Chapter 49: Another Holy Grail

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"Hurry, hurry!"

"They're catching up!"

"Shut up!"

Gritting his teeth, Roy activated his Mystic Eyes.

In an instant, the runes carved into the motorcycle's frame flared to life, and the bike's speed surged even higher. With a thunderous roar, they crashed into the barrier.

Just behind them, Blackened Saber was closing in, less than a kilometer away. In the blink of an eye, she raced to the edge of the barrier, her figure a blur of dark speed.

But by that time, Roy had already driven the motorcycle into the safety of the barrier.

Forced to halt outside, Blackened Saber glared at them through the shimmering wall, her cold, merciless gaze radiating murderous intent, sharp enough to pierce through Roy like a blade.

Roy exhaled in relief, and with a cheeky grin, he turned back to face her.

Come on then, if you dare!

Blackened Saber stepped forward.

Roy's eyelid twitched.

Bang! With a deafening crash, she struck the barrier with her sword.

However, the barrier didn't budge, not even a ripple disturbed its surface. Instead, the backlash from the barrier's defensive power sent her reeling backward.

Seeing the barrier hold firm, Roy, Rin, and Illya all let out a collective sigh of relief.

Phew, thank goodness for Zelretch's handiwork!

"Hmph."

Blackened Saber scoffed coldly before turning away.

But before she left, her eyes lingered on Roy, as though she was committing every detail about him to memory, the chill of her gaze making his blood run cold.

Moments later, she disappeared from sight.

Now that the immediate danger had passed, Roy and Rin quickly reached out to Okita Souji and Red Archer. Both Servants had successfully evaded the Blackened Berserker and were cautiously retreating toward Fuyuki City.

"Rin, use a Command Seal!"

"What happened? You can't shake off the Blackened Berserker?"

"No, we've already lost him. But now the Blackened Saber is charging straight for us!"

Silence.

Without wasting more time, Rin used her Command Seal to summon Red Archer back.

Things went a bit smoother for Roy. To his surprise, Okita Souji, with her tenacity, had managed to evade Blackened Saber all on her own. Sneaking and hiding, she had silently made her way back to the group.

Honestly, she would make a better Assassin than a Saber.

If she manifested under the Assassin class, she'd definitely be more useful!

"Phew, that was close!"

Returning to the safety of Rin's barrier, Okita Souji couldn't help but let out a breath of relief.

Her condition was unusually good this time—her chronic illness hadn't flared up even once during the fight!

Could it be? Had she finally overcome her sickness?

After all, she was now a Heroic Spirit. Maybe her frail constitution had finally been left behind!

Okita Souji's heart swelled with excitement at the thought.

"Berserker…"

Standing on the city wall, Illya gazed sorrowfully into the distance.

"Let's rest for a bit. Tonight has been exhausting."

Rin smoothed her disheveled black hair and suggested to Roy.

"Agreed."

Roy nodded in agreement.

It had been a long and arduous night—first the tense standoff with Zōken, then the journey to defeat the Blackened Caster and save the refugees, followed by their daring rescue of Illya from Einzbern Castle, and finally, the heart-pounding escape from Blackened Saber. Even Roy felt physically and mentally drained.

"Illya, why don't you stay at my place for now?"

"I don't have anywhere else to go anyway. Fine, I'll stay at your house."

Illya thought for a moment and then nodded.

"Saber, can you escort Illya home?"

"Of course!"

Okita Souji responded enthusiastically.

Roy glanced at her, puzzled.

What's gotten into Okita? Why is she so excited?

Soon, the group split up.

Okita Souji escorted Illya back to Aozaki's residence.

Meanwhile, Roy pulled Rin along as they headed toward the refugee shelter.

"Refugee shelter? What for?"

"I'm a bit worried about those twin sisters."

Roy didn't beat around the bush. "Atlam must have his eye on them. If they're smart, they should've mentioned my name by now. I need to deal with that."

"What's your plan?"

"If possible, I'll bring them home. But I can only take one servant a month. So, I'll need your help, Miss Mayor."

"Tch!"

Rin clicked her tongue in irritation.

She swallowed her frustration.

"And if they haven't been targeted yet?"

"Even better. I'll just bring them home."

"…"

So, you're going to take them home either way, huh?

Rin gritted her teeth in frustration.

How many girls did this guy have living with him now?

Four, right?

No, wait—Illya just joined, so that makes five!

Although one of them was technically her own servant.

But still, a young man living with five girls, each with their own unique charm—how could this not lead to some sort of disaster?!

Last time, he'd said something that had left her flustered for days, tossing and turning in bed, unable to sleep, with those words replaying in her mind.

And now, it seemed she was the only one who cared about that…

"Rin, what do you think is the reason Blackened Saber is after Illya?"

"Huh?"

Rin, who had been lost in her thoughts, snapped back to attention at Roy's question, quickly entering professional mode. Her expression turned serious as she pondered.

"Did you notice something?"

"There's already a fully-formed Lesser Grail inside Blackened Saber."

"What?!"

Rin's face changed instantly.

"I see. That explains why her mana seems limitless. If she's carrying a Lesser Grail from the last Holy Grail War… then the reason she's targeting Illya must be obvious."

"That's what I think as well."

Roy nodded solemnly.

"She wants to destroy this war's Grail and replace it with her own."

In every Holy Grail War, the Lesser Grail was prepared by the Einzbern family.

To put it simply, the Lesser Grail was the heart of a homunculus.

This time, Illya was the Lesser Grail.

The last war's Lesser Grail was likely Illyasviel's mother, Irisviel.

But what if the previous Lesser Grail hadn't been used up and still existed?

Which one would become the true Holy Grail?

If Illya was chosen as the Lesser Grail, then the one Blackened Saber held would become useless.

Sensing this threat, Blackened Saber must have headed to Einzbern Castle to eliminate Illya, the current Lesser Grail.

Unfortunately for her, Roy had intervened.

He rescued Illya and brought her into the Spirit Barrier of Fuyuki City, leaving Blackened Saber with no way to reach her.

"…You'd better avoid going outside for a while."

Rin's expression grew complicated as she looked at Roy.

"I'm seriously worried Blackened Saber will kill you someday."

"Haha, I'll keep that in mind."

Roy chuckled softly.

On the very first day of the Holy Grail War, he had become the target of its most dangerous opponent—Blackened Saber.

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