Chapter 85

Before Levi returned to the cabin, another young boy also came back home with his companions.

"We're home."

Standing at the entrance, changing into his slippers, Sakai Yūji’s voice sounded a bit strange. If you listened carefully, it was like a primary school student who had done something bad outside and was afraid of being discovered by their parents, sneaking back home.

"Ah, you're back. How was the concert?"

A gentle woman with a smile on her face came out from the living room. She was Yūji’s mother. She didn’t notice Yūji’s nervousness and walked up to the two of them, holding the apron she had just taken off.

"The concert was fantastic, Mrs. Sakai."

Zhao Yun performed much better than Yūji. He spoke with a smile, expressing his joy without exaggeration, which was consistent with his usual character.

Historically, although Zhao Yun was a general, he received evaluations like 'observing the clouds, he has the breadth of a minister, not just a famous general.' This shows that he was not a simple warrior. Although it was against his nature to hide things from this kind lady, he had no choice but to do so for now, given the unclear situation.

With Zhao Yun’s help, Yūji finally managed to get past his mother. The 'thud, thud, thud' sound of his footsteps on the stairs confirmed that this young boy was indeed not used to lying. So even though he was being kept in the dark, Yūji’s mother could still feel relieved.

Pushing open the door, the room that had been empty after the owner left now had a stranger lying on the bed. Upon closer inspection, the petite body, like that of a primary school student, and the long black hair spread out on the bed like black silk, were unmistakably the spirit who had fainted in the bushes earlier!

It turned out that before the two entered, Zhao Yun had already brought the girl into the second-floor room through the window. As an adult, his thinking was more thorough. This was actually a very simple method, but Yūji had been troubled all the way about how to explain to his mother that he had brought back an unconscious girl. Perhaps the concept of spirits, which was different from ordinary people, had not yet deeply rooted in his common sense, so he hadn’t considered the method of entering from the outside.

"Should we start the treatment now?"

The girl’s sleeping face was mostly covered by her hair, but it still couldn’t hide her natural beauty. Especially when she was unconscious, the firmness in her expression softened, making her look more pitiable. Yūji had to use a lot of effort to tear his gaze away from the girl, feeling guilty for staring at what seemed like a primary school student.

"Sure, we can start, but not me. It’s you, Master."

Zhao Yun’s words left Yūji’s mouth agape in surprise. He seemed to have said something similar on the way, but at that time, Yūji was only thinking about getting the girl home quickly and how to explain to his mother. Just a few days ago, he was an ordinary first-year high school student, and even now, despite summoning a spirit, he still didn’t think he was any different from his classmates.

To have a high school student with only basic first aid knowledge treat a non-human being? Should he go get the first aid kit first? Yūji had never studied whether the emergency medications at home would work on non-human beings.

"How can I possibly do that! Don’t joke around at a time like this!"

"You can do it. You don’t need special treatment methods; just sign a contract with her."

Zhao Yun explained to the flustered young boy.

When Zhao Yun reminded Yūji to keep his real name a secret on the way, he realized he needed to change his way of speaking. Even when they were alone, he still tried to adapt to the modern way of speaking.

"A contract?"

"Yes, a contract between Master and Servant. I’ll teach you the specific method; just follow my instructions. With your abilities, it should go smoothly."

Yūji had become a Master by chance, and his Servant knew that this knowledge needed to be imparted gradually. This was a good opportunity, so starting now, the spirit in white decided to train Yūji into an excellent Master, not just for the upcoming Holy Grail War.

"Do you mean that if I sign a contract with her and make her my Servant, she will recover?"

Confused, very confused, Sakai Yūji’s mind was filled with question marks. Could such a good thing really fall from the sky? Signing a contract meant that the girl would become his spirit. In the Holy Grail War, where only seven spirits help their Masters, having two spirits would give him a significant advantage. Even if 1+1 doesn’t always equal 2, in their situation, it would still be better than 1. At the very least, it could offset his lack of experience.

He had only heard of bad things happening in succession, but good luck in a row wasn’t unheard of. However, receiving two birthday gifts within half an hour was too surprising, almost as incredible as winning the lottery twice in a row.

"Yes, that’s right."

While drawing patterns on the ground with his silver spear—patterns that ordinary people couldn’t see but Yūji could—Zhao Yun nodded, hesitated for a moment, and continued.

"The ritual is not complicated, but it does carry some risks."

In two minutes, Zhao Yun had prepared everything. Seeing him put away his silver spear, Yūji didn’t interrupt, nervously waiting for him to continue.

"Spirits can act in the present world because magicians provide them with magical power. However, spirits are clearly more powerful than magicians. On one hand, they have the support of the Holy Grail, and on the other, it means that the amount of magical power needed to sustain a spirit is far beyond what ordinary magicians can bear. I once said that your magical power was sufficient for me to act freely, do you remember?"

Yūji nodded, signaling for his Servant to continue. In fact, he had just thought about this half an hour ago.

"That evaluation was incorrect."

Zhao Yun paused, noticing that Yūji didn’t show any special emotions. This was a habit he had developed as a general. Even when he trusted his lord, he maintained the dignity of a superior. Even a benevolent ruler like Liu Bei, who ignored his earnest advice, still insisted on a doomed battle. Standing before him was an ordinary young boy, but occasionally, he had a vague feeling that he was facing a king.

Perhaps being in a strange world had made him more suspicious. Yūji’s eyes changed from anticipation to questioning, and Zhao Yun put aside his sudden thoughts.

"Later, I gradually realized that your total magical power far exceeded my expectations. Although you yourself don’t seem to know the reason, you indeed possess far more magical power than ordinary magicians. If an ordinary magician can barely support one spirit, in your case, supporting two spirits would be very manageable. You don’t need to worry about running out of magical power, and this—"

Zhao Yun pointed to the girl sleeping on the bed.

"Once the contract is signed and she receives your magical power, her injuries will gradually heal."

Just like when he faced the lady of the house at the entrance, the spirit in white lied.

If the young boy had said this about his magical power, it would have been a lie that didn’t even count as modesty. The truth was that the young boy named Sakai Yūji harbored a vast amount of energy that even the unparalleled warrior Zhao Yun found astonishing.

Like a nuclear bomb encased in a hard shell, no one could estimate its power before it exploded. Zhao Yun believed he was the first to discover the boy’s unusual condition. Even the special connection between Servant and Master couldn’t reveal exactly what was inside the boy.

He believed that the boy was truly unaware of his own condition. Therefore, there was no need to cause Yūji fear until the truth was clear. It was the duty of a spirit to alleviate the Master’s worries.

Thus, Zhao Yun told this well-intentioned lie. In his heart, he had more than just the desire to win the Holy Grail. The loyalty of an unparalleled warrior was never in doubt, even if his lord was now this ordinary young boy with no grand ambitions.

In the brutal Holy Grail War, every bit of strength increased the chances of survival. Now, Zhao Yun was about to offer his Master this first simple gesture of goodwill.