"Your appearance is just as unexpected, isn't it, Alvin?", Merlin smiled.
"I'm only here by coincidence… but you're different."
Alvin smiled as he asked, "Don't tell me you still have some lingering regret from life that you want to use the Holy Grail to fulfill?"
His tone was gentle, like two old friends casually chatting after years apart.
Even though Merlin had screwed him over once before.
"I think you misunderstand. I don't really have any wish I want granted."
Merlin shook his head with a smile, "I was simply summoned by Miss Illya by accident, and then accidentally appeared in this world. That's all."
Alvin: "Lying through your teeth?"
Merlin: "…"
If there was anyone in this world who understood Merlin best, it definitely wasn't King Arthur, it was Alvin.
This white-haired mage never did meaningless things. If he had appeared in Fuyuki ten years later, then he undoubtedly had some extremely important objective.
After a brief silence, Merlin soon let out a helpless sigh.
"You really can't hide anything from you, can I?"
"But I didn't come to see you today on my own initiative. It's just that Master seemed a little unhappy after summoning me, so I told her you were in Fuyuki as well."
'Illya was looking for me?'
Alvin instinctively looked toward the white-haired girl, only to find that she had been staring at him this entire time. Within those bright ruby-like eyes was a complicated emotion that seemed difficult to describe.
Tohsaka Rin appeared especially wary of Illya. Almost unconsciously, she stepped in front of Alvin protectively.
"There's no need to be so tense, Rin."
Illya calmed herself as much as possible and smiled faintly, "I'm only here to say hello this time. Though if I had to mention a deeper reason, I came to discuss cooperation."
After confirming that Alvin truly was by Tohsaka Rin's side, her attitude had clearly softened. In the end, it was precisely because of Alvin's existence that she had no intention of becoming enemies with Rin. Their earlier clash had merely been to confirm whether Tohsaka Rin had the "qualifications" to cooperate with her.
"Cooperation?"
Rin slightly raised a brow, "The Holy Grail War hasn't even started yet, and you already want to cooperate with another Master?"
"The reason I want to cooperate with you has nothing to do with the Holy Grail War."
Illya quietly said, "Do you remember the great catastrophe caused by the Greater Grail ten years ago?"
Around ten years earlier, the Fourth Holy Grail War had broken out. At the time, the Greater Grail had been corrupted and manipulated by Sajyou Manaka, nearly causing a disaster.
Although the Greater Grail was later destroyed and reconstructed, its root still remained in a state corrupted by the "black mud."
To purify the Greater Grail, the Holy Church had spent the last decade setting up a special purification barrier around it, intending to cleanse both the Greater Grail and the Fuyuki leylines tainted by the black mud.
Rin softly replied, "Mm. What does that have to do with this cooperation you mentioned?"
Illya nodded lightly, a trace of gravity appearing in her eyes, "In truth… sometime last night, the purification barrier surrounding Fuyuki's leylines was completely destroyed."
Rin's expression changed slightly.
"Who did it?", she asked instinctively.
The Einzbern family had always been deeply connected to the Greater Grail. If Illya wasn't lying, then this matter was extremely serious.
"We still don't know. Otherwise, I wouldn't have come to you," Illya shook her head.
"But currently, the only ones aware of the purification barrier are the Einzberns, the Matou family, the Tohsaka family, and the Holy Church."
"You suspect someone among them is plotting something?"
Rin narrowed her eyes slightly, "But why would they do that? If the Greater Grail remains contaminated, that benefits no Master."
"I can't figure it out either. That's why I want you to keep an eye out in secret."
Illya spoke quietly.
A flicker passed through Rin's eyes as she softly said, "If that's the case… then I'll pay closer attention to it."
"But let's make this clear first."
She raised her head, "We're only allies regarding this matter."
"You really are fair."
Illya clasped her hands behind her back, a pure smile blooming across her face.
"But… that's exactly how I feel too."
"After all, I've never given up on my wish to summon him."
Although Alvin was now Tohsaka Rin's Servant, there was no rule stating that a Servant could only remain with one Master forever during the Holy Grail War.
Back in the previous Grail War, hadn't Mother become his Servant for a period of time as well?
Thinking of that, Illya slowly stepped forward.
She walked straight past Tohsaka Rin and stopped beside Alvin.
Under Rin's stunned gaze, Illya gently wrapped her arms around Alvin.
Her petite, soft body pressed against the boy's chest, carrying with it a faint cool fragrance.
"Illya…"
The silver-haired girl curled her lips into a delighted smile. Hidden within her crisp, melodious voice was a faintly seductive allure.
"Sooner or later, you'll belong to me. So until that day comes, make sure you wait patiently, Nii-chan~"
Rin's pupils widened, but before her anger could erupt, Illya had already gracefully retreated like a butterfly drifting through snow.
"Well then, until next time, you two."
Lifting the hem of her skirt, she gave an elegant curtsey in the manner of Western nobility.
Behind her, Merlin smiled faintly as the two figures quietly vanished into the snowstorm.
———
After the two left, Rin and Alvin returned together to the Tohsaka mansion.
Along the way, Rin walked unusually fast. At this moment, she was absolutely furious.
Alvin followed helplessly behind her. Watching her shove the door open and enter, he sighed.
"Rin, why are you so angry? It's not like I'd actually go with her."
"Don't you think that girl went a little too far?"
Rin crossed her arms and dropped heavily onto the sofa, so angry it practically looked like smoke was rising from her head.
