Chapter 39

"Zhao Yun?"

In China, that legendary era has had a profound influence on Japan. Even Sakai Yuzi, a good student who doesn't play games much, has learned a lot about the Three Kingdoms period from books and television. From the vaguely recognizable Chinese characters and the characteristics of the figures in the paintings, he guessed the identity of the armored general.

'It seems like the only one depicted here is Zhao Yun.' Getting used to the atmosphere inside, Yuzi began to follow the paintings one by one, delving deeper into the mansion.

Walking along the long corridor, admiring the style of the general on the white horse with a silver spear, Yuzi arrived at a half-open wooden door.

Pushing open the wooden door, inside was a room similar to a shrine. The memorial tablet placed in the center caught the young man's attention.

The mansion was filled with portraits of Zhao Yun, and here, the memorial tablet was venerated like a shrine. Yuzi recalled that the original owner of this mansion, a high-ranking official on the Academy Island, was rumored to be from China.

'Sure enough, it's Zhao Yun!' The moonlight outside the window shone directly on the memorial tablet, and the words 'Han Shunping Marquis Zhao Yun' confirmed Yuzi's guess.

The girl, who had approached to examine it closely, did not notice the pattern on the floor, which was covered in dust and had become indistinct.

It wasn't until the surroundings gradually brightened with a blinding white light that he was jolted out of his admiration for the ancient warrior.

The dark shrine room, with the floor emitting a faint white light, finally reminded the young man of the legends surrounding the mansion. Yuzi stumbled a few steps, slipped, and fell onto the wooden floor, raising a cloud of dust.

Lying on the ground, Yuzi's fear rose uncontrollably, but he couldn't move. His legs were weak, and his throat felt as if it were tightly squeezed, preventing him from shouting.

A transparent figure emerged from the white light, like a ghost descending. The trembling young man could only stare dumbly.

What made him unable to respond was not just the fear stirring in his heart. The gradually clearer figure of the ghost made him feel as if he were in a dream. The indistinguishable illusion before his eyes made him temporarily forget the burning pain on the back of his hand.

The bright white armor, the metal spear gleaming with a cold light, the unparalleled warrior in a flowing white robe, as if stepping out of a painting, stood before Sakai Yuzi.

"Servant, Lancer. I am at your service, my Master."

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At one o'clock in the morning, almost all the residents of the island were immersed in their dreams, except for a few scientific enthusiasts in the Academy City. Levi was also lying in a comfortable large bed, enjoying the pleasure of sleep. He was even happier than most people because he had a small creature named Evangeline as a warm and soft pillow.

Unfortunately, it seemed that Levi's luck had run out recently. No matter what he did, things didn't go smoothly. Just now, he thought he could sleep until dawn, but he was woken up by a sudden knocking at the door downstairs.

Who would come knocking at the door in the middle of the night in the depths of the forest? If it were a fairy tale, he might see one or more lost children after opening the door. Of course, the possibility of an alchemist selling various negative-effect foods was also not small. In any case, neither of these were welcome guests for Levi. He pulled the cup that had slipped and tightened the small head in his arms, deciding to ignore the sound.

However, reality never bends to human will. Levi liked smoking, but Evangeline would never allow him to pollute the air inside the cabin, and the stubborn old principal of the school was the same. The person knocking at the door was no different.

At first, it was just a polite reminder, but when no one responded, the knocking became louder. Just as Levi was wondering if the newly repaired wooden door could withstand it, the knocking stopped. Levi knew it was because the diligent maid Chacha had received the guest.

Levi knew he couldn't continue sleeping. If he didn't go downstairs, Chacha would come up to knock on the door. If Evangeline were woken up, things would become even more complicated. This strange vampire, who had been trained to sleep at night, had a temper that Levi had experienced many times.

He quietly got out of bed and helped the girl beside him cover herself with the blanket. With her magic sealed, Evangeline's resistance was almost the same as that of an ordinary girl. Levi didn't want his cute little cat to come running to him with a runny nose the next day.

"Rin, what are you doing here in the middle of the night instead of sleeping at home?"

As soon as he stepped out of the room, Levi heard the voice of the twin-tailed young lady. She always said that lack of sleep was a woman's worst enemy. Levi walked down the stairs and asked his question.

"Nothing special, just to better cooperate, I decided to set this place as the base for this Holy Grail War. Ah, thank you."

After saying the words that gave Levi a headache, Rin didn't seem to think she was causing any trouble. She took the black tea Chacha handed her and enjoyed the faint aroma.

"Fine, if you want to come, come. Chacha, please go and tidy up two guest rooms."

"Sure, please wait a moment."

Levi knew that nothing he said could change the fact that there would be more guests in the house. He might as well let Chacha quickly tidy up the rooms and send this troublesome young lady to bed, so as not to affect his already limited rest time.

"Hikari, come out. Do you really like playing hide and seek?"

Still dressed in her noble but not luxurious ancient attire, and still barefoot, Hikari seemed to only appear when Levi called her, perhaps because she was seen through the first time they met.

"Would you like something to drink?"

After Hikari shook her head, Levi sat down on the sofa and turned his gaze back to the magician who was a troublemaker.

"I mean, if you had to come, why did you choose this time? Wouldn't it be better earlier? I was just about to fall asleep, and if I'm not in good condition when fighting with Berserker, it's all your fault."

Levi, like Evangeline, had a bad temper when woken up. Being dragged out of bed in the middle of the night, he couldn't be in a good mood.

"Do you think everyone is as casual as you? The time until the Holy Grail's arrival is not short. If I don't get everything ready, how can I move in and live here with peace of mind?"

Rin glared at Levi, as if he were a clueless fool. As a lady, she insisted on the best in everything, and she wouldn't settle for the disposable items provided for guests in Levi's house. Before Levi came down, Chacha had already moved her mountain of luggage to the vacant guest room.

"Is there anything else? If not, don't disturb my sleep."

Before Levi could argue with her about who was disturbing whose sleep, Rin walked straight up the stairs. A moment later, the sound of a door closing softly came, indicating that she remembered she was a guest and didn't want to wake the other residents of the cabin.

"Ah, your Master is really..."

After a long pause, Levi didn't know how to delicately complain to Hikari about her Master.

"Ah, I'll show you to the guest room."

Levi realized that since joining the Holy Grail War, he had sighed more times than in a whole year. He really wished he could immediately go and eliminate all the other Servants to quickly help Evangeline break the accursed spell.