The port was eerily quiet in the dead of night.
Due to the continuous heavy snowfall over the past few days, transport ships had temporarily halted operations, and not a single figure could be seen in the darkness.
At that moment, two figures were weaving through the night.
---
...
Not long ago, after "Irisviel" reminded him, Alvin realized something.
While Manaka Sajyou's [Omniscience and Omnipotence] might not work on him, her own perception was still incredibly sharp...
Moreover, he was still her Servant.
If she used a Command Seal, no matter how high his Magic Resistance was, he would ultimately have no choice but to obey.
'I have to get Irisviel out of here first...' Realizing this, Alvin immediately took action, carrying Irisviel as he left the port.
As his thoughts wandered, the two of them trudged through the snow, their footsteps making soft "crunching" sounds.
Before they knew it, they were nearing the edge of the port's boundaries.
In the air above, a faint crimson barrier flickered in and out of visibility.
It was a special barrier designed to conceal presence.
To avoid detection, Manaka Sajyou had deliberately set it up.
But just as the two were about to leave the port's range, a clear, melodious girl's voice suddenly came from the darkness ahead.
"Saber?"
As the voice rang out, "Irisviel's" body visibly tensed.
Even as one of the founders of the Holy Grail system, she couldn't help but feel wary of the Root Princess, especially in her current weakened state, where she was merely a lingering consciousness.
"Manaka noticed..."
Alvin's heart sank as he stepped forward, positioning himself in front of Irisviel.
Manaka Sajyou slowly emerged from the darkness.
Her black rose-colored dress swayed in the cold wind, her golden hair fluttering freely.
At this moment, a charming smile adorned her porcelain-like face as she gently pressed her hand against the skirt at her knees, her posture elegant, her tone filled with surprise and delight. "I didn't expect you to figure it out so quickly... I thought it would take at least a few days."
"When I first saw you get shot, I did think you were dead...
But then I realized, how could someone with [Omniscience and Omnipotence] not know to avoid danger in advance?"
Alvin sighed helplessly, continuing, "What exactly are you planning?"
He was genuinely exasperated at this point.
Not long ago, he had chosen Manaka Sajyou over Morgan in front of her... and he had even been quite satisfied with his decision.
After all, he knew Altria and Morgan's personalities.
If he had chosen Morgan at the time, both sisters would have felt some "regret."
Choosing to stay with Manaka Sajyou as his Master might have seemed like it offended the Altria sisters, but in reality, it was a choice that avoided offending either side.
After all, Altria was the type who, once she recognized a Master, would protect them until the end unless her principles were crossed.
She would naturally want Alvin to do the same.
As for Morgan... rejecting her would only fuel her desire to forcibly "N.T.R" him.
But he never could have imagined that, despite choosing Manaka Sajyou, she would pull off something this drastic.
Secretly altering the rules of the Holy Grail War... If the other Servants found out, they'd surely gang up on her, right?
Alvin gathered his thoughts and said in a low voice, "Manaka, it's not too late to stop now."
"Stop...?" The lagter tilted her head. "I'm doing all this so we can stay together forever, Alvin."
"As long as the Greater Holy Grail exists, Servants will never disappear... Don't you think that's a good thing?"
'But I still want to go back...'
Alvin hesitated for a moment before saying, "If there isn't enough magical energy... the Greater Holy Grail will still disappear, won't it?"
"As long as we keep supplying it with magical energy, it'll be fine...
And gathering magical energy is simple, defeated Servants can provide it."
Manaka smiled brightly.
"After all... the Greater Holy Grail already contains enough magical energy."
Her words made Alvin pause for a long moment.
Soon, as if recalling something critical, his eyes widened slowly.
"Wait a minute..."
'I'm in the Fourth Holy Grail War... but if I remember correctly, during the Third Holy Grail War, the Einzberns summoned an out-of-spec Avenger-class Servant, Angra Mainyu.
After Angra Mainyu was defeated and absorbed by the Holy Grail, it became contaminated.
The so-called "magical energy" within the Greater Holy Grail now is the "black mud" that can corrupt Servants, turning them into their blackened forms.
To keep the Greater Holy Grail existing permanently, Manaka Sajyou seemed completely unconcerned about the consequences.'
However, that wasn't a surprise, because for the Root Princess, she had no concept of "emotions" to begin with.
Acting on her whims, as long as she could achieve her goals...that was Manaka Sajyou.
"Don't you want to stay with me forever?"
Manaka suddenly asked, her deep blue eyes darkening slightly.
Alvin opened his mouth, intending to placate her first.
But before he could speak, the girl said softly, "Never mind... Once everything settles, you'll understand me."
"For now... come back to my side, Saber."
A Command Seal, recently transferred to Manaka, quietly faded.
The Command Seal activated!
Yet, Alvin remained completely still, making the girl freez for a moment.
"The Command Seal didn't work...?"
Because Saber's Magic Resistance was too high?
Well...it made sense—it was Saber, after all.
One Command Seal might not be enough for him.
If that was the case...
Manaka raised her right hand again, saying softly, "Saber, obey my command and return to my side—"
The second Command Seal glowed faintly!
Yet, there was still no response.
Manaka was utterly stunned.
"Huh...?
Why?"
Even a Servant with the highest Magic Resistance shouldn't be able to resist two Command Seals, right?
"Saber—"
Just as Manaka Sajyou was about to use her third Command Seal, someone slowly stepped forward from behind Alvin.
Silver hair danced in the cold wind, her white dress billowing backward, accentuating her alluring figure to perfection.
Upon seeing the silver-haired beauty behind Alvin, Manaka's eyes narrowed slightly as she said softly, "So it's you causing trouble, Winter Saint?"
Alvin turned to look at the woman behind him, his heart filled with shock. "...You can block Manaka's Command Seals?"
"It's not that I blocked her Command Seals... It's simply one of the rules of the Holy Grail War."
'Irisviel' shook her head gently, her voice clear and melodious.
"I can sense that not long ago, Miss Sajyou summoned a new Servant."
"According to the rules of the Holy Grail War... a Master can only have one Servant."
Her gaze softened as she looked at Manaka, saying gently, "Saber no longer belongs to you... Miss Sajyou."
Manaka's heart skipped a beat as she stared rigidly at 'Irisviel,' saying, "...What are you trying to do?"
"From the moment you summoned a second Servant, Saber became Masterless."
'Irisviel' lifted her eyes and said softly, "And I... also have no Servant."
As she spoke, her delicate, fair hand gently touched Alvin's right hand.
A cool, soft sensation came from her palm.
Buzz!
Under Manaka's stunned gaze, a new contract was formed...
The girl, as if in disbelief, slowly looked down at her own hands, then back ahead.
The contract between her and Alvin... had been severed.
"...What did you do?"
Her voice carried a faint tremble.
To think someone had stolen her Servant right in front of the Root Princess... and now this woman was even holding his hand.
What kind of humiliation was this?
Even Manaka Sajyou hadn't anticipated that someone would exploit the loophole she created by tampering with the Holy Grail's rules, forming a new contract with Saber the moment she summoned another Servant.
Boom!
At that moment, a dark pillar of light descended from the sky in a warehouse behind Manaka!
Almost simultaneously, mages across Fuyuki turned their attention to this direction.
In the Holy Church, Kirei Kotomine hurriedly stepped to the church's entrance, staring in disbelief at the pitch-black pillar near the port.
After gazing at it solemnly for a long time, he murmured,
"The eighth... Servant of the Holy Grail War?"
How could that be?
The Holy Grail War was supposed to involve only seven Servants.
Why now...?
And if he wasn't mistaken, this was...
Ruler?!
.
.
.