Unlimited Ambition

Epilogue (1) Kirei Kotomine's Tragic Laughter

"...I...I'm already dead, aren't I?" Just moments ago, Father Kirei Kotomine, who had been observing the battle with almost no presence, was suddenly overwhelmed by the evil of this world. However, after Yuki and I left with the distraught Kiritsugu Emiya, Kirei Kotomine suddenly awoke. Looking around, he noticed the black mud had vanished—and looking up at the sky, it was still late at night. His watch, for some reason, was broken. Judging by the moonlight, it must be around two or three in the morning.

"Is he awake?"

At that moment, another familiar voice came from beside Kirei Kotomine—Kirei Kotomine turned around abruptly and saw Gilgamesh's figure. At this moment, Her Majesty the Queen was still wearing her magnificent golden armor, staring expressionlessly at the Einzbern family's castle, which was still burning fiercely, but no one knew what she was thinking.

"I...I'm dead, aren't I?" This time, Kirei Kotomine opened his mouth and finally asked the question.

“He is indeed dead,” Gilgamesh said. “Breathing, heartbeat, and even his thoughts are all gone. But he’s alright now… probably.”

"why?"

“It’s probably because of the contract between you and me,” Gil replied. “In that black mud, I unexpectedly gained a physical body. It was quite an unexpected surprise. And you, who had a contract with me, seem to have been resurrected because of it.”

"I see."

Although Gilgamesh's words remained vague, knowing his temperament, Kirei Kotomine didn't press further. The recent experience of being resurrected left the priest with a surreal feeling, as if the world had suddenly become unrecognizable—but...

Death is something that most people—even those who are determined to die—would never want to experience a second time after going through it once.

Now, however, the priest felt that the greatest threat to his life so far was the legendary King of Heroes. The Holy Grail War was over, and the three Command Seals on his hands had long since disappeared. Having lost his last means of restraining Gilgamesh, the priest didn't think he had the ability to fight the legendary King of Heroes to a draw.

However, there was still one thing that Kirei Kotomine was extremely concerned about, and if he couldn't get an answer, he would never be able to sleep well for the rest of his life.

"What happened to the Holy Grail War in the end?!"

It's no wonder Kirei Kotomine asked that question—ultimately, the seven Servants will fight each other until only one remains. He knows my abilities. However, compared to that, the legendary King of Heroes standing beside him seems to serve as further evidence…

So, did I win?

Did they win the Holy Grail War?

Are you kidding me?

Furthermore, in the legendary Holy Grail War, isn't it possible to make a wish after winning? So, did your wish come true or not?

No—I should say, what exactly is my wish?

Thus, Father Kirei Kotomine suddenly found himself grappling with this metaphysical question once again.

Gilgamesh watched as the priest got himself into trouble, looking at him with that thoughtful, foolish expression, and couldn't help but chuckle, secretly wanting to tease him a little.

"We won. The Holy Grail War, we really did win." Gilgamesh said maliciously, "You felt it too, didn't you? I have a body now. This is the wish I made to the Holy Grail."

"Is...is that so? Then, what is my wish? What kind of wish should I make to the Holy Grail?" Kirei Kotomine asked Gilgamesh, looking bewildered.

“Your wish has been fulfilled,” Gilgamesh said.

"What?!" Kirei Kotomine, hearing Gilgamesh's words, naturally assumed Gilgamesh was mocking him. Although he was furious, he understood that the woman before him was a hundred times stronger than him. He decided to postpone the attack.

“Look—” Gilgamesh pointed to the castle burning fiercely in front of him—at this moment, the flames of the castle had spread to the forest next to it, and the fire had spread so much that it turned half the sky red.

"Destruction, chaos, slaughter and destruction—this is the wish you made to the Holy Grail," Gilgamesh said.

Kirei Kotomine slowly stood up, and then he found that his gaze was indeed following the firelight that Gilgamesh was pointing at, and then he was drawn to it.

