"...Kiritsugu? Kiritsugu."
"...Mm... Maiya."
"Did you have another nightmare? Your expression was terrifying just now, and you're drenched in sweat. Was it... another dream about the past?"
Completely naked, Maiya Hisau rose from the bed, fetched a towel, and gently wiped the sweat from Kiritsugu Emiya's body.
"...Yeah."
"I dreamed about the past."
"All of it..."
Suddenly, Kiritsugu wrapped his arms tightly around Maiya as she tended to him. His voice trembled with fear.
"Maiya... I didn't make the wrong choice, did I?"
"Sacrificing the few to save the many..."
"That was the right decision... wasn't it?!"
"AAAHHHHHH—!"
The grief and anguish from his dream bled into reality.
But the pain he carried in reality had never truly disappeared in the first place.
He had merely forced it into the deepest corner of his heart.
Now...
With both kinds of suffering crashing down on him at once, overwhelming remorse threatened to consume what little reason he had left.
Mind and body utterly exhausted...
Kiritsugu was reaching his breaking point.
"...You didn't do anything wrong."
Maiya's gaze was as gentle as that of an older sister... and a mother.
She pulled his head tightly against her chest, trying to use the warmth of her body to mend the shattered heart that had stood alone for far too long.
"Just hold on a little longer, Kiritsugu."
"As long as we win this Holy Grail War, your wish will finally come true."
Lowering her head, she gently rubbed her cheek against his hair as she whispered,
"Until then..."
"I'll stay by your side."
"We'll see this through together."
"...Mm."
Like a child who had never truly grown up, Kiritsugu curled up in Maiya's embrace.
Greedily.
Desperately.
Absorbing every trace of her warmth.
Maiya quietly patted his back.
Softly humming a lullaby...
Like a mother soothing her child.
Kiritsugu listened.
He felt her warmth.
For one fleeting moment...
It was as if Natalia had never left.
The situation in the Holy Grail War had become increasingly clear.
Lancer, Assassin, and Caster had all fallen in succession.
The battlefield was now dominated by the two strongest Servants—
Archer and Saber (Leon).
Rider, though still formidable, had already fallen behind and could do little more than make his final stand.
Only Berserker remained an unknown variable.
Neither his Servant nor his Master had revealed themselves.
However...
Kiritsugu knew that Berserker's Master, Kariya Matou, was currently an ally.
His wish for world peace was now only a few steps away.
Before that...
He needed to confirm the condition of the Human Grail Vessel.
And if an opportunity presented itself—
He had to recover Avalon – The Everdistant Utopia ahead of time.
Only then could he face that overwhelmingly powerful ally without fear.
Only then would victory truly rest in his hands.
...
When Kiritsugu and Maiya arrived at the traditional Japanese estate he had purchased from the local yakuza...
He expected to find Irisviel barely clinging to life.
Instead—
She looked perfectly healthy.
"..."
Kiritsugu and Maiya exchanged astonished glances at the entrance.
"Oh my~"
"Kiritsugu, Maiya, you're here!"
Meanwhile...
Inside the kitchen...
Leon was putting Artoria through what he jokingly called "special training."
In reality, he was standing directly behind her, guiding her hands as he taught her how to slice vegetables, prepare meat, and handle ingredients.
At Artoria's own request, of course.
Leon had merely seized the opportunity... and taken shameless advantage of how close the lesson required them to stand.
Naturally, the first to notice the visitors was Irisviel, who was happily waiting in the living room for dinner.
She waved cheerfully.
"Iri... your body..."
Kiritsugu narrowed his eyes.
Seeing Irisviel moving about normally was certainly reassuring...
But it was also completely abnormal.
His first suspicion was that something had happened to Avalon.
"Oh, don't worry."
Irisviel smiled warmly and gently rested a hand on her lower abdomen.
"It's because of the child Leon entrusted to me."
"So I'm perfectly fine."
"...A child?!"
Maiya instinctively glanced sideways at Kiritsugu.
Sure enough...
His expression darkened noticeably.
"Iri."
"What exactly do you mean?"
"Oh!"
"N-not that kind of child!"
Realizing they had misunderstood, Irisviel's face instantly turned scarlet.
She hurriedly explained,
"Leon placed the holy shield-shaped Mystic Code he used to block Archer's attacks and defend against Caster..."
"...inside my body."
"That's why I'm still able to move around like a normal person."
"And this child has a mind of her own."
"Listen."
"She's saying hello to both of you."
"..."
Kiritsugu and Maiya exchanged another glance.
They heard absolutely nothing.
Even so...
A Mystic Code possessing a complete, independent consciousness capable of communicating with others—
Combined with the overwhelming power it had already displayed in battle—
Could never be one of those forbidden, inferior creations that artificially fused a human soul into a magical artifact to imitate sentience.
No.
Its spirituality had arisen naturally because it existed on an unimaginably high level.
A chill shot from the base of Kiritsugu's spine straight to the top of his head.
This wasn't like negotiating with a tiger...
It was like debating a god.
Had Leon...
Already discovered that Avalon was also hidden within Irisviel?
Kiritsugu desperately needed the answer.
"Where are Leon and Artoria?" he asked.
"They're in the kitchen."
"Should I go call them—"
"No."
Kiritsugu interrupted immediately.
"If they're busy, let them finish."
"We can help later."
"Iri..."
"Could you show us around the house and the garden first?"
Maiya immediately caught on and smoothly played along.
"Sure."
Irisviel glanced toward the kitchen.
Leon and Artoria had been chopping ingredients for quite a while now without coming out.
Still...
Since it was Kiritsugu and Maiya's request, she gladly agreed.
She happily led them through the residence.
The entire estate had been cleaned spotless by Leon, Artoria, and herself.
With Servants handling the labor, the renovation itself had been effortless.
Purchasing the materials had taken far longer than the actual work.
Watching Irisviel walk about so naturally...
Although she was visibly weaker than before...
Kiritsugu and Maiya couldn't help feeling genuinely relieved.
Though Irisviel was Kiritsugu's wife in name...
Before meeting Kiritsugu and Maiya, she had spent her entire life confined within Einzbern Castle.
She had never once stepped outside.
In a sense...
The two of them had watched her grow up.
A homunculus's body ceased aging once it reached maturity.
From then on, it would remain eternally youthful...
Until the day it broke down.
But their hearts were no different from those of ordinary people.
Most Homunculus Combat Maids had predetermined memories and personalities implanted into them.
However...
Special Human Grail Vessels like Irisviel and Illyasviel von Einzbern were different.
They were granted the privilege of developing genuine, independent personalities.
Their hearts continued to mature with time.
The price...
Was a destiny of inevitable collapse as vessels for the Holy Grail.
Eventually, they arrived at the storage building.
Kiritsugu's gaze settled on the magecraft circle drawn across the floor.
"...What's this?"
"Oh."
"I asked Leon and Artoria to help me draw it."
"It's a Leyline Magic Circle."
"It was meant to slow my physical collapse and ease the pain."
"But..."
She smiled.
"It doesn't seem necessary anymore."
"Since it's already finished, though, we might as well leave it here."
"It could be useful someday."
"As a summoning circle..."
"Or perhaps as a catalyst for magecraft."
"That makes sense."
Kiritsugu replied absentmindedly.
At the same time, he cast a subtle glance toward Maiya, who was still standing outside the storeroom.
She immediately understood.
Silently...
She closed the door behind them.
Then deployed a soundproof bounded field around the room.
"...Hm?"
Irisviel blinked in surprise.
"Kiritsugu..."
"What are you doing?"
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