Super God: If I punch you, you will die

Am I an idiot?

Assassin "Red" immediately dismissed the thought that had surfaced in her mind. Betraying Shirou now would bring her absolutely no benefit. There was no conflict of interest, nor any conflict of opinions; if there was any conflict at all... it was merely a matter of their different ways of survival. But even that, the Empress had long since accepted as reality.

A young girl who learned betrayal after being robbed and who yearns for wealth.

The boy learned anger because he was robbed, but all he got in return was despair.

It's perfectly natural for two people to have different ways of living, and there's no need to argue about who's right or wrong.

"So, when interests clash, and when I understand that each other's interests will harm the other, what exactly do I intend to do?"

The answer remains elusive. Assassin "Red" sighed and returned to the royal chamber. The throne was empty. Neither the world-renowned hero nor the clownish literary figure, nor even his own Master, were present.

The empress, all alone, the ruler of power, now she only felt an infinite emptiness.

London Clock Tower

"Seriously... what the hell is going on?"

It was quite rare to see Locke Belfebund so flustered... Lord El-Melloi II couldn't help but smile.

This is the headquarters of the Magicians' Guild, the highest institution of learning where ambitious young magicians gather... London's Clock Tower. Then, there is an underground lecture hall with multiple layers of protection, typically used for various purposes such as holding secret meetings with students and conducting clandestine negotiations with the Church.

In the Holy Grail War, the Mage's Association recruited many top-notch bounty hunters in order to annihilate the mages of Yggdrasilia, and within just a few days they collected enough catalysts to summon high-ranking Servants.

According to the report of Bram Nusare Sofiari, the head of the Spellcasting Department in charge of collecting catalysts, the only unsatisfactory one was the catalyst for Caster "Red". The rest were Servant combinations that could be described as "a powerful lineup never before seen".

Everything had been going smoothly up to this point, but unexpectedly, inviting someone from the Holy Church to be the seventh Master had the opposite effect. Due to that man's rampage, all five Masters except for Shiki-kai-ri were killed. Even more surprisingly, he also stripped all the Masters of their authority.

Furthermore, according to reports from the magicians dispatched to the area as inspectors, what is even more astonishing is...

"You mean... you stole the Holy Grail? That's unbelievable."

"There's no other choice but to believe."

Belfebund shook his head vigorously like a puppet on a string... which is understandable. The Einzbern, Tohsaka, and Magiri, the three founding families who built the Holy Grail War in Fuyuki, created unparalleled works of art in their divine realm during their heyday... that is the Holy Grail held by Yggdrasil.

The idea of ​​the Greater Grail being forcibly stolen is truly unimaginable. Moreover, this isn't a chaotic era where one can easily take advantage of the situation; the fact that the plunderers were able to do this without any organizational support is astonishing.

0267 Holy Church [Please Subscribe]

"More importantly, how is things going with the Holy Church?"

Bram asked in a deep voice, clearly displeased. From the Magic Association's perspective, this was an overreach of authority. The Magic Association was simply following past practice by hiring members of the Holy Church as oversight officers.

It's a well-known fact that the Holy Grail in question is entirely different from the Holy Grail in its original sense. From the Mage's Association's perspective, this was simply a matter of courtesy to save face for the other party. As for the Holy Church, ignoring them completely wouldn't have caused any problems anyway.

The reason they didn't do that is because in the Holy Grail War, when the interests of the magicians conflict, there must be a neutral mediator.

This time, however, the Holy Church has far exceeded its authority in the Holy Grail War. This is not as simple as a matter of "favor." One wrong step could trigger a full-scale war between the two organizations.

"This was probably a completely unexpected situation for them. They were in a panic. I heard they even tried to contact his relatives, but they seemed to be completely unaware of the situation..."

"So, this was entirely orchestrated by that man named Kotomine... all by himself?"

Belfebon said in a contemptuous and rude tone:

"Hmph, I bet he's either bewitched by the power of his Servant or instigated by someone. That guy's Servant is Empress Semiramis of Assyria. To manipulate a simple priest like that would be as easy as strangling an infant."

"Sir, do you mean the problem lies with the catalysts I collected?"

Bram's face immediately darkened. Belfebund hurriedly denied it. At this moment, El-Melloi II spoke in a soothing tone:

"It's hard to say whether that priest was truly pure or not. As far as I know, all the clergy who participated in the Holy Grail War were strange guys whose very faith was questionable."

Naturally, there are probably very few people who would do something so unprecedented. In any case, those in the dark side of the Holy Church... the Eighth Secret Order, are worlds apart from normal clergy.

"So, in short, the Holy Grail has been taken away, and the Masters we sent out have been killed. Although there is only one person left, it is impossible for him to shoulder everything alone."

Fortunately, this situation doesn't leave room for internal accountability. In this instance, it was entirely a miscalculation on the part of the Church, which will become a significant "favor." The association should be in a favorable position in future negotiations.

