Chapter 2 – The Hideous Insects

I dashed through the corridors and rooms of the Matou residence. The maids and butlers had all evacuated to assess the situation, leaving me free to move. My current target was in the basement, concealed by Presence Concealment. Even if anyone remained in the residence, they wouldn't find me.

First, I needed to ensure whether all the insects in the basement were still alive. This would determine if Matou Zouken's main body was still intact or not.

I kept running and running, familiar with the layout of the house. So, I knew where I needed to go.

Corridors, turns, and stairs. I passed through them all without trouble.

Upon reaching the basement, I cheered silently. All the insects that resided here were gone. Not dead, but vanished. Completely vanished.

Without hesitation, I ran to Sakura. She lay there emptily, seemingly indifferent to what was happening around her. Seeing her in such a state was truly painful.

"Let's go," I spoke as gently as I could, reaching out my hand to her.

On the other side, she only stared at me, offering no response.

For a moment, there was only silence between us.

She continued to stare at me, and I didn't retract my hand, just offering the faintest smile.

Finally, she reached for my hand.

With that, everything was settled.

Once again, I traversed the Matou residence, exiting the area. There were no problems at all, no one found us.

The barrier I set up for the explosion would last for 30 minutes. After that, when the barrier was retracted, the trapped radiation waves would spread, affecting the surrounding environment. Since the residence was far from any settlements, I didn't think it would impact the surrounding populace. Well, I wasn't too concerned about that anyway.

But 30 minutes was a long time. So far, rescuing Sakura only took about 5 minutes. So, I still had plenty of time.

I planned to return after sending Sakura out of the Matou area. I would ask her to wait for me at the hotel later.

As for me, I would go back and gather some useful items.

Upon reaching the hotel, I spoke to Sakura.

"Wait for me here, I won't be long," I said, bowing slightly to match her height.

But once again, she only stared at me before nodding.

[Ding!]

[Mission: Save Matou Sakura. Complete!]

[Choose One of Three Rewards:]

[System Function.] [Equipment.] [Skill.]

That was surprising; I thought I would only receive a randomly determined reward. But it seemed I could choose, although it's still random.

System Function would be more useful here. If we refer to the system commonly seen in novels, it would be very helpful.

[Inventory Obtained.]

[Inventory size is 1 cubic meter.]

[Future rewards will further expand its size.]

This was incredible! Just when I was planning to raid Matou, they gave me something that would help me steal even more.

I was truly excited this time.

With that, I returned to the Matou residence. I had about 10 minutes. That should be enough time; I didn't plan to linger too long. I already knew what I wanted to take—basically information. So, books and other notes in the basement.

Oh, one thing I forgot to mention. While exploring the Matou residence, I also discovered the location of the Einzbern Castle. It was in Germany. So, after this, my destination would be Germany.

I still didn't know how to get there. It's very difficult in the modern day without proper identification. I wouldn't be able to board a plane, and while money wasn't a problem, stealing was my way of life now. If the original Kiritsugu were still here, he would probably kill me right now.

As I planned to leave after getting everything I needed, it appeared. A hideous insect creature, very large, causing a bloody mess.

"It's you! Magus Killer! I'll make you pay for all of this!"

Okay, I messed up. He was still alive. He hadn't shown up until now, so I thought he was done. But apparently not. Even so, his writhing body with insects indicated he wasn't fully recovered yet.

What stood before me could be described as a fleshy monster resembling an insect, or rather, more like a maggot or larva. The creature was still in the process of transforming into a human form. If that were the case, based on my understanding, he wouldn't be able to use Magecraft. His magic circuits should still be inoperative.

Still, how could I face him? The Mystic Eyes of Death Perception required a weapon to be useful in combat. I didn't even have any combat experience.

So, the most sensible decision in this situation was to run.

"You want to run!? Do you think I'll let you!?" the monster roared.

Well, the first plan failed.

I activated the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception; red lines spread throughout the area. It gave me a new idea: to destroy the entire basement. But I immediately dismissed it because I would be buried along with it.

On the monster's body, I also saw one point that stood out conspicuously. I didn't know what it was, but because it was indicated by the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, it must be at least a fatal weakness. Its position was on its right shoulder, quite unexpected.

"I will kill you!!!" the monster roared and began to charge at me.

If I wanted to use Presence Concealment, I needed to disappear from his sight first.

With that, I began to run and dodge his attacks.

BAM!

As expected, he couldn't use magic. But one of his attacks was enough to shatter my body.

Jumping from right to left, again and again, I finally had a chance when hiding behind a thick pillar. Activating Presence Concealment, I ran around the area once more. Earlier, I had seen some steel poles that I could use.

"This is it..." I got it, a wooden stick about a meter long and as thick as two fingers. And this not steel, but whatever. It might have been used for any stick; I didn't care. But it was enough. As long as I could avoid his attacks, I had a chance to end it once and for all.

Because Presence Concealment didn't allow for attacking him, I appeared a few meters in front of him.

"Hey, old Worm! I thought even a wild dog would bite harder. What are you really doing here?"

"You bastard!!!!!!" he roared once again and raised his right hand before slamming it down.

BAM!

But this was what I had been waiting for. I had been observing his attacks since earlier; he would pause for a moment after attacking. His hand would freeze in place for about 2 seconds. It was enough for me to jump and strike his death point.

"GuOOooooOoh!!!"

As planned, the attack ended it once again.

The giant insect's body began to crumble and collapse. What I stabbed was likely the core of his entire existence. By destroying it, it also marked his death.

