The Einzbern family had made considerable research achievements, but their combat ability was only average. Otherwise, they would not have hired outside help to fight in the Fourth Holy Grail War.

Therefore, it was impossible for these dolls to capture Ethan. He did not even need to lift a hand. Fireballs continuously appeared around him, easily eliminating them.

As Ethan moved through the vast, sprawling Einzbern castle, the number of "living" dolls decreased steadily.

Illya quietly followed behind, watching him blast a doll with a fireball, crushing the Einzbern family with overwhelming force.

At first, the Einzbern family told her to use a Command Seal to order the Servant to stop, which would make it easier for them to capture him. But Illya did nothing. She did not know why. Perhaps, deep down, she wanted to see this scene.

However, as Ethan continued, a rare feeling of panic arose in Illya's heart. She began trying to give him orders, but he did not react, continuing to launch fireballs one after another.

"Were you a sorcerer in your lifetime?"

Unable to stop him, Illya stopped wasting magic power and continued following him, watching him slowly destroy the Einzbern family.

For Ethan, whether this family existed or not was meaningless. Although he had come to help Madeleine eliminate the intruder, that did not mean he would allow any local forces that threatened him to remain.

"Maybe Madeleine will be very depressed."

On the first day of his arrival, the first thing he did was destroy a faction that held an important position in the background setting.

Hearing Illya's question, Ethan stopped and turned his head, emphasizing, "I am a mage."

In this world, there is a relatively clear distinction between sorcery and magic.

Sorcery refers to things humans can accomplish through other means. Sorcery shortens and simplifies the process to achieve the result.

For example, lighting a fire can be done with many tools, and sorcerers can do the same with sorcery.

Or building a structure. Ordinary people can accomplish it through time and labor, while sorcerers can create a structure using sorcery. The result is the same, but the process and time differ.

Magecraft, on the other hand, refers to things ordinary people cannot accomplish no matter how hard they try. This is also why magic is becoming rarer in this world. As technology advances, humans can do more and more, so fewer things are classified as magic, and more are categorized as sorcery.

So when Ethan said he was a mage, Illya's first reaction was: This is an old-fashioned guy.

Normally, when a Heroic Spirit is summoned as a Servant, they are instilled with modern knowledge to help them adapt and display their proper strength.

However, some old-fashioned individuals cling to their former beliefs and do not accept new things easily.

For example, some ancient mages would be classified as sorcerers in modern times, but they refuse to accept that change in identity, since it feels like their status has dropped significantly.

After circling the castle a few more times, Ethan remembered that the head of the Einzbern family should be something like an artificial intelligence, but he did not know where it was. After searching for a while, he could not be bothered to continue and left the castle directly.

He looked back at the little girl still following him and wondered what to do next.

It was not only Ethan who was thinking. Illya was also considering what to do now.

Although this Servant was not very obedient, his strength was sufficient, which met her needs. So, did she still need to care about those things?

Although the Einzbern family suffered heavy losses, those dolls were merely consumables to them. No one would care how many were lost, not even the current head of the family.

On the contrary, because of Ethan's powerful display, the Einzbern family might even treat him like a treasure.

So the events that followed took a strange turn. Ethan, who had nearly wiped out the Einzbern family, was finally led by Illya to meet their "head."

Calling it a meeting was not quite accurate. Ethan did not see the real body of that entity.

Afterward, Ethan received a warm reception from the Einzbern family. Everything was arranged to ensure he would wholeheartedly help them win the Holy Grail War, or rather, complete the ritual.

In a warm, well-lit, and cozy luxurious bedroom, Ethan stood leaning against the window, watching Illya, who had just woken up, get ready with the help of two maids.

"Ahem, do I need to leave?"

Although Illya looked like a child and wore thick pajamas, it still felt inappropriate for an outsider to be present.

"No need. We should use this time to get to know each other. Only then can your combat power be maximized."

Ethan curled his lip. In reality, his combat power could be fully utilized normally, since he merely occupied a slot and was not otherwise limited by the rules of the Holy Grail War.

He did not even need to draw magic power from Illya to act freely. A severely rule-breaking Servant like Heracles would consume a large amount of Illya's magic power and cause immense pain just by moving.

The various preparations made by the Einzbern family were designed specifically for Heracles, but an accident during the summoning led to a temporary change in plan.

"Are you really a Berserker?"

Since the battle that day, Illya had been doubting this.

The original plan was to summon Heracles in the Berserker Class. But it became a random summon, and no one knew which Class would appear. Although Ethan claimed to be a Berserker, his fighting style looked more like a sorcerer's.

Moreover, Ethan himself had said he was a mage. What kind of mage would respond to a summon in the Berserker Class?

No matter how she thought about it, it felt wrong. Illya suspected she had been tricked.

"It is not proper for a Servant to hide their true Class from their Master."

This was a real world. There was no status screen for the Master to check. A Servant's Class was determined by the Heroic Spirit after being summoned.

"No, I did respond to the summon in the Berserker Class."

Ethan emphasized inwardly: After all, I took Heracles's spot. But he could not say that to Illya.

"Aren't you a sorcer... a mage? Could a mage skilled enough to become a Heroic Spirit also serve as a Berserker?"

After finishing her preparations with the help of her maid Sella, Illya kept looking at Ethan with suspicion.

"Does that mean you have considerable adaptability to many Classes?"

"Something like that."

Ethan thought about the seven common Classes in the Holy Grail War.

Saber. There was no suspense. Besides magic, his best skill was swordsmanship. For a long time, he fought with a sword, and even now, despite his high magic level, he still habitually drew his blade for close combat.

Archer. He rarely used a bow, but that did not mean he could not. Even if he could not match top marksmen, his skill was above average. Moreover, everyone knew Archers in this world never used bows. With his fighting style, serving as an Archer would be effortless.

Lancer. His adaptability to this Class was average. He had never been particularly interested in long weapons, though he did practice staff techniques to complement the mage profession.

Rider. This Class was special. As a captain, his adaptability was extremely high. After deep exchanges with a certain goddess, his riding skill had greatly improved.

There was no need to mention Caster. That was his old profession.

Assassin. This should have been the worst fit, but ever since he realized, eliminate everyone who sees me, and no one will know I was here, serving as an Assassin was also effortless.

Including Berserker, he could serve in all seven major Classes. Even for unconventional Classes outside the seven, he could impersonate them without any sense of incongruity. Just like with the seven major Classes, it was merely a title. He was not like true Heroic Spirits, for whom Class determination directly affected personal abilities.

"You can serve in all Classes?"

Illya did not believe it. She felt that although she had summoned a powerful Servant, he was not only disobedient but also particularly fond of bragging.

"I hope your strength is at least half as great as you boast."

"It will only be stronger than you think."

"Let's do some tests so I can better assess your strength." Illya pointed to the snow-covered forest outside the window. "Go there."

"There?"

Ethan turned his head and immediately understood what Illya meant.

"Are you talking about those wolves?"

Illya was a little surprised. She knew from the head of the family that there might be hungry wolves in the forest now, and these packs could be used as training targets. The main goal was to practice cooperation between Master and Servant.

How did Ethan know? Did he see them?

"It is windy and snowy outside. It is too troublesome to go out. If you want to see my strength, you can see it just as well here."

Ethan snapped his fingers. Almost at the instant the sound rang out, Illya saw a giant fireball appear in the clear sky and smash straight toward the forest.

(To be continued.)

◇◇◇

◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.

◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)