Medea Lily

Kiritsugu Emiya's face changed dramatically. His originally composed expression vanished completely, and his complexion turned grim. He slammed a hand on the table, rose to his feet, and stared fixedly at the young man on the other side of the computer. "How did you know?! There shouldn't have been a second person in the world who knew about this. I did write an operation report, but I never sent it out. Where did you learn about it?"

Mo Li said faintly, "Kiritsugu Emiya, there's plenty more that I know. How I know it and where I learned it aren't important at all. What matters is that I can help you. I can clear your name. There's no need to keep carrying unnecessary infamy, right?"

"...What do you want?"

"All I want is your cooperation, nothing more. Of course, if you want your wife to die late into the Holy Grail War, then I don't mind either."

Kiritsugu Emiya studied Mo Li seriously, but he could not find even the slightest hint of a joke on his face. "Fine," he said.

Just as Mo Li nodded, a crisp, childish voice suddenly rang out beside him.

"Brother Mo Li, the magic circle is finished!"

Mo Li looked at Caren. "Mm. We'll summon later, once we're sure we can summon the Caster we need."

Kiritsugu Emiya was slightly dazed as he listened to their conversation. That voice sounded like it belonged to a girl about his daughter's age, didn't it? Why was he involving her in the Holy Grail War instead of taking his younger sister away from Fuyuki City?

Was the Holy Grail really worth staying behind to fight over and repair?

"Then that's that."

After ending the call, Kiritsugu Emiya went off with a heavy heart to search for records concerning Angra Mainyu.

Mo Li said, "Caren and I have Berserker and Caster reserved. Unless something unexpected happens, Tokiomi Tohsaka will summon Gilgamesh as Archer. The Einzbern Family will probably choose a Saber-class Heroic Spirit. Kirei Kotomine should be Assassin, focused on self-preservation. That leaves the two uncertain variables: Kayneth and Waver Velvet. Waver is easy enough, but I have no idea what Kayneth is planning. We have to stop him at the first opportunity."

Caren asked curiously, "Kayneth? Waver? They're participants too?"

"Yeah. I have ways to deal with them too. If nothing goes wrong, everything will proceed normally. Purifying the Holy Grail's corruption won't be much of a problem. Berserker's consumption is high, so I can only handle that one myself. Caren, summon Caster first."

Mo Li had no intention of adding the Madness Enhancement Incantation and wiping out what little sanity Berserker Lancelot had left, just like in the original work. Berserkers like Lancelot, who had truly lost their minds, were a rare minority.

Kiyohime's madness manifested as obsession. Rider next door looked far more normal and could communicate normally. Even Berserker Heracles had listened to Illya's suggestion to buy batteries, could read the words on notes, and could understand what Cú Chulainn said. Only Lancelot was utterly impossible to communicate with.

Mo Li suspected that this was not Berserker Lancelot's own problem, but the result of the Madness Enhancement Incantation that old worm had added.

After all, in order to sell characters better, the Type-Moon World had long since changed the setting for the Berserker Class. Only some early Berserkers, such as Lancelot, Heracles, and Lu Bu, had gotten screwed over. Most other Berserkers could communicate to some extent.

Since Tian Nü Ba had mentioned the Servant Hub, this Type-Moon World had definitely adopted the revised setting. Mo Li's suspicions shifted directly from the foundations of the world to the Madness Enhancement Incantation. It was precisely this incantation that sacrificed Berserker Lancelot's sanity in exchange for another increase in all his attributes.

There was no helping it. Kariya Matou was too weak, and the Berserker Lancelot he summoned would be weak as well. So he could only take a shortcut through cheating. That was also why he had delayed his summoning for so long—he was waiting until Berserker was the only class left.

Caren, who had been looking at the magic circle on the floor, was startled. "Huh? I'm going first?"

"Of course you are. Here, this is the catalyst I found over the past year. If we're lucky, it should be able to summon Medea." Mo Li took out an item suspected to be Medea's catalyst and handed it to Caren.

Medea could clearly analyze the Greater Grail system, so there was no need to gamble on other possibilities. Otherwise, he could have simply taken a copy of Journey to the West and attempted a targeted summoning of Xuanzang Sanzang.

After listening to Caren finish the summoning chant, Mo Li realized that the figure appearing seemed slightly off. It did not appear to be in the state he had expected.

Mo Li looked down at the summoned Heroic Spirit: flowing purple hair, and a staff in her hand that stood even taller than she did.

"Medea..." Mo Li spoke her name in a complicated tone. Why wasn't it the adult Medea? Why had another little girl been added to his household?

Medea Lily, who was only a little taller than Caren, looked up at Mo Li. "Eh? Um... please take care of me!"

The corner of Mo Li's eye twitched a few times. "...Mm. We'll need to work together closely over the next few days."

