Vivian had planned everything perfectly.
She would directly kill Tohsaka Sakura the moment she summoned the Servant. Her resolve was set.
That way, the magical contract between Tohsaka Sakura and Ian would terminate.
She only needed to quickly form a new contract with him within a short time, thereby achieving a transfer of relationship that was as good as fact. Her claim on him would be solidified.
To ensure that nothing went wrong, Vivian had rehearsed this process countless times over the past ten years. The steps were ingrained in her mind.
She was terrified that a single oversight would prevent her from being able to "take" Ian to her side in time after Tohsaka Sakura's death. The thought sent a chill down her spine.
Under the influence of this obsession.
This witch, who had lived for a thousand years, had firmly memorized every single step, capable of carrying out her actions even with her eyes closed. Her focus was absolute.
Vivian knew she had missed many opportunities before.
And this time, no matter what, she could not afford another mistake. Failure was not an option.
As for what would happen afterwards, there was no need to worry at all.
Maintaining his existence would only require a little bit of her magical energy. It was a small price to pay.
She had plenty of such things! More than enough to sustain him.
At worst, she would let him choose his favorite position for daily mana replenishment. She would indulge his desires.
If that didn't work, she would drug him.
She would keep him intoxicated from the moment he woke up in the morning until nightfall, and repeat this process, until he became completely dependent on her. Until he could not escape.
Anyway, she would absolutely never let him disappear. Her grip on him would be total.
He wouldn't be able to leave!
He couldn't possibly leave!
He had said he would love her for a lifetime! He had made a vow.
Then he would stay by her side forever! Her will was iron.
However—
Vivian had prepared everything, but she overlooked one of the simplest problems.
That was the object of Tohsaka Sakura's contract. The fundamental connection was different from what she assumed.
All of Vivian's plans were based on the assumption that Tohsaka Sakura and Ian's "contract" and Tohsaka Sakura and the Servant's "contract" would manifest simultaneously. Two distinct lines of connection.
She wanted to use that opportunity to sever the "contract" between them, and thus achieve a change in the supply relationship. To redirect the power to herself.
However—
This method had a fatal flaw.
That was when the Servant Tohsaka Sakura summoned was Ian, these two "contracts" would overlap, making it impossible to distinguish them clearly. They would be inextricably linked.
Severing the wrong one would cause Ian to disappear on the spot. The risk was absolute.
But Vivian never worried about this problem.
After all, she believed that no one could find Ian's relics — because she had already hidden them away. His past was concealed.
But the fact was, someone had successfully found one.
Under a series of coincidences, this outcome had ultimately come to pass. Fate had intervened.
Ten years of magecraft training in the past allowed Tohsaka Sakura's inherently high-talent magecraft circuits to be utilized almost comprehensively. Her magical potential blossomed.
Now, she and Ian were like trees intertwined, their magical energy connection incredibly complex. Their roots were deeply bound together.
With just a few simple manipulations, it would be absolutely impossible to separate them. The bond was too strong to be easily broken.
Fate, at this moment, played a cruel joke on Vivian.
The deep and unignorable relationship between the two seemed to mock every wrong choice the witch had made in the past. The weight of her history pressed down on her.
Her many moments of bravado in the past were now yielding a bitter fruit that was hard to swallow.
And Vivian was the only one to taste it.
[You noticed that Vivian's condition was not good.]
[For some reason, you felt your own heart aching along with hers. A strange sympathy stirred within you.]
[But constrained by your current identity, you did not directly express that feeling.]
[You leaned down, close to Tohsaka Sakura's ear, and quietly conveyed your thoughts to her. Your voice was a whisper meant only for her.]
[You hoped that this would have some effect.]
"Huh?"
Hearing the words spoken by the now materialized Phantom, Tohsaka Sakura looked at her teacher Vivian.
Sure enough, she saw an expression on her teacher's face that was absolutely unlike her usual self. It was a look of utter despair. Her beautiful eyes were now dim and lifeless, showing no sign of light.
Tohsaka Sakura felt a little nervous.
She thought she had done something wrong, and quickly waved her hand.
"Teacher?" she called out, her voice anxious.
"Teacher!" she repeated, more urgently.
"Teacher?!" she exclaimed, her voice filled with worry.
After calling out three times in succession, Tohsaka Sakura finally brought Vivian back from the abyss of despair. Vivian's eyes flickered, returning to the present.
Vivian turned her face away, forced a strained smile, and replied to Tohsaka Sakura:
"Wh... what is it?" she asked, her voice weak.
"Shouldn't I be the one asking you, Teacher Vivian?"
Tohsaka Sakura's eyes were filled with concern.
It was the heartfelt worry of a student for her beloved teacher.
"Teacher's face looks unwell," she observed gently.
"Did I do something wrong?" she asked, fearing she was the cause of her teacher's distress.
"..."
At these words, Vivian realized that her reaction just now had been seen by her student, Tohsaka Sakura.
Out of her pride as a teacher, and to hide her true feelings, she used all her strength to conceal the emotions within her heart. She forced a calm facade.
