Holy Relics and Servants (Continued)

Upon hearing the Servant, Rovey couldn't help but wonder what kind of Servant Rin Tohsaka would summon.

"What Servant I summon?"

Upon hearing Rin Tohsaka's body trembled slightly. She looked at Rovey with despair and asked:

"Do I have any choice now besides leaving it to fate?"

Without any Sacred Relic, Rin Tohsaka can only rely on luck, that is, use affinity to summon.

"Looks like you don't have any left. Who told you to use that pointless pride to refuse to borrow Sacred Relic from me?" Rovey shook his head and said, "You really are a prime example of someone who suffers for the sake of saving face, Rin Tohsaka."

"None of your business!"

Rin Tohsaka gets annoyed whenever this is mentioned, not because of her modesty, but because of the promise she made when she was arguing with Luvia.

Because Rin Tohsaka was still unconvinced after losing to her opponent in the arena, she made a bold statement, challenging him to a decisive victory in this Holy Grail War.

Luvia readily accepted, but on one condition: Rin Tohsaka had to fight her to the death using her true abilities.

If you're shameless enough to ask Rovey for help, then there's no point in competing. And this also proves that Rin Tohsaka is a loser who would lose to her without external assistance.

Therefore, Rin Tohsaka is now in a dilemma.

If she borrowed Sacred Relic Rovey, she would definitely be able to choose Sacred Relic that satisfied her, but such an act would be tantamount to automatically admitting defeat, and she would be ridiculed by Luvia and then nailed to the pillar of shame.

Rin Tohsaka would rather lose than suffer such humiliation.

This leads to the strange situation where you don't have Sacred Relic and are planning to use synergy summoning.

In response, Rovey could only express his respect.

"You don't need to be so pessimistic. Maybe you'll get lucky and draw a very powerful Servant."

Looking at Rin Tohsaka's dejected face, Rovey thought carefully for a moment, then said, "After all, that summoning can't fail no matter what, right? It's arguably the most reliable one."

"You're right! I'm Rin Tohsaka! How can I give up so easily?"

To be fair, although Rin Tohsaka is a bit unreliable, her personality and spirit are still fine. With just a few words of simple encouragement, she, who was originally depressed, seemed to see hope again, sat up, and said with unwavering determination.

"With my exceptional luck and affinity, I believe the Servant resonates with me must be among the strongest! How could a mere Sacred Relic possibly compare to my fortune and affinity!"

Speaking of which...

If Rin Tohsaka uses a compatibility summon, what will she ultimately summon?

Is Red Archer?

Logically speaking, it should be this person.

But...

In this World Line, Shirou is Kotomine Shirou, and no matter how things change, he won't become like Red Archer, so this option can almost be ruled out.

So, besides Red Archer), who is the Servant has excellent compatibility with Rin Tohsaka and can get along perfectly?

Miser, willful, stingy, unreasonable...

An extremely obsessed servant with jewels, with a perpetually poor appearance, who seems incredibly capable most of the time but always fails miserably at crucial moments and habitually betrays the Servant of others...

In an instant, Rovey immediately thought of a certain guy who had been completely fooled by him and Gilgamesh.

That's a really big problem, you know.

So... maybe it really is that...

Now that we already know Rin Tohsaka will summon a huge problem, are we really just going to stand by and watch her do it?

Rovey.

But when he thought of Rin Tohsaka's confident words and boast that she could solve everything without his intervention, he knew very well that even if he tried to stop her, she probably wouldn't listen.

So...

Let's leave it to the professionals to handle.

So, it happened at Emiya Kiritsugu's house.

Knowing that Emiya Kiritsugu had appeared in Fuyuki City and was preparing to participate in the Holy Grail War to protect his daughter Kirei Kotomine was having tea with him, exchanging stories about their past years.

Meanwhile, the snow-white elf, Illya, was playing in the courtyard with a guard who was over two meters tall, with dark skin, and as tall as an iron tower.

