At dawn, Tokiomi Tohsaka awoke.
Although he'd long since developed a regular routine, he still couldn't shake his terrible morning temper.
Not as bad as his daughter Rin's, though.
The only one who knew about this was his wife. He didn't want Rin to find out—otherwise, he'd never be able to act impressive in front of her again.
In the future...
The thought made Tokiomi feel both pleased and melancholic.
The Holy Grail War could no longer continue. The family's long-cherished wish to reach the Root would not be fulfilled in his generation. The next opportunity would come sixty years from now, and Rin wouldn't need to carry that burden.
After rising, washing up, and dressing neatly, Tokiomi slipped back into his usual elegant demeanor. His thoughts turned to Tenkei Shiomi.
Two days ago, according to information relayed by Kirei's Servant, Shiomi had taken the day off for Sakura and spent it out with her and Caren, enjoying the city.
Rather than criticize Shiomi's lax approach to parenting, Tokiomi actually felt reassured.
With a father like that raising Sakura, he felt increasingly at ease.
"I just wonder if Shiomi has that bad of a temper in the morning," Tokiomi joked to himself.
But just as he reached the study door, preparing to contact Father Risei and begin planning the purification of the Greater Grail, Kirei appeared in the corridor of the mansion.
"You're here, Kirei." Tokiomi didn't think much of it, assuming the old priest had sent Kirei to deliver a message.
Since all parties had declared a ceasefire, he saw no reason to be wary of Kirei's sudden visit.
He turned, opened the study door, and stepped inside, gesturing for Kirei to follow.
Gilgamesh had already been waiting inside in spirit form.
That freewheeling Servant appearing wherever he pleased never surprised Tokiomi anymore.
"Tokiomi-sensei, may I speak with you for a moment?" Kirei asked.
"What is it?" Tokiomi paused and turned around.
"My father has passed away."
Kirei reported it in his usual calm tone, making Tokiomi's pupils contract sharply.
"Father Risei is dead?!" Tokiomi's composure shattered. He roared in disbelief, "Everyone's already agreed to a truce—who would do something like this?!"
Was it Kiritsugu Emiya? That man had shown no shred of a Magus's pride from the beginning.
Or was it Tenkei Shiomi? But compared to killing someone from the Holy Church, that young man—highly regarded by the Democratic Faction's Department of Creation at the Clock Tower—would understand the consequences better than anyone.
Rather than provoke the Holy Church, he would've done something the Mage's Association could tolerate.
Like using the Holy Grail War as a legitimate excuse to decisively kill Kayneth, a lord of the Aristocratic Faction. That would've brought enough benefit to his faction and solidified his position within it.
So who could it have been...
Tokiomi had no answer. His anger gradually settled, and the composure to pursue the truth returned to his mind.
"Do you have any leads on this, Kirei?" He looked toward his disciple.
Losing a father had to be more painful than losing a friend—so Tokiomi wanted to help his prized student seek revenge.
"No progress yet," Kirei replied. "But I actually came here to ask you for a favor, Tokiomi-sensei."
"Go ahead," Tokiomi answered without hesitation.
For the sake of the Tohsaka family, he would do everything he could to help Kirei uncover the truth.
"I've secured the core of the Lesser Grail—but I lack a suitable vessel."
"What?" Tokiomi froze at the completely unrelated statement.
But he didn't have time to process it.
His right hand—the one bearing the Command Spells—was suddenly severed, flying through the air.
Kirei had cut it off in one swift strike. A heavy blow to the abdomen followed, and before the pain could even register, Tokiomi lost consciousness and collapsed.
"What I want to borrow is your body as a Magus, Tokiomi-sensei." Kirei smiled with satisfaction. "In the end, you never did understand my true nature, Sensei."
"What a speechless man... not content with killing his own father, and now he turns on his teacher too."
A golden figure gradually materialized on the sofa. Without even glancing at Tokiomi, he coolly remarked on Kirei's actions.
With his Servant nearby, and never suspecting Gilgamesh's shift in allegiance, Tokiomi had dropped his guard entirely.
"After all, my teacher still had Command Spells. If he had activated one before losing consciousness, even the King of Heroes would've found that troublesome," Kirei said indifferently.
"Well done." Gilgamesh smirked coldly as he looked at Kirei. "But right now, with only two Servants' souls collected, the Grail can't be activated, can it?"
"Should we have Assassin self-terminate?" Kirei asked.
"Leave that shadow for now. It's weak, but with the right handling, it can serve as decent fodder." Gilgamesh stood up. "Annoying as it is, let Tokiomi continue to act as my Master and supply mana for the time being."
Command Spells were merely a way to formalize the contract. Even if they were exhausted, as long as the Servant didn't sever the bond, the master-servant relationship could still function.
And now that Tokiomi's Command Spell-bearing hand had been severed, he had no way to use them.
"Then let's leave the contract as-is for now, King of Heroes." Kirei revealed the Command Spells managed by the Holy Church etched onto his right arm. "If needed, you can draw mana from these instead."
Those were originally under his father's control. Even after death, they remained encrypted, making them impossible to extract directly.
"Oh? And how did you manage to acquire them?" Gilgamesh, familiar with the secrets behind those Command Spells, seemed intrigued.
Kotomine Kirei let out a wicked smile. "For that, I owe thanks to an old friend."
He meant Tenkei Shiomi.
During a mission they'd once carried out together, the target had resisted fiercely, and before he could be interrogated, Shiomi was forced to kill him.
As a result, Shiomi taught Kirei a special necromantic spell called "Speak With Dead."
According to Shiomi, the spell would only work properly if cast by someone other than the one who killed the deceased.
So last night, Kirei tried it on his dead father, just to see if it would work.
To his surprise, it barely succeeded—producing a single brief response before failing.
But one sentence was enough. From it, Kirei learned how to access the Command Spells.
John, chapter 4.
Caught completely off guard, the lingering spiritual force of the deceased Risei hadn't been able to fully reject his son.
"Him again, huh..."
The interest on Gilgamesh's face deepened.
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
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