Chapter 54 - rrr

Survival or happiness.

Or rather, pursuing the process or the result.

The comfortable evening breeze from the bay port blew across the bustling commercial street. The unhappy silver-haired little girl hugged her knees, carrying a plastic bag with pudding, pausing for the first time in a while. The Holy Grail War's third night was about to arrive. Counting from the initial skirmish, she'd been summoned for roughly four days total.

Pedestrians on the road didn't notice her. Due to recent excessive gas leak incidents—

The government announced travel was inadvisable recently. Street pedestrians were much fewer than usual, though you could still occasionally see a few high school student couples playfully browsing shops, and some children pulling their parents' hands clamoring to eat this or that.

For the first time, Miss Illya became so calm and peaceful. Since being summoned, her initiative was extremely high—every day either fighting or planning to fight.

Even occasional rest in the Holy Church's basement meant constantly reviewing intelligence.

Battle, slaughter, scheming—these formed her brief life.

She enjoyed it tirelessly, seemingly immersed in such excitement, never before being like now—a truly quiet little girl.

She was very smart, knowing she needed high-pressure environments. Once relaxed, she'd lose the will to fight desperately. Only by pushing herself tighter could she explode with more power. This was like how in ancient times, many people wouldn't cause trouble after eating and drinking their fill. But if you pushed those people to near death, they'd explode with terrifying survival drive beyond rulers' imagination to fight you to the death.

Therefore, Miss Illya constantly maintained this highly executive mental state. Thus she strengthened almost daily—from initially being chased into panicked flight by a few D-rank Noble Phantasms from King Gilgamesh, to now genuinely exchanging blows with three knight class Servants.

With sufficient preparation, her newly developed technique's firepower even solo-killed one Heroic Spirit Servant.

Undoubtedly proving she grew very quickly, increasingly participating in this war.

But similarly, her mental state was also deteriorating, increasingly resembling an easily radicalized elegant madwoman.

"Survival is the process, happiness is the result. But if you can't even survive, how can you be happy?"

"But when happiness is right before you yet you don't choose it—isn't that putting the cart before the horse?"

She and Zouken Matou were the same—sharing the same values, both believing survival was the first element guaranteeing goal achievement. They'd just both blurred their goals and process, deliberately not thinking about or deliberately forgetting their goals, making survival a false process. They both knew this—just both unwilling to admit it.

Irisviel loved her. Miss Illya knew this. But during the Holy Grail War, accepting the affection of a participant who wouldn't withdraw from the Holy Grail War was no different from suicide. She didn't want to die, so she could only view the other as an enemy.

She thought everyone tacitly understanding was fine. After all, everyone knew. But now Kirei Kotomine had pierced the paper facade.

Making her unable to avoid being troubled by her own cart-before-horse situation. She understood very clearly what was correct.

But her heart just felt very annoyed, very annoyed. Because survival and happiness were originally one entity. Now they'd suddenly become a multiple choice question—she could only choose one.

"So annoying! Obviously just killing everyone and surviving to the end would win the war. Why must emotions exist? Personal feelings are too disgusting. A perfectly good Holy Grail War is turning into everyone else's family ethics drama brawl..."

Having adjusted her mood, Miss Illya stood up displeased, then once again exquisitely kicked a beverage can carelessly discarded by roadside passersby into the trash bin.

She wasn't escaping reality. From daring to night-raid the Tohsaka villa during the initial skirmish, you could tell—no matter how cruel reality was, she'd quickly integrate.

Holy Grail War? Fine. Life or death? Fine. Then I'll kill you all!

This was her initiative and adaptability to the unfamiliar.

But regarding Irisviel's maternal love, she found it annoying. This wasn't about accepting or not accepting—it was positional opposition. Your enemy suddenly saying they love you—truly love you—but won't withdraw from the war, still wanting to be your enemy—what would you think? For this kind of tangled, annoying feeling, the best method was not thinking about it. Fight to the end. Everyone tacitly understanding and fighting independently. Whoever survives to the end has the right to discuss love and affection.

So why did Kirei Kotomine have to bring it up? Originally she didn't like thinking about these problems. But now someone beside her brought it up. The key was this person truly had remaining value—couldn't be disposed of. Even if she wanted to ignore it like before, she couldn't.

"Nice shot!"

"Hahahaha, never expected the Age of Gods Caster who's been like a celebrity attracting attention these past days would moonlight as a janitor here! Truly the excellent character of a heroic figure—not even overlooking such minor evils."

Wild laughter came from the nearby street. That red-haired burly man like a lion, with a mighty, hearty face and eyes as broad as the sky harboring no reservations—he radiated an inexplicable domineering aura making people want to submit. Behind him followed a pitiful, thin, weak man.

"I originally wanted to wait outside the Holy Church to see what kind of magus could summon a Caster like you, incidentally testing if I could ambush him to make you exit directly. But after waiting forever, even that Knight King young lady didn't come. What a pity."

The muscular man wearing jeans nearly bursting at the seams plus an oversized white shirt laughed teasingly. Though saying "pity," his face showed no embarrassment whatsoever.

"Idiot! Don't say it so openly! This will displease Caster and we'll be targeted first!"

The pitiful thin Waver Velvet nearly cried. How could this idiot just say it like that?!

Now this snow elf girl and swordsman girl were allied. Initiative was almost entirely in these two great Servants' hands. Displeasing them meant they were finished.

After all, among remaining Servants—Lancer was his teacher Lord Kayneth's, impossible to ally with them. Berserker's Master couldn't even be found. Not to mention the never-appearing Assassin. How could they possibly resist two great Heroic Spirit Servants?

"There are many ways to receive Command Seals—not necessarily going to the Holy Church. The supervisor Father Risei Kotomine could personally deliver them to avoid others snatching them."

Illya blinked without much anger. Instead, she was amused by the domineering man's frankness:

"If Conqueror King couldn't find my Master, you could try following Father Risei Kotomine. If you're not afraid of displeasing the Holy Church?"

"Eh, forget it then. This king is just somewhat curious—doesn't want to randomly offend people."

The towering man—that is, Conqueror King Iskandar—could only rub his head seemingly troubled. He hadn't wanted to start warring with enemies this early. After all, anyone with eyes could see the swordsman girl with suspiciously four Command Seals was currently this Holy Grail War's greatest competitor—especially with her camp having a come-and-go-without-trace, covering-bombardment, smoke-creating Caster ally.

If he really offended people outside this because of that eighth irregular Servant matter, or these people themselves, he and his little Master with only two Command Seals remaining wouldn't have it easy.

"By the way, Caster, I also heard about last night's events. You're more than a bit stronger than when we faced that glittering golden guy on the first night. You could actually exchange over fifty blows head-on with a nearly perfect-condition three knight class Servant. Before that, you almost single-handedly slew that irregular Servant Gilles de Rais who didn't even spare children."

Holding a half-eaten chicken leg, the Conqueror King also laughed heartily and casually sat on a roadside public bench, praising Miss Illya while watching the coming-and-going street.

If his impression of this snow elf on the first night fighting the uncultured glittering king was amazement—

Then after hearing about last night's events, his impression became astonishment.

After all, she was a Caster class Servant. Though she might possess attribute-enhancing magic, she was only slightly better than Assassin.

Yet she so excellently accomplished so much. Even he couldn't help but sincerely feel appreciation and admiration.

"So what do you want to say, Conqueror King uncle?" Miss Illya also politely sat on another bench, maintaining over ten meters distance from him.

She also pulled out the half-remaining pudding she'd packed, using a disposable spoon to scoop a small bite into her mouth to savor.

It was daytime now, and a crowded area. Heroic Spirit Servants were forbidden from fighting.

This was to conceal mysteries. So regarding the Conqueror King's approach and conversation, Miss Illya didn't immediately flee into shadows like at night.

"You're no weakling. That Knight King young lady isn't either. Times have changed, Caster. Do you truly think a balance of martial capital exists between you and the Saber knight class camp holding at least three Command Seals? You're a very rational heroic figure. You should understand what power imbalance between alliances means, right?"

"But that Saber big sister's wrist is injured. She and I aren't particularly imbalanced."

"But she possesses too many Command Seals—massive magical energy that can be promptly replenished from a distance." Iskandar held a different view on this.

So what if injured? Basic stat attributes were set. They wouldn't change.

"That night, with your magical energy replenishment, we all witnessed that Knight King young lady's powerful strength. Just Mana Burst alone could directly ignore B-rank and below Noble Phantasm bombardment. Bluntly speaking, this king is quite wary of her."

"Because without both sides releasing Noble Phantasms, even if this king's mount charges recklessly, it may not leave many scars on her armor under such Mana Burst."

The swordsman girl didn't have many mechanisms, but possessed pure power. As long as magical energy sufficed—

She was the most terrifying existence in this Holy Grail War aside from the glittering king.

That completely unreasonable Mana Burst was too absurd. In the early stage, she single-handedly contended with the glittering king. Only after he used B+ rank Noble Phantasm wild bombardment did Mana Burst's effects cease being so obvious—that absolute defense constructed purely from magical energy was barely breached and suppressed.

Mana Burst extremely consumed magical energy. Even with the snow elf's magical energy supply temporarily refilling her mana, the swordsman girl couldn't continuously maintain it.

