The Butterfly's Wings

There was a rare hint of bitterness in Yubstach's voice. "How did you know about this? If the upcoming Fifth Holy Grail War also fails, the Einzbern Family will abandon the Holy Grail. By all rights, no outsider should know that."

The Holy Grail War was both the Einzbern Family's long-cherished wish and a battle for their very survival.

Mo Li said, "...I just know. Does it really matter how I know, Yubstach?"

Yubstach said, "You're right... Mr. Mo Li, there's no need for you to have Kiritsugu Emiya and the others bring back evidence. I used the Einzbern Family's connections and investigated what you said. Those people truly intend to dismantle the Greater Grail. I'll leave the two young members of my family in your care. As beings with the lives of natural humans, they will not perish alongside the Einzbern Family. From now on, they will be the new Einzberns. They can live on as natural humans."

Mo Li said, "Illya is Kiritsugu Emiya's daughter, so it makes sense that she can live as a natural human. But what about Irisviel? She is as pure an Einzbern life-form as they come. And can Illya really live for a long time as a natural human? No matter what, at least half of her comes from Irisviel. Even if I solve the Holy Grail problem, can her soul truly last that long?"

Many works in the Moon World had hinted that Illya's death had never been a matter of her body, but the dissipation of her soul. Her body could be replaced, but with something wrong with her soul, she was destined to be short-lived.

Yubstach said, "That is my responsibility. The Einzbern Family sacrificed too much for the Holy Grail War. We made preparations in advance for a future that had yet to arrive, and that created this problem. But as long as the Lesser Grail system inside her can be resolved, living to fifty should still be possible."

"Fifty..." Mo Li looked at Irisviel. "What about Irisviel? I also intend to resolve the Lesser Grail inside her."

Yubstach said, "It should be about the same."

Hearing this, Kiritsugu Emiya gave a bitter smile and shook his head, taking Irisviel's hand. "It seems we truly do not have much time left."

Mo Li continued, "What if I use a Holy Grail wish to let them live normally to a hundred? The current Greater Grail is only a half-baked wish-granting device, not the complete Third Magic Heaven's Feel, but simply extending their lifespans should not be a problem, right?"

Yubstach asked in return, "You would use such a precious wish to extend their lifespans?"

Mo Li said as if it were only natural, "The Holy Grail system's limit on wishes is based on the amount of magical energy. It was never limited to only a certain number of wishes. Adding a wish to extend their lifespans should not be a problem, should it?"

Yubstach attempted to persuade Mo Li. "If you use the Holy Grail to enter the Root and connect to the Root, wouldn't you be able to accomplish such things with a mere gesture? Why waste precious magical energy helping them first? What if there is not enough magical energy afterward to support entering the Root and connecting to it? Wouldn't everything then be ruined?"

Mo Li said, "Then I have something sad to tell you. Among the people participating in the Holy Grail War, not one has the aptitude to return after entering and connecting to the Root. Kiritsugu Emiya, Irisviel, even Tokiomi Tohsaka—none of them can do it. Once they enter the Root, they can never return. If you take that path, your wish is doomed to remain unfulfilled."

Yubstach froze. "This..."

Mo Li said, "You do not actually think that one Holy Grail can let someone enter the Root, connect to it, and then become omnipotent, do you? If the Holy Grail truly had that kind of power, how could your progenitor still only be a Third Magic magus? Or has the Third Magic magus already become omnipotent? Do you need me to remind you what your progenitor truly was, Yubstach? Or should I remind you, Acht?"

Mo Li continued, "Even the disciples of the Third Magic magus failed to accomplish it, so why do you think something like the Greater Grail can do it? And in your records, has there ever been anyone who entered the Root, connected to it, returned to reality, and became omnipotent? Even if not omnipotent, has there been anyone who entered, connected to the Root, and then came back out?"

Yubstach remained silent for a long time before speaking again. "There truly is no such record... But this has always been the meaning of our existence. If we do not do this, what else can we do? If, even after reaching the Fifth War, no one is destined to inherit the Third Magic, unable to enter the Root and connect to it to fulfill our long-cherished wish, then perhaps we can only walk toward that predetermined fate. You are right."

Mo Li said, "Since your Einzbern Family is going to split anyway, give Kiritsugu Emiya and Irisviel the inheritance you planned to leave them, and hand everything else over to me. If you are destined to perish, there is no need to waste it all, is there? I intend to lead the Einzbern Family down another path."

Acht said, "What? Why should the things of my Einzbern Family be transferred to you?"

