Nobody knows how to be a villain better than me.

As Sajo Aika affectionately approached to feed him, Samael became the center of attention. He couldn't help but feel the gazes on him in the shop growing hotter and hotter, as if they were about to roast him alive.

"Ahem, Aigo, what you make must be delicious, how about..."

"How will you know if you don't try."

Just as Samael was trying to stabilize the situation temporarily through delaying tactics, the smiling Princess of the Root blocked all of the ancient serpent's escape routes. Her leaning body approached inch by inch, while her peripheral vision glanced at her surroundings.

Aige, you really do know everything...

Realizing that the princess in front of him was also cunning and deliberately trying to confirm their improper relationship in front of everyone, while also keeping an eye on everyone else, Samael was dumbfounded.

Tsk, the war between women is truly a conflict without visible smoke.

Every cut pierces flesh, yet no blood is drawn.

Bizarre and terrifying.

That's absolutely terrifying!

Samael, while inwardly grumbling, looked at the meat that was almost delivered to his mouth and the delicate face that was getting closer and closer, and felt like crying but had no tears.

To eat or not to eat?

Here’s the thing…

No, this is a killer question!

Now, he could even faintly hear the sound of knives being sharpened.

The unspoken confrontation in the shop gradually intensified. Samael, who was being roasted on both ends, was in a dilemma when a buzzing sound, as beautiful as heavenly music, came from his pocket.

"Hey? Orange! Okay, okay! I'm here! Just say what you need to say!"

The moment the call connected, Samael almost burst into tears, wishing he could hug the Grand Puppeteer who had saved him from danger several times and kiss him passionately from head to toe.

However, before the joy of escaping the sea of ​​suffering and surviving the ordeal could brew in the ancient serpent's heart, the deep murmur from the other end of the phone made Samael's pupils shrink and his body feel as if struck by lightning.

“Irisviel’s symptoms have worsened, you’d better…come over quickly…”

At that moment, the voice, which was no different from an external sound to these heroic spirits and magicians, entered their ears, and everyone present couldn't help but look at each other in bewilderment.

Half an hour later, in the doll shop, in the bedroom.

"Huchi..."

Heavy, labored breathing, like a bellows, came from the heaving chest. The figure by the bed, watching the patient's breathing gradually stabilize, let down his hands with a sigh of relief, staggered backward, and almost fell to the ground.

"Samael!"

A cacophony of gasps echoed through the room. The group of magicians and heroic spirits who had followed, concerned about the situation, instinctively raised their hands to provide support for the figure that was about to collapse.

The attending physician, who was squeezed out of the circle, had his hands half-raised and his face was dark.

However, out of professional ethics, Aozaki Touko ultimately suppressed her anger and displeasure, went forward to check on Irisviel's condition, and breathed a slight sigh of relief.

"Fortunately, we arrived in time and things have finally stabilized."

"It's only temporary..."

However, having already discerned Irisviel's physical condition through contact, Samael spoke softly, shattering the illusion, his face devoid of any joy.

Faced with that scrutinizing and insightful gaze, Aozaki Touko had no way to hide it and could only purse her lips and nod.

Having received a definitive answer from the doctor, a surge of unquenchable frustration welled up in Samael's heart.

"She was fine last night, how come she suddenly..."

The two Einzbern maids and the knight-king Artoria, who was in charge of the night watch, hung their heads, their eyes filled with shame.

"It has nothing to do with them. It seems that two newly injected forces have disrupted the balance within Irisviel's body..."

Seeing the three people feel guilty, Aozaki Touko stepped forward, frowned, and explained the reason.

Although his heart was almost overwhelmed by unease and irritability, Samael's keen insight did not diminish much.

"You mean, the Holy Grail sacrifice ritual has been activated again?"

"This is the most likely explanation."

Aozaki Touko nodded in response, her gaze deep.

Upon hearing this, Samael took a deep breath, closed his eyes to ponder for a moment, then opened them again and slowly gave his answer.

"Pandora..."

If Irisviel's condition was caused by her, then the only being capable of further deteriorating her health would probably be the founder of the Einzbern family, who was proficient in the Third Law.

Clearly, everything went as Samael had predicted:

That witch of calamity is not dead at all!

Moreover, just last night, she secretly sneaked back and restarted the Holy Grail ritual, injecting the souls of the two Servants into the small Holy Grail within Irisviel's body.

Pandora!

Samael uttered the name, a name that symbolized misfortune and disaster, slowly and deliberately, a resolute glint in his eyes.

"嘤咛......"

Just as the atmosphere in the room was becoming increasingly dull and oppressive, accompanied by soft murmurs, the silver-haired beauty on the bed slowly woke up. Her ruby-like eyes looked at the familiar figure beside the bed, and she couldn't help but reveal a bright smile.

Samael, you've come?

"Ellie..."

Seeing Irisviel wake up, the ancient serpent forced a smile, bent down and sat on the edge of the bed, gently helping the exhausted and powerless Winter Saintess to sit up, asking her with concern and utmost tenderness.

"How are you, Ning? Are you feeling better?"

"Yeah, much better now."

The silver-haired beauty nodded gently, her smile as bright as ever.

Gazing at the couple nestled together by the bed, the visitors who had squeezed into the bedroom exchanged glances for a moment before silently leaving the room, giving the two of them some alone time.

