Sakura (II)

Arkhan picked up the teacup on the table, hiding the deep emotion in his eyes.

Of course, this conversation was just an excuse.

While Kayneth's character was indeed acceptable, Arkhan couldn't be sure that Sakura's situation wouldn't change once he left this world.

Even if Kayneth truly treated her properly and consistently, he couldn't guarantee that Kayneth wouldn't suddenly die one day. In the Clock Tower, with wolves circling everywhere, the naturally gentle Sakura would probably be devoured to nothing.

But aside from the Clock Tower, Arkhan couldn't find another place to accommodate Sakura. So, he was prepared to leave one of his Noble Phantasms for Sakura when he left, at least giving her the ability to protect herself.

But he couldn't tell Kayneth about this, or this Lord El-Melloi would surely be furious.

"What about that old man? What do you plan to do?"

Kayneth's eyes revealed a hint of complexity as he mentioned Zouken. Learning from Arkhan about the transformation from Makiri Zolgen to his current state, even he didn't know how to look at this matter.

"Kill him, of course." Arkhan replied flatly. "No matter how radiant he is right now, it can't hide the crimes he committed. That's the price he must pay."

To that answer, Kayneth nodded thoughtfully.

"So you plan to wait until you've killed his worm inside Sakura's heart before making a move?"

"If I don't, killing him would be meaningless." Arkhan said casually.

Though he didn't know why Zouken hadn't started torturing and modifying Sakura's body in the worm pit, a process that later changed her hair color, eye color, and every cell in her body, so that they no longer reflected her Tohsaka heritage, it was evident that Zouken hadn't relaxed his surveillance on her.

Using his magical perception, Arkhan could clearly sense a worm lurking near Sakura's heart.

As a genius instructor in spiritual evocation, Kayneth had naturally noticed this as well. Most likely, it was one of the worm bodies containing a part of Zouken's soul.

According to the original work, Zouken would combine his worm with a fragment of the destroyed Grail of the Fourth Holy Grail War and implant it into Sakura's body. This fragment would transform her into an incomplete Lesser Grail and make her a vessel for 'All the World's Evils—Angra Mainyu'.

At that point, Zouken could use her as a springboard to reincarnate himself into Angra Mainyu inside her, achieving true immortality.

The crest worm was the key to his soul transfer. Even if Zouken's main body was destroyed, he could still be reborn through the soul connection to other worms.

Because of this, Arkhan entered into a so-called deal with Zouken. The purpose was to keep him in check and buy time to get rid of the worm inside Sakura.

However, it was not a simple task.

Zouken had extraordinary attention for Sakura. He would undoubtedly be monitoring her situation closely through the worm. If he were accidentally alerted, her chances of getting out of this unscathed would likely be slim.

"I'm not too knowledgeable about this matter." Arkhan turned to Kayneth. "I'll have to rely on you."

Hearing Arkhan's words, Kayneth raised an eyebrow arrogantly.

"Who do you think I am? Just a mere insect. For a genius like me, it's not even a proper challenge. Give me a day, and I'll easily crush that worm like squashing an ant."

Hearing his Master's confident answer, Arkhan nodded slightly.

Despite Kayneth's arrogance, he rarely failed in his promises. As the saying goes, apart from personality, appearance, and the ability to judge people, he was practically flawless.

"Tomorrow, I'll take Sakura out to play, to avoid exposing your position here and to help her relax a bit." Arkhan stretched lazily while glancing to the west of the Fuyuki Bridge, where thick smoke suddenly rose.

"That's..." Kayneth also quickly noticed the smoke and his eyebrows lifted slightly.

"Miyama Town." Arkhan said casually. "The Tohsaka residence."

"They couldn't even wait a night before taking action? What an impatient bunch." Kayneth chuckled.

Without delay, he immediately mobilized his familiar deployed near the Tohsaka residence during the day to investigate the current situation. However, before reaching the battlefield, a sword suddenly flew in and killed his familiar.

Losing contact with his familiar, Kayneth's mouth twitched slightly, and immediately turned to Arkhan.

"By the way, Lancer, should we join in?" 

Arkhan glanced at Kayneth speechlessly. Just a moment ago, he was saying they were an impatient bunch, but now he was eager to join the fray.

"Do you think they would continue to fight if we joined?" Arkhan asked, casually raising his teacup and taking a sip.

"..." Kayneth fell silent for a moment, then nodded. "Fair point."

"Let them have their fun tonight; there's no need for us to get involved. Anyway, by tomorrow, we'll get the news."

Arkhan spoke nonchalantly and walked to the French window, looking at the rising smoke over Miyama.

His pitch-black eyes revealed the same depth as the night.

===

Early the next day, Arkhan went down to the first-floor restaurant to grab some breakfast. Following that, he took the elevator back up to the top-floor suite and casually turned on the television.

"Last night, at approximately eleven-thirty, a gas explosion occurred in the residential area of Miyama Town, Fuyuki City, resulting in extensive property damage. Fortunately, no casualties have been reported. Currently, authorities are conducting further investigations into the cause of the gas explosion, suspecting it to be a gas leak. Nearby residents are advised to stay vigilant in the coming days..."

"Heh, looks like Tohsaka Tokiomi's dream is thoroughly shattered."

Seeing the news, Arkhan chuckled and shook his head.

"Onii-san..." A soft voice suddenly resounded nearby.

Arkhan turned his head to see Sakura, dressed in a blue dress, standing by the room's entrance, her big eyes looking at him timidly.

"You're awake, Sakura."

Arkhan's face instantly lit up with a warm smile.

"Come over for breakfast, and after we finish, I'll take you out to play, okay?"