Therefore, no matter how many treasures a Servant possessed, they had little to do with the Master.
Normally, that was how it should have been.
But since Nero could offer prizes and had made such a grand spectacle of it, they had to be genuine items that could be used.
The prizes for the Citizen Tournament were decent, and the prizes for the Heroic Spirit Tournament were irrelevant. What truly tempted him were the prizes for the Master Tournament.
The legendary Golden Apple could accomplish great things, whether he used it himself or gave it to Rin.
Although Rin had excellent aptitude, if she ate the Golden Apple, her talent would surely become even more outstanding.
When that time came, the Tohsaka family's long-cherished wish might be fulfilled in Rin's generation.
Even if he failed to obtain the Holy Grail in this Holy Grail War, it would be enough as long as he acquired the Golden Apple.
Of the other six Masters, Kirei was one of his own, so there was no need to worry about him.
Waver was merely a half-baked mage, and the Mage Killer, Kiritsugu Emiya, was no different—neither could withstand a single blow.
In Tokiomi Tohsaka's eyes, the only person worthy of being his opponent was Kayneth, the Lord of the Clock Tower.
As long as he defeated him, he could obtain the Golden Apple.
It was not absolutely certain, but if he used all the gems the Tohsaka family had accumulated, he would at least have a seventy percent chance of victory.
This was practically a treasure bestowed by heaven. He absolutely could not let it slip away.
"Heh... Tokiomi's performance, is it? I'm looking forward to it. I just hope it does not end up as a ridiculous farce."
Gilgamesh watched Tokiomi Tohsaka with great interest, a faint smile on his lips.
Kariya Matou's Wish
Kariya Matou's Wish
Within the Imperial Palace of the City of Rome.
"Shirou, is your body all right?" Kariya Matou asked with a worried expression.
"I'm fine. What's wrong?"
"You're not forcing yourself, are you? I may only be a half-baked mage, but even I know that summoning a City of Rome of this scale as a Noble Phantasm must consume an enormous amount of mana."
"I thought so too at first, but in reality, the mana in my body has barely decreased."
As he spoke, Shirou instinctively looked toward Nero, who was approaching from afar, waiting for her to explain.
"This is the effect of My skill, Tyrant and Beloved. It reduces the mana required by a Noble Phantasm, allowing it to be activated with consumption close to zero."
For some reason, Nero looked exceptionally proud as she said this.
Of course, that was simply the kind of person she had always been, so Shirou did not pay it much mind.
"I see."
Shirou felt somewhat fortunate. It was a good thing the Servant he had summoned was Nero—and an enhanced version of her at that.
If it had been Archer, then with the amount of mana in his body, Unlimited Blade Works probably would not have lasted even three seconds.
Once he learned that the Noble Phantasm consumed almost no mana, Kariya Matou relaxed somewhat before changing the subject.
"Shirou, Sakura has rarely gone out this past year. Could I ask you to take her around the city for a while?"
"I still need to participate in the Master Tournament. You should take Sakura out to have fun," Shirou refused without hesitation.
"Shirou, I've always wanted to give Tokiomi a beating. At the end of my life, this is already my final wish."
As he spoke, Kariya Matou lowered his head to look at his legs and sighed.
"Compared to me, it would be more suitable for people your age to go out and have fun together."
"We're not the same age. I'm already seventeen. There's a ten-year generation gap between Sakura and me."
"Hehe... But you look like a child."
"When all is said and done, you can't beat Tokiomi Tohsaka at all. If you enter the Master Tournament, he'll definitely be the one beating you up instead."
Kariya Matou's expression froze, and he let out a dejected sigh.
Indeed, he could not defeat Tokiomi at all.
He desperately wanted to teach him a lesson, but the gap in their strength was right there.
At that moment, Nero suddenly drew the red sword at her waist, held it in a reverse grip, and pointed the hilt at Kariya Matou with a smile.
"If that is the case, I shall lend you My Noble Phantasm, Primal Fire. Take it, and offer Me an ode of triumph."
"This..." Kariya Matou hesitated. "I don't know how to use a sword, especially such a strangely shaped one."
"This is not a sword, but a magecraft Noble Phantasm. It can change its shape according to one's will."
As she spoke, the red sword in Nero's hand gradually changed form. In an instant, it became a ball of flame, then transformed again into a spear and a cup of water.
"Like this. The sword from before was simply My favorite form."
So it was not a sword.
Shirou immediately understood. No wonder she was clearly a Caster, yet carried a sword at her side.
So it had not been a sword, but a magecraft Noble Phantasm. That made it far less strange.
"Thank you very much, Your Majesty Nero." Kariya Matou solemnly accepted the Primal Fire, which had returned to sword form. "I, Kariya Matou, will certainly offer you an ode of triumph."
Seeing this, Shirou no longer objected.
"Then I'll take Sakura out shopping."
"Mm, Sakura is... in your care, Shirou."
"Go on." Nero smiled and waved her hand, then added, "Within My City of Rome, all food and wine are free today. Go and enjoy yourselves to your hearts' content!"
