[Comprehensive] Self-cultivation of the villain master

After discussing the castle renovation, Saber Altria accompanied Irisviel and left the room, leaving the space for Emiya Kiritsugu and Astra.

Confirming that the two had left with her perception, Astra didn't go around in circles, and asked the man in front of her straightforwardly: "Emiya Kiritsugu, Irisviel's time is running out."

Hearing this, Emiya Kiritsugu was stunned.

After a pause, Astra watched Emiya Kiritsugu's expression change.It can be seen from the man's slightly stiff movements that he forgot this question for a moment.

"I was summoned by the Great Holy Grail, and thus manifested."

After hearing this, Emiya Kiritsugu nodded lightly: "I know, you were not summoned in a normal state."

"Then you shouldn't be surprised that I know this information, Emiya Kiritsugu. Since I wasn't summoned by you masters, and I'm directly connected to the Great Holy Grail...it's only natural for me to know Irisviel as the container. "

"Then—" Emiya Kiritsugu raised his head, in stark contrast to his unnatural movements, his eyes showed no emotion, "What do you mean by telling me this, Caster?"

"As the war expands and intensifies, Irisviel's physical condition will become worse and worse. Even with King Arthur's Avalon scabbard, she will no longer be able to retain her personality."

"Speed ​​up the war, or end this war completely... which one do you want to choose?"

Emiya Kiritsugu didn't give any response, just stared at Astra silently, as if he had completely lost the ability to answer.

This is not the first time Astra has seen it. The emotion that has disappeared in this man's eyes is really too clear.Obviously, all the true feelings have been completely suppressed, but some will still be revealed inadvertently.

"According to your answer, I will give you a corresponding plan." Astra said, shrugging indifferently, "For me, no matter which one you choose, I will fight to the end with the Great Holy Grail, even if... only myself."

Emiya Kiritsugu shifted his gaze away from Astra, and said almost helplessly, "You never thought of relying on me and Ari from the very beginning."

"It's normal, isn't it?" Astra's blue eyes were abnormally cold, "I have power, and there is nothing I can't solve. If I really want to say that there is, it means that it will be more troublesome to deal with it alone, and someone will help you." Take it easy."

"Eimiya Kiritsugu, why have you ever believed in anyone? Or, you once believed, but you were scarred?"

Accompanied by a "click", Emiya Kiritsugu aimed the gun at Astra, with anger on his face.

"Are you finished?"

Astra pushed the weapon away with his hand, and said without changing his face: "This is good, and it's okay to show your true temperament occasionally."

Realizing what he had done, Emiya Kiritsugu had remorse on his face.

"If Irisviel is your last life-saving straw, then hold on to it! Instead of believing in so-called miracles, it is more practical to hold the future firmly in your hands. If you don't even understand this principle, you It was a waste of that artificial man's expectation of you."

After Astra's voice fell, Emiya Kiritsugu spoke as if he had figured it out.

"Then, I hope..."

Except for the girl servant Arturia who was concealed, everyone including Maiya clearly understood that Irisviel will become weaker and weaker with the return of the servant, and will eventually recover completely It looks like the Lesser Holy Grail.It can't be called death, but judging from the result of losing even personality, it can't be called alive.

Ever since he became a Servant, a shadow of the past would appear in Astra's mind from time to time, many of which were so vague that he couldn't make out.

However, he vaguely remembered such a sentence.

"Living to die and being born to die are two very different things."

……

Emiya Kiritsugu made a choice, and Astra expressed his understanding. He handed the list he had prepared to the opposite man, and seeing that he took it, he explained: "The things on it are for Then prepare."

"These things..." Through the details on the list, Emiya Kiritsugu understood at a glance what these things were used for, but he didn't quite understand why he had to prepare them.So, he turned his suspicious gaze to someone.

"You know Saber's personality. There is nothing wrong with being a king, but if she is a follower who will do whatever it takes to win... she is undoubtedly unqualified. Of course, this is from my point of view. Other followers may not Don't think so, especially that Lancer who has left."

Emiya Kiritsugu was quite surprised to hear that Servant from Astra's mouth.

