Chapter 155
The Holy Church.
In the chapel, Risei Kotomine carefully examined the detailed report brought by the church staff, paying particular attention to two points:
"The base of the crane was confirmed to have corroded and broken due to years of exposure to seawater washing ashore. There are no signs of deliberate destruction, and other nearby steel structures were also found to have varying degrees of corrosion from seawater."
"The spotlight circuit shorted due to aging wiring, causing the switch to connect on its own. There is no evidence of tampering."
Holding an identical report was Tokiomi Tohsaka, deep in the basement of the Tohsaka mansion.
"Could it really have been an accident?"
Bound by his family's tradition of never swearing, Tokiomi felt no need to curse but was deeply frustrated. Fate had played a cruel joke. An accident combined with Kirei's distraction had completely derailed his original plan.
At this moment, Tokiomi was unaware of what his Servant and his apprentice were doing or discussing upstairs.
...
Watching the news on TV about more children missing and two families massacred late last night, Shinji felt a mix of sorrow and anger. But knowing he couldn't single-handedly resolve the issue and wasn't a saint, he finally turned off the TV.
From Zayd's report, after tracking Caster last night, Zayd had kept his distance due to the many Assassins surrounding and monitoring Caster's workshop, fearing exposure.
At around three in the morning, Ryuunosuke and Caster left together, committing their crimes without separating. Despite his madness, Caster was exceptionally cautious, leaving Zayd no opportunity to target Ryuunosuke. With Assassins tailing them, any action risked exposure.
Tonight was the best chance to ensure Ryuunosuke's end without revealing himself.
Tonight was not only the night of Kirei's revenge, after being blown up by Kiritsugu, but also the night Caster had an appointment with Saber.
Whether Caster was cautious or not, whether he brought Ryuunosuke to the battlefield, Shinji would not miss this opportunity.
(Note: In the original FZ timeline, Ryuunosuke observed the battle from a distance when Caster went to Einzbern's forest.)
The pace of the Fourth Holy Grail War in FZ was indeed much faster than the Fifth in FSN.
Clenching his fists, feeling the strength that was just a bit beyond ordinary, Shinji's mind entertained the idea that power was important.
Previously, to play along with the system (the "grandpa"), Shinji had superficially pursued power for ten years but treated it as just another tool.
Before the Fifth Holy Grail War, he even believed that a good mind was more essential than strength.
Except for the initially weak Shirou, almost everyone could easily kill him.
Even if Shirou used projection magic, he might not win, given Shirou's extensive combat experience.
His final showdown with Gilgamesh was a one-time fluke. If Gilgamesh hadn't been so prideful, even using the weakest treasures from his vault would have turned Shinji into dust.
Yet, he managed to play his cards to the end and achieved his original goal.
In this Holy Grail War, ignoring the tragedies, there was no real chance of failure.
"A sharp mind ensures victory, but strength is a tool to prevent excessive tragedy."
Realizing this, Shinji awkwardly smiled, feeling an odd sense of realization, akin to a cliché notion from past novels about "the supremacy of the strong."
It was hard to say whether to laugh or cry at this mundane truth of the world.
Of course, such thoughts didn't stem from a sense of responsibility for the deaths of others.
Shinji, educated as he was, felt sympathy but no personal guilt or responsibility for their deaths. He merely noted that greater strength might have prevented some tragedies and freed him from always fearing exposure.
"System, do you think I'm too cold-blooded?"
"Comparative analysis: you are more humane than 99.9% of magi."
Shinji's eye twitched as he smirked, "Are you asking for trouble? You're comparing me, a decent human being, to those who are barely human?"
Ignoring the system, Shinji decided to take a break, meeting the receptionist from the Hyatt Hotel who had asked him out, despite knowing he had a fiancée.
"Please, don't change your uniform, miss!"
...
Shinji felt a bit awkward, finding out that the room next to where he had spent an enjoyable few hours with the receptionist belonged to Zouken Matou.
He hadn't anticipated this development at all!
At five in the afternoon, after bidding farewell to the receptionist, whose legs were still trembling, Shinji returned to the hotel.
Sneaking into Zouken's room, he saw the old man still asleep, evidently having had a wild night.
Shinji was speechless. Zouken was consistently weak in every world, yet Shinji still saw him as his father in this life.
Regardless, Zouken would likely live a normal life after the war.
As for Kariya, he would have to take on more responsibilities, whether he liked it or not.
Watching the sleeping Zouken occasionally giggle in his sleep, Shinji shook his head and left.
...
At night, as the clock's hour hand approached ten, Shinji received Zayd's report.
Caster and Ryuunosuke were leading a group of children towards Einzbern's castle!
...
Kirei was frustrated. Under his father's protection at the Holy Church, he could sneak out. But staying with his nominal teacher, Tokiomi, added many restrictions.
His urge to meet that man (Kiritsugu) was uncontrollable. Even knowing from Assassin's reports that Caster and Lancer were heading to Einzbern, he couldn't suppress this desire.
Even if facing a mage of Kayneth's caliber, he couldn't quell this insistent yearning.
After spending an afternoon "enlightening" Kirei, Gilgamesh chuckled lightly.
"What are you hesitating about?"
Kirei frowned without speaking.
"Go. Tokiomi won't say much. And since you're now a free Master, why remain bound by such trivialities?"
"I'm helping my teacher voluntarily..."
Seeing Gilgamesh's disinterested expression, Kirei stopped talking, silently leaving the room.
At that moment, Gilgamesh's eyes sparkled with interest.
...
When Kirei requested to personally monitor Caster, Tokiomi's first reaction was to refuse. But considering Kirei's report that Caster and his Master were both out, he reconsidered.
After a moment of thought, Tokiomi agreed. If someone else killed Caster today, it would be disastrous.
"Before my Archer acts, ensure Caster isn't killed by anyone else. I know it's a tough task, but given my strained relationship with Archer, you're my best bet, Kirei."
"I'll do my best, teacher."
Kirei nodded and left the dim basement.
Watching Kirei's reliable back, Tokiomi felt fortunate to have such a disciple. Even without the Church's blatant support, with his disciple, the Grail was still within reach.
At that moment, Tokiomi didn't notice the look of longing on Kirei's face as he turned away.
...
Einzbern Forest. Shinji had never ventured there in his previous life.
He only glimpsed it once through Illya's magical projection.
He had no desire to explore it. According to Zayd, Caster led the children inside, hiding Ryuunosuke outside.
While searching for Ryuunosuke, Shinji discovered something odd—Kirei was there!
After a brief shock, Shinji understood. Kirei either sneaked out or made an excuse.
Watching Kirei sprinting, Shinji couldn't help but admire his determination to see Kiritsugu.
Even losing his freedom, he found ways to meet him, even sprinting to do so!
Isn't this love?
Shinji dismissed the thought and noticed Ryuunosuke, hidden and peeking into the distance.
Seeing no one else around, Shinji approached Ryuunosuke and removed his invisibility cloak.
"Do you want to know the true meaning of death, Ryuunosuke?"
Hearing the calm voice, Ryuunosuke turned without hesitation.
Before he could speak, a fine line cut through, and Ryuunosuke's vision faded. He felt himself lift off the ground.
"Sorry, I won't give you the chance to find out."
Ignoring the twitching headless body, Shinji sheathed his sword, donned his invisibility cloak, and turned away.
This was the most fitting death for Ryuunosuke.