My family runs an adventurer's guild.

Therefore, the Church's shameless claim immediately provoked strong protests from the Clock Tower Magic Association and the Einzbern family. Although the Clock Tower Magic Association's assignment of Instructor Kenneth to participate in the Holy Grail War in the East was essentially a malicious attempt to sabotage him, the Clock Tower Magic Association could not compromise with its old enemy, the Church.

After all, protecting the interests of magicians as a whole in the face of external enemies is the natural obligation of the Clock Tower. If such extremely unfair conditions can be accepted so easily, and what's worse, if this becomes the norm, won't magicians from all over the world be easily killed by the Holy Church? And the reputation of the Magic Association will also plummet.

Therefore, even if it's just a gesture, the Clock Tower Magic Association has to lodge a strong protest with the Holy Church.

As for the Einzbern family, who still dream of obtaining the Holy Grail, they could not allow the Church to so blatantly reap the benefits.

Therefore, after a series of arguments and pressures from all sides, the Church of the Holy See, under pressure, finally had to make some concessions and came up with the following two compromise solutions:

If Kirei Kotomine, as the Master of Assassins, wants to continue participating in the Holy Grail War, he must move out of Fuyuki Cathedral and have someone else take over as the Holy Grail War supervisor.

If Kirei Kotomine wants to take over as the Holy Grail War overseer of the Holy Church, he must use up all his Command Seals, give up his Assassin Servants, withdraw from the Holy Grail War, and at least maintain a neutral stance in form.

Since the Holy Grail War is still ongoing in Fuyuki City, the Church has only given Kirei Kotomine half a night to consider his options. He must make a decision before dawn—if he doesn't give up on his Servant by then, someone else will take over as the supervisor.

Kirei Kotomine decided to give up Assassin and focus on being the supervisor of the Holy Grail War in Fuyuki City without much hesitation.

—In this Holy Grail War, the Assassin he summoned, Portia, the ghost librarian, was ridiculously weak. His previous assassinations of two Masters relied entirely on Kirei Kotomine's own swordsmanship and experience.

His female ghost Assassin not only failed to serve any purpose, but was also witnessed by many people while wandering outside, leaving behind the urban legend of "female ghost wandering at night"...

In Kirei Kotomine's eyes, he was a useless Assassin, a burden who should be discarded as soon as possible.

"...Anyway, I have no interest in the Holy Grail. I'm only participating in this Holy Grail War to fulfill my late father's last wish and help you, my teacher, win the Holy Grail. This useless Assassin will eventually have to be abandoned anyway; this is just a matter of doing it a little earlier."

Facing Tokiomi Tohsaka's gaze, Kirei Kotomine said frankly, "...Moreover, if I continue to participate in the war, the Mage's Association will have to let Souren Araya take over this position...Sensei, do you think Souren Araya would be a good supervisor instead of trying to take the Holy Grail for himself?"

What?! Araya Souren?!

Why let this old monster who has lived for nearly two hundred years be the supervisor?

Upon hearing this name, Tokiomi Tohsaka felt like he was about to have a terrible experience!

—Araya Sōren, born in the first half of the 19th century, came from a prominent family of the Japanese Tendai sect of Buddhism (Japanese monks also marry and have children, so there are many monk families where the whole family has been monks for generations). He was well-versed in various Tendai scriptures from a young age and was known as a child prodigy.

After being ordained as a monk, Araya Sōren, with the great ideal of "saving all living beings," began to travel to various places to help people, and traveled all over Japan to save lives.

However, Japan at that time was in the midst of the chaos of the late Edo period, with various ideologies such as "divine retribution" and "opening the country to the outside world" clashing with each other, resulting in extreme social confusion and turmoil. Araya Souren witnessed the massacres and destruction brought about by the war, while also hearing about the conflict between innovation and tradition, which made him increasingly confused. Because of the various atrocities he witnessed firsthand, he began to question whether humanity had any value in being saved.

Ultimately, Araya Sōren abandoned his family's Tendai Tantric faith (short for Tendai Tantric Buddhism, so some books also define Araya Sōren as a "Tendai Tantric monk") and joined the Mage's Association... Of course, for Tokiomi Tohsaka, none of this mattered.

The real point is that Araya Souren, like all traditional magicians, has an extreme thirst for the "Root Vortex"!

The Holy Grail, which is fought over in the Holy Grail War, is currently the best known shortcut to reach the "Root Vortex".

