I want to just drift through life in Type-Moon.

Page 150

Chapter 337 The Broken Android (Part 1)

"Of course I have to go back, but getting the Holy Grail and becoming the successor of the Einzbern family have absolutely nothing to do with each other, right? When did you get the idea that I'm going to become a member of the Einzbern family?" Ling also stared wide-eyed at Yubustakuhai. The old man and the young man just stared at each other, and the atmosphere became deeply awkward.

"The victor of the Holy Grail can only come from among the three starter families!" Yubustakuhai spoke first, looking at Ling with a solemn expression. "You, who are all alone in this world, would never be able to obtain the Holy Grail without our help!"

Yubustakuhai's words almost confused everyone about his stance, but after Ling said the next thing, everyone instantly understood what he meant.

"Stop joking. You're just scared, aren't you? You already know in your heart whether Yustissa is still the original Winter Saintess. Don't think you're the only one who knows there's a problem." Ling looked at Yubustakuhai with a half-smile, while everyone else was completely confused.

"Why are you bringing up so many nonsensical things again?! When will this end?!" Olga withdrew her hand, which Ling had been squeezing for a long time, and put her gloves back on to cover the somewhat amusing Command Seal. "Stop talking about those things. Ling, finish explaining what's on your Self-Enforcement Certificate first! Otherwise, we can't leave here!"

Olga, seemingly impatient, glanced at everyone present. Although she wasn't particularly tall, she exuded an aura of superiority, as if she were born to be in a position of power.

“Alright, this matter isn’t urgent. Let me finish what I had to say first.” Ling gave Olga an approving look. Although Olga seemed to be being unreasonable just now, she actually prevented Ling and Yubustakuhai from falling out at this time. It has to be said that Olga’s timing was perfect. If they continued talking, they would have to bring up everything that happened inside Yuanzang Mountain when they came to this world.

It is still unknown how much Yubustakuhai knows. If he reveals it in public, there will be no room for maneuver. This "in public" refers to Irisviel, who is suspected of being able to be possessed by Yustissa at any time.

"During the Fourth Holy Grail War, the Einzbern created the 'vessel' to protect the Holy Grail, which is Irisviel." As Ling said this, he looked at his wife with clear eyes.

"In the Third Holy Grail War, Ahadeon not only lost his Servant, but also shattered the precious 'vessel' of the Holy Grail due to the chaos of war. As mentioned before, since the 'vessel' was destroyed before a winner was decided, the war was null and void. At that time, he began to reflect and decided to repackage this 'vessel' into a humanoid form with self-management awareness. And the result is what you see as Irisviel."

“I must say, this is a very good plan. The ‘vessel’ itself is endowed with the instinct for survival, so it can avoid various dangers on its own and protect itself to the maximum extent before the ritual is completed. This is what is called the humanoid miniature Holy Grail.” These words were different from Ling’s previous personality, which made Leonardo da Vinci feel quite strange.

In the past, no matter how unreliable, lazy, or indifferent Ling was, after spending so much time with him, Leonardo da Vinci had long since realized that he was not the kind of cold-blooded person he was.

"Whenever a Servant dies, their soul is absorbed by the Lesser Grail. As these souls are absorbed into her body one by one, her functions as a 'human' will slowly disappear. After absorbing five souls, her human form will be completely burned away and turned into ashes, thus completing the transformation into a magical vessel shaped like the Golden Grail."

"The reason why only the three founding families can obtain the Holy Grail, as Ahad just said, is because only the three families involved in creating the Holy Grail system know about the existence of the Lesser Grail. The other participants are kept in the dark. In other words, as long as you grasp the Lesser Grail, you are invincible to some extent."

"Isn't this cheating?" Ziyuan frowned, seemingly complaining.

“Cheating? Of course we cheat,” Ling said with a strange smile. “Among the three starter families, only the Tohsaka family is relatively honest. The Einzbern and Makiri families have both used some tricks to leave themselves backdoors. The Einzbern family can summon the eighth class, and the Makiri family can use the corpse of a Servant that has not completely disappeared to resummon a new Servant.”

“Apart from the world line where Chaldea exists, all parallel world Holy Grail Wars involve various cheating methods. Oh dear, could it be that the world line where the Holy Grail was successfully summoned and the wish was granted was successful because there was no cheating?” Ling stared wide-eyed as if she had discovered something incredible, and said in a tone that was sure to infuriate people.

"Just kidding, don't take it so seriously." Ling withdrew all his playful expressions and looked at Yubustakuhaid, who was so angry that he almost had a stroke.

