The Last Night Before the War

The Holy Grail War is the most important thing. The affairs of the Matou family are just a side story. The Holy Grail War, as the main storyline, should be Naoki's primary focus.

"Yesterday, Kotomine Kirei came for the third time. The final participant of the Holy Grail War has been confirmed. Tonight, the Church will summon all participants, inform them of the detailed rules of the Holy Grail War, and announce the start of the Holy Grail War."

"What time tonight?"

"Midnight."

"What time is it now? Can't it be earlier? Can't I just sleep?"

Magus are like this, they always prefer to act at night. Although this is to maintain the secrecy of Magecraft and prevent the mysteries from being exposed to the public, it's very inconvenient for ordinary people like Naoki.

"Master, if you don't want to go, I can go in your place. The Church also said that if you haven't woken up, I can handle it for you."

"Is that so... I'll leave it to you then. But you should remain in spirit form when you go. If you encounter other Servants, don't engage them. Retreat if you can. I can't support your battles."

After what happened with the Matou family, Naoki is now truly afraid of letting Arthur fight. He really doesn't want to experience that drained feeling from within for a second time. If it happens again, he estimates that a part of him might break.

In this Holy Grail War, he will just be a slacker, fishing in troubled waters, staying on the sidelines as much as possible, watching the other six Servants fight to the death, and surviving on his own. As for fighting for the Holy Grail... He doesn't even want that broken cup filled with black mud!

Arthur immediately agreed: "I understand, Master. I will prioritize retreating."

Like Naoki, Arthur doesn't need the Holy Grail. After experiencing two Holy Grail Wars in parallel worlds, he has long realized that his wish was wrong. He also knows that Britain doesn't need him to save it. Although it has changed shape, the island still exists on this planet and continues to thrive.

For him, that's enough.

'If I had to make a wish, then my wish would be to protect my Master and fulfill my Master's wishes.'

That's the meaning behind his summoning response.

"Um... Master, I know this might upset you, but may I ask something?" Arthur hesitated and said, "Manaka... what did she do to you? If she did something excessive, then I will take responsibility and compensate you, Master."

"No, no, no! No need, really!"

Letting Arthur compensate him? Paying for Manaka's actions?

Come on, if Manaka knew about this, she might get jealous and explode.

"Anyway, Arthur, the greatest kindness you can do for me is to keep your distance from me. Manaka cursed me that the closer you are to me, the more painful it is for me. Honestly, I'm feeling heartache right now."

That's a lie.

For some reason, Naoki actually feels quite comfortable now, as if he has recovered from a serious illness. He's very energetic. Although the memories of the torture in the nightmare are still there, he can't feel any pain from those memories.

It's not that he's gotten used to the pain, but rather that he feels something is bearing the pain for him – Naoki senses this.

'Wait, could my cheat finally have arrived? After being tortured for so long, have I finally awakened the passive ability [Nullify Mental Attacks]?'

Naoki felt a moment of joy, but soon faced reality the next moment.

'If I want to cheat, I might as well go to the Mystic Eye Train and buy a pair of Mystic Eyes.'

It would take who knows how many more years for Naoki to afford a pair of Mystic Eyes with his current abilities.

After hearing what Naoki said about the curse, Arthur immediately distanced himself from Naoki: "Master, is this distance okay? Is your heart still in pain?"

"It's fine, it's fine. I was just joking. Actually, it's okay as long as there's no physical contact. Maybe?"

"Maybe?"

Arthur put on a serious expression. "Please don't joke about your own body, Master. Curses, no matter how big or small, will cause serious impacts and damage to the cursed. If contact with me triggers the curse, please let me know. I will limit the scope of my actions and not burden you."

"Okay, sorry, my joke was a bit too much." Naoki bowed his head and apologized, "The curse takes effect when I'm asleep, and I'll have all sorts of terrifying nightmares. But I'm really fine now, um... Something is blocking the pain – that's how it feels."

As he said this, Naoki didn't notice that above his eyebrows, slightly closer to his forehead, there was a flower-like pattern faintly glowing with white light.

After seeing the whole scene, Arthur understood the current situation and sat back down in front of Naoki: "That's the best. However, if Master feels uncomfortable, you must tell me as soon as possible. What happened between Manaka and me caused you to suffer undue punishment. If I can compensate, I'm willing to do anything."

"Don't say things that could be misunderstood! And you can say this to Manaka. It's really embarrassing for a grown man like me to hear this! It's because of your air-conditioner-like personality that Manaka gets jealous!"

"Ah... Yes, I understand."

'Although I don't know what my Master is talking about, I just have to agree.'

◆━⊰✧⊱━◆

Naoki fell asleep again.

Although his mental state has recovered, being tortured by the curse for five consecutive days means he hasn't rested properly for five days. This fatigue is real, and he needs to rest adequately. Even if he falls asleep again and is tortured by the curse, he really can't endure this exhaustion.

Fortunately, this time...

"Thank you very much for that, Merlin."

Arthur saw the flower mark on Naoki's forehead. He knew it was Merlin's magic. She was the one helping Naoki withstand further mental damage. Although he didn't know her intentions, Arthur would definitely thank her when they meet again.

"So—"

He glanced at the clock, and it was almost midnight.

After putting on his armor and a black hood, Arthur entered his spiritual form.

"Following Master's instructions, it's time to go to Fuyuki Church and listen to the rules of the Holy Grail War."