To become a king and a magician

"Who?"

"I don't know. The other party is also in a spirit form, but I feel it is one of the Three Knights."

That's Lancer? Diarmuid?

(No, Director Ken should also be one of the parties who sent out the familiars. If we're going by process of elimination... Rider and the Queen?)

Gilgamesh disdained to show his face at last night's event, Caster is not a Servant who would show his face in public, and the same goes for Assassin. Lancer follows Master's orders completely, and if Berserker were to appear, a fight would definitely break out immediately.

Therefore, only Rider was present last night. But why? Waver is also a magician; he could have used a familiar to go. It's unlikely he was forcibly dragged there by the Emperor, right?

(Given the Conqueror King's personality... it's actually quite possible.)

That being said, the Conqueror King is a king who is rough but shrewd, and his personal visit to the church last night must have been for some purpose.

After a moment of contemplation, Natsukawa Tora stood up: "Come for a walk with me, Saber."

"Now?"

"Well, there are a few places I'd like to scout out in person. You can protect me secretly after you become a spirit. Although I don't think anyone will be willing to be the first to stick their neck out on the first day, it's better to be careful."

There's always someone who sticks their neck out—Natsukawa Tora knows this. As long as it's the combination of Ken and Diarmuid, on the first day of the Holy Grail War, Diarmuid will be out fishing all day long, releasing his aura in the streets.

In other words, all day long, Director Ken was in a state where no servant was around.

In the Holy Grail War, a Master whose Servant is not by their side is like a fat sheep without a pen to protect them, making them the perfect target. Although I don't remember exactly where Master Ken was during the port battle that night, the port is only so big, and there are only a few places suitable for observation from a distance.

Why not just step on them all?

Seeing that Natsukawa Tora had regained his spirits and was full of energy, Arthur was relieved. It seemed that Master had slept well again last night, and Merlin's magic had worked very well.

(Hopefully, Ayaka's curse won't activate during the Holy Grail War.)

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

Our first stop was Fuyuki City's airport—although it's not a major city, Fuyuki City does have an airport. In addition, as a coastal city, Fuyuki City naturally also has a port.

Natsukawa Tora came to the airport with only one purpose: to see if he could catch a glimpse of the Einzbern family's duo.

Since he had summoned Saber, Natsukawa Torara was quite curious about what the Einzbern family, who would normally summon Saber, would summon as a replacement this time. On the other hand, if he could see that Servant, Natsukawa Torara was confident that he could recognize the Servant's true name.

This is the confidence of someone who has been a FGO player for five years.

Xia Chuanhu randomly found a seat in the waiting hall, picked up a newspaper and sat down, using the newspaper to cover most of his face, leaving only a small space to observe his surroundings.

Given the Einzbern family's wealth, they would most likely have used a private jet for transportation. However, the Holy Grail War prioritizes secrecy, making regular flights more probable. Furthermore, the Einzbern family is German.

(From Germany to Fuyuki... I can only go to Tokyo first, and then transfer here, and the next available flight is... in twenty minutes.)

Thinking of this, Natsukawa Torama whispered, "Arthur, keep a close eye on the exit in twenty minutes. Watch out for the white-haired, red-eyed woman. Also, she might be followed by a maid or a Servant. Be careful not to get caught."

【roger that】

After handing the task over to Arthur, Natsukawa Torara completely relaxed and began to seriously read the newspaper. For a Master, summoning a Servant like Siegfried, Karna, or Arthur is undoubtedly the luckiest thing, because these Servants are generally very obedient and won't cause trouble for their Master. Especially Karna.

When I read time-travel novels before, out of ten time-travelers in the Holy Grail War, seven or eight would summon Karna. This was mainly because the summoning difficulty wasn't high (having a copy of the Mahabharata basically guaranteed success), his combat power was strong (one of the three Gold Saints, possessing numerous Noble Phantasms), and he was obedient (an unparalleled loyal servant). The only drawback was that his mana requirements were ridiculously high; several high-level mana furnaces were needed to keep him barely fighting at full power for a short while.

If Natsukawa Torato summoned Karna, then he was most likely exhausted midway through the battle.

However, Natsukawa Torato was also quite satisfied with his own Arthur.

"Huh? A gas explosion at the Tohsaka residence?"

