On the way home, a man with large eyes blocked everyone's path. It was Caster, Gilles de Rais, the mass murderer obsessed with resurrecting Joan of Arc, known as Bluebeard.
"Finally, I've found you! Joan! God has finally resurrected you from the polluting flames, and the Holy Grail has chosen me because my wish has been fulfilled!"
However, Artoria was not Joan and did not recognize this Caster. Just as she was about to speak, Li Xing stepped forward, "This is the roar of my soul, forged by hatred! Roar! My wrath!"
War banners erupted from the ground, piercing Gilles's body, and flames began to burn.
Gilles cried out in anger, "How could this be? You don't remember me? I am Gilles de Rais! Why? Why have you become like this?"
Li Xing smiled faintly, "I do remember you, but I hate how you are. You are the one who forgot Joan's face, yet you say others have forgotten you."
"No... I will come to greet you again..." Gilles whispered weakly and then disappeared.
"What is going on?" Everything happened too quickly. Irisviel and Artoria had no idea what had transpired.
"Nothing much. He mistook Artoria for Joan. Let's go." It was just a minor incident, and Li Xing continued to lead them.
...
Meanwhile, Emiya Kiritsugu and his assistant, Hisau Mayako, set fire to the building where Kischur Kilipschitz resided, allowing ordinary people to evacuate.
Finally, they used explosives to blow up the entire building. All of this was for justice; this was Emiya Kiritsugu's belief. Participating in the Holy Grail War was also to realize his wish for world peace. The blood shed in Fuyuki would be humanity's last, Emiya Kiritsugu thought, and he believed it wholeheartedly.
However, Kischur Kilipschitz would not go down so easily. Li Xing's punch had been blocked by Kischur Kilipschitz's Moon Cell Automaton, so this explosion naturally wouldn't kill him.
...
Before entering the house, Li Xing transformed into the appearance of a seven-year-old boy and turned to the group, "Let me tell you in advance, I have an older sister and a younger sister at home. My younger sister doesn't know about me, so please don't expose anything."
Artoria was astonished. This guy could change his body at will. Ever since she drew the Sword in the Stone, she had stopped growing. If she could learn this technique, could she also grow a bit larger?
"So... so cute!" Irisviel thought of Illyasviel, who had been born not long ago, and couldn't help but pinch Li Xing's cheek, completely forgetting that Li Xing was also a Servant.
Qin Shi Huang was also slightly surprised, "Is this the power of a celestial being?"
"It's just a special authority. Oh, stop it, Irisviel. Haven't you seen a child before?" Li Xing couldn't stand Irisviel constantly rubbing his face and quickly moved away from her.
This appearance made Irisviel cover her mouth and laugh. It was the first time she had encountered such an interesting event since coming to the outside world.
...
It was almost dawn when they returned. Li Xing prepared a room for each of the three guests and then went to the kitchen to make breakfast for everyone.
Once breakfast was ready, Li Xing and the three of them sat at the dining table. Artoria ate voraciously, without any regard for her status.
"Is this really your home? Are you really not a Servant summoned by the Holy Grail? Are you perhaps a magus?" Irisviel was surprised that Li Xing truly had a home in Fuyuki. Then how was Li Xing summoned? It seemed he had been living here for a long time. Could it be that he had stayed since the last Holy Grail War?
Li Xing lay back on the sofa, picked up an apple, and started eating, "To be precise, I am a complete living person, not some heroic spirit. Think about it, has there ever been a famous person named Li Xing in human history?"
"Hmm, the meals you prepared are very satisfactory. You deserve a reward. However, you say you are a living person, so why am I here? My first thought upon waking was to maintain the Holy Grail War and protect humanity. Vaguely, someone told me there was a deity here, and that deity was the one I should pay attention to."
"Your Majesty was summoned by the Counter Force. The purpose is likely simple: to restrain me from causing trouble during the Holy Grail War. After all, the Holy Grail War concerns the Throne of Heroes. Another thing is, I am a living person, and also a Star God."
Li Xing's words resolved Qin Shi Huang's doubts. Now, all he needed to do was live here to fulfill his mission. As the Son of Heaven, it was his duty to complete the tasks given by Heaven. Moreover, this was a good thing; he could see the future.
However, Irisviel was confused. She was well aware of the Eighth Class, and in the Third Holy Grail War, the Einzberns had summoned a special class. But what was the purpose of a Ruler? More importantly, the summoned Servant was an Emperor.
