I want to just drift through life in Type-Moon.

Page 147

"The Einzbern family's goal is to save all mankind, Machiri's goal is to be an idealist based on all the evils in the world, and Tohsaka Nagato, as a Christian, is a super good person who sacrifices himself for a good future. Because their goals are similar, they came together."

"Christians? People from the Holy Church?" Olga couldn't help but interject again.

Ling shook her head and said in a strange tone, "The situation is more complicated than you think. In short, the old man with the gems' evaluation of Tohsaka Eito is this: mediocre, cold-blooded, showing signs of mania, and a reckless personality. To sum it up, it's like exclaiming, 'Is this guy crazy?'"

Chapter 325 The Holy Grail's Three Families (Part 4)

Hearing the gem-like assessment and the insightful summary from Ling, everyone had a general idea of ​​who this person was.

"Even the notoriously unruly Gem-Lord finds this personality troubling. Oh, and by the way, Gem-Lord once rated Machiri as extraordinary but inherently evil, while Tohsaka, though a mortal, is inherently benevolent."

"I must say the old man has a sharp eye; he saw through the truth from the very beginning. Well, given that old man's eccentric personality, even if he saw through it, he probably wouldn't say it outright." Ling continued to slander Gemstone Elder without any mercy, making those listening to him feel uneasy. As a woman, the perceptive Olga deduced from his attitude that Ling's past was related to Gemstone Elder.

"The Tohsaka family has been a major landowner in Japan for a long time. Tohsaka Nagato, as the head of the family in the 1790s, was a hidden Christian family in Japan, protecting other underground Christians. Therefore, he maintained a good relationship with the church from the beginning. In fact, this already shows that he was special. Around 1890, Japan was in the Meiji Restoration period, gradually transitioning from feudalism to capitalism. The impact of the new culture and the struggle for faith can be described as extremely fierce."

Ling slowly analyzed these things that she had never known before, and filled in the gaps in Tohsaka Eito's experience: "As a feudal landlord, he abandoned the Shinto of the main island and accepted a Western sect. Such a bold move should be considered heretical at the time. However, it was precisely because of this heresy that the Tohsaka family became a different kind of existence."

Everyone thought that Ling was about to recount the origins of the Tohsaka family's magic, but they were told that the family initially leaned towards the church. Upon hearing what he said next, everyone felt a bit amused and exasperated.

"One day, a strange old man suddenly appeared and asked to stay at the Tohsaka family's house. In return for the lodging, the old man taught Tohsaka Nagato some magic tricks. Tohsaka Nagato thus came into contact with magic, became the old man's apprentice, and became fascinated by magic. You all know who this old man is, right?"

Everyone nodded politely.

"Actually, the so-called lodging fee was Tohsaka Eito's request. After all, seeing something completely different from the world he knew, he was filled with curiosity and impulsively mentioned the fee to the old man. Before he knew magic, Tohsaka Eito was already a very skilled martial artist. However, after coming into contact with magic, he saw a path that was on par with martial arts. He wanted to reach the realm of 'nothingness' through these two paths."

"In the eyes of the old man, Tohsaka Eito was just an ordinary student. He was the kind of student you met on your journey and showed him your aptitude as payment for your hotel room because you asked him to teach you something. In other words, even the old man didn't consider him a master at the time, but rather a teacher—the kind of teacher who looked out from the podium at his students doing experiments."

"That's why Tohsaka Eito began learning magic as the apprentice of the [Magician] Jewel Mage."

Upon hearing this, the Chaldea magicians all wore expressions of regret and envy, because they knew just how powerful the title of "Disciple of a Magician" was, even without becoming a successor to magic. However, it was precisely because they did not become disciples of the Jewel Mage, who held the title of "Second Magician," that the Tohsaka family was able to preserve their lineage intact.

Before Ling could finish speaking, since so much had been said, what followed was no longer a secret. "Before leaving, that old geezer concluded that this family lineage was unlikely to achieve great things, but at least it wouldn't make mistakes. He then presented the design blueprints for the Jewel Sword to Yongren as a congratulatory gift. As for his parting words, they were this: 'Although it's definitely a reluctant statement, let's take it as a goal and work towards it!'"

