"I never expected to meet you in this way. It's truly an honor… Sir Watchman."
Alvin's expression was calm. He paid no attention to Tohsaka Tokiomi's bow and simply walked over and sat down opposite him.
"It seems you already guessed my identity after last night?", Alvin asked with a smile.
"Although you concealed your true Noble Phantasm, the moment I saw your appearance that day, I was already able to confirm who you are," Tohsaka Tokiomi replied neither servile nor overbearing.
Although Alvin had worn a black cloak last night and even covered his face, anyone who had once seen Alvin in Britain as a transmigrator could not possibly have no impression of him.
If he were to clash with such an enemy in the Holy Grail War, even with the King of Heroes as his trump card, Tohsaka Tokiomi had little confidence in his heart.
What's more, even that King of Heroes seemed to be quite wary of the special Noble Phantasm Saber had used last night.
Although Gilgamesh had not said what exactly the "familiar" Alvin summoned was, Tohsaka Tokiomi could still sense a kind of unease in his words that had never been there before.
If he were to join forces with Kirei now, plus the barriers within the estate, could there be a way to keep Saber here forever?
Tohsaka Tokiomi silently looked at the boy before him, hesitation and struggle surfacing in his heart.
"Tokiomi, Matou Sakura is with me right now."
At that moment, Alvin's voice sounded first, pulling Tohsaka Tokiomi back from his thoughts.
He subconsciously looked toward the black-robed servant sitting opposite him. His expression froze for a moment, and then a trace of anger quickly appeared in his usually calm eyes.
"So you can still feel anger. It seems you're not completely indifferent to Matou Sakura after all?"
Alvin sized up Tohsaka Tokiomi a few times and soon revealed a satisfied smile.
In the Type-Moon world, magi were beings different from ordinary people, and they were often very cold toward family affection and love.
But judging by this, Tohsaka Tokiomi still possessed the emotions and values of a normal person. At the very least, he was not unmoved by his daughter's disappearance.
"Saber, what exactly are you trying to do?", Tohsaka Tokiomi said in a low voice.
"The Holy Grail War is a battle between servants and masters. Why drag Sakura into this—"
Before he could finish speaking, Alvin's pleased laughter suddenly rang in his ears.
"Tokiomi, it seems you really don't know anything."
"What do you mean?", Tohsaka Tokiomi frowned.
"Do you know how the Matou family passes their magecraft down to the next generation?", Alvin asked.
A hint of confusion flashed through Tohsaka Tokiomi's mind. As one of the Three Great Families of Fuyuki, the Tohsaka and Matou families were considered fairly close allies.
In his view, the inheritance of magecraft was basically the same everywhere, and Sakura obtaining the Matou family's magecraft through adoption could be considered acting in his daughter's best interests.
"What exactly are you trying to say?", Tohsaka Tokiomi pressed.
"Find some time and go to the Matou house yourself and take a look. You'll have your answer soon enough."
Alvin glanced at the gloomy night sky outside the window.
Snowflakes drifted down in the cold wind and landed on the glass, carrying a crystalline chill that added to the coldness.
Tohsaka Tokiomi only felt baffled. He frowned and said, "What will it take for you to return Sakura to me?"
"After you go to the Matou house, if you can give me an answer that satisfies me, I'll send her back to the Tohsaka house after the Holy Grail War is over."
Alvin said unhurriedly, "Of course, if I'm not satisfied, then I'll take her away."
'Anyway, I figure a little girl picked up in the snow has no one who wants her, right… so if I take her, I take her.'
Perhaps it was the boy's casual attitude, or perhaps it was the confidence brought by Archer being present in the estate. Tohsaka Tokiomi gazed at the boy before him and slowly said, "That aside, Saber, you should understand what the Holy Grail War means, right?"
"You came alone to the enemy's main base tonight. I assume you've already prepared yourself mentally."
