"Matou Zouken—"
Within a restaurant in Sighișoara, Shirou Kotomine stared at the elderly man sitting opposite him, softly uttering his name.
He had thought he would never again encounter any member of Fuyuki City's Three Families after that last Holy Grail War. Yet, not only had he met one again, but he had even encountered him in the midst of the Great Holy Grail War.
"Sixty years—"
Shirou Kotomine had never imagined that aside from himself and Darnic, someone else would have waited sixty years just to participate in this conflict.
Yet at this moment, Shirou sat stiffly across from Matou Zouken, feeling extremely uncomfortable.
One reason was the sinister aura radiating from the elderly man. The other was the dish in front of him—a plate of mapo tofu, colored a violent, scarlet red even more vivid than paint.
Shirou Kotomine could practically see the crimson heat rising from the dish; even breathing lightly sent scorching flames into his nostrils. He instinctively held his breath.
"This was Kirei's favorite dish. I'm sure it will suit your tastes as well."
Matou Zouken smiled benignly as though genuinely believing that Shirou, as Kotomine Kirei's so-called "brother," would share the same palate.
But Shirou Kotomine understood clearly the deep malice behind Zouken's apparent kindness—this was nothing more than an implicit threat.
As the adopted son of Kotomine Risei, Shirou Kotomine had indeed inquired about his supposed younger brother, Kotomine Kirei.
And precisely because he had observed him, Shirou recognized Kirei's innate "twistedness."
Of course, Shirou had considered trying to free Kirei from his suffering—but upon reflection, he realized it might not end well. After all, if Kirei were to embrace that twisted nature fully, Shirou himself might become his first victim.
Hence, Shirou always maintained his distance whenever confronting Kirei.
He understood perfectly why Kirei could eat this mapo tofu—so spicy that even a Heroic Spirit like himself found it intolerable.
"Matou-dono, what brings you to our faction's camp?"
Since Zouken had already participated in the Third Holy Grail War, Shirou felt no need to conceal himself further. He straightforwardly questioned Matou Zouken, partly to divert attention from the threatening dish before him.
After all, Zouken had come here to Sighișoara of his own accord; Shirou had not invited him.
And as a former Ruler, Shirou Kotomine could effortlessly determine a Master's identity without resorting to Command Spells. Thus, after spotting Zouken on the streets of Sighișoara through his familiars, he had quickly arrived at Zouken's location.
Zouken had merely sat down at this restaurant, quietly waiting for Shirou's arrival.
"I intend to ally with the Red Faction."
Matou Zouken replied plainly, without hesitation.
Shirou was not entirely surprised by this answer; Zouken's presence was markedly different from Emiya Shirou's provocative arrival earlier.
Emiya Shirou's Servant had openly radiated fighting intent, clearly signaling a challenge. Yet Matou Zouken exhibited no hostility and hadn't even brought his Servant.
This initially puzzled Shirou—until realization suddenly dawned upon him.
"So, you're Assassin of Black's Master."
Shirou had detailed intelligence on all the Black Faction Masters, courtesy of the Mage's Association, with whom he'd allied. According to their information, Assassin of Black's original Master, Sagara Hyouma, had been found dead in London two days earlier.
Yet Assassin of Black continued to appear on the battlefield. This meant only one possibility: someone else had taken over as her Master—and now Shirou Kotomine understood clearly: that someone was Matou Zouken.
As Shirou softly murmured this revelation, a silver blade pressed gently but sharply against his throat, accompanied by a playful giggle behind him.
"Onii-san, you really shouldn't lower your guard like that."
A silver-haired girl smiled innocently as she leaned against Shirou's back, holding a blade firmly to his neck.
It wasn't that his [Revelation] had failed to activate; he simply hadn't felt the need to respond.
If Zouken truly wanted him dead, he wouldn't have chosen such a public place for their meeting. This was merely another demonstration of strength.
At a single glance, Shirou instantly recognized her true identity.
"Jack the Ripper—"
The girl's expression suddenly grew dangerously sharp, and a trickle of blood slid slowly down Shirou's neck.
Although Shirou retained some functions of the Ruler class, he did not possess Jeanne's ability to detect Servants merely by proximity. Unlike Jeanne, who could sense even a masterfully concealed Assassin the moment they approached, Shirou's weakened Ruler abilities merely allowed him instant recognition upon visual contact.
"That's enough, Assassin."
At Matou Zouken's command, Jack withdrew her blade.
"Tch!"
Jack clicked her tongue in clear displeasure and swiftly vanished from behind Shirou, reappearing silently beside Zouken.
"What is your wish?"
Shirou disregarded Jack's earlier threat, calmly asking Zouken once more.
"Immortality—eternal life."
Shirou Kotomine reached forward and grasped Zouken's hand warmly, offering a smile of serene reassurance.
"Then allow me to formally welcome you to the Red Faction, Matou-dono."
Shirou proceeded to escort Zouken to their stronghold, swiftly asking him to allow Jack the Ripper to operate under his command.
"Since we're allies now, this old man has no objections to your decisions."
Zouken replied with unsettling ease. Afterward, he found himself a comfortable spot within their newly completed Floating Garden, silently taking a seat without another word.
Much like an elderly man resting quietly on a park bench after a long walk, Zouken sat silently atop a stone railing, meditating wordlessly.
Though Shirou felt somewhat uneasy about Zouken so casually relinquishing control of Jack, he reasoned that with Semiramis closely watching Zouken, there shouldn't be any real threat.
And if Zouken did misbehave, he would simply receive the same treatment as the Red faction Masters who had opposed him—poison administered directly by Semiramis.
Shirou merely hoped Zouken would wisely refrain from interfering with his decisions regarding Jack. Otherwise, Assassin of Red certainly wouldn't show him any mercy.
Yet unbeknownst to either of them, beneath the Floating Garden, a figure cloaked entirely in black, wearing a skull-like mask, silently emerged from the shadows. Quietly, he began searching for the chambers imprisoning the other Masters of the Red faction.
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