Irisviel Von Einzbern..
In the silence, the faint sound of the woman's steady breathing echoed in his ears as the named emerged in his mind.
The air was thick with an almost tangible concentration of magical energy.
In the modern era, few mages possessed such immense magical circuits... and in Fuyuki, only one person could wield such power.
And it was none other than Manaka Sajyou.
It was obvious that she was the one who kidnapped Irisviel, but why?
While such thoughts swirled inside Alvin's confused mind, the lady there seemed completely unaware of Alvin's presence.
At this moment, her eyes were tightly shut, and her expression tinged with subtle melancholy that tugged at the heart.
Alvin looked around .
Manaka had clearly been in this room not long ago, as he could still sense her lingering presence.
But where had she gone now...?
However, he quickly gathered his thoughts and stepped forward, gently touching the 'silver threads' binding Irisviel.
Buzz!
The air trembled slightly with magical energy, and faint sounds of shattering echoed faintly.
As the silver threads snapped, Irisviel slumped powerlessly to the ground.
As if sensing something, she slowly lifted her head to look forward, vaguely seeing the silhouette of a Servant in her blurred vision.
"Saber... It seems Illya found you successfully,"
The woman said soon after.
Her aura was cool and delicate, yet her gaze remained fixed on Alvin.
"You know me?"
Alvin asked, feeling a bit surprised.
After all, logically speaking, Irisviel had been secluded in the Einzbern Castle since the start of the Holy Grail War and shouldn't have met him.
Even if she somehow heard about the stories of the white dragon, she shouldn't have known it was him at the very first glance.
But after speaking as he took a deep look at her, Alvin quickly realized something was off.
From the moment he saw Irisviel,
he had felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity and closeness... as if he had seen her somewhere before.
Soon, he seemed to realize something as he said. "No... You're not Irisviel. Who are you?"
'Irisviel' was still dressed in her pure white gown, adorned with intricate embroidery on the chest.
Her pale, breathtakingly beautiful face was expressionless, and her serene crimson eyes carried an almost divine gentleness, as if pitying the world.
However, that was not Irisviel.
"Even among the Servants in this Holy Grail War, your perception is among the sharpest, Saber."
'Irisviel' parted her red lips, her voice slightly weak but tinged with admiration in her crimson eyes.
It was as if she was completely unconcerned by her current predicament.
"I am indeed not Irisviel.
After creating the Greater Holy Grail system in the past, my soul dissipated, and the last remnant of my consciousness has been slumbering within the Greater Holy Grail."
'Irisviel's' voice remained soft and gentle, with a cool quality.
"Waking up this time... was merely an accident."
Before Irisviel fell unconscious, Manaka Sajyou's actions had inadvertently awakened the lingering consciousness within the Greater Holy Grail, the Winter Saint, the original head of the Einzbern family.
Even the Winter Saint herself hadn't expected that, after two hundred years, she would awaken in such a way, possessing the body of her descendant.
If not for the Winter Saint's appearance, Alvin might not have had the chance to find this place.
In a way, this could be considered a kind of fate...
With this thought, 'Irisviel's' gaze lingered on Alvin for a moment before she spoke softly. "I can sense that your magical energy is unique... It's from the Root, isn't it?"
"But it doesn't seem complete... Did the Root Princess share it with you?"
As the foundation of the Greater Holy Grail, even though she was in a weakened state at this moment, the Winter Saint could still perceive detailed information about the Servants in this Holy Grail War.
She could tell that Alvin was currently without a Master's mana supply... yet he still had an endless stream of magical energy sustaining him.
That was the 'Root' shared by Manaka Sajyou.
Though she appeared cold and ruthless, the Root Princess seemed quite devoted to her Servant...
"Why are you here? What is Manaka planning?"
Alvin's voice pulled 'Irisviel' back from her thoughts.
"She has already become the 'Lesser Holy Grail,' and not long ago, she altered one of the Holy Grail War's rules... If I'm not mistaken, Miss Sajyou is likely preparing to summon a new Servant now," 'Irisviel' said.
Altering the Holy Grail War's rules...?
Alvin couldn't help but pause for a moment.
Becoming the Lesser Holy Grail and modifying its rules after analyzing its structure... It sounded simple, but in reality, few could achieve it.
To put it bluntly, Manaka Sajyou had gone from a participant to a cheating administrator with some 'unfair' advantages.
"She's really getting serious about winning the Holy Grail War..."
Alvin couldn't help but mutter to himself, however...
Irisviel gently shook her head. "It's not about winning the Holy Grail War. She simply wants the Greater Holy Grail to exist in Fuyuki forever."
At those words, Alvin froze, his mind going blank for a moment.
Manaka wants the Greater Holy Grail to exist forever?
Why? Does she want to fight Holy Grail Wars for the rest of her life...?
He thought, half-joking to himself.
Before he looked at the woman in front of him and asked,
"Where is she now?"
'Irisviel' gave the young man a deep look and said softly, "You don't need to go looking for her... This room is surrounded by more than seven detection barriers. From the moment you stepped inside, she likely already sensed you."
"If I'm not mistaken, she's probably already on her way to find you."
...
...
Just as "Irisviel" had speculated, the moment Alvin stepped into the warehouse, Manaka Sajyou had already sensed an intruder.
At that very moment, she stood before a crimson magic circle, chanting the incantation for a "summoning ritual."
The manifestation of the Greater Holy Grail required a sufficient amount of magical energy.
Defeated Servants would be temporarily absorbed by the Lesser Holy Grail, and once enough had been collected, the Greater Holy Grail, known as the "wish-granting device," would descend.
What she was doing now was ensuring the Greater Holy Grail's appearance, then analyzing its structure to keep it permanently active.
To translate her intentions. "Let's fight the Holy Grail War forever."
Buzz!
However, just as Manaka finished her incantation, a surge of magical energy rippled powerfully from the adjacent warehouse.
Someone had come to rescue Irisviel... Manaka wasn't surprised in the least.
She slowly lifted her delicate, refined face, a faint smile glimmering in her deep blue eyes.
Every step she took was guided by her [Omniscience and Omnipotence], which allowed her to foresee what would happen in the future.
The fact that someone would come to save Irisviel was naturally within her expectations.
However, this time, her [Omniscience and Omnipotence] didn't reveal "who" would come to rescue Irisviel.
Still, to think someone could take her away right under her nose...
Did they underestimate her too much?
Manaka quietly closed her eyes.
In an instant, her powerful perception enveloped nearly half the port, silently registering the magical energy flowing through everyone within its bounds.
Then, as if sensing something, she abruptly opened her eyes, a trace of disbelief in her gaze as she murmured to herself, "Saber...?"
...