Rebellious Master

While Abner and Tohsaka Rin were anxiously exchanging information, the person at the very core of it all—Tohsaka Mina—was sitting in a small restaurant, blissfully popping a pan-fried bun into her mouth.

For any girl, especially a foreign girl who loved to eat, Chinese cuisine was always a major topic.

Watching the master chef place one perfectly formed, plump, and adorable bun after another onto the round, griddle-like iron pan, directly observing their bottoms turn a golden-brown as they fried, and seeing handfuls of sesame seeds and chopped scallions sprinkled on top, Tohsaka Mina couldn't help but swallow. She silently praised her own excellent decision to eat something before summoning her Servant.

On the plastic signboard at the entrance, the four Chinese characters for "Shanghai Cuisine" were prominently displayed. For a foreigner, there were only a few famous Chinese cities: Beijing, Shanghai, and so on.

This was akin to advertising effects. Why did shops, knowing full well that viewers wouldn't pay much attention to TV commercials, still go all out to film them?

This was a result of psychological statistics: ordinary people are often more willing to buy things they've "heard of" when shopping. If there were two types of toothpaste, one being the heavily advertised "Black Person Toothpaste" and the other an unknown small brand, statistical results would show that the majority opted for the big brand.

Similarly, for a girl with no knowledge of China, hearing the name Shanghai evoked a sense of familiarity.

In stark contrast to her grandmother's flustered demeanor miles away, Tohsaka Mina's state could only be described as enjoyment. The beauty inherited from her grandmother, the soft blonde hair from her father, and the immense happiness brought by the food filling her stomach all made this young girl exude an undeniable, radiant brilliance.

Inside the perfectly crisp, pan-fried dough was rich pork filling. The sesame seeds sprinkled on top and the tongue-scalding meat juices created a stark contrast with the usual chill of a spring night, further amplifying her sense of happiness.

Happiness wasn't a static, unchanging state, but rather a constantly shifting dynamic, especially when it came to "contrast." Drinking water when thirsty, eating when hungry, finding a bed when tired—though mundane, this was happiness. Even though drinking water, eating, and sleeping weren't particularly happy events in themselves. The key was "contrast."

Strangely, even though it was past midnight, the time when the Leylines were most active, Tohsaka Mina showed no signs of urgency, as if missing the peak Leyline activity wasn't a big deal.

Ah, truly worthy of being the heir of the Tohsaka Family, the demeanor of a great mage family. Even without resorting to petty tricks, she could easily win the Holy Grail War. It must be with such a relaxed mindset that Tohsaka Mina was happily savoring snacks in the late night, right?

However, in the eyes of the shop owner, it was a different story. The elderly man frowned and spoke a string of Chinese words, his face full of concern. But Tohsaka Mina didn't understand a single word—she didn't speak Chinese, and even if she did, she wouldn't understand it. So why bother listening?

Seeing the old man's concerned expression, Mina guessed he probably thought she was a runaway and was trying to persuade her to go home.

There are more good people in the world than bad. She thought this, popped the last pan-fried bun from her plate into her mouth, mumbled a "Thank you" with her mouth full, and then, exhaling the scalding steam, paid and hurried away.

Qianxi City was cold in spring, but the heat boiling within the young girl's chest was enough to resist the harsh chill. The passion overflowing in her chest, ready to participate in the Holy Grail War, was enough to make her overlook everything else.

Like...

"Heh heh, in another hour, it'll be the best time for Leyline activity."

She confidently took out her smartphone. With a gentle tap of her slender, fair fingers, the smartphone recognized her fingerprint and quickly unlocked, displaying a handsome male movie star on the screen.

She confirmed the numbers on the screen. It was exactly 11:06 PM, still an hour away from midnight when the Leylines were most active! Relax, relax.

The Tohsaka Family's motto was to always maintain elegance. Therefore, Mina had specifically allocated an hour of free time to find a place with abundant Leyline energy to summon her Servant.

Of course, the Catalyst had long been prepared.

Making perfect preparations before the battle, yes, that was very much in the Tohsaka Family's style! Make all preparations for the fight, then participate elegantly, win the Holy Grail elegantly! And then elegantly earn her grandmother's acknowledgment as a fully capable Tohsaka Family magus! How elegant was that!

Mina's plump chest swelled with pride.

Indeed, this was very much in the Tohsaka Family's style.

Especially since Mina still hadn't realized that "China and Japan have different time zones."

Fifty years ago, when Tohsaka Rin summoned her Servant, Archer, she made a similar mistake. Due to magical power imbalance, her family's clock was fast by an hour—and then the young lady Tohsaka Rin completely forgot about it, causing her not to summon at her peak condition...

Even further back, her great-grandfather, Tohsaka Tokiomi, due to excessive pride and overconfidence in his "disciple," Kirei Kotomine, ultimately met his death at the hands of another.

The Tohsaka Family's motto (hidden version): They will always miss the most crucial detail at the most critical moment.

However, Mina wouldn't know any of these things.

Mina had done quite a lot today.

Buying a ticket from an automatic ticket machine at the airport was itself a headache. It seemed that her grandmother had passed down not only her beauty to Mina but also her lack of skill with machinery. Even with the help of friendly airport staff, Mina was almost brought to tears by the high-tech equipment.

Then, finding the boarding gate was an even more agonizing task. The crowded airport hall was like a labyrinth made of people, and Mina almost missed her flight.

