The Love Token, Dun Stallion / Ibaraki Doji's Wish / Cruel Reality

Kirei Kotomine was dead. That was something Ian had never expected, he truly hadn't. This couldn't possibly be a lie, after all, Rin Tohsaka had no reason to lie about something like this.

"Rin, calm down," the man said, trying to soothe the girl on the other end of the phone.

"Where are you right now?"

"The old manor, right? Okay... I'll figure out a way to get there immediately."

The call ended.

Artoria asked with a hint of concern in her voice, "Mr. Ian, what happened?"

"Kirei Kotomine is dead," the man confessed, telling her everything. "And his master, Li Shuwen, has also disappeared."

"What?!" Astonishment filled the girl's emerald eyes. Although her contact with Kirei Kotomine had been minimal until now, she knew he was definitely not a righteous person, especially after her friend, Irisviel, had spoken of him with such disgust. But to hear of his death right after that? It felt far too coincidental, she thought.

"Mr. Ian," the girl voiced her thoughts, "could it be the Tohsaka family's revenge?"

"No," Ian shook his head, disagreeing with her. "That's unlikely. The one I was just talking to was Rin Tohsaka. Her tone suggested she didn't seem to know that he was the one who killed her father."

"..." Artoria fell silent. But she quickly understood it all—after all, she and Ian had only just found out themselves. However, this made things even more complicated. If it wasn't the Tohsaka family who did it, then who could it be? Ian also understood this, but he couldn't make sense of it all at once.

Irisviel quickly noticed the anxious look on both their faces, so she spoke up and said, "Oh my, it seems like you two have run into some trouble."

"Then—" Irisviel leaned slightly forward, with her hands behind her back. "Shouldn't we go finish what we need to do first?"

"This..." Artoria looked a little troubled as she said that. "But Iris, we just met again, didn't we?"

"I know," Irisviel replied, maintaining her gentle demeanor. "But—"

"One must always distinguish what needs to be done immediately and what can wait, right?" she continued. "I... don't want to become a burden to you two if I die."

"Iris..." Lily said, deeply moved.

"Alright, alright~" Irisviel said, with her hands on her hips. "If you keep dawdling like this, it won't be like you anymore! Let's get going!"

"Hmm!" Artoria said, no longer saying anything further but nodding her head instead.

However, Ian noticed the girl's friendship with Iris – she didn't want her old friend to be so lonely. After a moment of thought, the man had an idea.

"In that case—" Ian said, sharing his idea. "Mrs. Iris, let's leave Illya here for the night."

"Leave her here for the night?!" Irisviel exclaimed, suddenly anxious at the suggestion. "There's no way! This is a remote mountain area; if you leave that child here, she'll be very scared!"

"No," Ian shook his head, glancing to the side. Ibaraki Doji was applauding expressionlessly, seemingly impressed by Illya's introduction of her mother. "With you here, she won't be scared at all. And Ibaraki will stay with her too. As for accommodation, the people here are very hospitable, so don't worry about Illya not having a place to stay tonight."

"Besides—" the man looked back at Irisviel. "Mrs. Iris, you also want to talk with Illya more, don't you?"

"..." Irisviel was startled at first, then smiled faintly. "You really are a thoughtful person," she said. "In that case... let's do it."

Seeing that Irisviel had agreed to his idea, Ian walked over to Illya and Ibaraki Doji and quietly explained the arrangements to them. Illya, of course, was delighted – she had always wanted to spend more time with her mother. Ibaraki Doji, however, looked confused.

"And you? Where are you going?" she asked, a perfectly reasonable question.

Ian didn't overthink it, answering directly, "I'm going to see someone. So—"

"Ibaraki, I'll have to entrust Illya to you," he said. This indirect approach seemed to work well with Ibaraki Doji. Or perhaps, she had always been hoping Ian would ask her for something like this.

"I understand," Ibaraki Doji nodded. "I will take good care of my Master. But—"

"May I make a small request?" she asked, hesitantly.

"Of course you can," Ian replied without hesitation. "It's your right to do so."

"Then—" Ibaraki Doji stepped forward slightly, rising on her tiptoes, and extended her hand, like a small kitten asking for a hug. "Lord Abe," she said, looking up at him, "could you... kiss me? I want to experience what Shuten did."

"..." Although Ian was a little confused by the information embedded in Ibaraki Doji's words, seeing the little loli's expectant face, he knew he couldn't just brush her off. He squatted down, hugged Ibaraki Doji, and then kissed her forehead. "Ibaraki, is this okay?"

The Berserker loli's face immediately turned red, and her whole body swayed as if she were drunk. "So... this is the feeling Shuten spoke of," she murmured to herself.

"Ibaraki, what's wrong?"

"Nothing!" Ibaraki Doji managed to stand steadily. "Lord Abe—! Please go do what you need to do with peace of mind—I will definitely take good care of Illya."

"..." Although Ibaraki Doji's reaction seemed a bit more extreme than expected, Ian actually needed her to be like this. "Hmm," the man nodded. "Ibaraki, I'll leave it to you."

[You left Ibaraki Doji and Illya.]

[Before leaving, you also arranged for their accommodation for the night.]

[Although it seemed like you were leaving two small children alone, you weren't worried at all.]

[Because you knew that Ibaraki Doji, as a Berserker, would definitely be able to protect Illya—they still maintained the Servant and Master relationship.]

[Everything was arranged.]

[But then you realized you were facing a new problem.]

[How could you get to Rin Tohsaka quickly?]

Standing on top of Mount Enzou, Ian was momentarily at a loss. After all, it had taken them quite a bit of effort to get here in the first place. Now, if they wanted to go back—it would truly take some time.

