How come the Ace of Cups isn't considered the Holy Grail?

The exact time and location of the event are still uncertain!

I do remember that Ai was born connected to the Root, and in order to fulfill the Old Blade's wish to save Britain, he planned to summon the Beast to turn that world into a Lostbelt...

Furthermore, he also went on a solo mission to subdue Assassin and Caster along the way...

Damn, he's a Caster now!

Yuuto suddenly realized that he was about to be summoned as Caster.

Although he didn't remember the identities of the other Masters and Heroic Spirits very well, so he didn't know who Caster's Master was, he only remembered that Ozymandias was going to stage a big scene of graves colliding in Tokyo.

But since he has taken on the identity of Caster, it means that as long as he waits at home, Ayaka Sajou will come to him on her own initiative.

Did what he had been thinking actually come true?

The adversary we need to deal with has actually come knocking on our door?

Youdu thought with a hint of surprise.

Is he going to speedrun this?

At the same time, a pop-up window from the system also appeared.

[The countdown to teleportation has begun.]

Great, let him see which lucky person he's going to lead through the Holy Grail War at breakneck speed.

Youdu rubbed his hands together, looking at the countdown displayed in the pop-up window.

【5, 4...】

Ah, but that Beast created by Sajō Ayaka is also a problem. We need to find a way to deal with it before it causes trouble. We can't let this Holy Grail War really become a pre-arranged Lostbelt...

【3, 2...】

I just don't know when this Beast was created. If it was created after Ayaka Sajou came to him, that would save us a lot of trouble. Otherwise, we'd have to go out and find out where it was hidden...

【1, 0.】

【Transmission begins.】

You Du also closed his eyes, but this time, having learned from experience, he waited a while and, finding no sensation of falling from a great height, opened his eyes directly.

In the dimly lit room, the young girl lay curled up on her side on a bed that was too large for her to handle, a bed that seemed to allow her to roll around freely. Her soft breathing indicated that she was asleep.

Behind its slender, white neck, the Command Seals of its six wings shone with a dazzling red light from the autonomous summoning that had just ended, before gradually dimming over time after the summoning concluded.

The words that You Du was about to say to introduce himself got stuck in his throat.

Although he didn't really remember who the Masters were in the fragments of Azure Silver, he was certain that... there was definitely no girl that small in them!

This little guy looks to be only about 10 years old!

Yudu stared at the black-haired loli on the bed, lost in thought.

So... is he going to wake up his sleeping master right now, and have the other person break the silence with a scream in the middle of the night?

Should we just wait until dawn, until she wakes up and sees us, and then let out the first scream of the morning?

Chapter 176 The Head of the Linglong Pavilion

Command Seals... disappeared...

The head of the Linglong Pavilion stood in front of the mirror.

The face of the man, wearing black-rimmed glasses and sporting a mustache, perfectly embodied the stereotypical image of a serious middle-aged man, was now staring intently at his reflection in the mirror.

His brow furrowed in confusion, his face remained impeccably clean, and the graying strands of hair on his head were neatly styled with hairspray.

He lifted the hem of his crisp brown suit with his gloved right hand, revealing his side abdomen, which showed signs of not having gained weight in middle age and bore some 'scars'.

There should have been three Command Seals there to prove that he was chosen as the Master for the Holy Grail War, the largest magical ritual in history, held in Tokyo. But now there are only faint red marks that look like scars.

What on earth happened?

As a seasoned and foremost magician in the Far East, the head of the Linglongguan family did not lose his composure due to this sudden situation.

Even though he had been preparing for this Holy Grail War ever since he obtained the Command Seals last year, he not only purchased a lot of magical materials, but also prepared the most important relics for summoning Servants. He also sent his wife to his mansion in Izu, leaving only his gifted daughter behind to broaden her horizons.

He did not feel angry or panicked because he inexplicably lost the Command Seals that represented his Master status.

Think about it, Command Seals don't just disappear for no reason. What was he doing before this strange thing happened?

