"Lady Irisviel, it seems Saber is on her way. I'll take my leave now. This man is my spoils of war…" He shook Kotomine Kirei in his hand, ignoring the slight frown of pain on Kirei's face.
"…Thank you, Raku. If it weren't for you, I'm afraid…"
Ryougi Raku waved his hand, cutting off Irisviel's thanks. "…Ah, it's nothing. My mother taught me that I must always help beautiful ladies!" Ryougi Raku said with a playful tone.
Irisviel giggled, covering her mouth, completely unbothered by the child's teasing, but still pleased to be complimented on her beauty… Ryougi Raku clicked his tongue in annoyance. Age was a formidable enemy!
"…No more talk. See you next time, Lady Irisviel!" Without waiting for her reply, Ryougi Raku quickly carried Kotomine Kirei away… Since he couldn't tease the lady, he'd go tease an old man!
...A short while later, a petite figure appeared. Saber looked at Irisviel, who was sitting on the ground, and anxiously asked, "Are you alright, Iri?"
Irisviel shook her head and smiled, saying, "I'm fine, Saber. Raku saved me…"
"…Raku?" Saber murmured, gazing in the direction Ryougi Raku had left.
'Did he leave in a hurry just now because he sensed Iri was in danger and came to save her?'
Girl, you've got it all wrong…
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Kotomine Kirei and Emiya Kiritsugu are two completely opposite individuals… In Ryougi Raku's understanding, Kotomine Kirei has no inherent concept of good or evil, no innate purpose. He treats everything with what could be called fairness, but these are all illusions. One could say Kotomine Kirei is bound by worldly rules. Once he understands his true nature, he will intensely pursue it. In this aspect, he is both flawed and perfect… As for Emiya Kiritsugu, he stops at nothing to achieve his goals, almost obsessively pursuing his ideals. He strictly adheres to his own sense of good and evil, rather than universal concepts. He has clear objectives, and all his actions are solely driven by those goals. If Kotomine Kirei is a god who only pursues his true nature, his own "Dao," then Emiya Kiritsugu is a complete demon… To the Heavenly Dao, there is inherently no right or wrong, no good or evil in the world. Once right and wrong, good and evil exist, that is the Human Dao… Some people are born good; they pursue goodness and do their best, which is right. Some people are born evil; they kill everything and commit the worst deeds. From the perspective of the Heavenly Dao, this is also right, because they are all pursuing their true nature. However, those who do evil do not conform to the Human Dao; humans have their own rules, their own concepts… Kotomine Kirei pursues his own Dao, while Emiya Kiritsugu has completely deviated from his original intention; he is merely a pitiful person bound by the world… Therefore, to Ryougi Raku, Kotomine Kirei is a person who aligns more with his own views.
This was a remote, uninhabited place. Since leaving the Einzbern forest, Ryougi Raku had sped along with Kotomine Kirei.
Casually throwing Kotomine Kirei down, Ryougi Raku simply watched him with interest.
After some time, given Kotomine Kirei's physique, his body had recovered considerably. While fighting a major battle was impossible, he still had basic survival capabilities… "What do you want to say, bringing me here?" Kotomine Kirei asked in a deep voice, inexplicably holding some anticipation for Ryougi Raku's previous words.
He wasn't afraid of death; he was merely seeking his own meaning… If death could tell him the answer, he would throw himself into its embrace without hesitation. "Emiya Kiritsugu and you are completely different!" Ryougi Raku said emphatically.
"Your delusion, your attempt to understand the meaning of your life through him, is truly laughable…" Ryougi Raku sneered, mercilessly stating the truth.
Kotomine Kirei had a premonition from the very beginning, and now that Ryougi Raku had told him so clearly, his heart still experienced a significant upheaval, and at the same time, he became even more lost… "What makes you happy, Kotomine Kirei!" Ryougi Raku asked coaxingly.
"Adoring God's teachings, following God's guidance? Pursuing magecraft, for the Root? Saving others, accepting gratitude? Or… seeing others suffer, manipulating them in the palm of your hand?" As he spoke the last part, Ryougi Raku's voice gradually deepened, word by word, as if telling him that was his true nature!
