To become a king and a magician

As the circuit stabilized completely, the blood lines disappeared from Xia Chuanhu's body.

"Is this all you need?"

"Yes, thank you for your hard work, Master. I will return her to Miss Arcueid later." Sajou Rei nodded. "By the way, Master, regarding the Holy Grail War... it's already on its third day. What are your plans for today?"

"If there is any, I will do my best to help."

52. The arrogant one is ready to join the battle.

The battle plan for the third day.

In fact, Natsukawa Tora hadn't figured this out yet, or to be more precise, he hadn't formulated any battle plan for this Holy Grail War, nor had he had time to do so.

On the first day, after arriving in Fuyuki City, we showed Artoria around the area, then went to have dinner. After dinner, we fought Gilgamesh.

The next day, because of Meryl and Morgan's scheme, he lay paralyzed in bed all day, only waking up in the middle of the night. After waking up, he immediately ran to fight Arthur to the death, and then lay back down. In total, he was awake for more than two hours.

In this situation, where would he find the time to formulate a battle plan? Besides, his initial thought was to beat up all the participants and Servants, so battle plans were practically never even on his mind.

therefore--

"I thought so too, because you used to be able to settle everything with force, so you're thinking the same thing this time, right?" Sajou Rei rolled her eyes at Natsukawa Tora with a reproachful look, and snapped her fingers, causing the Demon God Souji lying on the bed to disappear immediately.

Did they send her away with a grand magic spell of spatial teleportation? Or did they just snap their fingers...? One can only say she truly lived up to her reputation as the omniscient and omnipotent Root Princess.

"Since you don't have any plans, Master, then I'll make them."

"Huh?"

"If Master were to devise the plan, it would most likely be a process of finding the enemy's location and then crushing them with force, right? While that might not be bad, none of the Servants in this Holy Grail War are weaklings. If we act rashly, even Master could be in danger. Please consider this carefully."

Sajou Rei was absolutely right.

Xia Chuanhu touched his neck somewhat awkwardly: "I really am reflecting on this... Then I'll leave it to you, the battle plan."

“No problem—that’s what they say, but actually, someone has already come to challenge the master.”

As she spoke, Sajou Rei took out an opened letter from her pocket: "This was brought to me last night by a familiar I encountered on my way back with Assassin. It's signed 'Mei Lidel Archerlot, the monarch of the plant family.'"

Lydia's letter?

Xia Chuanhu took the letter, opened it, and glanced at it briefly. The letter didn't contain much; aside from the initial and closing pleasantries, it actually only had two points to make.

[Because of some trivial matters in the botany department, Lydia was unable to attend the banquet welcoming Natsukawa Tora back, so she hopes to hold a make-up banquet tonight and invite him to have dinner with her.]

as well as--

[Because I learned some very concerning information from Aozaki Touko, I want to verify its authenticity.]

“This is clearly a trap, Master,” said Sajou Rei. “Are you familiar with this monarch of the plant family? Judging from the contents of the letter, he is someone you know.”

"Well... we're friends, I guess. Nine years ago, when I was still studying at the Clock Tower, I was tricked by Meryl into going to Paris once. She was holding a concert there at the time, and some things happened. After that, we became good friends."

Did something happen during the concert that led to a better relationship?

Sajou Rei narrowed her eyes: "Master... you really do have no shortage of female company wherever you go. I really hope you can rein in this flirtatious nature of yours."

"Where have I been flirting with everyone? I admit I know quite a few women, but I've only been intimate with Merry and Aoko, right? The others are just friends."

"..."

Sajou Rei was certain that if his master didn't change his mind, he would be divided up sooner or later because of these words—divided up in a physical sense.

"So, what do you plan to do with this invitation? My suggestion is to go to the appointment first, and after confirming her arrival, the Master should make an excuse to leave, and then use Atalanta's Noble Phantasm to launch a targeted attack. If the Master is eliminated directly, even if the Archer is acting alone, she will disappear automatically in two or three days at most."

"Considering that the other party is a friend of the Master, forcing them to use a Command Spell to force Archer to commit suicide instead of eliminating them is also a feasible solution. Of course, these are not the only two options. If the Master thinks it is not feasible, I can also suggest other solutions. We have sufficient combat power and many tactics available."

