The Weakling's Secret Plan

Chocolate.

A dessert.

An incredibly sweet taste, universally popular among young people regardless of gender: girls like to eat it, and boys like to buy it for girls.

Because it was inexplicably passed down as the anniversary of Valentine of "Valentine's Day," chocolate was inexplicably taken as a symbol for lovers to express their feelings for each other.

The sentiment attached to it is: may the future of the two people be as sweet as this.

Of course, the chocolate Karl gave to Tsukahara Meiji had nothing to do with what was mentioned above.

Strictly speaking, it was a "Formal Wear," or rather, a crystallization of magic.

Similar to the Tohsaka Family's gem magic, which transfers magic power to gems to store it for use, the chocolate Karl made was another form of magic transfer.

Although the efficiency was much lower than the Tohsaka Family's magic, the magic power that Karl, as the seventh-generation Magus, had poured his heart into was still reliable.

Tsukahara Meiji casually picked one and put it in his mouth, and under the slippery texture, a rich sweetness spread. However, this sweetness, after only half a second, was completely transformed into a scorching heat that was difficult to swallow.

It was a boiling sensation, as if he had swallowed molten iron.

His throat was burning. The searing pain vividly stimulated his nerves, and the surging magic power, like an all-pervasive gas, filled Tsukahara Meiji's stomach and permeated every pore through complex blood vessels.

It was the pain of being burned everywhere in his body as if by fire, the pain of muscle tissue being cut as if by a red-hot iron blade. If he had to simulate it, boiling a pot of oil and drinking it down while it was still scalding hot would probably give him a sense of Tsukahara Meiji's experience.

And the focal point of these pains was Tsukahara Meiji's back—his Magic Circuits, the proof of a Magus.

Why do Magus value lineage and inheritance?

Because the Magic Crests of Magus can be inherited.

The highest manifestation of the magical path is this inheritable, heirloom-like Crest.

The circuits that the previous generation poured their hearts into to develop, converge on the next generation, and are passed down from generation to generation. In Tsukahara Meiji's understanding, it was like drawing a manga: one person draws for 80 years, then hands it over to the next person to continue. The more this inheritance grows, the more pages the manga naturally accumulates.

And this inheritable "Magic Circuit" is the "Magic Crest." Although they sound similar, in the world of Magus, these are two completely different concepts. For example, Karl and Abner, as heads of a family, possess the "Magic Crest" inherited from that family. What Tsukahara Meiji had was only called "Magic Circuits." This distinction is similar to the difference between a "chair" and a "dragon throne."

Therefore, it was unavoidable that Magus like Tsukahara Meiji, with only two generations of accumulation, would be looked down upon by those from families with unfathomable wealth and countless generations of lineage.

Moreover, in the Tsukahara family, only Tsukahara Meiji truly studied the magical path. His grandmother fell in love with a Magus and, without knowing his true identity, left behind a posthumous child... Although the blood of the magical path flowed in the Tsukahara family, no one truly understood what magic was, or what magic power was.

In this sense, Tsukahara Meiji was only a first-generation Magus. To put it nicely, he was the first pioneer of the Tsukahara family; to put it bluntly, he was a country bumpkin who had just entered the realm of magic.

And now, what Karl was doing was equivalent to forcibly stuffing all of his hard-earned manga drafts into Tsukahara Meiji's manga book, forcibly posing as a master manga artist to deceive the Holy Grail.

Although the severe depletion of magic power would leave Karl in a state of magic deficiency for the next six hours, the Holy Grail would not deprive him of his Master authority due to this physical discomfort.

This was a small loophole. It was not fatal, nor was there anything particularly worth exploiting, but for Karl, he would not give up even a sliver of a chance to win.

Tsukahara Meiji gritted his teeth and endured the pain, while repeatedly chanting in his heart: I must help Karl revive the Winsted Family!

The strong desire for the Holy Grail, considerable magical attainments, and the approaching battlefield of the Holy Grail War—with these three points converging...

Three crimson Command Spells finally appeared on Tsukahara Meiji's hand.

Karl breathed a sigh of relief, this was enough.

He didn't expect much from Tsukahara Meiji's usefulness. An amateur was an amateur; he couldn't be calculated as combat power. His greatest significance was to eliminate an enemy for Karl before the war began. Moreover, if used properly, he could directly use the Servant's Noble Phantasms to deal with other Masters.

Looking at the Command Spells on his hand, Karl finally showed a satisfied smile, "It seems we succeeded. Then let's confirm the battle procedure."

