After a short wait, Emiya Shirō opened the gate.
"Who are you…? Ah! Tōsaka Rin?"
Tōsaka Rin's sudden visit seemed to surprise Emiya Shirō quite a bit.
"Sakura's inside, right?"
"Y-yeah…"
Rin pushed past Emiya Shirō and barged in. Shirō called after her in a fluster.
"Hey! Tōsaka!"
We went inside. Sakura was preparing dinner. Seeing this, Rin approached Sakura, hugged her tightly, and cried.
"Sob sob… I'm so sorry, sister… I found out too late. That you were suffering like that. I never even imagined."
"Tōsaka-senpai?"
Sakura seemed momentarily unable to understand the situation. To give the sisters some time alone, I gestured to Shirō to step outside. Sensing that something serious was going on, Shirō followed me out.
"Why is Tōsaka acting like that? And who are you? What's your relationship with Tōsaka?"
"Ask one thing at a time. Anyway, to answer your questions: Tōsaka Rin and Matō Sakura are biological sisters. Sakura was adopted from the Tōsaka family into the Matō family."
"What? Is that true?"
"Yeah. And Tōsaka and I are dating."
"I… I see."
Judging from the bitter expression on this guy's face when I said I was dating Tōsaka Rin, he must have had feelings for her.
I'll put a stop to your harem fantasies. Uahaha~
After waiting outside for a while, Rin came out and said, "We're done talking. Come in!"
"Okay."
As we entered the living room of Shirō's house, I saw Rider sitting quietly as well. Shirō got flustered again.
"And who is she!?"
As Shirō panicked, Sakura made a strange excuse. "Well, she's a distant relative. Ahaha…"
Once we were all seated, Shirō poured tea for everyone.
"Sorry to the homeowner, but we have things to discuss among ourselves. Could you step outside for a bit?"
"Again???"
Shirō made a sour face at the fact that he had to go outside again. Then I spoke up.
"I think he can stay."
I took Shirō's hand and showed the back of it to everyone. There was a bruise-like mark, a precursor to the manifestation of Command Spells.
"Unbelievable… Shirō is a Master too…"
"Huh? What's a Master?"
Rin calmly explained the Holy Grail War simply to the shocked Shirō.
"So then, the lady here and the good-looking guy over there are Servants?"
"Yeah… Sigh… What am I supposed to do about this…"
Tōsaka Rin rubbed her forehead as if she had a headache. Just then, Sakura took my hand and said,
"Can I really live a normal life?"
She even held my hand as she spoke, so it seemed this was something she desperately wanted.
"Well, we'll have to see, but it's probably possible."
"Then let's check right away."
Just then, Rider tried to stop Sakura.
"Sakura, you can't. We can't trust another Servant."
"But we don't have any other way…"
Rin thought for a moment, then said to Sakura and Rider,
"Then I'll use a Command Spell to make sure he can't hurt either of you. How about that?"
Only then did Rider agree. "Very well. If you do that, I can trust him."
Rin held out her hand with the Command Spells and used one to command me.
"Jin! I command you not to attack these two until the treatment is finished!"
As soon as Rin finished speaking, one of the Command Spell marks disappeared. A Master's command using a Command Spell must be obeyed by the Servant, but frankly, that didn't work on me. It was thanks to my [Status Ailment Immunity] ability.
"Yes, yes, I hear you, butler."
"Then let's go to the room."
Rider, Sakura, and I entered an empty room. Sakura immediately started taking off her clothes. It didn't have to be done this way, but I let it happen. Why would I refuse such a reward? And the reason Sakura acted this way was probably thanks to the Matō family's education.
I pointed to the bed and said, "Lie down here for a moment."
"Yes."
Sakura lay down on the bed naked. I placed my hand on her stomach and pretended to check her condition. Rider watched closely to make sure I didn't hurt Sakura.
"Wow… This is… troubling…"
Sakura asked with a worried expression. "Is it very bad?"
"First, put your clothes back on. Let's talk outside."
Sakura got dressed again and we went back to the living room. Rin asked, "How is it? Can you fix her?"
"I can fix the worms. But the worms aren't the problem. That Matō Jōken guy implanted a Lesser Grail inside her body."
Hearing this, Tōsaka Rin became furious.
"That crazy family!!!"
"From what I can tell, he was probably trying to use her as breeding ground to raise high-quality worms."
At that, Rin flew into an even greater rage. Sakura and I hurriedly calmed her down. After she settled down somewhat, she sat back down and asked,
"So can you fix it?"
"Yes. But there's one problem."
"What's that?"
"She has to die once."
"Wh-what?!?"
"The Lesser Grail and her body have already become one, and it's not even a normal Grail but one that's been corrupted by something. So it's impossible to treat her while she's alive."
"I see…"
"But don't worry. If she dies and is resurrected, I can take care of both the Grail and the worms. However, she won't be able to use magic ever again."
