Chapter 21

Last night, because Gilles de Rais killed some police officers, the police believed the serial killer still had accomplices; the alert was not only not cancelled but raised another level, causing many elementary and even middle schools to directly suspend classes.

Learning they temporarily didn't have to go to school would normally be a happy thing for students, but when Rin Tohsaka heard this news, her small face fell a little.

Yesterday Broly saved her, but because she later encountered Uncle Yan Ye, there were many things she couldn't say to the boy; she had planned to ask him properly after going to school today, but the school directly called to notify of class suspension.

Rin Tohsaka was a bit discouraged; fortunately her mother proposed taking her and her younger sister to the amusement park together, letting her mood quickly change.

For a morning's time, they rode the merry-go-round, rode the ferris wheel, played bumper cars; at noon, ate ice cream, hamburgers and french fries.

By the time they returned home, the good mood obtained from playing at the amusement park still continued in her heart.

"Mom, next time let Dad come to the amusement park with us too, okay?"

Facing her daughter's expectant inquiry, Aoi Zenjou showed a somewhat forced smile.

Perfunctorily answering "okay," she then hid in the room to call her husband.

Tohsaka Tokiomi had only just lain down on the bed to rest not long ago when the phone rang and woke him; answering, he found it was his wife calling, and asked whether Aoi Zenjou had done the ideological work on one of the two daughters to be sent to the Matou family.

"No, Tokiomi, I haven't done the daughter's ideological work yet; it's just that last night, I encountered Matou Kariya in Fuyuki City..."

"Wait, you came to Fuyuki City last night?"

"Rin ran to Fuyuki City on her own, wanting to search for a friend..."

"How did you not watch her properly?"

"I..."

"Alright, I don't mean to blame you; as long as you mother and daughter are fine."

Fatigue lowered Tohsaka Tokiomi's emotional control; realizing his slip, he quickly retrieved his elegance, speaking gently into the receiver to his wife.

"Whatever it is, just say it directly."

Tohsaka Tokiomi only wanted to end the call quickly and go rest a bit.

"I encountered Matou Kariya, and his physical condition has become very bad."

Aoi Zenjou continued.

"What relation does he have to us?"

Tohsaka Tokiomi frowned; hearing his wife mention another man, even someone as elegant as him felt a bit uncomfortable.

"He protected Rin last night."

"Then we really should thank him; if I run into him later, I'll try to leave him a life."

"That's not what I want to say; rather, he mentioned the Matou family's magecraft, saying it is something that erodes life and flesh."

Aoi Zenjou did not conceal anything, telling her husband the situation of the Matou Kariya she met last night in full detail.

"You continue the daughter's ideological work; I will go find Zouken Matou to inquire about the situation. If the Matou family's magecraft is truly as unsightly as you say, then I also won't push my daughter into a fire pit."

After hanging up, Tohsaka Tokiomi returned to the study, picked up his brush, and wrote a letter to Zouken Matou; he summoned a crow familiar and had it deliver the letter to the Matou family.

After receiving Tohsaka Tokiomi's letter, Zouken Matou was furious; leaning on his cane, he walked quickly into the underground insect warehouse.

In the insect warehouse, Matou Kariya was accepting the worms' gnawing; this is the method for a half-baked mage to maintain magic power.

"Kariya, did you think that by telling the Tohsaka family your physical condition, they wouldn't send the daughter back to the Matou family again?"

Zouken Matou spoke directly to the man in the worm pile.

"What do you mean?"

Matou Kariya, currently enduring the pain of worm erosion, only felt it was somewhat inexplicable.

"Heh, playing dumb? Doesn't matter; I'll tell you — it's useless. The Tohsaka family head is a rational mage; he has already decided to send the child who left the Matou family back to the Matou family again!"

Waving the letter in hand, not waiting for Matou Kariya to see it clearly, Zouken Matou put the letter away, turned, and left the insect warehouse.

"No, Zouken Matou, you son of a bitch, at least make it clear to me... ah!"

The worms increased the force of squeezing life; Matou Kariya directly collapsed, consciousness fainting in intense pain.

"Byakuya!"

The old man leaving the insect warehouse found his nominal eldest son.

"Father, what are your orders?"

Matou Byakuya showed a fearful expression, but still stepped forward to listen to instructions.

"Take Shinji and leave the Matou family."

"Eh?"

"Go hide outside; tonight a dangerous customer is coming."

In Tohsaka Tokiomi's letter, the other party agreed to come tonight with a Servant to visit the Matou family; it could not be refused. Although he felt Tohsaka Tokiomi was unlikely to act, he still had to be prepared for the worst.

