Shirou's Return From the Fae Kingdom

Under Queen Morgan's wise rule, Britain will become a gentle land, a paradise filled with joy, happiness, equality, and beauty.

Though incredibly difficult to achieve, Shirou believed: if anyone could do it, it would be her, who was kinder than anyone else.

Because, this was Shirou and Morgan's... their own personal utopia.

"Sigh..."

Shirou sighed as he left the bedroom and entered the living room.

He still hadn't figured out why he'd been chosen by the Command Spells.

It was Sunday, so there were no classes at school, meaning he could be a little lazy.

He'd muddle through the morning and then gather Tsuruno Matou in the evening to discuss countermeasures further.

"Shirou! You're up so late, I'm starving!"

Taiga Fujimura impatiently tapped her rice bowl with her chopsticks, urging him on.

"Good morning, Brother Shirou, I've come to play."

Sakura Matou sat down as naturally as a member of the household, offering him a sweet and cute smile.

Shirou: "..."

The young boy, only eight years old, felt the weight of being the head of the household for the first time since returning to this world.

The "refuge" he had finally found had to be protected by him.

While this might not be called a wish, the desire to protect everyone was absolutely genuine.

Shirou wasn't the type to avoid reality either.

There were still a few months until the official opening. Since the Command Spells had already appeared in his hand, the only thing he could do was prepare actively.

First, preparations for summoning a Servant.

Second, investigate the other participating Magus and monitor the only enemy currently known—the Tohsaka Family.

Third, lay down a barrier around the Amamiya residence and construct magical defenses.

With Makiri's assistance, the second and third points wouldn't be an issue, but he couldn't rush things.

So, let's get back to the fundamental problem.

The principle of the Holy Grail War is Servant vs. Servant.

Servants are the phantasms of history's greatest and most powerful heroes.

In the face of such absolute power, far surpassing humanity, even the most outstanding Magus could only act as commanders and support.

According to Zōken, summoning a Servant requires a corresponding catalyst, meaning a holy relic.

For example, a weapon used by a warrior in life, armor worn by a general, etc., things that had a connection to the Servant themselves.

Most Masters prepare their preferred holy relics when participating in the Holy Grail War, as Magus intensely dislike uncontrollable factors.

Although it's possible to summon a Servant without a holy relic, you have no say in what kind of monster you get.

Although Shirou had gradually learned about the history of this world through half a year of elementary school education and daily life, he still couldn't understand:

"Which ones could be considered the strongest Servants?"

Hearing this question, Makiri was silent for a moment before saying, "Kuku, actually, there's another unwritten rule in the Holy Grail War—Saber is the strongest, most excellent class."

"Is that so?"

Sword! Soldier! Strongest!

As someone connected to swords, once the strongest swordsman in the Fae Kingdom, Shirou was quite happy to hear such a statement.

Did you hear that, Morgan! I'm the strongest!

"Throughout history, humanity has placed immense fantasy upon the 'sword,' always viewing it as an incredibly noble existence."

Kuku continued, as if reciting a familiar list: "In Norse mythology, the world-ending flame sword Ræventine and the strongest demonic sword Gram; in German legends, the twilight demonic sword Balmung.

The holy sword Joyeuse from the Charlemagne legends, the holy sword Durandal originating from Greek mythology, the divine sword Ama-no-Murakumo from Japanese mythology.

Each of these is a Noble Phantasm capable of destroying heavens and earth, and the heroes who wield them are naturally of the strongest caliber."

Shirou listened, completely bewildered: he hadn't heard of any of these famous swords Makiri mentioned in Britain.

Alright, if there's ever a chance, he'd add them to his "domain" too.

"And among the most excellent classes in this Holy Grail War, there is only one who is widely recognized as the strongest Saber."

Shirou curiously asked, "Who?"

Then, Makiri uttered a name that filled him with a sense of nostalgia.

"King Arthur."

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I haven't read it myself, but my younger brother said it was amazing.

My Mother, Sajyou Manaka

Volume 1, Chapter 027: Alice: I Have a Dream

On a patch of permafrost within Germany stands an ancient castle, perpetually sealed by ice, snow, and barriers.

This is where the homunculi, the legacy abandoned by the disciples of the Third Magic, known as the Einzberns, reside.

Though the humans who created them are likely long gone, the homunculi have not forgotten the great wish their creators tirelessly pursued:

The recreation of the Third Magic.

To make this miracle a reality, they traveled to the distant Far East two centuries ago and formed a cooperative relationship with two Magus there.

This is the origin of the Holy Grail War and the founding families.

It is the end of 1993, and the fated cycle that occurs once every sixty years is about to begin anew.

