Chapter 158: The Survivors (Part 4)

I change the cover to Fujino because to the next arc will cover Kara no Kyoukai.

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Later, Sakura and Kariya returned.

Sakura's eyes were red, as if she had just finished crying, which made Shinji, who was waiting for them at the entrance, feel heartbroken.

"What's wrong, our little princess? Who made you angry? Big brother will beat them up for you."

"No, nobody made me angry." Sakura lowered her head, looking very aggrieved. "I got angry at myself."

"Oh, oh." Shinji's expression became even gentler. He crouched down in front of Sakura, tilted her head up, and looked into her eyes. "Why did you get angry at yourself? Tell your big brother, okay?"

"Well... because I'm useless." Sakura sniffled, tears welling up in her eyes. "Dad has been sick and hasn't been well. My healing magecraft doesn't help at all. If only... if only I could be as amazing as Sensei."

"Silly little fool." Shinji reached out and gently ruffled Sakura's hair. "Sensei wasn't born amazing either. You're still young. As long as you practice hard, one day you'll become as amazing as Sensei."

Just that it would probably take tens of thousands of days, and that's comparing it to the master who is a Servant—Shinji silently added in his mind.

"Really?"

"Of course, it's true. Big brother won't lie to little Sakura."

Sakura's dim eyes finally regained their brightness. "Then I'll work hard and try to become as amazing as Sensei as soon as possible."

Shinji clenched his fist and waved it in front of Sakura. "That's the spirit! Big brother will cheer you on, starting from today."

"Yeah, then I'll go finish today's homework. Before Sensei left, she assigned me so many tasks."

"Go ahead."

Shinji maintained his smile and watched Sakura disappear into the entrance of the underground workshop.

Only at this moment did Kariya, who had been standing nearby like a statue, finally speak. "I knew you could comfort Sakura."

Shinji turned his head and responded with a hint of annoyance, "I also know you couldn't comfort Aunt Aoi."

Kariya's body stiffened, and a helpless expression appeared on his previously unreadable face.

"How did you know?"

"Because only then would you not be in the mood to comfort Sakura, causing her to come back with red eyes."

Shinji knew very well that in Kariya's heart, Aoi was the first, and Rin and Sakura were second. Only when something went wrong with Aoi would he neglect Sakura.

"Is Tohsaka Tokiomii's condition worsening again?"

"Yes," Kariya sighed. "His condition was improving a few days ago, and he could walk around, but it suddenly worsened last night, and he has been unconscious since then."

At the end of the Holy Grail War, Tokiomi fell into madness, and in the end, Shinji couldn't bear to see it and knocked him out with a stick, secretly sending him back to the Tohsaka family.

Since then, Tokiomi's health has been poor, often experiencing high fevers and overall weakness, struggling even to walk.

"Have they found the cause of the illness?"

"No, we've tried both modern medicine and magecraft, but the conclusion is that his body is weak and needs rest. Now we can only wait for Lady Justeaze's analysis results."

Kariya's words puzzled Shinji even more.

"That doesn't make sense. That night, Tokiomi only fought with you, and he suffered external injuries. There's no reason for the injuries to heal while his body becomes weaker."

"It has nothing to do with it."

Converging prana, the voice of Justeaze appeared in the living room.

"The results are in. The cause of Tohsaka Tokiomi's weakness is a curse, the curse of the Holy Grail."

"That's impossible," Shinji stood still, astonished. "Although the curse of the Holy Grail does make a person weaker day by day. When Tokiomi entered Ryuudou Temple, Saber had already destroyed the black mud, the Lesser Grail, and the core. They were all destroyed."

"But that's the result. If it wasn't for direct contact with the curse of the Holy Grail and the precedent of Emiya Kiritsugu, I might not have been able to identify the cause. I believe there must have been a small residue in some corner of the altar at that time, and it happened to come into contact with Tohsaka Tokiomi."

"This is..." Shinji and Kariya exchanged glances and simultaneously showed a bitter smile.

Ignoring the objections of his wife and daughter, Tokiomi single-mindedly pursued the Holy Grail, but instead of obtaining it, he was cursed by it. It was truly an ironic ending.

"Should we save him?" Shinji asked Kariya.

"This question is meaningless. It's not whether we should save him, but whether we can save him." It wasn't Kariya who answered, but Justeaze.

"What do you mean?"

"Tohsaka Tokiomi's situation is more severe than Emiya Kiritsugu's. Kiritsugu was able to effectively suppress the curse by implanting 'Avalon' in time. Tohsaka Tokiomi is different. Although he received a smaller amount of the curse, it has already completely infiltrated his soul and merged with him. At this stage, unless we have the complete 'Third Magic' or a miracle-like time reversal, no one can save Tohsaka Tokiomi."

"Can't the Authority of the Goddess do it? Curses and lifting curses are the expertise of the ancient pharaohs of Egypt." Shinji spoke while manifesting the protective Noble Phantasm he hadn't given to Sakura yet.

"No, it's like cancer. Once cancer cells spread throughout the body, there's no hope. Tohsaka Tokiomi is currently in a state where the cancer cells have spread throughout his body."

Upon hearing Justeaze's explanation, Shinji and Kariya felt relieved and no longer had to grapple with their inner turmoil.

"How long... can he live?" Kariya hesitated for a moment before asking the question that concerned him the most.

"It's uncertain. It depends on his will to survive. It could be as short as a year or two, or as long as three to five years. If he had treasures like the Golden Apples, perhaps he could last a bit longer."

Shinji shrugged at the two of them. "No, the last Golden Apple was consumed by Father. It happened yesterday."

Kariya nodded silently and left the entrance hall. His heart was filled with mixed emotions, and he just wanted some peace.

Shinji and Justeaze maintained a tacit silence. As soon as Kariya left, they moved to another location to continue their conversation.

"How is Emiya Kiritsugu doing?"

"He's recovering well. It will take at most three more days for him to completely lift the curse."

"And Miss Irisviel?"

"No progress. Although we successfully transferred her from Ryuudou Temple to the Emiya household, she cannot leave the leylines, nor can she freely switch between spiritual and physical forms like me. She still needs Kiritsugu and Maiya to regularly replenish her magical energy. If only my 'Third Magic' could be further perfected, they might be able to retrieve their daughter from Einzbern Castle a bit earlier."

"Don't blame yourself. You've already done a great job," Shinji comforted softly. "Without you, Miss Irisviel would have died, with no chance to live together with her husband and daughter again. You gave her a future."

"In that case, it's only natural for the one who gave her that future to want to witness it as well."

Justeaze looked at Shinji with hopeful eyes, and Shinji couldn't refuse that gaze.

He began to ponder, searching his memories from his past life for any useful information. Perhaps there was a fondness for the Emiya family and Irisviel, the kind-hearted woman, buried within Shinji's subconscious. The image of a certain wandering king quickly emerged in his mind.

"Lady Justeaze, let's pay a visit to the Emiya household. I've come up with a solution."

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