Fate: Question And Answer System of Traversing Heroic Spirits

Darnic asked, "Fiore, what is the effect of this magic gift?"

Fiore replied, "It can enhance the user's resistance to negative effects like poison and curses."

"I see. Used wisely, it could serve as a life-saving item in critical moments," Darnic said with a smile. "Don't overthink it. You opened it, so it's yours to keep."

"Understood." Fiore nodded and carefully placed the Card in her arms.

Seeing this, Chiron decided to open his bronze treasure chest as well.

["Ding! Congratulations to group member Chiron for obtaining the 'Magic Gift – Let's Depart!'"]

"Archer, did you also get a Card?" Astolfo approached eagerly and exclaimed, "Hey! Isn't that me?"

The image on the Card in Chiron's hand depicted Astolfo riding a griffin.

"If you like it, take it," Chiron said kindly, handing the Card to Astolfo without hesitation.

The effect of the Card was to increase the user's movement speed—a benefit Chiron didn't particularly need.

"Really? Thank you so much, Archer!" Astolfo grinned, hugging the Card like it was a treasured prize.

"By the way, Rider, what did you get from the silver treasure chest yesterday?" Darnic asked, seizing the opportunity to inquire. He wanted to understand the difference between bronze and silver treasure chest rewards.

"Oh, it's a card," Astolfo replied, pulling out the item in question. "It's said to be a Heroic Spirit Summoning Card. It can summon new Servants."

"What?!" The black faction Masters were collectively stunned by this revelation.

"Can I take a closer look?" Darnic asked, striving to keep his tone calm as he approached Astolfo.

"Oh, sure!" Astolfo replied cheerfully, handing the summoning card to Darnic without a second thought.

Darnic examined the card and quickly understood how it worked. It was exactly as Astolfo had described: the "Heroic Spirit Summoning Card – Holy Grail Version."

Darnic's eyes gleamed with intrigue. In the Holy Grail War, having an additional Servant could tip the scales of victory significantly.

"Rider, you can't use this card yourself, can you? Why not give it to me?" Darnic proposed.

"Well… I kind of wanted to experience what it feels like to be a Master," Astolfo admitted wistfully.

"But you're a Servant," Darnic countered. "You rely on your Master for mana. How could you provide mana to another Servant?"

"You've got a point there," Astolfo conceded, handing the card over without further resistance.

Under Darnic's persuasion, the summoning card now belonged to him. However, Darnic decided not to summon a Servant immediately. The Servants summoned by the Holy Grail version of the summoning card could only remain in the world for seven days. Who knew how long the war would last? Summoning prematurely might lead to complications if the new Servant vanished at a critical moment.

With the matter settled, everyone began to leave.

Avicebron led Roche to the homunculus storage room beneath the castle, seeking Sieg's whereabouts.

Astolfo, meanwhile, reluctantly followed Celenike, whose flushed face betrayed her excitement.

Before departing, only Gordes seemed to remember something and temporarily stayed behind.

Gordes asked, "By the way, hasn't that Hyouma guy returned yet?"

Darnic frowned. "I haven't been able to contact him since last night. I'm worried something might have happened to him."

"You don't think the Red Team has already tracked us down here in Romania, do you?" Gordes suggested nervously.

Darnic shook his head. "I think it's more likely he ran into a Servant attack. After all, you know how dangerous the Servant he intended to summon was. That's probably why he had to travel all the way to Japan to summon it."

"Wouldn't it have been safer to summon here?" Gordes asked. "At least other Servants could have protected him."

Darnic sighed. "There's no point in dwelling on it now."

He glanced at the summoning card in his hand and said, "If something really has happened to Hyouma, then it means we've already lost a Servant. In that case, this card has come at the perfect time."

Gordes nodded thoughtfully. "It almost feels like fate is at work."

---

Meanwhile, at the church.

"Ruler has already arrived early. She'll undoubtedly choose another route to Trifas now that she's prepared."

In the basement, Kotomine Shirou sipped tea, muttering to himself.

"Unfortunately for her, no matter where she comes from, she won't escape my surveillance."