As he spoke, the magical barrier in the estate that had just dissipated seemed to begin quietly reforming at this very moment.
"Are you planning to make a move here?", Alvin asked indifferently.
Tohsaka Tokiomi spoke with utmost respect, "As for the Matou family you mentioned, although I don't know what exactly is wrong, I will personally go and question Matou Zouken afterward."
"But right now, I only hope you'll hand Sakura over to me."
Although he still held some goodwill toward the White Dragon, the Matou and Tohsaka families were both long-established local powers in Fuyuki, and their relationship had always been amicable. No matter what, Tohsaka Tokiomi was still more inclined to trust the Matou family.
In his eyes, Alvin's visit tonight seemed more like an attempt to sow discord.
"I already said it. Sakura will wait until the Holy Grail War is over before deciding whether to return to the Tohsaka house."
Alvin smiled, "As for Matou Zouken, you probably won't have another chance to speak with him."
Tohsaka Tokiomi couldn't help but freeze.
His first reaction was that Saber had sent someone to eliminate Matou Zouken.
'But how is that possible? Could it be that this Holy Grail War also involve Saber's allies?'
For some reason, an inexplicable sense of unease suddenly arose in Tohsaka Tokiomi's heart.
At that moment, a golden figure quietly took shape within the estate.
Gilgamesh crossed his arms over his chest, his crimson eyes coldly fixed on the black-robed servant seated on the sofa.
"So that's how it is, I was wondering why you would swagger over here tonight. Turns out it was to let people know you're not by your master's side?"
Tohsaka Tokiomi froze, seeming not to have fully grasped it yet.
"Don't you understand yet, Tokiomi."
Gilgamesh said coldly, "Saber has no so-called allies. If one must be named, then a servant's ally is naturally their own master."
"There are quite a few rats hiding in the shadows in this Holy Grail War. If you want to win by taking shortcuts, then there's only one option. Bypass the servant and strike directly at the master."
Combined with what Alvin had just said, Tohsaka Tokiomi suddenly realized something. His pupils shrank as he blurted out, "You let your master face Matou Zouken alone?"
'Is this guy insane?'
That thought flashed through Tohsaka Tokiomi's mind instinctively.
As a White Dragon with astonishing perception, did he really not understand how dangerous Matou Zouken was?
In Tohsaka Tokiomi's eyes, Alvin and his master were both utterly insane.
On the eve of the Holy Grail War, when everyone was cautiously on guard, they went shopping.
And now, the Holy Grail War had officially begun, yet the other party had actually abandoned their master and come straight to the enemy's base.
Wasn't this blatantly inviting someone to ambush their master?
And if the master wasn't nearby, that also meant Saber wouldn't have an uninterrupted supply of mana.
A glint flashed in Tohsaka Tokiomi's eyes as a bold idea began to take shape in his mind.
At that moment, a cold snort suddenly echoed through the dim hall.
"Should I say you have absolute confidence in yourself, or that, you believe I can't do anything about 'Mother'?"
As he said the last word, a dangerous light appeared in Gilgamesh's eyes.
Alvin paused for a moment and said, "Then should I call her Mom?"
Gilgamesh's expression was icy, "Is that the only trick you have, Saber?"
Although the Tiamat summoned by Alvin's special Noble Phantasm "Mom" existed only in a spiritual form, and although the Chains of Heaven within the Gate of Babylon could restrain servants with divinity.
But, even the Chains of Heaven probably couldn't restrain Tiamat for very long.
He stared coldly at Alvin. After a long while, he turned and left the hall.
"Let's hope the Noble Phantasm you're so proud of will let you survive until the end of the Holy Grail War, Saber."
Alvin shrugged indifferently and waved his hand, "Take care."
Now that his movements had already been exposed to the enemy's sight, what came next would depend on Manaka.
Just whether Manaka could lure out that old worm, Matou Zouken.
Thinking of that, Alvin couldn't help but feel a bit of anticipation.
