The establishment of the Time Travelers Alliance began in the first year of Conan

Chapter 315 Illya Was Taken Away

Like a princess trapped in a castle by a witch in a fairy tale, longing for the world outside, a girl in an elegant blue dress stands by the window.

Her smooth blonde hair was tied up with a blue ribbon, giving this somewhat slender girl a touch of heroic spirit.

The cold winter light shines through the window, and the pristine whiteness of the snow-covered world makes this king appear noble and inviolable.

Now, Saber's eyes, as clear as a blue lake, are fixed on the entrance to the distant forest.

There, a father and daughter were playing happily in the snow, playing a game called "finding walnut sprouts".

In fact, the heartwarming scene was just like that of a normal father and daughter.

Saber could see Illya sitting on her Master's shoulder, watching her long silver hair sway and reflect a crystalline joy, and could even faintly hear the child's excited voice.

Irisviel pushed open the door and walked in.

She had just instructed the maids in the castle to prepare their clothing for their journey to that far east.

Saber had clearly noticed the presence of the newcomer.

The ahoge (cowlick) on her head, a symbol of royal glory, twitched, but she made no response, letting Irisviel walk to her side.

On that face so beautiful it resembled a doll's, ruby-like eyes followed Saber's gaze.

A happy and gentle smile bloomed on Irisviel's face. She looked at the girl beside her, whose eyes revealed a hint of distress, and spoke softly.

"Saber, are you surprised by Kiritsugu's current state?"

For Artoria, the discord between her and her Master was crystal clear from the moment she appeared in the world.

The man had never spoken a word to her, and even when she took the initiative to ask him questions, he ignored her as if she were invisible.

A slight hint of dissatisfaction and complaint surfaced in Saber's voice.

"If that is Kiritsugu's true nature, then it seems I have made my Master quite unhappy."

The silver-haired girl had already walked to the tea table in the center of the room, and Saber's words made Irisviel chuckle softly.

Saber's tone became more displeased: "Irisviel, you shouldn't be laughing at me no matter what!"

"I'm sorry, I was wondering if you're still bothered by what happened when you were summoned."

In fact, this surprised Kiritsugu and Irisviel, who summoned Arthur Pendragon using the lost scabbard and the concept of "the distant ideal land".

The famous King of Knights was actually a girl who looked only fifteen or sixteen years old.

But the most powerful and noble holy sword she held, a symbol of King Arthur, shone with unwavering brilliance, definitively confirming her identity.

Irisviel explained, "After all, Saber, your legend is so famous, it's a bit different from the image of King Arthur that we know."

Her explanation made Saber frown, and she whispered, "So, Kiritsugu thinks I'm not qualified because I'm a woman—"

“How could that be?” Irisviel shook her head slightly. “I think he’s angry.”

"Angry?" Saber didn't understand what Irisviel meant.

"Well, after all, people in that era pushed the responsibility of being king onto a child, didn't they?"

Irisviel's deduction was undoubtedly correct.

When Kiritsugu Emiya saw that the legendary King Arthur was actually a little girl, he realized that he could never get along with his Servant.

In fact, this righteous partner hated and even resented this "evil of the masses"—which is why he had to place his hopes on the elusive "Holy Grail".

What Kiritsugu Emiya truly desired was probably a wish to "eradicate evil from this world."

He could not ignore the "evil" committed by the masses against the girl, the evil of the era itself.

Just like this man even wished he could become an emotionless machine.

If Kiritsugu Emiya were truly a machine whose ultimate goal was to "conquer the Holy Grail," he might accept her, or even use his "wishes" to coerce the girl.

But it was precisely because this man held onto that unchanging, naive idea, that he clung to a concept that could perhaps be called "justice".

Kiritsugu Emiya refused that approach.

Just as he lamented in his heart, "I've regressed."

Nine whole years—no, nine whole years of family companionship—softened his once resolute heart.

Or perhaps this man was merely putting on a brave face from beginning to end, like trying to hold onto a wisp of smoke that was about to dissipate, so that that terrifying ideal wouldn't completely disappear from his daily life.

"This is just unnecessary sentimentality."

Although such an answer was somewhat unexpected for Saber, she even lowered her head in silence from the beginning.

