Nobody knows how to be a villain better than me.

Ayaka Sajou glanced at the door, her gaze heavy with sorrow, and spoke softly.

Just as the two sisters were considering whether to rush in and subdue the seemingly obsessed Ayaka Sajou, and then perform a physical Sanity restoration spell, Ayaka Sajou, who had been laughing happily inside for three or four minutes, seemed to have thought of something. She then snapped out of her daze and hurriedly drew runes with her fingers on her homemade bookmark, activating the magic circle hidden within.

Suddenly, a gentle and magnetic deep voice, accompanied by the flickering of runes, came from inside and echoed throughout the room.

"Aige, it's been a long time..."

"Yes, it's been 5 days, 7 hours, 26 minutes, and 4 seconds since we last saw each other!"

"..."

At that moment, Samael, who was exchanging pleasantries as usual in the rented room, couldn't help but twitch his cheeks and feel his heart pounding when he heard the calculation that was accurate to the second. He subconsciously turned around to look behind him and made sure that Alice and Artoria had come downstairs before he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Cough cough, yes, yes, it's been so long..."

After confirming that there were no dangerous factors around that could trigger a chaotic scene, the ancient snake calmed down slightly, wiped the cold sweat from its forehead, coughed and exchanged a few polite words before quickly getting to the point.

"By the way, Aigo, I'd like to meet you..."

Want to see me? Want to see me? Miss me? Longing! Indeed, His Highness thinks the same way! Just like me!

Sajou Aika's beautiful eyes sparkled, her brain's CPU was running at high speed, almost melting, and her slightly flushed cheeks were slightly hot. Although the girl's shyness lingered in her heart, her moving lips still bravely expressed what she was thinking.

"I miss you so much, I think about you every day! Your Highness..."

"Uh……"

For the first time, Samael felt his brain wasn't quite working properly. After a moment of hesitation, he coughed and added explanations to prevent any mistakes.

"I mean, could I ask you out tomorrow...?"

"A date?! So soon?"

However, this time, before Samael could finish speaking, Sajou Aika, who was both surprised and delighted, automatically filtered out the second half of the sentence and fell into endless reverie.

I……

At this moment, Samael, who had been choking on his words, vaguely sensed something was wrong. He cautiously shut his mouth and began to review the conversation in his mind, analyzing word by word the exchange between the two after the resonance magic circle.

However, before Koshou could analyze the situation, Sajou Aika took a deep breath, as if with immense courage, she suppressed the strong emotions in her chest and made a difficult choice.

"Although, although I really want to see you, more than ever, I can't, I still have important things to do..."

Inside Enzwasberg, Sajo Aika suddenly looked up, her fists clenched, her azure eyes, refined by the struggles and disappointments of the past, now burning with determination.

"Your Highness, please give me a little more time. After these few days, we...we will have the brightest future...! Wait for me!"

"..."

Upon hearing that resolute yet hopeful answer, Samael finally realized what was happening, and his lips twitched violently.

It's not that what he said was wrong, but that the other person's understanding was too advanced.

This ability is generally called—filling in the blanks...

In just a few words, this princess of the origin had already pieced together a million-word epic of love, hate, and grudges in her mind.

Samael worried that if the conversation continued, she would have to consider how many children she should have, what names to give them, and which brand of diapers to choose.

"Ai Ge, actually I..."

Just as the ancient serpent hesitated about whether to continue this dangerous topic, a faint, cold snort came from the magic circle.

"Don't be fooled by him! He's a fraud!"

In Enzwasburg, a pink-haired loli whose pupils gradually turned scarlet walked into the inner room, pulled off the arm of Ayaka Sajou who was holding a glowing bookmark, and grinned at the flickering magic circle, coldly exposing the true face of a certain guy.

"The Heroic Spirit of the Tohsaka family, the undisputed champion of this Holy Grail War, Pretender, or should I call you—Uncle Arthur?"

Hmph, trying to seduce innocent girls again? As long as I'm here, you won't succeed!

To make those who seem happy unhappy. To see those who are unhappy become even more unhappy. To mess up other people's love affairs. For the sadistic desire to slowly torture people.

With the power of the god of love, he shoots beautiful flower arrows, fulfilling the duties of the evil Cupid, transforming into a little devil to cause trouble for lovers, and making all the popular and affectionate guys die. This is what a certain oppressed corporate slave, the god of love, and a certain loser-type purple-haired female passerby enjoy doing the most.

