Does a Doll Deserve to Live a Happy Life? (Patreon)

Chapter 9: Imminent Battle Approaches

Somewhere in Fuyuki

“…I’m sorry, Master. Even after scouring the city for the past day, I haven’t been able to locate either Caster and her Master or Irisviel. Whatever method Caster used to conceal their presence… it’s beyond me.”

The solemn words came from a blonde-haired woman with striking green eyes, dressed in a black suit more typically worn by a man.

No response came from the man standing at the table in front of her. Dressed in a similar outfit, Kiritsugu Emiya didn’t even glance in her direction—his eyes fixed on a map of the city, jaw set tight with an unreadable expression.

To his side stood a woman with short black hair, also clad in black. Maiya.

Seeing that she wouldn’t receive a reply, Saber turned toward the door.

“I will resume the search,” she said quietly. “If you need me for any reason, don’t hesitate to call me with a Command Spell, Master.”

Silence again.

Without another word, Artoria stepped out into the hallway, the door closing softly behind her.

She blamed herself for what had happened—for not being strong enough to protect Irisviel.

Turning on the motorcycle, Saber soon left their current hideout behind as she made her way to the eastern side of the city, hoping to find any clues to Irisviel’s whereabouts.

“Hang in there, Irisviel. I’ll make sure to rescue you before too long.”

Back with Kiritsugu and Maiya

The room remained silent for a while, but a few minutes after Saber’s departure, a voice reverberated around the room.

“…That Caster Servant. Have you found any details about her from what she was wearing?” came Kiritsugu’s cold voice.

“Yes. Since there aren’t many fox spirits in legend, I was able to narrow it down to two possible identities. Though neither is good news for us,” came Maiya’s reluctant reply.

With that, Maiya set down two folders side by side on the table and stepped back, watching as Kiritsugu quickly looked over them.

“Suzuka Gozen and Tamamo-no-Mae,” Kiritsugu muttered, frowning slightly. “This is concerning. Both of their legends are based here in Japan, so the fame boost will make them almost as strong as they were when alive.”

“Correct. But how were they even able to summon a Japanese Servant in the first place? Didn’t you tell me the Grail usually has protections against such a thing?” Maiya asked, her tone tinged with unease.

“It should. But nothing about that Servant or her Master makes any sense so far,” Kiritsugu said, eyes narrowing in thought.

“That move was too coordinated for it to have been a last-minute decision. It means they planned to kidnap Irisviel from the very start.”

He paused for a moment.

“Are they retaliating against me… for trying to kill the Master a while back?” Kiritsugu muttered.

“…Do you think she’s alive?” Maiya eventually asked in a quiet voice, watching as the man closed his eyes for a moment.

“…I don’t know,” Kiritsugu replied softly at last, before shaking his head and changing the topic. “As it stands, those two are shaping up to be our biggest obstacles in this war—even more than that golden Servant, if what you saw proves accurate.”

“The way the Master moved… I lost track of him immediately,” Maiya admitted with a slight grimace. “So far, only Servants have been able to pull that off.”

She had tried to follow the Master during his retreat—but the moment he vanished, it was like chasing a ghost.

=====

Am I in a dream?

That was the first thought that came to mind as I took in the scene before me. I didn’t recognize the architecture, the land, or where I was.

A moment later, I got my answer.

I watched as what could only be Tamamo, appearing in her late teens or early twenties, ran through a field—tears streaming down her face. In the distance, the unmistakable howls of hounds echoed across the hills, growing louder by the second.

‘I see… This must be the final moments of Tamamo’s life.’

I felt powerless, unable to move, speak, or intervene. I was just a bystander, trapped in someone else’s memory.

I was honestly curious if I’d even experience Servant dreams, given the whole mess that is the Company but apparently I was given the scene in front of me.

‘So, it’s true,’ I thought to myself. ‘Servants really are just people who lived tragic lives… or killed so many that they earned a place in the Throne of Heroes.’

I frowned, my hands clenching into fists as the hunters and their hounds closed in on her. Tamamo slowed, her tears continuing to fall, eyes hollow with resignation.

‘This is how you spent your final moments, huh? Alone and hunted by the very people who claimed to love you,’ I thought sadly, silently resolving that as soon as I woke up, I would give Tamamo a hug.

She definitely deserved one.

Fortunately, the dream ended before I had to witness her actual death, and I opened my eyes to the now familiar sight of my room.

Blinking for a moment, I became immediately aware of two bodies pressed up against me—one much larger than the other—and looked down.

To my left was Tamamo, who, despite now having her own room, still refused to sleep anywhere but beside me. She was snuggled against my arm, a small smile gracing her face. Her tail was wrapped around my leg, her ears twitching cutely atop her head as she mumbled my name in her sleep.

I felt my ears warm at the sound.

Turning to my right, I found the surprising sight of Sakura curled against my chest, her small hands gripping my shirt tightly as if afraid I might vanish.

‘Did she sneak into my room without Aoi noticing? I hope this doesn’t become a habit… I don’t know how Tamamo will react when she wakes up.’

