Things unfolded exactly as Rovey had expected. After carefully examining the Magic Contract in his hand several times and repeatedly scrutinizing its wording without finding any issue, Tokiomi Tohsaka's stern expression finally eased slightly.
Just as Rovey had said, every aspect of this contract was clear. No matter how Tokiomi inspected it, he could find no problems whatsoever.
The contract roughly stated that Rovey Crowley, as the adoptive parent, would adopt Sakura Tohsaka on behalf of the Crowley Family, name her as his heir, pass down the family's magical crest, and guide her onto the path of magecraft. From then on, the Tohsaka Family would no longer have any right to interfere in Sakura Tohsaka's affairs, nor could they use their status as relatives to contact or influence her into doing anything detrimental to the Crowley Family. The contract also specifically emphasized that as long as Rovey did not appoint another heir midway through, Tokiomi Tohsaka would have no right to reclaim custody of Sakura Tohsaka.
No matter how one looked at it, the contract was exceptionally clear. It not only provided guarantees, but also left both sides a way out. If Rovey truly changed his mind and insisted on naming another heir even at the cost of violating the contract, Tokiomi would be qualified to reclaim custody of Sakura Tohsaka at any time. It could hardly have been more thorough.
After confirming the contract, Tokiomi Tohsaka no longer hesitated. He cut his finger and directly left his name in the designated area of the scroll, then returned the contract scroll to Rovey.
"There are no problems, Crowley Patriarch. Let us sign it."
"I know."
Rovey nodded slightly. He then took a small knife from his pocket, cut his finger, pressed his blood and fingerprint onto the scroll, and left his name there as well.
When they finished signing and the contract took shape, both Rovey and Tokiomi Tohsaka could clearly feel a peculiar, intangible, mysterious force settle upon them. It meant everything had been finalized. The contract was now in effect.
Feeling the contract's power already acting upon him, Tokiomi Tohsaka knew the matter had been settled, and a sincere smile appeared on his face.
It was secure. Everything was secure now!!
His younger daughter would finally be able to develop her talents in a suitable environment and pursue the path of magecraft as she pleased.
As a father, what could possibly be more worth celebrating than that?
At the same time, because of Sakura Tohsaka, even the way Tokiomi Tohsaka looked at Rovey grew a little friendlier.
No matter how he viewed it, he could sense the other man's complete sincerity. Rovey had even deliberately allowed him to gain a considerable advantage in the Magic Contract. Tokiomi could not help but marvel inwardly. As expected of a Clock Tower noble—he was utterly beyond reproach in both integrity and sincerity.
Compared to Tokiomi Tohsaka's self-satisfaction, Rovey did not think much of it.
He had gained an advantage?
Heh. When had advantages ever been so easy to pick up? Every gift Heaven gave had its price secretly marked. And the delicious feast one joyfully devoured—was it not sometimes poison bait meant to lower one's guard?
Tokiomi Tohsaka, Scapegoat of This World, I'll take your daughter for now. As for you... you should first consider how you'll survive the war a few months from now.
With different thoughts in their hearts, the two men finally shook hands, smiling while immersed in entirely opposite states of mind.
"Now that the contract has officially been established, Tohsaka Patriarch, I suppose we can discuss the formal adoption?"
"Of course, Crowley Patriarch. At any time. You are Sakura's guardian now."
Tokiomi Tohsaka clasped Rovey's hand and spoke with a radiant expression. "Under your guidance and training, I believe Sakura will surely be able to fully realize her talents and walk happily upon the path of truth."
"Certainly. Then, Tohsaka Patriarch, could you take me to meet Sakura?"
Rovey nodded slightly, then spoke with feigned concern. "If a stranger suddenly approaches her and says he wants to adopt her, a child might resist."
"Of course. Compared to embarking on the path in search of truth, a child's momentary feelings amount to nothing. She will understand in the future."
Tokiomi Tohsaka spoke as though it were only natural.
As a Magus, and even more so as the head of a family, once he decided to do something, he would not change his mind. Nor would he care about his daughter's feelings.
From beginning to end, he had not even asked what Aoi Tohsaka, Sakura's mother, thought.
So, Magi...
They really were a pack of monsters wearing human skin.
Their values were incomprehensible, and all the more disgusting for it...
Rovey sighed inwardly.
