Chapter 46: It’s All Tokiomi’s Fault! Irisviel Arrives

"My fate is tragic?"

Matou Kariya gritted his teeth.

Lucien's words had struck a nerve!

He thought of Tohsaka Aoi, his childhood friend who had been taken away by Tohsaka Tokiomi!

At this point, he chose the path that aligned most with his instincts—and also the most foolish one.

"Berserker! Go! Save Sakura from that demon!"

"Grrrrrr!!~"

With a sharp, ear-piercing roar, Berserker stomped the ground and launched himself forward!

"Idiot."

Lucien had no patience to reason with a fanatic like Matou Kariya!

If you won't give it willingly, I'll just take it by force!

[Greymon!]

"Roarrrrrr!!~"

A massive dinosaur-like Digimon descended!

Its white and gold color scheme was breathtaking, a perfect blend of sacred beauty and violent power!

Its alloy-covered foot slammed down from above, pinning Lancelot to the ground!

"Go!~"

Rule Breaker flew from Lucien's hand, striking Matou Kariya's wrist!

Lucien had already assessed Lancelot's strength.

He was just an upper-tier demon.

Not even a high-tier demon, let alone someone who could stand up to Agumon!

Rule Breaker—Effect Activated!

[Berserker!]

[Berserker?!]

Feeling the pain, Matou Kariya instinctively tried to use a Command Seal to summon Berserker to his side.

However...

"No effect? What's going on?!"

"It's nothing much. I just severed the contract between you and Berserker."

"What?!"

Realizing that his contract with his Servant had been broken, Matou Kariya felt genuine fear for the first time.

....

"Lucien... big brother... can you... please not hurt Uncle Kariya?"

Sakura's soft voice came from behind.

Lucien felt a gentle tug on his sleeve. Turning around, he saw Sakura's pleading eyes, filled with a "please" expression.

"Sakura, you saw it too. He attacked me first."

"Besides, don't you think he's pitiful?"

"He has no talent for magic. The only reason he can supply Berserker with mana is because of the worms inside him. And those worms feed on his life force."

"In other words, he's burning his life to participate in the Holy Grail War."

"Worms..."

Lucien's words brought back memories of the Matou family's basement.

As the dark memories resurfaced, tears welled up in Sakura's eyes.

....

Lucien turned around and stepped on Matou Kariya.

Just then, he had thought of a better idea.

Matou Kariya still had some remaining value to exploit.

Letting him die like this would be too merciful.

"Matou Kariya, you've seen Sakura's situation for yourself. You're a failure. Without me, you could only watch as Sakura was thrown into the pit of worms."

"But since you joined the Holy Grail War for Sakura's sake, I'll give you a chance."

"What chance?"

"The chance to fight alongside Sakura in the Holy Grail War and become her ally."

As he spoke, Lucien smiled "kindly."

"If you agree, I can not only return your Servant to you but also remove the worms from your body and restore your health."

"What's your goal in offering such terms?" Matou Kariya couldn't believe it. Was this some kind of miracle?

"My goal?" Lucien chuckled lightly.

"My goal... is amusement."

With that, Lucien extended his hand, and a small flame of holy energy shot into Matou Kariya's body.

"Ugh!!!"

The holy flame burned through Kariya's body, causing him to convulse violently.

Feeling the holy energy and intense heat, some of the worms were incinerated, while others fled his body in a frenzy.

As Lucien controlled the holy flame to expel the worms, he used his other hand to create green orbs of light.

"Madonna's Smile" activated, and within seconds, Matou Kariya's worm-ravaged body was fully restored.

"This... this is it?"

Matou Kariya clenched his fist. The hollow feeling caused by the worms was completely gone.

Could magic really be this powerful?

"It's not completely healed. I've only restored your body. Your foundation is still in shambles," Lucien reminded him.

"This is already more than enough. Thank... thank you..." Matou Kariya muttered awkwardly, though he still expressed his gratitude.