But with four Command Seals, it was different. Using just two of these, the swordsman girl could become a purely unsolvable monster maintaining Mana Burst for a period—unable to break defense without reaching a certain threshold. Even reaching the defense-breaking standard, damage would be reduced.

"Meaning Conqueror King possesses more than one Noble Phantasm? Besides that thunder chariot, there are others?"

Miss Illya tilted her little head and blinked. Why was he revealing this information to her?

"Ah, I let that slip... let that slip..." Iskandar scratched his head in distress.

As if truly being too straightforward momentarily, inadvertently letting some intelligence slip—just like that. However, Miss Illya completely didn't believe it.

She also quickly understood his intent in telling her these things.

This was displaying his own sincerity and capital.

"Since you know, now you must join this king's army, right? After all, this king's secrets are all told to you. If I let you leave, this king will have great difficulty proceeding."

Iskandar looked troubled—a sort of shameless "since you know, you must be with me" attitude.

Yes, shameless. Who'd expect the domineering Conqueror King to be so brazen?

Actually using such childish joke-like strange schemes.

"I'm imbalanced with that Knight King big sister. Am I not similarly power-imbalanced with you, Conqueror King uncle?"

"It's different."

"How is it different?"

"That Knight King young lady has around four Command Seals, while I only have two remaining. My Master, as you've seen, has terrible magical accomplishments—very difficult supporting me using powerful Noble Phantasms alone. Meaning I'm extremely restricted. We're the genuine weak alliance combination."

"..."

Don't keep bringing this back to me while chatting!

I've also tried very hard! Can you blame poor magical energy supply on me?!

Standing beside the burly man, Waver Velvet heard two Servants redirect to himself again and immediately felt exhausted. He'd also gained the resolve to prove himself to his teacher and obtain victory—infected by heroic figures' fighting spirit that night.

But hardware problems weren't his fault. He was originally a Clock Tower student. Participating in the Holy Grail War was just to prove to his teacher Lord Kayneth, who'd withheld his thesis, that he wasn't wrong. Not having graduated yet with poor magical accomplishments and no external resource supplements was perfectly normal.

Even the plane ticket funds to reach Fuyuki City—he'd scraped together by selling everything he had.

"I know Caster's excellent character. But originally, your alliance with that Knight King young lady was also unavoidable. Dissolving the alliance doesn't count as betrayal."

"Three knight classes are the Holy Grail War's acknowledged strongest. If they don't exit early, it'll be troublesome."

Iskandar's joking expression gradually became serious. He was genuinely serious about these words now.

He was confident he could contend with one three knight class Servant, but needed Command Seals to continuously supply his Noble Phantasm with magical energy. Otherwise, relying on himself alone to maintain the Noble Phantasm was quite difficult—at most ten-some minutes or even just a few minutes.

And with just these brief minutes, wanting victory was pure fantasy. After all, aside from him, a full five Heroic Spirit Servants still remained.

"Moreover, joining my army is different from alliance. I've long said—those who fight alongside me are friends. This king never mistreats friends. Between us, no need to worry about betrayal or competition. Even until the very end, I still won't clash with friends."

"...Conqueror King uncle, anyone can speak pretty words. Like that Knight King big sister—she also swore oaths with her title and vows. Yet she still harbors imperceptible hostility toward me."

This is the Holy Grail War. Everyone here is scum—whether you or me.

Miss Illya withdrew her gaze and shook her head, placing the finished pudding packaging into the plastic bag.

Then she stood and walked toward the trash bin beside the street bench.

Seeing this, Iskandar—admiring her decent character—laughed heartily again:

"Well, well, well, then let's discuss my wish. I want a physical body that can freely operate in the present world. As long as you're willing to become part of my army, this victory's honor will also include your portion. We'll all live again properly in this new modern society—going wherever we want."

"Mm... mm?"

Hearing this declaration, Miss Illya—about to casually deflect with a few words—suddenly froze.

Live again and walk through this modern society? What kind of wish is that?

"Our current bodies are all constructed from magical energy. After the Holy Grail War ends, we'll vanish into smoke." The mighty man also stood, puffing out his chest as he walked toward another trash bin, casually tossing the finished chicken leg bone into it.

"We were all once heroic figures dominating an era. Isn't such an ending rather sad and helpless? So I want to become human again, properly seeing and walking through this new modern world."

"But aren't Heroic Spirit Servants all dead people? Is Conqueror King uncle not accepting the fact of his own death?"

"No! This king's life has no regrets. It's just that this king's kingly way will never cease due to death. I don't fear death—I just want to once more conquer toward the world's ends, displaying my kingly way anew in this world. New eras, new cuisines, new technologies—how could this king not want to see more? How could I not want to personally witness this new era!"

Even newly acquired territories and wealth could be abandoned—all for conquest.

All to go further with his army, witnessing what lay at the world's ends and its truths.

This was Iskandar. Even among ancient kings, he stood independently—the Conqueror King. He was an outlier, the most peculiar existence among kings. Not for territory, not for ruling power—only wanting to pursue even more distant places.

He was a selfish and self-interested king, yet made his will become the will and direction of everyone he led. After defeating enemies, he was even too lazy to linger long in their territories.

As if only wanting to pass through when others wouldn't let him, then beating them into wretched fleeing defeat.

Witnessing, pursuing, conquering the world's ends—a seemingly joking strange idea.

Yet this was the king's lifelong goal of practicing his kingly way.

"Conqueror King uncle is indeed more convincing than that uncultured glittering golden big brother king."

Miss Illya turned her head, watching the mighty man and couldn't help but sincerely admire.

She'd always respected these heroic figures, because she wasn't someone who'd established great achievements. She subconsciously held polite respect toward these Heroic Spirit Servants.

And now Conqueror King uncle's boldness truly made her feel genuinely convinced and impressed, also better understanding why these heroic figures deserved historical remembranc

Of course, King Gilgamesh was an exception. That guy's personality was too terrible.

"So, want to join this king's army? This king promises—after obtaining the Holy Grail, I'll also give you a physical body, letting you and this king revive together in this world."

"...Forget it. I'm afraid. What if Conqueror King uncle obtains the Holy Grail but doesn't revive me?"

After hesitating a few seconds, Miss Illya waved her hand, appearing uninterested.

However, honestly speaking, his eloquence was indeed somewhat better than the Knight King girl's.

Or rather, not just somewhat—crushing. The Knight King girl's alliance meant they'd ultimately still be enemies. Conqueror King uncle's alliance was genuinely beneficial to both—truly mutually beneficial. Honestly, this quite moved Miss Illya. Unfortunately, there was no such thing as trust in the Holy Grail War.

"You can consider it. I plan to hold a banquet among heroic figures. Answering me then won't be too late." Iskandar also waved unconcernedly.

"By the way, what about your wish, Caster? This king has already revealed his innermost thoughts and shown sincerity. If you don't respond, this king would be too much a failure—like this king is singing a one-man show alone."

Tilting her little head, blinking—

Miss Illya pondered for a moment, thinking her wish wasn't anything major. It seemed somewhat childishly embarrassing—she didn't really want to say it out loud.

But considering Iskandar had been so bold and magnanimous, ignoring him as if she hadn't heard would also be quite impolite.

Moreover, she actually couldn't quite distinguish what her wish even was.

"I want... to live happily."

"What? You want to get married?

Marriage?

Uncle, what kind of strange logic is that?

Does wanting a happy life automatically equal marriage? I've never even been in a relationship, so how the hell am I supposed to get married?

Miss Illya stared blankly at Iskandar, who first looked surprised, then bewildered, and finally returned to a relieved expression. She couldn't shake the feeling that he'd completely misunderstood something, or that she'd expressed herself poorly. How did he jump to the conclusion that she wanted to use the Holy Grail to wish for marriage?

Though thinking about it, he wasn't entirely wrong. Theoretically speaking, marrying someone you love and living together would indeed bring happiness—that's scientifically backed by hormones and all that.

But her situation was different. Perhaps it was because she'd grown accustomed to being alone, but she actively rejected these troublesome things called personal feelings. Just like how she instinctively disliked Irisviel.

The happiness she wanted was personal happiness, solitary happiness, the happiness of being content alone—not the blind happiness of foolish young girls who think being with someone they love is enough. It was the kind of happiness most ordinary people could have.

Hmm...

If she had to name someone she liked, it would probably only be herself, right?

How should she put it? It wasn't some weird narcissism—she was just selfish and unloved. Since no one had loved her before, now she only loved herself more.

"I never would have guessed, Caster, that you'd want to get married. This wish of yours makes your true identity even more mysterious."

"Could it be that in life, you were betrayed by someone you loved? Or did something happen that separated you from someone you cared about? So you want to find happiness with that person again?"

Iskandar looked at the small, frail girl with surprise and understanding, seemingly never expecting her wish to be so simple and ordinary—just wanting to reunite with someone she loved in life and live happily together.

Seeing this "I understand everything now" expression, Miss Illya's face darkened with exasperation.

Can you people please stop jumping to conclusions?!

Kirei Kotomine assumed she was a powerful schemer, the King of Knights assumed she was a hero of noble character, Kariya Matou assumed she was a mature and trustworthy Age of Gods magus, Diarmuid assumed she was a powerhouse rivaling the Three Knights, and Irisviel assumed she was a daughter with feelings for her... Why does everyone's imagination run so wild?!

