Chapter 65: Friends Are Ammo

[The video starts, showing a previously seen clip.]

[It's the scene where Lancelot pilots a fighter jet to save Mash.]

[The video is very brief, playing for only a few seconds before stopping.]

[Question: What is the relationship between Lancelot and Mash?]

Kayneth: "This question is completely unfamiliar to me."

Waver: "Is there some unique connection between them?"

Tohsaka Tokiomi: "Could it be a Master and Servant relationship? But that doesn't quite fit... isn't Mash a Demi-Servant?"

"Chihiro, who exactly is this Mash?"

Zhang Jiao and the other heroic spirits turned to Chihiro, seeking clarification.

Since they had joined the group chat later, they were unfamiliar with Mash.

Chihiro explained Mash's identity and her role as a Demi-Servant.

Zhang Jiao: "A Demi-Servant? That sounds somewhat similar to your class card."

Chihiro: "The class card is just something the system assigned me. There's nothing like that in this world."

Sigurd: "But still, other than Master and Servant, I can't think of what else might link them."

Chihiro: "Don't just focus on Mash; remember that the Demi-Servant actually carries the spiritual foundation of a particular Heroic Spirit."

Zhang Jiao: "You're saying that Mash's connection with Lancelot might be linked to the Heroic Spirit she embodies?"

Artoria: "They're father and daughter."

[Ding! Incorrect answer. 1 Saint Quartz has been deducted.]

Artoria: "What? But…"

This didn't make sense to her. Mash's shield was unmistakably Galahad's. Given that, the relationship between her and Lancelot should be one of father and daughter.

Iskandar: "Saber, how did you arrive at that conclusion?"

Waver: "They're not even from the same era, so how could they be related as father and daughter?"

Artoria: "Because Mash's shield is Galahad's, Lancelot's son."

With the answer marked incorrect anyway, she felt no need to hold back her reasoning.

Kayneth: "I understand. That certainly explains why you guessed that."

Waver: "But clearly, it's the wrong answer."

The Second: "Then… could it be a father and son relationship?"

Iskandar: "That's possible too."

Iskandar: "Waver, go on. Give it a try."

Waver: "Alright then, I'll answer."

Waver: "Father and son."

[Ding! Incorrect answer. 1 Saint Quartz has been deducted.]

Waver: "…"

Iskandar: "Well, it appears that wasn't correct either."

Tohsaka Rin: "What about the idea that they're Master and Servant?"

[Ding! Incorrect answer. 1 Saint Quartz has been deducted.]

Tohsaka Rin: "(┬┬﹏┬┬)"

Kayneth: "I see now. The question might have been crafted to mislead us. Perhaps the answer is that they're completely unrelated."

[Ding! Incorrect answer. 1 Saint Quartz has been deducted.]

Kayneth: "Wait, that's wrong too?"

Everyone was stumped at this point.

Chihiro: "I think Iskandar was on the right track, but the phrasing was off."

Artoria: "The phrasing?"

Chihiro: "Yes. Lancelot and Mash aren't related by blood, but spiritually, they share a bond akin to father and daughter."

[Ding! Congratulations to Chihiro for answering the question correctly. Reward: 5 Saint Quartz.]

Everyone: "!!!"

Waver: "That's… that's so specific!"

El-Melloi II: "We were all too caught up in their familial ties and overlooked Mash's unique status as a Demi-Servant."

Kayneth: "We all got sidetracked by Saber's initial assumption."

Irisviel: "It's hardly Saber's fault."

Artoria: "It's alright, Irisviel."

[In this quiz round, Chihiro holds the highest score, followed by Tohsaka Tokiomi, with Gilgamesh, Hassan of the Hundred Faces, Kotomine Kirei, Matou Kariya, Zhang Jiao, Red Hare, the First Emperor, and Sigurd tying for third place. They each receive one gold, silver, and bronze treasure chest respectively.]

[The question session ends for today and will resume tomorrow.]

After the quiz ended, treasure chests appeared in the hands of each participant who had ranked.

Among them, Matou Kariya was visibly the most excited.

This was the first treasure chest he had earned.

It had taken five days and five attempts to make it onto the leaderboard even once, which had been no small feat for him.

