What?! My anime figurines have all come true!

Then Aria took a step and appeared in front of Sanson as if by teleportation.

"what?!"

Caught off guard, Sanson hurriedly raised his sword to defend, but was forced back a step by Aria. His double-edged sword, which was usually invincible when cutting people, seemed to slow down when he swung it at Aria.

"This feeling...you're not human!"

Sanson's tone changed from doubt to certainty.

If what he felt just moments ago was merely a slight anomaly, he now truly felt that his [anti-human] special attack was completely ineffective against Aria. On the contrary, he was being oppressed by the difference in life status (divinity).

Judging from her appearance, she doesn't seem to be of dragon blood.

No other race could possibly feel such intense oppression.

Could it be...?

"You're not human!"

Feeling insulted, Ariadne immediately flew into a rage, swinging his twin swords even faster, causing Sanson to become the one struggling to defend.

Upon hearing Sanson's words and Aria's reaction as if her toes had been stepped on, those around her couldn't help but wonder what race Aria might be.

"Sang...Assassin!"

When Eiffel saw this, she almost called out Sanson's real name.

Then she suddenly remembered that she still had Command Seals. Sanson had explained how to use them before. In addition to being able to force him to obey, they could also release the magic power inside to enhance his strength!

"Command with a Command Spell..."

Without the slightest hesitation, Efila immediately raised her hand to prepare to use the Command Seal, and the Command Seal on the back of her hand began to glow as she spoke.

"Oh no, she's about to use a Command Seal! Whether it's enhancing the Servant's power or using a Noble Phantasm, the situation is against us!"

Upon seeing this, Victoria's expression changed slightly, and the pipe in her hand began to emit puffs of magical smoke, as if she intended to intervene in the battle.

Yes, she also has a Servant template, but it's not as overpowered as Aria.

'Does even this detective have supernatural powers?'

The deputy and the French police, unaware of how dangerous the situation was, were stunned.

Even if some of them had come into contact with superhumans, at most they could only throw a fireball similar to an incendiary bomb, nothing like the god-like battle before them!

At this critical moment, a white-haired boy dressed in noble attire suddenly appeared in the center of the battlefield, causing everyone to pause in their actions. The scene seemed to freeze in time upon the appearance of this third party.

"Oh dear... One person is already eliminated before the first night of the Holy Grail War has even begun? The other players haven't all arrived yet! This isn't good, so let's all 'keep things peaceful' until everyone is here!"

The boy seemed completely unaffected by the tense atmosphere, speaking in a relaxed and carefree tone.

"You're the mastermind behind this ritual, aren't you?"

Victorique said with certainty.

"Just an accomplice~"

The white-haired boy answered with a grin, and then with a wave of his hand, Sanson and his daughter Lim disappeared instantly.

"It's gone!"

Everyone except Aria and Victorica was astonished by what they saw.

"Well then... until we meet again, and I hope you all have sweet dreams tonight!"

After seeing off the Assassin faction, the white-haired youth bowed slightly to everyone before his figure gradually disappeared.

"Don't you dare run away! You despicable bastard!"

Ariadne tried to stop him, but his sword missed its mark.

Chapter 280 Good news: The culprit has been found. Bad news: Things are in serious trouble!

The operation ended abruptly, with little fanfare.

However, there is some good news: the case of last night's beheading in Paris has been solved and the perpetrator has been identified. However, this "good news" is not good for Cassandra.

'How could it be Effie! Of all the students learning dark magic, she's the most well-behaved... Could it be that my lecture that day caused her to rebel?'

After hearing her deputy's report, Cassandra was somewhat doubtful of life, and was just short of saying something like "Impossible! Absolutely impossible" or "She has a heart of gold" as a way of justifying herself.

Fortunately, the one who committed the crime was the mysterious white-haired man, not Eiffela herself. Afterwards, she could be released without charge with just a little maneuvering.

As for why Efila would act with the other party.

According to her deputy's description, Eiffela was carrying her father, who had many bandaged wounds on his body. In addition, the police who searched Eiffela's house found signs of a struggle on the second floor. Considering the recent activities of the organizations involved in the beheading case, Cassandra immediately realized that those guys were the ones who attacked Eiffela's father.

'Then they truly deserve to die.'

Cassandra thought to herself.

But then he became troubled. It was impossible to persuade the student to come back with words in this situation, and killing the white-haired man would only make things worse, and might even cause the teacher and student to become enemies.

That concludes all the good news.

Now it's time to talk about the bad news.

"Paris became the site of the Holy Grail War rituals."

Victorique sighed.

"The Holy Grail?"

Just as everyone would think of an alien wearing his underwear on the outside when Superman is mentioned, everyone present would think of the cup containing the blood of Yggdrasil when the Holy Grail is mentioned.

"No, it's not the Holy Grail you're thinking of. The Holy Grail I'm talking about is an omnipotent wish-granting machine created by a certain ritual, and the man next to Ephira is a Servant, or rather, a Heroic Spirit clone, summoned by this ritual..."

Upon hearing this, Cassandra suddenly frowned.

"Heroic Spirits, is that the Valhalla from Norse mythology?"

It seems they'll have to look through some books on Norse mythology.

But even if the Holy Grail has nothing to do with that Yego, it also has nothing to do with Norse mythology, right?

Victorique shook her head first, then explained in a serious tone.

"No, the heroic spirits summoned by this Holy Grail ritual do not only refer to the heroic spirits of Norse mythology, but are the beings of 'heroes' in human history who are sublimated after death due to faith or cognition. At the same time, they can also be fictional characters in myths and legends formed through faith."

"Even fictional characters from myths and legends can participate! This kind of ritual... I've never heard of it before—could it be something from 'that world'?"

