After speaking, he didn't wait for Jack's response and started smoking on his own.
Jack couldn't help but show a curious expression. In the past, when she faced magus, they would either resist desperately or beg for mercy. She had never seen anyone face death as calmly as Kairi.
Although she was clever and had a frightening natural killer intelligence, she was still a child at heart and felt curious about Kairi.
"What a strange uncle…"
Jack muttered.
At this moment, Kairi took a deep puff and exhaled the smoke.
Jack, crouching behind him, immediately smelled the pungent smoke. Her small eyebrows furrowed slightly. The unpleasant smell reminded her of her days in London, a period that was not a pleasant memory.
A child's temperament can suddenly become interested in something and then lose interest just as quickly.
Swish!
Jack flipped her wrist, and a pitch-black dagger flashed a perfect arc in her hand.
But she didn't strike; instead, she used the movement to re-sheath the dagger at her waist.
"Not going to kill me?"
Kairi asked curiously. From what he knew about Jack the Ripper, this child might seem innocent but was far from kind-hearted.
"It's no fun. We don't want to kill you now. Besides, that big brother is a bad person, and I don't want to do everything he says."
Jack pouted, her face clearly showing frustration.
"So, goodbye, strange uncle."
Jack waved her hand and disappeared into the mist.
Having narrowly escaped death, Kairi did not smile.
He took a final drag on his cigarette, stamped out the butt with his foot, and then, with a determined look, gripped a piece of silver armor, opened the car door, and got in.
The roar of the engine sounded, and Kairi drove the car into the distance. He had received information that a Sub Holy Grail War was about to break out in the territory of the polar bear.
...
The fourteen-rider Holy Grail War had finally come to an end.
Nguyen Ryou, the mysterious man who had traveled across space, won the final victory.
The Red Faction either surrendered or was killed.
The unluckiest were those masters poisoned by Semiramis.
Locked in a small dark room, they were turned to ashes in their sleep by Ishtar's Noble Phantasm, which descended from the sky. Semiramis only had time to rescue Amakusa Shirou.
Thus, these few became textbook background characters, turning to ashes in their sleep.
As for the Black Faction, losing Chiron and with Vlad III defecting and being killed, only Flan-chan remained as a third-rate servant. The Black Faction completely lost its competitiveness, so Caules decisively chose to surrender and persuaded his sister Fiore to hand over the Greater Grail.
His ability to assess the situation greatly impressed Ryou. Although Caules did not have as much talent in magecraft as his sister, his overly kind and naive sister couldn't compare to him as a magus, especially one from a major family.
Since the opponent was so cooperative and no longer an obstacle, Ryou, although cold, was not a madman, so he let them go.
Not only that, but he also solved a big problem for them.
After everything settled down…
At this moment, the Yggdmillennia Castle was in a state of revival. Many magus and homunculi were coming and going, either cleaning or repairing, creating a bustling scene of renewal.
Fiore sat in the castle garden, holding a teacup, quietly enjoying her afternoon tea.
One had to admit, Fiore was quite beautiful, with the added attributes of frailty, a large bust, intelligence, and the demeanor of a noble lady.
The iconic white classical dress of the Yggdmillennia was worn by her with a unique elegance.
Her flaxen hair was loose, and her sapphire-like eyes looked at the familiar yet changed castle, a bit lost in thought. Under the warm sunlight, she appeared like a beautiful painting of distant tranquility.
"Sister, you're here."
At this moment, Caules walked into the garden, followed closely by two homunculus attendants carrying a stack of paper documents.
Fiore instinctively stood up but almost stumbled.
Caules quickly stepped forward and supported her.
"Be careful, your legs have just regained sensation."
Caules wore a slightly indulgent and concerned expression.
"Mm."
Fiore steadied herself with Caules' support while observing her increasingly mature brother, a hint of pride flashing in her eyes.
Not long after the Holy Grail War ended, seemingly having come to terms with everything, Fiore announced that she would relinquish her position as head of the family to Caules, transferring the inherited magic crest to her brother as well.
The reason Fiore had always been in a wheelchair was due to her body rejecting the magic crest. Now, having removed the magic crest, Fiore's legs had finally regained sensation, and she was slowly able to stand on her own.
