Fate/Magus Path

After finding the Fujou sisters, who knew the most about the Tohno Family besides Akiha, Roy began to seek their secrets about Roa and the Tohno Family.

He couldn't help but clench his fists as he heard the truth behind it.

...

"We are the descendants of the Fujou Family, and Makihisa Tohno adopted us just to utilize the power in our bloodline to suppress his demonic impulses."

The Fujou Family lineage is also one of the four great demon hunter families, and its bloodline possesses the ability to purify, if used properly, it can indeed be used to suppress the demonic impulses of the Tohno Family's demonic bloodline, and the best way to do that is to...

Thinking of that possibility, Roy fell silent and did not make a sound just quietly looked at the girl in front of him.

"In the year when I was nine years old, Makihisa called me to his room and forcibly defiled me, and afterward made me go to the basement to accompany SHIKI to suppress his demonic impulse..."

As expected...

The answer received was not out of Roy's expectation, the best way to utilize her lineage to restrain the demonic impulse was the exchange of bodily fluids.

Akiha was fine, being the same female, she couldn't exchange body fluids with Kohaku in the most direct way, and could only rely on feeding on the blood to suppress it.

But if the other party was male ...

The previous Head of the family, Makihisa Tohno, adopted them precisely to utilize this trait to maintain his sanity.

He even went so far as to defile Kohaku at the age of nine.

After Kohaku was defiled, she made a pact with Makihisa Tohno to protect her younger sister, Hisui. She offered to help him suppress his urges, under the condition that Hisui could lead a normal life.

Perhaps it was guilt, or maybe it was the fear that Kohaku might take her own life and deprive him of the means to control the demon blood within him. Whatever the reason, Makihisa Tohno agreed to her demand and spared Hisui, allowing her to live a normal life.

Later, as SHIKI was resurrected, the demon blood coursing through him made him even more uncontrollable. Under Makihisa's orders, Kohaku was forced into the dungeon to suppress SHIKI's frenzied impulses.

Day after day, subjected to abuse and violation at the hands of the Tohno father and son, Kohaku's mind finally shattered. Her heart burned with unrelenting flames of anger, sorrow, and hatred that tore at her very soul.

Determined to seek revenge and eliminate the threat once and for all, Kohaku secretly studied herbal medicine. She feigned cooperation, helping Makihisa and SHIKI suppress their impulses, gradually earning their trust and lowering their guard.

During this time, she used her access to Makihisa Tohno's chambers to uncover a secret: both Shiki and she were descendants of demon hunter families, originating from the Nanaya Family... a family annihilated by the Tohno Family. Makihisa had sealed Shiki's memories with magecraft, making him believe he was a child of the Tohno Family.

Though she didn't understand why Makihisa kept Shiki alive, Kohaku felt a pang of empathy upon realizing that Shiki, like herself, was a victim of Makihisa's machinations.

When the opportunity arose, Kohaku poisoned the daily medicine Makihisa consumed, causing his sudden death in his study.

After Makihisa's death, SHIKI, confined in the dungeon, was left unprotected. Kohaku attempted to use poison again to kill him, but his body underwent an unimaginable transformation. No matter how potent the poison, it couldn't harm him.

"…"

At this point, Roy pieced together the truth... Roa, the so-called eldest son of the Tohno Family, was none other than SHIKI Tohno.

The reason Kohaku's poison had no effect on SHIKI was simple: ordinary poison couldn't kill Roa, the Dead Apostle Ancestor.

"Is SHIKI still in the dungeon?"

"No… I released him."

"Released him?"

"…Explain yourself. You wouldn't have let him go so easily."

"Yes."

Under Roy's hypnosis, Kohaku nodded and began recounting the elaborate plan she had meticulously crafted over the years... a plan fueled by hatred, designed to annihilate the entire Tohno Family.

Kohaku's plan was intricate. After realizing poison couldn't kill SHIKI, she began lacing his meals with hallucinogenic toxins. She repeatedly planted suggestions that all his suffering was Makihisa's fault, eventually driving him mad before SHIKI returned to the Tohno household.

She secretly released SHIKI from the dungeon, setting the stage for him to commit atrocities against family members and innocent people. This resulted in Roa, who had reincarnated in SHIKI's body, escaping.

Kohaku's ultimate goal was for SHIKI to wreak havoc in Misaki Town, attracting the attention of the Tohno Family, a self-proclaimed demon hunter. She would then maneuver events so that SHIKI became the target of Shiki and Akiha's wrath, leading to a climactic confrontation.