Looking at one of the newspaper pages, Natsukawa Tora frowned.

"It was one or two in the morning when the gas pipe buried underground in the Tohsaka family's house suddenly exploded. Fortunately, the explosion occurred in the garden, and there were no casualties... Has the show already started?"

On the surface, it was a gas explosion, but all the participants in the Holy Grail War knew that the explosion at the Tohsaka residence last night was caused by Assassin's infiltration and battle with Archer. Moreover, most discerning people should have noticed that the battle was too deliberate, with obvious signs of acting, and clearly had some purpose.

Of course, this was good news for Natsukawa Torato: "The choices for Assassin and Archer haven't changed. It's best to continue following the original story. Please forgive any unexpected changes."

Kirei Kotomine "lost" Assassin and hid in the church. The Assassins who died on the surface were scattered throughout Fuyuki City to secretly monitor and provide information to Tokiomi Tohsaka.

The Einzbern group is about to arrive in Fuyuki City.

If things unfold as I remember, Natsukawa Torato can begin his plan.

[Master, target spotted]

Shortly after, Arthur's voice rang out.

A white-haired, red-eyed woman followed by three similar-looking maids. The target has exited and is preparing to leave the airport.

Have any Servants been spotted?

[This... has been discovered, but it's hard to believe.]

"what happened?"

[Master, you should come and see for yourself. It's really...]

"?"

Natsukawa Torara turned his head towards the exit with some confusion. It's just a Servant, how could he possibly summon a Grand Servant? Besides, Avalon can only summon a few Servants, right? Did Merlin run away from Avalon to Japan?

"WTF?"

However, upon seeing the Servant following Irisviel, Natsukawa Torato couldn't help but blurt out a phrase in Arthur's native dialect.

A classic ahoge (cowlick) face, cascading silver-gray hair, and an ethereal, curvaceous figure—though not dressed as she was in the memory, this form of hers should indeed be...

Morgan?

"Yes, Master."

Arthur's bitter voice reached Natsukawa Tora's ears.

13. Life is often filled with disappointments.

Looking at Morgan following behind Irisviel, Natsukawa Tora was completely stunned—he never expected this outcome.

Why Morgan? Is Morgan something Avalon could pull out?

(But...that makes sense. If the scabbard is used as a catalyst, this is indeed the only possible outcome.)

Let's list the cards that Avalon can summon: the Artoria series, and Merlin.

Merlin is still alive, so he can't be summoned unless his true form escapes from Utopia. Artoria can summon mostly Saber and Lancer-class characters, but those slots are already taken. The only remaining option is Caster, but Caster Artoria isn't a character that can be summoned through Pan-Human History.

If we eliminate them all, then only Morgan barely fits the bill—she's related to Avalon and has the Magician class aptitude—although the Lostbelt Morgan is a Berserker, she should have the Caster class aptitude.

But as for Morgan... facing her, Natsukawa Tora's advantage of foresight disappears, after all, Morgan in Pan-Human History is still a satellite, and the situation of Morgan in Lostbelt cannot be completely applied.

"Arthur... do you know Morgan's specific abilities?" Xia Chuanhu asked. He didn't know Morgan's situation, but Arthur might, after all, she was his queen, even if they weren't from the same world, their abilities should be similar.

When asked by Natsukawa Torato, Arthur remained silent for a moment before replying, "Morgan is the highest-ranking magician, and I think her skill level is comparable to Merlin's. However, unlike Merlin, who specializes in illusions, Morgan's magic is mostly curse-based, and she is also proficient in many divine magics. Furthermore, as the 'Lord of Britain,' her rank is even above mine... In addition, her personality is something we need to be mindful of."

"This is my advice to you, Master, as a man: if possible, never be alone with Morgan or speak to her, and especially don't let her get close to you!"

As someone with experience, Arthur knows how well Morgan uses women as weapons. If he couldn't resist her, then Natsukawa Tora would probably be captivated by her in no time. Her power to charm men is like a nuclear bomb.

If it comes to fighting Morgan, Arthur is more concerned with whether his Master's willpower is strong enough than with her magic and trickery.

After pondering for a while, Natsukawa Tora sighed slightly: "Never mind, it's enough to know Caster's identity. Stay here for a while longer and then leave. Arthur, be on guard around at all times."

