"Yes, a request. A request from another version of myself. Her name is Artoria Pendragon. You probably don't know her, but she was once the Servant of Kiritsugu Emiya and Shirou Emiya."
Kiritsugu Emiya turned his head and looked at Proto Saber.
Kiritsugu Emiya... someone with the same name? Or... another world? A parallel world?
Proto Saber continued, "In that world, there was a man who, like you, wanted to become a Hero of Justice. He summoned her, took part in the Holy Grail War, and then... destroyed the Holy Grail with his own hands."
"Destroyed the Holy Grail? Why?"
Proto Saber turned and stared into Kiritsugu Emiya's eyes. "Because he discovered that the Holy Grail had been corrupted. Any wish granted through that Holy Grail would manifest in the most malicious way possible."
Kiritsugu Emiya: "..."
"He wanted world peace. If he used the Holy Grail to grant that wish, its method would be to kill everyone. Without humanity, the world would naturally be at peace."
Kiritsugu Emiya's pupils contracted slightly.
"So he rejected the Holy Grail. He used a Command Spell to order her to destroy it."
Proto Saber paused. "Then came a great fire. A fire in Fuyuki City that burned countless people to death. He rescued a child from the flames and adopted him. That child's name was Shirou..."
Kiritsugu Emiya fell silent.
He knew that name-Shirou, the little boy standing at the edge of the ruins, the child who had just lost his Servant.
"What are you trying to accomplish by telling me this?"
Proto Saber sighed. "No, I'm not trying to accomplish anything. At this point, the Holy Grail has already lost its meaning. There's no need for me to warn you about anything, either."
Kiritsugu Emiya was silent for a moment, then suddenly