CG collection... To be honest, Alvin was quite intrigued by it.
After all, collecting CGs also came with rewards...so the joy was double!
However—
Why did it feel like ever since the Holy Grail War began, the CGs collected by the system were so 'dangerous'?
From the system's reaction just now and Manaka Sajyou's 'disappearance,' it was clear she hadn't died...
Though he didn't know what she was up to, one thing Alvin was certain of was that she would definitely return.
If he accepted Matou Sakura's contract now, what would Manaka Sajyou think when she saw it?
...But then again, why did she 'fake her death'?
Alvin didn't have time to dwell on it, as he soon noticed Matou Sakura staring at him intently.
He hesitated for a moment but ultimately didn't agree to her proposal right away.
Instead, he reached out and gently patted her head, saying,
"Let's go inside and talk."
Hearing his words, which were indirect rejection, Matou Sakura's eyes dimmed, a trace of disappointment visible on her small face.
"Sakura, I don't mean to reject you."
Sensing her thoughts, Alvin softened his tone, speaking gently,
"The Holy Grail War is a brutal game where Masters fight to the death, and in the end, there may only be one winner—or none at all."
"Though the Holy Grail is called a wish-granting device, I don't think it's all that reliable...
You're still young, and there's no need to get involved in something this dangerous.
Besides, would you really want to face your father in the Holy Grail War?"
At his last words, Matou Sakura's expression changed suddenly.
To face her father in the Holy Grail War and fight him...?
For a girl her age, this was indeed a difficult decision to make.
"And don't worry, I won't disappear just yet... After all, I still have [Independent Manifestation]," Alvin continued.
Perhaps comforted by his words, Matou Sakura's expression softened and she instinctively hugged the young man tightly, as if wanting to press her small frame into his embrace.
Adopted into the Matou family at such a young age and then sent to a strange place shortly after, even the strongest girl would struggle with feelings of insecurity.
Alvin gently stroked her soft hair, then led her back into the house.
Sitting on the soft sofa with the floor heating turned on, his mind raced with different thoughts.
After tonight, the other factions would likely assume Saber didn't have much time left.
After all, without a Master's mana supply, elimination was only a matter of time.
But for him, this was actually a perfect opportunity to shift from the spotlight to the shadows.
At least after this, fewer people would focus on 'Saber's' side.
After all, last night, he had clashed with Archer in a massive battle, and tonight, Alvin had even eliminated a Servant...much less a Berserker.
Such feats were enough to make every Master wary.
And tonight's battle had spread the news of Saber's Master's death..at least, that was the information released to the outside.
The only unknown factor was the card in Kirei Kotomine's hand.
Assassin... If the timeline hadn't changed, according to his memories, the Assassin summoned by Kirei Kotomine should be Hassan-i-Sabbah.
Although this guy was not particularly strong in combat, but he was still a significant threat to Masters.
Though Kiritsugu Emiya had escaped in the end, at least tonight had yielded a crucial piece of intelligence.
—Berserker, or rather Vortigern's Master, Irisviel, had been kidnapped.
Moreover, tonight, Irisviel had used a Command Seal to try to make Vortigern commit suicide.
Who could it be?
All the Servants except Assassin were present tonight.
The Einzbern Castle was heavily fortified and difficult to breach, and the only one absent was Kirei Kotomine.
Could it be him?
But why would Kirei Kotomine make Vortigern commit suicide...
Wouldn't that be helping Alvin?
If it wasn't Kirei Kotomine, then who could have infiltrated the Einzbern Castle tonight and kidnapped Irisviel?
A name involuntarily surfaced in Alvin's mind.
—Manaka Sajyou!
Manaka's 'death' tonight was too abrupt. .
She hadn't even reacted before being shot.
And from her actions shortly before, it was clear she had some other purpose, deliberately faking her death in front of all the Servants and Masters.
So, the question was... Where was Manaka now?
If Irisviel had been kidnapped by Manaka, what was she planning to do?
He needed to find Manaka as soon as possible...
As Alvin's mind swirled with these chaotic thoughts, Matou Sakura, sitting beside him, suddenly rubbed her sleepy eyes and let out a tired yawn.
Alvin glanced at the clock on the wall—it was already past 3 a.m.
"Go to bed first. I'll find Manaka as soon as I can, don't worry,"
He said reassuringly.
