Shirou, who returned from the Fairy Kingdom

“Completely meaningless,” Atalanta asked, staring at him. “How is our Master?”

"You want to ask about the 'former' Master, right?"

Semiramis's flippant expression fueled Atalanta's rage. Her eyes were sharp as a wild beast's, as if she wanted to bite the assassin's throat in one fell swoop.

"Don't worry, they're still alive. Didn't I tell you? The Masters transferred their authority to me in a very peaceful process."

In a state between dreaming and waking, they firmly believed that they had already won the Holy Grail War.

So let's not wake them, otherwise it would be too pitiful for them to be awakened from their sweet dreams."

Archer and Rider couldn't stand it anymore and took action almost simultaneously.

Atalanta released an arrow, while Achilles drew his spear and thrust it at Amakusa Shiro.

However, Karna and Semiramis successfully defended against both sudden attacks.

"Tsk...! Are you planning to defend this guy?"

"Calm down, Archer... let him finish speaking first."

"The civil war in the 'Red' faction is about to break out," said Kotomine Shiro.

"What you just did was suicidal, after all, I am your current Master."

Rider raised an eyebrow and said, "I don't recall agreeing to change my Master. Even if I've never met my Master, I won't betray him."

"It's just a difference of opinion; you haven't betrayed me."

Amakusa Shiro said, "If you really care about your Master, you should now consider the bigger picture like Lancer."

Only by working together can we overcome the current difficulties.

"..."

Archer and Rider remained silent for a moment before finally putting away their weapons.

"Tell me about it..."

Atalanta stared warily at Amakusa Shiro's face and asked.

"What exactly is this so-called 'salvation of all mankind' you're talking about?"

……

……

In the city of Mirenia, where two-thirds of the above-ground buildings have been destroyed, basic restoration work is now underway.

Although the magicians' morale has plummeted, the advantage of artificial life forms is that they are unemotional and will not be affected by the bleak outlook.

Danic, the patriarch of the Yggdrasil clan, is dead.

He was no longer alive in that state.

The arbiter of the Holy Grail War also stated that from now on, the escaped Lancer will be regarded as a threat to disrupt the ritual, and all Masters and Servants are required to prioritize eliminating him.

As a result, the position of Yggdrasil patriarch naturally fell to Archer's Master, Fiore Fulvig Yggdrasil.

This young girl, who became the head of the Fulvig family at such a young age, can be said to be the only genius in the Thousand World Tree clan.

If judged solely on magical talent, she might even surpass Danic, who was more adept at political maneuvering than magic.

Therefore, even while the clan leader Danic was still alive, Fiore was already the de facto successor of all the clan members.

In terms of spirit summoning and ergonomics, Fiore's skills are no less than those of a first-level lecturer at the Clock Tower. Even hundreds of years from now, the Thousand World Tree clan probably won't produce a magician who can surpass her.

However, only Fiore's servants and her brother knew the truth.

This girl has values ​​and morals that are too close to those of a human, and she is not suitable to be the head of a magician family.

Danic, on the other hand, is the most perfect magician, as cold and ruthless as a machine.

Moreover, the history of the Yggdrasil is equivalent to the history of Danic himself.

For better or worse, he possesses the charismatic leadership qualities to command others.

Faced with the mess left behind by such an amazing uncle, can Fiore handle it?

Thinking about these things won't help; the first thing to do is to do what needs to be done.

Fiore had no time to rest; she had to report the situation to her scattered tribes and rebuild her strength.

Only after that can we consider strategies for the upcoming Holy Grail War.

After three consecutive days of fighting, the Thousand Trees had roughly figured out the specific situation of the "Red" faction.

Archer is Atalanta, the most skilled female hunter in Greek mythology.

Lancer is Karna, the son of the famous sun god in ancient Indian epics.

Rider is one of the most famous heroes in the world, the immortal hero Achilles from Greek mythology.

Assassin is Semiramis, the Assyrian empress who was the oldest poisoner and a great magician.

There is also the "Red" sorcerer who has not yet appeared.

The balance of power has been tipped, and the remaining forces of the "Black" faction have no chance of winning.

Even if Chiron can hold back his disciple Achilles, the rest of his fighting force might not be able to defeat Karna if they all attack at once.

Not to mention, the "Red" faction also has an invincible aerial garden, where Atalanta will shoot down any enemy that tries to approach the floating fortress.

After much deliberation, the Yggdrasil clan now has only one path to take.

"Ah... Sister, are you planning to seek an alliance with the 'Black' Swordsmen?"

Fiore's brother, Corresponds, looked surprised.

"Yes, the Yggdrasil clan will no longer pursue the matter of the Greater Grail being taken last night—"

Using this as a condition, an alliance request was submitted to the "Black" Sword Soldiers and the "Red" Sword Soldiers.

