Dead Apostle Princess

Hearing this, Emiya Kiritsugu opened and closed his mouth, falling into a brief silence as he began to think seriously.

There was no doubt that the girl before him was an astonishingly gifted existence. The True Ancestor Dead Apostles had judged her to be someone who would drive the progress of the times, and she stood at the pinnacle of magecraft.

Perhaps this girl really could answer his question.

After all, Aozaki Touko was a widely acknowledged genius. Doing something beyond common sense was not actually impossible for her.

Then, he answered in a low voice:

"Because of justice. If I don't kill my father, sooner or later more people will die because of him."

"Is that so? Because of justice?"

She did not press him further, as if she had known the dream in his heart long ago and was merely waiting for him to answer.

The genius girl gently tucked back the hair beside her ear, lowered her head, and continued carefully piecing together the stone tablet as she asked:

"What kind of justice do you want? The justice of saving the people before you, or justice on the scale of saving the world?"

"I want to save the world through justice!"

Emiya Kiritsugu gave his answer.

It was the sort of answer that even children could mock, because it was so unrealistic.

But Aozaki Touko did not laugh at him. She merely replied very calmly:

"Did you know? I actually possess the ability to create a Wish-granting device. Barring any accidents, I can fulfill the wishes of most people in this world."

"But for a Wish-granting device to fulfill a wish, there is one prerequisite: it has to know how to fulfill it."

"For example, if someone wishes for immortality, the Wish-granting device will turn the wisher into a Dead Apostle or another immortal species."

"If someone wishes for gold, it will extract the gold buried underground or refine it through alchemy."

"These wishes all have traces that can be followed."

As she spoke, she tilted her head and looked at Emiya Kiritsugu.

"Then, Emiya Kiritsugu, do you know how to save the world? Or how do you define saving the world?"

"Even a Wish-granting device has no way to fulfill a wish without a precise definition."

"Answer me, Emiya Kiritsugu."

"How are you going to save the world?"

The genius girl questioned him like this, and for a moment, he seemed to see a god asking him how he would save humanity.

As long as he could give an answer, the god would immediately fulfill his wish.

The chance to have his wish fulfilled was right before him.

But this man, who yearned for justice more than anyone else,

could not say a word.

Because he did not know how to save the world.

Or rather, he had not even defined what saving the world meant.

Was it a world where everyone had enough to eat and warm clothes to wear?

But after everyone had enough to eat and wear, those things would simply become a matter of course.

People would still feel pain then, because differences would remain among them: differences in social status, differences between spouses, differences in life expectancy, and differences in innate talent.

Even if resources were increased and distributed fairly to everyone,

people would still feel pain.

They would feel pain from boredom, pain from their short lifespans, pain from questions that could not be answered, and pain when compared with the vast universe.

What if everyone wished to become great gods? Would that stop them from suffering?

It still would not, because beings even greater than gods existed above them.

The gods would also feel pain through comparison.

As he pursued the question further, Emiya Kiritsugu felt emptiness. At the end of what he sought, there was nothing.

Emiya Kiritsugu had no way to answer this question.

After remaining silent for a long time, until Aozaki Touko finished assembling the stone tablet, Emiya Kiritsugu finally spoke in a low voice.

"...I don't know."

He answered the question honestly.

Hearing this, Aozaki Touko smiled very gently. She placed a hand against her chest, as if she were radiating the light of a Madonna.

"To be honest, I don't know the answer either. But saving people cannot be wrong. For example, sponsoring poor children so they can attend school, rescuing disaster victims across the country, building more orphanages, and donating funds for the treatment of terminally ill patients—"

She spoke with such gentleness, her unhurried voice like a clear spring flowing through the mountains, making him feel comfortable from the bottom of his heart.

"Boss, are you planning to do charity work?"

Emiya Kiritsugu's tone improved considerably.

For some inexplicable reason, he felt that this woman was not actually so bad.

With such a compassionate heart, it seemed he had misunderstood Aozaki Touko somewhat before.

"Mm... No!"

Aozaki Touko shook her head and said with a gentle smile, "But I can accept commissions from others to handle charitable work. If some thief is willing to donate the property he stole, I'm willing to help sell it and then use my connections to establish charitable organizations."

Her gentle words, like those of a saint, echoed through the magecraft workshop. But to Emiya Kiritsugu, she seemed more like a demon—a female demon tempting people to fall.

This malicious woman had actually set her sights on the antiques and treasures he had stolen along the way.

That was supposed to be the money he would use to buy his freedom.

