"Nyarlathotep really does have a twisted sense of humor..."
The next morning, Fang Mo sat on the sofa in the hotel’s living room, fiddling with a pendant in his hand.
The pendant had an odd design, appearing as a dark, nail-sized gemstone cut into countless irregular facets. It resembled so kind of geotric structure, yet felt disturbingly disjointed. It wasn’t a triangle, a cube, or even an octahedron. Rather, it seed to defy conventional geotry, as though it possessed so reality-warping power, making it appear like those shapes yet simultaneously sothing entirely different, evoking a strong sense of discord and fragntation.
Nyarlathotep hadn't stayed long.
Before leaving, he had gifted Fang Mo this pendant, though Fang Mo had originally asked him to draft a speech. According to Nyarlathotep, this pendant was far more useful than a re speech.
Fang Mo examined it for a mont, sensing a mysterious, indescribable energy radiating from the pendant.
Given Nyarlathotep’s usual antics, Fang Mo quickly figured out the pendant’s likely purpose—it probably involved so sort of ntal corruption or psychic pollution.
Since he now understood what it did, Fang Mo abandoned the idea of writing a speech entirely. Instead, he decided to improvise on the spot when the ti ca.
Satisfied with his plan, he summoned his stand, Steve, conjured two breakfasts, and then woke up Sakura, who was still asleep in the next room.
"Archer-sama?" Sakura groggily sat up in bed.
"Go freshen up," Fang Mo said, reaching out to smooth down the two tufts of hair sticking up from her head. "After breakfast, I’ll take you to see sothing interesting."
"Eh?" Sakura blinked in confusion but nodded obediently. "O-Okay..."
After washing up, the two of them sat down to breakfast. Since it was just a simple al, the nu wasn’t extravagant—apple juice, maple syrup oatal, mushroom olets, and tuna sandwiches.
Fang Mo was used to eating Minecraft-style food, but Sakura seed sowhat surprised as she examined her al.
"Did... did you make all this, Archer-sama?" Sakura asked, holding her sandwich with both hands, her expression filled with amazent.
"Hmm?" Fang Mo glanced at her. "You could say that."
The food had been made using a recipe, with Steve preparing the ingredients and then crafting it with a single command. So, in a way, it was indeed Fang Mo’s creation.
"Archer-sama is amazing," Sakura mumbled quietly while eating.
"If you like it, eat as much as you want," Fang Mo replied with a smile, reaching out to pat her gently on the head. Poor girl, he thought. If he rembered correctly, when she was first sent to the Matou household, she had been poisoned and tortured, even during als, by Matou Zouken.
"...Mm." Sakura nodded, her voice barely above a whisper.
After they finished eating, Fang Mo led her out of the hotel.
Instead of heading directly to the tavern, Fang Mo pulled out his sidecar motorcycle, planning to make a stop at the Einzbern castle first, as he still needed the Lesser Grail.
However, just as he prepared to start the bike, Sakura hesitated before speaking up, "Archer-sama, should... should I drive?"
"Huh?" Fang Mo glanced at her, looking at her small, young fra and then at the massive motorcycle beside them. A ntal image of a child driving a large vehicle popped into his head. "Uh... I think I’ll drive this ti."
"Eh?" Sakura seed confused. "But didn’t you say that as the ruler of an empire, you shouldn’t be driving?"
"Oh, that?" Fang Mo smiled, lifting Sakura into the sidecar and gently tapping her nose. "You’re special, so it’s okay."
"Ah..." Sakura froze, her face montarily stunned.
Without further comnt, Fang Mo got on the motorcycle and started the engine.
Unlike the other Masters in the Holy Grail War, the Einzbern homunculi had an unhealthy attachnt to their castle, insisting on living far outside Fuyuki City because only there could they reside in a castle. ṟÅŊоВĚš
After so quick inquiries, Fang Mo soon found the location of the Einzbern castle.
But as he approached, he noticed sothing unusual: black smoke was rising from the castle ahead.
"Archer-sama," Sakura said, clearly noticing the smoke as well. "It looks like soone’s already there. Could it be an enemy?"
"Let’s check it out," Fang Mo replied, parking the motorcycle before heading toward the castle with Sakura.
Once inside, Fang Mo confird that a battle had indeed taken place. The castle was now in ruins, with large patches of blood staining the ground.
As they moved deeper into the castle, Fang Mo soon ca across two bodies.
Both were won with white hair and red eyes, their delicate features marking them as homunculi, not ordinary humans. However, they had been dead for so ti—one had a gaping hole in her chest, while the other had her limbs severed, likely dying from blood loss.
"Einzbern’s homunculi, huh?" Fang Mo recalled that these two were likely the maids who served Illyasviel.
As the Lesser Grail, Illyasviel’s body would store the souls of the deceased Servants throughout the Holy Grail War, eventually overwhelming her consciousness. At the end, she would no longer function as a human but as a vessel for the Grail.
These two maids were probably created to care for her.
Of course, they were dead now, their bodies riddled with wounds, likely pierced by nurous sharp objects. Judging by the nature of the injuries, this was likely Gilgash’s handiwork.
With this in mind, Fang Mo continued exploring the castle’s interior.
Signs of combat were evident everywhere—more bloodstains and traces of battle—but despite his search, Fang Mo found no trace of Illyasviel.
In the original story, Illyasviel had been killed by Gilgash, who tore out her heart.
But now, it seed like the situation had changed...
Fang Mo thought about it for a mont. Gilgash had probably co here to seize the Lesser Grail but, due to his unhealed injuries, had failed to defeat Berserker. Alternatively, sothing else might have happened to throw off his plans.
