Choosing a neutral church had originally been the safest possible option—but Emiya Kiritsugu had never imagined that the one residing in that church would turn out to be a fake priest.
Kotomine Kirei and Emiya Kiritsugu were sworn enemies to begin with. During the Fourth Holy Grail War, Kotomine Kirei had long regretted failing to kill Kiritsugu with his own hands.Now that a younger Kiritsugu had appeared right in front of him, "Father" Kotomine Kirei naturally showed no mercy. The two immediately erupted into a violent battle within the church itself.
However, because Kū Fūrin and Morita Rei were evenly matched in raw combat strength, the clash ultimately ended hastily, without a decisive conclusion.
That morning, Ren Kuroda sat on the sofa, calmly enjoying a meticulously prepared breakfast while watching the news playing on television.
The commotion from the previous night had been enormous. Although Tohsaka Tokiomi had used magecraft to drive away ordinary civilians at the time, the traces of battle left behind were impossible to erase completely.
With no eyewitnesses to rely on, the media could only unleash their imaginations—spinning the story as wildly and sensationally as possible to boost ratings.
To be honest, as Ren ate his breakfast and listened to the anchor's blatant nonsense, he found himself oddly engrossed.
The beautiful female host on-screen seemed born for this kind of work. From mysterious extraterrestrial organisms descending upon the city, to invisible powerhouses clashing in secret, the story was filled with twists and drama—far more entertaining than the novel Ren had recently been reading by some author called "Rice-with-Salted-Fish."
"Who would've thought the Holy Grail War would turn this intense after just one night," Ren muttered."The Red faction's Assassin seems to have been eliminated last night. That means our Blue faction should be holding the upper hand for now."
"Judging from the locations and intensity of last night's battles," Medeya said thoughtfully, "it seems the Red faction's Servants and Masters aren't faring much better than we are. They didn't act together either—splitting into small teams, or even operating alone."
Watching the reported battle sites on the screen, Medeya quickly noticed something keenly.
The clashes that had occurred across Fuyuki City were scattered across multiple districts—some of them practically on opposite ends of the map.
This alone proved that aside from the battle where Ren had revealed himself and been surrounded, other Servant confrontations had also taken place throughout the city.
The Red faction couldn't possibly have instigated conflict everywhere in a single night. That meant—just like them—the enemy had chosen to act independently for various reasons.
Rather than feeling worried, Medeya was actually pleased by this development.
As a Caster, her direct combat ability wasn't particularly strong. Her ideal fighting style involved fortifying a territory using her class abilities and mass-producing magical constructs.
Previously, Medeya had been concerned that no matter how strong her defenses were, if the Red faction's Servants attacked all at once, she and Ren wouldn't be able to withstand them.
But after seeing the news—and combining it with the intelligence Ren had brought back about the Red faction's internal discord—Medeya felt reassured.
As long as the enemy Servants didn't unite, their conditions were effectively equal.
What should have been a seven-versus-seven faction war had now evolved into a chaotic free-for-all among fourteen Servants.
And in a battle of individuals, Medeya had immense confidence in claiming final victory.
Thanks to Ren's wholehearted "contribution" throughout the night, Medeya's magical energy was nearly at its peak. Ryūdō Temple had effectively become a fortress.
Not only had the massive losses of dragon-tooth soldiers from the previous night been fully replenished, she had also created two bone dragons—creatures capable of holding their own against Servants.
To produce those two bone dragons, Medeya had drained nearly half of Ren's magical energy the night before.
Fortunately, Ren was a special case.
Because he possessed a physical body, his magical energy didn't rely solely on mana transfers like other Servants. He could regenerate it naturally on his own.
Thanks to this, Medeya had fully embraced her role as a Caster—treating Ren like a living battery and producing vast numbers of disposable dragon-tooth soldiers without restraint.
With an overwhelming army of dragon-tooth soldiers, two bone dragons, and Ren's absurd combat power, Medeya now felt completely secure.
She had reinforced Ryūdō Temple's defensive spells again and again. Combined with the protection provided by countless magical constructs, she was confident that even if five Servants attacked simultaneously, they would still be able to face it calmly.
"Hey—don't eat everything," Medeya snapped. "That portion is for Souichirou-sama."
Watching Ren shovel down her carefully prepared pastries one after another, Medeya had originally been in quite a good mood.
