Ch 18

Tohsaka Rin could be said to have spoken with such righteous indignation. She didn't consider at all whether she could summon a Servant that satisfied her or if her own Servant would be powerful enough. Moreover, she actually extended an alliance invitation to herself, her opponent in this Holy Grail War. Doesn't she know? Forming an alliance in the Holy Grail War is the most foolish act. Hasn't she come across any records in her family that mention this? Furthermore, as a magus, she wouldn't put even a shred of trust in verbal alliances. They only believe in the existence of contracts.

"I must say, sometimes I find it hard to believe that you are a proper magus," Minachi Shinya commented. "But the reality forces me to believe it." He found Tohsaka Rin's naive thoughts quite amusing. Is there really trust and friendship between magi?

It's simply raw, naked self-interest. And every magus considers reaching the Root as their duty. If they can reach the Root, they think any price they have to pay is justified. Even if it means killing their spouse, annihilating their own family, some people are capable of such acts.

"That goes without saying. We, the Tohsaka family, are a highly prestigious lineage of magus nobles, and my ancestors were once prominent European nobles," Tohsaka Rin boasted.

"Our relationship with the Second Magic user in the Clock Tower is profound. We have fallen on hard times, but please rest assured, the Tohsaka family will be reborn under my control. As long as I can achieve victory in this Holy Grail War and prove myself, I will surpass all previous generations of the Tohsaka family and achieve victories they never obtained. So, contribute your power to the future greatness of the Tohsaka family!"

It seemed that Tohsaka Rin still hadn't grasped her own situation and didn't understand the inner workings of the Holy Grail War. Perhaps when Kotomine Kirei was teaching Tohsaka Rin, he deliberately withheld this information and destroyed the records containing it. After all, the war at hand wasn't child's play. It was a real and intense conflict where a single misstep could cost one's life.

"As for the matter of forming an alliance, let's not discuss it for now," Minachi Shinya remarked.

"After all, the war hasn't started yet, and it's not wise to bring up such matters so early. Besides, we haven't even summoned our own Heroic Spirits, so we have no idea about their classes and parameters. You can't allocate your position too confidently, so it's too early to talk about forming alliances. Let's focus on the most important aspect at the moment. Why did you come to me today? I assume it's not just to discuss forming an alliance? And you mentioned before that you have doubts about the events of ten years ago. Although you asked me about it, I didn't give you a precise answer. But if it were just a simple matter like that, I don't think you would risk being discovered by that priest and come here to find me!"

Minachi Shinya didn't care about forming alliances in the Holy Grail War because, in the end, that broken cup would be destroyed by him. Although he didn't currently possess enough mysterious means to deal with the Holy Grail, if it dared to appear in front of Minachi Shinya, he would eliminate it by physical means. As for the malice that would flow out from the cup afterward, he would deal with it step by step.

After all, Gaia and Alaya would definitely not ignore this matter. They would undoubtedly dispatch the guardians from his own Throne of Heroes to resolve the issue. He only needed to see if he could defeat those guardians. If he couldn't, he would immediately return to his villa and hide. Although Minachi Shinya wasn't an unknown entity, his actions constantly provoked Gaia and Alaya's nerves. There was no guarantee they wouldn't take this opportunity to strike at him, although Minachi Shinya wasn't afraid. But taking some precautions was necessary. After all, this was the true way of survival—being prepared.

"By the way, you almost led the conversation astray," Minachi Shinya remarked. "It's all your fault. This guy, in front of me, revealed the Command Spells. Otherwise, I would have finished discussing today's purpose already."

At this moment, Tohsaka Rin finally snapped back to reality and suddenly realized she had been quite impolite. Moreover, she forgot her original purpose for coming. It was embarrassing, but in order to save face, she forced a smile and spoke.

"I never intended to bother you. It's just that when you mentioned the Holy Grail War, I spoke with you for a moment, and you forgot your own purpose. You can't blame me for that."

"But I can see it's getting late now. Why don't we have dinner while we talk? You can stay here for the night as well. It's not suitable for you to go back like this. Besides, I assume you haven't had a proper meal in the past few days while trying to avoid that priest. Your stomach seems to be growling."

Tohsaka Rin's face turned a bit red, and she lowered her head.

