Nobody knows how to be a villain better than me.

"But if that's the case, how did Britain fall?"

"Britain...destroyed..."

Suddenly, Artoria murmured in a daze.

Seeing that her Servant's expression was a bit off, Irisviel quickly changed the subject.

"Forget about that, tell me about the Knights of the Round Table, I want to hear their story."

"The Knights of the Round Table...they...they..."

Artoria wanted to speak, to reminisce about her former companions and comrades-in-arms, but for some reason, the relevant memories in her mind were completely blank.

Why doesn't she remember any of these things?

The Knight King looked completely bewildered, his expression gradually becoming blank.

Chapter 147: Terrorists of the Age of Gods (4.4k)

The Tohsaka family home, basement.

Rin Tohsaka stared blankly at the cleaned-out tabletop and the crystal powder filled with several boxes, which emitted a familiar scent. Her heart clenched with pain.

Gone? All gone!

My sparkly little thing! My darling! My precious gem!

The little girl quickly realized what was happening, and her backpack clattered to the ground. She picked up the box with trembling hands and wailed as if she had lost her parents.

Because she had sneaked home, she was severely scolded by her father for almost half an hour as soon as she entered the house. Finally, she managed to sneak into the basement while her father was notifying her mother.

However, before Rin Tohsaka could even get close to her long-lost darlings and ease her frustration at being scolded, she was shocked to hear devastating news and see a pile of broken gemstones.

In an instant, Rin Tohsaka, heartbroken and devastated, followed the lingering magical aura of the gemstone and found the culprit in the corner who had caused her premature bankruptcy, her eyes blazing with fury.

"You are the Servant my father summoned?"

"Ahem, if there's no one else around, then it should be."

The Servant, entrusted by his Master to guard a runaway young lady, coughed and turned his head to the side.

Not a single one left for me? You beast! You have no humanity!

You dare to embezzle the offerings that were originally intended for this goddess? You're dead!

Rin Tohsaka felt a surge of rage, her clenched teeth grinding together, and a hint of crimson appearing in her azure eyes.

This woman has gone mad again...

Samael raised his hand to his forehead, his cheek twitching.

Seeing the unbridled display of divine power and the jeweled pendant dangling from her chest, he wasn't stupid; he immediately recognized the true identity of the young lady before him.

My old acquaintance, the goddess of the heavens—Ishtar.

Although it is still unclear how she was revived prematurely in Rin Tohsaka, fortunately, the biggest characteristic of the Imposter class is its stealth.

The greedy goddess, who seemed to want to stuff him into an alchemical furnace and extract the gems from him again, clearly hadn't discovered his true identity.

Given this, Samael certainly wouldn't be foolish enough to pin the blame for draining the Tohsaka family's jewel inventory on the original persona.

Otherwise, this shameless, greedy goddess would hold a grudge against them and extort a hefty sum from them.

I've recently invested in a lot of big projects, and my savings are running low. I can't afford to lose any more money.

Moreover, Ishtar's unexpected arrival made Samael feel a vague unease, as if his intervention had introduced many uncertainties into the Holy Grail War.

The scorpion, with its keen sense of danger, decisively chose to conceal its true name, donning the disguise of an imposter, and adopting an air of superiority as it casually stared at the aggrieved victim before it.

How infuriating! The enemy is right in front of me!

Feeling stifled and frustrated, Rin Tohsaka, burdened by her status as the obedient daughter of the Tohsaka family, could only clutch the hem of her dress in her mouth, biting it hard as she vented her grief and anger alone.

Just as the two figures, one tall and one short, were facing off in the basement, Tokiomi Tohsaka, who had just hung up the phone, hurriedly walked in, rolled up his sleeves, and looked at the three Command Seals that were flashing on the back of his hand with some surprise.

Buzz~~!

As the Command Spells pulsed rhythmically, the etheric particles in the air were drawn together and formed two clear lines of text before everyone's eyes.

"The situation was sudden; the rules of the Holy Grail War have changed."

Tomorrow night at 8 PM, all participants in the Holy Grail War are requested to report to the Fuyuki City Citizens' Gymnasium with their Servants. Failure to do so will be considered an automatic forfeit, and the participant will be stripped of their Master Command Seals!

