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

"What's wrong?"

"Well, how should I put it..." Yuuto pondered for a moment, then continued walking toward the secluded spot while explaining to Ayaka Sajou.

"It probably started when we were still in mid-air. I had a feeling that I was being watched by someone or something."

“For example…” Yuuto suddenly stopped halfway through his sentence, crossed his arms, turned around, pointed his right index finger to the sky, and struck a very Dio-esque pose before saying, “You’re looking at me now, aren’t you, JOJO!”

After remaining in that position for a while without seeing anyone jump out, he resumed his normal standing posture under Ayaka Sajou's strange gaze, pretending that nothing had happened and continued speaking.

"That's it. Because of that feeling, plus the thick fog that covered the entire Snowfield City, I initially thought that it was a group of Servants and Masters spying on me, and I wanted to try to lure them out and take them out."

Yuuto pointed to the forbidden holy spear that was being held in Ayaka Sajou's arms.

"That forbidden holy lance is also for your self-defense. As long as you hold it, you won't be harmed by magic. After all, this fog came quite suddenly, and I suspect it might be the magic or Noble Phantasm of another Servant."

He himself has B-rank magic resistance, so there's not much to worry about, but Ayaka Sajou can't just take it head-on...

"But in the end... as you can see, I don't know if that guy was quite patient or if he was just monitoring and had no intention of coming out, but in any case, the fishing plan failed."

“You said there’s a thick fog…” Ayaka Sajou looked around at the street scene, which was exactly the same as when they came, puzzled: “But I don’t see any fog around me.”

"I'm not talking about the ordinary fog you're thinking of, but a black fog formed from the convergence of numerous magical powers and curses..."

Ayaka Sajou nodded, seemingly understanding.

A black mist composed entirely of magic and curses?

That kind of thing... just hearing about it sounds really bad...

Could it be another Servant's Noble Phantasm?

Or was it a large-scale magic prepared by a Master?

Regardless, after learning that the fog contained a curse, Ayaka Sajou dared not relax her guard and held the Holy Lance tightly in her arms.

Just as Ayaka Sajou, full of vigilance, was about to continue forward, she was suddenly stopped by Yuuto, who grabbed her shoulder and forced her to stop in place.

"?"

Not going back?

Facing the questioning look from Ayaka Sajou, Yuto said with a serious face, "Don't rush off. Although I'm not one of those anglers who can catch anything, I know that anglers never come home empty-handed."

"If you can't catch a big fish, try a small one. If you can't catch a small one, try some shrimp. If you can't even catch shrimp, you can dig up some wild vegetables nearby. If all else fails, just have a couple of sips of water before you go back..."

what?

Ayaka Sajou became more and more confused as she listened.

She could understand the big fish, small fish, and shrimp in the beginning, but the wild vegetables and drinking a couple of sips of water... would anyone really do that while fishing?

"I mean, although I didn't catch the fish I wanted, it doesn't seem like I came back empty-handed!"

Amidst Ayaka Sajou's bewildered gaze, Yuuto tossed out the Dark Magician's card. The Dark Magician, once summoned, vanished from the spot and returned to Yuuto and Ayaka Sajou a breath or two later, carrying a man.

The man didn't seem to have reacted yet.

I was just secretly following those two people from a distance, how did they suddenly appear in front of me—oh wait, it seems like I'm the one who's appeared in front of them…

Oh no, I've run into a pro!

After being put down and slumped on the ground, the man, who was a half-baked magician, realized this when he saw a person who looked exactly like a magician in the game walk from behind him to the man and woman opposite him.

When he first saw these two carrying a spear that was clearly no ordinary object, walking so casually down the street, he assumed they were some clueless newbies who were new to the world of magic and didn't know the hidden rules of magic.

After all, even the strongest magicians would abide by this rule, and the man, as a half-baked magician without any family or organization, didn't know much about the Holy Grail War either. He only knew that if a red mark appeared on the back of one hand, it meant that he had become a Master.

