That protagonist is trash; I could do better!

Seeing that he couldn't win over Astolfo, Gold clenched his fists and cursed under his breath, "Damn it!"

On the second floor of the courtyard, in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows shattered by the hurricane, Danic silently watched this scene, holding his cane.

·······

The empty sky gardens cruise high in the sky.

Inside the beautiful courtyard, Semiramis stood with her hands on her hips, looking down at her Master, her voice filled with suppressed anger: "Master! Why did you hand over the Greater Grail so easily? Wasn't that your ideal?"

Amakusa Shiro Tokisada smiled wryly: "Semiramis, too close."

"Give me a proper explanation, or I will treat those who betray me with poison."

Amakusa Shiro Tokisada shrugged: "I'm no match for the Black Caster. If I hadn't done this, I would have been killed just now."

"That's why I made you wait in the courtyard from the very beginning!"

"I had a reason to meet him, although the result wasn't good, it wasn't entirely fruitless either."

"The Greater Grail is in someone else's hands, what can we possibly gain!"

Amakusa Shiro Tokisada sat down on a stone chair and gently comforted him, "Calm down. Without the corresponding spell, even if he is a Caster, it would be very difficult to force the activation of the Greater Grail system. Moreover, we haven't gathered all the conditions to grant the wish yet; we're still missing the soul of the last Servant."

Empress Semiramis of Assyria stroked her chin and pondered for a moment, then exhaled: "It was I who overstepped my bounds. My Master has his reasons."

"It would be best if you could understand. Even if we get the Holy Grail, the situation might not be better. We might become the target of Caster, Ruler, and Venus, the goddess of the black side. Even with the Hanging Gardens of Vanity, we might not be able to win."

"you mean···"

“That’s right. Caster of the Black faction will be the target of all participants in this Holy Grail War. We don’t need to do anything. He will eliminate the remaining variables in the Holy Grail War. Before the real final battle arrives, there is only one thing we need to do: wait and look for an opportunity.”

Semiramis's eyes lit up, and she nodded, saying, "I see. There are such deep considerations. No, this is what makes someone qualified to be my Master. By the way, there is something to report. Lancer's Master has awakened."

"I remember she was implanted with a death curse, injected into Lancer's body in the form of a Command Spell. She probably won't last much longer after Lancer leaves the stage."

"That's right, that's how it should be, but Lancer still protected her even after being betrayed by his Master. It's probably the Noble Phantasm that Lancer used at the cost of his Spirit Origin to purify the curse of death. That can be called a weapon. He's also an incurable fool. It's not bad as a joke to amuse me."

Amakusa Shiro Tokisada shook his head self-deprecatingly: "It was we who betrayed him."

"What should we do with her?"

"I don't want to see anyone else sacrifice themselves, so I'll imprison her in the courtyard's prison and release her after the Holy Grail War is over."

Semiramis played with her long hair and snorted softly, "What a nuisance."

"Don't kill her just because she's a nuisance, Semiramis."

"Don't worry, Master. I'll spare her life as a reward for you tonight."

"I am truly grateful."

Chapter 209 Ishtar's Melancholy

The dark underground tomb was poorly lit by a few portable lamps. Two tents and some household items were placed on the ground, indicating that people actually lived here.

A skull pen holder sits on a wooden table, with a skull arm hanging from it, holding a pen, and white paper below, making it look like a piece of heavy metal art.

The skull pen holder suddenly trembled, and the skeletal right hand grasped the pen, writing swiftly on the white paper, producing line after line of beautiful text.

Mordred walked over, munching on an apple. He casually picked up a piece of white paper, examined the words on it, and then devoured the apple in a few bites, core and all, laughing heartily: "Interesting!"

From inside the tent, a puzzled voice came from Shishikage Kairi: "Saber, what happened?"

"A notice from the church."

A moment later, Shishikage Kairi emerged from the tent, took the white paper from Mordred, and muttered while stroking his beard, "The Black Faction's Caster has seized the Greater Grail system, along with the Black Faction's Saber and Rider..."

He turned to Mordred: "What do you think?"

"How else can you look at it? Caster on the black side is just that kind of reckless bastard."

Should we deploy?

"If the enemy is that Knight King, I have no problem with any reason." The rebellious knight's sharp eyes could not hide his excitement, and his surging magic power rose with his high fighting spirit.

Shiki-kai Kairi took a few steps, sat down in a chair and pondered, then slowly said, "If we attack rashly, we will only become pawns of that priest. The investigation into him has also yielded some results. He is not an ordinary person. Furthermore, all the Masters of the Red Team disappeared after entering his church."

Mordred said indifferently, "Master, the important thing is not whether we will be used, but how we think about it, right?"

Shiki-kai was speechless. Mordred, a mere creature, sometimes uttered truths that even he couldn't refute. He nodded slightly: "That's true. I am employed by the Mage's Association to stop the Holy Grail War. Although that's what I said, I now realize how insignificant and incompetent I am. Given my lack of ability, I would prefer to stop the Holy Grail War rather than win."

"How exactly do we do it?"

"I think now is a good opportunity to destroy the Greater Grail system, which will directly complete the mission, and then whatever the priest wants to do, he will inevitably not be able to accept the result."

“No problem,” Mordred replied readily.

Kairi the Lion was surprised by Mordred's reaction. He clearly remembered asking her about her wish after summoning her, and that her wish would not be fulfilled if the Greater Grail system was destroyed.

“Saber, I remember you had your own wishes.”

"It doesn't matter. That wish vanished upon seeing the Queen of Knights. Now, all I want to do is fight her to the death once more." Mordred grinned, revealing a ferocious smile.

