The Holy Grail War Blessed by the Gods

Circe didn't care at all why Manshu had come here, and instead offered him a bowl of oatmeal porridge without saying a word.

This is also what Circe fed to Odysseus's sailors in the Odyssey, because it was the porridge of the witches of Hucion.

"This wheat porridge, which I made myself, can heal wounds and restore a youthful appearance to the elderly with just one bite. More importantly, it's incredibly delicious!"

Circe spoke enticingly in a highly persuasive tone, and as if in harmony with her words, a wonderful aroma and a hint of alcohol permeated the air.

"Did they even add alcohol to it?"

Upon smelling the aroma, Manjusaki suddenly became interested and asked curiously. (Four)

"This was specially prepared to treat a soldier like you. Would you like to have a bite?"

Seeing that Manshu seemed interested, Circe seized the opportunity to promote his product, speaking with great enthusiasm. ②

"Since you've been so kind in inviting me, I won't stand on ceremony and refuse. It does look like a nice bowl of porridge; I haven't had anything like it for several days, so this is perfect."

Manshu wasn't worried about the potential problems with the porridge. While the witch's magic did require some precaution, it was only a matter of being prepared. (Umbrella)

Manshu could tell that the other party didn't harbor much ill will; it was simply a witch's hobby to feed someone porridge laced with potion and wine.

At least Manjussim wasn't quite sure, but it didn't stop him from dismounting and taking the bowl of wheat porridge from Circe.

Although it smelled quite pleasant, the thought of alcohol and some magic potion mixed in made me hesitate about tasting it. ⑤

"Come on, eat."

Circe urged impatiently with a smile.

"No need to rush. It's only natural to talk about serious matters during a meal, isn't it? I came here specifically to find you, Unclaimed Caster."

I hope you can help me make some changes to this ceremony. I wonder if I could get your help?

Manshu simply held the bowl of wheat porridge in his hands and asked the question.

"Ah, once you finish this bowl of porridge, of course there won't be any problem."

Circe agreed, after all, once she ate the porridge, it would become her beloved pig and her possession.

"Very well. Under the witness of Mehr, who possesses the vast plains, we make this covenant. With Zur offerings and aloud prayers, we praise the light and radiance of Mehr, who possesses the vast plains, and pray that he will bring us justice."

Meher, also known as Mithra, is the god of contracts in proto-Indo-European mythology. The word means contract, and in the beginning, Mithra's divine role was to make contracts.

Later, Mithra developed responsibilities such as the sun, light, and even the god of war, but the nature of the covenant god did not disappear.

Manjushri here allows Mithra to function as a god of covenants, even though Mithra's position in Zoroastrianism is not considered high.

Although Mithras was one of the three great gods alongside Ahura Mazda and Apam Napat in the original Iranian religion, this changed after Zoroastrian reformation.

Ahura Mazda became the supreme deity, while Mithra and another were degraded.

Apam Napat became a follower of Anahita, while Mitra was merely one of the greatest Yazatas, representing Ahura Mazda on earth.

Simply quoting the power from Avesta's words wouldn't be too much of a burden, since he was only calling upon Mitra as Yazata.

But the power of these nine separate contracts is enough to confirm everything at hand, after all, the one standing on the other side of the contract is only a demigod.

It's somewhat surprising that they are even demigods without divinity.

After whispering the power of Mithra to form the contract, Manjusaka then summoned Sirius, the star and rain god, to use his power to destroy banshees and scatter everything the witch had created.

"We praise the majestic Tishtar who defeated the sirens. As the sirens transformed into comets and raced across the vast, unfathomable, beautiful, and vibrant Farah Kart River, Tishtar became a pure white steed, stirring up huge waves in the river and instantly creating a fierce wind that dissolved the sirens' magic."

There just happened to be a river in this small stone river, and a gust of wind inexplicably rose from that river, blowing across Manshu and also across Circe.

The potion thrown into the porridge lost its effect and luster. Manshu picked up the bowl and poured the porridge into his mouth. Although it was mixed with potion and wine, the taste was not bad and not unacceptably strange.

