"It really is you… it really is you!! So you really have already been summoned early by the Master of this Holy Grail War!"
Drawing in the magical energy from Matou Kariya's body, Matou Zouken's ashen eyes slowly widened, his aged voice full of disbelief as he shouted: "Just what are you trying to do… why take Sakura?!"
"Just happened to run into a little girl who'd run away from home, out on the street. In this ice and snow, I was afraid she'd catch cold, so I took her home first."
Alvin smiled, golden holy sword condensing in his hand.
"To be honest, I never planned to come looking for you so early, but I didn't expect you to actually come looking for me first."
Matou Zouken stared at the young man in front him with an uncertain expression, then subconsciously took half a step back and released the unconscious Matou Kariya as his body suddenly disintegrated, countless flying insects emerging from within him and scattering in all directions.
As the founding head of the Matou family, Matou Zouken was a magus who had lived for five hundred years.
He had abandoned his own flesh and used magically-altered insects to form a temporary body, attempting to achieve immortality through this method.
Perhaps his power was not particularly overwhelming, but he possessed many means of preserving his own life.
In the next instant, Alvin drew his sword.
Whoosh!
Golden sword light flared under the night sky.
Blazing, magnificent magical energy swallowed all the crest worms in an instant, though two or three managed, in a desperate bid for survival, to flee the building.
Alvin was about to give chase, but as if driven by sheer survival instinct, those crest worms frantically beat their wings and swiftly flew into the boundless night sky.
Matou Kariya furrowed his brows slightly, finally rousing from his weakened state and slowly opening his eyes, speaking in a low time. "Matou Zouken.. he will not let Sakura go."
"He should first make sure he survives until the Holy Grail War ends."
Alvin looked out into the deep night where heavy snow was falling, and said quietly: "Besides, Sakura will not be returning to the Matou house."
Matou Kariya was taken aback, then quickly fell into silence.
For Sakura, the Matou family was indeed not a good choice.
Ignoring Matou Kariya, Alvin put away his holy sword and turned to head back to his room.
However, seeing this, the latter paused for a moment, then looked at the boy instinctively: "You're not going to kill me?"
"You are merely an ordinary person forced by Matou Zouken to participate in the Holy Grail War. And you haven't even summoned a Servant yet.. you're not worth my effort."
Alvin turned and closed the door.
Matou Kariya was stunned for a moment, then looked at the closed door with a complicated look.
...
..
The battle outside the door had lasted less than half a minute, and when Alvin returned to the living room, he saw only a little girl sitting shyly on the sofa, holding a cup of hot tea in her hands.
"Why did you take so long? Did you run into some trouble?"
Manaka Saijyou sat on the sofa, raising her head with a puzzled look toward the boy.
"It's nothing, I just chatted with two guests at the door for a bit."
Alvin shook his head and smiled.
Saying this, he turned his gaze toward Matou Sakura sitting to the side. "Sakura, will you find it uncomfortable living here?"
Matou Sakura gently shook her head, but when she recalled matters regarding the Matou family, she glanced at the boy with a trace of concern.
Alvin reached out and gently stroked Sakura's smooth, silky hair. "Don't worry, I've already made arrangements with your grandfather. Once the Holy Grail War ends, I will send you back to the Tohsaka family."
Matou Sakura believed him, her eyes lighting up with a glimmer of hope.
After sitting in the living room for a while, Manaka Saijyou suddenly tugged at Alvin's hand, signaling him to come out for a moment.
The two went into the dining room, where the girl looked up at him: "The enemy escaped, didn't they?"
Alvin gave a slight nod.
"Don't worry, he will come back soon.. if he still wants the Holy Grail."
From the start, he wasn't too concerned that the old worm would hide forever after this escape.
As long as Matou Zouken still wanted the Matou family's future and the Holy Grail.. he would have to find a way to defeat Alvin.
But even in Servant form, Alvin was absolutely not someone a magus could handle.
From Matou Zouken's perspective, there was only one way to win.
— To directly eliminate Alvin's Master.
Yet even the old worm probably hadn't expected.. that this Master was also a heavyweight.
Perhaps thinking of some amusing scene, a faint smile appeared on Alvin's face.
"Saber, do you think the enemy might try to eliminate me first?"
At this moment, Manaka Saijyou asked with a trace of worry.
Alvin nodded slightly with a smile: "He's already injured, so he won't pose much of a threat to you.."
Manaka Saijyou's bright eyes still held worry: "But just in case, you should stay with me the whole time.. I.. I'm a little scared."
"Of course. I am your Servant, so it is only natural for me to stay by your side—"
Alvin was quite puzzled at why Manaka Saijyou was acting so differently today.
However, Just as he finished speaking, he heard the continue.
"Then to ensure safety, you'll sleep with me and Sakura tonight."
Alvin: "…"
So, this is where you were going?
But girl, isn't your train of thought jumping a little too much?
How did she connect ensuring safety with "sleeping together" in the first place?
In past Holy Grail Wars, has there ever been a servant who slept together with their master?
Alvin was filled with the desire to complain.
Seeing his hesitation, Manaka Saijyou's mood instantly dropped, her little face dimming: "Is that not okay?"
"It's not that, it's just…"
Although he never intended to do anything bad, if word got out, it would sound a little too perverse.
But in the end, Alvin still "reluctantly" agreed.
"Alright… if that's the master's decision…"
…
Under the pitch-black night, flurries of white snowflakes drifted down.
Countless flying insects silently gathered in an alleyway, forming a hunched, aged figure.
He staggered and leaned against the wall, sliding down to sit, raising his head to feel the icy snowflakes on his face, his expression incomparably grim.
Since the founding of the Matou family until now, in these five hundred years, Matou Zouken had rarely suffered such a loss.
If not for his quick reaction this time, he might already have been completely obliterated by the Sword of the stars just now.
And that was still the Holy Sword in an unsealed state.
With such a servant present, there was simply no way to win this Holy Grail War.
At this moment, even Sakura Matou was still in the opponent's hands, so there was no way to even prepare for the next Holy Grail War.
Thinking of this, Matou Zouken's expression became even more hideous.
Then, as if recalling something, his tightly furrowed brow slowly relaxed.
Although the White Dragon was indeed very strong… in the end, he was nothing more than a familiar.
Once the master died… no matter how strong the servant was, what could he do?
If he could seize the Command Spells from that master, perhaps he could even make the White Dragon serve him…
Thinking this, a dangerous gleam quickly surfaced in Matou Zouken's gray-white eyes.
.
.
.
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