Descargar la aplicación
95.25% Reincarnated as a dragon egg in DxD with a Fate System! / Chapter 281: Einzbern Castle (2)

Capítulo 281: Einzbern Castle (2)

"But... Kiritsugu, shouldn't we think of a way to handle Drako first?"

Irisviel gave an objection in favor of the ignored Saber.

"If Drako really wipes out the rest of the Servants before we can take action, Saber will be at a numerical disadvantage. Even with her Noble Phantasm, we might not manage to take the victory."

Kiritsugu nodded at what his wife pointed out.

"That's why we won't ignore the other Servants' fight with Drako. We'll be watching closely, and we'll strike at the right time. We don't need to confront Drako directly, but wait for attrition."

Irisviel was puzzled. When Saber heard this from Kiritsugu, she was dumbfounded with rage.

"Don't... fight Drako?"

"All the other Masters have set their sights on Drako. If I've been able to come to this conclusion, I'm sure the others have as well. No idiot is going to directly confront Drako, so it would be best to remain inactive for the time being. We have to use this terrain to our advantage since they can't enter our territory undetected.

"Drako is not worried about Father Risei's statements, and I am sure he has learned what the Church is up to. He will most likely not change his tactics, and if he does, it will be very slightly. Once Drako attacks another of the remaining Servants, I'm sure one or two of the remaining Masters will confront him. That will be our time to attack Drako. We have seen his pride; he would never think he would go from the hunter's role to the hunted. As long as he doesn't attack, Maia and I will look for possible weaknesses he has."

That was Kiritsugu's commendable strategy. To Kiritsugu's eyes, there are no human morals or the pride of being a magus. He is just a predatory machine originating from the formula of the survival of the fittest.

Originally, Kiritsugu did not plan to come to this castle. Irisviel finally understood Kiritsugu's intention by suddenly changing her plans and joining forces with her.

"Master, you... Just how despicable can you be!"

Saber rebutted angrily and loudly, and Irisviel felt a faint pang in her heart. Saber's indignation now was different from the anger she had felt last night at Rider's taunts and Caster's boasts - in a way, this was an even more vivid anger.

"Emiya Kiritsugu-sama, you insult the Heroic Spirits.

I only joined this war to prevent the spilling of rivers of blood. Fighting for the Holy Grail, not spilling meaningless blood, minimizing sacrifices, one person accepting the mission of destiny instead of armies of men, and competing here... that is what we Servants must do.

Why don't you give me the responsibility to join the battle? It was the same when you attacked Lancer's Master last night. One wrong step would have resulted in disaster. You don't have to use such despicable methods - or does Kiritsugu-sama have no faith in me, a Servant?"

Kiritsugu did not reply. He maintained an indifferent silence as if Saber's angry words were mere jokes. Irisviel hated the mask-like expression of indifference on Kiritsugu endlessly.

This man was not the husband she knew.

She certainly knew that Emiya Kiritsugu had a split personality. She detected that, on the one hand, Kiritsugu passed all his emotions to his wife and daughter, and on the other hand, he hid the wounds of the past in his heart. Irisviel knew something about what kind of life Kiritsugu led before he entered the Einzbern family. But was that the decisive factor that caused the separation between the two of them?

Also, the factor that helped Irisviel realize that was this black-clothed woman present at the meeting. The woman did not speak a single word and silently entrusted everything she had to Kiritsugu. That woman was the other reason why Irisviel felt melancholy.

It was not the first time she had seen Hisau Maiya. She had seen Hisau Maiya a few times in the Einzbern castle. Hisau Maiya managed all of Kiritsugu's external world business during his nine years of seclusion.

The woman who worked with Kiritsugu before he met Irisviel. At the time of the meeting, she did not present even a bit of doubt in the face of Kiritsugu's words and maintained her unrelenting silence. Perhaps to Maiya, the Kiritsugu of now was the Emiya Kiritsugu she knew.

Suddenly, a faint scent crept into Irisviel's nose. It was the smell of tobacco. That smell of tobacco had always been with Kiritsugu, ever since the day she met him. Irisviel still remembered that she detested that smell very much then.

She had not smelled that scent for a long time since she married Kiritsugu. Now the scent of tobacco emanated from Kiritsugu again. Perhaps it is the smell of gunpowder from the battlefield.

The Kiritsugu of now had undoubtedly returned to the Kiritsugu of nine years ago. Back then, Acht adopted Kiritsugu to win the Holy Grail. Kiritsugu was like a cruel and merciless dog.

And the Irisviel back then was a mere doll guarding the Holy Grail. As soon as she remembered Kiritsugu's past, it was almost as if Irisviel remembered her own past. As if the nine years the two of them lived together no longer existed. Irisviel's heart began to grow impatient and restless.

Just now, the person closest to that man, Emiya Kiritsugu, was not her, his wife, but Hisau Maiya....

Irisviel did not speak her mind, but asked a completely irrelevant question:

"...What should we do about the new rule the supervisor proposed? Didn't he want us to have a ceasefire with all enemies other than Drako?"

