To become a king and a magician

Last night... last night...

This is my curse upon you.

Saya Aika's voice suddenly rang in his ears. Almost reflexively, Natsukawa Tora covered his mouth, turned around and rushed into the bathroom, where he vomited on the sink, bringing up everything he could.

"Master!"

Arthur quickly returned to Xia Chuanhu's side, his face showing concern: "Are you alright? Do you need to go back to sleep?"

Shaking his head, Natsukawa Tora rinsed his mouth and washed his face: "It's nothing, I just suddenly remembered what happened in my dream after waking up, and I couldn't vomit for a moment!"

Before Xia Chuanhu could finish speaking, he started gagging again. Arthur quickly patted his back to try and make him feel better.

After repeating this three or four times, Natsukawa Tora finally stopped and was helped by Arthur to sit down at the table.

"Alright, Arthur, I have hands and feet, there's no need to keep supporting me."

“But Master, you have been sleeping for three days and haven’t eaten anything. It’s inevitable that you’ll be a little weak. Besides, you’re in this state because of me. Please let me take responsibility for taking care of you.”

"The more you act like this, the more I'll be tormented by the curse," Natsukawa Tora sighed helplessly. "Wait, you just said I slept for a few days?"

“It’s been three days since you last woke up, and five days since we went to the Matou family.”

Five days!?

Xia Chuanhu immediately couldn't sit still.

"Arthur, how's the Holy Grail War going? Has anyone attacked? And what about the Matou family—"

“Master, calm down, ask slowly, don’t rush, we’re still safe.” Arthur pressed Natsukawa Tora back onto the tatami mat while placing a plate of sandwiches in front of him. “Please have this, chicken sandwich. After you finish eating, I’ll tell you all about what’s happened these past few days. You haven’t eaten for days, you must be hungry.”

"This isn't heavy—"

"Gurgle~~~~~"

Just as Natsukawa Tiger was about to say something, his stomach started to protest. He glanced at Arthur, who was laughing, and kicked him in annoyance before picking up the sandwich and taking big bites.

----------------------

After breakfast, Arthur and Natsukawa Tora sat facing each other once again.

“Let’s start with the Matou family.” Arthur gathered his thoughts. “I fought a battle at the Matou family’s house and finally wiped out all the insects inside. I did manage to rescue the two people you asked me to rescue, Master. But when I brought them back to you, you had already passed out from excessive mana drain.”

“I took you home. The man among the two, the one named Matou Kariya, woke up first. I told him what had happened, and after he thanked me, he left on his own, asking me to take good care of the girl before he left.”

“Master, you woke up around noon the next day, but your mental state was not right at that time. You seemed to be very resistant to... and disgusted with me, so I was unable to explain the situation to you then. Afterwards, Mr. Kirei Kotomine from the church came over, and I asked him to give you some mental treatment.”

“After that, you slept for three days straight. During that time, Mr. Kirei Kotomine came again and asked me about the Matou family. It seems that you were caught on surveillance footage back then, which is why he came to us.”

(Surveillance footage...sigh, decisions made on the spur of the moment are bound to have some oversights.)

Natsukawa Tora sighed: "So what did you do?"

“I revealed part of the details, but shortly after Kirei Kotomine returned, he came back with Risei Kotomine and Tokiomi Tohsaka. After we talked, I handed over the girl hidden in the closet to them.”

"You handed her over!?"

Natsukawa Tora immediately exclaimed in surprise.

The Matou Sakura we finally rescued is just being handed back to Tokiomi Tohsaka like that?!

Arthur was somewhat surprised by Natsukawa Torato's reaction, but still lowered his head: "Tohsaka Tokiomi is that girl's father. I have verified this from many sources. Afterwards, I also went to visit the Tohsaka family after I became a spirit. Although I couldn't get too close because there was a Servant there, that girl... at least smiled."

Matou Sakura smiled...

"I see... Well then... it's alright."

