The Strongest Servant

"So, why are you suddenly wearing this outfit again? Is this a classic skin comeback?"

"What's wrong? Is it uncomfortable? Although I haven't worn it in a long time, it should be fine."

Emiya Kiritsugu reached out and tugged hard at his black jacket, feeling it inexplicably tight.

"It's normal for people to gain weight in middle age, isn't it?"

Rovey glanced at Emiya Kiritsugu, who was struggling to put on his old jacket, and smiled, saying, "Besides, your life has changed a long time ago, hasn't it? So it's normal to be lazy, lack exercise, and gain weight."

"You're right... no one can stay the same as they were at the beginning, because everything changes."

Upon hearing this, Emiya Kiritsugu gave a helpless smile.

He is completely different now than he was ten years ago. He no longer needs to travel to the Middle East, North America, and the most dangerous areas of the world every day to fight against Magus and Dead Apostle.

Her dreams and wishes have also changed from grandiose and empty dreams of saving the world to cherishing the people she values, protecting Illya, the most beautiful snowflake, and not letting Maiya Hisau, the woman who has followed her all her life and given everything, down.

At this moment, he was no longer the Magus Killer, but merely a father, a man named Emiya Kiritsugu, and of course, he could no longer wear the things that belonged to the Magus Killer.

The past is gone forever, and I can never recapture it now.

Emiya Kiritsugu tried, but after realizing that he couldn't put on the jacket even if he was prepared to be strangled, he finally gave up and took off the tight-fitting jacket.

"..."

After an awkward silence and a moment of eye contact, he sighed and said, "So, what exactly did you come to see me for? Was it really just to chat?"

"How could that be? I'm actually here to help you solve a problem."

"Solve my problem?"

Emiya Kiritsugu somewhat puzzled.

"Yes, let's listen to the experts' opinions."

Rovey answered his question casually, then looked at the empty air beside him and called out, "Caster, come out and help!"

"..."

The calls echoed, but no one responded.

"..."

Rovey looked speechless, then Emiya Kiritsugu, before calling out to them, "Merry, come out and see your old friend!"

"..."

But still, no one responded.

At this moment, Rovey was stunned. He realized that Merry really wasn't by his side this time, and wasn't playing hide-and-seek with him or throwing a tantrum.

Meanwhile, Emiya Kiritsugu on the other side simply lit a cigarette silently and watched quietly as he began his performance.

He even wondered if Rovey was joking with him.

Never mind, if he's not here, he's not here.

Seeing that Merry hadn't come out, Rovey assumed she had left for some urgent matter, so he spoke up directly.

"In short, as you can see, Emiya Kiritsugu, you are now facing one of the strongest Grand Magus in the entire modern era, and I have summoned Caster, a genuine Great Sage of the Age of Gods. Although I am indeed no match for Aozaki Touko in Puppet Magecraft, I am proficient in other systems of Magecraft. After our last meeting, I seriously considered a solution. I have several ideas, but there is not enough time. This time, I brought my Servant with me so that she could see Illya's situation and then we could think of a solution together."

"I'm so glad to hear you praise me like that. Although I really want to help you, it's indeed a bit difficult, darling."

As soon as Rovey's voice fell, the next moment, Merry's voice suddenly appeared in his ear.

"You're still here? I thought you had left."

Rovey looked at the beautiful figure that had suddenly appeared, somewhat speechless, and said, "You didn't even respond when I called you just now."

"Because I was checking on that little girl just now. I was completely focused on using illusion magic to defend against that powerful Heracles, so of course I didn't have time to respond to you."

"So... you did everything..."

"Yes, I know almost everything."

Merry nodded. "Although I risked being discovered and almost slapped to death, I successfully examined her. Based on my observation, the little girl's condition is indeed similar to what you described; she's reached a critical point."

"Do you have any other way to stop this? The Puppet Magecraft I envisioned is too late. Even Aoko doesn't have the ability to create a vessel that can contain Illya's soul and successfully replace her body in seven days. As for other methods, I can't use divine miracles because I've returned everything to my father. As for the Magecraft aspect, there's no time for either tuning or modification, which is why I came to you."

