Or, you guys find another savior

He crouched down and extended his hand to Sakura. At the same time, Tokiomi prompted Sakura to walk over.

"From today, I will be your father." Xi Jianxi felt strange saying this.

After all, he had two daughters before even getting married, and it would probably be difficult to get married in the future.

"..."

Sakura flinched and stopped in front of him. Instead of taking Xi Jianxi's hand, she looked back at Tokiomi with reluctance and confusion.

"Go on, Sakura." Tokiomi's voice was firm, yet held the same reluctance.

Just then, Karen woke up. Xi Jianxi put Karen down, letting her stand on the ground.

Tokiomi already knew about Karen's situation from Father Risei, so he didn't ask any further questions.

"Allow me to formally introduce her. This child's name is Karen, and she's one year younger than you," Xi Jianxi said with a smile to Sakura. "From today, you are Karen's older sister, Sakura."

"...Sister..." Sakura repeated the word.

She subconsciously touched the ribbon at her temple.

It was as if something had illuminated her emotions. Her previously dim eyes brightened, and a blush of shyness and joy spread across her face.

Sakura walked up to Karen and took her hand in greeting.

Seeing the situation proceed so smoothly, Tokiomi couldn't help but smile with relief.

Afterward, Xi Jianxi, Tokiomi, and Father Risei left the chapel and chatted in the church's courtyard.

"The next Holy Grail War is in two years, isn't it?" Xi Jianxi brought up a topic that interested him.

Tokiomi nodded. "Yes. However, as mages, stepping onto Fuyuki's soil will naturally draw the Holy Grail's call, granting them Command Spells."

"Unfortunately, I still don't have any trace of Command Spells on me," Xi Jianxi said, raising his hand as if to prove his innocence, showing his unblemished hand back to the two of them.

He truly hadn't obtained Command Spells yet. He wondered if it had something to do with his state of mind, or if the Holy Grail was waiting for something.

Tokiomi then made a joke, "Then at least I can assume, Mr. Xi Jianxi, that you won't be my opponent in this Holy Grail War. That would be quite troublesome."

"It's too early to say that now," Father Risei offered a different perspective. "Young Xi Jianxi will be settling down in Fuyuki, and it's not impossible for him to obtain Command Spells until the Holy Grail War begins."

Xi Jianxi seemed surprised. "Then if I really do get Command Spells and become Mr. Tohsaka's opponent in the Holy Grail War..."

"Then let us wager our honor as mages and decide the victor," Tokiomi's expression shifted from that of a father to a mage.

"But—" Xi Jianxi looked at Sakura and Karen playing on the grass. "How about this? Let's make a gentleman's agreement. If, in the Holy Grail War, Mr. Tohsaka and I are forced to oppose each other in the end, we will only go as far as deciding the victor, and not take each other's lives."

Tokiomi understood Xi Jianxi's intention. After a moment of thought, he, with Father Risei as witness, made this gentleman's agreement with Xi Jianxi.

Afterward, as Tokiomi and Father Risei had other matters to discuss, Xi Jianxi drove Karen and Sakura away from the church.

Just as he sat in the driver's seat and placed his hand on the steering wheel, a burning sensation spread through him.

Xi Jianxi saw three distinct yet interconnected magical patterns appear on the back of his left hand.

Command Spells.

[You didn't think the mission was over just because you adopted Tohsaka Sakura, did you?]

[How could it be? Mission objective changed: Participate in the Fourth Holy Grail War.]

[Struggle as ugly as you can until the very last moment, newbie magus who walked out of the Shadow Realm?]

Chapter 2: Heroic Spirit Summoning

"Wake up, wake up, Daddy?"

It was a cold winter morning. Even though the room was heated, no one wanted to wake up and get out of bed.

Xi Jianxi curled up in his blankets, feeling a small, weak force shaking his bedding and urging him to wake up quickly.

"Don't you have school today... Why are you up so early, Sakura..."

