"Remember, be extremely careful. Even if Miyu loses her ability as the Divine Child, countless people will still be eyeing her."
Kiritsugu's face surfaced before her eyes, and in her ears were his serious warnings from his final moments.
The stability of the situation had made Ritsuka lower her guard. Coupled with a myriad of coincidences, Miyu had been able to attend elementary school at Honnoubara Academy, but now everything was over.
With time running out, the entire Einzbern family had mobilized. She was merely a legend in the part-time job world; being able to do the work of three people alone didn't mean she could handle three Magicians by herself.
In the final analysis—
She was still too weak... both in mindset and ability... There were many options, and she had initially chosen the one that would make Miyu happy, but she lacked the power to protect it.
Even with a 'cheat' ability that was essentially a golden finger, she still couldn't do it.
Perhaps from the beginning, she shouldn't have been saved by Kiritsugu. It would have been better to die alone in that fire.
In the endless darkness, Ritsuka fell into the abyss... ———
———
"Old man..."
"You're awake... I'm sorry, but the person who saved you is not your father."
A man with a cold expression, wearing a ramen chef's headband, sat quietly in a nearby chair, refuting Ritsuka's subconscious murmur.
Before her were an unfamiliar ceiling and an unfamiliar person. In the somewhat cramped room, an oil lamp hung high.
It was a bit dazzling. Ritsuka, lying on the bed, squinted her eyes. "Where is this?"
"Fuyuki Church."
Closing the Bible in his hand, the man met Ritsuka's gaze.
In the next moment, something suddenly clicked in Ritsuka's blank mind. She pressed against the bedboard, wanting to get up immediately—
"Hiss—! It hurts!!"
There were no obvious wounds on her body, but a tearing pain still gripped her, as if it were trying to dismantle her from deep within.
Seeing Ritsuka's face full of confusion, the middle-aged man sighed. "I suggest you'd better not move around. Get some more rest."
"Although healing has been performed and your body possesses a power to repair itself, that comes with a price."
Hearing this, Ritsuka was startled and subconsciously raised her right hand. The crystal dice emitted a faint light.
[Immortality until transferred to Prometheus]
This was the immortality belonging to the great sage and mentor of Greece, the centaur Chiron. Now possessing this power, Ritsuka naturally gained this self-repairing ability comparable to a god's, but this ability actually came with a very terrible price.
Legend has it that because of Heracles's accidental shot, Chiron was struck by the Hydra poison, leaving him in unbearable agony.
Eventually, to end the pain, Chiron gave his immortality to Heracles, thereby losing his life and finding release.
With this power, even the deadly poison of the Hydra could no longer kill Ritsuka, but the pain equivalent to what Chiron felt was synchronized to her body as well.
This was a pain that could torture even that sage into wanting to commit suicide!
"Ugh—"
Forcing herself to sit up from the bed, Ritsuka subconsciously sighed in relief when she saw her tattered clothes hadn't been touched.
The middle-aged man in ramen chef attire began to gaze at her. "I wouldn't do something so tasteless. Personally, I'd rather make myself a bowl of mapo tofu noodles than molest an underage girl."
"Eh? S-Sorry, I'm very sorry for doubting you."
Ritsuka lowered her head and apologized to the man who had picked her up, and the ramen chef waved his hand magnanimously.
"Thank you for saving me."
"You're welcome. As a member of the clergy, this is something I should do."
??
Looking at the man who was clearly dressed as a ramen chef but claimed to be a member of the clergy, a string of question marks seemed to float over Ritsuka's head.
Obviously, she didn't believe him.
From the beginning, the impression she had of this person who saved her was that of a ramen chef who knew magecraft. Although it felt a bit surreal, that was indeed what she thought.
"Judging a person's identity by their clothing is a bit foolish, but it's also my mistake... Follow me and you'll see."
Rising from his chair and placing the Bible on the table, the man walking out of the room looked back. "By the way, my name is Kirei Kotomine."
Thud. The door closed. Ritsuka jumped down from the bed, easing the intense pain in her body with deep breaths.
The crystal dice expanded, and she immediately took out a set of casual clothes to change into. Her tattered school uniform was stored in the crystal dice, taking the original place of the casual clothes.
Opening the door and heading down the stairs, the light in the stairwell was provided by oil lamps hanging on the walls.
Entering a door through the stairs, the interior of a modest church appeared before her eyes. Kirei Kotomine, now dressed in his priest's attire, held out his hands to Ritsuka with a look that said, 'This time there should be no problem, right?'
"O one drowning in reality, welcome to the Fuyuki Church. I am Kirei Kotomine, the priest who bears witness to the end of the world."
'So, he really is a priest.'
Seeing the priest with a strange smile, looking as if he were ready to enlighten a lost lamb, Ritsuka felt a slight sense of realization in her heart.
Tugging at her tracksuit, Ritsuka took a few deep breaths and then bowed to Kirei Kotomine. "Thank you for saving me."
The bow was a bit deep, and the pain made Ritsuka's eyebrows knit together.
"I'm sorry, I have things to do. I will definitely come to thank you properly later."
Ritsuka turned to leave, her fingers pinching the crystal dice. A light screen appeared in her vision, followed by the images and related data of two people... [Emiya Shirou (Archer)]
[synchronization value 45%]
... [Alcides (Archer/Avenger)]
[synchronization value (31%)]
...Both synchronization values had been significantly improved, and her own strength had undergone a qualitative change, but it was still far from enough.
Ritsuka clenched her fists. Whether it was that bloodthirsty red-haired loli following Julian or the existence hiding in the shadows throwing weapons around, neither was someone she could deal with right now.
"Wait."
Kirei Kotomine called out to the departing Ritsuka. Lowering his gaze slightly, he spoke slowly, "Don't be impulsive. You don't even know what Einzbern specifically is yet, do you?"
"Obtain information, ponder clues, understand the objective, and finally, make a choice."
Under Ritsuka's gaze, Kirei Kotomine turned sideways, his eyes deep and mysterious.
He spread his arms as if embracing something, his expression becoming somewhat entranced. Then, he looked at Emiya Ritsuka with a slightly mocking gaze.
"Your adoptive father, Emiya Kiritsugu, chose to believe—to believe in the choice you would make... If things continue like this, you will likely end up disappointing him greatly."
"You know Kiritsugu?"
With a single sentence, he had grasped the key, a point Ritsuka could not ignore. Kirei Kotomine was a formidable man; he understood deeply what Ritsuka cared about.
Pinching the cross on his chest with his index finger and thumb, the priest of Fuyuki spoke coldly and steadily.
"I am the priest here who eliminates heretical mysteries or manages them. But now is an era of 'Cold Peace'—where even faith has vanished."
"The world will inevitably meet its end, but even so, many people are searching for a way to save it."
She understood. At this moment, Ritsuka truly began to understand this world, and she also knew that among the people Kirei Kotomine mentioned, there was someone she cared about immensely.
Emiya Kiritsugu.
"Sit down and let's talk slowly. Not just about the secrets of this world, but about yourself as well. You might even need my help."
Kirei Kotomine took out a paper ball and tossed it to Ritsuka, who caught it subconsciously.
The paper ball was opened to reveal a simple magical formula. Its effect made Ritsuka's heart tighten, and she fell silent for a moment.
This thing would be very helpful in suppressing the intense pain within her body.