Chapter 88: The contract is established! Take the initiative!
Hearing this, Arthur's lips curled into a playful smile as he scrutinized the Servant before him.
"I've never heard of such a thing?"
As he spoke, he activated the Appraisal Eye, a skill all Masters inevitably gain, to check the succubus's ability parameters.
...
Class: Caster (Magus)
Master: Arthur pendragon
True Name: Merlin
Attribute: Lawful Good
—Ability Parameters—
Strength: B
Endurance: E
Agility: D
Mana: A
Luck: C
Noble Phantasm: C
—Class Skills—
Territory Creation: C
A skill essential for the Caster class, allowing the construction of a workshop.
However, due to Merlin's impatience and carelessness, he usually abandons it halfway.
High-Speed Incantation: C
A technique that effectively increases a Caster's spellcasting efficiency.
Although his pronunciation's beauty is among the best in his profession, Merlin claims that chanting too fast makes him bite his tongue.
Item Construction: C
Capable of creating items imbued with magic, ranging from combat aids to daily necessities, with a wide variety.
A talent Merlin is quite confident in, but unfortunately, it cannot be called outstanding.
—Personal Skills—
Mixed-Blood: EX
Possessing blood other than human, considered a succubus's mixed-blood, fully inheriting its characteristics.
Clairvoyance: EX
The proof of a highest-ranking Magus, eyes that see through the world.
His sight is enough to observe everything in the world, but it can only be used for observation.
Hero Creation: EX
The art of artificially creating a King and nurturing a King.
It can even be considered a symbol of Merlin's legend, making him one of the world's few King breeders.
Independent Manifestation: A
Merlin himself cannot be summoned as a Heroic Spirit; to fulfill his curiosity, he used a special skill to pretend to be a Servant and answered the summons.
Illusion: A
Magic that deceives people, referring to intervening in the mind and projecting illusions into the real world.
At Rank A, it can not only turn the mental world into a nightmare but also easily create illusions in the real world.
Charisma: B
The ability to lead others.
Although it is an essential skill for Kings or leaders, for some reason, Merlin was born with this skill.
...
Heroic Spirits, when downgraded to Servants to participate in the Holy Grail War, are given standardized parameters to display their strengths and weaknesses.
Strength, Endurance, Agility, Mana, Luck, and Noble Phantasm—these six are collectively referred to as Ability Values.
Because each Ability Value has a rank, a Master can clearly understand his Servant's strong and weak areas.
Furthermore, Servants are divided into seven classes, making mutual counteraction a common and enjoyable occurrence.
Merlin's class is Caster, a Servant who uses magic as his primary combat method.
In a Holy Grail War where everyone has high mystery and high magic resistance, it is the weakest and least favored class.
The quietblue hue in Arthur's eyes gradually faded, and he rubbed his temples, his tone a mix of amusement and exasperation.
"Although I didn't expect the Servant I summoned to be incredibly strong, your situation is a bit too outrageous, isn't it?"
"Why does a Caster have B-rank Strength?"
Merlin's face still held that impeccably perfect smile, like a spring breeze.
"I'm not good at magic to begin with; if I chant too fast, I easily bite my tongue."
"Compared to that, isn't it much simpler and more direct to just beat the enemy with a sword?"
Arthur had just finished looking at Merlin's status panel and knew that what he said was true.
This mixed-blood succubus was not weak; it was just that his combat style differed greatly from the conventional perception of a Magus.
Arthur shook his head and sighed softly: "Forget it, there's nothing to complain about now. Let's just go through the motions."
He looked up, gazing at the calm and collected Merlin, and asked with focused attention.
"Answer me, Merlin. What is your wish? Why did you answer my summons?"
Merlin's lips curved into a faint smile, and he waved his hand casually, saying,
"I have no wish to entrust to the Holy Grail. My purpose for manifesting this time is but one—"
"To witness the birth of the Red Dragon."
Arthur pondered for a moment, immediately understanding the meaning of his words, and murmured softly.
"To witness the birth of the Red Dragon, King Arthur?"
If the Red Dragon were spoken by anyone else, it might have other meanings.
But the Red Dragon, spoken by Merlin, absolutely refers to no one else.
It could only be the Eternal King of Britain.
'Since another King Arthur exists, it's pretty much confirmed that this is a parallel world.'
Arthur's expression froze for an instant, then quickly returned to normal.
He showed Merlin the Command Spell pattern on the back of his hand, and said with a serious expression.
"If I become an enemy of King Arthur in the Holy Grail War, what will be your stance?"
Hearing this, Merlin's eyes actually gleamed with an unshakeable smile, and he bowed.
"Even if the opponent is the former King, this body will still be at the Master's service."
Arthur remained silent, his gaze sharp, scrutinizing the Servant who had sworn allegiance, the invisible pressure in the air almost suffocating.
After a long while, the icy atmosphere suddenly relaxed, as if everything that had just happened was merely an illusion.
"Then, the contract is established. Come with me."
...
The night deepened, and the streets were now sparsely populated.
Arthur walked alone through the old suburban district, arriving at the entrance of the renowned Fuyuki Hyatt Hotel, remaining silent for a long time.
"What's wrong, Master? Aren't we looking for a place to rest? This place looks good."
Merlin's tone was full of doubt, but his figure was nowhere to be seen beside Arthur.
This was a common skill among Servants, spiritualization.
When not fighting, they can transform into non-physical magical particles, which not only facilitates concealment but also effectively reduces the consumption of the Master's magical energy.
Arthur ignored Merlin's question, scrutinizing the magnificent lobby of the Hyatt Hotel, his brow furrowed the entire time.
Unlike what he had read in the newspaper earlier, when he actually arrived at the Hyatt Hotel, he vaguely felt that this place was very ominous!
A sudden, inexplicable sense of dread washed over him, making him feel that if he stayed here, he might be attacked by terrorists!
With that thought, Arthur turned and left without hesitation.
"Let's go! Find somewhere else to stay!"
"Fu wu?"
"Yeah, yeah! Even Cath Palug thinks this place is good, why did Master suddenly change his mind?"
The young beast and the succubus expressed confusion and dissatisfaction almost simultaneously, clearly unable to understand Arthur's sudden decision.
Arthur walked ahead without looking back, pouting.
"Don't ask so many questions, just follow my instincts, you won't go wrong."
"I'm not deliberately questioning Master's decision, but can we really find a better place to stay than this?"
"Of course."
Arthur confidently walked through two long streets and arrived in front of a 24-hour izakaya, pushing the door open without hesitation.
His gaze swept across the hall, quickly locking onto a suitable target.
A punk wearing a studded jacket with multicolored hair.
Arthur's lips curled into a playful smile. He took two steps forward, placed his magic-infused hand on the other's shoulder, and commanded.
"Let's go, take me to your boss. And, let's talk about a big business deal."