Chapter 33: Sakura's Salvation, The Pot King of This World
Once, the King's magus had warned her that if she drew the Sword of Destiny, she would walk toward inevitable doom.
——
Morning came, but Fuyuki City was still shrouded in a lingering, gloomy haze. The faces of the early-morning commuters, beyond their hurried expressions, carried a sense of oppression.
In just a few short days, a series of sudden incidents had followed one after the other, leaving people confused—what was happening to Fuyuki?
"Yesterday afternoon, the explosion near the Miyama River has been confirmed as an accidental gas explosion..."
"Experts advise..."
The television in the coffee shop played breaking news on a loop.
"Early this morning, evidence related to the serial killer was found in the air raid shelter near Ryūdō Temple... The case is expected to be solved soon."
"The police warn citizens to avoid going out alone during the curfew at night..."
It was already past 8 a.m., and the coffee shop was relatively empty.
Kurumi sat by the glass window overlooking the commercial street, a faint smile on her face. The delicate, slender spoon gently stirred her coffee cup, and just by sitting there, she captured the attention of the few remaining patrons.
Sakura sat on Kurumi's lap, taking small bites of her breakfast, occasionally lifting her head to look across the street.
Yesterday, the maids had sent the rescued little girl named Kotone back to Fuyuki. As expected, that was the child Rin had been so concerned about.
Sakura held onto hope, hoping to see that familiar figure appear... even if it wasn't for her.
And then Sakura saw her—the familiar figure with twin ponytails... and the person next to her.
Tokiomi's wife, Aoi Tohsaka, couldn't resist Rin's pleading, nor could she feel at ease letting her come to Fuyuki alone, so she drove her there herself.
Sakura's violet eyes shimmered as she set down her fork and tugged on Kurumi's sleeve.
"Let's... go..."
"Mm." Hugging Sakura's soft little belly, Kurumi smiled and agreed. Whatever her little kitten wanted was right.
In just a fleeting moment, the waitress in the café noticed that the elegant young lady had quietly left, leaving behind a note beneath the coffee cup.
For the Einzbern family, money was never an issue.
——
Avenger appeared openly in Fuyuki again, making no attempt to hide.
Though this was a ceasefire period, such blatant behavior was excessive, practically disregarding the remaining participants. That raw, malevolent aura could only be sensed by other Servants.
Her message was clear: I'm right here, don't come near unless you're asking for trouble.
The combined pressure of Avenger and Saber weighed heavily on everyone's hearts, leaving them anxious and conflicted. This was no longer the superficial alliances of magi, but two Servants summoned by the same Master.
And these were two extraordinary beings.
Logically, the best move would be to take advantage of Avenger's absence and divide and conquer her from Saber.
But... leaving aside the pressure from the Church, the question of how to eliminate Saber in a short time posed a serious challenge. Even Berserker could only manage to suppress her.
And as for Avenger? How could you know if what you killed was a clone or the real body?
The most troubled of all was none other than Tokiomi Tohsaka, sitting in his mansion in Miyama Town. After all... the one Avenger was brazenly leading around was his daughter.
A gem stylus scribbled on the paper autonomously, a secret technique of the Tohsaka family.
It resonated with another gem stylus held by someone far away in London, at the other end of the world, writing the same coded message.
Using ink and gemstones, magi created a magical fax machine.
Tokiomi Tohsaka stared at the message from the Clock Tower, his brow furrowing before he let out a long sigh.
...
How could such a family exist?
The Einzbern family had purchased a "limited" magical crest from a fallen magus family for a hefty sum. It wasn't a branch crest but the original source crest.
They even commissioned the Clock Tower to extract it from the body and deliver it to Fuyuki.
For Tokiomi, this was incomprehensible. How could a magus abandon generations of painstaking magical research just for money? That was a betrayal of the very essence of being a magus.
After all, in a sense, the magic crest was the true master of a magus family.
However... this meant that Sakura... would be fine, wouldn't she? Tokiomi's eyes flickered with hope.
She wouldn't become a target of a Sealing Designation for failing to inherit a magical crest, would she?
Perhaps she might even reach Akasha, the Root of all magic.
The Einzbern family's wealth and power were beyond his imagination. With a wave of their hand, they had ordered three Executors to escort the crest.
Could money really do anything?
Tokiomi sighed, his thoughts running wild.
——
For Sakura, her memories of Fuyuki were actually quite limited.
Other than the dark worm pit, all she could remember were the Tohsaka mansion, the seaside park, and Fuyuki City Park.
But none of these were particularly peaceful places. There had been reports of gas explosions near the Miyama River due to construction companies cutting corners while laying gas pipelines.
Sakura held tightly onto Kurumi's hand, as if afraid she might leave the next second.
Kurumi led her, leisurely crossing Fuyuki Bridge toward the city park in the new town.
In the new town, only the Lancer and Rider factions remained.
Kurumi leaned lazily against a swing, gently swaying the rope. The little girl hadn't been to the park in almost a year, and she was too timid to join the group of running children.
But that was fine too.
Kurumi pondered other matters in her mind. The magical crest the Einzbern had purchased was about to arrive in Fuyuki, and she hoped to have Sakura undergo the transplant ahead of time.
Though for a six-year-old, transplanting a magical crest—especially one not inherited by blood—was incredibly dangerous.
But Kurumi could only stay for seven days.
As for danger? Bottles of Elixir of Heaven and, if need be, Divine Blessing potions would ensure her safety.
Under her protection, there was no such thing as danger.
...
But despite her warnings, there was still a Master who appeared in the park.
It was a half-dead monster in a hood—Kariya Matou.
The swing came to a stop, and Sakura hid behind Kurumi.
Kurumi's wine-red eyes gazed disdainfully at him, looking at this pitiable lone wolf.
"Do you believe I won't kill you with a single shot?" Kurumi ignored the blackened Servant standing in spirit form beside him, speaking as if issuing a threat.
"Thank you." The man mumbled hoarsely, his voice raspy. "I just... wanted to see Sakura."
"That's enough... that's enough..."
"Avenger... do you want to claim the Holy Grail?" He looked at Kurumi, his clouded eyes gleaming. "I will kill your greatest enemy for you..."
——
Of the seven remaining Servants, nearly half were already standing together.
Kariya gripped the Golden Fleece, a relic of near-mythical proportions, as he watched the backs of Kurumi and Sakura fading into the distance.
"I will kill... Tokiomi Tohsaka."
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