Matou residence.
At this very moment, another person had fainted during the process of summoning a Servant.
Matou Kariya.
As the second son of the Matou family, Matou Shinji's father Byakuya Matou's younger brother, he originally had no interest in the Holy Grail War, but was forcibly pushed into participating in this Fourth Holy Grail War.
Then, using the holy relic given by Matou Zouken, he had planned to summon the White Dragon of Britain… but during the summoning, due to being unable to provide sufficient mana, he fainted.
Matou Zouken leaned on his cane and silently looked at the man collapsed in the basement, his expression terrifyingly grim.
During his time in ancient Britain, he had learned just how immense the power of that Guardian of Camelot truly was.
For this Holy Grail War, he had racked his brains and finally obtained a relic of the White Dragon before the countdown to his return ended.
Originally, he had hoped that Matou Kariya would summon the mythical White Dragon, and yet… this child didn't even qualify to summon him.
Matou Kariya, Matou Byakuya… and then Matou Shinji , so many children in the Matou family, and yet not a single one had magical aptitude.
They had raised nothing but trash.
Fortunately, not long ago, Tohsaka Tokiomi had adopted his daughter into the Matou family… at least, the Matou bloodline wouldn't die out in his generation.
However, that child still didn't quite fit with the Matou family.
At the very least… she still needed some slight modification.
As if thinking of something, a cold, indifferent smile quickly emerged on Matou Zouken's gloomy face.
"..Bring Sakura here. During the Holy Grail War, I will have her truly inherit everything of the Matou family..."
He looked toward the servant beside him, and spoke in a low voice.
However, at that moment, he saw hesitation on the servant's face.
"..What is it?" Matou Zouken asked in a deep voice.
"..The young lady was originally out enjoying the snow tonight… but at some point, she secretly slipped away, and still hasn't returned."
The servant's tone was filled with fear and unease.
Matou Zouken's expression darkened slightly.
She ran?
This child Sakura… seems she's still a bit rebellious.
Matou Zouken took a deep breath and slowly said: "..She can't escape."
He slowly took out a small flying insect from his bosom and tossed it toward the sky.
The flying insect, as if it had some sort of intelligence, flew out of the Matou family residence, rose into the sky, and in the next moment, the heavens above were filled with countless flying insects, quickly heading in the direction of a certain tall building.
A faint, indifferent smile appeared on the old face of Matou Zouken: "..So it's there.."
Perhaps it was the commotion caused by Matou Zouken, or something else, but the just-awakened Matou Kariya slightly furrowed his brows, holding his forehead, and slowly opened his eyes amid a splitting headache.
"..Sakura.."
The man, in the very first moment he opened his eyes, subconsciously called out this name.
"..Don't worry, she's still fine for now… but if you fail in the next Servant summoning, then I can't guarantee Sakura will still be unharmed."
The old man's cold, aged voice echoed eerily in the residence.
His pair of gray-white pupils seemed to have long since lost their original luster, quietly watching Matou Kariya.
These descendants of Matou Zouken were in fact not very obedient to him, especially Matou Kariya.
If not for Matou Zouken using Matou Sakura as a threat, even killing Matou Kariya wouldn't have forced him to participate in this Holy Grail War.
"..I didn't expect the bloodline of my Matou family to have thinned to such a degree in your generation."
Matou Zouken's tone was filled with coldness and disdain:
"..Just summoning a mere familiar is already like this. If you were to become a Master and truly face that White Dragon… hmph.."
In Matou Zouken's view, so-called Servants could at most be called 'familiars'.
While their power could be considered great, they still had to obey the Command Spells.
Yet this child of his couldn't even summon a White Dragon on the level of a familiar.
Matou Kariya subconsciously clenched his fists.
"..Tonight already saw two Servants appear, and both were far stronger than imagined… if you wish to seize the final victory of the Holy Grail War, you must at least summon a Servant who can rival them."
Leaning on his cane, Matou Zouken looked down from above at Matou Kariya and continued:
"..And if I'm not mistaken, among the two Servants who appeared tonight… one of them was originally meant to belong to the Matou family."
Matou Kariya seemed to recall something and subconsciously said: "..You mean… a Master has already summoned the White Dragon?"
