Einzbern's Arrangements

A night passed.

At 8:10 in the morning, Mo Li woke up. He glanced at Medea, who was sleeping beside him with her arms around him, brushed aside her hair, then looked at the delicate arm and leg draped over him and sighed. Holding her, he began to think about a few things.

It could be said that nothing had happened. He had listened to Medea tell stories for several hours, until she grew tired and fell asleep.

In Mo Li's eyes, Medea's plight was a tragedy. As far as Medea herself was concerned, Aphrodite, the Greek God of Love, had been the driving force behind her ridiculous and tragic life.

And when it came to Aphrodite, the Greek God of Love, Chaos and the Greek fleet had to be considered as well.

If he still possessed the authority over his own land, he could consider clashing with a few gods. But that authority was already gone!

The Greek gods of the Moon World might not have been as outrageous as those of mythological Greece, but that was merely the difference between fifty steps and a hundred. Even setting aside Medea's own rather ruthless nature, and the fact that touching Medea meant getting tangled up with the Greek side...

Well, he still had to take those things into account. A brain was a useful thing, after all.

"Mm..." Medea woke as well. Still bleary-eyed, she saw Mo Li deep in thought, wrapped her arms around his neck, and leaned in for a kiss.

Mo Li held a hand against Medea's forehead. "Leaving aside your current form, Medea, you should understand that we're merely travelers who happened to spend a few days together. At most, we've just been living together for the past few days. Doing this would undoubtedly be unwise."

"Don't demean yourself, Medea..."

The moment he finished speaking, Mo Li regretted it. Just as expected, tears welled up in Medea's eyes.

"A witch like me can still receive such concern..."

At that moment, Mo Li felt that keeping his mouth shut would be best. If he kept talking, he would have to dig a hole and bury himself in it.

Mo Li simply changed the subject and wiped away Medea's tears. "It's time to get up. Or are you planning to lie here a while longer?"

"I actually studied the phrases from your side properly. For example, 'a day's plan begins in the morning,' and also, 'in broad day...'"

Mo Li stared speechlessly at Medea as her voice gradually trailed off.

Seeing Mo Li's gaze, Medea blushed crimson and said no more.

"Anyway, don't overthink it... And get up. Though I don't want rumors spreading everywhere, honestly, perhaps I shouldn't have gone along with your idea yesterday."

"Even if you hadn't accepted me, I still would've launched a night raid~"

"That's exactly why I accepted. Otherwise, things really would have become troublesome."

"Good morning, Senior Mo..." Mash Kyrielight called out in greeting. During breakfast, she deliberately—or perhaps not so deliberately—sat as close to Mo Li as possible and sniffed. Other than Medea Lily's fragrance lingering all over him, she found nothing.

Mo Li put a piece of braised pork into his mouth. "Good morning, Mash."

On the other side, Ritsuka Fujimaru sat beside Medea. Nothing seemed outwardly wrong with him, but the thoughtful expressions that occasionally crossed his face showed that he cared about certain things.

Caren looked at the four of them strangely, feeling as though something was off, yet also as though nothing was.

After breakfast.

Ritsuka Fujimaru and Mash Kyrielight gathered by the window and chatted.

Ritsuka Fujimaru said, "We didn't find anything? Looks like nothing happened yesterday after all."

Mash said, "Yes. There weren't any abnormalities in either scent or behavior, so nothing should have happened. I originally thought Miss Medea and Senior Mo might have a more intimate relationship, but it doesn't seem to be the case now."

Ritsuka Fujimaru thought aloud, "So are the two of us an exception? If they really had the intimate relationship we guessed they did, then they were together all night and yet nothing happened. That doesn't make sense. But if they weren't that close, how could Miss Medea have done something like that?"

Mash thought over the myths concerning Medea. "This is so strange... I have no idea at all. Then it seems that nothing happened after all. In other words, maybe one slept in the bed while the other slept on the sofa or something. If they truly had the kind of relationship we suspected, it definitely wouldn't have been like that. We guessed wrong."

"What are you two talking about?" Mo Li walked over.

Ritsuka Fujimaru put on a serious expression. "Ah! Nothing!"

Mash, on the other hand, blushed a little. They had just been discussing someone else's private matters.

"We're getting ready to leave. Kiritsugu Emiya and the others have returned as well."

"Okay! Let's go, Senior Mo!"

"...There's one more thing to do before we leave."

Mo Li returned to his room. He looked at Medea, who was sitting at the desk and tying up her hair while looking into a mirror, then went over to the computer desk and turned on the computer.

Ritsuka Fujimaru and Mash Kyrielight entered somewhat awkwardly and watched the communication screen appear on the computer. It showed an unfamiliar, strange old man.

