The Dark History of the Past

"Then... stay by my side forever!"

Although she didn't succeed in taking advantage of the situation, Reines quickly changed her mindset, wrapped her arms around Rovey's neck, and said very seriously, "This time, I want you to promise that you won't leave without a sound again!"

"Okay, I promise you."

Hearing her words, Rovey nodded and then seriously made a promise.

"And what about you?"

Rin Tohsaka and Luvia remain.

"I want..."

"You want money, right? I understand."

Rin Tohsaka could speak, suddenly, a cascade of gold coins rained down from the golden portal in mid-air, piling up in front of her.

"???"

This scene Rin Tohsaka completely bewildered.

"I know without you saying it that you'll become a rich person, right?"

Having anticipated Rin Tohsaka's wish, Rovey smiled and said, "Consider these gold coins as rent for the time being at your house. It's more than enough to pay off your debts. Remember to be more responsible in the future and don't always spend money recklessly."

As for Luvia...

"Would you like to be my student?" Rovey asked directly. "Although I haven't taught for a long time, I'm still very confident in my magical abilities. If you're willing, you can be my student."

"I do!"

Almost at the same time as Rovey finished speaking, Luvia responded with an extremely high decibel level, a stark contrast to her previous behavior, completely disregarding her ladylike demeanor from not long ago.

After all, it's hard to remain calm when something you've been longing for is right in front of you.

Who is Rovey?

One of London's nominal leaders, one of the few remaining Grand Magus in the world, and a True Magic figure comparable to Aozaki Touko.

In the past, she had been resentful that Aozaki Touko hadn't chosen her, but now Rovey's invitation was undoubtedly a form of recognition for her, which directly resolved the knot in Luvia's heart.

"Then you can come find me directly after you get back to London."

Seeing that Luvia did not refuse, Rovey was not surprised.

However, when it comes to Aoko, there is indeed only one last question left.

Where is Aozaki Touko?

And there's Sajyou Manaka.

Wasn't it said that the Holy Grail War was something they orchestrated together?

It's already this late, and the two parties involved still haven't shown up.

Could he be cosplaying as the mastermind behind everything?

So, Rovey turned his gaze to Rin Tohsaka once again.

Although this guy said he didn't know where Aozaki Touko went, Rovey felt that she must have some clues, but she just ignored them.

So Rovey Wei asked Rin Tohsaka, "Rin, when Aoko asked you to go back to Fuyuki City, did she tell you any specific place or time, or where to wait for her?"

"Location? Time?"

Upon hearing Rovey's words, Rin Tohsaka paused for a moment, then thought about it seriously, and then, she actually came up with something.

"It seems there really is... Teacher Aoko specifically mentioned a location, it seems to be the Leyline near Ryūdō Temple, right? She told me to pay more attention to it, but I've been a bit out of my mind lately because of Ishtar, so I haven't had time to go check it out... What's wrong?"

"... Ryūdō Temple, just as I expected."

Hearing Rin Tohsaka's mutterings, Rovey's face showed an expression of unsurprised agreement.

Ryudou-ji Temple, the node of the Fuyuki City ley line, the source of everything.

If it really is that place, then all of this makes sense.

Thinking of this, Rovey immediately got up, ready to go there and see for himself.

Although everything could be said to be over, he still had a feeling that Aoko and Manaka Sajyou were up to something.

Seeing that Rovey was about to leave, Reines and Gray, who had finally reunited, naturally wanted to follow, fearing that Rovey might suddenly disappear again. Luvia, having just become Rowe's apprentice, naturally wanted to curry favor and planned to go with Rovey as well. Even if they encountered danger, Astraea would be there to help, so she wasn't worried at all.

Only Rin Tohsaka...

She glanced at Reines, then thought of her master.

Especially considering the possibility that Reines might give off a "I want to see you jealous of me" look, Rin Tohsaka felt that she would definitely not have a good time if she went, so she quickly shook her head to indicate that she would never go.

Although everyone else was speechless at her behavior, it wasn't a big deal. One more or one less wouldn't make a difference, and it wasn't that important. There was no need to take her away.

Soon, she was left all alone in the huge Tohsaka Family.

Watching the others leave, Rin Tohsaka sighed helplessly.

Fortunately, her own instincts allowed her to escape unscathed.

However, just as she was about to go back to her room for a nap...

