"The Matou residence, huh..."
Souta pondered briefly, then turned his gaze to the floor.
Placing his hand on the icy surface, he focused intently.
Beneath... a faint trace of a soul's presence.
Had he not been a god, he wouldn't have sensed it.
Could it be... an underground leyline? Souta speculated.
He closed his eyes and swept his enhanced spiritual senses deep underground, inch by inch, until—
He locked onto the source of that soul's faint aura.
With divine power, Souta invoked a miracle of object transference. Instantly, a grotesque, writhing worm appeared before them.
The hideous thing squirmed violently, letting out a human-like shriek—utterly horrifying.
Rin forced herself to approach and glanced at the worm.
"This... is Matou Zouken?"
"Same soul signature. It's him."
Souta had no intention of touching the thing, so he simply stomped it underfoot, preventing Zouken's escape.
Illya tried to step on it too but found no space—it was too small for her foot.
"Who are you...!? Don't kill me!"
The revolting worm screeched, startling little Sakura in Rin's arms.
"It can still talk? This is beyond creepy..."
Rin patted Sakura's head reassuringly and shot the worm a glare of pure disgust.
"Zouken's lived for centuries. Being creepy is kind of his thing."
Souta sighed at the cursed creature beneath his foot, eyes tinged with pity.
"Once a man who dreamed of saving the world... reduced to this. How ironic."
Zouken hadn't always been a monster. He had once been a brilliant young magus, with noble ideals of saving humanity.
But time had eroded his soul until he forgot his dream—only survival remained, no matter how grotesque.
"He's used innocent people as breeding grounds for his bugs. Who knows how many he's killed."
"No matter his original goal, now he's just an evil parasite."
"Don't kill me... Don't kill me...!"
The worm writhed, a faint human-like face flickering on its surface.
Souta felt the sheer despair in Zouken's soul.
Shaking his head, he dispelled his pity and conjured a flame at his fingertip.
It struck the worm, engulfing it in fire.
Zouken's screams echoed through the chamber as his soul and body burned to ash.
Centuries of twisted obsession ended—at last.
Sakura stared in stunned silence.
"Let's get out of here. This place should be sealed."
Souta turned to leave, Rin and Illya following. On the icy floor, only ashes remained.
"Sakura, want some ice cream?"
"Sakura, how about some sweets?"
"Want some noodles? I'll make them for you."
Inside the Matou residence, Souta used his matter creation powers to produce snacks of every kind, quickly cheering up the frightened little girl.
Sakura beamed as she ate, laughing at Souta's silly stories, slowly forgetting her traumatic experience.
When it came to calming children, Souta was a natural.
Having grown up in an orphanage, he was used to caring for younger kids—he had at least ten honorary siblings.
Five-year-old Sakura took to him faster than she did to her actual sister, Rin, which left Rin feeling a bit conflicted.
Since Zouken's death, Souta had more or less taken over the Matou estate.
It was a good base for resolving Sakura's situation, so he planned to settle there for now.
As for Matou Byakuya, Zouken's son, he was a mundane man without magic. Rin had implanted a suggestion in him, prompting him to leave town with his wife to manage the Matou family's other businesses.
"Souta, can we talk?"
While Souta entertained Sakura, Rin came over, tugging at his sleeve.
"Hm?" he glanced over, "What is it?"
"You're not lacking energy anymore, right? Since you've been collecting faith?"
Rin smiled slyly, casually draping an arm over his shoulder.
"So you can use your matter creation as much as you want now, right? Ever thought about making something nice? Like... jewels?"
"...You want me to make gems for you?"
Souta gave her a blank look.
"It's mutually beneficial! You can create them effortlessly, and I need them."
She clung to him, her pushy side coming out now that they were close.
"C'mon, think about it—be my supplier?"
Magically conductive gems and metals were rare and expensive.
Souta vaguely remembered Rin in the original story always scheming how to charm shopkeepers' daughters into giving her discounts.
"Rin, keep this up, and you'll end up starring in 'The Tohsaka Family's Financial Affairs'."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Rin frowned—she had a bad feeling about this.
"Nothing." Souta waved it off. "Being your supplier isn't impossible, but what's in it for me? I can't make them for free."
"Hmm... the system gives out missions, right? I'll pay you back in points. Deal?"
"You're trying to scam me with IOUs? Whatever... since you've helped me with cards before, I'll cut you some slack."
"Bring me one of your gemstones as a reference. I need an image to replicate."
"You're the best, Souta!"
Rin found herself growing increasingly fond of him. He was easy to get along with.
If I play my cards right, maybe I can get stuff for free... she schemed internally.
PS: Got a bit stuck writing this one, hence the delay.