Making Araya Souren the overseer of the Holy Grail War is like having a hungry wolf guard the door for a lamb.

Thus, Tokiomi Tohsaka finally understood his current predicament—while having Kirei Kotomine relinquish Assassin and withdraw from the Holy Grail War to become the Overseer would certainly deprive him of a capable ally, the consequences of allowing Souren Araya to become the Overseer would be unimaginable.

After all, even if Kirei Kotomine can't help, he won't cause him trouble. But if it were Souren Araya, it's hard to say...

“…Alright! I understand your decision, Kirei.” He turned and looked around, then said, “…Shall we begin now?”

"...Yes, I issue this command with a Command Spell! Assassin, come here immediately!"

Kirei Kotomine answered in this way, and raised his right hand to show the three Command Seals he had not yet used.

Then, as a Command Spell disappeared after exerting its magical power, a gust of cold wind gathered in the church, revealing Portia, the most useless Heroic Spirit in this Holy Grail War, who serves as an Assassin and is a pathetic necromancer apprentice and librarian from another world.

At this moment, she was completely unaware that her time was coming to an end. She was just curiously looking around at the suddenly changed environment and Kirei Kotomine who suddenly appeared in front of her. "...Eh? Did Master call me here? Could it be... that the young female corpse I've been wanting has finally arrived?"

"...Sorry, Assassin, although many people died today, I didn't collect any bodies for you because you'll never need them again!"

Father Kirei Kotomine answered calmly, then used two Command Seals in succession to issue his final mandatory command as Master, "...Issue the command with a Command Seal: Assassin, commit suicide! Repeat, issue the command again with a Command Seal: Assassin, commit suicide!"

With a sudden pain on the back of Kirei Kotomine's hand, the two Command Seals released in quick succession unleashed their hidden magical power, instantly creating a whirlwind in the church that swallowed up Portia's astonished face... By the time the whirlwind caused by the magical power disappeared, she had vanished without a trace.

—Portia, the Ghost, who served as an Assassin in this Holy Grail War, was executed by her Master and left the stage without ever fighting a single battle…

On the other side, Kirei Kotomine stared down at the spot where Assassin had disappeared, feeling a strange sense of loss in his heart.

But not long after, he composed himself and turned to Tokiomi Tohsaka, saying, "...Sensei, I am no longer a Master. Tomorrow morning, notaries from the Church and the Mage's Association will come and, after confirming that I have used up my Command Seals, will grant me a new Spirit Item Plate (a magical tool for monitoring the condition of Servants). From that time on, I will have to fulfill my duties as a supervisor and will no longer be able to leave the Church at will."

So, aside from sharing some intelligence with you, I'm afraid I can't be of much help to you anymore. I'm really sorry..."

"...Don't be modest, Kirei! You and your father have already done more than enough for me!"

Upon hearing this, Tokiomi Tohsaka couldn't help but show a moved expression. He stepped forward and patted Kirei Kotomine on the shoulder, "...Such a great kindness is truly beyond my ability to repay! I will fight the rest of the war myself! When I return victorious, I will invite you to drink and celebrate! Don't worry! Judging from the current situation, we will win in a day or two!"

After saying that, Tokiomi Tohsaka turned and left, leaving Kirei Kotomine alone in the church, frowning and deep in thought.

—In fact, while Tokiomi Tohsaka's bold words had a comforting meaning, he was also truly determined to seize the opportunity and end the battle quickly.

The series of chaotic events previously stirred up in Fuyuki City by the Caster and Lancer groups certainly caused Tokiomi Tohsaka a lot of trouble, but it also gave him a new kind of inspiration in terms of tactics, or rather, a kind of reckless courage.

"...Anyway, Fuyuki City has already been ravaged by the Caster and Lancer groups, so it probably doesn't matter if they mess it up a bit more! Hmm! It's decided! The next target is the Einzbern family!"

Walking in the cold night wind, Tokiomi Tohsaka clenched his fists and muttered to himself, as if encouraging himself.

Chapter 65, Director Ken's Army Stew

On the outskirts of the "New Capital" in eastern Fuyuki City, in an abandoned factory that went bankrupt several years ago, lies the temporary base of lecturer Kenneth.

Outside the broken window, which had just been patched up by lecturer Kenneth with some old newspapers, the cold wind of a late spring night was howling through the Japanese archipelago.

Although Kenneth had tried his best to seal the cracks in the window, a slight chill still seeped into the room through the gaps in the paper.