Looking at her somewhat assertive brother, Fiore tried to suppress her shyness and adopt a dignified elder sister's demeanor. However, upon seeing the fatigue in Caules' eyes that he couldn't hide, her stern tone softened into gentle concern.
"Sorry, Caules, for selfishly pushing everything onto you."
"What are you talking about? Isn't it a brother's duty to protect his sister?"
The siblings exchanged smiles.
"Grrr!"
At this moment, Fran-chan burst out holding a bunch of flowers and grabbed the corner of Caules' clothes.
"Huh? Fran, where did you run off to just now? Wait! Don't grab my clothes! You'll tear them!"
Watching her brother playfully argue with his Servant, Fiore's face lit up with a warm smile.
With the loss of the Greater Grail and numerous core members dead, the decline of the Yggdmillennia family was inevitable.
Moreover, the magus sent by the Mage's Association to participate in the battle were all annihilated by Ishtar's Noble Phantasm. The Yggdmillennia family had completely lost any leverage in negotiating with the Mage's Association.
Fortunately, Ryou had a moment of kindness at the end and allowed Frankenstein to touch the Greater Grail, absorbing a small amount of its magical energy, thus enabling Fran to become a physical entity.
Additionally, Fran's hammer contained a spherical core that was both her heart and a Type II Perpetual Motion Machine, capable of continuously absorbing residual magical energy from the air, almost achieving zero-energy consumption. This allowed Fran to remain in the present world for an extended period.
With a Servant stationed with them, even if it was a second or third-rate Servant, the Clock Tower had to seriously consider the consequences of a full-scale war with the Yggdmillennia family.
After all, the power within the Clock Tower was held by so-called noble magus families, who were eager to divide the spoils like wolves. But when it came to risking their lives in a duel with a wounded lion, these selfish individuals were not so enthusiastic.
Thus, the Clock Tower made a lot of noise but did little in the end, harshly reprimanding the Yggdmillennia family. Caules, being very cunning, "accidentally" leaked the information that Yggdmillennia had a Servant stationed with them and adopted a very humble attitude in response to the Clock Tower's reprimands.
With both sides tacitly cooperating, the matter was left unresolved.
...
"Master, hurry up, hurry up~"
Astolfo excitedly shouted as he grabbed Kaar's arm, dragging him forward.
"Slow down, slow down a bit, Astolfo!"
Kaar stumbled along, trying to keep up with Astolfo's pace as they moved with the crowd.
Astolfo had shed his luxurious knight's attire and was now wearing a new, youthful outfit—of course, in the female version.
Kaar was also in a practical, easy-to-move-in men's outfit.
Nearby tourists, seeing Kaar being dragged around by Astolfo, smiled knowingly, thinking they were a lovely young couple.
Little did they know, both were men—Astolfo being a cross-dressing man and Kaar a young man in men's clothing.
Perhaps even if they knew, it wouldn't be surprising, considering they were in London, the capital of Britain.
After the Holy Grail War, Astolfo, who remained in the present world, immediately let his playful nature take over and forcefully dragged Kaar along for a happy world tour, with their first stop being Astolfo's former homeland, England.
"Are you two planning a honeymoon?"
Ryou had teased them at the time.
"Yes!"
Astolfo had happily and openly admitted it! Admitted it! Admitted it!
Kaar, standing beside him, had a shy expression and didn't refute it!
Alright, Ryou admitted it was his fault—it wasn't the right time.
Who told him to carve a rune on Karna's heart?
Ryou didn't know that Karna was a top-tier Servant, with his magic resistance and divinity. The rune had been nullified the first time Kaar transformed.
The fact that they still ended up together only proved that they were... Truly in love!!!
...
At the same time, in Fuyuki City, Japan...
After decades of development, Japan no longer showed signs of post-WWII decline. Although affected by the economic depression, the overall economy was in recession, but it didn't impact the daily lives of ordinary people.
Fuyuki City, bathed in the morning sunlight, was full of vitality. Students in uniforms from Homurahara Academy greeted each other and walked together.
Reika Rikudou was holding Jack's hand as they walked out of the house.
