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

Otherwise, why would someone feel guilty towards a complete stranger?

"By the way, Caster, would you like a pitcher of this draft beer? I'm telling you, it's really delicious!" Although he felt a little strange, Arash didn't pay too much attention to it.

Making inferences when there are insufficient clues will only lead you to a wrong conclusion.

Yuto waved his hand and declined, saying, "No need for beer. My Master is not old enough to drink alcohol, and I personally don't like alcoholic beverages."

Arash was a little disappointed and raised his hand to stop the passing waitress: "Is that so... then miss over there, this table will need two more pitchers of draft beer!"

"Okay, I'll bring it to you right away!"

"Master, what would you like to eat?" Yuuto pulled out the menu from the table and handed it to Misaya Reirōkan, while he looked at the extra menus posted on the surrounding walls and occasionally glanced at Elsa across from him.

Furthermore, the two members of Archer's group seemed a bit too friendly to them, daring to continue sitting at the same table with them even after he revealed his class.

It's understandable that a great hero, as a Servant, would be bold, but why does his Master, Elsa, seem completely unconcerned?

Aren't you worried that he, as the Caster, might take the opportunity to subtly tamper with magic?

Although this Caster doesn't really know those subtle tricks, is she really so confident that Arash can see through her and protect her?

"Shall we order?" Seeing that one of them had picked up the menu and the other was looking around, Elsa leaned forward and asked Misaya of the Linglong Pavilion with a smile.

"I recommend these fried chicken nuggets! The outer skin is crispy when they're freshly fried, and the chicken seems to have been marinated beforehand. They're delicious even without sauce, and perfect for having with drinks!"

"And this sashimi, it's from the middle belly of the fish! This egg roll with mentaiko is also good, Archer said he really likes it..."

No, no, no, this is a bit too intimate, isn't it?

Seeing that Misa Reirōkan was getting restless under Elsa's enthusiastic attitude and kept casting pleading glances in his direction, Yutō twitched his lips slightly.

How terrifying, am I still in the Holy Grail War?

Could this guy be a prostitute?

She's almost turned a normal child into someone with social anxiety...

Since she was his own Master, Yuuto still helped to block Erza's 'attack'.

Misaya Reiko finally had a chance to catch her breath. She had been on guard against the other party, but Elsa had suddenly leaned half of her body over.

Because she was worried that the other party might have some kind of conspiracy, and because of her past education, she wanted to respond politely. At the same time, she was receiving a long string of words from the other party. The multiple pieces of information rushed in, causing her mind to go blank.

Is this also a battle between Masters?

But just because she can't handle it doesn't mean that Yuuto is also stuck.

When Elsa made her recommendations, he had already noted down the dishes she recommended. He also ordered some dishes that he was curious about, such as boiled sea urchin with eggs, two bowls of roast beef rice as the main course, and two glasses of juice.

They're not like the others who come here specifically to drink, so how can they not have staple food?

Elsa took a big gulp of the ice-cold beer that had just been delivered. She seemed a little drunk. Her face was flushed as she put the beer glass on the table, rested her chin on her hand, and looked at Misaya from the Linglong Pavilion across the table.

'So young... Is she even 10 years old?'

'This child must have been caught up in the Holy Grail War,' Elsa wondered.

It's no wonder she thinks that way. After all, putting aside some unique and unrepeatable examples, no matter how you look at it, an adult magician is definitely stronger than a child who is around 10 years old and has probably only been involved in magic for a few years.

If it were a magical family that actively participated in the Holy Grail War, hoping to reach the Root through the Holy Grail, they would not possibly waste this important opportunity on a child.

Therefore, this child could only have been drawn into the Holy Grail War by some accident.

In the Holy Grail War, showing sympathy for the enemy is a major taboo.

She was certainly aware of that.

But seeing Misaya holding the cup, Elsa couldn't help but be a little lost in thought for a moment.

She had a child.

Despite her youthful appearance, she is actually a mother.

Although she didn't know if the excellent archer next to her, who possessed A-level far-seeing ability, had noticed it, she decided to keep it to herself for the time being.

Because that child left her forever when she was 5 years old.