The text formed by the golden ether particles lingered in mid-air for more than ten minutes before dissipating.

Tokiomi Tohsaka's hand, which had been burning, gradually returned to normal.

However, this sudden news left him feeling quite taken aback.

The rules have changed? What exactly happened?

Why didn't anyone tell them beforehand?

No, it's transmitted directly through Command Spells; this is a notification from the Greater Grail!

That doesn't make sense! How could an automatically running Holy Grail spell suddenly demand a change in its rules?!

A series of unexpected events left Tokiomi Tohsaka completely baffled, his mind reeling.

After a moment, Tokiomi Tohsaka, who was suffering from a terrible headache, took a deep breath and turned to ask his daughter to leave.

"Rin, go back to your room first. Dad has something to discuss."

"Ok!"

Rin Tohsaka nodded, picked up her backpack from the ground like a good child, and headed upstairs.

As a witness to this event, she also has many questions that she needs to ask her Master for confirmation.

Tch, you damn thief, you're lucky. I'll settle this score with you later!

However, just before leaving, Rin Tohsaka, still unwilling to give up, turned back, gritted her teeth, and glared at someone fiercely as a show of defiance.

Samael responded with a subtle smile, then turned to look at his Master and spoke softly.

"Tokiomi, your daughter actually managed to run home from the countryside all by herself. She seems to have a lot of free time. I wonder if she's finished her homework?"

When the old story was brought up again, Tokiomi Tohsaka suddenly remembered his daughter's rebellious behavior of running home alone, and his face darkened, his voice lowering.

"cold……"

"Almost, almost there..."

When confronted with the shared nightmare of the mischievous children, Rin Tohsaka's face instantly froze, her heart clenched, and she stammered in response.

"I'll write it right away!"

Seeing her father's face grow increasingly grim, Rin Tohsaka immediately clutched her backpack, rushed upstairs, quickly locked the door, pulled out her notebook and test papers, and hunched over her desk in the bedroom, writing furiously while muttering bitterly.

Damn it, why do I, the goddess of Mesopotamia, have to do my homework with elementary school students?!

That damn bastard, how dare he tattle on me! I'm not finished with you!

Meanwhile, Tokiomi Tohsaka, watching his daughter go back to her room to do her homework, breathed a sigh of relief and gave a wry smile to the servant in front of him.

"I apologize for my poor upbringing."

Samael waved his hand dismissively, his face full of deep sympathy.

"I understand. Children at this age are all a bit playful. If parents are too lenient, it will seem like they're being permissive; if they're too strict, it will stifle their natural instincts. They often need a lot of time and patience to guide them, but both of these things are quite difficult for adults who have to support their families..."

"You're so right!"

Upon hearing this, Tokiomi Tohsaka excitedly grabbed his Servant's arm and couldn't help but pour out his grievances.

"To be honest, I've worked hard for decades to finally get the Tohsaka family to start to improve, but with such a big family business, I have to do everything myself. Where do I have the time to discipline them every day?"

When I only had Rin, I could still spare some energy. But after Sakura was born, I was powerless to help and had to leave everything to Aoi. As a result, Rin's impulsive nature hasn't been curbed, and Sakura isn't very close to me. I'm afraid Kariya is more popular with them than I am, their biological father..."

Samael sensed the anguish and jealousy of a middle-aged man in Tokiomi Tohsaka's words, and couldn't help but feel pity in his eyes.

Don't be fooled by Rin Tohsaka's perfect image after entering high school. To outsiders, she appears to be a model student with excellent grades, good character, elegant manners, and polite language. In reality, this perfect top student at school has been putting on a show of being well-behaved for quite some time.

Beneath that glamorous lady's mask lies a mischievous and playful little devil.

The changes in her future were simply due to the passing of her parents, which made her suppress her true nature and become much more mature.

Rin Tohsaka, who has never experienced family upheavals, is definitely not "well-behaved".

A rebellious little girl who has just started elementary school dares to pack her suitcase and run away from home to see the Matou family and her younger sister.

