Chapter 49: Lucien’s Nominal Wife, Reuniting with Illya

"Huh? Marry you?"

Tohsaka Aoi was stunned for a moment.

After confirming she hadn't misheard, she bit her red lips, and her expression quickly turned cold.

"Mr. Lucien, please don't joke like that with a married woman!"

"Well~ It's just a proposal. If you don't accept it, I have another one." Lucien waved his hand dismissively.

Hearing this, Tohsaka Aoi breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed Lucien had indeed been joking.

It was good that it was just a joke.

What she feared most was that Lucien wasn't joking.

"What other proposal do you have, Mr. Lucien?" Tohsaka Aoi continued to ask.

"Ms. Tohsaka Aoi, do you know... what this mark on my left hand represents?" Lucien slowly raised his left hand.

"This is... a Command Seal?" Tohsaka Aoi's pupils instantly contracted.

A Command Seal! Did that mean Sakura had also become a participant in the Holy Grail War?!

"You guessed correctly. The current situation is that your daughter, Tohsaka Sakura, and your husband, Tohsaka Tokiomi, are both participating in the Holy Grail War."

"So... who do you hope will win the Holy Grail War?"

"Who do I hope will win?"

Of course, she hoped Lucien would be eliminated, Sakura would survive, and Tohsaka Tokiomi would win!

But how could she say something so cruel to Lucien's face?

Wait!

What if only Lucien remained as the last Servant?

In that case, neither Sakura nor Tokiomi would be in danger.

As for Tokiomi's Servant, it wouldn't matter if he died.

Gilgamesh: Huh?

....

Watching Tohsaka Aoi fall into deep thought, Lucien smiled slightly and pulled out a crystal ball from behind him.

"Regardless of who you hope will win, let me give you this crystal ball first."

"This crystal ball is connected to my familiar's surveillance."

"I think you'd be curious about how your husband and daughter are faring in the Holy Grail War."

"Thank you, Mr. Lucien. Thank you so much!"

Tohsaka Aoi hugged the crystal ball, her eyes filled with gratitude.

Having received Lucien's kindness, Tohsaka Aoi mustered some courage.

People are always more willing to make requests of those they perceive as kind.

"Mr. Lucien, I also have a proposal. Would you consider it?" Tohsaka Aoi looked at Lucien with hopeful eyes.

"Since both Sakura and Tokiomi are participants in the Holy Grail War, could they perhaps..."

"Are you suggesting they form an alliance?"

"Yes! Exactly! That's what I mean!" Tohsaka Aoi nodded eagerly.

"An alliance would be difficult, or rather, almost impossible."

"Why?"

"Why...? On the Master's side, Sakura still holds resentment toward Tohsaka Tokiomi."

"That's fine. I can try to persuade Tokiomi!"

"You should know that the issue lies with Sakura, not Tokiomi. If Sakura finds out that Tokiomi is only willing to accept her because she has value, she'll hate him even more."

"...." Tohsaka Aoi fell silent.

"Besides the conflict between the Masters, the conflict between the Servants is also quite intense."

"To be honest, I don't particularly like Tohsaka Tokiomi's Servant, and his Servant certainly doesn't like me."

"Our compatibility is too poor. If we were in the same faction, we'd inevitably clash."

"I wonder if my reasoning convinces you."

"..."

"Although cooperation is impossible, if you agree to one condition, I can spare Tohsaka Tokiomi's life if I defeat him."

"Huh? What condition?" Tohsaka Aoi's eyes lit up with hope.

"My condition is..."

"During the Holy Grail War, you will become my nominal wife and Sakura's mother, taking care of her."

"This..."

"....."

"If it's just nominal, then I agree."

Tohsaka Aoi made a difficult decision.

But it wasn't too bad.

It was only a nominal marriage, after all.

Sakura already called this young man "Daddy." In a way, she was already Lucien's nominal wife.

....

After Tohsaka Aoi agreed, Lucien heard the system's notification.

[Ding!~]

[Congratulations, host! You have triggered a Villain Check-in!]

[Check-in Level: Silver.]

[Check-in Type: Stage Event Check-in.]

