Type-Moon: Shinji Matou Also Wants to Be the Protagonist

At this moment, however, they were tainted with something else—a feeling he couldn't describe but was intimately familiar with.

The shiver that ran up his spine when he plunged the dagger into Tokiomi Tohsaka's back.

The sweetness that welled up from the depths of his soul finally made him understand what the "answer" he had been searching for all these years really was.

It's not the satisfaction of doing good, nor the peace brought by faith, but this—

"I see."

He turned around and patted off non-existent dust from his priest's robes.

A smile, quite different from his usual gentle one, appeared at the corners of his mouth.

"I was born a bad person."

The moment he uttered those words, Kirei Kotomine felt as if some shackles that had bound him for over thirty years had shattered.

Those instincts suppressed in order to become "saints," those roles played in order to meet expectations.

Everything crumbled at that moment.

He no longer needed to pretend to be enthusiastic about the church's cause, no longer needed to force himself to understand what ordinary people call happiness, and no longer needed to suppress the secret pleasure in his heart every time he witnessed suffering.

Afterwards, Gilgamesh had a new Master, and the sinner who offended the king received his due punishment.

All are happy.

Even before the pleasure of killing his master had faded, Kirei Kotomine immediately began searching for his next target.

Emiya Kiritsugu.

Kirei Kotomine first realized his problem when he saw Kiritsugu Emiya's information.

At that time, he had a strong premonition that he would find the answer he was looking for in Kiritsugu Emiya.

That premonition was like a thorn, deeply embedded in Kirei Kotomine's consciousness.

He had read through countless files and seen all sorts of villains and saints, but he had never felt such a thrill—as if he could smell the scent of some kindred spirit through the paper and the photograph.

Emiya Kiritsugu.

A heretic expelled from the Mage's Association, a bounty hunter who walks in the shadows;

A madman who is willing to sacrifice everything for so-called "justice".

On the surface, he and Kirei Kotomine are two completely opposite types of people.

One is a priest carefully nurtured by the church, and the other is an outcast banished from the world of magic;

One pursues order and faith, the other believes in utilitarianism and efficiency.

But when Kirei Kotomine read those documents, his fingers began to tremble uncontrollably.

It wasn't out of fear or anger, but a more primal, almost hunger-like craving.

Kirei Kotomine was convinced that there was some kind of connection between him and Kiritsugu Emiya, some kind of...

A possibility that would bring him pleasure?

Even though he now understands his own true nature, he still doesn't know what he can gain from Kiritsugu Emiya.

So he decided to go and find out for himself.

In fact, he had already tested Kiritsugu Emiya several times, but considering Saber's existence, he had never gone too far. But now, with Archer's help, he could be bolder when he made his move.

Chapter 72: Strange Events in the Church

After Kiritsugu Emiya's Japanese garden was destroyed, the group moved into another safe house.

It can only be said that the Einzbern family was indeed very wealthy and could withstand any setbacks.

However, the atmosphere inside the safe house was extremely heavy.

Kiritsugu Emiya, who was critically injured and on the verge of death not long ago, is now fine.

He stood by the window of the safe house, lit a cigarette, and gazed at the city view under the night sky.

Irisviel sat silently on the sofa, without saying a word.

The source of the somber atmosphere was King Arthur, Artoria, dressed in military attire, standing solemnly in the center of the living room.

This decapitation operation was a complete failure.

He never expected that a standard magician like Kenneth would embrace modern weapons so quickly.

Although Kenneth and Lancer did leave the stage in the end, it wasn't in the way Kiritsugu Emiya had hoped.

Even with the sword sheath [an ideal land far removed from the world], he almost died alongside Kenneth.

What's even harder to accept is that two people were involved in the operation, but he was the only one who survived.

Hisayu Maiya was buried forever beneath those ruins.

Compared to that, even the exposure of the sword sheath is not a big problem.

Kiritsugu Emiya took a deep drag of his cigarette, the bitter taste of nicotine spreading through his lungs, but he couldn't suppress the rusty, metallic sweetness in his throat.

He recalled Maiya's last words—not fear, not resentment, but a kind of serene relief.

She had followed him for so long that she had long since placed her existence entirely in his will.

This outcome might not be the worst for her.

But Kiritsugu Emiya couldn't convince himself of that.

"Kiritsugu."

Irisviel's voice was very soft, as if she was afraid of disturbing something.

She stood up, walked to her husband's side, but did not touch him.

She knew that Kiritsugu was like a frozen volcano, and any external intervention could trigger an uncontrollable collapse.

"Alice."

Kiritsugu Emiya didn't turn around; his voice was hoarse, like sandpaper being rubbed.

"Kenneth El-Melloi Archibald, confirmed dead. You and Saber go to receive the Command Seals."