Upon hearing the design blueprints for the "Gemstone Sword," many people's eyes lit up, and they began to make their own calculations.

Seeing those flickering eyes, Rafe sneered. This was the inherent weakness of humanity. Once they learned that someone else possessed something valuable, they couldn't help but want to take it, without even considering whether they had the ability. Even the seventy-two demon gods didn't dare to covet the possessions of a mage, because they knew just how terrifying a mage truly was. This was evident from the fact that Goetia only dared to call himself the "Magic King."

"In fact, the old man thought that the Tohsaka family had no chance of achieving this goal. However, water dripping wears away stone, and the Tohsaka genes have been stubbornly following his teachings for several generations. Finally, in the Fifth Holy Grail War, Rin Tohsaka achieved this goal."

"As for those who want to seize this design, I think you can save your breath." Ling sneered just like Leif. "That is a second-level limited magic weapon. People who have not studied with the Jewel Mage, are not familiar with Jewel Magic, and have no talent simply cannot complete that sword. Not to mention that the cost of completing that sword is astronomical, not to mention the materials that are not even available for purchase with money."

"Those in the Mage's Association who have the ability and resources to create this thing don't even look at it, because they haven't finished exploring the magic they possess. Moreover, if they obtain this thing through illegal means, who knows if that old man who can peek into all timelines will get angry. After all, this is a rare blessing from the old man, one of the few graduation gifts he bestowed upon his disciple with impeccable goodwill."

The person who had been plotting something immediately broke out in a cold sweat. Indeed, given the personality of that demonic marshal, if they were to take something from his disciple, something unimaginable could very well happen.

"Wait, you're talking about the Fifth Holy Grail War, which means the Jewel Sword hasn't been created yet, right?" Shion pushed up her glasses and asked with a very serious expression.

Ling was surprised that Shion, who had been listening quietly, would suddenly raise this question, since Atlas Academy should not have been interested in this matter.

"Probably not, because as far as I know, the chances of this gem sword appearing are slim. After all, most of the time, Rin Tohsaka didn't manage to create the gem sword." Ling tilted her head and thought for a while. "That thing is used to deal with the worst-case scenario in the Holy Grail War, and it can even be said to be the final weapon."

"What do you mean by the worst thing?" Shion continued to press.

"The Black Grail, or perhaps more accurately, the Devourer of Life, before she was completely controlled by malice, if we convert the number of souls she devoured to the mass of an ordinary person's soul, it should have exceeded one million. Hmm, although most of them were the souls of Servants, she also ate quite a few residents of Fuyuki City because she was always in a state of hunger."

Chapter 326 The Holy Grail's Three Families (Part 5)

Before the final battle, all Servants except Rider Medusa had been consumed by Sakura Black. When she consumed the King of Heroes, Sakura said that the King of Heroes' soul was equivalent to the mass of hundreds of thousands of people. So, if we include the other Servants, this million might not be as simple as one million.

When Kiritsugu Emiya heard this, his eyes suddenly sharpened. Noticing his expression, he thought for a moment and continued, "Sakura Matou went through a transformation from victim to perpetrator, and ultimately, you, Kiritsugu Emiya, also bear a large part of the responsibility for her becoming the Black Grail."

Upon hearing these words, Kiritsugu Emiya showed a look of astonishment.

"While it's uncertain whether this will happen in this timeline, it has already become a fact in other timelines."

"At the end of the Fourth Holy Grail War, the Holy Grail appeared, and knowing that the Holy Grail had been corrupted, you used a Command Spell to force your Servant to shatter it. Well, I'm not blaming you for anything. After all, I only said this after knowing the cause and effect. At that time, you thought that shattering the Holy Grail would prevent the birth of Angra Mainyu, but you didn't expect that even if the Holy Grail was shattered, or rather, it was precisely because the Holy Grail was shattered that the situation became even worse."

