Type-Moon, I, Sakura Matou, Rewrite Destiny

However... for a king like Artoria, she would never make a decision based on personal preference. As long as it brought benefits to her people, Artoria wouldn't hesitate to associate with someone, even if they were utterly wicked.

If it would bring disaster to her people, Artoria would draw her sword without hesitation, even if the other party were a saint or an angel.

Therefore, even though her feelings towards Gilgamesh and his Servant could be described as terrible.

Artoria still silently walked behind Gilgamesh, adopting a posture of advancing and retreating together with him.

She looked back at Artoria, who had come up behind her.

Facing the 'treasure' with her brows furrowed, Gilgamesh, whose eyes were almost full of mockery, spoke.

"King of Knights... choose. Will you continue to fight to the death, or... strive for victory in the Holy Grail War..."

As he spoke, Gilgamesh extended a finger and pointed towards the graveyard not far from the church.

Through the perception generated by his top-tier Instinct, Solomon, whose location had been pinpointed, was immediately exposed to Artoria's senses.

"By the way, King of Knights, this King forgot to tell you... Hassan is just playing games, and that brat over there has no interest in the Holy Grail..."

The mockery in Gilgamesh's eyes intensified. Having roughly figured out the general personality of this 'treasure' Artoria, Gilgamesh seemed to have begun his first attempt at polishing her.

55. Inherited Bad Luck?

Late at night, in the underground laboratory of the Matou family's residence in the city.

Using Floating Magecraft, Sakura, holding the unconscious Shirou Chiko, entered this place once more.

The battle for 'Shirou Chiko' in front of the church.

It had already concluded. After accepting Artoria's request.

Sakura immediately severed Shirou Chiko's contract with Artoria, and then took Berserker's Command Spells and handed them over to Artoria.

Sakura naturally and smoothly obtained Shirou Chiko.

Sakura was naturally very satisfied with so smoothly recovering Zouken Matou and obtaining Shirou Chiko.

After all, if she had to forcefully seize Shirou Chiko, with King Hassan not putting in full effort, and having already fought two battles today, Sakura, who was utterly exhausted, might not have been able to achieve this goal smoothly.

Stretching lazily from exhaustion, Sakura then casually placed Shirou onto the clean and tidy Dissection Table nearby. She then nodded towards Orochimaru, who was smiling without speaking, and turned to leave the underground laboratory.

For Orochimaru, who controlled Fuyuki City's Surveillance System, Sakura didn't need to give him any detailed explanations. The Holy Church in Fuyuki City was the focus of the entire system's monitoring. Orochimaru might know more about what happened there than Sakura herself.

Watching Sakura leave.

Orochimaru then summoned two large snakes he had cultivated and had them carry Shirou Chiko into the specially prepared Surgical Device.

Late at night, in the Matou family's mountain villa on the outskirts of Fuyuki City.

After finishing this 'thrilling' day.

Sakura could finally rest with peace of mind.

"So tired..." she complained helplessly.

During battle, Sakura had to constantly adjust her Mage Circuits, continuously use the Yellow Court Scripture to switch emotions, and maintain intense focus on the enemy. How could she not be tired?

If it weren't for Sakura's much stronger-than-average stamina due to her practice of the Yellow Court Scripture and soul fusion.

Anyone her age would likely have collapsed before the first battle even ended.

Even adults, and even mages, would find it difficult to maintain Sakura's frequency of emotional switching and spellcasting.

He slowly walked in front of Sakura, then removed the skull mask from his face.

King Hassan, with a look of concern deep in his eyes, asked in his usual deep voice.

"How did you feel about the real battle?"

"Tired, very tired... I not only had to constantly adjust myself, but also pay attention to the enemy and strategize... This is more tiring than practicing for several days straight..."

Shaking her head slightly, King Hassan, without showing any expression, neither satisfied nor disappointed with Sakura, shook his head again, put on his mask, and disappeared from Sakura's sight as he spoke.

"Sakura, remember this feeling... You will get used to it and use it in the future!"

