Xingyue, is Xiaokai also considered Kai?

"I understand. There's no need to say more."

Kuonji gently stepped aside and walked outside. "I won't force you."

To be honest, Chizuru Masato and Arata Kuonji didn't meet very often. After the New Era, Arata Kuonji stayed in the Kuonji residence outside the city, having her familiars use life detectors and wireless cameras to observe and explore the reason for the 'imprisonment' of the sky. They basically didn't have many opportunities to meet.

As for why, Chitose Manazuru remembered it was because of a friend of Kuonji, since she was also present at the time—

"According to you, Masuru... there can no longer be airplanes or other flying machines in the sky in this new era? Not even birds? Ah, then it really has reached the end in every sense. After all, there are no small fish in the sea anymore, there aren't many people left, and even the mystery has been revealed to the public."

The chestnut-haired girl strummed her guitar, which bore the marks of time, and said with a smile.

"But I think it's more exciting to start from the starting point than to reach the destination. Don't you think so, Arisu?"

This is why the black-haired girl has been exploring the 'imprisoned sky' outside the city for years on end.

Chapter 474? Please smile.

In the basement of the Shinjuku Borgia store, a holographic projection plays a slow-motion replay of silver-haired Erise defeating Jack.

The sound of gears meshing echoed through the bronze pipes as Cesare stirred his tea with a revolver, the inscriptions on the barrel appearing and disappearing in the rising steam.

"A bet with odds of 1:3000."

Lucrecia's projector was simultaneously displaying sixteen split screens—each showing a gambling game being wagered wildly at Borgia branches throughout Shinjuku. "Qb circulation has already exceeded twelve times the total of last year."

"It's also thanks to our advance disclosure that our opponent was Jack the Ripper that we were able to earn so many QB."

Qb, which is essentially a fragment of quantum mechanics, contains a variety of possible spiritual particle variations. It is used as fuel in various forms of magic and is also the currency of the new era, which is also used in Chaldea.

"It's all thanks to Dad's advice. Otherwise, with the normal 1:5 odds, even though Jack is a female special forces fighter, his strength is still too low. If we lost the bet, we wouldn't be able to pay back even if we emptied the Vatican's treasury."

Just as the Leidenfoss family set up the Holy Grail Tournament with the aim of extracting magical energy from the audience, there are also 'betting' projects among the Newtypes and Servants. Large-scale events are always inseparable from these, after all, the root of human nature has no distinction between good and evil.

Ultimately, the new generation of children born after the war are different. They are kind to others and do not bully others because they have been happy and carefree since birth and have no need to use drugs that give them a sense of superiority. The old generation of children who have survived to this day are different. They have strong desires because they came from the old era.

Moreover, the Holy Grail is not omnipotent; it is only the best servant for an individual and cannot grant wishes. This is why the dark side of cities, such as underground casinos and underground shipping routes, has flourished.

Suddenly, the basement floor shook, revealing an elevator that led directly to the basement from behind the two people. The elevator doors were slowly opening.

"Your father, who will make you a fortune, is here!"

As Alexander VI stepped out of the elevator, he spread his arms wide, revealing a giant Bluetooth woven from Qb in his mouth, and declared, "Let us offer a mass of blood and gold for the lambs who have placed their bets!"

The two stared in disbelief at Alexander VI, not at the sudden display of wealth, but at the words "Utsumi Erise is the best in the world" emblazoned on the old man's white robes.

"Dad, you..."

Before Cesare could finish speaking, Borgia silenced him with his scepter, the tip of which continuously spewed out grains printed with Eri's chibi image. "As long as you can make money, it doesn't matter. Don't miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. What, have you shrunk and your head become childish too? I've already transferred money to Eri, and you two are still here flirting."

Lucrecia was taken aback, never expecting that her old man had already taken the lead in creating a fan brand for Eri, while she had completely forgotten about it.

So, belatedly realizing what was happening, she skillfully searched for information about Eri Se on the city's information network. The last message that popped up was from three minutes ago—"Outside the arena, the defeated Jack the Ripper is chasing Utsumi's daughter..."

……

Ten minutes earlier, outside the Colosseum in Rome, many shops were open for business, and there were a few scattered citizens inside.

Some people also watch the live broadcast of the game in the store as snacks with their drinks, chatting and laughing as they drink.

Although Eri and Jack's match was the first one, the arena was big enough to hold dozens of matches at the same time. The so-called first match was just to attract attention by starting the match three minutes earlier. Even so, Novia defeated Jack in just three minutes.

However, now that her hair has returned to black, Eri is looking at Jack, who is gazing at her expectantly, with a deadpan expression.

