A few months later, the Holy Grail War is about to begin.
...
Fuyuki City.
In a fairly spacious room, several faint blue lights flickered gently. From his fingertips, vague outlines slowly took shape in the void.
"Hmm… not bad at all. You've managed to grasp the basics of Makiri Zolgen's butterfly magecraft in such a short time."
Watching the pale blue butterfly made of magical energy resting in Roy's hand, the Count nodded slightly.
Although he had promised his Master to successfully rescue the girl named Sakura Tohsaka, this time, he had also brought along a bit of his own selfishness.
Before killing Matou Zouken, he had first tortured him severely, successfully peeling the magic crest of the Matou family from his skin to bring back for Roy. Then, he obtained some magical books related to the Matou family from Zouken's study, enabling his Master to formally enter the realm of magecraft.
To become an outstanding magus, three essential elements are required: magic circuits, magic crests, and magical aptitude.
As for Roy's aptitude, that's beyond his control, but the first two elements are manageable.
His magic circuits had already been opened up by another version of himself in the Prison Tower. Although their quality was decent, the quantity was not impressive since he was a first-generation magus. However, it was much better than before; at least he had the ability to convert magical energy and the qualification to learn magecraft.
But to become an excellent magus, it's not enough to have just magic circuits; exceptional magic crests are equally indispensable.
In this regard, Roy was very clear about himself.
As a first-generation magus, the magic circuits he had opened were only eighteen in number, at most placing him at a mediocre level. Compared to the other first-generation magus Shirou Emiya, he was lacking by nearly ten circuits. Although he knew that Shirou was a genius in the realm of magecraft, chosen by Alaya as a Counter Guardian, the gap between them was still too large. Most magus could easily outclass him in terms of the number of magic circuits.
Moreover, as a first-generation magus and a recluse, he had no means to obtain precious magic crests. Instead, future generations were still waiting for him to leave behind a legacy of magic crests.
It's important to note that every magic crest is a mystical imprint that a magus spends their entire life training and solidifying, serving as an essential inheritance for forming a magical lineage.
The value of such crests in the magical world is immeasurable. The longer the lineage of a magic crest, the more precious it becomes. Magic crests contain the research achievements from the very beginning of the magus's ancestry up to the present... what should be inherited.
He did not know that the Count had originally planned to use the wealth he accumulated through the Golden Rule in the current world to help him acquire a magic crest from some fallen magical families. But upon hearing his Master's intention to attack the Matou family, he suddenly became invigorated.
Compared to the magic crests that had only been passed down for three generations or less, the Matou family's magic crest lineage is undoubtedly historical, with an embedded value that is a treasure hard to overlook in the entire magical world. Tokiomi Tohsaka had even gone so far as to have his daughter adopted into the Matou family for her to inherit their magic crest. This illustrates the lethal attraction that it holds for magus; even someone like Tokiomi, a master of magecraft, could not resist.
And the Count smiled. Since such a magic crest was right in front of him, why shouldn't he take it?
Previously, without his Master's orders, he didn't want to alert the enemy and had refrained from provoking the Matou family out of caution. Now that his Master had declared an attack, what reason did he have to refuse the Matou family's crest?
Looking at Roy, who was still familiarizing himself with butterfly magecraft, the Count smiled.
"Finally, it's taking shape…"
Over these past few months, he and Roy had diligently studied the magical assets left within the magic crests and also witnessed the transformation process from Makiri Zolgen to Matou Zouken.
From the very beginning, the partner pursuing world peace, renowned for his butterfly magecraft, had unknowingly begun to descend into the cruel practice of parasitic body horror.
This was a change that had taken five hundred years of obsession, and it represented the fall of a once-just partner.
Roy couldn't help but feel a bit melancholic as he looked at the faint blue crest flickering on his arm and said, "Good night, Makiri Zolgen."
"Good death, Matou Zouken."
...
On the other side, in Fuyuki City, the Tohsaka family.
At this moment, Tokiomi Tohsaka, dressed in a red suit, sat in a tea chair, his expression melancholic, no longer reflecting the elegance of his past.
The reason was simple; a few months ago, a sudden fire erupted at the Matou family in the dead of night, consuming most of their estate.
After learning the news that night, he hurried to the scene.
That evening, witnessing Matou Zouken's demise was Matou Kariya, who was in high spirits, even fearing that the flames weren't fierce enough. He had taken gasoline from the garage and deliberately coated several areas of the house.
As for Matou Byakuya, who was out at the time, upon hearing that Matou Zouken had been killed, he was even happier than Matou Kariya. He rushed home overnight and, after salvaging some of the Matou family's belongings from the parts that were still intact, his joy only increased.
As for Matou Zouken's corpse? The missing magic crests and magical book? Who cared about such things? The two brothers would rather have those cursed items far away.