Li Xing saw Irisviel's confusion and explained, "A regular Holy Grail War indeed has seven Servants, but there are some uncertainties. For example, if an unavoidable disaster occurs, the Counter Force will summon other Servants to maintain the Holy Grail War, protect humanity, and even the entire world. As a god who has descended into modern times, I am the greatest uncertainty in this world. Even the Age of Gods would not see too many gods, let alone modern times."
Irisviel nodded, "So that's why you could heal Saber's wounds..."
"Oh, we have a guest," Siduri said suddenly as she walked in. Seeing the three extra people in the house, Siduri immediately understood what was going on.
"Yes, let me introduce you. This is my older sister, Siduri."
"Siduri? That name sounds familiar..." Irisviel pondered. She felt she had heard this name somewhere before, but after thinking for a long time, she couldn't recall.
"Hello, I am Irisviel von Einzbern." Irisviel quickly stood up to greet her politely.
"Hello, just call me Saber." Artoria also paused her eating to greet Siduri.
Qin Shi Huang remained seated on the sofa in the center, "I... I am Zhao Zheng..."
Li Xing was speechless. Was there any difference between Zhao Zheng and Qin Shi Huang? But it didn't matter. Next time, Li Xing planned to take Siduri to meet Gilgamesh. If his identity was exposed, it was exposed.
"You don't need to pretend in front of my sister. She's not ordinary. To be precise, none of our family are ordinary. But for Sakura to have a happy childhood, I hope you won't expose my identity."
"Hello everyone... I am Siduri. Did Saber get summoned by Li Xing?" Siduri certainly knew the word "Saber," but she didn't know why it appeared. Was there another monster?
Li Xing quickly shook his head, "Of course not. Even I have to follow the rules of the Counter Force, otherwise the world will be destroyed."
The world destruction mentioned here naturally referred to Li Xing unleashing his full power and forcibly disrupting the world's operating rules, which might lead to Alternate-World Lines, and this world would be pruned.
Therefore, if Li Xing wanted to summon heroic spirits, he had to follow the rules of the Holy Grail War. At this point, some might ask if Li Xing couldn't replicate a Greater Grail and start a Holy Grail War himself. The key was not the Grail, but the Throne of Heroes. This was the hidden side of the world and had nothing to do with him, the Third Counter Force. However, all abilities, technologies, and Noble Phantasms that appeared in this world could be replicated, including the Five Great Magic. To avoid confusion, it wouldn't be written, as no one knows how strong Zelretch truly is.
Irisviel, however, caught the key point. Li Xing could summon Servants? But why would the world be destroyed? Li Xing didn't elaborate further.
...
"So, you are participating in the Holy Grail War."
Everyone explained to Siduri why they were there, and Siduri roughly understood.
"They are participating in the Holy Grail War. I am merely a judge, responsible only for restraining Li Xing."
Hearing this, Siduri finally understood. It was simply seven magi summoning heroic spirits to fight each other. The so-called omnipotent wish-granting machine was just a gimmick. As expected, Siduri still couldn't look at magi properly, doing inhuman things for their own purposes.
"Alright, Sister, have something to eat. Next time, I'll take you to see it." Li Xing said this verbally, but in his heart, he chuckled. He wondered if Gilgamesh would be too surprised to see Siduri.
"It's getting late, I'll go wake Sakura up. You all go rest!"
After Siduri left, Irisviel began to question Li Xing again. What was this situation? How could the matter of the Holy Grail War be told to ordinary people?
"Don't worry about it. Sister isn't ordinary. You'll understand later. Go rest. Homunculi get tired too, don't they?"
Since Li Xing didn't want to say more, Irisviel didn't press further. However, Irisviel would inform Emiya Kiritsugu about what happened here. The purpose of coming here was for information.
"This is for you." Before returning to his room, Qin Shi Huang took out a jeweled dagger from Epang Palace. It was a genuine antique.
"Thank you. It's a pretty dagger. By the way, was Qin Dynasty technology so advanced? Shouldn't it be bronze ware?" However, Li Xing thought again. If Uruk had such a crown, then it was natural for the Qin Dynasty to have it.
(Sakura was sent away by the Tohsaka family at the age of five. I subconsciously subtracted ten years and made a mistake in the age calculation. So Li Xing should be seven years old now, and Sakura six.)