Let's add each other as friends!

Jack stood on tiptoe and held the tablet high in his hand.

Because the tablet completely covered her head, Eri could see everything on her messaging app. A group chat at the top, called 'Global Jack Collective,' was flooded with red notification dots.

JackJack: To lose the very first match? Poor Shinjuku Jack. He should have been able to at least finish the match by the middle.

Paris Jack: Utsumi, fighting is so romantic!

Berlin Jack: Yeah, yeah, that's German, right? I saw a lot of people cheering in Berlin, saying that Goethe had gone to that place and demanding that the city extradite him back.

Super Jack: But our Fog City is really cool too! It appeared many times, but it was still great!

"Forehead……"

Eri looked at the rapidly scrolling messages with a somewhat bewildered expression. "What is this?"

"These are all Jacks, and I'm Jack from Shinjuku!"

Jack explained cheerfully, "We're all the same, so there are Jacks from all over the world in this group! We all help each other out! So let's add each other as friends! Please! Don't worry, there are many other kind people here besides the Jacks!"

"It's not impossible..."

After realizing that her communication software only contained Lucius and Chizuru Masatsuki, who hadn't been online for tens of thousands of years, Eri agreed readily.

"But why do you insist on adding me as a friend?"

Jack the Ripper, bouncing around, pointed at the bewildered Eri and replied, "Because the magic you use smells like Mom!"

"I remember you used to see everyone as your mother..."

Eri said helplessly.

"Yes, but you have a more maternal aura than anyone else."

Jack replied matter-of-factly, "Anyway, do your best in the upcoming matches, and I'll get everyone in the group to cheer you on."

Then, watching Jack skip away, Eri sighed subtly, "This Jack, isn't he afraid of me at all...?"

This isn't referring to the battle just now, but rather that Eri can use her evil spirit abilities to threaten the Servant Soul Cores in Mosaic City. Therefore, any Servant who encounters her will instinctively become cautious.

"After all, it's Jack, even if he's a Servant who possesses another body."

Novia's voice suddenly rang in Erise's mind, "But they are actually all children around your age."

"Demon King, you say..."

Eri opened her tablet and stared at the constantly refreshing red dot on the messaging app. "Do I look human?"

"That's strange. Do you mean you want to be human? Don't you feel like you're not human?"

"Perhaps...no."

"That's true, after all, humans all have Servants, but you don't."

Novia possessed the girl and pinched her face hard with the girl's hand. "Even your expression is so cold. Considering that you are surrounded by a group of evil spirits all day long, it's normal to say that you are not human."

"Don't pinch my face while touching my body... I just don't know how to express my feelings. I'm not sure when to laugh or when to cry. Maybe I can't even cry..."

As Eri watched her silver-haired self buy snacks outside the arena and display her terrifying social skills, she thought that if given time, even without participating in the Holy Grail War, the Demon King could become a star in the entire Mosaic City of Japan just by talking... No wonder he's a child-trafficking Demon King.

However, it was precisely for this reason that Eri couldn't help but tell Novia about some things that happened before he came—

"Oh, right, let me tell you something trivial, it's just me rambling anyway, it doesn't matter whether you listen or not..."

Eri paused, then, with a hint of shame, recounted her past story: "For me, school was like a hospital, a hospital that gently embraced me with kindness and care throughout my life. Because my classmates had been born into a life of plenty, they didn't bully me out of a sense of superiority, but genuinely helped me from the bottom of their hearts."

Upon hearing this, the silver-haired Eri, also known as Novia, stopped and leaned against the railing eating nuts: "But, a conflict still occurred, didn't it?"

"Well, there was a time when a misunderstanding caused a dispute. I got into an argument with a classmate and even caused him to suffer minor injuries. At that time, his servant did everything he could to clear up the misunderstanding between us, even though he didn't violate the rule that he couldn't show himself on campus. Afterwards, I didn't receive any blame, and the people around me were willing to accept the outcome. After all, I'm quite 'special'."

Novia didn't interrupt this time, but simply continued to listen quietly.

To some extent, Eri can now somewhat understand the feelings of the previous night robbery of Yukino. After all, both of them are 'special' in their respective living environments. One is so special that people around him look up to him for his entire life, while the other is so special that people around him offer him a helping hand.

"Even though that classmate was clearly the victim, he still sincerely bowed his head and apologized to me, saying that he hadn't thought things through. At that time, I didn't even have a chance to come up with an embarrassing reason to defend myself. I really felt like I had been hit hard by some non-existent hammer... Even though I was the one who made the mistake."

