As soon as the old man heard Arthur's introduction, his mind was immediately flooded with a torrent of questions.
He desperately searched through his memory.
Historical records of heroes and extraordinary figures bearing that name.
But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't find a single reference that matched it.
Of course, there were figures named Arthur or Morgan individually—but none under the name Arthur Morgan.
That alone was already strange.
However, there was something even more disturbing.
The summoned class was Berserker.
A Berserker should be an existence consumed by madness—a Heroic Spirit that sacrifices its reason in exchange for overwhelming power.
And yet, the man before him spoke with perfect clarity.
His posture was calm, and his eyes were lucid.
There was not the slightest trace of the insanity characteristic of the Berserker class.
Even so, the Command Seal on the girl's hand was undeniable.
He was a Heroic Spirit summoned to serve her.
Although countless questions remained unanswered, there was one thing the old man understood perfectly.
The presence of that Heroic Spirit represented a great opportunity.
A truly extraordinary opportunity.
If he could control him, then he could use him as his weapon in the next Holy Grail War.
If he won, he could finally obtain the Holy Grail and achieve his goal.
And even if he lost, he could use him as a sacrifice.
Moreover, he could continue his experiment of artificially transforming the girl entrusted to him by the Tohsaka family.
Thinking of this, the old man turned his gaze toward the girl.
A gentle smile appeared on his face—or at least, something that tried to resemble one.
In reality, it was grotesque, something that could frighten any child.
"Sakura…" he said in a sweet voice. "Come to Grandpa."
He opened his arms.
"If you promise to obey Grandpa, then I won't throw you in here again."
Unfortunately… his words held no value.
After everything she had endured since arriving in this family, Sakura could no longer believe anything that came from that monster.
Now, there was only one person she felt she could truly trust.
The man who had appeared before her.
The one who shared a strange and inexplicable connection with her.
At the sound of the old man's voice, Sakura's body trembled.
She held back her fear with all her strength.
Then her small hand tightly grasped the red cape that hung from the lower part of Arthur's armor.
As if that simple gesture alone was enough to protect her from the entire world.
Arthur looked at her.
A gentle smile appeared on his face as he softly stroked the girl's head.
"Don't worry. Nothing will happen to you, my adorable Master."
He ran his hand through her hair once more.
"I'm here."
Feeling the gentle touch of that large, steady hand, Sakura slowly nodded.
That simple gesture conveyed a strong sense of safety.
Even so, she didn't let go of his clothes for even a second.
Noticing this, a faint trace of sadness passed through Arthur's eyes.
Then he raised his head and looked at the old man.
All the gentleness in his gaze vanished, leaving behind only a deep coldness.
"You disgusting worm…"
His voice became completely indifferent.
"Your mere existence is an insult to me."
With a careful movement, he covered Sakura's head, blocking her view.
In the next instant, golden portals opened around the old man.
Immediately, they began firing countless weapons at his body, tearing him apart with ease.
However, something strange happened.
His body dissolved instantly into a grotesque mass of worms.
They writhed across the ground before gathering again.
Reforming the old man's body.
A repulsive smile spread across his face.
"Don't think it'll be that easy to kill me."
He slowly raised his wooden cane.
At the back of the basement, a pit of worms began to stir.
The sight alone was enough to make anyone with a fear of worms faint instantly.
Arthur grimaced.
"That's disgusting."
Even he felt repulsed by the scene.
It was a purely physiological reaction.
But when he thought about the fate that awaited Sakura if he hadn't arrived…
His expression turned cold.
"Kneel," Arthur said, his voice even colder.
Immediately, a wave of suppression fell upon Zouken, forcing him to his knees.
"Wha—"
Before he could say anything else, Arthur touched his forehead and extracted his soul.
"It's my first time using this," Arthur murmured, activating Judgment, a sub-ability of his Ultimate Skill, Anubis — Lord of Souls.
At that moment, a scale appeared in his hand.
On one side lay a golden feather.
On the other, Zouken's soul.
"N-No… this can't be…!"
For the first time in centuries, Zouken trembled in pure fear.
Arthur remained silent.
"Let your judgment begin, filthy creature."
As soon as he finished speaking, the scale trembled—and then slammed violently toward Zouken's side.
His existence was corrupted beyond redemption.
"Your soul has been deemed unworthy," Arthur said in a monotone voice.
At that moment, a creature resembling a hybrid of crocodile and lion appeared before them and devoured Zouken's soul.
"The effect is quite different from what I expected…" Arthur murmured, looking at Zouken's lifeless body on the ground.
"I can also feel that I've grown weaker… could it be because of the Holy Grail?"
Holding Sakura in his arms, Arthur calmly walked out of the mansion.
Without saying a word, he extended his hand toward the building.
Immediately, a spatial distortion formed and began pulling everything into itself.
Arthur had created a small singularity to erase every trace of that mansion.
Within seconds, nothing remained of the former Matou estate.
Without even looking back, Arthur walked away, still carrying Sakura in his arms.
---
The Holy Grail War is a magical ritual in which seven magi compete for the Holy Grail, known as the "omnipotent wish-granting device." In this ritual, the seven magi chosen by the Grail summon Servants to fight at their side.
Approximately every sixty years, the underground spiritual veins of Fuyuki accumulate enough energy to sustain the manifestation of the Holy Grail. When that moment arrives, the Grail descends into the world, capable of granting any wish within the limits of its power.
For that reason, magi from all over the world—driven by ambition, desperation, or obsession—gather in Fuyuki, willing to fight to the death for the right to claim the Holy Grail.
However, the true nature of the Holy Grail War is not as simple as it seems.
In reality, it is a massive ritual system created by the three great founding families—Einzbern, Tohsaka, and Makiri (later known as Matou)—with the goal of reaching the Root.
In this process, the summoned Heroic Spirits are nothing more than fuel.
Necessary sacrifices to power the Grail and complete the ritual.
Naturally, it would be impossible to allow true heroes to be consumed in such a way by mere humans. Therefore, the Heroic Spirits that are summoned are not the heroes themselves, but projections drawn from the Throne of Heroes.
Because of this, their power is also diminished upon summoning, typically being about ten times weaker than they were in life.
Thus, regardless of what happens to these projections, the true hero remains unaffected—and in most cases, no memories are carried back.
There was exactly one year left before the start of the Fourth Holy Grail War.
As for why he had been summoned so early… Arthur had no idea.
But at the moment, that wasn't important.
Because there was a much more immediate problem.
Where he and little Sakura would spend the night.
For Arthur, it didn't matter much where he slept—or even whether he slept at all.
But Sakura was different.
She was only a six-year-old child.
After everything that had happened that day, both physically and mentally, she was completely exhausted.
Nestled in Arthur's arms, her head slowly drooped, her eyes already losing focus from sleep.
Even so, her hands remained tightly clutching him, refusing to let go.
She was afraid that the moment she did… he would disappear.
To Sakura, Arthur was the only thing she could trust in that world.
If even he disappeared… then the last flame of hope within her would go out as well.
And Arthur knew that.
He also understood his responsibility.
It wasn't just because she was his Master.
It was the responsibility to save a helpless child from a terrible fate.
"Ah… seriously. Why do I always end up in situations like this?"
Letting out a soft sigh, Arthur leaped and landed on top of a building.
His pupils turned emerald green, glowing faintly in the darkness.
With the power of his Clairvoyance, he began searching through the silent streets of Fuyuki for a suitable place—a residence or any location where they could safely spend the night.
After all…
He couldn't allow Sakura to sleep out in the open.
---
(End of Chapter)