"See? Your stomach is reminding you. If you go back like this tonight, it would be quite rude of me as your Master. Just relax and stay for dinner. Moreover, I'm a bit afraid something dangerous might happen to you on the way back, considering that priest has been looking for you recently and monitoring my villa. Although he thinks his actions are quite discreet, society has already advanced into a technological civilization. Only his old-fashioned church doesn't know that there have been surveillance cameras in this world since a long time ago."

If Kotomine Kirei were present right now, Minachi Shinya would surely say to him,

"Father, times have changed." It's quite amusing to imagine the expression on that poker-faced priest's face.

_________

Tohsaka Rin thought for a moment and found Minachi Shinya's words quite reasonable. Besides, it was getting late, and she was hungry. In the past few days, she hadn't been able to eat properly while avoiding the investigations of that priest.

Her physical condition had deteriorated, and even the flow of her magical energy felt abnormal. Moreover, since the host had extended an invitation, as the head of the Tohsaka family, it was only proper for her to accept.

"Well then, since you sincerely invited me, I'll graciously accept your request!" Tohsaka Rin replied, unwilling to let go of her tsundere nature even at this moment.

She firmly refused to admit that it was because her recent life had been too difficult and her hide-and-seek lifestyle didn't allow her to live comfortably, which was why she wanted to stay here tonight and not go back.

"Sebastian, is dinner ready?" she called out.

"Don't keep our guest waiting."

Sebastian, who had been standing outside the door, waiting for orders, was now prepared. He pushed a small cart into the hall.

"Master, dinner is already prepared and awaits your command," he said.

"And for this young lady, please take good care of her, our young master."

Sebastian's words carried a special meaning, emphasizing the responsibility of taking care of Tohsaka Rin.

"Sebastian, spare me the unnecessary words. Quickly bring the dinner and open a bottle of red wine for us," Minachi Shinya interjected.

"Although I don't particularly enjoy drinking wine during meals, I will show some consideration for our guest. After all, it would be impolite to have a dinner table without red wine, especially in the household of such a historic noble family."

Actually, Minachi Shinya was well aware that the Tohsaka family's situation wasn't sufficient to provide a noble lifestyle for Tohsaka Rin. In their daily lives, Tohsaka Rin also ate meals with Kotomine Kirei, learning various forms of magic and self-defense techniques, including Level 8 boxing. However, Kotomine Kirei's specialty was Chinese cuisine, so Tohsaka Rin was most familiar with it. But she was quite interested in Western dining etiquette.

"By the way, Miss Tohsaka, I personally prefer the culture at the dining table," Minachi Shinya commented. "To discuss matters while eating, it adds a certain ambiance. If you really have something important, I hope you can bring it up quickly."

As Minachi Shinya sliced the steak, he casually picked up the nearby red wine and took a sip. The butler stood by and immediately refilled Minachi Shinya's glass.

Tohsaka Rin looked at Minachi Shinya's elegant noble manners and felt like a country bumpkin in comparison. Apart from her struggling with the steak, her actions while sipping the wine were downright clumsy. Fortunately, Minachi Shinya gave her other reasons so that she wouldn't embarrass herself. And he brought the conversation back to the main point—her most important reason for coming to Minachi Shinya's villa this time.

"It's about Sakura," Tohsaka Rin said.

"Who is Sakura? I believe you are aware, right? I came here today because of her. I want to save her, but I don't have enough power. So, I came to seek your help."

As expected, Tohsaka Rin's purpose for coming to Minachi Shinya was to seek assistance. However, somewhat unexpectedly, Minachi Shinya had anticipated that Tohsaka Rin would seek his help, but he thought it would be for her own safety. Instead, she came for the sake of Sakura, her younger sister who had been adopted by the Matou family ten years ago.

In Minachi Shinya's understanding, Tohsaka Rin wasn't as heartless as those ruthless magicians, but she was similar in many ways. When it came to her own magic, she would make small sacrifices. Like last time, in order to prevent the mystery of magic from being revealed to the public, she resorted to aggressive tactics and tried to brainwash Minachi Shinya herself. Unfortunately, Minachi Shinya's power was stronger, so she failed.

"Sakura, originally named Tohsaka Sakura, is the second daughter of the Tohsaka family ten years ago, just like the eldest daughter, she possesses considerable talent in magecraft. However, ten years ago, she was adopted by the Matou family, the allies of the then head of the Tohsaka family, and her name was changed to Matou Sakura," Minachi Shinya explained.

