The world of the magi.
Kiritsugu and Shirou had entered an apartment, and after this, the magus killer asked the boy to show him his arm, while they left their bags in the living room.
"I… just wanted to help," Shirou whispered.
"I know, but you must be careful when you go to help someone. You have to take into account several variables." Kiritsugu looked at the redhead's forearm; he had a bruise.
"What variables?" asked the confused boy.
"Who are you going to help? How are you going to help them? Why are you going to help them? And, above all, what are the consequences of you helping them?" the magus killer spoke normally as if used to considering such variables.
In the boy's mind, these variables began to be considered:
1-. Who did he help?
Answer: To a woman and a child. A security officer at the airport was mistreating them both.
2-. How did he help them?
Answer: He tried to keep the security officer from mistreating them.
3-. Why did he help him?
Answer: There was no specific reason, but, if there had to be, then it would simply be that the lady and the child were being abused for no reason.
4-. What were the consequences of helping them?
Answer: Because Kiritsugu intervened, the guard calmed down, but if it had only been him, then the woman would still be mistreated, and he would have ended up with more than just a bruise.
His foster father took out a medicine cabinet and used a cream to reduce the swelling.
"Shirou, there is currently a phenomenon of mass hysteria. What you was the right thing to do, but you must be careful. Especially since you will have to travel to England and enter the Clock Tower.
"Why especially in the Clock Tower?"
"Because magi are especially proud. An attempt to help could be taken as an underestimation of their abilities, and in the end, they will end up seeing it as an insult. Magi are the type of people who don't accept help from others, even if they really need it."
"But that is ridiculous."
Kiritsugu nodded. "It is. The advances that could be made in the world of magic if magi abandoned their pride would be abysmal. But that would mean abandoning prestige as well, and that is something they will never allow. That is why you must be careful when offering your help to any magus."
"I understand." Shirou approached the window of the hotel room. "The state in which this country is found is a bit sad."
The landscape seen through the window was really pitiful: The pollution filled the air, buildings are in a state of complete disrepair, and were people yelling at each other due to the mass hysteria.
"And this, Jordan, is one of the most stable countries in the Middle East. Unlike this, other countries must be much worse."
"And the countries of South Africa must be even more so."
Kiritsugu nodded. "Only when you see these types of situations, this is when you can realize what is the current situation in the world. The worst of all this is that it could be solved with absurd ease..."
Shirou and Kiritsugu had taken a layover flight from Japan to England, and now they were making a stopover in Jordan, one of the countries in the Middle East. This flight was cheaper than a direct one, and the freelancer had to save as much money as possible. All of this was to make the assault operation against the Einzbern a success. Also, if his plan failed and Shirou couldn't get a recommendation, Kiritsugu needed the money to be able to keep his son inside the Clock Tower.
"Using the Moon Cell?"
The magus killer nodded. "Surprisingly, humanity cannot agree, even on the brink of extinction," Kiritsugu sighed.
If it was the old me, I'm sure I would have already taken action against the Harwey family conglomerate. It is they who have placed more obstacles when using the Moon Cell. The only reason I didn't join the resistance and became their enemy was that achieving my goal through Heaven's Feel was much more feasible. The Harweys control approximately 25% of the world through various means. Taking away their control of the Moon Cell is a job that requires more than one person.
"Shirou…"
"Yes?"
"Repeat our plan for me."
The redhead sighed, "Again?"
Kiritsugu nodded. "Having the plan as clear as possible is what will allow you to survive in the world of the magi. One mistake could cost you your life."
"We already boarded the flight to England, and once we get to the airport, we will part ways. I will take a taxi that will be waiting to take me to an apartment complex. There I will stay while I study at the Clock Tower. I will stop introducing myself as Emiya Shirou, and from now on, I will deny even knowing you. Nor will I seek to contact you unless it is a major emergency. While I am studying, I will keep a low profile and create as many contacts as possible. Furthermore, I will investigate as much as I can about the current state of the Einzbern family."
Kiritsugu nodded. "In the meantime, I will return to my trade as a freelancer. I will try to negotiate with the association to recover the remaining parts of the Emiya family crest. I'll also look for any weak spots in the Einzbern defenses."
"Kiritsugu, are you sure you can go back to your old job? You said you were injured..." Shirou asked worriedly.
"And I am. The Emiya Crest is with you now, making it difficult to use my time manipulation magecraft, and several of my magic circuits were damaged in my last job. And, that said, I was never overly reliant on my magecraft to hunt magus or Phantasmal Species. I can still use my Origin Bullets, as well as all the weapons I used to use. Also, since I had to research my family's magecraft to adapt it for combat, as long as I stick to the basics, I should be able to use it again."
