The secret passage inside the church opened, and dozens of people began to evacuate in an orderly fashion. The priest's prestige managed to suppress everyone's fear at this moment.
The building became empty. Ritsuka followed Kiritsugu through the long, narrow passage. When they emerged from the exit, it was a spot hidden by weeds, already several kilometers away from the church.
After discussing with the priest, Kiritsugu took Ritsuka and left the main group, saying they would scout the situation and then meet at the location where the cargo ship was docked. Thus, only the two of them were currently walking through the woods, and the surroundings were excessively quiet.
After running for a few minutes, Kiritsugu found his hidden off-road vehicle in the wilderness. He started the engine in one go and casually took off his dirty coat and threw it aside.
Ritsuka climbed into the passenger seat and buckled her seatbelt. Kiritsugu drove the off-road vehicle around the ruins, speeding across the wilderness.
They had stayed in this city for about a month and a half. During that time, except for the initial large-scale warfare and bombing, the subsequent time had been much more peaceful. Coupled with the national-level ceasefire declaration, he had thought it was a precursor to the withdrawal of troops.
Reality, however, delivered a harsh slap to his face in the form of a military raid.
This was merely a small border city of the nation; the military forces deployed here by the two conflicting countries weren't substantial, making the current intensity of the battle quite unexpected.
What could this small country possibly possess that would make a major power cast aside its dignity?
Kiritsugu could feel his body reaching its limit and felt a pang of melancholy. He instinctively glanced at Ritsuka beside him, confirming she had fallen asleep from exhaustion.
Staying up late was still a heavy burden for a child to bear.
He pulled out a cigarette, preparing to put it in his mouth as cautiously as a thief. However, a sudden surge of pain through his body made his hand slip, and it fell to the ground with a soft thud.
Phew... pick it up within three seconds and it's not dirty... He picked it up and lit it, then checked the time. There was still a long while before the ship that would take them away arrived; he could rest for a bit.
Parking the car by the side of the road, Kiritsugu hesitated before reaching into his trench coat pocket. He pulled out something resembling a notebook, his expression filled with inner conflict.
Last night, Ritsuka's reaction upon hearing he planned to retire and stop being a hero of justice—that joy and relief—stayed in his heart, even making him feel a bit apprehensive. The contents of this notebook might very well cause him to pick up his ideals once again.
This small notebook was something he had obtained by chance years ago when he saved Ritsuka; it contained legends regarding a mysterious family.
Closing his eyes, he recalled the days spent with his foster mother. His resolve gradually solidified. That was the wish he had made when he was still twenty, a wish he had followed for nearly his entire life.
"..."
In the silent stillness of everything, the cigarette in Kiritsugu's hand burned out and fell to the ground, where it was promptly crushed underfoot.
"Sorry, Ritsuka. Definitely next time." Kiritsugu patted Ritsuka's head and then opened the rare volume in his hand, where crooked characters appeared before his eyes.
The 'New Moon' clan, a mysterious family living in Fuyuki City.
———
"Kiritsugu?"
While Kiritsugu was contemplating life, a faint voice sounded beside him. The brief rest had allowed Ritsuka to regain some energy, and she opened her eyes.
Her gaze swept across the ruins and the wilderness. Seeing her observing the surroundings, Kiritsugu nonchalantly tossed away the half-smoked cigarette, showing no sign of weakness. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm okay now, it's just that my head is buzzing. I probably need a good rest."
Ritsuka gave a silly smile.
"Then let's stay here a bit longer. There's still quite a bit of time before the ship the priest mentioned arrives."
He settled on the rest plan immediately. Worried that Ritsuka's body wouldn't be able to take it, Kiritsugu abandoned the idea of continuing the journey for now; his own body likely needed more rest as well.
After using Magecraft, the sense of exhaustion from the inside out hadn't faded for a moment. He was getting older, after all; his physical condition was far from the vigor he had at twenty.
Time is a butcher's knife; even if it's not killing a pig but a person, the blade goes in clean and comes out red... Of course, the biggest problem stemmed from Kiritsugu's Magecraft. This kind of Great Magecraft, which used the body to endure the backlash of time displacement, came at a truly heavy price.
Time Alter, Innate Time Control—this was Kiritsugu's specialty Magecraft and core ability. It was a powerful Magecraft that could manipulate his own flow of time. According to the research of his father, Emiya Noritaka, it even had the potential to reach the Root.
