Chapter 161: Meetin early in the morning

Li Mo had many tasks that required Medea's assistance. 

First, researching the Greater Grail and figuring out how to make it descend directly when Servants were needed. 

Second, awakening Hanachirusato's consciousness also required Medea's help. 

The spell Yae Miko had used was originally meant for herself. After some modifications, it could be used by others. From Li Mo's perspective, Yae Miko's modifications were flawless and wouldn't cause the consciousness to fall into a coma. 

However, Hanachirusato's consciousness had formed a mental space but had yet to awaken. Yae Miko had taught Li Mo a spell to enter the mental space, but at the time, Hanachirusato's mental space was too fragile. 

Now, Li Mo was fully responsible. He hoped to use Medea's expertise to examine Yae Miko's spell and see if he could find a breakthrough. 

Third, since he hadn't obtained the Matou family's magical texts, Li Mo's progress in magecraft still relied on learning from Medea. However, as a magus from the Age of Gods, the magic she wielded was different from that of modern magi. 

After all, the environment of the Age of Gods was vastly different from the present era. 

Fourth, there was the matter of using "All the Evils of the World" to walk the path of a "Beast." Koyanskaya's method had been transformed into a "ritual," and if they were to utilize "All the Evils of the World," the ritual would need to be modified. 

Li Mo was grateful that he had encountered Medea. If it hadn't been for meeting her early on, his problems wouldn't have been solved so smoothly. Taking the first step was always the hardest. 

Late at night, before going to sleep, Li Mo still needed to deal with one more person. 

—Shinji Matou. 

He seemed to have been forgotten by everyone. Under the influence of Medea's magic, he was lost in his dreams. When Sakura Matou left, she had essentially ignored him. Now, perhaps only Shirou Emiya would consider his existence. 

As for others, even his father, Kariya Matou, had passed away before the Fifth Holy Grail War. 

"Let Sakura Matou handle him." 

Li Mo didn't feel the need to kill Shinji Matou. In the original story, although Shinji had faced several life-threatening situations, he had always survived and even undergone a change in personality. 

Therefore, he wasn't someone who needed to be eliminated like Zouken Matou. 

"Time to rest." 

After making sure Shinji Matou was properly taken care of to avoid him catching a cold, Li Mo finally entered his tent to sleep. Only the faint glow of magical energy illuminated the cavern. 

...

...

The next morning, at the Emiya residence. 

Sakura Matou woke up early. Since the Matou residence had been destroyed, she had stayed overnight at the Emiya household. 

Originally, her plan for the day was to attend archery club training. But after the events of the previous night, it was clear that she wouldn't be returning to her ordinary life anytime soon. 

Sakura Matou wasn't without talent in magecraft. On the contrary, her talent was exceptional. In a world where the "Imaginary Numbers" attribute was rare, she might be the only one. Even though Zouken Matou's brutal modifications had damaged her potential, she could still become an outstanding magus. 

However, she herself had no desire to pursue the path of magecraft. 

Rather than becoming a magus, Sakura Matou preferred to become a wife. 

After waking up, Sakura used the Emiya household's landline to inform Taiga Fujimura that she wouldn't be attending archery club training. It seemed that news of the Matou residence's destruction had spread, and after confirming Sakura's safety, Taiga didn't press further. She simply acknowledged the message and mentioned that she wouldn't be coming to the Emiya household for breakfast. 

—Additionally, Sakura also informed Taiga that her brother, Shinji Matou, wouldn't be attending the archery club either. 

The destruction of the Matou residence had only claimed Zouken Matou as a casualty. 

After handling these matters, Sakura went about making breakfast at the Emiya household as usual. She checked the fridge and saw that the ingredients she had bought the previous day hadn't been fully used. The ingredients Koyanskaya had purchased were also there. 

Koyanskaya... If that was her true name, then what kind of Heroic Spirit was she? 

With Sakura's limited knowledge, she couldn't determine what kind of Heroic Spirit Koyanskaya was. She couldn't even tell if Koyanskaya was an Eastern or Western Heroic Spirit. From her name, she seemed Western, but her behavior felt more Eastern. 

Strange... 

"You're up early, Sakura." 

"Senpai, if you want breakfast, please wait a moment." 

"Understood. Did Rin say when she'd be coming over?" 

Last night, Sakura had stayed at the Emiya household, but Rin Tohsaka had returned to her own home. The distance between the two wasn't too far. 

"Tohsaka-senpai didn't say." 

"Is that so? Then..." 

Before Shirou could finish his sentence, there was a knock at the door. Exchanging a glance with Sakura, he went to answer it. 

Following Shirou into the house were Saber and Rider. The previous night, Sakura and Shirou had exchanged the true names of their Servants. Even the mysterious "Li-kun," whose stance was unclear, hadn't bothered to hide his Servant's true name. 

—He didn't act like a magus participating in the Holy Grail War at all. 

That was Rin's assessment, and Sakura agreed. 

"Saber, breakfast will be ready soon." 

"Understood." Saber sat gracefully at the dining table, exuding an air of dignity. 

Since Shirou's magical energy was insufficient, Saber needed to replenish her energy through meals. She couldn't even maintain her spiritual form, which seemed to put a strain on her Master's magical reserves. 

But... how would they explain Saber's presence to Taiga-sensei? Shirou would probably come up with a good excuse. 

In Sakura's eyes, there was nothing Shirou couldn't do. Well... except maybe in magecraft, where he was slightly lacking. But in other areas, he was exceptional. 

Having witnessed the capabilities of the magus in the cavern, Sakura felt that no one in this Holy Grail War could surpass him in magecraft. 

"Sakura, good morning. How did you sleep last night? Did Shirou do anything to you?" 

"Good morning, Tohsaka-senpai. Nothing happened last night." 

As expected, it was Rin Tohsaka who had knocked on the door. Sakura greeted her and asked, "Where is Archer?" 

The red Servant had left a deep impression on her. For some reason, Sakura felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity with him. Unfortunately, she didn't know his true name. 

"He's in spiritual form, right beside me. Archer, why don't you join Saber and Rider at the table for breakfast?" 

"Master, we have a guest," Archer said as he materialized. 

"Who?" 

"He's already here." 

Without Archer's prompting, everyone turned to see the newcomer. 

The Master of Caster and Assassin had appeared in the living room, seemingly materializing out of thin air behind Rin and Shirou. 

Li Mo, noticing everyone's eyes on him, said, "You've got a nice hole in your roof here. When are you planning to fix it?" 

He showed no fear.