Starting from Adopting Sakura in Type-Moon

"Only said to achieve victory, but didn't clarify the ownership of the Holy Grail, huh... This Old Worm, still playing word games here."

A cold smile curled at the corner of Rovey's lips, but he didn't point it out.

While the other was scheming against him, wasn't he harboring the same thoughts?

...Matou Zouken, ...Marich Zorgen, this Holy Grail War will also become your funeral.

"Hmph, if that's the case, then I'll look forward to seeing each other's performance from here on."

"Naturally. To secure final victory in this war, I will of course do my utmost to assist the Crowley Patriarch."

Matou Zouken nodded, then gave a faint smile, replying with a sincere tone.

"Is that so? Then I'll leave it to the Matou Patriarch to be diligent from now on."

Rovey exchanged a few pleasantries with him in the same manner.

In this situation, an uninformed observer might think the two had a good relationship—perhaps even a grandfather and grandson?

But in reality, the moment Matou Zouken turned around and began walking forward to lead the way, the smiles on both their faces vanished without a trace in that instant.

And this time, neither spoke again or made further probes. Rovey behind him merely stepped forward slowly, following his pace into the Matou Manor.

At this moment, the vast Matou Manor had lost its former liveliness.

Gazing at the empty mansion and corridors, Rovey couldn't help but ask with some curiosity:

"A family this large doesn't even have a single servant? Do you usually use familiars for cleaning?"

"Ah..."

At that, Matou Zouken shook his head, then explained.

"I drove them all out. They're just a bunch of useless people anyway—even if they stayed, they wouldn't be of any use."

"Indeed. I've heard that this generation of descendants inheriting the Matou bloodline has completely declined—can't even find a proper Magus. No wonder you had to adopt someone else's child."

Rovey thought for a moment, then spoke casually, completely unconcerned about having snatched Sakura Tohsaka away from him.

"Heh... Sakura Tohsaka, I no longer care about her. So the Crowley Patriarch need not test me. This is the last chance, and of course I won't let those useless wastes disturb our plans. Except for one rebellious descendant, that is."

As he spoke, Matou Zouken walked up to a room and directly pulled open the tightly shut door.

Then, in a hoarse voice, he said: "After running away for so long, it's time for you to make use of the last bit of your worth..."

"My incompetent, cowardly descendant, Matou Kariya."

With that, as the wooden door slid open, the figure of a man firmly tied to a chair with ropes gradually came into view before the two.

Chapter 16: Filial Piety to the Extreme (1/2, Seeking Collections!)

"Mmph mmph... Let go... ugh..."

As the door was pushed open from outside, a figure tightly bound to a chair with hemp ropes came into their sight. It was Matou Kariya.

But at this moment, his already somewhat melancholic and frail appearance looked rather dire. Not only was his body firmly tied up, but because Matou Zouken found him too noisy, his mouth had been stuffed with a random rag from the bathroom, soaked in its original stench, making his tears stream uncontrollably.

After being locked in this sunless room for two whole days, Matou Kariya finally saw new light.

"Useless brat, what are you howling about here? Can't even handle two days?"

As the door opened, Matou Zouken walked in with his cane, expressionlessly stepping up to him and yanking the rag out of his mouth.

Before Matou Zouken could even start cursing, he raised his cane and swung it backhand, smashing it into Kariya's body, knocking him and the wooden chair to the floor together.

"Aah!!!"

In an instant, a miserable scream replaced the earlier curses. Matou Kariya, knocked to the ground, clutched his stomach and curled up in pain, clearly being used as a punching bag by Matou Zouken.

"Tsk, that's brutal..."

Rovey couldn't bear to watch, feeling deep sympathy for Matou Kariya's plight.

He thought that Kariya's sacrifices for this plan were truly too great—he hadn't expected Matou Zouken to be this ruthless with him. It seemed he'd have to treat him better from now on.

Once they returned, he'd take him back to the family at the Clock Tower to serve as a steward, and let him take care of Sakura Tohsaka, finally settling his worries. But for now, given his position, there was clearly no way he could help Kariya—he could only rely on Kariya to tough it out.

"Useless thing, calmed down a bit now? Not coming back for years, and the first thing you do is try to burn down your own home with gasoline barrels—you little bastard, you're really filial to the point of killing me!!"

Though he had tormented Matou Kariya, Matou Zouken's anger was far from quelled.

