Soon, Kariya hurriedly took his leave. Yusei slowly finished the coffee in his cup, then narrowed his eyes to look at the clear sky outside, feeling extremely pleased.
Next, he only needed to wait. He had incidentally saved a pitiful little girl, advanced his own plans, and successfully established an image of a 'Ruler who accepts bribes'.
With Yusei intentionally having Kariya spread the news, it didn't take long for all factions, except for Caster who wasn't interested in such things, to feel utterly astounded.
'What? You can bribe the Ruler with rare treasures to get help from him? What happened to fair, just, and open?'
The various forces inwardly complained, but their actions were remarkably unified: collect good items to use as bribes!
Any Master with a bit of sense could figure out that mere treasures couldn't compare to Command Spells? A Command Spell was equivalent to giving a Servant one more full-state recovery, which is extremely important in battle.
Thus, on one hand, they contacted Kariya, and on the other hand, they came to find Yusei. It was still the early stages of the Holy Grail War, so boosting combat power was the priority.
Regarding the task of helping Kariya, aside from Tokiomi, both the Saber and Lancer Factions were eager to secure it.
Especially the Lancer faction, because Kayneth had presumptuously refused to show up last time and thus didn't receive a Command Spell. He was now extremely keen on obtaining more Command Spells to close the gap with the others.
As for Waver Velvet's Rider Faction, he considered his own magecraft insufficient and didn't participate at all.
From the morning meeting with Kariya to gathering people ready to take down Zouken, Kariya displayed astonishing efficiency, preparing to act that very night.
That night, Yusei watched silently from a distant building as the Matou Residence erupted in flashes of light. The outcome would be clear the next day.
If Zouken was still alive, then it would be his turn to act.
The next day, at the same breakfast shop, Yusei leisurely finished his meal and went to a small alley in the adjacent street. Looking at the empty corner ahead, he spoke.
"Come out. It seems you succeeded."
A weak cough sounded, and a gaunt man staggered out. It was worth noting that a little girl followed behind him.
Yusei looked at the little girl with interest, 'Was this Tohsaka Sakura? No, she should be called Matou Sakura now. Tohsaka Tokiomi had already discarded her.'
"It's done... The worms inside Sakura were also removed by Lancer's Master, cough... But my body is finished, Ruler. I want to ask you for a favor."
"What is it?"
"Please take care of Sakura. Don't worry, she is very useful. She has the makings of an excellent magus. She could even replace me as Berserker's Master without any problem. I know you have your own plans. With Sakura's help, your plans will be much smoother."
After speaking, Kariya looked nervously at Yusei, afraid he would refuse. If he refused, Kariya truly didn't know who else to entrust Sakura to.
If he returned Sakura to Tohsaka Aoi, Aoi would surely take her back to the Tohsaka Household, and then Tokiomi would send her away somewhere else.
After much thought, only Ruler could help.
Although he was a Servant temporarily remaining in the present world, at least until the Holy Grail War ended, Sakura would be cared for.
After that, they could only see if any orphanage would take her in.
"Alright, I promise you." Yusei nodded in agreement without hesitation.
This made Kariya overjoyed.
In his extreme happiness, color actually flushed his face, followed immediately by a violent cough, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.
"Please... I'm counting on you."
After saying this, Kariya collapsed directly to the ground. The light in his eyes gradually faded, his pupils dilating. Clearly, he was dead.
Yusei crouched down and looked at the remaining Command Spells.
'One left, that was acceptable.'
"Sakura, come here. Press the back of your hand against this pattern."
Sakura silently obeyed, walked over, crouched down, and pressed the back of her hand against the Command Spell. A hot, stinging sensation followed, and the Command Spell transfer was complete.
Next, Yusei gave Sakura another Command Spell, 'Two Command Spells would be enough to constrain Berserker.'
It had to be said, Kariya's magical talent was extremely poor. Even young Sakura had a firmer control over Berserker than he did.
"Alright, let's go."
Yusei used a cloth bag to pack Kariya's body, planning to take it outside and find a place to bury him.
After all, he was a partner. It wouldn't do for him to die with no one to bury him.
After handling this, Yusei continued strolling leisurely through Fuyuki City.
Now he only needed to wait for other Masters to come seeking 'help'.
Around 2 p.m., as expected, a familiar pair sought him out.
Yusei was sitting under a parasol outside a beverage shop, comfortably enjoying the quiet afternoon. Sakura sat silently at a nearby seat, just drinking her beverage.
Yusei opened his eyes and glanced at them, smiling, "Saber, and Irisviel. What can I do for you?"
Saber looked seriously at Yusei, her eyes even filled with thick disappointment. Before Irisviel could speak, she questioned, "Why would you do such a thing? Isn't the Ruler's duty to maintain the fairness of the Holy Grail War?"
"Yes, I am maintaining fairness." Yusei yawned lazily, "You arrived on time that night, so I gave you Command Spells. I thought it over, and that seemed unfair to others. So I wanted to find a reason to give Command Spells to others. The only reasonable reason I could think of was to have others trade something for them. Isn't that fair? Equivalent exchange."
Saber frowned, seeming to genuinely consider the validity of Yusei's words. But soon, she realized it was completely sophistry.
Yusei glanced at her and, before she could speak, said directly, "Did you come here for something? If you want to trade for Command Spells, bring out good items. Otherwise, please leave quickly. Other Masters might come to do business with me at any moment."
Saber was so angry she could barely speak, but that had nothing to do with Yusei. For the sake of his Path to Godhood, Saber's favorability wasn't very important.