"Active intervention or passive observation? Lecturer Sophia, El-Melloi II. What should be done?"

"Let's just stand by and watch." "Same opinion."

The two answered without hesitation. Belfebund seemed to agree, nodding repeatedly as if to say, "That's exactly what I wanted to hear."

Active intervention would be completely pointless. Moreover, the enemy has gathered their strongest familiars—Servants. In any case, that's something a magician couldn't handle.

"The Holy Grail War will end automatically after a certain period of time. All the Servants will disappear, and that flying fortress will inevitably disappear as well. Until then, it's better for us to focus our efforts on laying a thorough surveillance network."

"What should we do about the Lion's Robbery and Jie Li's situation?"

"Just keep him involved in the war. He won't obey even if we ask him to retreat now. That being said, a miracle like defeating all the Servants and reclaiming the Holy Grail is not going to happen so easily."

As a result, the Magic Association's policy was to maintain the status quo. There was no need to take risks or risky moves, and given the circumstances, there was even a possibility of high returns. Making this choice was perfectly logical.

Back in his room, El-Mello couldn't help but chuckle self-deprecatingly at the outcome of the meeting.

"Hmph, although this is a very normal conclusion, it's still quite pathetic. To seriously consider obtaining the Holy Grail like this is really terrible. It's clearly not something I was serious about from the beginning, yet I only want the prize. This kind of optimism is not like Grandpa Locke's style. It's more like a child playing a game."

Lord El-Melloi II… He recalled his own experience ten years ago when he was given that title.

He had fought in battle. He had summoned heroic spirits and fought alongside them. At that time, he felt fear and envy towards "his" enormous body, and was also inspired... and then, there was the final farewell.

He glanced inside the cupboard. Inside, locked with both physical and magical locks, lay a piece of "cloth." That crimson cloth, though just a scrap... held a value for him greater than anything else in the world.

He suddenly felt like taking it out to look at it, so he unlocked the cabinet. He took the oak box out of the cabinet and gently opened it.

The red cloth with slight burn marks and faded color immediately brings to mind the image of that giant from ten years ago.

"I understand that feeling, though. Even the most experienced old foxes probably have moments when they're still a bit childlike... Really. The Holy Grail War is such a romantic ritual."

Just recalling that scene makes me smile naturally...

“Oh, my brother. I never imagined you would have a habit of looking at a piece of cloth and chuckling to yourself. Is this some kind of weird habit called totem worship? How could this be? I’m so disappointed.”

El-Melloi froze instantly. A strange, mechanical sound emanated from him, accompanied by a creaking, mechanical noise. He turned to look behind him.

A young girl sat in a guest chair, holding a teacup of black tea. She had porcelain-white skin and long, straight, golden hair. But a pair of fiery red eyes, enough to completely overturn the above illusory impression, were intently watching El-Melloi.

She was a young girl, no more than fifteen years old, who exuded an air of nobility simply by standing there and grace simply by sitting. Beside her stood a mercury-like object, like a female mannequin, attending to her like a maid.

0268 Key Removal Spell [Please Subscribe]

"Miss, when did you start, and where..."

"It was probably when you took the key to the cabinet from your desk to dispel the spell."

"Where's the lock?"

"She opened it for me."

The maid-type Mystic Code, Moon Spirit Essence, immediately gave a thumbs up. With her abilities, she could turn any key into a universal key simply by inserting her finger into the keyhole.

Where is the sound?

"Footsteps and such can be easily eliminated with magic, right? I don't believe you have any ability to sense my presence."

Faced with the girl's subtle "hehehe" laughter, El-Melloi II couldn't help but sigh.

She is "Princess"... the man who gave the name to Weber Velvet, the true successor to the Archipelago family... Renis Elmero Archipelago.

El-Melloi II placed the box back in the cupboard and locked it again. He simultaneously memorized the fact that "the key used to unlock the spell must be modified later." Then he sat down in the chair and, with a glare that terrified the students, stared at the girl and said:

"Breaking into someone else's room without permission is not something to be praised."

Renis responded nonchalantly:

"What's so strange about a younger sister going into her older brother's room?"

"The Archipeltor family getting arrested for trespassing is a nightmare!"

"Don't worry. Whether in the past, present, or future, I will never have the idea of ​​intruding into any room other than my brother's."

Not only did they make their judgments with a smile on their faces, but they even brazenly issued a criminal warning.

"My head is about to explode from this headache. What on earth is that teacher who taught you ethics doing right now?"

“We’ve reached the very bottom of hell. While my educators were nervously peeking at hell from the surface, you kicked them down with all your might, didn’t you?”

"My apologies. I'll correct myself. Although you're self-taught, your moral education is still quite excellent. Now, you should learn some ladylike etiquette, honestly. Mainly for my sake, since I'm the one who will ultimately suffer the consequences."

