You are very strong, but my painting style is better than yours!

The silver-haired android is clearly a young girl, but under the influence of Shuten's fine wine, she has acquired some of the charm of a young woman...

"I'm the one holding you back this time. If it weren't for taking care of me, you would have hunted down the enemy servants instead, right?"

"It's not that easy." Iori shook his head. "Assassin is not a problem, but the combination of Black Archer and Black Berserker is not that easy to deal with."

Iori doubted whether he could eat a single calf safely. After all, this "natural born monster" did not have many fighting skills. He fought purely based on his talent and savagery, and his treasure was only used to trap people.

Its brute force is indeed amazing (the panel is terrifying), but a celebrity once said:

"It's meaningless if you can't hit it!"

Iori's skills and agility are far superior to Asterios, and he has the ability of a mirror and water. Unless you are stupid enough to play wrestling with him, there is no way you can lose.

But that was a one-on-one fight. If Chiron was added, the meaning would be different.

The great Greek sage is too versatile. His frontal combat ability can only be considered first-rate, but his auxiliary ability is top-notch... Iori does not intend to reveal all his cards so early, so retreat is the best option.

"Iori, I... um..."

"You don't have the treasure of the real Shuten, but the natural aroma of wine can continuously generate magic power in your body, which can wash away the residue."

"I know...but, this feels so weird...why..."

Sera's brows were sometimes slightly wrinkled and sometimes relaxed, her eyes were sometimes confused, sometimes relaxed, and sometimes troubled... giving people a very unstable impression.

Iori also noticed this and sat down beside the bed to observe her condition: "What's wrong with you?"

"I don't know... I have so many indescribable feelings in my heart... It's like, I don't know how to describe it... Ugh, it's so uncomfortable~

So many, so many things I never paid attention to... Things that I never cared about before, now seem like a curse... I don't want to have these worries and emotions!"

Is it the magic of "wine"? In the myths of various countries, wine is a poison that can drive people crazy, not to mention Shuten, a notorious degenerate...

"Well!"

Sera curled up helplessly, and in her trance she did something she would never do normally - she put her head on Iori's thighs.

This made her feel at ease, and the chaotic and inexplicable emotions in her mind were alleviated a lot.

"I'm sorry, berserker, I know I shouldn't do this, but... why did I become as weak as a human..."

"..."

Iori wanted to push it away, but he hesitated a little when he raised his wrist. In the end, he put it down reluctantly and gently brushed the master's silver hair.

"It's going to be okay, Sierra."

"Um……"

Looking down at the Master's sleeping face, Iori suddenly had a strange feeling - it was not lust, he was not the kind of guy who would take advantage of others in distress.

It's "pity".

Sera has always talked about Einzbern's long-cherished wish, and doesn't care about her own life or death. She tries her best to show her uniqueness as a man-made person, as if she is really a machine without blood or tears, moving forward only for a mission goal.

But looking at it this way, she is just a seventeen-year-old girl... and this is her apparent age. As a humanoid, she may be less than ten years old.

You know, Irisviel in the original book is even more shockingly "young"!

She was born with a weak body and a short lifespan, and she has been given so many spells written down for her. There is also a Holy Grail hidden in her body, and her life has been on countdown since the war began... How does she feel about her life?

No wonder they emphasize that they are artificial people and therefore have no emotions.

If a normal person has any emotion, he or she will either escape or go crazy, right?

Sera couldn't admit her emotional fluctuations because that would be a review of her entire life.

And under the premise that one cannot resist the highest command, the more one denies one's own life, the more sad it becomes.

In this case, it would be better to end her life as a pure artificial human. If she sacrificed herself for Einzbern's long-cherished wish, then her death would at least be meaningful.

Beautiful, fragile, self-deceiving... this android girl is such a troublesome creature!

but--

"It's fine."

Iori repeated it again, speaking softly, "I'm here and will always be with you, Sera."

Volume 116: Death Comes to the Holy Grail War: Chapter 4: Impossible! Absolutely Impossible! (K)

Early in the morning, the morning light illuminated the room through the floor-to-ceiling windows. On the soft big bed, two figures were hugging each other on the white sheets, but their clothes were neatly arranged. The silver-haired girl was curled up in the boy's arms, her delicate face was calm and peaceful. Not only was there no amorous taste, but there was an inexplicable holiness.

"Well……"

The girl frowned and slowly opened her eyes. She was a little dazed at first, but then her eyes moved and she gradually remembered what happened last night, including boating to enjoy the moon, the attack, and how she became like a baby, seeking comfort from others.

"—!"

