"Why is it like that?"
Wearing a blue dress, Artoria stepped directly between Leon and Irisviel, looking displeased.
"Since you already know my true name, Leon—"
"As an exchange, you should tell us Berserker's true name. That would be fair."
"Darling, I think you've forgotten something."
Leon casually pushed Artoria's head aside with a single finger as she tried to wedge herself between them.
"Saber's true name was something I figured out myself."
"Are you sure that means I have to reveal Berserker's true name for it to be considered fair?"
"…You're right."
Artoria immediately realized her mistake.
Leon had said her name so naturally that she had unconsciously forgotten he had deduced it on his own.
"If you really want to know," Leon suddenly whispered, "come to my room tonight."
"Don't tell Irisviel or Kiritsugu."
Before she could react, Leon suddenly wrapped an arm around the petite knight, holding her head against his chest like an overbearing CEO doting on his beloved wife.
He leaned close and murmured the words into her slightly reddening ear.
"Wh—!"
Artoria snapped back to reality instantly.
She broke free from Leon's embrace and immediately attempted to dematerialize into spirit form to escape.
Unfortunately, Leon behaved as if he had installed a tracking device on her.
No matter where she tried to hide, he always managed to find her.
It turned into something like a game of hide-and-seek.
She ran.
He chased.
And there was simply no escaping.
"Mr. Leon really enjoys teasing Saber, doesn't he~?"
Irisviel covered her mouth with a soft laugh.
Although she hadn't heard their whispered conversation, the pair's playful, almost romantic interactions were more than enough to spark her curiosity.
Perhaps this is the mysterious attraction between wielders of the Holy Sword?
But Kiritsugu Emiya had a very different opinion.
"Just like Illya said earlier, enemies cannot become wives."
"Not to mention that one of them is a living human, while the other is a Heroic Spirit, a soul long dead in history and elevated to the Throne."
"Besides, according to my judgment—although Saber is biologically female, she has no awareness of herself as a woman."
"The consciousness of a king forced her to abandon her own femininity during her upbringing."
"The so-called King Arthur… this is simply absurd!"
Normally expressionless, Kiritsugu now clenched his teeth, unable to hide the anger on his face.
Seeing this, Irisviel gently smoothed the wrinkles between his brows.
"There's nothing that can be done about it…"
"Saber—Artoria—was chosen by the Sword in the Stone to become king."
"In order to protect her people, she already made her choice."
"…Perhaps."
Kiritsugu replied quietly.
But the dissatisfaction in his eyes did not fade.
If anything, it grew deeper.
No one should be born only to be abandoned or sacrificed.
That was precisely why he intended to use the Holy Grail.
To create a world of absolute justice and fairness—a world where no one would ever again be sacrificed for any reason.
For her.
For her.
And for the woman standing beside him now.
Kiritsugu did not truly hate Artoria herself.
But her very existence represented something that trampled upon his beliefs.
The justice he believed in could not accept such a contradiction.
Inside Einzbern Castle
In the magnificent golden hall, everyone gathered around the long table in the drawing room.
Leon sat with Berserker standing behind him, while Sakura Matou rested quietly in his arms.
Across from him sat Kiritsugu Emiya, with Saber standing behind him.
Irisviel stood nearby holding Illyasviel's hand.
The mediator for the alliance ceremony was the current head of the Einzbern family—
Irisviel and Illya's "grandfather":
Jubstacheit von Einzbern.
"Both parties, please confirm the contents of the agreement once more."
"During this Holy Grail War, until the number of Servants has been reduced to only Saber and Berserker, neither side shall betray nor harm the other in any form."
"You will cooperate with each other until the completion of the Greater Grail."
Kiritsugu spoke first.
"No objections."
Leon smiled.
"No objections."
One expressionless.
One smiling.
The two spoke in unison before signing the magically binding contract.
The moment their names were written—
The parchment suddenly ignited in midair.
The words of the contract transformed into glowing runic text and etched themselves onto the backs of Leon's and Kiritsugu's left hands, before gradually fading from sight.
Once the ritual ended, Jubstacheit von Einzbern clasped his hands behind his back and silently left the room.
He didn't even say a single word to Leon.
Leon didn't mind.
After all, this figure was completely different from the humanlike Irisviel.
Jubstacheit was the progenitor of all Einzbern homunculi, an artificial intelligence puppet created by the disciples of the Third Magic user to control the castle's central systems.
Since inheriting the position of the Eighth Head of the Einzbern family, he had existed for over two centuries.
An automated puppet that could operate indefinitely—
at the cost of never evolving or progressing.
His sole purpose was simple:
To help the Einzbern family win the Holy Grail War and realize the Third Magic — Heaven's Feel.
In the previous Holy Grail War, he had personally represented the Einzbern family.
Unfortunately, he lacked combat ability.
Even worse, the Servant he summoned possessed a class and nature that were extremely abnormal.
The result was catastrophic.
The Third Holy Grail War collapsed entirely, leaving no victor.
Learning from that failure, he later accepted Kiritsugu Emiya, the infamous Magus Killer, as the Einzbern family's son-in-law and anti-magus specialist.
Now that the entire Fourth Holy Grail War had been entrusted to Kiritsugu, the personalityless Jubstacheit had no reason to interfere with his decisions.
The Einzbern family existed for one purpose alone:
To achieve the Third Magic.
Everything else was irrelevant.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Leon."
After Jubstacheit left, Irisviel clasped her hands together apologetically.
"My grandfather is always like that."
"He rarely leaves his workshop and doesn't speak much. He's just… a bit cold."
"It's fine."
Leon waved it off casually.
"Sooner or later, we'll all be one big family anyway."
"Ah…?"
Leon's shocking statement left Irisviel completely stunned.
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