Chapter 323: Be Obedient

Chapter 323: Chapter 323: Be Obedient

"Tell me, when the insects crawl out and see the most vibrant ’food’ nearby at first glance, who will they pounce on first? That proud blue-eyed little girl, or that poor little purple-haired thing who never speaks?"

Long Night Moon’s knuckles turned slightly white as she gripped the handle of her umbrella.

The shadow of the black umbrella concealed most of her face even deeper, leaving only her lips pressed into a straight line visible beneath the rim.

Deep within the side corridor, far from the roaring main hall, the light was dim.

Tohsaka Rin and Sakura Matou used every ounce of their strength, half-dragging and half-carrying the semi-conscious, convulsing Tohsaka Tokiomi as they moved with great difficulty.

Tokiomi’s weight was too much for the two little girls; their small faces were flushed red from the effort, and their foreheads were covered in a mix of sweat and tears.

"Ugh... cough..."

A painful rattling sound came from Tokiomi’s throat as he barely managed to open his eyes a crack. In his blurred vision were the stubborn yet sorrowful faces of his two daughters.

"Put... put me down..."

His voice was weak and intermittent, every word seeming to exhaust his strength. The gnawing, sharp pain in his abdomen and the terrifying premonition of something about to burst from his body became increasingly clear. "Rin... Sakura... listen to your father... don’t... waste your strength anymore..."

"No! Father! Don’t talk! Save your strength!"

Rin gritted her teeth, large tears rolling down her cheeks, yet she clutched her father’s arm tightly, her small body erupting with surprising strength as she tried to keep him moving forward. "We’ll be safe soon! We’ll be safe once we leave here!"

Sakura also nodded frantically, her violet eyes brimming with tears. She didn’t know many words of comfort, so she just used all her strength to support Tokiomi’s other side, let out suppressed whimpers from her throat.

"It’s useless..."

An extremely bitter smile appeared on Tokiomi’s ashen face, a smile filled with self-mockery. "It’s Father’s fault... I underestimated the sinister nature of this war... and dragged you into it..."

His gaze fell upon Sakura, his eyes filled with complex emotions: guilt, heartache, and a deep sense of helplessness. "Sakura... my daughter... I’m sorry... sending you to the Matou Family... was Father’s... greatest mistake... I don’t deserve... to be your father..."

"That’s not true! Father!"

Sakura finally cried out, her voice thin but filled with emotion. "You weren’t wrong! It’s me... I’m the one who’s too useless..."

The torment she had endured at the Matou household had once filled her with resentment toward her biological father, but seeing the dying Tokiomi now, those grudges were long since drowned by the bond of blood and immense sorrow.

"Rin..."

Tokiomi looked at his eldest daughter again, his eyes holding his final entrustment and reluctance to part. "You are the heir to the Tohsaka Family... be strong... protect your sister... and your mother... go back... return to her side... don’t... get involved here anymore..."

"I don’t want to hear it! I don’t want to hear such things!"

Rin cried out loudly, shaking her head vigorously, her blue eyes filled with reckless defiance. "There must be a way! Big Sister Long Night Moon and the others are so powerful! They must have a way to save you! Father, please hold on a little longer! I’m begging you!"

While crying out, she exerted even more effort to pull her father, as if doing so could combat the approaching death.

Tokiomi felt as if a knife were twisting in his heart as he watched his daughters, heartbroken yet refusing to give up.

He could feel that the wriggling of the thing inside him had reached its final critical point. An unbearable sensation of bloating and tearing pain came from beneath the skin of his chest.

The shadow of death had never been so clear.

"...Be obedient..."

He used the last of his strength to try and break free from his daughters’ hands. "Leave... quickly leave my side... it’s dangerous..."

"No!"

"Father!"

The two girls clutched him tightly, refusing to let go.

Tears blurred their vision, and immense fear and sorrow almost swallowed them whole.

Time seemed to stretch out at this moment.

Cold despair was like a tide, slowly washing over the children’s final embankment of hope.

(Just a little...)