After completing all this, the two brothers exchanged a deep glance and together admired the most beautiful sight of their lives, the destruction of the Matou family before the flames.
That night, Matou Byakuya even suggested that he, Matou Kariya, and Shinji celebrate this day at a hotel in Fuyuki City, insisting they must drink until they were drunk and designate this day as a holiday to be celebrated every year.
Thus, that evening, Tokiomi Tohsaka, who hurried home, saw a scene that shocked him to his core: his own family home was burning, yet the two brothers laughed in the sea of flames, showing no signs of sadness.
In that moment, Tokiomi began to doubt whether he had fallen under an illusion.
But that didn't matter now; he only wanted to know where Sakura was.
Filled with anxiety, Tokiomi ran through the flames toward the two brothers, who were laughing madly.
However, when he approached Matou Kariya and grabbed his arm, wanting to ask for clarity, Matou Kariya said nothing. Instead, he suddenly pulled out a brick from behind and swung it hard against Tokiomi's head, instantly knocking him unconscious.
By the time he awoke the next morning, he found himself in the police station of Fuyuki City.
When the police arrived that night, they found the unconscious Tokiomi, and he naturally became a suspect in the arson case, detained for several days to assist with the investigation, which forced him to spend a significant amount of money to manage his connections for an early release.
Because of this, he returned home exhausted only to see Sakura had already been brought back by Matou Kariya. His normally gentle wife, Aoi Tohsaka, looked at him with a hint of anger.
When Matou Kariya returned Sakura the night before.
Aoi stood frozen.
Suddenly struck dumb, her heart, which had already ached slightly from Sakura's adoption, completely broke down at this moment.
Especially upon seeing the wounds and blood on Sakura's body, as well as the unfamiliarity in her daughter's gaze.
What on earth had happened?
What kind of suffering had Sakura endured during her time at the Matou household?
Although she never interfered with her husband's decisions, she believed Tokiomi was a good father, doing everything for their daughter's sake.
But why was it like this now?
Seeing Aoi in such a state, Matou Kariya said nothing more, merely shook his head, and silently turned to leave.
There were things she couldn't know.
So when Tokiomi returned home, he realized everything had changed; even the way his wife and children looked at him felt different.
As a responsible father, he certainly cared about Sakura, but this time he found her distant. No matter what he asked, Sakura refused to respond, even avoiding his gaze.
His anger, which had already been pent up, intensified at this sight, and he immediately resolved to confront Matou Kariya for answers.
But when he saw the notebook that Aoi handed over, he froze.
This was the notebook that Matou Kariya had entrusted to Aoi Tohsaka to give to Tokiomi. It recorded the deeds of Matou Zouken and the suffering that Sakura endured.
As he flipped through its contents, Tokiomi's expression suddenly stiffened, and his anger toward Matou Kariya vanished without a trace.
The more he read, the colder his hands and feet became.
In the end, all that remained was an endless sense of regret and guilt.
He realized the meaning behind Matou Kariya's brick and understood why Sakura had been avoiding him since her return.
He comprehended everything.
Instantly, the elegance on his face was gone.
"Matou Zouken!!!"
He had been completely deceived.
The magecraft of the Matou family had long since degraded into the parasitic, inhumane worm magecraft he knew nothing about, and his daughter had become the object of that parasitism. He had proposed adopting Sakura without any intention of passing down the magic crest; from the very beginning, he planned to transform her into his parasitic tool.
She had personally pushed her beloved daughter into hell!
Upon learning the truth, a furious Tokiomi's eyes burned with rage. He could no longer maintain any semblance of elegance as he grabbed his mystic code and rushed to the Matou family to confront the old worm.
But the Matou estate had already been reduced to ashes, and the two brothers, Matou Byakuya and Matou Kariya, had hidden away.
Without a target, his pent-up anger had nowhere to go, and he could only return home in disgrace.
After that, his daughter Sakura returned but never spoke another word to him, refusing to call him father again. Instead, she locked herself in her room, refusing to see anyone, even her sister and mother.
His wife didn't say anything, but it was evident that her attitude had drastically changed due to this incident. From her previous gentleness, she had turned cold. Even his eldest daughter, Rin, who had always had the closest relationship with him, was now trying to distance herself from him.
In a short time, his status in the family had undergone a complete upheaval; a tragic chasm had formed between him and his family.
The more he thought about it, the more agitated Tokiomi became, and the teacup in his hand shattered without him noticing.
The Matou family had been consumed by flames, Matou Zouken's fate remained uncertain, and Matou Kariya had not told him what had happened that night at the Matou estate.
But he swore in the name of the Tohsaka family that if Matou Zouken was still alive and dared to show his face again, he would make that old worm understand what the wrath of a master truly meant.