Not long after, the door to the Tohsaka Family's house was pushed open once again.

This made Rin Tohsaka frown.

"Couldn't you guys knock before coming in? You should at least show some respect..."

Just as Rin Tohsaka was about to complain, thinking that Rovey and the others had forgotten something and run back, a head of bright red hair blocked her vision.

Her eyes widened suddenly, and her mind cleared up considerably.

"Oh, my lovely silly apprentice, it's been a long time!"

The red-haired woman, a cigarette dangling from her mouth, smiled faintly and then spoke casually.

"Have you missed me at all?"

Meanwhile, the same thing happened at Emiya Kiritsugu's residence.

Because Emiya Kiritsugu was exhausted, he was currently recovering his energy at an inn in Fuyuki City.

So when Maiya Hisau and Illya heard the familiar knocking, they opened the door without much suspicion.

However, this time when they opened the door, they were not greeted by Emiya Kiritsugu return, but by a woman with long, bright red hair.

"Hello, Lesser Grail. Although you probably don't recognize me anymore, I'm really happy to see you're still alive and well."

Aozaki Touko looked up and smiled at Illya and Maiya Hisau, then turned her gaze past Maiya Hisau to Illya and spoke softly.

"Originally, what happened next had nothing to do with you, but due to a number of unexpected factors, I've come to pick you up. Be a good girl and come with me."

Chapter 393 The Dark History of the Past

As everyone knows, Ishtar has always been a lawless ruler.

No matter the situation, the word "give in" doesn't exist in her dictionary, nor has she ever been truly afraid. Even when faced with an awkward situation, she will swiftly leave it to her master to deal with, and then return to her.

But even Ishtar, with her formidable strength, this time...

At this moment, Ishtar looked at the orange-red-haired woman in front of her with a somewhat unpleasant expression, her eyes filled with disbelief.

Because of this strange person in front of him, he actually broke free from Ereshkigal's suppression and was forcibly dragged to the surface to retake Rin Tohsaka's body.

Logically speaking, escaping from prison and regaining her freedom should have been incredibly joyous news for her, but...

She was shocked to find that she couldn't move her body at all.

His body was completely immobilized, and he couldn't even crawl back into Rin Tohsaka's body. He could only stand there dumbfounded, staring at the vicious woman in front of him who swayed like a flame.

Just now.

When Aozaki Touko suddenly arrived, Rin Tohsaka was startled by her teacher appearing before her.

At the same time, her expression showed surprise, after all, this was the first time she had seen Aozaki Touko in several months. However, before she could even finish speaking, a huge handprint appeared in front of her and slapped her forehead.

Because the scene was so sudden, even with Ereshkigal's warning, Rin Tohsaka couldn't dodge at all and could only watch helplessly as Aozaki Touko controlled her body.

Although Rin Tohsaka knew that the person in front of her must be her teacher—after all, Rin Tohsaka was very familiar with the smell of smoke and her signature nasty expression—it didn't mean she wouldn't fight back when faced with danger.

So, almost instantly, Rin Tohsaka had Ereshkigal without hesitation, hoping to escape from Aozaki Touko's clutches with the help of the goddess of the Underworld.

However, just as Ereshkigal took over, Aozaki Touko seemed to have anticipated this. A smile appeared on her lips, and as she retreated, she snapped her fingers at Rin Tohsaka's brain.

In the blink of an eye, Ereshkigal, who had just logged in and was preparing to teach Aozaki Touko a lesson, suddenly felt as if her soul had been struck by an extreme blow.

"Wow!"

The next moment, she screamed and fainted.

The next scene shows Ishtar being forcibly awakened by Aozaki Touko and immobilized.

Forced awake, Ishtar felt a powerful restraint on her body. She tried to break free, but it was no use. This guy had tampered with Rin Tohsaka's body, a kind of tampering with her soul, which neither she nor Ereshkigal had noticed.

That's why he was so helplessly restrained in Aozaki Touko's hands.

Only...

Ishtar couldn't understand why humans could achieve such things in the realm of the soul. This constraint on the soul reminded her of Grandpa Enki's secret.

But how could mere humans achieve this?

The idea of simultaneously restricting the souls of two main gods is simply impossible, no matter how you look at it.

But the reality is staring us in the face: this human actually accomplished such a thing.

