Subtle Wish

Very soon, the Greater Grail was summoned. Its enormous circular form, along with the statue of Justicia within it, proved beyond doubt that this was an artificial wonder.

"This is..." Irisviel stared at Justicia, who looked so much like herself, too shocked to speak.

Kiritsugu Emiya's gaze sharpened when he saw the Greater Grail. Was this the Greater Grail he had been pursuing?

Mo Li turned to Ritsuka Fujimaru and Mash Kyrielight, warning them, "Either stay outside with Medea and wait, or, if you enter the Grail, remember not to succumb to any of its temptations. The Black Grail has extremely demanding requirements for use. Without sound logic and sufficient knowledge, getting killed by the Black Grail is perfectly normal."

Ritsuka Fujimaru jumped in fright. "It can kill the person making the wish?! It's already absurd enough as an all-purpose wish-granting machine, but actively screwing over and killing its wish-maker is way too absurd!"

Mash Kyrielight said in shock, "Exactly! Can something like that really still count as a wish-granting machine? It even harms the person making the wish..."

"Why else would it be called the Black Grail?" Mo Li shook his head slightly and looked toward the stairs Medea had summoned, which led into the Grail. "All right. If you want to see how this Black Grail tempts and deceives people, follow me up now. Remember: inside is Angra Mainyu, All the World's Evil. No matter who he turns into, do not be fooled. He is the weakest Servant, but if you are deceived by him and become tainted by All the World's Evil, he becomes the most troublesome Servant of all."

It was like a Yu-Gi-Oh card: when a card looked weak, had a low level, and possessed zero attack and defense, you knew it had to be a boss in some particular field.

And this Angra Mainyu was particularly restless. He had popped up to cause trouble in FZ, FST, and FHO alike. Even death could not keep him quiet.

However, Angra Mainyu was not the only one calling the shots inside the Grail. Justicia was there as well; she was simply quieter. The one who was lively and loved causing trouble was Angra Mainyu.

Mo Li took the lead up the stairs, followed by everyone else.

Ritsuka Fujimaru and Mash Kyrielight did not move, remaining outside to wait with Medea.

After everyone had entered, Medea asked the two of them, "Where exactly did you two come from? Mo Li seems very concerned about you..."

Ritsuka Fujimaru gave a helpless smile. "I didn't expect it either. We had only just arrived here when we met Senior Mo. Strictly speaking, we haven't even known each other for a full day. Senior Mo has his reasons for caring so much about us. We don't intend to pry, but he really does care about us."

Mash Kyrielight added from the side, "Mm. Senior Mo has been very good to us."

Medea was somewhat dumbfounded. "Wait, you mean you two became that close to him in just one day? You aren't bothered by it? You haven't even known each other for a whole day!"

At that, Ritsuka Fujimaru and Mash Kyrielight exchanged a glance, both feeling rather awkward. How were they supposed to explain that Mo Li knew virtually everything about them? The three sets of clothes were exceptionally well-fitted and suited their preferences, which already said a great deal.

Were they supposed to tell Medea that, to Mo Li, the two of them had long been very close friends?

Seeing the two exchange a look as though their hearts were connected, Medea gritted her teeth in anger. How had another woman appeared while she had been busy obsessing over Artoria?!

No, if she did not take the initiative soon, Mo Li would probably be snatched away! She had clearly been here first!

Inside the Grail, regardless of what the others encountered, Mo Li existed alone in a world of his own. Fine rain fell beneath an endless overcast sky. The entire world was gray in the heavens and scarlet in the sea.

Even the mud and sand beneath his feet resembled gray ash.

Mo Li looked around and said, "So this is the inside of the Grail. As expected, it isn't as beautiful as the world of Heaven's Feel."

"Then, now that you have come to this place, is there any wish you would like to make?"

A voice as gentle as water came from behind Mo Li. He turned around and saw Justicia, dressed in black robes and wearing a black crown. "Justicia..."

Mo Li looked at Justicia for a long while. She maintained her smile throughout, and he smiled as well. "As for a wish, I do have one. But could you first tell me whether you are Angra Mainyu, All the World's Evil, or the corrupted Black Grail?"

Justicia giggled. "Oh? You seem quite familiar with this place, despite only having just entered the Grail. It seems the outside world has already noticed the problem within the Grail~ Hahaha, they aren't too slow, are they~"

Mo Li remained unmoved. "Answer my question."

