"Tokiomi, you just had to butt in!"
Gilgamesh shot a displeased look at Tokiomi. The King of Heroes hadn't even finished speaking before the man had already made his move.
Still, Gilgamesh wasn't overly angry. If this Mydei could be taken down by such a simple ambush, then he was clearly a nobody, utterly beneath notice.
"Not much to him," a voice, cold and sneering, came from behind Mydei.
The Hassan-i-Sabbah standing there revealed a trace of mockery beneath his mask.
"To dare send their Servant alone into enemy territory... it seems the Master behind this Servant lacks brains as well."
As he spoke, he attempted to pull the dagger embedded in Mydei's chest free.
But as he applied force, he realized something was wrong.
The dagger, which had sunk into Mydei's chest, now felt as if it were clamped in a vise. No matter how much strength he used, it wouldn't budge.
"Assassin, what are you doing? Return at once."
Kirei Kotomine, standing to the side, frowned upon seeing Hassan's strange behavior and spoke up.
"Yes, Master. I'm coming." Hassan replied, preparing to use his full strength to wrench the dagger from Mydei's chest.
But at that moment, a sudden sense of danger flared within him.
Instinct made him leap backward, but in that same instant, a thick, powerful arm shot out and seized his neck. Like grabbing a chick, Mydei clamped down on Hassan's throat and yanked him forward.
"Hey, hey, hey. Not even a greeting before you start stabbing? It might not kill me for real, but it still hurts like hell, you bastard!"
Mydei glared with dissatisfaction at the black-cloaked Hassan before him.
Nearby, Hassan was utterly stunned.
Even if Servants were powerful and could recover quickly from injuries, that didn't mean they were immortal.
Most Servants were human in life, and they shared the same weaknesses as humans!
A wound piercing the heart was fatal to any Servant without extreme immortality.
Tokiomi and Kirei also couldn't help but show looks of astonishment.
They didn't understand. Why was Mydei still so full of life?
The dagger was clearly still stuck in his chest, and Tokiomi was certain this wasn't an illusion—it was really happening.
"Hoh? Now this is interesting..."
A change came over Gilgamesh's previously bored expression, replaced by one of interest.
After all, the strong always commanded respect. Having witnessed Mydei's strange ability, Gilgamesh found his interest considerably piqued.
He decided then that he would later grant this man the honor of being slain by his own hand.
"Ghak... Why...? Why... aren't you dead... from such a severe wound...?"
Mydei's immense strength made it difficult for Hassan to breathe. He struggled feebly.
With the dagger trapped by Mydei's formidable pectoral muscles, he could only use his fists to pound against Mydei's arm, hoping to make him release his grip.
However, Hassan, as an Assassin, had poor Strength parameters. Unfortunately for him, the Mydei he faced was an ultimate stats monster, a veritable hexagon of power.
To Mydei, his resistance felt like playful scratching.
"Foolish. A mere fatal wound? How could that possibly affect me?"
Mydei snorted coldly. Then, his hand tightened slightly. With a crisp crack, the once struggling Hassan instantly went limp and collapsed to the floor.
He was clearly not long for this world.
Assassin was never good at direct combat to begin with, and encountering a stats monster like Mydei was the worst match-up.
If he felt like it, Mydei could probably crush him to death with his bulging chest muscles alone.
The difference in their power simply wasn't on the same level.
It was like a scrawny boy trying to fight a three-hundred-pound muscle-bound brute. Even if the brute stood still and let the boy hit him, the boy would probably exhaust himself and collapse within ten minutes.
"Just who are you? And why have you come here? Don't tell me you actually believe a single Servant can defeat us all? The Holy Grail War isn't as simple as you think."
Seeing Mydei's gaze fall upon him, Tokiomi Tohsaka frowned. Though he sensed danger in the other's eyes, he maintained his composure.
After all, the Servant he had summoned was the oldest King of Humanity, the mighty King of Heroes Gilgamesh. With him by his side, Tokiomi wasn't worried about losing this Grail War.
So, even after witnessing Mydei's display of power, Tokiomi remained unshaken.
Everyone knew Assassin's close-combat abilities were weak; any of the three Knight classes could easily crush one.
Tokiomi was also curious about Mydei's class.
Judging by the physical strength displayed... Caster was out of the question. And Archer was the King of Heroes standing beside him.
That left only four possibilities: Saber, Lancer, Rider, and Berserker.
However, the other party was clearly rational, so Berserker could be ruled out first. So, he must be one of the remaining three Knight classes?
"Who I am isn't important. As for why I'm here? It's for you, Tokiomi Tohsaka."
Mydei pulled the dagger from his chest, casually crumpled it into a scrap of metal like it was paper, tossed it onto the dead Assassin's body, and spoke.
This action made both Tokiomi and Kirei's eyelids twitch.
Even if that dagger wasn't some supremely powerful Noble Phantasm, it was still Assassin's personal weapon. Its hardness was beyond doubt, yet Mydei had crushed it so effortlessly.
