*Since Saber is personally paying a visit, let him in. Let's see what he's planning to do."
After a brief moment of surprise, Tokiomi Tohsaka quickly regained his composure and raised his right hand to snap his fingers.
In an instant, the barrier set up around the mansion silently dissipated.
Gilgamesh glanced at Tokiomi Tohsaka with some surprise and said, "Letting a potential enemy into your mansion during the Holy Grail War... I didn't expect you to do something like this. It surprises me, Tokiomi."
In Gilgamesh's view, this man was the type of person who would carefully consider every action multiple times before moving forward.
It was the first night of the Holy Grail War, and with Saber's Master still unidentified... Tokiomi Tohsaka actually dared to let Saber into the mansion.
This didn't seem like something he would do.
Tokiomi Tohsaka said slowly,
"There are no so-called 'friends' in the Holy Grail War, but since the other party dares to come alone... if I don't even dare to let him in, how can I talk about winning the Holy Grail War?"
"Besides... with you here, even Saber wouldn't dare make a move in the enemy's stronghold, right?"
Gilgamesh let out a cold snort and turned to leave the hall.
Currently, Gilgamesh was very interested in Saber, or rather, he had developed a strong interest in Alvin's unique Noble Phantasm.
Tokiomi Tohsaka was confident that the Hero King wouldn't ignore Saber, which was exactly why he dared to let the other party in.
—Even though this wasn't in line with Tokiomi's cautious approach to the Holy Grail War.
Normally, he would never allow an enemy Servant to enter his mansion.
Of course, Alvin had no intention of starting a fight on this visit.
After Tokiomi Tohsaka lifted the mansion's barrier, Alvin strolled into the hall as if taking a leisurely walk, where he saw a man seated elegantly on the sofa.
Tokiomi stood up, placed a hand on his chest, and gave a refined bow.
"I didn't expect to meet you in this manner. It's an honor... Sir Night Watchman."
Alvin's expression remained calm, completely unbothered by Tokiomi Tohsaka's bow, and he walked over to sit across from him.
"It seems you already guessed my identity after last night?"
He asked with a smile.
"Although you concealed your true Noble Phantasm, after seeing your appearance that day, I was able to confirm your identity,"
Tokiomi Tohsaka said, neither humble nor arrogant.
Even though Alvin had worn a black cloak last night, hiding his face... anyone who had seen him in Britain as a transmigrator would never forget him.
If they had to face such an enemy in the Holy Grail War... even with a trump card like the Hero King, Tokiomi Tohsaka felt very little confidence.
Moreover, even the Hero King seemed wary of the special Noble Phantasm Saber had used last night...
Although Gilgamesh hadn't explicitly said what the "familiar" Alvin summoned was, Tokiomi Tohsaka could sense an unprecedented "caution" in his words.
If he teamed up with Kirei now... and used the mansion's barrier, would there be a way to keep Saber here permanently?
Tokiomi Tohsaka silently gazed at the young man before him, his heart filled with hesitation and conflict.
"Tokiomi, Matou Sakura is with me now."
At that moment, Alvin's voice broke the silence, pulling Tokiomi Tohsaka back from his thoughts.
He instinctively looked at the black-robed Servant sitting across from him, his expression freezing for a moment before a trace of anger quickly appeared in his usually calm eyes.
"You still feel anger... It seems you don't completely lack feelings for Matou Sakura, do you?"
Alvin looked at Tokiomi Tohsaka for a moment, soon revealing a satisfied smile.
In the Fate world, magi were beings apart from ordinary humans, often indifferent to familial or romantic bonds.
But from this reaction, it seemed Tokiomi Tohsaka still possessed the emotions and values of an ordinary person... at the very least, he wasn't entirely unmoved by his daughter's disappearance.
"Saber, what exactly do you want?" Tokiomi Tohsaka's voice was low.
"The Holy Grail War is a battle between Servants and Masters.
Why drag Sakura into this—"
Before he could finish, Alvin's amused laughter interrupted him.
