Inside the study
The golden virtual screen no longer popped up any new messages.
Anzai Kane picked up the black tea at his side and took a light sip.
Another good deed done...
If merit really existed in this world, he probably would have become a Buddha by now.
"First, send the notebook over to Morgan..."
"With the contract binding her, she won't betray me..."
Kane thought so to himself.
He opened the Group Red Packet function and sent Old Man of Jewels' Second Magic Notebook directly to Morgan.
With the Group Contract as a restriction, Morgan was trustworthy; there was no doubt about that.
In an instant...
The notebook on the desk turned into motes of light and scattered...
And far away in the Lostbelt, the blonde girl there also received the Group Owner's red packet.
After finishing all this...
Kane let out a long breath, lazily stretched his back, and walked out of the study.
Outside...
Just as Kane stepped out of the study, his vision suddenly went dark.
Before he could put up a defense, an unbelievably beautiful, silver-haired, crimson-eyed older girl pressed down on his head and pulled him tightly into her embrace.
That ultra-soft, springy sensation, carrying the pleasant warmth of morning; even the scent wafting from her body was milky sweet.
Thump—
Thump—
At such close range, he could even hear the other person's heartbeat.
With every beat, it conveyed that overflowing, unspoken love.
"Dear, I came to see you."
"Have you been eating on time lately?"
"Ehehe..."
The older girl's soft, gentle voice was filled with how much she had missed him during their long separation, and with the joy of finally meeting again.
She hugged the delicate, beautiful boy in her arms, occasionally taking a deep breath, as if she were holding a fragrant, sweet little cake.
It was a very fitting comparison...
Because...
Kane's features were so handsome that he looked almost identical to that King Arthur of the Moonlit World.
In order to store more magical energy, he had deliberately grown his hair long; even his hairstyle was very similar.
The only real difference between the two was probably hair color and eye color.
Kane's hair was silver-white, and his eyes were golden. That was how he had looked since birth.
But the two of them had completely opposite personalities; the latter was far freer, and utterly lawless!
"Iri, you're covering me so much I can't breathe."
"And don't give me a full face wash..."
Kane rolled his eyes helplessly, complaining about Irisviel's actions.
Hearing her lover's complaint, the silver-haired older girl finally panicked and hurriedly loosened her grip.
"Sorry, dear..."
"I just... got too excited..."
Irisviel, like a child who had done something wrong, looked adorably at a loss, mumbling a quiet apology.
"How did you get here?"
"Didn't that old fogey Acht forbid you from going out?"
Kane looked at Irisviel, asking with a face full of confusion.
Back then, since Old Man Jewel wasn't good at taking care of small children, he had sent Kane to the Einzbern castle.
He entrusted the artificial lifeforms there to take care of the child in his place and to teach him.
A few years ago...
When Irisviel had just been born, she caught his eye at first glance and became his childhood playmate.
Owing to Old Man of Jewels' fearsome reputation, the Einzbern family didn't dare obstruct him at all.
In a certain sense, the two of them were a genuine pair of childhood sweethearts.
In fact...
The reason Kane had studied the Second Magic was also to improve his overall strength.
So that in the Fourth Holy Grail War, he would be able to protect his beloved airheaded sweetheart.
Hearing her lover's question, a flash of panic and sadness crossed Irisviel's face.
"I... I snuck out..."
"Dear, I..."
"I just wanted... to spend more time with you..."
Irisviel spoke in a jumble, and with no guile to her at all, she was not good at deceiving others.
Just those few words were enough to betray what she was feeling at this moment.
It was the reluctance before parting, and a deep fear of death.
So she wanted to use the time she had left to stay by the side of the man she loved.
Kane immediately realized that Irisviel had run into trouble.
"Is it about the Holy Grail War?"
Kane asked with concern. As a transmigrator, he knew Iri's fate.
By his calculations, there were still two years left until the Fourth Holy Grail War!
Once the Fourth Holy Grail War began, all the happiness he had would be affected!
Those tragic scenes, those faces one after another, flashed through his mind.
The hand Kane had hidden within his sleeve slowly clenched, making a crisp sound.
He had to rewrite all of this!
"Mm..."
"Great-Grandfather has prepared a very powerful Holy Relic for me."
"This time, the Einzbern family is definitely going to win!"
Irisviel's voice was very soft. In front of the one she loved, she hid nothing.
But she also absolutely would not let her lover be forced into danger and get hurt because of her.
So she could only reveal her trump card, trying to use it to reassure him so he wouldn't worry about her.
Hearing this answer, Kane instead let out a laugh of anger.
"For a shabby little cup, they're really planning this far?"
"And you..."
"As the Grail's vessel, your fate is to die!"
"You'll shatter like an eggshell and disappear completely!"
Kane lifted his left hand in anger and pinched the silver-haired older girl's soft cheeks, scolding her without the slightest mercy.
"I know..."
"Great-Grandfather knows too..."
"He's already used my genetic samples to make a new homunculus."
"She'll be prettier than me, more lively than me, and grow like a human."
"She'll take my place, stay with you as you grow, all the way until your life ends."
Looking at her lover putting on a little tiger act, Irisviel lowered her head guiltily, muttering in a small voice.
But in her eyes, there was still inevitably a trace of sorrow, and deep reluctance to part with the one she loved.
"Idiot!"
"You're irreplaceable!"
Kane said with aching heart, his gaze full of helplessness.
The so-called Holy Grail War was, at its core, only a ritual.
As the Holy Grail's vessel, Irisviel would absorb the spiritual foundations of the defeated Servants.
Once she had absorbed enough, that enormous energy would condense into a tangible form.
The moment Irisviel died would also be the moment the true Holy Grail was born.
That materialized energy was said to be able to grant any wish of the final victor.
With Kane's current strength, steamrolling the Holy Grail War would only take an instant.
But the problem was...
Every Servant that was eliminated would only speed up Irisviel's death!
This was Irisviel's fate, and also her responsibility as the vessel!
Only through the Holy Grail could they realize the Dress of Heaven and complete the Third Magic!
Only then could they achieve the Einzbern family's long-held dream...
To save all of humanity...
As a member of the Einzbern family, she had always been proud of this.
Otherwise...
Kane would have eloped with her long ago...
As for the Fourth Holy Grail War, he wouldn't have cared about such a thing at all.
...
Hearing her lover's words, Irisviel's pretty face flushed red, and she revealed a sweet smile.
"Being able to hear you say that, I'm already very satisfied..."
"Please forgive my selfishness, okay?"
"At least in the time I have left, let me stay by your side..."
Irisviel spoke with deep feeling, a seriousness on her face that she had never shown before.
"We still have time..."
"I'll do everything I can to find a way to save you."
"During that time, you have to obediently listen to what I say."
Kane rolled his eyes again. Who could refuse someone who truly loved them?
"Yes, sir!"
Having received his permission, the smile on Irisviel's face became even more dazzling.
She even stuck out her cute little tongue, making a playful face that didn't match her usual elegant aura at all.
"Right..."
"That newly made child still doesn't have a name."
"But, you know, I secretly gave her a little nickname."
"She's called... Illya..."
(End of Chapter)
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