"Logically speaking, you androids should be simple-minded and have few emotional fluctuations. Even Nian, as the terminal of the workshop, shouldn't have much emotional fluctuation. Madam is an exception, but the fact that you've become like this means that the father of androids has already encountered a problem." Ling's indifferent eyes reflected the tall old man in front of her, and a sigh flashed in her eyes.

"The reason why the lady has feelings is because Kiritsugu Emiya taught her how to be a human being, while the reason why you became a fanatic is probably because you have experienced too many failures, right? If the lady's feelings are positive, then yours are undoubtedly negative."

"Let me guess, the reason you shut down the power to the Homunculus Father after the Fifth Holy Grail War wasn't because of His orders, but because you didn't want to continue to be disappointed, right?"

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Yubustakuhaid tried to perk up, but his ashen face failed to convey his former authority; instead, it revealed that he was all bark and no bite.

"You had planned to transform Illya into a better Holy Grail Vessel, right? You even wanted her to participate in the Holy Grail War as a Master." A strange look flashed across Ling's face, but he chose to continue.

"The reason you're in such a hurry must be because you foresaw something. After all, you've been the ruler for nearly two centuries. Logically speaking, the lifespan of a homunculus shouldn't be that long. If the father of the homunculus still has the ability to think, then as a machine, even if He fails many times, He should keep repeating the process. But why has He, as the core of Einzbern, become so impatient after only three failures?"

Chapter 338 The Broken Android (Part 2)

Ling pushed up his non-existent glasses. "The reason is simple: it's not Him who's anxious, but you who possess the 'human heart,' or rather, you who can't wait to reclaim the Third Law."

At this point, Ling's eyes sharpened. "You, like Zouken Matou, want to live on, which is why you're so eager to pursue the Third Law! Am I right, Yubstakuhaid von Einzbern!"

Irisviel looked at Yubustakuhaid with astonishment, her heart filled with unease: Was it really as Ling said, that the Sect Master created her to pursue his own interests?

"That's slander!" Yubustakuhaid was so angry that his face turned red and his beard bristled. He stared at Ling with eyes that seemed to want to kill. "As the embodiment of the will of the father of homunculi, all my actions are to fulfill the wishes of Einzbern!"

Ling shook her head, not believing his rebuttal at all. "It's too ugly. Even if you don't admit it, all your actions are moving toward this goal. And I didn't say your goal was wrong. I just wanted you to realize that you've already broken down."

Indeed, Yubustakuhaid found that there was absolutely no mockery or contempt in Ling's gaze.

"Life's instinct to avoid death is simply that you are making the same choice as countless other lives."

After saying this, Ling pulled Olga toward the exit of the passage, saying as they walked, "I don't know what the Einzbern will become in the end, but Chief Ahad, I can be sure that the end of the Fifth Holy Grail War will be the limit of your life, because no matter which timeline, the birth of Ilya, the greatest masterpiece of the Einzbern, represents the end of the Einzbern."

Standing at the exit, Ling turned back to look at Kiritsugu Emiya. "Kiritsugu Emiya, there are only six months left until the Holy Grail War. I remember that by this time, you would have already investigated the identities of some of the Masters, right?"

Kiritsugu Emiya turned around, looking at the being who seemed to know everything with an uneasy gaze, his heart growing increasingly pessimistic. "Yes, I have already investigated three Masters who will participate in this Holy Grail War: Tokiomi Tohsaka, the head of the Tohsaka family, and Kenneth El-Melloi Archibald, the Lord of the Minerals Department of the Clock Tower."

"Huh?!" Olga and some of the magicians in Chaldea exclaimed in surprise upon hearing this name.

Ignoring their ambiguous surprise, Kiritsugu Emiya looked at Rin with a tense gaze. "Finally, it's Father Kirei Kotomine of the Church of Christ."

"So you probably already know who your biggest enemy is." Ling tapped her temple lightly with her index finger. "When you first saw that person's information, didn't you think that person looked a lot like yourself?"

Even though Kiritsugu Emiya was mentally prepared, he was still stumped by the question that was actually the answer: "I don't think he and I have anything in common."

"That's what you think, but that person doesn't think that way. Just as you considered him your biggest rival when you first learned about him, after he learned of your existence, he unconsciously considered you to be his kind. He felt that you were just as empty as him, just as clueless about what you were pursuing, and just as indifferent to life."

"I'm not like Kirei Kotomine!" Kiritsugu Emiya retorted loudly for the first time.