After all, when your runaway descendant suddenly comes back to grovel, verbally offering to help, but secretly plots to set the house on fire to force your hand—no one would be in a good mood over that.

If it weren't for the fact that he was one of the last surviving bloodlines and still had some use, Matou Zouken would have skinned him alive today to vent his rage.

"You old bastard... are you trying to kill me?"

Matou Kariya lifted his head and retorted.

"If I could, I really would skin you alive."

Matou Zouken stared coldly at the unyielding Matou Kariya before him.

"But your life still has uses later, so keep that worthless hide alive for now and just endure..."

"So this is the current generation descendant of Zouken Matou?"

"Mm, Matou Kariya—he really does look like a born loser."

Rovey stepped closer, leaning down to examine Matou Kariya sprawled on the floor, watching as his once fairly handsome face was now nearly beaten into a pig's head by Matou Zouken. He gave a faint smile.

Matou Kariya: "..."

At Rovey's merciless words, he couldn't help but mentally retort: You're the one who looks like a loser!

But catching the deep meaning in Rovey's gaze, he still gave an almost imperceptible nod, then turned his head away, saying nothing more.

"Heh, this worthless descendant of mine has made a fool of himself before the Crowley Patriarch. Matou Kariya has been a failure since childhood—not only unambitious, but utterly idle. In middle school, instead of staying home to study the magecraft path, he wasted time writing some dark... dark something-or-other Caria."

"He'd rather live in those daydreams, clinging to empty fantasies and muddling through life, than inherit the family's magecraft. When he grew up, even the woman he'd pined for all those years was snatched away by that goateed brat from the Tohsaka family. After running away from home for so long, now he sneaks back for another man's woman—utterly disgraceful, you worthless piece of trash."

Matou Zouken snorted coldly, then furrowed his brow and began listing, from start to finish, every stupid thing Matou Kariya had done since childhood, along with his rocky history of romantic failures.

"Oh? Mr. Matou Kariya's life experience is quite rich..."

Rovey narrowed his eyes, smiling faintly as he looked at Kariya, whose face was already flushed red from Zouken's mockery.

"Aaaahhh!! What the hell are you saying, you old bastard?! When did you sneak a look at my diary?! No wonder I could never find it back in school!"

Before he could even spit out a harsh retort, Matou Kariya was already red-faced with rage from Zouken's string of exposed secrets. Finally, under Rovey's knowing smirk, he lost all will to argue, collapsing helplessly to the floor and wailing like a child whose embarrassing stories had been aired by relatives during New Year's.

"Tsk tsk, hearing that, you've really had it rough, Mr. Kariya. Quite the romantic history."

"If you studied in the Spiritual Evocation Department, that restless resentment of yours might make excellent summoning material—maybe even call forth something remarkable."

Rovey patted his shoulder and said with a grin.

"Are you mocking me or taunting me... you two insufferable bastards."

"Hah, the resentment of a loser? Aside from some wandering vengeful spirits, I really doubt he could summon anything decent."

Matou Zouken snorted, then swung his cane through the air. The sharp motion cut like a blade, and in an instant, the ropes binding Matou Kariya were severed.

Freed, Kariya immediately sprang up, pointing at Matou Zouken.

"You damned old worm! Where is Sakura?! Don't you dare lay a finger on her!"

"Useless waste. You're beyond saving."

Seeing that the moment he was free, the brat was already fussing over another man's child, Matou Zouken gave up on him entirely.

Finally too annoyed to bother disciplining him further, he waved a hand dismissively and said impatiently.

"The plan to adopt that little girl has been canceled. She's not with me now. If you have questions, ask the Crowley Patriarch here—he's Sakura Tohsaka's new guardian."

At that, Rovey smiled and winked at Matou Kariya.

The mention of Sakura Tohsaka made Matou Zouken seethe. His carefully laid plans had been hijacked by Rovey.

Still, given their current situation, it was for the best. He had already decided to go all out now, and that little girl served no purpose.

If she stayed in his stronghold, she'd only draw Tokiomi Tohsaka's attention. Since Rovey wanted her, he could have her.

After all, adopting Sakura Tohsaka was meant to prepare for the next Holy Grail War, and this time, he would put an end to this five-hundred-year obsession.

Though he had considered using the girl as a hostage against Tokiomi Tohsaka if he couldn't win, Rovey hadn't agreed to that.

"I see..."

