Did the Heroic Spirit I conquered become a reality?

“No, it’s not the same.” Irisviel shook her head vigorously. She looked at Tohsaka Yu, her beautiful red eyes filled with unprecedented solemnity. “The other party… is not a Master of the Holy Grail War, at least… not until recently.”

She said she came here for the sake of 'human reason'.

The smile on Yu Tohsaka's face slowly faded.

At this moment, a barely perceptible yet extremely sharp glint flashed in his usually gentle, dark eyes.

He seemed to... vaguely realize something.

"What did she say to you?" Yu Tohsaka asked instinctively.

Seeing the solemn expression on his face, Irisviel immediately gave him a brief account of her conversation with Aoko Aozaki at Einzbern Castle not long ago.

After listening to Irisviel's story, Tohsaka Yu fell into a brief moment of contemplation.

He knew that the great battle at the port tonight would inevitably attract the attention of some magicians.

However, there were only so many magicians in Fuyuki, and he knew most of them. But the mysterious and powerful woman that Ke Lisfield had mentioned was someone he had never heard of.

What surprised him even more was how quickly the other party acted, even... directly targeting the Einzbern family.

He slowly raised his head, his dark eyes fixed intently on Irisviel.

"What...is her name?"

Under the astonished gaze of Yuna Tohsaka, Irisviel slowly uttered the name in the same solemn tone.

"Aozaki Aoko."

Volume 1: Chapter 97 The Self-Cultivation of a Movie Emperor

Upon hearing the name, Tohsaka Yu was stunned for a long time, unable to come to her senses.

Aozaki Aoko.

For most magicians in the Clock Tower, this name is probably just a legend circulating among the upper echelons, full of mystery and taboo.

But for Yu Tohsaka, this name represents...

One of the only five "magicians" still in existence, and the inheritor of the fifth magic, "Blue".

He is truly the pinnacle of all magicians, the most outstanding being capable of performing "miracles"!

Compared to her, both the monarch of the Clock Tower and most of the Servants in the Holy Grail War seem so... insignificant.

What shocked and troubled him even more was that he also knew that this "magician" was a pair of sisters with a terrible relationship with another genius magician in the Clock Tower, who was equally famous, or even "infamous," and who wished to kill each other.

Because of his talent in "Jewel Magic" and "Alchemy", Yu Tohsaka had the opportunity to meet the equally talented Ms. Touko Aozaki several times. They even had a fairly good relationship due to some academic exchanges.

That's why he knew better than anyone else just how...unconventional, willful, and self-centered this "magician" was, and how extraordinary she was.

That woman actually came to Fuyuki?

He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down from the immense shock, and looked at Irisviel before him, pressing for an answer: "What else...did she say to you?"

“She said…” Irisviel looked at him, her usually gentle red eyes now filled with solemnity, “She said that our primary goal right now should not be the Holy Grail, but to find the person who summoned Tiamat.”

Upon hearing this, Yu Tohsaka's sense of vigilance instantly tightened to its limit.

He looked at the kind, worried silver-haired woman before him, remained silent for a moment, and then slowly spoke in an extremely complicated tone: "Miss Irisviel, why did you tell me this?"

Irisviel looked at him, her red eyes, which always carried a hint of melancholy, now filled with an undeniable firmness: "I don't think she's lying, but I have my own judgment."

"Tohsaka-kun, I believe you." She continued in an extremely solemn tone, "I believe that everything you have done is to end this wrong war, not to destroy humanity."

Hearing her words, spoken without the slightest hesitation and filled with trust, Yu Tohsaka felt an indescribable, warm feeling welling up inside her.

He looked at the silver-haired woman before him, who appeared even more delicate and beautiful in the night. Her dark eyes, which always carried a hint of gentleness, now held a genuine tenderness that he himself had not yet realized.

“Irisviel…”

He subconsciously called out her name softly, his voice slightly hoarse.

"Thank you."

Yu Tohsaka reached out and gently, with her fingertips, tucked a strand of soft, silver hair that had been ruffled by the night wind and clung to her cheek behind her ear.

The cool, delicate touch that came unintentionally from her fingertips caused Irisviel's body to tremble almost imperceptibly.