Shirou had already seen the City of Rome from two thousand years ago countless times through the memories of his former self.
Although he had only lived there for a few short days, he had gradually become familiar with it.
The City of Rome summoned by Nero's Noble Phantasm was Rome from more than a decade later, yet it still vaguely carried traces of the city in his memories.
Some of the buildings along the streets were unfamiliar and new, but others were exactly the same as those in his memories.
Has my other self not been summoned by Nero? Come to think of it, the version of me that belonged to this era should no longer have been a stable hand, but the Emperor's Husband, right?
A familiar roadside stall made Shirou stop without meaning to.
Sakura, who had been following closely behind him, involuntarily bumped into his back, pulling him from his memories and back into reality.
Looking at Sakura's hollow, lifeless eyes, Shirou silently sighed.
That damned Zouken Matou. In his previous life, it had taken him two years to gradually heal the wounds in her heart. How long would it take in this life?
"Sakura, let me take you somewhere. It's the place with the most beautiful scenery in all of Rome."
"Mm." Sakura nodded blankly.
The surroundings had suddenly changed from her living room into an ancient Western city. While that left Rin Tohsaka flustered, it also made her a little excited.
Then the projection appeared in the sky, and when she heard Nero mention the three competitions, her eyes immediately lit up.
The prizes for the two tournaments other than the Heroic Spirit Tournament were both right up her alley.
Whether it was the Fountain of Life, the Golden Apple, or a ton of gold, she wanted all of them badly.
Moreover, Emperor Nero claimed to be an artist comparable to Apollo, so her singing must be beautiful. Rin wanted to hear it as well.
Unfortunately, she was not alone. Her mother, Aoi Tohsaka, had been brought in with her.
"Mom, this is the City of Rome from two thousand years ago! Let's split up and explore."
"No! Something so bizarre has suddenly happened. We must find Tokiomi as soon as possible."
"Dad must be very busy right now. We shouldn't disturb him, should we?"
"Does Rin want to enter the tournament?"
"Huh...?"
Having her thoughts seen through startled Rin Tohsaka, but it also gave her a glimmer of hope.
"Then..."
"No! We must find dad first. That is the most important thing right now."
"How could this happen..."
Rin Tohsaka pouted in disappointment. As she held her mother's left hand and walked several meters forward, two children suddenly came into view in the distance.
She did not recognize the red-haired boy, but he seemed extremely mature.
The girl behind him, however, was her younger sister, Sakura Tohsaka, whom she had not seen for a long time.
Yet compared to before, Sakura had become incredibly gloomy. Her eyes were vacant as she stared at the ground, giving off a very unpleasant feeling.
It was obvious that she was not living well now.
Watching her younger sister from afar, Rin Tohsaka could not help tugging on her mother's sleeve and whispering, "Mom, it's Sakura. She was brought here too."
"What?"
Aoi Tohsaka was startled and instinctively followed her daughter's gaze.
Seeing her younger daughter following behind the red-haired youth in the distance, she could not help holding her breath and unconsciously taking a step forward.
Receiving her mother's "signal," Rin Tohsaka immediately pulled free of her hand and hurried over.
"Sakura, you're here too! Long time no see. How have you been?"
Sakura involuntarily stepped back, hid behind Shirou, lowered her head to look at the ground, and remained silent.
Shirou sighed again. Unlike Kariya Matou, whose life had already reached its end, there had not been any major problem with Sakura's body. After drinking the Fountain of Life Nero had given her, she had already fully recovered.
Even her hair color had returned to the same black as Rin Tohsaka's.
Physical wounds were easy to heal, but wounds of the heart were difficult to mend. They might even last a lifetime.
Tokiomi Tohsaka's Lost Elegance
Tokiomi Tohsaka's Lost Elegance
"Rin, we're going to the most beautiful place in all of Rome. Would you like to come with us?"
"Who are you? Why do you know my name?"
"My name is Shirou. I suppose you could call me your classmate."
"What is your relationship with Sakura? Why is she ignoring me but treating you so well?"
"In this situation, shouldn't you reflect on your own problems first, Rin?"
"Don't call me so familiarly. I don't even know you. Besides, I'm the one asking questions here!"
Aoi Tohsaka, who had already walked up behind Rin, gently patted her shoulder and said with a smile, "Little Rin, you mustn't be so rude."
After reprimanding her elder daughter, she turned her gaze toward her younger daughter.
Looking into Sakura's dim, lifeless eyes, she became dazed for some reason, and even her voice trembled slightly.
"Sakura, did any adults from your family come with you? If there's nothing else, how about going shopping with Mom and your sister?"
"I... don't have a mom or a sister anymore," Sakura said quietly.
Those words dealt Aoi Tohsaka a severe blow, leaving her silent for a moment.
Indeed, Sakura was no longer part of their family.
To be honest, when she had just asked whether any adults from Sakura's family had come along, she had wanted to question them about why Sakura seemed to be living so poorly.
But now, she could not say a single word.
She wanted to apologize. Her lips parted, but she stopped herself before speaking.
Before you continue