To Become a King and a Magician

More than thirty Servants—considering that the strength of Shadow Servants would weaken, it's actually equivalent to more than twenty Servants—even so, that's terrifying in terms of combat power. At least one Servant would never be able to match it.

"Arthur, if you use your Noble Phantasm, can you do it?" Naoki asked.

Arthur thought for a moment, then shook his head: "It's possible, but considering your Mana, I think my Noble Phantasm can only be used once in this Holy Grail War. If I use it before facing Manaka..."

"That's true..."

Mana supply is the most direct factor affecting Arthur's combat ability. Although the magic circuits have been opened and the Mana supply has gradually increased, if his true name is revealed, Naoki's Mana will definitely be drained, and it certainly won't recover in a short time—at least not before facing Manaka. Once they lose the holy sword, even with the Mystic Eyes, the three of them won't be able to kill Manaka.

However, if the holy sword isn't released, the numerous Shadow Servants will be difficult to deal with.

Stuck in a dead end.

"What about seeking external help?" Misaya suddenly said.

"Since we can't solve it with just the three of us, how about finding a few more people? For example, other Servants in the Holy Grail War."

Other Servants?

Naoki thought hard.

It's possible, but who should he ask for help? Among the seven Servants of the Fourth Holy Grail War, there's no point in calling Assassin, who seems to have withdrawn. Diarmuid can be negotiated through Kayneth. As long as the situation is explained clearly, he won't stand idly by with his sense of justice. What needs to be worried about is Kayneth.

The same goes for Iskandar and Waver's group. In fact, since Waver doesn't have many opinions at this stage, it's easier to convince him.

As for the remaining three groups.

Gilgamesh is not someone who can be negotiated with at all, but Naoki feels that even if he isn't called, he'll come on his own. After all, Manaka is the Beast. No matter how stubborn Gilgamesh is, he won't let such a creature bring calamity to his land.

Lancelot's whereabouts are unknown. If he's still alive, considering Kariya's condition, he can only turn him into a suicide infantryman and let him do whatever he wants.

And Morgan... Naoki wonders if it's worth it for Arthur to sacrifice his appearance?

"If we want to ask for help... I think we should be able to contact at least two people." Naoki voiced his thoughts, "Lancer and Rider, they should be willing to help, but the problem now is we can't contact them."

From what Waver said, Naoki knows that he's staying at an elderly couple's house, but he doesn't know the exact location. The same goes for Kayneth. He hasn't contacted him again since being attacked by Kiritsugu, but with the contract, even if Naoki doesn't contact him, he should come looking for him.

In other words, now we just need to focus on finding Waver and Iskandar.

Thinking of this, Naoki said to Misaya: "Can I ask for your help? Misaya."

"Explain."

"Arthur and I are currently participants in the Holy Grail War and are somewhat tied to our schedules. You are someone who has nothing to do with the Holy Grail War and can move around more freely. Can you go look for the Rider group?"

This is still the early stage of the Holy Grail War, and each side is still in the stage of testing each other, like hunters lurking in the forest to catch the same prey. No one dares to make the first move, fearing that the mantis is stalking the cicada while the oriole is behind. And if someone steps out of the dark forest first, they will undoubtedly be the first target to be dealt with—it's always better to reduce one competitor.

Moreover, after experiencing Kiritsugu's attack last night, Naoki is worried that he'll be shot dead by Kiritsugu from an unknown angle.

Therefore, at this stage, Naoki won't go out unless he has to. Even if he has to go out, he must bring Arthur with him.

But Misaya is different. She's not involved in the Holy Grail War and won't be attacked. Undoubtedly, it's very appropriate for her to look for Waver.

Tapping her fingers on the table, after thinking for a moment, Misaya nodded: "Alright, I'll agree to your request. However, you must give me some clues. We have to find someone in a city this big. I'm worried that before we find that person, Manaka will have already recovered."

"He's currently staying at an elderly couple's house through Magecraft. He might appear at the library, game stores, etc. He doesn't stand out and looks weak."

This is the only clue Naoki can give at the moment. If he says more than that, it's the same as saying nothing.

Misaya nodded, then stood up: "Alright, I understand. I'll let you know when I find him, so—"

*KNOCK!* *KNOCK!*

Before Misaya from the Linglong Pavilion was ready to leave, the doorbell of Xiachuan's house suddenly rang, followed by two voices from outside the door.

"Natsukawa? Are you home? It's Ryudo."

The student council president! Why is he here?

No, that's not the point. The point is—

'Arthur!'

Naoki suddenly looked toward the kitchen, but no one was there—Arthur had consciously entered his spiritual form!

'Good, then what's left is—'

Looking at Misaya, the first thing that came to Naoki's mind was to stuff her into the closet. If Ryudo knew there was a beautiful woman in his house, Naoki could imagine what would happen when he returned to school next time!

'How long has it been since I've been to school?'

Glancing at the door, Misaya asked, "Is he an acquaintance? Do you want to open the door? Or pretend no one's home?"

"Yes, I'll pretend no one's there—"

"Huh? The door isn't locked? Naoki, are you really home? I'm here to bring you study materials."

Ryudo's voice sounded again at the entrance—he's about to come in!

Pursing her lips, Misaya stood up and walked toward the entrance. Hearing her footsteps, Naoki hurriedly asked in a low voice: "Hey, what are you doing?"

"Let me handle it. He's just an ordinary person, right? I'll use Magecraft to get rid of him."

Yes, there's this trick!

Misaya is a professional Magus and someone who has experienced the Holy Grail War, so she's quite skilled in dealing with ordinary people.

The heavy stone in Naoki's heart was immediately lifted.