Xingtie: Can’t you just let me focus on completing the commissions?

Through a kind of empathy, she could often see her own upper body, the goddess known as Ishtar.

That person can freely soar in the sky, run on the earth, experience thunder and rain, and savor the fragrance of flowers and grass...

And these are things that her underworld cannot possess.

She had fantasized countless times about growing beautiful flowers on this barren land under her control, even if the flowers weren't particularly vibrant, as that would still add a touch of bright color to the desolate underworld.

But unfortunately,

Plants from the ground cannot be transplanted into the underworld. There is no water, no soil, no sun. Even if they are collected on a small scale, they will eventually be eroded and devoured by the yin energy of the underworld.

And now,

Surprisingly, some plants and animals have appeared that can adapt to the corrosive influence of the Yin energy of the underworld.

Her underworld... the underworld she inhabited was finally no longer a lonely and cold world.

"Isn't there always a flower in the underworld? Even though there's only one, it's beautiful enough."

Mr. Emiya smiled, raised his hand and gently stroked the goddess's head twice. Sensing his affectionate gesture, the goddess's earrings instantly flushed crimson, the color quickly spreading across her entire face. She then swiftly took two steps back, quickly pulling her crimson cloak over her head.

"Don't misunderstand, I was just expressing my gratitude."

"What could I have done wrong, Miss Ereshkigal?"

“You… have been calling me that from the beginning. I don’t remember having such a close relationship with you… However, considering what you have offered, I will allow you to call this goddess that.”

"Then, Ereshkigal?"

"Ah."

Ereshkigal covered her head even more thoroughly with her cloak, letting out a shy, nasal sound from beneath it. Meanwhile, Luvia, who had been observing the entire strategy process from a short distance away, couldn't help but break into a maternal smile.

Wonderful!

That goddess has been so thoroughly swayed by that man that she's practically 'ashamed' and will inevitably have to go back with him to be his 'breeding tool'!

How skilled they are!

In less than an hour, they quickly communicated with an ancient Babylonian female deity.

What a refined strategy!

and many more,

Based on his approach, could it be that his previous claim of having some connection with the goddess who possessed him is similar to this situation?

In other parallel universes, could it be that I have already developed a closer relationship with this man?

Luvia's gaze lingered briefly on the man's exceptionally handsome features, becoming uncontrollably mesmerized. As if a switch had been flipped, her heart began to race, and a blush crept onto her delicate features.

You probably can't find another man like this in the entire Clock Tower—man who combines good looks, ability, background, and personality.

Then,

Why can't I give it a try?

Emiya Shirou...

Emiya...

No, Shirou.

She silently murmured the name in her heart, and just then, the man seemed to sense something and looked in her direction. In an instant, a warm smile appeared in his eyes.

this moment,

She even felt as if her heart had been pierced.

First of all,

Luvia Celinta is not a lovesick girl.

But he's very handsome.

Having been nicknamed the Finnish Hound, she was quite used to seeing handsome men.

However, he is very strong.

Within the clock tower, she was even nominated as one of the candidates for chairman of the clock tower.

However, he possesses a more mysterious and superior background than the members of the Clock Tower.

Of course, most importantly,

This man unexpectedly matched her aesthetic preferences, or rather, even if his face wasn't that handsome, she might still like him very much.

Perhaps there really is some kind of predestined fate between him and me?

Luvia returned a bright smile to the man who was smiling at her.

Her hand slowly clenched into a fist.

After this Holy Grail War ends, she will do anything to win this man over.

She had a vague premonition that if she missed this man, she might never meet one more suitable for her in the future.

That being the case...

Then fight for it, seize it, and get it at all costs.

As the next head of the Edfeldt family, she was raised with this kind of personality from a young age.

"From this moment forward, goddess Ereshkigal, we shall be rivals."

Chapter 247: An Inescapable Fate.

"Speaking of which, your reason for coming here seems to be to help me defeat Ishtar?"

After regaining her composure, Miss Ereshkigal's expression returned to normal. Although her gaze towards Emiya was still somewhat evasive, she was now able to engage in normal conversation.

"Yes, it is indeed to defeat Ishtar, or to put it more bluntly, I want all the class cards."

He lacked the technology to extract the Lesser Grail, and the Grail's wish-granting function was somewhat useless to him. In comparison, it was more advantageous to acquire all the class cards according to his own plan and gather more Servant Spirit Origin information in Valhalla.

"Take this if you want."

Upon hearing Emiya's words, the goddess took out Lancer's class card without hesitation, handed it to Emiya, and then spoke.