Ling sighed, pondered for a moment about the impact of this matter, and finally looked at Kiritsugu Emiya, deciding to use this as an opportunity to guide his thinking in another direction. "Well, since we're on the topic, I'll tell you your ending as well."

Kiritsugu Emiya seemed to sense something; he straightened his back and stared straight at Rin like a spear.

"During the Fourth Holy Grail War, when the Holy Grail was formed, you were drenched from head to toe by the black mud overflowing from the Grail, and then dragged into the Grail. There, you witnessed the evil of this world manifested by the personification of the Dowager."

"Because the evil in this world is merely a concept, its existence is equivalent to nothingness, it must wear a shell in order to communicate with you, and that shell is your wife. Yes, she was indeed your wife at the time, and I called her Mrs. Black."

"After a series of questions and answers about the vicious cycle of choosing which side to sacrifice on the scales of life, you discovered the truth about the Holy Grail. After killing your father, adoptive mother, lover, daughter, and wife in the imaginary world, you finally broke free from that fantasy. However, from that moment on, your heart was actually broken. After all, even though it was an imaginary world, you knew that you would have such a choice even in reality."

"When you awoke, you were soaked in a shallow pool of black mud. After killing your last opponent, you used a Command Spell to command King Arthur to destroy the Holy Grail."

Kiritsugu Emiya remained silent. Hearing this ending, knowing that the last hope he had pursued had been destroyed by himself, his heart turned cold. If what Rin said was true, then what was the meaning of his life?

Seeing Kiritsugu's expression, Ling felt it was best to continue giving Emiya Kiritsugu some more drastic measures.

"However, this was only the beginning of the tragedy. It was a case of good intentions gone wrong. Breaking the Holy Grail was like breaking a faucet. The corrupted magic inside the Greater Grail overflowed, polluting the land in the form of black mud. This caused a fire in Fuyuki City, killing tens of thousands of people. In the end, no more than 20 people survived, and you only found one."

Kiritsugu Emiya took a deep breath, and everyone, whether in this timeline or the other, fell silent.

They didn't truly understand Kiritsugu Emiya; they only learned about his past and ideals from Rin's narration. However, even so, this ending was more than just tragic for him.

"Although I don't want to keep hurting you, things aren't over yet."

Ling paused, ignoring Olga's attempt to stop him from continuing, and spoke in a clear but emotionless voice.

“I’ve said it before, your life is cursed. You brought disaster upon yourself in your attempt to save others, and as a result, you are like a broken machine that, unexpectedly and by chance, continues to function.”

"You cried like a ghost in the ruins, dug through the rubble despite the high temperature, and ran towards any sound you heard. After seeing and facing corpses that were no longer human, you finally found a lucky one, who later became your adopted son, Shirou Emiya."

"At that moment, you grasped salvation, and you were genuinely happy, as if it wasn't him who was saved, but yourself. This scene is forever etched in Shirou Emiya's heart."

"You and he settled down in an old house in Fuyuki City. During that time, you did try to return to Einzbern to take Ilya away, but you were never able to."

"Because of your betrayal at the last moment of the Fourth Holy Grail War, the Einzbern family failed at the last hurdle. At the same time, your body, which was covered in black mud, is gradually weakening. Your limbs are atrophying, your vision is beginning to blur, and you have completely lost the ability to perform magic. You are almost no different from a seriously ill patient. You are even powerless to find the nodes of the barrier."

“Well, actually, the situation wasn’t like this at first. However, Ahad never opened the barrier for you, and Illya, who couldn’t wait for your return, was transformed into the Lesser Grail for the next Holy Grail War.” Ling looked at the old man who could only stand with the help of a maid, completely unable to understand why he didn’t listen to Kiritsugu Emiya’s explanation at that time.

"Back in the Emiya family, you spent the last five years of your life in that house. There was no magic, no bloodshed, and no longer any clinging to ideals. During those days, you were like a big child, kind-hearted and always smiling. You would visit festivals and watch fireflies with your adopted son, and finally, on a beautiful moonlit night, you would sit on the veranda chatting with Shirou, and then, with a heart full of peace, you would stop breathing as if you were asleep."

