Ch 19

"You're right. Although our most important task right now is to save Matou Sakura, we must first assess ourselves and determine if we possess the necessary abilities before embarking on the rescue mission."

"Unnecessarily alerting the enemy would be a loss not worth the gain." Minachi Shinya viewed everything with an open mind, as he was well aware of his own capabilities. With his physical strength and robust physique, there were very few people on this planet who could harm him. Except for those who relied more on conceptual achievements, physical attacks were like drizzling rain to Minachi Shinya.

Moreover, Minachi Shinya himself possessed considerable destructive power. He was confident that even if a meteorite fell from the sky, he could shatter it with a single punch.

However, this didn't mean he could definitely rescue Matou Sakura from that den of monsters and cleanly deal with the old insect. All of this would have to wait until the Holy Grail War. If the Servant summoned by himself or Tohsaka Rin in the Fifth Holy Grail War possessed the ability to deal with the old insect, they would both exhaust all their efforts to confront it.

According to Minachi Shinya's judgment, the original protagonist, Red Saber, should be summoned just like in the original work. Although that Servant was quite powerful, facing the repulsive old insect would undoubtedly pose a considerable challenge. Minachi Shinya had already decided that he wouldn't use a specific summoning method, which involved using a designated relic. He wanted to see which Servant had a deep connection with him as the Master.

"So, what should I do now?"

"Ever since learning all this, I can hardly believe it."

"The father I've always believed in is actually playing such a despicable role."

"And the smiling underclassman at school is hiding such a painful past."

"I can never forgive that old man, nor can I face my own father anymore, even though he is no longer in this world."

Tohsaka Rin was currently quite lost and, in a sense, isolated. Although the Tohsaka family managed the city of Fuyuki, in reality, Rin lacked the ability to govern the city. All this time, the city of Fuyuki had been controlled by the Holy Church and that clandestine old insect.

Rin could only manage and control the land under her family's jurisdiction, while everything else was beyond her control. Moreover, whenever any mysterious issues arose in the city, she would inevitably be summoned by her detestable senior to handle them, merely functioning as a tool.

"So, what should I do now?"

"I'm being watched by various factions within this city."

"Although initially it was because my senior wanted to find me, he likely discovered that I had uncovered the truth about the Holy Grail War ten years ago."

"While I'm unsure of his intentions, hiding is always the safest option."

"Besides, it has been such a long time, and the selected Masters for the Holy Grail have already begun to appear."

"Presumably, they have also guessed that I have qualified to participate in this Holy Grail War because each of the Three Families receives that right."

"However, my qualifications are too young, and my own magic appears overly capable to those immortal beings."

"As the saying goes, pick on someone your own size, they will undoubtedly try to eliminate me before summoning the Servants for the Holy Grail War."

"It's always better to have one less opponent before the competition starts."

"I can't even dare to go to school now."

Tohsaka Rin's statement was not incorrect; her current situation was indeed different from the original work. After Minachi Shinya publicly disclosed the Holy Grail War-related mysteries of the mystical realm, this Holy Grail War had taken an unpredictable path. Even Rin couldn't entrust her life to the uncertain rules and agreements.

That's why she had come to Minachi Shinya's villa today because in her mind, since Minachi Shinya had the audacity to do what the mystical realm didn't dare to, he must have a way to deal with it. Following this idiot couldn't be wrong!

"Although I had considered that your current situation would be quite difficult, I didn't expect it to be this challenging!" Minachi Shinya contemplated deeply, thinking about how to arrange Tohsaka Rin's situation. After all, he was the one who caused this mess, so he had to be prepared to clean up.

"Well, from now on, you will live in my villa and not go outside until the Holy Grail War begins."

"If there are any household matters, you can call on my butler, Sebastian, for assistance."

"I believe he can help you handle many things clearly and efficiently."

"However, after the Holy Grail War starts, you must return to your own home."

After contemplating for a while, Minachi Shinya finally made his decision. Sitting across from him, Tohsaka Rin blushed at first, then grew angry, her expression changing constantly.