The feeling was like having a stimulant injected hundreds of times stronger than normal into the cerebral cortex; even the body's meridians seemed to twist from the excitement. It was just like back then… yes, just like back then, watching his wife suffer unbearable pain from her illness, and finally, before he couldn't bear to end her suffering—Kirei Kotomine's wife looked at him in her dying moments, her eyes filled with a complex mix of love and hate, relief and reluctance, and a deep sense of helplessness—

It was like just a few days ago, when I killed my own father, Kotomine Risei, and saw the anger, surprise, confusion, and disappointment in his eyes...

However, Kirei Kotomine knew that these two people who loved him deeply ultimately chose to forgive his sins. It was precisely those forgiving looks in their eyes that allowed Kirei to witness the brilliance of humanity, and in his shame, he finally suppressed his licentious desires—yet, it was also those forgiving looks that gave Kirei's twisted soul even more, much more pleasure—

"Hehe, hehehe, hahahahaha..."

At this moment, Kirei Kotomine's inhuman desires once again took over, and at this moment, there was no one left who loved him dearly, who was willing to sacrifice their life to dispel his inner demons.

"What?! So my soul is this filthy, this hideous creature? Did my father give birth to a dog? Is the person sharing my bed with my wife a beast? Hehehehehehe..."

Kirei Kotomine laughed maniacally, his laughter filled with boundless recklessness and depravity. Even Gilgamesh, standing beside him, couldn't help but smile as well.

"What a show," Gilgamesh thought to himself.

"—However, that's not enough! The Holy Grail is indeed an omnipotent wish-granting machine—but what I want is not enough!" After a while, Kirei Kotomine, seemingly having laughed enough, said, "I need more! I want the next Holy Grail War!"

“That’s right! That’s exactly it.” Gilgamesh laughed heartily, “The next Holy Grail War—I also look forward to such a grand feast again!”

Epilogue (2) Tokiomi Tohsaka's Funeral

Watching the coffin containing her father's body being slowly lowered into the earth, Rin Tohsaka struggled to hold back her tears. She clenched her fists tightly, bit her lip, and trembled, like a helpless blade of grass in the cold wind.

In reality, what was said to be the body of his father was nothing more than a pile of ashes. There was absolutely no trace of Tokiomi Tohsaka being alive. It was even that annoying senior brother who, through some kind of magical means, confirmed that the pile of ashes was indeed the original Tokiomi Tohsaka.

This news was indeed difficult for Rin Tohsaka to accept.

His own father participated in the Holy Grail War with such confidence, yet the final result was that not even a corpse remained. It's hard to accept, isn't it? Indeed, it's hard to accept.

Therefore, Rin Tohsaka's dissatisfaction with her nominal senior brother became even more intense.

Your own father is dead—why are you still alive?

While such questioning may seem unreasonable, it's understandable. The deceased's family often blames the person who was last with the deceased—even if that person did nothing wrong.

Not to mention, Rin Tohsaka originally disliked this guy.

This man makes you feel awkward just looking at him. Kirei Kotomine.

"Rin, if you need anything in the future, just come to the Church of Saints to find me."

Despite saying such nice things, Rin had already made up her mind that she would never see this bastard again unless absolutely necessary.

After the funeral, the guests, dressed in black suits, left one by one.

Bowing to each visitor to express her gratitude, Rin Tohsaka acted like a grown-up, evoking pity in those around her. Normally, this kind of work should be done by widows. However, Rin's mother, Aoi Tohsaka, had also suffered an accident a few days prior. She was attacked by an unknown assailant, and due to prolonged oxygen deprivation, her brain suffered, resulting in some mental health issues.

Well, it's about her memory. To this day, she still believes that her husband is alive, and that her two daughters, Rin and Sakura, are also alive, and that her family of four is still alive and well—her memory stops at this point and doesn't go any further.

At the same time, she also developed a health problem. Also due to oxygen deprivation, the part of her brain that controls her lower body functions had died. In other words, she was paralyzed.

“But maybe it’s a good thing to say that way.” Sometimes Rin Tohsaka would think this way: “At least, my mother won’t feel the pain of losing her husband and daughter.”

And so, Rin Tohsaka bowed and thanked each of the guests one by one—until the very end.

"Thank you so much for taking time out of your busy schedule to attend my father's funeral."