“Yes, I know you two are different. He has a congenital personality defect, while you have a personality defect distorted by your experiences. He still hasn’t found out what he really wants, while you knew what you wanted from the very beginning.” Ling sighed softly. “Alas, but only I know this. He doesn’t. Emiya Kiritsugu, you’d better watch yourself. Kirei Kotomine is your nemesis. From the moment you met, your fates were inevitably set on the mundane path of fighting each other.”

After saying that, he stretched and said, "Alright, the contract has been fulfilled, and I have said everything I needed to say. Chief Ahad, please have someone take us to rest."

Yubustakuhaid stared intently at his retreating figure, his thoughts unknown to anyone. In the end, he sighed and gestured for the maid beside him to lead the way for them.

After watching the Master and Servant disappear from sight, Irisviel couldn't help but ask, "Sect Master, was what that person said just now true?"

Yubustakuhaid glanced at her with a gloomy expression. Kiritsugu Emiya quickly shielded his wife and the woman behind him, and the two men stared at each other in the cold amniotic fluid chamber for a long time without saying a word.

Sensing that something was wrong, Irisviel finally realized what was happening and immediately picked up Ilya. "My lord, it doesn't matter what I become, but I will not let Ilya become the next victim."

After hearing these words, Yubustakuhaid finally spoke up, "Some of the things that the Servant from who knows where said about the Holy Grail War are things that even I don't know, but they should all be true. However, if you say that I am pursuing the Holy Grail for myself, then that is simply nonsense."

He glanced back at the amniotic fluid pool. "But he was right about one thing: I should have been immersed in this pool long ago, like these abandoned androids."

"Master—" Kiritsugu Emiya ignored the attempt to gain sympathy and coldly stated his request, "I will participate in this Holy Grail War, but I need to take Irisviel and Illya to Japan to prepare in advance, since there are too many variables right now."

This request clearly indicated that he did not trust Yubustakuhaid at all. However, Yubustakuhaid did not argue, but instead nodded slightly. "No problem. Even if you don't believe me, I no longer intend to modify Ilya. But Kiritsugu Emiya, you must remember this."

With a calm expression, Yubustakuhaid looked at Kiritsugu Emiya and said, "In any case, it was I who took you in eight years ago when you were chasing miracles. That's why you met Irisviel and had your daughter Illya. You must remember this well."

Kiritsugu Emiya nodded. He knew that Yubustakuhaid said this so that he would fulfill his responsibilities in the upcoming Holy Grail War.

"If the Holy Grail, as that person said, has been corrupted, then you must destroy it. But if not, you must win the Holy Grail War no matter what, and let Einzbern regain the Third Law!"

Chapter 339 The Broken Android (Part 2)

Yubustakuhaid didn't know how much binding force his order still had on Kiritsugu Emiya, but in any case, the favor he had done for Kiritsugu Emiya was real, and now he was simply asking him to repay what he owed in the past, and this order was in the interests of both parties.

If Kiritsugu Emiya truly wants to participate in the Holy Grail War, he cannot do without his support. After all, he hasn't yet handed over the medium for summoning Servants to the other party. As for whether Kiritsugu Emiya will betray him after the Servants are summoned, that question is no longer important.

Because the moment Kiritsugu Emiya summoned a Servant, it meant he had to participate in the Holy Grail War, to either seize or confirm the truth of the Holy Grail. According to the Servant named Rin, the Holy Grail might cause the extinction of humanity. Upon learning this news, Kiritsugu Emiya would not ignore it.

However, the more important question now concerns himself. Yubustakuhaid walked to the edge of the amniotic fluid pool and looked at his aged face reflected in the water. Was it really true, as the Servant had said, that he was broken? He had to find the answer to this question.

Yubustakuhaid didn't turn around, but waved his hand with his back to the others. "Kiritsugu, go and monitor the strange Servant's every move. Irisviel, inform Justessa that my agreement with her continues, but I will continue on my previous path."

“But, Sect Master—” Irisviel looked at Yubustakuhaid’s retreating figure with sorrowful eyes, intending to offer some words of persuasion.

“No need for further words! My mind is made up!” Yubustakuhaid’s booming voice answered from inside the amniotic fluid chamber. After saying this, he continued in a calm voice, “When you set off for Eastwood, take Ilya with you. Come back after the Holy Grail War. By then, whether I’m broken or whether Justessa’s choice was right will all be revealed.”

Kiritsugu Emiya gazed at the old man with a deep look in his eyes. In the end, without saying a word, he took his wife's hand and left the stone chamber with his daughter. Now that he had agreed to Eubusta Kuhaid's request, he would continue to prepare for the Holy Grail War.

Kiritsugu Emiya is becoming increasingly certain that what the Servant said is absolutely true; even Yubusta Kuhaid himself has not realized that he, as a homunculus, has long been problematic.