Of course, all those assumptions were one thing, but now adding "young widowed wife desperately trying to win the Holy Grail to reunite with her lost love" to the list—what kind of ridiculous characterization was that?!

"Conqueror King, uncle, I said I want a happy life, not that I want to marry someone I love."

Miss Illya, the single dog who'd never dated anyone, crossed her arms and sat back down on the bench.

She looked like a sulking child. After all, forget about someone she loved—even her own family had abandoned her in the past. Talking to her about this was just too cruel.

"Well, what's the difference? Isn't it all about living happily? Don't tell me you never had a lover in life, little Caster? That can't be right, can it? Based on your current youthful appearance, you would have had many excellent men and even women pursuing you once you grew up. How could you not have had a lover in life?"

"..."

The air fell into an instant silence.

No response, just an unhappy glare—Miss Illya's silent acknowledgment of her displeasure.

This left Iskandar even more confused. Even that King of Knights girl had a queen and heir according to historical records. Unless someone was an exceptionally unique hero, surely they wouldn't have remained single their entire life?

The female King of Knights still had a queen and heir, so in the more open-minded Age of Gods with such an appearance, it made sense that she would have had suitors.

Iskandar scratched his head in puzzlement, then suddenly slapped his forehead as understanding dawned!

"I see! Your lover wasn't a normal human—perhaps a fairy or sprite from the lake, or maybe a Phantasmal Species? So your romance in life faced obstacles and opposition, which is why you won't mention this painful past even to others..."

Thunk.

A discarded drink can on the ground was casually kicked, landing back in the trash bin.

"Actually, Conqueror King uncle, I really don't understand why some people think you can only be happy if you're with someone else."

The sulking Miss Illya stood up again, glancing at the passersby who, thanks to some spell cast by Waver Velvet, didn't pay much attention to them littering. She wasn't angry anymore, just puzzled, her cute little face showing only curiosity and a calm desire for knowledge.

She looked up at this experienced, reliable king standing not far away, genuinely unable to understand his thinking—or the thinking of Kirei Kotomine, who believed she had feelings for Irisviel.

"You can live perfectly well alone, without others' constraints, without obligations to fulfill."

"You just need to complete your work on time, pursue your hobbies during leisure time, without the massive pressure of earning money to support a family like married people do. To me, this seems normal—and it's the most common form of happiness. Overall, it's a pretty good and free happy life."

Hearing this, Iskandar was even more confused, though he stopped his joking attitude.

If that was the case, her wish was both more ordinary and more strange.

It made him increasingly unable to figure out Illyasviel's true identity. She seemed like some kind of witch who'd never experienced a happy life, hated by the world and therefore averse to human interaction.

But from her interactions with various Heroic Spirit Servants during this time, her social skills were quite good. Even if she were a witch from the Age of Gods, she should be the popular type. Why would she have such a negative view of others?

"But Caster, have you considered that in any era or society, human interaction is necessary? Solitary happiness can't really be called happiness. Once enough time passes, that emptiness and loneliness will drive you mad."

Iskandar shook his head, disagreeing with Miss Illya's view.

Where there are people, there will be social interaction, just as where there are many people, society and government will form.

This is inevitable. Completely cutting yourself off from society while living in one is itself a laughable notion, because even wild beasts have their companions.

"So what counts as happiness? Getting along harmoniously with family?"

"Growing old together with someone you love until you both enter the grave?"

"Or possessing power and wealth, surrounded by a bunch of friends and companions?"

Miss Illya sat on the bench gazing at the twilight sky, leisurely and lonelily swinging her sandaled feet.

"Social interaction is just others seeing what value you have, what value you can provide them—whether power, money, reputation, or simply emotional value. In the end, it's all about mutual benefit. So-called social interaction is just an exchange of what each party needs. I don't really like that feeling, so I've always believed living alone is the best form of happiness, because solitude means you won't be betrayed, won't face others' suspicion and abandonment. I don't need to put on a mask to cater to anyone—I just need to be my truest, freest self. And that's my personal greatest happiness."

Betrayal, abandonment, distrust of others, living freely, not having to deliberately cater to anyone.

Were there magi with such experiences in the Age of Gods? Why did this Age of Gods magus girl seem to have lived such an unsatisfying life? Why such hostility toward others?

Iskandar paused briefly, then his expression lost all traces of admiration or approval. Instead, he carefully studied the snow-like sprite watching the sunset. Had everything she'd shown been genuine—her noble character and unyielding spirit?

No! That was real. His eye for people couldn't be wrong. That night she displayed genuine defiance against fate, resistance against desperate circumstances—truly the spirit of a hero!

Then why would she say such things? Why have such a strange view of happiness?

"Caster, have you failed to recognize yourself? You're a hero, recognized by everyone. I can understand your anxiety about the future, your distrust of other Heroic Spirit Servants in this war, because I feel the same. We both know this Holy Grail War will have only one victor. What I don't understand is why you belittle yourself so much. You're not selfish—you're a hero! History and we have already acknowledged this!"

"I'm not a hero... I've said this before."

"The moment you stepped forward at the dock battle that night, you already became a hero, Caster! When you couldn't stand by and watch that rogue black magus usurp your class and harm innocent children, when you killed him—in that moment, you became a hero who prevented further tragedies in the present world!"

The booming, bold roar echoed in her ears. Miss Illya withdrew her gaze from the beautiful scenery and tilted her head. The burly man beside her had stepped forward.

His muscular arms were planted on his hips, looking somewhat comical—like an adult lecturing a child.

"There's nothing wrong with your wish for happiness. What's wrong is your strange mindset. You say you hate social interaction, but look—have you interacted poorly with me or the other heroes?"

"You know why I came to find you specifically instead of others to join my army? Because now, in my eyes and those of other heroes, you're someone trustworthy, someone worth relying on—a sprite as pure as snow itself. We're all willing to trust you. Even if we die and exit the war, we believe that as long as you're still here, you can guarantee our Masters' safety—you're like an unbreakable shield!"

"I, Iskandar the Conqueror King, can swear this here and now, and I believe other heroes would willingly swear before you: as allies, we will never betray or abandon you, because you're not someone who deserves to be abandoned or betrayed!"

Nonsense, you're all the same. That King of Knights is the same too.

There's no betrayal only because there isn't enough benefit. When the situation changes, everyone's selfish.

Everyone talks a good game, including me. Our positions will never change.

Miss Illya reflexively argued in her mind, but when she looked up at Iskandar's determined eyes, she opened her mouth but ultimately couldn't voice her thoughts.

Her reason told her his words were lies, just trying to gain her favor, like what the King of Knights girl said to her at the dock battle.

But her skills and emotions told her everything he said was true, without falsehood. There wasn't a trace of hostility from him—it was as if he truly didn't see her as an enemy now, but as a hero he could respect and communicate with.

"...Do as you please, Conqueror King uncle. If you think that's what I am, then fine."

Though I personally think I'm not any kind of hero, just a selfish bad person.

But refuting others was too time-consuming and exhausting. She didn't like arguing, and it wasn't very polite either.

"Hahaha! It's not what I think—it's what you are! That's why I say you might not recognize yourself, Caster. You think too poorly of yourself and too poorly of others."

Iskandar laughed heartily as if he'd won a debate, disturbing Miss Illya enough that she felt helpless and lost her mood for strolling through the shopping district.

Stretching lazily, Miss Illya lightly hopped down from the bench:

"Well then, let me ask you a question too, Conqueror King uncle. Which do you think is more important—the process of conquering the world, or the result after conquering it? For example, if you might die during the conquest, and you know you'll die in the process, would you choose survival or your goal?"

"Ah, little sister, you've really stumped me there. Survival or the goal... Can't this king have both?"

Seeing Iskandar scratching his head in apparent distress, Miss Illya put her hands behind her back, bent down slightly while looking up at him, and shook her head with some dissatisfaction.

"No, you can only choose one. You can't have both, Conqueror King uncle. You have to follow the rules of the game."

There's no perfect ending where you get everything. Not for her, not for anyone else.

Kiritsugu Emiya and the Saber girl must kill her, and she must kill Kiritsugu Emiya and the Saber girl. Irisviel stood with Kiritsugu Emiya. In this situation, unless he signed a contract with her and gave up the Saber girl from the Three Knights class, reconciliation was impossible.

And given Kiritsugu Emiya's cautious nature and character, she didn't believe he'd do that. Besides, she had no intention of betraying Kirei Kotomine, her official backing. The Holy Church was a much better advantage than the other side. She had absolutely no reason to take such a high risk, gambling on what others might be thinking, to exchange for a Master potentially worse than her current one, the Magus Killer.

As for signing a contract with Irisviel instead? Same logic applied. She'd need to eliminate Kirei Kotomine first, leaving the decision in others' hands. If they wouldn't sign with her, she'd die.

Plus, with one faction having two Servants, she could guarantee the Saber girl would be the first to cut her down. This was an internal issue—because only one winner could remain in the Holy Grail War. If a Master from one faction contracted with a Servant from another, unless the original Servant had no desire for the Grail, that outsider competitor would be the greatest enemy.

This was a simple chain of suspicion and competitive relationship. Unless there were two Grails.

Otherwise, with unequal distribution of benefits, someone going hungry would eventually cut down those who were well-fed.

Even if such a situation somehow succeeded, many other problems would arise.