Mo Li persuaded him, "Your path is destined to fail, so why not try following me? The disciples of the missing Third Magic magus either committed suicide long ago or left the Einzbern Family, did they not? You would be better off joining me. Then, gathering the strength of our Three Great Families, we can send the person we believe has the greatest chance to win, and then step into the Root."

Yubstach was silent for a long time before finally declaring, as if shouting a slogan, "Einzbern will only fulfill its long-cherished wish by its own will."

Mo Li asked in return, "But if you fail in the Fifth War, the entire Einzbern Family will become extinct. Do you truly intend to let the Einzbern Family perish? Are you confident you can claim victory in the Fifth War?"

Yubstach said, "You..."

Mo Li said, "Yubstach, I will revive Justicia, the Winter Saintess, so I need the Einzbern Family. Arrange the separation of the Einzbern Family, then hand everything the Einzbern Family possesses over to me."

Yubstach panicked. "The Winter Saintess?! But she has clearly already become the core and foundation of the Greater Grail! What are you planning to do to the Greater Grail system?!"

Mo Li said, "Calm down, Yubstach. You are thinking in the wrong direction. I intend to use the Greater Grail's wish to revive Justicia, the Winter Saintess, and give her a body again. I am not going to dismantle the entire Greater Grail. The Winter Saintess's original body will naturally remain the core and foundation that forms the Greater Grail system. I will not remove that."

Yubstach calmed down. "You mean you want to revive the Winter Saintess's soul and have her enter an entirely new body?"

Mo Li said, "That's right. Exactly."

"Then that truly is not a problem. But the Winter Saintess..." Yubstach seemed somewhat indecisive.

Mo Li said, "Look, if you fail in the Fifth War, you will perish anyway, and the Einzbern Family will vanish from then on. Since that is the case, why not hand the future of the Einzbern Family to me in advance? With the Winter Saintess around, the Einzbern Family will have a reason to continue, won't it?"

Yubstach said, "I have another question. Why do you want to revive Justicia? You should know that she is the will of the Greater Grail and the administrator of the Greater Grail system. The reason she was willing to become the Greater Grail was because she, too, pursued the Third Magic."

"I like Justicia. It's that simple. Any other questions?"

"...You like her? You like the Winter Saintess? Reviving her cannot accomplish the Third Magic! She only touched upon the edge of the Third Magic. Are you seriously doing this?" Yubstach had never imagined that he would receive such an answer.

Mo Li said, "The Third Magic Heaven's Feel is merely Heaven's Feel, not the Third Magic itself. It is only a derivative of the Third Magic. I know that very well. As for why I am reviving her, I already said it—I like Justicia. It is that simple. I am not reviving Justicia so she can help me achieve the Third Magic. I am reviving her because I like her."

Yubstach found everything he had heard utterly absurd. "You like her... Hmph. Your attitude does not resemble that of a normal magus at all. Heaven's Feel's wish-granting power is not to be underestimated, yet that is the answer you give. You must understand that she is someone who died centuries ago. Only the residual will of her soul lives on within the Holy Grail, and even so, someone actually likes her..."

Mo Li said, "Because I want to."

"...Fine." Yubstach took a deep breath, then said, "I will make the arrangements now. From this day onward, the Einzbern Family will split apart. I will transfer to Kiritsugu Emiya and Irisviel everything they can inherit, and hand everything else over to you. The condition is that you truly revive Justicia, the Winter Saintess, and let her take charge of all matters concerning the Einzbern Family—and that we wait for the outcome of the Fifth Holy Grail War."

If Justicia were truly revived, then she would certainly not give up pursuing the Third Magic. The answer was simple: if the Einzbern Family failed once again in the Fifth Holy Grail War, proving that this path could not be walked, then everything belonging to the Einzbern Family could be handed to Justicia so that she could guide them down another path. At least then, the Einzbern Family would not perish.

Justicia would lead the Einzbern Family down an entirely new road. It might not succeed, but there would still be hope.

Yubstach said, "I will use Illya's genes to create an artificial human of the highest standard, incorporating all of Einzbern's techniques, in preparation for the Fifth War."

Kiritsugu Emiya could no longer hold back. "Why do you still have to use my daughter's genes?!"

Yubstach said, "Kiritsugu? Hmph, you... Of course it is because Illya is the most exceptional. Her bloodline comes from both the Einzbern Family and you, a natural human. Her potential is the greatest in all of Einzbern. Naturally, I will use her as the sample. I have even thought of the name: Chloe von Einzbern."