She didn't flinch, but simply raised her red eyes, which always carried a hint of melancholy, and quietly looked back at him. A delicate blush quietly rose on her fair and beautiful face.

“No need to thank me, after all…” Her voice was as soft as a dream, as if it might dissipate into the cold night wind at any moment, “Tohsaka-kun, you showed me… another possibility of ‘living’.”

"So this time, I also want to make a choice based on my own will."

The distance between the two of them had unknowingly been shortened.

Up close, Tohsaka Yuu could clearly smell the unique, sweet fragrance emanating from her, as crisp and refreshing as ice and snow.

He was so close that he could clearly see his slightly complex reflection reflected in her beautiful red eyes, which seemed to draw one's soul in.

The atmosphere became a little ambiguous for a while.

Her red eyes, which always carried a hint of melancholy, seemed brighter and more captivating than the most brilliant rubies under the dim streetlights.

Yu Tohsaka looked at her, at her fair and beautiful face so close to his, and at her cherry lips that were slightly parted and glowing with a faint luster because of nervousness and... a hint of barely perceptible expectation. He felt his heart skip a few beats at that moment.

He even... subconsciously, slowly, lowered his head.

However, just as the distance between the two was about to be completely closed, Irisviel seemed to suddenly remember something. A complex light, a mixture of reluctance and rationality, flashed in her eyes, which always carried a hint of fragility.

In the end, she... gently took half a step back.

That atmosphere of extreme ambiguity was thus shattered.

“It’s late,” her voice was still soft, but with a hint of hoarseness that she herself didn’t realize. “I should go back. Ilya… she’s still waiting for me.”

Upon hearing this, Tohsaka Yu snapped out of his reverie, which had been captivating him.

Looking at the silver-haired woman before him who had regained her identity as a "mother," the initial excitement in his heart was gradually replaced by a gentler emotion.

He nodded and said softly in a gentle voice that was full of unquestionable confidence and reassuring warmth, "Yes, be careful on the road."

I will contact you again later.

"……Um."

Irisviel gave him one last, deep look, as if she wanted to imprint his image into the very depths of her soul.

Then, she turned around, her figure disappearing silently into the cold, rainy night, like a snow sprite blending into the night.

……

The next day, early morning.

The atmosphere at the dining table was subtly, perfectly calm.

As usual, Yu Tohsaka prepared a sumptuous breakfast for his two younger sisters. Neither he nor Sakura mentioned anything about what had happened the night before, as if the confrontation that was full of probing and danger was just an unreal dream.

After watching her two younger sisters go to school together, Tohsaka Yu turned around and placed another breakfast, which was already prepared and still steaming hot, on the table.

"Saber, dinner's ready."

As he spoke, Artoria, dressed in a smart black suit, quietly appeared in the living room.

She looked at the golden bacon and cheese toast on the table, which smelled so tempting, and the steaming cup of black tea next to it. A barely perceptible, extremely subtle change flickered in her usually serious, emerald green eyes.

But she maintained the composure and dignity befitting a knight king, and said solemnly, "Master, I've already said, I don't need this..."

You're quite arrogant, even though your eyes haven't left the food since the beginning... Tohsaka Yuu said with a gentle smile, "I know, but it's all prepared, it would be a waste not to eat it."

Artoria remained silent for a moment, but ultimately chose to compromise under the gentle, smiling gaze of Tohsaka Yuna.

She sat down quietly at the table, picked up her knife and fork, and began to savor this "modern" breakfast with elegant and swift movements.

After clearing away the dishes, Artoria looked at Tohsaka Yu, who was standing in front of the kitchen sink washing the plates, and spoke first, bringing the topic back on track: "Master, what are your plans next?"

“Hmm,” Yu Tohsaka nodded, turned off the tap, and dried his hands with a towel. “So far, the identities of two Servants are still unknown. So, we need to find a way to lure them out.”

"Do you have any leads on the other two Masters?" Artoria pressed.

“No.” Tohsaka Yu shook his head, but then he seemed to remember something, and his usually gentle dark eyes flashed with a thoughtful and shrewd light.

"However... perhaps I already know the identity of one of the Masters."

"who is it?"

Yu Tohsaka looked at her with a mysterious and meaningful smile on his face: "Perhaps... you'll find out soon enough."