———
Late at night, cold winds howled across the kilometer-high sky. Goose-feather snow danced as it fell, dyeing the entire city of Fuyuki a pure white.
Just as Alvin had guessed, not long after he went to Tohsaka Tokiomi's estate, the masters of all sides quickly realized one thing.
Saber and Archer had completely become enemies.
That was precisely why Saber had gone alone to Tohsaka Tokiomi's estate that night.
But then, why was Saber's master appearing alone on the streets?
That night, all sides had eyes secretly watching Sajyou Manaka's side, including Kayneth in the apartment building.
The man stood on the balcony holding a glass of red wine, watching as the snow in the sky fell heavier and heavier, listening to the demonic howl of wind and snow slamming against the glass.
Soon, Kayneth let out a cold laugh.
"Hmph! How interesting. Last night, master and servant acted as bait together to set a trap. Today, Saber even abandoned his master and swaggered into Archer's territory."
"As tactics go, this is just a bit too stupid."
In Kayneth's view, this was indeed an extremely foolish move. Even as arrogant as he was, he understood very clearly that a magus's fragile body could never compare to a servant.
No matter how powerful Saber's master might be, if faced with a servant, there was only one outcome: death.
And now Saber was even letting all the enemies know that he was at the Tohsaka residence, wasn't this basically telling everyone outright, 'My master is unprotected right now, hurry up and go kill her?'
Mordred lounged carelessly against the sofa with her legs propped up, clicked her tongue, and said, "I really want to know who came up with this plan, we probably won't even need to make a move. Saber's master will be in trouble soon enough, right?"
"But hiding around all the time is way too boring, when do we finally get to go out and have some fun?"
For someone with Mordred's personality, what she hated most were all kinds of messy plans.
Compared to scheming, she preferred grabbing her weapon, facing the enemy head-on, and smashing them fair and square.
In terms of compatibility, Kayneth and Mordred could be said to be a terrible match.
The former preferred laying plans in the shadows, while the latter believed in fighting anyone she met.
"In that case, let's stretch our legs a bit."
At that moment, Kayneth suddenly spoke.
Mordred couldn't help but freeze, looking at the man with some surprise.
"I imagine quite a few people have their eyes on Saber's master tonight. If nothing unexpected happens, the other servants participating in this Holy Grail War should also show themselves, this is an excellent opportunity to gather information."
Under Mordred's gradually brightening gaze of anticipation, Kayneth said slowly, "So, we can begin our operation, Lancer!"
———
Perhaps because Alvin's side took the initiative, or perhaps because everyone had been watching them closely since last night.
In any case, when Alvin headed for Tohsaka Tokiomi's estate, the masters of all sides began to stir.
"Interesting! Truly interesting! Using your own master as bait, looks like Saber has quite a bit of confidence in his master."
"This is what makes the Holy Grail War truly interesting. If everyone just cowers in the shadows, waiting for opportunities, then what's the point of the Holy Grail War at all?"
On an unmanned rooftop, the cold wind raged, billowing the man's royal cloak.
The tall, powerfully built King of Conquerors rested his chin in his hand, observing a certain direction in the sky, and soon burst into hearty laughter.
Iskandar, the King of Conquerors, a servant summoned in this Holy Grail War under the Rider class.
A young-looking boy covered his face in despair, "What part of this is interesting? Isn't the other side obviously fishing for someone to bite the hook?"
"If we go to Saber's master's location now, we might walk straight into a trap they've set."
Waver Velvet, one of Kayneth's disciples, a Clock Tower student who had stolen Kayneth's relic not long ago and secretly come to Fuyuki to participate in the Holy Grail War.
On the very night he summoned Iskandar, Waver already regretted it.
He knew how dangerous this Holy Grail War was, and all he wanted was to survive until it ended.
[🎉 Shoutout to Asriels, LN and Slashdog for joining p@treon. Thank you very much.🤗]
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