Just what kind of monster was he?
"For me?"
Tokiomi frowned. The other party was targeting him? Could it be... he was also a mage from one of the Three Founding Families?
But, the Matou family should have lost the ability to summon Servants by now.
Tokiomi thought to himself.
He had known from the start who the Einzbern Master was—the notorious Magus Killer, Kiritsugu Emiya.
As for the Matou family, the original heir, Kariya Matou, had renounced his status and run away from home. Combined with the death of Zouken Matou just yesterday...
"Mongrel, you dare ignore this king? Have you prepared yourself for death?"
While Tokiomi was lost in thought, Gilgamesh's furious voice rang out.
The next moment, Gilgamesh, clad in golden armor, snorted coldly. Behind him, space rippled with golden ripples.
Within those ripples, all manner of weapons—swords, spears, axes, halberds—gleaming with the aura of treasures, emerged from the void. They poised like arrows ready to be fired, all aimed at Mydei.
They waited only for Gilgamesh's command to turn Mydei into a pincushion.
If there was anyone in this Holy Grail War who had a chance of killing Mydei, it was undoubtedly the Golden King.
After all, while Mydei could reject death, he still possessed a fatal weakness akin to Achilles' Heel. With Gilgamesh's firepower, he wouldn't even need to aim carefully; the countless blades would inevitably strike that weakness.
Of course, that was only a theoretical possibility, as Mydei's parameters utterly outclassed Gilgamesh's.
"Ah, my apologies, Gilgamesh. I'm not in the mood to catch up with you today. Can you let me finish my business first?"
Mydei looked at the irritable Gilgamesh, a helpless expression on his face.
Even though this version of Gilgamesh wasn't particularly likable, his true self and Mydei were on decent terms. Mydei couldn't very well go and cut the guy's arm off right now.
...Okay, part of him was actually itching to try it, hoping Gilgamesh wouldn't hold it against him when they met again later.
"Catch up? From the start, you've been presumptuously acting familiar with this king, mongrel. This king does not know you. Do not think such familiarity will grant you any mercy."
Gilgamesh frowned, snorted again, and with a wave of his arm, prepared to launch the Noble Phantasms from his Gate of Babylon.
"My King, please restrain your anger," Tokiomi interjected respectfully. "Since he has come seeking me, perhaps we should allow him to finish speaking before acting."
"Hmph. Since you plead for him, I shall grant him this privilege. Such is the mercy of a King."
Seeing the sincerity on Tokiomi's face, Gilgamesh nodded slightly. With a wave, he recalled the weapons back into his treasury.
Gilgamesh hadn't been with Tokiomi for long yet, and Tokiomi hadn't done anything to defy him.
Under these circumstances, Gilgamesh was willing to give him some face.
In fact, ever since being summoned, Gilgamesh had mentally prepared himself to assist his Master in winning the Grail War.
Tokiomi's insistence on treating him as a sovereign, with the Master-Servant relationship reversed, had actually taken Gilgamesh somewhat aback and left him feeling a little... disoriented.
But since Tokiomi insisted, Gilgamesh was happy to accept it.
"I ask you, Tokiomi Tohsaka, why did you send Sakura to the Matou family?"
Seeing that Gilgamesh had temporarily calmed down, Mydei dissipated the power he had been secretly gathering.
It was only the first day. He didn't want to start a fight just yet.
If possible, he wanted to find a more... perfect way to handle the Holy Grail situation.
"Was it your Master who took Sakura? Why? Where is she now?"
Upon hearing Mydei's words, Tokiomi didn't answer the question directly. Instead, he anxiously pressed for answers himself.
If he had simply given Sakura away to another family, Tokiomi might have been able to sever his attachments.
But now that Zouken was dead, the agreement with the Matou family was void. Therefore, Sakura was still his daughter.
So, Tokiomi was genuinely concerned about her.
Many believed Tokiomi knew the true nature of the Matou magecraft and deliberately pushed Sakura into the worm pit, all to prevent her immense magical potential from going to waste—even if it meant she would endure decades of torment.
But upon closer examination, this theory didn't hold water. Why did Tokiomi send Sakura to the Matou family in the first place?
It was because the Tohsaka Magic Crest could only be inherited by one person.
Yet he had been blessed—or cursed—with two 'SSR cards,' Rin and Sakura, both possessing extraordinary talent, the kind that, with proper training, would undoubtedly become great mages.
They were the type any mage would covet.
If the mages at the Clock Tower learned the Tohsaka family had a 'vessel' with such potential but no right to inherit the Magic Crest, they would undoubtedly pressure him into giving her away as a prime specimen for their games.
That was a future Tokiomi could not accept.
Both as a mage, and as a father.
So, when the Matou family proposed adopting Sakura and promised to train her as the family heir, Tokiomi agreed without a second thought.
What happened afterward... was history.
"Enough nonsense. Answer me!"
Due to his own childhood experiences, Mydei had something of a PTSD trigger. He held no goodwill towards Tokiomi and pressed the question bluntly.
