[MF] Ch 28: Conquered by Sincere Feelings

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After having a good time with Zouken, Kaito called it a day and went to eat with the red-haired beauty.

"So, when you took out that old worm, you also got your hands on the Matou family's Command Spell?"

"Does that mean you're entering the Holy Grail War?"

On the fourth floor of Garan no Dou, Kaito and Touko were having dinner together. Touko had just asked that question. The nickname "old worm" came from Kaito—he always called Zouken that, and Touko had just gone along with it.

As for the Command Spell, she'd already noticed them long ago, but Touko was never the type to pry into her client's secrets. If Kaito wanted to talk, she'd listen. Otherwise, she'd pretend not to know.

That's what it meant to show full respect to your top-tier client.

Kaito appreciated that about her. For someone like him—who had way too many secrets and couldn't afford people digging too deep—Touko was the perfect partner.

And so, if he was bringing up the Command Spells during dinner, it meant he was ready to tell her himself.

When Touko asked the question, Kaito nodded seriously. "Yeah. The Fourth Holy Grail War is something I have to face. It's my destiny, so I'm definitely participating this time."

Touko raised an eyebrow. She didn't question what kind of "destiny" he was talking about or mock the idea as something vague and dramatic. In this world, destiny, fate, and luck were real things.

Many people had their own fates—and some even knew exactly what theirs were.

Magus scholars had studied them for generations. The general consensus was simple: when you encounter your destiny, you can't escape it. You have to face it head-on. Running away doesn't help—those who try eventually end up back on the same path, often with an even worse outcome for resisting.

So the best approach was to confront it, accept its trials and rewards alike.

Of course, there were always people who rebelled against it—there's never been a shortage of those.

Still, most magi agreed that destiny undeniably existed.

Touko herself had faced her own moment of destiny—and rebelled against it.

That was the fight for the inheritance of the Fifth Magic within her family.

In that battle, her younger sister, Aoko Aozaki, was destined to inherit the Fifth Magic—even though in both talent and knowledge, she couldn't hold a candle to Touko, her older sister. But destiny chose Aoko, and Aoko became the Magician of Fifth Magic.

Touko, enraged by that unfair fate, tried to defy it—to surpass Aoko and claim the Fifth Magic for herself. But in the end, she failed. You could say she lost to fate itself.

So when Kaito said he was taking part in the Fourth Holy Grail War because of destiny, Touko didn't question him. She just fell silent, lost in thought, remembering her own futile rebellion against fate.

After a while, she said softly, "Then I'll go with you to Fuyuki City. I've only heard stories about the Holy Grail War—might as well see it for myself this time."

But Kaito shook his head. "No need. With your level of power, if you show up in Fuyuki, the Grail will almost certainly select you as a Master. And if that happens, people will report it to the Mage's Association. They'll send enforcers after you."

"In that kind of war, if killing another Master could improve someone's chances, they wouldn't hesitate."

He wasn't wrong. Kiritsugu Emiya would absolutely do that. Tokiomi Tohsaka might too. Even Kayneth El-Melloi, one of the Clock Tower's lords, wouldn't hesitate.

After all, to magi, Touko Aozaki was on a completely different level. She wasn't just some talented freelancer—she was a powerful Magus.

Someone like her joining the Holy Grail War would be like dropping a raid boss into a beginner's zone. Everyone else would see her as a threat and a target. They'd go all out to eliminate her before she could move a finger.

Sure, Touko was strong and had countless tricks up her sleeve, but surviving that kind of coordinated assault would be tough. Her research on the pinnacle of puppetry—the art of creating an immortal, self-sustaining body—wasn't complete yet. She wasn't immortal. Not yet.

"..."

Touko knew he was right. She sighed, rubbing her temple, but didn't argue.

Kaito smiled. "Don't worry. I only need to participate, not win. Victory doesn't mean much to me. If my Servant loses, I'll pull out immediately. Staying alive comes first."

"And if you're still worried, you can come to Fuyuki later—quietly. Stay hidden in the shadows. As long as you're not a Master, no one will be able to sense you."

Touko thought about it and nodded. That was a workable plan.

There was still nearly a year left before the Holy Grail War began. Plenty of time to prepare. For now, she could focus on helping Kaito build a few puppet avatars. With enough of those, his survival odds would skyrocket.

It was obvious she genuinely cared about his safety.

Sure, part of it was that she liked him after spending so much time together—and that he'd done her plenty of favors. But mostly, Kaito was a dream client. A sponsor like him was practically extinct—clean, generous, understanding, and loaded.

Even putting aside friendship and gratitude, sheer self-interest demanded she look after his well-being. Losing a client like him would be a crime against common sense.

And as a financier, Kaito had impressed her more than she'd ever expected.

After all, the Matou family's "assets" had turned out to be worth far more than she initially thought.

Forget the gold and antiques—those were expected. The real treasures were the magical artifacts and books.

Zouken Matou had lived for centuries and had even been friends with da Vinci, the universal genius of the Fate world. His collection of mystic relics was filled with rare, irreplaceable items—each one worth a fortune in the supernatural market.

Touko had taken a few of the books to fence them, and even the cheapest one fetched five million dollars—and that was the discreet, backdoor price.

According to the dealers, if she could auction them legitimately through the Association's formal channels, each book would go for at least eight million.

Honestly, if she weren't under Sealing Designation and constantly being hunted, she'd fly straight to Europe and sell the items herself. But as things stood, she had to settle for discount prices through trusted fences.

And even though the middlemen were fair enough, but let's face it—money was something Touko could never have enough of.

Fortunately, Kaito had told her upfront that once she finished making the six puppet bodies they'd agreed on, the rest of the profit would be hers.

By her estimate, that would leave her with a net gain of around a hundred million dollars—the kind of windfall that could fund her research for years.

With a sponsor like that, how could she not worry about his safety?

She was completely moved—no, conquered—by his "sincere feelings."

At this point, she'd practically turned into his devoted, loyal fixer. So when the Holy Grail War began, even if she couldn't enter as a Master, she'd still be there, hidden in the dark—protecting Kaito with everything she had, and helping him seize victory from the shadows.

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