Nobody knows how to be a villain better than me.

"Remember, no matter what, you are Tokiomi's daughter, Rin's younger sister, and the person I promised to protect. No matter what, no matter your choice, we will never easily give up on you! Even if..."

The ancient snake paused for a moment, then turned to gaze out the window. Its penetrating eyes seemed to pierce through the barriers of time and space, quietly meeting the gaze of the small figure huddled in a corner on the other side, filled with endless gentleness and tolerance.

"This time, you were the one who gave up on us first..."

This murmuring, low murmur, without blame or reprimand, is more lethal than any other weapon or time.

Sakura Tohsaka's armor of thorns, woven from grievances and resentment, seemed to be torn apart in an instant. The little girl's lips moved several times, but in the end, she remained silent, unsure of how to speak.

"Don't worry, it'll be okay."

Samael, standing by the window, glanced down at the spatial coordinates that were missing only a few key parameters, smiled and whispered, his voice extremely gentle.

"Sakura, wait for me, we'll be there to pick you up soon..."

At this moment, the runaway girl standing in the two-bedroom apartment bit her cherry lips, her shoulders trembling slightly. Her heart, which she thought should have been cold and hard by now, seemed to be enveloped by an invisible warmth.

Perhaps, love has never disappeared.

It's just that I'm too sensitive and crave too much.

Suddenly, a desire to confide welled up from the heart that Sakura Tohsaka had opened up without her noticing, rising to her throat and about to burst out.

"I……"

"stop!"

Seeing her own servant teetering on the verge of defection after just a few words from the other party, Ayaka Sajou realized something was wrong and hurriedly rushed forward, snatched the bookmark from Sakura Tohsaka's hand, and threw it to the instigator who had opened the gates of hell.

"Sis, turn this thing off right now! It's undermining our morale!"

However, Samael's smile only grew brighter at this.

"Hey, Aige, I'd like to know a few coordinate parameters of your location. Could you tell me?"

"Why should I help you? This is the Holy Grail War!"

At that moment, Sajou Aika, who was squatting in the corner drawing circles, came to her senses, tightened her cheeks, and snorted coldly, speaking with righteous indignation.

"The barbecue buffet last time was pretty good. How about I treat you to a meal sometime? Just the two of us..."

"make a deal!"

In an instant, Sajō Aika, who had been sulking, became beaming and was about to expose the entire Ainsworth family behind her.

"no!"

But before the Root Princess could report the data, a rapid shout came from behind, and the bookmark on Sajō Ai's hand was snatched away by Sajō Ayaka next to her in a flash.

"A date, my date..."

"I……"

Watching the shimmering bookmark fly away, the two figures, one large and one small, deprived of their right to speak, squatted on the ground, emitting a deep, mournful cry and a conflicted expression of unspoken words.

The only conscious Master present took a deep breath, his face tense, intending to uphold his principles.

"Pretender, while I am grateful that you saved me, this is the Holy Grail War! We are enemies! Everything you did was merely to lure us out of Ainsworth, weaken our strength, and then seize the Holy Grail for the Tohsaka family! With me here, you will not succeed!"

Just as Ayaka Sajou was about to cut off the communication and close the gates of hell after exposing someone's true colors, a soft murmur came from the bookmark.

"On the contrary, I'm saving you, because staying in Ainsworth would be even more dangerous..."

“Pretender, I’m not as easily fooled as those two…”

Hearing the confident murmur in the bookmark, Samael's face broke into a meaningful smile.

The fact that they didn't directly cut off communication proves that there was an opportunity to take advantage of the situation.

Often, the strongest fortresses are the easiest to breach from within.

The ancient snake slightly raised the corners of its lips, offering a subtle reminder.

"You probably don't know that in the battle of Mount Enzang, Ainsworth actually obtained five drops of the Holy Grail, and these things have the same effect as the sacrifice of heroic spirits in the battle of the seven in the regular Holy Grail War."

Surprisingly, such a thing exists.

Unaware of what was going on, Aya was slightly startled, and her pupils constricted.

"In other words, they only need two more puzzle pieces to complete the set and activate the [key] to the Greater Grail..."

After giving the other party ample time to think and digest the information, Samai slowly began to speak.

"What if the last two pieces were made up with Heroic Spirits?"

"So what? We'll win soon, isn't that better?"

Ayaka Sajou, vaguely aware that something was wrong but unable to grasp the clear logic in her mind, frowned slightly and shook her head in rebuttal.

“If we were really that easy to deal with, the two missing pieces of the puzzle would have been complete by the time of the Battle of Yuanzang Mountain, but you failed.”

Samael stood by the window, gazing at the outline of Yuanzang Mountain, a hint of sarcasm playing on his lips.

"And now, having entered the gates of the Ainsworth family, isolated from the world, the easier sacrifice to obtain is actually you..."

He knew his nominally good daughter all too well; she had definitely thought about such a despicable thing, and was very likely to do it.

"impossible!"

The moment the man pointed out this possibility, Ayaka Sajou instinctively denied it.

"Nothing is impossible! The Holy Grail War is a game full of bloodshed and betrayal..."

Based on his memories, Samael uncovered the dark side of the Ainsworth family, constantly smearing Darius and also blaming Ainsworth for the Ruler summoned by the enemy through illegal means.

As the seemingly reasonable speculation and the interconnected arguments unfolded, Ayaka Sajou's pupils constricted, and a hint of doubt gradually appeared on her face.

Upon closer reflection, it seemed that all their actions had been restricted since they entered Ainsworth.