Then, as soon as she got off the plane, she started looking for a Catalyst, and only now did she have time to eat something to fill her rumbling stomach.

Mina had thought it through clearly: if she tried to find a Catalyst in Japan, she would likely be caught by her grandmother, and then her grandmother wouldn't let her run around anymore. If she wanted her grandmother to acknowledge her independence, that would still be a long way off!

Therefore, she decided to head straight to the battlefield and find a Catalyst there. She had heard that China was an ancient civilization with countless museums and exhibitions, so she would look for it then.

The moment she became a Master, she gained the corresponding [Basic Knowledge], and was well aware of the supplementary effect of [Fame] on a Servant's power. Since the battlefield was in China, it was natural to summon a Chinese Servant to be widely known.

Mina tightly clutched the item wrapped in yellow cloth in her arms, giggling as she walked towards a Leyline convergence point.

It was a coronet.

In ancient China, it was an ornament used by men to tie their hair.

The golden exterior was adorned with exquisite patterns, and just looking at it conveyed the fineness of its craftsmanship.

This was Mina's theft... no, this was what Mina had exchanged without the original owner's knowledge, while the original owner and security weren't looking.

The reason for obtaining this coronet was quite convoluted.

Mina acquired it from a "Three Kingdoms exhibition." She infiltrated it under the cover of night using magic. The strict security system was utterly defenseless against magic, which completely disregarded scientific principles. Mina slipped in with ease.

Even in Germany, Mina had heard of the novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, which showed its fame. It was said that perhaps someone in China hadn't read the Three Kingdoms, but no one didn't know about it.

This meant that no matter which general from the Three Kingdoms she summoned, she would receive the [Fame] bonus, transforming them into a peerless warrior.

What's more...

Even though Mina was Japanese... no, it was precisely because Mina was Japanese that she was very familiar with Three Kingdoms culture, especially through anime and games.

Lu Bu Fengxian, hailed as the peerless warrior of the world, was her target. What she held in her hands was the coronet she had secretly swapped from there.

If you read a lot of manga, you can recognize simple kanji like "Three Kingdoms" and "Lu Bu."

Of course, Mina didn't take it for free. She used her specialty, transference magic, to simulate a crown with a yellow gem she carried and placed it on top. As long as no one touched it personally, no one would discover the problem.

With this golden crown, she was sure to summon the most formidable general of the Three Kingdoms! Then, the Holy Grail would be hers for the taking!

Thinking this, Tohsaka Mina quickened her pace, almost skipping!

And so, not long after, Qianxi City gained a new urban legend: a red female ghost that hopped around late at night, emitting eerie giggles. It was said you absolutely shouldn't approach her. In short, it was a legend of that sort.

But that's a story for another time.

Incidentally, if Mina knew a few more Chinese characters, she would have known that the banner at the exhibition read "2045 Edition 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms' Prop Exhibition Hall," which was actually just a publicity stunt to boost ratings for the drama's rerun.

The crown in her hand was merely a prop from the drama. It wasn't worth her expending so much effort to exchange for with a gem. Its actual value was six thousand yen. Even if the owner tried to rip her off, she could have gotten it for thirty thousand yen at most, which was nowhere near the value of the gem brimming with magic.

However, when summoning a Servant, "connection" is more important than "authenticity."

At present, Mina had arrived at the convergence point of the Leylines. After setting up a barrier to ward off onlookers, she began her summoning process methodically.

The pan-fried buns she had just eaten were filling her stomach, slowly converting into her energy. Blazing mana surged through her magic circuits. In the center of the summoning circle, the golden crown was placed. Mina's abundant mana flowed along the formation's paths, converging into it.

The incantation was flawless, her pronunciation clear. Before the summoning, she had also taken special care of her appearance, ensuring she would leave a good first impression on the Servant.

Perfect.

Aside from the time difference between China and Japan, Tohsaka Mina's preparations were flawless.

"—By the three pronouncements of your Great Words, from the Wheel of Heaven, guardian of the scales!"

She completed the incantation perfectly. Her qualification as one of the Three Families of the Holy Grail War was definitely not for show.

The torrent of mana was even more exaggerated than during Tsukahara Meiji's summoning.

If Archer's appearance had stirred up a storm, then Mina's summoning was calling forth a tsunami.

Tidal waves of mana surged out from the formation like a fountain, scattering wildly. The torrent of earth-yellow mana, mixed with a fire-like heat, caused Mina's flowing blonde hair to whip around, tracing dazzling arcs in the air.

In this seemingly endless ocean of mana, the sound of hoofbeats was the only melody.

Crushing the dust, the jet-black hooves were adorned with crimson hair.

It was a magnificent horse, two meters tall, its powerful muscles rippling with a roaring might. Its long neck was draped with soft, crimson mane, some of which was held back by an ornate saddle. Further back, a man sat astride the horse. He was so tall, like a god, his entire being radiating a brilliant glow from the abundant mana.

Clad in ornate armor, with beast heads adorning his shoulders, he embodied extravagance. In his hand, he held a uniquely shaped "long spear." The heroic figure, brimming with power, charged forward on his steed. As he approached, his horse's hooves struck, shattering the very ground. Facing this sight, even a newborn calf unafraid of tigers would feel a sense of awe.

"Lu Bu Fengxian, peerless under heaven—I answer the summons as Rider. Heh… the one who summoned me seems to be a rather cute Master."