I, Madoka Kaname, am just a Kamen Rider passing by

"Relax, I don't even have a Command Seal. I am just a person who has nothing to do with this Holy Grail War. At the very least, I am not one of the participants."

As if to prove the truth of his words, the man showed Jeanne the back of his right hand. Just as he said, there was no mark on it.

"But you have something to tell me, otherwise you wouldn't have brought me to a place like this."

"As expected of a saint, it's easy to talk to smart people."

El-Melloi II shrugged and said:

"Originally, I was only responsible for recruiting the Masters of the Clock Tower, that is, the Red Team. Logically, there was no reason for me to go to the battlefield in person."

"But just because I don't have a work reason doesn't mean I don't have a personal reason."

"My students are also one of the participants in this war..."

Before El-Melloi II could finish, Jeanne interrupted him.

"I told you I won't take sides with anyone."

"Oh, I think you misunderstood something. I did not ask Her Excellency the Saint to provide us with combat and intelligence assistance. In fact, haven't I made any requests or suggestions yet?"

"So what exactly are you asking for, magician?"

Joan of Arc's cyan eyes stared at the man who was puffing smoke calmly. She was a little confused about what this magician was trying to do.

Even more difficult to deal with than those ancient heroes. Although there was no evidence to prove this, Joan of Arc's intuition told her so.

Joan of Arc thought to herself that El-Melloi II was as wise as the ancient military strategists of China.

"I want to ask you about someone. Ah, don't get me wrong, it's not about the information of the black servants or masters. I don't have the slightest interest in these guys who are trying to make a big news."

The independence of the Thousand Worlds Tree from the Clock Tower was something that the Second Generation was happy to see. Frankly speaking, this was like a big company that couldn't continue working, poached members of the same department or other departments that were suppressed, and then formed a new company. This was a very common thing in the world of ordinary people.

The only people who would be so serious about this are probably those old-fashioned and mean "noble families" who are too obsessed with face to suffer. After suppressing them for nearly seventy years, the Thousand World Tree ran away to set up its own business, which was already giving the Clock Tower a lot of face.

"Back to the previous topic, what I want to ask is about my lovely...ahem, about my students."

Although Joan of Arc was concerned about El-Melloi II's sudden change of heart, she was not so ignorant as to expose his intentions.

"Hmm... maybe I want to ask you about your students?"

Hearing this, Joan of Arc understood what the Second wanted to ask, and she couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. She was still worrying about how to repay this favor, but now it seems that she doesn't need to worry about it anymore.

"So far, no servant on the Red side has been retired. Although the Red Berserker was captured, his Master should be fine. You can rest assured."

As a referee, Joan of Arc also has the function of a spiritual base disk. If a servant leaves the field, she can quickly detect the disappearance of the other party's spiritual base reaction. Although Joan of Arc does not know who the second generation's student is, she can say with her conscience that so far no Master has died in the Holy Grail War.

However, El-Melloi II was very dissatisfied with Joan of Arc's answer and just shook his head in confusion.

"No, no, no, Your Excellency, I think you have misunderstood something. My students are not from the Red Side."

"No one from Black has left the game either."

With a raised brow, Joan of Arc gave another answer.

However, she never expected that the student of the magician who was in charge of recruiting the Master in the Clock Tower actually defected to the enemy! Ah, so that's why he had to go to the dangerous battlefield of Tufalis in person.

It's not that Joan of Arc couldn't understand the feelings of the betrayed El-Melloi II. It's human nature, especially when the betrayer is her student.

No one in this world likes traitors. Even a saint will not forgive them. What Joan of Arc has to do is to send the traitors to see God. It is God's job to forgive them.

However, El-Melloi II still shook his head, as if he was still dissatisfied with Joan of Arc's answer.

Just when Jeanne felt that the magician in front of her was playing tricks on her and wanted to say something angrily, he spoke first:

"My student is neither red nor black. She joined this Holy Grail War in an illegal way. Has Your Excellency the Saint ever seen her?"

Chapter 43: "The El-Melloi Case Files"

"The student you're talking about is the pink-haired girl who tore a servant apart with her bare hands? I saw her with my own eyes hanging the Black Saber Hammer."

However, it was impossible to say this directly to El-Melloi II.

Joan of Arc's face froze when she heard the question from the Second. She really didn't know how to start the conversation, or how to explain it to this man in a tactful way. After all, she was just an ordinary French village girl. Before she became a saint, Joan of Arc was a village girl. And she could tell from the other party's nervous attitude that this teacher seemed to know nothing about the sky-high combat power of her student.

The Saint of France could see that the magician in front of her was not a monster with "excellent" accomplishments in the field of combat like his student. Rather, he was so weak that he might not even be able to beat the geese and hens that Joan of Arc raised when she was a child.

So, how did you teach such a genius student? !

Under El-Melloi II's expectant gaze, Joan of Arc thought again and again, and for the sake of the sandwich, she said ambiguously:

“I am very impressed by your students.”

"Phew, it looks like she's okay."

