"Long time no see, Alice."

He hadn't been waiting for long. The young man who had become the head of the Makiri family by getting rid of the old worm returned from the other side.

"Long time no see, White Rabbit."

The witch, who had always referred to Li Zihan as the White Rabbit in her letters, looked at the young man whose eyes had at some point turned red, and her delicate brows furrowed.

"What happened to your eyes?"

"I was probably cursed and became a rabbit," the young man joked, his body changing in the direction of a vampire due to the Stigmata. He smiled, revealing slightly sharp canine teeth.

"You became a Dead Apostle?" Miss Alice clearly did not miss the obviously abnormal fangs on his face.

"To be precise, I'm a vampire created through technological means." The young man, who was clearly not a Dead Apostle, shrugged and explained.

He was different from those Dead Apostles, creatures who possessed a form of immortality but were weak to water and light. The Stigmata clearly couldn't turn him into a backup meal for a True Ancestor.

"You can just think of me as a creature that looks like a Dead Apostle."

"That's actually quite good."

Kuonji Alice, confirming that Li Zihan had not become a Dead Apostle, felt a sense of relief.

In the Moonlit World, with its various metaphysical concepts, the enhancement one received from becoming a Dead Apostle changed depending on the world line. If the world line was one where humanity could not summon Heroic Spirits, it meant human history had been negated, and Dead Apostles would become exceptionally vicious. However, if humanity could summon Heroic Spirits, it meant human history had been affirmed, and Dead Apostles would not receive the world's blessing, making their combat power rather pathetic.

And now, with the Fuyuki Black Holy Grail War already in its fourth iteration, human history had clearly been affirmed. The advantages of becoming a Dead Apostle on this world line were not significant.

In comparison, physical modification was much more reliable.

Physical modification was a common part of magecraft. The Wandering Sea, one of the three major magical organizations, specialized in Age of Gods magecraft and physical modification. As a magus herself, she naturally wasn't surprised that the Mad Hatter would do such a thing.

"How are the effects? Are there any side effects?" she then continued in a remarkably calm tone.

"Hmm, the effects are pretty good. While it didn't grant me immortality, it gave me a rather excellent physical recovery ability. Even if my limbs are severed, my body can heal itself quickly." Li Zihan, who was quite satisfied with the enhancements from the Dracula Stigmata, nodded and gave a rough summary of his changes.

"As for side effects, I sometimes have trouble sleeping at night, and I tend to order my steak rare."

Other than the chance of being mistaken for a Dead Apostle by the Holy Church, there were basically no side effects.

"By the way, Alice, did you come looking for me for something?" The young man, noticing the picture book placed on the table, sighed.

That was Caster, Nursery Rhyme. A Phantasmal Spirit created from the collection of all fairy tales. Her base stats were pathetic, but she was a Servant with a terrifyingly powerful Noble Phantasm.

Nursery Rhyme had two main Noble Phantasms.

Nursery Rhyme: A Story for Someone's Sake

Rank: EX

A Reality Marble that reflects the Master's heart, shaping a pseudo-Servant based on what the Master dreams of. The result of unleashing this Noble Phantasm is completely unknown.

Queen's Glass Game: Perpetual Engine - Maiden's Empire

Rank: C

Type: Anti-Self Noble Phantasm (Anti-World Noble Phantasm)

Range: 0

Maximum Targets: 1

The story will never end. Like slender fingers that seem as if they would break with a touch, closing the book only to open it once more. A world-ending Noble Phantasm held by Nursery Rhyme that can rewind time, but its effect is limited to herself and her summons. It is similar, yet dissimilar, to the Fifth Magic. If Caster cannot be defeated within a set number of turns, the game will continue forever.

Either one was incredibly tricky. If Alice were to transfer her own familiars—the monsters from fairy tales—to Nursery Rhyme, this Servant could play the vast majority of other Servants to death.

"You know Nursery Rhyme?"

Seemingly sensing the change in Li Zihan's expression, Alice narrowed her icy eyes, which were hard to read for emotion. She didn't answer his previous question, but asked another.

"Is this the effect of that sometimes-accurate, sometimes-not future sight of yours again?"

"Something like that. She's a Servant who's quite compatible with you."

However, even knowing that Nursery Rhyme and Alice would be a terrifying combination, Li Zihan wasn't particularly flustered. He could choose the simplest, most unadorned method to deal with both of Nursery Rhyme's Noble Phantasms.

"By the way, Alice, did you come here just to chat?"

Li Zihan, who had noticed the drawing of the Mad Hatter on that calling card, felt quite nervous.

In his memory, Alice should have seen him as the White Rabbit from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. For the Mad Hatter, a character to whom Alice had confessed, to suddenly appear on the calling card... did this mean he had been upgraded?

If so, it could be interpreted as the witch confessing her feelings, and—

She would use every means at her disposal to crush his dream of having a harem. A witch loyal to love would clearly not allow her lover to have an affair or cheat. Compared to accepting their lover's infidelity, they were more inclined towards widowhood.

"Why is a raven like a writing desk?"

Seemingly aware of the change in Li Zihan's expression, the Fairy Tale Witch still did not answer his question, but posed another.

I love you.

Why?

Because a raven is like a writing desk.

This was the answer Alice gave when confessing to the Mad Hatter in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

"I suppose the answer is, 'I love you.'" Li Zihan recited the famous scene from the story.

"I suppose I love you too." The Fairy Tale Witch smiled, her grin bright and radiant.

"So that I can completely fall in love with you, I will now team up with Aoko and declare war on you."

The words sounded strange, lacking any logic, but Li Zihan understood the meaning behind them.

She and Aoko would take the Holy Grail, revert it to its state from sixty years ago, and then use the power of the omnipotent cauldron to realize her wish.

Realizing why Alice had suddenly stopped being a shut-in and had come out with Aoko, the corner of Li Zihan's eye twitched.

The Holy Grail, a tool that could skip the process and directly obtain the result, was indeed a device that could easily and painlessly correct a person's views on love.

But was it really okay to use the Holy Grail for something like this?

The Holy Grail's reputation as an omnipotent cauldron was crying!

"If my will is twisted by the Holy Grail, then I won't be the same Mad Hatter anymore, you know." The young man, who had already used Jizo Mitama five times and had absolutely no right to say such a thing, retorted weakly.

The black-haired, black-eyed witch didn't answer. She simply walked to the young man's side, stood slightly on her toes, and planted a kiss on his cheek, as light as a dragonfly touching water.

"It is not the Holy Grail that will change you, but the 'experiences' you gain through it."

The witch, who was clearly planning to reshape a certain person's view on love by adding "important events" like in a galge, smiled with unprecedented radiance.

"Farewell, Mr. Mad Hatter."

"For the sake of love, I will defeat you and Aoko."