The Matou family estate was also located in Miyama-cho, a short distance away from the Tohsaka manor.
If it had been the original, physically sound Kariya Matou, traveling between the two would have taken almost no time at all. Now, however, simply dragging his overburdened body back from Shinto to Miyama-cho left Kariya feeling utterly spent.
But this fatigue felt trivial compared to what he was about to do. In fact, a small surge of excitement pulsed within him.
His blood was boiling, causing the Crest Worms that provided him with magical energy to become hyperactive. The prana flowed through him like a toxin, causing his veins to bulge uncontrollably.
Kariya had a rough idea of how his story would end. He could no longer win this Holy Grail War, but if he offered up his Servant and his Command Spells, he might buy himself a single chance at mercy—even if that mercy was granted by a strange boy younger than himself.
"Is this the place?" Ludwig asked, looking at the rather grand estate.
The manor was no less impressive than the Tohsaka residence, complete with its own private garden. It was clearly the home of one of Fuyuki City's premier elite families.
"Yes," Kariya whispered.
He had once fled from this place, only to return two years ago to seek redemption. Now, during the Holy Grail War, he used it as his base of operations. This was the first time he had ever brought a dangerous stranger back here—back to his "home."
Upon receiving Kariya's confirmation, Ludwig reached out and grabbed the iron gate of the garden. Kariya was about to warn him that the Matou gates were protected by magecraft meant to repel outsiders, but the boy ignored the sparks of magical electricity dancing across his hands. He pushed the gate open with brute force and strode straight inside.
Kariya let out a silent sigh, glanced at Saber who was bringing up the rear, and hurried to keep up with the boy.
Though he had summoned a Servant, Kariya was unable to use that Servant to rebel against Zouken because the Crest Worms inside him had been planted by the old man. Zouken could command the worms to cut off the mana supply at any moment, rendering the prana-hungry Berserker immobile. Consequently, for this return trip, Kariya could only act as a guide; the actual battle against Zouken would have to be carried out by Ludwig and Saber.
"Who are you? Did Kariya bring you? An ally?"
An unpleasant, gloomy voice rang out. It was Kariya's older brother, Tsuruno.
"Who's this?"
Standing in the first-floor hall, Ludwig turned to ask Kariya.
"My brother. He has nothing to do with the Holy Grail War or what's happening today. Do as you like with him," Kariya said, keeping his head down.
"Huh?" Tsuruno Matou, feeling slighted, was about to snap when Ludwig's fist connected with his face. He crumpled to the floor, unconscious.
Watching his brother's pathetic state, Kariya sighed again, whispered an apology in his heart, and stepped forward to lead Ludwig through the house.
Although Sakura Matou was being held captive here, Zouken didn't bother with her outside of her "training" sessions, leaving her to stay in her own room. Thus, Kariya found Sakura easily. He took the hand of the girl, who was already numb with despair, and led her toward the exit.
"Is this her?" Ludwig looked at Sakura, a hint of surprise in his voice.
The girl's eyes were hollow, like a puppet possessing intelligence but no emotion. She was terrified of Kariya taking her away, yet she lacked the strength to resist.
"I'm taking Sakura away from the Matou house..." Kariya said.
Though he wanted to send Sakura back to the Tohsaka family, was this really the right time? The Tohsaka manor could be reduced to rubble at any moment because of the war. He could send her to Aoi Tohsaka, but that was essentially the same as sending her back to the Tohsaka family...
Just thinking about the immediate future made Kariya's head feel like it was going to explode. He could only hold Sakura's hand and focus on getting her out of the house first.
"This is almost too easy," Ludwig remarked.
"It won't be easy..."
The Crest Worms inside Kariya began to churn. Just as he stepped through the front door with Sakura, he suddenly looked like a robot that had its power cut. He stopped dead and pitched forward onto the ground.
Sakura watched it all with a blank expression.
"While I have no intention of questioning how the Holy Grail War is conducted, isn't it a bit too bold to bring a stranger into my home and attempt to take that girl away?" a sinister, elderly voice croaked from the darkness.
Ludwig, who was about to crouch down to check on Kariya, turned his gaze toward the shadows of the garden.
A hunched, withered old man leaning on a cane stepped out. His sunken eyes were filled with a ruthless, cruel light—a clear warning to Kariya not to take another step.
"Is this him?" Ludwig asked. He wanted to confirm if this was the old man Kariya wanted dead.
Based on their earlier pact, he could now intervene.
"Yes..." Kariya responded, his voice as thin as a thread.
His life was currently in Zouken's hands, but even if he had to die with the old man, he would never beg for mercy.
"Master, please be careful. This old man is no ordinary person," Artoria warned. It wasn't that his power was immense, but rather that his aura was unsettling and bizarre.
"Whether he's ordinary or not—"
As Ludwig spoke, he took a step toward the old man. In the next heartbeat, he was standing directly in front of him. Before Zouken could even react, Ludwig's hand clamped onto his head.
"—is something we'll find out after I've done this."
"Heh... heh heh..." Zouken, whose head was seconds away from being crushed, let out a cackling laugh. "So you found a helper. You're the one who caused that uproar in the war two days ago, aren't you?"
Ludwig's fingers dug into the skull, which was already beginning to cave in, yet Zouken continued to laugh as if he felt no pain at all.
"Just a quick question: what did you do to that little girl?" Ludwig asked.
"Nothing much. I just gave her a bit of 'education'," Zouken replied.
He pointedly emphasized the word "education," hoping to provoke Kariya or Ludwig.
"Education, huh? Then there's no helping it," Ludwig nodded.
Without warning, he applied sudden, violent pressure.
The old man's head was crushed like a balloon, losing more than half its mass. He lost all motor function instantly, his limbs dangling limply. Ludwig tossed the old man's corpse onto the nearby grass and glanced at his hand, finding not a single drop of blood or brain matter.
He snapped his gaze back to the corpse. The body began to float, its form becoming unstable.
"Heh heh heh... How dangerous. If I were the young man I once was, a blow like that would have surely killed me."
Zouken hovered before Ludwig, gloating with satisfaction.
"So your entire body is made of worms? No wonder."
Ludwig had found it strange; when he "killed" the old man, it hadn't felt like killing a human at all. It felt like killing a monster.
Saber lunged from the side, her invisible sword flashing as she carved the old man's body into pieces. A moment later, she too wore an expression of shock.
"What...?"
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Type-Moon: The A-Ray Knight's Holy Grail Journey
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