Chapter 115

For some reason, Matou Zouken felt that the voice of his adopted granddaughter in the Matou Family possessed a kind of magic that made her irresistible... and he was no exception.

Matou Zouken desperately tried to break free from this allure, knowing that once he succumbed, he might never regain his senses...

"Are you afraid of me?" The moment Matou Sakura's childish yet slightly seductive voice rang out, Matou Zouken subconsciously looked up.

However, that one glance plunged him into an abyss; his eyes slowly grew empty until finally, he answered in a voice as emotionless as a puppet, "Yes, the Holy Grail War is taking place here, Master."

As he spoke, he slowly knelt down on the ground, and then his already cloudy eyes completely lost their luster.

Matou Sakura looked down at Matou Zouken with disdain, then turned and left the gate of the Insect Warehouse without turning her head.

"Give me the Holy Relic you prepared," she said in a completely emotionless voice.

After leaving the insect warehouse, Matou Sakura stretched her body in the courtyard late at night, and then sighed as if in happiness.

"I never imagined there would be a human girl who is so compatible with me..."

A cute smile curved the corners of the girl's lips. She looked very young, yet she possessed an indescribable allure.

Seemingly hearing another voice from Matou Sakura spoke softly again, "Don't be nervous. I'm different from that Old Worm. You're an important user of my body; I won't hurt you. Don't worry~"

That wasn't Matou Sakura's voice; it sounded more like a voice emanating from within her body, full of allure and seduction.

What if Irisviel does something with Command Spells again...?

As the thought flashed through Ereshkigal's mind, she subconsciously glanced at Tiamat was staring intently at the screen, her red, starry eyes reflecting the exquisite face of the silver-haired woman on the screen.

Irisviel leaned down slightly, a faint blush on her fair face, but she didn't move away from Lan Ze. Instead, she pressed her entire weight against him, her sweet, soft lips gently touching the boy's lips. In the distance, one could vaguely hear a sound that made one's heart race, softly escaping from Irisviel's small mouth.

The omnipotent Princess of the Root was clearly a little stunned. She stared blankly at the scene on the screen and the graceful woman.

What's going on?

This guy is just participating in the Holy Grail War, isn't he?

The Holy Grail War is so simple; all you need to do is defeat six Servant to obtain the Holy Grail... With Lan Ze's current strength, victory shouldn't be difficult... But why did Lan Ze's Master attack him before the enemy even made a move?!

And wasn't this woman extremely respectful to Lan Ze at the beginning? Why does she dare to be so disrespectful now?!

Do you think this is exciting?

Sajyou Manaka's thoughts flashed through her mind like fleeting shadows. After a brief moment of stunned silence, she suddenly seemed to remember something and exclaimed in surprise, "... If I remember correctly, Irisviel still has two Command Spells on her hands, right?!"

Irisviel has now used one Command Spells to restrict Lan Ze's movements, but what about the remaining two Command Spells...? How does she plan to use them?

Was it used in the Holy Grail War, or... did I use another Command Spells tonight?

Ereshkigal glanced at Tiamat, whose gaze was deep and unfathomable, then at Sajyou Manaka, whose eyes seemed to gleam with a hint of danger. She subconsciously swallowed, then murmured, "Hmm... I think that woman is a very gentle and considerate woman; she probably won't force anything..."

"Gentle and considerate..." Sajyou Manaka murmured softly, then looked meaningfully at the graceful and sexy silver-haired woman in the image.

Do you really think that a gentle and considerate person... can't have even a trace of darkness in their heart?

Ereshkigal was silent for a moment, then quietly said, "That's true..."

She didn't know how to smooth things over.

As the Goddess of the Underworld, Ereshkigal has seen a great many souls, and among those souls, some are kind to people... But even the kindest person has a dark side.

"This woman always gives me a strange feeling..." Sajyou Manaka suddenly said softly.

When she looked at Irisviel just now, she felt something was off. It was true that Irisviel had feelings for Lan Ze, but being gentle by nature, she shouldn't have forcibly restricted Lan Ze's actions, let alone kissed him...

What could be the reason...? Sajyou Manaka stared at the scene on the screen, lost in thought for a long time.

Meanwhile, Lan Ze was in a daze.

He never imagined that Irisviel would suddenly use the Command Spells in such a strange way. Now, not only has his spirit body been released, but even his movements seem to be somewhat restricted... Although he can still move, he is bound by some power, and his movements are very slow.

He gazed into her eyes as he felt Irisviel's sweet kiss and her soft, slightly cool lips.

Whether it was my imagination or not, the woman's usually gentle red eyes now seemed to be filled with a hint of aggression, gleaming with excitement in the moonlight... as if she had spotted her prey.

