In Type-Moon, it all starts with adopting Sakura.

"Thanks to your arrangements, the monarch and his men have now retreated safely."

"So they've already left...that's great."

Rowe strode slowly toward Finn. After hearing that Kenneth and Webber had already left, he seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and smiled. Scáthach, standing nearby, and Finn, standing in front of him, couldn't tell whether this smile was merely an act or genuine.

Or perhaps it's a combination of both? Even Luo Wei himself doesn't know the answer to this question.

However, after hearing that Kenneth and the others had left, Rowe narrowed his eyes, looked at Finn in front of him, and asked him a crucial question.

"Lancer, now that Professor Kenneth has left, why didn't you follow him or leave? Instead, you're staying here. Do you still want to participate in the Holy Grail War? Do you have any wishes that you want to fulfill through the Holy Grail?"

Although it was just a frank inquiry, Finn could sense a certain emotion mixed in with Rowe's words.

Scáthach, standing behind him, was also smiling at him, her crimson magic spear twirling slightly, clearly prepared to send him to his death in battle.

Looking at the smiling master and servant duo before him, who were actually brimming with murderous intent and ready to personally intervene at any moment to save his dignity, even the well-informed Finn couldn't help but smile bitterly.

Sometimes, this feeling is actually quite helpless...

"My wish? If you insist on asking, then yes, I do have one."

He then shook his head and answered Rowe's question.

"However, it's not like the Knight King who stubbornly wants to change the past; it's just about looking to the present and doing something to make up for the regrets of the past."

"For example?"

Loewe asked again.

"As a true knight, one should be loyal to one's lord to the end, come to this Holy Grail War as a knight, and then quietly leave as a knight."

"So, have you done it now, Lancer?"

This time, it was Scáthach who posed the question: "Are you satisfied with the result this time?"

"It couldn't be more satisfying..."

Finn touched his long hair, then looked in the direction where Kenneth and the others had gone not long ago, a gentle smile appearing on his handsome face.

"Don't worry, I've already used up almost all my magic power. I won't go anywhere else for the rest of the time. I'll just stay here and wait for my fate."

Finn had just sensed that Kenneth had used his three-stroke Command Spell, the commands of which were...

[—Replenish magic power.]

—They stopped the danger for us.

as well as……

"The contract is hereby terminated, Finn. Go do whatever you want."

From that moment on, his master-servant contract with Kenneth ended, and he was alone again.

That's why Finn has been standing here, waiting for the person who orchestrated everything to arrive, wanting to see him one last time before making his final exit.

Now he has seen it, and Luo Wei's appearance proves that his previous premonition was indeed correct.

This young man, who is favored by the King of Conquerors, the Queen of the Land of Shadows, and even the King of Heroes, gets along well with any hero, and is adept at balancing various forces, is indeed far more complex than he appears.

He had already noticed this when he and the King of Heroes were at the King's Banquet.

Even though he had noticed this and had secretly reminded his lord, his intuition and Kenneth's inexplicable trust in him remained strong.

Although I don't know what he's plotting or what his purpose is, it's enough that I know he's not my enemy and he certainly won't harm my lord...

And the current results have proven that my intuition was correct.

Lo Wei was the one secretly guiding and manipulating everything, but he wasn't his enemy. On the contrary, his lord was spared a predetermined death thanks to his arrangements, and embarked on a new path of destiny…

Seeing this, his heart, which had been hanging in suspense, could finally...feel relieved.

"...I see. It seems you're quite satisfied, Godslayer, Finn."

Seeing Finn's expression, Scáthach and Rowe knew that he had made his own choice.

"Yes, I met some great people and saw a lot of interesting things. It was truly an unforgettable experience for me..."

He was a knight with no personal desires. His duty was simply to follow his lord's orders, protect him, and fulfill his responsibilities. Freedom... his own choices...

That's really a luxury item.

Having made that mistake before, does he really have the right to choose where he wants to go and who he wants to be with?

Yes, I have……

It really exists.

But that was not a wish, nor a blessing from the elves; it was merely a small wish of himself as a knight.

That's enough.

In the end, having witnessed firsthand the person who had manipulated everything confirm his suspicions, and seeing his lord safe and sound, what could be better for a knight than this?

At this moment, all he wanted was to spend his last moments standing under the moonlight, offering his sincerest blessings to the monarch who had transcended the shackles of fate and gained a new life…

I hope his future will be smooth sailing and full of possibilities.

I hope he can live a peaceful and safe life.

really...

For the brutal Holy Grail War, this is truly a luxurious ending.

Soon, because he had deliberately consumed too much magic power before Rowe's arrival, Finn's body began to dissipate continuously.

He couldn't help but smile when he saw the helpless expression on Scáthach's face, who had already drawn her spear and was ready to personally see him off.