She looked up at Alvin, annoyance clear in her eyes.
"What exactly was she trying to say? She already summoned a Servant herself, yet she still said something like that right in front of another Master!"
"Maybe it was just… a joke?"
Alvin tried to ease her mood.
"She didn't look like she was joking."
Rin muttered.
She knew that many Masters participating in this Holy Grail War had their eyes on the White Dragon… but she never expected that even after she had successfully summoned him, Illya would still be targeting him.
Was this supposed to be the Holy Grail War, or some kind of Alvin Defense Battle?
She was focused on the Holy Grail, while the other Masters, instead of coveting the Greater Grail, were more interested in her Servant?
Still, there was one thing Alvin had said correctly, given his personality, there was no way he would abandon her again to seek out another Master.
In the end, it was precisely the bond between them that allowed her to summon the White Dragon even after her catalyst had been switched out.
Rin lowered her head and gently brushed the intricate crimson pattern on the back of her hand.
The Command Seal.
It was the proof of the bond connecting her to Alvin. As long as it remained… she was Alvin's Master.
Her former "elder" had now become her Servant.
Even now, just thinking about it gave Rin an indescribably strange feeling.
'If I use a Command Seal, then with Assassin's magic resistance, no matter what order I give, he'll probably obey, right?'
As she looked at the boy beside her, that thought suddenly popped into Rin's mind without warning.
"Feeling a little calmer now?"
Seeing that Rin hadn't spoken for a while, Alvin suddenly asked.
Only then did Rin snap back to reality. The moment she noticed his gaze, a faint blush unconsciously appeared on her fair cheeks.
"Mm," she softly responded.
The atmosphere grew slightly quiet.
After a while, Rin parted her lips, about to break the silence—
Knock! Knock!
A soft knocking sound suddenly came from outside.
"Nee-san, I'm coming in, okay?"
Following the somewhat unfamiliar yet polite voice, Matou Sakura changed into slippers at the entrance before walking into the living room.
At a glance, she spotted the two of them inside.
Her gaze lingered on Alvin for a moment, and for that instant, her beautiful eyes seemed to soften.
Tilting her head slightly, Sakura smiled, "Senpai… it's been a long time."
"I never thought I'd be able to see you again like this after ten years… I'm really happy."
———
[Tohsaka Residence]
The living room, which had not been lively in a very long time, finally welcomed a guest once more… or perhaps it would be more accurate to say, a Servant.
Matou Sakura sat on the sofa, her beautiful eyes fixed tenderly on the boy as a faint smile rested on her face.
Unlike her older sister Tohsaka Rin, the younger sister at this age already possessed a mature, alluring figure uncommon among girls her age. From the moment she sat down, her gaze had remained on the boy the entire time.
"It really is quite a coincidence."
There was a trace of emotion in Alvin's voice.
He wasn't just being polite, he genuinely felt moved.
After all, there had been seven Masters participating in this Holy Grail War who attempted to summon Alvin… yet despite her catalyst being swapped out, Tohsaka Rin had still successfully summoned him. That in itself was a kind of fate.
Still, compared to when she was little, Sakura had changed quite a bit… in more ways than one.
Noticing Alvin's gaze, Sakura seemed slightly shy as she turned her face away and looked toward the girl preparing tea and snacks nearby.
"Nee-san, stop busying yourself and come sit with us for a bit."
Rin looked over from the kitchen area and smiled slightly.
"It's fine. You two chat first. I'll come over once the tea's ready."
When it came to her younger sister, Rin always wanted to present herself as the "gentle" and "mature" older sister. Knowing how much Sakura missed the White Dragon, she deliberately left the two of them alone together.
"Looks like Rin became pretty good at taking care of people after growing up."
Alvin quickly withdrew his gaze.
"How have you been these past years? Has your body shown any abnormalities?"
Sakura gently shook her head, her voice as soft as ever.
"Everything's been fine. Uncle Kariya has treated me very well too. He said the future of the Matou family will be entrusted to me."
During the previous Holy Grail War, Matou Zouken died at the hands of Sajyou Manaka, while the head of the Matou family had already been gravely ill. The only one they could rely on was Matou Kariya.
However, Kariya himself had long been like a candle flickering in the wind. Because of that, he had spent these years training Sakura to become the next head of the family.
"You're still living at the Matou household?"
A thought stirred in Alvin's heart as he suddenly asked.
Sakura nodded lightly, then quickly waved her hands as though remembering something.
"Uncle Kariya didn't use Crest Worms as a medium. He said that even if the Matou family's magic crest was lost, it would still be better than having me inherit it through Crest Worms."
Alvin had no doubts about that. After all, from the Holy Grail War ten years ago all the way to the present one, everything Matou Kariya had done was for the sake of seeing Sakura grow up healthy and safe.
"And sometimes, I stay at my sister's house for a day before going back too," Sakura continued.
"Since Mother followed Father to the Clock Tower and still hasn't returned, I think my sister probably gets lonely sometimes as well."
In order to care for Tohsaka Tokiomi, Tohsaka Aoi had flown to the Clock Tower several years ago. She returned once a year to visit her two daughters, while the sisters themselves either solved problems on their own or sought help from the priest at the Holy Church.
'Looks like a lot must've happened over these ten years. Too bad I skipped the story, I've got no idea what these sisters went through during all that time.'
'Skipping the plot really does mean skipping part of a life. The ancients weren't lying after all,' Alvin sighed inwardly.
"Are you planning to stay the night tonight?"
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