Remembering the agonizing pain of having his brain burned, Kiritsugu Emiya's expression turned somewhat grim. But at the same time, he couldn't help but marvel at Souta's terrifying power.
Who would've thought that this seemingly easygoing, cheerful young man—like a sunny older brother next door—actually possessed the power to bring people back from the dead?
Bringing people back to life... This guy must be some kind of magus or something, right?
"Thank you for being willing to do this much for Illya," Kiritsugu said, putting away his cigarette and returning to his usual calm demeanor.
"I'm friends with Illya. Helping each other is normal," Souta waved it off casually. "Besides, she promised to marry me in the future. Helping her out to win a bride—it's a pretty good deal for me."
"..." Kiritsugu suddenly locked eyes with Souta. "Marry you...?"
"Of course, I'm kidding. You didn't really take that seriously, did you?" Souta chuckled. "You were looking too serious, so I just wanted to lighten the mood."
Not serious—thank god. Kiritsugu let out a breath of relief.
If anyone dared to have feelings for Illya, he'd shoot them without hesitation!
Not because he was an overprotective dad who couldn't stand someone taking his daughter, but... Illya was currently in a 9-year-old's body. If someone could be attracted to that, they were definitely a pervert.
"I didn't think the future would end up that way. In the end, I failed," Kiritsugu muttered as he looked out the window, guilt written all over his face. "Illya... the Einzbern family still ended up using her as the Lesser Grail. That was my failure—I lacked the strength to take her away from them."
"Do you still want to save all of humanity?" Souta asked.
"You gave me that memory so I would give up, didn't you?" Kiritsugu countered, his tone much calmer now, as if some burden had lifted.
He seemed more like his future self, already weary with age.
It appeared that the memory card had worked—it had helped him abandon that unrealistic dream.
"Good. That ideal you chased was nothing but a fantasy. Conflict is rooted in human nature. Absolute peace? That's only possible if you erase humanity itself."
Souta shook his head, then launched into what he believed was an eloquent philosophical rant:
"Benevolence, demonic nature—both are part of human nature. If you erase one side, how can humans still be called humans? They'd be nothing but obedient puppets."
"Benevolence, demonic nature—both are part of human nature..." Kiritsugu repeated softly, his eyes showing thoughtfulness.
Seeing Kiritsugu pondering so deeply, Souta couldn't help but feel a bit speechless.
That was just something he read in a novel somewhere—a random cool line to sound smart. He never expected Kiritsugu to take it so seriously.
He really was a chuuni middle-aged man.
Souta even considered dropping the famous line: "Lose your humanity, lose a lot. Lose your beastliness, lose everything." But that one didn't quite fit the situation, so he kept it to himself.
"...Anyway, thank you for giving me that memory," Kiritsugu said with a faint smile—the kind of smile he wore often in his future. "It helped me realize what I should do next."
"What will you do?" Souta asked with curiosity.
"I'm going back to Germany. I'm going to rescue Illya."
Kiritsugu's expression darkened with sorrow. "As for Irisviel... as the Lesser Grail, she doesn't have much time left. All I can do is take her away from the Grail War and figure things out as we go."
"You don't need to worry about Irisviel," Souta waved his hand. "I'll take care of the Lesser Grail problem. Illya asked me to. It's part of why I came back through time."
"You can solve the Lesser Grail issue?" Kiritsugu was stunned.
Was there anything this guy couldn't do?
"Haven't you already experienced resurrection first-hand? Why are you still surprised?" Souta chuckled, then glanced at Irisviel before turning back. "Since our goals don't clash, we're allies now. Let's work together to take care of the remaining Servants."
"If the Lesser Grail can be dealt with, then of course I'll help," Kiritsugu nodded.
With that, their initial negotiations were a success.
Souta was satisfied. His negotiation skills had improved—he'd managed to persuade even a stubborn man like Kiritsugu. He was proud of himself.
"Oh, right," Kiritsugu suddenly brought up something that had been bothering him, "If I'd accepted the memory and still refused to abandon my ideals, what would you have done?"
"Kill you, of course," Souta replied without hesitation.
Ignoring Kiritsugu's darkened expression, Souta casually added salt to the wound: "Illya only wanted to save Irisviel—her mother. Ten years later, she's not exactly fond of you. Saving you was just a bonus. Honestly, you were expendable."
Souta shrugged. "If you didn't cooperate, I'd have no choice but to take you out."
Souta's conversation with Kiritsugu Emiya ended, and on Illya's side, she had finally managed to calm Irisviel's emotions.
During that time, Maiya awoke and was informed of the situation by Kiritsugu.
This capable female assistant had a thoroughly bewildered expression as she stared at Kiritsugu. After several rounds of explanation, she finally managed to accept the reality.
At last, everyone sat down together in peace to begin their discussion.
Souta sat in the main seat, with Rin Tohsaka beside him.
"Everyone understands the issue about Irisviel and Illya being Lesser Grails, right?"Souta looked around at everyone present.
Of course, his gaze mainly focused on Artoria.
Because, aside from this naive, sweet girl, everyone else had already understood the Lesser Grail issue like it was second nature.
She was the only one who had earnestly declared a vow to protect Irisviel, completely oblivious to what was truly going on.
"I understand." Artoria nodded, though a bit nervously. "Souta... do you have a way to solve it?"
Souta nodded. "I'm planning to create a copy of the Lesser Grail. As for how I'll copy it—that's my secret, so I won't say more."
"But if you create a copy, there will be two Lesser Grails," Irisviel asked. "Where will the Servants' souls go?"
Her tone was quite gentle, and she seemed to find Souta quite agreeable.
After witnessing the close and affectionate interaction between Souta and Illya, she had developed some peculiar thoughts in her heart.
She was thinking, if Illya's physical condition could be improved, Souta wouldn't be a bad partner for her daughter.
Of course... even if Illya's body stayed the same, it probably wouldn't matter much. She just wasn't sure if Souta could accept Illya's petite body type...