If Gray is the housekeeper in charge of all of Natsukawa Torato's daily life, then Sajou Rei is the strategist who can provide Natsukawa Torato with all kinds of effective strategies. Her professional skills are far superior to that of a certain dream demon who carries the title of "Court Magician" but does nothing of real importance.

However, Natsukawa Tora finally shook his head.

“I’m glad you could help me like this, but Lydelle doesn’t need to do that. Besides, Gilgamesh… I was defeated by him once before. Next time I want to defeat him head-on. If I start with my Master, it feels like I’m losing again.”

"So, Gilgamesh and Lydelle, you don't need to worry. On the contrary, I hope you can come up with as many plans as you need, like those strategies we just discussed."

Sajou Rei nodded: "I understand. Then, I'll leave Lydia and Archer to Master to handle alone for now. If Master fails, then execute my plan. Is that alright?"

"Great—you're so capable, I don't even know where my authority as your master has gone."

"It's not just that, Master. If you want, I can show you my other side... Ouch, ouch, ouch~~~"

A sudden headache made Sajou Rei smile wryly. Sajou Aika's protests were getting stronger and stronger; if she kept talking, there might really be a riot.

Upon seeing that Sajou Rei suddenly had a headache, Natsukawa Torama quickly supported her: "Are you alright? What's wrong? Why do you suddenly have a headache? Did the ceremony just now have any effect on you?"

"No, it's just a small matter, no need for you to trouble yourself, Master."

(If this continues, my other self will probably be the first beast to die from sourness, which would be incredibly embarrassing.)

"Compared to me, Master, you should pay more attention to tonight's dinner arrangements. Meeting a noblewoman, and a monarch of the plant family at that... I wonder if there are any upscale shops in Fuyuki City that would at least provide you with some decent clothes."

"I don't think Lydia would care much about these things..."

"..."

What a clueless owner who doesn't understand girls' little thoughts!

Sato Rei felt a little tired.

53. Before the fuse is lit

Magicians are basically unemployed, so when they're not studying magic, they don't really have much to do, let alone someone like Natsukawa Tora who has a bunch of people around him who can handle everything for him.

So, without having to do much, Natsukawa Tora was dragged to a shopping mall in Shinto by Sajou Rei, where he stayed in various high-end shops until nightfall.

"I mean... do I really have to dress like this?"

At the entrance of the Fuyuki Grand Hotel, Natsukawa Torama awkwardly tugged at his collar, which was practically choking him: "It feels so uncomfortable, Rei. I really don't think Lydia cares what I'm dressed like."

"No, Master, you better dress properly." Sajou Rei pulled the tie up again for Natsukawa Tora. "Although this is a trap, it's still dinner with a woman, and the location is a revolving restaurant that she specially booked at a high price. If you don't show the appropriate attitude, it will be a big loss."

"Women care about far more things than you think."

(Hmm... I think that's how it is. When Lydia dragged me shopping before, she made me try on some clothes too.)

After checking Natsukawa Torami's details again, Sajou Rei smiled and said, "Alright, that should be fine. However, Master, I still have to remind you that although you and Miss Lydel are friends, for a magician, friends can be betrayed at any time, not to mention that it is during the Holy Grail War. If it is for the Holy Grail, it is not impossible that the other party will plot against you."

"Please be sure to take care of your safety. If you encounter any danger, use Command Spells immediately. Lia is always on standby and ready to attack at any time. We will also be ready to provide support at any time."

Don't be fooled by the fact that it's just Natsukawa Torato and Sajou Rei here. In fact, Atalanta has been keeping a close eye on this place from the top of a building not far away. Mordred had already disguised herself and infiltrated the hotel long ago, while Gray stayed at the base to observe the movements of all parties. Artoria was waiting with Gray.

If Lydia shows the slightest sign of trouble during a meal, she'll be bombarded with arrows and subjected to a double beating by her father and son.