"Sakura's magical aptitude is exceptional. I couldn't let it go to waste. So when Zouken Matou made the request, I agreed readily."
Tokiomi, having calmed down somewhat, chose to answer truthfully.
"Why did you agree so readily?"
Mydei asked again.
"Because they promised to raise Sakura as the family's successor. Sakura's talent is superb, and the Matou and Tohsaka families have been allies for generations. So I felt assured. More importantly, why did your Master kill Zouken?"
"Kill? That old worm got what he deserved."
Mydei looked at Tokiomi with a cold sneer, his gaze turning dangerous.
"Then let me ask you this: do you know the true nature of the Matou family's magecraft?"
"I do not. Probing into the Magic Crest of another family is taboo. However, the Matou family has been established for centuries. Like the Tohsaka Crest, theirs must be immensely precious. That was another reason I sent Sakura to them."
Tokiomi answered honestly.
With Sakura currently in Mydei's custody and his intentions unclear, Tokiomi felt it best to be straightforward.
"Immensely precious?"
Mydei's lips curled in mockery. "Precious indeed. After all, that old bastard Zouken lived for five hundred years."
"...Five hundred years? Impossible! How could a normal human mage live for five hundred years?"
Tokiomi found it hard to believe.
"Believe it or not, it's the truth. His true identity is Makiri Zolgen, one of the three founders who created the Holy Grail system."
"Over the long years, his will corroded by time, all he remembered was his desire to live. So, he developed insect magecraft and turned himself into a worm."
"That can't be!"
Tokiomi frowned deeply.
"Is it true? You can investigate it yourself, can't you?"
Mydei's face held a trace of scorn. "How foolish, Tokiomi Tohsaka. You think you've calculated everything, but you personally pushed your own daughter into the abyss. You... you don't deserve to be a father!"
As he spoke, Mydei couldn't help but recall his own childhood, the 'old man' who had personally cast him into the River of Souls.
For a moment, his eyes towards Tokiomi filled with killing intent.
"When I arrived, that old worm Zouken was about to push Sakura into the worm pit. Shall I describe it for you? A dark, cramped cellar, filled to the brim with writhing Crest Worms."
"To receive the Matou Magic Crest, one must let these insects invade every corner of their body. The pain involved is enough to break a grown adult."
"Oh, and I forgot to mention, some of those Crest Worms are... oddly shaped, like mushrooms. They burrow into the body and... violate their host, in a manner resembling a man. You know what I mean."
"You mean to say... if Sakura had gone to the Matou family, what awaited her wasn't the happy life I imagined, but a living hell?"
Tokiomi's voice trembled as he spoke.
He truly hadn't known the Matou magecraft was like this.
Mydei's words were like fine needles piercing his heart. He didn't doubt their truthfulness; the other had no reason to lie about such a thing. It was too easily verified.
"Correct. What a magnificent father. Thanks to you, if I hadn't coincidentally been there, Sakura would already be covered in crawling insects."
"Perhaps she'd even be crying out in despair within that worm nest, hoping her so-called father would come save her. And the one who started it all is you, Tokiomi Tohsaka. A worthless mage. A worthless man who can't even protect his own family."
Watching the pain etched on Tokiomi's face, Mydei felt a sense of vindictive pleasure, but also a flicker of relief.
This man was a fool, but he wasn't irredeemable at his core.
As for whether his words were too sharp, Mydei didn't think so. Compared to the harm Sakura had nearly suffered, a few sharp words were far too merciful.
If Tokiomi hadn't summoned his Servant so early, Mydei might have considered a more... Castrum Kremnos approach to their 'intimate conversation.'
"How... how is Sakura now?"
Tokiomi's voice was barely a whisper, laced with tremor.
"She's fine now. Sleeping in a new nightgown. She had a nightmare last night, woke up screaming. The whole ordeal unfortunately left a deep mark on her."
"I'm sorry... I truly didn't know... that Sakura would face something like this..."
"If apologies were enough, we wouldn't need the police."
Mydei scoffed.
"Thank you. Thank you for saving Sakura. But, I'd like you to pass a message to her for me. Tell her I'm sorry. This was my foolishness... I nearly subjected her to that..."
After steadying his emotions, Tokiomi continued, "I know Sakura probably doesn't want to see me right now. But I will wait. When she's ready to forgive me, I will apologize to her in person."
"That will depend on your sincerity. Alright, I've said what I came to say. The Holy Grail War has officially begun. Try not to get yourself killed. I may not like you much, but I don't want Sakura to lose her father."
Mydei gave a profound look towards Kirei and Gilgamesh, then turned and left the Tohsaka residence without another word.
When he returned to his temporary residence, he found Sakura sitting on the living room sofa, clutching a pillow.
She was visibly nodding off, her head dipping forward, but she was stubbornly fighting sleep.
Only after Mydei returned did she open her mouth in a wide yawn. "You're back, Big Brother."
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.