Never Wavered Through Wind and Rain, Burying the Setting Sun

Einzbern Castle at night.

The withered ivy stalks climbing the stone wall rustled in the cold wind, giving this massive, long-uninhabited building a haunted house-like atmosphere. No lights could be seen from the outside; the castle gates resembled a gaping maw from the abyss, their inner darkness intimidating any intruders.

In the Unknown depths of the corridor, two eerie green will-o'-the-wisps suspended in the air pushed the eerie atmosphere to its extreme.

"Since you're here, show yourself. Sneaking around like this isn't the way of the righteous."

Emerging from the doorway bathed in the bright moonlight, the blonde girl shouted sharply—the so-called green will-o'-the-wisp was actually the girl's eyes, shimmering like lake water.

"Although I am not exactly upright, I don't want you to look down on me."

The one who emerged from her Spiritual Body was a silver-haired, red-eyed Witch.

However, the Knight King did not respond to her greeting, but instead gazed at the forest behind the Witch. From the misty thickets, accompanied by steady footsteps, a heavily armored Knight gradually appeared, and—

"Caster sister!"

The silver-haired Witch caught the little girl who jumped off the Knight's broad, sturdy shoulders (①), and took a few steps back to make room for the protagonist of this scene.

"My King."

Lancelot.

There was no Round Table, no oaths, no betrayals, no Queen Consort, no kingdoms, and even Knight were about to become history. Against this backdrop, the two most perfect Knight met.

There were no rebukes, no orders, no complaints, no explanations, no roars; they simply addressed each other with the same title they had used for millennia.

Silence descended once more. King and minister, Knight and Knight, stood facing each other in silence, just as they had been at the end of the debate at the banquet a few days earlier. But this time, the tense atmosphere was gone; the air was enveloped in a gentle tranquility.

However, no matter how harmonious it is, this silence will eventually be broken. Without Assassin, the one who breaks the deadlock this time is Sakura, who was inexplicably brought to the battlefield by Jizi.

"Ah~ um~, sister, what are Uncle Yangtze and that sister doing?"

Because of the child-rearing plan devised by Jizi and Yanye... I mean, the parenting plan... I mean the upbringing plan, Sakura's schedule was very regular. This good child, who was used to going to bed at 9:30, was already feeling sleepy and tired. So a yawn containing a hint of resentment echoed in the quiet night.

"There's always a bit of build-up before a duel between masters; Sakura-chan will understand in the future."

"I know now—this is what my sister meant by 'showing off'!"

"Cough cough!" Jizi almost choked to death. "Well, that's about right, but girls shouldn't use vulgar language! How have I always taught you this!"

It's all because of your usual parenting that this child turned out like this! The urge to complain simmered in Lancelot's heart for a long time, but he ultimately suppressed it—although being called pretentious by the little girl was indeed a bit embarrassing, he still had to maintain his image, and complaining would be too unfashionable.

"Ahem, my king..."

"It's nothing, Lance. You're not here to stand around aimlessly, so draw your sword."

"Hehe, the look in your eyes is completely different from before, as if you've returned to the days when we charged into battle together."

"Thanks to your ally."

The two Knight simultaneously turned to look at Jizi, who was interacting with Sakura nearby. Kiko was currently forcing the little girl to wear cat ears as punishment for her previous Lady behavior.

"Caster used the most profanities! Why am I being punished?"

"Yes, you have a point."

A pair of snow-white cat ears appeared on her silver hair, and she wore cat paws on her hands. A swaying tail could be vaguely seen under her long cloak.

"Wow, awesome!" He struck a pose in front of a mirror that appeared out of nowhere. "It suits me so well, truly befitting the Chairman."

"Alright, Sakura, it's your turn. You suffer with me!"

"No way--"

"That was," the Knight finally found a word to describe Jizi after a long pause, "A strange fellow."

"Whatever you prefer, Sir Lancelot." The king smiled faintly. "Didn't you want to borrow the sword to convey something? Draw it!"

"Then, I apologize for any offense, Your Majesty!"

Seeing his lord, who had shaken off his dejected state during the banquet, Lancelot couldn't help but marvel at Caster's magic. The king, whom he himself couldn't persuade, had found solace in her—this kindness, he could only repay with his martial prowess!

The Knight no longer paid attention to the Witch standing to the side, not even Saber, who was on the opposing side, as if they were not worried at all that Jizi might be hiding any conspiracy.

Then--

"Bang!"

The sparks ignited by Excalibur clash of two holy swords, Excalibur and Arondight, which were like works of art, illuminated the deep night sky.

-------------------------------Almost simultaneously-----------------------------------------------------

Tohsaka Residence.

The villa is in a Western style, and the courtyard is very well maintained and manicured. The evergreen plants all year round make it look like a miniature manor.

But tonight, beyond the visual delight, the entire mansion exudes a chilling atmosphere— the Gems hidden between the fountain and the marble artworks, and the magical energy emanating from the barrier surrounding the space, would send shivers down the spines of even ordinary people without Magecraft knowledge.

It's less of a mansion and more of a fortress ready for battle.

But who attacked it?

As the last rays of the setting sun gradually faded from the earth, an unbridled aura, accompanied by a series of incongruous, unsteady footsteps, approached the main gate:

A navy blue hoodie, disheveled gray hair, a face that, though somewhat better, was still quite menacing, and a hunched back due to unhealed old injuries; he walked with a limp, yet his resolve remained unwavering.

Kariya Matou launched a frontal assault on Tokiomi Tohsaka's heavily fortified Workshop!