The head of the Linglong Pavilion lowered the hem of his clothes and began to recall his previous actions.

He remembered that he had just been conducting a routine check on the prepared relics. Because the Holy Grail War was about to begin, he had become extra cautious and careful in his actions these past few days.

Not only do the relics need to be checked every day to ensure that no problems arise, but the protective magic of the mansion is also maintained and checked every half day. The ritual process of summoning Servants is constantly simulated and practiced in mind to avoid mistakes.

After checking everything, he went back to his room to prepare for bed. On his way back, he casually checked his Command Seals in front of the mirror...

The result is what we see now.

After carefully reviewing what he had done that day, the head of the Linglong Pavilion family couldn't figure out which part of the process had gone wrong, causing the Command Seals on his body to disappear.

He had only just learned that the Command Seals would disappear.

As a participant in the world's first Holy Grail War, he had absolutely no experience in this area and always thought that Command Seals were like the status of a Master—once chosen, they would never change…

Now that he has lost his Command Seals, it means he has lost his status as a Master and can no longer participate in this large-scale ritual known as the Holy Grail War.

So what exactly went wrong that caused him to lose his status as Master?

Just as the head of the Linglong Pavilion was pondering, the magical barrier used for internal surveillance of the mansion suddenly sounded an alarm for him.

There are unidentified intruders!

And that spot is... Misaya!

Upon discovering a strange magical energy in his youngest daughter's room through the barrier, the head of the Linglong Pavilion family could no longer dwell on the disappearance of the Command Seals. He rushed upstairs, found his daughter's room, and pulled it open.

What came into view was a young man wearing a black vest, with a dark blue jacket that looked like a school uniform draped over his back like a cape, and a gold inverted square pyramid on his chest, standing beside his sleeping 10-year-old daughter's bed.

"Misayo!"

The magic trick in the hands of the head of the Reiryukan family was ready to be used in an instant. However, because the other party was too close to his daughter at this moment, he was worried about accidentally hurting Reiryukan Misaya, so he did not launch an attack immediately. Instead, he lowered his voice and warned the other party.

"Get away from my daughter immediately, you strange magician! This is the territory of the Linglongguan family!"

He was a little worried that if he woke his daughter up, she might do something dangerous in her panic.

The young man standing by the bed was none other than You Du, who had just been summoned.

However, given the current situation...

He was summoned while his Master was still asleep, and the Master probably didn't know that he was her Master. At this time, the Master's father rushed in and mistook him for an intruder who was going to harm his daughter.

As a Servant summoned to participate in the Holy Grail War, this was the first time he had encountered such a speechless situation.

Even the time I was summoned by Leticia didn't feel this outrageous...

"Wait a minute, sir. I am not some suspicious person, but a servant summoned by your daughter..."

In short, sensing the tense atmosphere between them, You Du calmly spoke up to clarify his identity.

If he is seen as a pervert who sneaks into a little girl's room at night to attack her, then his life as a human being is probably over.

The head of the Linglong Pavilion: "?"

He laughed angrily.

Although it is unknown where this intruder learned about the Holy Grail War, his daughter was not chosen as the Master of the Holy Grail War, and she did not even have Command Seals, so how could she possibly perform the Servant summoning ritual?

What's more, this is happening while I'm asleep and unconscious, without even drawing a summoning circle.

Okay, okay, you're too lazy to even come up with a perfunctory excuse, huh?

The head of the Linglong Pavilion's gaze immediately turned cold.

"I'll say it again! Get away from my daughter immediately, you strange magician!"

Yu Du: "..."

I knew they wouldn't believe me...

He had considered whether to demonstrate a spirit transformation to the head of the Linglong Pavilion on the spot, but he was worried that the person didn't even know what a spirit transformation was...

Forget it, he can't clear his name no matter what he does in this situation, let's just let the facts speak for themselves!

"Control him, Dark Magician." Seeing that Yuuto couldn't explain it, he summoned the Dark Magician.