Not long afterward, in front of the gates to the Tohsaka residence.
Aoi Tohsaka's eyes were filled with reluctance as she looked at Sakura.
She stepped in front of her daughter, reached out, and gently caressed the child's tender cheek. Her touch was full of motherly love and unwillingness to part.
In contrast to Aoi Tohsaka's sorrow, Tokiomi Tohsaka, as Sakura's father, had an entirely different attitude. A smile rested on his face, and his tone was full of joy as he stood before Rovey, continuing to speak of his yearning for the path of magecraft and the goals they sought as Magi.
As for Aoi Tohsaka's reluctance behind him, it was only a trivial matter in his eyes. He knew that compared to letting familial affection restrict and delay his daughter's future, perhaps even bringing disaster upon her, what he was doing now was truly right.
Although, as a father, he too felt something indescribable in his heart at the moment he personally sent his daughter away, Tokiomi Tohsaka knew that compared to her future and happiness, it was all worth it.
"Dad, are you really giving my little sister to someone else?!"
Having learned that Tokiomi Tohsaka intended to give her younger sister away to another family, Rin Tohsaka did not even have time to change clothes. Barefoot, she hurried out through the snow, looking at her father in utter incomprehension.
"..."
Tokiomi Tohsaka did not answer. Nor did he rebuke his daughter for her rudeness. He merely raised a hand slightly and instructed his wife to take her back inside.
Unlike her elder sister, Sakura Tohsaka, who already knew her fate, was not as emotional as expected. She tilted her head, looked at her father in confusion, and asked,
"I'm going to be adopted by Big Brother, so does that mean... Dad and Mom don't want Sakura anymore?"
"Sakura—!!"
Hearing those words, Rin Tohsaka, who had been about to leave with her mother, froze in shock. Even Tokiomi Tohsaka's calm, unreadable expression changed dramatically.
"Sakura, don't say that. Your father has not abandoned you. He is only sending you to an environment that suits you better."
Before Tokiomi Tohsaka could get angry, Aoi Tohsaka suddenly spoke up to comfort her daughter.
Although she was deeply reluctant to send her daughter away, she understood the circumstances of both daughters and her husband's attitude very well. Tokiomi Tohsaka had also explained the issue surrounding Sakura and Rin to her.
So she knew that even if Rovey had not come today to propose adoption, Tokiomi Tohsaka would have taken the initiative to send Sakura to another Mage Family.
It might have been the Matou Family, a Mage Family that had ties with the Tohsaka Family as one of the Three Families and had settled in Fuyuki City. Or it might have been the Edelfelt Family of Finland, connected to them through their ancestors.
This separation between mother and daughter had ultimately been unavoidable.
"Sakura!"
While her mother was distracted, Rin Tohsaka swung her arm free from Aoi Tohsaka's grasp. With her nimble body, she slipped around her mother and ran in small steps toward Sakura Tohsaka.
Even though she understood that the matter was already set in stone, how could she, as Sakura's older sister, allow her little sister to be taken away by a stranger?
Rin Tohsaka gripped Sakura Tohsaka's wrist and shielded her behind herself. Then she spread her arms wide, using her tiny body as the final barrier before Rovey.
Seeing the resentment in Rin Tohsaka's eyes, Rovey shook his head with some helplessness.
Rin Tohsaka's reaction was perfectly normal. After all, she did not know Sakura Tohsaka's original fate, much less understand that what he was doing now could be considered salvation for both sisters.
In the eyes of a little girl her age, he was simply the villain who had taken her sister away. It was only natural for her to resent and dislike him. Rovey naturally would not hold it against her.
"Rin! Stop making trouble and stand down!"
Instead, Rovey stopped Tokiomi Tohsaka, who had been preparing to scold Rin for her rudeness and forcibly separate the sisters.
"Crowley Patriarch, I'm sorry you had to see that..."
What had happened before him made Tokiomi Tohsaka somewhat embarrassed.
"I understand, Tohsaka Patriarch. They are close sisters, after all. Being forced apart because of an outsider like me, it is only natural that they would be unwilling."
"Still, there is no need to be so pessimistic. I am not an unreasonable person. As it happens, I still need to remain in the Far East for some time because of certain matters.
"Since that is the case, I will settle in Fuyuki City for the time being. During this period, if Rin or Mrs. Aoi Tohsaka misses Sakura, you may visit her whenever you wish."
