My family runs an adventurer's guild.

Besides selling cemetery plots, Japanese Buddhist temples have several other ways of profiting from the dead.

First, there's the high reward for performing rituals and chanting sutras. No temple would accept or bury a deceased person who hasn't had a ritual performed to help their soul pass on.

Secondly, a Buddhist name is given to the deceased. Regardless of what the deceased believed in during their lifetime, even if they were a Christian, they must go through a process of converting to Buddhism after death. Simply put, this involves going to a temple and asking a monk to give the deceased a Buddhist name; otherwise, Buddha will refuse to accept them.

This regulation sounds reasonable, but the problem is that this Dharma name isn't given for free. Usually, a Dharma name can cost as much as a million yen... Of course, you can also go all out and be rejected by Buddha and live as a lonely ghost in the world rather than be ripped off to buy a Dharma name.

However, the temple has a rule that if the deceased was not a Buddhist (even if the plot was purchased after death), a burial plot cannot be sold...

What does it mean to rip you off without any discussion? This is what it means to rip you off without any discussion!

Unless you're willing to leave your body to rot in the wilderness for birds and beasts to eat, and bring shame upon your descendants as unfilial and heartless, no matter how stubborn or unruly you are, you'll only be able to hand over a large sum of savings to the monks to squander on your deathbed...

With such an easy, lucrative, and stable way of making money that is guaranteed regardless of drought or flood, modern Japanese monks live very lavishly.

In order to maintain the aforementioned monopolistic interests of the Buddhist community, monks naturally have to do their utmost to eliminate all competitors.

Therefore, although Christianity has been introduced to Japan for many years, it is still largely excluded from the Japanese funeral market.

"...Even if you sneak into the Buddhist temple's cemetery, it would be difficult to find a complete corpse, because nowadays, to save land, most people use cremation. Under the tombstones there, you can usually only find an urn containing ashes..."

Kirei Kotomine tilted his head and thought for a moment, then added, "...Under normal circumstances, I might be able to try to find a solution at the local hospital morgue, but this is during the Holy Grail War. Although no other Servants have been summoned yet, it's very likely that some participants have already arrived in Fuyuki City. So, I'm sorry, I cannot disrupt the battle plan for such an unimportant matter and rashly launch an operation..."

"...It's not important...Ugh...Is there really no way to fulfill such a small wish?"

"...Uh, perhaps you can make a wish upon the Holy Grail after you win." Kirei Kotomine calmly delivered a completely unfunny joke.

"...Aaaaaah! Master! Are you going to laugh at me too? Putting aside whether we can win this battle or not, even if we get the Holy Grail, using it to make this kind of wish will make us a laughingstock! Damn it! How did it turn out like this?! Phili, you lied to me!!!"

As Miss Ghost Portia turned gray and dejected, rolling around in mid-air with her head in her hands, Kirei Kotomine suddenly felt a stirring in his heart, and a pleasant smile naturally bloomed on his lips.

Although it was just a fleeting smile, it startled Kirei Kotomine slightly.

...Uh, this must be my imagination, right? How could I, a dignified clergyman, have such an inappropriate thought as gloating?

Also, who exactly is this "Phili" that Miss Ghost was just complaining about?

※※※※※※※※※※※※※

Meanwhile, Tokiomi Tohsaka, who rushed back to the Tohsaka family mansion, found the sacred relic he had prepared for himself in his magic workshop—a fossil of the skin shed by what is said to be the first molting snake in history. He examined it carefully for a long time, but still could not determine its authenticity.

There's nothing we can do; he's a magician, not an archaeology expert.

The artifact before me isn't an enchanted item, so it's really hard to authenticate.

However, the moment that had been calculated long ago, the most suitable time to summon Heroic Spirits, was gradually approaching.

Left with no other choice, Tokiomi Tohsaka had to proceed with the original plan and set up a magic circle in the underground magic workshop.

To ensure success, the pigment Tokiomi Tohsaka used to draw the magic circle was not the blood of a living sacrifice, but a dissolved and liquefied gemstone. He spared no expense, even using up all the gemstones in his house, just to increase his chances of winning.

Then, he took a deep breath and began to recite the incantation used to summon Heroic Spirits, a spell familiar to every Type-Moon fan.

"...Its foundation is silver and iron, its base is stone, and its ancestor is my teacher, Xiubaiyinaogu. The winds of heaven came and blocked it with walls, and the gates that opened on all four sides were all closed. It emerged from the crown and circled back and forth on the three-way road to the kingdom..."

Silently reciting incantations to focus his mind, the preparation of the magic circle reached its final stage—

"...Be full, be full, be full, be full, be full!"

Repeat over and over again, the next number is five.

However, the moment of fullness is also the moment of abandonment…

With his eyes closed, Tokiomi Tohsaka recited the mysteriously composed phrase, activating the magic circuits in his body.