If one faction dared to contract two Servants, any non-idiot from other factions would immediately unite to eliminate them first.

"If I must choose one, well, I'd choose survival. After all, the process of striving and fighting to conquer the world is more exciting and interesting than the conquest itself, isn't it?"

"You choose the process? Thank you for your answer, Conqueror King uncle."

"It's not an answer—rather, during the process, perhaps new answers will emerge..."

However, as soon as he finished speaking, Iskandar noticed the snow-sprite girl had already turned and was slowly walking away, like an ordinary child heading home at dusk.

Her silhouette gradually darkened under the twilight glow, becoming increasingly blurred and ethereal.

"I'll come see the banquet between heroes. Remember to prepare some cake and other sweets—consider it a farewell meal before the great battle, for certain people or for us."

Miss Illya waved without looking back at the booming shout, gradually activating her Presence Concealment skill.

A new plan was taking shape, but before that, she needed to see someone off.

A certain kind-hearted big brother who'd entered her tracking range and seemed to be luring innocent children without any sense of crisis.

"Oh, and a heads-up, uncle—be careful of a certain golden, flashy Archer big brother. Just in case—and I mean maybe—he suddenly comes back from the dead..."

Don't go setting off this bomb. She'd specifically saved it for those stat-monster big brothers and sisters from the Three Knights classes. It wouldn't do if someone else triggered it.

Hearing this suddenly revealed terrifying news, Iskandar first paused again, then immediately understood.

It seemed the conclusion of this banquet would feature an interesting performance.

With this thought, he watched Miss Illya disappear at the end of the street and laughed heartily.

"If you manage to win, Caster, this king truly thinks you should find your family or find some young man or woman to have a passionate romance with."

"Mm~ forget it. I'm probably pretty narcissistic—I only care about myself~"

Ryuunosuke Uryuu was nearby.

Through the silver thread she'd left on him, Miss Illya could easily detect this. Honestly, when she sensed this, she was quite surprised. Because the rogue black magus had already been killed and eliminated, yet his Master Ryuunosuke Uryuu hadn't fled—he dared to continue wandering around Fuyuki City. He really didn't take the Holy Church seriously at all.

Though the Holy Church was indeed somewhat useless. After all these days, they'd only sealed several of Ryuunosuke Uryuu's temporary residences and found and rescued several children tortured nearly to death. To this day, they still didn't know where Ryuunosuke Uryuu himself had gone.

But this also proved from another angle that Ryuunosuke Uryuu had extremely strong counter-surveillance awareness.

The Holy Church probably assumed he'd already fled, so pursuing Ryuunosuke Uryuu was ranked lower than maintaining Holy Grail War order.

Activating Presence Concealment and using her skill to materialize a tattered black robe, she moved through the buildings like an indistinct shadow. Considering her Noble Phantasm Assassin card was nearly shattered and could probably only be used two or three more times—or maybe just once more—Miss Illya didn't choose to use it. Besides, dealing with Ryuunosuke Uryuu, this "third-rate magus with fourth-rate mystic codes," didn't require much power.

With just her well-practiced base stats, she could bring him to justice.

Of course, going to kill Ryuunosuke Uryuu wasn't out of kindness. While he was a serial killer, how many people he'd killed had nothing to do with her.

She wasn't some bleeding-heart saint. The lives of strangers were none of her business.

It was simply because the Holy Church had also issued a bounty for Ryuunosuke Uryuu.

He was walking prize money. She could let it go, but if someone else claimed it, that wouldn't be fun.

"Seeing others collect rewards and make money feels worse than losing money myself!"

This was exactly Miss Illya's mindset. The bounty on Ryuunosuke Uryuu wasn't worth a Command Seal, but it was still a considerable advantage in information and intelligence.

She personally didn't lack information, but just because she didn't need it didn't mean other Master-Servant pairs didn't. This was normal battlefield psychology—better to have something yourself that you don't need than let someone else have it.

Irisviel could be killed by anyone else in the short term, but absolutely couldn't die by her hand.

Ryuunosuke Uryuu was the complete opposite—he couldn't die by anyone else's hand, only hers.

Moving through the night, the Heroic Spirit Servant's terrifying vision allowed Miss Illya to quickly spot several police cars on a distant street, along with over a dozen crying children being comforted by police—as if they'd just been rescued from hell's depths.

"?"

This—this wasn't right, was it? Were the police in this Far East land not NPCs?

Or had she arrived too late, and another Heroic Spirit Servant had already dealt with Ryuunosuke Uryuu?

But the silver thread's signal was still active. Miss Illya paused in confusion, then frowned slightly and jumped down from the building, rapidly approaching where the magical energy reaction came from. It was a pitch-black alley not far from the police vehicles, filled with stinking garbage, with occasional rats scurrying around in the dark corners.

At the alley's entrance, the orange-haired, kind-hearted, sunny big brother was holding a mystic code bracelet that had been broken into two pieces, looking troubled.

"Ah, the only memento Bluebeard left me has been broken by you, little sister. And you've released all my other artworks. How do you think you should compensate me?"

Ryuunosuke Uryuu scratched his head in distress, casually approaching step by step a terrified cute little girl wearing red winter clothing and holding a mystic compass—a girl who looked like she was still in elementary school.

Compared to that snow-saint he couldn't forget, this little girl had a red bow tied at her collar and wore a small backpack for mystic codes on her back. She lacked both that snow sprite's composed elegance and purity, and that unconscious emanation of malice that attracted him.

He didn't really like this child. Besides her seeming too ordinary, not long ago she'd followed him, found his residence, and released all the other children in one go.

The mystic code Bluebeard made for him in life had also been blown in half by her mystic codes, robbing him of his only chance to remember Bluebeard.

"Sigh, Bluebeard, how could you be so careless? I entrusted my saint to you for sculpting, yet I don't even know how she died in the end. Though that giant monster you summoned before dying was super cool—too bad I couldn't watch it up close at the time..."

Due to information erasure effects and Ryuunosuke Uryuu not knowing Miss Illya's True Name, after Miss Illya transformed that night, he had no idea what happened to her afterward. After all, the Sea Demon had covered the magic forest, there was a mystic barrier around the Einzbern estate, and inexplicable fog that made it impossible to see anything. He hadn't even seen the moment before Miss Illya's transformation, let alone the curse that made him forget her after transformation.

He could only roughly deduce she'd probably died, becoming a sacrifice along with the other children the black magus brought. But he was troubled that he never got to see how she died.

"You! Don't come closer! My father is participating in the Holy Grail War in Fuyuki City!"

"He summoned a very, very powerful Heroic Spirit Servant who will definitely come defeat you, you bad guy!"

Stay elegant.

Stay elegant.

Must always maintain... elegance.

The compass-holding little girl suppressed her instinct to cry, unconsciously backing away. This was her decision, so she absolutely couldn't regret it.

Her name was Tohsaka Rin, the sole current heir of the magus family Tohsaka.

To investigate the truth behind her good friend Kotone's disappearance, she'd taken the mystic code her father Tohsaka Tokiomi gave her for training and started investigating alone after returning. She knew this was very dangerous, because her parents had already told her that during this time, Fuyuki City was hosting a Holy Grail War fought to the death—seven skilled magi would summon ancient heroes to battle until only one remained, all for an omnipotent wish-granting device.

So Fuyuki City's nights were dangerous. One wrong move could get her caught up in legendary mythical epic battlefields, costing her life.

But Kotone was her good friend, and as the heir to a magus family, she had a responsibility and obligation to protect ordinary people within Fuyuki City.

The Tohsaka family managed Fuyuki City's ley lines—they were basically its guardians.

If she couldn't even protect people within her own territory, what right did she, Tohsaka Rin, have to inherit the Tohsaka family?

This was a child's thinking—naive enough to be endearing, yet you didn't know whether to laugh at it.

And then...

Thanks to the mystic compass's effects—or maybe Tohsaka Rin's luck was truly good—she happened to spot Ryuunosuke Uryuu leading hypnotized children into an alley.

She followed closely to his residence and fought him with mystic codes, directly shattering his hypnotic bracelet and rescuing over a dozen innocent kidnapped children, including her good friend Kotone.

She'd escaped Ryuunosuke Uryuu's pursuit, letting them be successfully rescued by patrolling police officers.

Furthermore, to ensure the mystery wasn't exposed to others, understanding that Grandfather Risei Kotomine would handle the aftermath, she'd been satisfied after completing her adventure and wanted to head home alone.

Then there was no more "then." Everything had gone so smoothly—why did it have to fall apart at the last moment!

She'd only been trying to leave for a few minutes when she got cornered—caught by Ryuunosuke Uryuu who chased her to this alley!

"Holy Grail War? Heroic Spirit Servants? Seems you know quite a bit, little sister."

"Right! You know about Heroic Spirit Servants too! My father is very, very powerful, so if you..."

"Oh, actually I'm one of the Holy Grail War participants too. Which means your father and I are enemies."

"..."

Tohsaka Rin, backed into the alley's dead end, accidentally fell to the ground, as if losing her last hope.

Seeing this, Ryuunosuke Uryuu laughed happily, seeming to enjoy her despair.

"I-I-I will never betray my father!" Tohsaka Rin used her last bit of courage to clench her teeth and make a brave declaration, watching helplessly as Ryuunosuke Uryuu, this grim reaper, approached.

