A Weakling's Secret Strategy

Chocolate.

Desserts.

Its incomparably sweet flavor made it popular among young people regardless of gender: girls liked eating it, and boys liked buying it for girls.

For some inexplicable reason, Valentine's death anniversary had been passed down as Valentine's Day, and chocolate had inexplicably become a symbol for couples to express their feelings for one another.

The sentiment placed within it was the hope that the two of them would have a sweet future together.

Of course, the chocolate Carl gave Tsukahara Meiji had nothing to do with any of that.

Strictly speaking, it was a Mystic Code—or rather, a crystallization of magical energy.

Similar to the Tohsaka Family's jewel magecraft, which transferred magical energy into gemstones to store mana for later use, Carl's chocolate was another form of Magic Transfer.

Though it was far less efficient than the Tohsaka Family's magecraft, Carl was a seventh-generation Magus, and the magical energy she had poured her heart into accumulating was still worth relying on.

Tsukahara Meiji casually picked one out and stuffed it into his mouth. Beneath its smooth texture, an intense sweetness spread through his mouth. Yet after only half a second, that cloying sweetness turned entirely into a scorching heat that was nearly impossible to swallow.

It felt as though he had swallowed molten iron.

His throat was burning. The searing pain vividly plucked at his nerves, while surging magical energy, like gas capable of slipping through any opening, filled Tsukahara Meiji's stomach and seeped through his complex blood vessels into every pore of his body.

It was as though flames were scorching every part of his body, as though red-hot iron blades were carving through his muscle tissue. If one had to compare it to something, drinking an entire kettle of boiling oil in one gulp would probably give them some idea of how Tsukahara Meiji felt.

And the focal point of all that pain was Tsukahara Meiji's back—the Magic Circuits that proved he was a Magus.

Why did Magi place such importance on lineage and inheritance?

Because a Magus's Crests could be inherited.

The highest expression of magecraft was precisely these inheritable Crests, passed down like family heirlooms.

The Circuits painstakingly developed by one's forebears gathered in their descendants and were passed down generation after generation. In Tsukahara Meiji's understanding, it was like drawing manga: one person drew for eighty years, then handed it to the next person to continue. The more generations there were in that inheritance, the more pages the manga naturally had.

These inheritable Magic Circuits were called Magic Crests. Though they sounded similar, they were entirely different concepts in the world of Magi. For example, Carl and Abner, as heads of their respective families, possessed Magic Crests inherited through their bloodlines. What Tsukahara Meiji possessed could only be called Magic Circuits. The difference was like that between an ordinary chair and a throne.

So there was nothing to be done about someone like Tsukahara Meiji, a Magus with only two generations of accumulated foundations, being looked down upon by descendants of families whose wealth and status stretched back who knew how many generations.

What was more, Tsukahara Meiji was the only one in his family who truly studied magecraft. After his grandmother fell in love with a Magus, she bore his posthumous child without knowing his true identity... Though the blood of magecraft flowed through the Tsukahara family, no one truly understood what magecraft or magical energy was.

From that perspective, Tsukahara Meiji was merely a first-generation Magus. Put nicely, he was the founding ancestor of the Tsukahara line. Put harshly, he was a country bumpkin who had only just entered the world of magecraft.

What Carl was doing now was equivalent to forcibly stuffing all the manga drafts she had painstakingly accumulated into Tsukahara Meiji's sketchbook, making him look like a famous manga artist in order to deceive the Holy Grail.

Though the massive expenditure of magical energy would leave Carl in a mana-depleted state for the next six hours, the Holy Grail would not strip her of her Master privileges simply because she was physically weakened.

It was a small loophole. It was not fatal, nor was it especially useful, but Carl would not give up even the slightest increase in win rate.

As Tsukahara Meiji gritted his teeth and endured the pain, he repeatedly swore to himself: I will help Carl restore the Winsted Family!

His powerful desire for the Holy Grail, his respectable skill in magecraft, and his rapidly approaching the battlefield of the Holy Grail War—the three came together...

Three crimson Command Spells finally surfaced on the back of Tsukahara Meiji's hand.

Carl let out a breath of relief. This was enough.

She did not expect Tsukahara Meiji to be of much use. An amateur was an amateur; he could not be counted as combat power. His greatest value was ensuring that Carl had one fewer enemy before the war even began. And if used properly, he could directly use a Heroic Spirit's Noble Phantasm to eliminate other Masters.

Looking at the Command Spells on his hand, Carl finally revealed a satisfied smile. "It seems we succeeded. Now, let's confirm the battle plan again."

The other two items in Carl's arms both had quite remarkable origins. However, time had been tight, and when she obtained them, she had no opportunity to explain them to Tsukahara Meiji before bringing him onto the plane.