However, the red markings on the backs of both of Ayaka Sajou's hands made him subconsciously avoid thinking of her as a Master, instead assuming they were tattoos or something similar.

This half-baked attitude has really ruined him!

However, he was a half-baked expert, not a fool. After realizing the vast difference in strength between the two sides, he adjusted his attitude and gave You Du a fawning smile.

"Boss, what can I do for you?"

Chapter 269 Never to Leave!

"The sun is shining so warmly, it feels so nice... How about Mr. Dark-skinned comes along too?"

In the snowy city of the dream, Tsubaki Kugaoka sat in the courtyard basking in the sun and extended an invitation to the pale knight huddled in the shade of a tree in the innocent voice of a little girl.

But the Pale Knight did not respond to her invitation.

"Huh? Does Mr. Darkness hate the sun?"

[It's a little annoying.]

Although the dark mass called the Pale Knight only trembled slightly and did not speak, Kuang Qiuchun felt that it was answering her in this way.

"If you feel unwell, would you like to come inside?" Kugaoka Tsubaki extended the invitation to him again.

Since they met, the Pale Knight had not spoken a single word to Kujira Tsubaki until he brought many animals into his dreams, at which point he began to show signs of expressing his will.

Although it was just a simple way of expressing whether someone was happy or not, much like an animal, it was still a significant improvement.

As Tsubaki was about to walk into the house, she looked out at the residential area and noticed that it was empty. She muttered to herself.

"Everyone's disappeared... Is it because they hate this place?"

The pale knight, shrunk to the same size as Tsubaki Kugaoka, came to her side and patted her head comfortingly.

"Well, thank you, Mr. Dark, but it's alright, after all, things are different here now!" Tsubaki Kugaoka cheered up again.

With so many adorable animals around, no one, whether it's Mom and Dad or anyone else, will ever want to leave the city again, right?

Is this...your wish?

The incomplete wish-granting machine made this judgment.

After that, in order to create the situation she desired, the Pale Knight began to stir, spreading her power throughout the city and casting a cursed plague on everyone who wanted to leave.

I can't leave... I don't want to leave... I can't leave...

Everyone... has to stay in the city...

……

Under Yuuto's questioning, the man recounted all the unusual circumstances he knew related to the Holy Grail War.

"Once they leave the city, they suddenly change their personality and come back, saying they want to stay in Snowfield City for the rest of their lives?"

Yuwatari's expression was strange as he nearly triggered PTSD from the words "a lifetime".

To be honest, he was more curious about where this half-baked magician in front of him got all this information than the information he was given.

Could it be that he realized something was wrong halfway out of the city and ran back?

"Ah... well, actually I found out from the Central Hospital of Snowfield City..." the man explained somewhat awkwardly in response to You Du's question.

"We received quite a few people with these symptoms over there today. Some were business travelers who suddenly came back and said they would never leave the city, and some were delivery people who ran back after quitting their jobs. It was quite lively."

You Du reasonably suspects that he was just passing by when he noticed the commotion, so he went there to join in the fun.

Not doing his proper job, no wonder he doesn't seem like a magician from the Type-Moon world... wait, this is actually a good thing?

Yuuto couldn't help but think to himself as he counted the various disgraced magicians in the Type-Moon universe.

After trying to ask about the other participating Servants and Masters, and unsurprisingly receiving the answer "I don't know" from them, Yuuto simply had the Black Magician send him back again.

Although it's unlikely, what if this person could pass on his information to the Masters of other groups, causing them to come to him on their own?

He will wait with hope!

But... Snowfield City Central Hospital...

And then there were the police officers I met today. I never expected them to be magicians too. So it's not surprising that they were carrying various melee weapons instead of guns. After all, for magicians, some things are much more useful than guns...

Yuuto reasonably suspected that they were carrying some kind of magical artifact or treasure.

So either the police chief or the magician who funds the police station is very wealthy, or the police chief or the person behind the scenes is a Master who has summoned a Servant with similar items to create this skill.

