A Type-Moon Start, but an A Certain Magical Index Magician

This witch seemed to have been researching something lately, apparently constructing some kind of spell. Supposedly, if she completed it, his range of activity would expand from this building to the entirety of Fuyuki City.

"It's just a simple earthbound spirit concept. By elevating the land you possess from the concept of this building to the concept of Fuyuki City, you'll be able to move throughout all of Fuyuki City."

Sasaki Kojirou did not know much about magecraft or magic, so he simply left all of that to this witch. His current job was only to patrol the building and kill anyone who came to investigate.

Isn't that just being a security guard? Sasaki Kojirou thought to himself before asking, "Is there a problem with the Holy Church?"

"According to the intelligence Atrum obtained, the Holy Church is the adjudicator. They have remained in Fuyuki City all along, watching over the Holy Grail War. From that perspective, they may have surplus Command Spells in their possession."

"You want to steal the Command Spells?"

"No. This is only to prevent them from using surplus Command Spells to interfere in this Holy Grail War and cause trouble... Besides, no one can be certain that, as adjudicators, they won't enter the fray themselves."

Medea smiled faintly as she spoke.

"After all, for the magi participating in the Holy Grail War, the last thing they might expect is for the Holy Church, the adjudicator, to suddenly make a secret move. The Holy Grail can grant every wish. Though it may not truly grant every wish, that alone shows how powerful it is. Few people can withstand such temptation."

Listening to her later reflections, Sasaki Kojirou added, "After all, they're human. Humans always have desires of their own."

"So what the hell is going on?!" Seeing that Shirou Emiya's home had suddenly filled with a whole crowd of people, Taiga Fujimura, Shirou Emiya's teacher and someone who could be considered a friend of Kiritsugu Emiya, let out a tiger-like roar.

"Tell me, did you do something bad and get these people coming after you?!" Taiga Fujimura grabbed Shirou Emiya and whispered, "Like owing money and having debt collectors show up at your door?"

Shirou Emiya replied helplessly, "No, Fuji-nee. It's not like foreigners would come all the way here just because I owed money, right?"

Having one extra Saber in the house had originally been hard enough to explain. Now that there was a whole group of people, Shirou Emiya found that it was actually easier to make up an explanation.

"For example, Saber, Illya, and Mephistopheles over there came from Britain to travel, while Tohsaka and they are friends. She came over to help out this time."

Rin Tohsaka immediately smiled. "That's right, Fujimura-sensei. We're friends. I heard they were coming here to travel, so I came to help out. It's just that my house is too far away, while Emiya's house is large enough and indoors, so we asked Emiya to help us."

Taiga Fujimura looked at Rin Tohsaka, then at Mephistopheles and Saber, seemingly weighing the credibility of those words.

"Oh, coming to Japan to travel this time was really so... Uh, no, how do you say that in Japanese again? Right, right, right, it was a sudden decision. Sudden!"

Mephistopheles suddenly spoke at that moment. His Japanese sounded like that of someone who had crammed for three days from scratch before going on vacation, complete with a pronounced British accent.

"Mr. Emiya has truly helped me out. If not for him, I might not even know how to get food right now. After all, I even lost my wallet on the way here!"

Saber listened to Mephistopheles and stared at him in slight shock. She had never expected him to speak like that.

Servants were provided by the Holy Grail with essential local knowledge, including language. They spoke much like locals, yet Mephistopheles was genuinely pretending to be a foreigner right now, speaking Japanese with extraordinary awkwardness.

Couldn't this guy have told her if he wanted to act? How was she supposed to pretend she did not understand Japanese very well now? She had not even rehearsed it!

As Saber was thinking this, Taiga Fujimura immediately burst into laughter. "Your Japanese is pretty good! Hahaha, you lost your wallet? That really is unfortunate. In that case, there's no problem with staying here!"

Thus, Mephistopheles, who had just been praised for his Japanese, also laughed at once. "Really? I've studied for quite a while too. It's wonderful that I can communicate smoothly!"