It had been nearly two days since we successfully kidnapped Irisviel, and since then, I hadn’t interacted with her directly. Aoi had been in charge of delivering her meals and checking in on her and based on what she said Irisviel hadn’t given her any problems so far.

I had held off on speaking with her until I could show her irrefutable proof of what was to come—something that required waiting. I needed a specific perk from the Company, and at the time, I didn’t have enough credits.

I needed exactly two days: one for Irisviel’s capture to process and give me the credits, and another for the perk I wanted to become available.

The perk in question was called Let Them Know—a straightforward name, and it did exactly what I needed. It would show a chosen person a potential future had I not interfered, and—more importantly—make them accept what I showed as truth, no doubts or delusions.

Alongside that, I had also picked up a few other perks: Exit Stage Left, Time-Savers, Communication Talent, Blessed Talent, an upgrade to my Campione Template now raised to Tier 5, and the most impactful for this world—Zenryoku Zenkai

That last perk was tailor-made for this setting. Any girl I defeated in a one-on-one confrontation would view me in a more positive light afterward and even begin to look forward to future encounters. The higher the stakes, the stronger the effect—and in the context of a Grail War, that kind of influence was almost guaranteed to activate.

My thoughts were interrupted as Sakura mumbled in her sleep and stirred beside me, signaling she was about to wake up.

I watched silently, a small smile forming as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes and sat up. She blinked groggily when she saw me looking at her.

“Good morning, Sakura,” I murmured gently, careful not to wake Tamamo still curled up on my other side.

Blushing cutely in embarrassment, Sakura looked at me nervously as she fidgeted in place.

“U-Um… good morning, Sieg-san. I’m sorry.”

Letting out a quiet sigh, I used my free hand to gently pat her head, earning an immediate reaction. She melting under my arm like a kitten.

“Don’t worry about it. Did you have a nightmare, perhaps?” I asked softly.

Her small shoulders slumped in relief at my calm response, but she blushed even more at my question. Lowering her head, her bangs fell over her eyes, hiding them from view as she gave a slight nod.

“I… I dreamt I was back at grandfather’s house… and all of this was just a dream,” she whispered.

I frowned at her answer and kept patting her head gently.

“He’s no longer your grandfather, Sakura. And don’t worry—in time, you’ll see this isn’t a dream. So… smile for me, okay?”

Sakura nodded, her face still hidden. “I’ll try.”

“Good.” I smiled softly. “Do you want to help me make breakfast?”

She looked up quickly, her cheeks flushed red, but her eyes sparkled with excitement. She nodded eagerly.

“Mn. Yes~!”

It took a few tries to untangle myself from Tamamo’s embrace, but I eventually managed it without waking her. Sakura and I then made our way to the kitchen to prepare a light breakfast for everyone.

She’d been opening up more with each passing day, and her joy had been especially noticeable after I kept my promise and took her for a ride around the island in my dragon form. Of course, once that happened, the others had quickly lined up for their own turns—even Aoi, who had looked incredibly embarrassed the entire time.

Aside from that, I’d spent much of my time training my Campione Template, knowing it would be particularly useful against someone like Gilgamesh, especially given his A+ rank Divinity.

It wasn’t long before Tamamo and the others woke up, and the house came alive with conversation and the clinking of dishes as we ate breakfast together.

“The new purchases should activate tonight, right, Sieg-kun?” Tamamo asked mid-bite, seated beside me.

“Correct,” I replied calmly. “But we won’t really be able to speak with Irisviel until tomorrow morning. Things are heating up out there, and we need to capitalize on it.”

We hadn’t gone out last night, but thanks to Target Tracker, I was somewhat aware of what had happened—Kiritsugu and Kirei had their first confrontation, with the latter attempting to kill Maiya.

If I remembered correctly, the first time Kirei targeted Kiritsugu in the original timeline was when the latter blew up the Hyatt Hotel, a place Kayneth and Lancer had been using as a hideout—only to discover they weren’t there anymore.

“What’s our plan this time, Sieg-kun?” Tamamo asked next, her tail casually wrapping around my waist in a possessive gesture.

Already used to her antics, I ignored the motion and continued. “I want to use this opportunity to either kill Zouken or meet with Kariya and possibly bring him to our side. Based on what I know about the man, I believe we can have a conversation without it turning violent—especially if I let him know I’ve already rescued Sakura, and that Aoi-san is with us as well.”

At the mention of Kariya, Aoi nodded.

“I don’t know exactly what Kariya-san felt for me,” she admitted, “but I know for sure that he cares deeply for Sakura and Rin—and he’s always treated me as a dear friend.”

Sakura, on the other hand, focused sharply on me the moment I mentioned killing her grandfather. A strange expression passed through her eyes before she looked at me with concern.

“Grand—I mean, Zouken is strong, Sieg-san. Will you be alright?”

“If I manage to speak with Kariya, I’d like to invite him somewhere secure—where he can meet you both and see the truth with his own eyes,” I explained. “The problem is whether the worms inside him will alert Zouken to everything we say.”

Aoi nodded again, though a slight grimace crossed her face at the mention of worms.

Then I turned back to Sakura and gave her a small grin—the most I could manage, not having much practice with the expression.