If we count, Matou Sakura was adopted into the Matou family three years ago, and she should have a Crest Worm in her body now. With Tohsaka Tokiomi's eyesight, it's impossible that he couldn't see the changes in his daughter. He is, after all, a first-class magician, and at the same time, he also retains the most basic emotions of a father.

Combining these two points, Tokiomi Tohsaka should be able to deduce what happened to his daughter in the Matou family. He, who despises evil magicians the most, must be filled with regret now, regretting that he personally pushed his daughter into the abyss of evil.

(However, given his personality, he would probably still consider adopting Sakura into another magic family after this, since he values ​​his identity as a magician too much. As for the choice of the adoptive family... with his connections, it would probably be the Edelfelt family in Finland.)

That was Tokiomi Tohsaka's mother's family, and one of the few families in the magic world that didn't worry about having twin heirs, because their family's magical characteristic was that they were sisters, and each generation had two heirs.

In any case, things have progressed enough for Sakura's side, and there's no need for Natsukawa Tora to get involved any further. After all, he's still an outsider.

"So, what about the Holy Grail War?"

11. The Last Night Before the War

The Holy Grail War is the most important thing. The Matou family's affairs are just a side story. The Holy Grail War, as the main storyline, should be what Natsukawa Torato is most concerned about.

"Yesterday, Kirei Kotomine came for the third time. The final participant in the Holy Grail War has been determined. Tonight, the Church will gather all participants, inform them of the detailed rules of the Holy Grail War, and announce the start of the Holy Grail War."

What time tonight?

"12 o'clock."

"What kind of hellish time is this? Can't it be earlier? Can't people get some sleep?"

That's how magicians are; they always prefer to perform at night. Although this is to ensure the secrecy of their magic and prevent its mystery from being exposed to the public, it's still very difficult for ordinary people like Natsukawa Tora.

“Master, if you don’t want to go, I can go in your place. The church also said that if you are not awake, I can go instead.”

"I see... Then I'll leave it to you. But it's best if you stay in spirit form the whole time. If you encounter any other Servants, don't fight them. Retreat if you can. I can't withstand your fighting."

Having experienced what happened with the Matou family, Natsukawa Torara is now genuinely afraid of sending Arthur into battle. He doesn't want to experience that feeling of being completely drained, inside and out, a second time. Natsukawa Torara suspects that something might break down if he were to go through that again.

In this Holy Grail War, he's going to be a bystander, muddying the waters, observing from the sidelines as much as possible, watching the other six groups fight to the death while he survives to the end. As for whether or not he'll fight for the Holy Grail... he wouldn't even want a broken cup filled with black mud!

Arthur readily agreed: "I understand, Master. I will prioritize retreat as my operational objective."

Like Natsukawa Tora, Arthur also had no need for the Holy Grail. Having experienced two Holy Grail Wars in parallel worlds, he already understood that his wish was wrong and that Britain did not need him to save it. Although the form had changed, the island still existed on the planet and continued to prosper.

That was enough for him.

If I had to pinpoint a wish, it would be to protect my Master and fulfill my Master's wishes.

This is the significance of his response to the call.

“Um… Master, I know this might upset you, but may I ask?” Arthur hesitated for a moment before saying, “Aiko… what did she do to you? If she did something quite outrageous, I will take responsibility for it and compensate you, Master.”

"No, no, no! It's really not necessary!"

Make Arthur compensate me? Pay for what happened to Ai-ge?

Come on, if Aika knew, she'd probably drink a whole bottle of aged vinegar and explode with jealousy. While she's busy scolding that vixen, the person she likes is tenderly caring for her—that's even more Eriri-like than Eriri herself!

"In short, Arthur, the biggest help you can give me is to keep your distance from me. Sajou Aika cursed me that the closer you get to me, the more pain I will suffer. To be honest, I feel angina right now."

This is a lie.

For some reason, Natsukawa Tiger was actually feeling quite comfortable, as if he had recovered from a serious illness. He was incredibly energetic, and although the memories of being tormented in the nightmares were still there, he couldn't feel any pain from them.

It wasn't that he had gotten used to the pain; rather, it was as if something was bearing the pain for him—that's the feeling Natsukawa Tora had.