Watching the exchange between those two, Saber fell silent, while Rin Tohsaka looked elsewhere. She felt she could no longer bear to watch her Servant, while Shirou Emiya could not help letting out a breath of relief.

We got through that perfectly!

Now, aside from figuring out how to tell the same excuse to Sakura Matou, there were no problems at all!

Thinking this, Shirou Emiya looked out toward the grounds.

Last night, a mysterious magic circle had appeared there and sealed away the black giant.

Now that the magic circle had been removed, the giant had been freed. However, the giant called Berserker was still far too large, and explaining his appearance would be difficult, so he remained in spirit form and had not materialized.

As for the girl named Illya, she was over there watching television.

She paid no attention at all to the conversation here, as though these matters had nothing to do with her.

At that moment, there was a knock at the door. Shirou Emiya immediately went out and opened it. Standing outside was Sakura Matou, a junior who often came to help at his house and the younger sister of his friend Shinji Matou.

Thinking of Shinji Matou, Shirou Emiya felt somewhat envious. That guy had recently gone traveling somewhere else and had happened to avoid the current Holy Grail War in Fuyuki City. His luck was really too good.

"Good morning, Emiya-senpai." Sakura Matou greeted Shirou Emiya, then followed him inside. She was just about to greet Taiga Fujimura when she froze upon seeing the people in the room.

Her gaze passed over Taiga Fujimura, over her own sister Rin Tohsaka, and over the blonde woman who was clearly a Servant.

Her attention focused directly on the man in the trench coat, dressed in a distinctly British style.

That figure was so familiar, so unchanged that it was exactly as it had been in her memories!

"Sakura, that blonde woman and the man in the trench coat are both Servants."

The voice of Medusa, the hidden Servant, sounded beside her ear. Yet those words could not disturb her at all right now, because her mind was incapable of thinking about anything else.

It's him. He appeared again! He really appeared again! After all these years, he has appeared here once more!

Sakura Matou's heart cheered with joy. She wanted so badly to go over and greet him directly, but she could not. When he looked at her, he merely smiled and nodded in greeting. That was not how one greeted an acquaintance.

Only then did she remember what her Servant had just said.

Big brother is a Servant? How could that be?! That was her first thought, but then, relying on her own unique nature, Sakura Matou sensed his unusual presence. He truly did possess the feeling of a Servant!

How could this be? Why would Brother Mephistopheles be a Servant? Or was this some experiment he conducted while pursuing the path of magecraft?

Sakura Matou did not ask him directly. Instead, she suppressed the excitement in her heart, put on a surprised expression, and asked Shirou Emiya, "Emiya-senpai, why are there suddenly so many people in your house?"

Since Mephistopheles was pretending not to know her, she would not casually acknowledge him either. Even though she was desperate to speak to him, Sakura Matou knew she had to wait for an opportunity, until they were alone.

Thus, after hearing Shirou Emiya's clearly fabricated explanation, Sakura Matou nodded. "I see. Then it looks like I'll have to make a little more breakfast today."

There was no need to doubt it. These excuses had definitely been approved by Mephistopheles. Since Mephistopheles approved of them, she naturally did not need to think too much about it. She only needed to pretend she believed them!

Guidance

Rin Tohsaka had originally thought that meeting Sakura Matou might be extremely awkward, but the awkwardness she had imagined never appeared.

It was not because there was no barrier between her and Sakura Matou when they spoke.

Rather, Rin Tohsaka and Sakura Matou had not even managed to exchange a single word.

The reason was simple. Sakura Matou's attention was almost entirely fixed on Mephistopheles. Though she tried to conceal it, the admiration in her eyes could not lie. Given how familiar Rin Tohsaka was with her younger sister, she could tell that Sakura Matou was deeply interested in Mephistopheles.

For example, even now, with everyone gathered together to eat, Sakura Matou's gaze had barely left Mephistopheles!