But just then, Artoria, who was standing beside Ian, suddenly spoke up. "Mr. Ian," she said softly. "Are you thinking about how to get back quickly?"

"..." Realizing there was no need to hide anything from Artoria, Ian nodded and affirmed, "Yes. It'll take quite a bit of time to get back now—I'm afraid Rin won't be able to wait." Ian knew Rin Tohsaka's personality. She didn't like waiting for people.

"Then, if that's the case—" the girl said, taking the man's hand. "Mr. Ian, why don't you try me?"

"Huh? Try you?" Ian asked, confused.

"Um—I mean, try my mount," she quickly clarified.

"Oh, I see..." Ian sighed in relief—he had thought Artoria suddenly felt something for him. "I remember your mount is a white horse... Will it allow me to ride it?"

"...It will," Artoria's face flushed slightly. "Because—it definitely recognizes you. Let's just try it first!"

Saying that, Artoria extended her hand forward. White light flowed between her fingers, slowly converging. As the dazzling light dissipated, a beautiful white horse appeared before them. It was Dun Stallion, the legendary white horse held by Artoria, the Rider!

"..." Watching Dun Stallion before him, Ian's eyes gradually brightened a little. He felt that he recognized this white horse. The man instinctively reached out and whistled softly. Dun Stallion's ears twitched, then it turned around and immediately spotted Ian. At once, the white horse lifted its front hooves and let out a neigh. Clearly, it recognized Ian!

"It really does recognize me..." the man said, a little emotional about Artoria's words.

"Of course—" the girl's face became even more bashful. "This is the horse Mr. Ian gave me back then!"

"..." Ian felt his pupils tremble, and some lost memories were squeezed out like water from a sponge.

"Lily," he began, trying to recall more. "If I'm not mistaken—I also gave you a sword, didn't I?"

"Eh?!" Artoria's eyes gained a new sparkle. "Mr. Ian, you actually remembered?!" The white light gathered in the girl's hand again—as it dissipated, an old, slightly worn blade appeared in her hand. It was "The Blade of Mortals," a gift from Ian.

"..." Watching Artoria treat the old sword as if it were a precious treasure, Ian's heart was gently touched. "Lily, you really cherish this sword," he observed.

"Of course!" Artoria tightly clutched the blade in her hand. "This is proof of Mr. Ian's encouragement to me!"

"..." More images resurfaced in Ian's mind. However, they were only fragmented scenes, difficult to piece together into a complete narrative. But it was enough to confirm some things—Artoria truly was a very gentle girl. The man reached out and stroked Artoria's head.

"I understand," he said warmly. "Then—may I borrow your mount?"

"Of course you can!" she replied excitedly.

And so—a very miraculous scene unfolded. Ian, a Saber, perfectly rode Dun Stallion, the mount of Artoria, a Rider. But the white horse showed no discomfort or resistance, instead appearing very happy. On its back, the man held the reins, and in his arms was a shy Artoria. Her eyes were already full of vibrancy.

"Mr. Ian," she said softly. "It's been so long since I've ridden a horse with you like this~"

"Is that so?" Ian's gaze was fixed on the path ahead. "Then—if we get the chance, let's ride more often in the future."

"Mmm~"

Under the moonlight, the girl, nestled in the man's arms, held his hand and, at that moment, made a wish for their future.

[You rode Dun Stallion, galloping through Fuyuki City with Artoria.]

[Dun Stallion truly lived up to its legend as a white horse.]

[Its speed was far greater than any conventional transportation available.]

[In an extremely short amount of time, you and Artoria returned to Fuyuki City and met Rin Tohsaka.]

In Fuyuki City, in front of a certain mansion. Rin Tohsaka looked at Ian and Artoria dismounting from the horse, her expression a little confused.

"Ian," she said, looking at him. "Aren't you a Saber?"

"Can a Saber not ride a horse?" Ian retorted with a question.

"...Right," Rin Tohsaka nodded. "My mistake. So, what's the situation now?" Ian asked, looking at Rin Tohsaka. "Kirei Kotomine... how did he die?"

"..." Rin Tohsaka glanced inside the house, a complex expression in her blue eyes. "I don't know," she admitted. "When I found him today, he had been dead for a while—there was a gleaming dagger still plunged into his chest."

"This?" Ian frowned slightly. "Any other information... or friends?"

"Don't ask me, I don't know either!" Rin Tohsaka said, getting anxious. "Everything I knew... didn't I just tell you? Old man Li Shuwen is also gone, and the arena we talked about is all dismantled."

"..." Listening to Rin Tohsaka's words, Ian pressed his chin and seriously considered the current situation. Soon, he realized a possibility.

"Rin," he began, sharing his thoughts. "Do you think Kirei Kotomine might have also participated in this Holy Grail War? And Li Shuwen was his Servant—which is why he disappeared when Kotomine died?" Ian wasn't just imagining things. The first time he met Li Shuwen, he felt that the man was overwhelmingly powerful in every sense. If he were a Servant, everything would make sense.

But Rin Tohsaka shook her head, denying his words. "How is that possible! Kirei never said he was going to participate!"

"..."

[You realized that Rin Tohsaka had considered the possibility you mentioned.]

[However, out of respect for her master, she had never entertained that line of thought.]

[But now, you realized you had to make her see clearly.]

Looking at the denying girl before him, Ian spoke directly. "Rin," he said, trying to be blunt. "I think... Kirei Kotomine might have been lying to you all along."

"Lying to me?" Rin was startled. "Ian, what do you mean by that?"

"It's just that—" Ian looked directly into the girl's eyes and revealed the truth. "Kirei Kotomine... was actually the murderer who killed your father in the Fourth Holy Grail War."