What should have been a heartwarming scene turned into a rather unsettling experience for Kirei Kotomine upstairs.

In his eyes, the scene had a beauty and the beast feel to it, no, it should be described as a loli and a titan.

Because he could sense the terrifying power hidden within that body, this sense of oppression—as Master had once cooperated with Gilgamesh, he was very clear about what it represented; it was the power of a top-tier Servant.

At this moment, Kirei Kotomine could fully imagine what would happen if his opponent truly went all out in the fight...

Fuyuki City might just take off overnight!

It seemed to be to verify Kirei Kotomine's conjecture, or perhaps he had noticed her spying.

The dark giant, who was playing with Illya, suddenly turned his head and looked at Kirei Kotomine above him. In that brief moment of eye contact, Kirei Kotomine felt as if a giant arrow was about to pierce his heart.

That's absolutely terrifying...

If Gilgamesh is the strongest king, then this one can almost be considered the strongest hero or warrior.

Fortunately, the other party was Emiya Kiritsugu Servant had no intention of killing him; otherwise, he would already be dead from that brief moment of spying.

"What's wrong, Archer?"

In the courtyard, Illya, who had been trying to catch butterflies but was at a loss because they flew too high, curiously looked at the black giant beside her who was observing Kirei Kotomine.

"It's nothing... Illya."

The black giant turned its head again after hearing Illya's call, and then looked down at her.

Compared to the coldness and terror in his eyes when he stared at Kirei Kotomine, the black giant now acted like a father when facing Illya, his eyes filled with tenderness.

He looked up following Illya's finger and quickly spotted a white butterfly perched on a tree.

However, the black giant did not simply pluck the butterfly and hand it to Illya. Instead, he bent down his towering body, stretched out his broad hands, gently lifted Illya, and placed her steadily on his shoulders, acting as a ladder so that Illya could reach out and touch the snow-white butterfly.

Then, Illya easily placed the fluttering butterfly in her palm, a bright and happy smile spreading across her face.

In the eyes of the black giant, that smile was so beautiful and pure, something he would protect at any cost, and something precious that he had once failed to protect with his own hands.

"Illya ..."

He murmured softly, but his words did not reach Illya's ears.

At this very moment, Illya was busy releasing the butterfly in her hand into the sky, giving it its freedom.

Then, she lowered her head and asked if the black giant had just been calling her.

The black giant did not answer, but a slight smile appeared on his lips.

Even without that memory.

Even if it's not that time and space.

Even though she doesn't know herself at all.

But none of that matters.

This time, he would protect Illya's life no matter what, and use his bow and arrow to shoot through any enemy that might harm her.

Even if that golden guy reappears, the ending won't change.

"Archer..."

Watching the Servant below getting along well with his daughter, Emiya Kiritsugu, who was chatting with Kirei Kotomine above, felt somewhat at ease. He had absolute confidence in the strength of this powerful hero.

If he had summoned himself instead of King Arthur in the last Holy Grail War, perhaps even Gilgamesh would not have been his match.

But now all of that is in the past.

He no longer craves the Holy Grail; his former desires and dreams have long since vanished. He is no longer the Magus Killer; now he is simply a father who wants to protect his daughter.

Kirei Kotomine also expressed his support for this.

After all, they are both fathers and have a daughter, so they can be said to understand each other the most.

Upon hearing Emiya Kiritsugu's wish, or rather, his goal, even Kirei Kotomine was moved and wanted to lend him a hand.

However, he now bears a responsibility, serving as the referee in the Holy Grail War, and cannot afford to be biased or cheat; otherwise, he might really have to team up with Emiya Kiritsugu to fight.

He apologized to Emiya Kiritsugu for this.

Upon hearing this, Emiya Kiritsugu naturally didn't think anything of it. This was a debt he owed alone; how could it possibly involve Kirei Kotomine, someone who had already reformed and started a new life, and cause her to make mistakes for him again?