(Surely...)

(Is there still a chance...)

Outside the Matou Residence, the night was thick, and even the chirping of insects seemed sparse.

Ms. Herta stood before the closed gates, oblivious to her surroundings.

A translucent purple screen floated before her, displaying various data streams in split sections: a map overlaying Fuyuki City’s underground hydrology and leyline anomalies, and most importantly—a slightly shaky first-person perspective image occupying the center.

The image showed stone stairs that seemed to descend into an endless abyss, with rough walls covered in slippery moss and some kind of secretion.

Only a low-light vision mode built into the feed allowed one to barely make out the uneven ground ahead and the occasional oversized arthropod shadows darting across the corners.

"Ms. Herta, we’ve arrived."

Saber’s voice came from behind, carrying a hint of urgency.

She, Irisviel, Rider, and Waver had arrived. The sights along the way were shocking:

An increasing number of ambulance sirens on the streets, scattered pedestrians lying on the ground groaning in pain—the entire city seemed to have fallen into a silent gastrointestinal plague.

Ms. Herta didn’t even turn her head, just letting out a soft "mm," her gaze still locked on the screen.

"By the way, where is Miss March 7th?"

Irisviel looked around but didn’t see the lively pink-haired girl.

"She was summoned away by a command spells; there might be an emergency."

Saber explained briefly, her brow furrowed, clearly worried about their companion who had split off.

"Oh."

Ms. Herta’s reaction was flat, as if she had just heard someone had gone to a convenience store.

Her finger traced a line along the edge of the screen, bringing up a new parameter window. "It’s just as well she’s gone. The space below is narrow; too many people would just get in the way."

Irisviel was somewhat taken aback, but looking at Ms. Herta’s focused profile, she couldn’t help but ask the doubt in her heart: "Ms. Herta... if I may be so bold, are you... really a Heroic Spirit? Of the Caster class?"

This question made Waver, who was nearby, prick up his ears. He had long been curious about this "Caster" whose stats were absurd and whose behavior was even more so.

Ms. Herta finally shifted her gaze from the screen for a moment, glancing at Irisviel with her emotionless violet-black eyes. "Yes. Why, do I not look like one?"

"No, it’s not that you don’t look like one..."

Irisviel waved her hands hurriedly. "It’s just... you seem to treat your master..."

She recalled Ms. Herta’s description of Stelle going down to scout; that tone didn’t sound like a typical master and Servant.

"She’s quite durable."

Ms. Herta retracted her gaze, giving an explanation that could be called simple and crude. "And she’s efficient, suitable for this kind of environment."

Upon hearing this, Rider let out a hearty laugh. "Hahaha! Durable! I like that phrasing! It seems your master is a tough nut to crack as well! Once this is over, I must have a drink with her!"

He didn’t think there was anything wrong with the description at all.

Waver was breaking out in a cold sweat on the side, feeling that this Caster’s attitude toward her master was a bit like those senior professors he’d seen at the Clock Tower treating particularly sturdy and durable experimental equipment... "Rather than that,"

Ms. Herta interrupted Rider’s laughter, gesturing with her chin toward the image in the center of the screen. "Finding the Mother Insect is the key. This kind of infestation, based on pollution, usually has a core individual. Destroy it, and the activity of the other individuals will rapidly decay."

"Like a queen bee in a hive?"

Saber immediately understood the logic.

"Similar, but more direct."

Ms. Herta nodded. "Stelle is currently locating its specific coordinates. Find it, clear it, end it. The logic is very simple."

She spoke nonchalantly, as if she were merely laying out the steps to solve a math problem.

In the screen’s image, Stelle’s vision was moving carefully deeper along an exceptionally wide tunnel filled with white silk and unidentified insect husks.

The rustling sounds from all around were becoming increasingly dense.

------------------------

I’ve posted 70+ Chapters in advance on Patreon.

Webnovel updates will still be daily, as usual.

It might not seem tempting right now but who knows what the future holds?

[email protected]/SolyuraMT

"And If you’re enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"