The light from the living room shone through the paper windows of the Japanese-style room.
Matou Sakura quietly curled up in Alvin's arms, her fingertips unconsciously brushing across his face, "Senpai's magical energy... is warmer than I imagined."
Her long hair cascaded down her back, and there seemed to still be fine beads of sweat at the tips.
Alvin played with a strand of her hair and said gently, "After all, that's the most direct way to feel magical energy... and my magical energy is quite different from that of ordinary magi."
When he got to that point, he couldn't help sighing sincerely, "But Sakura's magic circuits are really amazing too. You were actually able to withstand the White Dragon's magical energy."
"Probably because Kama's remaining spell formula is still operating."
Matou Sakura pushed herself up. Her loose kimono was slightly disheveled. From Alvin's angle, looking upward, it felt as though he could sense the greatness of a young girl's heart.
"Senpai already noticed it, didn't you?"
A faint blush still lingered on her fair and lovely face. She looked at him with extremely gentle eyes.
"You deliberately had me use that method to cleanse the pollution from the Beast of Desire?"
The White Dragon could devour the magical energy of others and convert it into the White Dragon Furnace Core. After Kama was knocked unconscious by Tiamat, she had remained asleep inside Matou Sakura's body.
To be safe, while exchanging magical energy with Sakura earlier, Alvin had also drawn away part of Kama's magical energy.
Even if Kama awakened in the future, she would no longer be able to take control of Sakura's body.
Alvin sat up and lightly kissed Sakura on the cheek.
"Although I'm happy that you imagine me as someone who plans everything in advance, I really wasn't thinking that much at the beginning."
"I was simply captivated by Sakura's charm, that's all."
Matou Sakura's eyes suddenly widened.
For an instant, a trace of panic crossed her face. She adjusted her bangs and said quietly, "Don't suddenly say things like that to make girls happy. You're so practiced at it. You must have said those things to a lot of people before, right?"
"I haven't said it before. You can even use a Command Spell to verify that if you want."
For a brief moment, the atmosphere between them became especially intimate.
At that moment, Alvin raised his hand and quietly felt the girl's heartbeat.
After a long while, a gentle smile appeared on his face.
"Your heart is beating very fast, Sakura."
Sakura glanced at him shyly before quickly lowering her head again.
Her tone suddenly became subdued.
"Will I be able to see Senpai again in the future?"
"We'll meet again very soon."
Alvin stroked her hair.
"If you have time, go visit your father at the Clock Tower with Rin... He probably misses both of you too."
"When that time comes... we'll meet again as well."
———
After temporarily leaving the Matou residence, Alvin did not stop to rest.
Instead, he immediately headed deep into a forest in Fuyuki.
[Einzbern Castle]
A qualified master of time management knows how to make full use of every moment.
Snow covered the ground outside Einzbern Castle.
Inside the hall, Illya stood on tiptoe, reaching toward the crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling. The artificial human's pale skin looked almost transparent beneath the moonlight.
"Nii-san disappeared for nearly three hours. Miss Sajyou and Miss Morgan must have been looking for you everywhere, right?"
She turned around. Her pure white dress swayed lightly, faintly revealing a pair of fair bare feet. A pure smile hung on her face.
"I thought you weren't going to come see me."
In her field of view, a young man dressed in black quietly appeared.
His eyes were filled with apology.
"I haven't had the chance to properly talk with you since the Holy Grail War. I'm sorry about that too, Illya."
"Consider this gift my apology, okay?"
Walking out from the shadows, Alvin handed a dragon scale to Illya.
"Keep it with you. Even if the Lesser Grail stops functioning in the future, it will continuously provide magical energy for you... as long as I still exist."
Hearing his words, Illya was clearly stunned.
She even forgot the dissatisfaction she had accumulated all this time and instinctively looked up at him.
"But Nii-san is going to disappear soon..."
Once a Servant disappeared...
Would something he left behind still remain in this world?
"It's complicated to explain. Just keep it with you."
Alvin gently rubbed her smooth silver hair.
"When winter ends and the snow melts, you can go out with your mother and relax. If you have time, you can also come to the Clock Tower."
"The Clock Tower?"
Illya paused and looked at Alvin in confusion.
She seemed not to understand what those three words meant.
But soon, she appeared to think of something and stared directly at him.
"What about Nii-san? Are you going off to be someone's hero again?"
It sounded more like she was asking, 'Just how many women do you have out there?'
A bright smile appeared on Alvin's face.
Before he could speak, however, the castle doors were suddenly pushed open.
The sound of Morgan's high heels striking the floor broke the peaceful silence.
"He's not suited to being a hero, but I do know a place that's quite suitable for him to stay permanently... in Avalon's basement."
"I wonder if you're interested, Alvin~"
The cold voice echoed in both of their ears.
Illya's expression changed slightly. She immediately looked toward the castle entrance.
The crystal chandelier illuminated the woman's enchanting makeup. Her magnificent gown wrapped around a stunning figure.
Morgan slowly raised her head and looked at the young man with a smile.
"Alvin... I thought you were planning to hide until I disappeared."
As she spoke, it seemed as though ice crystals quietly formed throughout the castle hall.
'Did Big Sister use index magecraft or something? How did she find me this quickly...'
Without changing expression, Alvin raised a hand in greeting.
"Big Sister, I was just about to go look for you."
He secretly felt fortunate.
Good thing she hadn't gone to the Matou residence earlier. Otherwise, if she'd seen that scene, things would have become awkward immediately.
Actually... Knowing Morgan's personality, she might have thrown him directly into the "Tower of Confinement."
Illya frowned slightly as the ice crystals spreading beneath Morgan's dress reflected in her eyes.
'Morgan le Fay...'
She knew a little about this woman.