He and his Servant will protect Illya.

After learning of Emiya Kiritsugu, Kirei Kotomine couldn't help but chuckle. Although he couldn't personally lend a hand, as a friend, he naturally offered Emiya Kiritsugu a great deal of assistance.

For example, he directly told Emiya Kiritsugu about the map of Fuyuki City, both the visible and underground sections, as well as the various hidden alleys and even the Ley Line, hoping it would be helpful. Then there was the information about the other groups' personnel.

Just like when he helped Rovey, Kirei Kotomine told Emiya Kiritsugu everything he knew, warned him to be careful, and then could only wish him success.

Then Kirei Kotomine looked down again at the white elf playing with the black giant, a hint of reminiscence appearing in his eyes.

Once upon a time, when he welcomed Karen back, he must have envisioned this kind of life, and longed for this kind of daughter, except...

Compared to the lively and agile Illya, Karen, who always slacked off during training and liked to cause trouble for her, was clearly much more troublesome.

Over the years, Kirei Kotomine has come to realize that the reason he couldn't feel his heart beating before was simply because he hadn't spent enough time with his daughter. If he had, his heart would have been pounding with anger every day.

They really are a handful.

However... this feeling isn't bad either.

"Well then, I'll take my leave now."

After learning everything about Emiya Kiritsugu, Kirei Kotomine offered him the last bit of help he could before getting up to leave, knowing that he would be the busiest person after the Holy Grail War began.

"Okay, goodbye."

Emiya Kiritsugu also slowly rose, preparing to see off his old friend.

However, at that moment...

Beep beep beep--!!

Suddenly, Kirei Kotomine's phone, which was in his clothes, rang. He took it out of his pocket and answered it.

Then, he immediately heard some terrible news that made his heart race.

"Hello, is this Kirei Kotomine? Yes, it's me, Rovey. I have some news for you, which is—you must be prepared for a series of gas explosions in Fuyuki City during this Holy Grail War."

Are you kidding me?

Upon hearing Rovey's voice, Kirei Kotomine couldn't help but shudder.

Give me a reason.

He couldn't help but ask.

"I'm not joking with you. Why?" Rovey Wei asked. "It's because Rin Tohsaka is preparing to summon Servant using affinity."

"So what? Isn't this normal...?"

"Wrong!"

Just as Kirei Kotomine was about to reply, he suddenly realized that something was amiss.

"Who are you suggesting is the one who summoned you based on affinity?"

"Rin Tohsaka, you probably guessed how troublesome it would be to apply that guy's personality to Servant, right?"

"Yes... Just thinking about it, I can picture the scene of the Fuyuki City bank being robbed."

Kirei Kotomine covered his forehead. "Why didn't you stop her? Don't you have a lot of Sacred Relic?"

"There are many, but she told Luvia that she wanted to win through her own strength, so neither side relied on my help."

Kirei Kotomine: "So what do I do? Aren't you even concerned about how I feel?"

"Actually, it's not a big deal, you don't need to be so desperate. Also, there seems to be some noise over there, is it with Emiya Kiritsugu? It seems you've already met. Then you should have seen the Servant I summoned with Emiya Kiritsugu's Sacred Relic. Anyway, no matter how crazy the Servant Rin Tohsaka summons using affinity is, it will never be stronger than the Servant, so just relax. You've already dealt with it once, so it's not a big deal if it happens again."

Then, amidst Kirei Kotomine's speechless sobs, Rovey hung up the phone and successfully delivered the bad news to Kirei Kotomine.

At this moment, Kirei Kotomine, who had been in a good mood, suddenly felt dizzy. He decided he needed to contact the gas company and the relevant construction departments in Fuyuki City.

One can only imagine how lively this night will be.

Meanwhile, Emiya Kiritsugu had been chatting amiably with Kirei Kotomine, suddenly sat back down on the sofa as if he had been struck by something, and couldn't help but wonder what had happened.