"Why are you helping me?"
On the other side of town, having successfully withdrawn from the battlefield, Kiritsugu confronted Kariya. He was curious about Kariya's motives. After all, he didn't believe for a second that Kariya had helped Artoria out of simple goodwill.
"I want to form an alliance with you," Kariya replied, his face tense and strained, as if he was suppressing something painful.
"An alliance?" Kiritsugu's eyes narrowed. "Why do you want to join forces with me all of a sudden?"
He could tell there was something off about Kariya, but he chose not to press the matter further. He would prefer to investigate on his own.
"...I want your help to kill Chihiro," Kariya said slowly.
"What?" Kiritsugu was momentarily taken aback, unable to understand Kariya's reasoning.
As far as he knew, there was no history of animosity between Chihiro and Kariya. Could it be because Chihiro had killed Matou Zouken? But did Kariya really care enough about that old monster to seek revenge?
Kiritsugu finally asked, "Can I at least know the reason?"
Kariya said nothing, his silence conveying that he didn't intend to explain further. Seeing that he wouldn't get more information, Kiritsugu pondered for a moment, then agreed. Given his current situation, an ally—even an unusual one would be beneficial.
Tonight had been an unexpected twist for him. He hadn't anticipated that Heroic Spirit Kiritsugu would manage to defeat Diarmuid. It seemed luck had favored them in that instance.
As a formality, Kiritsugu drew up a contract and had both of them sign it, binding their alliance. Kariya scrutinized the document several times, clearly wary of any trickery on Kiritsugu's part.
Kiritsugu remained indifferent to Kariya's suspicions.
Hidden in the shadows, Hassan of the Hundred Faces observed the entire interaction. Chihiro had instructed her to keep an eye on Kiritsugu from nightfall, so she had witnessed everything.
When she reported back to Chihiro, he too was bewildered by Kariya's request. Like Kiritsugu, he wondered what could have driven Kariya to want him dead.
Could Kariya actually want to avenge Matou Zouken?
Meanwhile, Chihiro couldn't help but shake his head at Waver and the others' performance in last night's battle. Seriously, how could they lose? They'd had three people against one, yet one of their number still ended up killed.
And to make it worse, their opponent wasn't even a high-level Servant like Gilgamesh or Artoria.
I suppose Heroic Spirit Kiritsugu really does live up to his reputation as the one chosen by the Holy Grail.
---
The next day.
[Ding! The Q&A session will begin in ten minutes. Please prepare accordingly.]
[Ding! A new member, "Old Worm," has joined the group chat.]
Everyone: "!!!"
Wasn't this old monster's home destroyed by Chihiro and Zhang Jiao? How could he still be alive?
Kiritsugu instantly connected the dots.
Ah, so that's it.
No wonder Kariya had suddenly wanted to go after Chihiro. It must be tied to that "Old Worm." But what leverage could the old magus have over Kariya?
Old Worm: "Hehe, Kariya, is this the group you mentioned?"
Chihiro: "You old monster, you're still alive?"
Damn Murphy's Law. Chihiro had felt uneasy about how easily Zouken had gone down. Now, his worst fears had been realized.
Chihiro: "But how did you manage to survive?"
Zhang Jiao thought for a moment before answering. "He must have moved his main insect to another location before we attacked."
Chihiro: "That's just like him. Typical Zouken."
With this realization, Chihiro resolved to keep the old worm from obtaining any treasure chests in today's Q&A session.
Old Worm: "Ah, Chihiro, you're here too?"
Old Worm: "Heh, you little brat, don't think I've forgotten. I'll have my revenge eventually."
Chihiro: "Bring it on."
Chihiro: "If I could kill you once, I can kill you a second time."
Old Worm: "Without that Heroic Spirit, you're nothing."
Tohsaka Tokiomi: "And I'll stand against you too, Matou Zouken."
Old Worm: "Oh, Tokiomi, I thought we had a good understanding."
Tohsaka Tokiomi: "There's no chance of that ever happening again!"
Kayeneth: "Hmph, has the Matou family fallen so low?"
Old Worm: "Lord El-Melloi, I didn't realize we had a personal grudge."
Chihiro: "Don't count on finding any friends in this group."