On the surface it was having the ordinary person Matou Byakuya take his grandson to leave the Matou family to evacuate, but in reality his true body would also secretly follow and leave, temporarily staying away from the Matou family.

"Excuse the intrusion, Matou family head."

In the evening, Tohsaka Tokiomi, having recovered his condition, arrived as promised.

"Not at all; the Tohsaka family head visiting, my Matou family is most welcome.."

The old man stood at the front door, showing a polite fake smile, and replied.

"Then, regarding the doubts in my letter, I wonder if the Matou family head can give a reply?"

Tohsaka Tokiomi was also smiling, but the action of gripping the gem staff made it clear that if the answer failed to satisfy him, he would act.

"Of course, please follow me."

Zouken Matou seemed not to have noticed this situation, and welcomed Tohsaka Tokiomi along with Gilgamesh who appeared behind him into the house together.

"Truly unpleasant magic power."

After entering the house, Mr. Gold frowned and evaluated with a sentence, then unconcernedly went to the Matou family's wine cellar, took out a bottle of red wine, uncorked it, and started drinking.

"But this wine is better than the wine at your place, Tokiomi, even better than the wine at your disciple's place."

Zouken Matou watched Gilgamesh open his family's reserve wine that could serve as reserve funds; his worm-constituted body's eyelids couldn't help but twitch twice.

"How about it, do you have any objections to this King drinking your family's wine?" "No, how could I dare? Being praised by the King of Heroes is an honor for my family's stored wine."

"A bunch of worms, yet quite the silver-tongued lot."

Zouken Matou's body stiffened somewhat; he hadn't expected his false body to be seen through so easily.

"For the sake of this wine, this King will tolerate the filth here. Say what you have to say to this King's subordinate yourself. But if you dare let that mad dog hidden underground lay a hand on my subordinate, don't blame this King for showing no mercy."

Gilgamesh remained in the living room drinking wine, while Zouken Matou led Tohsaka Tokiomi into the Insect Warehouse.

Here, Tohsaka Tokiomi met Matou Kariya. Zouken Matou had the worms hold the man up to introduce to the Tohsaka family head the reason the Crest Worms were eroding Matou Kariya's life.

"When it comes down to it, it's only because my useless son suddenly returned to the family wanting to participate in the Holy Grail War. Reluctantly, I used such extreme Transformation Magecraft on him, so he could possess the ability to duel an excellent Mage."

"An exquisite technique. Although his body and life have been severely eroded, the Magic Circuits ignited at the cost of his life have produced a considerable amount of Magic Power."

Tohsaka Tokiomi ignored the densely packed worms inside the Insect Warehouse. After observing the Crest Worms stimulating Matou Kariya's body's Magic Circuits, he gave this method his unreserved praise.

"Matou Family Head, truly an experienced Mage. On the path of Magecraft, I am still far inferior to you."

"Overpraised. They are merely some third-rate trifling tricks."

"Then how can I know you won't use such methods on my daughter as well?"

"What this old man wants is an heir to the Magecraft path, not a tool person like him. Naturally, I would not apply such fierce modification methods on your beloved daughter. If the Tohsaka Family Head does not believe me, we can sign a Magic Contract as a guarantee."

Perhaps the address "Tohsaka Family Head" triggered a keyword. Matou Kariya, who had been knocked unconscious by the Crest Worms, opened his eyes at this moment.

"Tohsaka Tokiomi, why are you here?"

"You're awake, Kariya. The Tohsaka Family Head is here to investigate the Matou family's Magecraft and discuss the matter of sending his daughter to the Matou family again."

"Damn... damn it..."

Matou Kariya was currently controlled by the Crest Worms; his consciousness was still not very clear, but he still managed to force out his questioning words with difficulty.

"Seeing me in this state, you bastard, do you still want to send your daughter over?"

"You brought this on yourself. Wanting to participate in this Holy Grail Ritual with the status of a half-baked Mage is what got you into this state.

But the Matou Family Head just guaranteed he would not use fierce methods to modify my daughter's Magic Circuits."

Tohsaka Tokiomi paused, expressed gratitude for Matou Kariya's help with his wife and daughter last night, then asked Zouken Matou: "Matou Family Head, I wonder if we can sign a new Adoption Contract now?"

"Of course."

Zouken Matou smiled in a somewhat creepy manner, indicating his home had the contract forms provided by the Magic Association ready.

"Ah, Tohsaka Tokiomi, you bastard are simply unworthy of being a father, Be—"

Matou Kariya tried to shout for his Servant to launch an attack, but Zouken Matou quickly commanded the Crest Worms to subdue him.