She once thought she had accepted this fact, that she could bury that memory deep in her heart, calm her emotions, and continue living her life.

Until a few years ago, she was asked by a photographer friend to travel to a certain country.

Elsa Saijo saw hell there.

It was a genocide caused by a change of regime.

Countless corpses piled up like mountains, regardless of age or zodiac sign; all that remained was man-made famine, brutal violence, and ever-increasing death toll.

One million, two million, three million...

This person died because of their race, that person died because they were an intellectual...

The fear of death overwhelmed Elsa like a tidal wave, causing her long-buried memories to resurface.

She didn't want to see such scenes again, and she didn't want to recall the tragedy of death, loss, and the loss of loved ones that had happened to her.

With the wish to save all mothers and children in the world, she was chosen by the Holy Grail, and a bright red Command Seal appeared on her right breast.

Having experienced the pain of losing a loved one, she couldn't help but subconsciously view Reirōkan Misaya from the perspective of her mother when she saw such a young child participating in the Holy Grail War.

Elsa didn't want her mother to suffer the same pain as she did, so she originally intended to persuade Reirōkan Misaya to withdraw from this dangerous ritual, but she gave up the idea when she heard her name.

She had heard of the Linglong Pavilion family; they were the leading magic family in the Far East.

A child raised in such a family would never agree to give up the opportunity to reach the source if she were persuaded to do so.

Persuasion with words is useless.

Therefore, the only option is for Reiko-kan Misaya to eliminate the opponent's Servant before she encounters danger!

At least if she were to take action, she could ensure Misaya's safety at Reirōkan.

Chapter 191 Elemental Heroes: Thinking about me?

Dinner time passed quietly in a strange environment composed of silence and noise.

Although Arash and Elsa arrived at the restaurant before Yudo and Reiko Misaya, they finished their dinner faster than the two who were focused on eating, as they were mostly just drinking.

When it came time to pay the bill, Elsa, using the excuse that "adults are here, how can we let a child pay the bill?", insisted on settling the bill for Yudo and the others as well.

As a Servant, Yuwatari could naturally have snatched it from her, but considering that it was, after all, a token gesture from her, he symbolically tugged at the bill with the strength of an ordinary person, just like when receiving a red envelope during Chinese New Year.

This person is actually quite nice!

After that, the two couples left the izakaya together as if they were old friends.

Stepping out of the izakaya and onto the street, Yuuto and Arash exchanged a glance, then walked together toward a secluded spot nearby.

Elsa and Misaya Reirōdō followed behind their respective Servants. One knew that a battle was about to begin, so her expression was solemn. The other, although she did not know what was going to happen next, vaguely sensed that something was wrong.

"Ah... this should be about right, right?"

Since Arash had been staying near Akihabara with Elsa for the past few days after being summoned, he quickly led Yuwatari to a deserted open space.

Although it looks like a residential area not far away, as long as you don't run over there while fighting, you don't need to worry about being seen.

You Du looked around and saw that the open space seemed to be a construction site for a building that was not yet completed, with sand, bricks, steel bars and other building materials scattered on the ground.

The main structure of the building in front of us is only the frame; the empty building looks to be nine stories high, which is quite prominent among the surrounding buildings.

Soon, this place will become the battleground for heroes from myths and legends.

Three of the four people present thought this to themselves.

“Hmm, this place will do. It doesn’t look like anyone passes by.” Yu Du was completely unaware that he had been assigned to the hero faction. After confirming that the place was secluded enough, he nodded to Arash.

hero?

Then you'll have to find him from the Fifth Holy Grail War; he's no longer using the Hero Deck.

Each of them led their Master to one end of the open space and protected them behind them.

One of them is an Archer, and the other is a Caster, so increasing the distance between them on the battlefield would be a more advantageous option for both of them.

Yuuto felt that this might be one of the few fair and square battles in this Holy Grail War, and one that was very law-abiding.

The other Servants either have ulterior motives or are themselves trying to cause trouble.

They either recruit other Servants to awaken the 'Beast' within the Holy Grail to destroy the foundations of human reason, or they set up a temple in Tokyo for people to challenge, threatening to destroy Tokyo if they don't come.

One or two of them have nothing to do with the word "follow the rules".

