Fate: Why Don't you Find Another Savior

At dawn, Tohsaka Tokiomi woke up.

Despite having developed a regular routine, he still couldn't shake the fact that he was always in a bad mood upon waking. Although, it wasn't as severe as his daughter Rin's.

The only person who knew this was Tokiomi's wife. He didn't want Rin to find out; otherwise, he'd never be able to maintain his dignified image in front of her again.

From now on…

Thinking of this, Tokiomi felt both happy and melancholic.

The Holy Grail War could no longer continue, and the family's long-cherished wish to reach the Root could not be realized in his generation. The next chance would be sixty years from now, and Rin wouldn't need to bear that burden.

After getting up, washing, dressing, and settling into his usual elegant demeanor, Tohsaka Tokiomi couldn't help but think of Tatsuya Suzuki.

Two days ago, Kirei's Servant reported back that Tatsuya had taken the day off from training Sakura and spent it taking her and Caren out to play.

Instead of being upset at Tatsuya for neglecting Sakura's education, Tokiomi felt deeply gratified.

With such a father figure raising Sakura, Tokiomi felt more at ease.

"I just wonder if Suzuki-kun has such a severe temper when waking up," Tokiomi joked to himself.

However, as he reached the door of his study, intending to contact Father Risei to devise a detailed plan for purifying the Greater Holy Grail, Kirei appeared in the corridor.

"You're here, Kirei." Tokiomi didn't think much of it, assuming that the old priest had sent Kirei to deliver a message.

Since all parties had agreed to a ceasefire, Tokiomi didn't think it was unusual for Kirei to choose this time to visit.

He turned around, opened the study door, and walked in, inviting Kirei to follow.

Gilgamesh was already there in spirit form.

Tokiomi wasn't surprised; this free-spirited Servant appeared wherever he pleased.

"Teacher Tokiomi, may I take up a little of your time?" Kirei asked.

"What's the matter?" Tokiomi stopped and turned around.

"My father is dead."

Kirei stated this fact in his usual calm tone, causing Tokiomi's pupils to suddenly contract.

"Father Risei is dead?!" Tokiomi's composed demeanor shattered, and he roared in anger, "Now that all parties have reached a truce, who would do such a thing!?"

Was it Emiya Kiritsugu? That man had never had the dignity of a magus from the start.

Or was it Tatsuya Suzuki? But compared to someone who would kill members of the Holy Church, the young man favored by the Clock Tower's Monarch of the Creation Department would surely understand the consequences better than anyone else.

Rather than provoke the Holy Church, Tatsuya would definitely choose to do something the Magic Association would tolerate.

—For example, he might seize the opportunity presented by the Holy Grail War to decisively and legally eliminate Kenneth, the monarch of the noble faction. This would bring significant benefits to his own faction and solidify his position within it.

So, who could it be?

Tokiomi had no answer. Gradually, he calmed his inner rage, and the desire to uncover the truth reoccupied his mind.

"Kirei, do you have any leads on this matter?" He looked at his disciple.

Having lost his father, Kirei's grief should be even greater than Tokiomi's loss of a friend.

So, Tokiomi wanted to help his favored disciple seek revenge.

"No, there's no progress at the moment," Kirei replied. "I came here to ask a favor of you, Mr. Tokiomi."

"Please speak," Tokiomi said, not refusing.

Tokiomi would do his best to help Kirei find the real culprit, using the full power of the Tōsaka family.

"I've secured the core of the Lesser Grail but lack a suitable container."

"What?" Tokiomi was taken aback by the completely unrelated request.

But he didn't have time to process what was happening.

The Command Seal-bearing hand flew into the air.

Kirei had severed it cleanly in an instant, and a heavy blow to the abdomen caused Tokiomi to lose consciousness before the pain could even register. He collapsed to the floor.

"What I want to borrow is Tokiomi-sensei's body as a magus," Kirei said with a satisfied smile. "In the end, you never understood my true nature, teacher."

"What a man! Not satisfied with killing his own father, now he turns on his teacher,"

The golden figure of Gilgamesh gradually materialized on the sofa. He didn't even glance at Tokiomi, merely offering a cold comment on Kirei's actions.

Since the Servant was present, Tokiomi, unaware of Gilgamesh's shift in loyalty, had been completely off-guard.

"After all, my master still has the Command Seals on him. If he activated them before losing consciousness, even the King of Heroes would find it troublesome," Kirei said nonchalantly.

"Well done." Gilgamesh sneered, looking at Kirei. "But the Holy Grail has only absorbed the souls of two Servants. It's far from being able to activate, isn't it?"

"Should Assassin commit suicide?" Kirei asked.

"Let that shadow linger for now. Although it's weak, it could be useful cannon fodder if handled properly," Gilgamesh stood up. "Annoying as it is, let Tokiomi continue as my master for now and supply me with mana."

The Command Seals were merely a means to maintain the contract. Even if they were exhausted, the actual master-servant relationship could be sustained as long as the contract wasn't severed by the Servant.

Moreover, Tokiomi's hand holding the Command Seals had been severed, so there was no way for him to use them.

"Then let's keep the contract for later, King of Heroes." Kirei revealed the Command Seals on his right arm, those managed by the Holy Church. "If necessary, you can use these Command Seals to provide mana."

That book had been managed by his father. Even after his death, it was protected by a special encryption method and couldn't be removed directly.

"Oh? How did you get them?" Gilgamesh, knowing the backstory of these Command Seals, showed some interest.

Kotomine Kirei displayed a wicked smile. "For that, I can only thank my old friend."

He was referring to Tatsuya Suzuki.

In the past, during a mission they carried out together, the target had resisted fiercely and was killed by Tatsuya before he could reveal any information.

So Tatsuya taught Kirei a special necromancy spell—Speak With Dead.

According to Tatsuya, this magic could only be performed by killing someone other than the deceased.

Kirei tried it on his dead father last night just to see if it worked.

It was barely successful, and the spell failed after only a short response.

But one sentence was enough for Kirei to learn how to obtain those Command Seals.

John, Chapter 4.

Because it was so sudden, the remaining spiritual power of the deceased Risei couldn't completely reject his own son, Kirei.

"That man again?"

Gilgamesh's expression grew increasingly intrigued.