"You will regret this..."

Before being knocked unconscious by the worms again, Matou Kariya uttered his final unwilling words.

"I am Rin and Sakura's father. How I arrange my own daughters is the Tohsaka family's family matter; outsiders have no right to interfere."

At this, Tohsaka Tokiomi merely showed some disdain, but his gaze toward Matou Kariya still held some pity. As his wife's childhood friend and his own friend from youth, this man's concern for his two daughters was genuine.

If this man could live, the daughter sent to the Matou family would also have someone who truly cared for and looked after her.

He sighed inwardly, his face remaining elegant. Together with Zouken Matou, he left the Insect Warehouse. Using the High-Thaumaturgy Contract from the Mage Association provided by Matou Kariya, they discussed the content of the re-adoption of the foster daughter. After confirming it would not endanger the life of the daughter sent to be the foster child, and that the foster child would inherit the Magecraft Ancestor, Tohsaka Tokiomi signed his name with Magic Power.

"I wonder when Sakura can be sent back?"

After signing the Magic Contract, Zouken Matou asked.

"My wife seems very reluctant to part with our youngest daughter."

"What does the Tohsaka Family Head mean?"

"I might send the eldest daughter over as the foster child. I wonder if the Matou Family Head minds?"

"Haha, I don't mind. Whether it's sending the eldest daughter or the original youngest daughter, my Matou family only needs an excellent Magecraft heir."

Zouken Matou naturally didn't mind. What he wanted was merely a mother body with excellent aptitude. If Tohsaka Tokiomi sent the eldest daughter, it would actually please him more, because he could modify the other party's mature uterus earlier, turning it into a mother body for bearing the Matou family's descendants.

Tohsaka Tokiomi left the Matou family. After confirming the Matou family's worm Magecraft, he returned home and called his wife, vouching for the Matou family's Magecraft, but urging her to quickly do the ideological work on the daughter's side.

"If possible, my meaning is still to let Sakura go. Rin is older after all; if something unexpected happens to me, she, being older, can better stabilize the Tohsaka family's situation."

"But isn't that a bit too cruel to Sakura?"

"Alright, Aoi. I won't interfere on who goes. You, as their mother, make the decision. As long as you can persuade one to go to the Matou family and continue as the foster child inheriting the Matou family's Magecraft path, that's enough."

Tohsaka Tokiomi conceded a step on this point, handed the choice to his wife, and hung up the phone.

At the Fujimura house, Broly felt some relief that before being sent back to his own world, he had discovered a very important matter.

That is, converting the Happiness Value on his wives into Happiness Points requires inviting them to join the Crystal Palace.

Broly hadn't noticed this at all at first, until at noon he was entrusted with their daughter by Kiritsugu Emiya and Irisviel. The Crystal Palace suddenly gained its first Official Member. Upon pursuing the question with the Crystal Palace, he was specifically introduced to the situation of obtaining Happiness Points.

It can be said that if that unseen wife hadn't joined the Crystal Palace, he might have returned empty-handed like a fool without figuring out the Crystal Palace's Happiness Point acquisition mechanism.

But now, as evening came and he issued a formal invitation to Fujimura Taiga while bathing, and Fujimura Taiga agreed, the Happiness Points in his account surged to over twelve thousand.

Besides Fujimura Taiga, this already-cashed-in quality stock, he still had two other wives in this world with high Happiness Values. Thinking that tomorrow, after inviting them to join the Crystal Palace, his Happiness Points would continue to surge, Broly felt some excitement.

If not for testing the Crystal Palace's exchange function wasting some time, and the hour being too late, he might have gone to invite the other two.

"I really hope tomorrow comes quickly."

"What, you want to leave Sister's side that badly?"

"Uh..."

"Just teasing you. But when you go back, you mustn't forget Sister."

"Mm, I won't forget. Fujimura Sister is the person who treated me best."

Fujimura Taiga embraced the boy. Using the System Module granted to Official Members by the Crystal Palace, she exchanged for the Vampa Spider's spider legs, a specialty food of Planet Vampa. She tried eating a mouthful of the sticky yellow-brown meat juice and nearly vomited her stomach out. After that, she listened to Broly recount the simple (absurd) hunting life he had lived on Planet Vampa, and she cherished this child even more.

On the night before parting, Fujimura Taiga wanted to give this child motherly care. Her body was soft, her scent fragrant. Broly soon fell asleep in the girl's embrace, under her light pats on the back and coaxing-like behavior.

(Chapter End)