Chapter 793
"The Lesser Holy Grail, to a certain extent, possesses the power to grant wishes."
Upon hearing this, Illya recalled the incredible power she had displayed in the past.
Wait a minute, so that special human being... could it be...?
Just as Illya felt her throat go dry, Chloe spoke.
"That's right, it's me. I was born for this."
Chloe simply said this quietly.
The voice was devoid of any emotion, as cold and mechanical as a machine.
"They were constantly being manipulated before birth, and within months of birth, they were able to understand language and were instilled with all sorts of knowledge."
Chloe recounts the inhumane treatment suffered by the Lesser Holy Grail.
They perform Magecraft transformations on a child still in the mother's womb so that it can be used as a prop in a ritual.
"But wouldn't that be strange? Why is Illya able to live such an ordinary life?"
Upon hearing Chloe's words, Miyu immediately had a question.
Illya is now living and growing up as an ordinary elementary school student.
Furthermore, Kuro seems to know all this information perfectly well. Could it be that Kuro is the "real Illya"?
If that's the case, then what exactly do we know about Illya...?
"That is..."
Irisviel's expression turned gloomy.
"Because of me, Mom, for Illya- chan..."
He dominated the Holy Grail War, defeating all his opponents, and then settled down in Japan! Hehe~?
"...?"
Irisviel gave a playful look.
Just as Illya Miyu were unsure how to react, Shirou spoke up for them.
"Eiri... what Mommy said is true."
The Einzbern spent a thousand years researching how to create the Holy Grail.
However, Irisviel developed feelings for her daughter Illya, so she seized the position of head of the family and ended the war.
"That's right -- you sealed away Illya (me)."
It sealed away Illya's (my) abilities, sealed away Illya's (my) knowledge, sealed away Illya's (my) memories...
They said they'd give me a normal girl's life. But... but... why can't things stay the way they were?!
Chloe shouted emotionally.
Everyone understood from the explanation just given.
Chloe's true identity is...
"Illya whose existence was erased," which is "Illya's memories sealed away by her mother."
Illya looked at her mother speechlessly.
Irisviel was as expressionless as a doll.
She usually had a very expressive face, so Illya could always guess what she was thinking, but now... she felt like her mother was a stranger.
"It's so convenient to reset everything and start from scratch."
But Mom, you miscalculated.
Chloe's monologue was tinged with anger.
"The sealed memories grew within Illya and became my (Chloe's ) independent personality."
Then, finally, I obtained a physical body...
She certainly had reasons to hate Illya.
Chloe was the "original Illya," yet her existence was erased.
The newborn Illya took her place and received everything that should have been hers.
A happy life, a loving family.
And then there's the taken-for-granted daily routine...
Chloe was watching all of this from inside Illya's body.
Nothing could be more painful than this.
"Mom... if you want Illya to live as a normal girl, that's fine too."
But at least, give me my life as Magecraft. Please... let me return to Einzbern!
Chloe cried out from the depths of her soul.
No need for routines, no need for a mother's love.
But at least I want a place to belong.
Chloe pleaded with Irisviel in this way.
Shirou deeply understood this feeling.
One's true home does not exist anywhere in the world.
This is the only thing that is absolutely intolerable.
Faced with Kuro's almost mournful cries, Illya Miyu were speechless.
In contrast, Irisviel --
"Einzbern has given up the pursuit of the Root and is no longer Magecraft."
"... Huh?"
A deeper despair crept onto Chloe's face.
Miss Eiri, still expressionless, continued in a cold voice.
"To ensure that there would never be another Holy Grail War, I believed I had done everything perfectly."
In other words, Chloe's last remaining hope was also extinguished.
The Holy Grail War will not happen again.
In other words, her existence as the vessel of the Holy Grail will no longer be needed...
"What do you mean? That's... then I...!"
"Kuro!?"
Seeing that Chloe was acting strangely, Miyu shouted.
The next moment--
Where is my true home?
Accompanied by scorching light and air currents, a powerful shockwave erupted from Chloe's body.
The shockwave emanating from Chloe destroyed the furniture in the room and nearly blew everyone away.
That was a runaway of magic.
"Everything has been taken away! Everything has been lost! Nothing... nothing is left!"
"Kuro, calm down!"
Shirou shouted nervously.
Chloe is now essentially a Servant, needing to rely on magic to maintain her presence in the world.
Normally, it would be thanks to Archer's "Independent Action" and intermittent Mana Transfer that she is able to stand here now.
If Chloe runs out of magic due to a magical outburst—she will disappear.
Shirou tried to stop Chloe, but the storm drowned out his voice. He pondered how to save Chloe.
Chloe became increasingly mentally unstable, and magical tornadoes raged throughout the room.
"How tragic, how utterly meaningless!"
The brown-skinned girl's screams sounded like a wail.
"What was the purpose of my birth in this world...? Nobody needs me!"
If I had known it would turn out like this, I would have preferred to have done it from the beginning...!
Finally, the storm of magic suddenly subsided.
After everything calmed down, Chloe stood in the center of the room, her body beginning to become unsteady.
Her slender, petite body lost its shape and gradually collapsed.
"Ah... I see... I used too much magic... This is so boring... Is it really over already...?"
The girl muttered to herself blankly.
The magic accumulated over the past decade has been completely exhausted.
Her fate now hangs in the balance; only annihilation awaits her.
Chloe watched her hand gradually disappear and uttered a sound of resignation.
"Kuro!"
Illya charged toward Chloe.
They learned the secret of their birth from their mother, as well as Kuro's true identity.
It turns out that all along, it was Kuro who had been bearing the pain for him.
It is still the same now.
I was created as a Magecraft prop...
This is a significant fact that could change one's outlook on life.
Despite this, I was completely unaware of it.
The one who has been bearing this pain all along is Kuro.
That's probably why Kuro is injured like this now.
Kuro is another Illya.
So, Kuro cried in his place.
Now that she knows everything, Illya accepts her from the bottom of her heart for the first time and acknowledges her.
Kuro disappeared while crying...
Illya wanted to help the woman who was injured in her place.
Although they didn't know how to save her, they took action.
But--
Someone else started running faster and earlier than him.
Seeing that reliable and familiar figure running in front of her, Illya suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to cry.
"Elder brother!"
"What... Mr. Shirou!?"
"Shirou!"
The red-haired boy ran towards Chloe without hesitation.
What to do.
How can we save Kuro?
Shirou already had a clear answer in his heart.