Chapter 108: Karen

In the spacious room filled with a strange fragrance, Roland rubbed his forehead in confusion and opened his eyes, glancing at the figure beside him—Alisfield. Even in sleep, her noble and breathtakingly beautiful face remained untouched by any disturbance; on the contrary, the blush upon her cheeks made her appear even more enchanting. Her frost-white hair, like moonlight, softly draped over Roland, carrying a subtle, tantalizing touch.

Roland quickly slipped from the bed to avoid Alisfield’s lingering embrace; otherwise, the entire day would be spent in this large bed again. As soon as he stepped down, he stepped on a stray garter stocking and scattered clothing left carelessly on the floor. But this time, before he could summon the shadow soldiers, the highly disciplined android maid gracefully approached, instinctively tidying the surroundings and dressing Roland.

This was the first time Roland had indulged in such decadence. Though the Einzbern androids were not adept at combat, they excelled remarkably in such domestic matters.

“Where is Arhad?” Roland casually asked the android maid named Sera beside him, as if the head of the great Einzbern family was a trivial figure in his eyes.

“He is already waiting to report to you, Lord Roland.”

Since the end of the Holy Grail War, to prevent any unforeseen complications, Roland immediately brought Alisfield and Illya to the Einzbern main estate, shrouded by an icy barrier, and declared a fact to the stunned Arhad.

“From now on, the Einzbern family belongs to me.”

Faced with this demand, Arhad decisively handed over full authority to Roland, promptly halted all experiments and disposals of androids, and confirmed the Einzbern mission as serving Roland.

This was entirely different from Roland’s previous impression of a madman; only when he realized that this man’s ideology had been completely rewritten by the concept of serving the Fire Demon did he understand the situation.

Walking through the vast chapel, the dignified elder respectfully followed behind Roland.

“Some of the core androids have already gone ahead to Fuyuki. Preparations for the related barriers and workshop construction are underway. Soon, it will become the second residence of the Einzbern family, serving you.”

“Hm...” Roland responded noncommittally, his gaze fixed on the statue in the chapel. Beyond the controversial Holy Lord and the three talismans, his eyes fell upon a newly hung stained glass window.

It was a grand and sacred oil painting, filled with religious aura, surpassing any that recorded the history of the Einzbern family before. Yet unlike other works, this painting featured only a single image: a youth lifting a golden chalice.

Even those with little artistic merit could see the creator’s strong desire to extol the greatness of the youth in the painting.

Roland squinted at the artwork and said faintly, “It’s strange that now when I see such things, even the feeling of shame has vanished. Seems I’ve grown quite a bit.”

“That is only because this mortal work cannot touch even the slightest trace of your radiance,” the silver-haired elder said indifferently. “Recording the outcome of the Holy Grail War in oil painting is only proper, especially when it celebrates you, who realized the long-cherished wish of Einzbern. If Lord Roland desires, this old man even plans to hang your sacred portrait all over Einzbern...”

“Let’s skip that,” Roland quickly refused the fanatic’s plan. Suddenly his eyes shifted, and he looked behind him to see Illya, dressed in white, pouncing into his arms like a lively fawn.

“Father, it’s so boring here... When are we going back to Fuyuki?”

Illya nuzzled against Roland skillfully, immediately beginning to act spoiled. Having grown up confined in the castle, for Illya, everything outside—compared to the endless snow-covered Einzbern estate—seemed endlessly fascinating.

“We’re leaving today. What about your mother?”

“She seems to still be getting dressed...” Illya blinked. “Whenever Mom doesn’t let me sleep with her, she always wakes up late the next day. Why is that?”

Roland chuckled silently, offering no explanation. “You can figure that out when you grow up. For now, tell Alisfield to hurry up preparing. We’re heading back to Fuyuki this afternoon, and there’s something to attend to tomorrow.”

That morning at Fuyuki airport, after disembarking from a private plane, Roland strolled around with Illya. Though moving with the shadow soldiers would have been faster, at Illya’s pleading, they still chose to travel by plane this time.

While Alisfield enthusiastically introduced the nearby shops to Illya with practiced familiarity, Roland’s gaze was caught by an unexpected figure.

A girl stood there with naturally cascading silver hair, slightly curled. Her eyes, a shade between amber and gold, revealed no unnecessary emotion. Her refined features bore a fragile, pitiable air. Clad in an outfit resembling a nun’s habit, she exuded an ethereal beauty.

Though still unformed, anyone could tell she was a budding beauty.

At that moment, the girl stood rooted, her eyes like living oracles, fixed sharply on Roland.

Roland was certain he did not know this child, yet her gaze was so piercing it felt as if she recognized him.

Curiosity piqued, he approached her. Though the silver-haired girl’s expression remained calm, her small hands unconsciously gripped the hem of her habit tightly.

“Ugh—!” As Roland neared, she let out a short sound involuntarily. Her complexion paled, and a few beads of cold sweat appeared on her forehead.

She was afraid.

The girl knew this clearly. Since childhood, she had been frail, frequently bearing unexplained injuries.

Whenever that man appeared, every inch of her skin ached as if it would turn inside out, watered with blood and pain.