As Shiki-Kai-Jie-Li stared at Mordred's profile in the dim light, he seemed completely blinded by hatred. Was that really the case?

He touched his face, his voice heavy: "Saber, is your wish really to pull out the Sword of the King or to fight Saber of the Black Faction to the death?"

“Of course!” Mordred answered without the slightest hesitation.

Really.

Shi Zi Jie Li lit a cigarette, took a drag, shook his head and muttered, "Forget it, this isn't my business."

His compatibility with Mordred as Master was surprisingly good. He had repeatedly peeked into Mordred's memories in his dreams, including her birth as a homunculus, her obsession with the King of Knights, and the beginning and end of her becoming a rebellious knight.

In his eyes, Mordred was more like a spoiled child who was arguing with his parents.

Of course, it's undeniable that she's the kind of person you'd want to strangle. Lion Jie Li has no doubt that if he were the Knight King, he would have hung her up and beaten her up long ago.

Although the root cause lies with Mordred, if that knight king had possessed more humanity and punished Mordred, guided her, and told her what she could and could not do, Mordred would not have become a rebellious knight.

······

Inside the luxurious hotel in Tulipas.

An old phonograph played the voice of Amakusa Shiro Tokisada, informing people of the news that Hall had seized the Greater Grail and providing information about the Servants.

Having just finished showering, Ishtar sat lazily on the sofa, stretching out her body with her long, slender legs crossed. Her skin was as smooth as jade, and her graceful young body was clad only in red and black lace lingerie, making her appear even more mature and alluring.

Ishtar picked up the black tea on the table, took a few sips, and muttered to herself, "Pretty capable, huh? That guy."

"So that bastard priest didn't get away with it either."

"The Greater Grail system is the core of the Holy Grail War. Once it is destroyed, all Servants will immediately withdraw from the battle, let alone have their wishes fulfilled. If such a thing falls into the hands of one side, it will undoubtedly become the target of all Masters."

"That priest wanted to exploit this to create conflict between the other Servants and Shinji and the others, and he would accept it no matter who won."

"Moreover, Ruler, as the supervisor, certainly cannot let this situation continue."

"Does Shinji really know his own predicament?"

"No, Shinji knows the Greater Grail system very well, and he might be able to use it for something."

"what to do."

Having been outmaneuvered by Amakusa Shiro Tokisada, Ishtar not only failed to summon the Bull of Heaven but also suffered damage to her divinity. Now, her strength is less than half of her peak, and as an individual, she has virtually no chance of winning in this Holy Grail War.

Although she is a servant of the Red faction, she does not believe she can smile at Amakusa Shiro Tokisada after being tricked by him.

The common trait between Ishtar and the girl named Rin Tohsaka is that they want revenge now.

There is only one answer.

"By cooperating with Shinji and doing him a favor, at least we won't have to worry about being betrayed."

"I'll tell him my true identity after the Holy Grail War is over."

"It's a pity that I can't announce this news as a victor, but the current situation doesn't allow me to act recklessly, and frankly, I don't want to become his enemy."

Ishtar hugged the pillow, burying her face in it, and sighed softly. In fact, if she had told Hall her true identity, she had no doubt that Hall would have chosen to help her return to her original world.

But doing so would feel like surrendering, and her pride as a magician would not allow it.

"If you cooperate with him without revealing his identity, you won't lose."

Ishtar comforted herself, completely ignoring the fact that it was simply unreasonable for a Red Faction Servant to seek cooperation with a Black Faction Servant.

Sorry for the late update.

I'll finish it today.

Chapter 210 Ishtar's Serendipitous Encounter

On the bustling street, Hall and his two companions were heading to have breakfast, attracting considerable attention.

This is not surprising, Saber is pretty and dignified, her golden hair is tied up with a blue ribbon, like a noble girl who came out of a medieval court.

Astolfo is petite and adorable, and wearing this world's JK uniform adds to her youthful energy.

As for Hall, his body was created entirely based on the Einzbern family's android template.

Along the way, Astolfo held Hall's arm intimately, beaming with happiness, looking every bit the perfect couple.

This is Astolfo demanding payment for last night's expenses.

Hall felt indifferent, but despite his indifference, he had to admit Astolfo's feminine charm; if he were a woman, Hall might very well have fallen for her.

The three of them strolled around, mostly led by Astolfo, who either bought clothes or snacks, showing his immense curiosity about modern things.

Saber couldn't stand the strange looks from passersby, as if she were a third wheel, and gently suggested, "Rider, is it really necessary to hug your Master like that?"

Astolfo leaned on Hall's shoulder and chuckled, "Yes, I need to replenish my affinity now. I'll die if I don't get friendly treatment from others."

Saber sighed and shook her head. In terms of personality compatibility, Astolfo was the type she couldn't handle at all. Seeing his lively, girlish demeanor, she couldn't help but sigh, "Rider, if only you were a woman."

"Ugh~ Is he saying I'm cute?" Astolfo cupped his cheeks in his hands, looking quite shy. His eyes lit up when he saw a shop on the side of the road: "It's an eyeglasses shop! Let's go in and take a look."

Without waiting for Howl and Saber's consent, he forcibly pulled Howl inside and began to choose glasses for them.

“I like this pair. Saber definitely needs blue.” Astolfo picked out a pair of stylish glasses for himself, then handed Saber the blue-rimmed ones: “How about it?”

Saber straightened his glasses in front of the mirror and shook his head: "I know these are glasses, but for Servants, these things are useless ornaments and may even obstruct their vision."

Hall picked out a pair of frameless glasses to try on and explained, "Not entirely. Although Servants don't have vision problems, some Servants do wear glasses. Moreover, glasses can be used as a Mystic Code to enhance the attributes of the Mystic Eyes or have other effects."