The girl pondered for a moment, then asked, as if incredulous:

"What's going on? Although there are countless things you have to do for me, there's not a single thing I have to do for you."

"That's terrible, you!"

"Don't yell like that, I'll be very happy... Hmm, speaking of which, that piece of cloth you were looking at earlier, it was probably a catalyst, right? For a magician like you, even by biased standards, it's barely a 40 out of 100. Since you survived the Holy Grail War with something like that, you must be a pretty powerful Servant. Why didn't you use it in the Holy Grail War?"

El-Melloi silently turned his face away, while the girl watched him silently. After a minute, the young man nodded as if admitting defeat and said, "You're right."

"Indeed, just as you said, the Servant summoned with this catalyst is undoubtedly very powerful."

If this is used as a catalyst for summoning, it should be able to reliably summon all the foremost Servants in the Holy Grail War, the Great Conqueror who leads numerous heroes...

However, after much deliberation, El-Melloi II decided to store his catalyst away. There were several reasons for this. Firstly, the collection of catalysts was entirely handled by Bram, the eldest son of the Sofiari family, and if he were to interfere, Bram might consider it an insult… that was one reason.

Secondly, there's the unease about what actions this unprecedented Heroic Spirit will take in the Holy Grail War. If it were just a matter of mutual slaughter, that would be one thing, but now there's a united front of seven Servants. Could there be a Holy Grail War that better suits his interests?

"Oh, that suits me perfectly. Come on, let me crush all seven of their riders and officially march into the world!"

This is no joke; it could really turn into a situation where a conqueror rules the world. The fear of this scenario is one reason for the concern.

"Is it because of concerns about family relationships and the Servant's rampage?"

"Of course. Although it wasn't my original intention, I am now the leader of a school of thought, and I am not in a position to focus my attention on the outcome of the Holy Grail War. It is my job to handle the aftermath. Whether or not I obtain the Holy Grail, I must deal with the situation properly. Isn't this the proper behavior of a noble 'Lord'?"

"You really do like lying. It's not right to hide the truth from your little sister, you know~"

The girl's words pierced the man's heart. "Why..." the girl repeated. In her eyes, a glimmer of unwavering determination shone through; she wouldn't give up until she heard the real answer.

As if surrendering, El-Melloi II raised his hands and said:

“I understand, I’ll confess. The reason is actually a very personal matter… In the past, when I was less mature, there was someone who called me a friend. In other words, I’m not a wise old man, and I simply couldn’t bring myself to betray that man.”

If anyone else knew about the Servant summoned by El-Melloi II, with the Holy Grail Wars taking place all over the world, magicians would surely try every means to obtain it.

Then it would be passed from one magician to another. The Conqueror King would be summoned again and again by those who simply wanted to exploit his power, without any respect for the Heroic Spirit whatsoever. Lord El-Melloi II did not want to see such a future.

"To put it bluntly, you're just a young guy who's too young. What? Everyone knows this, yet you're acting all high and mighty, like you're only telling me this. I really can't stand it. And let me give you some friendly advice, not just about the past, but also about the present, right?"

"You didn't just say one more sentence, you practically said ten sentences!?"

"Hmm, if we can make good use of it, the Archipelago's debts could be reduced quite a bit."

The girl said in a complaining tone.

With the subspecies Holy Grail Wars now rampant, the value of this catalyst has skyrocketed. Even a conservative estimate suggests it could cover up more than half of the debt. In some cases, it could even repay around 70% of the debt.

but……

"Remember this, miss. If you're so poor you have to sell your friends, you'd be better off starting a new life sooner rather than later."

0269 Reset and Start Over [Please Subscribe]

Are you telling me to commit suicide?

“Your thinking is too short-sighted. I mean, I want you to abandon your family and start from scratch. But if I did that, I probably would lose my head. It’s the difference between resetting and starting over. In other words, if you’re willing to pawn your dignity, then this family is over.”

"El-Melloi II asserted with a defiant expression. Of course, there are exceptions. For example, if his apprentice needs to participate in the Holy Grail War and they can't find a Servant, lending this out is a last resort..."

"If that's the case, I won't force you. It just means your time as El-Melloi will be extended."

As if she were very happy, the girl stood up with a "hehehe" laugh.

"What exactly are you here for...?"

"Oh, right. I forgot the most important thing."

Just as she was about to leave and turned the doorknob, the girl turned back, pointed at the maid standing beside her, and asked:

"Did you show this child something strange?"

Hearing such a strange question, El-Melloi II looked puzzled. The maid tilted her head as if mimicking his gesture.

"You're talking about strange things? Isn't that just your perverted side?"

"Well, for example, showing her things that are extremely harmful to moral education, things that are both pleasurable and insidious..."

The girl naturally omitted the second half of the sentence.