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IBHJ Chapter 63
🕑 Added 2023-01-31 03:35:55 +0000 UTCThe Tohsaka family has a rich history and is renowned as an illustrious magical family. Their lineage can be traced back to Wizard Marshall Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg, also known as the Magician of the Second Magic.
The Tohsaka once held secret loyalty to the Holy Church, but their ancestor was swayed by the Wizard Marshall Zelretch, leading them to embrace the world of magecraft instead.
They're favored by both the Holy Church and the Mage's Association as disciples of Wizard Marshall, who was given the responsibility of managing the lands of Fuyuki City due to their powerful connections with the two prominent organizations.
Despite their favorable treatment from the Mage's Association, the Tohsaka family was viewed as outsiders by many conservative magi. As a result, young Tohsaka Tokiomi faced prejudice during his studies.
However, Tokiomi born with a strong will was not broken by the prejudice he faced. Instead, it only strengthened his pride. He was determined to fulfill the Tohsaka family's aspirations and use the Holy Grail War to reach the Root.
For this, Tokiomi spent several years preparing and making arrangements for his future. Although he was a step behind the Matou family in recognizing that Zenjou Aoi would give birth to a high-quality magus offspring, he managed to marry her and had two offspring with exceptional talent.
Tokiomi took great care in raising his two daughters and made careful arrangements for their futures, despite unexpected incidents. He designated Rin, the elder daughter, as the inheritor of the Tohsaka family's Magic Crest, while Sakura, the younger daughter, would inherit the Matou family's Magic Crest.
With this arrangement, even if Tokiomi were to die in the Holy Grail War, he could rest assured that the future of both the Tohsaka family and his daughters would be secure. Everything was in order.
Little did he know that the Matou family's "inheritance" of the Magic Crest involved using the Crest Worm and the Lust Worm. Despite being a magus, Tokiomi had the normal emotions of a parent, causing his arrangements to crumble.
Furthermore, Rin's inheritance of the Tohsaka family's Magic Crest was also destroyed by Kiritsugu's Origin Bullet!
The Magic Crest is a closely guarded family secret, recorded in their hidden annals. It can be compared to the flesh of a magus, while their Magic Circuit is akin to their blood and bones. The Crest serves as proof of a magus' existence.
A magus family refers to the lineage of Magic Crests passed down from one child to the next. The continuity of the Magic Crest is considered the most crucial aspect, so even if the biological bloodline is broken, as long as the Magic Crest is inherited, the magus family continues to exist.
However, losing a Magic Crest means the end of a magus family, resulting in a complete severance of all ties to magecraft, even if descendants possess the Magic Circuit.
Yes.
The destruction of the Magic Crest marks the end of a magus family's legacy and signifies the downfall of the Tohsaka family!
"Ah-, Ah, Ah, Ah, Ah, Ah-!"
Tokiomi's heart shattered as he realized the consequences, tears rolling down his cheeks as he pounded the sickbed with one hand and the stump of his other arm.
"Why am I still alive?! Why?!"
The once elegant smile vanished, replaced by tears of despair, as it became clear that the Magic Circuit was ruined, the Magic Crest destroyed, and even the arm bearing the Command Seals had been amputated.
What has happened? What is this?
"Oh God... What is this ah-?"
Tokiomi crumbled under the weight of his guilt.
Had he brought upon himself the retribution for the Tohsaka family's rejection of their divine beliefs and embrace of magic?
Was this the consequence imposed by a higher power?
The family's hopes and dreams, the tireless efforts of five generations, and the shining future of the eldest daughter were all destroyed in an instant by a single bullet. Their pride, self-assurance, and dignity crumbled along with their aspirations.
The cherished Magic Crest that had been passed down through five generations was destroyed. The Tohsaka family was done for!
Tokiomi was consumed by guilt and shame as he realized he had failed to live up to the Tohsaka family's expectations and brought about its downfall.
How could he ever look his ancestors in the eye?
"Ah-, Ahhh-!!!" His anguished cries echoed through the hospital as he wept, tears streaming down his face.
Kirei, having paid a visit to Tokiomi, stepped out of the hospital, unable to contain his emotions,
"Haha-, Hahahaahaha-"
"I can't hold it in anymore." Unable to suppress his feelings any longer, Kirei leaned against a wall and erupted in a fit of wild laughter, tears streaming down his face.
"Drip, drip-"
His face was alight with joyous laughter, his heart overflowing with excitement as he finally comprehended the truth. He couldn't help but acknowledge his twisted, chaotic nature. What was it that made him this way?
"Hahahaaha-"
He laughed and wept, experiencing both happiness and agony at the same time. "Gilgamesh, Oh Gilgamesh. You just make me happy, very happy!"
Gilgamesh was the first to exit the stage, brought down by none other than the wicked individual whom the King had freed from his cage of false compassion.
"Hahaha! This sensation... it's so good!"
