Shirou, who returned from the Fairy Kingdom

……

"Nice to meet you, my name is Shirou."

Shirou sat down on the sofa for guests and looked at the woman directly opposite him.

She was beautiful, heavily made up, with long, dark green hair, and wore a luxurious coat that resembled a fur coat, but underneath she wore rather revealing clothing.

The wide-open neckline revealed her proud, snow-white cleavage, and beneath the mini-skirt were a pair of beautiful legs encased in over-the-knee boots.

Shirou had glanced at her identification (driver's license) when they were in Tokyo before, so he knew her name.

"Is this Miss Liu Daolingxia?"

"..."

Liu Daolingxia gritted her teeth and remained silent.

Now that things have come to this, she wouldn't be surprised no matter what the boy said next.

"I see, Shirou-kun...you're a Master or Servant too, right?"

She stared at me with a wary look.

"Yes."

Shirou nodded without hiding anything, while Rokudou Reika showed a look of despair.

For her, who had no means of defense, being approached by the enemy while Little Jack was away was tantamount to game over.

Will you kill me?

The woman asked with a look of self-abandonment.

In fact, Rokudo Reika is a "natural genius" who can be called a monster.

She possesses an extraordinary understanding and observation of things, and mastered the local Romanian language after only studying for a little over ten hours on a plane.

The reason Jack the Ripper was able to so easily and continuously slaughter magicians was precisely because of the wise command of this "mother".

To Rokudou Reika, who possesses an almost monstrous genius aura, the red-haired boy before her was an enemy that she and Little Jack could never defeat.

He had complete control over all the intelligence on his side and cleverly cornered himself.

At the same time, they exuded an aura of power that was completely different from the weak enemies they had encountered before.

Liu Daolingxia realized the reality—her life with Xiao Jie was coming to an end.

When asked the question, Shirou remained noncommittal: "There's something I don't quite understand. Could you tell me how you met your Servant?"

The woman was silent for a moment, then slowly began to explain everything.

……

……

For a woman named Rokudo Reika, the Black Assassin is her "destiny" itself.

—You want to live, right?

—I want to live.

—Okay, I understand.

—Let's make a contract, Mom.

One day, she was approached by a young man on the street.

The man's words seemed to possess a certain magic, and Liu Daolingxia obediently followed him to his residence—

I can't remember what happened after that.

When she opened her eyes again, the man who had approached her was now a corpse lying in a pool of blood.

Then, there were more than a dozen strangers standing in the room.

"Hey! Woman! What happened?! Why did Sagara Hyoma die?"

"Did you kill him? You really dared to do that!"

Liu Daolingxia was so frightened that she couldn't speak.

At the time, she was unaware that these people were magicians from the Yggdrasil Clan.

Hyoma Sagara, who was performing the ritual to summon the Heroic Spirit, failed to contact them as agreed. His companions went to look for him, only to find his corpse and an unconscious woman.

After that, the magicians subjected Liu Dao Lingxia to brutal interrogation.

Of course, they couldn't get any information out of her, because she really didn't know anything.

Rokudou Reika was only taken home by Sagara Hyoma using a suggestion magic trick, and before she could become a ritual sacrifice, her memory was erased by Shirou using another suggestion magic trick.

After discovering that she truly knew nothing, the magicians of the Thousand Worlds Tree decided to kill her.

Liu Daolingxia was probably the unluckiest person in the world that day.

But perhaps having already tasted all the "misfortunes" of her life, she was blessed with "good fortune."

When the magician slit Liu Daolingxia's throat, the blood that spurted out splattered onto the floor.

Not only was there the corpse of Sagara Hyoma on the ground.

There was also the magic circle he had inscribed for the ritual, and the summoning catalyst he had prepared—

It is said to be a knife used by Jack the Ripper during his lifetime.

The ritual to summon heroic spirits was thus established through a series of coincidences.

it hurts……

My head is spinning...

Liu Daolingxia's arteries were cut, and her body quickly lost its temperature.

The initial burning pain has long since subsided, and now I only feel a lonely chill that is colder than a river in the dead of winter.