Ryougi Raku was not the King of Heroes. Gilgamesh, being called the oldest king, must have had extraordinary qualities. He could see through a person's true nature at a glance; it was his innate essence, a talent he possessed only after numerous trials as a king… From this perspective, neither the King of Knights nor the King of Conquerors could compare to the King of Heroes. All three might have pursued their own kingship, their own Dao, but this power to see directly into the heart, perhaps only the King of Heroes, who possessed everything, truly had it… Ryougi Raku didn't have this ability, but he had his lingering memories… He knew that Kotomine Kirei at this time had already been tempted by Gilgamesh, and what Ryougi Raku wanted to do was to make this matter even clearer. Kotomine Kirei, knowing his pursuit and his goal, would actually be much easier to control than his current empty self. As long as things were designed according to his ideas, Kotomine Kirei would inevitably do what Ryougi Raku wished… "…Are you also telling me… to pursue happiness?" Due to Gilgamesh's previous words, Kotomine Kirei wasn't particularly shocked now… "I'm not telling you to pursue happiness! Rather, I'm telling you to feel what you truly need in the process of pursuing happiness… You are merely bound by the rules of this world, thereby obscuring your own heart. All you need to do is break free from this bondage and clarify your true inner thoughts!" Ryougi Raku spoke calmly. He had no talent for eloquent speech, merely offering a plain explanation. The birth of any person is actually bound by these rules, their hearts covered in dust, but they don't feel anything is wrong. Only when their power reaches a certain level might they occasionally glimpse their true nature, but Kotomine Kirei is different. While his heart was obscured, he realized something was wrong, he just didn't know how to act. This also highlights his talent, his uniqueness… "…Do you truly respect your father and your master from the bottom of your heart?" Ryougi Raku smiled as he mentioned the two people.
Kotomine Kirei trembled, and something seemed to flicker in his eyes.
Ryougi Raku only said this much and didn't elaborate further. Indeed, he had nothing more to say; this wasn't his strong suit, nor was he Gilgamesh… 'Emiya Kiritsugu is the biggest menace; his fate is already sealed, unchangeable! Kotomine Kirei, once he knows what to do, will actually be the most harmless fellow…' Ryougi Raku thought to himself. The events of Fate/Zero had not deviated from his knowledge. Even with minor changes, there were no alterations to the outcome. However, the Fifth Holy Grail War ten years later would probably no longer be the same as he remembered… A butterfly can cause a storm. Although current events hadn't veered off track, if they continued to develop, the outcome would be what Ryougi Raku wanted. But who knew if the small changes caused by Ryougi Raku's own involvement would alter the outcome… Therefore, he had to take control of everything he could now, so he could better survive in this world… Yes, survive. There were too many unknowns in this world, and Ryougi Raku knew that he currently lacked the strength to disregard the overall situation!
Kotomine Kirei seemed somewhat dazed and lost, yet also as if he had found a new hope… Ryougi Raku quietly left, and Kotomine Kirei had no reaction. "What to do next?" Looking at the clear night sky, this night was still very long… Kotomine Kirei should act according to the original trajectory, but some things needed to be changed.
He thought carefully and finally found something in the depths of his memory that he was slightly interested in… "Lancer, you go back first. I'll go for a stroll myself!"
Upon hearing his master's request, Lancer was startled. "Lord Ryougi, isn't that too dangerous?" For a Servant to go back alone while the Master was out wandering late at night… "It's fine. Caster is temporarily no threat. Berserker is on our side now. Saber and Rider are also harmless. As for Archer, I probably won't even encounter that arrogant guy…"
After a slight hesitation, Lancer still accepted the command.
Watching Lancer prepare to leave, Ryougi Raku suddenly remembered something and called out to him, "…Wait, hmm, no need to go back to our mansion. Go to the Matou residence. Let's make that our main base!" Ryougi Raku said after a moment's thought.
"Yes! Your wish is my command!" Lancer quickly headed off, after briefly considering the location of the Matou residence. "Children out late at night might run into strange old men…" Murmuring with a chuckle, Ryougi Raku's figure also melted into the night sky… Tōsaka Rin had the resolve of an heir to a mage family. From a very young age, she knew that her future path would be different… She deeply loved her father, just as boys are always influenced by their mothers, Rin was also influenced by her father. He was the most frequent male presence in her life: tall, handsome, gentle, and courteous. Under his influence, Rin naturally developed different perceptions of ordinary men and looked down on them.
In her eyes, Tōsaka Tokiomi was a perfect figure. Therefore, the wishes of the Tōsaka family, the expectations of the Tōsaka family, she dared not relax from a very young age.
Other girls wished for pretty clothes, wished to become dazzling stars on television, but Tōsaka Rin's wish was to become a person like her father!
She firmly decided in her heart to pass down the Tōsaka family's magecraft and to pass it down even better!
She knew about this Holy Grail War, knew about the disappearances at night, knew about the potential threats…
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(TL : More Chapters @patreon.com/c/Gooberilla)