Under normal circumstances, the gap between two Servants would not be especially large, unless one side was a rule-breaking level Servant.
Gilgamesh and Alvin clearly belonged to the latter.
Even so, thinking about everything that happened tonight still filled Tohsaka Tokiomi with unease and restlessness.
Even though Saber had now lost his Master, no one knew how long his [Independent Manifestation] could allow him to keep going.
"Assassin also brought back another piece of news tonight."
Kotomine Kirei spoke in a low voice, "The Master who summoned Caster went to the Matou residence tonight."
"There's also something else worth noting. All the Masters have shown themselves tonight, but the Matou family, who should have been participating in this Holy Grail War, still has no Master who has appeared."
When Tohsaka Tokiomi heard this, he lowered his gaze slightly, and for a brief moment his eyes darkened.
"Caster's Master was hired by the Matou family to participate in this Holy Grail War?"
"It seems we'll have to find a chance to investigate Caster's side and confirm their identity."
———
[Matou Residence]
After seeing Matou Kariya off, Morgan stood up and left the Matou household.
Heavy snow was falling outside. Her luxurious formal dress outlined her graceful figure, a veil covering her refined and otherworldly face. Her clear eyes, like icy mirrors, reflected the deep winter snow, carrying a cold aura that kept strangers away.
Artoria silently followed behind her.
Compared to Morgan le Fay, Artoria wore a white dress. Her golden hair flowed down like a waterfall. Beneath the hem of her skirt, a pair of black thigh-high stockings wrapped around her slender legs, faintly revealing the pale skin of her thighs.
Either sister alone was already stunning. Standing together, their charm multiplied several times over.
Morgan stopped just before stepping out of the Matou residence and glanced at her younger sister behind her.
"You don't have to follow me."
"No matter what our relationship was in the past, during the Holy Grail War, since I chose to accept your summoning, you are my Master. Abandoning my Master in danger does not fit a Servant's duty," Artoria said calmly.
That was what she said, but in truth she just didn't trust Morgan to run around alone.
Morgan curled her lips but did not expose her.
"In that case, don't cause trouble later, that's my order as Master. No problem?"
A trace of confusion flashed through Artoria's eyes.
"Fine, I understand."
Though puzzled, under Morgan's gaze, Artoria eventually agreed.
———
"How exactly am I supposed to find Manaka?"
That night, Alvin sat at the edge of the bed, looking at the sleeping Matou Sakura, and fell into thought.
Under normal circumstances, if Sajyou Manaka wanted to see Alvin, it would only take a Command Spell.
But she clearly did not want to be found for the time being, or to let others know she was still alive, so she must have used some special magical barrier to conceal her presence.
Which meant that even if he wanted to find her now, he had no clues at all.
The cold winter snow tapped against the window outside the room. Alvin glanced at the sleeping girl and quietly turned off the bedside lamp.
Drip!
At that moment, a deep blue ripple quietly spread through the room.
Like a drop of water falling onto a lake, it quickly stirred layer after layer of ripples.
'An enemy intrusion?'
Alvin immediately went on alert. After tonight's battle, all sides should have wanted to stay as far away from him as possible. After all, no one wanted to be dragged down by Saber "before dying."
And yet someone dared to show up at his door at a time like this?
Alvin quickly steadied his thoughts. After leaving the room, his presence soon locked onto a corner of the hall.
He said in a deep voice, "Come out. I know you're there."
Under Alvin's gaze, a silver-haired girl slowly stepped out from the shadows in the corner, cautiously peeking at the boy in front of her.
A white dress covered her small figure. Beneath it, her snow-white slender calves could be seen, carrying a crystal-like texture.
Her bare feet were pale as snow, and her delicate, fragile aura stirred pity, almost exactly like her mother.
Alvin stood there for quite a while before finally coming back to his senses, a name surfacing in his mind.
'Illya?'
'Why is she here?'
Illya stepped forward a few paces, grabbed Alvin's sleeve, and said softly, "Save…"
"What?"
Alvin did not hear clearly, but before he could ask again, the silver-haired girl had already completely fainted.
———
Alvin was thinking about something.
From current speculation, there was a strong possibility that Irisviel's kidnapping had been done by Sajyou Manaka.
So the question now was, 'As Irisviel's daughter, why would Illya come to Sajyou Manaka's Servant for help?'
'First Manaka, then Sakura, and now Illya… is this place turning into a kindergarten?'
Alvin could not help but complain inwardly.
If this were the Fifth Holy Grail War period, these girls would probably have grown up by then.
But now, to be honest, Alvin preferred mature women more.
At this moment, a silver-haired little girl lay unconscious on the sofa, lips pressed tight, her face full of exhaustion.
It was no wonder. When Manaka invaded Einzbern Castle, it had been deep in the night. She never expected to be kidnapped in the middle of the night.
If not for the Holy Maiden of Winter, Illya might still be locked inside that small mage workshop.
Alvin stood up and lit the heater nearby, then sat down beside the sofa and looked at the sleeping silver-haired girl. He soon realized she must have rushed out in a hurry.
