Her father, whom she thought had left her forever, was right in front of her. Rin could barely contain her joy and excitement. She ran to him. If not for his elegant and calm demeanor, which reminded her of the Tohsaka family motto 'Always be elegant' that he often taught, and her fear of disappointing him, she would have thrown herself into his arms. Even so, her eyes were filled with tears.
"Father, aren't you dead?"
Tokiomi didn't answer his daughter's question. Instead, he looked at Kirei, who had walked in behind her. "Kirei, how is it?"
"There is nothing unusual at the Tohsaka household. They have not noticed Rin's departure." Kirei paused. "Everything is proceeding according to your plan, Teacher. Lancer and some of Assassin's personas have lured Artoria out. That mysterious assassin is looking for an opportunity to infiltrate the Einzbern castle."
Artoria's strength had exceeded Tokiomi's expectations. In his memory, that Servant, though the legendary King of Knights, was actually quite average in strength, with a chance of losing even in a one-on-one fight with Diarmuid. According to last night's plan, such an Artoria should have undoubtedly died under the siege of three Servants. But not only had she not died, she had nearly single-handedly suppressed and defeated them. If her mind hadn't been completely focused on getting to the Matou estate, the other two Servants, besides the Hundred-Faced Hassan, might not have made it back.
But the Holy Grail War was not a duel between Servants. The strength of a single Servant did not determine everything. No matter how powerful a Servant was, if you assassinated their Master, they would still return to the Grail without a supply of magical energy. However, an extremely enraged Artoria's dying blow... Lancer probably couldn't block that, could he?
"Archer has unexpectedly run into Rider," Kirei continued. "And Berserker seems to be intentionally heading towards their battlefield, apparently wanting to join their fight."
Tokiomi raised an eyebrow in surprise. If the exit of at least two Servants on the Einzbern side was within his plan, then the possible exit of Rider and the entry of Berserker were completely unexpected. In his original plan, he had intended to use Assassin to attract Rider and Berserker and have them fight each other.
"No matter. In front of that one, Rider has absolutely no chance of survival." A smile that was hard to suppress appeared on Tokiomi's stoic face. He stood up. "Let's go."
"Father, where are you going?"
"You'll know when we get there."
Rin obediently followed Tokiomi and Kirei out of the church and into a black sedan that was already waiting at the entrance. In the back seat, looking at her father who still maintained his elegant and calm demeanor, she couldn't help but ask again, "Father, Mother said you were already dead."
"Yes, I was. Killed by her."
Rin's eyes widened in shock. Father... was killed by Mother? But... didn't Lin Jiuan say he was the one who killed Father?
"But you're now..."
"Don't be afraid, Rin. I don't blame your mother. She is, after all, just an ordinary person who couldn't resist temptation, not a magus." Seeing Rin's fearful expression, Tokiomi smiled. "On the contrary, I am very grateful to your mother."
"Grateful?"
"Yes." Tokiomi grinned, as if suddenly losing his usual elegance, becoming somewhat agitated and excited. "If not for the death she brought me, I would have never discovered the truth of the Holy Grail. And if not for that, I would still be chasing that ridiculous Grail, forever unable to reach the Root. But now it's different, Rin."
"Soon. Very soon."
Looking at this father, so different from usual, a sense of regret and fear suddenly rose in Rin's heart. Is this man in front of me really my father?
"Father, what are you talking about?"
"You'll know when we get there, Rin," Tokiomi smiled. "As my proudest daughter, I will let you witness how I achieve the Tohsaka family's centuries-long wish and reach the Root."
At this moment, Rin could no longer suppress the fear in her heart. This man was definitely not her father! She grabbed the car handle and tried to pull the door open, but no matter how hard she pulled, it wouldn't budge.
"What are you doing, my daughter?"
"You're not my father!" Rin screamed. "What kind of monster are you?!"
"Have you been so badly taught by your mother?" Seeing his daughter acting like a weak commoner, Tokiomi's smile vanished. He shook his head in disappointment. "Relax, Rin. Don't adopt this weak, human posture. Just quietly welcome the arrival of fate. After all... you have been chosen by that great existence."
The Einzbern Castle.
Irisviel stood quietly in the room, looking through the floor-to-ceiling window at the distant forest. As the Holy Grail War intensified and it was confirmed that Assassin was not dead, she had not followed Artoria. Instead, she chose to stay in the castle, which had a complete magical defense system. Even if a Servant invaded, she could rely on the complete magic circles within to hold out until Artoria returned.
"Saber, make it quick," Irisviel murmured, her beautiful eyes seemingly reflecting the images Artoria was seeing. She frowned slightly. "I have a bad feeling."
"I know, Iri."
Watching Artoria nearly single-handedly suppress two Servants, Irisviel looked away, frowning as she pondered the source of her unease. Suddenly, she realized where it came from. It's too quiet!
It wasn't just her living in the castle; there were also two homunculus maids. She had ordered them to patrol the castle and report to her at regular intervals. But the time for their report had passed, and she had received no news.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. "Who is it?!"
"Mrs. Irisviel, it's me."
The voice of Lin Jiuan, whom she had been thinking about day and night, came from outside the door. But the wariness in Irisviel's eyes did not diminish in the slightest. Her Jiuan had been taken by the Tohsaka Servant. How could he possibly have returned on his own? The person outside must be an intruder in disguise, trying to lower her guard!
Silver threads, almost invisible to the naked eye, coiled around her fingertips. Under her mana control, they quickly set up a net throughout the room. Only then did Irisviel manipulate the threads to deftly open the door.
Creaak.
The figure outside was completely revealed to her.
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