Although El-Melloi II's Eye of Detection has the ability to see through even the survival concepts of magicians, the only exception in recent years is the pink-haired ball he picked up on the streets of London. It is difficult to understand. Looking around, there is only gray and haze, and everything is dissolved into the hazy mist.

Unable to be observed, the girl was carrying a mystery that was too huge, even beyond the scope of human comprehension. In the end, he came to this conclusion about his student.

But this did not stop him from pouring his heart and soul into this student, or it could be said that Li Lin was one of the few humans who understood the Second World. Yes, just like her name, Li (people) Lin (kind).

"Saint, you don't seem to care about my student's illegal summoning?"

"Compared to her servant, she herself is a very foul existence, but I recognize her. At least so far, I think she is normal and will not be the cause of problems in this Holy Grail War. Compared to the active attack on me, the Red Lancer and his Master who obviously have something to hide, I would rather believe her who has good intentions towards me."

If it weren't for Li Lin's reminder, Joan of Arc, who was relatively lacking in modern common sense, would have easily overlooked Leticia's passport issue. Although the Holy Grail had given her the necessary common sense, having relevant memories did not mean that she could apply it smoothly, just like a certain "ancient" doctor whose tactics were modern but whose ideas were quite ancient.

Even though the servants have the knowledge to make modern weapons of mass destruction such as atomic bombs, they still maintain cognition, words and deeds that are consistent with their ideas during their lifetime.

"You said... the Red Lancer attacked you..."

El-Melloi raised his eyebrows and threw the burnt cigarette butt into the ashtray. His hand, which was about to light another cigarette, also stopped in the air.

He immediately wanted to refute that it was impossible, but after thinking about it carefully, Joan of Arc, as a referee and a saint, had no reason to deceive him. Even if he was unwilling to accept this strange fact, El-Melloi II could only bite it hard and chew on its meaning.

In a normal competition, no contestant would actively challenge the authority of the referee, or even try to kill the referee. Because it is meaningless and will only mess up the order of the competition. Normal contestants will never do such a stupid thing. Moreover, the judge has the privilege of fourteen stigmata (Command Spells). As long as she thinks that a servant has a problem, she can force him to commit suicide. No servant can resist two Command Spells.

In other words, only a Master who has something to hide and is doing something illegal would try to get rid of Jeanne.

"Your student was present at the time, and she can attest to the authenticity of this incident."

Since Joan of Arc even brought out witnesses, El-Melloi II had no reason to continue to doubt her. This lie that could be easily exposed was meaningless.

Reasons to get rid of the referee at all costs.

"I also have another piece of information. The Red Servant, except for the Red Saber, has gathered together. Ah, if it were a single Servant, I really wouldn't be able to determine their location, but when they gather in the same place, I can roughly feel it."

Suspicious, really suspicious.

Even if they were temporary allies, the Second did not think they would be stationed together. Unlike the Thousand World Trees, which worked together, most of the Masters dispatched by the Clock Tower... or hired by them were unfamiliar with each other, at least they were not friendly enough to tolerate other magicians sleeping next to them.

Because a magician is the guy who sells out everything else for his magic.

In fact, the Clock Tower has also prepared a team of magicians to recover the Holy Grail. Once they find that the Holy Grail War is over, they will rush into Romania at any time to seize the ownership of the Greater Holy Grail. Well, everyone is equally matched, and no one has the right to look down on anyone else.

"The Clock Tower has not received any similar intelligence. Tsk, have those magicians who serve as the Clock Tower's spies been bribed? They haven't responded for so long."

He had originally followed Li Lin to Romania only because he was worried about him, but now he seemed to have sensed a great conspiracy wriggling in the darkness.

"Huh? Don't you know what's going on in this city?"

"It's happening...ah, I see. It's not like they were bribed, but it's possible that they were killed."

El-Melloi II was stunned for a moment, then looked at the news broadcast on the TV in the store that warned citizens not to go out late at night.

There was no way around it. After all, a magician could not defeat a Servant, and he had to accept this fact.

However, what he didn't know was that this incident had nothing to do with Amakusa Shiro Tokisada who was trying to make a big news, but was just a capricious act of a murderer on a foggy night and her "mother" to fill their stomachs.

"In fact, I was planning to call for a truce between the two sides, jointly investigate and collect evidence, and punish the servants who wantonly killed innocent people. But the Red Side..."

Mentioning the Red Side and Lancer's statement that his Master wanted to get rid of her, Jeanne lowered her eyes and hid her face in her hair.

"I understand. To be honest, I also wonder what these guys are thinking."

"Well... So, what's important now is not who did it or how they did it. They can fake it in any way they want. What we should pursue is why they did it that way. They must have a reason to make you leave."

"Can I take it that you are trying to win me over?"

Joan of Arc, not knowing whether to laugh or cry, looked at the hand extended by the Second.

"No. I don't represent any person or organization. The man sitting here is just a "detective" who is pursuing the truth, nothing more."

Looking at Jeanne who looked very businesslike, El-Melloi II explained for himself.