"……set up--"

In the next instant, all the nerves in his body were replaced by magical circuits, and his body was filled with pure magic. The invasion of some indescribable foreign substance brought him discomfort that was hard to describe in words, but as a magician, Tokiomi Tohsaka was already used to this feeling.

This is the price one must pay to become a magician.

The magic mark on his arm, passed down through generations of the Tohsaka family, began to activate, bringing Tokiomi Tohsaka ever-increasing pain.

All other senses disappeared, leaving only a heightened hearing. The body was already filled with magic and could no longer hold any more.

As the chanting continued, the magic gathered in the basement almost solidified, a magic that was already a miracle that magic could hardly achieve!

"Declaration——

Your body shall follow me.

My destiny has bestowed upon you the sword.

If we follow the destiny of the Holy Grail

Those who follow this will, this path, respond and swear an oath here.

I am the one who accomplishes all good deeds in the world.

I am the one who spreads all evil in the world.

Entangled with the Three Great Words for Seven Days

Let the wheel of suppression descend.

Guardians of Libra!!!

On that day, in different lands, magicians stood beside magic circles and almost simultaneously began chanting summoning spells.

Some wealthy individuals used gemstone solutions to draw the array diagrams, while more frugal ones used mercury. One penniless individual even used chicken blood.

However, no matter which magician it is, their ultimate wish is the same.

That is "getting to the root of the problem"!

With the Holy Grail as their "cage of power," the key to achieving their long-cherished wish has finally been delivered to them.

Then, the immense magical power vanished instantly...

—Amidst the light spots and starlight, heroic spirits of various classes descended one after another.

A moment later, the Masters, who were in their respective summoning locations, let out sighs of disappointment and angry curses.

"...We're doomed! This generation of Servants is no good!"

Author's message

After discussing with editor Ms. Guiyuan, I learned that Happy Books seems to have stopped using very long book titles. The current book titles are too long, verbose, and crazy. So, Lao Lao Wang has applied to change the book title back to the original title, "My Family Runs an Adventurers' Guild".

—Miss Beatrice misled me!

Chapter 29, The Masters' Tragic Comedy (Part 1)

Europe, Germany, the "Winter City" of the Einzbern family.

Among the three founding families that initiated the Fuyuki Holy Grail War, known as the "Big Three," the Einzbern family has the longest history of researching the Holy Grail.

About a thousand years ago, this family began to seek the miracle of the Holy Grail in order to achieve the third magic, "Soul Materialization".

However, two hundred years ago, the Einzbern family, having devoted countless efforts to nothing, had no choice but to seek help from the Tohsaka family and the Matou family (also known as the Matou family). Together, they constructed the entire Holy Grail system in Fuyuki City.

However, the first three Holy Grail Wars all ended inconclusively. The Einzbern family, also suffering from the lack of combat power of their chosen Masters, made an exception this time by introducing an outside magician assassin... Emiya Kiritsugu.

He is the ace that the Einzbern family, who are proud of their bloodline, have deliberately prepared by twisting their own beliefs.

Despite his infamous reputation in the magic world, no fewer than thirty magicians have met their end at the hands of Kiritsugu Emiya. It was precisely because of this fighting prowess that he was valued by Ahad, the head of the Einzbern family, and recruited into the family.

—Although the "Miss Irisviel" who married him was actually just a cyborg... It's just like how ancient Chinese emperors couldn't bear to send their own daughters to suffer in the borderlands, so they would randomly select commoner girls, bestow upon them the title of princess, and then marry them off to barbarian chieftains for political reasons.

At this moment, in this castle built on frozen ground and surrounded by snow-covered forests year-round, Kiritsugu Emiya and his wife Irisviel von Einzbern are looking at the shimmering summoning magic circle on the ground before them with a mixture of suspicion and confusion.

To be precise, it was a petite figure that had just taken shape and was slowly emerging from the center of the summoning magic circle.

"...Strange, I clearly used the scabbard of Excalibur as a relic, so the summoned creature should be King Arthur!"

As a son-in-law who married the "Homunculus Heiress" of the Einzbern family and is about to represent the Einzbern family in the Holy Grail War in Fuyuki City, Kiritsugu Emiya is quite disapproving of his father-in-law, Ahad, the head of the Einzbern family, insisting that he summon the "Heroic Spirit of the Sword," King Arthur, as his Servant, and even finding the scabbard of the "Excalibur" as the summoning medium (a relic).

Just as a weapon isn't necessarily better the more powerful it is, a Heroic Spirit isn't necessarily better the more powerful it is.

I think that I, a ruthless "magician killer," and the noble-hearted knight king, are unlikely to be compatible.

This could potentially lead to serious internal friction.

Just like in the special warfare he was familiar with, even if the bravest and most experienced soldiers from all over the world are assembled, if the team relationship is very bad and they cannot cooperate closely, then even if they have strength far superior to the enemy, they may still be able to capsize in a ditch.