The final step of her plan was to insert herself into the battle between Akiha and Shiki, deliberately exposing herself to SHIKI's attack. She bet everything on Akiha, the only Tohno Family member who had shown her kindness, sacrificing herself to save her.

This, Kohaku hoped, would provoke SHIKI into killing Akiha, incurring the full wrath of Shiki. Ultimately, Shiki would kill him, completing her vengeance.

By that point, Makihisa, SHIKI, and Akiha would all be dead, and Kohaku's revenge would be complete... a culmination of years of planning and suffering.

Roy couldn't help but admire the sheer audacity and detail of Kohaku's plan. To gamble her life on the hope that Akiha would sacrifice herself for her... success was uncertain, but the resolve was undeniable.

Yet…

"What will you do once your plan succeeds?"

This time, Roy released Kohaku from her hypnotic state. He wanted to hear the truth from the girl consumed by hatred.

A hum reverberated in the room.

"What… What have you done?!"

Freed from the hypnosis, Kohaku's expression wavered as memories flooded back to her. Her gaze fell on Hisui, standing beside Roy with vacant eyes, and her composure crumbled. She shouted in panic, "What did you do to my sister?!"

Having prepared a soundproof bounded field in advance, Roy calmly silenced her outburst.

"Calm down, Kohaku. I've done nothing improper to Hisui. She's merely under the influence of my illusions."

"Rest assured, the secrets and plans you just revealed to me will be wiped from her memory. I will ensure she forgets everything she overheard."

Realizing the power gap between them and fearing for Hisui's safety, Kohaku ceased her futile struggle. Her eyes turned icy as she glared at Roy. "What is it you want?"

"I infiltrated this estate only to uncover the secrets of the Tohno Family." Roy replied, his tone matter-of-fact.

"Forgive me for overhearing your plans for revenge and the tragic past that shaped you, Miss Kohaku."

"You... Are you planning to tell Lady Akiha and Master Shiki about this?"

Kohaku's body trembled as her deepest secret was exposed. The destruction of the Tohno household... the place that had tormented her entire life... had become her sole reason for survival. But now that her plan was uncovered, if he told Akiha…

What would she do then?

Despair clouded Kohaku's eyes.

"No, I won't do that."

Roy shook his head slightly, sighing as he observed the fragile state of the woman before him.

"I won't interfere. This is your grudge against the Tohno Family, not mine."

"You won't stop me?"

His response left Kohaku visibly surprised.

By all logic, having allied with Akiha, Roy should have stood on the side of the Tohno Family. Why, then, would he make such a choice? Doubt crept into her heart, accompanied by fear that he might reveal her plans.

Kohaku didn't fear death; her heart had already withered by the time she was nine. But what if her failed plans brought harm to her sister, Hisui? That was an unbearable thought.

Killing him to silence the threat would be the most practical solution. Yet, the man before her, who claimed to be the current Lord of the Einzbern Family, possessed overwhelming strength. He could crush her with the flick of a finger. This path was futile.

At that moment, Kohaku realized she had completely lost the upper hand.

Seeing the despair etched on Kohaku's face and the trembling of her delicate hands, Roy took a step forward. In an instant, he appeared before her, pressing a fingertip that glowed faintly with blue light against her forehead. A spell to restore clarity washed over her mind.

"What are you trying to do?" 

"I told you, this is between you and the Tohno Family. I won't stop you or tell anyone. I only wish to hear the truth of your feelings."

"My feelings?"

Roy gazed into her tumultuous eyes and continued, "You're wagering that Akiha would undoubtedly save you. That speaks volumes about how important you are to her. Important enough that she would give her life for yours."

"Your revenge is justified... the Tohno Family destroyed your past, shattered your life. But to exploit Akiha's kindness and friendship for your vengeance is a path of extremity."

"So tell me, Kohaku... how do you perceive her kindness, and how do you live with yourself knowing you'll extinguish it with your own hands?"

Roy's words pierced Kohaku's heart like a blade, cutting straight to her deepest fears.

Yes, Akiha Tohno was unlike the others in her accursed family. From the very beginning, she had never mistreated her, never reduced her to a mere tool. To both her and Hisui, Akiha had extended genuine friendship.

And yet…

Akiha was still a Tohno. The Tohno Family had to perish. The monstrous family that had tormented her must be eradicated. Kohaku's hatred had long since twisted and shattered her heart under the weight of their atrocities.

Even so, she clenched her jaw and gave her answer.

"I will take my own life. Once my revenge is complete, I will repent for using Lady Akiha and for taking her life. After ensuring my sister is safe, I will end my existence at the place where Lady Akiha fell."

Though her voice quivered with emotion, it carried unyielding resolve.

She would not abandon her revenge.