"Sakura? Is it really you?!"

However, Samael ignored the deep resentment in those words; the unexpected joy overshadowed everything else.

So, back at the amusement park, Ayaka Sajou wasn't lying after all, because Ayaka Sajou was Sakura's Master.

Although this unexpected intrusion into the Holy Grail War brought considerable uncertainty, it was better for Ayaka Sajou to stay by her side than to mingle with other twisted characters.

At least, the Sajō family's upbringing is passable.

In my memory, Ayaka Sajou was a kind-hearted girl who wouldn't even dare to kill a pigeon.

I thought I had searched high and low without finding it, but it came to me effortlessly.

Forget about it.

"As long as it's okay, it'll be okay..."

The man's relieved murmur, along with the overflowing joy in his words, stunned Cupid, who had come with malicious intent to cause trouble. As if holding a red-hot branding iron, Cupid hurriedly pushed away the shimmering bookmark and retreated hastily.

"Ahem, Pretender, you've mistaken me for someone else. My name is Kama, and I'm not some lowly, submissive daughter of the Tohsaka family who only knows how to be bullied!"

It seemed to be another will within her that provided reliance and strength. The once submissive little girl, now gritting her teeth, brandished her pink fists and snorted defiantly.

"Your family cares about you a lot and is very worried about you, and so do I..."

Samael sighed and earnestly advised the girl who had run away from home in a fit of pique to return soon.

"I'm sorry, we've been neglecting your feelings before. When we get back, I'll take you out for a big adventure all by ourselves, how about that..."

However, the soothing methods that had once worked so well were now met with silence and cold laughter.

"Ha, Pretender, in the end, you still think I'm just a little kid who'll listen to you if you coax me?"

The little girl in the two-bedroom apartment slowly raised her head, her eyes bloodshot and filled with resentment, coldly declaring.

"In this Holy Grail War, I will prove that what you can do, I can do too! I don't need anyone's pity!"

Seeing that this stubbornness and resentment were so difficult to appease, Samael had no choice but to try to appeal to Sakura's emotions and persuade her further.

"Do you know how worried Tokiomi has been these past few days while you were gone, and Aoi too..."

However, the result was counterproductive.

"Don't mention them to me!"

Upon hearing her parents' names, Sakura Tohsaka clenched her fists, her face darkening. Even her originally childlike and clear voice became hysterical due to the excessive force.

"They are not fit to be my parents!"

That almost roaring rage vented endless resentment, and the overwhelming sense of rejection seemed even stronger than towards Rin Tohsaka and Samael.

At this moment, the ancient snake in the rented room was lost in thought. Suddenly, it realized a certain possibility, its gaze froze, and its voice became a little hoarse.

"You 'saw' it?"

"Heh, I should thank you, Uncle Arthur, for not changing your surname to Matou."

The little girl in the two-bedroom apartment curled a strand of short pink hair behind her ear with her index finger. Her fair face was ashen, and her eyes were full of mockery.

really!

Upon hearing this, Samael's previous doubts vanished, and he understood.

She had "seen" a fate connected to her own, a tragic trajectory of being adopted into the Matou family and suffering torment and abuse...

That's why the child is becoming increasingly distant from his parents;

That's why Sakura is so close to her Uncle Arthur, who suddenly appeared in her home, and almost regards him as her most trusted support.

That's why she accumulated so many negative emotions in her heart. After experiencing abandonment and neglect once again, she chose to stand against the Tohsaka family and become an enemy of her father and sister!

The ancient serpent had already guessed the source of all this.

The Sixth Desire Heaven, the Realm of Other-Transformation, is ruled by Mara, the Demon King!

As a demon king on par with the enlightened ones, Mara undoubtedly possesses a certain degree of precognitive ability.

The seventh volume of the Mahaparinirvana Sutra:

The Buddha told Kasyapa: "Seven hundred years after my Parinirvana, Mara, the demon king, will gradually corrupt my Dharma. Just as a hunter wears the robes of the Dharma, so too will Mara, the demon king, appear as a monk, a nun, a layman, or a laywoman. He will also transform into the body of a Stream-Enterer, and even into the body of an Arhat and the body of a Buddha. With these defiled forms, Mara will create an undefiled body and corrupt my Dharma."

