In the world of Type-Moon, it all begins with becoming Morgan's husband!

Kirei Kotomine is dead.

This was something Ian hadn't anticipated.

This is definitely not a lie—after all, Rin Tohsaka has absolutely no reason to lie about something like this.

"Rin, calm down," the man reassured the girl on the other end of the phone.

"Where are you now?"

"That house from before, right? Okay... I'll find a way to get there right away."

call ended.

Artoria asked with slight concern, "Mr. Ian, what happened?"

"Kirei Kotomine is dead." The man confessed everything.

"His master, Li Shuwen, also disappeared along with him."

"what?!"

Surprise filled the girl's emerald green eyes.

Although she hasn't had much contact with Kirei Kotomine so far, she can tell from her friend Irisviel's disgusted account that he is definitely not an upright person.

But as soon as he finished speaking—

It was too much of a coincidence that we learned of his death so quickly.

“Mr. Ian,” the girl voiced her thoughts, “could it be the Tohsaka family’s revenge?”

"Do not."

Ian shook his head.

“That’s unlikely—because the one who was obedient to me just now was Rin Tohsaka.”

"Her tone suggested that she didn't yet know that this was the person who killed her father."

"..."

Altria was silent.

But she quickly came to understand—after all, she and Ian had only just found out themselves.

However, this makes things more complicated.

If it wasn't someone from the Tohsaka family who did it, then who could it be?

Ian understood this, but he couldn't quite put his mind to it in a short time.

Irisviel quickly noticed the anxious looks on the two of them, and then spoke up:

"Oh dear, it seems you've run into some trouble."

"That--"

Irisviel stood with her hands behind her back, leaning slightly forward.

"Should we go and finish what we need to do first?"

“This…” Artoria hesitated.

"But Alice, we've only just met again, haven't we?"

“I know.” Irisviel remained gentle.

"but--"

"People should always know what needs to be done immediately and what needs to be done later, right?"

"I...don't want to be a burden to you even after I die."

“Alice…” Lily was deeply moved.

"Alright, alright~" Irisviel put her hands on her hips. "If you keep dawdling like this, it's not like you."

Let's get going!

"Ok!"

Artoria didn't say anything more, but nodded.

However, Ian noticed the girl's friendship with Alice—she didn't want her former friend to be so lonely.

After thinking for a moment, the man had an idea.

"In that case——"

"Mrs. Alice, let's leave Ilya here for the night."

"Stay here for the night?!" Irisviel became anxious upon hearing this.

"That definitely won't work!"

"This is deep in the mountains and forests. If you leave that child here, she will be very scared!"

“No.” Ian shook his head and looked away.

Ibaraki-dōji clapped his hands expressionlessly—it seemed to be an appreciation for Illya's earlier introduction of her mother.

"If you're here, she won't be afraid at all."

"At the same time, Ibaraki will stay to keep her company."

"As for accommodation, the people here are very welcoming, so there's no need to worry about Ilya not having a place to stay tonight."

“And—” The man looked at Irisviel again.

"Mrs. Alice, you also wish you could chat with Ilya a little longer, don't you?"

"..."

Irisviel was taken aback for a moment, then smiled calmly.

"You really are a very considerate person."

"Since that's the case... then let's do it that way."

Seeing that Irisviel had agreed to his idea, Ian walked over to Ilya and Ibaraki-doji and quietly explained the arrangements.

Ilya was naturally delighted by this—she had been wanting to spend more time with her mother.

Ibaraki-dōji looked puzzled.

"And what about you? Where are you going?"

This is a perfectly reasonable question.

Ian didn't think too much and answered directly:

"I'm going to meet someone."

"so--"

"Ibaraki, I can only entrust Illya to your care."

This rather tactful tone seemed to be quite effective on Ibaraki-dōji.

Or rather, she had actually been hoping that Ian would ask her to do this all along.

"I understand." Ibaraki-dōji nodded. "I will take good care of my Master."

"but--"

"May I make a small request?"

“Of course you can,” Ian replied without hesitation. “It’s your right.”

"That--"

Ibaraki-dōji took a step forward, tiptoed slightly, and stretched out his hand, like a kitten asking for a hug.

"Lord Abe."

"Could you... kiss me? I want to have the same experience as Shuten-dōji."

"..."

Although I couldn't quite understand the hidden meaning in Ibaraki-dōji's words.

But seeing the little girl's expectant look, Ian knew he couldn't just give her a perfunctory response.

He knelt down, hugged Ibaraki-dōji, and then placed a kiss on her forehead.

"Ibaraki, is this alright?"

Berserker's face flushed red, and she started swaying from side to side as if she were drunk.

"Kohara... So this is what Shuten-dōji meant by feeling."

"Ibaraki, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing!" Ibaraki-dōji managed to stand up straight. "Lord Abe—!"

"Please go ahead and do your work without worry—Ilya, I will take good care of you."

"..."

Although Ian found Ibaraki-doji's reaction somewhat unexpected, it was exactly the kind of girl he needed.

"Mm." The man nodded.

"Ibaraki, I'll leave it to you then."

You left behind Ibaraki-Douji and Illya.

Before leaving, you even arranged their food and lodging for the night.

Although it seems like you've left two young children alone, you're not worried at all.

[Because you know that Ibaraki-doji, as a Berserker, is definitely capable of protecting Illya—their relationship remains that of Servant and Master.]

Everything is arranged.

But you find yourself facing a new problem.

How can I get to Rin Tohsaka's side as quickly as possible?