Shirou, who returned from the Fairy Kingdom

"Thank goodness you didn't kill that woman, or you would have done something irreversible."

On the way back, after Shirou told the little yellow duck what had happened that day, it suddenly said this.

What's wrong? Shirou was puzzled.

Machiri snorted, "Kid, you haven't already figured it out, have you?"

Shirou paused for a moment, then nodded without changing his expression: "………………Yes, I noticed it."

Volume 1, Chapter 43: Shirou: Sister, why do you look a little familiar?

Machiri gave a satisfied sneer: "That's right, your guess was correct."

The Einzbern Master is very likely the Lesser Grail in this Holy Grail War.

"The Lesser Grail?"

"The so-called Lesser Grail is the key and stabilizing device used to open the Greater Grail."

Kid, you should have already seen it with your own eyes, right?

The Master of the Einzberns should be considered a "vessel."

"Ah."

That's true; Shirou did indeed see that the silver-haired android's body was an empty shell.

The skill "Eye of the End" allows you to see through the surface and understand the most essential aspects of things.

Therefore, Shirou's eyes cannot strip Irisviel of her clothes to see the number of Command Seals covering every inch of her skin.

They could not see the flesh beneath the skin, which could be described as a crystallization of infinite magic circuits.

It's incomprehensible that she was a "weapon" modified by the Einzbern family to achieve victory in the Holy Grail War.

However, he could see that Irisviel's original intention (design concept) was actually a "container".

But what does that have to do with the Holy Grail?

Machiri further explained the deeper workings of the Holy Grail.

The so-called Lesser Grail is a "container" prepared by the Einzbern family to absorb the souls of defeated Servants.

For the Holy Grail to descend, both the Greater Grail and the Lesser Grail, located beneath Mount Enzo, are indispensable.

Until the last Holy Grail War, the Lesser Grail remained a vessel, just as its name suggests.

However, during the Third Holy Grail War, the Lesser Grail was destroyed, and the ritual was thus terminated.

Machiri therefore speculated that the Einzbern family would create a new, self-governing vessel this time.

That is, to construct the Lesser Grail using the human body.

In this way, they can take the initiative and hold the key to unlocking the Holy Grail in their own hands.

Oh, I see. I don't understand at all.

Shirou then asked, "What if the Lesser Grail dies?"

The little yellow duck said, "It doesn't matter if I die, as long as I maintain my human form, I can continue to function as a container."

But if the Einzbern dolls lose their self-awareness, the ritual becomes complicated.

All factions will likely prioritize targeting the faction that obtains the Lesser Grail.

Shirou nodded, seemingly lost in thought, and said, "I see. So, what if it breaks..."

I mean, what if the basic shape of the "container" is also damaged to the point that it cannot be guaranteed?

"........."

Machiri: Kid, what do you think you're doing?

"Then we'll have to make a new Lesser Holy Grail."

It's very simple. Just take out the heart (core) of the Lesser Grail and put it into another human body.

Einzbern's technology is undoubtedly compatible even with the human body.

There aren't many requirements regarding magical abilities; even someone like Shinji, who has absolutely no magical talent, would be fine... *chuckle*.

Why use your own grandson as an analogy?

Shirou gazed at the receding scenery outside the bus window, lost in thought.

Einzbern, the Homunculus, the Lesser Grail... He digested the knowledge he had gained today.

"Speaking of which, the Einzbern Master has an incredibly powerful yakuza bodyguard by his side."

Shirou thought of the boy in the black suit next to Irisviel.

"It's rare to hear you say someone is very strong... Are you her Servant?"

"No, although I haven't seen many Servants, he doesn't seem like a Servant (spirit) to me, but more like a living human being."

"I'm not too sure about that. Well... considering it's that Einzbern family, they probably hired mercenaries from somewhere."

"That's it."

Strangely, the image of that blond boy lingered in Shirou's mind, as if he were still somewhere...

The final question.

"Marchry, are all the women in Einzbern insane? Are they all like that?"

"........."

For some reason, the little yellow duck started cursing angrily.

……

……

"Master, welcome home~ Welcome home~ Shall we take a shower first? Eat first? Or...eat...me first...?"

"Nothing happened while I was away, right?"

"No, no. Don't stand at the door, come in quickly."

"Is this your home or mine?"