What is going on? Those two should clearly be meeting for the first time. Mephistopheles's attitude is obvious too—he looks like he is meeting her for the first time. But Sakura's attitude, although she is pretending it is their first meeting, clearly looks like she has seen someone she has not seen in ages...

And judging from her eyes, her attitude toward Mephistopheles is obviously different. In all these years, I have never seen her make that kind of expression toward anyone else...

Mephistopheles is indeed quite handsome. Forget school—he would probably be top-tier even in all of Fuyuki City. But it is way too exaggerated for him to charm someone this quickly. It is not like Mephistopheles has succubus blood, right?

Could it be because of that blessing from the god of love he mentioned, which increased his charm? Hmm, it's possible. After all, it is a blessing from a god. It would be perfectly normal for it to turn him into someone everyone falls for!

No, I need to remind Sakura. She must not get fooled by this guy. He looks young, but who knows how long he has actually lived!

Just as Rin Tohsaka was thinking this, Sakura Matou suddenly said to Mephistopheles, "Mr. Mephistopheles, do you need a guide while you're traveling here?"

Those words made several people turn to look at Sakura Matou. Even Shirou Emiya looked extremely surprised, as though he were seeing her for the first time.

I-Is this really the Sakura I know? She is usually so shy and timid, yet she actually said something like that directly!

Taiga Fujimura was also extremely shocked, inwardly ranting furiously.

That guy might be handsome, but it's not enough for you to say something like that, Sakura!

Rin Tohsaka also stared at Sakura Matou. Though she had already noticed Sakura watching Mephistopheles all this time, she had not expected her to say something like that so directly.

It sounded like a question, but the hidden meaning was clearly, "I can be your guide."

Before Mephistopheles could answer, Rin Tohsaka had already opened her mouth. "You don't need to worry about that, Matou. I can be his guide."

She wore a smile, though it looked somewhat unnatural.

Seeing Rin Tohsaka say that, Sakura Matou glanced at her with some concern and confusion. "But aren't you usually very busy, senpai? And when it comes to familiarity with the city, I should know it better."

Rin Tohsaka maintained her smile. "Don't worry. I still have time to accompany him."

Sakura Matou responded with an "Oh," then directly said to Mephistopheles, "If there's somewhere you want to go but senpai doesn't know where it is, you can come find me."

She directly ignored Rin Tohsaka and extended an invitation to Mephistopheles.

Just as a breath of anger surged up in Rin Tohsaka's chest and nearly clogged her throat, Mephistopheles spoke.

"Thank you. If I need one, I'll trouble Miss Matou then."

Sakura Matou smiled faintly. "It's no trouble."

After that, the two did not continue speaking.

Illya, who was eating nearby, fell into thought as she watched the scene.

It looks like Mephistopheles and Sakura Matou don't know each other. That makes sense. Since Mephistopheles is a Servant, there shouldn't be many people he knows in this world. He knew Rin first, and only then the others. If he met Sakura Matou today, then they should have met today...

But Sakura Matou's reaction makes it seem like she has known Mephistopheles for a long time. Could Mephistopheles have been summoned ten years ago too? But that shouldn't be possible. I have information on all the Servants from ten years ago, and there was no one named Mephistopheles among them...

Thinking this, Illya looked at Artoria, who was quietly eating with her head lowered.

Rather, Saber and I knew each other ten years ago. She is pretending not to know me now, and I am pretending not to know her too. We are both putting on a pretty good act.

But Mephistopheles was not summoned ten years ago, so... what secret is hidden here? Could it be hidden within all that special magecraft... No, that special magical knowledge of his?

Thinking this, Illya became even more eager to learn magic alongside Mephistopheles.

Time passed slowly. Once they finished eating, Taiga Fujimura shouted, "I'm going to be late!" and rushed out of the house. Only then did Rin Tohsaka, Sakura Matou, and the other three slowly leave for school.

Mephistopheles, meanwhile, remained at the house for the time being.

Rin Tohsaka had the protection of the Moonstone and could also contact him through Command Spells. Even if she was alone at school, she would not be in much danger.