Seeing this, the head of the Linglong Pavilion, who had been on guard against him, did not hesitate at all. The rune magic he had prepared lit up, and several fireballs immediately flew towards You Du.

At the very moment he launched his attack, a figure dressed in a dark purple magic robe stood before Youdu.

The dark magician simply waved his staff, and a purple magic circle appeared in front of the fireball's trajectory, easily blocking his attack without even letting a trace of its aftershock escape.

Then the black magician pointed his staff at the head of the Linglong Pavilion from a distance, and a six-pointed star pattern appeared under his feet. He immediately felt as if his body had been paralyzed and he had no sensation.

The enemy was stronger than he had anticipated!

The head of the Linglong Pavilion felt a chill in his heart. Although he didn't know why this person, with such great strength, didn't just attack, it was clear that it wouldn't be difficult for him to eliminate him and his daughter.

He desperately wanted Reiryukan Misaya to run away, but he couldn't even open his mouth. He could only watch helplessly as Yuudou reached out his hand towards his daughter's tender body lying on the bed, and then—

Did you turn her over?

The head of the Linglong Pavilion stared wide-eyed at the crimson mark on the back of Linglong Pavilion Misaya's neck, who had been turned over.

That is……

Command Spells?!

Chapter 177 Misaya

Misaya Reirōkan is a genius, that's without a doubt.

Although she can't compare to Ayaka Sajou, who was born with a connection to the Roots and is incredibly powerful, she still possesses qualities that surpass those of the head of the Reiryukan family and her father, Misaya Reiryukan's grandfather.

With such talent, she naturally did not waste her excellent qualities under the careful cultivation of her father, the head of the Linglong Pavilion family. Whether it was magic or etiquette, she reached an extremely high level in every aspect.

However, her genius also brought her a maturity beyond her years. She was tired of being a child who would be praised simply for daring to walk in the shadows.

That's why she sometimes hates her small body and can't wait to become an adult, but...

Reirōkan Misaya, who was awakened from her dream by being pulled over by Yūtō's hands, opened her eyes and stared blankly at the strange man standing beside her bed.

That's not what she wants to 'become an adult' in the traditional sense!

Having been educated in various kinds of knowledge in advance, when Misaya Reiryukan looked at Yuuto who appeared by her bedside late at night, her thoughts inevitably slid into a strange abyss.

Just as Reiko Misaya was about to scream, thinking of all sorts of things, she was silenced by what Yuuto said next.

"Servant, Caster, I have come in response to your summons. Are you my Master?"

Reirōkan Misaya: "...Eh?"

Servant? Caster?

These words sound so familiar... I feel like I've heard them somewhere before...

Having just been woken up from her sleep, Misaya Reirōkan was not in a state of shock for a moment. After regaining her senses, she immediately remembered what her father had said about the Holy Grail War.

The largest magical ritual in history, in which seven magicians and seven heroic spirits fight together, and the magicians summon Servants. Among the seven Servants, there is a class called Caster!

Is this person a Caster-class Servant?

But why does he call himself Master?

Shouldn't it be her father who has the qualifications to be a Master?

Reiko Misaya cautiously and slowly propped herself up, sitting on the bed and looking at Yuuto standing beside her bed.

The bright moonlight streamed through the window into the room, its silvery glow falling on You Du, who had his back to the window. In the dim room, it clearly illuminated his entire body, and the Millennium Blocks swaying on his chest gleamed in the moonlight.

She seemed to actually sense some kind of connection with the other person, but...

"Um..." Filled with doubt, Reirōkan Misaya opened her mouth slightly: "You said I'm your Master, are you mistaken? I don't have Command Seals, shouldn't it be my father who has them?"

Upon hearing this, You Du said nothing, but calmly pointed behind her.

Seeing this, Misaya Reirōkan looked back with some confusion.

"Huh? What's behind me—my father?!"

She saw the head of the Linglong Pavilion, whose body was paralyzed by a six-pointed star magic circle, and couldn't help but scream in fright.

The head of the Linglong Pavilion: "..."