She didn't notice that the mystic compass in her hand was now spinning wildly out of control—an erratic reaction that hadn't occurred even facing Ryuunosuke Uryuu's hypnotic bracelet. Her father Tohsaka Tokiomi had told her that if the mystic compass suddenly malfunctioned and went haywire, it meant something nearby that even ordinary magi—or even he himself—couldn't resist.

"Don't worry, scream away, scream all you want. Even if you scream your throat raw, no one will come save you. I've already surveyed this area—there's no one else around."

Ryuunosuke Uryuu crouched down slightly, reaching to grab the stubborn little girl's slender neck, a sunny, bright smile flashing across his face. Hearing her screams seemed to fill him with delight.

"I'll make you into my second most beautiful artwork, let you contribute to my art..."

"Big brother, your lines right now sound like a small-fry villain~"

"?"

But in the next moment.

Before Ryuunosuke Uryuu could finish.

Sharp pain suddenly erupted in his arm. Accompanying that long-unforgettable saint's voice, his entire hand was sliced in half by thread!

He blinked, instinctively stepping back several steps, looking at his continuously spurting blood from his severed hand. He didn't cry out, instead feeling somewhat delighted and happy.

"My saint, is that you? You haven't died—have you come to find me?"

Unfortunately, his answer came as another sharp pain in his back—the White Stork Knight's bullet tears, a magic bullet that pierced straight through his back and out his abdomen, tolling the final death knell for this death artist, a dirge of free flight.

He seemed to lose all strength, half-kneeling and collapsing to the ground under this intense pain.

His vision blurred, seeing at the alley's end the silhouette of a girl with two small birds woven from silver thread flying beside her. He touched the flowing intestines.

"Shh~ time to say goodnight, kind-hearted big brother." The snow sprite gently placed her finger on her lips and whispered softly.

Honestly, she was quite grateful to Ryuunosuke Uryuu. If he hadn't brought her to the black magus, she couldn't have successfully ambushed and killed him last night.

So as thanks, she'd send him to hell to reunite with the black magus.

"So beautiful. I see now—no wonder I didn't notice. There's truth in the saying about looking under your nose. The death art I've been searching for wasn't in others—it was hidden in my body's intestines all along..."

Ryuunosuke Uryuu looked at the organs spilling from his body, showing no fear of death.

Instead, as if his dream had finally come true, he covered his forehead with his other hand and laughed.

"No wonder I thought you were my saint—you really helped me find it, my true art of death that I've been seeking..."

If it was in my body all along, you should have told me earlier. You made me search so hard for so long. So what I saw when I met you wasn't your art of death.

But rather a premonition that you would help me achieve my art of death, successfully killing me?

Really, saint, if you knew this, why didn't you tell me sooner that the pinnacle of art I wanted was to dissect and kill myself?

But it's not too late now. I've finally achieved it—the art you, my saint, personally showed me.

Ryuunosuke Uryuu's eyes gradually lost their light. Finally, with a thud, he collapsed into the shadows, still wearing a satisfied smile as he became a lifeless corpse...

"Wow, why do all these people seem so strange? They're clearly being killed but still seem happy about it."

Snap. Miss Illya snapped her fingers. Not daring to gamble on whether he might come back, she ordered the White Stork Knight to completely pulverize Ryuunosuke Uryuu's corpse into fragments—the entire person became a pile of bombed-out mush.

These people were all so strange. Gilgamesh when dying was angry she'd offended his dignity, the black magus when dying seemed to feel his wishes were fulfilled with no fear of death, and Ryuunosuke Uryuu was even more absurd—seemingly feeling death was his lifelong wish.

As if in this entire Holy Grail War, she was the only one who was simply afraid of dying.

Everyone else seemed to think dying was no big deal.

"Tohsaka Tokiomi's eldest daughter, Tohsaka Rin?"

Casually glancing at the cute little girl deep in the alley who'd been stunned into silence, seemingly scared stiff by this cruel scene, Miss Illya developed a mischievous idea.

She'd naturally heard the girl introduce herself, but didn't plan to directly eliminate her.

Because Tohsaka Tokiomi was already crazy enough. If he lost another daughter, she didn't dare imagine whether that noble magus holding a time bomb capable of trading one-for-one with any faction would go insane and do something like blowing up the Grail. Though the probability was small—surely no magus participating in the Holy Grail War would want to destroy the Grail itself.

Of course, that was only part of the reason. The main reason was she thought Tohsaka Rin still had some use—she could be turned into a mystic human bomb to give to Tohsaka Tokiomi.

Maybe if the situation deteriorated and her plan went wrong, she could silently blow up Tohsaka Tokiomi.

"But for a human bomb, using magecraft would be too obvious. The Fuyuki City Self-Defense Force should have remote detonators or TNT-type remotely controlled explosives..."

"Excuse me, are you a magus? Silver hair and red eyes—are you a magus from the Einzbern family?"

Just as Miss Illya was pondering how to maximize Tohsaka Rin's usefulness, the tear-eyed girl, relying on what little willpower remained and trying not to look at Ryuunosuke Uryuu who'd been reduced to scattered corpse pieces, looked up with a trembling, tearful voice.

Her brain had crashed, frozen by this terrifying, bloody scene.

But she knew the beautiful silver-haired little girl who looked about her age had saved her, so maintaining her elegance as much as possible, she didn't cry.

She was very grateful for her help, and didn't think there was anything wrong with killing that bad guy.

Just—just she wasn't even ten years old yet. Seeing this kind of dismembered killing made her want to retch involuntarily, feel instinctive fear.

"Who knows? Little sister, running around late at night—bad people might catch and eat you, you know."

Miss Illya walked kindly and casually to Tohsaka Rin, who was kneeling on the cold ground.

She reached out and patted the girl's soft, smooth little head.

"By the way, what you said just now—is it true? You're Tohsaka Tokiomi's eldest daugh— Hm?"

Just as Miss Illya was about to knock out the little girl before her, she suddenly sensed her White Stork Knight surveillance outside the alley had lost connection and frowned.

She quickly pulled out the golden card that was nearly shattered to dust and turned toward the alley entrance where killing intent emanated.

Extreme danger.

Twisted murderous intent.

This was the presence she could sense—and the arrival of a certain allied guest.

"Kariya Matou, are you trying to kill me? This kind-hearted big brother—finders keepers. You came late, so you can't blame me, can you?"

Killing intent. Beast-like killing intent.

Under the pitch-black night, the black mad knight blocked the alley exit.

This was a stat monster even more terrifying than the Three Knights classes in this Holy Grail War. Even Diarmuid, enhanced by Kayneth, might not compare to this wild beast. He possessed the ability to transform anything he touched into his Noble Phantasm—he'd withstood Gilgamesh's mountain-cleaving sword and turned it back to break through Gilgamesh's golden armor.

Why had he appeared here? Miss Illya, who maintained an elegant and polite exterior, didn't know. But she could clearly sense his killing intent.

From how he'd crushed and killed her White Stork Knight stationed at the alley entrance for surveillance, it was obvious—this black knight, or rather Kariya Matou, came with hostile intentions.

She'd never believed Kariya Matou was trustworthy, because his will was far too twisted.

Like someone who acted on impulse, using various reasons to mask what he truly desired deep down—a strange fellow.

She understood clearly that saving Sakura Matou wasn't his true wish, just part of it. He was greedy, or perhaps the implanted Crest Worms had already twisted his willpower, creating an obsession within him that even he didn't recognize. On the surface, he still believed he only wanted to save Sakura Matou, convinced all his actions were correct and proper.

So Kariya Matou couldn't be trusted—a twisted mental patient who didn't even know his own wishes. Expecting him to keep his promises was laughable. His remaining value, besides checking the Saber girl, was really quite limited.

"Cough cough, you misunderstand, Caster. I came specifically to find Rin."

"I have no intention of being your enemy. After all, we're unbreakable allies, aren't we?"

Several painful coughs echoed into the alley. Behind the black knight, a white-haired man with a withered aura clutched his chest and forced a thin smile as he appeared.

Hearing about the commotion here, his familiars had spotted Tohsaka Rin's figure. Worried Aoi's eldest daughter might be harmed, he'd rushed here immediately. Though it seemed there was nothing left for him to do now.

This noble Caster had already saved Rin from that damned killer magus before him.

"Oh? Is that so? But this Berserker gentleman's attitude seems a bit off, don't you think?"

Miss Illya politely smiled and retreated several steps. Her fingers behind her back lightly tapped the golden card several times, and her Spirit Origin armament rapidly switched.

Dream Summon・Assassin・Jack the Ripper form manifested once more.

"Little sister Tohsaka Rin, go to him. That gentleman is your mother's good friend, Mr. Kariya Matou. Don't be afraid—he'll take you somewhere safe. I'm sure your parents are very worried about you at this late hour. Don't go running around in the middle of the night next time, okay?"

Patting the head of Tohsaka Rin, whose brain had crashed from the earlier scene and bone-chilling killing intent, Miss Illya spoke gently and pointed to Kariya Matou in the distance.

Honestly, she didn't want to let Tohsaka Rin go. She'd planned to turn her into a hostage carrying timed explosives, then send her to Tohsaka Tokiomi's workshop to blow him up.

