Fate: How About a New Savior?

January 31, 2004.

After arranging Sakura's return procedures, she had departed for Fuyuki seven days earlier, on January 24th, London time.

Shiomi had originally hoped that both he and his family could stay far away from the carnage of the Fifth Holy Grail War. But Sakura made a choice that went completely against his expectations.

Shiomi couldn't say whether Sakura would emerge victorious or if something unforeseen might occur during the war. What he was certain of, however, was that among the current Magus—whether they walked the righteous or twisted path—those capable of killing Sakura were extremely few.

According to the intelligence Shiomi had gathered, these top-tier Magus had no real interest in the Holy Grail War ritual.

He gazed out at the snow-covered courtyard. In this moment of stillness, Shiomi felt an unusual sense of unrest. Was it because this was the first time he had let Sakura go so far away, embarking alone on such an unknown journey...? Maybe this was what people called a parent's heart, he thought.

He had wanted to go with her. But the Clock Tower was about to hold the Grand Roll, which involved the excavation of the Spiritual Tomb of Albion.

It was said that the Spiritual Tomb of Albion served as a physical passage to the Inner Sea of the Planet. But with guardians so formidable that even dragons would collapse from exhaustion, modern Magus could only reach depths of about 80 kilometers. Beyond that lay a realm no human could tread— the Fairy Realm.

Shiomi wasn't particularly interested in Albion itself. What intrigued him more was the Fairy Realm. A place unreachable by humans.

But as someone born in the Land of Shadows, and with Morgan—the rightful Fairy Queen—as his bride, perhaps he could catch a glimpse of things no Magus of this era had ever seen.

Moreover, the very ones who recommended him for the Grand Roll were the two Lords of the Democratic Faction. Given such earnest support, Shiomi had no choice but to leave himself some leeway.

He chose to believe Sakura would handle the Holy Grail War and return safely.

"Dad, have some tea."

A familiar voice called out from behind.

"Mmm, thanks. You go ahead and finish what you were doing—"

Shiomi answered reflexively, but the moment the words left his mouth, he realized something was off.

He turned around abruptly—and saw a girl with long purple hair sitting on the sofa.

She wore the exact same outfit as the girl who had appeared in the forest of Iselma a few months ago.

But this time, she made no effort to conceal her face and appeared in Shiomi's study openly and without shame.

Shiomi was filled with shock and confusion.

After returning from the Mystic Eye Collection Train, Sakura had decided to change her appearance. Under Morgan's guidance, she learned to use Magecraft to alter and fix her features.

Back then, she had changed her hair and eye color to purple. Shiomi had found it novel at the time but couldn't shake the feeling that it looked oddly familiar.

Now he finally realized—

From a certain angle, Sakura had come to resemble that nameless girl more and more.

The two looked exactly alike, distinguished only by the length of their hair.

"Who are you... Why are you pretending to be Sakura?"

Shiomi's guard was up to the highest level.

"I am both 'Sakura' and not 'Sakura'," the nameless girl said casually. "You can call me BB. As for whether it stands for BeBe or Baby, I'll leave that up to you, Daddy."

"What are you scheming this time? Trying to throw me into even more trouble at the upcoming Grand Roll?" Shiomi demanded."For Byron Iselma, the head of Iselma, to pull off such a blatantly flawed setup to that extent—it couldn't have happened without your help behind the scenes."

The girl calling herself BB gave a confident smile.

"No, I merely slipped some 'useful' information into Iselma's intelligence network while Mr. Byron was at his wit's end. In the end, the choice was his. Magus are all the same, really."

"Tsk..."

Shiomi itched to act, but he could sense it—BB was both physically present and not.

Such a paradoxical form was the very embodiment of the Imaginary Number attribute at its peak.

Even Sakura couldn't achieve this yet.

If he made a move, BB would likely vanish into the Sea of Imaginary Numbers, only to reappear elsewhere the next time.

"But don't get the wrong idea. Whether human Magus seek the Root or try to uncover mysteries, that's not my concern."

BB raised her teacup and took a refined sip.

"What I care about... is you, Daddy."

"Gee, thanks…"

Shiomi's mouth twitched.

Her tone and way of speaking were exactly like Sakura's.

Or rather, it was a perfect reflection of Sakura's Magus side—strong-willed, unwavering, impossible to manipulate.

That was the core Sakura had forged for herself as she matured.

"But are you really okay with this? Sending your daughter into the battlefield of the Fifth Holy Grail War… Even with a Holy Relic capable of summoning a Knight of the Round Table, there's no guarantee it'll all go smoothly, right?"

BB pointed out the cold truth.

Shiomi pressed a hand to his desk, keeping a close eye on BB's every move.

"If you claim to be Sakura and yet not Sakura, then you should know better than anyone just how capable that child is as my daughter, BB."

"Yes, yes, as a Magus, she was first taught by a Rune Magus from the Land of Shadows, and after her initiation, she received personal instruction from the renowned Fairy Queen Morgan.

In terms of personal talent, as a Magus, she's unrivaled among her generation."

BB set down her teacup and lightly clapped her hands in praise.

"She really is the epitome of a perfect woman."

With that, she stood up—and in the next instant, appeared beside Shiomi.

"But no matter how brilliant a Magus may be, they are still just a Magus. The power of Magecraft has its limits."

"Even if the King of Heroes, Gilgamesh, were to manifest again, he still couldn't kill Sakura," Shiomi said. "You, who are now using the Sea of Imaginary Numbers to blur the boundary of existence itself, should understand just how vast the potential of Imaginary Numbers Magecraft truly is."

BB didn't deny it.

"You're right. But that's precisely why—because it's Magecraft, no matter how skilled a Magus may be, there will always be a natural enemy.

No... it would be more accurate to call it an insurmountable existence."

Her words struck directly at the unease Shiomi had been unable to dispel.

"You... you're serious?"

Shiomi was still cautious, but for the first time, he truly looked at the girl—one who shared Sakura's face, her very temperament, and yet was not Sakura.

BB. Whoever she really was, Shiomi could no longer ignore what she said.

Then, the girl leaned in and whispered a name into Shiomi's ear.

That name completely changed his view of the Fifth Holy Grail War.

He had to leave for Fuyuki immediately.

...

(100 Chapters Ahead)

p@treon com / PinkSnake