Rin raised an eyebrow, looking at Kiritsugu Emiya kneeling before her. Although as an assassin, his knees weren't particularly precious, this sincere, desperate plea for death did imbue the man, who had previously been as cold and mechanical as a machine, with a touch of humanity.
Rin didn't answer immediately, and Kiritsugu Emiya remained on his knees, head bowed. A moment later, Rin stared intently at Kiritsugu Emiya and said:
"You've given up on that ideal?"
Before Kiritsugu Emiya could answer, his loud plea must have been heard by Artoria in the inner room. At this moment, the king of knights, clad in silver-blue knight's armor and holding her Holy Sword, appeared from the inner chamber. When enemies meet, their eyes burn red!
"Kiritsugu Emiya! You wicked devil, how dare you show your face again!"
Perhaps this was her greeting, or perhaps Artoria no longer had the patience to discuss the Way of the Knight with Kiritsugu Emiya. She gripped her Holy Sword with both hands and swung it directly towards Kiritsugu Emiya's head.
The sword swing Artoria unleashed at this moment wasn't particularly fast; she hadn't unleashed her full power or activated Mana Burst. Clearly, she was mindful of being in Rin's home and didn't want to cause too much destruction. Whether Kiritsugu Emiya could dodge such a sword speed was irrelevant for now, but he certainly wasn't completely unable to react. However, Kiritsugu Emiya remained in his prostrate posture of reverence, seemingly oblivious to the Holy Sword about to descend upon his head.
"Saber, wait."
A prohibitive command, extended from their contract, instantly halted the Holy Sword, which was less than a hair's breadth from Kiritsugu Emiya's head, preventing it from striking. Artoria frowned and looked at Rin.
"Master, why save this beastly demon? No one here can forgive what he has done."
"Oh, Saber, it's a bit childish to hold grudges over wartime tactics. If you had just been trying to kill Kiritsugu Emiya to achieve some goal, I definitely wouldn't have stopped you. But if it's for old grudges and past hatreds, then why not let him finish speaking before deciding whether to cut him down? Is there any possibility he could escape from this house without our permission?"
Rin smiled at Artoria, and casually picked up something Kiritsugu Emiya had placed on the table, tossing it to Artoria.
"Calm down, calm down. Given that he brought this, you can temporarily put your anger aside and spare his life."
Because she had heard Kiritsugu Emiya's voice in the room earlier, her anger had surged and she was too agitated to notice the item on the table in front of Rin. When Artoria saw the noble phantasm she had been reunited with after so long, her sapphire eyes immediately shimmered with a ripple of nostalgic emotion. She instinctively reached out and caught the flying scabbard.
"avalon…"
During King Arthur's lifetime, when Artoria had just received the Holy Sword from the Lady of the Lake, Merlin once asked her: if she had to choose between the Holy Sword and the scabbard, which would she choose?
Artoria said she would choose the Holy Sword. Merlin regretfully said: The value of the scabbard is ten times greater than the Holy Sword. As long as you carry it, you will be ageless, immortal, and never bleed or be injured. You must keep it well and never lose it.
However, in the end, the scabbard, avalon, was inexplicably lost. The loss of the scabbard marked the beginning of the ominous shadow over Artoria's life. Everything that followed, eventually led to the collapse of the entire kingdom.
Having regained this noble phantasm, which was like her own destiny, Artoria fell silent. She then reinserted the Holy Sword, separated from its scabbard for a millennium, back into the scabbard, and hung it at her waist, standing opposite Jalter on Rin's right side.
Speaking of which, Artoria and Jalter's armors, one dark and one silver, standing on either side of Rin, looked like the Black and White Fiends, the left and right guardians beside a villainous BOSS.
"Alright, where were we? You continue."
Facing Rin's question, Kiritsugu Emiya straightened up but didn't rise, remaining on his knees, and said:
"As a member of the Tohsaka Family, you should understand the Einzbern Family's obsession with the Holy Grail, as one of the Three Founding Families. They would even sacrifice their dignity to bring in outsiders to obtain the Holy Grail. And for me, Illya is a hostage to the Einzbern Family. But now the Holy Grail is destroyed, and I, having failed to obtain the Holy Grail, have become a sinner of the Einzbern Family. Now that Irisviel is dead, Illya is alone in Einzbern Castle. I can't imagine how she will be treated, so I want to beg you, help me rescue her!"
