Who are you calling a stable boy?!

"Why do you claim to be my servant?!"

She had heard her father talk about the Holy Grail War, and she had also overheard some of his conversations with that guy.

In addition, she often secretly went to her father's study to find books about the Holy Grail War, so Rin had some basic knowledge about the Holy Grail War.

For example, cursed seals...

For example, followers.

"Don't worry, after being nourished by me, Old Zheng, your mother will definitely feel refreshed when she wakes up. Not only will she not have any problems due to being frightened, but all the minor ailments she accumulated from being stressed by your father will also disappear."

Zheng Jing was telling the truth.

With just one glance, he could tell how bad Aoi Tohsaka's physical and mental condition was.

As a magician's wife, she was indeed prepared for the worst, but being prepared doesn't mean being detached from emotions and desires.

Rather, it is precisely because we have feelings and thoughts that we must become aware of them.

Upon hearing this, Rin opened her mouth, but couldn't utter a word.

She could tell, of course, that her mother wasn't feeling well...

To be so frightened by such a childish method as drawing marks with a marker shows how much psychological pressure the Holy Grail War brought to Aoi Tohsaka.

"Alright, while your mom's soundly asleep, let's have a little chat, shall we?"

Seeing Lin's downcast expression, Zheng Jing spread out his four arms and twirled them at the little girl.

"Rin, you... you're actually level 5?"

Chapter 92: Open the door! Bring warmth!

Rin obtained the courtyard panel a year ago.

That was an unexpected accident that no one had anticipated.

He learned about the Holy Grail War from his beloved father, and that his sister, with whom he had spent every day, would be separated from him because of it. After that, he and his mother had to leave Fuyuki City on the eve of the war and go to their separate residence in Zen City.

The thought that she, her sister, and her mother would become a burden to their father in the Holy Grail War naturally arose in little Rin's mind.

The thought that we would not be a burden to our father naturally became Xiao Xiaolin's next thought.

So, one night, she ran into her own basement alone.

Rin knew that her father kept many magic-related items in the basement, and she hoped to find some items there that could help her and her father.

As it turns out, she did find it.

It was an old-looking stone slab engraved with symbols that Rin couldn't understand at all.

In Rin's memory, when her father brought her to the basement to learn magic, she had never seen this stone slab.

But at first glance, she was drawn to the stone slab, involuntarily...

When Tokiomi Tohsaka, who had noticed the commotion in the basement, arrived, he found Rin lying unconscious on the ground.

When Rin woke up, the panel in the courtyard was already on her.

Two months ago, Rin finally raised her overall level to level 5.

Even so, she still couldn't change her father's mind.

Realizing that the Holy Grail War was far more dangerous than she had imagined, Rin did not persist in her idea and instead began to think about whether she could help her father from other angles.

For example, she comes to protect her mother.

For example, it would be best if someone could protect Sakura, who is in the Matou family and is highly likely to be drawn into the Holy Grail War...

So, Rin went to the mission hall and posted a mission.

Two months passed, and she waited and waited, but no player was willing to take on the task.

...That statement is actually biased.

Some players are willing to give it a try.

To be precise, three player teams had met with Rin, and the conversations naturally revolved around the rewards for the missions.

Clearly, Rin failed to reach an agreement with any of these three teams.

4399 Garden Coins is now all of Rin's wealth.

She had considered using some of her father's collection in the vault to pay for it, but to the players, that was nothing more than an empty promise.

Because at the time, Rin couldn't even afford the fees required for the courtyard to notarize a new contract.

With the Holy Grail War about to begin and no one accepting the mission she had issued, Rin, who was tossing and turning at night, received a notification from the courtyard in the early hours of the morning.

A player accepted her task, asking her to find a suitable area as soon as possible to welcome the arriving players.

At first, she was stunned, then overjoyed, and then apprehensive.

Has someone taken on her task?

Someone has taken on her task!

...Who will answer the phone?

Then, she met Zheng Jing.

—This guy scared his mother to death right from the start!

"What? The contract doesn't say I have to tell you this!"

Little Rin stood tall and proud.