A reckless fool who doesn't know his own limitations, upon learning that his classmate Kotone had been kidnapped by the murderer Ryunosuke Amusei, dared to return to Fuyuki alone during the most intense period of the Holy Grail War, almost becoming an extra meal for the Sea Demon.

According to the original historical trajectory, these were all glorious deeds of Rin Tohsaka in her childhood.

Similarly, Ishtar, the goddess in her other identity, was no pushover either.

They ravaged Mount Aibif, causing the extinction of all life on the mountain;

They released the bull of heaven, which ravaged Mesopotamia for years.

He ventures alone into the underworld, disturbing the peace of countless souls...

These are all good deeds she has done.

In Samael's words, he was a complete terrorist from the age of gods.

Therefore, Ishtar earned fearsome nicknames such as "Red Demon," "Demon of Venus," and "Goddess Who Only Causes Trouble."

In addition, it wasn't just the discipline of his two daughters that gave Tokiomi Tohsaka a headache; the Tohsaka family also had quite a few hidden problems.

According to the original historical trajectory, the degenerate Kirei Kotomine successfully murdered his master, Tokiomi Tohsaka, and after that, the Tohsaka family's business actually fell into such a state that it was entrusted to Kirei Kotomine, an outsider, for management.

Soon, the Tohsaka family's once substantial fortune was almost entirely wiped out due to Kotomine's poor management or his penchant for poverty. Rin, who used gem magic, often found herself in financial crisis and had to work at a shrine during holidays.

In short, Tokiomi Tohsaka, who was tasked with revitalizing his family business, carried a heavy burden.

However, the anxieties of adults are often hidden beneath their maintained elegance and pride, and they are not easily revealed to their children who admire them or their wives who depend on them.

Samael raised his hand with sympathy and patted the middle-aged man's shoulders, which had carried too much burden, and sincerely offered a word of comfort.

"Thank you for your hard work, Tokiomi..."

"Understanding everything..."

Overwhelmed with emotion, Tokiomi Tohsaka gripped Samael's arm tightly, his nose tingling with tears, and he almost uttered heartfelt words.

However, realizing that he had gone off-topic, the Master quickly withdrew his hand, covered his embarrassment with a dry cough, and immediately brought the topic back on track.

"Ahem, Pretender, what do you think about this?"

At this moment, Samael, who had subtly distanced himself from Tokiomi Tohsaka, suddenly became serious and spoke earnestly.

"Although things are a bit strange, it's better to be safe than sorry. Besides, this announcement was delivered to the Master using Command Seals, so it's highly credible. It's likely that the rules of the Holy Grail War have really changed."

"I think so too."

Tokiomi Tohsaka nodded, walked to the window, and gazed wistfully at Fuyuki City shrouded in twilight, as well as the majestic buildings standing on the banks of the Miwa River, his eyes sparkling.

"It seems we need to go to the Fuyuki City Grand Gymnasium tomorrow night."

"Just to be on the safe side, I will stay by your side in spirit form to ensure your safety."

Samael, fully immersed in the role, confidently reassured his Master.

"Pretender, with you here, I feel at ease."

Tokiomi Tohsaka couldn't help but relax, letting out a sigh of relief. He then checked the time, changed his clothes, and prepared to leave.

"Aoi and Sakura will be here soon, I'll go pick them up."

"Okay, I'll keep an eye on Rin until you get back."

Samael pointed to a primary school student upstairs who was still writing furiously, smiled and replied, his calm and composed demeanor inspiring trust and reliance.

Tokiomi Tohsaka stopped in front of the door, nodded, and smiled, his chaotic and tense emotions easing considerably.

For some reason, this mysterious servant seemed to resonate with him inexplicably.

Although the true strength of this mysterious Servant is unknown, the compatibility between them undoubtedly makes Tokiomi Tohsaka feel very comfortable with the person in front of him.

Given enough time, they might become friends.

However, the moment Tokiomi Tohsaka crossed the threshold, the smile on his face vanished, and a deep sense of helplessness and gloom appeared in his eyes.

Ironically, the Holy Grail War, which used lofty slogans such as "saving all mankind" and "reaching the vortex of the root," was in essence a sordid product of killing, betrayal, and conspiracy.