From the moment she finalized her plan, she had accepted her own death as inevitable.

So long as she could drag that monstrous family into the depths of hell, she would face any consequence.

"I see…"

Hearing her determined words and witnessing the depths of her resolve, Roy sighed softly.

An old saying echoed in his mind: For a revenger who has embraced their fate, words of counsel only insult their conviction.

He would not urge Kohaku to relinquish her hatred. Neither would he aid her in her quest for revenge. Some paths must be walked alone.

With that, Roy turned to Hisui and uttered a spell, erasing her memory of everything she had just heard.

Moments later, Hisui collapsed, unconscious, into Roy's arms. He gently laid her on a chair in Kohaku's room and covered her with a blanket.

"What are you…?"

"I've erased her memory of our conversation." Roy said plainly. "She won't remember a thing. When she wakes, you can offer any explanation you wish. I assume your sister trusts you deeply."

Seeing Roy act as he promised, Kohaku lowered her head, her voice softening. "Thank you for your mercy…"

"No, this is not mercy. It's respect for your resolve. I once had a dear friend who carried a burden of hatred much like yours. Through his own strength and cunning, he avenged himself against those who wronged him."

"And in your eyes, I see the same determination that burned within him. So go, Kohaku. Pursue your path. I look forward to the day you achieve your vengeance, no matter how it ends."

Roy gently patted her shoulder, acknowledging the unwavering determination in her heart.

From a rational perspective, siding with Akiha Tohno would be the more advantageous choice... her assistance had proven invaluable thus far. Revealing Kohaku's plans to her and eliminating this unpredictable variable would be the logical course of action.

But Roy chose otherwise. Everyone involved in this affair was a victim. Makihisa and SHIKI had scarred Kohaku beyond repair. Kohaku, in turn, manipulated Akiha and Shiki in her quest for revenge. It was nothing more than a vicious cycle of hatred.

The true villains were the deceased Makihisa and SHIKI, now a vessel for Roa's reincarnation. The tragedy stemmed from them, and so, Roy resolved to let these entangled grievances unfold on their own. Let them find their conclusion at the hands of those involved.

If the Count were in his place, faced with this girl's plight, would he have felt the same empathy? Would he have made the same decision?

He probably would. After all, no one knew better than him how stubborn that man could be.

Hearing Roy's words, the tension in Kohaku's body dissolved. Her eyes closed tightly, and tears streamed down her face in uncontrollable torrents. She sank to her knees, her voice trembling.

"Thank you… Thank you… for this immense kindness… I…"

Watching Kohaku crumble into a sobbing mess, Roy sighed softly, then asked, "Do you know SHIKI's current whereabouts?"

"No… I don't." Kohaku replied, shaking her head.

"Then where is the Tohno Family's dungeon? I need to investigate it."

"It's located…"

After receiving the information, Roy promptly left Kohaku's room and continued his search through the Tohno estate.

He first infiltrated Akiha's quarters, then Makihisa's room, and finally, the family's hidden archive. There, he discovered Makihisa Tohno's personal notes, which he meticulously read through.

The contents corroborated the Aozaki family records and Kohaku's testimony. Makihisa was indeed a textbook example of a depraved magus, no better than Zouken Matou, that vile old worm.

In Makihisa's room, Roy found an old photograph of him with SHIKI. He snapped a picture of SHIKI's appearance with his phone and sent it to Alice, instructing her to use Song of Sixpence to locate him in Misaki Town... but to take no rash actions.

Following Kohaku's directions, Roy reached the dungeon hidden in the Tohno Family's mountain estate. The dungeon, though long abandoned, bore clear traces of habitation.

One chamber showed signs of recent use. The scorched remains of a fire lay on the ground, iron chains littered the area, and the walls were scarred with countless claw and stone marks, evidence of frenzied rage and desperation.

It was hard to believe that a human had once been confined here. The room felt more suited to a feral beast.

Scattered across the floor were various potion bottles and traces of herbs, confirming that Kohaku had indeed conducted her experiments on SHIKI in this very place.

What a pity…

By now, Roy was certain: Roa's soul had reincarnated into SHIKI Tohno.

If Kohaku hadn't released him, Roy could have dealt with him right then and there. But now, SHIKI's whereabouts remain a mystery.

"What a luck…" Roy pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. This family was a tangle of complications and melodrama, a storm of chaos that he found himself unwillingly caught in.

If it were unrelated to him, he might have walked away. But by sheer misfortune, this place had become the eye of the storm, dragging everything around it into its vortex.

He sighed and rubbed his temples. The investigation was mostly complete.

Now the question was: what should his next move be?

___

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