In fact, before this, Alvin had never once considered this kind of outrageous maneuver.
Rider's Master, or rather, the "Beast" within the Greater Grail, had been secretly absorbing human "emotions" over the years, in order to evolve from a juvenile Beast into a complete one, even going so far as to destroy the barrier that purified the Greater Grail.
However… even that being probably never imagined that the true owner capable of controlling the Tide of Chaos was also present in the modern world.
Or rather, that Alvin could summon her at any time.
Having Tiamat devour the "Tide of Chaos" within the Greater Grail ahead of time could, in a sense, also be considered a form of "purification."
"Aaaaa—"
Perhaps having eaten to her heart's content, Tiamat slightly opened her mouth and let out a high, resonant song.
A satisfied smile appeared on Merlin's face as he nodded. "Very good. Keep up the momentum and convert all of the 'black mud' within the Greater Grail into your own power, O Mother Goddess of Creation!"
Zzzzt—
However, at that very moment, a sound like an electric current suddenly rang out near their ears.
Merlin's gaze sharpened.
At this moment, he clearly saw that beside Tiamat, who had just been floating in midair devouring the "Tide of Chaos"—a fissure now seemed to be quietly opening.
An incomparably terrifying aura surged out from within that crack.
The sudden turn of events caused Merlin's expression to change slightly. "This is bad! She needs to stop first!"
Tiamat's true body had always remained in a state of slumber, and now, as the "spiritual body" summoned by Alvin devoured the Tide of Chaos, that power was being directly transmitted to the true body located within the Imaginary Number Space.
If she kept "eating" like this…
The Beast in Fuyuki might not evolve into a complete Beast, but Tiamat in the Imaginary Number Space would awaken.
Seeing this, Alvin immediately let out an "Aaa" toward Tiamat in midair, recalling her back to his side.
Tiamat looked at Alvin with bright, sparkling eyes, wearing an expression that clearly said "praise me, praise me", as if asking for credit for her achievement.
She clearly hadn't noticed that the two brothers from Britain were already feeling a bit of a headache at this moment.
This was because the black mud within the Greater Grail had been mixed together with the Tide of Chaos.
In Merlin's original estimation, Tiamat should have been able to easily swallow all of the "black mud" within the Greater Grail.
However, even Merlin had not expected that Tiamat's true body seemed to have already been in a state close to awakening.
If external forces were to disturb it again, and if Tiamat's main body were to awaken…
Then at that point, the most troublesome problem would no longer be the Beast of Fuyuki.
"Since things have come to this… we can only think of another solution."
After a brief silence, Merlin let out a sigh and said, "No matter what, the priority of the Mother Goddess of Creation is higher than that of the Beast in Fuyuki… her true body absolutely must not awaken."
As he said this, he couldn't help but rub his temples again, clearly troubled.
Before one difficult problem had even been resolved, another new one had already appeared.
At this moment, Tiamat poked Alvin's arm, then took out a small notebook from her bosom and wrote, "Did I not do well?"
When she asked this question, her eyes were filled with unease and anxiety, as if she were afraid that Alvin might criticize her for something.
Seemingly sensing what the woman was thinking, the latter couldn't help but let out a soft, helpless laugh.
"…You've already done very well. I'll find a way to handle the rest."
As he spoke, he gently reached out and patted Tiamat on the head.
Tiamat lifted her head and gazed into the boy's eyes.
Only then did a smile finally appear on her dazed, innocent-looking face.
"If there's any trouble, you can continue to call for me."
After leaving this sentence in the notebook once more, Tiamat's figure quietly faded away and Mount Enzō gradually returned to silence.
Merlin looked toward the deep night sky and sighed softly.
"I'll think of something after I go back. No matter what, we can't just leave that juvenile Beast alone."
The destructive power of a Beast in its juvenile form and that of a complete Beast could be said to be on entirely different levels.
But if even Tiamat was unable to "purify" the Greater Grail, then who in the world could possibly devour this "black mud"?
For a long while, Merlin fell into deep contemplation.
…
Not long after Alvin and Merlin left Mount Enzou, a purple-haired woman quietly descended upon the mountain peak without making a sound.
She coldly swept her gaze across the outer perimeter of Mount Enzou.
Crimson threads were densely spread throughout the mountain range.
As long as a magus or a Servant set foot inside, the barrier would resonate with the magical energy within their body, immediately triggering the detection barrier's alarm system.
"So this really is worthy of Britain's court mage… Even an Assassin would struggle to step into a place like this, wouldn't they?"
"Matou Sakura" looked toward a certain direction on the mountaintop, a mocking curve quickly forming at the corner of her lips.
"But in the end, you're still nothing more than a Servant summoned by the Greater Grail."
If she wished, she could forcibly break through the detection barrier and enter Mount Enzou right now.