"Are you ready?" Arash asked Yudu, now fully prepared.

After a flash of magical light, his clothes were replaced with leather armor for battle, and a deep red longbow, as tall as a person when upright, appeared in his hand.

This is the most convenient thing about becoming a Heroic Spirit.

With an A-level arrow crafting skill, items that used to require materials and time to craft can now be completed in an instant, whether held or worn.

Even arrows are the same; as long as magic power is consumed, Arash can take out the arrows he needs anytime, anywhere, without worrying about running out of arrows and having to rely on his bow for close combat.

In fact, other Archer-class Servants who don't have this skill can also do this. In fact, what they expend mana to pull out may not all be standard arrows, but may be something that should be called ammunition.

For example, the Red Plains Hound projected by Archer, despite being twisted into the shape of an arrow, is actually a sword-type Noble Phantasm.

Yuuto told Reiko Misaya that she should be in charge of watching the battle and not have to take action before the opponent's master made a move. Then he nodded to Arash on the other side and said, "Let's begin."

call out--!

The moment his voice faded, the whistling sound of arrows piercing the air had already covered half the field.

"Humph!"

You Du did not move; the arrow was blocked by the barrier set up by the black magician he summoned as soon as it reached him.

The barrier disappeared after blocking several more arrows. When Youdu looked ahead again, Arash was nowhere to be seen.

Unlike Caster, who can transform his place into a magic workshop, a good Archer never stays in one place for long.

Especially in situations like now, where the two sides are not far apart, the ability to quickly create distance is crucial to fully utilizing his long-range advantage.

Although Yuwatari, as a Caster, should theoretically not be good at close combat, there are always exceptions. So, just to be on the safe side, Arash ran into the building next door while Yuwatari blocked the attack.

Leaning against the bare, load-bearing pillar, Arash had just produced three magically conjured arrows in his hand. Before he could even nock them, he saw the dark magician who had just blocked his attack for Yudo vanish from the spot.

not good!

With his A-rank clairvoyance, Arash noticed that the dark magician glanced in his direction before disappearing. His keen intuition urged him to roll on the spot, narrowly avoiding the magic bullets that pierced through the supporting pillar, only suffering some scratches on his arm.

After dodging, Arash rolled a few times to create distance, then immediately drew his bow and shot an arrow while lying prone. The three arrows flew out one after another with muffled thuds as they hit their targets, and Arash's face immediately turned ugly.

It missed!

The three arrows were angled and stuck into another supporting pillar. Although they were shot in haste, about a third of the arrows were embedded in the stone pillar.

The next second, countless daggers rained down on the still unbuilt floor. Arash rolled and leaped up from the floor, his excellent eyes quickly scanning the area, but he did not see the Dark Magician.

Ah... So magicians are such formidable opponents?

Finding no trace of the enemy, Arash's eyes twitched. He continued to move around the area without stopping. The dark magician seized the opportunity and flashed into Arash's path, a black sphere emitting lightning appearing at the tip of his staff.

Arash had a bad feeling.

boom--!

Explosions rang out between floors, and smoke billowed outwards from that floor. It was easy to imagine that Arash would not have escaped unscathed from such a close-range explosion.

However, the people downstairs had no time to pay attention to Arash's situation.

A woman clad in steel armor stood before them, wielding a frighteningly long spear. She smiled and whispered under the wary, yet suspicious, gazes of Misaya and Elsa from the Linglong Pavilion—

"Ah...you must be a famous hero too?"

Looking for a hero?

You Du raised an eyebrow, picked up a card between his fingers, and a pure white figure appeared beside him.

"Go, Neo-Yuxia, let her see the power of elemental heroes!"

Chapter 192 The Valkyrie of Love

The woman standing in front of Yuuto and the others was also one of the Servants participating in this Holy Grail War; her real name was Brunhilde.

She is the daughter of Odin, the chief god in Norse mythology, and the eldest of the Valkyries. She is a tragic woman who, under a cursed fate, killed her beloved Sigurd and burned herself to ashes.

Her class is self-evident; we already knew it when we saw the weapon in her hand.

After all, besides Lancer, who is the Knight of the Lance, what other class is worthy of that eye-catching giant lance?