As for the specific class, Caster is naturally the most likely, but other classes are not impossible.

This is so annoying...

Police station or hospital... which should I go to first?

The people who participate in this Holy Grail War really know how to pick their stuff; they all seem to end up in places like this…

Considering the dangers of this cursed fog, Yuuto ultimately prioritized the hospital.

Let's go check it out when there are fewer people at night!

……

Just after Yuwatari and Ayaka Sajou returned to the inn with their purchases after a day of exciting adventure.

On the same floor of the same budget motel, in a room at the other end of the way where they were staying, Flat Escaldes drew back the curtains.

Yes, their room was cheap, but at least it had a window and the afternoon sun would shine in.

After all, unlike Ayaka Sajou back then, who was suicidal and gave away most of her money because she felt she wouldn't live much longer, Flat was very willing to spend some money to get herself a room where she could get sunlight!

However, even these two groups of people never expected that another group of Masters and Servants would be staying at the same hotel as them.

"Phew, at least I can finally go out..."

Flat collapsed onto the bed, basking in the sunlight that was just hitting the blankets, and stretched deeply.

If it weren't for the fact that he had been lectured over the phone for two hours by his own teacher, El-Melloi II of El-Melloi's classroom, he would have already left...

"The most important thing is... I never expected that the catalyst for summoning Mr. Jack would just be a toy, not the one the professor prepared for me at all..."

"Ugh! Making hasty judgments is a big no-no! I absolutely can't be so impulsive next time!"

Just thinking about how he excitedly ran over to participate in the Holy Grail War just because he had a toy made him want to travel back in time and stop that impulsive version of himself.

It's true that he just wanted to see the Holy Grail, but that doesn't mean he had no expectations for the Servant he summoned!

It's fortunate that Mr. Jack was summoned; otherwise, if some weird Servant had been summoned, well... wait, that might be interesting?

Scratching his head, Flat suddenly wondered which Heroic Spirit he would have summoned with that toy if Mr. Jack hadn't been summoned by him.

At the same time, the steampunk-style watch on his left wrist emitted a voice that gave off a mature and gentlemanly vibe.

"Two hours... that's nothing compared to the shock I felt when I found out I was summoned by a game toy, okay?"

The two then discussed their views on El-Melloi II, until Frat got up and saw the ominous thick fog outside the window, at which point the conversation abruptly ended.

This is bad...this is really bad...

Flat, who doesn't have the Magic Eye but has been able to see 'something' that others can't since childhood, could immediately tell that something was wrong with the thick fog.

Dangerous, very dangerous...

There was a bit of fog when he first arrived in the city, and he initially thought it was because of the Holy Grail...

Instantly, all the emotions that had previously surfaced vanished, and Flatt turned and walked out of the room expressionlessly.

We must find out where this fog is coming from!

Chapter 270 The Watcher

"Ok?"

In the basement of the swamp mansion, an old man with a cane sat in an old chair and let out a soft exclamation.

He had gray hair and an exaggerated scar that ran vertically down to his clothes. Although his appearance clearly indicated that he was an old man, his strong and upright physique made it hard to equate him with the word 'old'.

Aside from the scar, the most distinctive feature of the old man was the white prosthetic leg attached to the knee of one of his legs.

Well... calling it a prosthetic limb is just a nicer way of putting it; in reality, it's just a wooden stick.

If one of his hands were replaced with an iron hook, he would look exactly like the classic look of a medieval pirate ship captain in a movie.

"What's wrong, Watcher?"

Sigma, who was still debating whether to report his summoning of Watcher to Faldius, noticed the commotion on his side.

"It's nothing, it's just that Saber seems to have noticed Watcher's gaze."

The old man disappeared from the chair and stood in front of Sigma in the form of a girl whose face and shoulder were burned on one side. She told him what she had just seen.

Sigmar was not surprised that his servant had suddenly changed his appearance and gender.