Before you continue reading, I would like to mention that starting now, I will be calling Keter Duty Dimension Space as Containment Zone - 001 to 218
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The three of them returned to the hotel not long after leaving Mount Enzō, the late afternoon sun already softening as the city of Fuyuki settled into its usual calm.
Inside the room, Sakura immediately walked over to Ren and climbed onto his lap as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Ren blinked.
"…Huh?"
Sakura didn't say anything. She simply held onto the front of his shirt tightly, as if afraid he might disappear if she let go.
Ren scratched his head in confusion.
'Did I accidentally unlock some kind of 'clingy little sister' mode?'
Still, after everything she had gone through, it wasn't surprising that she was searching for something safe to hold onto. Instead of questioning it, Ren simply adjusted his posture to make her more comfortable.
Across the room, Aesc stood quietly by the window, observing them.
After a moment Ren looked up.
"Alright," he said casually. "Let's talk about something important."
Aesc turned her attention toward him.
"Since you're Sakura's Servant, that technically makes you responsible for protecting her."
"That is correct."
"But," Ren added, raising a finger, "there's a slight adjustment to that job."
"…Adjustment?"
Ren pointed at Sakura.
"You're going to teach her magecraft."
Sakura looked up in surprise.
"…Magecraft?"
Ren nodded.
"You were born into a magus family but never received proper training. So starting today, Aesc becomes your teacher."
He waved his hand dismissively.
"Don't worry about fighting. I'll handle that. You just focus on teaching her."
Aesc remained silent for a moment before speaking.
"Before I accept, I would like to know something. What happened to this child? Why would someone her age become a participant in the Holy Grail War?"
Ren leaned back slightly.
"Well…"
He briefly explained everything—how Sakura had been sent away by Tokiomi Tohsaka, handed over to the Matou family, and what awaited her in the basement of Zouken Matou's house.
By the time he finished, Aesc's expression had turned noticeably colder.
"…I see."
Her voice remained calm.
She looked down at the sleeping Sakura.
"I swear that as long as I remain in this world, no harm will come to this child."
Her gaze hardened.
"And if anyone attempts to threaten her, they will face the consequences."
After a brief pause she added,
"I will also ensure she receives proper training. From this moment onward, I shall become her teacher."
Ren nodded with satisfaction.
"Perfect."
One problem solved.
However, something else still lingered in his mind.
"By the way," Ren said, "why did you answer the Grail's call?"
Aesc was silent for a moment before answering.
"I believed the Holy Grail could grant a miracle."
Her gaze drifted slightly toward the horizon beyond the window.
"In my world, Britain is ruled by fairies rather than humans. I tried to guide them—to bring peace and order to the land. But no matter how many times I repaired what was broken, chaos always returned."
She looked back at Ren.
"If the Grail truly grants wishes, then I will use it to save my land."
Ren listened quietly.
'Save Britain…'
The problem, however, wasn't an external enemy.
It was the fairies themselves.
Chaotic, selfish, destructive—fairies in that world repeatedly ruined every effort Aesc had made to stabilize the land.
Trying to save Britain while fairies ruled it was like trying to extinguish a fire while standing inside the flames.
Ren rubbed his chin thoughtfully before speaking.
"Can I say something?"
"You may."
"I think your plan is impossible."
Aesc's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…Explain."
"The biggest problem in Britain isn't some outside invasion," Ren said calmly. "It's the fairies."
"You tried guiding them. Protecting them. Fixing their society."
He paused.
"And they betrayed you anyway."
Silence filled the room.
"So the real question is this," Ren continued. "Why are you trying to save the fairies?"
"Because they are the people of Britain." said Aesc firmly
Ren shook his head.
"No."
He gestured toward Sakura.
"Humans live in Britain too."
Aesc's expression shifted slightly.
"You said you're the Savior of Britain—not the Savior of Fairies."
Ren leaned back.
"So if fairies can't be trusted to rule the land… then replace them."
"…Replace them?"
"You already know how they behave. Betrayal, destruction, chaos."
He shrugged.
"So why not let humans rule instead?"
The room fell quiet again.
Ren then silently activated a portion of SCP-2030, subtly bending the tone of his words so that even radical ideas felt strangely reasonable.
"You're standing in a world where humans rule their lands," he said, gesturing toward the city outside. "If you're curious, read this world's history of Britain."
Aesc remained silent.
Ren continued.