"Not at all," she said, denying it.
"On the contrary, you did very well... far exceeding my expectations," she replied, her voice strained but convincing.
"Really?!"
Hearing this, Tohsaka Sakura happily hooked her arm through the knight's arm beside her and turned to him, claiming credit. Her face lit up with joy.
"Did you hear that?" she said to him excitedly.
"Teacher said—"
"I did very well!" she exclaimed, her voice full of triumph.
"Oh... is that so?"
The knight's words were filled with affection for the young girl.
Or perhaps, this was a habit he had developed over the past ten years.
He cared for this sensible girl too much, so much so that without realizing it, he had also developed a genuine concern for her. His feelings for her were deep.
"That's truly wonderful," he said gently.
"Mm~"
Praised, Tohsaka Sakura smiled. Her smile was radiant.
This was the happiest she had ever smiled.
After all—
The Phantom who had accompanied her for over ten years had truly appeared by her side at this moment. His physical presence was undeniable.
Nothing could be more exciting than this. Her heart swelled with happiness.
But what Tohsaka Sakura didn't know was that the more intimate she was with her Phantom, the more Vivian felt the flames of jealousy burning fiercely in her heart. The sight was unbearable.
Impossible.
Absolutely impossible.
No matter what, it cannot be this way.
He is mine—!
No one can change that!!! Her thoughts were frantic.
Vivian's hand gradually began to glow with blue light—it was a sign that the spell she had prepared beforehand was about to take effect. A surge of magical energy.
But just at this moment, Rin Tohsaka's actions interrupted an emotional disaster.
"Wait a moment!"
The young girl with twin tails came before her sister, pointing at the knight with a look of surprise, waving her hands up and down as she asked. Her voice was incredulous.
"What is this?!"
"How did you summon him?!" she demanded, utterly baffled.
"Huh?"
Questioned by Rin Tohsaka like that, Tohsaka Sakura also calmed down considerably. Her excitement subsided slightly.
She let go of the knight's hand and then replied to her sister, Rin Tohsaka.
"Sister, didn't you see it?" she asked simply.
"I just put the suitable Holy Relic into the summoning circle, and then I summoned him," she explained the process matter-of-factly.
"How is that possible?!" Rin Tohsaka became even more anxious. "It's not like I haven't tried that method!" she exclaimed, clearly frustrated.
"You tried?"
Tohsaka Sakura's expression instantly darkened. A shadow fell over her face.
"Sister, have you already treated that as your own thing?" she questioned, a hint of accusation in her voice.
"..."
Tohsaka Sakura's appearance at this moment somewhat scared Rin Tohsaka. Her younger sister's sudden change in demeanor was unsettling.
She turned her face away, avoiding her sister's gaze, and explained.
"Sakura, that's not what I meant," she said, trying to clarify.
"Think about it... this thing was left behind by Dad!" she reasoned.
"If it could summon a Servant—"
"Then Mom would surely know something, wouldn't she?" she suggested, implying their mother's lack of knowledge meant the relic was ineffective.
"But until now, she hasn't said anything, doesn't that prove this scabbard is useless?" she concluded, hoping to convince Sakura.
Rin Tohsaka didn't want to reveal her intention to participate in the Holy Grail War just yet. She was keeping her own plans hidden.
After all, being the competitive person she was, she didn't want others to know that she hadn't been able to summon a suitable Servant yet.
Even though... the reason she gave for explaining was also quite clumsy. It was a weak excuse.
It seemed that the two girls of the Tohsaka family had almost the same poor performance when it came to lying. Their attempts were transparent.
"When you put it that way, it's not without reason..."
Tohsaka Sakura, who had learned a lot of magecraft knowledge from Vivian, already had some general ideas about the Holy Grail War.
She realized that what her sister Rin Tohsaka said was largely correct. Her father had participated in the Holy Grail War.
If this weapon could truly summon the Phantom, he should have disappeared from her side long ago. Their connection should have been severed.
But the situation was clearly not like this.
It seemed... there were still some hidden circumstances that she didn't know about. Something was missing from the picture.
"See! You think so too, right?!"
Rin Tohsaka put her hands on her hips and looked at the knight before her.
Perhaps due to the difference in their upbringing, her personality was completely opposite to that of her sister; she was the kind of person who was quite direct. Her words were blunt.
"I say—!"
"Since you were summoned by my sister, you should at least introduce yourself, shouldn't you?" she demanded of the knight.
"If you're like this, it will be hard to gain your Master's trust, you know," she added, offering unsolicited advice.
"..."
The knight looked at Tohsaka Sakura, who quickly waved her hands;
"That's not true!" she said, denying her sister's point.
"Phantom, even if you don't tell me your name, I will absolutely trust you." she stated firmly.
"However—" Tohsaka Sakura's face blushed slightly.
"If possible, please tell the Phantom to report his name!" she requested shyly.
"That way... it would be even better!" she added, a hopeful look in her eyes.
"..."
[You really wanted to answer Tohsaka Sakura's question.]
[But you didn't know how to answer properly.]