"Hey, you're the one who caused this trouble, making me bear this burden." "Originally, you should have handled this matter and taken responsibility."

"So why do you want me to return to my original home after the Holy Grail War starts?"

"Have you forgotten that we are allies?"

___________

Although Tohsaka Rin's tone was not agitated, Minachi Shinya, sitting across from her, remained quite calm. After all, Minachi Shinya had his own considerations. The relationship between him and Tohsaka Rin was not too intimate, and he had many secrets that he couldn't let others know. Although he would summon a Heroic Spirit after the Holy Grail War began, thanks to the enhancement granted by the Supreme God on his person, Minachi Shinya could permanently keep those Heroic Spirits by his side as long as certain conditions were met.

In a sense, summoning Heroic Spirits was like summoning assistants, and it was a permanent kind of assistance. Moreover, within his territory, this villa, he was invincible. Even Gaia and Alaya couldn't harm him. So, if the summoned Heroic Spirits were required to be forcibly summoned as residents of the Temple of Heroes by Gaia and Alaya, as long as he let them stay in his villa, they wouldn't be influenced by those two lolis.

When he became even stronger, he could challenge those two wills. Even if they didn't want to, they would have to obediently hand over the Heroic Spirits Minachi wanted.

"We are certainly allies. I have never forgotten that."

"Participating in the Holy Grail War is merely an interest of mine, and I don't really care about winning."

"So, even if you want to achieve the ultimate victory, there's no problem at all."

"What I want is simply to witness a fierce clash between Heroic Spirits." Minachi Shinya's words didn't feel hypocritical at all because it was genuinely his desire. To have the opportunity to witness a truly epic scene from the 2D world, why would he want to ruin it?

"It's good that you understand, but why do you want me to return to my home after the Holy Grail War starts?" "Although there is a leyline beneath our home, which, if used during the summoning of Heroic Spirits, has a chance to summon exceptionally excellent Heroic Spirits and greatly strengthen them, that place is no longer safe. I don't dare to go back."

"Only after I successfully summon my Heroic Spirit, can I return home and see if anything else has happened there?"

"Especially those books related to magic that have been passed down by our ancestors. They are the true wealth of our Tohsaka family."

Tohsaka Rin wasn't unreasonable, but Minachi Shinya's words earlier had a hint of being callous and apathetic, as if he wouldn't offer any help. If Minachi Shinya couldn't provide a reasonable explanation, Rin might immediately turn against him and use her adept curse magic.

"It's just as you said. Our friendship shouldn't be exposed to the public."

"And this kind of alliance between us is somewhat similar to the relationship between my father and that detestable senior ten years ago."

"But why did you say my father is a scapegoat?" When Minachi Shinya explained earlier, he accidentally mentioned Tohsaka Tokiomi's nickname, and now Rin wanted an explanation. Should he tell the truth or not? Well, the result was straightforward. After all, Minachi Shinya didn't have much fondness for Tohsaka Tokiomi and could be considered quite repulsed by him.

This guy was, after all, a self-proclaimed mage and belonged to the type of people that Minachi Shinya detested the most.

"Scapegoat, huh! Your father, in fact, I didn't say anything wrong."

"Your father truly isn't a good person. Think carefully about everything your father has done. Do you think it's right?" "It can be said that all the suffering you have now is thanks to your father."

"And the story that unfolded between your parents, you will probably understand it more clearly afterward, so I won't say much here."

"I must say, if your mother had married your Uncle Kariya, it would have been a different outcome."

In Minachi Shinya's words, it seemed like an incredible truth had been exposed. However, Minachi Shinya had no intention of continuing.

________

Although Tohsaka Rin realized that there seemed to be a special connection between her parents and Uncle Kariya in the past, since Minachi Shinya didn't want to talk about it, she didn't want to ask either. As long as she continued to follow "fatezoer," she would eventually find out what had happened. So, pursuing the matter now would be meaningless.

"Well, it's getting late. Although you don't have to study, I still have classes to attend tomorrow."