Manju happily ate the whole bowl of porridge before putting the bowl down and looking at Circe.

Circe was speechless at this moment; the magic that had just blown in had not only dispersed the potion but also her.

She could no longer stand and collapsed to her knees. It seems that Tishtar did not consider her duty to be merely to cleanse the bowl of porridge of its magic.

Instead, as described in the fourth story of Ashjut, the eight demons' magic was completely scattered, leaving nothing behind.

If Circe hadn't been a witch from the Age of Gods, though lacking divinity, she was still the daughter of the sun god Helios and possessed some abilities that prevented her from being completely destroyed by magic.

If it were an ordinary magician, their magic power and even their spirit origin would probably have been blown away.

“I’m really sorry, Caster. I didn’t expect the majestic Tishtar to include you in the attack. It was because I didn’t explain clearly and only read words of praise.”

Manju placed the bowl of porridge beside Circe and spoke again:

“I praise Ahura’s creation, Anahita, who is pure, vibrant, and fulfilling.”

Manjushri's brief praise restored Circe with the pure and vibrant power of the river goddess.

"The pure and powerful Anahita will restore you. Now let's talk about what you promised me."

The agreement had already been reached under Mithra's witness, and Manshu was not worried that Circe would refuse to acknowledge it, so he went straight to stating his needs.

Since I've already treated the other person, it's enough to make up for accidentally hurting them. Besides, they were the ones who tricked me by giving me the potion-infused porridge first, so there's nothing to feel guilty about.

"In addition to Servants with Masters, there are seven Masterless Servants like you in this Moonlit Ceremony. However, without special skills, Masterless Servants find it difficult to leave the land of their summoned masters. I wonder if you can change this, so that even if they leave the sacred land, they can still exert their full strength for a certain period of time."

The core of this Ritual of the Full Moon, the Full Moon Cup, is right here. You can take this and take a look to confirm whether it's possible to accomplish this.

After saying this, Manshu threw the full moon he had previously retrieved to Circe.

"Ugh... fine. You're such an annoying type. Although you're very different from that adventurous kid, you're still completely unlikable."

Circe did not respond to Manshu immediately, but instead assessed her own situation.

Mithra's power manifested at this moment, forming a contract that directly bound Circe to her, making her unable to resist.

Circe could only concede defeat for now and figure out how to break the contract later.

She picked up Yingyue and examined the cup briefly.

"Just as I imagined, it's a rather crude and inferior product. The person who made it clearly didn't carefully construct it from the theory, which is why they created such a waste of magic power and such an inefficient imitation."

Circe looked at the Moon Cup in his hand with disdain, shaking his head repeatedly in denial.

"While it does possess some of the abilities of a wish-granting machine, it's incredibly energy-consuming in every aspect, neither aesthetically pleasing nor refined. Achieving your goal isn't impossible; let me properly modify it. But are you truly comfortable entrusting it to me?"

Chapter Twenty-Two: An Unexpected Event

"This thing is meaningless to me. All I want is to keep it as a prize for the ritual victory. What it can do or whether it is used is not important."

Manjus didn't think that Circe would need this so-called full moon. The wish she would make to the Holy Grail would probably be related to Odysseus.

However, this Moonlit Blossom can only be described as having a certain ability to grant wishes; to actually achieve that is probably unrealistic.

Moreover, can Circe really make a wish? As she herself said, only unfulfilled wishes constitute the element of the witch Circe's existence.

"Alright, then leave this with me for two days. I'll let you know when it's finished. This is a formal attire for notification purposes."

Well, I'm just an unclaimed servant anyway, so whatever you plan to do won't affect me. In fact, it might even make things more fun for me.

Circe shook his head, accepted Yingyue, and pretended to be indifferent as he took a feather from his own body.

"Then I'll leave it to you, Caster. I won't take advantage of you. If you need anything else while you're here, feel free to ask. If it's convenient, I can reimburse you."

