Type-Moon, but the Servant is Tom

Even though the atmosphere seemed normal to the naked eye... Well, okay, it didn't visibly decline, but things felt off after Merlin appeared.

Kiritsugu glanced at Merlin with a low tone, saying, "So, you've come."

"I have indeed come."

"You shouldn't have come."

"But I still came."

After saying this, Merlin closed his eyes, wearing a smile on his face as he looked at Emiya Kiritsugu lying on the hospital bed. His smile was genuinely warm, giving off a feeling of an amiable older brother.

It's a nice smile, but unfortunately, it's on the face of this obnoxious guy, which suddenly gives it a different vibe. Hmm... In simple terms, it's that kind of smile that comes with mockery.

*Snap*. Merlin casually snapped his fingers, and a bunch of pink flowers appeared in his hand. He placed the flowers directly on the bedside table, next to the fruit basket.

Kiritsugu looked at the bouquet, fell into silence, he understood the implication, but why would this guy bring flowers when visiting a man? And not just any flowers, but such pink ones?

"Kiritsugu, we're about to head to the 'EUO Super Deluxe Seaside Paradise.'" Seeing that the atmosphere wasn't right, Alice immediately switched to business mode and started discussing their plans.

"I know. I've already sent Waver to investigate," Kiritsugu responded softly, intending to turn his head and face her properly.

However, as soon as he attempted to move his neck, an unbearable pain shot through, causing him to stop.

Feeling the injuries on his body, Kiritsugu grew more frustrated. If he had successfully summoned King Arthur, he could rely on the miraculous healing ability of Excalibur to recover quickly. But unfortunately, he ended up summoning Merlin, this self-proclaimed useless guy. It was a very disappointing outcome, as he didn't have access to that healing effect.

Lost in thought, Kiritsugu looked back at Merlin and said, "Merlin, I leave Alice in your care. Make sure she stays safe."

"Rest assured, Master."

Merlin patted his chest with force, saying solemnly, "Your wife, I shall protect her!"

"Alright." Kiritsugu just responded when he suddenly felt that something wasn't right. He voiced his doubt, "Ah?"

"What's wrong?" Although Kiritsugu felt something was off, he didn't pay too much attention to it. "It's nothing... Anyway, whether we can obtain the Holy Grail or not, it all depends on you, Merlin."

Just the thought of Merlin being the village's hope made Kiritsugu feel dizzy. He truly couldn't believe that Merlin, this self-proclaimed useless guy who had performed quite poorly in previous battles, could win the Holy Grail. He would rather believe in the existence of righteous magical girls in this world than believe that Merlin could win the Holy Grail.

If a slacker like Merlin could emerge victorious, then what level would other Servants have to reach?

However, he couldn't give up hope. Even if the odds were so slim that it made one's vision go black, even a low chance of success was still better than the chances of getting an SSR card in a gacha game, right?

Not only Kiritsugu, but even the head of the Einzbern family, Acht von Einzbern, who was far away in Germany, couldn't help but break into a cold sweat at the situation on this side.

Upon hearing Kiritsugu's words, Merlin proudly lifted his head and said, "Leave it to me. Although the probability of obtaining the Holy Grail is very low, I am confident that Lady Iri and I will return alive!"

Hearing Merlin's words, Kiritsugu couldn't help but have several black lines on his forehead. He was gaining a whole new level of understanding about Merlin's unreliability. Was this the kind of statement a Servant should make? Who would say there's a high probability of not obtaining the Holy Grail? It's almost impossible to find a second Servant in the entire history of humanity who would say such things before setting off!

Kiritsugu was now regretting. If he had known, he would have left that sheath in the storage warehouse. Even if he summoned a Servant based on compatibility, it would probably be much better than this slacker Merlin.

He had nothing good to say about his Servant. All he could do was accept his fate.

Kiritsugu glanced at the clock in the hospital room and saw that it was about time. He then said to Irisviel, "Irisviel, you should leave soon."

"Then... we'll depart now, Kiritsugu."

Upon hearing this, Iris stood up and bid farewell to Kiritsugu, preparing to depart for the so-called 'EUO Super Deluxe Seaside Paradise.' The name of this seaside amusement park was somewhat cringe-worthy, and Iris couldn't help but feel curious about the person who came up with such a tacky name.

However, just as Iris was about to set off, Merlin seemed to be lost in thought and gazed at the sky outside the window. "Merlin?" Iris reached the doorway and noticed that Merlin was not moving, so she reminded him.

"Huh? Oh, yes, let's go," Merlin replied. He stopped looking at the sky and followed Iris on their journey.

——————

In the calmness of space, a spatial ripple suddenly appeared, resembling the opening of a wormhole. Two rod-shaped objects, one red and one blue, emerged from it. Almost instantly, the wormhole-like phenomenon vanished as if it had never existed.

The two rod-shaped objects swiftly flew towards Earth at a speed surpassing the third cosmic velocity. Their high-speed trajectory made them appear like space-based weapons. However, as they approached Earth, both objects began to decelerate.

Despite their similar trajectory in the first half of the flight, their final destinations differed significantly. The blue rod-shaped object headed towards the eastern hemisphere, specifically Japan's Fuyuki City, neighboring a city named Zenchou. On the other hand, the red rod-shaped object headed towards the western hemisphere, targeting Germany.

Upon separation, the red object, destined for Germany, arrived at its destination faster due to its shorter distance. Its final destination was a castle situated in a snowy expanse within Germany.