The other two items in Karl's arms had quite a history. However, due to time constraints, Karl had no time to explain them to Tsukahara Meiji when he got them, and immediately took him on a plane.

"Mhm, go ahead, go ahead."

Tsukahara Meiji was quite excited, his dark eyes shining with a bright sparkle—wasn't this a scene from a manga? About to embark on a journey to a foreign land and engage in battles with magic! This was a tried-and-true trope in shonen manga!

This made the passionate Magus, who even read manga at the Clock Tower, incredibly excited.

However, because he had just experienced that boiling torment, the black-haired youth was a bit weak. This couldn't be blamed on him; anyone would be weak after drowning, especially drowning in a pool of boiling water...

Furthermore, the moment he became a Master, basic information about the Holy Grail War flooded his mind. The fatigue from his body, combined with the fatigue of his brain suddenly acquiring a large amount of knowledge, almost made him faint!

However, after managing to hold on, his mind quickly cleared. He was clearly informed that a Catalyst was a "relic" related to the Servant's life, and that it must have a great origin and a wonderful story.

"When a Master summons a Servant, they will prioritize summoning a Servant with good compatibility with themselves. For example, in the Fourth Holy Grail War, Sir Kayneth, who craved victory, summoned Lancer, who yearned to offer the Holy Grail to his Master and fulfill his chivalric code. The serial killer Ryunosuke Uryu summoned Caster, who also had a obsession with killing. Secondly, they will prioritize summoning Servants related to the location of the war. However, there are two methods to change the 'possibility' of summoning a Servant in the Holy Grail War."

Karl, like a lecturer at the Clock Tower, raised the golden ring in his hand and continued to explain in a calm and wise voice.

"The first is to apply a Berserker incantation. As long as you add a special two-line chant in the summoning prayer when summoning a Servant, the summoned Servant will be given the 'Berserker' attribute. In other words, you are destined to summon a Servant in the Berserker class."

Berserker is a very special Servant class in the Holy Grail War. Any Servant can appear as Berserker, as long as a special berserker command is added to the summoning incantation. Anyone or any creature has the possibility of going berserk. Therefore, any Servant can be a Berserker.

It is worth mentioning that, because of this method, theoretically, there could be multiple Berserkers in the Holy Grail War.

"Mhm, mhm."

Tsukahara Meiji looked like a well-behaved model student, resting his arms on his knees, listening intently.

"The second is to prepare a Catalyst. The closer the connection to the Servant intended to be summoned, the more it can ignore the compatibility with the Master and forcibly summon the Servant closely related to the Catalyst. For example, in the Fourth Holy Grail War, Emiya Kiritsugu, as an assassin, was able to summon the Knight King Saber, which shows the power of a Catalyst. For this purpose, our trump card is—the Ring of the Nibelungen."

"Oh, oh, oh!"

Tsukahara Meiji applauded enthusiastically.

The name was too famous; even Tsukahara Meiji, who didn't understand foreign mythology, had heard of it.

This is a treasure quite famous in mythology.

He is the absolute protagonist in the story of the great hero Siegfried. (Also translated as Siegfrid, but I'm using the name everyone is more familiar with, and it's shorter for me to write.)

If this were used as a Catalyst, the Servant summoned would undoubtedly be related to the work "Song of the Nibelungen." It could be Siegfried, or perhaps the dragon Fafnir. Either way, they are both excellent Servants in terms of thaumaturgy.

A Servant's abilities depend on three aspects.

First, the Servant's own inherent abilities. There's nothing more to say about this, is there? The stronger the person, the stronger they are?

Second, their widely known legendary abilities. Many Servants, though not particularly remarkable in life, possess certain powers due to widespread misconceptions about them.

Third, their fame. This is also easy to understand. Otherwise, one could just invent an invincible destructive god that only they themselves know about and summon it as a Servant! It would be easy to obtain any Catalyst for it.

The more detailed the records of a Servant, the clearer their abilities become. The more "renowned" a Servant is, the more powerful they will be upon summoning.

If it were a "Servant known only to oneself," as in the example just given, it wouldn't even qualify to be a Servant in the field of thaumaturgy, let alone be summoned.

Of course, the best choice would be Siegfried. The swordsman who, according to legend, bathed in dragon's blood.

Legend says he possessed a body so tough that blades and arrows couldn't pierce it, and he could act as a shield for his Master when necessary. Wielding the great dragon-slaying sword Balmung, he possessed absolute combat superiority.