Looking at the black suit blocking her vision, she suddenly opened her eyes wide and raised her head cautiously. When the familiar handsome face came into her eyes, Sera couldn't help but take a deep breath, and her fragile heart beat faster at this moment.

She didn't breathe a sigh of relief until she realized that Iori didn't wake up, and was even snoring slightly, looking like he was soundly asleep.

With a pair of arms supporting herself on the bed sheets, Sera raised her upper body and looked around in a daze. Then she saw the unseemly appearance of herself and Iori. It was a good thing that they were not disheveled or naked, otherwise the embarrassment would have risen several levels.

…No, why would she care about such things?

Sera suddenly realized that she was abnormal:

It was nothing more than that she slept in an abnormal state while being guarded by her servant. Although the posture was a little ambiguous, if it were in the past, she would definitely not have such strong emotional fluctuations.

Now... she felt that her thoughts and actions were childish, or even irrational.

Homunculi are tools used by magicians to complete certain tasks, and they do not need unnecessary things such as emotions. However, the Einzberns are a little special - they are homunculus created by homunculus, and they are more extreme in this respect.

But Sera now developed human-like sensibility... From a magician's perspective, this is undoubtedly a kind of "deterioration".

As the body gradually disintegrates, are logical errors also gradually appearing on the mental level? Sera thought with self-mockery.

But this is something she cannot control. Since she can't change it, she can only try to adapt to it.

Sera shook her head and was about to get up, but she accidentally glanced at Iori's sleeping face and was slightly stunned.

A question suddenly occurred to her: How should she greet Iori after he wakes up?

What a wonderful night... No!

What's going on? This anxious and distressing emotion is like having an orthopedic rope around my neck.

Is this feeling what people often call “awkward”?

Why not pretend to be dead and get away with it?

Sera had an idea and blinked. Although there was no one else in the room, she subconsciously looked around, then carefully lowered her body, returned to the side-lying position, and closed her eyes.

She planned to pretend that she was still asleep, and wait for Iori to wake up and leave the bed. Then she would open her eyes and pretend that they had never slept in the same bed.

It must be said that after becoming "weak", she seemed to have learned the self-deception that is unique to humans... no, she became "smooth".

It’s true, maybe because she consumed too much energy, the silver-haired girl felt sleepy after closing her eyes, and actually fell asleep again in a daze.

"Hmm~"

In a hazy state of consciousness, she squirmed uncomfortably and unceremoniously leaned her head closer to Iori's chest. Her expression was calm and peaceful, with a faint smile on the corner of her mouth...

At this time, Iori opened his eyes and stared blankly at the guy who used his arm as a pillow, speechless for a moment.

Isn't it a bit cruel to wake her up now?

After thinking about it, Iori simply closed his eyes and went to sleep, even ignoring the reminder sound in his mind.

-

“Eating mapo tofu in a Japanese restaurant in Romania is a novel experience.”

Iori and Sera sat in a not-so-big Japanese restaurant, looking at the white tofu covered with red oil in the spoon and secretly curled their lips.

There is a faction in Japanese cuisine called "Chinese cuisine", but it is not real Chinese cuisine. Like many Chinese cultures that have been introduced to Japan, it is a secondary creation that has been modified.

If you have watched "Cooking Master Boy", you should still remember the Mapo Tofu and Shredded Pork with Green Peppers.

However, the reality is that Japanese-style Chinese food is more... peculiar. It's not that the taste is bad, but the eating habits and food preferences are different from those in mainland China - after all, Chinese people generally don't eat fried noodles as a side dish in bread, nor do they make fried dumplings with rice.

Of course, it's much better than the unrecognizable American Chinese food.

If the Japanese style is considered a fan work, then the American style can only be called "The Holy Roman Empire"!

The restaurant that Iori came across in Romania was "upgraded and updated" based on the Japanese magic modification to suit local tastes. It feels that except for the tofu, it has nothing to do with the original dishes.

Well, ignoring the name and just considering it as a pure dish, it tastes pretty good.

Iori is the kind of person who doesn't mind whether the tofu pudding is sweet or salty, so he just complained in his mind and still enjoyed the meal.

Unlike him who was fully focused on enjoying the food, Sera seemed very reserved. She was not used to using chopsticks, so she picked up the fried dumplings with a fork and ate them in small bites.

She doesn't care about the taste. With her diminished sense of taste, even mapo tofu can only make her frown slightly.

While she was eating, she couldn't help but keep an eye on the situation outside, like a herbivore on the prairie, afraid that a cheetah would jump out from under the shade of a tree.

"Don't worry so much, nothing will happen... um~" Iori comforted him while eating.