"A series of events afterward inflicted severe childhood trauma on her, even destroying her. I don't think I need to say more about this, right? Your father is truly a despicable scoundrel. All the pain you're currently experiencing is a result of what he left for you."

Minachi Shinya spoke casually, belittling Tohsaka Rin's father as utterly worthless.

"And you came here today to ask me to help you save Matou Sakura?" he continued.

"You're really overestimating me. I'm just an ordinary member of society, unlike you magicians with mysterious powers. The power I possess is nothing more than ordinary firearms and ammunition, quite different from you magicians. Just a simple curse would kill me instantly. You're giving me too much credit."

_______

Actually, Minachi Shinya's statement was a lie. It was actually quite simple for Minachi Shinya himself to save Matou Sakura. The difficulty lay in how to save Sakura completely. After all, ten years ago, that old worm had already completed the modification of Sakura's body, and that old worm's vitality was extraordinary.

Killing that old geezer was not easy, and as long as his brain worm was not found, killing any number of worms in his body would be futile. According to Minachi Shinya's understanding of the original work, if he wasn't mistaken, the brain worm of that old geezer should be in Sakura's heart. If they recklessly infiltrated the Matou household, even if no one could stop the two of them, successfully rescuing Sakura wouldn't truly save her life.

Moreover, once the Holy Grail War started, an unprecedented battle of Heroic Spirits, they would be too preoccupied to focus on Sakura. That old worm could cause trouble using Sakura's body. Furthermore, within Sakura's body lies remnants of the broken Holy Grail from the Fourth Holy Grail War. It could be said that Sakura was a miniature Holy Grail.

However, this miniature Holy Grail was only the Second Sorcery, while the small Holy Grail created by the Einzbern family, which was the First Sorcery, was the orthodox one. If any problem arose with the small Holy Grail belonging to the Einzberns during the Holy Grail War, the authority would immediately transfer to them, making Sakura the next small Holy Grail.

"I'm sorry, I refuse," Minachi Shinya said. This statement caught Tohsaka Rin off guard and she stopped her cutlery, her face filled with astonishment and anger.

"Why?" she asked.

"If my speculation is correct, you shouldn't refuse such a request. After all, you're not afraid of those hidden forces since you have the ability to bring those works to the surface. That means you have the power or method to deal with those forces. So, why don't you help?"

Tohsaka Rin's emotions were in a peculiar balance. While her anger urged her to use her Eight-Section Fist against Minachi Shinya, her rationality told her that Minachi Shinya must have his reasons for not helping. Did Minachi Shinya have a habit of teasing people? This kind of matter was not a joke. She had come to him, risking her safety, for the sake of her biological sister.

She must provide a reasonable explanation; otherwise, dealing with this young lady's tantrums would be quite a headache.

"How much do you know about the Matou family?" Minachi Shinya began calmly.

"I believe your knowledge about the family and the relationship between the Three Families and the Holy Grail is only superficial. However, that's exactly why I don't want to get involved in saving Sakura. Because if we want to rescue Sakura from that den of worms, it's not difficult for me. The difficulty lies in removing the shadows in her heart and the hidden dangers in her body."

Minachi Shinya began to explain the history of the Matou family. "Matou Zouken, originally named Makiri Zolgen, was a magician from six generations ago in the Matou family. He was a bug user and the founder of the Matou family, known as the vilest magician in Makiri. He directly participated in the creation of the Holy Grail and has lived as a great magician for over five hundred years. Their family's magecraft is quite unique. It's a form of magic called Insect Magecraft, which allows magicians to manipulate various insects to achieve their goals. The most outstanding practitioner of this magecraft was Matou Zouken himself. I won't say much more about his past, but if you're interested, I can tell you more another time. Now, he can be called a bona fide immortal. When his life is about to end, he decisively abandons his own body and places his soul in an engraving bug, forming a brain-like creature. He continuously seeks excellent descendants to parasitize, even any sufficiently talented magicians can become a nurturing ground for him. His Insect Magecraft is also quite interesting. As long as his brain worm is not destroyed, no matter how many worms you kill, it's meaningless. If we really decide to save Sakura, we will inevitably face off against this old worm. Although I'm not afraid of him with my strength, if he truly wants to evade me, I have no way to deal with him."

After a moment of silence, Tohsaka Rin suddenly spoke, "Is there really no way?"