But soon that same persistence rekindled in his eyes.

"He has no right to criticize my era or the decisions of everyone, including myself."

"That's why he didn't say anything and chose to remain silent."

Irisviel's answer left Saber speechless for a moment.

The silence was broken after a while by Saber speaking again:
"You and Kiritsugu's wish is to use the power of the Holy Grail to save the world, right?"

“Yes,” Irisviel nodded, “though I was just parroting him.”

"I think your and Kiritsugu's goals are correct."

A rare hint of approval for her Master appeared in Saber's eyes—perhaps this was the true nature of her attitude towards Kiritsugu, which had always been one of dissatisfaction rather than resentment.

"This is a road that we can be proud of."

Saber paused, her eyes revealing for the first time a longing for the Holy Grail, and then she spoke of her true purpose in responding to the summons.

"Actually... my wish for the Holy Grail is the same."

Because the country was destroyed by the internal strife among the Knights of the Round Table, Artoria firmly believes that she is not fit to be queen.

She wanted to save Britain from its doom.

In other words, this ideal king wants to use the power of the Holy Grail to deny the history of his being chosen as king.

……

Meanwhile, far away in the forest, the game of finding the "walnut sprout" had already ended.

After Kiritsugu's cheating behavior of calling a deer a horse and identifying a water walnut sprout as a walnut sprout was discovered—

The match ended with the adorable Ilya winning!

Wearing that purple fur hat, she rode on Kiritsugu's shoulders, her tone full of innocence and curiosity.

"Then the next match will be after Kiritsugu returns from Japan, okay?"

That lively, joyful, and happy tone echoed in the snow-covered forest, accompanied by the crunching sound of Kiritsugu's footsteps on the snow.

"Then—when will Kiritsugu return?"

Kiritsugu also kept his head down, his gaze suddenly becoming listless after Illya asked that question. The sunlight reflecting off the snow made it seem as if the man could see nothing at all.

"Kiritsugu?"

Kiritsugu felt his daughter gently rest her chin on the top of his head, her voice still so innocent, and urged her father to give a definite answer.

But Kiritsugu's cervical spine seemed to have been crushed all at once.

His head drooped even lower, and Ilya's light body pressed down on his body and made it hard for his mind to breathe.

"Dad... will probably be back in about two weeks."

"What about mom?"

The footsteps stopped, and the surrounding snow resembled a layer of glistening salt. In the darkness, a voice seemed to be speaking to the sinners and the righteous who coveted the city of Sodom.

“Do not look back, nor stand anywhere on the plain; flee to the mountains, lest you be swept away.”

But Kiritsugu stood there in the salt layer, like a pillar of salt.

“Mom, she… I think Ilya will have to wait patiently for a while.”

"Extreme grief" is not enough to describe Kiritsugu's feelings at this moment.

How Lot wished it were his wife who had fled to the "Mount Zoar"!
But he insisted on watching his beloved turn into a pillar of salt in the fire of Sodom!
"Mmm!" His daughter's hair brushed against Kiritsugu's face as she obediently nodded.

"Last night before going to bed, Mom said that even if she can't see Ilya again, she will always stay by Ilya's side and won't let Ilya be lonely."

Children's minds cannot yet comprehend the profound meaning of "never to see again."

The girl looked up at the snow-covered castle in the distance.

Just like believing in the realism of characters in fairy tales, the tone is lively yet earnest.

"Therefore! Ilya will always stay with Mother from now on!"

My body could no longer withstand those naive words.

Kiritsugu had completely lost all his strength. He almost knelt down and put Illya down from his shoulders.

The girl's jubilant figure and joyful expression stopped when she saw Kiritsugu's gaze.

"Kiritsugu?"

Kiritsugu gently raised his head. What kind of emotions was this man feeling right now?

After that brief, sorrowful smile, Kiritsugu hugged his daughter tightly.

"Ilya, can you patiently wait for Daddy to come back? Can you endure being lonely or alone?"

"Ok!"

"Then Dad promises you, he will be back soon."

……

Clearly, Ilya would not live to see her father return.

However, this time the reason seems to be different from the fact that she will be separated from Kiritsugu and Irisviel for various painful reasons.