Seeing that Circe was very agreeable, Manju was naturally in a better mood and made a promise to her after accepting the feather.

"Really?" Jiu

Circe suddenly glanced downwards and asked tentatively. 4

"Hmm? You really do have a wish? Then please speak freely. I believe there's nothing in Edo that can stop me from doing my thing. If it's just a small favor, I don't mind helping out."

"Hmm... Not long after I was summoned here, a magician took over this area." (2)

He was a man with dim eyes, completely uncommunicative, and even my Shocker refused to take a single bite. (iv)

And he even left me behind, intending to leave with another woman. How dare he!

Circe began to recall the events that had occurred after she was summoned, and couldn't help feeling somewhat resentful. 3

Such events inevitably brought back memories for Circe, reminding her of what happened on Aiyu Island.

The man named Odysseus was the same; his heart was set on his homeland and his wife Penelope, and he left the island of Ayu without wavering. 5.

"So... I gave him all the protective attire and healing medicine. He didn't say anything, but he was willing to accept them."

I hope you can find him, bring him back, and make him my beloved pig.

"I see. So you're also a participant in this Moonlit Ritual. That makes things simple. Once you've completed the modifications to this Moonlit Ritual, I'll announce it to all Servants and Masters. As long as they have a longing for the full moon and a need for the wishing machine, they'll definitely appear."

"When the time comes, you'll point out the person. Whether you plan to take him away yourself or have me do it for you is up to you then."

Circe's request was something that could be easily accomplished, so I don't know who it was, but since it's a Master, they'll definitely come.

Since they are all troublesome competitors that need to be eliminated anyway, it doesn't make much difference to leave them to others to handle.

"Why don't you come to Ueno after the renovation is complete? That way you should be able to leave this sacred place. I'm going to build a base there, and I need an experienced Caster to help me fill in the gaps."

Manshu thought for a moment, and since Circe would be needed to handle this matter anyway, he might as well invite her to Ueno. II

Although she can't leave Koishikawa for too long right now, everything will fall into place once she finishes her business. 9.

"Are you inviting me, the witch Circe? This makes me feel a little complicated... Alright, I'd love to go." (4)

Circe was somewhat taken aback, but quickly nodded in approval.

"Then I'll stay in Ueno and await the arrival of the witch Circe. My territory hasn't welcomed a friendly visitor in a long time, and perhaps some preparations and modifications are still needed. I won't linger here any longer; I'll go and make preparations for a few days later."

Manju laughed, then mounted his horse and said happily, "It seems Circe won't slack off; after all, when asking someone to do something, it's best to keep the environment pleasant."

Otherwise, even with the constraints of a contract, if Circe chose to include some loopholes, she would still fulfill her promises, only sabotaging Manju at crucial moments. 5

While it won't change the outcome, it will make the process a little more bumpy. Although Manshu hoped for more fun, that fun wouldn't include such unexpected aspects. 6.

After bidding farewell to Circe, Manju didn't return directly to Ueno. There wasn't much to do there anyway, and he couldn't very well go back to Kan'ei-ji Temple to cause trouble for the Tsuchimikado brothers again. 4

However, I suspect someone might be planning to block the door and cause trouble, so there's no need to rush back. Anyway, Sekhmet can handle it.

Manjusaki considered looking for Samurai or Arjuna again. People can never stay idle, but these two are probably the only ones who can easily bring him joy.

Let's go to Asakusa first. At least the Japanese warrior appeared in Asakusa. We don't know if that guy did his best. We need to weigh him again.

Having made up his mind, Manshu headed to Asakusa first, but of course, he passed through Ueno and sensed the presence coming from below.

Sekhmet was still completing the tasks assigned to her, and there seemed to be few people capable of stopping her, so things were progressing smoothly. From the sky, the outline could already be seen.

When Manshu arrived in Asakusa, he unexpectedly sensed a completely unpredictable presence.

"Huh? This is really interesting. I've seen both owned and unowned Archers, and now there's even a King of Heroes here."