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

"It's getting late, let's hurry back, Master!"

After putting the flower into his pocket and making sure it wouldn't dissolve his clothes, Yuuto turned around with the Golden Holy Lance and called to Reiryukan Misaya, who was still wondering what he had just picked up, and prepared to hail a taxi to go home and sleep.

They had been looking for a quiet place centered around JR Ikebukuro Station, and there were plenty of taxis near the station, so they should be able to hail one once they got to the main road.

They defeated a Servant on the second day of the Holy Grail War, making them the most efficient among all the participants. The others are probably still testing the waters in battle.

Now that Assassin has been dealt with and Caster's position has been taken by him, Ayaka Sajou probably doesn't have any Servants left to recruit.

The dark magician girl summoned during the duel was sent back to guard the house after the duel ended.

Hmm...should I bring her some snacks back for a late-night treat?

Yuuto thought to himself as he led Misaya Reirōkan toward a nearby street with more people.

The card spirits he summons can eat like ordinary people.

However, since other elves are generally not interested in food, and food is not a necessity for them like magic, only the Dark Magician Girl has been particularly enthusiastic about it so far.

Most of the breakfast that You Du bought after waking up this morning ended up in her stomach...

……

The temptation to snack late at night is simply terrifying.

Especially for children who are usually strictly disciplined at home and have very regular lives, the combination of staying up late and indulging in snacks is enough to stir up their little rebellious side, and almost no one can resist the temptation.

At this moment, Misaya of the Linglong Pavilion was caught in such temptation.

She, who had been so sleepy on the way, now had her eyes wide open and was as energetic as a nocturnal creature. She watched the black magician girl happily eating the big bag of snacks they had brought back and swallowed hard without making a sound.

In front of her was a bag filled with all sorts of snacks. Since Yuuto couldn't enter the supermarket with the Holy Lance, these were all snacks that she had personally selected as her favorites and desired snacks.

But she still had some hesitation in her heart.

"Caster, ugh... If Father finds out we're doing this, he'll be furious, won't he?"

While saying this, her hand honestly reached into the bag in front of her and took out a seasonal and regional limited edition pudding that she had been wanting to eat for a long time.

Well, when I say I'm hesitant, I really am just hesitant!

Yuto, who had already seen through her thoughts while she was picking out snacks at the supermarket, didn't even bother to give her a glance, but just quietly looked at the letter in his hand.

This was given to him by the black magician girl after he returned to the mansion with Misaya Reirōkan. She said it was delivered by a bird-shaped familiar in the afternoon, and that familiar was still here waiting for a reply.

Actually, she wanted to bring this up during the duel, but because she was so focused on getting her master to do it himself—oh, no, I mean, on the fight, she accidentally forgot…

The letter contained an invitation to form an alliance between the Ise-sanichi clan in western Tokyo and the Reirōkan family.

Because the Reiryukan family is the leading magic family in the Far East, they believed that the Reiryukan family would also participate in this Holy Grail War.

They guessed right, but they also guessed wrong.

After all, the alliance invitation in their letter was sent to the head of the Reiryukan family, while the one participating in the Holy Grail War was Reiryukan Misaya, the daughter of the head of the Reiryukan family.

An alliance...

He remembered that the Servant summoned by the Ise-san clan was Ramses II.

"Hmm...Master, what do you think about this?"

Yuto turned around to ask Reiko Misaya's opinion on the matter, but saw her happily eating ice cream sandwiched between potato chips. When she heard Yuto's voice, she gave him a confused look.

"Hmm? Caster, did you say something?"

Yuto: "...No, it's alright now."

Chapter 187: From Egypt, yellow color scheme, always smiling, voice actor is Takehito Koyasu

Yuuto eventually told Reirōkan Misaya about the Ise-san clan's desire to form an alliance with them.

"Alliance..." When the topic of the Holy Grail War came up, Misaya Reirōkan even stopped eating snacks.

As she put the last potato chip in her mouth, Misaya Reirōkan silently pondered amidst the crisp crunch.

At only 10 years old, she clearly had no experience in this area, and she had never even heard of the Ise-san clan.

