After Caster was eliminated, Rin lifted the sleep suggestion placed on the house's residents.
Souta tidied up the living room, and the two returned to Matou Residence.
With that psychotic killer duo out of the way, the upcoming Holy Grail War was bound to be a lot smoother.
Illya remained in the main hall, with Hercules standing guard at the entrance, his sheer presence and berserker aura deterring any would-be intruders.
Seeing Souta return, Illya smiled and ran over:
"Big brother, did everything go well?"
"Yeah, the Caster duo's done. Now it's time to handle your mom's situation."
Souta scooped up Illya and spun her around.
As they grew closer, Illya gradually let down her guard—sometimes acting like a pure little girl, clinging to Souta playfully; other times, she'd slip into a more mature demeanor befitting her 18-year-old psyche, treating Souta more like an older sister might.
Souta found it all refreshingly novel.
Off to the side, Rin sighed as she heard about the Caster resolution:
"Souta, I really can't condone your method of dealing with Caster."
"Hm?" Souta put Illya down, puzzled. "Didn't we already agree on this? Why the complaint now?"
"We only agreed on eliminating them! You never said you'd use three Command Seals to make Caster commit suicide!"
Rin was clearly annoyed:
"Come on, you could've just taken him out directly. Why waste Command Seals? If you didn't want them, you could've given them to me!"
"What would you do with so many Seals?" Souta shrugged indifferently.
"We're guaranteed to win anyway, so who cares if I splurge a bit?"
His confidence was himself. That's why he never took Servants or Seals too seriously—spending them didn't faze him.
As for keeping Lancelot around, it wasn't because Souta needed him to win.
He just didn't feel like killing an ally.
And Lancelot's wish was to be punished by King Arthur, so he'd naturally seek Saber out for a duel eventually.
Letting him serve Rin in the meantime was fine.
"Guaranteed win..." Rin looked at him with a complex expression, unsure where his arrogance came from.
And spouting "guaranteed win" constantly gave her a bad premonition...
"Relax." Souta patted her shoulder—then gave it a squeeze because it was soft—and smiled:
"Leave it to me this time. Your family will be fine."
"I'm more worried about you getting reckless and into trouble."
Rin didn't stop his antics, only giving him a helpless look.
"So, when are we meeting Illya's mom?" she asked.
"Did you find out when she and Saber arrive in Fuyuki?" Souta replied.
"No. I'm not omniscient, you know! I just know they'll show up—no exact date."
Souta turned to Illya: "Do you remember what day your mom left back then?"
"Too long ago," Illya shook her head. "I've forgotten the exact date."
"Guess we wait then." Souta said.
"Irisviel and Saber arrive shortly before clashing with Lancer. Other Servants gather too, and Kiritsugu's there. That part shouldn't change. We'll lie in wait."
He could've used divine power to divine their arrival, but predicting the future would consume a lot of energy.
No need for such extravagance.
"You two go handle that," Rin added.
"Lancelot will go berserk around Saber, and I might disrupt negotiations."
"Come with us. Leaving you alone here worries me." Souta glanced at the spirit form of Lancelot behind her.
Being a god, he could see through spirit forms easily.
"As for his madness, I'll suppress it with divine power. He'll stay lucid for a while."
"Then what's your plan for Saber?" Rin met his gaze.
"She's Illya's mom's Servant—it wouldn't be right to just attack her."
She knew Souta's character—just and kind. He'd kill when necessary, but not indiscriminately.
In fact, Rin liked that about him. And as someone who'd read the original story, she didn't want Saber eliminated either.
"Don't worry about Saber," Souta replied.
"I plan to negotiate first. If it works out, we let her be. If not, we follow the war's rules."
He continued, recalling the original plot:
"The Grail only needs five Servant souls. We don't have to kill them all."
"Five souls... so two can stay?" Rin asked.
"Saber and Rider." Souta answered.
"Let me break it down: Hundred-Faced Hassan and Gilgamesh must be eliminated—they're problem-makers."
"Sure. But with Caster gone, that's only three."
"Add Diarmuid—Lancer—and your Lancelot. That's five."
Rin stared at him, speechless:
"You want to kill Lancelot? That's just... wrong, killing your own ally!"
She glanced at Lancelot's spirit.
"It's not me killing him," Souta said.
"Remember his wish? To be punished by King Arthur. He'll fight Saber eventually and force her to slay him—just like in the original. As for Diarmuid..."
"He wants to serve his lord with loyalty. If we kill him, it's like fulfilling his wish to die protecting them, right?"