Haruto was very annoyed. After a few months, all the points he gained from signing into the system were just standard points, and now his total had reached 2,000.
The only good thing he got was a Superman classic battlesuit; the "good guy" version that is worn over the underwear. Haruto would never wear this outfit, even if he were killed.
Because of this, Haruto felt depressed as he walked down the street with Irisviel and Illya, having been pulled along by them to go shopping.
Walking on the street, people looked sideways at the handsome man and the beautiful women. Men envied Haruto, while women envied Irisviel. Europe is indeed quite open; several groups of women approached to talk to Haruto, but Irisviel hugged him tightly and stared back fiercely, like a hen protecting her chicks.
Irisviel's reaction was intense, and Illya joined in the fun as well. She stared at the women fiercely. "Onii-chan attracts 'bees and butterflies' too easily. Iri, don't take him out in the future," Illya said dissatisfiedly.
Since learning about her life and fate, Illya no longer called Haruto "father" or Irisviel "mother." After all, there is no blood relationship with Haruto, and she and Irisviel felt more like sisters.
It is worth mentioning that after Haruto helped Illya remove the Lesser Grail, he directly stopped Jubstacheit's program and terminated his life. He then modified the central program of the entire Einzbern family so that he was the sole master, allowing Haruto to feel more at ease.
"By the way, Anata, that Heroic Spirit relic is here," Irisviel suddenly remembered and spoke to Haruto.
"Oh, the people of the Einzbern family are quite efficient." Haruto knew it was the Noble Phantasm 'Avalon' (The Everdistant Utopia) belonging to Arturia Pendragon—an EX-level Noble Phantasm and an artifact capable of defending against Gilgamesh's EA.
But now he had another option: the 'Gáe Bolg Alternative' (Lance of Death Flying) that he had obtained earlier, which could be used to summon Scáthach. Thinking of Scáthach, Haruto seemed to envision her graceful figure; it would be a lie to say he didn't like her.
So, he was weighing whether to summon the "purple-haired old woman" or the "Saber King." Thinking about it, he decided he didn't want to choose—he wanted both.
"Okay, I will summon the Heroic Spirit tomorrow," Haruto said affirmatively.
"Yeah, okay. Summon the legendary King Arthur. I'm looking forward to seeing what kind of person he will be," Irisviel said with anticipation.
"Well... a knight full of ideals and integrity; a knight among knights. But also a poor girl," Haruto thought for a while, nodding as he spoke.
"A girl?" Irisviel and Illya were surprised. They couldn't believe the legendary King of Knights was actually a girl.
"Well, you'll know when the time comes. And this time, not only will the King of Knights be summoned, but another one is coming too," Haruto said mysteriously, keeping them in suspense.
"Hmph, Onii-chan, you're so mean!" Illya looked dissatisfied. She raised her hand and lightly tapped Haruto's chest.
Irisviel didn't say anything; she just smiled at the two of them, watching the warm scene. She couldn't help but think about how difficult life would have been if she hadn't met Haruto. Everything she had was thanks to her man, and a burst of sweetness filled her heart.
At that moment, Haruto discovered there was a Command Spell on the back of Illya's hand!
How was this happening?
Haruto quickly took Illya's hand and examined the Command Spell. Illya and Irisviel saw Haruto's expression suddenly change, and then Irisviel noticed the mark.
"Anata, this is a Command Spell!" Irisviel said in surprise.
"Well, what's going on? How could Illya have a Command Spell?" Haruto looked confused.
Meanwhile, Illya looked at the Command Spell on her hand, which was similar to Haruto's, with curiosity. "Onii-chan, can I also participate in the Holy Grail War?"
"Well, having a Command Spell is equivalent to having an admission ticket," Haruto nodded.
"Okay! I want to summon a Heroic Spirit too. Play with me!" Illya said excitedly.
Irisviel was a little worried; after all, the Holy Grail War was no joke. "If you aren't careful, you could die. Anata?"
Haruto looked at her. "It doesn't matter. As long as I'm here, no one will touch her. Since Illya wants to play, then let her."
They knew Haruto's abilities; as someone who could "bathe in the sun," he didn't fear these Heroic Spirits at all. Then, he took the two of them back to the Einzbern estate.
-----
Fuyuki City at night.
At the Matou Family home, they had a guest today. A man with a mustache arrived at the house with a cute, black-haired little girl. The man was Tokiomi Tohsaka, one of the participants in this Holy Grail War, seeking to realize his ideal of reaching the Root.
He had two daughters, Rin and Sakura, but only one could inherit the family's Magic Crest. Therefore, he chose to have his other daughter adopted into another magus family. The Matou family was one of the Three Founding Families, and since they were declining, he felt this was the best choice.
He just didn't know that the Matou family was no longer what it used to be.
"I leave Sakura in your care, then." Tokiomi Tohsaka looked at the bald man in front of him, whose limbs were as thin as a mummy's and whose sunken eye sockets held a sinister gleam.
This was Matou Zouken, the head of the Matou family. His real name was Makiri Zolgen, and he had once been a "Partner of Justice."
Zouken looked at Sakura, a strange light flashing in his eyes as a twisted smile crept across his face. Sakura trembled at the sight, terrified of the eerie person before her.
"Don't worry, I will ensure Sakura inherits our family's Magic Crest. After all, she is now my granddaughter," Zouken said in a hoarse voice.
"Then I'll take my leave. Sakura, be obedient here," Tokiomi said with a smile before departing.
Sakura wanted to scream that she didn't want to stay, as those strange eyes filled her soul with dread. But she couldn't cry out. She stared ahead as if all the strength in her body had vanished.
"Come, my granddaughter. I'll take you to inherit our family's unique Magic Crest." Zouken smiled strangely and led Sakura to a dimly lit basement.
Sometimes, people rot when they live for too long. The Matou family, which had survived for hundreds of years, had decayed over time. Matou Zouken—formerly Makiri Zolgen—had continued living in pursuit of justice, but ended up turning to insect magecraft. He used disgusting bugs to drain the life force of creatures to survive. The reason the Matou line had withered was that they were being absorbed by Zouken's filth.
And today, Tokiomi had sent him a "good seedling." To keep the Matou family going, he couldn't waste Sakura. He wanted her to inherit the family's crest.
Sakura reached the room and saw that the dark basement was filled with dense, swarming insects—Crest Worms and other horrors—enough to make anyone's skin crawl.
"Grandpa... Grandpa... what are these?" Sakura shuddered and asked timidly.
"These are the basis of our Matou magic. As long as you let these cute little things into your body, you can inherit our family's Magic Crest," Zouken smiled strangely. "Go on, Sakura. Go down and inherit the power."
Sakura looked at the insects wanting to enter her body and began to cry in fear. "No... I want to go home. I miss Onee-sama and Okaa-sama."
When Zouken heard this, his face darkened. "It doesn't matter if you don't want to. Get down there!" He pushed Sakura directly into the pit.
The insects seemed to catch her scent and swarmed toward her. Sakura saw the dense mass of bugs flocking to her. "Woooooo... Grandpa, please let Sakura go!"
Ignoring her pleas, Zouken laughed wildly as he drove the insects closer to her.
"Otou-sama..."
"Okaa-sama..."
"Onee-sama..."
"Whoever it is... please save me."
The moment the words left her lips
BANG!
The basement ceiling was smashed straight through. The ground trembled. Bright moonlight illuminated the entire basement.
"I have answered your call, my princess."
As the voice faded, a figure appeared in the crater. With messy black hair and a fair, angular face, he looked coldly upon the scene. His eyes were as deep as the stars, and the silver moonlight shone upon him like a god.
It was Haruto.