"Then I apologize profusely; it seems it's necessary to give you compulsory treatment.
No matter what, next time I will definitely make all the preparations for you.
But, I promise you, Jeanne! Next time we meet, I will... save you from God's curse!"
"Didn't you hear what I said? Pick up your sword and fight fair and square!"
To Saber's indifferent reply, Caster remained silent, his strangely colored robe drifting backward, creating a large distance between him and Saber, then disappearing as silently as if he had never appeared.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, to make Caster, a Magus, pick up a sword and fight, does Saber really have the insight to see that Gilles de Rais actually has the potential to be a Saber?"
Of the two witches standing before the Magic Mirror, one watched with great interest, while the other looked at the scene in the mirror with a worried expression.
Rin looked at Jalter beside her; throughout the entire process, Gilles de Rais's fervent admiration for Jeanne d'Arc showed no pretense, reaching an illogical and insane degree of extremism.
He stubbornly insisted that Saber was Jeanne d'Arc and pestered her relentlessly, finally stating that he would continue to trouble Saber.
"It seems that Holy Maiden has indeed caused quite a bit of trouble."
Rin, influenced by Jalter's emotions, couldn't help but sigh for the so stubbornly insane Gilles de Rais.
"Too sacred and dazzling a light illuminated too many souls around it; when this light is suddenly destroyed one day, the souls also fall with it."
Jalter, who had been silent throughout, asked after hearing Rin's sigh, "Master, what do you think Gilles will do next to 'treat' Saber?"
Her words, like a joke, carried no hint of humor; rather, they conveyed an inexpressible sadness.
"From the perspective of a blasphemer who hates God, he would probably pile up blasphemous sacrifices to prove that even great evil won't be punished by God, to show how hypocritical so-called gods are, something like that."
Rin reached out to touch the mirror, then turned to Jalter, "Do you want to keep watching?"
"No need."
Jalter turned around, "I already know what path he's embarked on; I just need to wait for him at the end... Master, let's sleep."
"Sleep together?"
"Haven't we always? By the way, you don't need to sleep with bandages tonight, do you?"
"If your hands don't wander."
"Alright."
While some rejoiced and others worried, in the Twin Mansion deep in the mountains, as Rin and Jalter, the harmonious and loving yuri couple, slept soundly, Rin's father, Tokiomi, was truly suffering because of his daughter.
Since the Holy Grail War's first battle erupted yesterday, Tokiomi had been unable to rest day or night.
Starting yesterday, it seemed all participating Masters had cast aside the secret rules of Magic, with city- and army-level destructive noble phantasms exploding in the Fuyuki mountainside at a rate of one in the morning and one in the evening.
The Tohsaka Family and the Church, responsible for maintaining the secrecy of Magic within Fuyuki, were utterly bewildered.
Originally, Tohsaka Tokiomi's plan was to first use Gilgamesh to instantly kill Assassin to create momentum, making all Masters and Servants wary of making rash moves against the Tohsaka Family.
At the same time, Kirei Kotomine and Assassin would hide in the background to secretly observe the battle.
When only one of the other five Servants remained, Gilgamesh would then eliminate it, and finally, Kirei Kotomine would use a command spell to order Assassin to commit suicide.
It was a simple yet perfect Holy Grail War strategy.
Unfortunately, from the very first step of the demonstration, things went awry.
Aside from Saber's sword burning the earth during the day, the Heaven's Fall strike that erupted simultaneously with Gilgamesh's instant kill of Assassin turned the so-called demonstration into a joke.
Later, in the direct Servant battle that had just occurred, Assassin, who had been observing the battlefield in hiding, was soon discovered and then defeated at the first opportunity, meaning the connection between the Tohsaka Family and the Church was essentially exposed.
If it were just this, it wouldn't be the worst, but subsequently, even his Servant, Archer, the King of Heroes, Gilgamesh, completely refused to cooperate with his plan.