If he donated it to charity, he would never be able to escape this malicious woman for the rest of his life.

But... what this woman said made an inexplicable amount of sense.

If he let this woman manage the money, there was no doubt that the charity would achieve the greatest possible results.

Because this woman was a genius.

And compared to working as a mercenary, he could save hundreds of times more people.

That undoubtedly aligned with his view of justice.

But his pride still would not allow this woman to lead him around by the nose.

For a moment, he fell into a state of conflict.

In the end, he looked up and said,

"Sure enough, you really are a demon, aren't you?"

Chapter 66: Dead Apostle Princess

He walked out of the magecraft workshop.

Emiya Kiritsugu looked up at the sky and unexpectedly felt somewhat relaxed.

Just now, he had agreed to Aozaki Touko's conditions and would use all his money for charity.

Logically speaking, he had unquestionably suffered a loss.

Aozaki Touko could use his money to gain a good reputation while he received nothing in return. It was practically the most unprofitable deal imaginable.

Yet his heart had unexpectedly settled down, as if he had found peace after gaining a clear goal.

The existence known as Aozaki Touko had confined him to a small range, leaving him able to act only within that framework.

He could no longer pursue the justice of saving the world, because he owed Aozaki Touko two hundred million dollars.

And if he wanted to repay two hundred million dollars, he would have to stop making charitable donations. That meant the people who should have benefited from those two hundred million dollars would once again fall into darkness.

If he did not repay it, he would be controlled by Aozaki Touko for the rest of his life. As for resisting, that was simply impossible. There was no way he could defeat someone that powerful.

There was nothing he could do about it, right?

Now, he could only carry out justice according to Aozaki Touko's plans.

Despite how stifling this was, Emiya Kiritsugu unexpectedly felt refreshed.

Tsk... Thinking about it, it was actually rather frightening.

Could that woman have already calculated his current state of mind?

It felt as if he had been sold and was still helping count the money.

Time flashed by, and three months passed.

The cold winds faded away, the accumulated snow melted, and wherever the spring breeze passed, greenery sprouted from the earth.

At this time, on the streets of London, two breathtakingly beautiful girls held hands as they entered a women's clothing store together, accompanied by a little golden-haired girl in a Lolita outfit.

"Touko, do you think I look good like this?"

Irisviel gently spun around. Her pure white long dress billowed, matched with the large white hat on her head. She was as beautiful as a blooming lily flower, brimming with the freshness and fashion of a youthful girl.

"Very pretty, very pretty."

Aozaki Touko nodded. Seeing this, Irisviel smiled sweetly and turned to the salesgirl.

"Mm... I'll take this one too."

"Of course. I'll wrap it up for you right away."

The salesgirl hurriedly nodded. Then, she skillfully took out another outfit and beamed brightly.

"I think this black dress would suit you as well, miss."

As she spoke, she held the dress up in front of Aozaki Touko.

It was a long black dress with layered hems of varying lengths. Portions around the waist and back were cut out, and several black roses had been sewn into the garment.

"Mm... This one is fine too."

Aozaki Touko nodded in satisfaction and handed it to Irisviel.

"Would you like to try it?"

"Mm-hmm."

Irisviel nodded, then hugged the black dress and went into the fitting room.

The salesgirl suppressed the corners of her raised lips and hurriedly scanned the store, beginning to think about whether there were any more expensive outfits that matched Miss Touko's tastes.

This wealthy customer never asked about prices. If she liked something, she simply bought it. A customer like that was a once-in-a-century opportunity, and the salesgirl had to seize it and sell as many clothes as possible.

If necessary, transferring clothes over from other stores was not out of the question, either.

"...Touko, how much longer are we staying here?"

Beside her, Beo sat obediently and blinked. She reached out to tug at Aozaki Touko's clothes and spoke softly:

"Didn't you say we were coming out to have fun? Are you planning to spend the whole time trying on clothes here?"

"Mm... Then let's buy them all."

Aozaki Touko thought for a moment, then turned to the salesgirl. "Sorry for the trouble, but please pack all the clothes up. Someone will come by to collect them later."

"...Of course."

The salesgirl's expression stiffened. She forced out a smile, then turned and began packing the clothes.

"Touko, what do you think of this one?"

Before long, Irisviel came out. She gently swayed the black dress and looked at her expectantly.

"Very pretty, very pretty."

Aozaki Touko hurriedly nodded. In her eyes, Irisviel looked good in anything. She was not just being polite—when someone was beautiful, everything looked good on her.

"However, my adorable wife, I think we should go have a cup of coffee and relax now."