But since the other party had already left… there was no need to do so.
Without even thinking about it, she could tell that the White Dragon had most likely tried to devour all of the "black mud" within the Greater Grail not long ago, only to fail.
…But that was only natural.
After all, what existed within the Greater Grail now was no longer "All the Evils of This World", but a product formed from a mixture of black mud, the Tide of Chaos, and an enormous amount of negative emotions.
Something like that…
In this world, only she possessed the qualification to swallow it.
"Consider yourself lucky, I suppose.
If you'd run even a little later, hmph…"
As "Matou Sakura" thought of this, she seemed to recall something amusing, and a playful smile once again surfaced on her lips.
"But even if you run away this time, sooner or later you'll still belong to me… senpai~"
It was impossible to tell whether the voice that spoke those words belonged to Matou Sakura,
Or to the Beast.
…
That same night, Alvin quietly returned to the Tohsaka residence, intending to rest for the night and think things through afterward.
"Where did you go?"
At that moment, a clear, youthful voice suddenly reached his ears.
Alvin turned his head in response and saw Rin Tohsaka standing there in her sleepwear, her long hair loose and unbound.
There was no expression on her face, and the look she directed at him was somewhat complicated.
It was obvious that after receiving Alvin's "answer" earlier that night, Rin Tohsaka had been so preoccupied with her thoughts that she had no desire to sleep at all.
"I did a bit of investigation into the identities of the enemy Servants and Masters. After all, there are still quite a few Masters hiding in the shadows right now."
Alvin smiled naturally as he spoke.
"I see."
Rin replied.
Then came a long silence.
"…I'm sorry."
After quite some time, the girl finally broke the silence.
Her expression was complicated and she hesitated for a moment, then, under Alvin's puzzled gaze, subconsciously turned her face away.
"No matter what, I shouldn't have forced you with a Command Spell."
"…?"
Hearing her words, Alvin tilted his head, looking at her as if he were meeting Rin Tohsaka for the first time, his eyes filled with doubt.
This Rin… had she switched accounts or something?
For an ultimate Tsundere like her to actually apologize on her own initiative…
That was honestly pretty rare.
"Why are you looking at me with that 'this person actually apologized on her own' kind of expression?!
I worked really hard to make up my mind, you know!"
Tohsaka Rin's cheeks flushed red as she lifted her head, almost in a self-destructive way, and met Alvin's gaze.
"You've helped me so many times before. Using a Command Spell for something like this really isn't right, is it?!"
"And besides… even if you really do have some kind of relationship with Sakura, I don't have the right to interfere. That's her own choice."
As she reached the end of her sentence, she unconsciously lowered her head.
For some reason, her mood grew inexplicably heavy.
Tonight, even after obtaining the answer she had wanted, she felt no sense of relief at all.
Logically speaking, she had met Alvin before back in Britain, and she considered herself to have a decent understanding of him.
At the very least, his character passed muster… Even if he truly was in a romantic relationship with Sakura, she couldn't really criticize him for it.
"Why are you apologizing?"
Just then, she heard the boy's voice, filled with confusion.
Rin froze for a moment as a hint of bewilderment and confusion surfaced on her flawless, delicate face.
"Because I used a Command Spell on you—"
"You're Sakura's older sister. It's only natural to worry about her."
Alvin said with a helpless smile.
"And if anything, the one who should apologize is me… I shouldn't have kept this matter hidden from you."
Tohsaka Rin stared blankly at the boy in front of her, only to see him step half a pace closer.
Then, under her gaze, he raised his hand and gently patted her head, smiling as he said,
"And besides, you're my Master… using a Command Spell or two isn't a big deal."
—It was just a bit of a waste.
That last thought, Alvin kept to himself.
After all, he knew that the girl in front of him was in a low mood.
As their gazes met, and for a brief moment, Rin's eyes seemed to waver.
It wasn't until several seconds later that she snapped back to her senses, took a small step back, flustered, fiddling with her hair as she stammered,
"Y-you… even though we're in a Master–Servant relationship, since you and Sakura are dating… when it comes to keeping some distance, we should probably keep a little distance."
By the time she finished speaking, she seemed to have gradually calmed herself down.
She took a shallow breath, then slowly exhaled.
When Rin raised her head again, her expression had already returned to its usual elegance as she smiled faintly, and said, "If Sakura were to see this, it might cause unnecessary misunderstandings."
Clearly, for the sake of her younger sister, Rin Tohsaka had decided to actively put some distance between herself and Alvin.
The latter took in the girl's reaction completely.
He silently gazed at her for a long while, then, under Rin's shocked gaze, he suddenly reached out and pulled her delicate body into his arms.
In that instant, the elegant smile on the Tohsaka family's eldest daughter froze stiffly in place.
…