Chapter 209: Proper Values

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At the Tohsaka mansion's gate, Kariya Matou stared at the kneeling figure before him, his brow furrowed in surprise.

It was Kariya's older brother, Byakuya Matou, the eldest son and heir to the Matou family. Despite their close blood relation, there was little familial affection between them, not within the notoriously dysfunctional Matou clan.

"What do you want?" Kariya asked, his voice cold. He had no love for Byakuya, who had always treated him with disdain. And seeing him now, his face etched with a desperate plea—it couldn't be anything good.

Kariya, finally free of the Matou's clutches, enjoying a peaceful life with Tokiomi Tohsaka, wasn't about to get dragged back into their family drama.

'Let that old worm deal with his own problems.'

He reached for the door, intending to shut it in Byakuya's face.

"Kariya, please! For the sake of our blood ties, help Shinji!" Byakuya's voice was filled with desperation as he blocked the closing door, clinging to Kariya's leg.

"Something happened to Shinji? Did that old monster do something to him?" Kariya asked, his voice still cold. After all, if anything bad happened to a member of the Matou family, it was usually Zouken's doing.

Byakuya nodded frantically.

"I can't help you. I'm no match for that old man," Kariya said, his brow furrowed as he tried to shake Byakuya off his leg.

"Wait! Wait! He's dead!"

"Zouken's dead? That thing's probably immortal. Don't lie to me." Kariya froze, staring at Byakuya in disbelief.

As Zouken's son, he knew how resilient the old monster was. But Byakuya's expression—he seemed to be telling the truth.

And besides, their mother had been—fed to the worms by Zouken after giving birth to them. Byakuya wouldn't joke about something like that, would he? Then again—they weren't exactly close…

"It was—a Servant. A Servant killed him," Byakuya said, seeing Kariya's skepticism.

"Kariya, let him in," Tokiomi Tohsaka's voice called out from inside the house. He'd been awakened by the commotion at the door.

He hadn't intended to get involved in the Matou family's affairs. It was inappropriate for him, the head of the Tohsaka, to interfere.

But a Servant's involvement—that changed things.

—

Inside the Tohsaka mansion's living room:

"I see. So, the Einzbern were responsible? They were targeting Emiya, and Zouken—was caught in the crossfire? Thank you for this information. In return, I will use my magecraft to heal your—son."

Tokiomi—having heard Byakuya Matou's story, rubbed his temples. While the information wasn't particularly valuable, he now knew that the Einzbern were actively eliminating their competition. Better than nothing.

"Thank you, Tohsaka-sama! Thank you!" Byakuya Matou—placing Shinji, whose body was twitching uncontrollably, on the sofa, bowed repeatedly, his voice filled with gratitude.

Tokiomi Tohsaka closed his eyes, his hand resting on Shinji's stomach. A faint green light, like the glow of fireflies, emanated from his hand. After a moment, his eyes opened, his expression filled with a grudging admiration.

"Fascinating. A Crest Worm. It's been drawing on the boy's life force, creating artificial Magic Circuits. Zouken's methods were ingenious."

Magic Circuits, the pathways for magical energy within a Magician's body, were normally innate, unchangeable. Tokiomi had never heard of anyone artificially creating them.

He couldn't help but admire Zouken's ingenuity. Any technique that advanced magecraft, that brought them closer to the Root, was worthy of respect, no matter how unconventional.

"But—if it's beneficial, why is Shinji in so much pain?" Byakuya Matou asked, his voice laced with concern.

"The worm is constantly draining his magical energy. He just needs a large dose of pure magical energy," Tokiomi Tohsaka explained with a smile. To him, such a simple solution to a complex problem was intriguing.

"Does it also increase one's libido?…" Kariya Matou asked, a strange look on his face.

"It does, actually. A rather unnecessary side effect. Simply providing magical energy should be enough. Do you know something about this, Kariya?"

"Th aphrodisiac worms. The ones that convert—bodily fluids into magical energy," Kariya replied, his voice strained.

"Those worms? The ones that turn women into breeding stock? That kill them if they resist?" Tokiomi Tohsaka's eyes widened in shock.

"Knowing him he probably modified them for male use. Even in death, he torments Shinji. Why…?" Byakuya Matou's voice cracked, his face crumpling in despair. As Zouken's son, he knew his father's methods.

"Kariya! Tohsaka-sama! Please! Save my son!" He prostrated himself on the floor, begging for their help.

Lacking Magic Circuits himself, he couldn't generate magical energy. And the only people he knew with such power were Kariya and Tokiomi Tohsaka. He had no choice but to beg.

Tokiomi Tohsaka frowned. This was a long-term commitment, a constant drain on his magical energy. He wasn't eager to take on such a burden, especially during the Grail War.

He was about to refuse...

When four golden arrows, radiating divine power, flew into the room, striking Tokiomi, Kariya, Byakuya Matou, and Shinji.

—

Gilgamesh, sipping wine in another part of the Tohsaka mansion, her hand absently caressing Enkidu's relic, paused, her brow furrowing slightly. "A divine aura…? A trick of the senses…?"

—

Back in the living room:

"We'll raise him together, Kariya," Tokiomi Tohsaka said with a gentle smile. "We'll make him into a proper man."

Kariya and Byakuya Matou nodded eagerly, their gazes fixed on Shinji.

Shinji, his memories erased, his mind now as blank as an infant's, looked at them with innocent curiosity, the golden arrows protruding from their bodies, their tips glowing faintly, resonating with each other.

—

Later, in the Tohsaka mansion's basement, the three men surrounded Shinji, who cooperated enthusiastically, a buzzing sound Zouken's anguished cries—emanating from the worm within the boy's body.

The five-hundred-year-old monster, his will trapped within the worm, wept silently as his body, driven by instinct, continued to feed.

—

In the Einzbern Castle's hallway, Illyasviel, her silver hair flowing in the gentle breeze, looked at Haru, who stood by the window, a bow and arrow in his hands.

"Haru, what are you doing?"

"Just instilling proper values in a certain love-starved child," Haru replied, a mischievous grin on his face, putting away his Bow of Cupid.

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