Sure enough, some things really were hard to change.
Samael shook his head and leaned back against the stone wall of the cave. His gaze turned toward the boy beneath the moonlight, a boy about to be trapped in some miserable fate, and he asked with a faint smile.
"If I remember correctly, Kiritsugu, your dream is to become Justice's Partner, right?"
His secret declaration to Shayle by the lakeside had been spoken aloud by the mysterious man before him. Kiritsugu Emiya froze. Looking into those eyes that seemed to see through all the chaos of the world, he paused, then came back to himself, bit his lip, and nodded instinctively.
"A lofty ambition. Maybe I can help you."
Samael gestured for the somewhat tense Kiritsugu Emiya to relax and sit down. Then, wearing a faint smile, he mused as casually as if they were chatting.
"But before that, I have a few questions to test you with. I hope you'll follow your heart and answer seriously."
"Yeah..."
Looking at the man who had spared him the guilt of patricide, Kiritsugu Emiya's expression shifted, and he nodded heavily.
"Suppose there are five people in a hospital waiting for organ transplants. One has a shriveled heart, one has necrotic lungs, one has an infected eyeball, one has liver cancer, and one has kidney failure. All five are in mortal danger. Meanwhile, in the next room lies a vegetative patient with healthy organs and a sound body. The five are all elites in their respective fields, while this one person has no family, will basically never wake up, and is useless to the world. Sacrificing one person could bring happiness to many. As Justice's Partner, what would you do?"
"That's murder..."
The boy froze slightly, hesitating.
Samael smiled, his expression unchanged.
"Some