As is widely known, the alliance always prepares sufficient contingency plans for emergencies.

In situations where it is uncertain when the "cutting event" will occur, every clue and every possibility must be thoroughly explored.

For example, Illyasviel, Kiritsugu Emiya's daughter.

Or, something called the "Minor Grail".

In fact, it's not simply about recruiting foreign magicians to participate in the Fourth Holy Grail War.

The future Fifth Holy Grail War will be the Einzbern family's last and all-out attempt.

This can be seen from the unusual way Ilya was born.

She is the only Holy Grail with a mother body, and should also be the last Holy Grail created by the Einzbern family.

This artificial life form began undergoing "magical treatment" the moment it entered Irisviel's body.

From the moment Ilya was born, her purpose was already defined.

Her body can be described as the crystallization of magic circuits, and her development will stop around the age of nine.

This is simply because its function is to fulfill the Einzbern family's long-cherished wish to recreate the Third Law.

Therefore, Ilya's functions related to lifespan, growth, and reproduction are meaningless to the Einzbern family, who do not need another Lesser Grail.

In fact, few people may know this.

Haid, the eighth patriarch of the Einzbern family, is actually an artificial intelligence that has been perpetuated for two centuries through [puppet technology].

After being given the task of "reproducing the Third Law," his former personality gradually disappeared over the long years.

Therefore, as the true nature of the puppet emerges, it actually becomes an artificial system that can continue to operate forever at the cost of being unable to progress.

The inability to progress means that technology will never be improved.

Therefore, for Haid, if in the future, that is, in the Fifth Holy Grail War, Illya, as the highest-level homunculus of Einzbern, still fails.

Then, the doll that believes the "mission is impossible" will choose to abandon the Greater Grail and turn off its power.

……

And for the league—

An artificial intelligence system that only calculates gains and losses, with the ultimate goal of "materializing the soul" and "completing the Third Law".

It's far too easy to persuade it.

At the same time, considering that the Fifth Holy Grail War is highly unlikely to occur, and the importance of Ilya herself in the analysis of the Holy Grail.

After confirming that the spellbook system is functioning properly and will not cause [historical inertia] or [shell] to react immediately.

Conan immediately arranged for one of his newly recruited "magicians" to go to Germany.

In fact, it took Conan several minutes to find the magician named Hades Raymond.

As for the reason... well, it's quite simple.

The main reason is that he is a magician in Fuyuki City who can be considered "just," or at least someone who meets the detective's criteria, has not committed evil, and does not covet this power...

Well, there are very few.

Of course, this also means that recruiting qualified individuals is much easier than it was for Weber.

This rogue magician, who had never studied at the Clock Tower and whose family's magic tradition had lasted for less than three generations, bowed respectfully the moment the pages of what he considered the book of truth were turned.

As he gazed at the newly emerging pages, Raymond respectfully drew a Möbius strip, symbolizing infinity, on his chest with his fingertips, his eyes revealing an extremely calm yet almost fanatical light of faith.

"Yes... I will follow the instructions of the [Root]."

—Although he clearly misunderstood something, he did a pretty good job in terms of results.

Because it was the second day after everyone except Ryunosuke Uryu had summoned their Heroic Spirits.

A few minutes after Kiritsugu, Irisviel, and Saber left Einzbern's castle by carriage and headed towards the city.

He arrived at the barrier protecting the castle, carrying the sincerity of the alliance.

"The von Einzbern family...a failed creation attempting to replicate the Third Law."

Muttering to himself the message that the "truth" had given him, Raymond walked in as if the obstacles in his way were nothing.

And three hours and thirty-three minutes after he stepped into the barrier.

A child with innocent eyes and long, snow-white hair—Illyasviel—was led by Raymond out slowly through the castle gates.

As the golden light on the spellbook flashed, the spells [RSI Concealment Mimicry] and [Earthly Leyline Resonance - Seal Leap] were activated.

With the pre-set anchor points, specific coordinate information is given through the [imaginary space].

The next second, two figures, one large and one small, disappeared silently at the castle gate.

P.S.: If you'd like to request more spells, please post them in the comments section. Subsequent spell requests will be posted in the related sections of the work as the main text progresses.

(End of this chapter)