"And replacing rulers doesn't mean killing the fairies. The most troublesome ones could simply be relocated somewhere else."
'For example… inside my Containment Zone', Ren added silently to himself.
Outwardly he only shrugged.
"They just need to stop running the country."
Aesc remained thoughtful.
Ren added one final piece.
"You might not even need the Holy Grail."
That caught her attention.
"…Why?"
"The Grail grants wishes, sure. But I already have the power to move between worlds."
"Once my abilities recover, I can take you back to your Britain."
Aesc studied him carefully.
"You claim you can travel between worlds?"
Ren shrugged.
"I've done it before."
"And if I go with you, fixing Britain won't be that hard."
Aesc remained silent.
"But of course," Ren added, raising a finger, "I don't do things for free."
"…What do you want in return?"
Ren nodded toward the sleeping Sakura.
"You become her teacher."
"Teach her magecraft properly."
"And while you're at it…"
He smiled faintly.
"…act as her protector."
Aesc considered the offer.
Finally she spoke.
"…Very well. I will accept your proposal."
She glanced at Sakura.
"I will teach the child and protect her as long as she remains my Master."
Ren nodded.
"Good."
However, Aesc added,
"There is one condition. I still intend to participate in the Holy Grail War."
Ren froze.
Then slowly raised his hand to his face.
Facepalm.
"…You're serious?" (ᵕ— ᴗ —)
"If the Grail truly grants miracles, abandoning it without verification would be irresponsible."
Ren sighed.
"Okay… we need to talk about that silly cup."
"…Cup?"
"The Holy Grail everyone is fighting over isn't actually a miracle machine."
"It's broken."
Aesc frowned.
"…Broken?"
"Ten years ago during the previous war, a Servant called Angra Mainyu corrupted the Grail."
Ren shrugged.
"So now it's basically a cursed wish-granting device filled with humanity's accumulated malice."
Silence filled the room.
"…You are saying the Grail cannot grant wishes?"
"Oh it can," Ren replied.
"But it will twist them in the worst possible way."
"Think like this, if someone wish for to be the richest man alive, the holy grail will grant it but in twisted way, how? just kill everyone who were richer than you, and it is done, you are the richest now, right?"
Aesc lowered her gaze.
"…I see."
The hope she had placed in the Grail dimmed, though it didn't disappear completely.
"…Even so, I cannot fully verify your claim."
"Fair."
"But if what you say is true… relying on the Grail would be meaningless."
She paused.
"…I still wish to see this Holy Grail for myself."
Ren sighed again.
"…Of course you do."
Still, compared to before, the determination in her eyes had softened. The hope she once placed in the Grail had already begun to fade.
Seeing her reaction, Ren stood up from his seat while carefully holding the still-sleepy Sakura in his arms.
"Alright, follow me," he said casually. "If I don't show you the evidence myself, you probably won't believe me completely."
With a simple wave of his hand, the space in front of him suddenly distorted.
A thin crack appeared in the air.
Then it spread outward.
Reality itself seemed to split apart as a portal slowly opened.
Aesc's eyes widened.
As a witch, she could immediately sense something was wrong.
Ren had no magic circuits, no mana, and no trace of magical energy whatsoever.
And yet—
With nothing more than a casual gesture, he had torn open space itself.
'How…?'
Ignoring the shocked expression on Aesc's face, Ren stepped forward and walked through the portal, carrying Sakura with him.
After a brief moment of hesitation, Aesc followed.
The moment she crossed the portal, the scenery changed completely.
Unlike Containment Zone-51 or Containment Zone-201, which were built like massive facilities, Containment Zone-001 was something entirely different.
A vast green landscape stretched endlessly beneath a clear sky.
Rolling grass fields swayed gently in the wind, while countless colorful flowers covered the land like a living painting. The air was calm and refreshing, and the scenery was so beautiful that one could almost forget they were standing inside something called a "containment zone."
As the master of this dimension, Ren could shape the spaces however he wanted.
So he had arranged them according to their functions.
Containment Zones 001–010 served as his personal living area.
Zones 011–050 were designated as research facilities.
And the remaining 051–218 zones were reserved as containment sectors.
At that moment, the movement caused Sakura to slowly stir.
Her eyes opened halfway, still heavy with sleep.
But the moment she realized her surroundings had completely changed, the drowsiness vanished.
She blinked in confusion.