Charlemagne, who was supposed to be neutral and maintain order, had intricate connections with the Ainsworth family.

Previously, due to the confrontation with external enemies such as Pretender, they did not have the time to think about the various irrationalities.

But as it was sealed off in Ainsworth, many seemingly insignificant details gradually revealed an unusual air about it.

Even if there's only a one in ten thousand chance, their current situation is quite dangerous.

No one can guarantee that the Ainsworth family won't suddenly reveal their sinister nature and stab you in the back, so they'll gather two sacrificial offerings nearby and complete the ritual this morning.

And once the opponent bares its fangs, the sisters, possessing two Heroic Spirits, would be perfect candidates.

Seeing that the time was right, Samael made a tempting offer.

"To explore the root cause and achieve redemption is also the goal that the Tohsaka family wants to achieve using the Holy Grail. Since the Ainsworth family may not be trustworthy, how about we join the Tohsaka family? With Sakura's connection, Tokiomi doesn't mind sharing this opportunity."

"I'm sorry, but this is just your guess..."

Although she had begun to have doubts, Ayaka Sajou was clearly not going to switch sides so easily.

But that's enough.

"I see. It seems you only have one path to take."

Samael's vertical pupils shimmered faintly in the night, his face filled with regret.

“Tell me the coordinates, and we will have a fair fight with the Ainsworth family. In this way, regardless of the outcome, the question of whether you will be ambushed by the Ainsworth family in the short term will be easily resolved.”

Hearing this seemingly perfect solution, Ayaka Sajou's eyes flickered, and she couldn't help but feel tempted.

Indeed, with external pressure, potential internal problems and corruption can be temporarily suppressed.

However, the girl, who has not yet been tainted by the vices of magicians, cannot easily abandon her principles and vows.

Just as Ayaka Sajou was torn between her inner turmoil, the vibrating bookmark emitted a gentle inquiry.

"Aige, have you made up your mind? When is the buffet restaurant available?"

"at any time!"

At that moment, Aika Sajou, who was squatting in the corner, heard the call, suddenly stood up, rushed forward, and unexpectedly snatched the bookmark.

"Okay, what's the address?"

"Don't!"

“…?…?…?…!”

Just as Ayaka Sajou was about to regain the right to speak and calmly consider the matter for a moment, her right hand was grabbed by Sakura Tohsaka beside her. She could only watch helplessly as her older sister betrayed her teammates without hesitation for the sake of a meal.

"Then it's settled. I'll pick you up from Ainsworth first thing tomorrow morning, Your Highness."

"Ok!"

Sajou Aika nodded repeatedly, her pretty face flushed as she answered, her eyes full of longing, as if she couldn't wait to enjoy the world that belonged only to her and her prince.

Ayaka Sajou, who had been coerced into betraying the company by the two traitors, looked at the bookmark on the table that had gotten the result she wanted and had turned off its light with satisfaction. She covered her face with her hands, unable to bear to look at it.

It's over, everyone's wiped out...

It must be said that this certain demon king has a unique talent for inciting people's hearts.

Immediately, Ayaka Sajou, feeling utterly frustrated, roused herself and prepared to confront him.

"you……"

"What to eat tonight?"

"Miso soup, tempura, and our homemade hamburger patties..."

However, the two culprits, one big and one small, had already bypassed Ayaka Sajou on both sides and made their way to the dining table, pretending to be calm.

Ayaka Sajou, turning around, transformed into the tiger of the house, veins bulging on her forehead.

"You two, stand still..."

"Oh dear, the food seems to be getting cold."

"I'm going to heat it up!"

"I'm here to help too!"

But the two, who were already prepared, quickened their pace and fled the scene of the crime without saying a word.

"Huh? Dinner's ready? Why didn't anyone call me?"

Meanwhile, in the next room, Attila, who was fast asleep on the sofa, heard the noise from the living room, sniffed like a caterpillar, poked her head out, and gave a serious reprimand.

Looking at the chaotic scene in the living room, Ayaka Sajou suddenly realized that surrendering this time was the right choice.

With such a bunch of traitorous teammates, how could we possibly win the Holy Grail War?

Meanwhile, at this moment, on the top floor of Ainsworth.

The bright moonlight shone through the rose-shaped windows into the hall, gradually elongating the elegant figures in academic gowns below the steps.

On a jewel-encrusted jade throne, bathed in moonlight, a silver-haired, red-eyed saintess gently propped her smooth chin with her right hand, gazing with amusement at the newcomer in the darkness.

"So, this is your choice?"

“Caster, Paracelsus, at your service from now on.”

"And what about your Master?"

He will absolutely not be an obstacle for you.

Paracelsus slowly raised his head, his gentle face showing no emotion, and a peculiar magic sign appeared in his hand.

Pandora glanced at it, her expression mocking.

"A curse? Could this be the bond between Servant and Master?"

Although he was already aware of the situation, when it came time to make a real choice, the figure that inexplicably popped into his mind—the one who liked to follow him around calling him "teacher"—made him hesitate a little.

But soon, Paracelsus regained his composure and his expression became calm.

"A magician is only true to himself, to his roots and to the truth. He should understand this."

“Very well, I will grant you the qualification to peek into the source.”

As she pondered, Pandora gently curved her lips into a smile, and with a flick of her wrist, space suddenly distorted and shifted, and a pitch-black cube, devoid of light, slowly rose from behind the throne.

and many more……

This is!

A strong sense of foreboding caused Caster's pupils to contract sharply.

Wow!