[Check-in Event: The Demon Who Tempts Others to Fall.]

[Requirement: Tempt others to fall, making a partnered story character willingly sign a contract with the host and become the host's contractor.]

[Note: If forced, the reward will still be granted, but the reward level will drop to Purple.]

....

After reading the task description, Lucien's expression turned微妙.

"I've noticed that as my strength grows, the system's tasks are becoming more and more villainous."

"But that's fine."

"Unless I'm really lazy or have no other choice, I prefer to actively persuade rather than use force."

Lucien smirked. He was confident that with the power of his high-dimensional succubus bloodline, seven days would be more than enough to win over Tohsaka Aoi.

Not to mention, aside from pure emotional manipulation, Tohsaka Aoi also had a weakness—Tohsaka Tokiomi.

He could exploit Tohsaka Aoi's two weaknesses, Tohsaka Sakura and Tohsaka Tokiomi, and launch a relentless assault.

Once her weaknesses were exposed, even the most virtuous and beautiful wife would eventually succumb.

"Ms. Tohsaka Aoi, since you've agreed to my condition, how about we take Sakura out for some fun?"

"Sakura has been wanting to go shopping with you for a long time."

As he spoke, Lucien extended his hand to Tohsaka Aoi.

"....."

"Alright."

"Snap~"

With a soft sound, Tohsaka Aoi took Lucien's hand.

Instantly, an unprecedented sense of excitement coursed through her mature body.

Without realizing it, she tightened her grip on Lucien's hand the next second.

.....

Outside, Sakura was anxiously waiting for Lucien.

When she saw Lucien walking toward her, holding Tohsaka Aoi's hand, she broke into the brightest smile she had ever shown.

Lucien would never let her down!

"Sakura, where did you want to go earlier? Shall we go together?"

"Yes!"

"Daddy! Mommy! Let's go together!"

Sakura rushed forward, tears in her eyes, and hugged the hands of Lucien and Tohsaka Aoi.

.....

Evening.

By the sea.

Irisviel took off her boots and walked along the beach, her long legs clad in black stockings stepping into the seawater.

The water was cold, but it didn't matter.

Because Irisviel's heart was even colder.

"Irisviel... you'll catch a cold like this," Saber frowned as she reminded her.

"It's fine, Saber. I need some physical stimulation."

"This way, I can distract myself from other things." Irisviel smiled bitterly.

"....."

Saber fell silent.

All she could do was stand by Irisviel's side.

....

Saber watched as Irisviel walked along the beach.

Until she spotted a familiar figure on the other side of the shore.

"Irisviel... I think I see Illya!"

Even Saber's usually calm voice couldn't hide her surprise.

"Huh? Illya? Saber, what are you talking about?!"

Wasn't Illya already...?!

Irisviel looked in the direction Saber was pointing.

On the beach, a petite figure she knew all too well was hopping around.

Beside Illya was a tall male figure.

He was like an immovable pillar, and though Illya was hopping around, she never strayed far from his side.

Irisviel had seen this before!

This was how Illya acted when she went out to play with Kiritsugu!

"It's Illya! It really is Illya! But... who is that man beside her...?" Irisviel stopped in her tracks.

"Irisviel, be careful."

"According to Kiritsugu's information, Illya is most likely dead!"

"This person might be an illusion created by another Master to deceive you!"

Saber stepped forward, shielding Irisviel.

"No."

"That's not it, Saber."

Irisviel stared at Illya with longing.

The closer Illya got, the stronger the emotions in her heart became.

This feeling couldn't be wrong!

...

When Illya reached Irisviel, she smiled and stretched out her arms, asking for a hug.

"Mommy. To keep you from being sad for too long, Illya came to find you herself~"

"Illya!"

Irisviel could no longer hold back her emotions. She hugged her petite, silver-haired daughter tightly.

Yes.

This was Illya's scent, Illya's warmth.

It was really Illya!

As Illya's identity was confirmed, a question arose in Irisviel's heart.

"Illya, how did you get here? Wasn't the Einzbern Castle attacked?"

"Yes, the Einzbern Castle was attacked."

