Einzbern Castle.
The roles of Irisviel and Kiritsugu Emiya had completely reversed from just a day ago.
As the Lesser Grail, Irisviel had already absorbed the souls of Lancer and Caster, and her body was beginning to deteriorate. She could still move on her own, but her strength was fading fast. Even with all her effort, she couldn't hold onto something as small as a key.
"Iri, we've picked a new base. Saber will take you there tomorrow," Kiritsugu said, sitting beside her bed as she rested. "Maiya will be waiting for you there."
"More importantly, how did the meeting go?" Irisviel opened her eyes and asked as soon as she saw her husband return to the castle.
Kiritsugu's expression darkened. "Don't worry about it. It was nothing but nonsense—just lies meant to lower our guard, get us to abandon the Holy Grail, and hand over victory."
"Lies?" Irisviel looked puzzled.
She had only spoken with Tenkei Shiomi a few times, and her impression of him was warm and trustworthy—someone they could rely on as an ally.
So to hear Kiritsugu call him a liar didn't sit right with her. Even if it came from Kiritsugu himself, she couldn't accept it without question.
For her husband to be so blunt, Shiomi must have proposed something he found completely unacceptable. Maybe something like surrendering the Lesser Grail?
"It's fine. I've already decided our next move," Kiritsugu said gently, trying to comfort her. But he didn't say another word about what had happened at the church in Fuyuki.
Realizing he didn't want to continue the conversation, Irisviel didn't press further.
After a few more brief words, Kiritsugu left to continue his preparations in another room.
Taking his place at Irisviel's side was Saber.
"Don't talk too much, Irisviel," Artoria advised.
She knew Irisviel wasn't an ordinary human, but a Homunculus—an artificial being created through alchemy.
In her current state, Irisviel had sealed off part of her senses to suppress her nature as the Lesser Grail, allowing herself to move and function to some degree.
But it was only a temporary fix. If they continued to absorb more Servants' souls, it would only be a matter of time before she lost all mobility and fully transformed into the Lesser Grail...
This process was inevitable, but—
"Hey, while Kiritsugu isn't here… could you secretly tell me what really happened at the church today?"
Irisviel's question pulled Saber out of her thoughts.
"Just like I said yesterday after we finished the mission to eliminate Caster, Tenkei Shiomi gathered all the Masters who were still active. Together with my sister, he explained the current state of the Holy Grail," Artoria said after a long pause.
As a Servant, she shouldn't have revealed something Kiritsugu had chosen to keep quiet. But Saber had already sworn, in the name of a knight, to protect Irisviel. Her own wish was now clearly out of reach in this Holy Grail War, so she wanted to share the truth while there was still time—so Irisviel could decide for herself.
"The current state... So your sister, Morgan, already understands the full nature of the Holy Grail?"
Irisviel didn't seem too surprised.
"Yes," Saber nodded.
"Then... what exactly happened to the Grail?" Irisviel asked.
"According to my sister—and confirmed by the overseer from the Holy Church—the Greater Grail was already contaminated during the Third Holy Grail War," Saber said, her expression heavy. "And the source of that contamination points back to your family. During the last war, the Einzberns summoned an irregular-class Servant, Avenger—Angra Mainyu, the embodiment of all the world's evil."
Irisviel gave a tired smile. "If that's what they say, then it's probably true."
"You knew about this?" Saber was a little taken aback.
"I just looked into the Einzbern family's past participation in the Holy Grail War while preparing for this one," Irisviel said. "Maybe because summoning that irregular class didn't lead to victory, my great-grandfather made sure everything was ready so Kiritsugu could summon you, Saber."
She gave Saber an apologetic smile.
"Honestly, all I knew was Avenger's true name. And since the last Holy Grail War ended with the Lesser Grail's destruction, it never reached a conclusion. I doubt the Tohsaka family knows the full truth either."
It was precisely because the Lesser Grail was so easily destroyed before a victor could be determined that the Einzbern family gave it a human form—endowing it with intelligence and mobility so it could be better protected.
"So I'm sorry, Saber. The Einzberns summoned you, but they're also the reason your wish can't be fulfilled," Irisviel said sadly. "Kiritsugu keeps insisting Mr. Shiomi is lying, probably because he just can't accept it."
She knew her husband well. If the Greater Grail had truly been tainted by malevolent wishes, Kiritsugu's own dream would be realized in the most tragic way possible.
That would defeat the purpose entirely. If she could, Irisviel wanted to talk to him again, to persuade him to let go.
But… could she really do that?
Precisely because she knew Kiritsugu Emiya better than anyone, precisely because she understood that unwavering wish of his, Irisviel didn't have the confidence to change his mind.
"In any case, we still need to—"
Artoria began to offer her thoughts, but before she could finish, Irisviel's face suddenly turned pale.
"Someone… has entered the forest," she said.
Saber immediately stood up.
After today's gathering, all sides were expected to tacitly agree to a ceasefire—to prepare for the purification of the Greater Grail and bring the war to a close.
But Kiritsugu's early departure may have been seen as rejecting the proposal, turning him into a destabilizing factor.
Are they planning to eliminate us now? Saber wondered.
"No, the intruder in the forest… has stopped moving," Irisviel said, trying to focus.
But it was already too late—for her, for Saber, even for Kiritsugu and Maiya, who were in the next room planning their next steps.
A strange magical energy surged through Einzbern Castle. Everything before Saber's eyes vanished, replaced by a vast, endless darkness and silence.
"This is—!"