"Rin… that girl really went to Fuyuki on her own."
After discovering that Rin had gone missing, Aoi Tohsaka immediately drove back to Fuyuki City to search for her daughter. At that moment, she sped through the empty streets, the streetlights slicing through the darkness like blades, while her heart pounded erratically.
Suddenly, a blond man dressed in an unusual manner, calmly walking along the sidewalk as if nothing around him mattered, caught her attention.
And then, at the edge of her vision, she saw a small, familiar figure.
"Rin!"
Without thinking twice, Aoi jerked the steering wheel and slammed the brakes near the roadside, the car coming to a slight skid before stopping.
"Mom?"
The moment she stepped out of the car, Aoi rushed straight toward Arthur and pulled Rin into her arms, hugging her tightly as if afraid she might disappear again.
For a brief instant, Rin hesitated.
Her small body resisted slightly before she let go of Arthur's arms, as if she didn't want to leave.
"You must never do something like that again, Rin!"
"I understand, Mom…"
Even so, as she was enveloped by Aoi's familiar warmth, all the courage sustaining her heart collapsed at once.
The fear she had suppressed came rushing back, making her shoulders tremble as she cried in her mother's arms.
Arthur simply watched in silence.
"Who are you?"
Still holding Rin, Aoi raised her gaze cautiously. There was tension in her eyes.
She recognized him—he was a Servant.
More than that, the Einzbern Servant.
Even with the ceasefire still in effect, fear remained.
"Mom, let me explain…"
Still sniffling, Rin began explaining everything—from rescuing her classmate to her encounter with Caster and his Master.
As she spoke, her eyes unconsciously drifted back to Arthur again and again.
Upon hearing the story, Aoi's face turned pale.
She gently set Rin down, then, without hesitation, bowed deeply to Arthur.
"Thank you, Lancer. If you hadn't arrived in time, Rin might have…"
"There's no need to bow. I simply did what I had to. Besides, I couldn't allow Caster and his Master to capture your adorable daughter," Arthur replied calmly.
"Adorable…"
Rin froze for a second.
Her face immediately turned red.
But not just from embarrassment.
Her innocent little heart began to beat faster.
She didn't fully understand what she was feeling.
But she knew it was different from anything she had ever experienced before.
Aoi, however, simply interpreted her daughter's reaction as embarrassment and paid it little mind.
"Lancer…"
"You can just call me Arthur."
"Then… Arthur. The Holy Grail War isn't over yet, so my daughter and I won't trouble you any further."
Aoi bowed once more politely.
After that, she took Rin's hand to leave—but couldn't pull her away.
"Rin?"
"I'm not going! I want to stay with him!"
Rin pushed her mother's hand away and ran behind Arthur, partially hiding behind him while clutching the hem of his clothes.
"Rin…"
Aoi was completely stunned.
She had never seen her daughter act like this before.
"Rin, you need to listen to your mother. People don't like disobedient children," Arthur said calmly, gently patting her head.
"But…"
Rin tightened her grip on his clothes.
Somehow, she felt that if she left now… she might never see him again.
And that thought was strangely painful.
"You must fight for what you want." Her father's words echoed in her mind.
Arthur noticed her inner conflict and sighed inwardly.
"How about this?"
He turned to Aoi.
"Tokiomi agreed to use a Command Seal as payment for rescuing her. I originally planned to settle this after dealing with Caster, but I can take you back now and receive it there. What do you think?"
"Wouldn't that be too much trouble for you?" Aoi asked hesitantly.
Arthur waved his hand dismissively.
"It's fine. I'm fast—it won't take long."
Aoi looked at Rin.
Rin looked at Arthur.
"Alright… then I'll trouble you."
"Yes!" Rin immediately perked up.
Her face was still slightly flushed, but now her eyes shone brightly.
She waved at Arthur.
"Come here."
Confused but not refusing, Arthur crouched down.
And then, without warning, Rin climbed onto his shoulders.
Aoi's eyes widened.
Rin held onto his head with both hands, adjusting herself as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
She had wanted to do this for a long time.
But she had never dared to do it with her father.
Now, without even realizing it, she simply did it with Arthur.
"Wow, you're so tall!"
As Arthur stood up, Rin broke into a radiant smile.
The night wind brushed against her face.
Aoi was speechless for a moment.
"You shouldn't spoil her like that."
"It's fine. She reminds me a bit of my son, Taiyo. That brat is just as lively as she is," Arthur replied with a faint smile.
Rin blinked.
"Son…?"
For some reason, that bothered her just a little.
But she didn't understand why.
---xXx---
{"Iri, Artie, let's put the Caster matter aside for now. I'm taking Rin back home first—let's meet at the Tohsaka residence."}
"Alright. Have a safe trip."
