Late in the morning, Ren finally decided it was time to leave the hotel.
Sakura stood beside him near the entrance, now wearing the black gloves he had given her earlier. Although she was still a little nervous in an unfamiliar city, the earlier conversation had helped calm her down a lot.
Ren looked down at her and stretched lazily.
"Alright," he said. "First mission of the day."
Sakura blinked.
"…Mission?"
Ren nodded seriously.
"We need supplies."
The little girl tilted her head in confusion.
Ren gestured toward her clothes.
"You only have one set of clothes. That's a problem."
A short pause passed before Sakura looked down at herself.
"…Oh."
Ren nodded again.
"So we're going shopping."
Not long after that, the two of them arrived at a large shopping mall in Fuyuki City.
The mall was lively with people walking around, chatting, and carrying shopping bags, completely unaware that the upcoming Fourth Holy Grail War would soon turn the peaceful city into a battlefield.
For Sakura, however, the experience was entirely new.
Her eyes quietly wandered from store to store as she followed Ren through the mall.
Ren stopped in front of a clothing store and looked down at her.
"Alright," he said. "Pick what you like."
Sakura hesitated.
"…Anything?"
"Yeah."
"But…"
She looked worried.
"Isn't it expensive?"
Ren waved his hand casually.
"It's fine."
Then he added with a straight face,
"I robbed a dragon yesterday."
Sakura blinked.
"…Really?"
"…No."
But the tension on her face had already eased a little.
Soon, several shopping bags appeared in Ren's hands as Sakura slowly grew more comfortable choosing clothes. At first she only picked simple things, but after Ren insisted that she take whatever she liked, the number of bags gradually increased.
By the time they finished, it was already lunchtime.
Ren stopped in front of a familiar restaurant.
"McDonald's," he announced.
Sakura looked at the big yellow "M" sign.
"…What is it?"
Ren looked at her in disbelief.
"You've never had McDonald's?"
Sakura shook her head.
Ren placed a hand on his forehead dramatically.
"…Your childhood has been severely deprived." ( ˶°ㅁ°) !!
A few minutes later, the two of them were seated inside the restaurant with a tray full of food.
Sakura stared curiously at the burger in front of her.
Meanwhile, Ren had already started eating.
At another table not far away, two women had also just sat down.
One of them had long silver hair and red eyes, her elegant appearance attracting quite a bit of attention from the surrounding customers.
She was Irisviel von Einzbern.
Sitting beside her was a blonde hair girl with calm green eyes and a composed posture while wearing Black tailored men's suit .
Artoria Pendragon.
The two of them were quietly talking while waiting for their food.
Ren noticed them immediately.
But he simply glanced once—
Then ignored them.
'Not my business.'
After all, interfering with the Einzbern side right now would only complicate things.
Meanwhile, Artoria's attention slowly shifted toward another table.
Her eyes rested briefly on Ren and Sakura.
For some reason, something about the two of them felt… strange.
The man appeared ordinary.
Yet the air around him felt oddly calm, almost as if the entire space had subtly bent itself to accommodate his presence.
And the girl beside him—
Something about her mana felt unstable.
Artoria frowned slightly.
However, she said nothing.
After observing them for a few seconds, she simply returned her attention to Irisviel and continued their conversation as if nothing had happened.
Across the restaurant, Ren calmly ate his fries.
He had already noticed her gaze.
But he didn't react.
Instead, he casually stole one of Sakura's fries.
Sakura blinked.
"…That was mine." (╥﹏╥)
Ren chuckled.
"Tax."
=========
Later that afternoon, Ren brought Sakura to the quiet foothills of Mount Enzō, where the forest grew thick and the air carried a faint sense of pressure that ordinary people would never notice.
Sakura stood beside him, looking around the unfamiliar mountain path with curiosity and a little confusion, as she wasn't sure why Ren had brought her to such a remote place.
"Onii-san… why are we here?" she asked softly.
Ren stretched his arms lazily before glancing down at her.
"Well, part of it is because this place is important," he said, gesturing casually toward the mountain above them where Ryūdō Temple stood quietly at the summit.
"This mountain is sitting right on top of a major leyline," Ren continued. "And right underneath it is the system that runs the Fourth Holy Grail War."
Sakura blinked.
"…Holy Grail War?"
Ren nodded slightly.
"Yeah. A ritual where magus summon a p0kemon called Servants and make them fight each other until only one pair remains."
He paused for a moment before looking directly at her.
"And your father, Tokiomi Tohsaka, happens to be one of the participants."
Sakura lowered her gaze slightly as she heard that.
Ren then pointed toward the back of her hand.
"And you," he added calmly, "were also chosen."
Sakura instinctively looked down at her right hand, though the gloves Ren had given her earlier hid the red mark completely.
"You have something called a Command Spell," Ren explained. "It means the Grail system has already selected you as a Master."
Sakura looked confused and a little worried.
"…But I don't know how to do magic."
"Exactly," Ren replied.
"That's why we're fixing that problem."
He lightly tapped his fingers together before continuing.
"If you're already a Master, then the smartest thing to do is summon your Servant first."
Sakura looked up at him again.
"…Servant?"
Ren nodded.
"Think of them as very strong bodyguards."
Then he smiled slightly.
"And considering the kind of people who participate in the Holy Grail War, having one around is a very good idea."
"After all, even if you do not want to fight in the war, you will still be targeted as long as you are the "chosen" one"
Before beginning the ritual, however, Ren paused for a moment and glanced toward the direction of the Tohsaka Residence.
