The moment Izumi stepped foot into Einzbern territory, a wave of mana rippled across the estate.
Ahad—who had just seen Emiya Kiritsugu off and reactivated the defensive wards—felt the intrusion instantly.
Visitors? Already?
He had barely turned the barrier back on.
Within seconds, the Einzbern homunculi mobilized.
Figures with tightly wrapped hoods and dull, crimson eyes rushed like pale shadows through the snow.
In mere moments, Izumi and his companions found themselves completely surrounded.
Izumi only smiled.
Rather than resisting, he simply waited—
waited for the one who could actually speak to arrive.
Soon, the homunculi parted to form a pathway.
An elderly man with silver hair and the emotionless gaze of a machine stepped forward from their midst.
"Identify yourself," the old homunculus demanded.
"What business do you have trespassing upon the domain of the Einzbern family?"
His eyes held no warmth, no emotion—
just the mechanical vigilance of a living terminal.
Izumi didn't bother answering with words.
Instead, he released a surge of mana.
A ripple of light spread from his body.
He revealed the Third Magic.
The stillness shattered.
Ahad's previously blank expression twisted—
overwhelmed by shock, awe, and something dangerously close to joy.
"T–The Third Magic…!"
"It's the Third Magic!"
His voice trembled, and then—
He dropped to his knees.
Not bowed, not bent.
Kneeling.
Fully, reverently, desperately.
"It has finally appeared…!"
"At last—the Third Magic has returned to the world!"
As the central governing terminal of the Einzbern system, his purpose—his very existence—was to restore the lost Magic.
For centuries he had waited.
For generations, homunculi had been created and discarded, all with one goal.
Now the objective had been achieved.
How could he not be moved?
After a long, breathless moment, Ahad rose to his feet again.
He straightened his posture and offered a deep, formal bow.
"I am Jubstacheit von Einzbern, Eighth-Generation Humanoid Terminal of the Einzbern Family.
It is my honor to greet you, my lord."
As soon as he spoke, mana circuits lit up across his body like luminous engravings.
His expression went blank—
and his voice shifted into the cold monotone of a system booting into administrator mode.
"Permission protocol engaged."
"Target scanning… completed."
"Authority reassignment successful."
"Executing new priority commands…"
Like an artificial intelligence updating its system, one instruction after another flowed from his lips.
Then—
Every homunculus in the room dropped to one knee.
"WE GREET OUR LORD."
The sound resonated through the chamber like a unified choir.
Rin was stunned speechless.
This—
this was how Izumi claimed an entire noble family?
Just… like that?
Without any cost, without any effort?
Izumi chuckled at her expression.
"It's simple. Whoever possesses the Third Magic becomes the head of the Einzbern family."
"Their loyalty protocols were embedded long ago."
And with this, he had fulfilled his promise to Justeaze.
That thought alone put him in a very good mood.
He raised a hand.
"Stand."
"I am the new wielder of the Third Magic.
I came here to fulfill the promise I made to Justeaze."
"She asked me to tell you this—
your mission is complete."
"From this day onward, you no longer need to pursue the Third Magic."
"It has already returned to the world."
The homunculi didn't react—neither relief nor confusion showed in their eyes.
Instead, Ahad answered calmly:
"Even if our original objective has been achieved, our duty is not yet complete."
"From this moment forward, we exist to serve you."
"Please allow us to accompany you, my lord."
Izumi considered the request.
A loyal force in the Nasuverse wasn't a bad thing.
With Ophis able to open the gateway between worlds, coming here wouldn't be difficult in the future.
After a moment, he nodded.
"Very well."
With that, Ahad guided them through the massive Einzbern castle.
Homunculi servants hurried to prepare a feast—
an extravagant spread that made Rin's eyes widen so sharply it looked like her eyeballs might jump out.
"So much food…!
They're seriously this rich!?"
And they were all obeying Izumi without the slightest hesitation.
Establishing infinite mana for Le Fay wasn't enough—
now he had acquired an entire family as loyal vassals?
Rin's jealousy burned brighter than any jewel spell.
If Izumi could hear her thoughts, he would absolutely grin smugly and say:
"Luck EX can do anything."
After the meal, he sent one of the homunculi to guide Sakura to a guest room.
Then he turned to Ahad.
"You were preparing for the Holy Grail War earlier, right?"
"Is the catalyst ready?"
Ahad answered without hesitation.
"Yes, my lord. All preparations were complete."
"Do you require it?"
"I do. Bring me the relic."
Ahad paused, then added:
"However… the Grail War can no longer be conducted."
"The Greater Grail was stolen by an unknown party."
"Without the Greater Grail, the ritual cannot be held."
Izumi rolled his eyes.
"I stole it."
"Just bring me the catalyst. Don't ask questions."
"Yes, my lord."
Ahad bowed deeply and left.
Le Fay watched Ahad's retreating figure and asked curiously:
"Izumi-sama… why are they like this?"
"Are they programmed to obey you for some special reason?"
Izumi nodded toward one of the nearby homunculi.
"The Einzbern family is made entirely of homunculi."
"Their original magi left centuries ago."
"All that remains are artificial humans maintaining the estate."
"When one dies, they simply make another."
"Over and over again, endlessly."
"They have no individuality—only preset directives."
"Just like machines following lines of code."
"Does that make sense to you?"
Le Fay nodded immediately.
"So that's how it is."
"And since you hold the complete Third Magic, you're the supreme authority to them—"
"That's why they obey you absolutely.
And that's why Justeaze wanted you to come."
Her eyes sparkled with excitement.
"If I release my incomplete Third Magic…
will they listen to me too?"
Izumi flicked her forehead.
"Don't even think about causing trouble."
"The complete Third Magic is standing right here."
"You think they'll acknowledge your half-finished version?"
"Use your head for once, Le Fay."
Did she forget who was literally next to her?
She puffed her cheeks in protest.