Chapter 10

"Not only that—humanity is now even advancing toward realms that magecraft can scarcely touch: the world beyond the stars, the cosmos itself."

"This is the progress of the age, the turning of history's wheel, an unstoppable tide. All we can do is embrace this change. And as a human myself, seeing humanity conquer the night and conquer the stars, I naturally feel a rightful pride."

"Heh heh... For a Magus, you seem remarkably unopposed to technology, Lord Crowley Patriarch."

Matou Zouken shook his head and let out another strange laugh.

"Not all Magi reject technology or the progress of the age. I simply accept it calmly. And in my understanding, I have always believed in one important truth—that man, as they say, is made of stardust."

"For someone who personally lived through that era of technological revolution, you should understand humanity's greatness even better, shouldn't you?"

"Still, compared to the changes brought by the times, the transformation you've undergone seems far more earth-shattering. Am I right, former ally of justice, Justeaze Lizrich von Einzbern?"

A faint smile, cold and tinged with mockery, crept across Rovey's face as he spoke, as if taunting the old man before him.

His words were as sharp as a thrusting blade, piercing straight through a long-buried truth hidden in Matou Zouken's heart.

It made Zouken's withered, tree-bark-like pupils contract sharply.

Chapter 12: An Unbreakable Alliance for the Old Worm (2/2)

—A decayed body creaked like branches; an aged soul had wandered who knows how far. When he looked back, he found he had long lost the path he came from.

"...Heh heh, this truly surprises this old man."

In the night, a hoarse, eerie voice echoed atop the tower.

"Justeaze Lizrich von Einzbern—now that's a familiar name. This old man hasn't heard it from anyone's lips in countless years."

Hearing that name—so familiar, yet so alien—Matou Zouken's movements visibly paused for a moment.

His gaze involuntarily swept over the mysterious young man who had suddenly appeared in Fuyuki City, shattering his original plans, his eyes filled with wariness.

Because the current generation of the Matou family's heirs were rebellious and unworthy, the entire family's magecraft had stagnated or even withered. At this point, they couldn't even produce a decent Magus.

Matou Zouken had thus been forced to abandon participation in this Fourth Holy Grail War, pinning his hopes on the next one instead.

But with those two worthless failures, Matou Kariya and Matou Tsuruno—one abandoning magecraft for a mere woman, the other an utter incompetent—even if he gave them years, the result would be the same.

As for himself, due to various reasons, he couldn't easily show his face, and this decrepit body couldn't support high-intensity combat. So Zouken began seeking talent from outside, preparing for the next Holy Grail War.

Coincidentally, one of the Three Families, the Tohsaka family—with whom he had a long-standing connection—had just produced two suitable geniuses. And the current head of the Tohsaka family, Tokiomi Tohsaka, was also troubled over the inheritance of his two daughters. To Zouken, this was a godsend.

So he set his sights on Sakura Tohsaka, planning to use the Magic Crest to induce Tokiomi to transfer his daughter to the Matou family. Then, during her growth, he would gradually reshape her through magecraft into a usable tool to help him win the future Fifth Holy Grail War.

But before he could even act, Rovey suddenly intervened, shattering his original plan and crushing Zouken's dream.

The alchemical magecraft nobility from the distant Clock Tower had beaten him to it, adopting the Sakura Tohsaka he had his eye on.

When he learned of this, even his long-rotted soul erupted in rare fury.

But it was useless...

The other party was a legitimate magecraft noble of the Clock Tower, closely tied to a certain Lord, with a power far beyond what the current Matou family could match. And he didn't have the guts to storm the Clock Tower to reclaim Sakura Tohsaka. In the end, he could only grind his teeth, swallow his pride, accept the matter, and think of another way.

But just as he was about to give up entirely, a strange letter arrived at his hands. On it, along with an address, was written: "To be opened by Justeaze Lizrich von Einzbern."

This forced Zouken to investigate the truth in person, even at the cost of acting himself, to see clearly who this person who knew his identity was.

When he arrived at the appointed tower in Fuyuki City, Rovey, who had been waiting for him, made no attempt to hide anything, directly revealing his identity.

"That's right, I sent that letter. And I know your true identity—the magecraft prodigy from a century ago, Marich Zorgen." His expression was calm, his tone flat as he spoke. "That you are the same person as the current Matou family head, Matou Zouken."

"Ho, I never expected the Lord Crowley Patriarch from the Clock Tower to know so much about this old man, even digging up a name buried for a century that even I had nearly forgotten. Such methods truly reach to the heavens..."

"But calling this old man out at this time shouldn't be just to confirm this, should it? And your purpose in coming to Fuyuki City is far from simple. It seems that Nagato Tohsaka's incompetent descendant hasn't noticed a thing."