Matou Zouken gave a cold snort: "..Your mana cannot sustain the White Dragon's manifestation, but that does not mean other Masters cannot… perhaps it is one from the Tohsaka family or the Einzbern family."
"..Given the current situation, we must find a way to summon a Servant who can rival it."
A Servant that could rival the White Dragon, could such an exceptional Servant really still exist in this world?
Just as Matou Kariya thought of this, he saw a faint, meaningful smile emerge on the old man's face:
"..There is… moreover, in the legends of Britain, he was the original White Dragon."
Matou Kariya was slightly stunned, but before he could speak, he saw Matou Zouken turn and walk out of the residence, leaning on his cane.
"..Let's go, first we'll bring Sakura back."
Matou Kariya's expression changed slightly, and he subconsciously said: "..Sakura ran away from home?"
Well, that did make sense, Sakura had only been adopted into the Matou family not long ago, and the atmosphere of the Matou household was especially oppressive.
For a girl of her age, she would indeed miss her original family.
"Hmph… children of this age will have some rebelliousness. After a while, they will become obedient."
Matou Zouken said in a gloomy voice: "..My 'familiar' tells me that it seems a certain household has taken her in… we'll just go and pay them a visit."
And also, by action, tell his granddaughter… that anyone who became entangled with her would not meet a good end.
As if thinking of something amusing, a hideous smile quickly appeared on Matou Zouken's face.
....
---
"Britain's... White Dragon?"
At the Tohsaka residence.
After hearing Tohsaka Tokiomi report his information in detail, Gilgamesh's gaze quickly revealed a trace of doubt.
"Are you certain, Tokiomi? If you dare to deceive this king with false information, even dying over a thousand times would not be enough to atone for your crime." Gilgamesh spoke at once.
One must know, the special creature that Saber summoned tonight was none other than the primordial mother goddess from Mesopotamian mythology.
No matter how one thinks about it, Britain's White Dragon should have nothing to do with Tiamat.
"My king, I once traveled to ancient Britain as a transmigrator, and I have had contact with the White Dragon… If the information is correct, then the Servant you crossed blades with tonight is indeed without mistake the White Dragon."
Tohsaka Tokiomi spoke with utmost reverence.
Gilgamesh narrowed his scarlet eyes and stared at the man, who had a respectful look on his face.
After a long moment, he suddenly revealed a trace of a delighted smile.
"If it truly is the White Dragon… then this Holy Grail War should not prove boring to this king."
Although he said this, when he recalled Saber's special Noble Phantasm, even now Gilgamesh found it unbearably troublesome.
"Tokiomi, before the Holy Grail War began, you seem to have sent one of your daughters to the Matou household?"
Gilgamesh suddenly asked.
Tohsaka Tokiomi was slightly stunned and asked in puzzlement: "How would you know this…?"
"She was wandering tonight on the street where this king and Saber fought… I suppose she must have run away from home." Gilgamesh said.
Hearing this, Tokiomi pressed his fingers to his brow with a trace of headache.
For a magus family, he could only pass down his gemstone magecraft to one child.
Matou Sakura possessed the special 'Imaginary Number' attribute, which in fact was not very compatible with the Tohsaka family's gemstone magecraft.
Therefore, the one most suited to inherit 'Gemstone Magecraft' could only be Tohsaka Rin.
If he did not wish to waste Sakura's talent and potential… then he could only send her to the Matou family.
Unexpectedly, Sakura had run away from home tonight?
Thinking of this, Tokiomi rose and went to the telephone to dial the Matou residence.
However, after calling three or four times in succession, there was no answer.
"It seems they've already gone out to search for Sakura…"
Tokiomi quietly let out a breath of relief.
When he had sent Sakura to the Matou household, he was worried that the Matou might treat his daughter poorly… but now it seemed that perhaps that concern was unnecessary.
Gilgamesh cast him a cold glance and said: "Don't be in such a hurry to relax… you'd best pray that this 'Matou household' you speak of remains safe and sound."
"…Fool."
Tokiomi froze for a moment, subconsciously asking:
"What do you mean?"
But Gilgamesh did not answer him, only giving him a meaningful look before turning to leave.
…
Fuyuki City—this was a coastal city in Japan.