If it were the dragon Fafnir, known for its monstrous might, it would likely appear as a Berserker... The excellent abilities of the original dragon would receive a boost from the Berserker class. While difficult to control, if wielded properly, it would become an excellent instant bomb.

In comparison, the two at a disadvantage, Siegfried, who retains his sanity, is a better choice than an uncontrollable Berserker.

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

Tsukahara Meiji looked astonished. While Karl was explaining, he had specifically gone to Wikipedia to search for the Ring of the Nibelungen. The results only mentioned it as an opera and provided some excerpts. Since the Wikipedia entry was in English, the Japanese man looked dejected.

"No, that's just opera and legend. Besides, this ring is a replica. I condensed it myself by injecting magic into gold."

Karl calmly corrected him.

"...So it's useless then!"

Tsukahara Meiji was exasperated by his companion's overly calm refutation. "What do you mean by that!"

"No, Tsukahara. In the Holy Grail War, 'connectivity' is more crucial than the 'authenticity' of a Catalyst. Thaumaturgy itself involves considerable speculation and hypothesis. Moreover, Siegfried's story is an opera, infused with the romantic sentiment of the playwright, so there's no such thing as an 'authentic' item. The key is the replica of the Ring of the Nibelungen made of gold and its connection to the Siegfried we intend to summon. If we can truly summon the dragon-slayer, his abilities would likely include a dragon-blooded body, which would greatly compensate for the numerical disadvantage caused by insufficient magical power. Your survival rate would also increase."

"Wait?"

Karl's words had been fine until then, but Tsukahara Meiji suddenly sensed something amiss. "Me? I'm the one summoning Siegfried?!"

"Of course. Your power as a Master is too weak, so summoning a Saber, a class renowned for its powerful offensive capabilities, is the only viable option. The Saber class definitely possesses the Riding skill, which can also be applied to modern vehicles like motorcycles. This way, both your safety and our mobility will be guaranteed. As for me, I will be summoning Robin Hood. The legendary rogue. If my deductions are correct, using the oldest oak branch from Sherwood Forest should allow me to summon him. Renowned for his archery, he will undoubtedly appear as an Archer. Legend has it that as a hero who rebelled against tyranny, he possesses excellent combat support abilities, hiding in forests, specializing in stealth, reconnaissance, and archery. He will be our best helper in hunting enemy Masters."

As he said this, Karl took a breath, his expression showing a rare hint of distress. His lake-like eyes churned with ripples, and he bit his lip, his normally fair Caucasian complexion taking on a sickly pallor.

"As Masters, both you and I are weak. Not just in thaumaturgical skill, but also in 'backing.' Renowned magical families, like the Tohsaka or the Einzbern, have vast resources. They can freely procure the Catalysts they need and search for related items to aid their battles. We lack the time, energy, money, and connections. Therefore, in terms of Servant quality, we are inherently weaker than our enemies. As mages, I can only be considered average, and you are simply not up to par, putting us at another disadvantage. So, we must use our strengths to exploit their weaknesses."

"Oh, oh! I get it! An Archer with ample magical power is the scout! After scouting the enemy Master, my Saber will take care of them? I see! Even a third-rate mage like me can summon a Servant, and Servants are definitely stronger than mages! We'll use Saber to attack the enemy Master, force the enemy Servant into a close-quarters fight, and then snipe the Master at the opportune moment? What a brilliant plan! Just as expected of you, Karl!"

Tsukahara Meiji immediately understood his friend's meaning. Although his explanation was a bit jumbled, it generally aligned with Karl's plan.

"However, Tsukahara, I must ask you one more time. If you're worried about your life, you can still give up your Master authority now. This is not a game. You could really die."

Facing his companion's calm and pessimistic words, Tsukahara Meiji pretended not to hear and excitedly threw an arm around his friend's shoulders, frowning unhappily. "Don't be like that, it's making me uncomfortable."

"—So, our target is to snipe the Masters? No wonder you want to use Archer! Hey! You said you didn't want my help, but you still roped me into this, didn't you!!"

"Stop messing with my hair."

"I will! You tsundere!"

"This flight is now arriving at its final destination, Beijing, China. The outdoor temperature is..."

Timely, an automated voice prompt echoed through the cabin. Tsukahara Meiji knew he couldn't mess around anymore, 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'd be able to participate in such a magnificent gathering of mages! And..."

His dark eyes fixed on Karl's thin white coat.

If it's truly such a dangerous magical "war," how could I possibly let my savior, my best friend, face it alone!