Unable to contain his excitement, Matou Kariya opened the bronze chest immediately, and a card fell into his hands.

The card depicted Lancelot and Mash holding hands.

"Magic Garment: Linked Hands?"

Kariya looked utterly puzzled.

The garment's effect wasn't detailed. It only indicated that it was a single-use item, usable only when Lancelot and Mash were together, and effective solely for them.

An exclusive, one-off garment, essentially.

Matou Kariya sighed and handed the card over to Lancelot, as it was of no use to him.

"…"

Lancelot looked at the card in silence for a moment, then tucked it into his armor.

Elsewhere, at the Tohsaka household.

"Tokiomi, what did you get?"

Gilgamesh glanced at the card in Tokiomi's hand.

"Just a simple enhancement garment, Your Majesty," Tohsaka Tokiomi said without revealing much, placing the card away.

Gilgamesh only gave a dismissive smirk at Tohsaka Tokiomi's display.

Their relationship had grown noticeably strained.

Ignoring Tokiomi, Gilgamesh turned his attention to a gleaming handheld device in his hands.

This was the item he had drawn from his own bronze treasure chest—a magical "game console" gift set.

It contained every video game produced to date, with an ability to automatically update with new releases.

As long as the gift card remained intact, the console was indestructible.

It even allowed the user to change the console's color as desired.

Surprisingly, Gilgamesh seemed thoroughly entertained by this device.

"Chocolate?"

Meanwhile, Kotomine Kirei was staring blankly at the bag of chocolates that Hassan of the Hundred Faces had handed him.

Hassan the Hundred Faces was holding a unique bag of chocolates, each with a "Hundred Faces" design printed on the wrapper.

This was the reward from the bronze chest he had opened—"Hundred Chocolate Pack," a Valentine's Day-exclusive.

It was simply a bag of chocolates without any special effects, though they presumably tasted quite good.

The pack would refresh daily, ensuring an endless supply.

It was hard to say if Hassan's luck was good or bad.

"Kirei, what did you receive?"

Kotomine Kirei handed Tokiomi a blue vial of potion.

It was a high-grade magic restoration potion that could instantly replenish a person's mana.

Of course, it was effective only for living beings and not for Heroic Spirits.

Tohsaka Tokiomi didn't seem disappointed. For a bronze chest, getting a high-grade potion was already quite a good outcome.

Especially in comparison to Hassan's "chocolates."

----

Chihiro looked at the item he'd received from his golden treasure chest, baffled.

The Noble Phantasm: "Two-Pronged Formation." (T/N: Friends are ammo hehehe)

Oh, you've got to be kidding me—this system wanted him to use his allies as projectiles?

This C-rank anti-army weapon was the Noble Phantasm of Chen Gong.

Its effect was to turn one's own allies into an arrow and launch them, causing widespread destruction.

Was this some kind of twisted reward for having multiple Servants?

Zhang Jiao and the other three Servants exchanged bewildered glances as they processed the purpose of this Noble Phantasm.

Chen Gong's invention was truly something else.

Chihiro sighed, placing the Noble Phantasm card away.

While he'd had no qualms using it in the game, this was reality.

He wasn't callous enough to use his allies in such a manner.

For now, he resolved to seal it away and hoped he'd never need it.

"Are you prepared, Chihiro?" Zhang Jiao asked after they had rested for a while.

Chihiro smiled, "Of course. Do you think I'd back out now?"

"This operation will be extremely dangerous," Zhang Jiao said seriously. "It may be wiser for you to stay hidden."

"Haha, I'm not the type to sit on the sidelines."

Chihiro clapped Zhang Jiao's shoulder, grinning. "Besides, I've got you and everyone else here. I'm not worried."

Zhang Jue sighed. "You really are stubborn about this."

"Don't worry, I'll look after myself," Chihiro assured. "Besides, I'm hardly the main attacker here. With you all around, I feel safe."

Sigurd stepped forward, saying, "Rest assured, Master. With us by your side, we won't let any harm come to you."

"I'll fight with all I've got as well." Red Hare added.

"Alright then. I'll be counting on you all tonight."

The fourth night of the Holy Grail War was approaching. By this point, the war had already reached its halfway mark.

In this battle for the Holy Grail, it was time for someone to be eliminated.

***

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