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Chapter 386 - I Should Be Under the Car

In a room on the second floor.

After pushing the door open and entering with Rei, Naoki immediately saw Gray sitting by a table.

"Big Brother? Sister Rei?"

Seeing Naoki and Rei enter, Gray paused for a moment, then stood up. "Are you here to do that thing?"

"That thing?" Naoki frowned. "What thing? And Gray, have you been sitting here the whole time?"

"Because Sister Rei asked me to keep an eye on Miss Okita."

Gray said, glancing toward the bed in the room. Following her gaze, Naoki saw Okita Souji Alter lying on the bed, eyes slightly closed, surrounded by several magical arrays, as if being treated as an offering for some ritual.

"This…"

"This is what I wanted to discuss with you, Master—before that, Gray, go have lunch downstairs. I've warmed it up for you."

"Alright. See you later, Big Brother. By the way, about your recklessness last night, I'll give you a proper lecture later."

Before leaving, Gray shot Naoki a mock stern glare.

Rei said, "Last night, after learning about your condition, Master, Gray was very worried. If I hadn't stopped her, she would've rushed to your side immediately. You'll need to comfort her properly later."

"Hmm… but what's the deal with this Assassin?"

Naoki asked, looking at Majin Souji.

"It's a long story. I'll explain from the beginning, Master."

"Arcueid-sama's Servant, Assassin Okita Souji, is actually a Guardian and overseer sent by the Counter Force to monitor your condition, Master. Last night, after confirming you'd shifted to Gaia's side, I detained her."

"This was actually my unilateral decision. Though you might not care, Master, I was very displeased with the Counter Force deceiving you. Even if it didn't cause you significant material harm and even benefited you slightly, they still deceived you—I can't accept that."

"So, I temporarily borrowed Assassin from Arcueid-sama and performed a second contract ritual."

"During the Holy Grail War, Assassin's Master remains Arcueid. But even after the war ends, she won't return to the Throne of Heroes. Instead, she'll directly become your Servant, Master, after the war. I've also modified the ritual—this doesn't need discussion for now."

"In short, the ritual has reached its final stage. Once you place your hand on her, Master, the ritual will be complete, and she can be taken from the Counter Force to become your own Servant."

Rei's explanation left Naoki momentarily stunned, unsure of what to say.

He understood her intent perfectly. The girl was upset about the Counter Force's deception, so she planned to outright steal their agent in retaliation—easy to say, but to actually do it… only a Root Princess like her could pull it off.

"No wonder your Mana was low. This ritual caused it?"

"You could say that. Also, the familiars and surveillance Magecraft used to understand the situation, long-distance contact Magecraft, and last night's large-scale spatial teleportation Magecraft to speed up travel…"

Hearing Rei's examples, Naoki couldn't help but grin. With her Mana consumption rate, it'd be strange if she had any left. No wonder she was so eager to take Mana from him. Mana transferred through circuits wasn't enough for her to burn through so recklessly, especially since Naoki's condition yesterday barely allowed him to supply her.

Naoki raised his hand and patted Rei's head. "Why go so hard? If your Mana runs out, won't you just turn into a ball?"

"Because you asked me to help you, Master, so I put in a little effort." Rei said with a mischievous smile. "Besides, for the past four years, you've taken such good care of Ayaka. This is my way of repaying you."

"I took care of Ayaka, not so you'd help me to this extent, haaa…"

Sighing slightly, Naoki pulled Rei into his arms, kissed her lips again, and transferred some Mana to her. "This should be enough now. I'm starting to consider if you need an external Mana storage function."

"Too much, Master. The Mana's almost overflowing." Rei said, cheeks slightly flushed as she held her stomach. "No need for a Mana storage function. I doubt there'll be many special situations like last night, and the Mana I have now is enough for a week of splurging like that… By the way, you also gave me permission to take Mana from you anytime, anywhere, right?"

As she said this, Rei felt her consciousness being repeatedly shaken—was her other self jealous?

(Just wait a bit. I'm secretly helping you with that while taking Mana. About ten more times should do it. Until then, just watch from the sidelines.)

The shaking intensified, as if someone were slamming a hammer against a door in a frenzy.

"That's true… So, I just need to place my hand on her here?"

Naoki approached the bed, looking at Majin Souji lying there, and asked.

Back then, to get this Servant, he'd grinded Quartz for over half a year and still failed. Who would've thought he'd get her for free now…

"Yes, just place it. I'll handle the ritual after that—oh, Master, make sure to place it on her chest~"

"Your expression tells me that's completely unnecessary."

Seeing Rei's strange smile, Naoki knew she was teasing. He obediently placed his hand on Majin Souji's stomach. The moment his palm touched her, the magical arrays surrounding her emitted a blinding light. Countless blood-red threads emerged from Majin Souji's body, swiftly wrapping around Naoki's arm.

He felt Mana draining from his body—not much, about the amount he'd given Rei. As the Mana flowed into Majin Souji, Naoki gradually sensed a faint connection forming between them.

(Similar to the circuit connection with Rei… By the way, this connection… there seems to be another end?)

In Naoki's perception, besides the link between him and Majin Souji, there was another connection tied to her body. That should be the link between Arcueid and Majin Souji.

According to Rei, after the Holy Grail War ended, that connection would be severed, leaving only Naoki's, meaning she'd be forcibly bound to his side.

As the circuit stabilized, the blood-red threads vanished from Naoki's body.

"That's it?"

"Yes, thank you for your hard work, Master. I'll return her to Arcueid-sama after this." Rei nodded. "Oh, by the way, Master, about the Holy Grail War… it's now the third day. Do you have any plans for today?"

"If you do, I'll provide full support."

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