I am a Type-Moon comic artist!

Chapter 296 Maintaining the Status Quo

Ryougi Shiki's feelings for Kurokawa Kazuya are strange...

Before meeting Kurokawa Kazuya...

She has a grandfather.

She was almost constantly out of her mind and was imprisoned in a dungeon for nearly twenty years, but... her ability to remain undisturbed to this day without killing anyone is inseparable from his upbringing.

Her grandfather, in the final moments of his life, regained consciousness as if in a final burst of energy.

Then...

Not long after, she met Kurokawa Kazuya.

He believed in her.

He knows a lot, but he is still like this.

Whether it's the style or the weave.

In his eyes, he wasn't a murderer, but simply two children living in one body...

That must be it.

I don't know what makes him so confident.

Ryougi Shiki attempted to kill Kurokawa Kazuya, but... she failed. The reason for her failure was not because she was unable to defeat him or anything like that.

Although he would occasionally resist, it was only in jest.

Most of the time... he doesn't do anything.

But... I still can't bring myself to do it.

This man also possessed a mysterious confidence, a confidence that he absolutely couldn't bring himself to lay a hand on someone...

Ryougi Shiki looked at Kurokawa Kazuya, who was several heads taller than her, walking beside her and holding her hand. She was a little confused. Why did he trust her so much?

......

The space seemed to merge with foreign objects, like the surface of water.

Something appeared from that space.

It was a man wearing a black coat, like a monk's robe.

Instead of watching the two people walking ahead, he headed in the exact opposite direction.

"Who...is that man?"

The man's name is Araya Sōren.

Seven days ago, he discovered Ryougi Shiki and set his sights on her... He possesses a hidden ability that even Ryougi Shiki's intuition cannot detect.

but...

But the man discovered it.

She only stared at him for a short while before realizing something was wrong...

But! No matter who that man is, it cannot disrupt his plans—

"Ryougi Shiki...that body...something feels off..."

Seven days was enough time for him to make a rough judgment, if, by chance, he had indeed met this person and he was indeed as he imagined...

Then he will be able to accomplish what he has always longed for—to reach the source.

Of course, reaching the root cause is not the result, but the process.

What he craves is something that comes after reaching the source.

However, those are simple. If it were really possible to reach that point... He tried several times, but each time he encountered resistance (accidents). All his previous attempts failed due to various unexpected events.

But now—he sees the greatest possibility!

"Let's observe first." Araya Sōren made his decision. His two hundred years wouldn't make a difference of a few days or a few years. He had to find the most suitable opportunity.

In order to prevent the suppression force from being activated again, a completely isolated temple, resembling another world, is also necessary.

However, all of this needs to wait until I'm certain of everything before I can take action.

Once the temple is completed... I can take action myself and get my hands on that person... Ryougi Shiki!

All of this is predicated on the fact that everything goes as he expects.

......

"Is it just my imagination..." Around a corner, Kurokawa and Mira, along with Ryougi Shiki, peeked out slightly, frowning as they looked behind them.

“Didn’t I already say that?” Ryougi Shiki sighed softly. “How could anyone be following me?”

“Is that so… perhaps so.” Kurokawa Kazuya nodded. “However, Shiki… no matter what, I have participated in two Holy Grail Wars. Perhaps I can’t compare to you intuitively, but… there is a skill called ‘Mind’s Eye’.”

Ryougi Shiki nodded: "You mean you gained the ability called Mind's Eye from your manga?"

“No, no, I was just using a metaphor.” Kurokawa Kazuya sighed. “After all, I’ve encountered all sorts of battles, and I always have this inexplicable premonition, like someone is watching me… Just now, it was like that, a look that was scrutinizing me… but then there was nothing there. Maybe… it’s just my imagination.”

As Kurokawa Kazuya spoke, he pulled Ryougi Shiki along and continued walking forward: "Anyway, let's go back and have dinner first, it's getting late."

"Tell me your stories about Cairo."

"You can rest assured about that. I'll tell you whatever you want to know." Kurokawa and Mira walked slowly with Ryougi Shiki by the hand, their steps deliberate. "How's school? Have you made any friends?"

