Chapter Sixty-Nine: My Talismans

"Welcome home, Lord Roland... Sister?"
"Sakura!"
Matou Sakura, who had been brought home earlier by the shadowy ninja, leapt off the sofa in delight when she heard the sound of the barrier opening and ran to the door. But the figure she flung herself at was not the Roland she had been longing for, but her elder sister, whom she had not seen for a long time.

"This girl insisted on seeing you, so I agreed. You two have a good talk and catch up."
Roland appeared leisurely from behind Tohsaka Rin, offering an explanation to the bewildered Sakura.

"Yes, Lord Roland."
Only after receiving his reassurance did Sakura relax. Looking at her sister, whom she had not seen in so long, she felt that although she had once harbored resentment, that was all in the past. As long as it didn't inconvenience Lord Roland, she was happy to spend time with her sister.

"Thank goodness, thank goodness, Sakura... I'm so glad you're all right..."
But clearly, Tohsaka Rin was not as composed as Sakura. Her delicate brows were furrowed, and the face that had always appeared so strong in front of Roland was now streaked with tears.

Regret, unwillingness, fear—all these emotions transformed into apologetic tears that spilled from Rin's eyes.

"After going to the Matou house and seeing that scene, I truly couldn't imagine what I would do if anything had happened to you. I'm so sorry, Sakura... I should have been braver and defied Father back then..."

"It's all right, Sister. This wasn't your fault."
Though younger, Sakura's demeanor was much more mature. She gently patted Rin's head with one hand while her other hand lightly stroked her sister's back.

"I'm actually very lucky with how things are now, because if not for all this, I would never have met Lord Roland."

"So that guy was the one who rescued you from the Matou family... Seems he hasn't been idle after all."
Knowing the reason for Sakura being sent away, Rin did not mention anything as fanciful as bringing her back to the Tohsaka house. Once she was sure of Sakura's safety, reason reclaimed its place.

Sakura had to be taken in by someone. Roland might appear dangerous, but he hadn't harmed her when restraining her, and even spoke kindly with her. At the very least, even if he wasn't as outstanding as their father, he was surely not a bad person.

Besides, he was wealthy.

With Sakura following Roland, the two sisters would never again have to worry about the old friendship between the Matou and Tohsaka families, or keep their distance out of fear of suspicion about each other's legacies. All things considered, it wasn't a bad arrangement.

"Lord Roland is the greatest man in this world—it's only natural," Sakura said, her expression taking on a reverent, almost missionary glow. Then, before Rin could argue, she gently pressed her sister's head against her chest and breathed in the scent of Rin's hair.

—There it was, Lord Roland's scent.

Sakura's gaze darkened to its deepest shade, but the smile that bloomed on her face only grew brighter.

"Sister, now, tell me—how did you meet Lord Roland?"

"Eh... All right, I suppose. I've already skipped class today anyway..."

Watching this affectionate scene, Roland smiled as well. "In the end, sisters will always be sisters. You two get along so well."

"Sometimes, I can't tell if you understand people too well, or not at all," Caster said, shaking her head with a sigh. "I'm going to reinforce the barrier in the workshop. Would you like to come and learn, Master?"

"Sure, I don't really have anything to say to these two girls anyway..." Roland stretched lazily, just about to agree, when his expression suddenly shifted.

"Is something wrong?" Caster noticed the change and asked.

"Nothing, but there certainly are a lot of uninvited guests today," Roland said, clapping his hands. "You go on with your work, Caster. I'll go see what that old worm, now that he's lost his bargaining chip, is plotting."

—

"Gone... She was just here."
A hunched old man cowered in the shadows, deep lines creasing his brow as he stared at the marks before him.

"The magical residue here is still strong—was there a battle just now?"

After his workshop had been blown away by Ishtar, together with her avatar, Matou Zouken had immediately made his familiars flee underground. Only after hiding in fear for an entire night did he dare to reassemble his body and assess the situation.

With all seven Masters and Servants having revealed themselves, the girl outside the conflict was clearly an irregular summon. Holding such a bargaining chip, Zouken was uncertain how to proceed.

The Tohsaka family's eldest daughter was, after all, still a Tohsaka. She seemed ignorant of the true nature of the Holy Grail War, and Tokiomi Tohsaka was unaware of this situation. Zouken had no wish to expose himself prematurely and give the Tohsaka family another advantage.

Yet he needed to find Rin, because the command spell he had obtained from the last war had been taken by that girl.

No matter what, he had to retrieve it, but given the power of the Servants, a direct confrontation was out of the question.

So, since morning, he had trailed them like a stray dog, hoping for an opportunity.

At first, when he confirmed Rin was trapped within the barrier, he was delighted. Other than Caster, only a Servant could establish such a strong barrier so swiftly. He dared not deal with a Servant, but an ally was a different matter.

But when the barrier shattered, all that remained were traces—he couldn't even find which direction they'd left in, as if they had used some miracle like spatial transference.

"Roland... where are you, really?"
Just as Matou Zouken muttered in his insectile, aged voice, a mocking voice suddenly sounded beside him.

"Yo, old man Matou, it's been a few days. What's this, your house blown to bits?"

Zouken turned, and sure enough, that elusive young man stood there, wearing a malicious grin.

"Hmph," Zouken cut to the chase, in no mood for banter. "Since you can speak so leisurely with me, I take it you've already taken care of the Tohsaka girl."

"You could say that," Roland did not deny it. After all, a suspicious old fox like this would invent his own story regardless.

"In that case, I have a question: did you obtain something from that girl?"

"You mean this?"
Roland opened his palm, revealing the dragon-shaped command seal.

"My command seal!"
Seeing an object more precious than even the Holy Grail, almost equal to his own life, so carelessly exposed, a raging fire burst through Zouken's thin veneer of composure. He let out a bestial snarl and instinctively reached out.

But his motion stopped.

Because the hand he extended—and his entire upper body—vanished in the blaze that flared from the command seal.

"What?"
Zouken's remaining body scattered instinctively, breaking apart into smaller fragments, emitting a shrill cry.

"First of all, I detest people touching my things without permission. Secondly—" Roland's smile was icy, his voice full of mockery.

"—this is my command seal."