Shirou Emiya's eyes were filled with all kinds of emotions.
Kiritsugu.
At the end of the last Holy Grail War, what... what did you see?
Closing his eyes, Shirou Emiya did not dare imagine that scene again.
A great fire had suddenly erupted from nowhere, and the entire city district had instantly been swallowed by a terrifying sea of flames.
Innocent people had perished in the blaze, wailing, weeping, going mad—having done nothing, yet still forced to meet their deaths.
—He had thought that would be his fate as well.
Yet he had seen that face, wild with joy. That expression had been as though the one who had been saved was not him, but the man who had saved him.
Why had he worn such an expression?
As he looked at Illya sitting across from him, the confusion in Shirou Emiya's eyes remained unresolved.
After all, he had merely reaffirmed his convictions. Many of his doubts still remained unanswered.
"...You mean..."
"I was contaminated too?"
Illya looked at her own hands in disbelief.
I was contaminated?
How had I been contaminated?
Why was I contaminated?
Hadn't the Lesser Grail in the Third Holy Grail War been the one contaminated? Why would such contamination... happen to her as well?
"It happened in both the Third and Fourth Wars. There's no reason it wouldn't happen in the Fifth."
Kirei Kotomine gently shook his head.
"That is why we came. And for our own safety, we first subdued Berserker. At the same time, we wished to prevent any further Servant casualties in this Holy Grail War as much as possible. I hope you understand."
"After all... you should also know what happens when too many Servant souls are stored within the Lesser Grail, Lady Einzbern."
Kirei Kotomine's tone was exceedingly official.
The