A dimensional journey starting from the Dragon Clan

Chapter 1177 ‘Answer’

But Tokiomi would not give in just yet. He still wore an attentive smile, and his expression did not waver at all.

"Since what Einzbern hopes for is the achievement of the Third Law, then if I entrust the Holy Grail to Tohsaka Tokiomi, who aims to reach the 'source', it is not in line with your original intention. "?"

Hearing this, Irisviel gave Tokiomi a contemptuous sneer.

"Did the Tohsaka family even beg for money in order to seize the Holy Grail from us?"

"Hmph... Although this explanation makes people doubt the character of the questioner, it doesn't matter. The problem now is that a guy who knows nothing about the Holy Grail may win the final victory. I will never allow the Holy Grail to fall into the hands of laymen. In our hands - we should have the same opinion on this point."

To put it simply - Tokiomi believes that Rider is the only person who poses the greatest threat. Irisviel agreed.

Now that he understands the other party's purpose, it's almost time for him to express his stance.

"We Einzbern have never had the habit of joining forces with others. The so-called alliance will only make people laugh. However, if you want to fight the enemy one by one, we will also show our sincerity."

"……Tell me?"

"After defeating the other Masters, we will then treat Tohsaka as an enemy - we are willing to abide by this agreement."

Irisviel spoke in a roundabout way, making Tokiomi nod coldly.

"That is, a truce agreement with conditions, which is appropriate for both parties."

"We have two demands."

Irisviel said immediately as if to suppress the other party and take over the dominant position.

"First, reveal to us the information you have about Rider's Master."

When Tokiomi heard this, he laughed secretly in his heart. Since Einzbern made such a request, it should mean that she really planned to defeat Rider herself. This development was entirely expected.

"——Kirei, tell them."

After listening to Tokiomi's order, Kirei, who had been watching silently, began to explain in a calm tone.

"Rider's Master is a trainee magician under Kayneth, named Webber Velvet. He is currently living in the home of an old couple named Makaki in Nakagotsu 2-chome, Miyama Town. They have nothing to do with the Holy Grail War. Ordinary families, but under the suggestion of Weber’s magic, they believed that Weber was their biological grandson.”

Kirei finished speaking fluently, and Irisviel and Maiya couldn't help but tremble when they heard the words. Although he had already made a rough guess, he never expected that Kirei, who once controlled Assassin, could launch an espionage operation so thoroughly.

"...Okay, what's the other condition?"

Tokiomi urged happily. Irisviel looked directly at him with a solemn expression and said in a strong tone that could not allow the other party to refuse.

"The second request is to exclude Kotomine Kirei from the Holy Grail War."

Tokiomi, who was originally looking calm, couldn't help but be dumbfounded when he heard this. But Kirei remained calm and didn't even move his eyebrows.

"I'm not saying to kill him. I'm just saying to let him leave Fuyuki - no, leave Japan - before the battle is over. I hope he can leave tomorrow morning."

"Can you explain why?"

Tokiomi calmed down his inner turmoil and asked in a somewhat deep voice. As a discerning person, Irisviel now became even more convinced that there was a gap between master and disciple - it was obvious that Tokiomi did not know what Kirei had done.

"That agent has a lot of enmity with our Einzbern. If Tohsaka wants to include him in the camp, we will not be able to trust you at all. In this case, we will treat you as our top priority The excluded targets will join forces with Rider and others to attack you."

"..."

There was no hint of joking in Irisviel's tone. Finally, Tokiomi realized that there were still many things he didn't know, so he cast doubtful eyes on Kirei beside him.

"What's going on, Kirei?"

"..."

Kirei remained expressionless and silent as if he was wearing a mask. But since he didn't offer any refutation of Irisviel's words, his silence spoke volumes.

Sighing, Tokiomi hid his emotions in his heart again and stared at the Einzbern camp with an indifferent expression.

"Kirei, as the agent of the deceased Father Risei, inherited the position of supervisor. If you think he must leave, then we also have a condition."