After much thought, Ishtar realized that this guy must be the one Rin Tohsaka had mentioned, the one who planned the Holy Grail War. The next moment, Ishtar seemed to realize something.

Her eyes widened suddenly, and she looked at Aozaki Touko in disbelief, demanding, "You're the Third Magician?!"

"The Third Magician? Heh... If someone had praised me like that before, I might have been happy, but now, I don't have that obsession anymore." Hearing Ishtar's words, Aozaki Touko didn't answer directly, but smiled, then lit another cigarette and sighed softly.

"However, although her appearance and behavior seem unreliable, she is ultimately a goddess of Mesopotamia, and her judgment is quite good; this is indeed the power of the Third Magic."

She continued, "A long time ago, I did something small in the depths of Rin Tohsaka's soul. It was harmless, but it was better to be safe than sorry. She is my eye observing the Holy Grail War."

"So he was prepared all along? This guy!"

Upon hearing Aozaki Touko's admission, Ishtar's eyes widened.

Feeling she'd been tricked, she shouted, "Aren't you Rin Tohsaka's teacher? Why are you doing this? What's your purpose? Are we part of your plan too?!"

"Oh, you have too many questions. I'll answer them slowly."

Hearing Ishtar's question, Aozaki Touko wasn't in a hurry. Instead, she scratched her head, sat down on the Tohsaka Family's sofa, and said calmly, "First of all, I'm not the Third Magician. I've only figured out the secrets of the Third Magic. Becoming True Magic would cause too much of a stir, and I've long since lost that desire. I'm temporarily taking on the role of another terrifying guy."

"Besides, I am Rin Tohsaka's teacher after all, so I would never harm her. I'm just using her as my eyes. Originally, I wanted to ensure that she could win this Holy Grail War, but through her eyes, I saw too many things, especially when that guy returned without saying a word. I was truly speechless, so I had no choice but to postpone the plan and rethink it."

Aozaki Touko offered a calm explanation.

As she spoke, she recalled how she had just gathered all the necessary elements.

All I had to do was secretly use some tricks to get Sakura, Reines, Rin Tohsaka to team up and eliminate the others. Then, I could control Rin Tohsaka and have her fight the two of them. Whoever won, once the Holy Grail War ended, I could bring that guy back. It was a pretty good plan.

However, through Rin Tohsaka's perspective, she saw that Rovey had returned before she made her wish, which disrupted the entire process.

Logically, this should be a good thing, because then there would be no need for the Holy Grail War to continue.

However, for certain reasons, this ritual must be prevented from being disrupted and must be completed completely.

As she said, the Third Magician is not Aozaki Touko; she merely borrowed the Third Magician Third Magic. Someone else has taken her place, and she is currently trapped in the former Third Magician's location.

Inside the Holy Grail Core.

Because the Holy Grail is essentially the Third Magic, and the Winter's Holy Maiden, Yustitia, is the most crucial element, but since the Holy Grail War was dismantled, the Winter's Holy Maiden is long gone, and therefore the Holy Grail is also gone.

In order to recreate the strongest Greater Grail, it would be impossible without the most important Third Magic vessel. Therefore, to ensure that this is the strongest Greater Grail, she collaborated with that terrible guy to create this ritual, with Sajyou Manaka serving as the temporary Winter's Holy Maiden. She would control the ritual, and all that was needed was for Sakura, Reines, or herself to win and successfully sacrifice seven Servant.

But because of Rovey's sudden return, all of these efforts became a joke.

Logically, this kind of thing shouldn't be important to Aoko. She doesn't care about the outcome of the Holy Grail War; as long as her wish is fulfilled, that's enough. But now it's too late to stop. The program she set up is that only after the Holy Grail War is completed and all Servant are dead can she make a wish, and only then can Sajyou Manaka, who is temporarily serving as the saintess, return.

However, due to Emiya Kiritsugu's recklessness and Rovey's interference, not a single Servant died, so Sajyou Manaka naturally couldn't come out. And that obsessive guy, after realizing this, had already made the situation out of control.

She told Aozaki Touko to come up with a solution immediately, otherwise she would have to use her own method.

Just thinking about what methods that guy would use gave Aozaki Touko a headache; it was definitely going to be another major crisis.

So she decided to temporarily activate the backup plan, letting the Lesser Grail replace the Greater Grail to get rid of that troublesome guy. So she sent out other puppets to kidnap Illya.