To become a king and a magician

"What should we do now...?"

【Master】

Arthur's voice suddenly rang in Natsukawa Tora's ear.

Someone is watching us in the shadows.

"Huh? Who?"

Xia Chuanhu immediately became extremely alert, almost jumping off his chair to hide behind a tree.

[Matou Kariya. Behind that tree at the ten o'clock position.]

Matou Kariya?

14. Possibility of Natsukawa Tiger

The place where I met Matou Kariya again was behind a public toilet.

"I didn't expect you to have stayed in the Holy Grail War?"

Looking at the bright red Command Seal on the back of Matou Kariya's hand, Natsukawa Tora's tone carried a hint of surprise.

"Sakura Matou has already been taken away by Tokiomi Tohsaka. Knowing his personality, he probably won't leave her behind, but this time he'll likely find a more reliable family of mages to adopt her. Your wish for Sakura Matou to be safe and sound has already been fulfilled, so why do you still want to participate in the Holy Grail War?"

“There’s no particular reason, it’s just to repay a debt of gratitude,” Matou Kariya said. “In the years since I left the Matou family, I’ve traveled all over the world. Isn’t there an old saying in that western country, ‘A drop of water in need should be repaid with a spring of water’?”

"So, you're planning to help me in the Holy Grail War to rescue you and Matou Sakura?" Natsukawa Torara frowned. "Didn't you ever consider that I might have ulterior motives for rescuing you?"

"The moment you said that, that possibility was already ruled out."

Matou Kariya gave a wry smile.

"I have already summoned the Berserker. Just let me know if you need anything. I don't know how much I can do, but I will do my best."

"unnecessary."

To Matou Kariya's surprise, Natsukawa Torato immediately rejected his proposal.

Walking up to him, Natsukawa Torato ripped off Matou Kariya's hood, revealing a face that could only be described as utterly hideous.

His hair had turned completely white, and his skin had lost all color, turning a ghostly gray. His body was emaciated, skin and bones, and the muscles around his eyes were loose and necrotic. Judging from the strange posture of his left side, it was likely that his left foot and left hand were also unable to move.

In other words, Matou Kariya is now practically a cripple.

“You might think I’m being hypocritical, but I’m sorry, I can’t send a battered man like you to the battlefield. Your body can no longer allow you to continue acting recklessly.”

"Are you... pitying me?"

"That's one way to think about it."

In the Fourth Holy Grail War, Kariya Matou was undoubtedly the most tragic man. He failed to protect those he wanted to protect, and even the person he loved ultimately denied all his sacrifices due to a misunderstanding. In the end, no one asked him to do anything, so he had to swallow all his pain alone. Those who didn't know him mocked and ignored him, while those who did found pleasure in it, and in the end, he lived a solitary life.

Since there is a chance to change all of this, Natsukawa Torato at least doesn't want Matou Kariya to go down the same old path again.

Looking at Natsukawa Torato's eyes, which held no hidden meaning, Matou Kariya gave a wry smile: "You're just a brat, yet you're pointing fingers... You and I are both half-baked magicians who can't be magicians. This mercy will cost us our lives."

"Fine, since you don't need it, I'll act according to my own will. But I swear to you, I will not lay a hand on you during the Holy Grail War."

After saying that, Matou Kariya put on his hat, turned around, and left.

Clenching his fist, Natsukawa Tora pursed his lips, but ultimately couldn't stop him. Matou Kariya's offer to help him was only part of the reason; more likely, it was his desire for revenge against Tohsaka Tokiomi. Even though Matou Sakura had been saved, he still couldn't forgive Tohsaka Tokiomi for pushing her into the insect pit.

【Master, what should we do?】

"What's it to me?" Xia Chuanhu finally shrugged. "I've done more than enough by pulling him out of the insect lair, but if he wanted to die, could I have stopped him? Besides, we're barely able to take care of ourselves, how can we have the energy to help others?"

Seeing his Master like this, Arthur couldn't help but feel a little helpless. He knew all too well the feeling of wanting to help but being unable to because of his lack of ability. However, because of this, Arthur confirmed one thing once again.