"As you can see, the one who came to meet you is me, Justicia. There are too many people this time, so Angra Mainyu is busy dealing with those troublesome fellows. As for you, the leader, I came to meet you myself~"

"Then my answer is this, Justicia: I came here to revive you. If we succeed later, my wish will be for Justicia herself to ask me to make a wish that will bring her completely back to life."

Mo Li's words were shocking enough to leave even Justicia, in her state as the Black Grail, stunned.

Justicia: "..."

Justicia had never truly died. Her consciousness still remained within the Greater Grail. Using the Third Magic Heaven's Feel to completely revive her was indeed possible.

Then, as though something within her had broken, Justicia seemed to have found something fascinating while constantly restraining herself from destroying it. She gave Mo Li a subtle smile. "Hahaha! How strange. To think your wish would be something like that!"

Justicia stared intently at Mo Li. "My, my~ You actually want to revive a dead person from several centuries ago like me. Such a startling wish... So, is there anything you wish to say to me?"

"I like you, Justicia." The emotionless words that came from Mo Li's mouth silenced Justicia once more. She looked at his smiling face, trying to find some trace that he was joking.

The two simply looked at one another. Then Justicia burst into laughter. "Pfft~ Hey~ Aren't you younger than me? Is it really all right to say something like that? Still, this feeling is quite interesting~ It's far more interesting than listening to those boring people come and make wishes to me. Are you serious about this confession?"

Mo Li still wore that earnest smile. "I am serious. I like you, Justicia. Do you want me to repeat it again?"

The scarlet sea mingled with darkness silently rose, flooding the land beneath their feet.

"Well then~ As a little diversion, how about you stay here and spend this Holy Grail War with me? Just as you said, prove it to me like this~ If you..."

Mo Li replied without hesitation, "All right."

"If you agree... Wait? You actually agreed?" Justicia's expression turned stunned. This man had truly agreed without hesitation to a request that was obviously a bottomless pit?

Could he really be serious?

Justicia fell silent for a while, deciding not to pursue the subject for now. Instead, she said, "You seem to have come to resolve the corrupted Grail. If you make a wish, then with my Third Magic, I have enough power to eradicate All the World's Evil. I can also serve as an all-purpose wish-granting machine capable of fulfilling any wish with limitless magical energy."

"Speak your heart. Tell me the wish you truly desire! Although the magical energy has not yet been fully gathered, you can treat this as a rehearsal. Make the wish you crave most, then sit back and wait for your dream to come true!"

Mo Li's smile became even more sincere. "My wish? I already told you, Justicia. Justicia herself asks me to make a wish to revive Justicia herself. That is my wish. My only motive is that I like Justicia."

"You?!" Justicia's expression became subtle again. "Do you think this can change anything? Do you think this can win my favor? You should know that I have been dead for at least several centuries. As the Greater Grail, all I need to do is complete the Third Magic Heaven's Feel!"

Mo Li extended his hand and spoke to her earnestly. "I came for salvation, Justicia. I want to save you. You never completely died, did you? You can still be saved."

"Hehe... Hahaha! Salvation? How lamentable, how pitiful, and how tragic! I willingly sacrificed myself to complete the Third Magic Heaven's Feel, yet I need salvation? What a delusion!"

After laughing for a while, Justicia looked at Mo Li with great interest, as if she had seen something amusing. Covering her mouth, she smiled with crescent-shaped eyes. "Heh, are you still half-asleep? Or did you just escape from some hospital?"

Mo Li smiled as well. "Does that matter? Justicia, that is my wish—nothing more. Even if you think you don't need it, I'll force it upon you. After all, right now, you're nothing more than an all-powerful wish-granting machine. Even if you don't want to accept it, you have no choice, do you?"

Seeing that he refused to give up, Justicia asked, "An all-powerful wish-granting machine capable of fulfilling any wish—are you sure you only seek such a simple wish?"

"Of course. My wish isn't complicated. Compared to saving the world or anything like that, I'd rather save the person I love. Though circumstances might force me to save the world too, in the end, the person I love is still more important."

"Hahaha! What a foolish man you are! You would actually give up a wish that could be within your grasp for my sake. So many greater goals await you, yet your wish is so strange..."

Mo Li said, "So what do you think, Justicia?"