Matou Kariya let out a visible sigh of relief.

"Hah, don't celebrate too soon. Even if that girl's out of the picture, you're not leaving yet. I still have use for you. Wait here obediently. Crowley Patriarch, let's go to the basement and inspect the Sacred Relic."

Seeing Kariya's relaxed demeanor, Matou Zouken doused him with cold water without mercy, then waved his hand as if shooing a fly, ordering Kariya to stay put in the mansion for a while. He then led Rovey toward the basement's Magic Workshop.

Before leaving, to prevent the fool from running off again, he didn't forget to leave a few insect familiars in the room to watch him.

Within minutes, the vast mansion was left with only Matou Kariya and a few bugs staring at each other.

Watching the two leave, Kariya let out an almost imperceptible sigh of relief, then slowly opened his palm. A crumpled white paper ball—an old photograph—lay flat in his hand.

Rubbing the photo, feeling its warmth and texture, his resolve hardened.

Wiping the blood from his lips, he turned his gaze toward the direction of the Matou family's basement.

"Just wait, old worm... you'll regret this soon enough."

Matou Kariya clenched his fists and muttered to himself, his eyes gleaming with a determination he had never shown before.

"And you too, Tokiomi Tohsaka... this time, I'll shatter your delusions with my own hands!"

Chapter 17: Failed Heroic Spirit Summoning (2/2)

Time: Night.

Location: Matou Family, Basement Workshop.

Not long after arranging Matou Kariya, two shadows—one tall, one short—appeared here under the lamplight.

"This is... a Round Table Fragment of King Arthur? Mm, judging by the lingering magical energy, it's top-tier stuff. How did you manage to get your hands on something like this?"

Taking the Round Table Fragment that Matou Zouken handed him, Rovey narrowed his eyes and examined it closely.

Yes, the development was proceeding as expected—just like the original storyline. The Old Worm was still preparing to use the Round Table Fragment for a Heroic Spirit Summoning, and the Servant to be summoned was Lancelot, Knight of the Lake, who would manifest in the Berserker class.

"That thing is indeed a fine treasure, but which Knight of the Round Table are you planning to summon? The range of knights covered by this fragment is far too vast. With good luck, you might even summon King Arthur. With bad luck... Gareth or Gaheris, or even some obscure Round Table knight, aren't out of the question. Their strength in the Holy Grail War can hardly be called formidable."

Although he already knew what Matou Zouken intended to do, Rovey asked him that question as a cover.

"Of course, I'm well aware of that. If I simply used the Round Table Fragment belonging to the knights, the uncertainty would be too great. It might affect our plans, so I came prepared this time..."

In response to Rovey's reminder, Matou Zouken nodded, then pointed at the ancient inscription on the Round Table Fragment and spoke.

"Before using it, I already had the materials translated. After repeated confirmation, I can be certain that the writing on it bears the name of Lancelot, Knight of the Lake. This fragment belongs to Lancelot's seat. So this piece can summon one of the culprits who led to the fall of Britannia—the legendary Knight of the Lake, Lancelot."

"Lancelot... That is indeed a very powerful Servant."

Rovey nodded, deeply agreeing, and asked, "Saber?"

"No, not that. The Saber class should already have been taken by someone else, so this time I plan to have him summoned in the Berserker class, enhanced with a madness-inducing curse to make him even more destructive."

Matou Zouken explained.

More destructive... Hah. By common sense, Lancelot's greatest strength was his martial skill. Summoning him in the Berserker class—a class that inherently comes with Mad Enhancement and Rationality Evaporation—was already a form of weakening. Adding a madness curse on top of that... Hah.

Even if it truly increased his destructive power, what good would it do? Without his wisdom, how could he wield his martial arts and unleash his proper strength?

The Lancelot of myth—wise, skilled in arms, brave and strategic—was the one who earned the legendary fame of the Knight of the Lake. Without wisdom, that so-called Knight of the Lake was nothing more than a rabid mad dog.

Still, Rovey did not warn Matou Zouken. He simply watched quietly, then gave a slight nod.

"That works too. Berserker is strong in all aspects and easy to control, giving it a considerable advantage in the Holy Grail War. As for me... I'd like to try using this thing first."

With that, Rovey reached his hand into his trench coat, fumbled around, and pulled out a book that looked old and worn, handing it to Matou Zouken.

"Oh? This thing is...?! It's actually this!!"