Having suffered a crushing defeat last time, the Einzberns have made unprecedented preparations and intend to stake everything on this occasion.

The chapel of Einzbern Castle.

Beneath a stained-glass window depicting the long history of the homunculi's pursuit of the Holy Grail, two figures were conversing.

One had brilliant silver hair that cascaded down to her waist and fiery crimson eyes.

Her pure white dress couldn't conceal her voluptuous figure, and her refined beauty held both the innocence of a young lady and the mature aura of a noblewoman.

She was the Master representing the Einzberns in this war, Irisviel von Einzbern.

The Einzbern's history began in the year 1 CE, spanning 2000 years to this day.

In those 2000 long years, a singular, unrepeatable miracle had coincidentally been born.

Jüsticia Lieselotte von Einzbern, known as the "Saint of Winter," who could effectively wield the Third Magic.

And then, on a different level, there was Irisviel, a girl who had reached the pinnacle of the Einzberns alongside Jüsticia.

She was the culmination of two thousand years of the homunculi's accumulated technology.

Possessing ultimate performance, completed ten years ahead of schedule, she was likely as unrepeatable as that Saint.

If even she could not obtain the Holy Grail, the Einzberns would voluntarily abandon their thousand-year-long wish and bury everything in the blizzard.

The one conversing with Irisviel at this moment was slightly smaller.

Her flawless, androgynous face might be mistaken for a beautiful young boy at first glance, but upon closer inspection, one could discern a maiden's charm hidden beneath her dignified demeanor.

The Einzberns' strongest trump card prepared for the Fourth Holy Grail War, Saber—

King Arthur, Artoria, stared at "that" which a maid had brought her and asked, "Irisviel, this is...?"

The silver-haired homunculus gave a childlike, mischievous smile. "Saber is asking a question she already knows the answer to. You should know what this is better than anyone, shouldn't you?"

Saber hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "This is the catalyst you used to summon me into existence—the sheath of the holy sword."

"Correct! Saber is such a clever child!"

Irisviel clapped her hands gleefully. Saber frowned and said sternly, "Please don't treat me like an idiot, Irisviel."

"Sorry, sorry, just a joke, don't be angry."

It was the sheath of King Arthur's most famous armament—the Sword of the Lake (Excalibur).

The King's Magus, the greatest prophet of Type-Moon, Merlin, once uttered this famous line:

"What is truly powerful is not the holy sword itself, but its sheath."

If this statement were true, then the sheath possessed power even surpassing that of the Star-Sacred Sword.

Legend has it that King Arthur lost her sheath due to a scheme set by her sister, the enchantress Morgan.

As expected, the King, having lost the sheath's protection, soon died in the rebellion led by her son, Mordred.

Seeing the long-lost sheath, Saber was overcome with mixed emotions. It was then that Irisviel spoke.

"I intend to give it to Saber to use."

"...Huh?"

Saber widened her emerald eyes in disbelief. "But didn't we agree that the sheath would be used to protect you?"

After nearly half a year together, she had come to recognize her Master as a willful, whimsical, and novelty-seeking sheltered young lady.

But wasn't this decision a bit too ill-considered?

Irisviel nodded. "Grandfather said so. He said protecting the Lesser Grail is the top priority."

But after thinking it over and over, I decided to give it to Saber anyway.

Because, you see, the scabbard only unleashes its true power in the hands of a King, right?"

She was actually hiding one fact.

The Einzbern family wasn't withholding the scabbard from Saber to protect their Master, but rather out of caution towards Saber.

After all, the founding three families were destined to sacrifice their Servants in the end, so naturally, they wouldn't hand over the strongest scabbard to the strongest Servant.

What if they couldn't kill her in the end?

With the scabbard's protection, King Arthur was, quite literally, invincible!

Irisviel also hid the dark truth of the Holy Grail War from Saber.

She felt immense guilt about this, but even so, she still wanted to believe in Saber.

Even if she was called too naive, Irisviel believed that Master and Servant should trust each other.

With six enemies still remaining, how could they possibly win if they were only thinking about how to trick their own Servant?

Saber thought it over carefully, but still shook her head, "I don't think Ahadon will agree."

Then she heard her Master say, with a rare seriousness in his expression, "This is a battle between Saber and me. It has nothing to do with Grandfather."

"You'll be scolded later, you know?"

"Saber, you'll take the scolding with me then, okay? Hehe."

"..."

Saber was unaware of the Einzbern family's intentions, but she read infinite trust in her Master's crimson eyes.

Artoria accepted the scabbard and spoke a simple yet sincere oath of gratitude.

"Irisviel, I'm so glad you are my Master. I swear upon my sword that I will protect you until the very end."