"Why are you helping me?"

  Oher side of town, having successfully withdrawn from the battlefield, Kiritsugu fronted Kariya. He was curious about Kariya's motives. After all, he didn't believe for a sed that Kariya had helped Artoria out of simple goodwill.

  "I want to form an alliah you," Kariya replied, his face tense and strained, as if he was suppressing something painful.

  "An alliance?" Kiritsugu's eyes narrowed. "Why do you want to join forces with me all of a sudden?"

  He could tell there was something off about Kariya, but he chose not to press the matter further. He would prefer to iigate on his own.

  "...I want your help to kill Chihiro," Kariya said slowly.

  "What?" Kiritsugu was momentarily taken aback, uo uand Kariya's reasoning.

  As far as he khere was no history of animosity between Chihiro and Kariya. Could it be because Chihiro had killed Matou Zouken? But did Kariya really care enough about that old moo seek revenge?

  Kiritsugu finally asked, " I at least know the reason?"

  Kariya said nothing, his silence veying that he didn't io expin further. Seeing that he wouldn't get more information, Kiritsugu pondered for a moment, then agreed. Given his current situation, an ally—even an unusual one would be beneficial.

  Tonight had been an ued twist for him. He hadn't anticipated that Heroic Spirit Kiritsugu would mao defeat Diarmuid. It seemed luck had favored them in that instance.

  As a formality, Kiritsugu drew up a trad had both of them sign it, binding their alliance. Kariya scrutihe dot several times, clearly wary of any trickery on Kiritsugu's part.

  Kiritsugu remained indifferent to Kariya's suspis.

  Hidden in the shadows, Hassan of the Hundred Faces observed the eera. Chihiro had instructed her to keep an eye on Kiritsugu from nightfall, so she had witnessed everything.

  When she reported back to Chihiro, he too was bewildered by Kariya's request. Like Kiritsugu, he wondered what could have driven Kariya to want him dead.

  Could Kariya actually want to aveou Zouken?

  Meanwhile, Chihiro couldn't help but shake his head at Waver and the others' performan st night's battle. Seriously, how could they lose? They'd had three people against one, yet one of their ill ended up killed.

  And to make it worse, their oppo wasn't even a high-level Servant like Gilgamesh or Artoria.

  I suppose Heroic Spirit Kiritsugu really does live up to his reputation as the one chosen by the Holy Grail.

  ---

  The day.

  [Ding! The Q&A session will begin in ten minutes. Please prepare accly.]

  [Ding! A new member, "Old Worm," has joihe group chat.]

  Everyone: "!!!"

  Wasn't this old monster's home destroyed by Chihiro and Zhang Jiao? How could he still be alive?

  Kiritsugu instantly ected the dots.

  Ah, so that's it.

  No wonder Kariya had suddenly wao go after Chihiro. It must be tied to that "Old Worm." But what leverage could the old magus have over Kariya?

  Old Worm: "Hehe, Kariya, is this the group you mentioned?"

  Chihiro: "You old monster, you're still alive?"

  Damn Murphy's Law. Chihiro had felt uneasy about how easily Zouken had gone down. Now, his worst fears had been realized.

  Chihiro: "But how did you mao survive?"

  Zhang Jiao thought for a moment before answering. "He must have moved his main io another location before we attacked."

  Chihiro: "That's just like him. Typical Zouken."

  With this realization, Chihiro resolved to keep the old worm from obtaining any treasure chests in today's Q&A session.

  Old Worm: "Ah, Chihiro, you're here too?"

  Old Worm: "Heh, you little brat, don't think I've fotten. I'll have my reveually."

  Chihiro: "Bring it on."

  Chihiro: "If I could kill you once, I kill you a sed time."

  Old Worm: "Without that Heroic Spirit, you're nothing."

  Tohsaka Tokiomi: "And I'll stand against you too, Matou Zouken."

  Old Worm: "Oh, Tokiomi, I thought we had a good uanding."

  Tohsaka Tokiomi: "There's no ce of that ever happening again!"

  Kayeh: "Hmph, has the Matou family fallen so low?"

  Old Worm: "Lord El-Melloi, I didn't realize we had a personal grudge."

  Chihiro: "Don't t on finding any friends in this group."

  Chihiro: "Well, except maybe Bluebeard."