But considering Kariya Matou's unpredictable attitude, not wanting to clash with this stat-monster black knight, she decisively chose to hand over the person and be practical.

After all, she'd already profited plenty tonight. She'd claimed Ryuunosuke Uryuu, that walking bounty. There was no need to fight another Heroic Spirit Servant over a mere hostage, especially in this urban area. If they damaged buildings or roads, causing unnecessary commotion, Kirei Kotomine would be in trouble.

"Mmm...!"

However, Tohsaka Rin just clutched Miss Illya's hem, instinctively shaking her head frantically.

"Thump."

Knowing she'd been scared senseless and her survival instinct had latched onto her as the only lifeline, Miss Illya could only spread her hands helplessly. She controlled her strength and tapped the girl's neck, knocking out this little girl who'd been left with an indelible shadow.

Whether Tohsaka Rin, having witnessed such a cruel scene, would develop psychological trauma in the future, she didn't know. But she did know that if the girl really wouldn't let go of her tattered hem tonight, Kariya Matou would probably leave her with an indelible stat-based trauma.

"Bring her over, Caster. I'll be responsible for returning Rin to Aoi's side."

Seeing this, Kariya Matou also breathed a slight sigh of relief. Though he trusted this Age of Gods magus's character wouldn't raise a blade against a powerless little girl, actually seeing Tohsaka Rin together with a Heroic Spirit Servant still made him instinctively worry. Because that was Aoi's daughter—like Sakura, Aoi's biological daughter. For that unforgettable first love who'd treated him like a younger brother, he truly didn't want anything to happen to her daughters.

This was the bottom line for him who'd lost everything, the only attachment remaining in what little life he had left.

"..."

Watching the black knight who'd already cleared the path and actively retreated at least ten meters, Miss Illya silently carried Tohsaka Rin in a princess carry to a bench by the roadside outside the alley. The street was very quiet—not a single person out for an evening stroll.

Observing this, Miss Illya understood a people-repelling spell had been cast here. She glanced at Kariya Matou's hand—a bright red Command Seal still marked it, meaning Kariya Matou's initial oath still held effect. As long as she didn't actively attack the black knight, the black knight was forbidden from attacking her.

"I've left Tohsaka Rin here. If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave, Mr. Kariya Matou. After all, the task my Master assigned is complete, and he's calling me back for dinner right now."

Retreating two steps with full sincerity, hands behind her back, Illya elegantly and politely lifted her tattered black robe's hem in a curtsy of farewell, preparing to depart.

Of course, out of caution she'd quietly attached a silver thread to Tohsaka Rin as a tracker. If the girl got separated from adults again carelessly, she couldn't be blamed for what happened.

"Rin..." Staring intently as Miss Illya retreated to a safe distance, Kariya Matou hurried forward to check the unconscious girl's breathing. Finally confirming she was unharmed, he exhaled a long breath, and his tense nerves gradually relaxed.

"Phew~ Don't rush, Caster. I still have some things to say. It's been quite a while since our alliance began, and my body's getting worse and worse. I'm afraid I can't hold on much longer, so I need your help. As an Age of Gods magus, you surely possess various methods to strengthen the body or heal, right? Could you come help me temporarily suppress the Crest Worms' devouring?"

He sighed, watching the retreating snow sprite and requesting her help with treatment.

This time, besides searching for Tohsaka Rin, his main purpose was seeking Miss Illya's assistance. The black knight Servant consumed magical energy far too rapidly. He could increasingly no longer support his manifestation, because essentially he was only a half-baked magus.

Without the Crest Worms' modifications, he couldn't even use the most basic magecraft now.

"Mr. Kariya Matou, as far as I know, if not fighting, a Heroic Spirit Servant's manifestation consumption should be quite low, right? Do you have an enemy you want to attack?"

Miss Illya didn't directly respond to Kariya Matou's request. Instead, her heart increasingly sensed danger, because she'd noticed Kariya Matou had changed somehow.

If the Kariya Matou she'd first met was a mental patient whose own objectives were vague, the current him felt like a greedy hungry wolf with clear purpose.

This request especially was too strange. Because Kariya Matou had initially said he could completely maintain the black knight until the Holy Grail War's conclusion. Yet now he wanted her to heal his body, saying he might not sustain the magical energy consumption. Wasn't this pure self-contradictory nonsense?

"Better safe than sorry. Even if I don't attack others, what if others attack me? Caster, I'm increasingly unable to see the Holy Grail War's situation clearly. Do you know what happened at the Matou estate yesterday?"

"Oh, I've heard a bit. They say it was a gas leak that caused a massive explosion at the Matou estate."

"No, no, no, that wasn't a gas leak at all. I personally went back during the day today. Inside was completely like a battlefield where Heroic Spirit Servants had fought. Zouken Matou's workshop was utterly destroyed, even the worms in the basement were slaughtered by some power. Clearly an unknown Heroic Spirit Servant attacked the Matou estate. But don't you find it strange? First, Zouken Matou wasn't a Holy Grail War participant. Second, besides me, he had no other enemies. Why would a Heroic Spirit Servant attack him? Who would risk violating the Holy Church's rules to attack a magus family unrelated to the Holy Grail War?"

Kariya Matou stared directly at Miss Illya in the distance, his thoughts clear and coherent—where was any trace of mental instability? As if he'd suddenly achieved enlightenment, awakening like Tohsaka Tokiomi.

But the more he was like this, the more Miss Illya felt chilled to the bone.

Because Kariya Matou had Crest Worms implanted in him, constantly enduring the agony of his flesh and organs being devoured. This pain was undoubtedly unbearable for someone like him who'd never touched magecraft for over ten years as an ordinary person. That's why his emotions had initially been so extreme and twisted—a normal channel for releasing pain.

In other words, his being偏执 and fixated due to pain was his normal state. His current clear thinking and logical reasoning was instead a bizarrely abnormal state—like a madman suddenly seriously discussing the Riemann hypothesis or whether perpetual motion machines could be realized.

"I still quite trust the Holy Church's announcement. The Matou estate issue is essentially just your subjective speculation, Mr. Kariya Matou. Besides, there are always outliers among Heroic Spirit Servants. What if another anti-hero like last night's rogue black magus appeared among us Servants?"

Miss Illya also responded politely with clear logic, her right hand quietly gripping the black dagger at her thigh:

"Or did something happen at the Matou estate—did Sakura Matou and the other Matou family members also have an accident? Then I'm very sorry, I can understand your feelings..."

"This wasn't an accident. Before the Matou estate was attacked, all other family members were arranged by Zouken Matou to leave for another Matou property. Meaning Zouken Matou received news about this attack. A non-participant in the Holy Grail War received information ahead of other participants who didn't know—do you still think this could be coincidence, Caster?"

It couldn't be coincidence. Absolutely not. The Matou estate attack reeked of conspiracy.

As if invisible hands were manipulating everything, treating everyone else as chess pieces.

Kariya Matou's emotions were very calm. The only thing Zouken Matou hadn't transferred was Sakura in the basement. When he searched, Sakura was already gone. Besides hundreds of various dead worms in the basement, there wasn't a single clue about Sakura.

What did this mean? It could only mean Sakura had been rescued. So who would specifically go rescue Sakura?

And who could ignore Zouken Matou's ability to manipulate Crest Worms and take Sakura's life at any moment?

This necessarily required magical attainments surpassing Zouken Matou's. As far as he knew, only two such people existed in this Holy Grail War!

First was Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald, hailed as a once-in-a-century genius of the Clock Tower.

Second was right before him—this Age of Gods magus snow sprite summoned by a still-unknown Master.

"...I don't know. I can swear on Caster's name to Mr. Kariya Matou that the Matou estate attack has no connection to me. I was eliminating the eighth rogue class Servant last night. You should have heard about that, Mr. Kariya Matou."

Miss Illya blinked and quickly swore an oath. His intelligence gain was slightly absurd—deducing this far from mere subtle clues.

And coincidentally suspecting her, thinking she'd personally attacked Zouken Matou. Though she quite wanted to pretend and trick him into thinking Sakura Matou was in her hands, using this false hostage to threaten and control him.

But thinking it over, forget it. She felt Kariya Matou was testing her with this bluff.

"Cough cough cough—I thought Sakura had been rescued by you. Seems I was overthinking. Yes, if you'd rescued Sakura, how could you not tell me, your ally?"

Painfully coughing up another mouthful of blood, watching the worms wriggling in the blood, Kariya Matou forced another smile. Actually, he'd already found some clues—he just wanted to test this holy ally's flexibility.

If she'd directly admitted it, he wouldn't have believed her. Because she had no need to attack the Matou estate alone, and wouldn't remain silent without re-establishing contact after the attack. After all, he could see this Age of Gods Caster desperately wanted victory, though her character was excellent and noble.

But that didn't mean she was a fool. Having such a huge favor and not using it—that wasn't something a Heroic Spirit Servant who wanted victory and answered the Grail's summons would do. Instead, it would be like a naive-to-the-point-of-idiotic ally of justice.

"I'll help investigate this matter for you, Mr. Kariya Matou. Sakura Matou's already been rescued? That's quite unexpected. But please rest assured, my information network is decent. In two or three days at most, I'll definitely help you find Sakura Matou."

Casually giving a promise, Miss Illya politely prepared to take her leave.

