On a high-rise in Miyama Town, not far from the Matou estate, Merlin stood cradling Sakura in her arms. She hadn't left yet; instead, she remained still, watching the Matou residence as it was consumed by a raging inferno.
"A magus lineage with centuries of heritage... it seems this is where it ends. Do you have any parting thoughts, Matou Zouken, head of the Matou family?"
She spoke into the empty air, but no one answered.
"Oh? Playing dead, are we?"
Merlin raised a hand and let it fall gently toward Sakura's chest. Her hand slipped into the girl's thoracic cavity with effortless ease, yet it caused no tearing of the flesh, nor did a single drop of blood spill.
Running her tongue over her lips, her hand searched within the girl's chest for a moment before she pinched and withdrew a peculiar-looking insect.
It was the worm parasitizing Sakura's body—the true vessel for Matou Zouken's soul.
To extract it so cleanly would have required a top-tier healing magus to perform surgery, or for the host to possess an extraordinary regenerative ability. Or, one could simply be Merlin—a being existing on an entirely different plane of reality from modern magi.
"Why... why would a Grand Magus who has already withdrawn to the Garden... interfere in our affairs?"
The decrepit voice creaked through the night, heavy with profound terror.
"You're talking about that one, not me," Merlin replied with a beaming smile, though there was precious little warmth in her expression. "For me, the most important thing is always whether something is interesting. For instance, if I tell Lutz later that he only killed an empty shell and failed to strike the root of the problem, he'll surely worry for this child, won't he? But if I tell him I finished the job for him, he'll be even happier. I quite like Lutz's smile, you see."
"Ah... ahh... please, Lord Merlin, do not kill me! I... I..." Zouken pleaded desperately.
"I'm afraid I cannot do that. Not that I particularly care, but it's simply more fitting for you to die here," Merlin's voice sounded distant, detached from the mortal world. "A soul that has already rotted away only suffers more by continuing to live. Your story should have ended long ago."
The writhing insect in Merlin's palm suddenly stiffened, frozen in a final contraction. Then, it lost all vitality, dissolving into flower petals that scattered into the night air.
Merlin continued to smile, devoid of any further sentiment regarding the matter. She gazed into the distance at the silhouettes of Ludwig and Artoria as they returned to Shinto.
"I'd better wrap things up and hurry back here. It takes quite a bit of time to get to Finland from here, though fortunately, it's the same era, so it's not too much of a chore. Oh, I wonder if I should pick up some interesting Finnish souvenirs for Lutz on the way back... Hehehe~"
As she talked to herself, flower petals swirled into a sphere, enveloping her before instantly bursting and vanishing.
Her figure and her voice were gone; no one knew where she had departed to.
All that remained was the blazing Matou estate and the wail of fire truck sirens approaching from the distance, jolting more citizens awake from the depths of the night.
Almost at the same time, news of the upheaval at the Matou household reached the Tohsaka residence.
Since nightfall, Tokiomi Tohsaka had been sitting in his workshop as usual, maintaining the mansion's bounded field to prevent any potential night attacks. He had also ordered Kirei's Assassins to set up surveillance at multiple points around the estate.
The only flaw in his strategy was that Archer refused to cooperate. Gilgamesh was currently absent from the Tohsaka residence, his reasoning being that since no one was coming tonight, he wouldn't waste his time.
Tokiomi could only prepare himself to use a Command Spell to summon Gilgamesh should the worst happen.
Caster was still active in the shadows, which was a significant headache for him, yet he lacked a definitive counter-strategy.
Thus, when the news from the Matou household arrived, Tokiomi nearly fell off his chair in shock.
"Is this true, Kirei?" he asked through the transmission medium.
"Yes. According to Assassin's observations, Matou Kariya brought Ludwig back to the Matou house. A short while later, the estate caught fire. Although the Fuyuki Fire Department received the alarm, it was already too late."
"That isn't the point. What about the people of the Matou family?" Tokiomi found it hard to believe.
In his memory, that old man—who was several generations his senior—was by no means a magus who could be defeated so easily.
"Assassin could not get too close, but after they departed, the remains of Matou Zouken were sighted at the scene," Kirei continued his report.
Tokiomi let out a long sigh. "So, the Matou family was truly destroyed by Kariya? What on earth is he trying to do?"
"..." Kirei could not provide an answer.
Ever since Kariya had sought out Ludwig, it had become difficult for Assassin to track his movements. Whether it was eavesdropping or any other surveillance method, it felt as though someone was constantly interfering, preventing them from succeeding.
And yet, it didn't seem to be the work of Ludwig, who possessed no magecraft.
Who else was hiding in the shadows?
"Then... what about Sakura?" Tokiomi hesitated for a moment, unable to stop himself from asking.
"After the fire broke out and the Saber pair and Berserker's Master departed, Assassin slipped into the mansion to search. There was no sign of the Matou girl," Kirei said. "No one was seen taking her away either. On the roadside outside the estate, they only found an unconscious Matou Tsuruno."
"..." Tokiomi couldn't help but tighten his grip on his jeweled staff.
The turn of events at the Matou household was completely unexpected. Even he wouldn't have laid a hand on the Matou family just because he was hostile toward Kariya in the Holy Grail War.
On one hand, they were indeed troublesome; on the other, as fellow founding families of the Fuyuki Holy Grail War, there was no need to completely burn bridges.
The world of magecraft had its rules, and as a magus, one had to abide by them.
The issue was that Kariya had acted against his own family. In a sense, it was an internal dispute, and Tokiomi truly had no grounds to intervene.
His only concern was Sakura's whereabouts.
"Master Tokiomi, how should we proceed?"
"Scale back Assassin's surveillance on the other factions," Tokiomi said, a sudden premonition washing over him. "The time to engage Ludwig may be close at hand."
"Understood," Kirei replied before ending the transmission.
Tokiomi's intent was simple: recall Assassin to prepare for the inevitable full-scale assault Ludwig might launch at any moment.
Regardless of the reason, that youth was now a participant in the Holy Grail War, and a direct confrontation had become unavoidable.
Thinking of this, Tokiomi stood up, intending to contact Kayneth's faction.
While he didn't expect a joint operation, if Ludwig attacked either side, the other could launch a surprise attack from the rear, forcing him into a pincer movement.
Tokiomi told himself silently: as long as Ludwig and Saber were dealt with, the unstable elements of this Holy Grail War could be completely eliminated.
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Type-Moon: The A-Ray Knight's Holy Grail Journey(80 Chapter - Ongoing)
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