Simply put, according to some scriptures, when the Buddha and Mara were discussing the Dharma, Mara said to the Buddha: "In your Dharma-ending Age, I will send my disciples and followers to infiltrate your Sangha, wear your robes, and destroy your Dharma."

And just as the demon king Mara had predicted, with the rampant spread of selfish desires, religion has hijacked faith.

Furthermore, if Samael remembers correctly, Ayaka Sajou once planned to summon a "beast" to destroy the so-called quantum record belt and change history.

In other words, the power of a beast can disrupt a predetermined destiny.

Therefore, as the vessel for the Demon King Mara, the God of Love Kama, and the Beast's offspring, Sakura Tohsaka, with the awakening of her divinity, clearly gradually glimpsed possibilities related to herself through the ripples of fate.

So, in that family, she behaved obediently.

But in reality, she began to feel anxious and fearful about the possibility of her family abandoning her.

Samael, the outsider who changed her fate and showed her care, gradually increased his tenderness and eventually became the source of all her struggles and dependence.

However, Samael, unaware of the situation, did not anticipate that her status in the child's heart would rise so high and become so special. This momentary neglect led to her losing all attachment to the Tohsaka family.

"Those two defeated wretches who ran home in a sorry state should have taught you that no matter who I'm facing, I won't show any mercy! We're taking the Holy Grail! Don't even think about stopping me! Not even you!"

Sakura Tohsaka's gaze was cold, her eyes filled with mockery.

"To achieve one's goal, one must pursue the root cause and not be burdened by emotions. These are the qualities a magician should possess."

That's it, the worst-case scenario!

Tokiomi, you've really given me a tough problem...

Hearing the resentful sarcasm, Samael raised his hand to his forehead, his head throbbing slightly.

Chapter 208: Date A Live (4.2k)

Samael pondered for a long time, then slowly raised his head, his gaze firm and solemn.

“Sakura, Tokiomi’s intention in giving you up to the Matou family is merely to allow you to master another magic circuit and possess the power to protect yourself, not simply to abandon you. Even though he failed to see the true nature of the Matou family and chose the wrong path, it is understandable.”

"If it weren't for this reason, do you think they could have remained peaceful until now?"

Sakura Tohsaka remained noncommittal to this explanation, her face gloomy as she sneered, her eyes still icy cold.

“I’ve given you chances, more than once.”

“You’re right. In any case, we do have an undeniable responsibility. So you have the right to be angry and the right to resist.”

Samael nodded, readily admitting it, his tone full of affection.

Faced with that gentle whisper, the little girl in the two-bedroom room, filled with resentment, subconsciously recognized the head, paused for a moment, and then suppressed the agitation in her heart. Her clenched teeth ground a deep tooth mark on her cherry lips, and she reaffirmed her belief, answering in a muffled voice.

"Don't think that just because you've said these good things about them, I'll slink back and beg for your shelter to continue living that kind of life!"

“That’s right! After all, it’s not your fault. There’s no reason for someone who’s been wronged to bow down first! You should stay in Enzwasburg and stand up to them! Let them know the consequences of ignoring you!”

"Hmm! Eh?"

Sakura Tohsaka, filled with indignation, first nodded subconsciously, feeling a sense of excitement at sharing a common enemy. But then she realized what she was doing, looked up in a daze, and her face stiffened slightly.

This... isn't right, is it?

Shouldn't you be advising me? How can you agree with me and even encourage me to cause trouble for the Tohsaka family?

At this moment, the little girl, who was originally thinking about how she would resist sweet words and cruelly reject the other party if they kept pestering her, felt as if she had punched a cotton ball. She was so frustrated that she wanted to vomit blood, and her body felt numb.

As the resentment in her heart grew stronger, the little girl clenched her fists, her bloodshot eyes filled with a chilling coldness.

"Alright, you'll regret this!"

"Now that you've made your decision, guard your castle and don't go anywhere."

Samael smiled and nodded, seemingly accepting the outcome of their parting ways. However, he then slowly raised his head, changed his tone, and spoke in a domineering and arrogant manner.

"Because we will march into Ainsworth and bring you back with our own hands!"

"..."

The unexpected answer left the little girl, who was still immersed in resentment, stunned.

"Since we made a mistake and the responsibility lies with us, we have an obligation to take the initiative to correct it so that we are in the right."

Samael seemed to have anticipated this silence.