Using his ability, he briefly peeked into the mansion from afar.
Inside one of the ritual rooms, the summoning circle drawn by Tokiomi Tohsaka was still visible on the floor.
"Perfect," Ren murmured.
After confirming that, he turned back and took out his trusted pen.
The pen hovered slightly above the ground as he began carefully drawing a complex summoning circle, the lines forming intricate runes and symbols that slowly connected together into the familiar ritual pattern used by magi.
Normally, a ritual like this would require a massive amount of magical energy.
However, standing here at the foot of Mount Enzō, right above one of the strongest leylines in the city, that problem practically solved itself.
The natural mana flowing through the land would supply everything the ritual needed.
After all—
Ren himself didn't possess magical circuits.
And Sakura hadn't even begun her training as a magus yet.
Which meant borrowing the leyline's power was the easiest solution.
As the final line of the summoning circle was completed, Ren stepped back slightly and looked down at Sakura.
"Alright," he said calmly.
"Let's summon your Servant."
Ren stepped back after finishing the summoning circle and gestured for Sakura to stand in the center.
"Now repeat after me," he said calmly.
As the wind around Mount Enzō slowly stirred with mana drawn from the leyline beneath the mountain, Sakura stepped carefully into the center of the ritual circle, her small hands clenching nervously as she looked down at the glowing runes beneath her feet.
Ren stood just outside the circle with his arms crossed, watching quietly.
"Don't worry," he said in a relaxed tone. "Just repeat the important parts."
Sakura nodded hesitantly before taking a breath and beginning the summoning incantation Ren had taught her.
"Let silver and steel be the essence…Let stone and the archduke of contracts be the foundation…"
As the words left her lips, the summoning circle began to glow brighter, the carved runes responding to the ritual while the wind around the clearing slowly started circling toward the center.
"I hereby declare…Your body shall be under my command, and my fate shall be in your sword."
The air suddenly grew heavy as the mana flowing beneath the mountain surged into the circle.
"If you heed the call of the Holy Grail, then answer me."
The moment the final words were spoken, the summoning circle erupted in a flash of light.
A golden pillar of magical energy rose from the ground, swirling around Sakura as the ritual reached its peak.
Ren simply watched with interest.
"Woahhh! Golden legend! Sakura is truly a lucky child"
"no need for pity pull" ദ്ദി(˵ •̀ ᴗ - ˵ ) ✧
The light gradually faded.
And within the center of the circle, a figure slowly appeared.
When the brilliance finally disappeared, a woman stood there—long white-silver hair and gentle violet eyes, giving her a calm, fairy-like appearance. She wears a flowing white dress with blue accents and carries a staff, resembling a sacred maiden or priestess
Her eyes soon settled on Ren.
"Hello," she said in a composed voice. "You must be my summoner, correct?"
Ren shook his head and casually pointed toward Sakura.
"Not me," he replied. "Her."
The woman followed his gesture and looked down at the small girl standing in front of her.
For a brief moment, she observed Sakura quietly.
Then she spoke again.
"My name is Aesc, the witch from the Land of Rain. I may not be well-versed in botanical magecraft, but I am competent with my magecraft, which is capable of defeating enemies, preparing for battle, and eliminating obstacles."
Her tone remained calm and polite as she continued.
"I do not know much about the world outside the castle, but I look forward to being in your care."
Sakura looked up at her, still trying to process everything that had just happened.
Meanwhile, Ren rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"…Well," he muttered quietly.
"That went surprisingly well."
Honestly speaking, Ren knew very well who the witch standing in front of him was, and realizing her identity made him feel unexpectedly lucky.
The woman before them was Aesc, the younger identity of Morgan from the Lostbelt version of Britain. In that world, Britain was not ruled by humans but by chaotic and selfish fairies whose society constantly collapsed under its own cruelty.
Chosen as someone who could hear the will of Britain itself, Aesc had once been hailed as the "Savior of Britain." She tried to bring peace and order to the land, believing that kindness and patience could guide the fairies toward a better future. However, after repeatedly witnessing betrayal, senseless violence, and the destruction of everything she painstakingly built by the very fairies she tried to save, Aesc gradually lost faith in her idealism.
Eventually, she abandoned her role as a savior and became Morgan, the Fairy Queen, deciding that Britain could only survive through absolute rule and fear rather than through kindness and hope.
Knowing all of this, Ren couldn't help but feel a little lucky.
Not because of the tragic history.
But because of the location tied to it.
If he could somehow locate the coordinates of that Lostbelt version of Britain—essentially doxx the Lostbelt's position, then the benefits would be enormous.
After all, that world was filled with countless fairies.
And fairies, by their very nature, were far stronger than ordinary humans.
Ren's eyes briefly glimmered with interest as the idea formed in his mind.
If he could bring some of those fairies over and convert them into D-Class personnel, then feed them into the Mobile Task Force Alpha-1 — Red Right Hand Program, the resulting operatives would likely be far stronger than the average human recruits.
In other words—
The base strength of his future MTF Alpha-1 units could increase significantly.
Besides, Ren wouldn't feel guilty about turning Fairies into D-Class Personnel, after all those fairies were like demon in human skin
Of course, Ren kept those thoughts entirely to himself.
Outwardly, he simply scratched the back of his head and gave a relaxed smile, as if nothing particularly special had just happened.
Meanwhile, Sakura was still staring up at Aesc with wide eyes, clearly overwhelmed by the sudden appearance of the elegant witch who had just pledged herself as her Servant.
And standing there calmly, Aesc waited patiently for her new Master to speak.