dmims Chapter 84 The Magician Bows His Head
Chapter 84 The Magician Bows His Head
A biting wind lashed against the long corridor of the Tohsaka residence, but the air inside the corridor became unusually warm because of the man's presence.
Sakura Tohsaka stared blankly at the young man in front of her who called himself "King".
His golden hair seemed to glow in the candlelight, and her disheveled and small figure was reflected in his emerald green eyes.
"...My father is going to send me away."
Sakura's voice was barely audible, carrying a hollowness born from prolonged despair.
"Send me away from this home...to a very far place, I...I don't want to go."
She finally uttered those last words, her voice trembling, as if she had used up all the courage she had in her life.
A brief silence fell over the corridor.
As Arthur listened to the girl's confession, the Dragon's Heart resonated deeply within his chest.
That wasn't anger, but rather the restraint of a guardian.
He reached out his hand gently, his fingertips touching the cool tips of Sakura's hair.
"Well..." Arthur's voice rang out, carrying a reassuring warmth that needed no embellishment.
"I won't let you go."
Just then, the tightly closed study door opened.
The candlelight in the study was violently shaken by the wind that rushed in as the door was pushed open.
Tokiomi Tohsaka stood at the doorway. This magician, who always maintained his elegance, had his steady hands tremble almost imperceptibly.
In his perception, the person appearing outside the study was not a person.
It was a "texture" he had never felt before in any magician or even any mystical phenomenon.
It possessed a life force as intense as the sun, yet also carried a solemnity as distant as the stars.
Danger.
Tokiomi's fingertips tightened slightly, and the spare gem hidden in his sleeve became slightly hot under the touch of his finger bones.
That was his alertness, a habit he had developed over many years, a way to prepare for any situation that was beyond his existing knowledge.
Behind him, Matou Tsuruno's breathing suddenly became erratic. The man quietly took half a step back, his pupils filled with a pure, animalistic fear.
Aoi Tohsaka covered her mouth tightly, her eyes red as she looked at Sakura, who was squatting in the corridor.
Her gaze darted anxiously back and forth between her daughter and the strange young man, filled with worry and confusion.
Sakura raised her head and glanced at her father. Under the gaze of his calm eyes, she instinctively shrank her shoulders.
But the next second, she felt a warm hand take hers.
That warmth gave her the strength to stand up.
Sakura took Arthur's hand in return and stood up with him.
The two figures, one tall and one short, seemed to share a connection that transcended blood ties, illuminated by the flickering candlelight.
Tokiomi Tohsaka took a deep breath, his magic circuits heating up inside him as he tried to assess the threat level of the other party, only to find that all his attempts had been in vain.
He suppressed the turmoil within him and stepped forward with the air of a nobleman. He spoke, his tone steady, carrying the polite manner a patriarch would use when inquiring about a guest:
"Who...are you?"
Arthur, holding Sakura's hand, did not subconsciously restrain his aura, but met Tokiomi's gaze with a completely open and honest look, almost to the point of being sincere.
"Arthur Pendragon".
There was no boasting or threat in his voice, yet it caused all of Tokiomi's magic circuits to tremble silently at the same moment.
The moment the name was uttered, the corridor fell into a deathly silence.
Matou Tsuruno gasped, his whole body almost collapsing.
At that moment, Tokiomi Tohsaka made the wisest decision of his life...
He didn't question the authenticity of the name, because the epic "presence" emanating from the other person was the best proof in itself.
Tokiomi nodded slightly, his voice calm and steady, responding with the utmost respect and proper etiquette:
"Tokiomi Tohsaka, the owner of this mansion."
His gaze shifted from Arthur to Sakura, lingering for a moment on her tear-stained face.
Something flashed across those eyes that never revealed much emotion—so quickly, so lightly, that one might doubt whether it was merely an illusion created by the candlelight.
"May I ask... what brings you here?"
"I heard the child's voice," Arthur answered directly, looking him straight in the eye, his tone devoid of any embellishment or beating around the bush.
"That's why I came."
Tokiomi's gaze lingered on his face for a long time.
He was looking for flaws, for hypocrisy, for any trace that could be interpreted as a lie or a scheme.
There was nothing there.
That sentence was so simple, so absurdly simple, so simple that it left this magician, who calculated everything, feeling a kind of indescribable... bewilderment.
Tokiomi Tohsaka remained silent.
His rational mind, as a magician, was frantically calculating the risks and benefits.
