Seeing the deep hatred in Raishin's eyes—so intense it made even himself tense—Rozen furrowed his brows deeply.
Raishin didn't notice. He tightened the sword at his waist, and his entire body surged with sharpness, like he himself had turned into a blade that could sever everything in two.
That aura of sharpness could very well surpass even the top-class Saber Servants.
Just from that alone, Rozen could be certain that Raishin's swordsmanship had been honed to an extremely high level—at least not inferior to swordsmen like Kurogane Ikki or Katana Age.
The proof was a comment that came from Artoria [Alter] herself.
"This sword aura… even Sir Lancelot and Sir Gawain might pale in comparison."
Those were the words spoken by the King of Knights who wielded the Holy Sword.
So, disregarding pure strength and talking solely about swordsmanship—Raishin might actually surpass top-tier Saber-class Servants.
That very Raishin now stared directly at Rozen.
"Tell me where Akabane Tenzen is, Nuragami."
He actually said that.
There was no need to explain what that implied.
"You want revenge on him, don't you?"
Rozen asked bluntly.
"Of course," Raishin replied without hesitation, his voice heavy with a curse-like hatred. "I've waited a long time for this day."
Indeed, Raishin had waited far too long for this day.
To get revenge on Akabane Tenzen, Raishin had undergone hellish training and only now reached his current level, arriving here at last.
In the past, Hinowa had once said that she'd seen Raishin in the military camp—back then, he was like a demon, endlessly swinging his blade at sparring soldiers. Even when his body was covered in wounds, he wouldn't stop. That alone showed how much Raishin had suffered for revenge, how deeply he'd cultivated his hatred.
Now, Raishin had acquired great power—and by all appearances, he didn't seem to be inferior to Magnus.
If Raishin were to go for revenge now, perhaps he might actually succeed.
The second son of the Akabane family, once deemed a talentless failure, had truly caught up to the most terrifying genius in family history—the one known as the Heaven's Child.
However...
"I can't let you go after Akabane Tenzen for revenge."
Rozen said that directly.
"...Why?"
Raishin stared at Rozen, eyes still burning with that soul-searing hatred.
At that moment, Rozen knew—Raishin would never give up his revenge.
His hatred ran too deep, deep enough to rival even Jeanne [Alter], an Avenger-class Servant.
And precisely because of that, Rozen couldn't let him go.
"There were strange details in the massacre back then. There might've been hidden truths behind it."
Rozen didn't mince words—he directly stated his suspicion.
But Raishin didn't accept it.
"Hidden truths? What truths?" Raishin clenched his fists, speaking in a low growl. "I saw it with my own eyes—Akabane Tenzen slaughtering our clan. I saw him dissect Nadeshiko and stuff her into his Automaton Dolls. Are you saying I saw it wrong?"
Perhaps recalling those events, Raishin's emotions became agitated, and his mana began leaking out, slicing the falling leaves in the air.
Rozen's frown deepened.
"What the eyes see isn't always the truth. With your current understanding, you should realize that, right?"
Rozen locked eyes with Raishin, speaking each word with weight.
For Raishin, who had already awakened the Mind's Eye, Rozen's words deserved serious thought.
Sometimes, what the eyes see… isn't real.
That's why people needed powers like Mind's Eye, another vision that could pierce through all falsehood.
"Then tell me—if it wasn't Akabane Tenzen who killed our family, who was it?"
Raishin stared at Rozen, his tone accusatory.
This showed how deeply fixated Raishin was on the matter.
Hundreds of lives from the clan were involved. It was impossible for Raishin not to be obsessed.
The problem was...
"I'm still investigating. That's why I came to this Academy. That's why I'm here."
Rozen couldn't provide the truth yet.
No—actually, Rozen already had some vague suspicions.
Back then, he had sensed something was off. Now, with a more mature mindset and aided by Thought Acceleration and Thought Partitioning, Rozen had made several educated guesses by combining them with the circumstances of the time.
But guesses were still just guesses. He lacked key evidence.
And without evidence, there was no reason to say anything rash.
Unfortunately, Raishin didn't understand that.
"You just don't want to believe that Akabane Tenzen is the culprit, do you?"
Raishin's eyes turned anxious as he gripped Rozen's shoulder.
"I know—you're someone who values emotions. Even though you aren't related to us by blood, you always treated us like true siblings. Despite your talent rivaling Tenzen—rivaling our brother—you never once resented him for winning the succession just because he had the Crimson Wing Blood, and you didn't. You always treated me equally, even though I had no talent for magic. You cherished Nadeshiko as well."
Saying that, Raishin gripped both of Rozen's shoulders, his emotions rising.
"But I really saw it! I saw him kill Father! Kill our clan! Dissect Nadeshiko!"
"No matter what hidden truths lie behind it—this is the one thing that can't be denied, and can never be forgiven!"
"He—Akabane Tenzen—is the one who destroyed our clan!"
Raishin's words pierced deep into Rozen's heart.
"..."
Rozen remained silent.
Seeing Rozen like this, Raishin finally calmed down a bit.
"...Sorry. I got too emotional."
Raishin looked at Rozen apologetically. Seeing Rozen in silence, he took a deep breath and forced a faint smile.
"It's okay, Nuragami. I'm not asking you to fight."
"Akabane Tenzen—I'll personally slay him."
"You don't need to worry. Leave this matter to me."
Raishin's gaze was unwavering.
After all, in this world, other than Akabane Tenzen, Rozen was his only remaining family.
And because of that, no matter what happened, Raishin would protect Rozen and never let him be harmed.
As for revenge—he would handle it alone.
Rozen only needed to live peacefully and find happiness.
That was Raishin's thought.
"Alright, I'm heading out. Let's talk again when we have time."
Raishin patted Rozen's shoulder, then looked toward Irori, Yaya, and Komurasaki, who had been silent the whole time, and bowed slightly to them.
"I entrust my family to you."
With that, he turned and walked away.
Rozen watched Raishin's departing back, not saying another word.
Because Rozen knew—no matter what he said now, Raishin, who was consumed by hatred, wouldn't listen.
"Looks like I'll have to speed things up."
Rozen's quiet murmur stirred through the air, carrying with it a sense of profound stillness.