However, Kariya Matou lightly shook his head:

"I said, don't rush. Please help extend this dwindling life of mine, Miss Caster."

"I can, but I'm someone who prefers quiet. Like I said before about helping you deal with the Crest Worms, I need this rather frightening black knight to..."

"Berserker can stay by my side. Don't worry, he'll be very quiet."

"...What exactly do you mean? If you don't trust me, I'll take my leave now."

Seeming somewhat angry, Miss Illya sharply turned her black robe and was about to escape into the street's shadows. Kariya Matou's situation was definitely wrong.

He absolutely wouldn't have said such things before.

She had to leave. This guy's purpose was problematic—definitely not as simple as wanting treatment to extend his life.

"ROOOAR! OOOOOOOOOH!"

"I already said, don't rush."

BOOM!

The black shadow suddenly exploded. Accompanying the beast-like black knight's deafening roar, a black meteor flashed like lightning in a sudden thrust. In almost an instant, crossing dozens of meters, it devastatingly punched toward the snow sprite's tattered black-robed body about to escape!

CLANG! The cold dagger also unsheathed simultaneously. Blade and iron fist collided and scraped in that instant. The suddenly transmitted massive force nearly tore and twisted Miss Illya's arm. Her body flew back like a struck feather!

"You!"

Miss Illya gritted her teeth. Her premonition had come true.

And Kariya Matou just smiled with difficulty, his eyes revealing ruthlessness.

Like a greedy hungry wolf finding a huge chunk of meat.

"Thank you for the reminder. I finally understand what I want."

"Leave your blood, Caster. Or... let me sever your limbs and turn you into a puppet battery."

I once loved someone.

She was gentle and kind. I hoped she could live more happily than anyone else in the world.

I understood she only treated me like a younger brother to care for, and I actively chose to withdraw from competing with Tohsaka Tokiomi. For her happiness, I'd sacrifice my life without hesitation. That's exactly why I wanted to save Sakura, why I agreed to Zouken Matou's terms to participate in this cruel Holy Grail War, enduring the Crest Worms' agonizing torture all this time.

Enduring constantly... enduring constantly... enduring this pain that could drive anyone mad. Is this love? I actually never understood.

Because I knew clearly my thoughts had become problematic, just like Caster evaluated—I seemed self-centered and wishful thinking from beginning to end.

I knew Zouken Matou's true nature, so I resented the magus Tohsaka Tokiomi who'd adopted Sakura into the Matou family, believing he'd betrayed Aoi's trust—that older sister I once deeply loved. But actually, the real reason I hated Tohsaka Tokiomi? Was it really just because he sent Sakura to the Matou family?

Maybe initially, that was correct. After all, after having Crest Worms implanted, even I couldn't distinguish my true goal. Or rather, being tortured by pain to near-madness daily, how could I have any clear objective?

"You know everything about me, Caster. With your intelligence network, it's not hard to verify my relationship with Tohsaka Aoi. Honestly, sometimes I wonder—if back then I'd been with Aoi, my childhood friend, and not chosen to withdraw, would the outcome now be different?"

"But thinking about it, impossible. Because Aoi didn't know Zouken Matou's true nature while I did. I couldn't predict or prevent what violations she'd suffer entering the Matou family. So I was afraid. For my childhood friend sister's happiness, I chose to leave and flee the Matou family under the pretext of a business trip. Until I heard Sakura had been sent to Zouken Matou's hands by Tohsaka Tokiomi, I immediately chose to return to Fuyuki City, preparing to save Sakura."

Kariya Matou felt the intense pain within his body, watching the snow sprite being unilaterally suppressed by the black knight, and the suddenly dense fog barrier deploying around them. In the night, his entire demeanor seemed unnaturally calm.

He'd discovered his actions and thoughts were chaotic. He'd recognized that he hated Tohsaka Tokiomi, which itself was harm to Tohsaka Aoi.

Yet he still acted stubbornly, wanting both to save Sakura and make the magus Tohsaka Tokiomi pay.

So what did he truly want—Aoi's happiness, or Tohsaka Tokiomi's misery?

These were two contradictory wishes, because Tohsaka Tokiomi was Aoi's husband.

If he harmed Tohsaka Tokiomi, Aoi wouldn't be happy either.

But if he abandoned his hatred of Tohsaka Tokiomi, thinking of Sakura's lifeless eyes, he couldn't swallow this anger. Tohsaka Tokiomi could send Sakura away once, he could do it a second time. Ultimately, this was a collision between selfish desires and ideals.

"Initially I just wanted to save Sakura, and I thought that myself too. But you pointed it out, Caster—in my eyes, which was more important, salvation or revenge? This threw me into conflicted contemplation, increasingly unable to grasp my inner thoughts."

Actually, you noticed early on, didn't you, Caster? From the start, not giving me your blood.

You knew I couldn't be trusted, because what use are promises from a madman who doesn't even know what he wants? Even I don't trust my own alliance, let alone you, this meticulous hero.

I'm mad, always acting on impulse, a self-righteous lunatic. The Matou estate being attacked, Sakura being rescued by unknowns—this made my mental state even worse.

I started thinking—since Sakura's already been saved, should I still participate in the Holy Grail War?

I've struggled so desperately, with so little life remaining. In the end, what have I accomplished?

Saving Sakura had nothing to do with me. From beginning to end, besides helping other heroes kill Tohsaka Tokiomi's Heroic Spirit Servant, what else have I achieved?

"I increasingly understand... the fact that I can accomplish nothing."

"But I also suddenly understood something else—that even though I can't accomplish anything, in the Holy Grail War, as long as I become the victor and claim the Grail, everything can be rewritten."

Madman!

Why the hell would you attack me, your ally, if you want to win the Holy Grail War?!

Shouldn't you lay your cards on the table with me, then join forces to eliminate irrelevant enemies first?!

The beast-like black knight roared, like a fantastical ferocious beast baring fangs. He pulled up a small decorative tree from the street. In just seconds, black eerie magical energy patterns dyed the wood's body. Knight of Owner activated!

Even casually picked-up wood became a deadly Noble Phantasm capable of taking any enemy's life in this black knight's hands. And with another skill, Eternal Arms Mastery, no matter what weapon—even just a chopstick—would be mastered in his hands, suppressing incoming enemies with absolute divine-level martial prowess!

Strength A, Endurance A, Agility A+, Magical Energy C, Luck B, Noble Phantasm A... These were the black knight's absurd parameters. His skills were also mostly A-rank minimum.

Unparalleled martial arts—these stats weren't even his limit. This was a true stat-monster beast even higher level than the magic reactor Diarmuid.

Without exaggeration, with sufficient magical energy, this black knight would be the only existence in this Holy Grail War who could duel an unserious Gilgamesh and possibly even kill him.

"CLANG!"

"Have you gone mad, Mr. Kariya Matou? Sakura Matou's current fate is unknown, her whereabouts unclear. Only I can help you find her. Plus Tohsaka Tokiomi's withdrawn—you can't exact revenge. Choosing to fight me is not a wise move."

The two-to-three-meter tree suddenly attacked Miss Illya, who'd just landed with an arm that felt nearly broken. The black dagger held sideways intersected the weaponized implement. The massive force from overhead even pressed Miss Illya's feet into the concrete pavement, creating a depression. The instantly generated impact produced a deafening sonic boom, shattering the glass of nearby clothing shops on all sides!

Crack—crisp bone-fracturing sounds and intense pain arrived simultaneously. Miss Illya, like a black shadow, abandoned her dagger and let the weaponized log graze her slender body, crashing into the ground. Invisible ripples exploded. The concrete road for ten-plus meters began spreading cracks like a spider web!

How did he bypass the Command Seal's restrictions? Could the Matou family possibly have four Command Seals?

Blood churning inside, Miss Illya borrowed this impact to explosively retreat at extreme speed. Agility A+ turned her into an afterimage as she unhesitatingly dove toward the approaching toxic fog.

The black knight lacked skills like Instinct or Mind's Eye. If she could just reach inside the fog, no matter how strong he was, he'd instantly lose his target and couldn't threaten her.

"OOOOOOOH! OOOOOOOOOH!"

However, also possessing Agility A+, with even more refined martial arts and combat awareness—how could the black knight not perceive Miss Illya's intentions?

He directly abandoned his weapon to reduce weight. The instant Miss Illya was about to enter the fog, the black knight actually used even faster movement and speed, nearly running shoulder-to-shoulder with her, throwing another sonic-boom-wrapped punch!

"BOOM!"

Miss Illya reacted equally quickly, two daggers simultaneously taking defensive postures, colliding with the armored fist attacking from the side. However, she could barely withstand Gilgamesh's B-rank Strength.

But facing close combat and stats even more absurd than the Three Knights classes—how could she possibly block the black knight? An existence combining both strength and speed.

That wasn't as simple as single-attribute suppression.

"Splurt! Crack!"

Iron fist with two black daggers directly struck Miss Illya's flat chest!

With this punch, Miss Illya's mind instantly went blank, several ribs fractured. But in that instant before being killed, she also seemed to go mad, directly abandoning defense. In a blink, she pulled out a fourth dagger, stabbing toward the black knight's blood-red crazed eyes so close before her!

Facing such life-for-injury insane tactics, could the black knight block? Was he able to block?

"ROAR! OOOOOOOH!"

The answer was yes, because he was just that strong! This goddamn legendary Heroic Spirit Servant!

