It is about 30 kilometers west from the busy streets of Fuyuki City.

There is an east-west national highway that crosses the mountains far from the village. The highway is lined with dense forests, and the forest area seems to have been forgotten by the surging land development boom.

The land may be state-owned, but it appears from the land register to be privately owned by a foreign-owned company, and it is uncertain whether the foreign-owned enterprise actually exists. If you have to investigate this land, the first thing that makes people puzzled is this magical urban legend.

Legend has it that in the deepest part of this dense forest, there is a mythical city.

Of course, this legend is just a boring weird story. Although the forest has not yet been developed, it is less than an hour's drive from Fuyuki City. If there really is such a strange castle, everyone will know about it. In fact, there have been several land surveys in this primeval forest in the past, but no traces of artificial structures have been found.

But every few years, someone recalls the legend.

A group of children walked into the forest with a half-play, half-adventure mood. There is also a lost hiker. Out of the fog they saw an ancient city suddenly appear, a magnificent castle made of rock. The castle was uninhabited, like an abandoned city. However, the castle is well-equipped and everything is in order, which makes people feel as if someone lives here. It is said to be an unusually bizarre ancient city.

Of course, no one will believe this legend. At best, it's a one-page story told in a summer weird story in a third-rate magazine with no news material.

Only a handful of magicians know that this castle is real.

The castle only welcomes its owner who enters the castle to participate in the war once every sixty years, and it is a castle of demons.

The castle is shrouded in multiple layers of illusion and magic enchantments, which are never revealed except by the most occasional circumstances. It's a bizarre space. People who know about the existence of this castle call this dense forest the Einsbelen Forest.

At that time, the Holy Grail War was being fought in Fuyuki City, and the patriarch of the Einzberen family, Yubstakuhayd, felt that it was inappropriate to set up a stronghold in the direct territory of the Tosaka family, the arch-enemy. Therefore, he made full use of his family's financial resources to buy out the spiritual vein land closest to Fuyuki City and used it as the base of the Ainz Belen family. It was the eve of the Third Holy Grail War, which coincided with the period of tension just before the outbreak of World War II.

This vast primeval forest is shrouded in enchantments and completely isolated from the outside world, and the Einzberen family has transferred all their original castle to this forest. This shows that the Einzbelen family's huge wealth and dedication to chasing the Holy Grail are extraordinary. At that time, the Tosaka family negotiated for the purchase of land in Fuyuki and toiled for covert work in the area, which was only a laughable move compared to the Einzberen family.

By the time Artoria and Alice Phil returned, the night was already deep.

The castle is deserted, and the silent night continues along the deep corridors, creating an inexplicable sense of fear.

The sound of the two of them walking echoed infinitely in the corridor.

The dreary air made Alice Phil sigh several times.

"What's wrong? Are you tired?" Artoria asked softly, sensing that something was wrong with Alice Phil.

"No, nothing, I'm not tired. Hiding her melancholy, Alice Fell smiled and shook her head.

After a deep look at the other party, Artoria shook her head: "Ellie, if you have anything, just say it." Just as I believe in you, please believe in me. ”

"No, no, I've always believed in Saber. It's just—" As if she didn't want Artoria to misunderstand, Alice Fell eagerly explained. Then he said with some hesitation: "I was just thinking, now that I am back in the castle, Saber, can you go to Kiritsugu's side, I am really a little worried." ”

"I know it's a bit rude for me to ask, after all, Kiritsugu is asking you to protect me, and if you go to his side without permission, it will make the gap between you and him even worse, but I still hope you can understand me, because if he has an accident, then we will lose completely. Alice Fell looked at Artoria and said with some pleading.

"It's okay. Shaking her head absently, Artoria looked out the window into the depths of the night and whispered, "Ellie, your worries are completely unnecessary, Kiritsugu has a spell in his hand, if he encounters an irresistible danger, it is enough for me to go to his side in an instant, so your safety is the most important thing now." ”

"Hmm~~" Shaking her head, Alice Fell said gently: "Saber, I know that the more great a hero like you, the more arrogant and self-esteem is extremely important, so the resistance to the spell is also the greatest, I don't want you to be humiliated by the spell, even if you don't care." So...... Go ahead. ”

Staring at the delicate face of the other party with a gentle smile for a long time, Artoria couldn't help asking, "What about you? You must know that it is you who are exposed to the outside now, everyone thinks that you are my master, and even does not rule out the possibility of attacking you, now your situation is far more dangerous than Kiritsugu, if someone goes out to attack you now, you will not be able to summon me with a spell like Kiritsugu, haven't you thought about your own life?"

"Ah~~" With a long sigh of relief, Alice Fell said with a smile: "I.... It doesn't matter, as long as Kiritsugu is alive, this battle can continue, as for me, it doesn't matter. After a short pause, Alice Phil had a deep reluctance on her face: "It's just that the kid won't cry!"

"Ellie, you don't have to do this, I will definitely protect you and Kiritsugu. Looking at the woman in front of her, Artoria didn't know what to say for a while.

"Thank you, Saber, but this is my fate, the fate of the women of the Einzberen family, and the same will be true of the child in the future. Therefore, for the sake of that child's future, I must get the Holy Grail in my hands this time, and I will not tolerate the slightest accident. She shook her head absently, she never seemed to have her life in her eyes, as if she could give it up at any time. "From the moment I was born, my end was already predestined, and when I came to this battlefield, I was mentally prepared, so go ahead. ”

"What the hell is going on, Ellie?" asked Artoria, puzzled.

"Don't, don't ask. But it's great to be able to meet a knight like Saber in this war. With a happy smile on her face, Alice Phil said with a smile: "And this time I came out to make up for my last regrets, I saw the outside world with my own eyes, experienced all kinds of new things, and had many, many memories that can be recalled, which is enough." ”

"Thank you Saber for all of this, for being able to tolerate my willfulness, thank you very much. ”

"Ellie, you...."Artoria was a little confused, and only felt that there were some mixed feelings in her heart. What kind of fate does such a woman have, and what kind of mood does she have when she comes to this fateful place?

"Alright, don't talk about it, go ahead. With a pleading look on her face, Alice Fell said softly.

"Please, Saber. ”