"In some battles, we can't rely on her, Emiya Kiritsugu."

With Astra's words, Emiya Kiritsugu suddenly understood what this servant of unknown origin wanted to do and why he did it.

"If you don't care about Saber's mood, don't make it too ugly on the surface, she is not wrong no matter what."

As an upright knight, he naturally couldn't understand those methods that couldn't be put on the surface, so it was reasonable that he couldn't recognize them no matter what.

Putting the list in his hand on the table casually, Emiya Kiritsugu's expression remained unchanged.

"But this plan of yours was prepared from the beginning?"

"Yes."

"If I had made another choice, would there have been another list?"

Emiya Kiritsugu was not an idiot, so he naturally knew that what he wanted on the list was consistent with his choice.

Glancing at the paper on the table, Astra smiled and said, "No, there is no second copy."

"You made a choice, I responded to your choice, that's all. If that statement, from the beginning, didn't exist, I'm right in my judgment as a result."

"Hmph, you really gave me a trick, Caster."

Astra sneered: "This is the case with each other, Emiya Kiritsugu."

Afterwards, the matter of preparing the materials was handed over to Emiya Kiritsugu, no matter how much he feared that man named Kotomine Chirei, it was impossible for him to escape at this juncture.

Before Astra left, she heard such a sentence.

"If you really do this, Saber will still know."

Astra stopped, but didn't look back.

"She has emotions, even if she comes at me, I and I will pick you up."

After saying this, his figure disappeared directly in place.

Emiya Kiritsugu looked at the place where the servant left, and sighed slightly.

From the second day on, Artoria couldn't see her Master, and she didn't know what agreement she had reached with Caster Astra. Every morning, she left the castle before dawn, and she could not force it until late at night. I just saw the shadow of that person.

As for what the two of them were going to do, even if I asked Irisviel, the other party said that she was not very clear about it, and because of Emiya Kiritsugu's character problem, she was not very good at asking about the relevant arrangements.

In any case, nothing on Einzbern's side is enough to affect the progress of the Holy Grail War.Accidents, however, were predictable.

only--

"Eh--?"

Hearing the news brought by the familiar, Irisviel's expression changed drastically, "Tokiomi Tohsaka is dead?"

"Yes."

Maiya conveyed the news she had just received to the lady who did not leave the castle by using a familiar.Even if the words are not very clear, it can make people feel her heavy heart.

Knowing what Irisviel was worried about, Artoria supported the girl who had become weak for unknown reasons, and said with a slightly worried tone, "Irisviel, you should go back to your room first."

Irisviel pinched the handle of the door tightly with her fingers, and bit her lips tightly.

"But--"

Seeing his face getting paler and paler, Artoria could only try to appease him.

"If something really happens, the Master and Caster will take care of it. You need to rest well now to cope with the coming war."

Since Arturia's words couldn't be more correct, Irisviel didn't continue to insist, and slowly moved to the bed under the urging of the other party.

She closed her eyes only after Arturia walked away.

Only she knew that even lying in bed could not change her "disappearing" symptoms.

Right above the castle, among the clouds.

The weaker and weaker magic power passed by Astra through Irisviel finally experienced Merlin's feeling of heartbreak, knowing that the master's situation is not good, but he can't do anything.

It doesn't matter if the feelings are indifferent, or it doesn't matter, at least at this moment Astra really wants to change something, instead of letting the master's life be taken away and he does nothing.

Strange and familiar emotions filled her heart, and Astra herself couldn't explain why.

Even if Fujimaru Tachika was in danger, he used "trial" as an excuse to not appear on the opponent's battlefield, but shrank to the side, completely disregarding the relationship.

So this time, why did he want to change the fate of this "container"?

"Do not understand……"

With a wail, Astra covered her face with her hands, her chest heaving violently.

The people on Einzbern's side continued to live every day calmly as usual, even if they were uneasy, they suppressed their emotions, and did not take any unplanned actions rashly.

Different from the wait-and-see here, the reactions in several other places are much more intense.