Mephistopheles also did not believe Sakura Matou would stand by and watch her sister fall into danger without acting.

So there was no problem with him staying at Shirou Emiya's house for now.

Besides, he was not the only one here. Illya and Saber were also present, along with Heracles, who remained in spirit form.

Taking advantage of Rin Tohsaka going to school, Mephistopheles planned to teach Illya the introductory knowledge first, giving her a basic understanding of his magic so that she would have time to consider the cooperative relationship among them going forward.

Thus, the basic course Rin Tohsaka had already completed was laid out before Illya.

Time always passed quickly while studying, and Illya could be considered a fairly diligent student. Thus, over the course of their pleasant lesson, more than two hours passed just like that.

After leaving Illya to review by herself, Mephistopheles went outside. Looking at Heracles, who had materialized in the courtyard, he shook his head.

"You look quite helpless. Is it because of that giant?" Artoria asked from the side.

"More or less. If the Servant Illya summoned had not been Berserker but Archer, her chances of winning this Holy Grail War would have been much higher."

That surprised Artoria, and she could not help asking, "You know him?"

"I do. He is something of a friend. If he could retain his consciousness and use those weapons of his, he would display even greater strength. With his extensive combat experience, even you, Saber, would not be his match."

Mephistopheles's words were not refuted by Artoria. She could tell that enormous power lay within the black giant's body. Artoria was proud, but she was not blindly arrogant.

Artoria glanced at Illya, who was still studying inside, then suddenly asked, "How do you plan to cooperate with her?"

Mephistopheles smiled. "You're curious?"

"As temporary allies, it is perfectly normal to have questions about such things." Artoria immediately found an excuse.

Mephistopheles knew Artoria was still concerned about her former Master's daughter, but she could not casually say so. Once she did, her attempt to conceal the fact that she had participated in the Fourth Holy Grail War would have been for nothing.

In truth, seeing that Illya had not said she knew her and had even pretended not to recognize her made Artoria breathe a sigh of relief. At least for a while, she could continue concealing it.

Just as she was thinking this, Mephistopheles said unhurriedly, "As the daughter of your former Master, it is only natural that you would worry about her. I understand."

"You!" Artoria abruptly looked at Mephistopheles, her expression as though she had seen a ghost. She stammered, "H-How do you know that?!"

"If I said I divined it, would you believe me?"

Seeing the expression on Artoria's face that plainly said, "Are you kidding me?" Mephistopheles did not even bother explaining further. He merely said, "I don't particularly like seeing people get hurt, especially children. This girl may be older in age, but mentally, she is still a child.

"And the Holy Grail—or rather, the Holy Grail War—is full of tragedies. To reduce some of those tragedies, I intend to interfere a little."

At that point, Mephistopheles suddenly asked, "Saber, what will you do if the Holy Grail is not what you think it is?"

"The Holy Grail is not what I think it is?" Artoria repeated Mephistopheles's words. She increasingly felt that this man knew many things—her secrets, and perhaps even details about the Holy Grail that she herself did not know.

"The Holy Grail. During the Fourth War, its central core, or rather, its heart, was Irisviel. As for the Holy Grail's primary core, it was Justeaze, the ancestor of the Einzbern Family and the Einzbern Family's first homunculus.

"Now that Irisviel is gone, the heart of the Holy Grail in this Fifth War is Illya. Once the Holy Grail War begins and Servants die, the power of those Servants will gather within her body, causing her flesh to collapse."

As Mephistopheles said this, he looked at Artoria. Her expression did not change, clearly showing that she had known all this already.

"You participated in the Fourth War. You should know these things."

Since the other party had already seen through her secret, Artoria no longer concealed it and nodded directly. "I know."

"Using any means necessary to achieve one's goal, sacrificing others to accomplish one's objective—even if it is cruel, it is still for one's own success. I would say that sort of person is suited to be an idealistic villain."

Artoria's expression shifted when Mephistopheles said that.