Novia didn't reply immediately. Instead, she leaned against the railing, eating nuts and scrolling through her tablet, sending a "Hi" emoji to her new friend Jack and the group chat.

This leisurely demeanor made Erise feel completely ignored, and she secretly thought to herself that she shouldn't have said it; saying it would only make her a laughingstock...

Suddenly, Novia spoke:

"Since you know it's your fault, why don't you apologize privately afterwards?"

Eri didn't know what to say in response, so she remained silent.

"It's good to be able to reflect. No one is perfect. We can only do our best within our own scope. Of course, I understand why you didn't go. You probably felt embarrassed and ashamed and couldn't bring yourself to say it."

It's actually a good thing that Eri feels guilty even when she knows she's in the wrong. What's worse is someone who knows they're wrong but becomes even more reckless because of how they're treated. This shows that the girl is kind at heart, but her environment has made her feel somewhat repressed, as if anyone who helps her is trampling on her self-esteem.

"Speaking of which, how did you two get into a conflict?"

"She wanted to help me clean, but somehow we ended up arguing, and then I started hitting her..."

"This kind of operation is quite suitable for your age."

"Yes, looking at it that way, I was really naive and stupid back then."

In response to Eri's dejected speech, Novia pinched her own cheek again.

"Maybe it is now, but emotions can only be expressed through actions. Just thinking about it in your heart, no matter how many times or how many years, will not make your true wishes come true on their own."

"...That sounds nice, but you're just talking without understanding the situation."

Even so, Eri still subconsciously looked at the back of her hand to see if she had any Command Seals. Unfortunately, as before, she still didn't have any Command Seals. In other words, this Demon King was ultimately not her Servant; he was just... a slightly more familiar evil spirit.

The girl always felt that the Servants of Mosaic City were the Master's most loyal partners. They would protect the Master's safety and help the Master realize himself in this complex society... Although the Demon King was also helping her in this way, she still felt it wasn't real enough.

She probably doesn't believe in the relationship between a Servant and their Master without Command Seals.

"Alright, then I've made my decision again."

"Again? A decision?"

Eri didn't quite understand the meaning of that sentence.

"When you and I win the Holy Grail Tournament, I will publicly apologize to the classmate you misunderstood in a video broadcast to Shinjuku."

For a fleeting moment, Eri felt as if this demon king was about to throw some kind of humiliation contest at her, so she instinctively blurted out:

"Are you kidding..."

Did he really do that back then? I shouldn't have said it. He said so much just to humiliate me, without caring about my feelings at all.

"In fact, Servants also have their own wishes."

Novia continued, "You saw it in the elimination rounds, right? Masters and Servants each have their own desires. Servants are not completely dependent on their Masters; they also live their own lives in this new era."

This was indeed the reality that had just been revealed, so Eri had no choice but to nod.

"As for me, what I just said is also one of my wishes."

"But you are not a Servant."

"If I say so, then so be it."

"..."

Eri was silent for a moment, then sighed: "Whatever you want. I don't really have the right to refuse anyway. You can say 'one of my wishes' whenever you want."

"I also hope that Erise can grow up well."

Upon hearing this, Eri's lips twitched: "Please don't say such sentimental and greasy things. Are you waiting for me to grow up so you can take my body away? If so, I'd rather die like the child in the epic poem."

However, the silver-haired Erise simply stared at the bustling street below and did not answer.

Seeing the Demon King's previously enthusiastic demeanor, Eri felt a little strange. After all, this guy was always arguing with her; surely he wouldn't be so easily discouraged by something he said? To be honest, I really wanted to hear him say a little more…

The black-haired girl tried to bring her thoughts back to the previous argument, but something else lingered in her mind.

This guy probably doesn't really think that way... No, he shouldn't, I'm just overthinking it. It should be fine in a little while...

Despite thinking this way, Eri couldn't help but call out, "Um, smile, please? Hey? Please smile!"

The girl herself didn't know how she viewed her relationship with the Demon King, a relationship that was both complicated and simple.

"Huh? Erise, are you misunderstanding something?"

Just as Eri was at a loss, Novia looked up, picked up the nuts again, and started eating them.

"But the way you were just now..."

"I'm just thinking that this kind of rhetoric doesn't work for Erise anymore. Am I falling behind the times?"

Novia smiled. "But it doesn't seem outdated at all now, does it? Eri, you're still as innocent as ever. And let me tell you, the children in the epic poems who die are actually taken away by the Demon King."

This angered Eri Se to the point that her lips trembled, and she couldn't utter a single coherent word.

He could only curse inwardly, 'Damn demon king, I'll kill you sooner or later.'