[On a snowy night, your promise moved the girl deeply and branded you into her mind.]
[CG achievement completed: Oath Beneath the Snow]
A CG illustration appeared along with the text. In the dim hall, the boy knelt in front of the silver-haired girl, one hand gently resting on her head. His smile was bright and warm, giving off a feeling that made people feel especially at ease.
'As expected… Illya can also complete CG achievements?'
Alvin was not surprised. He simply looked at the achievement in front of him, thoughtful.
On the other side, the silver-haired little girl looked at him with half expectation and half doubt, and said softly, "Thank you."
For people of this era, a simple "thank you" clearly carries far too little weight. After all, it only takes moving your lips.
But when Illya spoke, her crimson eyes stayed fixed on Alvin, as if she wanted to brand the boy's face deep into her memory.
The appearance of Sajyou Manaka was simply too overwhelming, too despairing for a girl of her age.
She did not know what kind of despairing scene it would be if, after finally finding Alvin tonight, she had been rejected by him… or dragged back by him.
Yet he did not even ask about her identity before hosting her first. And after understanding what had happened, he readily agreed to help her.
On a night of raging wind and snow, a girl who came alone to ask for help, and a boy whose expression remained calm the whole time.
It was like a ray of sunlight shining through a crack in the darkness. Even many years later, whenever Illya thought back to everything that happened tonight, she would feel an intense sense of unreality. It was so beautiful that it became something to long for. So much so that during the Fifth Holy Grail War, she tried every possible way, just hoping to see him one more time.
Alvin reached out and gently touched the Silver Thread. In an instant, this strand that had been given "life" emitted an extremely soft glow. Then it drifted straight toward the door.
After that, it turned back toward Alvin, as if urging him to follow.
'To make an object reach this level, could this be the Third Magic that can materialize the soul of others, even grant immortality?', Alvin thought in quiet surprise.
Very soon, he gathered his thoughts and said, "Illya, I'll follow the Silver Thread to take a look. You stay here and rest tonight."
The silver-haired girl nodded obediently and gave a soft "Mm."
Click!
As the door closed, the hall fell into brief silence once again.
Illya sat alone in the dim light. Her small hands unconsciously tightened around the black cloak draped over her shoulders, as if she could still feel that unique warmth from it.
———
Late at night, the Silver Thread glowed softly as it drifted quietly toward a certain direction along the streets.
Alvin stepped through the snow, following behind it. At the same time, his thoughts gradually became active.
As the all-knowing Princess of the Root, Sajyou Manaka could see her entire life in advance. Therefore, she clearly knew she would be assassinated tonight.
That was why she chose to play along. First, she faked her death to deceive everyone present at the time, and used that chance to kidnap Irisviel and her daughter.
As for the reason, Irisviel was the "Lesser Grail." Sajyou Manaka clearly planned to tamper with the Grail in some way.
'But as the Princess of the Root who has no desires or wishes, she has nothing she wants to fulfill. So why is she suddenly so eager about the Grail now?'
Thoughts flashed through Alvin's mind like fleeting light and shadow. Soon, he shook his head and brushed away the messy ideas.
He was not entirely sure of the reason, but in any case, what he needed to do now was find her as soon as possible and bring her back.
His [Instinct] told him that if he let Sajyou Manaka act recklessly, it might lead to consequences that could not be cleaned up.
The Silver Thread passed through dark alleys and streets. Alvin followed it, moving through Fuyuki, which had already turned into a city of snow.
Soon, he crossed a large bridge and arrived at Fuyuki's "old district."
The Matou family, the Tohsaka family, and the other three founding families were all located in this old district.
He had not expected Manaka to run this far on her own.
Alvin sighed inwardly and continued following the Silver Thread. After nearly an hour, he arrived near a port.
The biting wind lashed against his face. Although a servant did not fear the cold, Alvin still could not help but think. It was really something that Illya managed to walk this long alone in such terrible weather. If it had been an ordinary person, they would probably have fainted in the snow long ago.
The Silver Thread silently slipped into an abandoned warehouse in a corner of the port.
There seemed to be a dusty smell in the air. Deep inside the warehouse, there was unexpectedly a very hidden iron door.
If not for the guidance of the Silver Thread, Alvin would never have imagined there was such a secret door inside.
Alvin quietly suppressed his presence. Although, as a Saber-class servant, he could not perfectly use the authority of the "Night Watcher," he could still manage basic presence concealment.
He stepped forward and slowly pushed open the heavy iron door.
Creak!
With a grating sound that made one's teeth ache, the iron door slowly opened.
In an instant, an extremely dense surge of magical energy rushed toward him.
Behind the iron door, silver threads extended from all directions, tightly binding the silver-haired beauty, leaving faint marks where they pressed against her.
She wore a pure white dress, the thickness just right, outlining her graceful and mature figure, almost like an older version of Illya.
The woman's eyes were tightly closed. In the dimness, her pale and beautiful face carried a hint of fragility. And the Command Seals that should have been engraved on the back of her hand had already disappeared.
'Irisviel!'
Everything was silent. Faintly, one could hear the woman's even breathing.
The air was filled with an extremely dense magical energy.
In modern times, very few magi possessed such enormous magic circuits… and within Fuyuki, there was only one person who could control this power. Sajyou Manaka.
Irisviel did not seem to notice Alvin's presence. She kept her eyes tightly shut. There was a faint sorrow between her brows, making people feel pity for her for no reason.
Sajyou Manaka had clearly been in this room not long ago. Even now, Alvin could still sense the aura she had left behind.
He just did not know where she had gone now.