I'm so glad to be your Servant, Master.

"Huh? Why are you suddenly bringing this up?"

[Just something I felt compelled to say. By the way, Master, you mentioned the battle against Lancer earlier?]

"Well... although it's just a guess, Lancer will probably be the first to fight in this Holy Grail War tonight. My plan is to have the other teams fight him, and then we'll go find Lancer's Master."

Why Lancer?

"This is the conclusion I've reached after careful consideration. After thinking it over, the only one I can really challenge Lancer to is you, but I can't meet Lancer's Master without you, so it's a bit of a dilemma."

How about using Command Spells?

Arthur suggested.

I'll go fight Lancer first. Master, summon me with a Command Spell after you make contact with him.

Is it really necessary to use such an expensive Command Seal in this situation? It is indeed feasible, but it's unclear whether the lack of a Command Seal will affect subsequent events.

“No, let’s do it this way. Hesitation will lead to defeat.” Natsukawa Torara nodded. “But in your current state, won’t you be at a disadvantage against Lancer? I remember that the Master’s state also affects the Servant’s state. Without my mana to provide support, your stats…”

Due to insufficient mana supply, Arthur's stats have all decreased by one level, and his Noble Phantasm is now partially sealed.

[Please rest assured, Master. I've experienced far worse situations before, only with a slight reduction in strength. I wouldn't dare say I could defeat Lancer, but I can certainly hold him back. In fact, I'm more worried about your condition than mine.]

Five days ago, during the Matou family's operation, Natsukawa Tora was directly drained of a large amount of his life force and passed out. However, this could not be considered a battle for Arthur. If Lancer were to be his opponent, his demand for magic power would inevitably increase significantly. In fact, the one who suffered the most was Natsukawa Tora.

After a moment of silence, Natsukawa Tora laughed and said, "It's alright, I can hold on this time. You can go and fight freely, Saber. Don't treat me like a burden that you need to take care of."

【Yes】

Arthur agreed.

Looking at Natsukawa Tiger's solemn expression, Arthur hesitated whether to tell him about it.

It is impossible for a non-magician to summon a Servant. Those who can become Masters are people with magic circuits. Even Ryunosuke Uryu, whose family has the blood of a mage, would not have been able to summon a Servant.

Therefore, the very fact that Natsukawa Torama was able to summon Arthur demonstrates that he possesses magical circuits. Perhaps one of his ancestors was a mage, or perhaps he was one of the first mages like Emiya Shirou; in any case, he has magical circuits. However, due to a lack of guidance, Natsukawa Torama himself has not yet discovered this, and his magical circuits remain closed to this day.

(Should we tell Master?)

15. The First Night of War

After walking around Fuyuki Central Park, Natsukawa Torara and Arthur went to the port. Since it was the main location for their first night, Natsukawa Torara wanted to find out as much about the port as possible, and also wanted to cause some trouble for Emiya Kiritsugu.

With Morgan's assistance, Kiritsugu Emiya, who could only use ordinary firearms before, may now be able to pose a certain threat to Servants. In addition, given his fighting style, it is best to regard him as another Assassin.

After instructing Arthur to keep an eye on the cranes and hoists at the port, the two went home. Actually, he also wanted to visit the Einzbern castle, but upon reflection, he realized it was surrounded by a barrier, making it impossible for him to find or enter. Besides, what happened there was largely irrelevant to him; it mainly concerned Kiritsugu Emiya, Chief Ken, and Kirei Kotomine.

What? The Feast of the Three Kings?

Don't be ridiculous, what could Natsukawa Tora do there? Isn't it just a plot where every fanfic has to use Saber to ridicule her and boost his popularity? His character isn't Saber, so what's there to boost his popularity for? Besides, that's Morgan over there. If he brought Arthur over, it wouldn't be a classic Camelot photobook.

Moreover, it's still unknown whether the Three Kings' Banquet will even take place.

Therefore, Natsukawa Tora avoids getting close to Einzbern Castle unless absolutely necessary.

"That means there's nothing to do from now until tonight."