Shirou sighed and walked into the entrance hall.

Soon after, Fujimura Taiga also came home from school.

Shirou hurriedly prepared dinner.

I invited Sister Teng to have dinner with me, and she dragged me to take a bath with her. After that, I finally regained my freedom and returned to my room.

As soon as Shirou entered the room, he saw Lady Avalon sitting upright, drinking tea while staring intently at the crystal ball.

"Hey... that's Arthur over here, wow, so cute..."

"What are you looking at?" Shirou asked curiously.

The crystal ball occasionally emitted a dazzling, strobe-like light.

Lady Avalon turned around and said, "Ah, Master, you've come at the right time. Saber and Lancer are fighting."

"?"

Shirou paused for a moment, then rushed forward and pushed her away.

"You didn't call me for something this important!?"

Ms. Avalon spoke in a matter-of-fact tone:

"Hmm? Wasn't Master enjoying a bath with cute high school girls?"

I just felt it wasn't right to bother you.

"I wasn't enjoying it at all!"

The red-haired boy retorted while looking at the crystal ball.

When his gaze fell on the blonde girl in the picture, Shirou's expression froze.

“…………Huh?”

……

……

Xindu, the warehouse street of the dock.

This place has been transformed into a battlefield of mythology.

The duel between the two armored knights, Saber and Lancer, has reached its climax.

The invisible sword and the sealing spear collide, each time sparking dazzling flames and scorching aftershocks.

The deserted streets at night seemed to be shrouded in a raging storm. The immense magical power surging from the two of them blew away nearby parked cars and shattered the surrounding paved ground.

Swordsmen with unstoppable momentum, and spearmen with ever-changing tactics.

Their speed surpasses the limits of the naked eye; even if someone were to use a high-speed camera to film them, they would only leave endless afterimages on the CCD.

This is the Holy Grail War, a battle between Servants—

Not far away, Irisviel, witnessing this mythical battle firsthand, trembled with excitement.

The two sides had been clashing for more than twenty rounds.

From the initial evenly matched and neck-and-neck contest, the balance has now been rapidly broken.

The petite Saber and Lancer, who is at least 20 centimeters taller than her, look like an adult and a child in terms of physique.

However, Saber completely dominated Lancer on the field.

She launched a fierce attack on the knight with a spear, constantly forcing the handsome man back. Even though her opponent possessed two strange weapons, one long and one short, he was completely unable to defend himself.

The reason wasn't due to martial arts skills, but rather a simple and clear difference in strength—

"Unleash the magic."

Warriors who possess this skill can disregard size and easily overpower any enemy in terms of strength.

She also possesses overwhelming magical power that surpasses all others on the Throne of Heroes—

The red dragon's heart, buried in the girl's chest, generates immense magical power with every breath, truly an inexhaustible furnace of magic.

In addition, if we only consider the ability to supply magic, it is the strongest in history. At the same time, the master Irisviel is also the best in terms of master-servant compatibility.

As a result, in melee combat, there is no Servant capable of suppressing Saber.

PS Morgan (Second Ascension: Savior Ash) has blue eyes, but she can use glasses to change her vision and turn her eyes green (First Ascension: Rain Witch).

Then there's Queen Morgan, who is now a BBA (Browser Angel), and her pupils have faded to a light blue. Therefore, Morgan with the three different spirit origins has three different eye colors.

Ayaka Sajou also has a similar feature: using glasses to change her eye color.

Volume 1, Chapter 44: Is that you, Morgan?

Lancer – Diarmuid successfully feinted away from Saber and jumped backward.

The handsome man frowned and said, "That's strange... what exactly is the physical form of your sword?"

A mocking smile appeared on the blonde girl's lips: "Yes, what exactly is it?"

Saber conceals her weapon using her skill "Invisible Air," giving her a significant advantage in melee combat.

Lancer couldn't see the invisible sword in Saber's hand, nor could he determine its length; he could only try his best to stay out of the opponent's attack range.

Although Diarmuid himself remained unharmed, the repeated setbacks in his attacks caused anxiety for this seasoned knight.

Not only was the attack range difficult to judge, but Lancer also noticed a strange feel to his weapon when clashing with Saber's—

It's as if what you're clashing with isn't a sword, but something... a thick, blunt weapon?