Mo Li greeted him. "Good morning, old head of the Einzbern Family."

The old man's expression darkened. "Good morning? Hmph. You sent Berserker to help those two rebellious fools of my family take their child away. What exactly are you trying to do? Do you no longer wish to preserve the alliance among the Three Great Families?"

Mo Li replied calmly, "It is precisely because I want to preserve the alliance that I helped them bring Illya back. Only on my side will the Einzbern Family be safe. As for your turning Illya into a new Lesser Grail, the reason they did not directly move to wipe out the Einzbern Family was because I persuaded them not to."

Medea, having finished tying her hair, also came over and curiously glanced at the previous head of the Einzbern Family.

The old man snorted. "Hmph, then tell me: what reason could possibly have made you ruin my plan so thoroughly? You even had them leave a letter for me on your behalf. If I hadn't been waiting for your explanation, those two rebels would already have been expelled from the Einzbern Family!"

Mo Li said lightly, "The United States has already taken an interest in our Greater Grail system. In less than twenty years, they'll take the opportunity to dismantle our Greater Grail system and build one of their own. If your Einzbern Family continues displaying the Greater Grail and Lesser Grail techniques you're so proud of, it won't be long before you're swallowed up as well."

Though the counterfeit had not yet happened, that did not stop Mo Li from giving spoilers. Besides, the Greater Grail really was dismantled not long after the Fifth Holy Grail War. Every word he said was the truth.

"What?!"

Those lightly spoken words struck the old family head like the heaviest thing in the world, leaving him utterly dazed. He had never imagined that the Greater Grail system built by the Three Great Families would draw the attention of that major power.

Mo Li revealed a mocking smile. "That country has its own internal and external troubles. Did you really think that a Holy Grail War victor being able to grant any wish would only appeal to certain people? In truth, that country is extremely interested as well. If no one had failed to win the Holy Grail War so far, and no one had failed to successfully make a wish, then the Holy Grail War and the Three Great Families would have disappeared long ago."

"That was only because no one had ever succeeded, which was why it dragged on until now. But the prospect of granting wishes is simply too tempting. The Three Great Families only made small-scale attempts in a little place like Japan and achieved nothing, but the United States could expand it on a far greater scale, invest more resources, and arrange the personnel however it wished. As long as victory could grant a wish, wouldn't it be useful no matter how it was applied? It would be best if the Three Great Families could be absorbed. If not, then they had to be made to disappear. So I have a question for you: are you willing to bow your head and be their dog?"

As a local German magician family, the old head of the Einzbern Family's expression had turned utterly grim. "Evidence. I need evidence."

The implications of this were far too serious—so serious that he did not dare trust anyone lightly, including their ancient allies, the Matou Family.

Mo Li smiled. "Evidence? I have plenty. Computer transmission isn't secure, though. When will the Einzbern Family send someone to collect it?"

Although the counterfeit had not yet begun, there were already signs of it. For some matters, signs alone were enough.

The old family head's face remained grim. "Those two rebellious ones. After the Holy Grail War ends, have them bring your evidence back as soon as possible. If everything you said is true, I will not pursue anything they have done. I will acknowledge them and permit them to establish an entirely new branch of the Einzbern Family outside."

"As for this place, it will continue to exist as the main house. Fulfilling our long-cherished wish through the Greater Grail is a goal I must pursue, but the Einzbern Family must also endure. Since, as the current heads of the Einzbern Family, their ideals conflict with mine, then let them establish a branch outside. They will have access to the resources possessed by the main house as well. It will depend on whether they dare return again."

"Alright." Mo Li was not surprised by the old Einzbern family head's decision. If he wanted both to pursue his long-cherished wish and ensure the family's continuation, then such a choice was perfectly normal.

The old family head cut off the communication. He could not fully trust Mo Li, so he intended to use the Einzbern Family's own connections to investigate the matter himself.

Ritsuka Fujimaru was somewhat stunned. "He agreed that easily?"

"Of course," Mo Li said. "What else could an ancient German magician family like his do if it refused?"

Being targeted by that country was unfortunate, but the ability to grant any wish truly was too outrageous. Although Third Magic Heaven's Feel was only positioned as mid-to-high tier in the Moon World—perhaps merely mid-tier, to put it bluntly—it was still the thing modern humanity desired most.

A universal wish-granting machine was no empty claim.

Mo Li sent everyone a message telling them to gather at the Einzbern castle, then shut down his computer and stood up. "Let's go. We're heading to the Einzbern Family's castle here."

Medea said, "So Kiritsugu Emiya and the others are over there now?"

"Yeah," Mo Li said.