[Although you were indeed summoned by her—you did not regain your memories because of it.]
[You were still that Phantom, just with a solid body.]
"..."
"..."
The atmosphere fell into a kind of awkward silence for a moment.
Tohsaka Sakura realized that the situation didn't seem to have improved—her Phantom still didn't remember his name. Disappointment flickered in her eyes.
She really wanted to say something to alleviate the current awkwardness, but she couldn't think of the right words.
Meanwhile, Rin Tohsaka on the side didn't know any of this.
Her intuition was telling the young girl that the Servant before her seemed a little off. Something felt strange.
With her hands on her hips, she spoke her thoughts impulsively:
"Um... the thing Dad left behind is the scabbard of Excalibur Galatine." she mused aloud.
"Since it was you who was summoned—then you should be its owner." she reasoned.
"According to historical records, your identity... is the Sun Knight, Gawain?" she questioned, offering a possible name.
"Gawain?"
Hearing this name, Tohsaka Sakura looked at the knight before her.
Although there was no evidence, the young girl's intuition instinctively felt that this was not the suitable True Name for the Phantom. The name felt wrong.
"It's not Gawain, it's Ian," Vivian suddenly spoke at this moment.
Everyone's attention was drawn to the mature woman.
"Vivian, how did you know?" Rin Tohsaka asked in confusion. "That name didn't appear in history, did it?" she questioned.
"At least not in the version I know," she added.
"Yes, that's right," Tohsaka Sakura looked at her teacher and softly echoed her sister's question.
"Teacher, how did you make that judgment?" she inquired, seeking an explanation.
"..."
Vivian really wanted to tell the sisters before her that this Servant was her husband. The truth burned on her tongue.
But this witch, who had lived for a thousand years, knew that she absolutely could not do that now.
Because if she did, it would not only reveal her true identity, but it would also make things much more troublesome to handle later. The consequences would be severe.
She couldn't kill Tohsaka Sakura now. Her plan was thwarted.
Otherwise, Ian would disappear along with her. The bond was too strong.
Besides that, there was an even more important point—
Vivian's eyes saw only Ian. Her gaze was fixed on him.
The name she had blurted out on a gamble had had no effect whatsoever. It didn't trigger any recognition.
He had completely not remembered who she was. The pain of being forgotten was immense.
And so, left with no other options, Vivian could only finally offer a half-hearted excuse.
"Intuition."
"I just feel that this name suits him very well," she said, her voice flat.
"..."
Rin Tohsaka naturally couldn't accept such an absurd reason. Her expression showed her disbelief.
But just as she was about to flare up, she heard an unexpected response.
The Servant knight nodded, then affirmed Vivian's statement.
"That's right," he said, his voice gentle.
"I also feel that this name suits me very well," he added, confirming the name resonated with him.
"This..."
Rin Tohsaka was at a loss for words for a moment. She blinked in surprise.
Tohsaka Sakura's attitude, however, was much more easygoing.
"I see, I understand!" she exclaimed, her face lighting up.
"Then—"
"From now on, I'll call you Mr. Ian!" she declared happily.
"Yes, alright," the knight replied, a gentle smile on his face.
"Hey! Don't be so casual about it! If you don't know a Servant's real name, there will be many problems!" Rin Tohsaka protested, her voice exasperated.
"Huh? Sister, how do you know about things like that?" Tohsaka Sakura asked, confused by her sister's knowledge.
"This..." Rin Tohsaka trailed off, caught in her own partial knowledge.
Watching the three of them causing a commotion, Vivian felt a little bit of resentment in her heart.
She didn't like sharing her husband with anyone—not even at a time like this. The sight of them interacting with him was painful.
But she couldn't think of a good solution. She was trapped.
"I'm going out to get some fresh air," Vivian said, excusing herself.
Saying this, Vivian turned and left the room where the knight had been summoned. Her footsteps echoed down the hallway.
Ian watched her back, his expression gradually becoming serious.
He leaned closer to Tohsaka Sakura and whispered a few words. His voice was low and private.
The latter quickly nodded in response, saying, "Yes, I understand."
Coming outside alone.
Vivian walked along the long corridor of the Tohsaka house.
The silence here reminded her of that long corridor garden in Camelot. A memory of a beautiful, painful past.
Those were flowers. The air was filled with their fragrance.
This was a pond. Water rippled gently.
Birds flew overhead, and fish played below. The scene was idyllic.
Everything, everything, was as beautiful as a dream.
Vivian smiled. A fragile, lost smile.
She was completely unaware that her mind had almost completely broken down at this moment.
She was starting to believe that she had truly returned to that kingdom of the past. The boundaries of reality blurred.
The witch almost instinctively called out a sentence.
"Ian, come quickly and look at the flowers with me," she said, her voice soft and yearning.
There should have been no response. The call should have gone unanswered.
And Vivian would have walked alone towards the destruction of her own faith.
But just at this moment, she heard a familiar voice.
"Yes, alright," the voice replied.
Vivian suddenly turned around and saw that he was already standing by her side. His presence was real and undeniable.