Kama's steps suddenly came to a halt.
She glanced briefly at the surrounding area of the church—an aftermath of battle that still left traces of destruction, holes in the ground, and prana residue that had not fully dissipated.
Her eyes narrowed slightly, as if something had caught her attention.
"Hey," Kama called out casually without turning around. "I need to take care of something."
Her tone remained light.
"So, go home on your own."
Tamamo, walking behind her, blinked.
"Eh?"
Kama raised one hand and began explaining in a half-lazy tone.
"The Master's house isn't too hard to find."
She counted on her fingers while recalling the route.
"Just follow the sidewalk straight for a few blocks, turn at the second intersection, then cross into the western-style residential area."
A brief pause.
"After that, look for a house with a mailbox labeled Tokito."
Her explanation sounded far too relaxed, as if everyone automatically understood Fuyuki City's layout.
Tamamo stared at her for a few seconds, and her fox ears drooped slightly.
"…That's an extremely optimistic explanation for someone abandoning a stranger in a foreign city."
However, Kama seemed no longer particularly interested. Beside her, a Vajra appeared with a faint flash of light. The artifact hovered steadily a few centimeters above the ground.
Kama sat sideways on it with a relaxed motion, one leg slightly raised.
"I'm sure you'll be fine." Her tone was almost weightless. "Besides, you're a Caster, aren't you? It's not like you'll get lost just from walking a little."
Tamamo opened her mouth to protest.
"Wait, what kind of logic is tha—"
WHOOSH!
Before she could finish, the Vajra shot into the night sky, carrying Kama away just like that, leaving Tamamo alone in the church area.
Silence.
Tamamo stood still for several seconds.
A cold night wind blew gently, making her pink hair sway softly and her fox ears slowly sank lower.
"…I've been abandoned."
Her tone was flat. Filled with a surprisingly tragic sense of realization. She looked left and right; Fuyuki's nighttime streets felt unfamiliar.
Completely unfamiliar.
Tamamo placed a hand on her chest, her expression turning dramatic.
"My husband entrusted his wife to that girl…"
She lowered her head slightly.
"…and now I've been discarded in the middle of the city like an ownerless wild fox."
Silence.
Then she let out a long sigh, and her fox ears perked up again.
"Very well," her gaze sharpened. "I am a dependable fox shrine maiden." a confident smile appeared on her face. "Finding my beloved husband's house. A mission like that cannot possibly fail."
A brief pause.
A few seconds later, she turned toward a clearly wrong direction.
"…I think."
With full confidence that was entirely unsupported by her sense of direction, Tamamo began walking through the nighttime streets of Fuyuki alone.
***
Some time later.
Night still blanketed Fuyuki City in cold silence.
In the courtyard of the Einzbern Castle, located deep in the forest outskirts, the atmosphere was far from peaceful.
The small garden, once neatly arranged, was now in disarray.
Flowers were trampled and destroyed, stone flooring was cracked in multiple places, and several Prototype Noble Phantasms were embedded into the ground, walls, and pillars like harsh warnings that a brief clash had just occurred.
In the center of it all, Kuro stood calmly.
His gaze was fixed forward, directly facing a small girl with pure white hair, pale skin, and red eyes, still wearing a white nightgown.
Illyasviel von Einzbern.
Or simply, Illya.
On the other side of the garden, two female servants in Einzbern uniforms stood helplessly.
Their bodies were tightly bound by golden chains of Enkidu from multiple directions, making movement nearly impossible. Their mouths were also gagged, turning their protests into muffled sounds of frustration.
"Mmmh! Mmmhh—!"
Their eyes said everything.
Especially humiliation, anger, and severe disapproval toward the uninvited guest now standing casually in their master's courtyard.
Not far away, a massive figure stood frozen.
The Servant Berserker—Heracles.
However, the legendary hero did not look threatening at all this time.
His enormous body was wrapped in Enkidu chains from head to toe like a giant golden cocoon. The tight binding sealed all movement, leaving Berserker only able to let out a low roar.
"GRRRRRR…!"
His deep voice echoed, but produced nothing beyond pressure in the air.
He was completely restrained.
Illya's gaze swept the area briefly.
At the ruined garden.
At the bound servants.
At Berserker, now turned into an expensive decorative statue in her yard.
Then she looked back at Kuro.
Her expression remained calm.
Serious, yet not particularly panicked.
There was even a slight hint of curiosity she could not fully hide.
Illya tilted her small head, her nightgown swaying gently in the night breeze.
"Hee…"
Her tone was light.
"Only a short time since I first saw you through the crystal… and now Onii-san is standing in my courtyard, having tied up everyone."
She glanced briefly at Sella and Leysritt.
Sella immediately intensified her muffled protests.
"Mmmh!!"
Illya let out a small sigh.
Her expression looked almost amused.
"Your way of visiting is really terrible."
A brief pause.
Then a small smile appeared on her lips, though her eyes remained sharp.
"So?"
She folded both small hands in front of her chest.
"What is the real purpose of this mysterious guest who just killed Gilgamesh and came to my castle this late at night?"