Gilgamesh, possessing A-rank Independent Action, had never established Magic Circuits with Tohsaka Tokiomi, preventing him from fully knowing where his Servant was or what he was doing.
Moreover, what puzzled Tokiomi even more was why the King of Heroes was so obsessed with a common pastime like strolling.
He could be seen on the streets of Fuyuki almost every day, eventually strolling into the completely unnecessary battlefield that had just taken place.
Because the Assassin monitoring the battlefield was defeated, Tohsaka Tokiomi had no way of knowing what happened afterward, and could only wait anxiously in the Tohsaka Family's underground Magic workshop.
When the new Assassin arrived at the battlefield, the message Kirei Kotomine sent back was:
"Tokiomi-sensei, Archer is currently engaged in battle with Berserker's group, and Berserker's group has a slight advantage."
This news struck Tokiomi like a thunderbolt!
As Gilgamesh's Master, Tohsaka Tokiomi knew the King of Heroes' strength inside and out; it was unimaginably powerful, absolutely overwhelming even without using his ultimate trump card.
It was inconceivable that any Servant could gain an advantage in battle against him! And it was Berserker, one of the two classes that usually exited the War earliest.
"What kind of Heroic Spirit is Berserker, what are his ability parameters, what noble phantasm does he use, can you discern his true name? Is he the female Servant who defeated Assassin earlier?!"
The appearance of a Heroic Spirit capable of rivaling Gilgamesh undoubtedly shattered his greatest reliance, facing the crisis of losing the Holy Grail, Tohsaka Tokiomi could barely maintain his usual elegant demeanor, asking Kirei Kotomine in a hurried tone.
"Not at all, Tokiomi-sensei.
Berserker is a black knight completely encased in armor.
He didn't use any noble phantasm, but he can freely pick up and use the noble phantasms Archer throws.
Moreover, he has some ability that can block a Master's prying, so I can't see any of his ability parameters.
And the female who defeated Assassin earlier is not a Servant; she is Berserker's Master."
All questions were answered with the worst possible outcomes; no information about the opponent was obtained, while he himself faced a great risk of exposure.
"Tokiomi-sensei, if I may be so bold, the appearance of that Berserker's Master is identical to that of your wife, Aoi, and her hair color is the same black as yours..."
Rin?!
Tohsaka Tokiomi immediately thought of his eldest daughter, whom he hadn't seen in two years.
From starting Magic at age two until now, Rin had only studied Magic for five years.
Could five years of study really grant her the power to contend with a Servant?
Is it possible?
It is possible!
Tohsaka Tokiomi, born into a Magus family, understood better than anyone that in the face of talent and opportunity, time often held no meaning.
A genius was a genius; such examples were rare throughout history, but certainly not non-existent.
At this moment, Tohsaka Tokiomi's heart was truly in a tangled mess.
Rin, possessing the power to contend with a Servant, was undoubtedly the strongest genius in the Tohsaka Family's history, surpassing all family ancestors.
Having such a daughter should have been Tohsaka Tokiomi's greatest pride in life, but at this moment, this genius daughter had become his biggest obstacle to obtaining the Holy Grail and reaching the Root!
What to do?
Perhaps he should just hand over the victory of this Holy Grail War to Rin; that way, it would still be a victory for the Tohsaka Family... No!
Rin had left home without a word, taking the Matou Family's command spells to participate in the Holy Grail War, clearly not striving for the Holy Grail for the family.
What exactly was this child fighting for, and the struggle for the Holy Grail couldn't be certain...
The Tohsaka Family's two-hundred-year duty and wish to reach the Root through the Holy Grail could not tolerate any carelessness!
But... that child Rin...
"Sensei, Archer has drawn Ea.
Please make a decision quickly."
Ea!
"By the command spells, your humble servant Tohsaka Tokiomi dares to advise you at the risk of his life, great King Gilgamesh, please quell your wrath and return."
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