Hearing that, Sakura spoke as if she had made up her mind.
"I'm sick of magic. Please, save me from this hell."
Rider frowned, approached me, and grabbed me by the collar.
"You're absolutely sure you can resurrect her?"
"Yes."
Emiya Shirō, who had been listening from the side, looked bewildered, not understanding what was happening.
"What in the world is going on…"
"Just stay quiet. We'll explain later."
When Rin said that, Shirō fell silent. We cleaned up one of the rooms and decided to treat Sakura inside.
"Rider, listen carefully. If you want your Master to live, don't let anyone into this room until the treatment is finished."
"Understood."
"And if anything happens, please protect my Master too."
"I swear it."
Sakura and I entered the room. She took off her clothes again and lay down on the floor.
"Please take care of me."
"Yeah, let's begin."
I took a thin, long sword from my inventory and instantly pierced Sakura's spine, killing her instantly.
Ding~
[You have acquired (S) Imaginary Number Magecraft and (SS) Lesser Grail.]
I was prepared for Sakura to be resurrected in a corrupted form like in the original story after her death, but thanks to (EX) Kill & Snatch, she didn't become corrupted and revive; she simply died.
Phew~ That's a relief… I was worried.
I immediately used [Eyes] to extract all the writhing worms from Sakura's corpse and burst them.
The funny thing was a worm that had been parasitizing near Sakura's heart. I could sense Jōken's soul inside it. It seemed he had planted it there in her heart as an emergency measure, probably trying to revive using Sakura's body if something happened…
But perhaps because of the immense magical energy or due to Angra Mainyu, it didn't seem to work.
What a truly insane bastard.
Jōken's actions were beyond imagination.
After extracting all the worms and double-checking with [Eyes] and [Observation Color] to make sure nothing was left, I used the resurrection spells [Resurrection], [Sacred Hines Heal], and even [Mugensen] to bring Sakura back. Color returned to Sakura's corpse, and she began to breathe again.
"Phew~ All done."
I dressed Sakura, then carried her outside. Rider hurriedly took Sakura from me.
"She's alive. She can't use magic anymore, but she should be able to live a normal life. All the worms are gone too."
"You really are amazing, Jin! Good work."
Rin hugged me and gave me a kiss on the cheek. Emiya Shirō looked at the room where I had treated Sakura and was horrified.
"Agh! What is all this!"
"Those are the worms that were inside Sakura's body. She suffered because of those worms for a long time."
"Th… that's horrible…"
Shirō went into the room and cleaned it thoroughly. I prepared dinner for everyone.
"Jin, want some help?"
"Yeah."
With Rin's help, I quickly prepared the meal and set it on the living room table. Just then, Shirō seemed to have finished cleaning, and Sakura, having regained consciousness, came in with Rider.
"How do you feel?"
"I feel a bit empty without my magical energy, but no other problems, I think."
"That's a relief. Now, let's eat."
We enjoyed the meal I had prepared. Shirō marveled as he ate.
"Wow, this is delicious. Your name is Jin? Your cooking skills are amazing."
"Haha, thanks."
As she ate, Rin said to Sakura, "Sakura, let's live together from now on. Come back to the Tōsaka household."
"Is that okay?"
"Yeah. The Matō family is finished now, so it's fine. Ah, but maybe not right away since the Holy Grail War is still ongoing…"
Sakura thought for a moment, glanced at Emiya Shirō, then blushed and said,
"Th-then, could I impose on Shirō-senpai's house for a while?"
At that, Shirō smiled and readily agreed. "Of course. You're always welcome, Sakura!"
Hearing that, Sakura seemed overjoyed and smiled. "Thank you, Senpai."
Hearing that, Rin tried to stop her. "Wait, Emiya Shirō is…"
I quickly nudged Rin's side to cut her off and whispered in her ear.
"Hey, look at their faces. Just leave them be."
Rin seemed to sense that Sakura's gaze toward Shirō was unusual and understood immediately.
"Oh… so that's how it is. Alright. But Shirō has to participate in the Holy Grail War, so won't it be dangerous?"
"Rider is there."
"But without a Master, Rider can only sustain herself on her own magical energy, so…"
We kept whispering back and forth, so Shirō asked, "What are you two whispering about?"
"Well, you could call it a lover's whisper, I suppose?"
At my playful remark, Rin's face turned bright red, and she smacked me on the back with her palm.
Slap!
"Ugh!"
"Aish! Really!"
Now that Sakura was no longer a Master, she seemed worried about Rider and asked, "Rider, how much magical energy do you have left?"
"I can last about a week. I will protect you until then."
Hearing that, I spoke up. "I'll take care of that."
Rin looked curious and asked, "How?"
"There's always a way."
After finishing the meal, I told everyone to wait a moment and quickly moved to Ryūdō Temple. When I went inside, Kuzuki Sōichirō was already dead, apparently killed by Jōken.