Zouken looked at Rovey, casually disparaging Tokiomi Tohsaka, then sneered.

"Is there something you want from this old man?"

"Oh? You've nearly forgotten your own name? You've truly fallen far... The former ally of justice reduced to this state—how utterly pathetic. But none of that matters. The reason I called you out is simple."

Rovey didn't mind his attitude, nor did he care about the hidden killing intent lurking beneath the surface. He simply asked with a cold smile.

"Justeaze Lizrich von Einzbern, how about it? Interested in cooperating with me to win the Holy Grail War? After all, you have no other choice now, do you? A magecraft genius like Sakura Tohsaka isn't easy to find, and with your current state, you don't have much time left. Even if you found someone suitable, you wouldn't have the time to train them...

Instead of passively waiting for death, why not join forces with me? You can take this last chance to make a gamble."

"You mean... to join hands with this old man to seize the Holy Grail?"

Hearing Rovey's words, Zouken's eyes shifted immediately, and even the wild grin on his lips quietly faded.

"Of course. We have no grievances. What else did you think I came for?"

"..."

He fell silent, as if seriously weighing Rovey's words. After a long pause, he finally spoke again in that raspy voice.

"Are you serious?"

Zouken hesitated, because everything Rovey said was true. Without Sakura Tohsaka, he had no reason to wait any longer. Dragging things out was meaningless. Cooperating with Rovey now and going all in was undoubtedly the better bet. But still...

"Was adopting Sakura Tohsaka your way of cutting off my retreat, forcing this old man to cooperate with you?!"

It seemed that he had thought of an extremely close answer, Matou Zouken's withered pupils suddenly contracted, and then his gaze fixed firmly on Rovey before him as he spoke in a tone of disbelief.

"Well, there is indeed some element of forcing your hand in this. But more than that, it's probably because I wanted to save her, so I did. That girl has great potential, and a constitution like the Imaginary Numbers attribute is so rare—why let you waste it? Forcibly modifying a rare Imaginary Numbers Constitution just to fit your flawed plan, such a squandering of a gift is something only you could do."

Lost in thought, Rovey said flatly.

At the same time, he was conveying to Matou Zouken an important piece of information: that he knew what Zouken was planning, and that he was fully aware of all his secrets. This realization that his plans had long been seen through made Matou Zouken even more terrified.

After all, both his identity and his plans had always been kept secret, never actively exposed over the centuries. Not even other Magi, let alone his useless descendants Matou Kariya and Matou Tsuruno, had any inkling.

But how did this man know so clearly?!

Matou Zouken looked into Rovey's eyes again, but all that met him was Rovey's faintly smiling, inscrutable gaze.

Was it Future Sight?!

And to be able to predict to this extent—what kind of monster had come out of nowhere?!

"...If I agree to cooperate with you, then what about the Holy Grail?"

Suppressing the restless heart within his body, Matou Zouken continued.

Matou Zouken had to admit that he was indeed tempted. If he truly cooperated with Rovey, they would have the combat power of a Rider-class Servant on their side, giving them an overwhelming advantage in the Holy Grail War.

Moreover, with Rovey, whose depth he couldn't gauge but whose strength was certainly formidable, the odds of winning this Holy Grail War were quite high. However, he still couldn't guarantee the situation when the Holy Grail descended...

"Don't worry, Zouken Matou. I've already investigated. From the establishment of the first Holy Grail ritual, after so long, the magical energy accumulated in the Greater Grail has already reached a level beyond our imagination."

"After sacrificing the souls of seven Servants, the power it holds could even allow someone to reach the Root directly. And from what I understand, you are dedicated to obtaining a new life, to achieving immortality at the level of life itself. If that's your wish, it's more than enough for us to share."

Rovey said with a calm smile.

"I don't intend to use the Holy Grail's power to reach the Root. What interests me is only the Holy Grail War itself."

"If you're still uneasy, we can sign a Magic Contract."

Matou Zouken: "..."

"Then... what class of Servant do you plan to summon? Have you obtained the qualifications to be a Master?"

Matou Zouken asked after a long silence.

"Caster. For some reasons, I plan to summon Caster this time. But don't worry about the Servant's quality—the summoning catalyst I've prepared is top-tier."

Rovey took off his glove, revealing three bright red Command Seals on the back of his hand, which he had recently taken from a murderer, and said flatly.

"...Very well. Come to the Matou Family in a few days, and I'll give you my answer."

After a long internal struggle, Matou Zouken finally made his choice.

"Good. I look forward to your reply."

The final result didn't surprise Rovey. With no other options and such great hope, Matou Zouken had no alternative.

Even if he knew Rovey had his own schemes, and that adopting Sakura Tohsaka was a trap set for him, forcing him to cooperate, there was nothing he could do.

