Rin Amagiri almost thought she had misheard.
“Sister, stop spacing out.
Aren’t you going to do something about Father’s safety?”
“This time I absolutely—”
“Stressing over a form of address for so long, while not even caring whether your own father lives or dies—that’s really pathetic, Rin.”
Ugh!
Rin looked at Sakura’s face.
One second her sister’s tone was as cold as ice, and the next, she revealed a gentle smile.
Rin felt like she was going to have a heart attack from pure anger at such a young age.
Sebastian stood to the side, watching Sakura slowly let her guard down, and began to reflect.
Did he say something wrong in the basement earlier?
Wait…
did I tell her to learn more from Kuroka?
Hiss—then this is all Kuroka’s fault!
Her example as a negative role model was just too textbook!
While these chaotic thoughts drifted through Sebastian’s mind, Rin actually managed to calm down under Sakura’s second round of sharp remarks.
She slowly raised her head, regaining the elegant composure expected of the Amagiri family.
When she looked at Sebastian again, her gaze was much more serious.
“Mr.
Sebastian…
can you guarantee that what you just said is the truth?”
Seeing her like this, Sebastian turned to Grayfia.
“Grayfia, I asked you before: if a Magus’s physical body dies, as long as their Magic Circuits aren’t completely destroyed, can they still be saved using Devil magic?”
“Yes, Lord Sebastian,” Grayfia answered with certainty.
Sebastian nodded, then tossed the lifetime labor contract he had shown Rin earlier onto the coffee table.
“Whether you sign this or not is up to you.
It’s your father who’s dead, and I didn’t intend to save him in the first place.”
Surprisingly, Rin didn’t fly into a rage this time.
She picked up the contract directly.
After looking at it carefully, she realized it was written entirely in demonic script, and she couldn’t understand a single word.
She let out a deep sigh.
“I’m already your captive, and besides, Sakura is here too…”
As she spoke, she looked at Sakura, her eyes revealing a hint of tenderness.
“Sakura, I couldn’t keep you with me back then.
But this time, I won’t let go again—”
Rin bit her finger and pressed her bloodied thumbprint onto the paper.
The contract instantly transformed into two streams of black light; one darted into Sebastian’s body, and the other into Rin’s.
The demonic contract was bound.
Sebastian patted the slightly dazed Sakura on the shoulder and turned to look at Grayfia.
Outside the Amagiri residence, Sebastian spoke to the driver.
“Drive to the Amagiri family estate and see what happened there.”
“As you command, Lord Sebastian.”
When Rin rushed into the main living room of her family’s home, she froze completely.
She had heard Sebastian and the others mention that her father might already be gone, but actually seeing Tohiomi Amagiri lying in a pool of blood was a different reality altogether.
She fell to her knees, her hands shaking violently.
She checked her father’s pulse.
Cold.
His heartbeat had stopped, and his breathing was gone.
By human standards, he was completely dead.
“Grayfia, can this situation still be saved?” Sebastian asked, turning his head.
Grayfia didn’t waste words and walked straight to Rin’s side.
“Please step aside.”
She signaled for Rin to move back, then summoned the glowing blue crest of the Lucifuge clan on her palm.
A powerful magic circle descended from above, covering Tohiomi’s body.
As the Devil magic activated, something resembling a small sapling grew out of Tohiomi’s heart, extending into the air.
When it grew to about twenty centimeters, the nerve-like tendril stopped expanding.
Tohiomi’s heart was no longer beating, yet this small magical creation was pulsing regularly, acting as a second heart.
Grayfia turned to Sebastian and nodded.
“He can still be saved.”
“Then hurry up and finish it.”
“Understood, Lord Sebastian.”
Watching Grayfia begin the healing spell, Rin finally breathed a sigh of relief, though she was still uneasy.
“Sebastian…
can my father really come back to life?”
After all, her human common sense from the past decade told her that her father was dead.
Hearing that the dead could be brought back sounded impossible, especially for a trained Magus.
The first thing that popped into her mind was dark necromancy used to control corpses.
Sebastian glanced at her.
“You aren’t secretly thinking this is some kind of necromancy spell, are you?”
Rin’s eyes widened.
“How did you know…”
Sebastian scoffed.
“I can tell by your face.
Use your head, Rin.
If I really had the ability to turn your father into a puppet, why wouldn’t I just kill you and turn you into a puppet to work for me instead?
Do you really think you’re that uniquely useful?
Or do you honestly believe that making you a maid is some high-stakes test just for you?”
He had only recently discovered his talent for making Rin explode with anger within three short sentences.
Every time she got this mad, she couldn’t even form proper words; her hands just grew cold and her whole body trembled.
Yet, that sudden wave of anger effectively washed away all her previous grief and worry.