When everyone heard this, they unconsciously imagined that scene, and their faces showed a little bit of comfort.

“That conversation was a continuation of the curse.” However, Ling’s next words shattered the sense of comfort that had just risen in everyone’s hearts, plunging them into hell.

"When Shirou Emiya asked you what your wish was when you were a child, you recalled your answer from that time on the island and told him. Then you were redeemed, and he was cursed."

"【Dad's an adult now, so he might not be able to help. But I'm fine. So, let me carry on Dad's dream.】 That was Shirou's reply after hearing your wish."

Chapter 327 The Holy Grail's Three Families (Part 6)

Ling pursed her lips and pondered for a long time. "The dream of becoming a partner of justice is as beautiful as a fairy tale, but in reality, all that's left is desolation."

"Your story ended that night. Your adopted son's answer brought you redemption, but for Shirou, who regarded the moment you found him and the look of redemption on your face as his most beautiful memory, and who truly regarded it as his dream, his life began to become distorted."

"Is this the only ending I can get?" After hearing Rin's words, which did nothing to please him, Kiritsugu's straight back bent slightly.

"—No, there are other endings, some are mundane, some are tragic, and some are happy," Ling said thoughtfully.

"Can you tell me?" Kiritsugu Emiya lowered his head as if listening. "I will pay you with all the Origin Bullets as payment. Please tell me the path to happiness."

Ling frowned. Since the other party had made such a request, he decided to answer truthfully, "For you, there should only be one happy ending, which is to give up the Holy Grail and escape from Einzbern with Ilya and Mrs. Alice."

"This is based on the world line where your whole family can be together, but in that world line, Illya wasn't born so early, and you knew about the Greater Grail early on before choosing to run away, and even destroyed the Greater Grail. Also, I don't know how you adopted Shirou Emiya in that world line, but in the end, Illya, who was eight years younger than Shirou, really became him."

"So, as long as I destroy the Greater Grail and leave this place with my wife and daughter, I can achieve happiness in my life?" Kiritsugu Emiya pressed.

"Probably? At least you won't have to watch someone important to you die before you do."

Kiritsugu Emiya did not press Shirou about his affairs. After all, Shirou was completely irrelevant to him at the moment, and if he did not have any connection with him, Shirou might be able to have a normal life.

He was already scared. Although he didn't know what the outcome would be if he met his Shirou, Ling kept emphasizing that his life was a curse and he didn't want to drag others down with him.

"I understand. I'll have Maiya send the Origin Bullet over later." Kiritsugu Emiya nodded slightly as if he had figured something out, then looked at his wife and daughter with a firm gaze.

"Alice, I—"

"Wait, Kiritsugu." Before Kiritsugu could even speak, Mrs. Alice knew what he wanted to say, but before that, she had something to clarify.

"Um, sir, regarding that timeline you mentioned earlier, are my family and I living peacefully?" Irisviel's eyes held something called [strength].

Ling found that gaze dazzling; it was something he had never experienced before. "Before something called a Class Card appeared, or rather, before that world line intertwined with another world line, your family was very peaceful. Although you and your spouse had to work hard for other things, I can assure you that you were very happy in that world line."

"So, does that mean our peaceful days ended after that thing called 'Class Card' appeared?" Irisviel grasped the key point. "That thing must be related to the Second Mage, right?"

"How do you know?" Ling realized something was wrong again. Now, with the Gemstone Elder's friend or foe unclear, he was on edge.

"The blueprints for creating your body and those seven class cards are in this castle. I'm certain they didn't originally belong to the Einzbern family." Irisviel looked at Ahad. "You can ask the Lord about that later. But please allow me to finish my question first."

Ling initially didn't want to pay attention to Irisviel, but after seeing that defiant gaze, he chose to compromise again. "What do you want to ask? Let me make it clear beforehand, I don't know everything, I only know what I know."