Back home, Natsukawa Tora glanced at the clock on the wall.

"Arthur, I'll take a nap now in preparation for tonight's operation. Wake me up around ten o'clock."

"No problem. But is it okay to sleep? Won't the curse kick in?"

Sajō Aika's curse is a magic trick that only activates after Natsukawa Tora falls asleep, and the degree of torment is determined by the intimacy between her and Arthur during the two sleep periods. It's extremely emotionally charged. Perhaps only Sajō Aika in the entire world would develop such a pointless magic trick.

When the curse was mentioned, Xia Chuanhu shuddered, then forced himself to remain calm and said, "It's okay. Look, I slept for three days before and nothing happened. It'll probably be the same this time. You can rest assured and just stay by my side."

"Okay then."

(Please, Merlin, protect Master this time as well.)

All Arthur could do was hope that Merlin's spells would continue to be effective and not, as before, deliberately fail at crucial moments and call it a trial.

Trials are for heroes, but Arthur doesn't want his Master to follow the path he himself took. Living in this peaceful era, he doesn't need to become a hero.

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

Time flew by and it was evening.

In a corner of the Fuyuki City port, Arthur looked at Natsukawa Tora, who was leaning against a container and looking pale, and asked with concern, "Master, are you really okay? Should we go back tonight? You're in such a state..."

"No...it's nothing. It's just a curse of this level. I'm pretty much used to it."

As he said this, Xia Chuanhu's legs were still trembling.

Yes, the curse struck again, and it was even stronger than before. Sajou Aika, with her love-struck mind, mistook Natsukawa Tora and Arthur's outing during the day for a date. As soon as Natsukawa Tora closed his eyes, she pulled him into a dream, where he was once again tormented to the point of near death. When he first woke up, he was completely disoriented and covered in cold sweat.

Merlin's spell, which Arthur had placed high hopes on, remained completely ineffective this time; the flower mark never appeared on Xia Chuanhu's brow.

Arthur was thus certain that this spell would only take effect when Natsukawa Torama's spirit could no longer withstand it; if Natsukawa Torama could hold on, the spell would not activate. It was a spell that truly suited Merlin's character.

Arthur was helpless about this and could only try his best to take good care of Natsukawa Tora.

After catching his breath against the container for a while, Xia Chuanhu asked, "How's the situation at the port? Have you sensed anything?"

“You don’t need to consciously sense it to feel it; the fighting spirit emanating from the other party is practically a provocation. They must have considerable confidence in their skills, just as you predicted, Master,” Arthur praised. “But Master, you even guessed that they would be at the port.”

"It's just a simple process of elimination. The first requirement of the Holy Grail War is to remain unexposed. The port is far from the city, no one will come at night, and the terrain is open, making it the most suitable battlefield for the first night."

Although there are a large number of containers, to these Servants, the containers are just cardboard, and it is perfectly reasonable to say that the port has a wide open area.

He took out his binoculars and glanced at the cranes and the tops of the cranes in the distance, but he didn't see Kiritsugu Emiya. He figured they hadn't taken any action yet.

"That's good. It's best to end the plan before things escalate, otherwise things might change. —Saber, please."

"Understood, Master. Please be careful as well."

Arthur vanished from Natsukawa Tora's sight in his spirit form, quickly heading towards the direction from which a powerful fighting spirit was continuously emanating from the port.

Clutching his chest, Natsukawa Tora then disappeared into the darkness.

——————————————————————————————

In the port, on an open area near the ships, Arthur revealed himself. After glancing at the deserted road, he shouted, "Stop hiding! Since you're so open about displaying your fighting spirit, then show yourself cleanly, Lancer."

"Huh? They knew my identity before I even showed up."

From the shadows of the container, a follower holding two guns, one long and one short, walked up to Arthur.

"Why do you think it's me, Lancer? Maybe it's Assassin?"

"My Master is surprisingly good at guessing things," Arthur said proudly, while praising Natsukawa Tora's precognitive abilities once again. So far, his Master has guessed almost everything related to the Holy Grail War correctly.