"Ah, Rika-chan, are you taking Jack-chan out?"
A gentle and melodious female voice suddenly rang out beside them. Just hearing it made one feel a sense of goodwill.
A woman with a full housewife aura was standing at the door of the house next to Reika Rikudou's, smiling warmly as she greeted them.
Under the sunlight, her rare silver hair seemed to emit a platinum-like shine. Her flawless, doll-like face bore the charm of a housewife yet retained a girlish innocence. Although she was just wearing an ordinary house dress, it looked as if it were an expensive gown.
Even as a high-class hostess who had seen all kinds of dignitaries and socialites at various parties, Reika Rikudou had to admit that none of those so-called beauties could match even a fraction of the grace and beauty of the woman before her.
"Good morning, Mrs. Emiya," Reika Rikudou greeted with a smile.
"Oh, please just call me Irisviel."
The silver-haired lady smiled, gently touching her cheek with her right hand.
"Good morning, Aunt Irisviel," the ever-adept-at-pretending Jack greeted innocently and sweetly.
"No, no, Jack-chan. You should call me sister," Irisviel said, lovingly patting Jack's head.
Age issues are something no woman can escape from, a universal truth.
Jack sweetly called her "sister," which made the naive lady very happy. She immediately gave Jack a big handful of candies and then cheerfully started chatting with Reika Rikudou about family matters.
"Wow! I'm going to be late for morning practice!"
A red-haired boy in Homurahara Academy's distinctive yellowish-brown uniform dashed out of the house, a half-burnt piece of toast in his mouth.
"Irisviel, I'm heading out!"
Seeing his foster mother standing at the door, the red-haired boy quickly greeted her.
"Shirou, be careful on your way! And call me 'Mother'!"
In this world, the Hero of Justice of a parallel universe, one of the kings who roamed the Typemoon world, Shirou Emiya, seemed to be just an ordinary boy.
"Oh, by the way, some girls came by earlier to ask you to go to school with them. Shirou, you're quite popular with the girls at such a young age. It makes your mother a bit jealous."
Irisviel said this with a slightly troubled expression.
"Mother..."
Shirou responded with an awkward smile to his foster mother's teasing.
Irisviel seemed to switch to another personality when dealing with Shirou, filled with a thick sense of mischief.
"Shirou, don't become a sinful man, okay?"
Irisviel said meaningfully before smiling and letting him go.
"Alright, hurry to school and stay safe on the way."
"Yes!"
Feeling as if he had been granted amnesty, Shirou hurriedly greeted Reika Rikudou and her daughter before running off toward the school.
As the sun slowly rose higher, another peaceful day began in Fuyuki City.
The close relationship between Reika Rikudou and the Emiya family had its roots in the aftermath of the Holy Grail War.
After Jack stayed in the present world, to avoid unnecessary trouble, Reika Rikudou took her adopted daughter, Jack, and traveled far to Japan, where magical influence was weak.
By chance, this mother-daughter pair arrived in Fuyuki and encountered the Emiya family.
One was a young Japanese woman with a British adopted daughter, and the other was a German woman with a Japanese adopted son. This peculiar similarity gave them common ground.
Moreover, with Kiritsugu Emiya, the head of the Emiya family, frequently abroad, the two housewives gradually became well-acquainted.
Reika Rikudou's identity and Jack's adoption papers were all arranged by Irisviel through the Emiya family's close friend, the renowned Tohsaka family of Fuyuki.
Thus, Reika Rikudou and her daughter settled down in Fuyuki.
Kaar, Astolfo, and Jack all staying in the present world was naturally Ryou's doing.
Becoming the biggest winner of the Holy Grail War, and after a few days of soft persuasion and a massive culinary assault, the saint finally "reluctantly" agreed to sign a contract and become Ryou's contracted Servant.
In high spirits, Ryou didn't hold back and had Medea Lily, a magus from the Age of Gods, slightly adjust the Greater Grail. He then had the three surviving Servants touch the Grail, using its power to gain physical forms and stay in the present world.
Thus, Ryou returned with three newly contracted Servants (wives) and the spoils, the Greater Grail.
Unexpectedly, as soon as he returned, the system gave him a big surprise.