Chapter 52: Seven Women in the House

[🎉 Shoutout to Kieta_Aki for joining patreon. Thank you very much.🤗]

In the Aozaki residence, before the sun had even risen, Kasumigaoka Utaha was already forced to get up.

The reason? Last night, their master, Roy, who had gone out to hunt down the corrupted Servants to protect Fuyuki City, had returned.

"Lord Roy, as long as you're safe, nothing else matters," Kasumigaoka sighed in relief when she saw Roy come back, calm and unscathed. The heavy weight in her chest finally lifted.

She glanced around the living room.

Near the heater, a small, white-haired, red-eyed girl, who bore a striking resemblance to Roy, was curled up.

Sitting at the table were a pair of identical twin sisters.

The mayor of Fuyuki, Tohsaka Rin, whom Utaha had met a few times before, was also seated there, sipping plain water.

Kasumigaoka wasn't sure how to describe her current emotions.

There was no denying it—she felt a slight twinge of jealousy.

At that moment, she had to admit something to herself.

She had begun to develop a faint affection for Roy, the man who had saved her in a time of peril.

Kasumigaoka Utaha wasn't one to deceive herself; she was always straightforward with her feelings. If she stayed here for a few more months and got to know Roy better, she imagined she might actually confess to him.

But now?

She looked at Tohsaka Rin, glanced at the white-haired loli, then swept her eyes over the twin sisters. Finally, she cast a sidelong glance at Hayasaka Ai, who was busy cooking in the kitchen.

Her face remained expressionless, and she said nothing.

What... is this?

Rin Tohsaka, she could accept. But why, after just one night, were there three new women in this house?

She counted carefully—there were already six women living here! No, wait, if you included that strange Servant, Okita Souji, that made it seven!

"Utaha, let me introduce you," Roy called her over with a wave.

"This is Illya, Illyasviel von Einzbern. I rescued her from the corrupted Servants, and she'll be staying with us from now on. Just think of her as my... well, my sister."

"I'm the older sister!"

Illya, who had been lounging by the heater, immediately shot up in protest.

"I was born long before Roy! I was created right after the Fourth Holy Grail War ended, so Roy should be calling me his big sister!"

"Alright, alright, you're the older sister. Happy now?"

Roy shrugged, looking helpless but indulgent, his tone full of affection for the little white-haired girl.

Kasumigaoka's expression became complicated.

No matter how she looked at it, this white-haired loli couldn't be more than eleven or twelve years old. How was she claiming to be Roy's big sister, when Roy looked to be around sixteen or seventeen?

But then again... created?

What did she mean by that?

The Fourth Holy Grail War—that was ten years ago, wasn't it?

And Einzbern? That name sounded familiar.

Hadn't Roy mentioned it before? Weren't they one of the Three Founding Families who had created the Holy Grail? They were punished by the Mage's Association and had to give up their homunculus technology…

Homunculus?

Created?

Ten years ago?

Sister... and brother?

Kasumigaoka suddenly rubbed her temples.

A lot of things were starting to make sense.

On her first night at the Aozaki residence, she had felt something slightly off about Roy's appearance after his bath. At the time, she couldn't pinpoint what it was, but now she understood the source of that discomfort.

Roy's face was too perfect, like it had been sculpted by human hands. His entire body seemed meticulously crafted, with no imperfections—something you wouldn't normally see in a human being.

Because a normal person would always have some rough edges, somewhere.

But Roy didn't.

That was the source of her unease.

Oh, and of course, his Mage's Rank...

Why didn't I see it sooner?

Despite Roy's exceptional magical prowess—his ability to effortlessly sneak into houses shielded by magical barriers, and his own comments about the treatment of homunculi—she hadn't connected the dots. She hadn't realized that his low rank as a mage was due to this.

"These two are Ichika and Miku Nakano," Roy continued, introducing the twin sisters. "They're refugees we found outside the city, captured by the corrupted Servants. We rescued them, and now they're my attendants. For now, Miku is under Rin's name, but they'll both be living here from now on."

Kasumigaoka's expression, already complicated, grew even more so. Roy smiled as if he didn't notice and continued with the introductions.

"Hello," Ichika greeted, looking relatively composed.

During their journey back to the Aozaki residence, Ichika had carefully apologized to Roy for using his name to reject Atram's advances without permission. Of course, Roy hadn't been upset at all and had even comforted her, which had eased her nerves.

"H-Hello…"

Beside her, Miku seemed much more timid. Her eyes were red, as if she had been crying earlier.

She looked so timid, almost like a small rabbit.

Maybe she'd make a good bunny girl.

"And where's Saber?" Kasumigaoka asked, dragging herself out of her tangled thoughts.

"Ah, as for Okita…" Kasumigaoka trailed off as she showed Roy to a nearby side room.

"S-Sorry, Master... I couldn't greet you properly…"

Inside, Okita Souji lay on a bed, pale as a sheet, her breathing weak.

"After bringing Illya back, she suddenly coughed up a lot of blood, so we let her rest," Kasumigaoka explained.

"Ah, it's her old illness. Even as a Servant, she's still stuck with the same sickness that killed her in life. Luckily, it didn't flare up during battle. Don't worry; Servants can't die from illness. She'll recover after resting for a while."

Okita Souji could only offer a weak, speechless smile.

After making sure Okita was resting well, Roy and Kasumigaoka returned to the living room.

"Okita... sickly... Servant?"

Miku's ears perked up again, and her eyes sparkled with curiosity.

"Breakfast is ready," Hayasaka Ai announced, bringing the food to the table.

For a moment, everyone set aside their concerns and gathered around the dining table to enjoy the meal.

With so many people, the table was a bit crowded.

"I'm heading home to rest now. If anything comes up, just contact me through my familiars," Rin said with a yawn after finishing breakfast. She left the Aozaki residence shortly after.

"Lord Roy, please take a bath. I've already prepared the hot water," Hayasaka Ai said with impeccable professionalism as she returned to the living room.

"Thanks," Roy replied with a smile, grabbing a change of clothes before heading into the bathroom.

Left behind in the living room were the five women.

Kasumigaoka and Hayasaka exchanged glances with Ichika, while Miku shrank back like an ostrich, seemingly wanting to speak but hesitating.

Meanwhile, Illya quietly observed the other four women.

Suddenly, there was a loud thud from the direction of the bathroom.

"Roy?"

Illya froze for a moment before quickly rushing towards the bathroom.

Moments later, she emerged, dragging a stark-naked Roy out of the bathroom, bound tightly in silver threads.

Illya wore a serious expression as she looked at the other women, focusing particularly on Kasumigaoka and Hayasaka, who seemed just as startled.

"Something's triggered the curse on Roy's body. Do any of you have any idea what's going on?"

═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═

patreon.com/AmbitiousTranslator

🥰 Support the translation and help me grow.🤓

Read upto 20 Extra chapter in Patreon