The enemy-detection barrier set up in the courtyard reacted instantly, and the information about the intruder was transmitted to Tokiomi in an instant. Then, the autonomous Defensive Barrier also quickly unfolded. Magecraft such as "binding," "curse," "weakening," "magic blocking," and "targeted fire attack" were all directed at Yanye. However, the latter neither used Magecraft spells to counter or neutralize them, nor did he show any intention of defense or evasion. As a result, the explosion of magic impact was completely absorbed by the intruder in an instant.

"Such recklessness, such folly. I heard he even rebelled against Zouken Matou and seized the position of head of the Matou Family. Is this all he's capable of? And Zouken, whom he defeated, was he really nothing special after all? The decline of the Matou Family is far greater than expected. Perhaps adopting Sakura into their family was a mistake. Can the Matou Family truly develop Sakura's potential?"

While observing the images transmitted by his Familiar, Tokiomi pondered these thoughts, and as always, he sat elegantly in his Velvet Chair.

Just seconds later, as the dust from the explosion settled, the scene that was revealed moved Tokiomi Tohsaka deeply:

Kariya Matou continued walking with the same hunched back and limp, his gait unchanged, as if the massive attack had never happened. To Tokiomi's surprise, all the triggered Magecraft Bounded Field had now been destroyed, and the very fireballs that had destroyed the Gems nodes were the ones that had been launched at the beginning!

Not only did he neutralize the control Magecraft in the first instant, but he also reversed it and manipulated the opponent's attack Magecraft to counterattack? What an amazing skill! Although I still have many grievances against Kariya Matou, this move is enough to earn Tokiomi's respect.

"Knock! Knock! Knock!"

Yanye, having reached the door, knocked three times very politely, then revealed a thoroughly mocking smile on her face—a face so perfect she didn't even need makeup to film a horror movie:

"Kariya Matou, the head of the Matou Family, has come to seek guidance from the Tohsaka Family Head on some Magecraft matters. I apologize for not having made an appointment beforehand, but I would still appreciate your presence."

"Hehe."

Upon hearing such a provocative remark, Tokiomi's lips curled into an elegant smile.

"Since we've been invited, it would be impolite not to respond, wouldn't it?"

With an elegant flourish, he twirled his cane around a flower, straightened his collar, Tokiomi to walk outside.

--------------------------Almost simultaneously------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From Tohsaka Residence, the hill where the villa is located can be clearly observed.

Kiritsugu Emiya adjusted the crosshair of his sniper rifle for the last time—he had indeed just witnessed Kariya Matou and Tokiomi Tohsaka clash. Although, based on previous information Kariya Matou's strength as Magecraft was absolutely no match for Tokiomi Tohsaka, the fact that he dared to act so brazenly and choose his opponent's Magecraft Workshop as the battlefield meant he must have prepared something.

Of course, there's also the possibility that Yanye is simply incredibly foolish and reckless, but Kiritsugu doesn't rely on that at all. Even if he doesn't know anything about Yanye, with Caster around, that enigmatic servant would never make an arrangement without a deeper meaning.

Therefore, the most appropriate course of action now is to wait for Yanye and Tokiomi to fight each other and then reap the benefits.

Point your eye at the thermal imaging sight for easier monitoring, but--

"Nani!"

The field of vision was completely red. Could the equipment be broken? Impossible. I checked it myself, and every detail was confirmed to be correct.

So, did the other side have some kind of interference method? Tokiomi's fire Magecraft could indeed easily interfere with thermal imaging, but Tokiomi shouldn't have any knowledge of this technology. In other words, this interference came from Yanye, or rather, from --

"Is it that Caster again?"

The feeling of being constantly controlled since the beginning of the Holy Grail War, the feeling of being targeted with everything the other side knows about—based on the intelligence I received before, Caster's almost cheating ability seems to be true!

So, regarding the truth of the Holy Grail War, could the All the World's Evil also be...?

A door that Kiritsugu forcibly closed was beginning to open again in his mind, and once opened, it was difficult to close. Hesitation and doubt kept surging out, rusting the screws of the intricate machine that Kiritsugu Emiya one by one.

"Real?"

"Fake?"

"Real?"

"Fake?"

"Real?"

"Fake?"

"Real?"

"Fake?"

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

Under the cover of the howling north wind, a certain champion of justice was trapped in an endless cycle of incessant muttering until he broke down.

---------------Before--------------

"The remaining three seem to have signed some kind of agreement."

"That's only natural. We haven't hidden the fact that we've formed a tripartite alliance. If they don't want to be defeated one by one, they have no choice but to temporarily stand on the same side."

"But there's no need to worry. They're forced into this alliance, their goals are conflicting, and there's no trust or friendship between them. It's completely different from our alliance."

"Even with such a loose alliance, some basic intelligence sharing will probably still happen, which means that now everyone knows one of my 'little secrets'."

"Haha, it was indeed me who deliberately spread it out. It was a strategy to prevent them from acting freely. And now that it's been made public, it's also an opportunity we can exploit."

-------------------Before----------------

"You look like you died with your eyes wide open in disbelief. Want to know why I can always find you so accurately, you unrighteous assassin?"

"I am a Heroic Spirit with a karmic connection to the Holy Grail War. As long as someone participated in the Holy Grail War, whether they are a Master, Servant, or even an assistant, I can browse their information as freely as flipping through a newspaper."

"In other words, I know everything about you—your true names or your Noble Phantasm, your status or your skills, even your past experiences."

"Don't believe me? Whatever. Just leave this as your last words to your other avatars and Master. Goodbye!"

-----------------------------------Notes-----------------

① A black uncle who doesn't let a little girl sit on his shoulder isn't a good berserker.

---------------Author's Note-------------------

Why is it that updating this book is causing another book's collection to increase...?