What in this Holy Grail War could harm him? What existence could kill him?!

The dagger followed the armor's gap, inserting within. But the black knight merely, the instant the blade's tip entered the gap, suddenly lowered his head, breaking and twisting both the dagger and Miss Illya's wrist together!

This was an insurmountable gap in judgment and stats that even most heroes struggled to achieve. Yet the black knight accomplished it as easily as eating or drinking! Almost unharmed, completely suppressing this snow sprite who could trade dozens of blows with Three Knights classes. The black knight was just that strong!

"Where Sakura went, I don't know. But I know that wherever she went is better than being with Zouken Matou. As for revenge against Tohsaka Tokiomi? I suddenly thought—if I let Tohsaka Tokiomi see that in the end, I claimed the Grail, wouldn't his spectacular expression also be a form of revenge?"

The petite black stream of light fell into a streetside clothing store, like a cannonball smashing the shop to pieces.

Kariya Matou looked at all this with a calm expression, unhurriedly pulling out several small vials.

Walking to the street battlefield that had become a ruined wasteland, he crouched down and collected the extremely small amount of Miss Illya's spilled blood that was nearly dried up.

"I want the Grail. I want victory. Once I obtain the Grail, all my obsessions can be resolved. I can reverse time and start over."

"I can let Aoi regain happiness and joy. I can make Tohsaka Tokiomi suffer with regret. I can save Sakura from the past and kill Zouken Matou. I can even make magi no longer exist in this world, make magecraft disappear from this world, so all ordinary people worldwide won't... won't have to fear magi's violations anymore."

Speaking of which, it was rather laughable. His perspective had definitely been too narrow before.

Clearly controlling such a powerful Heroic Spirit Servant, clearly able to rewrite all tragedies including saving Sakura by obtaining the Grail—why did he still need to deal with that bastard Zouken Matou?

His perspective needed broadening. He hated Tohsaka Tokiomi but also hated magi, these humanoid monsters whose thinking was extremely incompatible with ordinary people. Why limit himself to small wishes?

The Grail was called an omnipotent wish-granter. So reversing time, even making all magi worldwide disappear—that should be possible too. If so, why should he care about Zouken Matou? Sakura wasn't in Zouken Matou's hands now anyway. That old thing was probably already dead. Why shouldn't he fight, struggle to see if he could claim that omnipotent wish-granter?

"Magi are the root of all evil. Without magecraft, tragedies would decrease significantly."

Kariya Matou stored the collected few drops of blood in his pocket, lips curling in a self-mocking yet determined smile. Using the magical ritual's prize to eliminate magecraft.

Honestly, even he found his own idea somewhat laughable. He just still wanted to try.

"Caster, I apologize to you. But I can sense you also want victory, and to limit me, you won't give me blood. Consider it a madman's wild speculation—rationally, I believe you're a noble Age of Gods hero worthy of trust. But my intuition tells me you're an enemy. If you won't give me blood, I can only take it myself. Otherwise, at the end—no! I won't make it to the end."

He possessed the strongest Servant besides Gilgamesh—"Lancelot," hailed as the strongest Knight of the Round Table. The dock battle proved it clearly.

In one-on-one situations, almost no remaining Heroic Spirit Servant was Lancelot's match, including the Saber girl with the strongest class.

But he lacked an entry ticket to the finals.

That is—magical energy.

Only one Command Seal remained on his body, essentially none. This negligible capital made him realize he had no possibility of reaching the Holy Grail War's end. This troubled him. Clearly having the strongest Heroic Spirit Servant, yet he was dragging his Servant down.

So how should he solve the magical energy supply problem? Soon, he had a crazy answer.

That was Caster, this Age of Gods magus—a humanoid self-propelled magical energy battery whose blood alone could abundantly supply the Saber girl's magical energy.

With her help, Lancelot's power could be maximized. He'd have an entry ticket to this Holy Grail War's final rounds.

But she wouldn't give him blood. She was guarding against him. Whether from her own will or her Master's will, she undoubtedly wouldn't nourish him, this so-called ally. This was a simple, easily understood chain of wartime suspicion.

Initially not wanting the Grail, he hadn't minded. But thinking now, if he wanted to obtain the Grail, her blood supply was absolutely indispensable.

"I don't want to be your enemy or kill you. Leave two thousand milliliters of magical energy blood, and I can let you leave. Of course, you probably won't believe a traitor's words anymore."

Betrayal!

Betrayal!

Annoying betrayal!

In the clothing store ruins, the Fog Night Murderer, severely injured and buried by rubble and smoke, extended a hand from beneath the debris. Bloodied, she slowly climbed back out from below. Her eyes were again dyed black, the silver on her forehead stained red with blood. Almost no part of her body didn't hurt, like a corpse just struck by a high-speed train.

"Heh... as expected, in the Holy Grail War, no one can be trusted. Even oaths made with Command Seals are lies." Miss Illya clutched her chest, swaying as blood continuously flowed from her mouth, climbing up. The tattered black robe gradually became magical light particles.

Three broken ribs, right hand bone dislocation and fracture, mild concussion with consciousness lapses.

Pain from internal organs filled her mind. Adrenaline surging made her involuntarily curl her lips. Her entire being took on a somewhat crazed quality.

This was undoubtedly severe injury. The Dream Summon・Assassin card that had accompanied her so long completely shattered into fragments from this sudden battle.

Or rather, thanks to the card breaking and canceling the transformation, it reduced her damage to some extent. Otherwise, she probably wouldn't even have the strength to stand now.

"The previous oath wasn't a lie. What I swore then was that before you, Caster, attacked me or Berserker, Berserker couldn't actively attack you. That Command Seal contract was still in effect until recently."

"...White Stork Knight's automatic counterattack."

"Correct. Your familiar automatically counterattacks enemies. I just needed to release some worms to attack your familiar. Then your familiar stationed at the alley entrance would counterattack me. Since this counterattack was triggered by my personal actions, it's unrelated to Berserker's restrictions. Meaning in Berserker's eyes, only your familiar 'actively' attacked me, not me deliberately provoking your familiar."

This logic also worked for the fog's deadly poison. Even Miss Illya casually throwing a lollipop that hit Kariya Matou could be defined as attack.

Essentially, this command's binding was very loose, full of exploitable loopholes.

Regardless of whether Kariya Matou actively provoked, as long as the black knight saw Miss Illya make a move against him or his Master, this contract would instantly become void.

"So you see, that's why I hate socializing with people. No matter what promises are made, they always deteriorate over time~"

Miss Illya laughed with a snort, watching the black knight approaching like a grim reaper, then glancing at Kariya Matou who seemed to have victory in hand.

Can't win. Absolutely can't win. Just like her premonition when first encountering the black knight.

Their stats weren't even on the same level. Jack the Ripper was an ordinary third-rate Heroic Spirit Servant. With her various skill enhancements, he could barely approach second-rate tier. When desperate, with her own operational power, he could even temporarily rival first-rate Servants—truly not weak compared to others.

But compared to the black knight, still far too distant. In less than ten exchanges on this open terrain with no hiding places, she'd been beaten into transformation cancellation. No matter how refined her operation, she still couldn't overcome the highest-tier stats.

"It's already over, Caster. You can have your Master summon you back to leave."

"But in my calculations, at the dock battle you already used at least two Command Seals to maintain extreme power. Will your Master really use the last Command Seal?"

Kariya Matou didn't order the black knight to directly kill Miss Illya.

Maybe it was remaining conscience, maybe he was just a strange madman who was kind yet couldn't be kind, ruthless yet couldn't be ruthless. Even now, he only wanted Miss Illya to hand over more blood, not truly sever her limbs to make her a puppet magical energy supply battery as he'd said.

"Say, Mr. Kariya Matou, you know what? You hurt my first friend."

"?"

"She saved me when I first faced desperate straits in this Holy Grail War. And to this day, I've never thought of abandoning her for a new love. I'm grateful for her help. Even though she's not powerful, she truly, genuinely saved my life."

Dragging her severely injured, bleeding body, Miss Illya swayed and lowered her head. As if grieving, or simply talking to herself.

Kariya Matou didn't quite understand these words' meaning. He just frowned slightly.

Simultaneously, the black knight's steps suddenly quickened, transforming into a stream of light, pouncing toward the swaying girl like a hungry tiger!

He sensed a surge of magical energy—magical energy emanating from Miss Illya!

"But I'm also grateful to you. Your resolve made me understand the Holy Grail War."

"Betrayal really is just the norm. Every one of us has the resolve to survive to the end."

Two different golden cards appeared before her. One was the already-shattered golden Assassin card.

The other was an intact golden Caster card imprinted with a mage.

"Another gamble entrusting fate to luck. But this kind of game is interesting enough, isn't it?"

For dealing with you.

This card will do nicely.

Two bloodstained fingers drew out the intact golden Caster card. Miss Illya tilted her head. The approaching black stream of light in her eyes seemed to slow down.

O erudite yet cold magus of the Throne of Heroes, please answer a murderer's plea.

I know little of magecraft, my learning shallow. I only know how to kill, and only need to kill.

I don't know if an Assassin's Spirit Origin can draw your gaze.

My promise remains as always—I'll bear everything of yours, whether the final outcome is defeat or victory's glory.

"———Dream Summon, Caster."