Does a Doll Deserve to Live a Happy Life?

Chapter 15: What Comes After Victory

Stepping out of the portal into our Demiplane, I wasn’t surprised when a small figure crashed into my legs and hugged me tightly.

Smiling, I looked down to see Sakura, who was now scanning me from head to toe, inspecting every inch for any sign of injury.

I gently patted her on the head.

“Don’t worry, Sakura. I wasn’t hurt this time,” I said, softly rubbing her hair.

At my words, she stared into my eyes for a moment—checking if I was lying—before finally letting her head slump forward into my stomach with a quiet sigh.

“Thank goodness,” she whispered.

Seeing she wasn’t going to let go anytime soon, I scooped her up into a princess carry, ignoring the cute squeak she let out as she buried her face into my chest.

I continued walking forward, only to be stopped again—this time by Kiara.

“Are you sure you’re alright, Sieg-kun?” she asked, stepping up with a worried look on her beautiful face, already reaching out to check me over.

In her concern, her hands started moving over my body—something Tamamo definitely didn’t take kindly to.

She quickly stepped between us, forcing Kiara back with a fiery pout.

“Stop rubbing your hands all over my beloved, you seductress!” Tamamo snapped, hugging me from behind possessively, her head resting on my shoulder. “He already told you he’s fine! As if I would let my Master get hurt again.”

“I-I wasn’t!” Kiara said quickly, flustered, yanking her hands back like she’d touched something hot. “I was just trying to make sure Sieg-kun didn’t need any healing…” she finished with a pout.

“Actually, Kiara—” I interrupted before things could escalate, completely missing the glare Sakura was now giving the both of them. “While I don’t need healing, there’s someone else who does. Someone we managed to capture tonight. And if he’s going to live past tonight, he’ll need your help.”

Kiara’s embarrassment vanished instantly. Her expression shifted to professional concern.

“Of course, Sieg-kun. Who is it?”

Sakura perked up too, lifting her head to look at me curiously.

“Let’s move to a better place first,” I said with a small smile. “The portal room isn’t exactly the best place for medical care.”

A few minutes later, we found ourselves in the medical bay, with Aoi having joined us. We stood quietly as Kiara worked, healing Kariya beneath the golden barrier of her Shun Shun Rikka.

“Do you think he’ll help us?” Aoi asked softly from beside me, her gaze resting on Kariya’s slowly mending body.

She and Tamamo stood on either side of me, while Sakura was positioned directly in front—staring blankly down at her ‘uncle,’ saying nothing.

“I don’t know,” I said, shaking my head. “But if it comes to blows, we can easily subdue him. Being in my Demiplane automatically weakens anyone who acts aggressively—their strength drops by a fixed margin.”

I paused, letting my gaze settle on the faint tattoo glowing on Kariya’s arm—the mark of a successful Capture.

“Besides,” I added, “he’s already marked. If he gets violent, I’ll just shove him back into Pocket Space and deal with him when the Stamp takes full effect.”

My eyes flicked to Sakura, watching for her reaction.

She didn’t speak—but her eyes narrowed, just slightly, at the mention of Kariya turning violent.

Good enough.

“While I hope it doesn’t come to that,” Aoi said with a quiet sigh, “I understand where you’re coming from.”

“Hmph. If he even dares to lift a hand against my Darling—after he went out of his way to save him from the jaws of death—then he won’t even get the chance to apologize,” Tamamo said coldly, her eyes locked onto Kariya with a slightly vicious smile.

Her tails swayed behind her, her stance ready to pounce.

“I’ll incinerate him on the spot.”

Just as Tamamo finished her declaration, the golden barrier surrounding Kariya flickered and vanished. Kiara stepped back until she was beside me, then turned to smile up at me.

“I’ve done the best I can for him,” she said professionally. “However, I wasn’t able to remove the worms inside his body. If he keeps pushing himself, he’ll eventually return to the same state unless they’re dealt with.”

“The worms will fully disappear once the Stamp’s effects take hold tomorrow,” I replied. “Other than that, good job, Kiara. I can tell you’ve been practicing diligently.”

