"Who are you? I don't recall any gem magic user matching your description among the mages I know of."
Zouken Matou narrowed his eyes, a venomous glare directed at the sudden appearance of Mydei. Yet, no matter how he searched his memories, he found no trace of this person.
Still, judging by Mydei's attire, it was clear he wasn't Japanese.
Thanks to the multitude of inherent skills Mydei possessed—so many he couldn't be bothered to keep track—one of them was [Camouflage]. Thus, Zouken failed to realize that Mydei should technically be classified as a Servant.
"Your memories? You rotting old worm, how reliable can those memories of yours possibly be?"
Mydei crossed his arms, not giving Zouken the slightest regard. A cold smirk played on his lips as he uttered, "Makiri Zolgen."
"I don't know who you're talking about!"
For some reason, upon hearing that name, Zouken's composure shattered, his agitation surfacing abruptly.
"You don't? How pathetic."
Mydei shook his head in regret.
Makiri Zolgen the mage was a figure of significance, but Zouken Matou was nothing more than trash—a soul so decayed it refused to move on, even resorting to transforming itself into worms just to cling to life.
"Regardless, leave the Matou residence. I can pretend today never happened. You have no right to interfere in the private matters of the Matou family!"
Zouken's eyes gleamed with malice.
He desperately wanted to keep Mydei here, but every time he considered making a move, the overwhelming pressure radiating from Mydei forced him to halt.
He had no way of gauging Mydei's strength, yet an instinct screamed at him—if he acted, he would die!
No, absolutely not. Though his memories were decaying, one thing remained vivid: there was still something important he had to accomplish.
Until that goal was achieved... hehe, he must survive!
"Well, in theory, you're not wrong."
Mydei nodded in agreement.
As he spoke, he could clearly feel the little girl clinging tightly to his leg, trembling as if he were her only lifeline.
She was clearly terrified he might abandon her.
"In that case, leave now."
Zouken urged impatiently.
But the next moment, his eyes widened in disbelief as Mydei gently took Sakura's small hand.
On the back of her hand, three vivid red Command Spells slowly materialized, and a peculiar connection began to form between Mydei and Sakura.
"Impossible! How could this—!"
Zouken lost all composure.
Command Spells shouldn't appear on a child like Sakura, who hadn't even become a proper mage yet. So, their presence could mean only one thing—a Servant had acknowledged her.
But even the most powerful Servant shouldn't be able to designate someone as a Master in the Holy Grail War! And besides, shouldn't Servants remain in the Throne of Heroes under normal circumstances?
If this man before him was a Servant, that would explain the immense power he radiated.
An ordinary mage stood no chance against a Servant, but Servants weren't supposed to act freely. While unbound by time and death, they were also deprived of their freedom.
Yet Mydei... had freely manifested in the real world...
In Zouken's fading memories, he couldn't recall any Servant capable of such a feat.
Legends spoke of Grand Servants and a select few top-tier Servants possessing such power, but would such an existence truly manifest for the sake of a little girl?
Well, ordinarily, of course not. After all, Grand Servants weren't omniscient or omnipotent. Had they known of Sakura's plight, Mydei was certain several Grand Servants or candidates would have gladly stepped in for a stroll—but they didn't know, did they?
As for Mydei, it was all just a coincidence.
Though he'd learned which world he'd landed in during his previous mission, he had no grasp of the timeline.
So, once boredom set in, he simply decided to venture out.
And as luck would have it, he ended up in the worm nest.
What a fortunate coincidence, wouldn't you say?
Since he was already here, squashing the old worm was just a matter of convenience, right?
"It seems luck isn't on your side, old man. Before, I had no justification, but now... for the sake of my Master, would you kindly die? Or, if you prefer, I can offer you the chance to do it yourself. What do you say? I'm quite merciful, you know."
Mydei gazed at the old worm before him, a kindly smile spreading across his face.
"Don't be absurd... Why? Why have the Command Spells appeared now? Sakura, you are a child of the Matou family. Use your Command Spells to control this man! The head of the Tohsaka family also said you must obey me, didn't he? Sakura, you're a good girl."
A cold sweat trickled down Zouken's forehead. It had been years since he last felt this way.
"Grandfather..."
Sakura looked at Zouken, hesitation flickering in her eyes.
She was, after all, a good child. Hearing his words, she felt uncertain about what to do.
"Sakura, a real grandfather wouldn't push his granddaughter into a sea of worms. You don't want that future, do you? So, make your choice, Sakura. Just as the old worm said, you are my Master. This decision is yours to make."
Mydei shot a glance at Zouken, causing the latter to stagger back two steps in fear.
"I..."
Little Sakura looked at Zouken, then at Mydei, and finally spoke, "...Mister, please take me away. I don't want to stay here anymore."
"Since it's your wish, I shall obey."
Gently patting Sakura's fluffy hair, Mydei lifted her onto his shoulder and slowly made his way toward the door.
Of course, given his tall stature and the little girl perched on his shoulder, exiting directly wasn't really feasible.
Seeing this, Mydei took a deep breath, controlled his strength, and threw a light punch forward.
BOOM!
A deafening roar echoed through the entire courtyard. The narrow entrance shattered under Mydei's fist, leaving a gaping hole in its place.
Satisfied, Mydei gave a nod, leaped out lightly, and emerged onto the street with Sakura.
"Wait here for a moment. From now on, I'll be taking care of you. There are still a few things I need to say to your grandfather—or rather, your former grandfather."
Glancing at the dimly lit street, Mydei snapped his fingers. A figure emerged from the shadows nearby.
While he could only summon the soldiers who once fought alongside him when his Reality Marble was active, summoning a single entity didn't require such conditions.
After all, his power was far beyond this world's scale.