Then he offered his own sincere wishes to the two people in front of him.

"Next, I wish you both smooth sailing and that you achieve your goals in this Holy Grail War. My wish is..."

"It's already...done."

To be a knight until the very end, fulfilling all one's duties.

I will remain loyal to the emperor and never betray him. I will leave with dignity and a clear conscience.

This is probably... Finn's redemption for himself after making such a mistake, plus a small blessing.

Looking up at the bright moon, he left behind his last words besides a smile.

"The night is so beautiful tonight..."

Chapter 82: The Final Curtain Rises

In a daze, it felt like something that had happened a very, very long time ago.

So vaguely, in fact, that Kirei Kotomine had already unknowingly tucked it into some unknown corner of his memory.

However, the booming artillery fire and explosions around him still involuntarily brought back memories of his past.

He vaguely remembered that it was something that happened shortly after he finished his training at the Holy Church, became an agent, and joined the Eighth Mystery.

For me personally, what I witnessed that day was ultimately a form of salvation...

Or should we give up?

……

Many years ago.

A battlefield somewhere in the Middle East.

—Boom!

Several priests dressed in black clergy robes walked through this hellish battlefield filled with killing and death. The booming sound of artillery fire never stopped in their ears. In this dilapidated border city, people's lives were being taken by gunfire every moment.

Kirei Kotomine stood on a dilapidated rooftop, watching the horrific scene unfold in the distance. He then looked behind him at the clergy organized by his father, Risei Kotomine, who were distributing food to the refugee orphans who hadn't had enough to eat for several days.

This puzzled Kirei Kotomine...

At this moment, when their resources are scarce, is it really meaningful to stop in this dangerous area and share some of the little food they have with these refugees who may not survive the next second? Isn't this just a waste of food?

So, with a question lingering in his mind, he asked his father about it.

“Father, is it really alright to stop here? Don’t we still have a mission to hunt down the Dead Apostles… Besides, these orphans won’t survive in this war; even distributing food and water won’t help…”

Kirei Kotomine didn't continue speaking because he saw that his father in front of him had a serious expression.

“Kiri… I do not deny your determination to be loyal to your profession, but the Lord gave us eyes and hands not so that we would turn a blind eye to the tragedy before us or withdraw our hands when we have the power to do so.”

Kotomine Risei didn't say much. He continued to distribute his supplies to the war orphans as much as possible, and then, without turning his head, he spoke to his son as he walked forward.

"Moreover, what we have done is by no means in vain. If these children had encountered their own country's army, they would still have a chance to survive. Even if our supplies have saved one more kind person, it is still a good thing for us."

“No, Father, the probability is far too low. It’s not that I want to oppose the clergy’s mercy, but I feel that it’s better to choose the present than to place our hopes on a vague future…”

Kirei Kotomine still cannot understand his father Risei Kotomine's behavior.

Although the Lord taught them to be merciful, in His view it had to be effective merciful.

They are currently traversing one of the most brutal battlefields in the Middle East, tasked with finding a high-ranking assassin who is using the war as cover to massively expand his forces on the battlefield.

At such a moment, as agents, they should kill the treacherous apostle who is threatening the world and humanity as quickly as possible, instead of stopping here and sending these orphans in the midst of war a vague hope.

Kirei Kotomine is not a naive person, nor does he have much empathy; reason and indifference dominate his heart.

He had seen many war orphans, and even though he had personally helped them, the outcome for these orphans was never good.

So gradually, he began to hate and deliberately avoid these meaningless things.

"Kirei... No one likes war and death. It is the cruelest punishment God has given to this world, destined since the beginning of creation. When humanity commits unforgivable sins, the four knights who receive the revelation will bring punishment to the earth. But what often triggers this punishment is simply the greed and self-interest between nations..."

"It has nothing to do with these children; they just happened to be born in this war-torn land and were forced into the punishment of war. They have never known the beauty of the world beyond death, nor have they ever received the light of God. Although our strength seems insignificant in this war, helping them to the best of our ability and bringing a little light to their dark lives is also the guidance of God..."

Kotomine Ryomasa sighed. He didn't criticize his son for his indifference, but rather he knew that his actions were indeed meaningless.

He was only considering things from a human perspective, while Kirei Komine was considering things from the perspective of an agent. It's impossible to say who was right and who was wrong between them.

Just as Kotomine Ryou was about to lead Kotomine Kirei and the remaining agents of the Eighth Secret Realm on their journey away from here, suddenly—

Boom!!

The ear-piercing explosions and scorching heat waves behind them forced them to raise their arms to shield themselves. Even with their strong bodies and the blessed clergy robes, the heat waves still caused them unbearable pain.

This shows what has become of the refugees they just helped in that area.