United Fate

After Zelrerch laughed at me from cursing at the fact I somehow triggered the Apocrypha Protocol within the Holy Grail, he left like how he came, like the wind. I sighed as things got annoying despite the joy I felt at knowing I could finally get my wish to help me return to Remnant. Sakura then asked me as she set down her weapon, Yurei Hanto.

" Otou-sama, what is the Apocrypha Protocol?"

" In the event that the first seven Masters form an alliance, the Grail then selects an additional seven Masters to face the first seven with an arbitrator of the Extra Class, Ruler, with the result being 15 different Servants on a single battlefield. Considering that trolling old b*stard said to expect the additional Masters from the Mage Association means, we still have some time to prepare as the selection is not final. The Command Seals could be traded among the Mage Association members for favors considering their politics.

But what confuses me the most is how I am unknowingly allied with the other six Masters since I kept my Command Seals from the previous Holy Grail War."

I scratched my head as I could only count, aside from myself, Sakura, Illyasviel, and Irisveil as possible Masters that are allied with me. My daughter then said as she looked slightly crestfallen.

" Sorry, Otou-sama..."

" Sakura? Why are you apologizing?"

" I managed to convince Nee-chan to ally with us before the Command Seals appeared."

Hearing this, I understood part of the reason for the Apocrypha Protocol to be triggered, but I assured Sakura.

" Sakura, you don't have to apologize for getting Rin on our side. In fact, if anyone is at fault, it's that trolling old b*stard for springing the Holy Grail War on us unexpectedly, so my sweet little cherry blossom, don't apologize for anything. That aside, how did you convince your Tsundere of a sister to side with us?"

I was honestly curious how Sakura went about convincing Rin. As my daughter chuckled at me for calling her sister a tsundere, despite how true it is, the miserly Second Owner hated being referred to as such with a deep fiery passion, she explained.

" Nee-chan has always felt guilty for me being taken in by the Matou family, then you, as she feels like she abandoned me for not speaking out against Tokiomi's decision."

" So you guilt-tripped her?"

I asked with a grin, as I would've paid to see that, not because I hate Rin or anything, but because the Tohsaka head always displays some funny or cute but genuine reactions. My daughter slightly stuck out her tongue mischievously, which made me proud of how much of a good(bad) influence I was on her. I then pointed.

" That's you, me, Iri, Illya, and Rin, but that still leaves two other Masters on our side unaccounted for."

" What about Sensei?"

" Skadi, huh? That's a possibility considering that she is a Caster, and she does sincerely want to help me get back to Remnant by getting the Grail, but let's head home for now and set up a family meeting during dinner to talk about how we will proceed. Oh, and invite our resident tsundere too, since she is our ally."

Sakura nodded, then added happily.

" We need to stop by the store first, Otou-sama, because even if the Holy Grail appears unexpectedly, it is a cause for celebration as you can finally get your wish, so I want to go all out for dinner!"

" Alright then, I'll clock out and clean up, then we can make a trip to the store for some groceries. What are you making, by the way?"

I asked as I organized my lab before leaving, and Sakura replied.

" I am thinking along the lines of seafood and vegetable tempura, along with seafood hotpot and your favorite food, pizza."

" I love you, Sakura."

" Me too, Otou-sama."

My daughter then used her wrist holo-phone to call her sister and invite her to dinner while I cleaned up after myself.

***

I watched Sakura trying to pick out the freshest crab legs from the seafood section, and my mind wandered as to how things turned out as they did. After the fourth Holy Grail War and Kiritsugu's disappearance, I decided to set up a strong power base to allow me to have more advantages for the next Holy Grail War. I went around hunting heretical Mages and Dead Apostles for start-up money for the tech company I wanted to set up. Remnant is more advanced in several fields of technology compared to this version of Earth, and I just needed to adapt the ideas.

I also went around the world to use Soul Archive on the brightest minds and create a think tank with my Semblance by setting up mental copies of the various geniuses I got in touch with that could push my ideas further. Soul Archive underwent another evolution during my escapades which allowed me to set up an inner world beyond a mind palace, and I could now accommodate hundreds of minds and transmit information to others by touching them. My Snowfall Company is now pumping out technology thought only possible in science fiction, thanks to the think tank in my inner world.

I even had plans to get permission from the UN to start my own space program in order to keep Alaya, the Will of Humanity, and Gaia, the Will of the World, off my back, as they would both benefit from humanity leaving for the stars and other worlds. I still plan on going through with it, but it's not much of an issue since I now had a chance to get the Second Magic, Kaleidoscope, by absorbing a Zelretch from a doomed World Line earlier than expected.

One thing I did not expect was becoming Sakura's father in all but blood, as I originally planned to let her live as she wanted by supporting her in a minimum capacity after doing everything I could to mend her mind. All it took for me to start considering her my daughter was for her to show concern for my well-being and beg me not to die as I got hit with a nasty curse during one of my hunts. From then on, I gave the violet-haired girl a choice to seek out ordinary happiness or become a Mage worthy of fear and respect in the Moonlit World.

In the end, I named Sakura my heir for this world after she chose to be a Mage. I trained her in combat, tactics, and anything else she would need to survive this unforgiving world, regardless of what may come. Skadi agreed to teach my daughter in Magecraft, primarily Primordial Runes and other practical Magecraft, to increase her combat ability. Sakura inherited the Matou Family Magecraft, but she mostly had to start from scratch as Zouken designed the Magecraft to make it easier for him to parasite his descendants than anything else.

