The World Where Only Second Master Was Injured Was Achieved

"Damn you, Merlin!"

Yu Feng's eyes snapped open, and he found himself awake. A burning heat spread through his palm, and there on his skin was a silver-white petal imprint, proof that his dream hadn't been a lie. This petal mark was definitely Merlin's handiwork, no mistake.

Afraid he wouldn't go, the bastard had even gone and set up a contract.

"Merlin must die!" Yu Feng muttered, his tone dripping with resentment toward the mage.

In that moment, someone destined for great power and a certain Beast IV reached a unanimous goal...

Merlin must die!

On that point, the man and the beast surely had plenty to discuss.

Like... what kind of death, for instance.

Yu Feng dressed, left his room, and headed downstairs.

By then, Rin Tohsaka was already awake, Shirou was making breakfast, and Mordred had been roped into being Shirou's errand girl.

After all, Little Mo, you eat that much and don't lift a finger—don't you realize someone's turning you into a social waste?

As for Bazett, she seemed to still be in her room.

Shirou said he'd already brought her breakfast earlier, and she looked much better—nothing to worry about.

Rin Tohsaka watched Yu Feng come down and said with some surprise, "That's rare. You're up later than usual today."

Yu Feng waved a hand dismissively. "Don't ask. Just say I got snatched away by some damn nightmare."

Rin chuckled, not taking his words seriously.

But she had no idea that what Yu Feng said, which she took as a joke, was actually true.

After breakfast, Yu Feng and Rin Tohsaka walked together along the path toward Homonculus Academy.

The morning air was especially fresh. The fragrance of flowers planted along the roadside filled the air, and a gentle breeze carried their scent, brushing past the two of them, patting against their cheeks, lifting their hair slightly.

A warm ray of sunlight filtered through the gaps in the green leaves, shining down on them. The morning sun was far more pleasant than the blazing noon heat—it carried a trace of warmth, not the scorching heat of midday.

Occasionally, a few students in Homonculus Academy uniforms or riding bicycles passed by, and the shadows of birds flickered across the sky now and then.

The students chatted and laughed as they headed to school.

"Hey, Feng."

Just as Yu Feng and Rin Tohsaka turned a corner, a familiar voice called out from not far away.

Two figures were walking toward them—Shinji Matou and his sister, Sakura Matou.

When Rin saw Sakura, a complex expression flickered across her face, while Yu Feng simply gave Shinji a casual greeting.

Shinji Matou slung an arm around Yu Feng's shoulder and subtly steered them away from Rin and Sakura, leaving the two sisters standing face to face.

Shinji leaned in close to Yu Feng, and before Yu Feng could pull away, he whispered, "Hey, Feng, I've been feeling like that old man of mine is acting off lately. And yesterday, I think I saw him on campus."

Yu Feng's expression turned serious. "You're sure about that?"

The "old man" Shinji referred to was the current head of the Matou family—no, he'd always been the head.

Zouken Matou!

Originally named Makiri Zolgen, he was one of the builders of the Holy Grail War, the first and every-generation head of the Matou family, one of the Three Founding Families.

He had once been a magus who devoted his life to eradicating all the world's evils and humanity's malignancies. But worn down by time, a century later, he had forgotten his original ideals, turning instead to an obsession with immortality, an obsession with eternal life.

He became a villain who had forgotten his original purpose, clinging to immortality.

It could even be said that he would do anything for eternal life.

In the original story, he had done plenty of inhuman things.

Shinji Matou nodded slightly. "It's true. I think now that the Holy Grail War has started, the old man's going to make a move. Watch yourself—he's been really off lately, and he keeps going out, doing who knows what."

"Ah, I get it. I'll be careful. So? Any news from Uncle Kariya?" Yu Feng asked.

Kariya Matou was a participant in the Fourth Holy Grail War, the Master of Berserker, the Knight of the Lake, Lancelot. Actually, Lancelot shouldn't have been summoned as Berserker for the Fourth Holy Grail War, but Zouken Matou tampered with the summoning ritual, forcing Lancelot to appear as Berserker.

Still, Yu Feng felt that the Fourth Holy Grail War had been altered by someone's interference, deviating from the original plot. The outcome of this world's Fourth Holy Grail War had developed in ways Yu Feng never could have imagined.

Kariya Matou, who should have died in the Fourth Holy Grail War, didn't. Sakura Matou, who should have been thrown into the worm pit by Zouken, had somehow become a magus with some skill, never having been subjected to that fate.

Rin's mother, Aoi Tohsaka, hadn't been accidentally killed by Kariya in the church. Instead, she was found dead alongside Tokiomi Tohsaka at the Tohsaka Estate.

Lancer's Master, Kaineth El-Melloi Archibald, hadn't died at Kiritsugu Emiya's hands during the war either. Instead, his fiancée Sola-Ui Nuada-Re Sophia-Ri's Magic Circuits were destroyed, and Kaineth lost his left arm, and they both returned to the Clock Tower.

As for news of those two, nothing had come back since their return to the Clock Tower. Instead, word had arrived that Waver Velvet, the "princess," had become Lord El-Melloi II.

Shinji Matou's expression grew a bit complicated. "No news yet. But it looks like something really did happen..."

Yu Feng patted Shinji on the shoulder. "It's fine, Shinji. He's probably okay."

But in his heart, Yu Feng couldn't help linking Kariya Matou's disappearance to Zouken Matou.

As the four of them entered the school grounds, all but Shinji Matou paused in their steps.

Shinji looked at Yu Feng in confusion. "What's up?"

Yu Feng looked at Homonculus Academy before him, his gaze growing heavy. "A Magic Barrier has been laid here. And this feeling... my instincts are telling me something's very wrong."

Shinji Matou glanced left and right at Rin Tohsaka and Sakura Matou, both wearing expressions similar to Yu Feng's.

At this point, Shinji Matou would be fooling himself if he didn't realize something was up. Since he had no talent for Magecraft, he naturally couldn't sense what the other three, who were connected to it, could feel. Though Yu Feng relied on his simulated talent and the presence clinging to him to perceive it, the result was no different.

Shinji Matou was utterly frustrated. So everyone else could feel it except him, huh?

Great. Another world where only the Second Young Master gets the short end of the stick.