Medea saw Caren and confirmed that she was her Master. She immediately said happily, "Mm! Though my strength is limited, I'll work hard to be useful! I never expected the one who summoned me to be such a young Master. Hello, Master~"

"Hello, Sister Medea~ My name is Caren."

After the two had introduced themselves, Mo Li spoke again. "Medea, your duty is to protect Caren. Also, this Holy Grail War is being fought with the goal of purifying the corrupted Holy Grail. So I need you to analyze the entire Greater Grail system as it currently stands and prepare for All the World's Evil that corrupted it."

"Eh?" Medea looked at Mo Li curiously. "The Holy Grail has been corrupted? Honestly, I have a wish I want fulfilled too..."

"Can't be helped. Angra Mainyu was summoned in the previous war, after all."

"Angra Mainyu? Who had such an idea?"

"Apparently the Einzbern Family. They always want to try something unusual."

Medea sighed. "Humans... So, where do I start with analyzing the Greater Grail system?"

Mo Li began explaining the two portions handled by the Matou Family and the Tohsaka Estate. Though she was little Medea, that did not prevent her from possessing abilities equal to those of adult Medea. Heroic Spirits resided in the Hall of Heroes, and the Hall of Heroes existed beyond time itself. Only their appearances differed; the abilities they knew were actually the same, though whether they could use them depended on whether their class allowed it.

For instance, Caster Medea could not use the Golden Fleece.

While Mo Li and the others began to busy themselves, the others gradually began their own summonings as well.

Mo Li took out two Heavenly Halberds. He glanced at Lu Bu's, then brought the two Heavenly Halberds close together. The Five Divine Weapons of War abruptly turned into light and shadow, as though being absorbed, and merged into the other Heavenly Halberd.

Medea, who was analyzing the Greater Grail system yet still had the capacity to pay attention here, said, "Eh? What happened? It feels like something really amazing disappeared!"

Mo Li said, "It did disappear. I fused that thing with my weapon."

Medea looked over. "Fused? What effect does it have?"

"My weapon became stronger, and it also gained the fused weapon's abilities."

"That's amazing!"

A day later.

Artoria watched Kiritsugu Emiya outside as he took his daughter to look for Hu Tao Dongya, recalling what the man had told her when she was summoned: that something unexpected had happened in this Holy Grail War.

It seemed that the Holy Grail War being unable to proceed normally had brought him some relief, as though he had made up his mind about something.

"Saber, are you still troubled by what Kiritsugu told you?" Irisviel asked as she poured tea, noticing that Artoria still seemed distracted.

Artoria's voice was bitter. "Yes... After all, if the Holy Grail can't be used, wouldn't that disappoint a great many people...?"

Irisviel sat down in a chair, clasping her hands together. "There's nothing to be done about that. The previous war summoned Angra Mainyu, after all. If the head of the local family hadn't informed us, we never would have known there was a problem with the Holy Grail system. To be honest, even the old man was quite startled by the situation."

"Angra Mainyu..." Artoria clenched her hand tighter. This was the first time she had answered a summons, yet the outcome was so disappointing.

Irisviel said, "By the way, Saber, the legend of you as King Arthur has always been famous. Why doesn't it seem like you're happy about that identity? Ever since you were summoned yesterday, and Kiritsugu told you there was a problem with the Holy Grail, you've been acting strangely."

Artoria remained silent. She had only just emerged from the Battle of Camlann and was at the point in her life when she most doubted herself. That was why she wanted the Holy Grail—to use that omnipotent wish-granting device to choose a more suitable king anew.

Rather than answer, Artoria asked, "Why does Kiritsugu seem somewhat displeased with me? Is it because of my identity?"

Hearing that, Irisviel's tone became hurried. "Absolutely not! If he really is angry, then it must be for some other reason."

Artoria turned to look at Irisviel. "Another reason?"

Knowing Kiritsugu Emiya better than anyone, Irisviel sighed. "He's probably angry at those around you—the cruel people who placed the responsibility of a king upon a young girl."

"There was no other choice. From the moment I drew the Sword in the Stone, I had already made up my mind."

"It's precisely because you accepted your fate so readily that it makes him even angrier."

"...That is merely unnecessary sentiment. He has no right to criticize my era, or the judgments made by everyone in it, myself included."

"That is why he remains silent."

Artoria fell silent for a moment, then asked, "The person in Fuyuki City who informed you that there was a problem with the Holy Grail—does he truly have the ability to repair it?"

"I believe so," Irisviel said. "After all, there are only three families who created the Holy Grail system. If our three families work together, repairing the Holy Grail should not be difficult."

"Should?"

"Yes... The results aren't in yet, after all. We can't be sure just how bad the situation is, much less how troublesome it will be to repair."