Irisviel nodded quietly to indicate for him to continue.

"——I watched last night's battle. Your Saber's Noble Phantasm is too destructive. I hope you can restrict her use."

Saber frowned now. She understood that Tohsaka wanted to force the duel with Rider on her. This additional condition can only be said to be unreasonable.

"Why meddle in our strategy?"

"We are the managers of Fuyuki. If the Holy Grail War is to be separated from the secrecy of the Holy Church in the future and carried out openly, I hope that unnecessary disturbances can be avoided."

At this time, Maiya, who had been silent until now, suddenly interrupted.

"Did Saber's Noble Phantasm cause damage to nearby facilities last night?"

"——Fortunately, it was only minimal damage. It happened that there was a large ship in her attack route, but if you are not careful, it will indeed wipe out all the homes on the other side of the river."

"We are the ones who put the ships there."

After hearing Maiya's words, Saber raised her eyebrows. Indeed, it was precisely because of that ship that she could safely use the "Sword of Contracted Victory". But after she said this, he realized that it was originally arranged by Kiritsugu.

"As a side note, we have confirmed that the owner of the ship is insured. No need to remind you, we in the Einzbern camp have already carefully considered the destructive power of Saber's Noble Phantasm."

"I'm asking you to treatise your so-called considerations."

Tokiomi interrupted Maiya forcefully.

"In Fuyuki City, the use of Noble Phantasms on the ground is unconditionally prohibited. Even in the air, the same applies if it will indirectly cause harm to the residents - can you agree to this condition? Master of Einzbern."

"...If I agree, will Kotomine Kirei really leave Japan?"

"Ah, I'm responsible for guaranteeing it."

Tokiomi nodded without thinking. Kirei beside him was so angry that he could only grit his teeth alone.

Irisviel seeks Saber's advice. Saber nodded in agreement.

Saber also didn't want the Noble Phantasm to cause unnecessary sacrifices. If Tohsaka Tokiomi's concerns were the same as hers, this wouldn't be considered an excessive restriction.

"——Very good. Since you have confirmed that you can fulfill the conditions, we also agree to a truce."

············

After the meeting, Kotomine Kirei stayed alone in the church where both Masters had left.

As Tokiomi said just now, Kirei, as a staff member of the Holy Church, is currently handling the aftermath in various parts of Fuyuki City. Due to the death of his father, Risei, who was the supervisor, the on-site command system was in chaos, and there was no time to wait for the Eighth Secret Society to dispatch an official successor.

However, after providing appropriate guidance on the management situation at each location, operations at each site are still proceeding in an orderly manner. This shows that Li Zheng's instructions during his lifetime were very correct. Kirei's job is to distribute tasks one by one along the track that Risheng has laid. In fact, there is nothing particularly difficult.

But now, I have to make a break at work.

In fact, for Kirei, when he noticed that Tokiomi had the intention to form an alliance with Einzbern, he knew that his situation was in danger. The decision made at the meeting just now was not unexpected. The women of Einzbern—and their true mastermind, Emiya Kiritsugu—had come to realize the threat they posed to them. For Tosaka Tokiomi, he is just an "ordinary assistant", so the alliance with Einzbern is more important than himself.

Tokiomi didn't know about the Command Seal that appeared on Kirei's arm again, and the existence of the Keeping Seal secretly inherited from Rimasa. Kirei never told him that Saber's real Master, Emiya Kiritsugu, had not yet appeared, and that Matou Kariya had been rescued. Hiding such important information at such a time means that Kirei has given up on his duties as a subordinate of Tokiomi. Tokiomi will see through this one day, and now he has no right to complain.

After calling the staff everywhere, Kirei returned to his room alone. He sat down by the bed and felt the silence of the deserted church.

Staring into the darkness, Kirei asked himself.

In his lifetime, he has asked this question thousands or tens of thousands of times.

But tonight, this problem was really oppressing him. Only this time, he had to find the answer before dawn.

——What exactly is my wish?