"Ignore that new rule. The supervisor only proposed the rewards for sticking to the new rule, not the details of the punishment you would get if you broke the rule. If the supervisor were to get in our way because of that, we can just pretend we didn't know about this rule."

With a completely different attitude from when dealing with Saber, Kiritsugu answered Irisviel's questions with details.

"- Besides, it just didn't seem that he could be trusted and respected supervisor of this war. Covering up for the Assassin Master as if he knew nothing about it, he is probably on Tohsaka's side. Before we find out everything about them, we should look at him with doubt."

"..."

Saber was so furious that her body trembled, and countless thoughts roamed Irisviel's heart. For a moment, the two of them sank into silence. Kiritsugu took that silence as the signal for the meeting to end.

"Then, the meeting is over. Irisviel and I will stay in the castle and make preparations for a possible Drako attack. Maiya will return to the city and gather information. Report back to me if there are any changes there."

"Yes, sir."

Maiya nodded without hesitation, got up, and left the meeting room. Kiritsugu stood up a little later, gathered the maps and documents on the table, and left the room. Kiritsugu didn't look at Saber even once until the end.

Saber, completely ignored by Kiritsugu, bit her lip firmly and furiously and fixed her eyes on the carpet beneath her feet. Irisviel and Saber remained in the meeting room. At that moment, Irisviel didn't have the words to appease the fuming Saber.

No, the proud King of the Knights Saber would not wait for others to comfort her with other words. Right now, for Saber, what she had to do was to solve the current problem at its root. When she thought this, Irisviel put a hand on Saber's shoulder to show her gratitude and immediately left the room and followed Kiritsugu.


Capítulo 282: Einzbern Castle (3)

The overwhelming willful ignorance Kiritsugu showed towards Saber was not just because the two of them had different faiths. If Kiritsugu did not carry emotions such as extreme hatred or anger towards Saber, it would be impossible for him to act so indifferently towards her. All in all, Kiritsugu had gone too far this time. No matter when their strategies differed, they were still companions fighting for a common goal. Although they did not respect each other, neither should they humiliate each other.

Irisviel soon found Kiritsugu's figure. He was on the balcony where he could look out over the castle's front garden, prostrate on the railing and looking out into the night forest. Fortunately, Maiya's figure was not next to Kiritsugu.

"...Kiritsugu."

Irisviel spoke as she slowly approached Kiritsugu's back. She didn't think that her voice would suddenly become stern. Kiritsugu must have felt the presence as well; Kiritsugu did not seem surprised at all and slowly turned around.

Irisviel was already prepared. Just then, when Kiritsugu confronted Saber in the meeting room, a look of such cruelty appeared in her eyes. Irisviel prepared to stand directly in Kiritsugu's cruel gaze. However, when she saw Kiritsugu's expression as he turned around, she couldn't help but feel helpless and stopped rooted to the ground.

Kiritsugu's expression was like that of a hurt and helpless child, forcibly holding back his tears. Kiritsugu looked as if he had been put up against a wall. The Kiritsugu who now stood before Irisviel was so remote from the figure of the mighty magus slayer; he was just a weak and cowardly man.

"Kiritsugu, you -"

Kiritsugu did not speak, hugging the confused Irisviel tightly. His chest was trembling. In Irisviel's eyes, her husband's shoulders were always strong and powerful, something for others to lean on, but now her husband was as helpless as a baby sheltered in his gentle mother's arms.

"If I -"

Irisviel felt her husband hug her tightly, until she hurt. There, her husband's faint question echoed next to her ear.

"If I decided to abandon everything and run away from here now - Iri, would you go with me?"

Irisviel would probably never have imagined that a man like Emiya Kiritsugu would ask such a question. She was so shocked that she couldn't speak for a moment, and only after a long pause did she ask:

"Ilya... that girl is still in the castle, what about her?"

"We go back to the castle and take her. We would murder everyone who got in our way."

That was a short, twitching sound - but also full of desperation. Kiritsugu was undoubtedly not joking; he was serious.

"After that - I will give everything I have to my family. I will protect Ilya and you with my life."

"..."

Now Irisviel finally understood the feelings trapped in the man in front of her. Kiritsugu, her life's companion, was facing the greatest battle of his life, and he has already been forced onto a path of no return.

He was no longer the Kiritsugu of nine years ago. He was no longer the cold and emotionless dog, no longer the killing machine that punished himself endlessly.

Kiritsugu had changed. He had become very weak, even forcing himself into such situations to fulfill his cruel ideal. The key that made Kiritsugu change was none other than Irisviel.

Wife and daughter. Both were not to run through Emiya Kiritsugu's life.

Originally, Kiritsugu had nothing to lose. He could not even feel pain. Precisely because Emiya Kiritsugu was that man that he could be extraordinarily strong, he could follow the immense ideal of saving the world, sacrificing everything for that without a second thought, and became a soldier whose ruthlessness knew no bounds.

The present Kiritsugu wanted to return to that past, to the man he used to be. But - at the same time as he recalled the past, deep in Kiritsugu's soul, an inconsolable dilemma formed. These nine years completely changed Kiritsugu. Kiritsugu was already enduring enormous pressure and pain just to maintain the look of cruelty and callousness he used to have.