"No," Ryougi Shiki said decisively. "I don't need that kind of thing, do I? Friends and stuff..."

The two chatted idly for a while and soon arrived at Ryougi's house, where they saw a group of people walking by.

"Mr. Qiulong? Is everything over?"

"Miss Shiki, you're back." Akira Kenki first bowed to Ryougi Shiki, then said to Kazuya Kurokawa, "It wasn't difficult; it was easily handled. It's just that there have been quite a few cases like this lately..."

"It's the same every year, don't worry about it," Ryougi Shiki said nonchalantly. "Every year when school starts, there are always a few groups who think they're strong enough, that they've gathered enough men to take advantage of the situation. Just send a couple to teach them a lesson..."

"Miss Shiki is right. It's nothing to worry about..."

......

In a room of the Ryougi family, the head of the family watched the group of people at the door slowly close the window and asked the people in the room, "What did he say? That Kurokawa Kazuya."

"Indeed, he would be a good choice if it were for the continuation of the Ryougi family. But... he's far too extraordinary. He was the victor of two Holy Grail Wars, and you could say he was just one step away from obtaining the Holy Grail. If... he really wanted it, but he gave it up both times. Others might not know, but we know it all too well, and his assets are in no way inferior to those of the Ryougi family. Ryougi Shiki would never marry out, so would someone like him possibly marry into the family? I don't think there's anything about the Ryougi family that could attract him."

"But we still have to try. Given Shi's personality, I don't think there are any other possibilities. In fact, that's exactly what happened. Several years have passed, and she doesn't even have a single friend at school. Countless people distance themselves from her and feel fear towards her. And so far, there's only one person who's so naturally around her..."

"Hmm... Shiki is still young after all." The head of the Ryougi family considered for a moment: "Let's wait two more years and see how things go. If there are still no changes, I will have a detailed talk with him. For now, it's fine to maintain the status quo."

Chapter 297 Spiral

The Holy Grail War.

If it's just hearsay, few people will care. If it's just a legendary ritual that can grant wishes, not many people will care either.

but...

The events that occurred a little over a month ago have definitively confirmed the feasibility of the Holy Grail War and its brutality.

Dayuan's success has continued.

This proves that the Holy Grail does indeed have the power to grant wishes.

However, most of Cairo has been destroyed as a result, which fully demonstrates the cruelty of the Holy Grail War.

Countless people could die if they are not careful.

but...

How many people actually care about the second point?

Araya Sōren didn't know.

However, there shouldn't be many. Among magicians, only a minority are afraid of death. They are willing to give their lives to reach the Root.

Even if it's only a one in ten thousand, one in a hundred million, or even one in a trillion chance...

Araya Souren is the same... as long as there is hope.

Kazuya Kurokawa.

This name has once again become famous throughout the entire underworld because of this Holy Grail War.

Countless people bought his comics.

The purpose was to see exactly how this Holy Grail War, taking place in a parallel world, unfolded, and to understand what kind of being a Servant truly was...

Although there is a huge gap between it and the real world, there are still some aspects that can be used as a reference.

at the same time...

A magic base plate has begun to be sold in the inner world of the inner world.

The underworld, or the world beyond the surface, is generally a place used for selling drugs, weapons, and the like—a world that violates morality and law.

The other world is similar, selling items that are prohibited from being sold by the Magic Association.

Among them is such a magic base—

"The False Holy Grail".

That's the name of the magic base plate.

In the world of magicians, geniuses are never few and far between. Now that the Holy Grail War has been exposed, there is a possibility that it can be studied.

Although it is impossible to create such a precise Holy Grail that can grant wishes.

However, the other function of the form is still possible.

That is to summon a Servant.

By infusing magic into the "pseudo-Holy Grail," it's possible to summon one to three Servants. Of course... based on experiments, they are far from the Servants of the regular Holy Grail War, capable of erasing most of Cairo from the map.

Furthermore, due to the incomplete summoning ritual, the Servant's power is greatly reduced, to the point where even a powerful magician could defeat them. They also frequently experience memory confusion and attack their Master.