The attitude of the Thousand World Tree can be described as extremely obsequious, but they really have no reason to be arrogant now.

If they don't humble themselves and unite with a third party, they will be wiped out by the Magic Association tonight.

The "Red" swordsmen were formidable enemies even Chiron found troublesome, while the "Black" swordsmen had defeated the extraordinary heroic spirits of Siegfried and Vlad III.

If we can win over their strength, we will be able to contend with that Hanging Garden.

Will the other party... agree?

Archer—Chiron pondered, stroking his chin: "To be honest, I initially thought the 'Black' Swordsman was a lone wolf who wouldn't ally with anyone."

However, his alliance with the "Red" swordsmen shattered my expectations...

They seem to be heroic spirits who knew each other in their previous lives, which is probably why this situation has arisen.

However, I don't believe the "Black" Sword Soldiers are willing to form an alliance with us.

"Yes, that heroic spirit's thoughts are hard to fathom..."

Fiore gazed thoughtfully at the androids bustling about in the ruins.

……

……

Upon returning to the base, Shirou handed the Holy Grail to Ayaka Sajō.

He also warned Joan of Arc that if she continued to pester Aegean, he should kick her out of the hotel.

"Hmph... stingy! Idiot Artorius!"

After indulging in a few sarcastic remarks, the Holy Maiden returned to her room in her pajamas to sleep.

The physical body she was in had reached its limit.

"Saber, please wait a little longer, the food will be ready soon."

Sajō Aika, wearing an apron, was busy in the kitchen, while Shirō sat at the dining table, resting his chin on his hand and lost in thought.

What a strange child...

Shirou thought that Aika would be very happy to see that he had retrieved the Holy Grail for her.

As it turned out, she seemed completely unconcerned, only asking Shirou with concern if he was injured, before continuing to prepare breakfast.

It seems that for Ayaka Sajou, the meal she prepared for Shirou was of equal importance to the Holy Grail War.

"Okay... let's ask about what we didn't have time to ask last night."

While enjoying his delicious breakfast, Shirou casually started a conversation.

"Love song."

"What's wrong, Saber? How's the food today?"

"Hmm, it's delicious today too... It's a shame Ruler can't have any."

"Hehe... I also saved some for Ruler, Saber, so please feel free to eat. If you're still hungry, I'll get you more."

"Speaking of which, that... Command Seals..."

Shirou brought up the topic of Command Seals.

Last night, he had hoped that Aika would use a Command Spell on him to prevent Danic from merging with Vlad III—but this was met with a fierce refusal from Aika.

Is there some reason why Command Seals cannot be used?

No… Shirou glanced at the back of Aika’s hand.

The skin there was as white as jade, and there were no Command Seals that symbolized the Master's identity.

Shirou remembered Rokudou Reika, who had summoned Jack the Ripper, the last Servant of the "Black" faction, in Japan.

The boy couldn't help but wonder: what exactly did he and Aika mean in this Holy Grail War?

Sajō Aika – Does she really possess Command Seals...?

"My Master is Aika, and no matter what happens... I will never betray you."

"Why are you suddenly bringing this up?"

The girl tilted her head cutely, looked confused, and blinked.

Shirou said, "So even if Aika doesn't have Command Seals, my policy won't change... Please tell me the truth."

"…………"

The girl froze upon hearing Shirou's words.

That exquisitely beautiful, dreamlike face froze for several seconds before—

With a "pfft," Ai Ge covered her lips, laughing so hard she was shaking uncontrollably.

This was the first time Shirou had ever seen Aika smile like that.

She wasn't like a flower, a princess, or a fairy; she was just like an ordinary girl, laughing happily.

"Haha, you've got it wrong... Saber... Pfft, it's not what you think... Hahaha..."

It took Ai Ge more than ten seconds to finally calm down.

“Command Seals… Of course I have them. If you don’t believe me, I’ll show them to you, Saber.”

With a proud expression, the girl reached her hand towards the chest of her emerald green dress.

Slender, delicate fingertips slowly unbuttoned the buttons on her chest—

The snow-white skin had slight undulations, with gorgeous and intricate patterns etched on it.

Shirou had seen a similar pattern on Ruler's back—a pattern reminiscent of stigmata.

The Command Seal with three pairs of wings and seven feathers seems to be a symbol of a seraphim.

"See, Saber... this is proof that I am your Master."

Sajou Aika, her face flushed, looked at Shirou and murmured something.

She was both shy and proud, excited and joyful, and her eyes glistened with tears.

"I'm sorry to have worried you, Saber—"

I should have shown this to you sooner; I didn't mean to hide it from you...

But if I could, I wouldn't want to use this.