The reason such scenes had not yet occurred was that the man’s gaze was fixed upon her. Like not wanting to be disrespectful before a superior, no wounds appeared on her body.

Her reason urged her to retreat, but fear had stiffened her entire body, as if she were a lamb calmly awaiting slaughter beneath a butcher’s knife.

Not even the thought of escape could arise; the courage to sarcastically retort adults, which she once wielded with ease, had vanished without a trace.

The silver-haired girl understood her nature. Whether inherited from her father or mother, or innate, since childhood she had felt a consuming void hovering around her.

Compared to ordinary people, she was twisted—unable to feel not only joy but even sorrow and other negative emotions.

No matter what hardships befell her, she could not comprehend sadness, hatred, anger, or pain. Thus, she always faced everything with a cold demeanor, pretending to be a well-behaved doll to mask her true self.

Even when taken away by a father she had never met since birth, she could not grasp the warmth of familial love.

She had lived all her life bearing the identity of a sinner’s daughter. Since her mother was a suicide, forsaken by divine mercy, the priest who raised her, though well paid, refused to baptize her or allow her to attend school, instead burdening the young girl with endless prayers and labor.

Then, she was taken by that man—her father—who also possessed a void within but was unaffected by emptiness.

Yet just now, that sense of void was utterly shattered.

Though her right eye was nearly blind and her sense of taste faint—making her perception of the world slower than most—when that man approached, everything around surged violently.

Extreme emotions continuously battered the silver-haired girl’s mind. The sharp world etched itself onto her in unbearable pain. An ordinary person would have been destroyed the moment they sensed this man’s true nature. Yet the girl felt only profound pleasure. Her small frame trembled, helplessly watching Roland step closer.

How could such overwhelming malice exist? So cruel, yet with mercy; so chaotic, yet imbued with holiness.

Despite countless prayers to the gods in the chapel, she had never truly felt proof of their existence—until now.

If a god truly existed in this world, it could only be this man before her, whose evil radiated a pure form of love.

With every step Roland took, something within her wailed. The suffocating sensation grew heavier. Finally, with a sound like a soul shattering, the glass that separated her from the world was broken.

In a black-and-white world, only the man before her shone with color.

She felt her soul plunge into an abyss. Before the endless cold and darkness could swallow her, she greedily gazed at the only color she could perceive, smiling blissfully in extreme joy before losing consciousness.

“What’s going on?” Roland looked at the girl who had suddenly collapsed, perplexed. He had been preparing an appropriate opening line to discuss her strange constitution when she fainted.

Instinctively, he cradled her soft, light body, surprised to find that though delicate in appearance, she was surprisingly well-fleshed.

“What should I do now...?” Holding the unconscious silver-haired girl, Roland hesitated, ready to avoid the curious glances of passersby, when a steady voice called out.

“Lord Roland... what are you doing here? And this young lady—what’s wrong?”

Kirei Kotomine looked at the girl in Roland’s arms with a puzzled expression.

“Is this your daughter, Kirei?” Roland blinked as he matched the girl with the sharp-tongued school doctor he remembered.

“Yes. Because her mother was a suicide, and I was still searching for answers at the time, I entrusted her to a familiar priest for upbringing. I just brought her back today.”

Kirei spoke casually about his past, then suddenly remembered something.

“By the way, this child’s constitution is somewhat special. Though the stigmata haven’t appeared yet, I suspect she has a ‘Cursed Spirit Medium’ constitution. She’s highly susceptible to demons and can be harmed by them. Under certain conditions, she can also repel demons, making her an excellent demon detector.”

“I see,” Roland nodded knowingly.

By the original fate, Karen would have fully awakened her constitution and become a tool of the Holy Church, only to come to Fuyuki after Kirei’s death to succeed his position.

Such a constitution inherently possessed talents akin to chronic demonic possession, allowing precise detection of nearby demons. For Roland, inheriting humanity’s demonic identity, this innate ability was a death sentence.

Yet, perhaps because he had held back, judging by Karen’s prior behavior, this seemed to have produced a paradoxical positive effect. After all, her personality inherited Kirei’s emptiness, though whether this correction was truly in the right direction remained uncertain.

“She fainted because of her constitution. It’s unavoidable,” Kirei said upon seeing Roland’s expression, shaking his head casually as if unconcerned about his daughter’s safety.

“Well, it’s not entirely bad. This constitution has been twisted by me somewhat. Though a bit improper, having the Beast’s Mark means no reckless demon would dare possess her.”

“If that’s the case, then all the better.”

Kirei nodded slightly, about to say more but stopped.

Roland lowered his gaze to Karen, still cradling her. Her eyes were hazily open, those scattered golden pupils staring intently at him, filled with a mesmerizing intoxication as if wanting to devour him. The girl’s demonic charm seemed to have blossomed fully after the recent incident.

“Hello, my name is Roland. I’m a close friend of your father’s. Child, what is your name?”

Holding Karen’s petite body, Roland greeted casually, not really expecting a response. After all, beyond her emptiness and frailty, Karen was not an easy person to get along with.

To his surprise, despite the lingering blush on her delicate face, the girl’s cold eyes brimmed with rich emotion. She looked at Roland seriously and repeated her name.

“Karen. My name is Karen Ordesia.”

(End of chapter)