Should I stop her...?

Lan Ze abandoned the idea as soon as he thought of it, or rather, when Irisviel hooked her arms around his neck and pressed her soft body even more intimately against his, Lan Ze found it difficult to think about anything else.

The night wind rustled against the glass window, and time slipped away silently.

After an unknown amount of time, Irisviel quietly moved away from Lan Ze.

As the weight on his body disappeared, Lan Ze felt that he was slowly regaining control of his body.

After a short while, Lan Ze was completely free, but the atmosphere in the room was somewhat silent.

Lan Ze looked at Irisviel, who had already burrowed into the covers and was pretending nothing had happened, and couldn't help but find it a little amusing. He whispered, "Master..."

"I'm sorry! I don't know why I thought of doing that just now. I just subconsciously used Command Spells, so I just..." Irisviel's voice was so soft at the end that it was completely inaudible. Lan Ze gently lifted the corner of the blanket, and the woman silently covered her face with her hands, looking somewhat ashamed.

"Are you having some kind of trouble or feeling too much pressure...?" Lan Ze asked tentatively.

When under a lot of pressure, people tend to do some rather outrageous things. Perhaps Irisviel was under too much pressure because of the Holy Grail War, coupled with the care he had given her these past two nights, which led her to have some thoughts...? That's what Lan Ze guessed.

"I wasn't under any pressure... I just wanted to do it, so I did it. I'm really sorry!"

"Why are you apologizing..." Lan Ze sighed.

He felt there was absolutely no need to apologize for this; rather, he would have preferred to say, "If possible, please continue to intensify your efforts..." Of course, he would never actually say that.

"If you really want to apologize, close your eyes now. I'm going to punish you," Lan Ze suddenly said with a stern face.

Irisviel covered her face with her hands, peering into Lan Ze's eyes through the gaps between her fingers, and then, as if making a decision, she slowly closed her eyes.

Suddenly, her vision went completely black, while her hearing became increasingly clear. Irisviel's heart began to race. She didn't know what punishment Lan Ze was talking about, but since she had done something wrong, accepting punishment was only natural.

King Arthur already had a daughter; what she just did was practically NTR'd King Arthur's wife... This was an outrageous act; how could she have done such a thing?!

Thinking of this, Irisviel felt even more ashamed... but along with the shame, a feeling of excitement welled up inside her.

Just then, Irisviel suddenly felt a slight weight on her body, and quickly, it felt as if her lips were being occupied by something. She subconsciously opened her eyes and glanced at them, her red eyes widening suddenly.

She gazed at the tall boy who had pulled her into his arms, her eyes initially showing surprise, but slowly regaining their usual tenderness. She gently hooked her arms around Lan Ze's neck, as if she wanted to give him everything she had.

After an unknown amount of time, Lan Ze finally released his lips and breathed a satisfied sigh of relief, "Now we're even, Master."

"We're even...?" Irisviel blinked, not understanding Lan Ze's words.

"You kissed me, so if I'm going to punish you, of course I'll kiss you back, isn't that the obvious thing to do?" Lan Ze said.

"Hmm... now that you mention it, it seems to make sense, but something still feels off..." Irisviel muttered to herself, somewhat confused.

She had assumed that the upright King Arthur would be furious at her sudden action... but now it seemed things weren't quite as she had imagined?

While Irisviel was still in a daze, Lan Ze pulled the blanket up, gently put his arm around Irisviel's shoulder, and said, "Alright, get some rest tonight."

Irisviel snapped out of her reverie, quickly hummed in agreement, and then closed her eyes slightly.

Hmm... he's right. I need to get plenty of rest, since I'm going for a walk with my Servant tomorrow morning.

As Irisviel pondered this, she slowly, slowly, drifted into a deep sleep.

Lan Ze gazed at Irisviel, who was fast asleep, and after a long silence, he suddenly sighed softly, "Why are so many Servant endlessly running into the castle tonight...? Will this ever end? Do they really think I have no temper?"

Yes... shortly after Irisviel fell asleep, Lan Ze clearly sensed... that another Servant had invaded Einsbern Castle.

No... not only Servant, but even Magecraft have gotten involved this time.

This really shows they don't take the Einzbern Family seriously... Lan Ze took a deep breath, quietly got out of bed, glanced at the sleeping Irisviel, and then disappeared from the room.

The next moment, he appeared in the forest of Einsbern Castle and said, "No need to hide anymore, you've been hiding here all along, haven't you, unknown Magecraft?"

The moment he opened his mouth, Lan Ze clearly sensed someone slowly walking out from a certain direction. He turned his head slightly to look, and the golden gate behind him suddenly burst open.