In fact, from Minachi Shinya's narration earlier, he had already guessed that there might be a brain worm of that old worm in his sister's body, parasitically residing within her. This meant that they might be able to rescue Sakura from that den of worms, but they couldn't guarantee Sakura's safety. So, at this point, it didn't matter whether they continued or not. From the beginning, it was an unsolvable deadlock.

_________

"Is there really no way?" Tohsaka Rin was incredibly frustrated and angry at this moment. After all, she couldn't imagine the experiences her sister had endured since childhood. And she had already struggled so hard just to maintain the survival of their family.

She couldn't fathom the pain Sakura had suffered from an early age, especially since she knew how excruciating it could be for a person to have something foreign inside their body, constantly moving around. Sakura had to maintain a sweet smile every day, come to school, and as her older sister, Rin had never noticed anything abnormal about her sister's body.

"I'm such a failure as a sister!" After pointing out the key issue, even the usually strong-willed Tohsaka Rin couldn't bear it anymore. She slumped onto the table, utterly dejected.

"You finally realize how much of a failure you are as an older sister!"

"Don't think that just because you had a financially troubled childhood and struggled to survive by selling off antiques from your home, you've already suffered so much."

"But in reality, you've always been living in comfort, oblivious to your blessings."

"Although you received various magical education from a young age, you never acquired the rules and arrogance of other magicians."

"Perhaps that's thanks to that priest!"

"After all, he never showed any emotions towards things that didn't interest him." "I guess teaching you various magical knowledge was just to maintain his façade."

"In those aspects, you actually had a relatively free childhood, being able to decide everything for yourself. You were quite fortunate."

Minachi Shinya's comments were sharp and accurate, but for Tohsaka Rin, they were just nonsensical. "Haha, fortunate..."

"What kind of joke are you making?"

"Someone like me, receiving praise? Living a quite fortunate life since childhood?"

"What do you, an outsider, understand?"

"I, myself, have experienced the downfall of my family!"

"Even our family assets were controlled by that priest, who clearly had no talent for investments and squandered our family's wealth."

"The results are evident; in just a few years, our Tohsaka family's assets were squandered by that priest."

"If it weren't for some small patents for inventions in the Clock Tower, our family would have gone bankrupt long ago."

"Not to mention our ancestral magic, Jewel Magecraft, which is an extremely costly power!"

"Now, in this family, apart from me being intact, I have lost everything."

"My father died, my sister and I became estranged, and my mother is a vegetable, needing my care."

"Do you think someone like me is fortunate?"

Tohsaka Rin shouted at Minachi Shinya with a wry smile. Minachi Shinya also felt that although his thoughts were quite accurate and reasonable, they weren't pleasant memories for the person involved. His words were like a live wound being torn open, and salt being poured on it.

"Your experiences are indeed quite miserable."

"But you should consider who you're comparing them with."

"You are a magician!"

"As a magician, you should know the rules and conduct of magicians better than me. You can be considered an exception among magicians."

"Although your magical circuits are exceptional, most of the time, you either use the family's Jewel Magecraft or engage in close combat with your Eight-Section Fist."

"But as a magician, you are actually quite fortunate now."

"All weakness stems from fear and inferiority within oneself."

"Although you are talented, and your family situation isn't good, you didn't spend your time studying magic on close combat."

"Although there has been a resurgence of martial arts styles in recent years on the European and American continents."

"With your existence, you would have been devoured by the magic world without leaving a trace."

"Don't think that those aristocrats and magicians in the magic world truly abide by the rules."

"If they have the chance, they won't hesitate to attack and take a bite out of you."

"You are actually quite happy in your daily life."

"You can do whatever you want without worrying about expenses. Just use another illusion and it's done." Minachi Shinya effortlessly came up with many ways to use magic to create everything for himself.

"What kind of joke are you making?" "

Look at the state I'm in now. You still don't want to help me? Do you look down on me?"

"And this time, I am one of the Masters in this Holy Grail War. You better remember that. If we don't encounter each other in the final match, let's try to eliminate the other Servants and compete for the final throne together."

Soon, Tohsaka Rin regained her confidence and started focusing on the upcoming Fifth Holy Grail War. After all, this Holy Grail War came a bit earlier and was somewhat different from what was recorded in her family. However, they could still summon Servants to participate in this Holy Grail War.