As the two were chatting, a crisp doorbell rang, abruptly breaking the morning's tranquility.

Tohsaka Yu turned his head to look in the direction of the entrance door, the corner of his mouth curving into a more amused smile. He said softly:

"It seems she's even more impatient than we are."

Yuuto Tohsaka had anticipated Aozaki Aoko's arrival.

After all, it was he who personally released that massive magical pulse that was enough to cover the entire city of Fuyuki at the port last night, and it was he who personally extended that provocative "invitation" to all the "participants".

Given Aozaki Aoko's status and abilities as a "magician," if she were willing to investigate, she would likely... soon be able to follow the clues and uncover her true identity as the "mastermind."

Despite his thoughts, he decided to meet this uninvited "guest" first.

"Who?" Artoria asked instinctively, her emerald green eyes filled with vigilance.

“A guest… whom we had no choice but to meet.”

As Yu Tohsaka spoke, he walked forward with steady steps and personally opened the gate of the mansion.

Standing outside the door was a tall, black-haired woman.

Her face wore a bright smile, as sunny and energetic as that of a friendly older sister next door.

"Good morning, Tohsaka-kun." She looked at him and greeted him in her clear, melodious voice. "Won't you invite me in?"

"You are...?" Yu Tohsaka asked, looking puzzled.

"Aozaki Aoko, you can just call me Aozaki," the woman said with a smile.

"I see... Please come in." Tohsaka Yu stepped aside.

Aozaki Aoko walked briskly into the living room, her eyes, which always held a hint of amusement, curiously surveying the mansion filled with classical and elegant atmosphere, before finally settling on Artoria.

"Oh my, this must be the legendary Knight King, Artoria Pendragon, right?" She looked at Artoria with an incredibly bright smile. "Seeing is believing, indeed. She's much cuter than I imagined."

Upon hearing this, Artoria simply looked at her expressionlessly without saying a word, but unconsciously tightened her grip on the sword hilt.

Seeing the tense atmosphere, Tohsaka Yu quickly spoke up to steer the conversation back on track: "Miss Aozaki, I think you came here today not just to have a cup of morning tea with me, right?"

"Hehe, it's so easy to talk to smart people."

Aozaki Aoko's face once again showed that relaxed and casual smile, but her eyes, which always carried a hint of amusement, now gleamed with an undeniable, sharp light befitting a "mage."

She looked at Tohsaka Yu and said bluntly:

"Yu Tohsaka, let's get straight to the point."

"Regarding the power within you that connects to the principle of 'return,' and... the 'mother' you called upon..."

"What are your plans to do?"

Faced with Aozaki Aoko's oppressive and direct questioning, Tohsaka Yu's face perfectly revealed utter confusion and bewilderment.

“Miss Aozaki,” he looked at her, his usually gentle, dark eyes now filled with a pure, unadulterated bewilderment, “I don’t quite understand what you mean.”

"The principle of return? 'Mother'? What is that?"

"...A certain Servant's Noble Phantasm?"

His "innocent" and "bewildered" appearance made Artoria, who was standing next to him, give him a strange look.

Upon seeing his reaction, Aozaki Aoko's eyes, which always held a hint of amusement, narrowed slightly, almost imperceptibly.

"Oh dear, it seems you didn't know." Her face once again revealed that bright, "kind" smile, like that of a friendly older sister. "Last night at the port, a very, very powerful being appeared. Her power was enough to easily suppress even a god of Quetzalcoatl's caliber."

"I just thought that as the 'center' of last night's commotion, you should... know something."

"There...is that really true?" A perfectly timed look of shock appeared on Yu Tohsaka's face. "Even Quetzalcoatl..."

As he spoke, he subconsciously cast a pleading look at Artoria beside him, as if he were an ordinary Master who had just stepped into a brutal battlefield, feeling ignorant and lost about everything, and in need of protection.

He knew perfectly well that Aozaki Aoko could never know that Tiamat was summoned through his own efforts.

After all, his connection with Tiamat is based on the unique conceptual artifact, the [Anchor of the Primordial], which comes from "outside the world." Its essence has long surpassed the Clock Tower and even the realm that all magicians of this era can comprehend.

So everything she's doing now is just...