In her increasingly weakened consciousness, she suddenly felt a feeling she had never experienced before.

That is the will to survive.

Liu Daolingxia once thought that someone like herself, living a life of aimless wandering like a walking corpse, would be able to face death with equanimity.

This is not the case.

I don't want to die... I want to live...

I don't want to die... I don't want to die... I don't want to die, I don't want to die, I don't want to die, I don't want to die!

Liu Daolingxia felt a burning pain on the back of her right hand and subconsciously opened her eyes.

Then she saw the silver-haired little girl emerge from the dazzling light and the raging wind.

"How...how is this possible!?"

The magicians screamed in alarm, but it was too late—

The girl simply waved her short knife, and in the blink of an eye, the magicians who had been so arrogant were cut into pieces.

The girl didn't even glance at the dead magicians, but went straight to Liu Dao Lingxia and took her hand tightly.

"Mom, you're bleeding a lot... It's okay, we'll treat your wounds right now."

If this isn't fate, what is?

Aside from Jack the Ripper, any Assassin summoned by Rokudou Reika is doomed to die.

It just so happens to be Jack the Ripper.

The girl, who possesses the skill "Surgery," pulls Rokudou Reika back from the brink of death after her major artery has been severed.

And so, at the end of her life, drifting along with the tide, Liu Dao Lingxia met the "Black" assassin by fate.

The woman who was redeemed transformed into a mother and threw herself into the Holy Grail War.

"........."

Shirou listened to her confession with a solemn expression.

I never expected that something like that would happen after I and Aigo left.

If I had known earlier that the Yggdrasil clan also had influence in Tokyo, I wouldn't have left her there alone.

Shirou realized that his actions at the time were indeed ill-considered, but one thing is one thing.

Since this woman has made a pact with Jack the Ripper, she is a Servant in the Holy Grail War and should therefore bear the corresponding risks.

Before Shirou could react, Rokudou Reika suddenly asked, "After you kill me, could you help send Jack to a children's welfare institution?"

"what?"

Shirou was dumbfounded by her question.

Jack the Ripper is a follower, and a magician cannot continue to exist after death... Doesn't she even know that?

Could this woman really have come to Romania without knowing anything?

Shirou shook his head: "Sorry, I can't do it."

Hearing him say that, Liu Daolingxia became agitated.

"That child is innocent... Please, I'll do anything! Just... please, spare that child!"

Although she looks like a little girl, she killed more than a dozen magicians; she couldn't possibly be innocent...

And he was that legendary serial killer.

Shirou remained silent instead of answering.

If Liu Daolingxia obediently hands over the Command Seal, he is willing to protect her safety.

But Jack the Ripper... such a dangerous servant cannot continue to exist in the world.

—This is Shirou's idea.

"If you die, Assassin will disappear."

Shirou explained, "As long as you're gone, she can't 'live' even if she continues to eat the magician's heart."

This is what a Servant is.

"how so……!"

Liu Daolingxia's face was deathly pale, and her expression was extremely shaken.

She had originally planned to sacrifice herself to save Jack the Ripper's life, but now she realized that was impossible.

The only way to keep Jack alive is to obtain the Holy Grail.

The woman bit her lip and stood up.

"I surrender."

Shirou frowned. "What?"

Liu Daolingxia said earnestly, "The child and I are willing to submit to you. Your goal is also the Holy Grail, right?"

Jack will assist you in obtaining the Holy Grail, and she can also be of use to you.

Whether it's murder or anything else, that child can carry it out perfectly.

So please spare our lives, please protect our safety.

"No, even if you say that..."

Shirou scratched his cheek.

I recalled the conclusion Joan of Arc reached when I discussed this matter with her:

Assassin has seriously violated the rules of the Holy Grail War—

Jack the Ripper is no longer considered qualified to continue fighting for the Holy Grail, and Ruler intends to personally deal with and eliminate him if necessary.

"Um... me too..."

Liu Dao Lingxia sat down next to Shirou.

“I can do anything for Shirou-kun.”