Compared to when he first came here eight years ago and met Irisviel, who knew nothing and existed as a doll, it took him about a year to teach his wife what it meant to be human. Yet Yubustakuhaid, who was also an artificial human, had developed something similar to "humanity" without any human guidance.

If the opportunity for a wife to gain human affection is "love," then the opportunity for Yubstakuhaid, who has lived for over two centuries, to gain human affection is undoubtedly "fear."

After all, as a woman, Irisviel is born with the ability to continue the next generation, and Ilya is the embodiment of this. However, given that androids are supposed to have short lifespans, Yubustakuhaid has used every means to extend his lifespan to this day. He has even made seizing the Third Law his primary pursuit without anyone realizing it. From any perspective, he is indeed evil.

Walking down the candlelit corridor, Kiritsugu Emiya said to his wife, "Irisviel, do you have a way to shield yourself from the influence of the Winter Saintess?"

Irisviel knew why her husband asked that question, and she shook her head bitterly, “I can’t do it. Just like you saw, even if I refused, Lady Justisa still managed to force herself on my body.”

At this point, she looked around and lowered her voice, "When I saw that child, Lady Justisa took over my body. At that time, I found that she seemed to care about that child unusually. What's even stranger is that through Lady Justisa's vision, I saw something very special."

"What's so special about it?" Kiritsugu Emiya didn't stop and continued walking uphill at his normal pace. However, he didn't notice that Illya, who was being held in his arms, was listening to the adults' conversation more attentively than ever before.

"It seems that Lady Justisa and that child are connected by something. When she uses her Command Spells, the connection between them does not break but becomes even stronger."

"what is that?"

“I don’t know, but I feel like it’s a kind of relationship, and when I look at that relationship, it feels very familiar.” Irisviel didn’t know how to express that feeling.

"[Relationship]?" Kiritsugu Emiya went through everything Rin had said since she appeared in his mind, extracting a sliver of information from it. "That feeling of [relationship], is it like the one between you and Illya?"

“Yes! That’s it—” Irisviel’s brows relaxed immediately, and then she realized what her husband meant. “Wait, Kiritsugu, are you saying that Lady Justessa and that Servant have the same kind of relationship as Illya and me?”

Kiritsugu Emiya neither denied nor agreed, but slowly pondered the matter. He felt that as long as he solved this problem, he would have new leverage, whether it was to deal with that mysterious Servant or to use it for negotiations. In the Holy Grail War, this could very well become a key factor. This was not a speculation, but a kind of intuition.

Not far from them, Olga, Ling, and the Chaldea fell into silence.

Olga had just received Ling's forgiveness and had no intention of questioning his plans for the time being. It was enough for her to know that he was indeed acting to get the two of them back.

Ziyuan was constantly calculating and organizing, after all, the information she had obtained before was enough for her to build several mathematical models, and even deduce possibilities that did not exist in the past.

Dr. Roman had many questions he wanted to ask, but Leonardo da Vinci stopped him. He knew that da Vinci was worried about Rafe, but the good-natured man always felt that if things were laid out on the table, Rafe might have a different opinion.

Even now, Dr. Roman can no longer see Rafe as an enemy. If he were to reveal his identity, the outcome might be different, especially if he did so in front of Ling. He might be able to use Ling's information and his own identity to persuade Rafe to abandon his plan to burn humanity.

Leonardo da Vinci saw through Roman's naiveté, which is why he repeatedly forbade him to speak. Da Vinci knew the seriousness of the matter. Indeed, if Roman revealed his identity, it might cause Rafe or Goetia to abandon the plan. However, it was more likely that the Human Fiery War would occur ahead of schedule.

“Those who possess artificial things should not possess human hearts. The moment they possess human hearts, it means they have already broken.” Suddenly, Ling said this out of the blue. “Don’t you think so, Professor Rafe?”

Chapter 340 Mutual Humility (Part 1)

"Are you asking me what I think about man-made things?" Rafe looked at Ling calmly, as if he didn't understand what he was implying.

“Since it is a man-made object, humans should not endow it with intelligence, because if it possesses intelligence, it will begin to think, and if it begins to think, it will gain people’s hearts.” Ling looked at him deeply. “Tell me, after gaining people’s hearts, what is the first emotion that man-made objects will understand?”

“It’s hatred, isn’t it?” Rafe recalled the horrific scenes he had witnessed through King Solomon.

“It’s envy, isn’t it?” Leonardo da Vinci said at the same time.