"As a top Magus of the Age of Gods, and having witnessed Mordred's magic, you should be familiar with Magecraft related to homunculus, right? The Einzbern Family's Magecraft cannot possibly compare to yours."

In terms of Magecraft, Rovey had great confidence in Merry.

Upon hearing about androids, Emiya Kiritsugu's hand holding the cigarette trembled involuntarily, and hope ignited in his eyes.

The Age of Gods Magus was indeed not capable of solving the problem his daughter faced, but if it were Age of Gods Magus who had studied Homunculus Technology, then perhaps...

"If that's your thinking, you're likely to be disappointed."

"I didn't create Mordred. At most, I've only studied her; I'm not an expert. Besides, this little girl is too similar to Mordred in form, completely unlike the most common type of android. You should know this better than I do, right?"

Merry raised a finger and explained, "The purpose of androids is to create a life form similar to a normal human, albeit using Magecraft and incorporating the creator's own ideas. Essentially, it's no different from normal childbirth; both aim to create a life, a normal life. But Mordred, and this little girl, are different. Every bone, every organ, every drop of blood, even every cycle in their bodies is predetermined, designed for a specific purpose. They're less like androids and more like machines, their bodies filled with parts. Their existence is solely for fulfilling that purpose. Mordred's purpose is to unleash enough power to defeat Artoria, and as for this little girl, I don't need to elaborate, right? To give an example..."

"From the moment it was manufactured, its final fate and function were already planned. Once a precise direction was determined, everything else simply needed to be built in that direction. Things like life and health were not considered. Because this machine itself is merely a consumable; its sole purpose in existence is to—"

"Complete the final objective, then destroy."

Emiya Kiritsugu sighed and uttered the outcome he had known all along.

"Yes, it seems you already knew. If things proceed normally, once the Holy Grail War begins, your daughter will inevitably face this fate. Whether the ritual succeeds or fails, she will die. Because she is also part of the Holy Grail War's gear system; once the machine stops running, the gears will stop; once the machine is destroyed, the gears will break down. However..."

Merry glanced at Rovey, then at Emiya Kiritsugu.

"I know that no matter how clearly I explain myself, you humans will not listen. After all, humans only accept the answers they receive when they reach the end."

"Isn't that obvious?"

Rovey began, "If you give up before the very end, what's the difference between that and staying put to die? Right, Emiya Kiritsugu? I know you won't give up easily, so remember this—"

"True Magic and miracles don't come for free."

Rovey nodded, then looked again at Emiya Kiritsugu, whose hands were clenched and whose gaze was resolute.

"..."

Although the other party did not answer, his intentions and thoughts at that moment were already very clear.

Never give up!

"So... you really have no way, Merry?"

Rovey his head and looked at Merry again, asking, "If even I can think of some solutions, I don't believe you're helpless."

"You really trust me... But you're right, this isn't a dead end."

"Do you have a solution? What solution?!"

In a dramatic turn of events, upon hearing these words, Emiya Kiritsugu, who had been filled with grief, felt as if a ray of light had shone into his darkness.

"Don't worry, there are ways, but none of them are simple. The simplest way is to give that little girl a new body, but there's not enough time. And readjusting the internal mechanisms also takes time, so..."

Merry raised a finger and waved it, saying, "No matter what, you must ensure your daughter survives this Holy Grail War uninterrupted. Only then will I have a chance to solve the problem and turn her into a normal person. There is no other way at the moment."

"So, isn't what we need to do now quite clear?"

Upon hearing this, Emiya Kiritsugu pondered for a moment, then replied, "Thank you, I understand."

Then he looked up and made a promise.

"I will never repeat the same mistake again. This time, I will protect everything."

"The courage to fight against all Servant? You're quite something."

Seeing this, Merry narrowed her eyes.

"Although you are prepared and have powerful Servant to help you, the other Servant are not easy opponents either. Can your body... hold up? How long can your current body last?"