But his intuition as the "head of the Tohsaka family" told him that in front of this man, any magician's schemes would be pale in comparison.
"...Mr. Matou."
Tokiomi slowly turned around and looked at the trembling man behind him. His voice regained its usual composure, but carried an undeniable sense of finality.
"Let's discuss this another day. Please leave."
"This...this was agreed upon..."
Matou Tsuruno still wanted to try, but when he met Arthur's cold, emerald eyes, all his words turned into cold sweat, and he left the Tohsaka residence.
Inside the study.
The firelight from the fireplace cast three shadows on the wall, and the firewood crackled softly in the fire, making the silence seem even more heavy.
Tokiomi Tohsaka sat in his usual chair, his back straight, his hands clasped together on the table, his expression solemn.
Arthur sat in the guest seat, his silver armor clashing with the modern magician's atmosphere of the study.
But he himself was completely unaware, simply sitting naturally in an unrestrained manner, his emerald green eyes calmly looking at Tokiomi.
Sakura sat next to Arthur; this was the biggest concession Tokiomi could make tonight.
He didn't let Sakura leave, even though he knew that Sakura was too young to stay in the study and listen to the rest of the conversation.
Aoi Tohsaka stood at the door of the study. Tokiomi briefly met her gaze; there was so much in that look, but it was all buried deep within him.
Kui lowered her head slightly, left the study, and gently closed the door.
"Please allow me to be direct." Tokiomi Tohsaka picked up his teacup, his fingers remaining perfectly still.
"I need a more complete explanation of your true intentions in coming here."
"I've already said it." Arthur looked at him, showing neither impatience nor discomfort at being scrutinized.
"The child's soul is crying, and the cry transcends time and space. I am a knight, and I am a king... I cannot ignore this."
"..."
Tokiomi gently set down the teacup, tapping his fingers on the table.
"So," his gaze deepened, "what are your plans?"
"Protect her."
Three words, loud and clear.
Tokiomi Tohsaka's brow twitched. As a magician, he knew all too well how fragile and deadly emotions could be.
He was prepared to sacrifice his second daughter, so that she could continue on the path of evil, for that illusory goal called "the Root".
He thought he had made his decision.
"Mr. Tokiomi." Arthur's voice rang out calmly, without any aggression, yet with a directness that was impossible to ignore.
"I want to ask you something."
"Please speak."
"Do you feel that making this decision... is fair to her?"
Arthur lowered his head slightly, his eyelashes casting a faint shadow in the fireplace light.
There was no judgment or coercion in those emerald green eyes, only a quiet, genuine inquiry.
The study fell into a deathly silence.
The firewood in the fireplace crackled and sparks flew, reflecting off Tokiomi Tohsaka's tense profile.
He wanted to say "for the glory of magicians," and "this is the best arrangement for her talent."
But all excuses seemed so despicable in the face of Arthur's clear eyes.
Tokiomi did not answer immediately.
Sakura held her breath. She sat next to Arthur, her round eyes reflecting a myriad of emotions.
There was anticipation, fear, and a kind of unease that she herself couldn't describe, a feeling of being suspended in mid-air.
She looked at her father, at the face of the head of the Tohsaka family that had never wavered in front of her since she was a child.
After a long while, Tokiomi slowly closed his eyes.
His face showed a rare look of fatigue.
Then he opened his eyes.
In those unfathomable eyes, which suppressed all emotions deep within, something completed its long descent at that moment.
It's like a string that's been suspended for too long, finally allowed to loosen a little.
"No," he said, his voice so low it was almost drowned out by the crackling of the fireplace, yet so clear that everyone in the study could hear him perfectly.
"sorry."
This was the first time in Tokiomi Tohsaka's life that he bowed his head and admitted his despicable nature in front of others.
He didn't look at anyone; the apology hung lightly in the air, without any clear direction, yet it was heavier than any solemn declaration.
Sakura's eyes quietly reddened at that moment.
Arthur nodded slightly, accepting this weight with the respect a knight would show a penitent, preventing it from falling to the ground and shattering.
There was a moment of silence in the study.
Then Tokiomi Tohsaka straightened his back again.
The string that had briefly loosened tightened again, and the sharpness and clarity in those eyes returned to their original state with lightning speed.
He is still himself, still the magician who incorporates everything into his calculations.
"So."
His gaze lingered on Arthur's face for a moment, and finally, with a slight sense of relief that he himself probably realized, he spoke again.
"Let's talk about the next steps."