such an incredible stroke of luck, which seemed perfectly reasonable at first glance?

In his view, the Tohsaka family's assets were limited, and they would all have to be passed on to the eldest daughter, Tohsaka Rin, while the second daughter, Tohsaka Sakura, would not get much.

Now, suddenly, a piece of the Matou family's business has been handed over to her. Even if there are some risks involved, it is still an excellent opportunity for Sakura Tohsaka, no, for Sakura Matou now.

Whether for your own sake or for your daughter's, you should agree.

From an ordinary person who always lived in the shadow of her eldest sister to the dignified head of the family, Sakura should have made a huge profit!

As for whether the Tohsaka and Matou families will become enemies due to conflicts of interest, leading to Sakura and Rin killing each other... who can guarantee anything about such a distant matter?

Even between husband and wife, father and son, there are examples of couples turning against each other and fighting. Tokiomi Tohsaka is not a god, how can he manage so many things? It is already the limit that he can arrange a good future for each of his children.

As for the fact that the Matou family's inherited magic is insect magic... Tokiomi Tohsaka really didn't know that at first.

Because the family-inherited magical arts and magical characteristics of magical families are basically secrets within the magical world, much like the passwords for bank accounts.

Zouken Matou never boasted that he was an expert in playing with insects, and Tokiomi Tohsaka similarly never made a conscious effort to investigate or inquire about it.

Because the Matou family mansion is located on a water-based spiritual vein, Tokiomi Tohsaka previously thought that the Matou family's inherited magic was water magic.

The Tohsaka family's "magical characteristic" is fire-based, making them naturally skilled at attacking but not at scouting.

Tokiomi Tohsaka originally planned to rely on Kirei Kotomine's Assassin to handle intelligence gathering, but Kirei Kotomine summoned a useless bum (the ghost librarian). Left with no other option, he had to turn to Zouken Matou—water magic is surely more suitable for reconnaissance than fire magic, right?

As a result, Tokiomi Tohsaka never expected that he would see something truly extraordinary.

—Zoken Matou's signature technique is actually Insect Magic!

The Matou family, who have been my neighbors for so many years, are actually a rare family of insect manipulators!

Although he didn't know much about insect magic, Tokiomi Tohsaka could roughly deduce that if a magician wanted to manipulate insects, he would have to spend all his time with them—imagine Sakura spending all her time in a dark, sunless cellar, surrounded by countless insects, wriggling and wriggling and wriggling and wriggling and wriggling... Ugh... Tokiomi Tohsaka couldn't help but feel a little nauseous.

In that brief moment, Tokiomi Tohsaka truly felt an urge to bring Sakura back from the Matou family.

However, upon further reflection, his thoughts began to change.

Even if she has to spend her days surrounded by disgusting insects, as long as she can inherit the Matou family's magic crest, it's still a win for Sakura.

Because his two daughters, Rin and Sakura, were simply too talented in magic.

One of them possesses all elements and a five-fold composite attribute, while the other possesses a fictional element and an imaginary attribute. Both sisters possess rare aptitudes akin to miracles. This transcends the realm of mere talent and is almost equivalent to a spell.

It is important to know that there is a hidden ironclad rule in this world: "Demonic nature will attract demonic nature in return."

Those with exceptional magician aptitude will inevitably attract various magical encounters or bizarre events, such as the sudden appearance of hidden treasures, attacks by Dead Apostles, or the awakening of a demonic eye. These are beyond their control.

There is only one way to deal with this fate—by cultivating the demonic path, consciously stepping outside of common sense, and taking control of one's destiny.

Therefore, Rin and Sakura of the Tohsaka family have no other way to deal with the demonic nature hidden in their blood except to understand magic on their own and train as magicians—at least Tokiomi Tohsaka can't think of any other way.

The problem is that the Tohsaka family only has one Magic Crest passed down through generations, which can only be given to and protected by one person.

In this way, Rin Tohsaka, as the inheritor of the Magic Crest, is fine, but Sakura Tohsaka, who cannot inherit the Magic Crest, will involuntarily fall into all sorts of strange events due to her own strange bloodline, without the protection of the Magic Crest.

Even if Sakura Tohsaka wanted to be an ordinary person far removed from the magic path, it would be a pipe dream due to her exceptional talent. If the Mage's Association discovered an "ordinary person" like Sakura Tohsaka, they would be happy to preserve her in formaldehyde as a specimen under the guise of "protection"!

This cruel reality tormented Tokiomi Tohsaka for an unknown amount of time, yet he was powerless to do anything about it.

He only breathed a sigh of relief when he learned that the Matou family wanted Sakura as their adopted daughter to inherit their magic crest: for both him and Sakura, this was nothing short of a blessing from heaven!

Even now that it has been discovered that the magic inherited by the Matou family is actually disgusting insect magic, the predicament Sakura faced before has not changed.

Tokiomi Tohsaka knew very well what kind of madmen the Clock Tower Mage Association was, who treated human life like dirt.