Just a moment ago she had been inside the hotel room.
Now she was standing in a vast green field.
Her gaze slowly moved upward.
The sun hung high in the sky.
But it was already afternoon a moment ago.
"…Huh?"
A puzzled expression appeared on her face.
However, that confusion quickly melted away as she looked around at the beautiful scenery.
Her eyes sparkled.
"Onii-san! Where are we?"
She turned excitedly toward Ren, suddenly firing question after question as she looked around in amazement.
Meanwhile, Aesc stood a short distance behind them, completely silent.
Unlike Sakura, who was captivated by the scenery, Aesc was focused on something else.
The mana.
The magical energy in this place was unbelievably dense.
It flowed through the air like an endless river, far thicker than even the strongest leyline she had ever encountered.
And more importantly—
She could clearly feel that this was not Earth.
This place was an entirely separate dimension.
A completely independent world.
At that moment, Aesc finally understood something.
Ren's earlier words were not exaggeration.
He truly possessed the ability to travel between worlds.
And now…
She had seen the proof with her own eyes.
After walking for a while across the vast green field, they finally arrived in front of a large mansion.
The building stood quietly in the middle of the landscape, elegant yet imposing, its white walls reflecting the warm sunlight. Compared to the endless fields outside, the mansion almost felt like the center of this entire world.
Ren pushed the door open and led them inside.
The interior was spacious and beautifully decorated, giving off the atmosphere of a luxurious residence rather than a facility hidden inside containment zone.
He guided them into the living room before gently placing Sakura down on the sofa.
The little girl blinked in curiosity as she looked around the unfamiliar place.
Ren smiled slightly.
"Sakura, feel free to explore the house," he said casually.
He then added,
"You can pick any room you like as your own."
The moment Sakura heard that, her eyes lit up.
"Really?!"
Ren nodded.
That was all the confirmation she needed.
With an excited "Thank you, Onii-san!" Sakura immediately ran off to explore the mansion, her earlier fear completely forgotten.
Ren chuckled softly before turning his attention back to the other person in the room.
Across from him, Aesc was still standing there in silence, clearly processing everything she had just seen.
Ren sat down comfortably on the sofa.
"Well," he said casually, "do you believe me now?"
Aesc slowly nodded.
"…Yes."
Even now, her expression still carried traces of disbelief.
"Though it is still difficult to comprehend."
Then suddenly something clicked in her mind.
"…Wait."
Her eyes narrowed slightly as she looked toward Ren.
"You mentioned earlier that you could relocate the fairies."
She paused.
"…Don't tell me—"
Ren snapped his fingers with a grin.
"Bingo."
"That's exactly what I meant."
He leaned back comfortably.
"Of course, they won't be placed in this particular space."
He gestured vaguely toward the outside.
"You see, I have… around a few hundred dimensions like this."
For a moment, silence filled the room.
Aesc stared at him.
The way Ren said it was so casual that it almost sounded like he was talking about owning several houses instead of entire worlds.
But after everything she had witnessed today, disbelief was no longer an option.
Instead, her mind became strangely clear.
"…I understand."
She straightened slightly.
"If you truly intend to keep your promise and help me save Britain…"
Her voice remained calm, but her decision was firm.
"…Then I will gladly fight for you."
Ren smiled.
"That's good to hear."
He stood up and gestured toward the staircase.
"You should go pick a room too."
"We'll use this mansion as our base for now."
He paused before adding,
"I'll give you a 'key' later so you can enter and leave this dimension whenever you want."
Then he suddenly remembered something.
"Oh right."
He pointed toward the upper floors.
"There's a library on the third floor."
"I think you'll like it."
The moment Aesc heard the word library, her eyes brightened.
After all, reading and researching mysteries had always been one of her favorite activities.
"…Thank you."
With that, she turned and walked toward the staircase.
Ren watched her leave with a faintly mischievous smile.
He hadn't lied.
There really was a library upstairs.
And it did contain a large number of books.
However…
Those books weren't ordinary literature.
They were records about SCP anomalies, research journals, runic studies, and documents related to organizations such as the Serpent's Hand and the Church of the Broken God.
In other words—
A treasure trove of dangerous knowledge.
If Aesc became interested in those books…
Then later, according to his plan, convincing her to become one of his researchers would become much easier.
Ren leaned back slightly with a quiet chuckle.
'Hehe…I hope you won't disappoint me.'