Matou Sakura nodded lightly, then looked at the young man's face and suddenly asked, "Saber... why did you help me?"
Born into a mage family, Matou Sakura had always known more than most children her age.
During her time with the Matou family, she had heard plenty about Servants, even legends of Britain's White Dragon.
Although he was a legendary figure...but they were strangers... So why would he go out of his way to help her?
Hearing her words, Alvin paused for a moment, then smiled and spoke, "When you see a girl alone in the freezing snow in the middle of the night... does helping her need a reason?"
"If I had to say... call it knightly chivalry."
Matou Sakura didn't respond, only lifting her head to gaze at the young man, as if wanting to etch his figure into her memory forever.
...
That night.
At the Matou residence, a traditional Japanese-style mansion.
Morgan le Fay had just returned to the estate and sat alone in the courtyard, staring blankly at the snowy scene outside the window.
In the current Matou household, aside from a few servants, the only residents were Matou Kariya and his son, Shinji.
Morgan le Fay had taken Matou Kariya's place to participate in this Holy Grail War.
Originally, Morgan had expected that after tonight, she could make Alvin her Servant... Yet, Alvin had rejected her for a girl he'd only known for a few days.
Even her own sister had taken Alvin's side.
"Are you wondering why I supported Alvin?"
At that moment, Altria's clear, melodious voice suddenly came from nearby.
Morgan didn't turn around, her pale arm propping up her chin as she spoke in a cold tone.
"I know what you're thinking... Likewise, if Alvin had chosen to form a contract with me tonight, I wouldn't have been particularly happy either."
"But even so... I'm still pretty annoyed."
In fact, whether Alvin chose her or rejected her tonight, Morgan would have felt conflicted either way.
The Alvin she knew was someone who, once he chose a Master, would stay loyal to them until the Holy Grail War ended.
Yet the more he was like that, the more she wanted to forcibly take him from Manaka Sajyou.
And... she'd had the chance to forcibly claim him.
But her own sister had stopped her.
"Even if you had brought Alvin to your side tonight... he wouldn't have been happy. He'd have resisted to the end."
Altria said softly,
"Besides, this is just a Holy Grail War."
Yes... just a Holy Grail War.
In Altria's view, she and Morgan le Fay had joined this Holy Grail War partly with a 'since we've already crossed over' mindset.
On the other hand... both she and Morgan wanted to keep Alvin by their side.
This unspoken mutual understanding was precisely why she had accepted Morgan's summoning.
But in the end, even if Morgan didn't manage to keep Alvin by her side, once the Holy Grail War ended, he would still return to Britain.
"That's why I sometimes say you're too naive, Lily."
Morgan said quietly,
"Even after all this time, you're still so naive in some ways."
Altria stepped out from the darkness.
Compared to her 'Saber' class self, the woman before Morgan now carried an air of dignity and composure.
However, at this moment, her emerald eyes were filled with confusion as she looked at her sister.
"You said something similar earlier... What do you mean? Why am I too naive?"
"Don't you think Manaka Sajyou's death tonight was too suspicious?" Morgan le Fay said, locking eyes with her sister.
"The Root Princess, a mage born with omniscience and omnipotence, should have known she was going to die before it happened...
So why didn't she make any attempt to avoid the danger?"
Though Morgan didn't know what Manaka Sajyou was planning, she was certain of one thing...that girl wasn't dead and was preparing something in the shadows.
Altria listened intently to Morgan's words, pondering for a moment before suddenly saying, "Does Alvin know about this?"
"I'm not sure... but one thing is certain." Morgan fixed her gaze on Altria's eyes: "What do you think Manaka Sajyou feels for Alvin?"
What Manaka Sajyou feels for Alvin...?
The question alone was enough to provoke deep thought.
Under normal circumstances, the relationship between a Master and Servant in the Holy Grail War was either one of lord and vassal or a partnership to win the Grail.
However... Manaka Sajyou's attitude toward Alvin tonight didn't seem like either a master-servant dynamic or a cooperative one.
If anything, the way the girl looked at him was something both sisters understood all too well.
If Manaka Sajyou wanted to be with Alvin, what would she do?
Would she simply win the Holy Grail War and then watch as Alvin, having fulfilled his mission, vanished from her world?
