Becoming Aozaki Touko's Life

Hearing this, Emiya Kiritsugu opened his mouth, fell into a brief silence, and began to ponder seriously.

What kind of existence was this young girl before him? Without a doubt, she was an astonishingly talented individual, someone the True Ancestor Dead Apostles had evaluated as capable of advancing the era, and one who stood at the pinnacle of magic.

Perhaps this girl could truly answer his questions.

After all, Aozaki Touko was a well-known genius, capable of accomplishing things that defied common sense, so it wasn't impossible.

Then, he replied in a low voice:

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

"Is that so? Because of justice?"

She didn't press further, as if she already knew the dream in his heart and was merely waiting for him to answer her question.

The genius girl lightly tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, lowered her head, and continued to meticulously assemble the stone slab, asking as she did:

"What kind of justice do you desire? The justice of saving those before you, or the justice of saving the world?"

"I want the justice of saving the world!"

Emiya Kiritsugu spoke his answer.

This was a statement that even a child might mock, for it was so impractical.

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

"You know, I actually possess the ability to create a wish-granting machine. If nothing unexpected happens, I can fulfill the wishes of most people in this world."

"However, there's a prerequisite for the wish-granting machine to grant a wish, and that is knowing how to fulfill it."

"For example, if you wish for immortality, the wish-granting machine will turn the wish-maker into a Dead Apostle, or perhaps another immortal being."

"If you wish for gold, it will extract gold buried underground, or perhaps refine it through alchemy."

"These wishes are actually all traceable."

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

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

"Wishes like this, which lack precise definitions, cannot be fulfilled even by a wish-granting machine."

"Answer me, Emiya Kiritsugu."

"How will you save the world?"

The genius girl questioned him thus, and faintly, he felt as though he saw a deity asking him how to save humanity.

As long as he could answer, the deity would immediately grant his wish.

The wish-granting machine was right before him.

However, this man, who yearned for justice more than anyone else, could not utter a single word.

Because he didn't know how to save the world.

Or rather, he hadn't even defined what saving the world was.

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

But once everyone had enough to eat and wear, it would become the norm.

At that time, people would still feel pain because of the differences between them—the gaps in social status, the disparities between partners, and even the differences in lifespan and innate talents.

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 unanswered questions, pain from comparing themselves to the vast universe.

What if he wished for everyone to become great deities? Would that eliminate the pain?

They would still feel it, because above the deities, there were even greater existences.

Deities would also feel pain through comparison.

Chasing this line of thought, Emiya Kiritsugu felt a sense of emptiness. The end he sought was nothing.

Emiya Kiritsugu could not answer this question.

After a long silence, until Aozaki Touko had finished assembling the stone slab, Emiya Kiritsugu finally spoke in a low voice.

"...I don't know~"

He answered the question truthfully.

Hearing this, Aozaki Touko smiled very gently. She placed her hand over her chest, as if emanating a saintly radiance.

"I don't know the answer to this question either, but saving people is never wrong. For example, sponsoring poor children's education, rescuing disaster victims, building more orphanages, and donating to the funds for those with terminal illnesses."

She spoke so gently, her unhurried voice like a clear spring in a mountain stream, bringing a comfort that came from the heart.

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

Emiya Kiritsugu's tone had improved considerably.

He inexplicably felt that this woman wasn't so terrible after all.

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

"Mmm... No!"

Aozaki Touko shook her head, a gentle smile on her face as she said, "But I can accept commissions for charity work. If any great thief is willing to donate their ill-gotten gains, I'm willing to help sell them and use my connections to establish a charity."

Her words, as gentle as a saint's, echoed in the magic workshop. However, to Emiya Kiritsugu, they sounded like the temptations of a demon, a female demon luring him to his downfall.

This wicked woman was actually eyeing the antique treasures he'd acquired through robbery.

He had originally intended to use that money for his own freedom.

If he were to donate it to charity, he would never escape this wicked woman's clutches.

But... what this woman said made a strange kind of sense.

If he let this woman manage the money, there was no doubt the charity would benefit maximally.

Because this woman was a genius.

And he could save hundreds of times more people than he could as a mercenary.

This undoubtedly aligned with his sense of justice.

However, his pride wouldn't allow him to be led around by this woman.

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

Finally, he looked up and said, "You really are a demon, aren't you!"

Chapter Sixty-Six: Dead Apostle Princess

He walked out of the magic workshop.

Emiya Kiritsugu looked up at the sky, feeling an unexpected sense of relief.

He had just agreed to Aozaki Touko's terms and would be using all his wealth for charity.

Logically, he should have been at a loss.

Aozaki Touko could use his money to gain a good reputation, while he gained nothing – it was the worst possible deal.

Yet, his heart felt surprisingly calm, a sense of peace as if he had found a clear goal.

The existence known as Aozaki Touko had confined him to a small scope, allowing him 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 US dollars.

And to repay that debt, he would have to stop his charitable donations, which meant the people who should have benefited from those two hundred million dollars would be plunged back into darkness.

If he didn't repay it, he would be controlled by Aozaki Touko for the rest of his life. As for resisting, that was impossible; he couldn't possibly defeat such a powerful individual.

What else could he do?

He could only enact justice according to Aozaki Touko's plan.

Despite the frustrating nature of this situation, Emiya Kiritsugu felt strangely invigorated.

Tsk... Thinking about it was rather terrifying.

Had that woman perhaps calculated his current state of mind?

He felt like he'd been sold and was helping count the money.

Time flew by, and three months passed.

The cold wind receded, the snow melted, and where the spring breeze swept, greenery emerged from the earth.

At this time, on the streets of London, two stunningly beautiful girls

Aozaki Touko nodded in satisfaction, then handed it to Irisviel.

"Want to give it a try?"

"Mhm."

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

Meanwhile, the saleswoman, suppressing the corners of her lips that were starting to curl up, quickly scanned the store again, beginning to ponder if there were any other more expensive outfits that might suit Miss Touko's taste.

This rich lady never asked the price when looking at clothes; she'd buy anything that caught her eye. Customers like this were rare, appearing perhaps once a century. She absolutely had to seize this opportunity to sell as many clothes as possible.

If necessary, it wasn't out of the question to transfer clothes from other stores.

"...Touko, how much longer are we going to be here?"

Beside her, Beo, who had been sitting obediently, blinked her eyes, reached out to tug at Aozaki Touko's clothes, and said softly:

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

"Hmm... Then let's not buy them."

Aozaki Touko thought for a moment, then turned to the saleswoman and said, "Please pack all of these up. Someone will come to collect them later."

"...Alright."

The saleswoman's expression stiffened. She forced a smile, then turned to start packaging the clothes.

"Touko, is this one okay?"

A short while later, Irisviel emerged, swaying slightly in the black dress, looking at Touko with an expectant expression.

"It looks great, it looks great."

Aozaki Touko quickly nodded. In her eyes, Irisviel looked good in anything. Her words weren't just perfunctory; after all, when someone is beautiful, they look good in whatever they wear.

"However, my lovely wife, it's time we went for a relaxing cup of coffee."