I unlocked Sakura's Aura at the tender age of eleven. Then I started to take her with me on the occasional hunt for heretical Mages and Dead Apostles so she could gain combat experience, as most Mages are researchers above anything else. Teaching her politics and business of both the mundane world and the Moonlit world was a headache and a half but necessary, unfortunately, as trying to wipe out the majority of Mages is too difficult. Overall, I feel confident that my daughter will send most Mages running, scared to death, and sh*tting their pants.

I grinned with the malice I feel for most Mages, as they are either sociopaths or flat-out psychotic but overall apathetic to everything but their research to reach the Root and pride as I recalled Sakura wiping out her first family of Mages. My daughter called out to me.

" Why are you smiling like that, Otou-sama?"

" Just wondering who our victims are going to be from the Mage Association."

This is not arrogance on my part but complete confidence, as only that Beast from Barthomeloi Family and Zelretch would be the only ones I would regard with wariness, although for different reasons. Thinking of Lorelei, I got a headache as dealing with her is a pain for several reasons; I don't hate or fear her, but she's... Nevermind, it's not relevant as she is unlikely to participate in the Holy Grail War since she has supreme confidence in herself to reach the Root on her own merit or to set a path forward for the next generation of her family.

Sakura nodded in agreement, and we went to the cashier to pay for our groceries and then made our way back home by walking, as I enjoy spending time with her like this as it takes my mind off my worries about returning to Remnant. I still worry that the system user may still be alive and is aiming for everyone I care about with his lower head. We soon found ourselves back at my home in Fuyuki; in other World Lines, it would be the Emiya Residence that Shirou resided in and summoned Artoria.

Of course, I made some expansions to accommodate everyone and then some, so there are more rooms. I opened the door and saw a set of familiar shoes there that made me cramp my face, and I sighed as I called out for the whole house to hear.

" Why is there a Taiga( Tiger) in my house!?"

Sakura giggled at my antics as we soon heard the loud, bitter patter of a wild but familiar beast and heard its roar.

" DON'T CALL ME TIGER (TAIGA)!"

A five-and-a-half-foot-tall woman charged at me with fury and had a shinai held high to try and strike me. I grabbed the shinai and looked at the brown-haired, brown-eyed woman in annoyance and asked her.

" Koneko, why are you here?"

Taiga Fujimura hated her given name, so I called her Koneko( kitten) instead, and it stuck, as even her Yakuza grandfather calls her that to avoid her ire. I did some work for the Fujimura Group and even tutored her in English at their request, and from then on, she started to visit my household on a regular basis. She stated with an offended look.

" What!? Can't I visit?!"

" Today is a family meeting on some private matters that can't be leaked outside."

" Oh? What sort of hush-hush gadgets are you making now, Silva? Did you get another government contract?"

Taiga looked at me curiously, then noticed the groceries, especially the crab legs sticking out of the bags, and drooled slightly as she demanded.

" Your cooking crab tonight?! What's the occasion?! Are you celebrating your success again, Silva?! Why can't I join?!"

She looked at me with puppy, no kitty-kitten eyes as she reached for the crab legs, and I picked her up by the scruff of her neck and then set her outside and locked the door. She started to scratch at the door like a cat and cry out.

" I want crab too!"

Sakura just giggled as she went to the kitchen to get started cooking, and I went to the living room to see if Skadi and Irisveil were watching their drama shows or if Illyasviel was watching anime with Gray, Sella, Leysritt, and Fillia. Gray was a saber-face girl I picked up in Wales as she could use Rhongomyniad, the Holy Lance of Artoria. I recalled her from the Lord El-Melloi II Case Files and was not about to let her fall into anyone who could be my enemy in the future. Sella, Leysritt, and Filla were homunculi that Irisveil created to serve as caretakers and bodyguards for herself and Illyasviel.

I found it odd that those three homunculi came into existence despite my interference on this World Line. Sella and Leysritt were originally Illyasviel's caretakers in the original Fate timeline, and Filla had a part in Fate/strange Fake or the False Holy Grail War. Still, ultimately, I decided it did not matter all that much as they were here anyway and they did not affect me in any negative capacity. I reached the living room, where Skadi and Irisviel were watching a cheesy drama from America as I had set up an international streaming site along with smart TVs when I got my tech company going.

Illyasviel was dragged into this drama watching by her mother, no doubt as she was asleep on the couch, and the half-homunculus girl dragged Gray and the homunculi trio into it as well so she would not suffer alone. Maiya was also there watching the show with a blank stare as she preferred house cleaning and other manual labor over watching TV, as she felt more comfortable moving around than being alone with her thoughts while sitting still. Kiritsugu's departure hit her hard when she realized that he was not coming back.

I had to stop her from committing suicide, as she felt like she was a discarded tool that served no purpose. After no small amount of effort from Irisveil and myself me managed to convince her to find a new purpose, and ultimately, she became the chief of security for the house. Despite how dull it was, it gave her a reason to get up and continue moving forward. Seeing most of the residents of my household here, I felt that once again, I was outnumbered and had no guy friends.

Hopefully, the Holy Grail War would let me summon some male Servants to give me someone to talk to about guy stuff, as while being surrounded by flowers is nice and all, it can be a bit overwhelming at times.