The Second Participant

While Abner and Tohsaka Rin were talking, neither of them noticed the pair of jet-black eyes at the door, gleaming with interest.

"Hehe... the Holy Grail War? I heard something interesting!"

The owner of those beautiful black eyes, the future mistress of this Magic Workshop, Tohsaka Mina, wore a sly smile. Her gem-like dark eyes darted back and forth in their sockets.

Anyone familiar with her knew that expression meant this eccentric girl was cooking up some mischief.

Let's explain this one thing at a time.

First, how had Tohsaka Mina learned about the conversation between the two people inside?

As a renowned "witch" in the Magic World, Tohsaka Rin naturally understood magecraft well enough not to speak with Abner without taking precautions.

Putting aside whether Tohsaka Mina had the ability to break Rin's Soundproof Barrier, if she had truly made a move, Rin could not possibly have failed to notice.

That was all thanks to Mina's grandfather.

"Mina, secretly listen to what's happening inside. Once your grandmother calms down, hurry over and apologize, okay? Your grandmother is always saying things she doesn't mean. As long as you apologize properly, she'll definitely forgive you."

Those were Mina's grandfather's exact words.

When Mina had first arrived, having grown accustomed to living abroad, she had been unable to fit into the Tohsaka Family's old-fashioned yet elegant magical lifestyle and frequently caused trouble. It was also clear that Rin's temperament had inherited the Tohsaka clan's age-old rigidity and inflexibility, and she often got into arguments with Mina.

Whenever the two erupted into a fight, Grandfather would wear a bitter yet warm expression, furrowing his brow in distress as he tried to ease the conflict between them. To that end, he had secretly installed an electronic bug near the balcony where Rin spent most of her time.

Magecraft and science were fundamentally incompatible. Magi generally looked down on science. Rin was someone who could not even get used to the latest smartphones, let alone such a high-tech listening device. Even now, she had yet to notice that such a tiny thing had appeared within her territory.

Then, whenever Rin got angry, Grandfather would tell Mina those words before slipping onto the balcony like a cat. With a placating smile and a gentle voice, he would comfort Rin. Once he heard that Grandmother was no longer angry, Mina would come out and obediently apologize.

Through the two of them's meticulous cooperation, Rin had become increasingly helpless when it came to her granddaughter.

Today... Mina had benefited from that arrangement.

At first, she had only been listening out of curiosity, just for fun. She had never expected to overhear something this interesting.

"Grandmother can't go... then as the next head of the Tohsaka Family, Tohsaka Mina naturally has a duty to step up!"

She thumped her rather ample chest with a small fist, making it tremble in a beautiful curve. Her youthful face was filled with confidence and pride.

If she could obtain the Holy Grail! Even Grandmother would not be able to bully her by saying, "You still have a long way to go," right?

Thinking that, Tohsaka Mina puffed out her rather ample chest once more.

For a girl of only seventeen, Mina was already quite fully developed.

Moreover, at her grandmother's insistence, Mina had begun practicing the Chinese martial art Baji Quan from a young age. Years of training had given her long limbs and a slender figure admired by her peers.

Having perfectly inherited her grandmother's almost bewitching beauty, she had also inherited her father's dazzling blond hair. Coupled with a lifestyle as elegant as that of British aristocracy and excellent academic performance, all of it had made her something of a renowned beauty.

Perhaps because of her bloodline, Mina, like her grandmother, had a particular fondness for red. Today, she wore a red jacket over a black tank top. To secretly follow a fashion trend, she had tied the hem of the tank top into a knot, and together with the open front of her jacket, it framed a lovely triangle of exposed skin. Below that was a black athletic skirt held in place by the red, followed by black stockings and small leather shoes.

No matter who looked at her, she was a beautiful and well-proportioned young girl.

Under the Tohsaka Family's teachings, Tohsaka Mina possessed the same elegant manner as Tohsaka Rin had in her youth... along with a bellyful of little schemes.

In the midst of her rebellious phase, every carefully completed magecraft assignment she presented was dismissed by her grandmother with a single sentence: "You still have a long way to go." Mina had become increasingly unwilling to accept it. Especially today—wanting to give her grandmother a big surprise, she had secretly stored magical energy in a gemstone the day before, yet she had still received the same evaluation: "You still have a long way to go"...

It had clearly been a work she was confident in, yet it seemed that Grandmother's only evaluation was always those same five words: "You still have a long way to go." Children at that age always longed for independence, for maturity, to become the person they imagined themselves to be.

Naturally, Mina wanted her grandmother's recognition as soon as possible.

She had heard about the Holy Grail War many times.

Unlike Grandmother, who never mentioned it, Grandfather often told Mina stories about the Holy Grail War after meals. He told her about the world of magi. Of course, he also told her how he had met Grandmother during the Holy Grail War and eventually fallen in love with her.

Of course, Tohsaka Mina had not come up with this idea on a whim.

First! Her talent for magecraft was unquestionably real!

Though she was "slightly" inferior to Grandmother, she was far stronger than Grandfather!