When dealing with the aftermath, among the large amount of information received from the staff, there were two pieces of information that Kirei could not ignore.

One - On the bank of the river that was thrown into chaos by Caster's sea demon, the corpse of an adult male with a strange death shape appeared in front of the public. The body was taken over by the Holy Church to avoid being handed over to the police. Due to the severe damage to his face, it is impossible to identify him, but through the traces of the command spell on his right hand, it can be basically determined that he is Caster's Master, Ryuunosuke Ubu. Cause of Death - Two rounds of large-caliber rifle ammunition of thirty millimeters or more.

Another report is even more shocking.

Just a few hours ago, the bodies of Kayneth Elumeroi Archibalud and Sorana Zele Sophiali were found in an abandoned factory on the outskirts of the new capital. The two bodies were also discovered and disposed of by church staff on patrol. An abandoned signed self-imposed certificate was found at the scene, which was naked evidence that the perpetrator used despicable tricks to kill Lancer's Master.

Emiya Kiritsugu—this ruthless hunting machine is killing his opponents one by one.

Even now, he is still fighting somewhere. Unlike Kirei who could only sit there in confusion, he was actually moving towards the Holy Grail.

This battlefield called Fuyuki made a man who had been devoted to empty battles come back after nine years of silence. But Kirei had to leave here without knowing what his intentions and reasons were.

What would a man pray for when given the all-powerful wish machine?

Can this answer really fill the gap in Kirei's heart?

"……who are you?"

He suddenly said to himself. He had been looking forward to Emiya Kiritsugu with a premonition that was almost equivalent to a prayer, looking forward to his answer. Now Kirei felt a sense of crisis. What went back and forth in his mind were the women standing in front of Kiritsugu. Why would they fight so hard for Kiritsugu? Or, has Kiritsugu fallen to such a vulgar level that he can share his purpose with a third party?

In the deep silence, Kirei felt a commotion. The breath was approaching from the corridor outside the door. This aura was already quite familiar to Kirei. Even though he was just walking silently, the heroic spirit did not conceal the gorgeous majesty exuding from his body. Even if he steps into the realm of God, he is still so unruly.

Archer walked directly into Kirei's house without knocking. Seeing that Kirei was deep in thought, he sneered with a tone of mockery and pity.

"It's now, what are you still thinking about? There must be a limit to slowness."

"...You asked Tokiomi-sensei to go back alone? Archer."

"I sent him to the hotel. Recently, there are poisonous insects more sinister than Assassin lurking in the night."

Kirei nodded. That Emiya Kiritsugu would not turn a blind eye to the meeting just now. He would definitely wait for an opportunity to take action while Tokiomi was on his way to or back. Kirei had fully instructed this in advance—not to Tokiomi, but to Archer.

"However, you are really an honest guy. You know that you are in a bad situation but you are still worried about the safety of the Lord."

"This is a reasonable judgment. I have long fulfilled my responsibility as Tokiomi-sensei's tool, and there is no reason to continue to stay in Fuyuki."

"——You don't really think so, do you?"

Archer's eyes seemed to see through everything. Kirei looked at him in silence.

But Kirei didn't intend to refute, because Archer was right, otherwise he wouldn't be sitting here stupidly like this, but should have started preparing to leave Fuyuki long ago.

"Now the Holy Grail is still calling you, and you yourself are eager to fight."

Archer said. Kirei remained silent and gave up on refuting.

Anyway, there is nothing to hide from Archer. This heroic spirit has even seen through the fact that he is deceiving himself. Then, I'm afraid the answer Kirei has been looking for should already be in his heart.

The red eyes seemed to be looking down at the lost mouse from above. There is no inducement or rescue. Appreciating other people's troubles may be something that makes the King of Heroes happy.

"...I have been exploring a question since I was sensible."

As if speaking to the darkness in his heart, Kirei stood in front of Archer.

"I wasted time and endured pain...but everything ended in futility. But now, I feel that I have never been so close to the 'answer'.

What I seek must be in Fuyuki, at the end of the war. "