บท 15: The Rogue Servant Avenger
The stars in the sky and the neon lights of Fuyuki City seemed so distant and dim.
Emiya Kiritsugu found himself unable to sleep. The calm and cold-blooded "magus killer" was not as resolute and decisive as Maiya saw him—like a relentless executioner.
In fact, he even felt a bit melancholic, a kind of vulnerability that shouldn't have appeared in this cold, calculating machine of a man who was supposed to be ready to kill anyone without hesitation. Yet, the hand holding the gun was trembling.
He took a deep drag from his cigarette, the smoke burning his lungs painfully before he exhaled it from his mouth and nose. He couldn't help but think, if... if the crosshairs were aimed at Illya, would he really be able to pull the trigger this time?
The ideal he had pursued for nine years had been torn to shreds in just seven days. Even more laughable was that now he was going to tear it apart with his own hands once more.
Sacrifice made no distinction; in the face of the greater good, everyone's life was equal. Emiya Kiritsugu tried to convince himself of this, but Illya's innocent and naïve face kept appearing before his eyes.
"I know, it's supposed to be goodbye forever."
...
It wasn't until the cigarette butt burned his fingers that Emiya Kiritsugu snapped back to reality. Now was not the time for sentimentality—the war had only just begun.
A pair of soft, slender arms wrapped around him from behind, causing him to break out in a cold sweat. When had his senses become so dull... or had he simply grown accustomed to Irisviel's presence?
"Kiritsugu... what are you thinking about?" She pressed against his broad back, feeling the rise and fall of his breath.
Emiya Kiritsugu remained silent, staring at the distant horizon where the dawn was just beginning to break. For magi, going several days without sleep was nothing unusual.
"Let me guess. You're thinking about Illya, aren't you?" Irisviel's face held a radiant smile; she knew that Kiritsugu must also be thinking of her.
Tightening her embrace, she closed her eyes quietly. "I understand you, and I share the same wish in my heart."
"You're the one who made it so I didn't have to live like a puppet," Irisviel still remembered the piles of failed homunculi limbs in Einzbern's underground. "You don't have to mourn for me because I am a part of you."
Emiya Kiritsugu grasped her soft hand on his chest, their fingers intertwining.
This man, who had chosen to become even more ruthless to rid the world of cruelty, finally had his soft side exposed once more.
"Iris—"
...
It was as if he was once again standing behind his father, deciding whether or not to pull the trigger.
When the first light of dawn broke through the darkness before the sunrise, the eastern sky began to show a faint hint of white.
At the Church, the overseer of this war, Father Risei, was holding an emergency strategy meeting.
Caster's Master was the serial killer currently on the run in Fuyuki City—the "Demon of Fuyuki."
They had gone to the nearby town of Miyama, abducting children from their beds. If any family members tried to intervene, they would kill them all.
Tokiomi Tohsaka was furious, as the Tohsaka residence was located right on the leyline in Miyama Town.
From nightfall until dawn, Caster and his Master had abducted as many as 15 people. Combined with the children and girls who had gone missing earlier, at least 30 people were in their grasp.
Caster and his Master had completely disregarded the rules of the Holy Grail War and the magi, severely disrupting the progress of the Holy Grail War.
Priest Risei squinted as he continued to speak. In the confessional before him, only five different familiars were silently listening.
"In this time of crisis, I will use my authority as the overseer to temporarily change the rules—"
"All Masters must immediately cease fighting and focus their efforts on eliminating Caster."
"Furthermore, those who successfully defeat Caster and his Master will be granted additional Command Seals as a special reward."
Priest Risei rolled up his sleeve, revealing an arm covered in densely packed Command Seals, all bright red. These were the Command Seals that had been reclaimed from previous Holy Grail Wars.
"There is one more thing I need to mention."
"The spirit board shows that the eighth Servant, the one summoned illegally, the Avenger, is also active in Fuyuki City."
The confessional fell into an eerie silence, and then the five familiars dispersed.
The survival challenge had suddenly turned into a hunting game, and the fate of Caster and his Master now hung by a thread.
...
It was only at this point that some Masters realized that the strange girl in the black-and-red spirit suit wasn't actually an Archer. The golden king sitting in the Tohsaka mansion, whom they had assumed to be Caster, was the true Archer.
She was the Avenger.
A chill ran through nearly everyone's hearts.
Only five familiars were present, excluding the already "eliminated" Kirei Kotomine and the wanted Caster—exactly five.
So who had summoned that exceptional Servant?
The black-and-red girl who manipulated time.
When Kirei Kotomine opened his room door, his brows furrowed.
The simple room suddenly felt luxurious and elegant, though there hadn't been any actual changes. It was like an abrupt shift in atmosphere, even the flickering yellow light now seemed to exude a sense of opulence.
Ruby-red eyes gazed at Kirei Kotomine, golden hair cascading down.
"—Archer?"
...
The most ancient king had only come for some trivial pleasantries, but his words subtly hinted at his dissatisfaction with Tokiomi Tohsaka as a Master.
In the words of this king, such a servant was far too boring.
"Isn't the Grail supposed to summon only Masters who desire it?" Gilgamesh asked, sipping the fine wine in his goblet as he reclined on the sofa, smiling as he questioned Kirei Kotomine.
Even though this treasured wine belonged to the ascetic priest, to Gilgamesh, it was merely passable.
But his words planted a big question mark in Kirei Kotomine's mind. "Why was I chosen by the Grail when I have no such desire?"
"Then make a wish that will bring you pleasure," the golden king chuckled.
"A sinful wish..." Kirei Kotomine wanted to refute it, thinking that such things were evil as described in the doctrines.
But Gilgamesh interrupted him. "Perhaps the pleasure that comes from doing evil is indeed a sin, but people also experience joy from doing good. Who's to say that pleasure itself is evil?"
...
"Pleasure does not exist within me. I cannot find such desire," this seeker's expression was almost despairing. This was precisely why he had spent so many years feverishly studying, exploring, only to discard what he had painstakingly learned.
No matter what doctrine, magic, or anything else—even his father—none of it brought him the slightest bit of pleasure. It was as if he was born without that sense of joy.
This was also why he was so intrigued by Emiya Kiritsugu, who had a unique goal. He wanted to understand what it was that Emiya Kiritsugu was pursuing.
"Kirei Kotomine," the golden king's lips curled into a nearly delighted smile. "I've suddenly taken a great interest in you."
-140:41:54
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