"Mm-hm, go on, go on."

Tsukahara Meiji looked forward to it eagerly, his dark eyes shining brightly—wasn't this just like a scene from manga? He was about to set foot in a foreign land and use magecraft to wage battle! It was an unfailing formula in shonen manga!

It excited this hot-blooded Magus, who read manga even at the Clock Tower, beyond measure.

But since he had only just undergone that boiling torment, the black-haired youth was a little listless. No one could blame him; after drowning, no one would be very energetic, especially if they had drowned in a pool of boiling water...

Furthermore, the instant he became a Master, basic information about the Holy Grail War flooded into his mind. The exhaustion in his body, combined with the fatigue of his brain suddenly receiving so much knowledge, nearly made him pass out on the spot!

But after barely holding on, his mind quickly cleared again. He had been clearly informed that a catalyst was a relic connected to a Heroic Spirit during their lifetime. It had to carry a remarkable, fascinating story.

"When a Master summons a Heroic Spirit, the priority is to summon one with good compatibility with the Master. For example, in the Fourth Holy Grail War, Lord El-Melloi II, who craved victory, summoned Lancer, who longed to offer the Holy Grail to his Master and fulfill his own chivalric code. The serial killer Ryunosuke Uryu, meanwhile, summoned Caster, who possessed the same obsession with slaughter. Next, priority goes to Heroic Spirits connected to the location where the war is held. However, there are two ways to alter the likelihood of which Heroic Spirit the Holy Grail War summons."

Like a lecturer at the Clock Tower, Carl raised the golden ring in her hand and continued explaining slowly in a calm, wise voice.

"First is to add the Mad Enhancement incantation. As long as you include two special lines in the prayer when summoning a Heroic Spirit, the summoned Heroic Spirit will be granted the Mad Enhancement attribute. In other words, you are guaranteed to summon a Servant in the Berserker class."

Berserker was a very special Heroic Spirit class in the Holy Grail War. Any Heroic Spirit could manifest as a Berserker, as long as the special Mad Enhancement command was included in the summoning chant. Any person or creature could potentially undergo Mad Enhancement. Therefore, any Heroic Spirit could be a Berserker.

It was worth mentioning that because this method existed, it was theoretically possible for multiple Berserkers to exist in a Holy Grail War.

"Mm-hm."

Tsukahara Meiji sat like an obedient student, propping his arm on his leg and listening with a serious expression.

"The second method is to prepare a catalyst. The closer its connection to the Heroic Spirit you intend to summon, the more it can ignore compatibility with the Master and forcibly summon the Heroic Spirit most closely linked to that catalyst. Take Emiya Kiritsugu in the Fourth Holy Grail War as an example. Though he was an assassin, he was able to summon Saber, the King of Knights. That alone shows the power of catalysts. And the trump card we prepared is—the Ring of the Nibelungen."

"Ooh!"

Tsukahara Meiji applauded enthusiastically.

That name was simply too famous. Even Tsukahara Meiji, who knew nothing of foreign mythology, had heard of it.

It was a renowned treasure from mythology.

The absolute centerpiece of the great hero Siegfried's tale. It was also translated as Siegfried, but this name was more familiar and shorter to write.

If it was used as a catalyst, the summoned Heroic Spirit would surely be connected to The Song of the Nibelungs. Either Siegfried or the dragon Fafnir. No matter which it was, they would both be exceptionally powerful Heroic Spirits in the field of mysticism.

A Heroic Spirit's abilities depended on three factors.

First was the Heroic Spirit's own abilities. There was nothing much to explain there. The stronger the person, the stronger they were.

Second was the abilities widely known through legend. Many Heroic Spirits had not been particularly outstanding in life, yet they gained certain powers because people had widely misunderstood them.

Third was fame. This was easy to understand too. Otherwise, one could simply invent an invincible god of destruction known only to oneself and summon it as a Servant! Obtaining a catalyst or anything else for it would be easy enough.

The more detailed the records of a Heroic Spirit, the clearer its abilities were. The more famous a Heroic Spirit was, the stronger it would be after being summoned.

If it were like the "Heroic Spirit known only to oneself" from the example just now, then in the realm of mysticism, it would not even qualify to become a Heroic Spirit, much less be summoned.

Of course, Siegfried was the ideal choice. The swordsman said to have bathed in dragon blood.

Legend said that his body was impervious to blades and spears, and he could become his Master's shield when necessary. Wielding the dragon-slaying greatsword Balmung, he possessed overwhelming combat power.