As everyone departed, tranquility returned, and dappled sunlight streamed through the window, casting warm, golden dapples on the two people nestled together by the bed.

Everything was beautiful and heartwarming.

His fair arms reached up to touch the clothes on her chest and shoulders, trying to reach that gentle face, but always keeping a distance.

Samael lowered his head, the contours of his face resting against the edge of Irisviel's palm, bringing a touch of warmth and delicacy.

As the fingertips caressed her, and she felt the real touch, a hint of satisfaction appeared on the pale face of the silver-haired beauty, and her lips moved slightly.

"My journey is nearing its end, isn't it, Sir Knight?"

Samael remained silent, but his clenched steel teeth dug silently into his lips, and a metallic taste of blood filled his mouth.

Sleep means the dormancy of bodily functions, and it may be temporarily delayed by external suppression.

Awakening at this moment signifies that this vessel, created to achieve a certain purpose, is about to be activated to face its own cruel mission.

The ancient snake embraced the slender, delicate body, exerting a slight force, as if trying to protect the butterfly in its palm, yet fearing to break her wings and bring her to her death.

"Sorry……"

"Why are you apologizing?"

The girl lying in Samael's arms struggled to raise her weak fingertips, smoothing out the furrows between her brows inch by inch. She shook her head slightly, her smile still bright and radiant.

"I'm very happy."

Her fair fingers gently caressed the contours of that face, her ruby-red eyes overflowing with longing.

"Not because of the nine years I wasted in the castle, but because I met you the first time I stepped out of the castle..."

"Then came my first adventure on an airplane, my first time seeing the sea, my first shopping trip, my first visit to an amusement park, and my first time driving alone on the highway..."

Irisviel knew all the memories they shared like the back of her hand.

"During my time in Fuyuki City, I was truly happy and content to have you by my side, Sir Knight..."

Her ruby-red eyes gazed intently at the delicate yet weathered face, her bright gaze seemingly brimming with an insatiable thirst for knowledge. She could never get enough of the face before her.

This was the beginning of her destiny, the start of her happiness.

The knight acknowledged that the girl was a "person," not some kind of "object" to be used and discarded.

He couldn't ignore the girl's innocence and ignorance; he wanted to turn her into a real person.

So he began to teach the girl what "emotion" was.

Whether it's happiness, pain, sadness, or anger.

These are all things that a person must possess.

He began to teach the girl what "life" was.

Whether it's shopping, racing, or enjoying the sea and food.

These are all novel experiences that every human being should have.

Life needs something to aspire to.

Some people are born to be pioneers; no matter how long the night or how cold the winter, they will ignite a spark.

Some people are born as vessels; although their fate is predetermined and their emotions are constrained, there will always be someone who breaks through them.

Finally, after its first soaring flight free from its cage, the heart that had been covered in ice and snow saw the light, welcomed the dawn, and experienced the splendor and beauty of the world.

Their paths, both accidental and inevitable, intersected on that plane in Fuyuki City, becoming inseparable ever since.

These few short months were more vibrant and fulfilling than the nine years she spent in that castle, more like "living."

With the identity of a person.

That's enough; she shouldn't be greedy.

Irisviel reluctantly lowered her fingers, gently grasped the man's arm, and looked at him earnestly.

"Samael, promise me, if this is fate, don't blame yourself. I hope that in the end you will use the Holy Grail in my place..."

The Winter Saintess lifted Samael's fingers and gently placed them on her cheek, feeling the unchanging warmth. Her smile was bright, and her eyes were full of hope.

The dolls bearing the name of Einzbern have betrayed the Creator's original intention.

"Because I believe that only you can make this world a better place!"

That contemplation, gentle yet resolute, revealed an extraordinary certainty.

"Until then, I will try my best to stay clear-headed and absorb as much magic power as possible. If the accumulated power is enough to open the Greater Grail multiple times, then it will be up to you to decide who should be entrusted with the remaining wishes..."

A pure and holy maiden devoutly prayed to a god who had fallen to earth.

"Even if saving the whole world is just wishful thinking, at least those who yearn to be saved, those who deserve to be saved, should save themselves..."

"Even if everyone is saved, what about you?"

The deity was furious, his voice low and suppressed.

"I've already been saved, Sir Knight..."

The saintess smiled slightly and repeated the words she had already said earlier.

But unlike the saintess's calm acceptance, the deity's hand gripped even tighter.

save?

That's why he's even more unwilling to give up.

"From beginning to end, involved in this Holy Grail War, did you have no desires of your own, no wants of your own, Irisviel von Einzbern?"

The deity lowered its head, asking earnestly, its dark, ever-changing vertical pupils piercing the soul.

She is a human being, and as a human being, she should have selfishness, her own expectations, and her own desires, and should not become a tool to achieve the goals of others!

My...wish?

Irisviel instinctively wanted to shake her head in denial and stand firm in her beliefs, but a knot of resentment in her chest made it difficult for her to speak.

That seems to be... reluctance?

She has already tasted happiness, so what is she still longing for?

The bewildered saintess was at a loss.

As my fingertips touched the cool sensation hanging on my chest, the answer broke free from the shackles of my mission and the chains of my mind, surging into my mind.