After comforting Saber, Irisviel decided to have a good talk with her husband.
Kiritsugu's overly deliberate disregard for Saber, though she didn't know the reason, was simply too much this time.
Even if different ideals didn't necessitate respect, he shouldn't intentionally insult her.
Irisviel quickly found her husband.
Kiritsugu Emiya was standing on the castle wall's top edge, leaning against the stone bricks and gazing at the forest in the night.
(Fortunately, Maiya Hisau was nowhere in sight, otherwise Irisviel might have run away with Saber...)
"...Kiritsugu."
Irisviel slowly walked behind Kiritsugu Emiya and called out to him.
Kiritsugu Emiya did not turn to look at his wife, instead continuing to gaze at the silent, dark forest.
Irisviel had already prepared herself mentally.
The cold gaze Kiritsugu Emiya had shown during his confrontation with Saber in the meeting room earlier.
Irisviel was ready to meet that cold gaze directly.
But when Kiritsugu Emiya spoke, his voice was completely different from what Irisviel had expected.
"If I—if at this very moment I decided to abandon everything and flee from here, Irisviel, would you come with me?"
Helpless, dejected, dispirited, and the weakness of wanting to escape an unbearable despair—the Kiritsugu Emiya standing before Irisviel now was far from the image of the formidable Magus killer, as if he had been driven to a dead end, merely a powerless, timid man.
Irisviel was utterly taken aback by such a question, momentarily speechless, and after a while, she retorted:
"Illya, our child is still in the castle, what should we do?"
"We'll fight our way back, reclaim Illya, and kill anyone who dares to stop us! No one can stand in our way!"
It was a short, sharp, yet desperate voice, and there was no doubt Kiritsugu Emiya was serious.
"From now on, the rest of my life will only be for you and Illya! Our family will never again be involved in any disputes or battles..."
"Can we escape? Us..."
"We can escape! There's still a chance now."
Kiritsugu Emiya affirmed loudly and vehemently, but his words were not credible. Kiritsugu Emiya had only said that to maintain a faint, elusive hope in his heart.
"—You are lying."
Irisviel directly exposed her husband's fantasy.
"It's impossible, Kiritsugu, we can't escape. If you abandon the Holy Grail and the ideal of saving the world, you would never forgive yourself. You would be your own final judge, sentencing yourself to death."
His last delusive fantasy shattered, tears streamed down his cold cheeks. Kiritsugu Emiya finally cried; he understood this himself, no one understood it better than him, he had long ago run out of choices.
"I'm so scared..."
"That person—Tohsaka Rin, I originally thought Kirei Kotomine was the biggest and most difficult enemy, but I didn't expect that despairingly powerful existence to know everything about my past. She has seen through all my arrangements! It's clear from what she had you tell me... And I know absolutely nothing about her; she is definitely not just a child with great power. I might lose this battle... I sacrificed you, left Illya aside, but... the most dangerous person has targeted me. This kind of unknown existence is the opponent I least want to face!"
If it had been Kiritsugu Emiya nine years ago, he wouldn't have even frowned, calmly assessing the situation and focusing on the best strategy. This was the terrifying aspect of Kiritsugu Emiya when he had no loved ones to lose. But now, Kiritsugu Emiya, afraid of losing his loved one, facing battle again, the fear of losing his beloved had become his fatal weakness.
"I won't let you fight alone."
Irisviel hugged the man, who was consumed by fear, from behind and said gently:
"I will protect you. Saber will also protect you. And... Maiya will also be by your side. I will help you fulfill your wish, to end all wars in the world, including the Holy Grail War..."
A couple driven to a dead end by their mission leaned against each other quietly in the night wind on the castle wall. Irisviel held Kiritsugu Emiya tightly. She didn't know if this was the last time she would hold her husband, but she knew that opportunities were running out... The melancholic yet warm atmosphere didn't last long. Irisviel suddenly felt a strong discomfort; this was the impact of the forest's defensive barrier being breached again. Kiritsugu Emiya keenly noticed it.
"Irisviel, are enemies attacking?"
"Mm."
"Good, Maiya hasn't left yet, so we can still face the enemy with full combat strength. Irisviel, prepare the scrying crystal ball."
"Okay."
Irisviel released her husband's embrace, and the cold face of the Magus Killer reappeared before her eyes.
But the castle wall returned to an uninhabited silence again, and a long, heartfelt sigh echoed in the howling cold wind. Just on the castle parapet not far from where Kiritsugu Emiya and Irisviel had embraced, a ripple-like distortion appeared in the empty space. The enemy Kiritsugu Emiya least wanted to face was sitting there.
Irisviel would not have thought that the intruders who broke into the barrier were not one but two, and any barrier Tohsaka Rin broke through would not be detected by the caster.
Casually swinging her legs clad in black boots, her lustrous black hair, styled in twin-tails behind her head, danced freely in the night wind. Her bright, agile eyes looked with a touch of sorrowful sympathy in the direction the couple had left.
"Even with this kind of pressure, you still chose the Holy Grail and your ideal? Kiritsugu Emiya..." Tohsaka Rin, sitting on the castle wall, looked at where they had left, speaking as if to the dark armored knight who had manifested beside her, yet also as if to herself.
Tohsaka Rin turned to look at the bright moon hanging high in the sky, muttering in a daze:
"Why didn't you fight for your own happiness and that of your loved ones, abandoning everything just once...? If you had just now resolutely decided to take Irisviel back to Einzbern Castle to reclaim Illya, I could have even abandoned this Holy Grail and fully helped you, even if it meant helping you block other Heroic Spirits and Masters, bringing Touko, Aoko, and Alice to help you rescue Irisviel and Illya... that wouldn't have been impossible."
At this point, she couldn't help but sigh deeply again, her gaze turning towards the boundless Einzbern Forest, which was destined not to remain silent tonight.
"...Alas, you still chose that painful and fruitless noble ideal. Whether this is courage or cowardice remains to be seen. Since this is your decision, I am neither a saint nor a savior. Let us walk our respective paths and see who will have the last laugh."
With that, the girl's graceful figure disappeared again, and everything returned to silence. But everyone knew that this was the final silence before the grand opening of tonight's spectacle...
PS: In fact, this chapter is the plot the throne truly wanted to write. In fan fiction about the Holy Grail War, Kiritsugu Emiya is always portrayed as a cold-blooded, ruthless, irredeemable villain. Perhaps this is the popular view, but the throne does not think so.
In the throne's view, Kiritsugu Emiya's love for his wife and daughter is genuine and sincere, without any falsehood. It's just that he placed all of this after his ideal. It can be said that Kiritsugu Emiya's entire life of striving and busyness was never for his own benefit. Kiritsugu Emiya is actually like Archer, eliminating flashpoints before disasters erupt. The world only saw his ruthless killings, but no one knew how many people he saved.
In the throne's view, Kiritsugu Emiya is a qualified hero, but not a qualified human. If one sacrifices everything for an ideal, in the end, nothing will be left except an unachievable ideal.
---------------------------------
I hope you're enjoying the fanfiction so far! If the story has you hooked and you can't wait to see what happens next, you can unlock 30 chapters in advance over on my Patreon: patreon.com/TLHimejima1
Every bit of support means the world to me so if you're loving the ride, don't forget to drop a Power Stone and let me know.