Chapter 158: Holy Grail

Shirou Emiya had many questions right now. Earlier, he had been too worried about Sakura Matou's safety to ask, but now that she was standing safely in front of him, he couldn't wait to get answers.

For example… what exactly was the Holy Grail War?

"The Holy Grail War is a ritual where seven magi compete for the Holy Grail."

The Emiya household had a spacious courtyard, one of the few things Kiritsugu Emiya had left for Shirou.

The group of teenagers gathered in the courtyard. The one explaining was Rin Tohsaka. Among the three of them, she was the only one who had received a complete magical education. Her family had generations of accumulated magical knowledge, and she had Kirei Kotomine to guide her. With her exceptional talent, she was the most knowledgeable about magecraft among them.

"So, it's a ritual where seven Masters kill each other?"

"Yes. The entire Holy Grail War revolves around the 'Holy Grail.' However, the Holy Grail here is different from the one in legends. It exists in a spiritual form above the town."

Shirou and Rin went back and forth, discussing everything about the Holy Grail War. Meanwhile, Sakura Matou followed quietly behind them. Although Koyanskaya had encouraged her to take the initiative and claim Shirou for herself, being by her senpai's side felt enough for now. Her grandfather was gone, so she no longer had to worry about him. The only issue was her brother…

Having grown up in such a stifling environment, Sakura knew she was different from most people. But she also knew her brother was a difficult and unpleasant person. If he didn't change his ways, would it affect her future life in the Emiya household?

Sakura had come to the Emiya household under her grandfather's orders. The old man, now deceased, had allowed her to come here to keep an eye on Shirou after learning he was Kiritsugu Emiya's adopted son.

Now that her grandfather was gone, the mission to monitor Shirou was over. But would things change because of the Matou family? The possibility was slim, but it existed.

Should I ask Li-kun for help? He seems to have his own way of dealing with my brother.

"Sakura, Sakura?"

"Huh? Senpai, did you call me?"

Sakura snapped out of her thoughts and noticed both Shirou and Rin staring at her. Their eyes were fixed on her…

Was it that obvious she had been spacing out?

She didn't know why the two of them had suddenly turned their attention to her.

"Earlier, why were you looking toward Mount Enzou? Did that guy Li Mo do something to you? Or did Caster put some kind of curse on you?" Rin asked.

Casters were often magi, and on the way here, Sakura had revealed Caster's true name: Medea. The witch of Greek mythology, a magus from the Age of Gods. It wouldn't be unusual for her to place some kind of subtle curse.

On the way, Sakura had told them the true names of the Servants. According to her…

Sakura replied, "Tohsaka-senpai, you're overthinking it. I'm perfectly healthy, and I've never felt better. I just remembered I forgot something. Rider, could you make a trip to Mount Enzou? I left some ingredients there that I forgot to bring back."

"Understood."

Rider, in her spiritual form, responded to Sakura and then headed off to Mount Enzou alone to retrieve the ingredients Sakura had left behind.

Sakura asked, "By the way, senpai, Tohsaka-senpai, have you had dinner yet?"

"No," Shirou replied. He had been unlucky enough to stay late at school cleaning the archery club's grounds, only to run into the battle between Archer and Lancer. He had been stabbed by Lancer, saved by someone, and then returned home, only to be attacked by Lancer again shortly after. He had finally summoned Saber to drive Lancer away. Then Rin had shown up to help, and after clearing up the misunderstanding, they had planned to head to the church in Shinto to learn more about the Holy Grail War.

Along the way, they had encountered the attack on the Matou residence, which had been completely destroyed. After a series of events, they had finally reached a point where they could rest.

Dinner? He hadn't had time for that.

Rin was in slightly better shape. She had eaten dinner before heading to school with Archer to investigate.

After understanding the situation, Sakura nodded and said, "I see, senpai. I'll take care of dinner."

"Sakura, have you eaten?"

"Not yet."

Sakura's experiences at Mount Enzou had been eventful. Negotiations, forming alliances, undergoing surgery, and then resting had taken up a lot of time.

Later, Sakura made her way to the kitchen with practiced ease. Although the living room had been damaged, the kitchen was intact and usable. As for the ingredients, they would have to wait for Rider to return.

Meanwhile, Rin continued to explain things to Shirou.

...

...

Mount Enzou, inside the cavern. There were many signs of human activity here. Li Mo and Koyanskaya had worked together to turn this place into something resembling a hermit's dwelling. It had evolved from a simple cave into a hermit's residence.

But at this moment, the one who had transformed the environment, Koyanskaya, the rabbit-eared secretary-type beauty, was complaining, "Master, why would you rather eat instant noodles than the dinner I prepared with love?!"

Yes, Li Mo was squatting on the ground, using an alcohol lamp to cook instant noodles instead of letting Koyanskaya prepare dinner. He had stopped her from cooking and instead opted for instant noodles with an alcohol lamp.

Why use an alcohol lamp? Because Li Mo felt like it. In reality, Koyanskaya had brought a gas canister, but Li Mo insisted on using the alcohol lamp.

He was just in the mood for it.

"Koyanskaya, join me. We've got plenty of time, and there will be plenty of opportunities in the future. Today, I just want instant noodles."

Or cup noodles.

Japanese cup noodles were a bit small in portion, but Li Mo had cooked several servings. One bowl wasn't enough, so a few more should do, right?

"Medea, you should try some too. This is a product of modern industrial society. You couldn't eat something like this in the Age of Gods," Li Mo promoted the wonders of modern industry to Medea.

Indeed, this wasn't something you could eat in the Age of Gods. Not because the conditions weren't there, but because those who had the ability didn't need it, and those who needed it didn't have the ability.

Soon, the two of them were squatting in front of multiple alcohol lamps. Seeing this, Koyanskaya had no choice but to squat beside Li Mo, increasing the number from two to three.

Before long…

When the instant noodles were ready, the aroma filled the air. One human and two Servants each had a cup of noodles and began to eat.

Industrial mass-produced food might not be the most delicious, but it was consistent. The impact of science and technology on the taste buds was a new experience for those who had never tried it before.