Her father only taught her about magic, and only briefly mentioned interpersonal relationships.

It was precisely because of her lack of understanding that Misaya Reiryukan was always quite cautious about such matters.

Think about it, what are the benefits of forming an alliance with them?

The most obvious manifestation of this is that their side will have two Servants instead of one, which is practically double the number.

Furthermore, now that Assassin has left the stage, there are only six Servants left. If they join forces, they will essentially occupy one-third of the Servants.

Moreover, she can obtain more information from the other side.

So what are the downsides?

First, it's uncertain whether the other party genuinely wants an alliance, or whether they might suddenly betray them because of their young age.

Secondly, once the alliance is exposed, other Masters may have their Servants join forces to eliminate them first.

They might face a 2v4 situation, and if the Servants of the Ise-san clan are weak, they might even have to fight one against five!

The extra one is an ally who's holding us back...

However, if it is not exposed, then as long as we are careful to guard against the backstabbing of the Ise-san clan, it is almost as if there is no harm!

Want to bet?

Misaya Reirōkan hesitated.

Judging from tonight's battle, Yuwatari is undoubtedly very strong, and his Noble Phantasm is quite special, as he was able to defeat his opponent simply by winning a game.

But... since it's a game, there's always the risk of losing.

Having so many teammates might be a good way to make Yuuto use that Noble Phantasm less often?

Misaya Reirōkan made a decision.

“Alright, let’s reply to them like this, and tell them to come over tomorrow to discuss the alliance…” You Du nodded and said, “Don’t worry, with me here, they can’t cause any trouble.”

Reassured, Misaya Reiko took out her pen, wrote a reply, and handed it to the black bird-shaped familiar.

It's not a crow; it looks more like a black pigeon.

There was no monitoring magic attached to it, a fact that was verified by the dark magic girl who was currently indulging in a feast, relying on her status as a card spirit and never gaining weight.

After releasing the familiar from the window and watching it fly westward and disappear into the night, Misaya Reirōkan, thinking about meeting the other Masters the next day, lost all interest in staying up late to eat snacks and ran upstairs to sleep.

Yudou didn't plan to stay up all night any longer. After instructing the black magician girl to keep watch and finding a suitable container to store the poison flower, he found a room on the first floor and lay down.

Tomorrow he's meeting a man from Egypt, dressed in yellow, always smiling, and whose voice actor is Takehito Koyasu.

Hopefully, he won't stop time...

……

That afternoon, Linglong Pavilion welcomed a special 'guest'.

A man dressed in black, with his chest completely open, exposing large swaths of his brown skin, stood leisurely in front of the main gate of the Linglongguan family mansion.

Those dazzling golden eyes, as bright as sunlight, swept across the entire mansion, a hint of amusement on their faces.

"Huh? They didn't even set up any defensive spells or barriers. Are they fearless and confident that they can withstand the enemy's attack even without any defense, or are they just a complete idiot?"

He was Ramses II, Pharaoh Osmandis, a Rider-class Servant summoned by the Ise-san clan to participate in this Holy Grail War.

Although he was sent by his Master as an envoy to sign an alliance contract, he intended to judge for himself whether the other party was qualified to form an alliance.

If things don't go his way, he plans to annihilate them right here.

As for his Master's thoughts... does a mere magician think he can influence the Pharaoh's will?

Osmandis snorted disdainfully, and then, upon entering the mansion, he directly stated his class in front of Yudo and the others.

"I am Rider in this Holy Grail War..."

Before he could finish speaking, he saw the Millennium Puzzle hanging on You Du's chest. After a moment of surprise, he continued in a slightly more delighted tone.

"This aura... Oh! I never expected to encounter a pharaoh from another era in this Far East! This is truly delightful!"

"Forget what I just said! Since we are allies among pharaohs, I should reveal my true name! I am the King of Kings, the Son of the Sun God, the great Pharaoh Osmandis!"

Faced with Osmandis's uncharacteristically loud laughter, Yuuto, who was leading him to the reception room, spoke somewhat speechlessly under the surprised gaze of Misaya from the Reiko-kan.