Grandfather and Grandmother had both been participants in the Holy Grail War,

and they had continued training for another forty or fifty years afterward. Even so, Mina was still stronger than Grandfather! By that logic, the Holy Grail War participants were just people with Grandmother and Grandfather's abilities reduced by several decades! Easy!

Such was the simple thought process of a child.

If Tohsaka Mina had interacted with many magi, perhaps her thinking would have changed.

Unfortunately, after the Greater Grail had been dismantled, Tohsaka Rin had gradually withdrawn from the Mage World. By the time Mina came to the Tohsaka estate, Rin had completely cut off contact with magi. Let alone magi her own age, Mina had barely even seen any older ones.

With Mina's simple way of thinking, it was only natural for her to develop the misconception that all magi in the world were like that.

Second! Tohsaka Mina had her own trump card as well!

In her room, she carefully opened an exquisite jewelry box. Resting quietly on blue velvet lining was a garnet necklace. Red and blue intertwined into a hazy purple, dazzlingly beautiful.

Kiss of Twilight.

The finest embodiment of the Tohsaka Family's gem magecraft.

One of the thirty gemstones secretly kept by the witch Tohsaka Rin. It was said to be a garnet Grandfather had given Rin to commemorate a certain event.

From the time Grandmother was twenty, she had continuously poured magical energy into it every day. It was no exaggeration to say that this gemstone contained more than forty years' worth of Tohsaka Rin's magical energy. When Mina was eight, Grandmother had given it to her as a gift, partly as a means of protecting herself.

Tohsaka Rin might not have been the strongest Magus, but even so, forty years of accumulated magical energy was not something ordinary people could withstand. Once released, even a servant in the Holy Grail War would find it difficult to escape unscathed.

It was a little regrettable that it could only be used once...

But! A trump card was meant to be used when necessary!

That was what Mina had learned while playing poker with Grandfather. Whenever she drew a powerful hidden card, she always wanted to save it for the most crucial moment... then she would keep missing opportunities, and when Grandfather finally turned the game around, she would still be holding that most important card in her hand.

A hidden card was meant to be played!

The Holy Grail War was absolutely a stage worthy of it!

Tohsaka Mina! She was about to step onto the world stage!

Win the Holy Grail War... no, even if she did not win, as long as she defeated one or two servants in the Holy Grail War, Grandmother would definitely praise her!

Just imagining Grandmother's icy face breaking into a smile, her eyes like the most magnificent gems narrowing softly with warmth as she said, "Mina, you're amazing. You've become a Magus worthy of the Tohsaka name," it would surely be the best scene ever!

The more she thought about it, the hotter her heart became, and the deeper the smile on Tohsaka Mina's lips grew. After quickly packing some clothes, she wished she could sprout wings and fly to China.

Of course, she did not know the way—could anyone expect a high school girl who had never even left Fuyuki City to know how to get to China?! So even if she grew wings, it would be useless. She still had to brace herself and deal with the airport's automatic ticket machine.

In that regard, she truly resembled her grandmother—she was not good at handling machines. Still, she had heard that airport staff were all very helpful, so there had to be a way, right?

Fortunately, because Fuyuki City had developed so quickly, it had an airport within the city. As long as she changed planes once, she would surely arrive soon...

"Ah... it hurts..."

Just as Mina was planning out her bright future, her right hand suddenly hurt! A burning sensation, as if a red-hot iron rod had been injected through her veins and into the back of her hand! Along with that searing heat, three crimson marks as vivid as blood formed on the back of her hand.

Though she had never seen them before, after hearing Abner and Tohsaka Rin's conversation, Mina quickly understood that these were the so-called Command Spells.

In the original Holy Grail War, Tohsaka, Matou, and Einzbern were known as The Three Families. During every Holy Grail War, qualified masters would be selected from these three families first. Now, Mina's fighting spirit ignited.

Her magecraft was no slouch, and she had the bloodline of The Three Families. Naturally, she had immediately been chosen by the Holy Grail.

"Just as I thought! Even the Holy Grail acknowledges me! Hehe, now Grandmother will definitely praise me properly! Hehe, when the time comes, I'll elegantly tell her that I've long since become a Magus who can stand on her own!"

After expressing her resolve one last time, Tohsaka Mina giggled and rushed out of the house.

Naturally... the Tohsaka Family's fortress-level security system noticed this and faithfully reported that the young lady had run out to Tohsaka Rin.

Where is that child running off to play again...? Honestly, as a member of the Tohsaka Family, she's still so playful every day...

Tohsaka Rin was discussing serious matters with Abner, yet as she inwardly complained about her granddaughter's childish nature, faint ripples formed between her brows.

"What is it?"

Abner keenly noticed the subtle change in Rin's expression and asked with concern.

"Nothing. Just a family matter."

Tohsaka Rin shook her head. It was not the first or second time Mina had run out to fool around. There were important matters to deal with this time, so she would let her go. She could punish her when she returned.

With that thought, Tohsaka Rin turned her attention back.

"...Continue. What kind of Heroic Spirit do you want to summon as your servant?"