The moment Tohsaka Sakura heard Vivian's words, she felt her heart plummet into an ice abyss. She looked at the other party incredulously, instinctively stepping back.
"Teacher... what are you saying? Mr. Ian is your husband?"
Vivian, likely having anticipated Tohsaka Sakura's reaction, nodded and continued, "Yes. You heard correctly. Ian... is my husband."
"..." In an instant, Tohsaka Sakura's already fragile heart was shattered once more. She instinctively denied it: "Miss Vivian. How could what you're saying be true? Mr. Ian... he's a British Knight from a thousand years ago!"
"..." Vivian didn't answer Tohsaka Sakura directly, but looked at her with pity. The witch's heart held no hatred for her student at this moment, only an lingering regret after revealing the truth. "Sakura. I know this is... a difficult thing for you to accept. But—" Vivian looked back at her Knight husband. "That is the truth. If you find it hard to believe, perhaps you can consider why I know his name."
"..." Tohsaka Sakura's eyes widened slightly, like a budding flower. All past memories at this moment connected in her mind. Why would someone as powerful as Vivian help her participate in the Holy Grail War? Was it because she favored her as a student? No. It was because she wanted her to summon Ian. His name, and everything else, was something she already knew.
If that's the case—the reason why the two of them had such an intimate relationship before was probably due to this identity. And the most important, and most difficult to comprehend, was longevity. But perhaps none of this was a problem for Vivian. After all, for a magus of her caliber, maintaining youth was probably just a matter of a few spells.
The moment she recognized all this, Tohsaka Sakura felt her world collapse. At this moment, her and her teacher Vivian's positions had completely reversed. The other person was the one who truly held his affection. She... was merely a latecomer.
"Impossible!" "This is absolutely impossible!" Tohsaka Sakura clutched her head, beginning to deny the truth that threatened to destroy her entire world. "Miss Vivian, you're lying!"
"..." If it were before, Vivian felt she would probably have been triumphantly happy at Tohsaka Sakura's breakdown at this moment. But now—for her, who had experienced the complete joy of something lost and found, every word of Tohsaka Sakura denying the truth pierced the witch's heart. This moment was precisely like that moment. How could it be so similar... Vivian could completely understand that heart-wrenching pain.
"I'm sorry, Sakura." The witch expressed her apology, yet it seemed somewhat pale and rude. Yes. Besides apologizing, what else could she say? She couldn't possibly send her husband back to Tohsaka Sakura's side in some strange way, could she? That was absolutely impossible—she had already lost him once, so she absolutely could not make the same mistake again.
"Liars!" "You're all liars!" A few tears fell from Tohsaka Sakura's eyes, and then she ran out of the room where Ian was originally summoned.
"Sakura!" Seeing his Master run out, Ian immediately reacted. He glanced at Vivian, seemingly contemplating something. After a moment of hesitation, the man left a message: "Vivian... no matter what happens next, please don't blame Sakura. Please." Having said that, Ian also left.
As she watched Ian's retreating figure, Vivian's lips trembled slightly, but in the end, she said nothing. No. To be precise, she knew that words had long lost their intended purpose. At the moment of this showdown, they had embarked on an unpredictable future. Even a magus like Vivian was powerless in this regard. The only thing to do was to wait and see.
[You temporarily left the Tohsaka residence.]
[You searched for Tohsaka Sakura in the streets outside.]
[You are very worried that she, being agitated, might do something out of the ordinary.]
It was spring, and the snow on the streets of Japan had long melted. Being a holiday, even in the morning, there were quite a few people on the road. But Ian had no mind for any of this—at this moment, he just wanted to find her quickly.
"Sakura—!"
"Sakura—!"
"Have any of you seen a girl about this tall, with long black hair, blue eyes, and who's quite cute?"
Passersby looked on confusedly as a man anxiously described a girl to everyone he encountered. However—those who paid attention to others were always a minority; most replies were "I'm not sure" or "I don't know." But Ian had no thought of giving up. He had prepared himself mentally for everything before deciding to confess completely to Tohsaka Sakura. Regardless, the man knew at this moment that he must find Tohsaka Sakura and ensure her safety.
It seemed that his sincerity was recognized by heaven, or perhaps there weren't many places Tohsaka Sakura could go. Ian quickly received accurate directions from someone.
"You mean over there?!" "I understand, thank you so much!"
After winding his way around, Ian found himself back in a familiar place. It was—the park where he and Tohsaka Sakura had once been in the snow.
[You remember this place.]
[The last time you came here to look for her too.]
[And that time, it was because Tohsaka Sakura confirmed that the scabbard of Excalibur Gallatin had been taken by her sister, Tohsaka Rin.]
[You are not surprised that she came here.]
[After all, there aren't many places she knows.]
He saw her. He saw her. In Ian's sight, the girl sat alone, glumly, on the rather dilapidated swing. Her eyes were hollow and lifeless, looking as if she had lost her most precious treasure. No. That description alone might not be enough—at least, it needed the premise that the treasure could never be retrieved.
Looking at Tohsaka Sakura like this, Ian felt his heart being squeezed, even his breathing became somewhat difficult. But he still had to communicate.
"Sakura," the man forced a smile, then walked towards her. "Why did you come here?"
"..." Hearing the familiar voice, Tohsaka Sakura looked up. The moment she saw Ian, a light appeared in her eyes, but in the next instant, it turned into the deepest, darkest black.
