Chapter One Hundred and Twenty-Nine: The Gathering of the Pieces

"What is this situation?" Lancer coughed as he emerged from a pile of debris. He was speechless; if his memory served him correctly, he should have been summoned by Sakura. Possessing the imaginary element "Shadow," which fell outside the five basic elements, and with Kariya still alive and experienced, how could such a Spartan situation have come to pass?

"Ah! Ah!" Just then, Lancer heard a panicked voice and rapid footsteps.

"It seems the person coming must be my Master," Lancer thought, sitting helplessly on a chair in the room that had miraculously escaped destruction.

"Hmm? Ah!" The person who entered the room was initially bewildered, but a sharp shriek followed. However, to Lancer's surprise, the only reaction the girl had upon seeing him was to gape for a moment before issuing a command: "Servant! Help me clean up this room!"

Lancer’s expression turned awkward. He recognized who she was and had some understanding of her personality, but he hadn't expected the very first words spoken to him to be a demand for chores rather than a declaration of their contract.

"Hey, hey, Master. While I don't mind cleaning, my appearance as a Heroic Spirit signifies the beginning of the Holy Grail War. Don't you feel any sense of urgency?" Lancer sighed, clutching his head. Despite his words, his intuition told him that the mischievous Rin was definitely trying to mess with him. If he remembered correctly, she had a massive obsession with money—after all, the perpetually mistaken Tokiomi-san had squandered most of the family fortune during the last Holy Grail War.

"You know about the Holy Grail War too? As a Master's Heroic Spirit, you didn't even appear in the summoning circle and you destroyed my house! What were you thinking!" Like a roaring lioness, she grabbed Lancer by the chest and shouted.

"..." Lancer felt genuinely intimidated. She was truly the disciple chosen by the Second Magic; even setting aside her magical power, her sheer presence completely overwhelmed a masochist like him.

"I was wrong!" Lancer, a hero with no sense of dignity—or perhaps just a masochist shaped into a queen-worshipper—knelt on the floor without a hint of knightly pride, placing his hands on the ground and resting his head upon them.

"What is up with this Heroic Spirit..." Looking down at him, she felt at a loss for words. Whether good or bad, there was no denying that Heroic Spirits were legends from history or mythology. She had only acted that way to vent her frustration; she had expected the guy to apologize and accept her authority, but she hadn't expected him to discard his dignity so thoroughly.

"Fine. In that case, I accept your apology. Atone for your sins with full respect," Rin said, lifting her chin.

"Just as I thought, she really is a tsundere. You just have to humor her." Although it felt like he had no backbone, Rin was not someone like Kennedy; even if Lancer acted strangely, she would still hold him in respect and would never truly treat him like a mere familiar. Doing this had instantly bridged the gap between them.

***

"It has finally come." Weber took a deep drag of his cigarette and crushed the butt onto the ground.

"We meet again, my King!" As he chanted the familiar incantation once more, the Command Spells on his hand left him deeply moved. Not only had he regained the status of a Master, but the marks on his hand were exactly as they had been before. This time, he hadn't even brought a catalyst; he trusted firmly in the bond between them.

As the incantation concluded, a familiar laugh echoed from the summoning circle.

"Hahaha! To think I would be able to go on an expedition once again!"

"My King!" Though he had been certain, he couldn't help but let the tears fall when the man finally appeared.

"Good grief, you aren't a child anymore, yet you're still crying?" That familiar voice reached his ears, but he couldn't stop himself.

"Do you remember me?" Weber raised his tear-streaked face.

"Of course! You are my finest subject," the Great King said, his signature smile appearing as he patted Weber on the head.

***

"Illya, how are you feeling?" Kiritsugu, who had long since retired from the world of assassins to become a teacher, asked as he stroked his daughter's hair.

"Mm! I'm totally fine!" Though she didn't know why, ever since her parents had returned from that city years ago, they had seemed like different people. Her father, while always gentle, had rarely smiled, but since that time, he frequently wore a smile. Her mother, too, had become even gentler than before. She didn't know what had happened in that city, but she was thrilled that they were taking her back there. Furthermore, her father often spoke of the child he had adopted, and she was very curious.

"Let's go," Kiritsugu said, holding his wife as they walked ahead. Illya spoke to the figure behind her, and a large silhouette that completely overshadowed her stepped forward.

"Let's go," a deep voice replied, and then he placed Illya onto his shoulder.

***

"Oh! Let's set off!" Illya laughed happily.

***

"Sakura, are you sure about this?" They were in the Matou residence, though the passage of time had changed the place from what it had been a decade ago.

"Yes! Besides, Big Brother said he would definitely come back, and that lady from last time confirmed his words. So, I thought I'd try a random summoning. After all, that mask..." A catalyst usually vanished after the summoning, and she couldn't bear to destroy the object that had been her companion for ten years. Plus, through her studies over the years, she had learned of that big brother's abilities from back then. According to "Uncle"—no, Father—the man possessed at least Rank A Independent Action. She believed he wouldn't hurt her, and besides, she had no particular wish. Participating this time was simply to become a helping hand to ensure his victory.

"Here goes!" Sakura shouted in her heart with great determination.

"Sakura, you're as lively as ever. I'm really curious if that person will recognize you when he sees you." A bespectacled boy put down his book and muttered with a sigh.

"Brother Shinji is a big dummy!"

"These two children..." Kariya, who had finally returned from an archaeological trip, rubbed his temples helplessly, while Aoi, resting in his arms, covered her mouth and chuckled.