At the very least, she was too annoyed at Sebastian to keep panicking about her father’s recovery.
Seeing her state, Sebastian pushed Rin toward the door and signaled the others out of the room.
“This kind of treatment takes time and concentration.
Leave it to Grayfia.
Let’s go elsewhere so we don’t disturb her.”
He led the group to the living room on the first floor.
Rin automatically brought out tea and snacks from the kitchen to serve them.
Watching her work, Sebastian nodded with satisfaction.
“It seems you’re adapting well to your new identity.
As one of the three maids of the House of Lucifer, you must get used to this role.”
Irisviel looked up, surprised.
“Wait…
there are three maids?”
Rin had grown accustomed to Sebastian throwing out infuriating remarks, so she stayed silent, knowing any response would only invite a worse insult.
Instead, Irisviel took up the question.
Sebastian’s gaze fell on her.
“Yes.
Grayfia, Rin—and the third one is you, Irisviel.”
“Eh?!” Irisviel instantly regretted opening her mouth.
Regardless of whether she had asked, Sebastian had already decided her role.
Even without turning her into a Devil, he intended to have her learn reinforcement techniques, combat skills, and weapon handling.
With so many matters to handle, piling all the work onto Grayfia alone was unreasonable.
He needed to build up a reliable household support team.
Sebastian clapped his hands, drawing everyone’s attention.
“Alright.
While Grayfia treats Tohiomi, let’s discuss our next move.”
The Holy Grail War was still underway.
Four Servants had already been eliminated in the first round, but the battle wasn’t over.
“We currently have four Masters on our side,” Sebastian noted.
“However, Tohiomi’s Command Spells were stolen by Kotomine Kirei.”
He turned to Rin and Sakura.
“Give me your remaining Command Spells.”
Both girls nodded without hesitation.
With those added, the number of Command Spells under Sebastian’s control rose from thirty-three to thirty-nine.
Artoria watched quietly from the side, her expression complicated.
Once the transfer was complete, Sebastian looked at Ingvild.
“How are you coming along with your Sacred Gear?”
“It’s going well,” Ingvild replied.
“Why, do you need me for something?”
Sebastian nodded.
“Fuyuki City is right by the sea.
Your ability to control water will be very useful here, and your power to control dragons isn’t just for show either.”
He glanced pointedly at Artoria.
Artoria’s expression darkened further.
“You agree, right, King of Knights?” Sebastian added with a smirk.
“Although I really don’t want to admit it, and I still don’t understand how many strange methods you have to control me,” Artoria said through gritted teeth, “your logic is correct.”
Ingvild’s eyes lit up immediately.
She leaned in toward Artoria, fascinated.
This was the first time she had ever encountered a real dragon spirit that she could influence.
Sebastian had explained the potential of her Nereid Kyrie Sacred Gear long ago, but since the Underworld had no sea and dragons were rare, she had always felt her power was useless.
She never expected both of her abilities to be so relevant in her very first real conflict.
“Artoria, let’s get along well from now on!” Ingvild said cheerfully.
“Mm…
get along well,” Artoria replied, biting her tongue.
She knew that look in the girl’s eyes wasn’t just friendly curiosity, but she had no choice but to accept it.
Sebastian smiled, pulling out a file on Kotomine Kirei from his storage space and placing it on the coffee table.
“We need to plan our next move.
Compared to Solomon, I think we should keep a much closer eye on this man—Kotomine Kirei.
Or rather, the monster he is.”
On paper, Kirei’s individual combat strength didn’t match a top-tier Servant, and his Servant, Hassan of the Hundred Faces, wasn’t built for direct combat either.
Most people would dismiss him.
But Sebastian knew better.
This man was dangerous.
When Kirei murdered Tohiomi, he had no idea that Arjuna and Saint George were already defeated.
At most, he might have heard rumors about Saint George’s fall, but he possessed zero information regarding Arjuna.
Rin nodded in agreement.
“That’s true.
I was Arjuna’s Master, and I accompanied both Servants to the Matou estate.
With the massive magical power output between Arjuna and Karna, ordinary familiars couldn’t even get close enough to observe that fight.”
“Exactly,” Sebastian continued, scanning his team.
“So after Kirei killed Tohiomi, he immediately went into hiding.
He’s definitely holding a secret plan or a trump card, and we need to be prepared.
My gut tells me that before our final clash with Solomon, Kirei will pull a scheme to catch us off guard.”
While Sebastian’s group strategized their next move, Kirei had no intention of quietly slipping away.
For a man who had just awakened to his true, twisted nature, he craved a far greater sense of dark satisfaction.
Furthermore, he needed to ensure his own survival, unaware that the deadly archer Arjuna had already fallen.