“Caster, my real name is Yuwatari. Although I know you probably won’t believe it, I’ll clarify for now: I’m not actually a pharaoh. I just gained the qualification to become a pharaoh because of this Millennium Puzzle.”

"Oh! So you're the future Pharaoh?"

Crossing: 6.

If we look at it literally, you're absolutely right...

The group took their seats in the reception room. Perhaps noticing the helplessness in his expression, Osmandis continued to laugh and speak.

"Don't worry about those trivial matters, future Pharaoh! Now that you have the qualifications to become Pharaoh, it's only a matter of time before you become Pharaoh!"

Then, he turned his gaze to Reirōkan Misaya, who was sitting next to Yutō.

"Is this little guy your Master? The future Pharaoh!"

Osdimans' smile grew even brighter, and those crimson eyes, though trembling slightly, met his gaze defiantly, which suited him perfectly.

His incompetent Master is nowhere near as good as this little guy!

The more Ostimans compared the magician to Misaya Reirōkan, the more he felt resentful towards her, recalling the magician who had defiled his beloved queen's palace and summoned him using her jewelry as a sacred relic.

Hmph! If it weren't for that kid who said something similar to his favorite friend, he would have burned that guy and his entire clan to ashes long ago!

"Okay, also, please just call me Caster, and I'll just call you Rider."

Yuuto corrected Osmandis's way of addressing him, then patted Reikoku Misaya's head next to him, helping her relieve the pressure from Osmandis's imposing aura.

"It's alright, I grant permission."

Osmandis casually picked up his teacup, leaned back on the sofa, and acted as if he were at home.

There was no need for him to make any further judgments. There was a 'future pharaoh' and a Master who, at such a young age, displayed enough pride and dignity to show the demeanor of a queen.

This combination is the perfect partner for an alliance!

Chapter 188 A Suspected Resemblance to an Old Acquaintance

When Osmandis's Master summoned him, he also made him bring a self-compulsion certificate.

This is a magical contract used by magicians when making an agreement that cannot be broken, and it is the most absolute guarantee to prevent breach of contract.

Such contracts are usually carried on parchment scrolls, which include the binding spell, the object of the binding, the formal content of the contract, the conditions for the contract to be fulfilled, and the names of the contracting parties.

Because there won't be any extra patterns, there's no need to worry about things like in some stories where someone uses patterns as a cover to write down other unfavorable conditions in tiny print.

Once both parties sign the document, the contract will use the function of their magical insignia to impose the curse of coercion (Geas) on them.

In principle, this curse cannot be lifted by any means.

The contents of the document were quite normal. Yudou read it through and found it to be the most basic things: before only two Holy Grail War warriors remained, neither side should harm or attack the other, and if one side was in danger, the other should lend a helping hand, and so on...

The name 'Ise Sangenri' has already been signed in the signature area below.

After confirming the details, Yudou nodded to Misaya Reirōkan, indicating that she could sign.

Although this person did not tamper with the terms of the contract in the original work, he also felt that given Ozymandias's personality, it was unlikely that he would tolerate his Master using such petty tricks. However, now the Master of the Reiryukan family has changed from the head of the Reiryukan family to Misaya Reiryukan.

What if Ise Sangenri finds out about this and thinks that Reiryukan Misaya is an easy child to bully, so she deliberately sets a trap for her?

It's unlikely, but it's not impossible.

After Misaya of the Reirōkan signed her name on the certificate, Osmandis did not linger and left the Reirōkan residence with a joyful laugh.

You can tell he's in a really good mood.

After seeing Osmandis off, Yudo checked the time and realized there was still some time before dark. He then told Reirōkan Misaya and returned to the room where he had previously used to refine cards.

He also placed the container that held the poisonous flower here.

You Du took out the container and placed it on the table in the room next to the soup pot that had not yet been put away.

Alright, the preparation for the alchemy begins!

Opening the container, looking at the purple five-petaled flower quietly placed inside, You Du, who was preparing to use it as the main ingredient, pondered what other ingredients should be added.

Poison...flower...

If we consider it from the perspective of monster cards, then the characteristics of the Plant type should be present.