“Don’t worry, Sakura. It might not look like it, but I’m pretty strong. I am a dragon, you know?”

Not looking too reassured, Sakura nonetheless nodded her head, though she remained silent for the rest of our conversation—her eyes never leaving me, not even once.

When breakfast ended, she took it a step further by spending the entire morning and afternoon glued to my side. No matter what anyone said, she refused to leave, simply ignoring them all.

=====

Later That Evening

“All right, it looks like we can finally use our purchases,” I muttered while sitting in the living room, seeing the notification on my Company phone confirming the perks were now active.

“The time has come for this Tamamo to finally shine~!” Tamamo cheered dramatically, her ears twitching in excitement.

“Right,” I said with a nod, then stood and pulled a DVD from Pocket Space. I turned to Kiara and handed it to her.

“While we’re gone, I want you to show Irisviel this DVD. Tell her it’s my proof. You’ll probably need to set it up for her—she was raised in a magus family and likely has no idea how a DVD player works.”

Taking the disc from my hand, Kiara nodded with a serious expression. “Leave it to me, Sieg-kun. You and Casko-san just be careful out there.”

“We will.”

I turned to Aoi, who was watching me quietly, clearly waiting for whatever I had to say.

“Aoi-san, please be ready in case we call for you later tonight if everything goes well.”

“Of course, Sieg-san. It’s the least I can do after everything you’ve already done for us.”

Before I could turn to Sakura, I felt a small body crash into my legs, arms wrapping around me tightly as her head buried into my stomach.

“Please come back,” Sakura whispered so quietly I barely caught it.

My expression softened, and I lowered myself to one knee, returning her hug properly. She clung to me as though letting go would make me disappear.

“We’ll be back before you know it, Sakura. Don’t worry.”

It took a few minutes before she finally let go, her head lowered to hide her face—but not quickly enough to fully wipe away the small trail of tears.

“We’ll be back later, everyone,” I said with a smile.

I received hesitant smiles in return.

“Don’t worry,” Tamamo said, her voice carrying a slightly dark undertone. “As if I would ever let anything or anyone harm my beloved.”

Then, as if flipping a switch, she brightened again and glued herself to my side.

=====

Minutes Later

As soon as we exited the portal leading out of our Demiplane, I surprised Tamamo by pulling her into a hug instead of heading straight toward Kariya.

She let out a cute squeak, making me chuckle internally.

‘As Tamamo herself says, she’s a glass cannon—all offense, and very little defense. That apparently includes matters of the heart too,’ I thought, amused.

“S-S—I mean, M-Master? What brought this on? Don’t tell me you’ve already fallen deeply in love with me and simply must shower me with affection?” Tamamo stammered, clearly trying to hide her flustered reaction and failing miserably.

First, she made no attempt to pull away, even though she could have easily done so. Second, despite her words, her tail had wrapped itself around my leg and pulled me even closer. And finally, there was the massive blush blooming across her beautiful face as she averted her gaze, fidgeting shyly.

“I saw the moment you died,” I whispered near her ear.

She stiffened slightly.

“I just wanted you to know… I will never think any less of you, no matter what your origins are. To me, you’ll always be Tamamo, the beautiful and upbeat girl who found it in her heart to accept me as her Master, even without knowing who I really was.”

For a moment, Tamamo didn’t say anything.

Then, slowly, she brought her arms up around my back and held me tightly. Not with the teasing flirtation she usually wore like a mask, but with something softer.

“…That’s not fair, Master,” she murmured, her voice trembling slightly. “Saying something so sweet without any warning… You’ll break my heart at this rate~”

Her laugh was small, almost watery, and I felt her press her face into my shoulder.

“You… you really saw it, didn’t you?” she asked, quieter now. “When they chased me down… when I died…”

I nodded wordlessly.

Her tail gave a slight twitch before tightening gently around my leg again.

“I wasn’t always kind, you know,” she whispered. “There was a time when I wanted to hate them all… when I did hate them. But I was alone, and scared.”

“Don’t worry. You’re not alone anymore. Neither of us are,” I replied, tightening the hug a bit.

“Hmhm… I guess we really aren’t, huh?”

We stayed like that for a few moments before finally pulling away and smiling at each other. Feeling lighter, we resumed our journey, Tamamo shifting into spirit form and trailing close behind me.

As we traveled, I realized I’d grown a little closer to Tamamo today.

And I found that I didn’t mind at all.

Pulling up Target Tracker again, I checked our location—only to curse a second later and come to a stop. Tamamo did the same behind me.

“Get ready, Caster. We have company incoming,” I said seriously, drawing my sword.

“Right.” Tamamo materialized beside me a moment later, already sensing the presence of a Servant and preparing herself accordingly.

A second later, our guest arrived—cracking the ground beneath her with a forceful landing that kicked up a cloud of dust and debris, obscuring her figure from view.

‘Damn. I was hoping to confront her much later,’ I thought, tightening my grip on my sword and forcing my mind into focus.

A voice rang out from the dust.

“You fiend! Where have you taken Irisviel? If you have any honor, come and face me!”