“My spirit origin is already attached to her, and I don’t need this card to keep it active.”

"So, does that mean it's the same for Ishtar?"

"The goddess's core itself cannot withstand it, and even if the power of the core is used repeatedly, it will be destroyed."

“I understand. So… Ishtar is now completely possessed by a modern person, just like you, right?”

"Yes."

"So, one last question, Ereshkigal, have you ever seen this thing before?"

When Emiya presents something to her, and she pauses only for a brief moment, the mistress of the underworld gives it her unequivocal approval.

"I've seen this before."

"Sure enough."

……

"Shirou, why did it take you so long to contact me?!"

While frantically searching for a spirit vein node in Fuyuki City, preparing to forcibly summon a Servant using the remaining privileges of the former three starter families, Irisviel received a phone call just as she was about to attempt the summoning.

That was her adopted son.

The phone call was from the eldest son of the Emiya family.

"Sorry, sorry, something happened before, and I left my phone at home. I didn't bring it with me 々々."

"What exactly is going on between you, Ilya, and Sera?"

“We are safe and sound. A strange man came to our house earlier and attacked us without saying a word, so we escaped.”

Hearing her adopted son's words, Irisviel's heart sank.

"wack?"

"Hmm, that guy can perform very strange magic."

“Magic, Shirou… the magic we understand is the same thing, right?”

"Yes."

The weight that had been hanging over Irisviel's heart was finally crushed. She had desperately tried to escape the world of magic for ten years, but she never expected that fate would once again entangle her.

"Shirou, you... summoned a Servant?"

“Summoning? I don’t quite understand either. I suddenly got a card when I was attacked by a monster on the road, and a guy named Archer gave me his power. With his power, I can barely fight now… It seems that Ilya also obtained the power of the Ainu hero Shido.”

card?

What is the connection between the Holy Grail War and cards?

He gained Archer's power, but had no followers?

Should I go to fight?

Irisviel's pupils suddenly contracted. Why had she disobeyed the patriarch's orders and withdrawn from the Holy Grail War back then? It was to spare Illya from this terrible fate.

And now,

Not only did it fail to free Illya from this fate, it even forced her to assume the roles of Master and even fighter to fight against others.

This is ridiculous.

Can not accept!

Absolutely unacceptable!!

"Where are you now?"

“We are at Ryudouji Temple, Ilya, no… now it should be Shido, saying that we need to rely on Ryudouji Temple to fight that enemy.”

"You just wait at Ryudong Temple, I'll come find you right away."

After saying that, Irisviel quickly hung up the phone. She looked at the holy relic wrapped in layers of shroud beside her, her expression somewhat conflicted...

Her husband, Kiritsugu Emiya, was a magus who married into the Einzbern family in order to participate in the Holy Grail War.

Although he agreed to withdraw from the Holy Grail War back then because of Illya,

but,

Over the years, she discovered that her husband had not only not forgotten the Holy Grail War, but had also been conducting further investigations into information related to the Holy Grail War and Servants for many years.

He still couldn't forget his wish.

Even now that we have children, it's still the same...

Illya is a perfect miniature Grail created using the homunculus technology that the Einzbern family is so proud of.

The next generation of homunculus created by drawing upon the genes of both her and Kiritsugu Emiya.

In fact, she should have married that man and created this child, but... it seems that due to an injury sustained on the battlefield, he lost some of his functions.

Therefore, after precisely cultivating Ilya through cloning technology, the man's instinct for the continuation of his bloodline briefly overcame his desires, and he chose to escape the Holy Grail War with her.

And now,

He once again rekindled that distorted desire to save all of humanity and hope for world peace.

Her thumb was clenched between her index finger, her knuckles even turning white from the pressure. She collapsed against the rafters as if all her strength had been drained. In this dark warehouse, the beautiful magician from Eindzbern wore an expression of weakness and helplessness. Her husband was right outside the door, yet he offered her no sense of security whatsoever.

Furthermore, if she delayed any longer, the man outside would rush in without hesitation, citing her safety as the reason, and after giving her a perfunctory reply, he would take away the sacred relic on her right without hesitation.

Having lived for too long,

She knew Emiya Kiritsugu all too well.

From beginning to end, he never considered himself the head of the Emiya family. Even his love for Illya back then was nothing more than a fleeting infatuation.

He didn't care about the Emiya family's legacy, nor did he care about his own or Illya's life or death.

He usually plays the role of a father in front of those two children, but it's just a habit.