"Alright, let me see who dares to openly invade Einsbern Castle in the middle of the night!"

However--

Lan Ze, who had been so imposing just moments before, suddenly froze the moment he turned his head to look.

A girl in a kimono appeared in my field of vision. She held a katana in her hand, her long hair was loose, and even in the dim light, her eyes appeared exceptionally bright and clear.

She was looking up at the boy standing on the treetop, a hint of curiosity in her calm eyes, as if she wanted to see something from Lan Ze's appearance.

"Miss Shiki...?"

The moment Lan Ze saw the girl in the kimono, he was stunned for a moment, and most of his anger dissipated.

If any other Magecraft had invaded the castle late at night, Lan Ze might have attacked without hesitation, but since the opponent is Ryougi Shiki... well, that's it then.

Why did you come here so late at night?

"Have you run into any trouble?" Lan Ze asked.

"Hmm... if I had to say, it is indeed troublesome, Father King."

Just as Lan Ze was speaking, Mordred's dashing figure quietly came into view beside Ryougi Shiki. She scratched her cheek and glanced at Lan Ze.

Are you free tomorrow morning, Father King?

"Servant don't have to do anything during the day, so they're naturally free... What do you want to do?" Lan Ze became inexplicably alert; he felt that Mordred's demeanor was a bit off.

After all, how long had he been separated from those two?

Why did they come to the castle so late at night instead of resting?

In the forest, nearing dawn, a faint glimmer of light could be seen on the distant horizon.

Lan Ze stood on the treetop, looking at the two people on the ground. He felt his brain was still slowly processing the information.

What's going on? Why is Mo Zai suddenly asking me if I'm free this morning...?

It couldn't be that she hasn't seen me in a long time, so she's planning to have me take her out today... Lan Ze thought to himself with a little joke.

"So, Father King is free during the day today?" Mordred asked again to confirm.

After seeing Lan Ze nod slightly, Mordred, standing in the dim light, smiled slightly.

Since Father King has put it that way, then I won't stand on ceremony... Mordred coughed lightly and said, "The Holy Grail War takes place at night, so Master's daytime hours are free."

"Hmm... I know that, so what are you trying to say?" Lan Ze still didn't understand.

That's true. After all, it was almost midnight, and Mordred suddenly appeared outside Einsbern Castle, saying things that were a bit cryptic. It would be a miracle if Mordred could understand him.

"Let me think about where I should begin my explanation."

After pondering for a moment, Mordred suddenly seemed to remember something. He lightly stomped his foot on the ground and leaped into the air, landing beside Lan Ze.

Logically speaking, during the Holy Grail War, Servant shouldn't allow another Servant to get so close to them, but since it was his own daughter, Lan Ze didn't think much of it. He just looked at Mordred, who was so close to him, with a puzzled expression. "Why do you seem a bit strange today?"

Mordred glanced at the girl standing under the treetop, then leaned close to Lan Ze's ear and whispered, "Father King, what do you think of Master?"

"Huh?" Lan Ze was taken aback and subconsciously glanced at the kimono-clad girl standing quietly under the treetop.

Seemingly noticing Lan Ze's gaze, Ryougi Shiki also looked up at him, and then a bright smile appeared on her face. The smile was extremely beautiful, but it seemed to be devoid of any emotion.

Lan Ze withdrew his gaze and said softly, "She's a very easy-going woman... Why are you suddenly asking me this?"

"Um... to put it simply, do you have any other thoughts about Master?" Mordred whispered in Lan Ze's ear.

"What?!" Lan Ze turned to look at Mordred.

"Xiao Mo, what exactly do you want?"

"I didn't mean anything by it... I just wish I had another mother," Mordred said.

"You mean... Miss Shiki?" Lan Ze asked tentatively.

Mordred pecked at his head quickly.

As the saying goes, "He who takes a bribe is bound to be grateful," and besides, she was Ryougi Shiki's Servant, and given how well the other party had treated her... Mordred felt that such a mother wasn't entirely unacceptable.

So after having a meal tonight, she made up her mind to help her Master and let her experience the true meaning of love.

"You came all the way to Einsbern Castle tonight just to say such meaningless things?" Lan Ze sighed, somewhat speechless.

"If Lily knew, she'd twist your head off."

"Why bring up Mother all of a sudden!" Mordred became noticeably more guilty at the mention of Artoria. She leaned close to Lan Ze's ear and whispered, "Besides, no one else will know about this, after all, it's during the Holy Grail War..."

"Don't blame me, Father King, this is for your own good."

Mordred suddenly turned and shouted, "What? You're going on a date with my master, and you want me to invite him on your behalf?!"