Reality! Reality! The world is growing increasingly more real! This was what Kirei had been searching for, but had eluded him for 27 years - the feeling of being alive!
...
In the garden of the Einzbern Castle, the heated argument had come to a close. The King of Knights, Artoria, was defeated, ruthlessly overpowered by the King of Conquest.
The Conqueror King brought wine as he argued with Artoria, disregarding their difference in status, discussing the king's way, and making a decision based on his own beliefs about who was most deserving of the Holy Grail.
"You are not fit to be a ruler, let alone a king." Iskandar ruthlessly said to Artoria.
"Do you have the authority to determine my fitness for the throne?" Artoria challenged him, her blue eyes blazing with the fury of a lioness.
What is flawed about her motivation for seeking the Holy Grail?
"Revert to the day of the selection, refrain from drawing the sword, and let the people pick a different ruler. This means renouncing your reign as a king, which is no different from tyranny!" Iskandar declared.
"My drawing of the sword resulted in the downfall of Camelot and the loss of lives. It was a blunder. Allowing the people to elect another king, preserving Camelot, and avoiding the needless loss of life... isn't rectifying one's mistake the right choice?" Artoria asked.
"Rectifying a mistake?" Iskandar burst into laughter for a long time.
"So that's it. The so-called honest king, the king without desire, the ideal king... Don't you think your subjects live in fear of an inhuman king like yourself?"
Artoria's hand shook as she demanded, "What are you implying, King of Conquerors?"
"A king must be more overbearing than anyone, more greedy than anyone. Only then will his subordinates follow and love him, and help him fulfill his ambition. If you have no desires or aspirations, you're not even human, let alone a king," Iskandar stated.
He continued, "A lack of desires means you can't bring out the best in your subordinates, and a lack of aspirations means they can't find common ground with you. People all have desires, they fuel ideals and create connections. How can your subordinates flourish and how can they connect with an inhuman king with no desires or aspirations?"
"But what about you, King of Conquerors? You boast so much, have you ever considered what will become of the Macedonian Empire you've built after your death and its inevitable collapse?" Artoria asked.
"So what if it crumbles? My subordinates will inherit my ideals and my aspirations, they'll keep striving toward the magnificent world I envisioned. My empire still stands today, and what have you left behind? Only a legend," Iskandar replied.
Iskandar exclaimed, "You must have taken the ideal king sung by those wandering poets as your benchmark for Ruling. But have you ever thought about it? The ideal king is inhumane because he does not exist. The closer you get to the 'ideal king,' the fewer people will follow you. People adore a king because he embodies traits everyone possesses, courage, love, and ambition. Without desires and goals, you lack love and courage, you're not even human, how can you be a king? If you have a leader like that, they must be a failure!"
Artoria gritted her teeth, "And what's your point?"
Iskandar stated, "Only the greedy can have everything."
Gilgamesh added, "Only those who conquer fate can control the future."
With a sinister smirk, Gilgamesh turned to Artoria, "Your innocence is like that of a child's. The king desires to possess you."
Artoria glared at Gilgamesh, "What did you say?!”
"It's an honor. The king wants to see your pure soul torn apart by chaos. The tears that spill from your delicate face, what a lovely and tempting sight," Gilgamesh chuckled.
His laughter abruptly stopped as his expression dropped.
"Archer," Iskandar said, looking at Gilgamesh with a furrowed brow. He could sense that Gilgamesh's Servant aura was fluctuating as if his Master was disappearing.
"You've really done it now, you mongrel," Gilgamesh said with a sneer.
"You may be boastful, Archer," Artoria interjected, "but now you're the second to fall, after Caster."
"Boastful?" Gilgamesh chuckled. "Hahaha! This is just the beginning! Let's end this feast here, and continue next time. But I'm afraid next time, I'll be drinking alone!"
With a final laugh, Gilgamesh vanished.
Iskandar soon followed suit and disappeared.
Artoria clenched her fists, still grappling with the remnants of her adrenaline. "What's wrong with recognizing a mistake and trying to fix it?" she wondered. "What's wrong with wanting to save Camelot and keep my people alive?"
Is it wrong to want people to live, to want the country to endure, to want to rectify my own mistakes?
Artoria resolved, "The Grail... I must obtain the Grail! To rectify my mistakes, to atone for Camelot's regret...!"
But... Archer has already been defeated. What did he mean by his words?
As she pondered this, Kiritsugu returned, his face etched with distress. He was covered in burns and wounds, particularly on his right cheek which had been deeply sliced. But the news he brought left Artoria stunned.
"Caster...Caster is still alive! He's hiding inside his Master's body?"
Artoria was tricked!
She clenched her hands tightly.
Comments
Claude
Yup. At higher ranks, it is also possible to remain for extended periods of time in the world without an established contract
Chronicle Clock
Wait a minute Gilgamesh possesses independent action where he can survive without a master?