Compared to that, even if Sakura is forced to mingle with insects, it's still better than being "sealed" by the Mage's Association and turned into a specimen preserved in formalin!

After all, there's no such thing as a free lunch. If Sakura wants to inherit the Matou family, she'll inevitably have to pay a price.

Even Tokiomi Tohsaka himself underwent countless cruel and dangerous training sessions in order to become a qualified magician.

Therefore, it seems that even if Sakura's body is defiled by the insects, it is an obligation she must bear...

Besides, the most important thing right now is to win this Holy Grail War. As for everything else, we can talk about it later!

With a conflicted and complex expression, Tokiomi Tohsaka took one last look at Zouken Matou's aged face, then turned to Lulutia, the little dragon girl lying idly beside him, and issued the battle order: "...Archer, teleport to Caster's current location! Then destroy it!"

Author's message

Forty days after its release, the book still hasn't reached three thousand favorites, which is really worrying for me! I would really appreciate it if readers could help spread the word. If the book reaches three thousand favorites today, I'll add an extra chapter!

Chapter 60, Mrs. Irisviel's Plans Backfire!

Although he already knew that he probably wouldn't be able to stay in this strange world for long, Quark, the kobold warlock of the Caster class, never expected that his departure would come so quickly, so suddenly, and so... irresistibly!

Just moments before, he was leisurely perched on the rooftop, looking down at the foolish humans struggling in blood and fire.

The next moment, a colossal, gleaming silver figure appeared on the rooftop beside him, its vertical pupils filled with mockery and disdain as it looked down upon his tiny form. An indescribable, invisible fear gripped Quark's heart!

Under the oppressive and arrogant gaze of the silver dragon lady Lulutia, the kobold warlock Quark instantly collapsed to the ground, his claws numb.

—This is the skill of Lulutia, the silver dragon and mistress of the cat Firi: due to the spatial magic talent hidden in the blood of the silver dragon clan, she can teleport instantly throughout the entire Fuyuki City at any time.

Once she finds the target's precise location, she can instantly teleport there, launching a surprise attack and annihilation.

Faced with such an overwhelming attack, the kobold warlock Quark couldn't even muster the thought of fighting back, let alone put up a fight.

Because, simply by virtue of the identity of the Silver Dragon Lady Lulutia, he had already struck at the heart of this kobold's weakness.

—The kobold race, from its birth and origin, has always aimed to be “servants of dragons” for survival.

When faced with dragons or any creature that carries the blood of true dragons, kobolds are basically weak-kneed at the sight of them and will fawn over them on the spot, demeaning themselves to an extreme degree.

Just as some modern Chinese are called foreign slaves and foreign-worshipping dogs, the entire dog-headed people are simply "dragon slaves" and "dragon-worshipping dogs"!

Of course, if some kobolds, through various training methods, rise to the legendary level and become even more powerful than dragons, their mentality will change accordingly.

However, although the kobold warlock Quark appears imposing, his actual strength is still far from legendary level.

In short, under the intimidating dragon aura emanating from Miss Lulutia, the kobold warlock Quark instantly fell silent and was unable to move.

—My whole body felt frozen stiff; not to mention fighting back, even dodging was a luxury.

The next moment, looking at the dragon's breath rushing towards him, Quark did not let out a desperate scream, but instead felt a sense of relief.

Because he knew that his life would not really end there, but merely come to an end in a game he was destined to lose.

"...My wonderful adventure...is it really over? It seems a bit different from the script my boss gave me..."

This was the last thought that surfaced in the mind of Quark, the kobold warlock of the Caster class, before he bid farewell to this world...

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At the foot of Mount Enzo in the southwest of Fuyuki City, there is a rarely traveled road that stretches westward with its back to the city.

At the end of this winding, long road lies a vast, undeveloped forest.

For some unknown reason, despite the sudden outbreak of a fierce battle in Fuyuki City, all roads, large and small, leading to other prefectures and cities around Fuyuki City were now crowded with all sorts of refugee convoys, causing severe traffic congestion.

Even in the waters outside Fuyuki Port at the mouth of the Mien River, countless boats of all sizes, laden with refugees, drifted with the current...

But this suburban road that cuts through the forest is deserted, with hardly any vehicles or pedestrians in sight, as if it had been forgotten in this quiet mountain forest.

Then, under the soft afternoon sunlight, on this empty forest road, a silver "beast" was speeding along.

This "beast" is called the Mercedes-Benz 300SL. Its elegant and streamlined body is as dignified as a graceful noblewoman, while the roar of its parallel six-cylinder engine is as powerful as a wild beast.

As for Mrs. Irisviel's wrists on the steering wheel, they were as slender and fair as those of a noblewoman.

Wearing a white beanie, a white coat, and a white knee-length skirt, coupled with her snow-white skin and long silver hair, Irisviel, sitting in the driver's seat of the Mercedes-Benz 300SL, looked like a pure white, elegant princess who had stepped out of a fairy tale, perfectly suited to the current winter season.

However, her actions at this moment have absolutely nothing to do with the word "elegance".