"Damn Acht!"
Before the luxurious castle steeped in classical charm, Acht was already waiting for her.
"Well done, Illya."
Acht smiled benevolently.
Unfortunately, Su Ning was not the simple Illya, and she would not be fooled by his hypocritical face.
Few magi in the Type-Moon world were mentally normal, especially an old monster like Acht who had lived for centuries.
The original Illya had been deceived by him into believing that Kiritsugu Emiya had abandoned her, when in fact, Kiritsugu Emiya often returned here in an attempt to rescue Illya.
But each time, Acht injured him and drove him away. Within only a few years, he died from severe injuries.
It would not be an exaggeration to call Acht Illya's father's murderer.
"Hmph!"
Su Ning snorted coldly, ignored him completely, brushed past him, and walked through the gates.
As expected of an old monster who had lived for centuries, Acht was not angered in the slightest. Instead, his expression grew even more kindly.
After all, whether Illya was close to him or forgave him meant nothing to him. As long as Illya obediently participated in the Holy Grail War and claimed the final victory, that was enough.
By then, Illya would become the Lesser Grail and completely lose her sense of self, while he could use the contingency the Einzbern family had left behind when they established the ritual years ago to gain a chance to make a wish.
Heh, old monster, do you think I'll let you live that long? Su Ning sneered.
Having left the Winter Forest, she could use magecraft again.
Although Acht had deliberately ensured that she had learned barely any magecraft over the past ten years, she still knew the basics of magical energy perception.
The changes in Acht's expression could not escape her senses.
Likewise, every movement she made was under Acht's surveillance, so she could only put on a poker face and pretend she was still angry.
If I have Heracles launch a surprise attack now, can I take Acht out...?
No. An old monster who has lived that long definitely has plenty of hidden cards. It's better to be cautious.
At the very least, I need to get the Dress of Heaven first!
Su Ning pondered silently.
"Miss!"
"I want to bathe and change clothes!"
"Yes, Miss!"
It was worth mentioning that, in order to create homunculi comparable to the Winter Saint, everyone in the Einzbern family apart from Acht—inside and out—was female, and they all looked very alike.
If someone was even a little face-blind, they probably would not be able to tell who was who at all.
Fortunately, Su Ning had inherited all of Illya's memories, so she did not reveal any flaws.
But... bathing was still far too awkward.
Before you continue