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"Not bad."Luo Hao spoke calmly, only two simple words—but they carried her approval.
Though she rarely praised anyone, those words meant a lot. Luo Hao didn't like people from the Sakura Nation, but Roxy wasn't one of them—she was from another world entirely.
That made all the difference.
"You've gotten stronger," Esdeath said, eyes sparkling with battle lust. "Wanna spar with me?"
Roxy waved her hands frantically.She'd have to be insane to fight that sadistic woman!
The girls quickly surrounded Roxy, bombarding her with questions.
As the only man present, Alex wisely stayed out of their girl talk. He went back to the bath and continued soaking while quietly practicing his written magic.
Another night passed. The third day of the Holy Grail War ended—four more days remained.
The next morning, he woke up early as usual, ran to the beach, practiced stances, then meditated to refine his mana.Afterward came weapons training under Luo Hao's guidance.
Yesterday was swords and spears.Today—blades and axes.
Instead of using wooden practice weapons, Alex channeled his mana to create real ones.
Luo Hao nodded approvingly. "That magic of yours—what do you call it, Unlimited Blade Works? Not bad. You should pick up some blacksmithing sometime."
Alex grinned, handing her the weapons. "Don't worry, sis. Hestia told me next time I visit her world, she'll introduce me to Hephaestus, the god of the forge."
"She's quite considerate," Luo Hao said, taking the blade.
After spending time together, Luo Hao had come to understand Hestia's sincerity. The goddess truly cared for her "little brother," heart and soul. Alex's rapid growth owed a lot to her.
Today's lesson began with knife techniques.
In Huaxia (China), weapons were categorized very precisely, especially the commonly used ones. But in the Sakura Nation, it was different—everything was just "swordsmanship," whether one wielded a sword or a blade.
Luo Hao found that ridiculous. To her, the sword and the knife were worlds apart—and so were the arts that used them.
Before teaching Alex, she carefully explained the distinctions, emphasizing not to confuse the two.
Only after he nodded solemnly did the real training begin.
She demonstrated the form once, letting him watch closely.On the second run, she slowed down, having him mimic her movements step by step.By the third round, she stood aside and let him practice alone, correcting his stance whenever something looked off.
After seven or eight repetitions, Alex's movements became fluid, precise. His speed picked up, his footing stabilized, and soon he was performing almost flawlessly.
Just before noon, as his training was wrapping up, two visitors appeared on the beach.
It was Irisviel and Artoria.
"Irisviel, Saber—what brings you two here?" Alex stopped his practice, sweat running down his forehead.
Actually, calling Irisviel a "girl" wasn't quite right—she was a mother already.A shame, really. If he'd crossed into this world a few years earlier, maybe he could've become the Einzbern family's son-in-law.
"Alex, Rider has joined forces with Archer and Assassin," Irisviel said gravely.
"What? Seriously?" Alex froze for a moment, finding that hard to believe.
Rider's Master was Waver. How could he possibly team up with Tohsaka Tokiomi and Kotomine Kirei? That just didn't add up.
"That day, Kiritsugu asked Artoria to stop Iskandar for you. Now everyone assumes we've allied with you. As for Waver—he's probably trying to avenge his teacher," Irisviel sighed.
"Wait, what? After how Kenneth treated him, he still wants revenge for him?" Alex blinked, genuinely impressed by Waver's heart.
"I don't know. It's only speculation," Irisviel admitted.
"So you're here to propose an alliance?" Alex asked.
"That's right." Irisviel nodded.
If Archer, Rider, and Assassin had joined forces, Saber alone couldn't possibly stand against them.And asking Kiritsugu to assassinate their Masters wasn't realistic either. Both Tokiomi and Kirei were formidable—Kirei with his Bajiquan, Tokiomi with his refined magecraft.
Even with Kiritsugu's Origin Bullets and Time Control, he'd have a hard time taking on both of them.
As for Waver, he was probably being "protected."
So the only logical move was to ally with Alex's group. That would balance things out: three Masters and three Servants on each side.
"Sure," Alex said casually. "Let's team up."
In his mind, even if the other side gathered six Servants, they still couldn't beat Luo Hao or Hestia.
Besides, agreeing to this alliance had its perks—mainly the chance to get closer to Artoria.Once the Holy Grail War ended, he planned to use her Command Spells to make sure she stayed.
"Thank goodness," Irisviel said with visible relief. She'd half expected him to refuse, but he'd agreed without hesitation.
"Since we're allies now," Alex added, "we should probably stick together—make it harder for them to pick us off one by one."
"That works for us. The Einzbern family has a castle here in Fuyuki. You can all move in," Irisviel offered.
Alex smiled. "Then we'll take you up on that."
He'd been tired of living out of a hotel anyway. Training outside every day was annoying; a big castle sounded perfect.
Back at the hotel, he told the girls about the alliance. Everyone seemed excited about seeing the castle, so they checked out, packed up, and took the car Irisviel had sent.
The castle was far from the city, deep in the forest—no people for miles.
"What a great spot," Alex said, gazing out the window. "No more morning runs to the beach."
"The scenery really is lovely," Irisviel said softly. "Once this war is over, I'd love for Kiritsugu, Illya, and me to live here forever."
Alex glanced at her, hesitating. Should he tell her the truth about the Little Grail?
No matter who won, Irisviel wouldn't survive this war—she was the vessel of the Lesser Grail.Even if someone removed it in time, she wouldn't live long. As a homunculus, her lifespan was painfully short.
Irisviel noticed his strange expression and tilted her head. "What's wrong? Do I have something on my face?"
"Nothing," Alex said, shaking his head. "Just… thinking about something unpleasant."
"..."
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