"No need to thank me. You know there's a condition for my help," Lucien said with a smile.

"Alright, what do you want me to do? Kill Servants? Or Masters?" Matou Kariya knew his only value lay in his combat ability.

"The goal is simple: seize the Holy Grail."

"As for which Servants to eliminate, that's entirely up to you."

"Generally, I won't give you specific targets to deal with."

"Entirely up to me?"

Matou Kariya couldn't help but smirk.

There was only one Master he wanted to deal with from the very beginning!

"That's right. It's entirely up to you," Lucien replied with a pleased smile.

He knew exactly who Matou Kariya wanted to target.

The root of all evil, the man who bore the sins of the world—Tohsaka Tokiomi!

....

Soon, with Lucien's help, Matou Kariya reestablished his contract with Berserker.

"Thank you, demon."

"I'll stake my life on helping Sakura win the Holy Grail War!" Matou Kariya once again displayed his simp nature.

However, his words carried an underlying meaning.

He would make sure Tohsaka Tokiomi was eliminated from the Holy Grail War!

"Stake your life? No need for that," Lucien said with a shake of his head.

"Mr. Kariya, demons don't let their allies suffer."

"To make it easier for you, who lacks mana, to act, I'll even provide you with a potion that restores your life force, allowing you to use it to supply mana."

Lucien explained that while specialized potions were rare in the Type-Moon world, they were abundant in the DxD world.

Matou Kariya was just an ordinary human. A single potion designed to replenish the life force of a low-tier demon would be more than enough for him.

One of the advantages of the Type-Moon world was that even a weak Master could play a significant role with the help of a Servant.

"Great! If that's the case, then this is perfect!"

Matou Kariya was filled with newfound vigor.

In his eyes, Lucien might be rough around the edges, but at his core, he was fulfilling his role as a summoned entity.

After all, summoned beings were supposed to follow the summoner's will.

Wasn't that exactly what was happening?

Because of Sakura's request, this demon had not only spared him but also restored his body.

Matou Kariya didn't think too deeply about it.

After all, things couldn't possibly get worse than before!

Now, Matou Kariya's heart was filled with hope!

After confirming the plan, Matou Kariya had no intention of staying at the Matou residence any longer.

Carrying a seaweed-haired brat who had escaped the fire, Matou Kariya bid farewell.

"Mr. Lucien, I'll take my leave now. I leave Sakura in your care."

"Of course."

"Even if you die, Sakura won't be harmed."

Sakura was the foundation of Lucien's existence in this world. How could he let her come to harm?

"Good. I'm satisfied with that."

Matou Kariya took one last look at Sakura before turning to leave.

He was going to take revenge on the man who had caused all this tragedy!

Tohsaka Tokiomi! This is all your fault!!!

Someone like you doesn't deserve the Holy Grail!

I'll give it my all to defeat you and deliver the Holy Grail to Sakura!

....

Lucien watched as Matou Kariya left.

He knew exactly what Matou Kariya was going to do.

"Lucien... big brother... thank you... thank you for saving Uncle Kariya, and thank you for answering my summon and saving me..."

After seeing off Matou Kariya, Sakura hugged Lucien, expressing her gratitude.

Sakura was a sensible child. She knew that without Lucien, the fate that had befallen Matou Kariya—being eaten alive by worms—would have been her future.

"Sakura, I'm a demon, and you're my contractor."

"For a demon, protecting their contractor is the same as protecting their property."

"Having a cute contractor like you makes me happy too."

Lucien smiled as he gently patted Sakura's black hair.

In his memories, Matou Sakura had purple hair, but her black hair symbolized that she hadn't been subjected to suffering. Lucien thought it suited her just fine.

In the Type-Moon world, purple hair was often an omen of misfortune.

....

[Having Matou Kariya wield Lancelot isn't a bad idea. On one hand, if he stirs up trouble, it'll make things easier for me. On the other hand, having him bear the burden of supporting Lancelot will lessen Sakura's strain.]