(Wait, could it be that my cheat code has finally arrived? After being tortured for so long, I've finally awakened the passive ability of [Nullifed by Mental Attacks]?)

Natsukawa Tora was overjoyed for a moment, but immediately came to terms with reality.

(Hehehe, I miss Peach. How could something like this happen to me? If I wanted a cheat code, I might as well go to the Magic Eye Train and get a pair of Magic Eyes.)

I wonder how many years it will take Natsukawa Torato, with his abilities, to buy a pair of Demon Eyes.

Upon hearing the curse mentioned by Natsukawa Torama, Arthur immediately moved a distance away from him: "Master, is this distance alright? Does your heart still hurt?"

"Okay, okay, I was just kidding you. Actually, as long as there's no physical contact, it'll be fine—probably?"

"perhaps?"

Arthur looked convinced: "Please don't joke around with your body, Master. Curses, no matter how small, will have a serious impact and cause damage to the cursed person. If contact with me will trigger a curse, please say so. I will regulate my actions and not cause you any burden."

"Alright, sorry, I took the joke a bit too far." Natsukawa Tora lowered his head and apologized. "The curse actually takes effect after I fall asleep, when I dream of all sorts of hellish nightmares. But I'm really fine now, um... [something shielded me from the pain]—that's probably the feeling."

As he said this, Xia Chuanhu did not notice that above his brow, slightly close to his forehead, a flower-like pattern was faintly glowing white.

Having witnessed this scene, Arthur understood the situation and sat down again in front of Natsukawa Tora: "That would be for the best. But Master, if you feel unwell anywhere, you must tell me immediately. What happened between Aika and me caused Master to suffer unwarranted punishment. If it can be compensated, I am willing to do anything."

"Don't say things that are so easy to misunderstand! And you should say that to Aigo. It's so embarrassing for a grown man like me to hear that! It's because of your 'central air conditioning' personality that Aigo is so jealous!"

"Ah...yes, I understand."

Although I don't know what my Master is talking about, I should just agree.

——————————————————————————————

Natsukawa Tora fell asleep again.

Although he had recovered mentally, being tormented by the curse for five consecutive days meant that Xia Chuanhu had not had a proper rest for five days. This exhaustion was real, and he needed to rest and recuperate. Even if he fell asleep again, he might suffer from the curse again, but Xia Chuanhu simply couldn't bear this exhaustion any longer.

Fortunately, this time—

"I really have to thank you for this, Merlin."

Arthur looked at the flower mark above Xia Chuanhu's forehead. He knew it was Merlin's magic trick. She had shielded Xia Chuanhu from further mental harm. Although he didn't know her purpose in doing so, Arthur would definitely thank her properly when they met again.

"So--"

I glanced at the clock; it was almost midnight.

Donning his armor and a black hood, Arthur entered a spirit form.

"Following Master's instructions, it's time to go to the Fuyuki Church to hear about the rules of the Holy Grail War."

12. Isn't it normal to run into someone you know in the Holy Grail War?

Arthur returned at noon the next day.

While eating the breakfast Arthur brought back, Natsukawa Tiger asked, "Where have you been? Why are you so late?"

"I've scouted the entire area within 500 meters and noted down some places that can be used for hiding. If we're attacked, I can take you there immediately, Master. Also, I'm familiar with the surrounding roads, so even in urban warfare, I can have the upper hand."

"Also, I suggest that Master not sleep by the window in the future. This position is right in front of the high ground in the area, which would be quite dangerous if Archer were to snipe at it."

"Makes sense."

Although Natsukawa Torara wanted to say that Gilgamesh, given his personality, would disdain such underhanded tactics, Arthur was only trying to help him, so it was best to accept the advice. Of course, this was also to guard against Emiya Kiritsugu; Archer's inability to snipe didn't mean he couldn't.

(Should we find a basement to use as our hideout?)

Thinking this, Natsukawa Torato then asked, "How did things go last night? Did any Masters or Servants appear?"

"No, almost all of them are familiars, and there is only one servant besides me."