Not just in this age of receding mysteries, but even in the Age of Gods when deities roamed freely, he alone could whip an entire pantheon into shape.
"Don't wander off."
"Okay..."
Watching as Sakura stood obediently, her small hands clutching her dress tightly, Mydei gave her a reassuring nod and strode back into the courtyard.
By now, the loud explosion had roused Shinji Matou and his father, Byakuya Matou, from inside the house.
The two now stood in the courtyard, staring down at the massive crater, neither daring to venture further.
A moment later, a disheveled and grim-faced Zouken emerged from within.
"Father..." Byakuya looked at Zouken, hesitation and uncertainty written across his face.
"Enough. Act as if nothing happened today." Zouken snorted coldly and made to return to his room, leaning on his cane.
It seemed the Matou family wouldn't be participating in this Holy Grail War. The urgent matter now was to uncover the identity of that powerful Servant who had appeared out of nowhere.
"Act as if nothing happened? I'm afraid that won't do, old man."
Mydei's voice rang out leisurely. In an instant, all three men started—none had noticed when Mydei had returned.
"Weren't you leaving? What, are you disobeying your Master's orders?"
Zouken frowned at Mydei.
"On the contrary, I'm following my Master's command. But who said I can't return after leaving?" Mydei spoke slowly, almost lazily.
"You're going back on your word!" Zouken's heart raced. A bad feeling crept over him.
"Going back on my word? What's that? Such things don't exist in the lexicon of Castrum Kremnos. If it's not written down, it doesn't exist!"
Mydei grinned, then slowly advanced toward Zouken.
Seeing this, Zouken raised his cane. Simultaneously, from the pit below, a harsh, scraping noise grew increasingly intense—so loud that even Shinji and Byakuya above could hear it.
Yet, faced with this, Mydei didn't even bat an eye. He simply stretched a hand toward the cellar nearby.
In an instant, crimson crystals materialized in the air. Like spreading frost, red crystal formations began to slowly encase the entire courtyard.
Then, these red crystals sealed the cellar shut. Through the translucent surfaces, Shinji and Kariya could see the frenzied swarm of worms behind, only to watch as the insects transformed into part of the crystal itself, forever trapped within.
Like bloody amber.
Seeing this, Zouken attempted to flee.
"Trying to run? You can't escape."
Mydei's tone was indifferent. As he spoke, red crystals sprouted along his arm. With a wave of his hand, the crystals surged across the ground, lunging toward Zouken.
Zouken brandished his cane, attempting to counter with magecraft, but Mydei's crimson crystals were like ice freezing everything—even spells were perfectly preserved within them.
In the end, the crystals seized Zouken's ankles. He struggled madly, but it did nothing to slow his encasement.
"Save me! You can't kill me! There's something I must finish! Before that, I cannot die! I must survive! Aaaah!"
Zouken erupted with a desperate will to live, but against Mydei's overwhelming power, it was utterly futile.
In mere moments, Zouken was fully encased within the crystal.
"Don't think you can escape. The divine power of Strife has latched onto your soul. It will pursue you until you are utterly annihilated."
Mydei let out a cold laugh. The old worm had lived for so long; if nothing else, his survival skills were top-notch. Mydei knew this single strike wouldn't be enough to destroy him completely.
But it didn't matter. The divine power of Strife had already locked onto him. This strike targeted Zouken Matou the individual, not just his withered shell.
In that very instant, Zouken's hidden brain-worm, concealed who-knows-where, writhed violently. Blood-red crystals began to seep from its body. The struggle lasted only a few seconds before it, too, was fully encased.
Then, with a wave of Mydei's hand, the crimson crystals crumbled into dust, drifting away with the wind until the courtyard appeared as if nothing had ever happened...
The entire process seemed lengthy but had taken only a few seconds.
By the time Zouken's form had completely dissipated, Shinji and Byakuya finally snapped back to reality, shuddering as they stared fearfully at Mydei.
But Mydei had no interest in the two of them.
While Shinji would grow up to be quite the scum, for now he was just a child. Children were malleable—you couldn't kill someone for the crimes they might commit in the future.
"I have no interest in either of you. But if I ever learn you've committed evil deeds in the future, I won't spare you."
Leaving behind those cold words, Mydei vanished from the courtyard.
Only after he was gone did Shinji let out a sigh of relief.
Then he felt the dampness in his trousers.
"See? I knew I wasn't so scared I was sweating... I just wet myself..." Shinji muttered, still shaken.
Byakuya, standing beside him, smacked Shinji upside the head in frustration.
"Enough nonsense. Get back inside. Act as if you know nothing about what happened today. In a couple of days, we'll hold your grandfather's funeral."
Though it was his own father, for some reason, upon learning of Zouken's death, aside from fear of Mydei, Kariya felt a faint sense of relief.
Even if he was his father, that half-human, half-ghost existence was terrifying.
Talk about filial piety, right?
After all, Byakuya had genuinely feared that one day he would end up dead by his own father's hand.
Meanwhile, Mydei looked at Sakura, who was still standing obediently in place, and gently patted her head.
What an obedient child. If he hadn't arrived, she would have been destroyed by that monster, wouldn't she?
No, he had to find an opportunity to pay the Tohsaka household a visit.
That man's child-endangering behavior was giving him flashbacks.
Pushing your own daughter into a pit of worms was about as weighty as his own father throwing him into the River of Souls—both were seriously messed up.
If Tokiomi Tohsaka dared spout something about "the cost of being a magus," Mydei would have to struggle not to laugh in his dragon form.
If it came to that, even summoning Gilgamesh wouldn't save him. Mydei would make sure of it.
--+--
T/N: I forgot to say this the previous chap, even though i read the synopsis, i really didn't expect an actual male character cause it feels like it never happens, lol
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.