In the center of this dark and cold abandoned factory, a small square kerosene stove is emitting its light and heat.

The tiny, flickering flame brought a pitiful sliver of warmth to this dark, cold, and enclosed space.

Although it's far from enough to make you feel warm, at least you can use it to cook a hot meal—at this moment, an exquisitely designed casserole is placed on top of this small kerosene stove, and the soup inside has boiled, bubbling and gurgling.

Illuminated by this small, dim firelight, Lecturer Kenneth was clumsily using a folding knife to open a metal can, dumping in a jumble of miscellaneous ingredients—butter peas, luncheon meat, mushrooms, seaweed knots, tuna, tofu, Mexican hot sauce, and so on—and sprinkling in some salt and pepper. The result was a casserole dish reminiscent of the culinary horrors of the British Empire—the best Lecturer Kenneth could manage to cook, given his upbringing as a pampered, traditionally British gentleman far removed from the kitchen.

On the other side of the kerosene stove, his red-haired fiancée, Sora, wrapped in a warm quilt, was holding Lancer, the sleeping goddess from another world, who was fast asleep again. She looked at the mixed vegetables in the pot with a bored expression and said something seemingly casually.

"...Speaking of which, Kenneth, it seems like there's quite a commotion in the city today! This Holy Grail War, though called a war, is really just a magical ritual, like a duel. But these Japanese have managed to turn it into a localized conflict?"

"...Hmph! Sora, these Japanese from the countryside in the East are simply acting recklessly, defiling the sanctity and nobility of the demonic path!"

Instructor Kenneth snorted with a disdainful expression, "...The demonic path, which should be kept absolutely secret, has been inexplicably turned into a grand spectacle, causing a worldwide sensation, as if they were afraid that mortals wouldn't know that the demonic path is truly similar! Almost all the ironclad rules of the Clock Tower have been thrown to the ground and trampled on! If it weren't for these Japanese people still having some sense and managing to barely calm the situation, the two of us might have been implicated as well!"

"...So, looking at the situation in the city now, it seems to be gradually calming down. Why don't we take any action?"

The red-haired beauty Sora stretched out her delicate hand and stroked the head of the dormice girl Lancer Momo with a happy expression, as if petting a cat, while casually saying with a bored tone, "...staying in such a terrible, awful place without moving will not win the Holy Grail War!"

"...Heh, Sora, have you forgotten the warning the Clock Tower Magic Association gave us? If it weren't for this, how could we have been kicked out of that little hotel last night, moved to this shabby place, and been eating canned food from these suburban grocery stores?"

Kenneth chuckled wryly as he dumped all the sliced ​​luncheon meat into the casserole dish. "...The Clock Tower explicitly instructed us that for the remainder of this Holy Grail War, we must not set up temporary bases in densely populated urban areas, nor can we allow any fighting to break out in urban areas... Moreover, the chaos in the city has only just subsided, and the Japanese government and military will definitely issue martial law. So we simply cannot enter the city now!"

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

Although he spoke with such reason and evidence, Kenneth himself knew very well that most of the above were just excuses to appease people.

In fact, while the Clock Tower's warnings and prohibitions had some binding force on him, they weren't so absolute that he wouldn't dare to cross the line. Simply moving the base to the outskirts and maintaining secrecy during the next battle would be sufficient.

However, the real problem is that just this afternoon, when the crazed and bloodthirsty kobold sorcerer Caster wreaked havoc in Fuyuki City, triggering an armed conflict between Japan and the United States and a melee between regular troops, the Holy Church, which was already overwhelmed by this chaos and desperately seeking help, actually sent a message to Kenneth, who was also in Fuyuki City, asking him to join forces to defeat Caster and quell the chaos as soon as possible.

However, the unfortunate Kenneth had just been forced by the Clock Tower to leave his relatively comfortable city hotel and move to a dilapidated place like an abandoned factory in the suburbs because of the Church's accusations against him. He was full of resentment and had no time to be so magnanimous as to repay evil with good by doing volunteer work.

Moreover, it was the kind of extremely dangerous unpaid labor where one wrong move could cost you your life!

Not to mention, even if you risk your life to do voluntary labor, you won't get any reward.

On the contrary, it is very likely that the church that asked for help will repay kindness with enmity, dig a hole for them, and stab them in the back!