However, regardless of the circumstances, old man Arhad was the head of the Einzbern family, the master of this castle, and the decision-maker in this Holy Grail War. Kiritsugu Emiya was merely recruited to work under the condition of "marrying a beautiful and wealthy woman," so he couldn't possibly go against his father-in-law's wishes.

Moreover, no matter what, the renowned Knight King of Great Britain is indeed a very powerful fighter.

So, despite feeling that this would be a very difficult and uncomfortable collaboration, Kiritsugu Emiya gritted his teeth and placed the scabbard of "EX Excalibur" (Excalibur) into the magic circle for summoning Servants... But what kind of Servant was this that was ultimately summoned?!

Her long, flowing golden hair, her delicate and beautiful features, and her bright, sun-like golden pupils shone brilliantly in the dark room.

However, she is less than one meter tall.

Wearing shiny leather boots and a gorgeous dress adorned with lace, she exuded an air of noble elegance.

However, she is less than one meter tall.

The golden dagger adorned with rubies that she wore at her waist indicated that she had obtained the strongest "Sword Spirit" class in the Holy Grail War.

However, she is less than one meter tall.

Well, so the golden short sword she wore at her waist was only twenty centimeters long, roughly the length of a paper cutter.

Who would have thought that the famous Knight King's true form is actually a girl, no, a loli, or even a young girl?

This is clearly the body type of a preschool child in kindergarten, isn't it?

As the golden-haired little girl walked out of the summoning magic circle with her head held high and looked around at her surroundings, Kiritsugu Emiya was stunned for a moment.

Meanwhile, his wife, Irisviel, curiously approached Kiritsugu Emiya and said with a light laugh:

"...Wow! Kiritsugu, is this the legendary King of Knights of Great Britain? I never expected the King of Knights to be such a cute girl! She looks even younger than our Illya! Could she be a young King Arthur? No, before her coronation, she should only be called Prince Arthur, ah, wrong again, she should be Princess Arthur... She looks so cute..."

Hearing his wife's enthusiastic comments, Kiritsugu Emiya couldn't help but feel an urge to bang his head on the ground.

My dear wife, please don't be so naive, okay? Your words seem to have completely gone off-topic!

In such situations, shouldn't we first assess the opponent's combat strength and quality, and then consider appropriate tactics?

However... even if King Arthur was actually a girl, this blonde little girl in front of me is just too strange!

Since the catalyst he summoned was the scabbard of Excalibur, it shouldn't have summoned a young version of King Arthur under any circumstances, right?

Before King Arthur was crowned with the sword in the stone, even he would not have possessed the sword of Excalibur...

"...Although I've heard rumors that King Arthur was a girl, this little girl...it just doesn't seem quite right. What do you think of her, Alice?" He turned to his wife and asked casually.

Irisviel, however, smiled broadly and gave her husband a thumbs-up. "...No problem, darling. Although this child is so petite, I can clearly sense the pure, clear, and righteous magic within her. She will definitely help us obtain the Holy Grail!"

Then, the couple heard a childish voice filled with arrogance and resentment.

"...Hey! I'm telling you two, this princess, such a noble and great being, has actually taken pity on you and condescended to answer the call of you ant-like commoners, to help you fight a ridiculous war."

You should have knelt down and greeted me with sincere gratitude, then offered me a sumptuous feast, soft beds, and bathwater sprinkled with flower petals, and stood by with towels and plates, ready to serve me at any time.

But you left this princess out in the cold wind and even forgot to bow and pay your respects!

He was just muttering to himself; what kind of behavior is that?

Hearing these completely unexpected words, Kiritsugu Emiya turned around stiffly, only to find that the blonde little girl had somehow gotten close to him and Irisviel, standing with her hands on her hips in a "super fierce" pose, angrily and coquettishly complaining, "...My tummy is growling! Hurry up and lead me to the banquet hall! You haven't even prepared a banquet for your VIPs, have you?"

—Damn it! This isn't some virtuous knight king at all! She's clearly just an arrogant and rude noble lady!

Although King Arthur, with his noble character and unwavering chivalry, was expected to be a poor match for him, he was still a seasoned warrior. But if it were this pampered, boisterous blonde heiress… Kiritsugu Emiya felt he was about to have nightmares!

Ugh, I feel like I summoned a fake Saber...

Kiritsugu Emiya's face darkened. He glanced coldly at the distraught blonde girl, then turned and walked out of the chapel where the summoning ritual was being held, leaving only his wife, Irisviel, to attend to the distraught blonde girl, Saber.

A while later, on the outdoor balcony, Kiritsugu Emiya, having barely calmed down, took a deep breath of the cold air and began checking his Servant's attribute data: "...Hmm, I see. She really isn't the legendary King Arthur, or even human..."

Class (Job Rank): Saber

Real name: Catherine Ingram

Race: Golden Dragon Clan, natural masters of divine power

性别 ： 女性

Height/Weight: 99cm/16kg (in human form)