It was truly difficult for such a habitually taciturn man to speak so many words in one breath. At this moment, Kiritsugu Emiya's face no longer held its usual coolness and mechanical detachment. Instead, there was an expression of decadent, despair, and anxiety. He looked like a helpless father whose daughter had been kidnapped by thugs, forced to watch powerlessly without being able to rescue her.
Artoria's expression also changed upon hearing Kiritsugu Emiya's words, moved by them. Clearly, she also remembered that pure and lively girl, like an elf in the snow. And no matter what, Illya was Irisviel's only daughter.
Of course, Rin had no objection to saving Illya, but being asked by Kiritsugu Emiya like this... "Why come to me? You know our relationship isn't exactly friendly. I might be one thing, but Jalter, Saber, they've been offended to death by you."
"Because you are the last possibility I can see to rescue Illya. I understand that you are different from other powerful mages; you don't ignore things, but instead possess stronger human emotions than most people! So, if it's you, there might be that one glimmer of a chance that you would be willing to save Illya for Irisviel's sake!"
The current Kiritsugu Emiya was truly nothing like his former self. Even Artoria, who despised him the most, looked at Kiritsugu Emiya with complex emotions.
Rin narrowed her eyes, staring at Kiritsugu Emiya, and said:
"You are completely different from the Kiritsugu Emiya I saw before."
To this, Kiritsugu Emiya only offered a bitter smile.
"Indeed. If the Kiritsugu Emiya before was a machine operating for the ideal of saving humanity, now he is merely an empty shell hollowed out by despair… Now, whenever I close my eyes, even for a blink, the darkness before me is filled with Irisviel's face, shedding tears of blood, cursing me with despair and resentment for killing her. Now I have no thoughts of acting for any purpose; I am merely a floating, lifeless corpse that is still breathing. The only thing I can still care about is Illya."
This man, who had always been as cold as a machine, revealed an expression of immense pain, and tears, which men rarely shed, fell like raindrops.
"My ruined life doesn't matter! I know how naive and absurd everything I'm doing now is, but no matter the outcome, I can only use this life to beg you for this glimmer of hope. Please, save Illya!"
"Thud!"
The clear sound of his forehead hitting the ground echoed in the Tohsaka residence's living room. The three recipients of this great bow were speechless for a moment. The one who reacted most strongly to Kiritsugu Emiya's words was still Artoria, who had just been about to cut him down without a second thought. After all, she was the one who had the deepest contact with Irisviel's family, and her kind, righteous, and protective nature towards the weak could never change.
Jalter cast a playful glance at Artoria opposite her and said:
"What, gone soft?"
Artoria turned her pretty face away, huffed indignantly, which was a roundabout admission. If she were to knowingly allow Illya to repeat Irisviel's fate without intervening, her kind and righteous heart would never be able to bear it.
Meanwhile, Rin fell into a moment of contemplation. After a few turns of thoughtful light in her eyes, she said to Kiritsugu Emiya:
"If it's you, you should know the location of Einzbern Castle, right?"
"Of course!"
Rin's words undoubtedly gave Kiritsugu Emiya a glimmer of hope.
"Alright then, Kiritsugu Emiya, you may rise. I agree to help you rescue your daughter."
"Really?!"
A look of pleasant surprise appeared on Kiritsugu Emiya's face. He tried to get up, but having knelt for too long, he couldn't manage it for a moment. He then simply sat on the ground, the despondency on his face swept away, and his voice carried a hint of urgency:
"What do you need? What do I have to give?"
Rin smiled slightly, enunciating each word clearly:
"I want your Innate Time Control. I also want all the wealth accumulated by the Einzbern Family over a thousand years, including their Magic Notes, their Mystic Codes, the Homunculus's magical technology and assets. And you must guide me to Einzbern Castle. The Einzbern will be destroyed because of your request today. The only one I will allow you to take from inside is your daughter, Illya. Everything else belongs to me!"
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