"So, will you be okay?" the redhead asked worriedly.
Kiritsugu nodded. "As long as I don't have to deal with a very powerful magus or dead apostle, or something like that, I should be able to get out of my job alive."
At least, until Angra Mainyu's curse finishes corrupting my magic circuits, to the point where it will be difficult for me, even the simple act of moving. At the rate at which the curse is advancing, it should be at least a few years before the level of corruption becomes this high.
Thought the magus.
"Are you really that infamous in the world of the magi?" the redhead asked, pulling him out of his thoughts.
Kiritsugu nodded. "By hunting down various magi who got out of control, I earned the hatred of many families. That is why they should not discover that you are related to me, at least, until you can defend yourself properly."
Shirou nodded. The apprentice magus and blacksmith was surprised when his father told him exactly what his job as a freelancer was, he was known as the magus killer, and, in a sense, he was the assassin of the Mage's Association. He was dedicated to hunting magi and other beings that got out of control, putting many innocent people in danger, but, in doing so, he saved more people than he endangered. When Kiritsugu told him about this, Shirou declared that it was something admirable, but the magus killer denied it. The freelancer told him that, to stop these magi, he had to do terrible things, actions that even cost innocent people their lives.
The redhead was confused, he couldn't see the same man who had saved him as a cold assassin, or put another way, the kind of person who sacrificed the minority to save the majority. He wanted to know more about his father's past, but seeing his sore face, Shirou restrained himself.
"Go to rest. There are still two hours until the next flight leaves; I'll wake you up when we have to go."
Shirou nodded and went to his room.
"You used hypnosis to get the child to go to sleep... what are you planning?" the sword that Shirou had left in the room spoke.
"I want to talk to you for a moment."
"What do you want?"
"I need you to take care of Shirou from now on. We both know that he is not cut out to be a magus, he does not have the personality magi should have. In short, he is too good for his own good."
"I know, and that's why, and because of your relationship with him, is that this mission is so risky..." Senji said.
"At first, I wasn't sure this was going to work, and, If I'm honest, I almost aborted all the plans multiple times."
"If you knew that the stakes were so high and the odds of everything going well were so low, then; why didn't you? For someone as meticulous and calculating as you, this is illogical action."
Kiritsugu smiled wryly. "What is the probability that you could create the ultimate katana?"
"While I was alive, the odds were slim to none. My goal is to create a weapon that matches and even surpasses various divine constructions. Creating that, with the limited time of human life, is practically impossible."
"And yet, you continued to pursue a said dream without hesitation, just like me. The biggest difference is that: Unlike you, I ended up losing everything, and I reached a goal opposite to what I wanted to achieve."
"So…?" asked Muramasa curiously.
"Shirou was affected by the Fuyuki fire and suffers from survivor syndrome. Seeing how stubborn he is when something gets into his head and what little sense of self-preservation he has, I've tried to keep him from finding out about the dream I chased. For someone like him, who lives with guilt and the desire to help others, being able to be a hero of justice should be the perfect goal for him to achieve"
"But you fear that I will come to the same conclusion that you did..."
He nodded. "That's right, and, in my ignorance, I told him about it, and, although I regretted it and did not speak about it again, even so... I was forced to touch the subject tangentially when I explained why I came to be known as the magus killer."
"Do you think he inherited it? Your dream…"
"I doubt it, but my words affected him, and I think his performance at the airport is a sign that I am correct. That's why I want you to protect him, not only from the world of magic but also from his own distortion."
"And are you not afraid that he will end badly by chasing my dream?"
"Is different; even if he becomes obsessed with creating the ultimate sword, you will be there to guide him. And, even if he fails, he will only have to pass on his achievement through you, as its predecessors did. He shouldn't put his life at risk for that, or at least, I hope so..."
Senji was silent for a moment, then he finally spoke, "Well... I understand. Besides, he is my descendant; I can't let him die so easily. Relax, I'll help him get a good scabbard."
This caught the magus off guard. "Scabbard?"
Muramasa laughed lightly. "That boy is as close to being a sword as he is to being a human. In short, what he needs is someone to act as his scabbard, swords are damaged if they are used a lot and not taken care of properly, and the scabbard is used to retain and protect them; so that they are not damaged. The boy needs someone to act that way."
Although somewhat puzzled by the way the blacksmith decided to explain things, the magus killer got the point. "Finding someone like that will be difficult."
"But it is much easier than being a hero of justice or creating an almost impossible weapon."
At this comment, the freelancer could do nothing more than smile; the same ironic smile with which he had questioned the blacksmith.