Rovey smiled faintly. After pretending to consider it for a moment, he offered them a reasonable solution.
He had intended to find an excuse to stay in Fuyuki City for a while anyway, in preparation for the coming spectacle.
Since the situation suited him so well, he did not mind using the deep bond between the mother and her two daughters to put on a fairly reasonable disguise.
Of course, with his abilities, after reaching an agreement with Tokiomi Tohsaka and signing the binding Magic Contract, he could have simply taken Sakura away and then returned unnoticed. As an Alchemist, crafting Mystic Codes that concealed one's presence was easy enough.
But it seemed he had an even better option now.
"Really?"
Upon hearing Rovey's words, a faint glimmer of light suddenly flashed through Aoi Tohsaka's originally hollow eyes.
"Of course."
Rovey nodded slightly, then turned to look once more at the sulking Rin Tohsaka and the silent Sakura Tohsaka. Smiling gently, he asked,
"What do you think?"
"..."
Rin Tohsaka froze, disbelief filling her eyes.
Yet her initial hostility visibly diminished. Clearly, Rovey's words had worked.
She's still only a child, after all...
Rovey murmured inwardly.
"Th-then, can I still play with my sister in the future?"
Sakura Tohsaka looked timidly at Rovey before her. Her words were filled with longing, and her manner was heart-wrenchingly endearing.
"Of course."
Rovey gave her his assurance.
"Okay! Thank you, Big Brother."
At last, with Rovey's guidance, the parting that had originally been filled with grief became less sorrowful. Tears glistened in the sisters' eyes as they embraced each other tightly.
Seeing this, Rovey shook his head, the corners of his lips curling up slightly.
He then turned to Tokiomi Tohsaka, who stood nearby watching everything unfold.
"Then, Tohsaka Patriarch, while I remain in Fuyuki City, I hope for your kind assistance," Rovey said.
"Of course."
Tokiomi Tohsaka nodded. Naturally, he would not refuse such a small matter, though...
"May I ask whether Crowley Patriarch has other important matters keeping you in the Far East?" he asked curiously.
"Yes, it is a long story. Besides adopting Sakura, I came to the Far East this time to visit some friends along the way, so I will be staying for a little while longer."
So he is visiting friends...
Tokiomi Tohsaka nodded, his gaze discreetly drifting toward the back of Rovey's hand.
Only when he saw that the three crimson marks were absent from Rovey's hand did he relax slightly. A weight in his heart finally lifted.
"I see... Then I wish Crowley Patriarch every success. As long as you remain in Fuyuki City, if there is anything you need, you may come to the Tohsaka Family and find me at any time."
"Thank you for your generosity, Tohsaka Patriarch. But it is getting late, so I will not impose any longer."
Rovey bid him farewell. "I'll take Sakura back first."
"Very well."
Tokiomi Tohsaka nodded gently, still wearing that refined smile.
Before leaving, Rovey did not forget to hand his business card to Tokiomi Tohsaka and Aoi Tohsaka. It bore the address of his temporary magical base in Fuyuki City.
"This is where I am staying at present, the Hyatt Hotel."
"When I have the time, I will pay you a visit."
Tokiomi Tohsaka accepted Rovey's business card and gave a faint smile.
"Sakura, you must behave in your new environment."
Aoi Tohsaka crouched down, tears in her eyes as she looked at her daughter. Her voice choked as she repeatedly urged, "Don't cause trouble for Big Brother. Even without Mom by your side, you must stay healthy and happy, understand?"
"Mm, I understand, Mom."
Sakura Tohsaka nodded, and Rin Tohsaka came over at that moment as well.
In the end, the unavoidable parting came to a close as the three embraced each other.
The embrace of family added much warmth to the cold winter. Even the sky, which had been heavy with snow, cleared at that moment.
Rovey held Sakura Tohsaka's slender hand as they walked through the gates and entered the car he had reserved in advance. Under the gaze of the Tohsaka Family, they drove away.
After a long while, only a seemingly faint light remained in sight, gradually receding into the distance. Once even the car's shadow could no longer be seen, Tokiomi Tohsaka, standing amid the snow, slowly let out a long breath and sighed helplessly.
"Ancestors, bless us. I believe the descendants of the Tohsaka Family will surely find true happiness..."
Before you continue