Chapter 206: Tohsaka Tokiomi's Interference
"There's no way I can trust him…"
Looking at Kotomine Risei's deceptively honest appearance and scheming mind, Hachiman Hikigaya silently grumbled in his heart.
He was certain that this so-called church supervisor was colluding with the other participants!
If he naïvely handed over his Servant and Command Seal, Risei could easily turn against him and have the Servant eliminate him.
Although Hachiman still didn't know the full strength of the Servant, he had no intention of fighting them blindly without intelligence.
Having confirmed Risei's potential betrayal, Hachiman had no plans to linger in the church.
After all, according to Risei, once participants are confirmed, Servants can already be summoned.
Given that Hachiman's participant status was now exposed, it would be reckless to stay around Risei.
Standing up and politely saying he needed time to think, Hachiman prepared to leave the church with Sakura.
Risei didn't stop them, only giving a complex look before allowing them to push open the wooden doors and leave.
"The Holy Grail War won't start for another year…"
Holding Sakura's hand as they stepped out of church territory, Hachiman began contemplating where they should go next.
Staying in Fuyuki City was out of the question.
After all, there was still that old, nearly indestructible bug lurking, watching over Sakura.
Going abroad wasn't an option either…
Not only was Hachiman's English terrible, but his unregistered status would prevent him from leaving the country.
Plus, he didn't really want to go overseas.
At least in Japan, even though everything was unfamiliar, he could communicate normally with people.
"So, I guess we can only choose a sparsely populated domestic area…"
Since traveling abroad was impossible, Hachiman decided to focus on remote towns within Japan.
Having made up his mind, he prepared to leave immediately with Sakura to avoid further complications.
However, Tohsaka Tokiomi acted faster than Hachiman expected!
The once-bustling streets, in less than a minute, suddenly became empty, leaving only Hachiman and Sakura.
"Some ability to expel ordinary people?"
Looking at the deserted street, Hachiman's expression grew serious.
He immediately placed protective formations around both of them and continued moving forward.
"Sir, are we being targeted?"
Sakura, who had been silent since entering the church, suddenly looked up at him.
"Yes, but it's fine."
Hachiman smiled at her and gently patted her purple hair to reassure her as they continued forward.
"I trust you, sir. With your strength, there's absolutely nothing to worry about!"
Sakura seemed to enjoy Hachiman's gentle touch. She raised her head, nuzzling him like a little kitten, and spoke with a determined tone.
"Sakura…"
However, in the next moment, a magnetic middle-aged male voice suddenly came from ahead.
Hearing the voice, Sakura trembled and clutched Hachiman's arm, hiding behind him.
The first thing to enter Hachiman's view was a red suit, followed by the face of a middle-aged man with a small goatee and an air of elegance.
At this moment, Tohsaka Tokiomi looked at Sakura hiding behind Hachiman and spoke with a voice full of reproach:
"How could you run away from the Matou household without permission? Don't you know that what you did damages the Tohsaka family's honor and ruins the friendship between the Tohsaka and Matou families?!"
"He's your father?"
Hachiman, unwilling to deal with the man's parental attitude and constant talk of family honor, turned to Sakura and asked about his identity.
"Um…"
Hesitating, Sakura reluctantly nodded, confirming that the man before them was indeed her biological father and the very person responsible for sending her to the Matou family.
"Then are you going to go with him?"
Hachiman continued, knowing he could not stop her if she wished to go.
"No! Don't leave me…"
Hearing Hachiman's question, Sakura thought he intended to send her back to the Tohsaka household, and she panicked.
"Don't worry. As long as you don't want to go back, no one can force you."
Seeing Sakura's resistance, Hachiman firmly reassured her he would never send her back, then looked at Tokiomi.
"You're Sakura's father, right?"
"Yes, I am. And you are…?"
Hachiman's brusque tone made Tokiomi frown instinctively.
"It doesn't matter who I am. What matters is that Sakura refuses to go with you. So if you know what's good for you, step aside."
"Hahaha, interesting…"
Tokiomi laughed, clearly amused.
An outsider dared to interfere in his family affairs and brazenly tell him to get out of the way?
Judging by his shabby appearance, he was probably just a third-rate magus, yet he spoke to him like this?!
"I must teach you a lesson…"
A cold glint appeared in Tokiomi's eyes. He twirled his magic staff in the air elegantly and summoned a ring of fire, sending it hurtling toward Hachiman.
Just this?
Hachiman was initially surprised but quickly shook his head in resignation.
This attack was only on the level of a high-grade Evil Spirit, right?
The Tohsaka family was one of the two major magical families in Fuyuki City, and this was the head's full strength?
Moreover, to "teach him a lesson," he used a wide-range attack like a fire ring, showing no concern for harming Sakura nearby.
Hachiman's opinion of Tokiomi sank further. He summoned the Demon Slayer blade and effortlessly sliced the incoming fire ring to pieces.
"What?!"
Tokiomi's face showed disbelief.
How was this possible?
That was a flame magic attack enhanced by his magic staff! Even magus from the Clock Tower would need a magical barrier to block it, so how could Hachiman destroy it with sheer force so easily?!
Read ahead (60 chapters) by supporting me on buymeacoffee com/varietl or ko-fi edwriting