In the end, Rin was almost unable to think, she just mechanically bowed and repeated the same words.

"Well, how should I put it? Actually, I haven't been busy at all lately, in fact, I've been too idle. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been so bored as to attend this guy's funeral."

Originally, the guests were supposed to return the greeting silently and then leave. However, unexpectedly, someone said something like that at the end.

How rude!

Rin Tohsaka looked up, frowning, wanting to yell at this rude guy—but then, she was surprised to forget what she was supposed to say.

I held Sakura's hand and stood in front of Rin.

"Sisters? But for some reason, they don't look alike at all." I examined Rin Tohsaka's face and then left this comment.

"You...you're from the Matou family?" Rin Tohsaka, though a little younger, was quick-witted. She immediately made this judgment—knowing her father—and bringing Sakura with her—so she must be from the Matou family who adopted Sakura.

"Yes, we're close to the truth. But unfortunately, I'm not a member of the Matou family," I said.

"So... what is your identity?" Rin immediately became wary. She cautiously took a step back, then, thinking she was being discreet, put her hands behind her back and pulled out two rubies from the pocket behind her skirt.

That's really funny.

It was as if I saw an adorable kitten baring its teeth and claws at me. I put on the expression one would make when admiring something cute and said, "I am Sakura's mentor. I am currently responsible for teaching Sakura about magic... as well as subjects like mathematics, language, geography, history, politics, biology, and philosophy."

"Huh?"

"How about we go somewhere else and have a proper talk?"

Half an hour later, Sakura and I followed Rin to their house. After settling Rin's mother, Tohsaka Aoi, in, we sat down in the Tohsaka family's living room. The Tohsaka family's original servants had all been dismissed due to the Holy Grail War. After the Holy Grail War ended, Tohsaka Tokiomi died. Tohsaka Aoi was stunned. Expecting a young child like Tohsaka Rin to manage the family business was a bit too much to ask. Sakura and I had been sitting there for so long, without even a cup of tea.

"Ugh... Is this how the Tohsaka family treats its guests?" I complained loudly, clearly dissatisfied.

“While it was indeed my fault, you are not the kind of person who holds grudges, are you?” Rin Tohsaka said.

“I’m very sorry, but that’s really how I am,” I replied.

"..."

"Alright, even so, it's not fun to bully a little girl like this. I can answer your question right now."

"My relationship with the Matou family was based on a deal. I resolved their bloodline issue. As a result, their patriarch gave me Sakura."

"Alright, that's enough. I will never give Sakura to you for nothing. And even if I did give Sakura back to you, you don't seem to have the ability to take care of your sister. Or rather, it would be quite an achievement if you could take care of yourself."

Before Rin could even open her mouth, I shut her up. Rin whimpered twice, like a bullied little animal.

"However, if you want to visit Sakura, you're welcome anytime. Our family has moved to Fuyuki City and will be staying here for a while."

"Is that so?" Rin then turned her anger into joy.

"That's right—this is the address."

A neatly written carbon sheet was handed to Rin Tohsaka.

"Tiger...dojo?"

"That's right, it just opened recently. Goodbye then."

"Oh, goodbye."

"Sakura, you should say hello too."

After hearing my words, Sakura, who had been silent all along, finally opened her mouth and said to Rin with a hint of dissatisfaction, "Goodbye... Onee-sama."

Epilogue (3) Kiritsugu Emiya and his daughter

"So, this counts as a transaction?" I said to Kiritsugu Emiya.

“That’s right, that’s it.” Kiritsugu Emiya was in a very bad mental state, very decadent and weak, completely unlike the intimidating magician assassin he was a few weeks ago.

Well, because he's been corrupted by the evil of this world, he's basically ruined. His lifespan has also been drastically reduced. It looks like he can only live for another five or six years at most, after which he'll definitely die.

So, could you please put my name in the beneficiary column? Even though it's just a dilapidated house, every little bit counts. Mountains of gold and silver are built from countless coins. It seems my current strength is the result of over 4.7 billion years of killing people. So...

Is that not allowed?

"Speaking of which, I also have a daughter," the guy said with a nostalgic look.

"Huh? I've never heard you mention this before."