Sakura's Tragedy!

Rizel was very troubled. A few months had passed, and the system markers were all accumulation points. Currently, his accumulation points had reached 2000 points.

The only good thing was that he had obtained a classic superhero battle suit, though it was mostly just the triangular briefs wrapped outside.

Rizel swore he would never wear this outfit, not even if he died.

Thus, Rizel, feeling frustrated, took Irisviel and Illya out onto the streets, where they were pulled into a shopping trip by them.

As they walked, everyone looked at them. Men admired Rizel, while women admired Irisviel.

In Europe, as expected, several women tried to strike up a conversation with Rizel, but they were all fiercely stared down by Irisviel, who held him tightly, as if protecting him like a hen protecting its chick.

Irisviel's strong reaction wasn't the only thing; Illya also joined in to make things livelier, staring harshly at those women.

"Onii-chan is so easily attracting attention. Iris, maybe we shouldn't take him out anymore," Illya said, dissatisfied.

At the time when Illya learned of her origins and destiny, she didn't call Rizel "daddy," or Irisviel "mom."

After all, Rizel wasn't her biological father, and with Irisviel, they were more like sisters than mother and daughter.

This was true, especially after Rizel helped Illya obtain the Holy Grail. Rizel directly interrupted the program with a Cheit command, ending its existence. He then fixed the entire Einzbern center program, making only him the true master. This gave Rizel peace of mind.

"Right, Zel-chan, the Servant relic, bring it here," Irisviel suddenly remembered something and mentioned to Rizel.

"Ah, Einzbern's efficiency is still very high," Rizel replied, knowing that it was the 'Avalon' from Artoria Pendragon, a defense relic capable of reaching EX-level defense, which could resist even divine artifacts like the Golden Armor Tapestry.

However, now he had another option: the 'Gae Bolg Alternative' marked earlier, used to summon Scathach.

Thinking of Scathach, Rizel felt as if he saw her graceful figure, and to say he didn't like it would be a lie.

So, he was debating whether to summon the old purple granny or the Foolish Mao King, pondering back and forth.

In the end, he wanted them both.

"Alright, tomorrow I'll summon the Servant," Rizel confirmed.

"Ah, great! The legendary King Arthur will be summoned. I'm so excited. I wonder what kind of person they will be," Irisviel said with anticipation.

"Hmm… A knight among knights, full of ideals and integrity. But also a pitiful little girl," Rizel thought for a moment and nodded.

"A girl?" Irisviel and Illya exclaimed in surprise. They couldn't believe that the legendary Knight King was a girl.

"Hmm, you'll know when the time comes. Also, this time, it's not just the Knight King being summoned, there's someone else who's about to descend as well," Rizel said mysteriously, casting a line into murky waters.

"Aww, Zel onii-chan. That's too mean," Illya said, displeased, raising her hand to gently tap Rizel's chest.

Irisviel didn't say anything, just smiling as she watched the two of them, taking in the warm scene. She couldn't help but think back to before, if she hadn't met Rizel, it was hard to imagine such a life. Everything she had now was brought by her man. Her heart couldn't help but feel sweet.

At that moment, Rizel noticed something on Illya's hand—there was actually a command seal!

What was happening?

Rizel quickly grabbed Illya's hand to take a look at the seal.

Illya and Irisviel noticed Rizel's expression suddenly change, and then Irisviel noticed the command seal on Illya's hand.

"Anata, this is... a command seal!" Irisviel said, surprised.

"Hmm, what's going on? Why does Illya have a command seal?" Rizel said, feeling puzzled.

Illya looked at the command seal on her hand, which was almost identical to the one on Rizel's hand, and curiously asked, "Onii-chan, does this mean I can also participate in the Holy Grail War?"

"Mm, having a command seal is just like having a ticket to battle," Rizel nodded lightly.

"Great! I want to summon a Servant too. Play with me," Illya said excitedly.

Irisviel was a little worried, after all, the Holy Grail War wasn't something to be taken lightly. A single mistake could lead to losing your life. "Anata, are you sure?"

Rizel glanced at her. "It's fine, as long as I'm here, no one can touch you. Since Illya wants to play, then let her summon."

They all knew that Rizel's abilities were such that he could bathe in the sun without fear, so they weren't worried about the Servants.