Chapter 44: Moonlight Beauty and Jack the Ripper

Li Lin and Nero were walking one after the other on the streets of Tolifas. Since it was 2004, and this was Tolifas in Romania, a small place that could not be found on search engines in later generations of China, there were no noisy night markets or crowds. There were only residential buildings with closed windows and even drawn curtains, and deserted streets.

The moonlight, as clear as spring water, falls on the pink hair, reflecting a gorgeous luster.

The heels of the boots tapped lightly on the ground, playing a melody that even the gods would be amazed by.

Every frown and smile of the girl is like a dream.

Beauty under the moon.

But Nero was unmoved, not even thinking of being touched.

In this world, the best things are those that you cannot get. When such a beautiful girl stays next to you for a long time, you will gradually get used to her "extraordinary" beauty as time goes by, and regard her as no different from an ordinary person.

Besides, the two of them had other purposes for running out in the middle of the night, and it was definitely not to appreciate the moonlight or look at the two o'clock moon in Tuphalis.

"Hmm? To defeat the Servant who is acting recklessly in Tofaris and killing people outside the Holy Grail War?"

"To be exact, they are the Black Assassins. The Master who summoned them is a pervert with a hole in his brain. He didn't need to die, but he insisted on using a living person as a sacrifice."

The Black Assassin was summoned by the magician Sagara Baoma of the Qianjieshu family in Shinjuku, Tokyo. After the summoning, Jack the Ripper betrayed and killed Sagara Baoma, and transplanted his command seal to the hand of Rokudo Reika, who was used as a sacrifice by Sagara Baoma. He calls Reika "Mom" instead of "Master".

Afterwards, they headed to Romania. Since Lingxia was not a magician and could not provide Jack with magic power, Jack kept attacking humans and eating their hearts. By the way, most of them were magicians sent by the Magic Association to support them... To be honest, there might be people Li Lin knew among them.

Although she is also a magician, she is not interested in living sacrifices. The servant summoner is not an evil god. If you throw a living person in, aren't you afraid that a servant with a strong sense of justice will be summoned to chop you to death on the spot?

"As far as servants are concerned, it is quite well-known and is considered excellent. Due to its nature as a killer, its "soul-eating" ability is extremely efficient. Even if it lets Rokudo Reika, who is a layman in terms of magic power supply, as its Master, it can maintain a first-line combat power by constantly killing people."

"Devour human souls and ether for nourishment?"

Nero was stunned for a moment and frowned in disgust.

Not all Servants are willing to devour humans. Servants are the magician's comrades in the Holy Grail War rather than tools. If they act too willfully, they will be betrayed. If Li Lin made the same suggestion, Nero would probably swing the Primordial Fire at him the first time.

"The Master is too weak. There's nothing we can do about it, and she just happened to draw this joker card."

Li Lin spread out his hands, and the white mist he exhaled quickly dissolved into the night.

"Sir! I have decided that I will personally destroy it! I will protect the Roman citizens of Romania!"

Nero was like the social animal in the online drama that Li Lin had watched before. She clenched her fists and cheered herself up, and the ahoge on her head danced up and down with her movements.

Well, it's pretty cute, and even reminds Li Lin of little Alan. If she remembers correctly, the Build Driver also stayed in her hands, but it was just a toy that would make a standby sound, after all, she didn't even have the bottle. The Kamen Rider bottle that can't be purchased online in the battle world is back.

But what is the Roman citizen of Romania? Although the first two characters in the Chinese translation are both "Rome", they are essentially completely different and have nothing to do with each other. Just like Eorzea, Azeroth, and Ionia, all three begin with the word "Ai", but when translated into English, you will find that there is no connection between the three.

--fog.

Just as Li Lin was arguing with Nero, fog began to rise around them.

It's not right.

There is no special climate in this season, so normally there will be no fog.

Moreover, the surrounding fog thickened at a speed visible to the naked eye, and visibility quickly dropped to less than three meters, to the point where we were almost completely surrounded by fog. This was not a normal natural phenomenon.

"Enemy attack."

"Yes, I know. The Noble Phantasm - Dark Night Fog City, is a little troublesome. We can't just blow up the whole street. Tsk, that's why I hate worlds that require street fighting and don't have the automatic exit setting for passers-by."

The two of them leaned their backs together, scanning the strange fog.

"Ugh, cluck, cluck, cluck..."

The girl's clear and sweet laughter came from the fog, and combined with the current environment, it was like the opening CG of a horror game. But Li Lin was not afraid. Not to mention that she was a former "Principle of the Circle" and "God", and besides, a horror game with guns was nothing. Moreover, that laughter was exactly the same as Nero's voice.

Just like her biological mother. Well, after all, the voice actress is Tange Sakura, it would be weird if they were different.

Thinking of this, Li Lin joked with Nero:

"Hey, Nero, be serious. We are fighting the Holy Grail War. You are an emperor after all, stop laughing. This is thick fog, not laughing gas or burning marijuana."

"I didn't laugh! Player! I heard it! You are making fun of me again!"