The operational plan for the third day.
Naoki hadn't really thought about it—or rather, he hadn't made any operational plans for this Holy Grail War and hadn't had the time to do so.
On the first day, after arriving in Fuyuki, he took Artoria to familiarize themselves with the area and then had dinner. After dinner, he immediately fought Gilgamesh.
On the second day, due to Merry and Morgan's scheme, Naoki was bedridden all day, only waking up in the middle of the night. After waking, he went straight to a life-or-death battle with Arthur, then collapsed again. In total, he was awake for barely two hours.
In such circumstances, when would he have had time to devise an operational plan? Besides, from the start, his only thought was to beat up all the participants and Servants. Operational plans or the like never even crossed his mind.
So—
"I figured as much. Since you used to settle everything with brute force, you're probably thinking the same this time, right?" Rei shot Naoki an exasperated look, then snapped her fingers. Majin Souji, lying on the bed, vanished instantly.
(Did she send her away with large-scale spatial teleportation Magecraft? Just with a snap of her fingers… Truly worthy of a once-omniscient and omnipotent Root Princess.)
"Since you don't have a plan, Master, let me handle it."
"Huh?"
"If we leave it to you, the strategy will likely be [find the enemy's location—smash them with brute force]. While that's not bad, the Servants in this Holy Grail War aren't weak. Acting recklessly, even for you, Master, could be dangerous. Please consider us too."
Rei hit the nail on the head.
Naoki scratched his neck awkwardly. "I really regret that one… Alright, I'll leave the operational plan to you."
"No problem. That said, someone has already sent you a challenge."
Rei said, pulling an opened letter from her pocket. "This was brought by a familiar I encountered last night while returning with Assassin. The sender is May Riddell Archelot, Lord of the Department of Botany."
A letter from Riddell?
Naoki took the letter, opened it, and skimmed it. The content was brief. Stripping away the pleasantries, it boiled down to two points:
[Due to some trivial matters at the Department of Botany, Riddell couldn't attend Naoki's welcome-back party, so she hopes to hold it again tonight, inviting him for dinner.]
And—
[Having heard intriguing news from Aozaki Touko, she wants to confirm its truth.]
"It's obviously a trap, Master." Rei said. "Are you close with this Lord of the Department of Botany? From the letter, she seems to be an acquaintance."
"Hmm… you could say we're friends. Nine years ago, when I was studying at the Clock Tower, Merry once tricked me into going to Paris. Riddell was holding a concert there. Some things happened in the middle, and after that, we got along well."
Some things happened during the concert, and that led to a good relationship?
Rei narrowed her eyes. "Master… you really never lack female friends wherever you go. I hope you can rein in your charm-spreading tendencies a bit."
"Where am I spreading charm? I admit I know a lot of women, but the only ones I have a relationship with are Merry and Aoko. The rest are just friends."
"…"
Rei was certain that if her Master didn't change his mindset soon, he'd end up torn apart—physically.
"So, what will you do with this invitation? My suggestion: go to the meeting first, confirm her presence, then find an excuse to leave and launch a targeted attack with Atalanta's Noble Phantasm. If the Master is eliminated, even if the Archer acts independently, they'll vanish automatically in two or three days at most."
"Considering the opponent is your friend, Master, if you don't want to eliminate her, forcing her to use a Command Spell to make Archer commit suicide is also a viable solution. Of course, these aren't the only options. If you disagree, I can explain other strategies. Our combat strength is ample, so there are plenty of tactics we can use."
If Gray was the butler handling Naoki's daily needs, Rei was the loyal strategist providing effective plans. Her professional competence was unquestionable, far surpassing that succubus who held the title of Court Magus but never did any serious work.
However, Naoki ultimately shook his head.
"Rei, I'm really grateful for your help, but for Riddell, we don't need to do that. Besides, Gilgamesh… he defeated me before. Next time, I want to beat him head-on. Attacking through his Master feels like losing again."
"So, you don't need to worry about Gilgamesh and Riddell. But for Marisbury and Caster, I hope you can devise the best plan possible. Tactics like the ones you just mentioned—bring out as many as you've got."
Rei nodded. "Understood. Then, I'll leave Riddell and Archer entirely to you, Master. If you fail, my plan will be executed. Is that acceptable?"
"Deal—you're so capable, I'm starting to wonder where my authority as Master even lies."
"Not just in this area, Master. If you'd like, I can show you my skills in other fields too… Ow, ow, ow~"
A sudden headache made Rei smile wryly. Manaka's protests were growing stronger; if this continued, she might actually rebel.
Seeing Rei's sudden headache, Naoki quickly steadied her. "You okay? What's with the sudden headache? Did the ritual have side effects?"
"No, just a small thing, no need to worry, Master."
(If this keeps up, my other self might become the first 'Beast' to die of jealousy. That'd be utterly embarrassing.)
"Instead of me, Master, you should focus on tonight's dinner. Meeting a noblewoman, especially the Lord of the Department of Botany… I wonder if Fuyuki has any fancy restaurants. At the very least, you should change into something classier."
"I don't think Riddell cares much about that kind of thing…"
"…"
What a clueless Master, completely oblivious to a woman's heart.
Rei felt a bit exhausted.