It was snowing heavily outside, yet Illya had neither held an umbrella nor changed clothes. She was still wearing a white strap nightdress meant for indoors. The snow had soaked her dress, the fabric clinging to her pale skin, giving off a subtle kind of charm.
Under the hem of the skirt, her small, delicate pale feet had likely turned slightly bluish from walking through the snow.
'This wouldn't do…'
Even if she was a homunculus, she still had a human body.
Alvin thought for a moment, took off his black robe, and carefully helped Illya change out of her wet clothes. As much as possible without touching her skin, he wrapped his robe around her.
Perhaps feeling the warmth, or perhaps sensing Alvin's movements, Illya frowned slightly and slowly opened her eyes.
What entered her sight was a fairly handsome boy's face. He was crouching beside her, looking at her.
"You're awake?", Alvin showed a gentle smile.
Illya instinctively looked down at the clothes on her body, then looked back at Alvin in confusion.
If it were an ordinary girl, she might have shouted or questioned him. But Illya did not. She simply stared at the Servant before her.
"Saber?", she soon said.
Her voice was crisp like jade tapping against stone, carrying a pure innocence untouched by the world.
"You know me?", Alvin asked in surprise, "What's your name?"
Since he had never met Illya before, it was better to ask her name to avoid unnecessary suspicion.
"Illya."
Her crimson eyes stared straight at Alvin as if observing some rare animal, and she continued, "My mother said the Servant she originally planned to summon was supposed to be you but for some reason, the one who descended in the end became another Servant."
There were two White Dragons of Britain. Even with the correct catalyst, the one summoned could still be Vortigern, it all depended on fate.
Alvin had never had any dealings with the Einzbern family before, and many Masters in this Holy Grail War had intended to summon the White Dragon, so Irisviel's summoning failure was not surprising.
But even Alvin had not expected this Holy Grail War to be filled with White Dragon fans, even the Einzbern family had originally planned to summon one.
As he thought this, he suddenly noticed a hint of worry in Illya's eyes, as if she was hesitating about something.
"What's wrong?", Alvin asked gently.
Illya parted her lips slightly, but the words stopped at the edge and she swallowed them back down, hesitation on her small face.
Her mother had told her to follow the guidance of the "silver threads" and find Saber. But no matter what, he was still an enemy Servant. Would he really be willing to help?
Before Illya could continue hesitating, a warm hand gently rested on hers.
Feeling the silver-haired girl's snow-white little hand and its cold yet soft touch, Alvin looked up and smiled.
"You called me Saber just now, that means you know about the Holy Grail War, right?"
"In that case, you should know I'm an enemy Servant. Why come to me?"
Illya hesitated, then softly said, "Because of Sajyou Manaka…"
A look of "just as I thought" appeared on Alvin's face.
'So Irisviel's disappearance really is connected to Manaka.'
'What exactly is she trying to do?'
"Why did Irisviel tell you to come to me?", Alvin pressed.
Illya shook her head lightly, her tone confused, her small hands unsure where to rest, "I don't know. Mama told me to follow the silver threads to find you. I followed them all the way and somehow ended up here."
'It seems Irisviel trusts me quite a bit?'
But that did not make sense either. Logically speaking, she did not know him at all. Was she not afraid he and Manaka were on the same side?
As Alvin thought this, his gaze returned to Illya.
Perhaps because she had already walked a long way, her porcelain-doll-like delicate face carried a trace of fatigue. Her eyes were slightly lowered, and she looked uneasy.
Clearly, even though it was Irisviel's guidance, Illya did not fully trust Alvin.
After all, his Master had kidnapped both her and her mother not long ago, and now, after finally escaping, she had come to him on her own.
If Alvin wanted to do anything bad at this moment, Illya would have no way to escape by herself.
'Even though she is afraid, she still came to me,' Alvin quietly looked at the unease on the silver-haired girl's face and her trembling body from the cold, then suddenly smiled.
"Where is your mother now? Tell me her location."
"Huh?"
Illya suddenly raised her head as if in disbelief, staring blankly at Alvin.
Alvin smiled, "I'm also looking for Manaka's whereabouts. To be honest, I'm just as confused about what she's trying to do."
With Sajyou Manaka's magical power and Alvin's combat strength, the two of them could have crushed this Holy Grail War with ease… yet this Princess of the Root, for reasons unknown, had first gone to kidnap this war's 'Lesser Grail.'
Even if any action to seize the Holy Grail during the war could be understood, and Manaka had not harmed innocent people, Alvin was still full of confusion.
Illya hesitated, then slowly opened her right hand.
A soft white glow spread across her palm.
Within the glow, a silver thread quietly took shape.
The silver thread, Irisviel's magecraft, had been secretly given "life" by the Holy Maiden of Winter, and with the Grail's "cheating," it had locked onto Alvin's position.
It was precisely this combination that allowed the silver thread to guide Illya to him.
"It will lead you to where my mother is."
As she spoke, Illya carefully glanced at the boy again.
"You'll really help me?"
Alvin reached out and gently patted Illya's soft silver hair, smiling.
"Of course. Even just as a reward for going through so much trouble to find me, I won't let you down."
As soon as he finished speaking, Alvin saw a line of small text quietly appear before his eyes.
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