“I understand. I just want to ask, what would happen if Kiritsugu ultimately failed to achieve his life’s goal?” The wife looked at Rin with a very calm expression, but as soon as you looked at her hand, you could tell that the calmness on her face was forced, because that hand, the hand that was holding her husband, as if trying to draw courage from him, was trembling.

"—I don't know, but if we consider his alternative ending, he would become a Heroic Spirit." From Ling's tone, one could tell that he was uncomfortable with this outcome.

"If the Einzbern family had not adopted the strategy of hiring Masters from outside, Kiritsugu Emiya would not have met you, whom he was supposed to meet. Therefore, he would not have parted ways with you, nor would he have experienced the setbacks that came with that parting. In the end, his heart of stone remained unchanged, and unknowingly, all his emotions withered away. His soul was also captured in the Wheel of Restraint."

“Logically speaking, Kiritsugu Emiya shouldn’t have become a Heroic Spirit. The Kiritsugu Emiya who became a Heroic Spirit should be the product of a contract he made with the Counter Force in order to save people he couldn’t save in his previous life, just like Shirou Emiya.”

At this point, Ling immediately stopped talking, and everyone looked at him in bewilderment.

Ling looked up with a serious expression, glancing around. Olga, noticing this, asked softly after Ling stopped, "What's wrong? What are you looking for?"

"—I'm observing the reaction of the inhibitory force." Ling's feelings were conflicted because after discovering that the inhibitory force had not manifested, he felt both relieved and uneasy, and his expression was extremely complicated, a mixture of crying and laughing.

I've lost count of how many times this has happened. From the very beginning, with the Dead Apostles and True Ancestors, the Star Maiden, and Gaia's Will, to mentioning the Clock Tower Monarch and the Magic Marshal, then the secrets of the great mages, and now, I've heard something about [Suppressive Power] from Ling's mouth.

In fact, some people in Chaldea have already covered their ears, deceiving themselves by saying that they didn't hear anything. Even Rafe, who no longer dares to have any designs on Ling, is now Solomon's doctor and feels that he will suffer from neurasthenia in the future.

"It seems safe enough for now. Those two little girls don't seem to care, so let's continue," Ling said, deliberately teasingly, noticing the tension in the crowd.

Knowing which two little girls he was referring to, the magicians all broke out in a cold sweat, and were already drafting their wills in their minds.

“The Counter Force is divided into two types: [Alaya], which aims at the continuation of humanity, and [Gaia], which aims at the continuation of the planet. At the moment when the main cause that could destroy humanity or the planet occurs, the Counter Force will eliminate the main cause in various ways—one of which is to send out henchmen belonging to the Counter Force.” He listened intently to Emiya Kiritsugu.

Chapter 328 The Holy Grail's Three Families (Part 7)

"The henchmen on the Alaya side are called Guardians, and they are mostly human. The names on the Gaia side are unclear, and they are mostly various non-human monsters. Alaya recruits henchmen in a unique way: it grants 'miracles' to humans who lament their powerlessness, temporarily elevating them to the throne of heroes. These heroic spirits are classified as Guardians because of the weak faith of humans."

"Regardless of the timeline, once the primary cause of world destruction arises, the [World] will perform a special summoning to annihilate it. Destruction originating from natural or external factors is resolved by the planet's restraining force, namely [Gaia], and the corresponding summoning condition is [the savior of the planet]. However, if the primary cause of world destruction is humanity—"

As she spoke, Ling Yong looked at the Chaldea members and said, "If the main cause of destruction is humanity, then the corresponding conditions for being summoned are [destruction caused by humanity itself] - such as the birth of something dangerous in the Holy Grail, a magician wanting to enter the Root, someone inventing a virus that could destroy all of humanity, or the trigger for a world war, etc."

"These are all normal situations. If even the Guardians can't solve the problem, then a larger salvation mechanism will have to step in. It could be Chaldea, the Moon Crystal, or the Atlas Institute. If none of these can save the world, depending on the outcome, the World will choose whether to abandon this world line and put it into the Observation Zone."

