Shirou's Return from the Fae Kingdom

"Mhm, thank you."

The silver-haired homunculus returned a smile. "I think so too, Saber... I'm so glad you're my Servant."

Today, Einzbern Castle was finally freed from the snowstorm.

Although the sky wasn't clear, the milky white sky was much brighter than on a snowy day.

At the Master's enthusiastic invitation (a spoiled tantrum), Saber was dragged out of the castle, and the two of them took a walk on the vast snowy ground.

Perhaps their previous conversation had opened them up to each other. Saber, who never pried into others' secrets, took the initiative to speak.

"Irisviel, what do you want to do after the war? Not the Einzbern's wish, but your personal wish."

"A wish..."

Hearing the question, the silver-haired homunculus stopped walking.

Saber didn't know yet that Irisviel couldn't live to see the end of the war.

Even if they were lucky enough to defeat all six opposing factions, she would have to become the Holy Grail's final sacrifice along with Saber.

Although she had no future, just for this moment, let me indulge in a fantasy.

Irisviel spoke the wish buried in her heart.

"Rather than a wish, it's more like a dream—

Saber, I want a child."

"...Ugh."

Saber wore a look of extreme annoyance, as if it were a huge hassle.

Although she didn't like talking about childcare at all, she didn't want to dampen the princess's spirits and followed along.

"Irisviel, you want to be a mother?"

Yes, the silver-haired homunculus nodded with a look of longing. "It would be great if it were a cute girl. A little mischievous one wouldn't be bad, but...

Heh, a lively yet steady boy seems nice too."

Volume 1, Chapter 028: The "Most Compatible" Servant Summon

"The strongest Saber... King Arthur!"

Shirou Amamiya didn't notice his body trembling.

This kind of reaction was called "musha-buri" in Japan, a physiological phenomenon caused by a surge of adrenaline in the face of battle or a strong enemy.

Shirou was as excited as Shinji discussing anime. "As expected, the King Arthur of Pan-Human History is also the strongest!"

I just wonder, compared to my prime—"Fae Knight Arthur"—which one is stronger, this King Arthur or I?

And compared to my "Fae Round Table," which is stronger, the Knights of the Round Table of Pan-Human History?

In the past, Shirou could only learn about King Arthur's life and deeds based on fragmented information from "Driftwood."

It was only after returning to Pan-Human History that he learned the full story of the legend.

According to legend, he was a perfect knight embodying numerous virtues such as kindness, nobility, justice, and humility, adored and worshipped by his people and subordinates.

Wow, I'm completely outclassed in terms of charisma...

I'm the man the Fae call a tyrant, a wicked king.

If King Arthur knew that in another world, a villain was impersonating him and starting wars everywhere in Britain, he'd probably be furious.

But Shirou actually liked King Arthur.

If he didn't like him, he wouldn't be able to use his name, would he?

"I want to shine like the Knights of the Round Table! To become a man among men, a knight among knights, like King Arthur!"

Young Shirou had harbored such thoughts too.

Although those thoughts were ultimately defeated by the cruel reality of the Fae Kingdom, that's a story for another time.

"Of course, my favorite is still Morgan, hmm, right..."

The legendary arch-villain of the King Arthur legends, the king's sister, the sorceress Morgan.

She seemed to be a different person from the Morgan Shirou was familiar with.

Although both were powerful witches skilled in Magic, there was no similarity in their personalities or experiences.

The Morgan of the Fae Kingdom was kind-hearted and full of justice; the Morgan of Pan-Human History was malicious and full of jealousy.

My Morgan was beautiful and pure; Pendragon's Morgan was seductive and debauched.

If possible, Shirou really didn't want to acknowledge this Morgan.

Okay, decided!

If you encounter the Fae Consort Morgan of Pan-Human History in the Holy Grail War, give her a good beating! Make her admit her mistakes!

In short, although the legend of King Arthur is only a fragment, it has indeed ignited Shirou's long-cooled fighting spirit.

Amidst his peaceful daily routine of attending school, playing with the Matou siblings, and taking care of Sister Fujiwara, Shirou feverishly prepared for the Fourth Holy Grail War.

It took him over a month, but Shirou set up an impenetrable barrier around the Amamiya Residence, transforming it into a magical fortress that rivaled the Matou Insectarium.

Next was the only enemy currently in the open—total surveillance of the Tohsaka Family.

Shirou picked up the low-level familiar manipulation magic he had abandoned halfway before.

He chose crows as his familiars.

