I, Fu Yuan, Will Dominate the Holy Grail War

Fu Yuan wouldn't allow a beautiful woman he happened to meet to die under the jaws of a wolf.

"Just in time!"

Fu Yuan, who was galloping across the snow, arrived in front of Irisviel. Irisviel, with her hollow, crimson eyes, looked at the stranger who had suddenly appeared before her with a hint of surprise.

"Who are you?" Irisviel asked, bewildered.

This was near Einzbern castle, the place where Einzbern abandoned their failed creations. Normally, no one would be here.

"I'm just an ordinary passerby,"

Fu Yuan replied to her, his back to Irisviel. Then, looking at the pack of snow wolves lunging at them, he grinned and stomped his right foot.

Inch-force · Cloud Mist · Eight Directions Stance!

As Fu Yuan stomped down, the fluffy snow beneath him changed in a peculiar way, kicking up clumps as he stepped.

Though they looked like soft clumps of snow, when they struck the charging snow wolves, they inexplicably made the wolves howl in pain.

Like water droplets exploding from a pond, the scattered snow clumps tore through the snow wolves' fur and bodies. Scarlet blood splattered, dyeing the snow red, and a thick scent of blood filled the air.

The snow wolves running from behind saw this strange sight and hurriedly stopped. They then warily retreated and fled.

However, these wolves didn't leave entirely, and instead watched from about fifty meters away.

Fu Yuan glanced at the surviving snow wolves. Seeing the fear in their eyes, he no longer paid them any mind. He turned around to look at the woman he had just saved.

At close range, Fu Yuan recognized Irisviel instantly.

After all, Fu Yuan was very familiar with the characters who appeared in the Fourth Holy Grail War.

Upon realizing the person he had saved was Irisviel, Fu Yuan awkwardly averted his gaze.

Because this beautiful woman's clothes were in tatters, and some of her skin, whiter than the snow itself, was directly exposed to his sight.

Noticing Irisviel's tattered clothing, Fu Yuan, who had turned his head away, took off his cloak and draped it over her, covering the snow-white skin exposed on her body, as well as the shocking bloodstains.

Irisviel, who had fallen onto the snow, simply stared blankly at the man in front of her who had draped his cloak over her.

Fu Yuan looked at Irisviel, who was sitting on the snow. He squatted down and asked, "Why are you out here alone in this freezing weather?"

"It's my trial," Irisviel replied blankly.

"Trial?" Fu Yuan frowned in confusion.

"To prove my resilience, my grandfather, the clan head, placed me in the abandoned site for failed artificial lifeforms deep in the forest. If I can successfully return to Einzbern castle, I will be qualified to continue living and qualified to contribute to Einzbern's long-cherished wish."

Listening to Irisviel recount these events in a hollow, calm tone, Fu Yuan's frown deepened.

What Irisviel said touched upon a blind spot in Fu Yuan's knowledge. While he knew of Irisviel's existence, Fu Yuan was unaware that she would undergo such a cruel trial before the story began.

"That's truly hard to accept," Fu Yuan murmured softly.

"..." Irisviel stared blankly at Fu Yuan, then tilted her head. Her beautiful silver hair cascaded down with the movement.

Irisviel was confused. She didn't understand why Fu Yuan said that.

Because in Irisviel's eyes, and in the eyes of other artificial lifeforms in the Einzbern family, this was simply their destiny.

They existed solely to fulfill Einzbern's long-cherished wish.

If they lacked the ability to return to Einzbern castle, they were not qualified to live.

Wasn't that perfectly natural?

Here, it's worth mentioning the Einzbern family, a magus family.

Chapter 49: The Soft and Delicate Maiden [2]

The Einzbern family, a magus family that has existed since the first year of the Western calendar, is a magus family hidden deep within the world.

The mages of this family sought to recreate the legendary Third Magic.

However, despite countless hardships, the mages of this magus family could not recreate the 'Third Magic'.

Nearly nine hundred years later, an artificial lifeform known as the Holy Woman of Winter—Justiça—was created. She indeed possessed a flawed version of the Third Magic.

But the Holy Woman of Winter was created purely by chance, deviating from the mages' intentions.

Therefore, the mages began to desperately use their own technical systems to create artificial lifeforms that surpassed Justiça.

However, even with their utmost effort, the mages of the Einzbern family could not achieve such a feat.

Thus, yielding to the limitations of their own abilities, some mages chose to leave Einzbern castle, while others chose to end their own lives.

And what remained of the Einzbern family were merely the artificial lifeforms created by the Einzbern mages.

Even though the mages had left Einzbern in despair, these artificial lifeforms continued to operate.

As mere puppets, they continued to operate the workshop established for the salvation of humanity and the recreation of miracles, a concept the mages had steadfastly upheld.

This was the legendary 'Third Magic'.

The remaining puppets of Einzbern now operated solely for this wish.

This was Einzbern's long-cherished wish.

Currently, there were no mages left alive in the Einzbern family.

The family's operation was maintained by artificial lifeforms created by Mages.

Therefore, in the eyes of Irisviel and other artificial lifeforms, their lives and purpose were to exist solely to fulfill the Einzbern family's long-held wish.

If she couldn't return to Einzbern castle alive, it would mean Irisviel was a... failure.

Fu Yuan looked at the beautiful woman, dazed and vacant. He clicked his tongue and then extended his palm towards her as she sat slumped in the snow. "Let's go, I'll take you home."

Irisviel looked at the palm Fu Yuan was offering her, then murmured softly, "Home?"

"Yeah, the Einzbern castle you were just talking about. Don't you want to go back?"

"...I do."

"Then take my hand." Fu Yuan wiggled his palm.