Sera felt more relaxed after hearing what Iori said, but she was still a little nervous: "We experienced such a fierce battle last night and the night before yesterday. There is no doubt that we have entered the sight of the Thousand World Tree. Is it really okay to go out shopping so openly?"

"It is precisely because of that battle that we don't have to worry about being troubled by the Thousand World Tree in the short term."

Iori took a tissue and wiped his mouth, then said calmly, "A philosopher from the East once said, 'Know yourself and your enemy, and you will never be defeated in a hundred battles.

The most important thing in a war is victory or defeat, but the criteria for victory or defeat vary depending on the stance.

During World War II, before the Battle of Kursk, if you only looked at the casualty ratio of both sides, Germany was like a god descending from heaven... But if they really had an overwhelming advantage, they would not have fallen into decline just because their offensive was blocked - in comparison, the Soviet Union suffered countless defeats but remained strong.

Because the criteria for victory are different for Germany and the Soviet Union. If Germany wants to win, it must win unstoppably until the end without any setbacks or strategic mistakes. The Soviet Union's victory condition is to drag it to exhaustion. After a long time, Germany, which is fighting on multiple fronts, will collapse on its own. "

"Hmm~" Sera nodded. What Iori said was not some profound truth, but something well-known, so she understood it easily.

After all, Einzbern itself is a member of the old Berlin Flag, and as a magic family, they have been rooted in Germany for many years. If Danik hadn't hooked up with Nacui, Sera might be living in the castle as a noble lady now!

...Of course, it's more likely that she's the young lady's maid.

Come to think of it, when Nacui was strong, Danic should have made a lot of money... No wonder he had the resources to go to Qianjin City to buy horse bones and win over so many declining small families. In just a few decades, he had the confidence to challenge the Magic Association.

"As long as you understand the position of the Thousand World Trees, you will have a certain understanding of their action strategy."

"What position?"

“It’s the position of having the trophy at the beginning of the game.”

Iori sneered and said, "The Holy Grail is already in their hands. There is no need to risk their lives. They can just sit at home and wait for you to come. Having a home advantage is very important."

Especially for the Thousand Worlds Tree!

There is some information that Sera doesn't know yet, that is, the Lancer of the Thousand Worlds Tree is named Vlad III. That servant is almost invincible in his own "territory" and is not afraid of any servant in the battle to defend the city.

In the original work, in order to contain Vlad III, Amakusa sent out Karna, who had the strongest firepower under his command.

The reason why Vlad III, as the "king", had to accept the challenge was largely because the servants of the Thousand Worlds Tree were generally a level weaker than the Red Side, and the Dragon Slayer who was originally against the Little Sun committed suicide... There was a lack of high-end combat power, so he had to take over.

In the current world line, the black rider has become King Arthur, the berserker has become Maverick, and other servants may also change, but overall the strength has been much stronger, and Vlad III can completely sit in the center.

With such a great god around, no one can take the Holy Grail away from you!

As a result, Qianjieshu, which enjoys the home advantage, will naturally adopt a more conservative strategy.

Of course, Iori had yet to see the Black Lancer in person, and perhaps it had been someone else... But given Vlad III's connection to this land, there was no reason for the magician of the Thousand Worlds Tree not to summon him.

"As for the battle the night before, I am more inclined to believe that Shuten-doji was the one wandering around and attacked us on impulse.

Otherwise, with three servants attacking us from the very beginning, it would be difficult for us to escape unscathed, and Shuten-doji wouldn't have to lose half his life.

It looks like we have to run away, but in fact the most annoying one might be Qianjieshu, especially Assassin's Master~"

"I see. This does explain what happened that night." Sera suddenly realized, "But won't they take revenge?"

"Yes, but we are not a high priority because I am 'non-threatening'!"

Iori spread his hands and smiled, "After the battle that day, the black side should think that I am a servant who is good at hand-to-hand combat and small-scale spells. Although it is difficult, I definitely do not have the ability to threaten the castle of the Thousand Worlds Tree and the Holy Grail inside.

In this case, they naturally have to focus on how to deal with more threatening servants - such as Red Lancer, the demigod who looks very cool and is very good at siege warfare. "

"You always have a plan in mind~" Sera looked at Iori, who looked confident and calm, and couldn't help but be mesmerized.

"You don't seem like a warrior, but more like a military advisor from the East."

“I know a little bit~”

Iori smiled reservedly and said, "Chikaishu, Amakusa, Shishijie and us are currently three camps, one black, one red and one independent.

If my guess is correct, Qianjieshu should also try to test Shishijie and Mordred, but after discovering that they are independent of Amakusa's camp, they will not continue to invest in them, just like ignoring us."