"Rider——" After receiving the information, Weber hurriedly shared it with his servants, but when he opened the door, he saw that the other party was still eating senbei and watching TV with a relaxed expression, and the excitement in his stomach disappeared.

"Huh? What happened, boy?"

Seeing that his servant didn't even look at him, Weber pursed his lips.

"Tokiomi Tohsaka is dead."

"Ah?" Iskandar finally responded, but he still felt very unfamiliar with this name. "Tokiomi Tohsaka... who is it?"

"Acher, Master of Gilgamesh."

Even knowing that the person in front of him doesn't care about things other than servants, it's still speechless at this point.

"So, the news of his death...how did you find out about it?"

Hearing the Servant's question, Waver realized something was wrong.

Even if it is Acher's Master, there is no need to inform other Masters of his death.

Seeing his Master's bewildered expression, Rider Iskandar turned around and flicked the opponent's forehead with his hand.

"Don't be fooled by assumptions, kid." As if thinking of something, he asked, "What's the reaction of the other groups?"

"Caster and Saber are silent."

Through the silver-haired girl, Weber quickly understood that the two groups were working together... No, maybe they were together from the beginning.

To this answer, Iskandar nodded.

"That young man will certainly not take it lightly. Although Saber pursues the way of chivalry, he is not a reckless person. Their approach is quite reasonable."

"I haven't investigated the other groups." Weber said dejectedly, "They hide so well that there is no way to find them."

"You have also seen Astra's treasure. If he really wanted to hide it, no one would be able to find him. Then, why did he not hide their base and let you find it so straightforwardly? "

Wei Bo hesitated for a moment, then said uncertainly, "...Maybe he was careless?"

I don't know whether to say that my master is naive or big-hearted. Before knowing the real reason, Iskandar does not intend to make a move. He is going to wait and see for the time being, just like the two groups of people who joined forces.

As for what the other groups will do, let him see and talk.

In the castle of Einzbern, Astra carefully carved the magic circle on the ground with his fingers impregnated with animal blood. Based on the knowledge given to him by the Holy Grail, he outlined the extremely complicated summoning circle out.

At this moment, he missed Chaldea's summoning circle very much.

Easy to use, simple to operate, really easy to use.

He couldn't understand why the Fuyuki Holy Grail War's summoning circle was so troublesome?

After thinking about it, Astra was not sloppy with the things in hand. Because of her meticulous drawing, the complex summoning array was finally drawn.

After cleaning her fingers, Astra glanced at the summoning circle and sat down beside her.

When Arturia was led into this room, she was full of puzzlement, but when she saw the unusually familiar thing on the ground, her expression turned ugly.

"Emiya Kiritsugu, are you going to summon another servant?"

A master has only one servant, and Arturia couldn't believe that his master dared to ignore the rules and tried to summon another servant for him to order.

"No." Emiya Kiritsugu spoke without emotion as usual.

"So what did I dissatisfy you with?"

Facing Saber's aggressiveness, Emiya Kiritsugu shifted his gaze to the boy not far away.

"It's not me who wants to summon the servant, it's Caster."

Hearing this, even King Arthur frowned.

She knew about the specialness of Astra's class, but she didn't understand why he would consume his own magic power to summon new followers under the current situation.

"Then what does that have to do with me being here?"

"It's a big deal." Astra pointed to the summoning array, and explained the situation to the bewildered girl servant. "The servant I need to summon has a lot to do with you."

How to summon the corresponding servants without holy relics is something other masters need to consider.

As a master who has signed a contract with two servants, Astra has no troubles in this regard. He only needs an opportunity now, a medium that can be used as a re-summon, and he can easily move that servant to this world.

"What do you need me to do?" Artoria glanced at the sword covered by the enchantment in her hand, "You won't use my sword to summon?"

"You just need to stand here." Astra pointed to a place next to the summoning circle, "Leave the rest to me."

"For you, this is the simplest thing."

Without doubting him, Artoria complied with the other party's request.

then--

"Servant CASTER, here by summoning. This is the first time we meet, Master, I am CASTER, you can just call me Merlin."