[Mission: Kill Matou Zouken. Completed!]

[Choose one of the following 3 prizes.]

[System Function.] [Equipment.] [Skills.]

The announcement from the system once again served as validation for his death. But before I could choose a gift, an explosion once again sounded. Based on the distance and direction, I knew what it was. The barrier holding back the Radiation from the Hydrogen Bomb will be released.

"Very good. One problem is solved, and I'm stuck in another problem." I couldn't help but let out an annoyed sigh.

Activating Presence Concealment, I started running. But I know, I'm too late.

A big storm hit me. This would at least be enough to destroy my organs.

Slowly, I stepped forward with my right hand covering my eyes. Little by little, step by step. My legs felt weak, my head felt spinning, my stomach churned.

'Ah… this annoying.'

Slowly, my vision turned to darkness. But I can endure it. It might not be long, but I think I can escape its reach if I hold on a little longer.

I don't know how much time has passed, it feels very long. But I didn't fall as I expected. I'd like to think that my willpower is strong enough, but I know that's not the case. My internal organs weren't destroyed like they should have been, my skin didn't melt, my hair didn't fall out, and I didn't pass out.

When I reached the forest, where the radiation waves didn't reach, I fell.

"Kuhuk, Kuhk!" blood came out of my mouth. It keeps going out with no signs of stopping.

[Ding!]

[Your lifespan is reduced by 2 years.]

Good, my life which originally only had 5 years now only has 3 years left. Oh shit.

After calming down, I looked at my body. In appearance at least there is no problem.

This is not what should happen. My body is not injured. Even if my skin doesn't get burnt like it should, at least it will turn red like a skin disease. But no, nothing was really damaged apart from my clothes.

"Ah!" I suddenly realized.

Avalon, King Arthur's sword sheath. It should still be with Kiritsugu. Since I didn't save Shirou, then Avalon should still be with me. That explains why I wasn't hurt. No, actually I'm still losing age. Can't Avalon restore me completely? Who knows.

Activating Presence Concealment once again, I infiltrated the clothing store. My previous clothes were ruined, so I needed to get new ones. Of course, it's free, no thieves pay.

* * *

When I returned to the hotel where I left Sakura, I saw her asleep on the sofa. I was gone quite a long time, about 2 hours. I spent a lot of time resting and thinking.

I watched her for a while, I don't know what she was dreaming about, but it definitely wasn't something pleasant, considering I could see tears in her eyes.

Right now, I'm considering what I should do about this girl. I was wondering if I should drop her off at the Tohsaka residence, this might be the right choice.

If I remember correctly, the Tohsaka family's situation after Tokiomi's death would start to get worse. Sakura and Rin's mother will have some kind of mental problem, I'm not sure. Then Kotomine Kirei will become Rin's guardian and the Tohsaka family will be in debt. That's what I know about the condition of that family in the future.

I considered taking Sakura there for several reasons. First, I clearly remember that after Tokiomi's death, Aoi Tohsaka, upon seeing Kariya there, accused him as the perpetrator, she went mad and said something about Matou having taken his family, Tokiomi and Sakura away. Based on that scene, I assume that at least Aoi Tohsaka cares about Sakura.

The second is Rin. She is depicted as very lonely during his childhood, and how she cares for and wants to save Sakura.

The Third Reason is that I can't take her with me. I still needed to save Illya, and if I was alone, I could infiltrate any plane or transport. It would be impossible if I were with someone else.

Considering all those reasons, sending her back to the Tohsaka residence was the best choice here. Although I don't know what kind of results will appear in the future, at least I try to get the best.

Finishing my thoughts and future plans, I got up and moved Sakura from the sofa to the bed in the room. It was still early evening, so he would probably wake up before nightfall.

I didn't have any plans for today, so I went back to the sofa and started looking through all the loot I got.

Most of them are books, more precisely this is what I need right now. I need knowledge about Magecraft. Kiritsugu has magic circuits, but the problem is that I'm completely unfamiliar with Magecraft.

With this book, I hope I can learn how Magecraft works. This will be very helpful in the future.

Or that's what I hoped.

All of these books are basically Advance level books. If we use an example, then it could be something like this; I, who still had difficulty with simple addition and subtraction, had to tackle books on calculus.

It's a waste. There is no basic knowledge whatsoever here. Well, that makes sense considering Matou Zouken doesn't require any basic knowledge, so why he has a book for beginners.

Although not all of it is in vain. There is a lot of information about strange and unfamiliar research. Starting from the acceptable to the most disgusting.

Several hours passed like that.

Sakura got up and left the room. She remained silent, not making any sound. Just silent and looking at me with her empty eyes.

The food is ready, I ordered it beforehand. It may be cold, but it's no problem to eat.

So, I stood up and picked it before placing it on the table.

"Come and eat." I don't know how to handle children, especially children who have experienced trauma.

"…" she remained silent, but still walked to the table. Even though in the end she just stared at the food, didn't touch it.

"Eat, no need to hold back." As much as possible I said that in a friendly tone.

Slowly, she started eating. There was only silence while we ate.

I waited for her to finish before starting to speak.

"Tomorrow, I will take you back to the Tohsaka residence. You can meet your mother and sister again." I said that while looking into her eyes. I could see his body shaking. I don't know what she was thinking. So, I just wait.

Not long after, the answer came out of his mouth.

"No… I don't want to go back…" after that she lowered her head, afraid to raise to look at me.

But one thing is clear, what should I do now.