But the moment she saw Ren reaching toward the food placed in front of Kuzuki Souichirou, she immediately smacked his hand away.
Because Ren had been supplying her with magical energy, the relationship between him and Medeya had become… complicated.
Though Medeya appeared mature on the surface, she possessed the heart of a young girl. She loved cosplay—but because her figure was far too voluptuous, she couldn't wear the cute outfits she admired.
Ren remembered a particular storyline where Medeya had grown fond of a petite Saber, using her like a living doll to make up for her regrets.
From Saber's perspective, this had been pure humiliation—but Ren knew the truth.
Medeya genuinely envied the "ahoge king" for having nothing more than an A-cup.
In short, although Medeya was known as the Witch of Betrayal, she had only become that way due to a lifetime of being betrayed and exploited.
At her core, the princess burdened by fate wasn't much different from an ordinary girl—she loved cute clothes and deeply yearned for marriage.
Personality-wise, she could be sharp and ruthless at times, yet clumsy and awkward at others.
As for her peculiar fondness for older men, that stemmed from her long history of isolation. What Medeya truly desired was someone who wouldn't use her—and who could protect her.
At first, she had seen those qualities in Kuzuki Souichirou, and had been drawn to them.
As for Kuzuki Souichirou himself, a humble schoolteacher, his feelings toward Medeya weren't romantic at all. He simply saw her as a child in need of help—a form of compassion from an elder.
After Ren was summoned and spent time with her, Medeya gradually realized that he also possessed those same qualities.
When Ren had first been summoned, he had nearly driven her mad—boldly calling her the "Witch of Betrayal" to her face.
Yet over time, just like Kuzuki Souichirou, Ren never once treated her differently because of that title.
And although his behavior was often reckless, Medeya never sensed even a hint of him trying to use her.
Never doubt Medeya's intuition.
She was the infamous Witch of Betrayal—an expert at exploiting and betraying others.
And perhaps because of that, she treasured those who treated her sincerely even more.
With Kuzuki Souichirou's guidance, Medeya eventually realized that what she felt toward him was a longing for parental care.
As for the emotions she felt toward Ren, Kuzuki Souichirou simply told her that she would have to find the answer herself.
Lacking common sense in such matters, Medeya still couldn't find that answer—but she found herself genuinely enjoying her current life.
Neither Kuzuki Souichirou nor Ren cared much about her reputation as the Witch of Betrayal, and neither sought to use her like everyone else had.
Once, Medeya's wish for the Holy Grail had been to change her fate.
But now, she felt that even if she altered the course of history and shed the title of Witch of Betrayal, her kingdom might still fall for other reasons.
There was no such thing as an eternal nation. Even if she changed her destiny, she would still bear the burden of being a princess.
And now?
Watching Ren and Kuzuki Souichirou bicker over food in front of her, Medeya felt a deep warmth she had never known before.
It felt as though her father and son-in-law were competing over her cooking—something she had never experienced in her life.
And perhaps because of that, without even realizing it herself, the wish Medeya had once intended to make upon the Holy Grail had quietly begun to change.
Compared to the warmth on Medeya's side, there were plenty of miserable souls elsewhere.
After abandoning his so-called ally Tohsaka Tokiomi, Akimoto Kenji decisively returned to his own estate.
As the head of the prestigious Akimoto family, Kenji scoffed at the notion that only Tokiomi owned a mansion.
Born into high nobility and earning a generous salary from the Clock Tower, wealth was the last thing he lacked.
To think that Tohsaka Tokiomi—once a respected figure in the mage community, from a well-known noble family in Fuyuki—had ended up in such a pathetic state.
That crumbling, poorly maintained Tohsaka residence was so pitiful that Kenji hadn't even bothered to laugh at it.
"I wonder how Sora is doing, ten years from now," Kenji muttered to himself."As my fiancée, she must still love me deeply."
"Lancer—when we enter the house later, maintain spirit form. Do not let that face of yours appear in front of my fiancée, Sora!"
As he prepared to reunite with the woman he hadn't seen in ten years, Kenji initially felt a touch of nervousness. But as they walked, he suddenly remembered something, turned sharply, and glared at Lancer with stern warning.
Even after a decade, Kenji firmly believed that his fiancée still loved him.
But Lancer's presence made him extremely uneasy.
It wasn't that Kenji lacked confidence in his own looks—
It was that Lancer was lethally effective against women of all ages.