"To be precise, I was the one who attacked the Einzbern Castle," the young man behind Illya admitted.

"You? Who are you?!"

Saber's eyes sharpened as she pulled Irisviel back with a leap.

"Alright, Lucien, don't scare Mommy," Illya pinched Lucien's hand, signaling him not to escalate the situation.

"Mommy, Lucien just conquered the Einzbern Castle. Now, the entire Einzbern family is under his control~" Illya explained with a smile.

"This...."

Irisviel didn't know what to say.

"Conquered the Einzbern Castle?" Saber frowned.

"For what purpose? And why bring Illya to this remote island nation?" Saber raised her sword, still shrouded in Invisible Air.

Illya being captured and the Einzbern family being conquered would weigh heavily on Irisviel and Kiritsugu!

Whoever did this could only be seen as an enemy!

....

"For what purpose, you ask~"

Illya twirled in place, her cute pleated skirt fluttering in the air.

"To escape our fate of becoming sacrifices for the Holy Grail~"

"Sacrifices for the Holy Grail."

Hearing this, Saber looked at Irisviel, who averted her gaze.

....

"Mommy, you can feel my current state, right?"

"That's right. I've completely severed my connection to the Holy Grail and have become a normal human who can live a normal life~"

Illya had only resigned herself to her fate before, but that didn't mean she didn't yearn for a normal life.

"Wait! What do you mean by 'sacrifices for the Holy Grail'?!"

Saber looked at Irisviel in shock. How did she not know about this?

"Saber, Illya is right."

"We, the homunculi of the Einzbern family, are destined to become Lesser Grails."

"I don't know how Illya did it, but she has indeed completely severed her connection to the Holy Grail."

Irisviel looked at the young man beside Illya.

"Mr. Lucien, was it you who helped Illya sever her connection to the Holy Grail?"

"Yes."

Lucien didn't say much.

He was here today to lay the groundwork.

Taking Irisviel down immediately would be too difficult.

....

Suddenly, Lucien heard another system notification.

[Ding!~]

[Congratulations, host! You have triggered a Villain Check-in!]

[Check-in Level: Purple.]

[Check-in Type: Location Check-in.]

[Check-in Location: Irisviel's Feet.]

"..."

Lucien glanced at the beach, then walked over to Irisviel's white boots.

Picking up the boots, Lucien walked straight toward Irisviel.

"Irisviel, do you know this person?"

"Breaking free from the Holy Grail should be incredibly difficult, right?" Saber still shielded Irisviel.

"Anyway, to avoid catching a cold, why don't you put your boots back on?"

Lucien ignored Saber and walked directly toward Irisviel.

Without Kiritsugu's permission, Saber couldn't use her Noble Phantasm.

And without her Noble Phantasm, Saber posed no threat to him.

....

[Name: Artoria Pendragon (♀)]

[Level: Lv140 (High-Class Demon Peak)]

[Attribute Evaluation]

[Note: The system's attributes differ from those of Servants. Generally, Servants' attributes reach High-Class Demon level.]

[Strength: B+]

[Speed: A]

[Magic: A]

[Physical Endurance: A]

[Martial/Spell Proficiency: A (A seasoned warrior with honed instincts, skilled in Western swordsmanship.)]

[Sacred Gear/Bloodline Ability: SS+]

[(1. Servant Abilities: Red Dragon Bloodline, Riding, Instinct, Magic Resistance, Mana Burst, Charisma, etc.)]

[(2. Servant Noble Phantasms: Invisible Air, Excalibur, Avalon (Not Equipped))]

[Comprehensive Evaluation: SS- High-Class Demon.]

[Overall Review: One of the highest-quality Servants. A Servant's Noble Phantasm effects are similar to Sacred Gears. An average Servant using a Noble Phantasm can reach Ultimate-Class Demon level. As one of the top Servants, Saber can unleash a light beam capable of destroying a Satan-level being when using her Noble Phantasm at full power.]

[Note: All Servants, once implanted with an Evil Piece by the host, will be pulled from the Throne of Heroes. Defeating a low-level Servant and implanting an Evil Piece allows the host to obtain a higher-level Servant's true body. Low effort, high reward.]