After ending the call with Arthur, Irisviel and Artoria, who had been searching for Caster along the coast, immediately changed direction and headed toward the Tohsaka mansion.
Meanwhile, on the way to the Tohsaka residence—
Rin sat on Arthur's shoulders, asking him countless questions nonstop, full of excitement.
---xXx---
Tohsaka Family Residence
Tokiomi stood motionless before the large glass window, delicately holding a glass of wine between his fingers. His posture was impeccable as always—upright, refined, befitting a magus of noble lineage.
Outside, the cold moonlight bathed the silent garden, filtering through the glass and casting a pale glow over the room. The crimson wine in his glass seemed even more vivid under that spectral light, as if reflecting not only the moon… but also the blood that would inevitably be shed in this war.
In the reflection of the window, Tokiomi's confident smile appeared clearly.
It was the smile of someone who believed he had everything under control.
Suddenly, another figure appeared in the reflection.
Tokiomi's smile faltered for a brief moment—not enough to disappear, but enough to betray a slight disturbance. Still, he did not turn around.
"Kirei, this is not the time for you to act."
His voice remained calm and controlled.
"If you leave the church like this, you'll become a target for the other Masters."
"Thank you for your concern, Professor Tokiomi."
The reply came in a respectful tone—almost too neutral.
"I just wanted to go out and relax. I came here because I felt it would be more comfortable and safer to stay with you."
Tokiomi heard those words and, as always, accepted them without suspicion.
To him, Kirei was a perfect tool—obedient, disciplined, and incapable of acting outside logic.
"I see."
He finally turned, walking elegantly toward the nearby table, where he set down his wine glass with a soft clink.
"Then you may stay here and watch this Holy Grail War with me until it ends."
Without hesitation, he opened the lower drawer of the cabinet and took out a small dark wooden box. Its surface was simple but carefully polished, like everything that belonged to him.
Tokiomi extended the box toward Kirei.
"What is this?"
Kirei received it respectfully with both hands and opened it carefully. Inside lay a short, discreet yet sharp dagger, its blade reflecting a cold gleam under the moonlight.
His usually empty eyes showed a trace of confusion.
Tokiomi returned to the window, picked up his glass again, and stood with his back turned, contemplating the night as if nothing could disturb him.
"This is proof that you have completed your training."
The words were spoken casually, almost like a formality.
"Honestly, I don't know how to thank you, Master."
"I should be the one thanking you, Kirei."
A satisfied smile appeared on Tokiomi's lips.
"It is thanks to your support… and Assassin's sacrifice… that I have such control over this Holy Grail War."
He raised his glass slightly, as if toasting his own impending victory.
"We are only a few steps away from the Greater Grail."
His smile widened, filled with ambition and pride, completely oblivious to the presence slowly approaching behind him.
Without hesitation, Kirei raised the dagger—and in the next instant, drove the blade deep into Tokiomi's back.
The sound of flesh being pierced was muffled, yet brutal.
Tokiomi's eyes widened as his body stiffened.
The glass slipped from his fingers and shattered on the floor, scattering wine—or perhaps blood—into crimson fragments.
He didn't scream. He couldn't.
His body simply didn't respond.
Why…?
That single question echoed endlessly in his mind.
Kirei…?
Why?
"Why… why?! Kirei…"
His voice came out weak, broken, almost unrecognizable.
Instinctively, he tried to gather magical energy—a reflex of an experienced magus struggling to survive at any cost.
But Kirei, expressionless, drove the dagger even deeper into his back.
The blade tore through flesh and muscle, brutally cutting off the flow of energy before any spell could form.
Thud!
Tokiomi's body collapsed heavily onto the floor.
The impact was dull.
Blood slowly spread beneath him, forming a dark pool that reflected the moonlight—a grotesque parody of the elegance he so cherished.
His eyes remained open.
Frozen in pure disbelief.
Even on the brink of death… he could not understand what had happened.
The perfect disciple.
The man who never questioned him.
The ideal executor of his plans.
Why?
Tokiomi Tohsaka died without an answer.
Or rather…
Without understanding it.
"To carry on your teachings…"
Kirei's voice echoed calmly in the silent room.
"…and to bring this Holy Grail War to a serene and elegant conclusion, Professor Tokiomi."
Only after Tokiomi's death did Kirei respond—as if the explanation had been an irrelevant detail, unnecessary while he was still alive.
He looked down at the fallen body at his feet.
Then a small smile appeared on his face as a new sensation spread through him.
Kirei placed a hand over his chest, as if trying to understand the emotion swelling within.
It was… joy.
---
(End of Chapter)