"Yes."

——————————————————————————————

Just as Natsukawa Tiger and Arthur were setting off for the new capital.

Morgan glanced back at the airport, a slight smile playing on his lips: "Looks like they didn't chase after us, perhaps because their Master was present?"

Arthur spotted Morgan, but how could Morgan not have spotted Arthur? Arthur doesn't have the ability to conceal his presence, so their encounter at the airport was essentially a standoff between them.

"Since the other party is also a Master of the Holy Grail War, then they will still abide by the mysterious rules of concealment. In principle, the Holy Grail War can only be held at night."

Irisviel was also somewhat nervous. Unlike Kiritsugu Emiya, her combat skills weren't particularly outstanding. Even though Morgan was a powerful Age of Gods mage, on par with Merlin, she would inevitably be at a disadvantage in a direct confrontation. The strength of Casters lay in their ability to create battlefields and artifacts, not in the battle itself. Therefore, the Einzbern's battle plan revolved around Kiritsugu Emiya's assassination of the Master, with Morgan playing a more supportive role.

This time, encountering another group of Masters and Servants at the airport was an unexpected experience.

but--

(That aura... isn't that my lovely little sister?)

Others couldn't tell the difference, but Morgan could. Although there were some differences, it was definitely her sister's aura. She had been wondering why Kiritsugu Emiya summoned her instead of Artoria using Avalon; had someone else summoned her first?

(This Holy Grail War looks like it's going to be very interesting. Although we only met briefly this time, there should be plenty of time to meet again. Let's get along well then, my dear sister.)

————————————————————————————————————

The new capital of Fuyuki City.

Located at the other end of the Mien River and the Fuyuki Bridge, Fuyuki City looks like it's decades later compared to Fukayama Town. In fact, the new city is an old residential area of ​​Fuyuki City that has only been developed and renovated in recent years. Going back a few years, Fukayama Town, now known as the old town, was actually the more developed side.

As a commemoration of the establishment of the new capital, the Fuyuki City Government built Fuyuki Central Park—where Natsukawa Tiger and Arthur are now located.

"The Holy Grail was descended here."

Following the hazy image in his memory, Natsukawa Tiger sat down in the park.

The Holy Grail's descent requires two conditions: a Lesser Grail filled with the souls of six Servants, and a powerful spiritual ley line. There are three suitable locations in Fuyuki City for the Holy Grail's descent: the Tohsaka family residence, Mount Enzo, and the Fuyuki Church. Logically, Mount Enzo is the most suitable.

However, in the Fourth Holy Grail War, the Holy Grail descended upon this park—or more precisely, the Fuyuki Civic Hall, not far from the park. Kirei Kotomine, whose nature of pleasure had been awakened by Gilgamesh, kidnapped Irisviel, further intensifying the Holy Grail War and ultimately leading to its arrival.

"Hey, wait a minute." Natsukawa Torama suddenly remembered something important. "The task of cutting down the Holy Grail was originally Saber's mission, but Saber hasn't appeared yet. Instead, another Saber has appeared. So who will cut down the Holy Grail?"

This is a very serious problem. If his intervention causes problems in the Fourth Holy Grail War, it could very well become a singularity! Survival is already difficult enough; if it becomes a singularity, wouldn't the difficulty of survival be maximized?

It's been turned into an extremely difficult dungeon!

"So... the plot has to proceed as planned, and in the end, Arthur has to chop up the cup?"

That's not a problem. Apart from Saber and Caster being different, the current situation is quite in line with the plot. Now we just have to wait until tonight—

tonight?

"It seems... another problem has arisen?"

On the first night of the Holy Grail War, Saber and Lancer clashed at the port, attracting most of the Servants and nearly turning it into a Servant war. The war ended when Tokiomi Tohsaka used a Command Spell to recall Gilgamesh.

So here's the problem: Saber is in his hands now, and he has his own plans that require Saber to work with him in secret.

So who will go and fight Lancer?

Natsukawa Tora fell into deep thought. This is the downside of summoning Saber; you'll inevitably enter the very core of the Holy Grail War. It's all because every Saber is like a taunt unit, attacking wherever she goes, just like Uzi in the bottom lane.