Faced with such a formidable lineup, Natsukawa Torato couldn't help but laugh and cry: "You guys are really overthinking it. Lydel's fighting power is no different from zero in front of me. The only one I need to be careful of is Gilgamesh... But I'll remember your advice and be more careful from now on."

"Yes, take care on your journey, Master."

——————————————————————————————————————

Natsukawa Tora had stayed at the Fuyuki Grand Hotel a couple of days ago, but he hadn't been to the floor where the revolving restaurant was located. Besides, there wasn't enough food there. For him and Artoria, both big eaters, it was better to go to the buffet and devour everything rather than go to that kind of place.

As he took the elevator to the floor where the revolving restaurant was located, Natsukawa Tiger felt his vision suddenly darken the moment the elevator doors opened.

"A planetarium? They deliberately turned off all the lights, leaving only a few lamps on the table... It really creates a nice atmosphere for the meal, like a place she would like."

As he said this, Natsukawa Tora began searching for Lydel's figure.

Because Lydia had booked the entire revolving restaurant, there was no one else in the room, so finding someone wasn't difficult, especially since that person was just a short distance away.

However, Natsukawa Tora was taken aback when he saw the person sitting by the window.

"Lydel?"

Seated at one side of the dining table was a beautiful woman who immediately evoked the image of a noblewoman. She wore a bright red off-the-shoulder dress with a semi-transparent long-sleeved outer garment. Her radiant rose-gold hair was braided into a ponytail that cascaded down her back, and a matching rose-gold crystal necklace adorned her snow-white neck. Upon closer inspection, traces of makeup could be seen on her face.

[A quiet, aristocratic young lady sitting by the window, gazing at the night sky.]

This is the kind of woman that Natsukawa Tora met.

In terms of appearance, the person in front of me should be Lydel, but compared to the Lydel I remember... the difference is quite large. The most obvious feeling is the difference in atmosphere. Compared to the Lydel I remember, the person in front of me now has a lot more femininity.

Upon hearing Natsukawa Tora's voice, Lydia turned her head, her blue eyes falling on him. After sizing him up, she asked, "Tora?"

"Well, it's me."

“It’s amazing. I didn’t expect you to look exactly the same as you did five years ago,” Lydia laughed. “You’re exactly the same as I remember you.”

"You've changed a lot. I almost didn't recognize you. Dressed up so beautifully, you seem a bit unfamiliar to me."

Looking at Natsukawa Tora sitting across from her, Lydia touched her ponytail that was hanging down to one side: "Really? I thought this outfit would better reflect me from five years ago, but it seems I failed. But it's good that you said 'pretty'."

At least it wasn't a waste of the three or four hours she spent getting ready.

But... even though it was expected, Lydia still found it hard to believe that Natsukawa Tora hadn't changed at all compared to five years ago, and even looked a little younger.

(It seems this really is the last chance.)

Lydia clenched her fists almost imperceptibly, then smiled and said, "I'm really surprised you accepted my invitation. I thought I'd be sitting here all night."

"If I don't come, will you wait until dawn?"

"To exaggerate a bit, you could say that."

"That's good that I came."

Yes, it's good that you came.

Lydia smiled. "So thank you so much, Tiger. Thank you for accepting the invitation. I'm sorry I couldn't welcome you back when you came before, as I had some things to do."

"It's alright, it doesn't matter. You're the monarch, you have many things to deal with, I understand that. Besides, you've already made it up to me, haven't you?" Xia Chuanhu laughed.

There was little concern in her tone; in fact, one could even say she didn't care. It was only then that Lydia realized that the person in front of her wasn't the type to care about such things. Over the past five years, due to the infighting among so many factions, she had almost forgotten how to get along with someone as pure as Natsukawa Tora.

Raising her glass, Lydia smiled and said, "Well then, this is a belated toast—welcome back, Tiger."

54. The Monarch's Straight-Ahead Attack

"Atalanta, how is the situation?"

Along with the sound of the wind, Atalanta heard the voice of Sajou Rei transmitted through magic.

Atalanta, her eyes fixed on the two people dining in the revolving restaurant on the other floor, replied, "There's nothing unusual so far. They're just having a normal conversation and eating. We haven't spotted Archer either."