  Bluebeard: "Ah! Chihiro, I'll kill you!"

  [Ding! The first question is about to begin!]

  [This is a three-part petitive multiple-choice question.]

  [Three questions will be asked in sequence, each with a time limit of five minutes for responses. All group members may answer.]

  [Answering correctly will award 3 Saint Quartz. Answering incorrectly will deduct 1 Saint Quartz. If no one answers within 5 mihe question bees void.]

  [This session follows an elimination format. Only those who ahe first question correctly may proceed to the sed, and so on.]

  [If all partits are eliminated, any remaining questions will be discarded.]

  [Answering two questions in a row correctly will grant an additional Saint Quartz, while a streak of three correswers will grant 3 extra Saint Quartz.]

  Waver: "New rules this time?"

  Iskandar: "Haha! An elimination system? Now things are getting iing!"

  Kayeh: "Whets the first questiht has the advantage."

  Chihiro: "Don't get too fident. The questions will probably get harder each round."

  Waver: "Yeah, they're bound to ramp up the difficulty with a reward like this."

  [Please watch the video below.]

  [Video starts.]

  [In the Emiya family's ste room, Irisviel lies on a magic circle, looking pale and frail.]

  ["Thank you for ing to see me."]

  [Irisviel gazes at Emiya Kiritsugu with a gentle smile. "It's time. I have to return it to you."]

  [A soft white glow envelops her as Avalon slowly emerges from her body.]

  [Emiya Kiritsugu takes Avalon, his expression somber.]

  ["You now. It will be vital in the final battle."]

  [Irisviel smiles again. "Thank you. I'm grateful."]

  ["The man I love is cherished by someone else, and I've had nine years with my husband and daughter."]

  ["You've given me a happiness I never imagined."]

  [Kiritsugu's cold expression softens at her words.]

  ["I'm sorry… I wao show you more of the world."]

  [Irisviel reassures him: "That's enough. Please, give the happiness I couldn't have to Illya."]

  In the present, Artoria, seeing this se, immediately checked Irisviel's dition.

  "Irisviel, are you alright?"

  "Don't worry, Saber. I'm fine." Irisviel gave a reassuring smile, but her heart felt heavy.

  So, that moment is approag after all.

  How she wished time would stop, if only to live a bit longer with those she loved. But she uood that, for the sake of Kiritsugu's ideals, her sacrifice was necessary.

  [The video tinues, and it is now near dusk.]

  [Kiritsugu is absent, and Artoria has also left. Only Hisau Maiya remains to guard Irisviel.]

  ["Maiya, why do you fight for Kiritsugu?" Irisviel asks, watg Maiya as she readies her ons.]

  ["Because I have nothing else." Maiya replies with an impassive face. "My family, my inal name… I don't even remember them anymore."]

  ["'Hisau Maiya' is just a name on the first fake passport Kiritsugu made for me."]

  ["All I remember is that I was born in a poor try where war opped."]

  ["It's absurd, really. People couldn't afford to eat, yet they were always fighting."]

  ["Eventually, someone decided it was easier to just abduct children from other pces and force them into bat."]

  ["I was one of those children."]

  ["After that… my heart and soul died. Only my body kept moving."]

  ["In my life, all that remained was killing the enemy."]

  ["Any other emotions were already abandoned."]

  ["Then I met Kiritsugu, aook me away from the battlefield."]

  ["From that moment on, I became his on. That's all there is to it."]

  "…"

  Waver, Rin, and others watg the video fell silent, weighed down by Maiya's bleak story.

  "…That's rough," Chihiro muttered to himself.

  Maiya's ret was uated, but he uood the darker reality behind it.

  Life in a war-tion wasn't just about survival otlefield. For someone like Maiya, it was a waking nightmare, devoid of humanity.

  She hadn't only been a on in battle; she had been a tool for others to vent their emotions. In those grim ditions, surviving as a child soldier was a matter of enduring more than just the horrors of war.

  Even Kiritsugu likely didn't know the full extent of her past. There was more pain buried beh the surface, she carried a burden that few could uand, ohat went beyond mere loyalty.

  Even Kiritsugu didn't know that Maiya actually had a son.

  Because this was a child born from violence, a scar she would never be free from.

  ***

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