"…."
Hearing what Ritsuka had said, Kariya—already wearing a dazed expression—froze even harder.
And yet, for some reason, it also sounded… off.
If it had been any other time—if he'd heard the words "Matou Zouken might have been taken down"—Kariya would've been overjoyed. He would've jumped up, clapped his hands, and celebrated like it was the best news of his life.
But hearing it from Ritsuka's mouth, his brain still felt fogged.
Kariya stood by the open iron gate, rubbing his head with a weary, almost melancholy air, forcing himself to organize his thoughts. What was happening in front of him was completely different from anything he'd imagined, and it left him more than a little scrambled.
Only a few years had passed, yet he suddenly felt like he couldn't keep up with how the world had changed.
What, do young people evolve faster than light now…?
Even though he was full of doubts—and didn't want to believe it—Ritsuka's clear eyes made it impossible to ignore the question Kariya most needed answered.
"Ritsuka… did you really kill… the old worm?" he asked hesitantly.
"Kill him? That would be a wonderful dream," Ritsuka said, shaking his head. "I'd love to say yes, but no. I only beat him for now—I didn't kill him."
"For us, it was just a temporary victory."
"As you can see, Uncle Kariya… the Matou household in its current state is my spoils of that short-lived win."
"…."
Kariya didn't even register the phrase temporary victory.
His entire mind latched onto the idea that Ritsuka had beaten Zouken at all—something so shocking it felt like his worldview had been rewritten.
He pinched his own face.
It hurt.
So he wasn't dreaming…
But why did it still feel so unreal?
Ding-dong—
The doorbell rang.
Kariya glanced toward the sound on reflex, then back at Ritsuka—only to see Ritsuka respond with practiced ease.
"Yeah, just leave it by the door."
A moment later, Ritsuka took a stack of parcels—more than ten—from a delivery worker, then called into the house with a helpless tone.
"Your Amazon delivery is here, Your Majesty."
"I know," came Morgan's voice from inside, brimming with excitement. "I'm trying on dresses. Bring the clothes in."
"…Alright," Ritsuka replied, resigned, and carried the packages inside personally.
They'd agreed that they needed money to prepare materials and build the sturdiest possible mage workshop.
So he'd taken the fastest path to cash: sell the Matou estate for dirt cheap.
But after Morgan received his "startup funds," the first thing she did wasn't buy materials.
She—smoothly, expertly—went on Amazon and ordered piles of clothing and figures.
Ritsuka couldn't help but doubt.
Is she really going to build a workshop…?
…Well. Maybe it was just an ancient person's curiosity about modern technology.
Once she got it out of her system, it would probably be fine…
That was the only way Ritsuka could reassure himself.
When he returned—having delivered Morgan's very modern shopping spree—Ritsuka seemed to have lost interest in prolonging the conversation.
He pushed a prepared bank card and Shinji toward Kariya.
"Alright, Uncle Kariya. That's the situation."
"Don't worry. The old worm won't be coming back anytime soon."
"I've already sold off most of the Matou household."
"Take this card—there's a huge amount of money on it. Enough for you to live comfortably for the rest of your life."
"And take Shinji with you. Leave. And never come back here again."
"…."
Kariya didn't move.
There was no way he could just leave—not with so much he didn't understand.
But he'd already realized his thought process couldn't keep up with Ritsuka's pace anymore, so he chose a simpler approach: ask directly, in his own way.
"No, wait. Let me straighten this out. This is… too much at once."
"You're saying… you drove Matou Zouken out, successfully took over the Matou family, and now you're arranging your affairs. Is that it?"
Kariya asked cautiously.
"What do you mean, arranging my affairs?" Ritsuka gave him a weary smile. "I'm just making preparations so I won't have anything holding me back."
"The Holy Grail War is about to begin. Fuyuki won't stay peaceful."
"You ordinary people should get far away from here as soon as possible."
"…So it is," Kariya murmured.
Just hearing the phrase Holy Grail War changed his expression.
He knew the ritual existed. He knew how dangerous it was.
He could understand what Ritsuka was trying to do.
Ritsuka was protecting him and Shinji.
But still—
"You're not coming with us?" Kariya said, voice low. "If you really beat the old worm, then run now—run with us."
"All of us—together. We'll go far away. Somewhere he can never find you again."
He wanted to take Ritsuka and Shinji and leave this heartbreak of a place behind.
"No," Ritsuka said, shaking his head. "Thank you for caring, Uncle Kariya. But I can't."
"Why?" Kariya refused to give up.
"Because of fate," Ritsuka answered, his voice sinking. "Facing that old worm is a destiny I have to overcome. I can't escape it."
"Only by truly crossing that line—and destroying him—can I have a future of my own."
"If I run away, then I'll never truly defeat fate. In the end it will catch up to me again—and I'll never stand back up."
"The old worm has only been pushed back temporarily. He hasn't truly lost. He will come back."
"I have to defeat him completely in this Grail War. I have to take hold of my own destiny."
"If I escape with you… I'll only drag you down with me."
A bitter curve touched Ritsuka's mouth.
"Ritsuka…" Kariya's voice fell quiet.
Hearing how serious he was, Kariya lowered his head. His eyes were painfully complex, his thoughts tangled.
"Enough, Uncle Kariya," Ritsuka said softly, reading the guilt in him. He patted Kariya's shoulder and smiled with a kind of relief.
"Don't worry about me. Don't grieve for me."
"This isn't anyone's fault—neither yours nor my father's."
"This is fate."
And it's something I have to defeat.
Kariya clenched his fist.
His hatred for this world swelled.
If there really was a god—then from the bottom of his soul, he would demand to know:
Why does it have to be this cruel?
Why does a good kid like this have to carry a fate like that?
"Oh, right," Ritsuka added, as if remembering something. "I know that ever since my father sent me here, he's avoided me—refusing to see me."
"Maybe it's guilt. Maybe he's afraid I'll take revenge."
"But it doesn't matter anymore."
Ritsuka turned back toward Kariya, who stood rooted in place, and spoke the last thing he wanted carried to that man.
"Please tell him this—"
"Even now, I still resent him. I still can't honestly say something like 'Thank you for taking me in' or 'I still love you'—those would be lies."
"But even so…"
"Right now, I don't hate him."
"The past is settled."
"And it's time for us to part."
"As his former child… I hope he can live well too."
After saying what he needed to say, Ritsuka wore the lightest smile Kariya had ever seen—like he'd finally spoken out everything that had been lodged in his chest.
Then he turned away.
There was no hesitation in his movement.
No lingering attachment.
"Ritsuka…"
Kariya lifted his hand, lips parting as if to say something more.
But before he could—
Ritsuka's figure had already vanished at the far end of the courtyard.
Gone without a trace.
Rustle—
The night wind blew again.
Leaves drifted down.
The Matou estate was nearly emptied out. Amid the noisy bustle of people, only Kariya stood alone in the courtyard, unmoving, a storm of emotions churning inside him.
"Ritsuka…"
He could only stare at the direction where Ritsuka had been—and now wasn't—murmuring the name like a silent farewell.
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 80)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 80)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League (Chapter 80)
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter50)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter50)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter50)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter50)
My patreon : patreon.com/queen_sin