"Rider, did Professor Kayneth say anything to you before he left? Why were the two of you alone for so long...?" Waver asked after seeing Kayneth and Sola-Ui off.
"That's a secret agreement between Lord Kayneth and me," Iskandar replied with a wave of his hand. "I can't tell you."
"Huh? If that's how it is..." Waver narrowed his eyes, then silently raised his right hand toward Iskandar like a noblewoman waiting for a gentleman to kiss the back of her hand.
"By my Command Seal, I order you, Iskandar—"
"Hey! Brat, what are you doing?!"
When Iskandar realized Waver was actually prepared to waste one of his precious Command Seals over a secret that would do him absolutely no good, his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. He immediately grabbed Waver's outstretched hand.
"If you really want to know, I can tell you right now. But some things aren't better just because you learn them ahead of time."
His expression turned unusually solemn.
"Waver Velvet... are you truly prepared for that?"
Seeing Iskandar so serious—a side of him he had almost never witnessed—Waver instinctively realized the truth couldn't possibly be something pleasant.
He pursed his lips before sighing.
"...Fine. Then I won't ask."
"Don't worry."
Iskandar patted him reassuringly on the back and smiled.
"I'll stay with you until the very end... and your wish will come true."
Simply bearing witness to this journey would become an achievement worth remembering for the rest of his life.
This experience would become the true beginning of Waver Velvet's path—the cornerstone upon which he would reach even greater heights.
Even if, by then, Iskandar himself no longer existed.
Waver Velvet... struggle.
Fight.
And survive this war.
A blazing fire ignited within Iskandar's already crimson eyes.
Now that he knew the Holy Grail itself was nothing but an empty illusion—a twisted deception—his own reason for seeking victory in the Holy Grail War had vanished.
All that remained...
...was to guide his Master safely to the far shore of his own life.
That didn't seem bad at all.
To let another carry on the dream he himself could no longer fulfill.
You shall become my eyes...
And conquer this world in my place.
"Hahahahaha!"
"What are you laughing at?!"
"Because I felt like laughing! Hahahahaha!"
Watching the giant king laugh with such carefree joy, the tension that had unknowingly tightened Waver's heart gradually melted away.
Before long, he found himself laughing as well.
"Hahahahaha!"
...
Hospital
When Kiritsugu Emiya opened his eyes, he found himself lying in a hospital bed.
The instant he woke, he jerked upright—
Only for searing pain to erupt throughout his entire body, forcing him back onto the mattress with a groan.
Although Avalon – The Everdistant Utopia continuously repaired his injuries, Kiritsugu was not Artoria, its true owner. His body merely received its healing passively, while every ounce of pain remained imprinted upon his senses like buried landmines waiting to be triggered.
Just as they were now.
"AAAAAAAHHHHH!"
"The patient's awake! Hurry and notify his family!"
His agonized scream immediately drew a nearby nurse. She hurried over, gently pressed him back onto the bed to keep him from moving, and called for a colleague to inform his family.
Family...?
Do I still have any family...?
Images of Norikata Emiya, Shirley, and Natalia Kaminski flashed through his mind.
But when the person who entered the room appeared before him—
He froze.
"Maiya?!"
"Kiritsugu!!!"
Maiya Hisau, her right eye covered in white bandages and dressed in a blue-and-white hospital gown, stumbled forward and threw herself into his arms.
"You... you should have already..." Kiritsugu's voice trembled.
An overwhelming joy at recovering what he had believed lost forever surged through him—
Only to be replaced almost immediately by intense suspicion.
Nothing like this had ever happened in his tragic life.
Could someone like him truly deserve such fortune?
Kiritsugu knew better than anyone that fate had never shown him kindness without demanding something in return.
There had to be a hidden price.
Who was responsible?
He asked Maiya again and again.
But she had no answer.
When she had awakened, she had questioned every doctor and nurse in the hospital.
None of them knew.
Kiritsugu didn't dare think any further.
He was afraid this was nothing more than a dream.
A dream that would vanish the moment he woke.
So he simply held Maiya tightly, cherishing every passing second.
Only after convincing himself that the warmth in his arms was real—
That this was not a dream—
Did something inside him finally collapse.
Tears poured from his eyes uncontrollably.
"I'm sorry... Maiya... I'm so sorry..."
"It's alright, Kiritsugu."
Maiya gently embraced him, stroking his hair with the tenderness of a mother.
"My life has always belonged to you. Even if you abandoned me in pursuit of your ideals... I accepted that willingly."
"Ah... ah..."
Kiritsugu lacked even the courage to answer.
He simply broke down, sobbing without restraint.
...
Artoria stepped out of Irisviel's room just as Leon returned carrying several shopping bags.
"Leon, where did you go just now?"
"Oh, Iris said she suddenly felt like eating something spicy, so I went out to buy ingredients. I'm going to make some mapo tofu."
He lifted the bags, revealing freshly made silken tofu, premium Wagyu beef, and an assortment of seasonings.
It was just after four in the morning.
Tofu shops, breakfast stalls, and other food suppliers had already begun preparing for the day's business, making it easy for Leon to pick everything up.
After hearing his explanation, Artoria's expression grew solemn.
"Iris has always preferred mild flavors. She normally wouldn't even taste food this spicy."
"That's because her body is reaching its limit."
Leon's voice remained calm.
"Her sense of touch... her perception... even her sense of taste are gradually disappearing. Eventually, her human body will collapse completely, leaving behind nothing but the Human Grail Vessel capable of containing the souls of the seven Servants."
"...Is that Irisviel's fate?"
Artoria lowered her eyes.
"Leon... is there truly no way to save her?"
Instead of answering directly, Leon asked another question.
"If you were asked to give up the Holy Grail right now... would you?"
"I..."
Artoria fell silent.
She pitied Irisviel.
She sympathized with her fate.
Yet her resolve to change the destiny of Britain remained just as unwavering.
That was the purpose for which she had answered the Grail's summons.
The proof of why she stood in this era.
Otherwise...
She would return to that endless moment from which she could never find release.
"You see?"
Leon smiled faintly.
"Everyone has a wish they want to fulfill. We can't cast aside every personal desire the way Kiritsugu tries to."
"But... what's wrong with that?"
He gently cupped Artoria's cheek.
His voice was soft and tranquil.
"Our personal desires are proof that we're human."
"If, as humans, we insist on accomplishing things that even gods struggle to achieve..."
"...then all that awaits us is self-destruction."
"So all we need to do..."
"...is everything we can to fulfill the responsibilities that are truly ours."
"Forcing ourselves to defy fate will not bring Iris happiness."
"And death..."
"...will not be the end of her life."
"I promise you that, Artoria."
"Mmm..."
Artoria smiled softly.
"Thank you, Leon."
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 70+ chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon.com/Sagamaster789