Fate: How About a New Savior?

To be honest, Caren had always known her personality was awful.

She'd realized it early on—how she couldn't help but smirk when others were suffering, especially if they were upright, respectable people. Watching someone who was supposed to walk a shining path spiral into depression over something trivial and eventually fall off course gave her a strange sense of satisfaction. It felt like finding an oasis after wandering three days and nights through the desert.

If that mindset had come from trauma or a bad home environment, she might've had an excuse.

But the truth was, she'd been like this since birth.

As for who she inherited it from, whether it was her mother or father, Caren didn't really know.

Her father—or rather, her current father—had always kept quiet about it, and Caren had tactfully chosen not to dig deeper.

Whether it was Caren Hortensia or Caren Kotomine, those were names of the past. Now, she was Shiomi Caren—or Caren Shiomi, if written Western-style.

"Our innate nature can't be changed—that's a given. But who we become, we can shape through the choices we make in life."

That was what he always told her.

But once she stepped into the world of Magus and began to understand things through Magecraft, Caren came to realize: it wasn't that she had a bad personality. It was that her "origin" was bad.

Maybe her origin was something like "schadenfreude"—that would explain a lot.

In ordinary society, a personality like that would be a problem.

But among Magus, it was nothing unusual.

In fact, bad personalities were basically a default trait among Magus.

Be too normal, too kind, and you wouldn't survive long in that world.

Take the blonde girl sitting across from her, for example—she had the same kind of "badness."

Reines El-Melloi Archisorte.

Lecturer in the El-Melloi classroom, and younger sister of Lord El-Melloi II.

Of course, Reines and Lord El-Melloi II weren't related by blood, much like how Caren wasn't blood-related to Tenkei Shiomi. That parallel made Caren feel an odd sort of kinship.

"Oh, what a pity you didn't go to Adra Castle, Caren. My brother's reaction would've been priceless." Reines sipped her tea, clearly delighted as she recounted the incident at the Separation Castle.

Caren stirred her cup slowly, sugar cubes still clinking faintly at the bottom.

"I already heard about that from Gray. It's a shame—Father told Gray to go out and get some experience, so he arranged for her to accompany my sister. Didn't expect they'd run into the professor there."

Reines turned toward Gray, who was sitting with them. "So why did your sister take Gray to the Adra Castle?"

That direct stare made Gray squirm slightly. She lowered her head and answered quietly.

"...Money."

"Huh?" Reines blinked. "You're not exactly strapped for cash, are you?"

"Father says money is a good thing. No one ever complains about having too much. Since the city's owner claimed the inheritance would go to anyone who solved the puzzle..." Caren raised her eyes, "In that sense, my views align with his."

To be precise, it was to buy high-quality holy relics for Sakura to use in the Holy Grail War.

But Shiomi insisted they should rely on their own efforts, so Sakura had gone to investigate the Adra Castle herself.

In the end, they didn't gain anything—just witnessed a revenge story that left them at a loss for words.

"It really was for the Holy Grail War, wasn't it?" Reines saw through the Shiomi family's intentions immediately and called it out without hesitation.

"That's right," Caren replied without denial.

There was no need to keep that kind of thing a secret. If they secured a position through the Clock Tower, it would be official. If they joined by other means, they'd start with less support—but their identities would be exposed eventually anyway.

It was now October.

If they followed the timeline of the Fourth Holy Grail War, the next one should be held in the final two months of the year.

However, the previous war had ended irregularly, and the Leylines hadn't accumulated mana according to the normal cycle.

According to a joint report sent to the Mage's Association by the Fuyuki magi and the land's caretakers, the Tohsaka family, the Fifth Holy Grail War wouldn't begin until early next year at the earliest.

A conservative estimate placed it between late January and early February.

"Your father's been coming by less often to give me lessons lately. Could it be that..." Reines narrowed her eyes at Caren, her tone sly.

"Just as Miss Reines predicted." Caren's tone was calm and composed.

Since the decision had already been made, Shiomi had no intention of stopping them. To maximize Sakura's real-world experience, her Magecraft training at home had gradually shifted toward practical combat.

It was tough, but Sakura never gave up—and Shiomi never once tried to dissuade her.

"Oho... how ambitious." Reines grew more intrigued. "But aren't you jealous, Caren? I mean, your parents are focused entirely on your sister these days. Doesn't it bother you that you're getting less attention?"

Caren took a sip of her tea.

"Not in the slightest. If anything, it's exactly what I wanted."

In truth, the situation was a win-win. Sakura was being forged through intense training, while Caren got to sit back and watch her "suffer."

Everyone came away with something.

Besides, Reines had gotten one thing wrong—Shiomi's focus was strictly on Magecraft. In their day-to-day life, things hadn't changed at all.

If anything, ever since Gray moved in, Caren had found herself being more considerate toward the girl.

"So, Miss Reines invited Gray and me for tea today just to chat about the Adra Castle—and casually probe into how our family is preparing for the Holy Grail War?" Caren's golden eyes flashed with sharp insight.

Reines raised an eyebrow and cheerfully shifted the topic.

"Actually, I received an invitation from the Trambelio faction. Normally, I'd turn it down, but they extended it through Norwich, who handles our funding. I can't ignore that."

Trambelio—currently led by McDonell Trambelio Elrod—was one of the three great noble families of the Clock Tower. He was also the leading figure of the Democratic Faction and the head of the First Department of General Fundamentals.

"I'm sure your father received the same invitation," Reines added.

There was no way Tenkei Shiomi, now rising in prominence and regarded as a key talent by the Democratic Faction, would be left out of such high-profile social affairs. Even if he had no desire to attend, an invitation would definitely reach him.

"No need to worry about that," Caren said, producing the invitation. "I'll be accompanying Father. You won't be left bored, Miss Reines."

"Well, that's wonderful news."

...

(90 Chapters Ahead)

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