This was an open scheme—one that was utterly unsolvable for him.

But if the other party had only threatened him with his identity and hidden secrets, Matou Zouken would rather fight to the bitter end than comply with Rovey's wishes.

The reason he agreed was that he clearly understood how rare this opportunity was. As one of the first few to know the truth of the Holy Grail War, with his centuries of magical accumulation and the aid Rovey could provide, the success rate of this plan was far higher than his original one.

Compared to entrusting the future to that bleak prospect, perhaps this was truly a rare chance.

Leaving those words behind, Matou Zouken no longer lingered. His decrepit body dissolved into insects, scattering into the night sky.

Seeing this, even Rovey, who had remained expressionless, let a flicker of undisguised disgust flash in his eyes.

But it didn't matter. As long as he could win, even if Matou Zouken would inevitably turn against him in the end, the one who would ultimately triumph was himself.

Still, it was unbearably sad...

The ally of justice who once cared for humanity had, under the erosion of time, decayed into this disgusting form. Time truly was a terrifying thing.

Since that's the case, rather than letting you rot away in the shadows as an insect, let me see you off—let you leave this world as a human.

This could count as my farewell to that ally of justice, Justeaze Lizrich von Einzbern.

Chapter 13: You Wicked Old Man Are Full of Tricks! (Please Collect!)

—The Tower of Purification creaks and groans, like light, piercing through the world.

"Hmm, though things have taken an unexpected turn, this strange development is getting more and more interesting. What a fascinating human."

In the Starry Sky, Merlin, sitting atop the tower and sipping tea, slowly opened his eyes.

"But I recall that this tower Vivian built was supposed to be the Garden of Avalon, eternally sealed off, wasn't it? How did someone manage to slip in?"

"Heh. With the unparalleled magical skill of the Lake Fairy from the Age of Gods, even gods would find it hard to break into this area, let alone enter this tower meant to imprison sinners."

"However, the so-called Starry Sky, the Garden of Avalon, and Avalon itself are essentially similar and connected to Crimson Moon's Millennium Castle in many ways, aren't they? Plus, after so many parallel worlds, the location of Avalon has become somewhat predictable. As long as you find the right node and assist with the Second Magic, getting in isn't that difficult. Compared to the far shore of the Land of Shadows, this place is relatively easy to reach."

An old man draped in a black robe adorned with splendid jewels pulled out a chair, sat down, and unceremoniously poured himself a cup of flower tea, downing it in one gulp.

"To say this place is inferior to the Land of Shadows—if Vivian heard that, she'd surely be angry, wouldn't she?"

"Haha, I never said that. I just think the Land of Shadows is harder to reach than this place, since that Other Shore isn't fixed in location."

"But when it comes down to it, though this is your prison, a place of birds and flowers doesn't exactly look like a cell for a criminal. Your freedom's limited, but you seem to be living quite comfortably, Merlin."

After finishing his flower tea, the Jewel Magician looked at Merlin sitting across from him, pointed at the array of high-tech gadgets and messy novels and paintings he'd glimpsed on his way up the tower, and teased him.

"Oh my, how can you say that? Being locked away for over a thousand years isn't exactly pleasant, you know. Aside from the flowers, there's nothing but this tower—not even a lady to have a deep conversation with. Though I admit I deserve it all."

In response to the Jewel Magician's ribbing, Merlin sighed and replied helplessly.

"Heh, you old lecher. So you do know you deserve it? To be honest, after what you did, getting off with just this punishment is a huge win for you, isn't it? Not to mention that at the very end, you, a non-human, got what you'd always dreamed of... emotions."

"You're right. That was the first time I truly experienced human emotions... though they weren't as wonderful as I'd imagined."

"But you came here to see me today—surely not just to criticize me?"

Faced with the Jewel Magician's sarcasm, Merlin's expression turned a bit helpless.

"What do you think? You don't honestly believe I'd dodge a bunch of elves just to sneak in and chat with you for fun, do you? You're no magical girl. If it were Merry, I might actually do that."

"Merry... my legendary female counterpart? Seems like you're quite fond of her."

"Fond isn't the word. She just happens to be suited for being a magical girl, and when it comes to being a nasty non-human, she's far worse than you."

Thinking of that dangerous woman Merry, the Jewel Magician gave his assessment.

"I came to talk to you about something. I'm sure you've noticed it by now, haven't you?"

"Is it about the Holy Grail War?" Though Merlin phrased it as a question, his tone was utterly certain.

"Of course. After all, the Holy Grail War system was built by my disciple—and the most outstanding one at that. As his teacher, it's only right that I take an interest."

"But in all my observations across countless parallel worlds, I've seen the traditional Holy Grail War more times than I can count. The same old patterns and templates—I could write the script with my eyes closed now."