Chapter 18

(Emiya Father and Son)

[The correct answer is D, Tokiomi Tohsaka.]

[Congratulations to Waver, Feng Xi, the King of Heroes, the King of Conquerors, the Gymnastics Team, Emiya Kiritsugu, Tokiomi Tohsaka, the Mapo Priest, Rin Tohsaka, Sakura Tohsaka, and the General of Heaven for receiving 5 Saint Quartz.]

[Bluebeard has forfeited this round of answering.]

[The remaining group members answered incorrectly and will have 1 Saint Quartz deducted.]

Waver: "Phew, thank goodness. I thought I guessed wrong."

King of Conquerors: "Haha, you have to believe in #$$%##@#$%"

Feng Xi: "Hm? King of Conquerors, what's wrong with you?"

King of Conquerors: "Ah, nothing, nothing at all."

Kayneth: "Emiya Kiritsugu, aren't you and King Arthur on the same Reverse Reverse Reverse Reverse Side? How come only you got it right?"

My Lady: "Because we aren't operating together right now."

Artoria: "Iris, you shouldn't just reveal things like that."

My Lady: "Ah, sorry."

[The first question has ended; we will now begin the second question.]

[This is a multiple-choice question. Please watch the following video carefully and answer based on the question.]

[At midnight, two figures, one large and one small, sit by the courtyard, looking at the bright full moon in the sky.]

[Everyone recognizes the larger one; it is Emiya Kiritsugu.]

[And the smaller one is a red-haired boy.]

[The name of the boy is helpfully provided on the Reverse Reverse Reverse Reverse Side: Emiya Emiya Shirou Emiya.]

["Hey, hey, Old Man?"]

[Emiya Emiya Shirou Emiya speaks up, watching Emiya Kiritsugu, who has remained motionless for a long time.]

["Hm?"]

[Emiya Kiritsugu does not move his body, only responding softly.]

[Emiya Emiya Shirou Emiya: "If you're going to sleep, go sleep in your bed, Old Man!"]

[Emiya Kiritsugu: "No, it's fine, I'm fine."]

Kayneth: "Emiya Kiritsugu, so you actually have a son, you bastard."

Waver: "Professor Kayneth, that's a bit..."

Emiya Kiritsugu: "..."

He is very confused right now, because he has absolutely no idea where this son in the video came from.

Could it be that in the future, he and Irisviel have another son?

If that's the case, does it mean he won this Holy Grail War?

["When I was young, I once longed to become an ally of justice."]

[After a long silence, Emiya Kiritsugu speaks slowly.]

["What does that mean?"]

[Emiya Emiya Shirou Emiya asks curiously: "You said 'once'—does that mean you've given up now?"]

["Yeah, unfortunately, I have given up."]

[Emiya Kiritsugu says self-deprecatingly: "Heroes have an expiration date. Once you grow up, you can no longer be a hero. If only I had realized that sooner."]

["Is that so? Then it can't be helped."]

[Emiya Emiya Shirou Emiya says, half-understanding.]

["Yeah, it really can't be helped."]

[Emiya Kiritsugu looks up and sighs: "...What a beautiful full moon."]

King of Heroes: "Ha, an 'ally of justice,' that makes me laugh to death."

Kayneth: "To think the so-called Magus Killer possesses such a ridiculous ideal."

Artoria: "Kiritsugu, you..."

Even the King of Knights is somewhat incredulous.

That Emiya Kiritsugu, who would stop at nothing to achieve his goals, would actually have such a dream.

Mapo Priest: "..."

Kirei Kotomine is also somewhat unable to believe it.

The dream held by the man he considers his 'soulmate' is so naive and simple.

Because Kirei Kotomine has lacked emotions since childhood, he was born not knowing what happiness is.

To put it bluntly, he is a stoic with no expression.

After growing up, Kirei Kotomine would study everything he came into contact with, because he was searching.

He wanted to find that so-called sense of happiness, but he could never obtain the fluctuation known as 'pleasure.'

Even the suicide of his wife, Claudia, could not cause him any fluctuation.

But Kirei Kotomine did not give up just like that.

He abandoned his daughter, Karen, traveled the world changing jobs, and constantly pursued the meaning of his life.

Until later, when he noticed this man, Emiya Kiritsugu.

In his eyes, Emiya Kiritsugu risked his life to carry out various assassinations, and the rewards were completely disproportionate to the risks; what was driving him to continue like this?

A goal—only a firm life goal could make him fight on without regard for his own life.

Just like that, Kirei Kotomine concluded that Emiya Kiritsugu must be someone who could help him understand the meaning of life, and he kept wanting to make contact with him, but never had the chance.

In the original work, Gilgamesh took the first step, causing Kirei Kotomine to awaken to the philosophy that 'human nature is inherently evil,' prompting this guy to become a pervert like Gilles de Rais, taking pleasure in watching others suffer.

So later, when Kirei Kotomine learned that Emiya Kiritsugu's dream was to become an 'ally of justice,' he felt 'betrayed' and hated him intensely.

And because of their differing philosophies, Emiya Kiritsugu also loathed Kirei Kotomine.

These two became completely opposing types of people.

However, now, Kirei Kotomine has not yet fallen into the so-called 'pleasure of evil,' so upon discovering that Emiya Kiritsugu actually finds happiness in goodness, he only feels more confused.

At this moment, Kirei Kotomine is at Tokiomi Tohsaka's house, together with Tokiomi Tohsaka and Gilgamesh.

Lost in thought, Kirei Kotomine does not notice that although Gilgamesh is constantly mocking Emiya Kiritsugu in the group, his gaze is fixed on him, and his eyes are flashing with a malicious light.

Clearly, he has already begun to harbor that intention.

Feng Xi: "Hey, hey, are you two done yet? Is there something wrong with wanting to be an ally of justice?"

Watching Kayneth and Gilgamesh endlessly mocking Emiya Kiritsugu in the group, Feng Xi, as a model youth, can no longer stand it and starts lashing out.

He truly cannot understand the thinking of these two guys; in their eyes, is wanting to be an ally of justice really that ridiculous?

In Feng Xi's impression, every child has had such an ideal.

Although everyone is worn down by reality after growing up, what is wrong with keeping a shred of childhood innocence?

Men remain boys until they die.

Feng Xi: "Gilgamesh, Kayneth, is a person's dream of wanting to be a righteous hero really that ridiculous in your eyes?"

Feng Xi: "Or is it that your own dreams are actually to become villains despised by everyone, which is why you think this dream is so ridiculous?"