[My actions in this world rely on Sakura's mana. If I act too frequently, it'll put a strain on her.]

[To avoid being restricted in future battles, I need to find a stable source of mana.]

Just as this thought crossed his mind, Lucien heard the system's notification.

[Ding!~]

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

[Check-in Level: Purple.]

[Check-in Event: A Good Servant Deserves Multiple Contractors.]

[Requirement: Find more contractors to supply you with mana, allowing you to unleash greater power.]

[Note: The contractors must be female characters from the story. Ordinary magi or male characters lack the capacity to bear the pressure of summoning a cross-dimensional Servant.]

[Ding!~]

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

[Check-in Level: Gold.]

[Check-in Event: The Great Demon King of the Holy Grail War.]

[Requirement: Ensure all Servants in the Holy Grail War are eliminated due to your actions.]

"Find new Masters?"

"No, more accurately... find new contractors."

Although Lucien had been summoned, his relationship with his contractor wasn't like that of a Servant and Master.

To put it simply.

Lucien's relationship with his contractor was more like that of a witch and an otherworldly demon in the Strike the Blood universe.

The contractor offers themselves to summon Lucien, and Lucien uses the contractor as a foundation to descend into the world, fulfilling their wishes in exchange for a price.

Witches form contracts with otherworldly demons, gaining a portion of their power. In emergencies, they can even sacrifice themselves to summon a powerful demon.

The difference is that Lucien's relationship with his contractors is far more gentle.

Sacrificing lives for summoning is too wasteful. Any contractor capable of cross-dimensional summoning is likely a key character in the story. Even if it's just to satisfy his own desire for collection, Lucien isn't willing to let them go.

....

Soon, Lucien had a candidate in mind.

"Sakura, how about I find you a friend your age?"

"Huh? Really?"

Sakura was pleasantly surprised.

She had thought she'd be stuck serving tea and water for the demon.

She never expected she'd get to make a friend?

"Of course, but you'll have to get along with her, okay?"

Lucien smiled as he patted Sakura's head.

Truly, an uncorrupted, soft, and adorable loli was a treasure.

....

A day later.

At the airport.

Irisviel and Saber excitedly stepped out of the terminal.

Irisviel wore a white hat and white boots, with black stockings that only revealed her thighs. Even so, she was incredibly alluring.

Her silver hair framed a face as delicate as a fairy's.

Even her sweater couldn't hide her impressive figure, with a black ribbon resting on her chest, held up by her ample bosom.

The silver-haired woman exuded a youthful charm, eagerly taking in the sights of the foreign country as she chatted with the blonde girl beside her.

Next to Irisviel, the cool and composed Saber wore a black women's suit, maintaining her vigilance as a Servant.

The pair, with their contrasting auras, attracted many gazes as they walked.

....

Irisviel maintained her cheerful mood as she explored the foreign country, until...

"Thud!~"

A heavy sensation, as if a hammer had struck her chest, left her breathless.

"This feeling!"

Irisviel fell to her knees, her beautiful face contorted in pain.

"Irisviel! What's wrong? Did the enemy attack?"

Saber immediately materialized her armor and sword, scanning their surroundings for threats.

"No... it's not that... Saber..."

Irisviel bit her lip, beads of sweat dripping from her forehead.

"It's not about me. It's about something else!"

"Saber, could you hand me my phone?"

"Of course."

Saber reverted to her suit-clad form and quickly handed Irisviel her phone.

Despite her pain, Irisviel managed to dial a number.

"Ring... ring... ring..."

"Click."

As soon as the call connected, Irisviel immediately asked,

"Kiritsugu, have you... heard anything from the Einzbern family recently?"

"Irisviel... why do you ask?"

A calm male voice came through the phone.

"Don't ask why! Just tell me if you've heard anything!" Irisviel rarely sounded this impatient.