บท 412: C412
Inhaling deeply from his cigarette, Kiritsugu's gaze lingered within the swirls of smoke before shifting to the snow-covered city ahead—an urban landscape that appeared almost lifeless.
—Fuyuki City.
It had been six months since he had found himself in this world, but he still struggled to accept this version of the city.
In his own world, despite the ongoing disasters like the catastrophic Fourth Holy Grail War and the havoc caused by the Dead Apostles, Fuyuki City had flourished. This was thanks to a single person who had kindled the hidden yearnings for a better life within people's hearts. The result was a bustling city with a thriving population—a place bursting with vitality and life.
Yet, the Fuyuki City of this world painted a drastically different picture.
"Kiritsugu, Shirou's done with the cooking. Let's dig in," a steady voice came from behind him.
Kiritsugu turned to find a young man in a black vest, his expression stern as he gazed at him.
And he could be considered a familiar face.
—Tokomine Kirei.
He was the man who had participated in the Fourth Holy Grail War, where he assisted Archer, the King of Heroes, in causing a great calamity. Ultimately, he was assassinated from behind by Tohsaka Tokiomi due to his betrayal, leading to his demise before the end of the Fourth Holy Grail War.
Before him stood the Kirei of this world, not the Kirei from his own world.
Unlike the Kirei from his own world, who had succumbed entirely to a twisted path, the Kirei of this world was a devoted church priest. While his personality retained certain twisted aspects, he was far from being an evil person.
Moreover, the Kirei in this world seemed to share a deep bond with the Kiritsugu of this world.
When he first arrived in this unfamiliar world, Kiritsugu's quick acquisition of information was largely thanks to the assistance of this Kirei.
A former foe had turned into an unexpected ally, a twist that really got Kiritsugu thinking about the ties that spanned across parallel worlds. But that wasn't even the most surprising part for him.
Blowing out a puff of cheap smoke, he let the cigarette dangle from his lips for a moment before he casually flicked the butt to the ground, giving it a final stamp with his foot.
Then, he nodded at Kirei, "I understand. Let's head back together."
Kirei nodded in response.
They were in the outskirts of the Miyama town.
The trees that had once flourished through all four seasons now stood withered, their branches draped in a shroud of silvery snow.
A strange quiet hung in the air, an unsettling calm that whispered of lifelessness.
Kiritsugu and Kirei found their way into a cavern, its entrance protected by powerful bounded fields.
Within the depths of the cave, a cozy campfire blazed. Its dancing flames emitted a soft crackling, offering a gentle warmth that pushed back the chill of the outside world.
Over the fire, a pot of savory soup bubbled and simmered, its aroma filling the air.
Attending to the pot was a young boy, fully absorbed in his task.
Seeming to be about sixteen years old, the boy had a lean frame and an impressive height. His short red hair boasted a streak of white, giving it a unique touch. Despite his slightly unkempt look, he had his hands wrapped in slightly worn bandages. Notably, a significant portion of his left cheek bore scars from burns, which added a touch of fierceness to his appearance.
"Welcome back, Kiritsugu," the boy glanced at him and set down his utensils.
Kiritsugu nodded and sat cross-legged by the campfire.
With a bowl of steaming soup in his hands, the boy handed it over to him, asking, "How's the situation?"
"Still no signs of movement."
The boy's expression turned into a thoughtful frown, "I see..."
While savoring the warmth of the soup, Kiritsugu's gaze rested on the boy, a swirl of complex emotions churning within him.
Every time he laid eyes on this boy, a mixture of wonder and astonishment filled his heart. The resemblance between this boy and the man hailed as the Savior of Light was nothing short of astonishing.
And that was only natural. His name was also Shirou.
Just as this parallel world had another version of him, it also had another version of Shirou. However, this Shirou wasn't named Fujimaru Shirou; he was called Emiya Shirou!
The experiences of this alternate Shirou were truly mind-bending for him.
Similar to the catastrophic events of the Fourth Holy Grail War in his world, a calamity had ravaged everything, but unlike in his world, there wasn't a person like Fujimaru Shirou to save the day.
In this world, this version of Shirou had become involved in a major fire calamity, only to be saved by a different version of Kiritsugu. This is how he came to be known as Emiya Shirou.
Kiritsugu found this nearly unbelievable. In his own world, he had been saved by Fujimaru Shirou, who revealed to him the genuine essence of a hero of justice and shattered his twisted and misguided way of thinking.
And in this world, he wasn't redeemed but instead continued down the path of a misguided hero of justice. He even imparted this ideology to Emiya Shirou.
Honestly, even though he understood the concept of parallel worlds, he still found it somewhat unbelievable.
The experiences of this Emiya Shirou also took him by surprise.
About six months ago, he had said goodbye to Irisviel and arrived in this world. Kirei had briefed him on the situation. To get a deeper understanding, he teamed up with Kirei and infiltrated Ainsworth Castle. That's where he found Emiya Shirou and brought him to safety.
Over the past six months, Kiritsugu had managed to piece together the basics of this world. Unlike his own world, the Einzbern family didn't exist here; it was the Emiya family instead. Due to this difference, Irisviel never crossed paths with him in this world, and thus there was no Illyasviel. However, this didn't mean the Holy Grail War didn't exist in this world.
A few years ago, the Emiya family stumbled upon a vessel comparable to a complete Grail in Fuyuki City. The vessel's name was Sakatsuki Miyu. They adopted her and named her Emiya Miyu, all as part of Kiritsugu's grand plan to achieve his impossible dream of saving everything.
But then, he handed down his "hero of justice" ideology to Shirou and eventually passed away. Despite this, Shirou decided to let go of the hero concept and treated Miyu like his real sister instead.
However, things took a turn when the Ainsworth family attacked, snatching Miyu away from them.
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