Then, they took both girls back to the Einzbern house.

... ... . . . .

That night, Fuyuki City.

At the Matou house. A guest was expected today.

A man with a mustache, accompanied by a young girl with soft black hair, walked towards the Matou house.

The man was Tohsaka Tokiomi, the first participant in this Holy Grail War, who had come to fulfill his ideal purpose.

He had two daughters, Tohsaka Rin and Tohsaka Sakura, but their family's Magic Crest could only be inherited by one. Therefore, he chose to adopt one of his daughters as the heir to another magical family.

The Matou family, which had once been a prominent magical household, had dwindled in population, making it the best choice.

What he didn't know was that the Matou family was no longer the same as it had once been.

"Then I leave Sakura to you," Tohsaka Tokiomi said, looking at the bald man before him, his limbs like a mummy, deep-set eyes gleaming with a strange light, a hunched back, and behavior unlike anything normal—he was Matou Zouken, the head of the Matou family.

Matou Zouken, originally known as Makiri Zolgen, had once been a righteous companion.

Matou Zouken looked at Tohsaka Sakura, his eyes gleaming with a strange light, as a creepy smile appeared on his face.

Tohsaka Sakura felt a chill run through her, deeply frightened by this bizarre figure before her.

"Don't worry, I'll let Sakura inherit our family's Magic Crest. After all, she is considered my granddaughter now," Matou Zouken rasped in a hoarse voice.

"Then I'll be on my way. Sakura, you stay here and be obedient," Tohsaka Tokiomi said with a smile, before leaving.

Tohsaka Sakura wanted to call out, to ask not to be left here, but the gaze of this strange man made her feel as if her soul was frozen with fear.

But she couldn't speak. His intense stare seemed to drain all her strength.

"Come along, my granddaughter. Let me take you to inherit our family's unique Magic Crest," Matou Zouken said with a strange smile, leading Tohsaka Sakura down into a dim basement.

Sometimes, those who live too long decay.

The Matou family, which had been in the world for five hundred years, had similarly fallen into decline over time.

Matou Zouken, once Makiri Zolgen, had sought out righteousness but occasionally clung to life. The result was the appearance of a cursed magic.

He used malicious insects to absorb the life force of living creatures to stay alive.

The reason the Matou family's population had dwindled was because Matou Zouken had used these insects to drain the life force of his own family.

Now, Tohsaka Tokiomi had brought him a promising heir. To extend the Matou family's legacy, he could not waste Sakura. He needed her to inherit their family's Magic Crest.

When Tohsaka Sakura entered the basement, she saw it was filled with creepy, wriggling insects—everywhere.

Crest Worms, various parasitic worms, their appearance enough to send chills down one's spine.

"Master... Master... What are these?" Tohsaka Sakura trembled, horrified as she asked.

"These are the Matou family's Magic Crest, my dear. As long as these lovely little creatures enter your body, you will be able to inherit our family's Magic Crest," Matou Zouken said with a sinister smile.

"Come now, Sakura, just go down there, and you'll inherit the Magic Crest."

Tohsaka Sakura, seeing the insects approaching her body, could not help but scream in terror.

"No, I want to go home, I want my sister and mama!"

Hearing this, Matou Zouken's expression darkened. "No, you must go. Hurry up and go down!" He forcefully pushed Tohsaka Sakura down.

The insects, as if sensing the same scent, swarmed towards Tohsaka Sakura like a broken beehive.

Tohsaka Sakura could see the insects crawling toward her.

"Waa... Waa..."

"Grandpa, please let Sakura go..."

Ignoring her pleas, Matou Zouken laughed maniacally as the insects closed in on Tohsaka Sakura.

"Daddy..."

"Mama..."

"Sister..."

"Anyone, please save me..."

Just as the words left her mouth.

Bang— The ceiling of the basement was smashed through. The entire ground trembled.

Moonlight illuminated the entire basement.

"At your summons, my princess."

As the voice finished, a figure was thrown into the pit. With messy black hair, a smooth, pale face, sharp and cold features, and two deep black eyes like the stars, bathed in the silver glow of moonlight, the figure appeared angelic, shining like a celestial being.

It was Rizel.