With him fully healed now, I would have to bite him later to activate Treasure Hoard. As much as I disliked and found the thought disgusting, we just didn’t have the time to wait a full 4 days for the Stamp’s effects to take place.

My praise earned me a slight blush.

“When will he wake?”

“Thanks, Sieg-kun~” she said sweetly, then glanced toward the bed. “And… right about now, actually.”

Right as Kiara finished speaking, we heard a soft groan from the man on the bed. Kariya slowly stirred, blinking blearily at the ceiling before sitting up and taking in his surroundings.

His eyes moved from the sterile white walls to Aoi, then to Sakura, before he closed them again and held his head.

“Am I still dreaming…?” he muttered.

“This is not a dream, Kariya Matou,” I said calmly, stepping forward.

His eyes snapped to me. Tension shot through his posture.

“You—!”

I could see the panic begin to set in as he scanned the room, clearly searching for an escape route.

“Relax. You’re not in any danger… unless you decide to make it one,” I said, voice even. “Besides—do you really want to start a fight with me here, in front of Sakura and Aoi-san?”

He blinked.

Then forced himself to breathe.

His gaze finally settled on Sakura and Aoi, who hadn’t moved or spoken. They simply watched him.

“So… I’m not dreaming,” he whispered, lowering his head and patting his body—checking for wounds, but finding none.

“No,” I said. “I got to you before the worms inside could kill you. It seems you overused your magic circuits supporting Berserker.”

He was quiet for a moment.

Then his eyes turned to Sakura again—and a small, bittersweet smile grew on his lips.

“Looks like you escaped after all, Sakura. Are you alright?”

Sakura nodded silently, then stepped forward to stand beside me. Without a word, she reached out and took my hand.

“Sieg-san rescued me,” she said softly.

Kariya nodded back. A flicker of something passed across his face—approval? Regret? Maybe both. He didn’t comment on her gesture, but I saw his eyes linger on our joined hands.

Then he turned to Aoi, his expression shifting again—this time, curious.

“How did you manage to get away from Tokiomi, Aoi? And… is Rin here too?”

“Rin is fine, you don’t need to worry about her,” Aoi said softly, a hint of a smile on her lips. “As for Tokiomi, I didn’t exactly get away… but that can be explained later. What matters now is that Sieg-san managed to rescue both me and Sakura—and that we need your help to end this farce of a war.”

Kariya blinked in surprise, his eyes drifting to me for a moment—then to Tamamo, who had silently moved beside me. She smiled at him sweetly… but there was something sharp behind it. A promise that any wrong move would be met with fire.

Then his gaze returned to Aoi.

“What do you mean?”

Taking that as my cue, I stepped forward and explained the current state of the war—and what might happen if it wasn’t stopped. I emphasized our need to defeat Archer, pointing out that Caster was particularly vulnerable to him because of her high Divinity Rank.

As we spoke, Irisviel entered with a tray of food. Kariya’s eyes widened again—clearly surprised to see her not only present, but clearly unshackled, comfortable, and cooperative.

Her presence only helped solidify the truth of our claims, especially when she added her own insights about the Grail. Kariya listened more seriously after that—understandably so, considering she was a member of one of the founding families of the Grail War.

“I see,” Kariya murmured at last, head bowed. Then he looked up at me with a regretful expression. “While I want to help… I’m afraid I can’t. Zouken might still be able to use the worms inside me to control me—or worse, force me to betray you. I’d be a liability.”

I nodded, understanding his concern. It was something that bastard would do.

“That won’t be a problem,” I said with a calm smile.

Kariya looked up, confused.

“Zouken is dead.”

The room went quiet.

Kariya wasn’t the only one caught off guard—Sakura reacted too, her wide violet eyes locking onto mine in disbelief.

Seeing their stunned expressions, I let my smile widen just a bit.

“Right after securing you,” I explained, “Zouken appeared and demanded I hand you over. I refused. He ran. I followed him to the Matou residence… and killed him. Leveled the place while I was at it.”

“That’s right, huhuhu~” Tamamo chimed in proudly, puffing out her chest and wrapping herself around my arm. “My Sieg-kun killed that parasite of a man like it was nothing. By the time I got there, all that was left was a crater~”

“…Is Zouken really dead, Sieg-san?”