Upon hearing the other's voice, Rafe and Da Vinci exchanged a glance, then looked at Ling together, wanting to hear his reply.

“How could there be an answer to such a question?” Ling looked at the two of them with amusement, then at the android maid walking in front of her. “Take androids as an example. Originally, they were just dolls that responded to their owners’ conversations.”

—Wishing you good health, thank you, I'm sorry, goodnight, or even "I love you."

"Buyers might be pleased with this reaction, but they'll soon realize with disappointment that they're just having a conversation with a puppet whose lines have already been predetermined."

No one knew why Ling had asked the question, so they all listened quietly.

“Giving dolls the exact same appearance as humans is a very frivolous thing to do. Just think, looking at fake objects that have the same appearance as humans, seeing the love and emotions of those fake objects, humans will soon discard them.”

"Because when faced with something like this, don't you realize the emptiness in your own heart? They only repeat the same words, and their mechanical behavior doesn't lie. As long as they are heartless, the work they are given will continue. Even if they are abandoned, forgotten, or outdated, even if they are despised, these dolls will continue to fulfill the intentions they were made to do, until they break down."

"But if they had hearts, would they accept such a fate? Even knowing they are artificial beings, even if they were given an inescapable mission from the moment they were created, in this situation, when faced with humans and seeing their reactions, would artificial beings still answer questions according to the 'answers' that were predetermined before their birth?"

“Ling, what exactly are you trying to say?” Leonardo da Vinci looked at his disciple with some difficulty. “If you want to explore philosophy, I can accompany you after you return, but now is not the time.”

“No, now is the right time, because the biggest vortex in the place I am in right now is this problem. If it is not resolved, I don’t think Olga and I will be able to come back.” Ling’s words made the android maid who was walking in front stop in her tracks, and then turn her head to look at him with a complicated look.

“It seems I was right, the Einzbern really is broken—from the inside out.” Looking at the gleam in the maid’s eyes, Ling sighed deeply. “Now I’m certain that the timelines I’ve been to are all problematic, and seriously problematic.”

“Lord Ling, we, the Einzberns—” The maid was about to say something, but was interrupted by Ling halfway through her sentence.

"I don't want to hear anything right now, and I don't want to know anything. You'd better just lead the way." With an impatient wave of her hand, Ling cracked her neck and made a clear sound. "It's not your place to tell me if there's a problem. I know you are now the extension of the will of the core of this workshop, and I already know what's going on. So I'm not going to interfere until I see Yustissa!"

Upon hearing Ling's words, the maid nodded slightly, her eyes dimming again, and resumed leading the way.

"Aren't you going to explain?" Shion, who had already organized the newly acquired information, had a warm smile on her face because she had seen a very interesting side of the Einzberns. Even their Atlas Institute could not endow the homunculi with such outstanding emotions and thoughts. Just as Rin had said, the homunculi here had already broken because they had obtained complete [human hearts].

"What's there to explain? I'm standing in the enemy's stronghold right now, walking on thin ice. Why would I want to explain to you?" Ling rolled her eyes in annoyance, then couldn't help but complain to Olga.

"Now look what's happened. It's all because of you that we're stuck in this mess, and we could even lose our lives if things go wrong."

Olga glanced at him. "If I remember correctly, you're the one who brought me here, right?"

Ling retorted without hesitation, "If I remember correctly, you're the one who threw me into this world!"

After they finished speaking, until they entered the room, the two stared at each other like defiant children, leaving the Chaldea people speechless.

After entering the room, the maid tactfully closed the door and left. Looking at the large bed in the center of the room, Olga and Ling finally stopped their pointless glaring at each other, and the atmosphere began to change in a slightly risqué way.

"Speaking of which, did they make a mistake?" Ling stroked her chin and looked around the large room, which was over 100 square meters. It was normal that there were no electrical appliances, but what was going on with the lack of tables and chairs?

Olga didn't speak, but a blush crept onto her face. As she looked at the large bed, her thoughts drifted far away.

Seeing Olga's expression, Ling didn't know what to say. He then threw the robe in his hand to the foot of the bed, climbed into the covers without hesitation, and said in a voice full of emotion, "Damn rich people, these sheets, which I have no idea what they're made of, are miles ahead of velvet in terms of feel and warmth, aren't they?"

"You...you...how did you get up there!" Olga heard Ling's muffled voice and woke up from what she couldn't tell was a memory or a fantasy. Then, her face turned red as she looked at Ling, who was rolling around in the blankets, and yelled at her.

Having rolled from the foot of the bed to the head, Ling poked her head out from under the covers. "Because there are no chairs in this room, how can I rest if I don't lie in bed?"