Altria's thoughts stirred, as if realizing something. "Are you saying she wants to keep Alvin forever—"
Before she could finish, a man's figure quietly approached from the dimness of the courtyard.
Matou Kariya.
"Miss Morgan... when can I see Sakura?"
Previously, Morgan had promised that if the role of Master was transferred to her, Matou Kariya would be able to see Sakura again afterward.
It was precisely because of this condition that Kariya ultimately agreed to let Morgan le Fay take the Matou family's place in the Holy Grail War.
After all, with Matou Zouken already dead and the current head of the Matou family being a rather weak-willed man, no one would object if they withdrew from the Holy Grail War.
"You'll see her after the Holy Grail War ends."
Morgan gathered her thoughts and smiled brightly at the gray-haired man standing in the snowy night.
"If I recall correctly, you secretly visited Tohsaka Tokiomi's wife and daughter during the day, didn't you? For you... that's already enough, isn't it?"
Hearing her words, Matou Kariya fell silent for a moment.
Perhaps to ensure his family wouldn't be caught up in the Holy Grail War, Tohsaka Tokiomi had relocated his wife and daughter to a safe place before the war began.
And Morgan le Fay had told Kariya where they were.
For this man, even watching the mother and daughter live happily from afar was enough to fill him with warmth.
"Don't worry, after the Holy Grail War ends, I'll make sure Matou Sakura is reunited with her mother and sister. But now's not the time."
As Morgan spoke, her gaze inadvertently flicked toward Matou Kariya. "You didn't come to me just to ask about Sakura, did you?"
The latter froze for a moment before giving a wry smile.
"You really do understand people's minds..."
"It's not just about Sakura... To be honest, when I went to see Rin today, she was secretly practicing magecraft on her own, saying she wants to help Tokiomi in the future."
"But she seems to have hit a bottleneck recently..."
Morgan le Fay raised an eyebrow.
"You want me to teach her magecraft?"
Tohsaka Rin, Tokiomi's daughter, had something that piqued Morgan's interest...gem magecraft.
Kariya had once mentioned something about Rin in passing, and what caught Morgan's attention was this 'gem magecraft.'
Back in Britain, Morgan had seen a goddess who also used 'gem magecraft.'
Truth be told, she was somewhat intrigued by Tohsaka Rin...
And if she recalled correctly, Rin and Matou Sakura were sisters.
And the latter was currently with Alvin.
Perhaps she could use Tohsaka Rin for something...?
For a moment, Morgan's mind began to churn with possibilities.
...
Meanwhile, in a mage workshop situated in the snowy landscape.
A quiet atmosphere permeated the confined space.
The silver-haired beauty, tightly bound by silver threads, slowly opened her eyes.
Her demeanor was delicate, but the white dress clinging to her body, accentuated by the silver threads, outlined her graceful figure, creating a stark contrast with her gentle aura.
Manaka Sajyou quietly sensed the return of her 'clone' to her body, slowly opening her eyes.
As if thinking of something amusing, a charming smile curved her lips.
"It's about time to begin the transfer of the Holy Grail, Miss Irisviel."
Irisviel stared intently at Manaka Sajyou, biting her lip and saying in a low voice, "What exactly are you planning to do?"
"I told you, I just want to be with the one I love forever."
Manaka gently touched Irisviel's face, her deep blue eyes sparkling under the light, her voice filled with a girl's innocent cheerfulness...yet devoid of any warmth.
"For that wish... I need to slightly alter the rules of the Holy Grail War.
That's all."
"I hope you'll cooperate, Miss Irisviel—"
As she spoke, a special magecraft began to form beneath her feet!
In an instant, Irisviel's physical structure, along with the magical energy flowing within her, was silently drawn into Manaka's perception.
However, just as she was about to begin transferring the "Holy Grail" to her clone, she suddenly sensed another strange surge of magical energy emanating from Irisviel's body.
It was like a vivid red mandala flower, quietly blooming.
In the next moment, the previously frail and helpless silver-haired beauty slowly raised her eyes.
A bewitching crimson hue now tinged her beautiful gaze, exuding an enchanting allure.
Manaka Sajyou froze for a moment, blinking in disbelief as she looked at Irisviel. "Another personality...?" she said instinctively.
Soon, she snapped back to herself, a look of delighted surprise spreading across her delicate face.
"No, it's not another personality."
"...You're the true Holy Grail, aren't you?"
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