The small voice came from directly below me.

I looked down to see Sakura, gazing up at me with quiet intensity. Her big, violet eyes didn’t blink, didn’t waver.

I didn’t hesitate.

Reaching down, I gently rested my hand on her hair and began to softly run my fingers through it.

I gave her one of my real smiles—the kind I’d only ever given to Tamamo… and now to Sakura.

“That’s right, Sakura,” I said gently. “He’s gone. That man is dead—and he’ll never hurt you again.”

Her eyes shimmered. Her lips trembled.

She didn’t say anything else.

Instead, she stepped forward, burying her face into my stomach. Her hands clenched the fabric of my shirt tightly… and her small body began to shake.

Seeing Sakura’s reaction, a small, resigned smile grew on Kariya’s face. He slumped forward slightly, then gave me a grateful look for the first time since waking up.

“I see. Thank you. You managed to do something I couldn’t,” he said, giving me a slight bow of the head. Then his expression turned serious. “If everything you’ve said is true… then you can count on me. I still want to get back at that bastard Tokiomi for beating me.”

Then, as if just remembering who else was in the room, Kariya turned to Aoi with what looked like an apology on his lips—only to freeze when she shook her head with a soft smile.

“Don’t worry, Kariya. I know perfectly well what kind of man Tokiomi is. I don’t blame you for calling him that,” she said gently, still keeping the truth of her being a clone to herself.

“I… see,” Kariya replied, confused but smiling nonetheless.

“Good. Glad to have you on board, then,” I said, drawing his attention back to me. I didn’t want him getting any strange ideas.

“Right. What’s the plan?”

“First,” I said, “we need to give your Servant a power-up. Best we do it outside. With a Berserker, you never know when things might get out of hand—and I don’t want part of the house destroyed.”

Kariya nodded, getting unsteadily to his feet.

Looking down, I saw Sakura still clinging to my chest, though she’d stopped shaking.

“Hey, Sakura,” I said softly, “want to ride on my shoulders?”

She nodded slowly. After wiping at her face, she looked up at me—her cheeks a little puffy, but no longer wet with tears.

Smiling at her, I lifted her gently and sat her on my shoulders, feeling her grip tighten with a shy little squeeze. If she was happy, she didn’t show it… but I could feel it.

Turning to the others, I gave a small nod and led the way out.

=====

A While Later

To make sure no stray magic or chaos threatened the house, I led everyone to an open clearing down by the beach. The moonlit waves gave the area a peaceful, silvery glow.

“Where are we?” Kariya finally asked, still looking around in amazement—much to the quiet amusement of the others, all of whom had gone through that exact same reaction before.

“This is my personal Dimension,” I said, coming to a stop. “Only I can access it—or those I allow in.”

Then I turned to him with a more serious expression.

“Now, question before we start. Did Berserker follow you here, or is he still back in Fuyuki?”

“He’s still in Fuyuki,” Kariya answered after a pause. “Should I call him with a Command Spell?”

“No need.” I walked to a nearby flat surface and opened a portal. Kariya blinked again, surprised.

“This portal will take him directly here. Go ahead—command him to enter.”

He nodded and closed his eyes, clearly focusing on the connection between Master and Servant. After a few seconds, he opened them again.

“He’s on his way.”

We all took a few steps back, cautious. Even under control, a Berserker was always dangerous.

A few minutes later, a hulking black figure stepped through the portal. Berserker stood completely still, but even so, I could see the strain on Kariya’s face—maintaining control clearly wasn’t easy.

“Kariya,” I said, “I want you to order Berserker to remove his gauntlet and not move a muscle for the next few minutes. Use a Command Spell if you have to—I’ll help you restore them later.”

I gently lifted Sakura from my shoulders and set her down behind me, bracing myself.

“R-Right. Berserker, by the power of the Command Spell—I order you to remove your gauntlet. By the power of my second Command Spell—I order you not to move for the next few minutes.”

Kariya’s wrist glowed, then dimmed—the marks vanishing to show two spells used.

“Tamamo, if you would.”

“You can count on me, Sieg-kun~!” she purred. “Curse: Void Cleft Great Chaos Heaven!”

