Type-Moon: Root Seiko

"Her magic circuits do indeed possess the characteristic of immortality. It is said that they eventually multiplied into a complex magic network with a diameter of one kilometer, becoming the Holy Grail System itself... It would not be surprising if Ms. Aozaki Touko, as a puppeteer, wanted to study the Winter Saintess herself."

"It's great that you understand." Luo Zhen smiled and went along with it.

Chapter 8: Did you take in my two daughters?

In reality, Orange had no interest in the Winter Saintess.

Of course, the "magic circuit that is immortal and can multiply infinitely" is quite interesting, and if Orange could get her hands on it, she would like to study it.

But that wasn't a particularly urgent desire; having been fattened up by Luo Zhen (?), she was now quite Zen-like.

But it's fine if Tokiomi Tohsaka is willing to believe it, since it's not exactly lying.

Luo Zhen continued speaking calmly and unhurriedly: "For Orange, the best outcome would be for the Holy Grail War to end peacefully, and for her to then peacefully acquire the base that has used up all its magic power."

“Orange doesn’t want to attract the designated executor of the seal, as it would be too troublesome to fight to the death. So she doesn’t plan to step into the limelight, and I will handle most things. Then, if we have to choose an ally with the best chance of winning and worth negotiating with in the Holy Grail War, it is obviously Mr. Tokiomi who is the most reliable.”

Luo Zhen himself joked, "After all, the Matou family is in such a sorry state, and the Einzbern family obviously wouldn't let Touko take away the Winter Saintess's magic circuits. The only one of the three starter families that we can negotiate with is the Tohsaka family, which is quite ironic."

"...I am honored, though it is indeed a pity." Tokiomi also shook his head with a wry smile.

He was indeed convinced by the young-looking boy in front of him; his arguments were all very reasonable.

And to be honest, if it weren't for their reminder, Tokiomi Tohsaka would never have thought of prying into the Matou family's magical secrets.

If he were to actually give his daughter to their family as planned, his promising daughter would inevitably suffer the torment and devastation of that insect hive... Just thinking about it made Tokiomi's fists harden.

That's such a waste of your daughter's talent. If her mind and body are destroyed, even if she inherits the Matou family's magic circuits, she'll only end up as a tool for procreation. How could she possibly make any progress in magic?

Therefore, even in Tokiomi Tohsaka's logic, he did indeed owe the boy in front of him, as well as the Grand Puppeteer behind him, a great favor.

After a moment's thought, he came to his answer: "If Ms. Aozaki Touko is truly willing to help me win the Holy Grail War, then I would be very happy to give Ms. Aozaki the spiritual veins of Fuyuki City and the assets related to the Greater Grail itself after the war."

"Of course, words are meaningless. If Ms. Aozaki has the time, I would like to meet with her in person and sign a binding agreement..."

"Yes, I've brought it." Luo Zhen placed the ammunition box he carried with him on the table without any hesitation.

He opened the box, and inside lay a parchment brimming with magical energy.

The moment it came into contact with the air, the paper floated automatically in front of Tokiomi Tohsaka without any wind, revealing the words he had written in real time.

Binding Spell: Target: Aozaki Touko / (blank space)

By the Magic Crests of the Aozaki and Tohsaka families, Aozaki Touko swears that she must do everything in her power to assist the Tohsaka family, the rulers of Fuyuki City, in achieving victory in the Holy Grail War. She herself shall not, in any way, steal or covet the right to use the Holy Grail.

In exchange, the Tohsaka family should, to the best of their ability, protect Aozaki Touko's existence and conceal her whereabouts. They must not reveal her name, location, or any other related information to unrelated third parties.

After the Holy Grail War ends, the Tohsaka family should cooperate in transferring the management rights of the spiritual veins in Fuyuki City and the ownership of the Greater Grail Spirit Origin to Aozaki Touko.

This oath is inscribed in the magical circuits of both parties. Those who break it shall suffer the torment of their circuits and inscriptions being burned away, and their descendants shall never again set foot on the path of magic.

...The conditions were harsh, but not unfair.

Tokiomi Tohsaka's eyes darted around, scanning the clear text repeatedly to confirm that there were no other linguistic traps or magical forgeries.

In the treacherous world of magic, there are very few ways to make magicians, who have no moral compass whatsoever, trust each other.

This self-restraining spell is one of them.

Only this oath spell, directly inscribed in the magic circuit and conditional on the family's magic mark, can be broken even by the most powerful magician. It is recognized by the magic world as the most reliable contract.

"...I have one more condition."

Tokiomi Tohsaka did not immediately start signing his name, but instead looked up at the boy opposite him.

He knew that, in terms of strength, he had no excuse to bargain.

The initiative was entirely in the hands of that elusive Grand Puppeteer; being chosen as a collaborator was already an incredible stroke of luck.

Furthermore, if he really had her assistance, his chances of winning the Holy Grail War would increase significantly, to the point that it would be a sure thing.

Even so, Tokiomi still had one concern:

“I have two daughters, Rin Tohsaka and Sakura Tohsaka. Their talents are too dazzling; they are geniuses who far surpass their mediocre father.”

"The Tohsaka family's magic can only protect one person. The other child who cannot inherit the crest will either be killed in an ugly succession struggle or be kidnapped by another family and used as a tool... just like what I almost let the Matou family do."

"What do you want to do?" Luo Zhen could guess what Tokiomi wanted to say.