Crows in Britain were very close to Morgan and the sage Grim, but Shirou had always had a difficult relationship with these intelligent and cunning creatures—

Because they always stole the food Shirou prepared!

After barely getting the crows of Fuyuki to obey him, Shirou dispatched some to the vicinity of the Tohsaka Mansion, while others were scattered throughout the streets of Miyama Town and Shinto.

Of course, the neutral zone for the Holy Grail War on the outskirts of Shinto—the Church—was also placed under surveillance.

The search for the summoning catalyst was handed over to Tsuruno Matou.

Zouken Matou possessed vast overseas assets, so Shirou decided to borrow some from his ally to use as temporary war funds.

Shirou: "I want to sell some stocks to buy a Holy Relic. You don't have any objections, do you, old man?"

Little Yellow Duck (unactivated): "..."

Silence meant no objection.

"Apple's stock has dropped another 50% this year. Sigh, I'll help you cut your losses and sell it."

Little Yellow Duck (unactivated): "..."

Shirou's Holy Grail War was proceeding methodically, with meticulous planning and deployment.

Soon, Tsuruno Matou obtained the catalyst for summoning through overseas channels—

It was an exquisite ebony box that looked very expensive.

Shirou carefully opened it. Inside lay a piece of wood with signs of processing, still emitting residual magic.

"This is..."

Tsuruno Matou nodded: "This is the pre-ordered Holy Relic, a fragment of the 'Round Table'. In the past, many knights who could fight a hundred battles gathered before this round table to communicate. To protect their homeland, Britain, they clashed not with swords, but with words."

"Well done, Tsuruno."

Shirou ran his finger over the wooden piece, as if feeling a trace of the warmth left by that legend.

Tsuruno Matou said: "It's just... it's impossible to predict which Knight of the Round Table will be summoned. It should be a Servant whose disposition matches yours, Shirou."

Without using a catalyst, a Magus will summon a Servant with a similar mental structure.

Shirou nodded: "Old man said that as long as they are Knights of the Round Table, most of them are at least first-rate Servants. If I summon top-tier fighters like Gawain or Percival, I can even win easily. --At least winning the first three Holy Grail Wars should be no problem."

Power was not the only reason Shirou chose the Round Table among many Holy Relics. As King Arthur from another world, he wanted to fight alongside the Knights of the Round Table of this world. Of course—if he was lucky enough to draw King Arthur himself, that would be the ultimate prize.

On the vast continent across the sea, there is an idiom: "Strike while the iron is hot." Although he didn't know if the idiom was related to sword forging, Shirou particularly liked it, to the point where he could use it as his motto.

That evening, as soon as he finished his homework, he began setting up the summoning circle. The location for the summoning circle was said to be very particular. After much deliberation, Shirou finally chose the warehouse at his home. This residence was fully equipped, even having a dojo for practicing swordsmanship. Why didn't Shirou, a sword-forging Magus, choose the dojo to set up the summoning circle? Because he didn't want to add too much bias to the summoning ritual. If the ritual were held in the dojo, perhaps a Round Table member famous for their swordsmanship might descend. Shirou did not expect such a result—he wanted to follow the basic principles of the Holy Grail War and summon the Round Table member with the best compatibility with him. If the summoning circle were set up in the dining room, perhaps a gluttonous member of the Round Table might be summoned, Shirou mused.

Excluding all factors that could influence the outcome, all that remained was an empty warehouse.

Without a doubt.

Shirou would welcome the Servant from the Round Table who was "most compatible" with him here.

The time was midnight.

"Alright, let's begin."

Shirou tossed aside the white chalk he used to draw the summoning circle and took a deep breath.

In the end, I still don't know what my wish truly is—he pushed such distracting thoughts aside for now.

"Kukuku... adding two special verses to the incantation for the descent ritual can grant the Servant the Mad Enhancement attribute, forcibly changing them into the Berserker class."

The toy Little Yellow Duck's annoying advice flashed through his mind.

"Although it will cause the Servant to lose their sanity, it can increase their overall abilities."

"In terms of raw stats, they might even surpass Saber... well, it's probably a clumsy trick you won't need."

"The incantation for Mad Enhancement... I'll skip it."

After placing the Round Table fragment, the catalyst, on the ground, Shirou moved to a corner of the warehouse and began chanting the incantation.

"Fill, fill, fill, fill, fill. Repeat five times, then proceed to the next."

(Omitted)

"Wraith of the three words of power, from the Wheel of Deterrence, guardian of the scales—!"

With this, a gale swept up from the summoning circle, and dazzling light filled the entire warehouse.

"Ouch, ouch, ouch..."