"So, I'll go to bed early." "As for your room, I will make arrangements for you."

"You can do as you please from now on." Minachi Shinya made a gesture, and Sebastian, who was standing at the door, approached him.

"Is there anything you need me to do, young master?" Sebastian asked respectfully, maintaining the same respectful tone as before.

"Sebastian, prepare one of the guest rooms for this young lady."

"For the time being, she will be residing in my villa and cannot appear in front of outsiders."

"So, if she has any reasonable requests, try to accommodate them."

Minachi Shinya then turned his gaze to Tohsaka Rin and said, "Do you have any other questions?"

With everything settled, Tohsaka Rin confirmed that she would stay in the villa and had no further questions.

"I have no questions. You have classes tomorrow, so I won't disturb you anymore."

Seeing that Tohsaka Rin had no objections, Minachi Shinya immediately instructed Sebastian to take care of the matter.

"Very well, Sebastian, please handle this matter. I'll go back to my room, take a bath, and get a good night's sleep. I'm a good student, after all, and I have classes tomorrow."

With that said, he left the place and returned to his room upstairs. Meanwhile, the works published by his family's company's website continued to be updated vigorously. Although Minachi Shinya had set the time for updates at midnight, countless night owls still visited the website, eagerly anticipating the release of new content. Time flew by, and soon it was the next morning.

Minachi Shinya was awakened by his butler, Sebastian, and drowsily went to the bathroom to freshen up, starting his new day.

"Oh, you're up."

"I thought rich people like you would love to sleep in and have a whole group of maids wake you up personally."

"But here I am, staying for just one night, and I already discovered the truth about your household."

"You really are stingy, aren't you? Such a large mansion, and yet not a single maid. The whole place only has one butler."

Tohsaka Rin was quite speechless. Despite Minachi Shinya's considerable wealth and influence, and his successful company, one would expect him to live an indulgent and luxurious life. But apart from the large mansion, his household was no different from an ordinary family.

Besides the butler who had always taken care of Minachi Shinya, there was no one else living in the mansion.

"What's wrong? Are you dissatisfied?"

"I am quite content with this outcome and way of life. After all, I have spent over ten years living like this." "Is my simple lifestyle not to your liking, Miss Tohsaka Rin?"

Minachi Shinya was at a loss for words, finding Tohsaka Rin's emphasis on certain things quite unnecessary. It was true that his family had fallen on hard times, and there were often financial issues that required him to work part-time to make ends meet. Who was she to judge him?

"No, it's not that I have any objections. I'm just curious and surprised."

"With your resources, it shouldn't be difficult to make this mansion lively. Besides, you are a capitalist. It's not normal to have no servants to serve you in your home!"

Tohsaka Rin envied Minachi Shinya's wealth, but unfortunately, she was a person of integrity and would not resort to using magic for personal gain. So, she only admired Minachi Shinya.

"What? Are you interested in my mansion?"

"Do you want to stay here permanently?"

"Then, what kind of role do you plan to assume to stay in this house?"

Minachi Shinya teasingly asked Tohsaka Rin with a hint of probing in his tone.

"Don't overthink it. I'm not some unwanted person."

"I just think it's a bit wasteful for such a large mansion to have only one butler. Have you ever considered hiring some maids?"

"Of course, with your resources, the salary and benefits shouldn't be an issue."

Although Minachi Shinya may have wanted to deny it, Tohsaka Rin's true intentions were quite apparent. Tohsaka Rin's objective was simple: she wanted to work and stay in Minachi Shinya's mansion. As for her purpose, Minachi Shinya couldn't fully comprehend it.

The only thing he could understand was that Tohsaka Rin chose to stay in the mansion to evade the pursuit of the Mage's Association and the Clock Tower. After all, Minachi Shinya's mansion was an incredibly unique place, almost invincible in its own right. And Minachi Shinya himself was shrouded in mystery, even Tohsaka Rin couldn't fully understand him.

So, from Tohsaka Rin's perspective, if she encountered any problems, only Minachi Shinya would be able to help her.