"Tokiomi, it seems you really know nothing."
"What do you mean?"
Tokiomi Tohsaka frowned.
"Do you know how the Matou family's magecraft is passed down to the next generation?" Alvin asked as a flicker of doubt passed through Tokiomi Tohsaka's mind.
As one of Fuyuki's three great families, the Tohsaka and Matou families were relatively close "allies."
In his view, the inheritance of magecraft was more or less the same everywhere, and Sakura being adopted into the Matou family to inherit their magecraft... that was for her own good.
"What are you trying to say?"
Tokiomi Tohsaka pressed quickly.
"Go to the Matou residence yourself sometime... You'll find the answers soon enough."
Alvin glanced at the gloomy night sky outside the window.
Snowflakes drifted in the cold wind, landing on the glass, their crystalline texture adding a chill to the air.
Tokiomi Tohsaka felt utterly confused, frowning as he said, "What will it take for you to return Sakura?"
"After you visit the Matou residence... if you can give me a satisfactory answer, I'll return her to the Tohsaka family after the Holy Grail War ends."
Alvin spoke slowly,
"Of course, if I'm not satisfied... I'll take her away."
Anyway, I think a little girl picked up in the snowy wilderness wouldn't be missed... might as well take her, right?
Perhaps it was the boy's casual attitude, or perhaps it was the confidence brought by having Archer in the mansion, but Tokiomi Tohsaka stared at the young man before him and said slowly, "By the way, Saber... you should know what the Holy Grail War means, don't you?"
"You came alone to the enemy's stronghold tonight, so you must have prepared yourself mentally."
As he spoke, the magical barrier that had just dissipated in the mansion seemed to start quietly reforming...
"Are you planning to make a move here?" Alvin asked nonchalantly.
Tokiomi Tohsaka spoke with utmost respect, saying, "You mentioned the Matou family... I don't know what the issue is, but I will personally go ask Matou Zouken afterward."
"But for now, I only hope you can hand Sakura over to me."
Although he had some fondness for the White Dragon, the Matou and Tohsaka families were long-established "local powers" in Fuyuki, and their relationship had always been amicable... No matter what, Tokiomi Tohsaka was still more inclined to trust the Matou family.
In his view, Alvin's visit tonight seemed more like an attempt to sow discord.
"I already said, Sakura's fate will be decided after the Holy Grail War ends, whether she returns to the Tohsaka family or not."
Alvin smiled,
"As for Matou Zouken... you probably won't have a chance to talk to him anymore."
Tokiomi Tohsaka froze for a moment.
His first thought was, had Saber sent someone to take out Matou Zouken?
But how could that be?
Could it be that Saber had allies in this Holy Grail War?
For some reason, Tokiomi Tohsaka suddenly felt an inexplicable sense of unease.
At that moment, a golden figure silently materialized in the mansion.
Gilgamesh, arms crossed over his chest, fixed his cold, crimson eyes on the black-robed Servant sitting on the sofa.
"I see... I was wondering why you would boldly show up here tonight.
So it was to let people know you're not by your Master's side?"
Tokiomi Tohsaka was stunned for a moment, seemingly not yet grasping the situation.
"You still don't get it, Tokiomi."
Gilgamesh said coldly, "Saber doesn't have so-called allies. If anything, a Servant's ally is naturally their own Master."
"There are plenty of rats hiding in the shadows in this Holy Grail War... If someone wants to win by taking shortcuts, the only option is to bypass the Servant and go straight for the Master."
Combined with Alvin's earlier words, Tokiomi Tohsaka seemed to realize something, his eyes widening as he blurted out, "You let your Master face Matou Zouken alone?!"
Is this guy insane?
That thought instinctively flashed through Tohsaka's mind.
As the White Dragon with exceptional perception, didn't he know how dangerous Matou Zouken was?
In Tokiomi Tohsaka's view, Alvin and his Master were utterly crazy.