There was no sadness, no remembrance, and no hesitation after achieving the phased goal.

Kiritsugu Emiya immediately began planning the next steps.

Artoria gripped the sword hilt tightly, her knuckles turning white.

He couldn't understand how this man could be so cold-blooded.

"Miss Maiya's sacrifice..."

"It is necessary."

Kiritsugu Emiya interrupted her and finally turned around. His eyes were deep-set, and his pupils burned with something familiar to Artoria—not sadness, but a more intense, almost obsessive, obsession.

He spoke so calmly, as if he were reciting a logistical list.

Artoria felt a wave of dizziness, not from physical exhaustion, but from some deeper cognitive shock.

She thought of the knights she had once trusted, and the faces of those who had left her before the Battle of Camlann.

I think of something I've never been able to understand—why humans can so easily sever their ties when they say the word "necessary."

"Emiya Kiritsugu, you still owe me an explanation."

Seeing that Kiritsugu Emiya was about to leave to participate in the next operation, Artoria could no longer suppress her anger.

"There's nothing to explain. The scabbard is currently with Alice. If you need it, Alice can transfer it to you later."

Kiritsugu Emiya paused for a moment, but he did not offer any explanation.

He simply uttered that sentence coldly, and then left.

Artoria stood frozen in place, her hand gripping the sword trembling slightly.

The explanation she wanted was never about the scabbard—that was just another deliberate misinterpretation by Kiritsugu Emiya.

The real problems are buried by transactional indifference.

What she wanted to know was the root of Kiritsugu Emiya's distrust of her.

If I were to tell him the truth about the scabbard, would I be stingy and unwilling to help him when he needs it?

That's not what he meant.

Irisviel spoke softly, though it was unclear whether she was comforting the Knight King or convincing herself.

Artoria did not respond.

She recalled their first encounter at Einzbern Castle, when she vaguely sensed a dangerous resonance between her Master and herself in terms of ideals.

They were all burdened with oaths that were too heavy for them to bear, and they were all trying to reverse the irreversible decline by their own efforts.

But at this moment, she finally saw where the disagreement lay.

She cherishes every bond formed during the process, while Kiritsugu Emiya only recognizes justice in the sense of the outcome.

The sound of a car engine starting could be heard from outside the courtyard, gradually fading into the distance.

"Irisviel."

She heard her own voice, as if it were coming from a very far place.

"You should rest."

Artoria didn't mention the scabbard; compared to her, Irisviel needed that power more right now.

Lancer's exit is not just about losing a competitor.

This also signifies that Irisviel has officially begun fulfilling the duties of the Lesser Grail in the Holy Grail War.

The Lesser Grail is an important part of the Holy Grail War ritual. After each Servant dies, their soul and magical energy return to the Lesser Grail until the final victor emerges. Then, the magical energy in the Lesser Grail can be used for the final wish.

Irisviel was a specially created android by the Einzbern family, whose only purpose was to serve as a vessel for the Lesser Grail.

As the number of Servants decreases, the "mass" of the Lesser Grail will increase.

Only when Irisviel, the outer shell, is crushed by this mass will the Lesser Grail reveal its true form.

With just the weight of a Lancer, Irisviel's physical condition was deteriorating at a visible rate.

The words left by Kiritsugu Emiya before he left, under these circumstances, seem more like a calculated scheme that a gentleman could use to deceive others.

How could Artoria possibly remove the scabbard from Irisviel just because of her own selfish desires?

"Saber! I'm sorry."

Irisviel's voice was full of guilt.

After all, regardless of her feelings, she did participate in concealing the truth from Artoria.

"......never mind!"

Faced with Irisviel's apology, Artoria opened her mouth as if to say something, but in the end, she couldn't say anything.

She accused Irisviel of deceiving her, but Irisviel and Kiritsugu Emiya were husband and wife.

It's perfectly natural for a married couple to stand together.

"Let's go, let's go get the Command Seals first."

With her mind in complete turmoil, Irisviel chose to mask her helplessness through action.

The lights were still on at the Fuyuki Church, suggesting that the priest was also troubled by what had happened that day.

Pushing open the church doors, the two entered the brightly lit hall.

Kotomine Risei was sitting at the very front of the seating area, head bowed, seemingly in prayer.

“Father Kotomine, as agreed, we have come to collect the Command Seals.”

Irisviel took a deep breath and went up to talk to Kirei Kotomine.

But before she could get close, Kotomine Risuke in the front row suddenly swayed to the side and fell to the ground.

Chapter 73: Saber VS Archer

Kotomine Risei's body crashed heavily to the ground with a dull, chilling thud.

If an ordinary person were to fall like that, even if they were sound asleep, they would probably be awakened by the intense pain.