______

When Tohsaka Rin stayed overnight at Minachi's mansion yesterday, she conducted a test. Even though Minachi Shinya was an ally, Tohsaka Rin didn't have 100% trust in him. So, before falling asleep, she took certain protective measures for her surroundings and room.

She used her expertise in gemstone magic to create a defensive barrier. However, something miraculous happened when she took out her gemstones and prepared to cast the magic.

Although she could feel her own magical energy and activated the magic sealed within the gemstones, the magic didn't fully manifest. It was like lighting a firework that turned out to be a dud.

Initially, Tohsaka Rin thought she had simply failed to release the barrier magic due to her insufficient skill, so she didn't pay much attention to it. But when she attempted multiple times with different gemstones and still didn't succeed, she began to suspect that Minachi Shinya's mansion was a magical workshop. Among magicians, they would transform their territory into their own magical workshops.

This allowed them to unleash their full potential and even surpass it, while their enemies would be suppressed and unable to fully utilize their powers.

After conducting tests and examinations, Tohsaka Rin discovered that Minachi Shinya's mansion was highly peculiar. Moreover, this peculiarity only worked within the boundaries of the mansion and lost its effect once outside.

Although the mansion had no significant ley lines or outstanding land, it possessed this unique property where any supernatural power would be nullified within its premises. This effect became even more apparent when the target was Minachi Shinya.

Yesterday, Tohsaka Rin attempted to cast a barrier using gemstone magic to protect herself and keep Minachi Shinya safe. However, it failed to work. Yet, she succeeded in using other types of magic after that.

By identifying the commonality among the successful spells, she concluded that as long as she remained within the mansion, anyone attempting to harm Minachi Shinya would be erased by the mansion itself. In other words, the mansion provided an absolute safe haven for Minachi Shinya.

Perhaps it was due to this factor that Minachi Shinya had the courage to reveal the secrets of the Mystical Realm to the public. This was a realization that Tohsaka Rin reached after careful consideration and a series of events. And now, she was determined to find a way to stay in this mansion as early as possible.

After all, her current situation was quite dangerous, and without a secure hiding place, she could be captured by various factions even before the Holy Grail War began. The leakage of the mysterious information had already been exposed to major organizations in the Mystical Realm.

Especially as the overseer of Fuyuki City, Tohsaka Rin had neglected her responsibility to manage the city properly, leading to the anger of magical associations and the Clock Tower.

Naturally, she wanted to find a safe place to hide for a while and summon a Servant as soon as the Holy Grail War started. If she succeeded in winning the war, she would naturally be exempted from punishment this time. Even if she failed, she could use the power of the Servant for self-protection and find an appropriate time to resolve these matters.

Since Tohsaka Rin had discovered a place where she could perfectly conceal herself, she wouldn't let it slip away. Furthermore, the owner of this place was quite wealthy. If she could live and work here, she would have the opportunity to acquire a significant amount of funds. After all, practicing magecraft was quite expensive in terms of worldly expenses.

"Are you joking?"

"You are, after all, a member of a prestigious noble family, a young lady."

"Even if your current life is tight, I don't believe you need to work at my place to support yourself."

"Although I understand that the Tohsaka family has employed certain methods to solve financial problems in the past, such as patenting their small inventions and receiving a substantial annual income from the Clock Tower."

It was evident that Minachi Shinya was pretending to be oblivious despite knowing that the financial flow of the current Tohsaka family was not in Tohsaka Rin's hands, but rather in the hands of her senior. Moreover, in recent years, that priest had made some peculiar investments with those funds, all of which failed and wasted the money.

As a result, Tohsaka Rin, who should have been a young lady, had to work part-time to support herself. Although it didn't mean that Tohsaka Rin was in dire need of money, she still needed a considerable amount of funds to practice gemstone magic.

Therefore, she had to deduct those funds from her daily living expenses, leaving her with inadequate money for her daily needs. That's why Tohsaka Rin tried to avoid her familiar classmates as much as possible and secretly worked to earn money to support herself.