On the eve of the Holy Grail War, when everyone was on high alert, they went shopping at the mall.
And now... with the Holy Grail War officially underway, he had deliberately left his Master behind to come to the enemy's stronghold.
Wasn't this practically inviting someone to ambush his Master?
Moreover, with the Master not nearby, it meant Saber wouldn't have a continuous supply of mana...
A spark flashed in Tokiomi Tohsaka's eyes as a bold idea took root.
At that moment, a cold snort from Gilgamesh echoed through the dimly lit hall.
"Should I say you're confident in yourself, or... do you think I can't handle 'Mother'?"
As he said the last part, a dangerous glint appeared in Gilgamesh's eyes.
Alvin paused, then said,
"So should I call Mom?"
Gilgamesh's expression was stern,
"Is that your only trick, Saber?"
Although Alvin's special Noble Phantasm "Mom," which summoned Tiamat, was only in a spiritual form, and the "Chain of Heaven" in the Treasury of Babylon could restrain Servants with divinity...
But—
Even the Chain of Heaven probably couldn't hold Tiamat for long.
Thinking about it, Gilgamesh stared coldly at Alvin for a long moment before turning and leaving the hall.
"...I hope the Noble Phantasm you're so proud of lets you survive until the end of the Holy Grail War, Saber."
Alvin smiled nonchalantly, waving his hand, "Take care."
Now that his actions were exposed to the enemy, the next step was up to Manaka...
Can she manage to lure out that old bug, Matou Zouken?
At that thought, a hint of anticipation grew in Alvin's heart."
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Late at night, a chilling wind howled through the sky a thousand meters above, with heavy snowflakes swirling down, painting the entire city of Fuyuki in pure white.
Just as Alvin had predicted, shortly after he headed to Tokiomi Tohsaka's mansion, the various Masters quickly realized one thing, Saber and Archer had become outright enemies.
Because of this, Saber had gone alone to Tokiomi Tohsaka's mansion tonight.
But... why would Saber's Master be wandering the streets alone?
That night, many eyes were secretly watching Manaka Sajyou's movements... including Kayneth, who was stationed in a skyscraper.
The man stood on the balcony with a glass of red wine, watching the snow fall heavier and heavier, listening to the wind mixed with snowflakes battering the glass windows, creating a ghostly howl.
Soon, Kayneth let out a cold laugh.
"Hmph... how interesting. Last night, they used both Master and Servant as bait to set a trap, and today, Saber even abandoned his Master, boldly walking into Archer's territory..."
"As a strategy, it's almost too foolish."
In Kenneth's view, this was indeed an incredibly stupid move... Even someone as arrogant as him knew full well that a magus's fragile body could never compare to a Servant.
No matter how capable Saber's Master was, if they faced a Servant, they would only meet death.
Moreover, Saber had now let all the enemies know he was at the Tohsaka residence... Wasn't this practically announcing to the world: "My Master is unprotected right now, go kill her!"
Mordred, lounging carelessly on the sofa with legs crossed, clicked her tongue and said, "I really want to know who came up with this plan... They probably won't even need us to act. Saber's Master is going to get wrecked soon, right?"
"But hiding in the shadows all the time is so boring... When can we go out and have some fun?"
For someone with Mordred's personality, she despised all sorts of convoluted plans.
Compared to scheming, she preferred grabbing her weapon, facing her enemies head-on, and crushing them outright!
In terms of compatibility, Kayneth and Mordred were, frankly, a terrible match.
The former preferred scheming in the shadows, while the latter thrived on confronting anyone and everyone directly.
"Since that's the case, let's stretch our legs a bit."
At that moment, Kayneth suddenly spoke up causing Mordred to freeze for a second, glancing at the man in surprise.
"I suspect many people have their eyes on Saber's Master tonight. If things go as expected, the other Servants in this Holy Grail War will show up too... This is a perfect opportunity to gather intelligence."
Under Mordred's increasingly eager gaze, Kayneth said slowly:
"So... we can start moving, Lancer!"
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