On the east side lay Shinto, a highly modernized new city; on the west side lay Miyama Town, consisting mostly of residential areas and forming the old city of Fuyuki.
The east and west were connected by a great bridge called 'Fuyuki Bridge'.
The place where Manaka Saijyou lived after transmigrating was in the bustling heart of Shinto, in a tall skyscraper.
For Matou Sakura, this was the first time she had run away from home at night… and on her first venture outside, she had come together with two strangers to their home.
Along the way, the little girl's gaze roamed around, her eyes full of curiosity for new things.
Her once-dull pupils seemed at this moment to have regained a bit of light.
After pushing open the door and entering the room, Alvin poured her a cup of hot tea, then half-squatted beside the little girl and said:
"Sakura, from the way you spoke just now, it seems you've heard about the White Dragon before?"
Toward Alvin, Sakura seemed to have little wariness; she nodded lightly and said in a soft voice: "I heard my father mention it before."
Alvin's thoughts moved.
He remembered that Arcueid had once said that the Counter Force would "correct" everything unrelated to history, and therefore "White Dragon Alvin" might also be corrected in the future.
But if people in the future already knew the story of "White Dragon Alvin," did that mean he had already become part of history?
If so, would the Counter Force still "correct" his existence?
Alvin temporarily put away his thoughts and asked gently:
"When did your father send you to the Matou family?"
"..A few days ago." When Matou Sakura said this, her tone seemed much lower.
A girl this age could not hide her feelings.
When her father sent her to the Matou family, her heart was already filled with despair.
But Sakura probably still didn't realize that if she hadn't run away from home tonight, she might already be in the worm storage, undergoing the baptism of the "Crest Worm."
However, looking at her black hair now, Sakura should not have been modified by the Crest Worm yet...
Thinking of this, Alvin felt slightly relieved.
The black-haired girl in a plain white dress sat rather timidly on the sofa. Under the hem of her dress, her small and delicate feet were slightly chilled.
Alvin reached out and held her tender white feet.
The warmth from his palm seemed to make Sakura feel comfort, and her body stopped trembling so much.
She instinctively lowered her head to look at the black-robed Servant kneeling beside her and heard him continue:
"If you don't mind, you can stay here for now. After the Holy Grail War ends, I will send you back to the Tohsaka family."
Sakura was slightly startled, showing hesitation and timidity.
Although she didn't know the Matou family's full power, she understood that if she continued to stayed here, she might bring trouble to these two people.
"Don't worry. If you want to stay... no one will take you away."
Alvin said with a smile.
To be honest, he did not consider himself a saint.
The Matou family's influence in Fuyuki was considerable, and Matou Zouken was a monster who had lived for hundreds of years.
If he were an ordinary person, he might hesitate over whether to save Sakura tonight and take her home.
After all, saving her meant becoming enemies with the Matou family.
But Alvin had inherited the White Dragon's attributes... As long as it was within his abilities, doing what he wanted to do was no problem.
He did not seek to save the world, only to live without regrets.
Perhaps it was the warmth from the boy's palm passing into her body, but Sakura's originally uneasy gaze finally began to calm down.
Many years later, when she had grown up, Sakura would look at the legends of King Arthur and the story of the White Dragon, and always recall that night of the Fourth Holy Grail War, remembering the boy's reassuring smile and the warmth of his palm, while longing for the Holy Grail War to come once again.
Manaka Saijyou walked in from the kitchen carrying a plate.
When she saw Alvin holding Sakura's feet, she couldn't help glancing over, slightly curious.
She quickly revealed a faint smile: "Have some cookies."
Well, Sakura was still so young, after all... There was no need for her to be jealous over a little girl.
She sat down next to Sakura and then reached out to remove the white mask from the boy's face.
"When you're at home, don't wear it." She said with a gentle smile.
The three of them sat on the sofa, tasting winter tea and cookies, and for a moment it felt like peaceful, quiet times.
But such quiet days did not last long.
Knock knock...
A faint knocking sound suddenly came from outside the door.
Manala Saijyou casually lifted her gaze, glanced at the flying insect outside the glass window, and was about to get up, however, Alvin reached out and gently patted her head, saying: "I'll get the door. You and Sakura keep eating."
"It just so happens that I want to see who these guest are, coming to visit us at this late hour."
…