Pushing aside the blanket covering his face, Xi Jianxi opened one eye and looked at the girl sleepily.

Tohsaka Sakura... or rather, she should be called Xi Jianxi Sakura now.

Two years had passed since he adopted Sakura from Tohsaka Tokiomi, and her surname had long since been changed.

Compared to her initial timidity, after settling in Fuyuki and spending time with him day in and day out, Sakura gradually accepted becoming his daughter.

The fact that she dared to run into his room on a winter morning to wake up her sleeping father was proof that Sakura had grown accustomed to living in Xi Jianxi's home.

"But, it's already noon!" Sakura said, a little excited and a little nervous, explaining her reason. "And, the homework Daddy gave me, I finished it."

Xi Jianxi immediately became a bit more alert. He sat up from the blankets, ran his hand through his messy hair, and looked at Sakura standing by the bed.

Homework.

Not the kind from school, but the knowledge and abilities required of a mage that Xi Jianxi had been teaching Sakura.

The past two years in Fuyuki had been very peaceful. Taking care of the two children and living a life free from worry about food and clothing had made Xi Jianxi quite lax.

Although he did housework and drove Sakura and Karen to and from school, sleeping in on rest days had become a new tradition in the Xi Jianxi household.

At least Karen had integrated well into the tradition, but Sakura had not yet.

And the homework Xi Jianxi had recently given Sakura was to help him draw a summoning circle in his workshop using magical materials, which would be needed for the Holy Grail War that was about to begin soon.

"Ah... right. It's almost time to start the Heroic Spirit summoning and have the Servant descend," Xi Jianxi took a deep breath, using the cold winter air to awaken his body and mind. "Now then, let me see Sakura's homework results and give her a grade."

Seeing Xi Jianxi awake, Sakura was very happy. After nodding in agreement, she ran out.

After washing up and eating lunch, he took Sakura to the magic workshop located in the basement of the house.

Karen was only five years old, younger than Sakura, and didn't have Sakura's outstanding talent as a magus. Xi Jianxi wanted to wait until Karen was a few years older before teaching her about magi and the Holy Church.

"Actually, Dad. I've already memorized how to use the Runes you taught me," Sakura told Xi Jianxi happily as they went downstairs.

"Oh? That's excellent. Once you get a bit more proficient, I can teach you about the Primal Runes," Xi Jianxi smiled knowingly.

"Primal Runes..." Sakura repeated the words, trying hard to recall knowledge about them. "Is that something your master taught you?"

Sakura already knew it was different from the Runes used by modern magi.

It was the foundation of magic discovered by Odin, the great god from Norse mythology.

"That's right," Xi Jianxi placed his hand on the stone door, and it opened with a click.

Primal Runes.

Xi Jianxi never expected that the first place he'd ended up was the Shadow Realm, known as a realm of異境 and魔境.

Perhaps it was a test from the "System," allowing him to try and survive in such a place.

Then, Xi Jianxi managed to do so without realizing it, and when he was on the verge of death, he met the queen of that place—Scathach.

He was accepted as a warrior and received Scathach's teachings.

Xi Jianxi didn't know how much time had passed since then, nor could he calculate his age.

In the end, as a compromise, he decided to count the year he joined the Mage's Association as his 18th birthday.

"Dad, can you tell me that story again sometime?" Sakura held up her lantern, trying to illuminate the darkness of the underground workshop. "It's so dark here."

"Forgot what you're supposed to do again?" Xi Jianxi asked.

Sakura seemed to suddenly remember. "Oh, right."

She reached out and gathered mana on her finger, trying to snap her fingers to activate the lighting here.

But after several attempts, it didn't work.

Seeing Sakura start to get discouraged, Xi Jianxi suppressed his urge to laugh and snapped his fingers. The magic crystals installed in the workshop lit up with a faint blue glow, illuminating the entire space.