When she first saw him, she was indeed startled by the commotion Zheng Jing caused and his appearance as the "top excavator operator".

But now, she has recovered.

With the courtyard contract in place, Rin felt she didn't need to worry about Zheng Jing daring to have any bad intentions towards her.

But she also understood the principle that one should always be wary of others.

"But you, you actually dared to take on this mission all by yourself. Are you really capable?"

With her arms crossed, Rin tilted her head and looked Zheng Jing up and down.

What is your overall level?

Zheng Jing stretched out a hand towards her.

Xiao Xiaolin gasped.

"How many?"

"5."

Manager Zheng answered confidently, and Lin's small body swayed, almost following in her own mother's footsteps.

"You, you—"

With a trembling little finger pointing at Zheng Jing, Lin gasped for breath and almost screamed.

How dare you?!

Level 5?

A player of the same level as her accepted the quest she posted and came to protect her Sakura.

How dare he?!

Seeing Zheng Jing's carefree attitude, the seven-year-old girl grew angrier and angrier, and felt more and more aggrieved...

"What's there to be afraid of? I'm Old Zheng—hey! Hey hey! Why are you crying?"

Seeing tears welling up in Rin's eyes, Zheng Jing immediately dropped his playful demeanor, opened his arms, and took two steps closer to Rin.

"Hey, Rin, I know you're in a hurry, but don't rush. Since I, Old Zheng, dared to come, I naturally have the skills. How about this, you tell me now where that old devil Matou lives, and I'll show you what I, Old Zheng, can do!"

"..."

She sobbed softly and glared at Zheng Jing.

Now that things have come to this, she has no other choice.

After taking Zheng Jing back to her room, Rin opened the small leather suitcase in the closet and took out the Fuyuki City map that she had prepared before leaving home.

"The Matou family is right here. Your mission is to protect Sakura, understand?"

Just you wait and see!

Taking the map, Zheng Jing opened the window of Rin's room and jumped out.

"Wait--"

Rin peeked out.

As dawn broke, Zheng Jing was nowhere to be seen on the streets.

"So fast..."

With both hands braced against the window, Rin muttered something and blinked.

Zheng Jing wanted to understand her.

She was just as curious about Zheng Jing as she was.

"......Um?"

Xiao Lin frowned.

Once Zheng Jing left and no one was making a fuss, her little mind suddenly realized a problem.

She looked down at the back of her hand.

Why does Zheng Jing seem to know so much about the Holy Grail War?

She hadn't even had a chance to explain to Zheng Jing yet...

-

“That’s right, Kariya.”

In the dimly lit room, accompanied by chilling, rustling sounds, a short, sinister old man, holding a cane, looked at the man lying on the ground trembling and let out a laugh that sounded like the hooting of an owl.

"It's a pity that if you hadn't shirked your responsibilities back then, you wouldn't be suffering like this now."

"Shut up......"

Matou Kariya gritted his teeth, enduring the pain, and let out a dry sound from his throat.

Beserker's mana consumption rate was more alarming than he had imagined. Even if he tried to keep it silent in spirit form as much as possible, as time went by, the burden on his Master was still considerable.

At least for him, who could only exchange his life for magic, the burden was unclear.

"If all else fails, I have some special methods. How about we have that girl do it for you—"

"Dirty inkstone—cough cough! cough cough cough—"

Kariya's violent coughing made Zouken Matou's smile even more terrifying.

However, he did not intend to provoke Kariya any further.

Yan Ye is very useful now. He just tugged on the chain around Yan Ye's neck, so that even if Yan Ye had some ideas, he wouldn't dare to do anything reckless.

Now that the chain has been pulled too far, it's time to give them a bone.

Looking at Kariya, Zouken Matou was about to speak—

"Ding dong."

"......"

"Ding dong ding dong."

"Ding dong ding dong ding dong-"

"Is anyone there? The community is sending warmth!"

After a series of urgent doorbell rings, a loud shout came from the Matou residence.

With the Holy Grail War imminent, the Matou residence has already been established, and one of its most basic functions is to subconsciously keep ordinary people away from it.

How could this possibly happen?

"boom!!"