Her tone remained light.
Almost like a child having a casual conversation.
Yet the atmosphere around her was clearly different.
Filled with caution, and a hint of excitement, as if Illya herself was somewhat enjoying this absurd situation.
Kuro chuckled softly.
Without any sign of urgency, he began walking toward Illya.
One step.
Two steps.
His movement was relaxed, as if they were simply having a normal conversation in a nighttime garden.
But for Illya, the situation was clearly not that calm.
As soon as Kuro approached, Illya immediately took a small step back in caution.
Her red gaze remained locked on him.
She clearly had no intention of allowing a mysterious Magus—who had just arrived, tied up Berserker, and subdued her entire courtyard—to invade her personal space so easily.
Kuro kept moving forward.
Illya kept stepping back.
Again.
And again.
Until her small back finally touched the stone wall of the garden.
Stop.
There was no more space to retreat.
Illya's fingers twitched slightly.
Thin wires began to coil between her fingers.
An instinctive preparation.
Not because she was confident it would work.
But because at least, if something bad happened, she had tried.
Kuro noticed the movement briefly and, without warning, lifted Illya from under her armpits with ease.
"Eh?"
Illya froze.
Her feet hung slightly in the air.
Her expression went blank, as if her brain needed time to process what had just happened.
Kuro looked at her calmly.
"Why am I here?" he repeated casually.
A faint grin appeared.
"Of course—to claim my reward."
He lifted Illya slightly so she was level with his gaze.
"Right, Lesser Grail of the Fifth Holy Grail War?"
Illya blinked a few times.
Her expression turned flat.
"…You're weird."
Her comment was extremely honest.
"Not all seven Servants have even been defeated yet. The ritual isn't finished."
Her red eyes narrowed slightly.
"So technically, you haven't won anything."
A brief pause.
"What is your real wish for the Holy Grail?"
A small smile appeared on Kuro's face.
"I know."
His tone was light.
"The seven Servants aren't gone yet. The ritual isn't complete. I understand all that."
He shifted how he held Illya, now supporting her more comfortably, like holding a child properly.
"And my wish?"
His gaze met her red eyes directly.
"I want a girl named Illyasviel von Einzbern to live a more normal life."
Illya went silent.
"To eat well. To sleep comfortably. To play without worrying about some absurd ritual like this."
Kuro's tone remained relaxed, but softer.
"If the Holy Grail can't even give a child a proper life…"
A faint grin returned.
"…then that thing is overrated."
Silence.
The night wind blew gently, make Illya's white hair swayed slightly.
Her red eyes widened a little. For the first time, her expression looked genuinely unprepared.
Kuro shrugged lightly.
"Like it or not, from my perspective, I've already won." his smile returned to casual. "And as far as I know, winner takes all."
Illya blinked.
Once.
Twice.
A faint blush slowly appeared on her pale cheeks.
More from mental overload than embarrassment.
She let out a small sigh.
"…Your way of speaking really makes no sense."
Her voice was quieter now.
"You come to someone else's castle, defeat Berserker, tie up my servants… and say all of this like it's the most normal thing in the world."
She glanced briefly at Sella and Leysritt still muffled in protest.
"Mmmh! Mmmhh!"
Illya looked back at Kuro.
This time, a little softer.
"…I still think you're very suspicious, Onii-san."
A brief pause.
Then, very quietly, almost a whisper:
"But… your reason isn't too bad."
Kuro did not respond.
With a slight focus, two golden portals slowly opened beneath Sella and Leysritt.
The two, still tightly bound by Enkidu chains, only had time to widen their eyes.
"Mmmh?!"
Without being given a chance to protest further, their bodies were swallowed into the portals along with the golden chains still wrapped around them.
The portals closed instantly, disappearing without a trace.
Illya stared blankly at where her two servants had been standing.
"…You casually kidnapped my servants."
Her tone was flat, a mixture of disbelief and mental exhaustion.
Kuro simply smiled faintly, showing no hint of guilt.
Instead of explaining, he casually began walking while still holding Illya. His steps were calm, as if he had just finished a slightly noisy social visit. He left the courtyard of Einzbern Castle, which now looked quite chaotic.
A ruined garden, broken flowers, and cracked stone flooring. Prototype Noble Phantasms still stuck in the ground like aggressively placed decorations, slowly fading one by one.
In the center of it all, Berserker still stood frozen like a giant statue, his body wrapped tightly in Enkidu chains from head to toe.
"GRRRRRR…!"
His low roar echoed in frustration.
A few moments later, the golden chains slowly began to fade, turning into particles of light until they finally disappeared completely.
Berserker was freed.
His massive body shifted slightly, then stared in the direction Kuro had left for several seconds of silence.
"ROOOOOOAAAAARRRR!!"
His loud roar shook the castle area, sounding like a mix of rage, humiliation, and existential frustration after being treated like garden decoration.
____
Author's note:
Sorry the timeskip didn't show Berseker, Sela and Leysrith fighting Kuro 😅
By the way sorry, I've been busy climbing mountains lately and too tired to upload the latest chapter.