In the distant Einzbern Castle, Irisviel was busy signing a new contract with Saber.
The death of the Master is equivalent to the disappearance of the contract. Fortunately, Saber is right next to him. Otherwise, it would be too funny to leave the game early without even fighting because he couldn't find a suitable Master.
After re-signing the contract, a bright red Command Seal suddenly appeared on the back of her hand, and Irisviel murmured as if she hadn't yet reacted.
"Kiritsugu?"
"Master?"
Saber looked at Irisviel worriedly, and felt a little sad in her heart. According to the knowledge given by the Holy Grail, if the Master dies and the Command Seal is not taken away by others, it will be reissued to the appropriate person.
Although she didn't know why the other party didn't use the command spell to call her, as a knight, Saber couldn't feel good about not being able to save her master's life.
After a few seconds, Irisviel regained her emotions and began to speak calmly.
"Emiya Kiritsugu lost his status as Master today and officially died. I, Irisviel, will take over as the Master of Einzbern and continue to participate in the Fourth Holy Grail War."
No matter what, for Illya, she must go to Fuyuki City and win this war. Thinking of Illya's unusual words calling her father, a flash of determination to accept reality flashed in Illya's eyes.
Looking at Irisviel's expression, Saber saluted Irisviel again.
"Yes, Master."
——
After a brief explanation to the store manager, Roland, who officially resigned, collected his salary, which was obviously more generous than before, and left the convenience store with some reluctance.
"I didn't expect that the first person I fell in love with in Fuyuki City was actually my workplace. What does this mean?"
Roland smiled to himself, recalling the bonded spirit he had just seen.
Although based on the changes in the plot, I had already guessed that the spirit that escaped this time would be a very dangerous character, but I didn't expect that it would be the soul of the Holy Lord.
As the incarnation of black energy, it was one of the eight ancient demons. Even if only the soul was left, it was not something he could easily fight against now.
But it is different after being made into a contract spirit. Even the Holy Lord will not have self-awareness and can only be reduced to an instinctive force.
The prerequisite for the Key of All Spirits to create a bonded spirit does not necessarily require it to be a dead object, it is just that it is easier to make a bonded spirit if it is dead.
Until now, Roland has not understood the requirements and standards for creating a bonded spirit with the Key of All Souls. How could a man with such obsession as Emiya Kiritsugu not become a bonded spirit?
With Kira Yoshikage's precedent, Roland naturally knew that the Key to All Souls would not care whether there was such a thing as a soul. What he absorbed was more like the existence of that power itself.
Then why didn't Ryunosuke Ubu and Kiritsugu Emiya succeed? What do they lack compared to Yoshikage Kira?
And, do I really have to pay that price to contract with the Holy Master?
Roland's smile gradually faded. He never thought he was that great. Although he didn't like people who had a clear goal and sacrificed everything for it, he could understand the awareness of dedication involved.
What do those people think when faced with this kind of thing?
Roland didn't hesitate for too long. His mobility has always been excellent. Since he didn't know, wouldn't he just ask?
"You're late. It's really strange. Did something happen to you?"
Matou Zangyan stood at the door of the old house, looking at Roland coming, his eyes filled with a strange color, and he said in a teasing tone.
In the past few days of exchanging intelligence and information, he found that Roland was a person who had a very good sense of time and would never be late easily.
"Ah, it's nothing. I met the master of the Einzbern family on the road and killed him, wasting a little time."
Roland answered Matou Zangyan's question casually, with his arms crossed and confusion still on his face.
But Matou Zouken couldn't suppress his shock.
He had always been wary of Roland who came to him. This was not because he had found any evidence, but because he was naturally suspicious.
But because his purpose this time is very pure, it doesn't matter to Matou Zangyan whether the other party has any conspiracy secretly.
Regardless of whether Roland truly formed an alliance with him or not, as long as he participated in the Holy Grail War, he would inevitably have to face off against other Masters. It was just a matter of efficiency.
But it’s too efficient to kill just one Master now, right?
"Einzbern's? Is it the mercenary that was invited?"
"Yes, but the Command Seal was taken back by the Holy Grail, so it should probably be given to Einzbern."
"That kind of thing doesn't matter at all. So what if the contract is continued with artificial humans? It's not that he is arrogant. Einzbern's level of actual combat is really not outstanding."
"Yes," Roland replied absently. After pondering for a while, he finally asked the question in his mind.
"Matou Zōyan, if the path to the sky is right in front of you, but this path may distort something important to you, will you still step on it?"
"Of course I will." Although he was confused about the meaning of Roland's words, after seeing Roland's achievements, Matou Zangyan's attitude became a little more friendly.
"You are still too young. When you experience more things, you will understand that there is no need to hesitate at all."
"Human beings all live by chasing certain things, ideals and obsessions. In the end, their own personalities may gradually change into the appearance of the things they are chasing. Can you say that this kind of attitude is distorted?"
Matou Zangyan originally wanted to enlighten Roland, but as the words deepened, his own voice seemed to freeze, and it was so low that it was chilling.
He looked at his withered hands, which looked disgustingly old, and quietly clenched his fists.
Immortality is his obsession.
No matter what price he pays or how distorted his posture becomes, he will continue to move forward on this road and will never regret it, because he has already paid too much.
Hey, why does this old man want to pursue immortality?
After thinking for a while, Matou Zangyan could not come up with an answer, so he raised his head and looked at Roland who was thoughtful.
"Socrates once said that human virtue is to shape the soul into a better posture. Everyone's pursuit is due to their own goodness. Roland, what are you pursuing?"
"It's eternal peace of mind."
Roland answered without hesitation.
He has always been very clear about this. In order to maintain a peaceful life, he must overcome his fear and anxiety and make himself at ease.
"Are you at ease? What you are pursuing is really profound," Matou Zangyan's words were mixed with unpleasant laughter.
"The so-called peace of mind will also change with different visions. Ordinary people only need to get married, have children, and gain friends. When you have a prominent position, you will want to pursue wealth and power. When you have ideals, , you will pursue the roots like a magician, or pursue love and peace as society advocates."
Matou Zangyan's tone revealed a kind of regret.
"Such wishes may seem small, but they are actually extremely grand. Generally speaking, all human beings are pursuing these things. Human abilities are limited. I advise you to set your goals smaller, so that you may be able to enjoy temporary comfort. Paralyze yourself."
Listening to Matou Zangyan's pungent words, Roland's eyes flickered, as bright as stars, and a smile of unknown meaning appeared on his face, as if he had been awakened.
"It's great, I'm starting to understand everything."
He seemed to be confessing or sighing, and Roland's tone was leisurely and filled with excitement.
"There are indeed limits to human abilities."
"I have learned one thing from my short life. The more human beings play tricks, the more they will be destroyed by unexpected circumstances, unless they become something beyond human beings..."
Scenes of these days flashed through his mind, including Father Mapo, the perverted murderer, the magician killer, and the damn Black Holy Grail.
Everyone unconsciously broke into it, destroyed his peaceful life, and contributed to the current situation. In order to erase all the uneasiness, what was the price he had to pay?
Matou Zangyan, who couldn't keep up with Roland's brain circuit at all, looked at this scene that was beyond his understanding, and felt a rare feeling of fear in the young man in front of him.
"what do you want to say in the end?"
Roland said softly with a smile that was so bright and unnerving that he had never shown before.
"——I'm no longer a human being!"