Historically, Morgan was extremely proud, and not long ago she had even fought Sajyou Ayaka because of Alvin.
She hadn't expected her to find this place.
Morgan looked around and suddenly asked, "Merlin isn't here?"
"Caster said he wouldn't be useful anymore from this point on, so before leaving, he planned to chat with his 'fans' one last time."
"Merlin's... fans?"
Morgan tilted her head. Her cold and beautiful face was filled with confusion.
'Where did that useless Merlin get fans from?'
She quickly pushed the thought aside and looked back at Alvin.
A smile suddenly bloomed across her face, "Alvin, I've been looking for you for quite a while. When I used index magecraft earlier, you were still at the Matou residence, yet now you're already at Einzbern Castle..."
"You're quite busy."
By the end, her voice had become so cold that it seemed completely devoid of emotion.
For a moment, silence fell over the castle hall.
Illya instinctively tightened her grip on the dragon scale.
The crystal chandelier reflected off her silver hair, but it could not brighten her dimmed red eyes.
"So Big Brother came to see me last..."
Illya murmured softly, her eyes slightly darkened, "But that makes sense. After all, I'm just Einzbern's defective product."
A vein throbbed at Alvin's temple.
"Illya... Rin only used a Command Spell to forcibly summon me back at that time. There wasn't any first or last."
Morgan leaned against the castle doors, lifted her fair chin, and let out a cold laugh.
"It seems that our White Dragon of Britain has unknowingly woven quite an impressive social network in Fuyuki."
At this point, Alvin's head was already starting to ache.
He looked at Illya, then at the cold and beautiful woman ahead of him.
In the end, he quietly said to Illya, "Illya, I'm going to take a walk outside with Big Sister."
After speaking, he walked down the stairs and pulled Morgan away without giving her a chance to object.
Only after they entered the forest outside the castle did Morgan suddenly shake off his hand.
"Big Sister, it seems we haven't properly greeted each other since the Holy Grail War began."
Alvin gently rubbed her back and said softly, "Can you calm down and listen to my explanation now?"
"An explanation?"
Morgan stood with her back to him, holding out a hand as snowflakes landed on her palm.
No expression could be seen on her exquisitely beautiful face.
She only turned her head slightly to look at him, amusement in her voice.
"After dealing with Kama, it seems you stayed at the Tohsaka residence for quite a while. What exactly were you doing during that time?"
Looking at her expressionless face, Alvin brushed away the ice fragments resting on her shoulder and replied helplessly, "Command Spells are compulsory orders for Servants. Even I can't defy their power, right?"
"And if I hadn't left then, you and Ayaka probably would still be fighting now."
As he spoke, he stepped half a pace closer.
Only a single step now separated them.
When his warm breath touched her face, Morgan's body visibly shook.
"Hmph! That's because you keep getting involved with troublesome people everywhere."
Morgan abruptly raised her hand to push him away.
Yet the ice blade she casually formed in her palm froze in midair.
"Your body..."
At this moment, Alvin's body had already become half-transparent.
She could feel the magical energy inside him gradually dissipating.
"After the Holy Grail War ends, Servants can't remain in this world for very long. I was only able to last until now because I bathed in Mother's Sea of Chaos," Alvin smiled.
"As for you, Big Sister... it's probably because you're attached to Gray's body, so you don't need to consume much magical energy."
The cold remarks Morgan had carefully prepared suddenly became stuck in her throat.
Taking advantage of the moment, Alvin grabbed her wrist.
As he stepped forward again, she instinctively stepped back.
Her back pressed against a frost-covered tree trunk.
Snow fell from the branches and landed on their overlapping clothes.
Alvin held Morgan tightly.
When he lifted his head, the tip of his nose was almost brushing her chin.
"I originally planned to come see you after the Holy Grail War ended... I just didn't expect that when I came out, you happened to be fighting with Manaka."
Alvin quietly buried his face against Morgan's chest.
The Command Spells possessed by the Ruler class beneath the collar of her luxurious dress gave off faint heat.
It was impossible to tell whether it was her body or the Command Spells reacting.
"Y-You can't do this kind of thing here!"
The cold witch, who was usually composed in every situation, actually began to stammer.
She even forgot to circulate the magical energy within her body.
Alvin did not stop.
His fingertips lightly brushed over the heated Command Spells.
The marks that could restrain any Servant in the Holy Grail War now shone with the same enchanting glow as her face.
"Big Sister is beautiful even when she's angry."
Alvin suddenly moved close to her warm ear.
"If you hate it, just use a Command Spell."
"Shut up!"
Morgan glared at him.
Yet she could feel her cheeks becoming even hotter.
She secretly gritted her teeth, sounding somewhat annoyed.
She had come here to demand answers.
Yet a few words from him had already resolved everything.
He wasn't going to start thinking she was easy to appease, was he?
Seeing this, Alvin finally felt relieved.
Just from her reaction, it was obvious she wasn't that angry anymore.
Although this woman looked sharp-tongued and distant, anyone who got close to her would realize that her heart was still warm.
'Hmm, her heartbeat isn't as fast as Sakura's.'
'Then again, she's Big Sister.'
Feeling Morgan's accelerated heartbeat, Alvin casually thought about all sorts of random things.
"That's enough, Alvin... This is Gray's body."
A trace of grievance entered Morgan's voice.
Alvin acted as though he hadn't heard.
He continued holding her tightly.
Crack!
At that moment, the ice crystals formed from magical energy beneath her dress let out a clear breaking sound.
Morgan snapped, "Let go already!"
Only then did Alvin chuckle and step back half a pace.
Looking at the peerless beauty with slightly flushed cheeks, he couldn't help smiling brightly.
"This is nice."
Morgan glanced at him.
"What is?"
"Being able to see Big Sister one more time before I leave."
Alvin spoke from the heart.