Chapter 61: Wish

**Einzbern Castle.**

The current situation of Irisviel and Emiya Kiritsugu was completely reversed from just a day ago.

As the Lesser Holy Grail, Irisviel's body had previously absorbed the souls of Lancer and Caster, and her functions in all aspects were beginning to gradually decline.

She could still move around freely, but her body had lost all its strength. Even if she tried her best, she couldn't hold onto something as simple as a key.

"Iris, the new base has been chosen. Let Saber take you there tomorrow," Kiritsugu said as he sat on the bed, speaking to his wife who was recuperating. "Maiya will be waiting for you there tomorrow."

"More importantly, how did the meeting go?" Irisviel asked, opening her eyes and seeing her husband returning to the castle.

Kiritsugu's expression suddenly darkened. "Don't worry about it. It was all nonsense. Just a lie to make us let our guard down, give up the Holy Grail, and hand over victory."

"Lies?" Irisviel found it strange.

She had only spoken to Tatsuya Suzuki a few times, and her impression of him was that he was kind and a trustworthy ally.

But if Kiritsugu was saying that Tatsuya was full of lies, Irisviel found it hard to believe. Even though it came from Kiritsugu, she couldn't help but have questions.

For Kiritsugu to make such a harsh assessment, it had to be that Tatsuya said something her husband couldn't accept. Like handing over the Holy Grail or something similar?

"It's okay. I've already formulated the next operational plan," Kiritsugu comforted his wife in a gentle voice, but didn't offer any further explanation about the meeting at Fuyuki Church.

Knowing that her husband didn't want to continue talking, Irisviel didn't press further.

After exchanging a few more words, Kiritsugu left the room and went to another room to make preparations for the next step.

Saber took his place, coming to look after Irisviel.

"Don't talk too much, Irisviel," Artoria advised.

She knew that Irisviel wasn't an ordinary human being, but a homunculus—a being created by alchemy.

The current situation was that Irisviel, as a homunculus, was suppressing her own abilities as the Lesser Holy Grail by sealing off some of her five senses, thus ensuring she could still perform actions to a certain extent.

But this was only a temporary solution. If she continued to collect the souls of other Servants, Irisviel would sooner or later completely lose her ability to move and fully transform into the Lesser Holy Grail.

This process was inevitable, but—

"While Kiritsugu isn't here, can you secretly tell me what happened at the church today?" Irisviel asked, pulling the swordswoman back from her thoughts.

"As I mentioned yesterday after the mission to defeat Caster ended, Tatsuya Suzuki summoned all the remaining Masters. Together with my sister, he explained the current status of the Holy Grail," Artoria finally spoke after hesitating for a long time.

Originally, as a Servant, she shouldn't have revealed what Kiritsugu didn't share. But Saber, who had sworn as a knight to protect Irisviel, knew that her wish had become hopeless in this Holy Grail War. She wanted to tell the truth before it was too late, so Irisviel could make an informed decision.

"The current situation… So Saber's sister, Morgan, has already grasped the complete picture of the Holy Grail," Irisviel wasn't too surprised.

"Yes," Artoria nodded.

"So…what happened to the Holy Grail?" Irisviel asked.

"According to my sister, with the testimony of the supervisor from the Holy Church, the Greater Holy Grail was contaminated during the Third Holy Grail War." Artoria's expression was very heavy. "And the source of the contamination points to your family, Irisviel. During the last war, they summoned an Avenger of an unclassified class, Angra Mainyu, who symbolizes all the evil in this world."

Irisviel smiled wearily, "If that's the case, then it must be true."

"You knew about this, Irisviel?" Artoria was a little surprised.

"I looked into Einzbern's records of their past participation in the Holy Grail War while preparing for this one," Irisviel said. "Perhaps because they failed to win last time after summoning a Servant outside the usual classes, Grandpa made sure Kiritsugu could summon you, Saber."

She smiled apologetically at Artoria, "In fact, I only knew Avenger's real name. The last Holy Grail War ended in vain because the Lesser Holy Grail was destroyed. I'm afraid even the Tohsaka family is unaware of this."

It was because the Einzbern realized that the Holy Grail could easily be destroyed before a winner was decided that they humanized the Holy Grail, giving it intelligence and the ability to act to ensure better protection.

"So I'm sorry, Saber. It was Einzbern who summoned you, but it was also Einzbern who made your wish impossible to fulfill," Irisviel said sadly. "Kiritsugu insists that Mr. Tatsuya was lying, probably because he couldn't accept this fact."

She knew her husband very well. If the Greater Holy Grail had really been tainted by evil, Kiritsugu's wish would likely be granted in the most cruel way possible.

That would only make things worse. If possible, Irisviel really wanted to talk to Kiritsugu again and convince him to give up.

But…was that even possible?

Precisely because she understood Emiya Kiritsugu better than anyone else, and because she understood his long-cherished wish, Irisviel wasn't sure she could convince him.

"No matter what, it's necessary to—"

Artoria tried to express her opinion, but before she could finish, Irisviel's face turned pale.

"Someone… has entered the forest," she said.

Artoria stood up immediately.

Logically, holding a meeting like that today should mean that all the Masters and Servants would tacitly agree to a ceasefire and prepare to purify the Greater Holy Grail, ending this Holy Grail War.

However, Kiritsugu leaving the meeting midway might have been seen as a refusal to accept the proposal, making them a target.

Are they taking this opportunity to eliminate us? Artoria wondered.

"No, the intruder has stopped in the forest," Irisviel tried to concentrate and assess the situation.

But soon, it was too late—for her, for Artoria, and even for Kiritsugu and Maiya, who were making plans in the next room.

A strange magical power enveloped Einzbern Castle. Artoria clearly saw everything before her vanish, leaving only endless darkness and silence.

"This is—!"

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