Cassandra initially found it absurd, but then she thought of the recent events in Egypt, where she had not only witnessed the power of the gods but also the magic that shattered the heavens (although it was fake).

Even magic beyond her comprehension could exist.

The ritual of the Holy Grail...

"Um……"

Victorique didn't elaborate further, simply nodding.

"This is terrible..."

Cassandra couldn't help but facepalm.

Although it's not as exaggerated as a god appearing in the world, Victorique said that the Servants that can be summoned in the Holy Grail War can be figures from mythology. If someone summons a hero or a demigod, the battle might be even worse than a god appearing in the world, especially since everyone is vying for an all-powerful wish-granting machine.

Moreover, this is definitely inextricably linked to the Black Queen's return to France and the sudden activation of the Parisian spiritual veins last night.

"Ugh... my stomach hurts so much!"

Cassandra suddenly felt a little envious of her old friends who were giving up and refusing to serve in the French government. They could do nothing, while she had to shoulder the responsibility for the thirteen regions of France!

When did it become the domain of a witch to govern the people of France?

"Can this Holy Grail ritual be canceled? Or can it be completely destroyed?"

After calming down a bit, Cassandra asked Victorique.

"It is possible, but if the ritual connecting the Parisian ley lines is forcibly disrupted, this land will likely suffer severe damage. It will probably turn into a dead land, which is already... hard to describe."

After saying that, Victorica looked at Cassandra with a look that seemed to ask: Are you sure you want to do this?

"Then, will sealing it work?"

Cassandra could only settle for the next best thing.

“Sealing is indeed possible, but there is a limit to the duration of this seal. The ritual to open it will continuously accumulate magical power in the spiritual veins until the seal is broken. This will also cause the Holy Grail ritual, which is usually held only once every few decades, to be held again in less than ten years. At that time, a chosen Master will still appear in Paris... Moreover, due to the accumulation of magical power over nearly ten years, the Servant summoned at that time will very likely be a figure of mythical or legendary status.”

"I see……"

Seeing that Victorique had said so, Cassandra had no choice but to give up.

As for believing in the wisdom of future generations, it would be good enough if the young people of France today didn't cause the country to split apart in ten years. Moreover, as long as she doesn't die, she'll still have to deal with this problem in ten years, so it's better to solve it now!

"So this ceremony had to be held, right?"

Victoria: sodayo

"But... how can we intervene in this ceremony?"

The deputy standing next to her asked on Cassandra's behalf, as Cassandra was trying to relieve her headache.

As Victorique mentioned earlier when introducing the Holy Grail ritual, the chosen person will have a stigmata called a "Command Seal" on their hand, but there is no such person in the French official staff.

"That's simple. Currently, there are probably no more than four people chosen by this ritual. You just need to choose one person, and I will influence the Holy Grail ritual to choose that person. Also, there is the medium for summoning Servants. If there isn't one, we can only rely on the compatibility of the Master. If there is one, it would be best if it were a real artifact with historical significance."

No one dared to question Victorique's words, such as, "How can we believe you can influence the Holy Grail ritual?", "These are just your side of the story," and "The Holy Grail? Miss Victorique, are you out of your mind?!"

"Thank you, Miss Victoria."

Cassandra thanked Victorique very sincerely.

They were only hired to solve a case, find the culprit, and then close the case and leave. But she revealed information about the Holy Grail ritual for free.

"I just don't want this ceremony to get out of control."

After saying that, Victorica took a drag of his cigarette and fell silent.

Others: ...

No, you've already shared information about the Holy Grail ritual, so why are you starting to ramble on about this?

What do you mean by "out of control"? Please explain clearly!

“…Okay, let’s go prepare the media.”

Seeing that Victorica was unwilling to elaborate further, and Aria beside her also had a look that said, "Don't try to get information out of me," Cassandra and the others had no choice but to give up and obediently go to prepare the medium for the summoning.

But the problem is...

What kind of media can the French government prepare?

Although the museum has many artifacts they 'collected,' some are genuine and some are fake. What if they summon the oldest unscrupulous merchant who makes inferior copper?

[The oldest complaint letter]

Faction preset

The outline for the Holy Grail War storyline (doing big things) has been set, only the faction settings are yet to be completed.

If there are other characters that could be added, please feel free to suggest them in the comments section.

——Current Design——

Saber-class faction: French government, NFF Corporation's Grey Wolf Detective Agency (Victorica, Aria, Kozaga), Chtholly Nota Senioris (formerly D'Eon)

Archer-class faction: Federation/Hohenheim Corporation, Angelica version Gilgamesh/Gilgamesh/Gilgamesh (the "Cat of the Wisps") (Vote)

Lancer class faction: Master not decided yet, Enkidu/Learner Cat version of Enkidu (vote), Summon Ishtar (do you prefer Rin or FSF's image?), Tiamat (secretly spying).

Rider-class faction: Vatican Inquisition, an ordinary knight who likes taking photos (confirmed), Bazett (hired), NFF Corporation Magic Defense Team (hired)

Caster class: Black Queen, François, Gilles de Rais (Holy Grail + Spirit Vein Enhancement), one illegally summoned Servant (with the dragon Fafnir).

Berserker Faction: Vatican Traitor (Sign of Sodom), Darius III (tentative, Sign of Sodom enhanced), Seven-Headed, Ten-Crowned Great Red Dragon (Hidden Boss)

Assassin-class characters: Efila Rim, Ciel Henri Sanson, and possibly figures that will be featured in collaborations with them (such as Night Raid from Akame ga Kill!).

Referee: Joan of Arc was eliminated as soon as the red dragon appeared (?).