“There are countless parallel worlds, but they are still finite. Parallel worlds in the [Observation Zone] will be compared one by one by the [World]. Those without value will be discarded and become what is called—” When Ling Xiang said the term [Cut the Image] again, a chilling aura suddenly appeared in this amniotic fluid pool.

"—It really appeared, the suppressive force." Ling pressed her hand to her chest and looked up at the blue sphere wrapped in countless bands of light.

Everyone watched this scene in shock. This was the first time in their lives that they had so directly confirmed the existence of the so-called "Suppressive Force." And Ling, who had attracted the "Suppressive Force," was now on their list of the most dangerous people.

"This is our second meeting, no, it could be the first, because I don't know if you are Gaia or Alaya. But either way, did you come here to stop me? After all, there's no one here to call for you."

Ling stared intently at the object, but it made no further move. As Ling looked, he felt that there was something familiar inside the sphere that belonged to him but that he had forgotten.

The whisper that had been constantly in his ear suddenly became clear—[Don't look! Idiot! Don't look before you come to kill me!]

It was undoubtedly his own voice. When the voice disappeared, a loud noise exploded in his ears, forcing him to cover his ears in pain. When he looked away, the manifestation of the restraint also disappeared.

Olga was probably the only one among everyone present who knew what had happened, but she chose to remain silent, after all, she had just been warned.

Sweating profusely, Kiritsugu Emiya looked at Rin with lingering fear. Just now, he had also heard a call that seemed to come from the Counter Force, as if a "self" was watching him. At this moment, he had no doubt about the possibility that Rin had said he could become a "Guardian".

In fact, it wasn't just him; everyone who witnessed that being heard some voices, though they couldn't make out what was being said, but they all felt what true terror was.

On the Chaldea side, everyone's eyes were vacant and their bodies were weak, having suffered an unimaginable shock. Even Lev could only barely hold his body still.

Dr. Roman was in slightly better condition than him, but after seeing the situation in the control room, he also pretended to be weak and slumped in his chair, panting heavily. The only ones who could still speak were Da Vinci and a few deeply hidden figures from Group A.

As for Ziyuan, she was calculating and recording something with a dizzying speed. The moment the restraint appeared, her gains were beyond imagination. She had initially made a very high assessment of Ling's value, but she kept updating her estimate. Now, Ziyuan felt that she had to bring Ling back no matter what.

"I'd like to ask why the restraining force appeared. Logically speaking, you didn't touch the world crisis at all, did you?" As a Heroic Spirit, he can essentially be considered a member of the world's defense mechanism. Even if he is only a Shadow of a Heroic Spirit now, Da Vinci needs to figure out what just happened.

Ling shrugged nonchalantly and said in an indifferent tone, "They're probably just here to make their presence known."

"Listen, I want to hear the truth." At this moment, Leonardo da Vinci adopted the attitude of a teacher and spoke in an unusually worried tone.

"—Da Vinci-chan, don't worry about it. This is a problem between me and my inhibitions. No one can help me because I'm searching for my own truth." Ling closed his eyes. This wasn't a lie, because among all the people he had met, no one knew more than him, and what he absolutely needed to know, they definitely didn't know.

"Alright, let's put those things aside for now. I'll finish explaining the Guardians first, then I'll go over the details of the starter Pokémon, and then we'll leave." Ling glanced at the amniotic fluid pool again; he felt that if he stayed any longer, something might happen.

"After the Guardians manifest, they will kill all those connected to the primary cause of the world's destruction, protecting all other humanity. The Counter Force is different from the Throne of Heroes. It arises from the collective unconsciousness of humanity, a defensive mechanism that enslaves humans to perpetuate the world. Those who conform to the will of the Counter Force will be eternally served as Guardians after death. Both Heroic Spirits and Guardians are souls that have reached the Throne, but the biggest difference between them is that Heroic Spirits are summoned by people's hopes, while Guardians are summoned by people's despair."

"The so-called guardians are pathetic beings that Alaya uses as 'scavengers'."