Caster was just holding his corpse and crying. Judging by her state, she seemed to have lost her mind. I couldn't tell how many days she had been like this.
No help for it.
I approached quietly, first picking up Rule Breaker and the Staff of Hecate that were lying on the floor and putting them into my inventory.
Then I approached Caster from behind and cleanly beheaded her without pain, taking care of her. Caster was a great beauty, so it was a pity, but in her state, there was nothing I could do. The only option was to send her to Sōichirō quickly.
Ding~
[You have acquired (A) High-Speed Incantation, (S) Divine Age Magecraft, and (B) Skeleton Warrior Summoning.]
[(A) High-Speed Incantation has been absorbed into (SSS) Silent Casting.]
[Due to the effect of (S) Divine Age Magecraft, (C) Mana Efficiency has been promoted to (B) Mana Efficiency.]
"Oh~ Lucky~!"
Caster was generous indeed. With (S) Divine Age Magecraft and (S) Imaginary Number Magecraft, I could fully understand the magecraft of the Fate universe.
And on top of that, Rule Breaker… This weapon had the effect of breaking all rules. Even if I didn't get anything else from Fate, I absolutely had to get this.
Having obtained everything from Ryūdō Temple, I teleported back to Emiya Shirō's house. Everyone was in the dojo, so I went there too.
"You're back? Did everything go safely?"
Rin greeted me happily when she saw I had arrived. Rin was drawing a summoning circle for Shirō. In the original story, it was already drawn in the shed, so I thought about telling her, but I couldn't think of an excuse that fit, so I just let it be.
"Yeah… Rider, come here for a second."
Rider, who had been next to Sakura, came over to me when I called.
"What is it?"
"What I'm about to do is break the rules of the Holy Grail War engraved on you and make you a new Master."
"Is that possible?"
"Yes. But Sakura can't use magic anymore, her Magic Crest is ruined, and she lacks magical energy, so she needs a different Master. I'm thinking of taking on that role."
Rider seemed to understand immediately.
"I see… Then, may I ask a favor?"
"What is it?"
"I want to become your Servant, but withdraw from the Holy Grail War. I want to protect Sakura with the time I have left."
"Alright. I'll do as you wish."
"Thank you."
I took Rule Breaker from my inventory, lightly stabbed Rider with it to first break the rules of the Holy Grail War, then contracted with Rider anew. A Command Spell appeared on the back of my hand.
"Done. Now you don't have to worry about magical energy."
"Thank goodness."
Rider went to Sakura and told her the news. Sakura then bowed to me to express her gratitude.
Well, everything worked out, so that's good.
Rin's eyes sparkled as she watched me, and suddenly she coveted Rule Breaker.
"Jin! Give that to me!"
"No!"
"Give it~!"
"I said no!"
I immediately put Rule Breaker back into my inventory.
"You never know how something like that could be misused. So give up and finish drawing the summoning circle."
"Tch! You're so stingy."
Rin grumbled as if she had given up and resumed drawing the summoning circle.
"Okay~ Done!"
Rin dusted off her hands and stood up. Shirō asked her, "Um… do I really have to do this?"
"Yeah. Otherwise, other Masters will kill you. If you want to live, you have no choice."
"Ugh… Alright, let's do this!"
Yeah, hurry up. I want to see Saber too.
"You remember the incantation, right?"
"Yeah…"
"Then begin."
"Ow!"
Emiya Shirō recited the incantation in the center of the magic circle.
"Let thy body rest under my dominion, let my fate rest in thy blade. If thou dost heed the Holy Grail's call and follow this will and reason, then answer me. I hereby swear. I shall be the one who delivers all the good in the world. I shall be the one who delivers all the evil in the world! Thou art bound by the three… the three…"
As Shirō stumbled, forgetting part of the incantation, Rin, having anticipated this, held up a large sketchbook with the words written on it.
"…by the three sacred words, come forth from the Seventh Heaven, guardian of the scales!"
Flash!
Thump! Crash!
"Whoa!"
As the incantation ended, the summoning circle suddenly glowed, a loud sound came from above the dojo, the ceiling collapsed, and Saber fell onto Shirō.
He had made the same mistake Tōsaka Rin had made. The incantation should be recited outside the circle; reciting it inside summoned the Servant from above.
"Ugh… my back…"
"Senpai, are you okay?"
Everyone was holding back laughter. Only Sakura was genuinely worried about Shirō. Saber brushed off her skirt-like armor, stood up, and said to us,
"Who is my Master?"
I suppressed a laugh and pointed to Shirō, who was pinned under Saber's feet.
"Ughack…"
"Huh? Oh my, excuse me… I thought you were a cushion because you were so soft."
Only then did she notice Shirō underneath her and stepped aside. As Shirō struggled to his feet, Saber looked at him and asked,
"Are you my Master?"
"Y-yeah."
"Servant Saber, summoned at your call. Master, your orders!"