Kiritsugu's ignorance towards Saber was precisely the revelation of Kiritsugu's weakness. Now, Kiritsugu was already exhausted trying to preserve himself. He had no energy to accept Saber, nor did he have extra energy to communicate with the King of Knights.

Irisviel's heart ached terribly. The man she loved with all her heart was tormented, but there was nothing she could do. That's because the person who caused all of Kiritsugu's anguish is herself.

The only thing Irisviel can do now - was weakly bestowed doubt towards him.

"Can we escape? We..."

"We can. Now there's still a chance."

Kiritsugu immediately replied. But it was not believable. Kiritsugu only said that to allow his heart to treasure that illusory hope.

"- You're lying."

Irisviel remarked to him, gently, cruelly.

"That's impossible. Emiya Kiritsugu, you can't run away.

Abandoning the Holy Grail, abandoning the ideal of saving the world; you would definitely not forgive yourself. You would definitely be the last judge and declare the death penalty for yourself."

Kiritsugu finally cried. He understood that too. He had no alternatives for a long time.

While speaking to Kiritsugu, Irisviel recalled what she had discussed with Drako the day before. She couldn't trust him, but she couldn't fully distrust his words either.

"I'm so afraid..."

Kiritsugu sobbed and spoke everything in his heart like a child.

Emiya Kiritsugu, not a hero, not a warrior, but an assassin. He has neither the courage nor the pride that the others have with their lives on the brink. He is a coward. Thus, his goal is to secure his victory and the right to survive cautiously and with the least risk. For the hunter, the worst nightmare is to be hunted by another.

But even so, if it were the Kiritsugu of nine years ago, he would do nothing but raise an eyebrow and plot the best solution. That was the terrifying Kiritsugu when he had no one beloved to lose. But now, when he, Kiritsugu, who fears losing those he loves, faces battle again, that fear becomes his fatal weakness.

"I will not let you fight alone."

Irisviel gently told him as she stroked her husband's trembling back.

"I will protect you. Saber will protect you too. And... Maiya will also stand by you."

Irisviel was forced to admit which woman Kiritsugu needed more right now.

Only one person can reawaken the unwavering steadfastness sealed deep within Kiritsugu's heart and revoke the cruel and heartless personality Kiritsugu had many years ago. But Irisviel would never mention this to Kiritsugu.

If Irisviel can still do anything, it is to embrace Kiritsugu and allow him to have a temporary comfort. Either way - Irisviel silently prayed in her heart.

It wouldn't matter if her prayers didn't work. She prayed that the time she could embrace Kiritsugu would be extended, even if it was just a minute or a second. Then, she could heal Kiritsugu's pain as much as she could with her limited strength.

"Actually, there's something I need to talk to you about."

And so, Irisviel spoke to Kiritsugu about what Drako had spoken to her the night before while Saber was fighting with Mordred. That conversation that wouldn't go away from her mind: The possibility that the Holy Grail was corrupted, the feeling she herself had felt deep inside, and... the offer Drako had given her.

"He can save you from the death of the Grail?"

Kiritsugu broke away from Irisviel's embrace, letting her breathe for a moment. His eyes showed the disbelief he felt, as well as doubt and uncertainty. In truth, he didn't seem to know whether this news was good or bad for him. On the one hand, there was the possibility of saving his wife from the cruel fate weighing on her shoulders. On the other hand, it could be said that he had been fighting and preparing for more than 9 years for a farce.

Leaving aside that what Drako said was a lie, Irisviel had told Kiritsugu considerably changed the possible actions they would take in the future. For the time being, he had reaffirmed not to actively attack Drako. Kiritsugu already knew that the mysterious man would not attack him, as it seemed that he cherished Irisviel and Saber for some reason.

Irisviel did not know that the decision to talk to Kiritsugu on this matter would be a crucial trigger for the development of this Holy Grail War.


Load failed, please RETRY

Estado de energía semanal

Desbloqueo caps por lotes

Tabla de contenidos

Opciones de visualización

Fondo

Fuente

Tamaño

Gestión de comentarios de capítulos

Escribe una reseña Estado de lectura: C281
No se puede publicar. Por favor, inténtelo de nuevo
  • Calidad de escritura
  • Estabilidad de las actualizaciones
  • Desarrollo de la Historia
  • Diseño de Personajes
  • Antecedentes del mundo

La puntuación total 0.0

¡Reseña publicada con éxito! Leer más reseñas
Votar con Piedra de Poder
Rank 200+ Clasificación PS
Stone 2 Piedra de Poder
Denunciar contenido inapropiado
sugerencia de error

Reportar abuso

Comentarios de párrafo

Iniciar sesión

tip Comentario de párrafo

¡La función de comentarios de párrafo ya está en la Web! Mueva el mouse sobre cualquier párrafo y haga clic en el icono para agregar su comentario.

Además, siempre puedes desactivarlo en Ajustes.

ENTIENDO