In fact, although Emiya Kiritsugu still looks young and strong, he did enter the All the World's Evil, the Black Mud, with Kirei Kotomine. Although he was pulled out in time this time because of Kirei Kotomine's resolve, the Black Mud still affected his body.

This caused his physical functions to gradually decline, and he gradually became somewhat powerless.

After that, Emiya Kiritsugu had no reason to continue fighting, so he reduced his battles, and therefore his physical weaknesses didn't surface for a short time. But once he returned to normal combat, his physical flaws would gradually become apparent. This is why Rovey and Merry advised him against it.

Although Heracles' Hercules is undoubtedly beyond the norm, he is a top-tier Servant on par with Gilgamesh, possessing numerous Noble Phantasm and ridiculously high stats.

However, everything has its advantages and disadvantages.

Just like Karna, although he has both absolute offensive and defensive capabilities, making him an impeccable Servant in every sense, he also has his own drawbacks.

That's the issue of consuming magic power.

If you want to use multiple Noble Phantasm, have top-tier stats, and maintain and utilize these abilities, you inevitably need the Master's Mana supply. This is the drawback of these Servant. Therefore, Servant's strength is linked to their Master. If the Master is too weak, the Servant will also become weak and unable to unleash their full potential.

As for Emiya Kiritsugu, a middle-aged man of mediocre talent who has made no progress in the path of magic throughout his life and has now wasted ten years, he is clearly not worthy of Heracles' Hercules. So it is obvious that if he were to forcefully fight to stop all the masters and servants, his body would undoubtedly suffer a huge burden.

But...

"No problem, I won't give up until I'm sure my daughter is safe and sound."

Emiya Kiritsugu clutched his heart and spoke earnestly.

Tell me, what should I do now?

"Since you're so aware of this, I hope you can do it. It's not complicated at all; I'll handle the troublesome issues for you. All you need to do is..."

"Destroy the Holy Grail Core."

Merry stroked her chin and said, "This will buy you a lot of time, which is more than enough to save your daughter. But remember, just as you thought before, don't let any Servant die during this time, so as not to put any burden on your daughter's body."

"I understand, thank you."

Upon hearing these unsurprising words, Emiya Kiritsugu and then expressed his sincerest gratitude.

"No, it's just a small matter. I also have my own thoughts on it."

Merry smiled, unusually refusing to accept Emiya Kiritsugu's thanks.

"In that case, good luck. But you can rest assured about our group; we don't need the Holy Grail. Now, let's fight well, like a father."

Rovey patted Emiya Kiritsugu on the shoulder, then stood up to leave.

However, just as he was about to leave...

Suddenly--

Boom!!!

A deafening explosion echoed from the direction of the park in Fuyuki City.

The terrifying sound clearly originated from an explosion.

And the explosion that occurred at this specific time would naturally be...

Beep beep beep!

The next moment, Rovey's phone rang.

He picked up his phone and answered immediately; Kirei Kotomine's voice came from the other end.

"What? You mean Rin Tohsaka and Luvia's two goddesses are fighting again? And in broad daylight, early in the morning, and they've already blown a hole in Fuyuki City's Seaside Park. Even a natural gas pipeline explosion can't be covered up, because there are no natural gas pipelines under the park."

How come they've caused trouble again after I wasn't keeping an eye on them for only one morning...?

I'm speechless.

"I understand, I'll go take a look for you."

After hanging up Kirei Kotomine's call, Rovey rubbed his temples.

This situation is causing me a slight headache.

Although Ishtar was expected to go back to seek revenge, it's surprising that she only sulked for one night before returning.

The movement was so fast that it caught him off guard.

So...

We need to stop them before they send Fuyuki City flying into the sky.

Just as he was about to get up, Rovey's eyes subtly changed.

Because he saw that Emiya Kiritsugu, who was sitting to the side, had already stood up and was ready to leave, while the tall, dark-skinned figure draped in a lion's skin stood quietly beside him, the meaning of which was already self-evident.

Chapter 381 The Strongest Servant

It was only a short time ago that Rovey left.

Inside the Tohsaka Family mansion.