"Liar," she rarely spoke such a judgment to him. "You're all liars."
"..." Knowing that Tohsaka Sakura felt betrayed. So, facing her "address," Ian chose to silently endure it all.
"Yes," the man walked in front of Tohsaka Sakura, knelt down, and nodded. "I am indeed a big liar. I should have—confessed my feelings for Vivian to you sooner. Sakura, I'm sorry."
"..." Hearing this, Tohsaka Sakura was about to scold Ian and Vivian for deceiving her together, but then realized something seemed off. She felt that Ian didn't seem to know that Vivian was his wife. Was he still lying to her? Having been deceived once, Tohsaka Sakura found it difficult to trust what she saw and heard—she decided to test him slightly.
"Mr. Ian, what do you mean?" The girl looked at him. "Confess earlier—how much earlier do you mean?"
"..." Feeling that Tohsaka Sakura wasn't completely unwilling to communicate with him. Ian stood up, sat on another swing beside her, and patiently recounted his emotional journey.
"Very early. Perhaps—the first moment I saw Vivian, I already had that feeling."
"..." Ian's description made Tohsaka Sakura even more concerned. She felt that he, before her, truly didn't know he was Vivian's husband.
"Mr. Ian." "Do you mean... you already liked Miss Vivian the first time you saw her?"
"..." Ian didn't hide his true feelings; instead, he openly displayed them to her. "You could say yes, or you could say no. Actually—I didn't realize it at first. It was only after Rider took me to see the despondent Vivian... that I realized what all those emotions I had felt because of her truly were. Sakura." The Knight looked at his Master beside him. "I do like Vivian, and I probably already felt that way the first time we met."
"..." Despite it being spring, with flowers blooming and snow melting, Tohsaka Sakura felt the air she breathed was still as cold as winter. He had personally admitted his feelings for Vivian in front of her, and without any concealment. Besides—he hadn't conspired with her teacher Vivian to deceive her. He simply liked her, and even after losing his memory, it was the kind of love at first sight. Thinking about it, if he remembered, Ian would have recognized Vivian long ago. Why would he have to wait until now?
"Mr. Ian." Tohsaka Sakura looked at him beside her, her tone becoming increasingly sad. "So—you... actually never had any feelings for me?"
Hearing this, Ian smiled slightly. "How could that be? Sakura." The man gently stroked Tohsaka Sakura's head, comforting her in this way. "If there truly were no feelings—I wouldn't be here at this moment, would I?"
"But Mr. Ian, you said you like Miss Vivian," Tohsaka Sakura continued.
"Yes," the man nodded, "but you are also someone I care about. So—" Ian gently wiped away Tohsaka Sakura's tears, then made up his mind. "If you truly mind me liking Vivian, then use a Command Spell to erase my memories. I won't resist—as for Vivian, I've already stated my thoughts to her."
Anti-Magic is essentially the individual will resisting external magecraft. In the complete absence of any will to resist, even A-rank or higher Anti-Magic would be meaningless. Ian knew he owed Tohsaka Sakura. So—in this final moment, he decided to return the power of choice to her hands. Ian truly liked Vivian to his very core. But this didn't mean he could abandon Tohsaka Sakura. Whatever the outcome, he would accept it calmly.
"..." Tohsaka Sakura fell silent. She knew that, given Ian's character, he would never make such a promise lightly—he had truly given the freedom of choice completely back to her. To choose to let him love the person he loved; or to erase the person he loved and continue to be cared for by him. Tohsaka Sakura had reached her crossroads.
However—facing this incredibly difficult choice, the girl found that she already had the answer.
"Don't hurt him anymore," Vivian's words echoed in her ears. That's right. His love, from the moment he met Vivian, had already shifted. What remained by her side now was merely the absolute loyalty of a Knight. And it was this loyalty that allowed the girl's love to blossom boldly.
Since—he was willing to completely abandon that affection for this loyalty. Then what was there to hesitate about?
"Mr. Ian, I won't do that. If you truly like Miss Vivian—" Tohsaka Sakura, tears in her eyes, smiled and gave her blessing. "Then go ahead and like her well. But—" Tohsaka Sakura held the man's hand. "After you and Miss Vivian are together, will we still have the chance to kiss every night like lovers, bathe together, go on dates, and have passionate encounters? I... I don't want to lose you just like that."
The girl's words had just fallen when she felt herself pulled into an embrace. The next moment, it was the man's gentle yet fervent kiss.
"Sakura." "There will be a chance... there definitely will be. It's just... I'm truly sorry."
"..." The girl's tears overflowed at this moment. She tightly hugged her Mr. Ghost, sobbing in his arms. She had done everything a lover would do, yet still hadn't taken the final step. Tohsaka Sakura was unwilling, but she also knew it had to end here—because love isn't a shackle meant to restrain the other person.
However, the girl didn't notice that Vivian had actually followed them and was hidden in the shadows, witnessing everything. This witch, who had traversed a thousand years, finally acknowledged her student's feelings for her husband because of Tohsaka Sakura's compromise. She chose to concede a little, allowing them to maintain this impure relationship. After all—no matter which side, it was something the Knight could not abandon at this moment.
[You settled this emotional conflict in a bleeding, confrontational manner.]
[But this does not mean the end—the true enemies are only now revealing themselves.]
[On the same night, a Servant battle erupted.]
[It was a battle between Assassin Li Shuwen and Caster Solomon, whom you had no knowledge of!]