Alvin quickly gathered his thoughts and stepped forward, gently touching the Silver Threads binding Irisviel.
Buzz!
The magical energy in the air trembled slightly. Faintly, it was as if one could hear something shattering.
As the Silver Threads broke, Irisviel collapsed weakly to the ground.
As if sensing something, she slowly raised her head and looked forward.
In her blurry vision, she vaguely saw the figure of a servant.
"Saber… it seems Illya found you smoothly," the woman soon spoke.
Her temperament was cool and fragile, yet her gaze remained fixed on Alvin.
"You know me?", Alvin asked in surprise.
Logically speaking, Irisviel had been hiding in the castle since the Holy Grail War began and should not have seen him.
But after speaking, Alvin quickly realized something was off.
Ever since seeing Irisviel, he had felt a strange sense of familiarity and closeness, as if he had met her somewhere before.
Soon, he seemed to realize something and said, "No, you're not Irisviel. Who are you?"
"Irisviel" was still dressed in that pure white gown, intricate patterns embroidered on the fabric over her chest. Her pale, stunning face showed no expression. In her calm crimson eyes was an ultimate gentleness, like pity for all humanity.
"Even among the servants in this Holy Grail War, your perception is among the very top, Saber."
Irisviel parted her red lips. Her voice was slightly weak, yet there was a hint of admiration in her crimson eyes, as if she did not care about her current situation at all.
"I am indeed not Irisviel. After creating the Greater Grail system, my soul dispersed. The last trace of my consciousness has been sleeping inside the Greater Grail ever since."
"Irisviel's" voice remained soft and cool.
"This time I woke up… it was only an accident."
Before Irisviel fell unconscious, due to Sajyou Manaka's manipulation, she accidentally awakened the remnant consciousness inside the Greater Grail, the Holy Maiden of Winter, the first head of the Einzbern Castle.
Even the Holy Maiden of Winter herself had not expected that after two hundred long years, she would awaken in such a way and attach herself to her descendant.
If not for the appearance of the Holy Maiden of Winter, Alvin might not have had the chance to find this place.
In a sense, this could also be called fate.
Thinking of this, "Irisviel's" gaze lingered on Alvin for a moment before she said softly, "I can feel that your magical energy is very special… is it the Root?"
"But it does not seem complete, was it shared with you by the Princess of the Root?"
As the foundation of the Greater Grail, even in her weakened state, the Holy Maiden of Winter could still perceive detailed information about each servant in this Holy Grail War.
She could sense that Alvin currently had no master supplying him with magical energy… and yet, he still had a steady stream of power sustaining him.
That was the "Root" shared by Sajyou Manaka.
She seemed cold and emotionless, yet when it came to her servant, the Princess of the Root had actually been quite attentive…
"Why are you here? What exactly is Manaka planning to do?"
At this moment, Alvin's voice brought Irisviel back from her thoughts.
"She has already become the 'Lesser Grail.' And not long ago, she modified one of the rules of the Holy Grail War. If I'm not mistaken, Miss Sajyou should now be preparing to summon a new servant."
'Modify the rules of the Holy Grail War?'
Alvin froze for a moment.
After becoming the Lesser Grail and analyzing its structure, making certain adjustments to the rules, it sounded simple, but in truth, almost no one could actually accomplish it.
To put it bluntly, what Sajyou Manaka was doing was turning herself from an ordinary participant into a kind of hidden administrator, gaining certain "cheat" methods.
"For the sake of winning the Holy Grail War, it seems she's truly serious this time," Alvin thought to himself.
"Irisviel" gently shook her head.
"She is not doing it for the Holy Grail War. She simply hopes that the Greater Grail can exist in Fuyuki permanently."
When Alvin heard this, he was stunned.
'Manaka wants the Greater Grail to exist forever?'
'Why? Does she plan to fight Holy Grail Wars for the rest of her life?', he joked inwardly.
He quickly composed himself and asked, "Where is Manaka now?"
"Irisviel" looked deeply at the boy and said softly, "You don't need to deliberately search for her. There are more than seven perception barriers set up in this room. From the moment you stepped inside, she should already have sensed it."
"If nothing unexpected happens, she should already be on her way to find you."
———
Just as "Irisviel" had guessed, the moment Alvin stepped into the warehouse, Sajyou Manaka sensed the intrusion.
At this very moment, she was standing before a red magic circle, chanting the incantation for a summoning ritual.
The appearance of the Greater Grail required enough magical energy as fuel. Defeated servants would be temporarily recovered by the Lesser Grail. Once enough were collected, the Greater Grail, known as the "wish-granting machine," would descend.
What Sajyou Manaka intended to do now was first make the Greater Grail descend, then analyze its structure so that it could remain permanently activated.
To put her idea plainly: let's fight Holy Grail Wars for the rest of our lives.
Buzz!
However, just as her chant ended, a fluctuation of magical energy surged from the neighboring warehouse, rippling outward.
'So someone still came to rescue Irisviel,' Sajyou Manaka was not surprised at all. She slowly lifted her delicate and charming face. In her sapphire eyes was a faint smile.
Every step she took was foreseen by her [Omniscience and Omnipotence], predicting what would happen in the future.
Someone coming to rescue Irisviel had naturally been within her expectations.
Only this time, [Omniscience and Omnipotence] did not tell her who it would be.
'But to take someone away right in front of me… is that not underestimating me too much?'
Sajyou Manaka quietly closed her eyes.
In an instant, her powerful perception covered most of the port. The magical energy flowing within everyone there quietly entered her awareness.
Then, as if sensing something, she suddenly opened her eyes. There was disbelief in her gaze as she murmured unconsciously, "Saber?"
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