Seven days after that night, the wounds inflicted upon Fuyuki City seemed to have never existed at all, as though an invisible hand had smoothed them away. Even most of the innocent people caught up in the war were brought back to life.
The reason I say most is because once a human soul loses the support of its physical body, it rapidly deteriorates and vanishes, eventually transforming into pure Spiritrons and returning to the cycle of reincarnation with Gaia's breath.
The amount of time a soul can survive varies according to the strength of an individual's beliefs and willpower. Generally speaking, seven days is the absolute limit.
If too much time had passed since their deaths, Leon would no longer have been able to extract their souls, making resurrection impossible.
There was another possibility: some souls could persist for a long time by becoming vengeful spirits or earthbound spirits. But for beings in such a state, resurrection had already lost its meaning. Thus, Leon could only personally send them back into the cycle of reincarnation. That was still better than letting them become the sort of people who, in harming themselves, also refused to let anyone else live in peace.
Therefore, even though the Holy Grail War had lasted only seven days, there were still parents who had lost their children and orphans who had lost their parents.
As an act of atonement, Kiritsugu Emiya and Hisau Maiya adopted an orphan named "Shirou" from an orphanage. The two decided to entrust to him everything they themselves had failed to obtain—their past, present, and future.
Shirou Emiya returned with Kiritsugu Emiya and Hisau Maiya to the Japanese-style residence where Leon, Artoria, Irisviel, and the others had once stayed temporarily.
They would spend the rest of their lives here.
And here, he would begin his new life.
…
This is the story of a boy named "Shirou," who lost every member of his family, including his parents, beneath the assault of a gigantic Sea Demon:
"I remember my father and mother's faces. They were a man and a woman who both had tears in their eyes, yet were sincerely overjoyed that I was still alive."
"They looked so happy. The moment we first met, they hugged me tightly, as carefully as if they were embracing some precious treasure. It almost made me think that the ones who had survived weren't me, but them. Even though all three of us were perfectly alive."
"Thank goodness! Thank goodness!"
"When they discovered me—the only person in the orphanage whose parents and relatives had all died—they seemed to be thanking someone as they said 'Thank you' in a voice that sounded as though they had received salvation, even though I was filled with utter despair."
"They said that it was wonderful that I was still alive. They were smiling, but sorrowful tears kept pouring from their eyes. Eventually, even I, who had already become numb, was infected by their emotions and began crying as I held onto them."
"Having lost my entire family, I had a family once again."
"There was also a strange uncle named 'Leon,' handsome enough to look like a god. His white hair and crimson eyes were beautiful and noble, making him impossible to forget after seeing him just once."
"He kept feeling me all over, as though he were searching for something."
"In the end, he merely shook his head and sighed in disappointment, saying, 'Ah, life~.'"
"I don't know what he was trying to find in me. But if I had whatever it was, I would gladly give it to him as a gift."
"Because Daddy Kiritsugu and Mommy Maiya said that Uncle Leon was the hero who saved everyone in Fuyuki City. So I suppose my life was probably saved by him too."
"However, I think there is one thing Daddy Kiritsugu and Mommy Maiya got wrong. Compared with a hero, Uncle Leon is more like a god—powerful, beautiful, gentle, and handsome. He often looks at me with a loving gaze. I can feel an unshakable will emanating from him. I hope that someday, I can possess that same strength."
…
Einzbern Castle
After being transported back by Leon, Sakura Matou kept praying for her Leon Daddy in her heart, desperately suppressing the urge to call out to him.
Because doing so would only cause him trouble.
Sakura did not want to make her Leon Daddy angry.
And so—
A long time passed.
But that was merely the result of Sakura thinking about Leon without pause for even a moment.
Rin Tohsaka and Illyasviel stood guard beside her, one on either side. Although they had no idea what had happened, they followed Sakura's example and prayed along with her.
The three little girls, bundled up in thick padded coats, stood before the gates of Einzbern Castle. Facing the increasingly fierce snowstorm, they silently prayed.
Behind them, Aoi Tohsaka and two Homunculus Combat Maids quietly watched over them.
Even Acht, who had always remained deep inside the workshop and almost never ventured outside, had emerged from the castle at this moment. With a solemn expression, he stood with his hands behind his back before the gates of Einzbern Castle.
As an autonomous mechanism created solely for the purpose of realizing the Third Magic, he had already sensed something.
BOOM—!
Amid the delighted gazes of the three little girls, a pillar of rainbow light descended from the heavens!
Leon, the Third Magician, appeared before them, clad in Heaven's Garment — Justeaze, his white hair and crimson eyes dazzling beneath the light.
Behind him stood the white-haired, blue-eyed Arci A2 and YoRHa 2B, respectfully positioned on either side of him. In the arms of Bastet, dressed in a black-and-white maid uniform, rested an exquisite golden-and-blue scabbard—
Avalon — The Everdistant Utopia.
Sakura Matou: "Mr. Leon!"
Rin Tohsaka & Illyasviel: "Leon!"
"Little Sakura, Rin, Illya. I'm back."
Like fledgling swallows returning to their nest, the three little girls scampered forward and threw themselves into Leon's arms.
Leon held one little girl in each arm, but there simply wasn't enough room for the third. The most mischievous of the three, Rin Tohsaka, immediately climbed onto Leon's shoulders and sat astride his neck, wearing the proud expression of a victorious female general.
"Rin, that's cheating~"
Illya puffed out her cheeks in immediate regret when she realized that she could have done the same.
"Mr. Leon!"
Sakura did not care about any of that. She buried her frost-reddened little face deeply into Leon's chest.
As long as her Leon Daddy had returned safely, that was all she needed.
"Leon~"
Aoi Tohsaka walked over.
But with every available spot in Leon's arms occupied by the children, she could only call out to him tenderly, like a devoted wife waiting for her husband to return.
Although she felt somewhat guilty toward Tokiomi Tohsaka, the only man Aoi could rely on now, and the only man she was willing to rely on, was Leon.
She was only a woman. She possessed neither overwhelming strength nor a brilliant mind.
What she had was this mature and still beautiful body, along with the bloodline of a Magus that was advantageous for producing talented descendants.
For the sake of her children, and for her own sake, Leon was the choice Aoi Tohsaka had made.
People could call her shameless if they wished.
They could say she had violated the duties of a wife.
It made no difference.
Tokiomi was dead.
She only wanted to find, for the sake of her children and herself, a man who could provide her with physical support and emotional solace.
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