Her curse immobilized Berserker even further, and a moment later, her tails moved into position, wrapping around the black knight like ropes of divine silk.

She turned and gave me a small nod.

Confident he was restrained, I moved forward quickly, grabbing Berserker’s exposed hand.

I bit down, activating Treasure Hoard, then leapt back—just in time to avoid his body tensing violently. Even with all the restraints, he was still fighting.

“Alright. It’s done. Tamamo, move away. Kariya—send him back to Spirit Form,” I ordered calmly.

A moment later, we all breathed a sigh of relief as Berserker disappeared from view.

Good. With this, we now had three Servants for the next battle against Archer—and with Berserker powered up, the odds had finally tilted more in our favor.

If we could just gain one more Servant… I was sure we could pull this off.

I was lost in thought when a small hand tugged at mine, pulling me gently back to the present.

“Are you okay, Sieg-san?” Sakura asked softly, looking up at me with even more intensity than before—eyes filled with quiet fervor… and a worrying amount of obsession.

“Yes, Sakura. I’m fine. Just thinking about the future.” I gave her a reassuring smile. “Very soon now, the war will be over—and then you can live your life without any more worries.”

Instead of relief, her face twisted in distress.

“A-Are you… not staying in Fuyuki, Sieg-san?” she asked, voice small and anxious.

“No, I’m afraid not,” I said with a soft shake of the head, missing the way her expression shifted. “There’s someone very dear to me that I want to find. Once the war ends, I’ll be leaving this world along with Tamamo and Kiara.”

“Don’t worry though,” I added with a smile, trying to soften the blow. “I’ll come visit whenever I can. Now that I’ve been here, I can always return.”

But my words only made it worse.

Sakura’s eyes widened with panic, tears threatening again.

“C-Can I come with you, Sieg-san?” she asked, nearly desperate.

I blinked, surprised. “I… I’m sorry, Sakura. You can’t.” Her eyes immediately teared up, and I quickly tried to explain, unaware that we had drawn an audience.

“H-Hey now, please don’t cry! A girl your age is supposed to attend school, make friends your age and have a normal life. I’m not old enough to take care of a kid, and I wouldn’t even know how. Besides, you’ll have Rin with you, and—”

“I-I don’t care about that!” Sakura cried, shaking her head fiercely. “I don’t care about making friends or hanging out with nee-sama! I want to stay by Sieg-san’s side!”

Her eyes shimmered with emotion, and her small hands clenched the front of my shirt.

Damn it. I’m completely out of my depth here.

“H-How about a compromise then?” I offered, desperate for a lifeline.

She blinked up at me. “A c-compromise?”

“That’s right!” I nodded rapidly, latching onto the idea. “A compromise. You’re six right now, yeah?”

She gave a little nod.

“Okay—so, ten years from now, when you’re sixteen, I’ll come back to this world. If you still want to come with me, and nothing’s changed…” I paused, glancing at Aoi, “...and if your mom agrees, then I’ll take you with me.”

“T-Ten years?” Sakura echoed, grimacing. She didn’t even glance at Aoi just stared down thoughtfully, her little hand tapping her chin as she thought.

After a long moment, she looked back up at me with serious eyes.

“D-Do you promise you’ll come back in ten years?”

“Of course.” I held out my hand, pinky extended. “Pinky promise.”

She didn’t look thrilled… but she nodded slowly. And then, with that strange mix of childlike innocence and determination only Sakura Matou could pull off, she hooked her pinky with mine.

“It’s a promise then. I’ll stay here and study and in ten years, I’ll go with Sieg-san. And I’ll never leave your side again.”

“It’s a promise,” I said softly, giving her a warm smile.

She opened her mouth and then, her face turned scarlet.

“B-By then… I also promise to become a worthy wife—worthy of you, Sieg-san!”

And with that, she spun on her heel and bolted for the house, vanishing inside like a flushed hurricane.

I stood there. Staring. Gaping.

Did I… did that just happen?

And that’s when the inevitable scream shattered the silence.

“Haaaaah!? Did I really just get beaten to the punch by a six-year-old brat!?” Tamamo wailed at the top of her lungs, her tails flaring behind her in sheer disbelief.