"Archer-sama?" Sakura, sensing Fang Mo’s pause, asked, "It seems like the trail has gone cold. What should we do now?"
"Oh, don’t worry." Fang Mo snapped back to reality and turned toward the entrance. "Relax, kid. Our interrogation thods in Germany are world-class. Just watch your old man work."
As he spoke, Fang Mo returned to the entrance.
He glanced down at the bodies of the maids and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Then, with a flick of his hand, he summoned an altar.
The resurrection process was simple. Amid the sound of forbidden, blasphemous whispers, black clouds engulfed the maids’ corpses. Monts later, the two won stood back up, looking utterly confused.
"Wha...?" Sakura gasped in shock. "Archer-sama, this is..."
"This is a byproduct of our research into the progenitors of vampires," Fang Mo said offhandedly. "It lets us temporarily break the boundary between life and death. Of course, there’s a cost, but the Major did a pretty good job. I’ll introduce you to him soti."
"O-Okay..." Sakura nodded, rembering that Matou Zouken had once ntioned sothing about True Ancestors and Dead Apostles, though she hadn’t learned much about them. She assud Archer-sama must be referring to the sa thing.
"Huh? What’s going on?" One of the revived maids glanced at her companion, clearly bewildered. "Leysritt... weren't we dead?"
"It seems that way." The other maid, Leysritt, nodded before noticing Fang Mo standing nearby. Her body imdiately tensed in caution. "Sella, be careful..."
"No need to be alard; I’m a friend," Fang Mo said, waving a hand dismissively. "I saw your castle was attacked, so I ca to help. Where’s Illyasviel?"
"A friend?" Sella looked unconvinced.
"Oh, right," Fang Mo added, "I an your master no harm. In fact, I’m hunting Gilgash, the one who probably killed you two. His goal is the Lesser Grail, which puts your master in danger."
"Wait, you're... Archer?" Sella suddenly seed to recognize sothing.
"Yeah? Has she ntioned before?" Fang Mo asked with a grin. "See? We’re both Germans, so we’re practically countryn. Germans don’t deceive other Germans, right?"
Sella didn’t respond, instead whispering sothing to Leysritt.
Normally, such quiet conversation would be inaudible, but Fang Mo’s enhanced senses, thanks to the Experience Berries, allowed him to easily overhear them.
Their conversation was simple—Illyasviel had explained the circumstances to them earlier, including how Archer had attacked her but had mysteriously left a ball of energy in her body, allowing her to survive. They reasoned that Archer might not truly be an enemy.
After a brief discussion, the two maids reached a decision, exchanging a quick nod.
"Miss Illyasviel must have escaped," Sella said. "The intruder was too strong, even for Berserker. If Miss Illyasviel fled, she may have gone to seek out that traitor’s child—Emiya Shirou."
"Hmm?"
Hearing this, Fang Mo raised an eyebrow.
He quickly pieced together the logic of the homunculi.
Illyasviel must have assud that since Archer had spared her before, he wasn’t really out to kill her. anwhile, Gilgash genuinely wanted her dead. So, with no other options, she likely fled to seek help from Emiya Shirou.
What she hadn’t realized, however, was that Fang Mo had already betrayed Rin Tohsaka and left.
"I see."
Fang Mo nodded slightly, understanding the situation. "Let’s go, Sakura."
Initially, Fang Mo had thought he could take advantage of Illyasviel’s situation to his benefit, but it seed fate had led him back to Emiya Shirou’s place after all.
"Archer-sama, are we just leaving them here?" Sakura asked, glancing back at the two maids.
"They're irrelevant; don’t worry about them." Fang Mo waved dismissively as he mounted his motorcycle again, setting course for Emiya Shirou’s house in search of the Lesser Grail.
This ti, he drove fast.
In less than twenty minutes, Fang Mo was back at Emiya Shirou’s residence.
But once again, the place was empty. Neither Rin nor Shirou was anywhere to be found. Even Taiga Fujimura was missing. The house was as lifeless as the temple had been earlier.
"They're not here..." Fang Mo scratched his chin. "Did they hide from because they were afraid I’d target them?"
Fang Mo wasn’t surprised by the situation. After all, he was incredibly powerful. Instead of being angry, he found it amusing, even exciting.
"Interesting... Things are finally getting fun."
With that, he left the Emiya residence.
Rather than continue searching for Rin and the others, Fang Mo strolled around Fuyuki City’s streets. Soon, he spotted a bustling izakaya-style tavern.
The establishnt was located in one of the city’s livelier areas, and given that it was dayti, there were quite a few patrons inside, making it seem like business was good.
"Tch... why couldn’t it have been a ring?" Fang Mo muttered in annoyance, pulling out the pendant Nyarlathotep had given him. Grumbling, he put it on.
Afterward, he walked into the izakaya with Sakura.
As soon as they entered, the previously lively tavern fell silent for a mont. Several custors glanced at Fang Mo, seemingly drawn to him for so reason.
However, the strange atmosphere lasted only briefly before things returned to normal.
"A beer, please."
Fang Mo sat down at a central table, casually ordering food and drink while observing his surroundings.
The izakaya was spacious, with a TV mounted on the wall. The screen displayed news about the ongoing incidents in Fuyuki City—gas leaks, earthquakes, unsolved murders, and experts advising residents to stay indoors at night.
"Damn it! These governnt officials are completely useless!" Fang Mo suddenly slamd his hand on the table. "How are we supposed to live like this?!”
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