As expected, the mustachioed man's eyes were clear: "I would like to add a condition. Regardless of the final outcome of the Holy Grail War, and regardless of my personal life or death, as long as my two daughters are still alive, I ask Ms. Aozaki to adopt them and raise them as her disciples."

"If the Tohsaka family's magic crest still exists by then, please let one of my two children inherit it, Ms. Aozaki. As for the other child who does not inherit the crest, please teach her carefully and raise her as your true heir. You must never harm her, sell her to a family without the dignity of magic, or use her as a consumable or tool for magic research."

“…This is difficult.” Luo Zhen propped himself up on the table with his hands.

He actually wanted to laugh, but he had to maintain a serious expression for the moment.

Tokiomi Tohsaka was indeed a magician.

In terms of cruelty and inhumanity, he can only be said to be slightly better than Zouken Matou, but he should never be regarded as a good person.

Even so, his concern for his daughters was genuine.

This made Luo Zhen suppress a laugh: "The conditions you proposed are too broad, and the timeframe is too long."

"Even with a binding contract, such broad conditions leave too many loopholes. Orange might find it too troublesome and abandon your daughter immediately."

“That’s fine. If it really comes to that, then it’s the fate of the Tohsaka family,” Tokiomi Tohsaka replied immediately.

No wonder they are a family with a lineage of Southern Barbarian religion.

Although the Tohsaka family is no longer a believer, there is still a strange sense of Puritanical destiny about them.

He said, "I never expected that a contract could really bind a Grand Doll Master."

"But as long as there is an opportunity, I will fulfill my duties as a father. And I believe that once we have some contact, Ms. Aozaki will definitely take notice of my two daughters' talents. If I am no longer here by then, Ms. Aozaki will have to worry about which of my daughters to choose as her heir."

"Hahaha, you silly old father!" Luo Zhen laughed heartily.

As if she had heard Luo Zhen's laughter, Aozaki Touko, who was monitoring the scene from somewhere, added to the contract terms in her messy handwriting, writing down Tohsaka Tokiomi's request.

Judging from her handwriting, Orange is quite impatient and wants to severely punish Luo Zhen, that bastard friend of young girls.

Tokiomi Tohsaka, unaware of the relationship between the two, also signed his name with satisfaction and pressed his bloody fingerprint on the paper.

The contract was thus established.

The parchment, imbued with magic, spontaneously incinerated, an invisible force already etched into the magic circuits of both parties to the contract.

"It's a pleasure doing business with you, Lord Luo Zhen." The mustachioed man stood up and extended his hand.

Luo Zhen followed suit, extending his hand to shake his: "It's a pleasure working with you. Just call me Luo Zhen, Mr. Tokiomi."

Luo Zhen did indeed feel a bit more favorably toward Tokiomi Tohsaka because of his seemingly naive words and actions:

He could be considered a good father, which is rare by magician standards.

Chapter 9 The Man Covered in Command Seals

After establishing the partnership, Luo Zhen did not stay at the Tohsaka residence for long.

As the contract stated, Tokiomi Tohsaka gave the magic key to unseal the spiritual veins of Fuyuki City and handed over a spell to Rōzō.

With this key to the spell fragment, he can access the resources at any node of the Fuyuki City ley line.

Luo Zhen immediately completed the sharing with Orange.

He then left the Tohsaka family, promising to meet again another day.

"After all, there's still a year left... a year, it feels so short."

On the slope leading down from the Tohsaka residence, Luo Zhen indifferently passed by the Matou family's house, which had been burned to the ground, and the seaweed-haired father and son standing dumbfounded at the door.

The Matou family, in a magical sense, no longer exists in this world, and the remaining ordinary people are no longer worth caring about.

The problem is that the Holy Grail War will always have seven participants, no matter what; it's fate.

Therefore, Luo Zhen does not intend to rule out any potential candidates in advance.

That's meaningless; on the contrary, it might be influenced by the restraint force, leading to the addition of strange Master candidates such as some passing Dead Apostle.

During this year, Tokiomi Tohsaka will likely continue excavating relics.

If nothing unexpected happens, he will probably obtain the world's oldest molted snake and summon the related heroic spirit.

Therefore, what we should be considering is how to instantly defeat the opponent's trump card... or simply steal or destroy that relic.

After all, although Touko and Tokiomi Tohsaka signed a binding contract, contracts are meant to be broken.

Orange never took this binding contract seriously from the beginning; how could a Grand Puppeteer be bound by magic circuits?

However, unless absolutely necessary, Luo Zhen does not intend to easily break with Tokiomi Tohsaka and betray him... but he still has to consider it.

"So for the rest of the year, the goal is to solve the mana replenishment channel, consider the relics for summoning Heroic Spirits, and then establish a stable life... It would be great if I could bring Aoko to live with us, but I bet Touko will get angry."

After all, Luo Zhen knew he couldn't get too close to Qingzi in front of Chengzi.

The reason why Ryouma and Touko arrived in Fuyuki City so far in advance was not just because, as Touko said, Ryouma was a friend of young girls and wanted to save Sakura Tohsaka before she was sent to the Matou family.

While this was indeed one of the main purposes, the main reason was that Luo Zhen himself also had needs.

As he walked, thinking, he returned from the Tohsaka family home all the way to the new capital on the east side of Fuyuki City, crossing the Mien River Bridge.

Then they passed through the bustling city and entered the sparsely populated forest.