Chihiro: "Well, except maybe Bluebeard."
Bluebeard: "Ah! Chihiro, I'll kill you!"
[Ding! The first question is about to begin!]
[This is a three-part competitive multiple-choice question.]
[Three questions will be asked in sequence, each with a time limit of five minutes for responses. All group members may answer.]
[Answering correctly will award 3 Saint Quartz. Answering incorrectly will deduct 1 Saint Quartz. If no one answers within 5 minutes, the question becomes void.]
[This session follows an elimination format. Only those who answer the first question correctly may proceed to the second, and so on.]
[If all participants are eliminated, any remaining questions will be discarded.]
[Answering two questions in a row correctly will grant an additional Saint Quartz, while a streak of three correct answers will grant 3 extra Saint Quartz.]
Waver: "New rules this time?"
Iskandar: "Haha! An elimination system? Now things are getting interesting!"
Kayeneth: "Whoever gets the first question right has the advantage."
Chihiro: "Don't get too confident. The questions will probably get harder each round."
Waver: "Yeah, they're bound to ramp up the difficulty with a reward like this."
[Please watch the video below.]
[Video starts.]
[In the Emiya family's storage room, Irisviel lies on a magic circle, looking pale and frail.]
["Thank you for coming to see me."]
[Irisviel gazes at Emiya Kiritsugu with a gentle smile. "It's time. I have to return it to you."]
[A soft white glow envelops her as Avalon slowly emerges from her body.]
[Emiya Kiritsugu takes Avalon, his expression somber.]
["You need it now. It will be vital in the final battle."]
[Irisviel smiles again. "Thank you. I'm grateful."]
["The man I love is cherished by someone else, and I've had nine years with my husband and daughter."]
["You've given me a happiness I never imagined."]
[Kiritsugu's cold expression softens at her words.]
["I'm sorry… I wanted to show you more of the world."]
[Irisviel reassures him: "That's enough. Please, give the happiness I couldn't have to Illya."]
In the present, Artoria, seeing this scene, immediately checked Irisviel's condition.
"Irisviel, are you alright?"
"Don't worry, Saber. I'm fine." Irisviel gave a reassuring smile, but her heart felt heavy.
So, that moment is approaching after all.
How she wished time would stop, if only to live a bit longer with those she loved. But she understood that, for the sake of Kiritsugu's ideals, her sacrifice was necessary.
[The video continues, and it is now near dusk.]
[Kiritsugu is absent, and Artoria has also left. Only Hisau Maiya remains to guard Irisviel.]
["Maiya, why do you fight for Kiritsugu?" Irisviel asks, watching Maiya as she readies her weapons.]
["Because I have nothing else." Maiya replies with an impassive face. "My family, my original name… I don't even remember them anymore."]
["'Hisau Maiya' is just a name on the first fake passport Kiritsugu made for me."]
["All I remember is that I was born in a poor country where war never stopped."]
["It's absurd, really. People couldn't afford to eat, yet they were always fighting."]
["Eventually, someone decided it was easier to just abduct children from other places and force them into combat."]
["I was one of those children."]
["After that… my heart and soul died. Only my body kept moving."]
["In my life, all that remained was killing the enemy."]
["Any other emotions were already abandoned."]
["Then I met Kiritsugu, and he took me away from the battlefield."]
["From that moment on, I became his weapon. That's all there is to it."]
"…"
Waver, Rin, and others watching the video fell silent, weighed down by Maiya's bleak story.
"…That's rough," Chihiro muttered to himself.
Maiya's recount was understated, but he understood the darker reality behind it.
Life in a war-torn region wasn't just about survival on the battlefield. For someone like Maiya, it was a waking nightmare, devoid of humanity.
She hadn't only been a weapon in battle; she had been a tool for others to vent their emotions. In those grim conditions, surviving as a child soldier was a matter of enduring more than just the horrors of war.
Even Kiritsugu likely didn't know the full extent of her past. There was more pain buried beneath the surface, she carried a burden that few could understand, one that went beyond mere loyalty.
Even Kiritsugu didn't know that Maiya actually had a son.
Because this was a child born from violence, a scar she would never be free from.
***
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