—After the previous upheavals, Kenneth's view of the Holy Church was now extremely negative: although the Clock Tower's Magic Association and the Holy Church had long been enemies who disliked each other...

Kenneth immediately rejected the Church's request for help, citing the Clock Tower's order forbidding him from entering the city. Throughout the subsequent calming of the situation, he remained on the sidelines, observing from the sidelines without contributing anything in return.

Therefore, on this very night, with the chaos in Fuyuki City just subsided, Kenneth could not go back on his word and secretly enter Fuyuki City to find and defeat the other Masters... Otherwise, whether it was the Church of the Holy See feeling tricked—who refused to help during the day but then sneaked in to cause trouble at night?—or Kenneth's political enemies at the Clock Tower, who could later seize upon his weakness and make him suffer the consequences...

Moreover, even if he disregarded the aforementioned troubles and insisted on bringing Lancer into the city, who would he attack next?

According to the information released by the Holy Church, Caster, who caused chaos throughout the city during the day and triggered international conflict, has been defeated and eliminated.

According to the announcement issued by the Matou family, the Berserker Master who represented their family in this Holy Grail War has also been defeated and withdrawn from the battle.

Assassin Master Kirei Kotomine is a clergyman of the Holy Church. Going to deal with him on this night is tantamount to walking into the line of fire.

Archer Master Tokiomi Tohsaka has inexplicably abandoned his mansion and is hiding somewhere, making it impossible to find him if one wants to challenge him.

Then there's Saber's Master, whom Kenneth's analysis suggests is the Einzbern family's son-in-law, the infamous "Magician Killer" Kiritsugu Emiya. Challenging him isn't too difficult; his base is clear—it's the castle the Einzbern family built in Japan decades ago, in the forest outside Fuyuki City. However, the problem is that the Einzbern family conducted the Heroic Spirit summoning in Germany, and Kenneth isn't entirely sure if they've arrived in Fuyuki City today.

Anyway, when Kenneth went to scout the forest outside Fuyuki City a few days ago, he discovered that the castle the Einzbern family built in Japan decades ago still seemed to be sealed, showing no signs of being opened. After the ensuing chaos, no one knew what had become of the castle—if the Einzbern family still hadn't come to Japan, going to challenge them would be a wasted trip!

Furthermore, if someone were to take advantage of his absence to kidnap his fiancée Sora, it would be an even greater loss for him!

Finally, there is another enemy from the Clock Tower, the despicable student who stole his relic, Waver Velvet.

In Kenneth's eyes, this guy, though utterly incompetent in combat and with virtually no experience, was as cunning as a rat in a gutter. Kenneth still had no idea where he was hiding in Fuyuki City, and naturally had no way of finding or eliminating him.

In short, based on this analysis, infiltrating Fuyuki City tonight seems to be a high-risk, low-return, and unprofitable endeavor.

Not to mention, there are countless agents of the Holy Church wandering around Fuyuki City right now, responsible for destroying evidence and handling the aftermath. Given Kenneth's current rather awkward position, running into any one of them would be a very troublesome situation.

In light of this, Kenneth ultimately decided to fortify his position and fight a protracted war, setting up his base in the abandoned factory and waiting for others to attack!

After a day of hard work, he had set up the most basic defense and security system for this temporary base. Although it was not as impregnable as the Magic Workshop at the Hyatt Hotel due to the limited resources and equipment he had left, it was still strong enough to hold his own for a fight.

However, these reasons sounded detrimental to his image as a genius, and Kenneth was unwilling to talk to Solado, so he decisively chose to change the subject.

"...Hmm, it's almost done cooking!! What I made today is supposedly a Korean dish called something like 'Army Stew'."

He pulled a plastic bowl from behind him, scooped a full bowl of the steaming pot into it for Sora, and handed it to her along with a spoon. "...Although this thing doesn't look very appealing, it's easy to make and smells quite nice. Try it, Sora! Have a bowl, it'll keep you warm!"

Miss Sora hesitated slightly, but still reached out from under the quilt covering her body and took the spoon and soup bowl.

She had only taken two bites when she was choked by the spiciness of the soup. She covered her flushed face and wiped away the tears that welled up in her eyes.

"...Cough cough! This soup is really...cough cough! It's so spicy! Kenneth, how much pepper and chili did you put in it?"

"...Hey, Sora, in this cold weather, without heating, and at night, you can't keep warm and avoid catching a cold without eating something spicy!"