Across from him sat the five supporting Masters of the Red faction, apart from Sisigou. They sat like statues, unmoving, with steaming tea set before them.

"We must implement all plans as soon as possible. If we're exposed, it will become problematic," Kotomine Shirou continued.

The Red Masters had not joined the Q&A group, and he knew it wouldn't take long for others to notice this inconsistency. Moreover, he understood it was impossible for these five Masters to join the Q&A group.

After a day of observation, Kotomine Shirou had realized something: all the group's members were key participants in the Holy Grail War.

If this Holy Grail War were viewed as a story, the group members would represent its main characters. The five controlled Masters were, at best, minor background characters—extras unqualified to join the group.

This revelation was thanks to a suggestion from Red Caster, Shakespeare. Without his insight, Kotomine Shirou might not have figured it out.

"To be safe, we'll send four Servants together this time," Kotomine declared.

---

Back in the Origin World.

["Ding! Congratulations to the host for obtaining the 'Noble Phantasm Customization Card'!"]

Chihiro froze. This was new.

The card's name left little to the imagination. Could it really allow him to customize a unique Noble Phantasm?

After carefully reviewing the card's effects, Chihiro confirmed his suspicions. The card could indeed create a Noble Phantasm tailored to his needs. However, it came with restrictions: only E-rank Noble Phantasms could be created.

In other words, crafting legendary artifacts like the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi or Excalibur was out of the question. Even moderately destructive weapons were off the table.

"So, what's even worth creating with this?" Chihiro muttered to himself.

"Bang!"

At that moment, Yaya—the Kodama-Inoshishi Chihiro had created using the First Magic—knocked over the table once again.

"You little troublemaker," Chihiro grumbled, swatting Yaya lightly on the backside before righting the table.

Perhaps Chihiro had inadvertently programmed too much of a boar's personality into Yaya when creating her. She had an inexplicable love for bumping into things. This wasn't the first time she'd toppled the furniture, and it was why Chihiro had stopped leaving items on tables altogether.

Keeping her outdoors wasn't an option either. The last time Yaya wandered into a neighbor's yard, she caused a ruckus. Not only had Chihiro been forced to pay for damages, but he also had to erase the neighbor's memory with a spell.

"Wait a second," Chihiro said, a sudden thought striking him.

"Could I use this card to create a storage-type Noble Phantasm for these little troublemakers?"

An idea formed in his mind, a space similar to the worlds depicted in Onmyodo scrolls, where familiars could be safely stored.

Such a Noble Phantasm wouldn't require destructive power, so an E-rank design should suffice.

"Let's make it a book," Chihiro decided. "Scrolls are inconvenient to carry around."

Determined, he activated the Noble Phantasm Customization Card and detailed his request.

The feedback was swift: the customization was possible.

When asked to name the Noble Phantasm, Chihiro immediately decided. Since it would house creatures inspired by mythical beasts, he named it the Classic of Mountains and Seas. The name also served as a personal goal, to eventually create all the mythical creatures from that legendary text.

With a flash of light, the customization card transformed into an ancient-looking yellow book. Its cover bore the words Classic of Mountains and Seas in elegant, ancient script.

The craftsmanship was exquisite, and as Chihiro took it in his hands, he felt a distinct connection to the Noble Phantasm. It was unlike anything he'd ever held before, this treasure was uniquely his.

"Store!" Chihiro commanded, eager to test it out.

A beam of light enveloped Yaya, pulling her into the book. The previously blank pages now displayed an illustration of Yaya, along with detailed annotations in the same ancient script. Despite having no prior knowledge of the language, Chihiro could easily understand the text.

When Chihiro's consciousness entered the Noble Phantasm, he found himself in a lush landscape of mountains, forests, and streams. Yaya bounded happily through the scenery, clearly enjoying her new home.

"Not bad," Chihiro mused, satisfied. "It's much better than confining her to my tiny house."

The space wasn't infinite, approximately ten kilometers in radius but for an E-rank Noble Phantasm, it was more than adequate.

Chihiro then stored the Kudan, Bifang, and Taigong Wang's mount in the Classic of Mountains and Seas. With this, he was officially a full-fledged summoner.

***

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