Chapter 86: A Sunny and Cheerful Boy? (The Fourth Holy Grail War begins)
After a brief moment of emotion, Arthur put away his smile, but the ripples in his heart did not subside.
1994…
This was the specific year he saw in the newspaper.
However, it was not the year he left his homeland.
A parallel world?
Or had the timeline jumped to before he was born?
Actually, no matter the situation, it was all in vain.
After all, his existence was an established fact.
Even if he changed the future here, it would only create a new branch where he was never born.
After repeatedly convincing himself of this, the fluctuating ripples in his heart finally settled into calm.
"Hmph~ Since you specifically sent me to Fuyuki City, then—"
Arthur raised his left hand, palm facing himself, gazing at the starlight mark, a flicker of understanding in his eyes.
"The mission objective is within this Holy Grail War, isn't it?"
As soon as he said this, the starlight mark on his palm indeed warmed slightly, confirming his guess.
Arthur lowered his head and chuckled, his eyes filled with a hint of melancholy and emotion.
As a special case born in Chaldea specifically for Servant battles, he was well-versed in the procedures of the Holy Grail War.
The so-called Miracle ritual was merely an ugly product of the Fuyuki Three Families indulging their selfish desires, degrading the decisive battle ritual meant to save the Human Order.
Seven Magi summon seven Servants of different classes to engage in a cruel and bloody struggle.
The victor would obtain the omnipotent wish-granting machine, and with it, reach the Root and fulfill all their ambitions.
Arthur reined in his thoughts, calmly shook his head, a self-mocking smile playing on his lips.
"After walking on the edge of life and death, I don't have any wishes that absolutely must be fulfilled."
"If I really had to say, it would probably be hoping that future missions would be easier."
"Foo!"
Fou protested with a raised paw.
It had a wish: to have an endless supply of fried potato balls for life!
Arthur laughed dumbfounded, his eyes doting as he reached out and scratched the pure white young beast's chin fur.
"You, all you think about is eating."
"Let's go, it's time to prepare the summoning ritual."
Having made up his mind, Arthur stood up and walked out of Shinto Park.
However, he had only taken a few steps when a simple snack stall at the park entrance caught his attention.
The stall owner was a casually dressed, clean-cut, orange-haired young man.
He enthusiastically interacted with the children, his smile radiating a textbook-like sunny cheerfulness.
The orange-haired young man quickly noticed Arthur standing by the roadside, his smile unwavering as he waved and greeted him.
"Hello there, interested in patronizing my little shop?"
That smile seemed to have been refined through countless trials, so perfect that not a single flaw could be found.
Facing the orange-haired young man's warm invitation, Arthur shook his head indifferently.
"No need, I'm just passing by."
The other party did not press further, turning his head to bend down and tell stories to the children again, his eyes narrowing, his smile deep.
Arthur pursed his lips slightly, subtly observing this "sunny and cheerful big boy."
That smile, to him, was simply too fake.
It was as if he was wearing a cold mask, every curve precise as if rehearsed countless times.
The other party's acting skills were so high, comparable to those old foxes of the Arthur family.
His intuition told Arthur that this orange-haired young man was definitely not as simple as he appeared on the surface.
He quickly walked past the snack stall, subtly rubbing a ball of starlight between his fingertips and silently flicking it towards the other party's shoulder.
'Better safe than sorry, I hope I'm just overthinking it.'
...
After leaving Shinto Park, Arthur went straight to Fuyuki Hospital.
That's right, the hospital.
In fact, summoning a Servant was not some profound and mysterious matter; only laymen always held unrealistic fantasies about it.
In reality, drawing a magic circle only required fresh blood, dissolved gemstones, and a sufficient amount of mercury.
Afterward, one only needed to outline four retreat circles around the spirit-summoning circle on the ground.
In the hospital, besides dissolved gemstones, the other two materials were readily available.
And fire crystal ore could perfectly be used as an unpolished natural gemstone.
Arthur used suggestion magic as a cover, obtaining the two materials unimpeded and stepping out of the hospital gate.
He looked up at the setting sun still hanging in the sky, pondering for a moment.
"Summoning a Servant requires the right time, place, and people. It seems I'll have to find a place to stay later."
"Eh?"
Suddenly, a hint of suspicion flashed in Arthur's eyes, and he abruptly turned his head to look back in the direction of Shinto Park.
A faint magical energy reaction actually appeared on the "enthusiastic" stall owner he had marked.
That fluctuation… was it the Holy Mark representing Master candidate qualifications!?
"Is Fuyuki City so lacking in Magi that they have to drag even laymen in to make up the numbers?"
"Or is it…"
Arthur's expression couldn't help but become subtle, and worries about this Holy Grail War once again surged in his heart.
The information he had about the Holy Grail War mostly came from the Fifth Holy Grail War ten years later.
The only thing he could confirm was that some unexpected incident would occur during this Holy Grail War.
Which would then lead to the Holy Grail ritual, which originally required sixty years to accumulate magical energy, being able to restart after only ten years.
Something abnormal must have a reason.
It was still too early for the optimal summoning time, so Arthur decided to go back and investigate the stall owner first.
...
Inside Shinto Park.
Ryunosuke Uryu, with a cheerful smile on his face, waved goodbye to the last group of children playing "house."
He lowered his head, humming an unknown tune as he packed up his stall, pondering which "adorable" child to target next.
The little girl with pigtails was quite cute, but unfortunately, she was about to go visit relatives outside the city with her family, so there wasn't enough time.
However, the classmate accompanying her was also very well-behaved and could be a backup option.
Then there was the snot-nosed kid who was closest to him.
He heard that the kid also had an older sister; perhaps he could try his old method.
Ryunosuke Uryu's face actually flushed with a strange redness, and he couldn't help but lick his lips, as if he had thought of something.
"You seem very happy, don't you mind sharing?"
Ryunosuke Uryu, immersed in his "artistic" conceptions, looked up blankly, and what met his eyes were Arthur's crimson Magic Eyes.
The moment their eyes met, Ryunosuke Uryu's smile instantly froze, his expression became numb, and his eyes were empty.
Arthur gestured with auxiliary movements for suggestion magic, his tone calm.
"Mr. Stall Owner, do you know what a Magus is?"
Ryunosuke Uryu nodded slowly, his reply slow and stiff.
"I know, they are people who perform in circuses."
Arthur shook his head with a slight chuckle, coaxing him.
"No, no, no, they are Magi who wield mysteries and walk on the hidden side of the world."
Ryunosuke Uryu frowned tightly, and a moment later, he mechanically pulled out an old-covered notebook from under the stall.
"This?"