Xi Jianxi could clearly see the patterns on the ground. It was a summoning circle, required for a Master to perform a summoning ritual.

"That story?" Xi Jianxi crouched down, examining the summoning circle for completeness while asking Sakura.

Sakura nodded. "The myth about the great Norse god Odin sacrificing himself to obtain the Primal Runes."

"Didn't I tell you and Karen that story before bed that time?" Xi Jianxi asked, confused.

"I want to hear it again," Sakura pleaded cutely.

"You can hear it again, but not tonight," Xi Jianxi said. "We're performing the summoning ritual tonight. You can either go to sleep first, or come and watch the Heroic Spirit summoning ceremony."

Sakura tilted her head and thought for a moment. "I want to watch."

"Then go back now, take a nap, and wake up in the evening," Xi Jianxi stood up. "I still need to make some preparations."

"I understand."

Although occasionally willful, Sakura was actually very obedient to Xi Jianxi.

Because she was young, she understood that her new father cared for and loved her very much, so Sakura was willing to do whatever Xi Jianxi said.

After putting down the lantern, Sakura was about to turn and leave the workshop. As she reached the stairs, she remembered there was one more thing she hadn't asked.

"Dad... you haven't given me a grade yet."

Xi Jianxi was also stunned. He made an OK gesture. "Do I even need to ask? Of course, it's full marks."

Then, Sakura happily ran out.

Watching Sakura leave the workshop, Xi Jianxi finally stood up and stared irritably at the summoning circle.

Even though he wanted to forget about the Holy Grail War and just slack off.

But whether it was the Command Spells that had been clearly visible on the back of his left hand from the beginning, or the "System" reminding him every day like a death knell, more persistent than any loan shark.

"Shit! Fine, I'll do it!"

Xi Jianxi spat viciously at the invisible "System."

The preparations weren't too much or too little, and soon it was time for the summoning ritual late at night.

"By the way, Dad, don't you need any catalysts for the summoning?" Sakura asked Xi Jianxi.

"No... I've thought it over carefully. I want to prioritize the compatibility between the Servant and the Master. On top of that, I'll add the Mad Enhancement incantation to summon the Berserker that is most suitable and easiest for me to control."

In addition, as his trump card, the eighteen "Primal Runes"—which were not known to the people of the Mage's Association and were truly complete, having disappeared from the Age of Gods, unlike the few analyzed by Touko Aozaki.

Using magic from the Age of Gods to assist the Berserker, summoned without catalysts and with the best compatibility for himself, Xi Jianxi's strategy and tactics were already clear.

"It's time, Sakura. Move to the side of the wall."

"Mhm."

At Xi Jianxi's reminder, Sakura retreated to the wall to watch the ritual.

It was the summoning circle she had personally helped Xi Jianxi draw, and Sakura had memorized the sequence after just one use.

Within the erasure is retreat; after drawing four retreat circles, enclose them with the summoning circle. The order must not be mistaken.

Xi Jianxi extended his left hand, on which Command Spells were etched, and recited the incantation:

"My foundation is silver and iron, my base is stone and the great duke of contract.

My ancestor is my teacher, Scathach."

Adding his master's name to the summoning incantation was to enhance the Servant's recognition and ensure a sufficiently powerful Servant was summoned.

A similar example was the Tohsaka family, who would mention the Archmage during summoning, who was also the teacher of the Tohsaka family's ancestor, Zelretch Schwein­berg.

"Build a wall before the wind of descent. Close the four gates. Emerge from the crown.

Cycle and repeat on the three-forked road to the kingdom.

Close (fill). Close (fill). Close (fill). Close (fill). Close (fill).

Repeat five times.

However, when it is full, it should be discarded.

—Declare.

Your body rests beneath mine, and my fate is tied to your sword.

If you obey the call of the Holy Grail, and follow this will and reason, then respond!

I hereby swear.

I am the one who achieves all good deeds in the world."