Blinking in confusion, Sakura then turned to look at Kurumi, who was lying on a chair not far away, her gaze never leaving Sakura.

"Sister Kurumi, what does Old Man of the Mountain mean by that?"

"Heehee, Sakura, you're usually so sharp, why do you always get confused about these things? What the Old Man means~ is that you should remember the feeling of today's battle. You'll use and get used to these feelings when you encounter real battles in the future."

"Sigh... encountering real battles in the future... Ah... Sister Kurumi, does this mean I won't be forced to fight by the Old Man anymore?"

Standing up and walking to Sakura, Kurumi gently pinched Sakura's nose, then bent down, picked Sakura up, and sat on Sakura's chair with Sakura on her lap. She nodded.

"That's right, you don't have to go to this Holy Grail War anymore, heehee..."

She swayed the small braid by her ear, which was tied with Solomon's ring.

Sakura, who was also surprised by her sudden lapse in performance, tilted her head subconsciously.

'Could it be... I've also inherited the Tohsaka family's bad luck?'

But no matter what, not being forced to participate in the upcoming Holy Grail War was good news for Sakura.

It's just that... for some reason, Sakura, who was feeling confused, didn't realize at that moment.

Even if she wanted to continue participating, she wouldn't have the chance anymore.

With the triangular situation broken, the Holy Grail War has now entered its final stage with only two major factions remaining, leaving no room for Sakura to casually meddle.

Sakura rested in Kurumi's arms for a good while.

Perhaps it was the constant emotional shifts throughout the day that over-excited Sakura's brain.

Or perhaps it was because Sakura was still unconsciously replaying the battle in her mind.

In any case, Sakura couldn't fall asleep even by three in the morning, lying in Kurumi's embrace.

Sakura quietly climbed out of Kurumi's arms, who was already fast asleep, and after covering her with a blanket.

Sakura tiptoed out of her room.

The early morning in the mountains is a time when animals are most active.

Walking through the empty mountain villa, with the sounds of small mountain animals occasionally reaching her ears, Sakura found herself unconsciously arriving in front of the guest room of the Tohsaka family.

Sakura gently pushed open the guest room door, making almost no sound, and entered the room with a guilty conscience.

"Sakura!"

A sudden voice startled Sakura.

Upon closer inspection, the voice belonged to Tokiomi Tohsaka, who was sitting on the bed, reading a basic magecraft book by the faint moonlight.

Tokiomi carefully lifted the blanket from himself, taking care not to disturb his sleeping wife and daughter beside him.

Tokiomi Tohsaka, who had now regained most of his mobility, then gracefully walked over to Sakura.

"Can't sleep, Sakura...?"

"Yeah, I'm tired, but for some reason, I just can't feel sleepy."

Looking at Tokiomi Tohsaka, who had a hint of gentleness in his smile, Sakura felt happy on the inside, but also a sense of caution.

After all... the last time Tokiomi Tohsaka had shown her such an expression was a year ago, in Sakura's memory.

Sensing the hint of caution in Sakura's eyes, Tokiomi Tohsaka raised his severed arm and smiled self-deprecatingly. He didn't mind Sakura's wariness and continued to speak gently.

"Would you mind taking a walk with me... head of the Matou family."

"Sure, I can't sleep anyway..."

Although Tokiomi Tohsaka had changed his address, Sakura still looked at him suspiciously as she agreed.

56. Tokiomi's Ambition and Tsuruno's 'Delusion'

In the moonlit mountain garden.

Two figures, one large and one small, walked slowly through the garden filled with natural scents under the hazy moonlight.

Inhaling the fragrance of grass and soil in the air.

Sakura, who had a good harvest today and was in a great mood, was suspicious and wary of what Tokiomi Tohsaka intended to do.

However, this did not affect Sakura's mood at the moment.

After strolling and hopping around the garden for a long time, Tokiomi Tohsaka finally broke the silence.

"Sakura... do you hate me?"

She stopped and turned to look at Tokiomi Tohsaka.

"Hate... maybe a little, but I don't really care anymore."