If it was the dragon Fafnir, she would likely manifest as a Berserker, bearing the infamous name of a demonic dragon... Her already exceptional abilities as a dragon would receive the Berserker class's enhancement. Though difficult to control, if used properly, she would become an excellent ticking bomb.

Between the two disadvantaged people, the rational Siegfried was still preferable to an uncontrollable Berserker.

"This ring! Could that story really be true? I thought it was just an opera!"

Tsukahara Meiji looked stunned. While Carl had been explaining, he had specifically searched the Ring of the Nibelung on Wikipedia. It had only said that it was an opera, followed by excerpts of something or other. Since the Wikipedia entry was in English, the Japanese man had been left looking miserable.

"No, it is only an opera and a legend. Besides, this ring is an imitation. I made it myself by infusing gold with magecraft and refining it."

Carl calmly corrected him.

"...Then isn't it useless?!"

His companion's overly calm rebuttal left Tsukahara Meiji speechless. What kind of explanation is that?!

"No, Tsukahara. In a Holy Grail War, the connection matters more than whether a catalyst is genuine. Mysticism itself contains a great many conjectures and hypotheses. Besides, Siegfried's story is an opera infused with the playwright's romantic imagination, so there is even less of a concept of an original. What matters is the connection between this imitation Ring of the Nibelungen made of gold and the Siegfried we intend to summon. If we can truly summon the dragon-slaying hero, one of his retained abilities will likely be a body of dragon blood. That would greatly compensate for the disadvantage in parameters caused by insufficient magical energy. Your chances of survival would increase as well."

"Wait?"

Everything Carl had said before that had been fine, but at the end, Tsukahara Meiji suddenly noticed something was wrong. "Me? I'm the one summoning Siegfried?!"

"Of course. Your power as a Master is too weak, so you must summon a Saber, a class renowned for powerful frontal combat ability, for this to be viable. The Saber class is certain to possess the Riding skill, which can also apply to modern vehicles, such as motorcycles. That way, both your safety and our mobility can be ensured. I will summon Robin Hood, the legendary outlaw. If my deduction is correct, the branch of the oldest oak tree in Sherwood Forest should summon him. Famous for his archery, he will certainly manifest in the Archer class. As a hero who resisted tyranny, legend says he possesses excellent combat support abilities. He hides in forests and specializes in stealth, scouting, and archery. He will be our best helper in hunting enemy Masters."

At that point, Carl took a breath, and her expression wavered in a rare display of uncertainty. Turbulent ripples filled her lake-like eyes, and she bit her lip. Her already pale Caucasian complexion had taken on a sickly white hue.

"As Masters, both you and I are weak. Not only in magecraft, but in support as well. Prestigious magecraft families, such as the Tohsaka Family and the Einzbern, possess enormous resources. They can freely acquire the catalysts they need and seek out related items to support their battles. We do not have the time, energy, money, or connections for that. Therefore, we are already weaker than our enemies in the quality of Heroic Spirits. As a Magus, I can only be called average. You cannot even be considered competent. Naturally, we are at another disadvantage. So we must use our advantages to fight from a position of disadvantage."

"Ooh! I get it! An Archer with abundant magical energy is the scout! Once we locate the enemy Master, my Saber will deal with them, right? I see! Even if one is summoned by a third-rate Magus like me, a Heroic Spirit is still a Heroic Spirit. They must be stronger than Magi! Have Saber attack the enemy Master, force the enemy Servant into a close fight, then take the chance to snipe the Master? What a plan! Just as expected of Carl!"

Tsukahara Meiji immediately understood his friend's meaning. Though his explanation was muddled, it basically matched Carl's plan.

"But, Tsukahara, I must ask you once more. If you fear for your life, you can still give up your rights as a Master now. This is not a game. You really can die."

Faced with his companion's calm yet pessimistic words, Tsukahara Meiji pretended not to hear. Excitedly throwing an arm around his friend's shoulders, he frowned in displeasure. "Don't be like that. It feels awful."

"—So our objective is to snipe Masters? No wonder you wanted an Archer! Geez! You said you didn't need my help, but you were still dragging me into your scheme after all!"

"Don't mess up my hair."

"I'll mess it up all I want! You damned tsundere!"

"This flight will soon arrive at its final destination, Beijing, China. The outside temperature is..."

At just the right moment, a synthesized announcement sounded within the cabin. Tsukahara Meiji knew he could not keep fooling around, so he quickly put away his unfinished chocolate and repeatedly checked the Command Spells on the back of his hand.

"The Holy Grail War... I never thought I would get to take part in such an incredible gathering of Magi! And..."

His dark eyes settled on Carl's thin white coat.

If it really is such a dangerous war between Magi, how could I let my savior, my dearest friend, face that challenge alone?