What is the Root? It is the cause of all things, the existence from which all phenomena flow, the truth of the world.
The end point containing all knowledge, the Akashic Records.
Because it is the cause of all things, it can lead to all results. It is the sole research topic for the species known as Magicians.
Conversely, Magecraft is merely a means to research the method of reaching the Root.
It is for this reason that most Magicians are cold-blooded. Their logic differs greatly from that of ordinary people, to the point where they commit unacceptable and atrocious acts.
Although some have reached it in the past, they disappear from this world at that very moment and can never return.
Therefore, it can only be pursued through one's own power and cannot be taught.
Emiya Noritaka's Magecraft could theoretically reach the Root, and the man himself was the most common type of cold-blooded Magician, having committed countless misdeeds.
Of course, regardless of the method, reaching the Root requires a very long path and a very long time for research. A human lifespan cannot support this.
Ultimately, Kiritsugu's father turned to the dangerous subject of Dead Apostles—creatures similar to the vampires of myth. He was eventually shot dead by an enraged Kiritsugu. The Magus Killer hunted the first Magician he ever encountered in his life.
On the day of Boy's Day, he killed his biological father who possessed the essence of a Magician... Leaning back against the comfortable seat, Ritsuka breathed slightly, her rosy lips pursed. The soreness in her eyes gradually eased with the rest. She looked at Kiritsugu, who had his head tilted to one side, and a certain scent made the corner of her eye twitch.
As someone with a good sense of smell, how could she not notice him secretly smoking from such a short distance? Kiritsugu was treating her like a child... Wait, she was ten years old this year, so she actually was a child, wasn't she?
Ritsuka fell into silence.
"By the way, Kiritsugu, why didn't you go save those people?"
Ritsuka shifted her gaze to the calm Emiya Kiritsugu beside her. 'Those people' referred, of course, to the local armed groups raided by the army.
Those guys weren't bad people; after forming, they often took in those who were homeless—all poor souls affected by the war.
"It was a necessary sacrifice."
The cigarette butt quietly fell to the ground.
"We don't have the power to influence the war. Without prior preparation, we can't even stand against a well-equipped squad." Kiritsugu started the car. "Under a surprise attack with that kind of firepower, even if the opponent is a makeshift irregular army, not many people would survive over in those ruins. The reason is the completely unexpected nature of the attack."
"Compared to regular US soldiers, those mercenary soldiers recruited from Africa, the Middle East, and elsewhere likely won't participate in large-scale frontal battlefields. Instead, they'll search for survivors to massacre. After all, they were originally oppressed people themselves, and they'll be quite happy to find the pleasure of revenge in others."
"And by sacrificing only those who were destined to die, it's possible to exchange them for the lives of more survivors. There's no reason not to do it, right?"
Kiritsugu spoke nonchalantly, lightly biting off a biscuit stick in his mouth.
Chewing softly, he reached out his hand to take another one.
"As I thought, I still can't become a 'hero of justice'." Ritsuka lowered her eyes and slapped Kiritsugu's hand away. "I might not lend a hand to someone in trouble right in front of me, but I also can't deliberately abandon them."
When successful, help the world; when poor, maintain one's own integrity. Ritsuka didn't have the personality of a saint either.
Having confirmed the justice in Kiritsugu's heart once again, Ritsuka's expression wasn't great. The atmosphere between the two was exceptionally stiff as they both fell into silence.
Ritsuka didn't consider herself a particularly kind person, but she ultimately couldn't achieve complete cruelty. That would be too unfriendly to both herself and others; what could one gain in a lifetime doing that?
A reputation for infamy?
"Let's go, we have to keep moving."
The car started. Without waiting for Ritsuka to answer, the off-road vehicle set off in a predetermined direction. At the end of the road, at the end of their vision, was the ocean.
Having lost the conversation, Kiritsugu actually felt a bit happy in his heart. He had understood long ago where the flaws in his ideals lay, during that one unforgettable failure.
To be honest, Ritsuka's answer didn't leave him feeling lonely or resentful, only the relief that his daughter had grown up and her thoughts had matured... even if this daughter was only ten years old.
Speaking of which, for a ten-year-old daughter to have a level of thinking comparable to his own at around forty was truly a bit frustrating. As expected—
He still had to work harder.