"Then can I entrust Aoi and Rin... to you from now on?"

As he spoke, Tokiomi Tohsaka walked to the edge of the garden and gazed at the brightly lit Fuyuki City, illuminated by the moonlight and the city lights.

"...What are you trying to do, Tokiomi Tohsaka!"

Faced with Tokiomi Tohsaka's inexplicable request, Sakura immediately frowned.

"I'm going to continue fulfilling the Tohsaka family's long-cherished wish..."

"Tokiomi Tohsaka, are you looking for death? Do you still intend to return to the Holy Grail battlefield in Fuyuki City?"

With a hint of determination, Tokiomi Tohsaka, as if he had made up his mind, nodded in front of Sakura.

"Sakura, this is the wish our Tohsaka family has always pursued... I can rest assured leaving Aoi and Rin to you... and besides..."

Tokiomi Tohsaka looked down at his severed arm, a bitter smile flashing across his face. Then, as if his mind was made up, he looked at Sakura, his expression conveying his hope for her understanding.

Faced with the actions of Tokiomi Tohsaka, her "cheap father," Sakura, who couldn't understand the way mages thought or their family responsibilities, immediately spat at Tokiomi Tohsaka's feet in annoyance.

"Ptooey... Why should I? Although I don't dislike Mom... Aoi and Rin, don't forget I'm the head of the Matou family. Why should I help your Tohsaka family raise people!"

Seeing Sakura start to act shamelessly, Tokiomi Tohsaka, who still had a soft spot in his heart, smiled genuinely and then resumed a serious expression.

"Aoi has a patent transfer agreement that I signed. Although there isn't much time left on the patent, it's a small compensation... Also, the Tohsaka family's Jewel Magecraft, I've already..."

"Wait, stop talking. I don't care about your patent. Don't think I don't know, your patents only make a few hundred thousand dollars a year. Do you think I'm short on money?"

Sakura, with her hands on her hips and a look of disdain, directly interrupted Tokiomi Tohsaka's "final arrangements."

After saying the above, Sakura directly took out her wand from her sleeve.

"As for Jewel Magecraft... forget it. If it were that old man's version, I might still care, but I don't care about your Tohsaka family's Jewel Magecraft..."

Sakura, saying she didn't care for it, drew her wand and pointed it at herself.

Tokiomi Tohsaka's brow furrowed at first, then, as if struck by an idea, he smiled and waved his intact left hand, conjuring a ball of flame from which he drew a cane topped with a fist-sized gem.

He brandished the Command Spells on the back of his hand towards Tokiomi Tohsaka.

"How about this, since I was planning to withdraw from this Holy Grail War anyway, let me witness your Jewel Magecraft. If you win, I'll transfer the Command Spells to you."

Kirei's Command Spells... What's going on, Sakura? Why did you join this Holy Grail War...

Unaware that Sakura had been forced into this Holy Grail War after he had passed out, and that she was now planning to withdraw, Tokiomi Tohsaka frowned once more.

As Tokiomi Tohsaka pondered how Kirei Kotomine's Servant and Command Spells came to be on Sakura, what role Kirei Kotomine played during his own Servant's surprise attack, and whether his 'old friend' and the Holy Church were involved in the Holy Grail War.

Sakura swung her wand and unleashed 'Silent No More' towards the villa behind her.

Another day dawned, and the bright sunlight, filtering through the trees, cast patches of light onto the walls of the mountain villa.

As for the duel between Sakura and Tokiomi Tohsaka last night, besides the participants themselves, perhaps only King Hassan, who had been hiding around Sakura to protect her, and Kurumi, who had always existed within Sakura's shadow, knew about it.

However, the outcome was quite clear.

In the villa's dining room.

The Tohsaka family and the Matou family were currently chattering away over breakfast.

Her father sat to her left, and her mother to her right.

Rin Tohsaka, who yesterday had been full of anxiety and shedding tears, now wore a look of pure happiness.

"Dad, try this... This is a continental breakfast specially prepared by Sakura."