Kenneth served himself a steaming bowl of mixed stew. As soon as he placed it in front of him, the aroma of chili oil and pepper wafted up. "...It is said that this is a warming food made by soldiers fighting in the cold winter of the Korean War using whatever materials they could find... glug glug..." He picked up the bowl with gusto and gulped down the hot soup with plenty of chili oil, pepper, and black pepper. His tongue went numb from the spiciness, and he felt a slight sweat break out on his forehead. His stomach, hands, and feet, which had been feeling a bit uncomfortable from the cold, began to feel warm.

"...Hehe, that's true, we're on the battlefield too! We should be grateful to have a hot meal!"

Watching Kenneth nonchalantly gulp down the spicy soup, Miss Sora gave a self-deprecating smile. "...I'm sorry, I was too picky earlier... In this situation, I really should eat something spicy. It would be ridiculous to be defeated by a cold before even going into battle..."

She said this with a smile, but she still didn't dare to gulp down the scalding hot soup like Kenneth did. Instead, she picked out the ingredients and ate them quickly. Then, she wiped her slightly numb lips and held up the empty bowl, now only containing soup, to Kenneth. "...Another bowl, please!"

Staring blankly at the smile on his fiancée Sora's face, Kenneth, this older, reserved man, was instantly captivated.

Suddenly, the atmosphere in this small space, surrounded by a warm stove and a boiling casserole, felt exceptionally cozy.

—As a genuine goddess of sleep, Dormouse Girl Momo is always surrounded by a healing aura and a calming buff.

So, whether it's the arrogant and conceited Director Kenneth or the sharp-tongued Miss Sora, as long as you stay patiently by her side, you seem to be able to become more peaceful for the time being... Is this a blessing that the God of Sleep brings to all intelligent life?

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

Thus, all the remaining participating forces in the Holy Grail War unanimously chose to remain in hiding on the second night after the war began.

Thus, Fuyuki City, which had suffered so much, was fortunate to have a peaceful night, which finally soothed people's fragile nerves a little.

However, this is merely a final reprieve for these poor people before an even greater catastrophe descends.

It can be roughly compared to the last meal a condemned prisoner receives before execution.

—The countdown has now begun for an unprecedented catastrophe that will further and completely destroy the city and even affect the surrounding areas.

The culprit who orchestrated this disaster was none other than Tokiomi Tohsaka, the manager of the local spiritual vein in Fuyuki City…

Chapter 66, Fuyuki City Continues to Suffer Misfortune

On the morning of the third day after the Holy Grail War began, at a farmhouse on the outskirts of Fuyuki City.

With a loud "pop" sound, Firi, who had been turned into a cat-skin balloon by the little imp [Mischievous Trick] for a full day and night, finally endured the moment when the trick ended. Like a balloon punctured by a needle, it instantly returned to its original state.

"...Meow—it's finally back to normal! What a boring day!" He stretched languidly, then jumped onto the table and patted the boy Waver, who was dozing off on the table, with his paw. "...Meow! Waver! We can go fight the Holy Grail War now!"

"...Oh! You wretched cat! What are you yelling about? It's already daylight! What's the point of fighting the Holy Grail War?"

Weber looked up irritably, revealing a pair of red eyes that resembled a rabbit's. "...I only dozed off for fifteen minutes..."

—In fact, although Phili was blown up into a cat-skin balloon by the unpredictable fairy Flor during last night's encounter, completely losing her ability to move, Waver originally planned to take the fairy Flor, who still retained some of her abilities, to continue fulfilling his duty as a participant in the Holy Grail War, and to go out at night to scout enemy positions and look for opportunities to strike.

The problem is that the farmhouse on the outskirts of Fuyuki City where Weber is currently staying happens to be at the intersection of several highways.

Yesterday, many of the refugees who fled Fuyuki City amidst the war and fire ran along the highway to this place. Seeing that it was relatively quiet, they stopped to rest, thus quickly forming a spontaneous refugee gathering place.

Worse still, not all of these seemingly destitute refugees are kind and law-abiding people.

On the contrary, there were quite a few thugs and hooligans among them, and a few audacious and ruthless individuals who, taking advantage of the chaos, somehow managed to acquire some abandoned firearms and ammunition during the armed conflict that broke out in the city...

So they began to take advantage of the collapse of local social order, looting and burglary everywhere, turning this once peaceful and tranquil suburban village into a chaotic mess, with constant gunfire and screams, a truly unbearable scene of utter devastation.