Fate: Question And Answer System of Traversing Heroic Spirits

"Sorry, great-grandfather."

Irisviel raised her hand, revealing her wrist with the now-empty Command Seal etched into it.

"I can no longer command Saber."

Her voice was calm but resolute. She had used up her Command Seals in advance, fully aware that such a confrontation would happen. This was not a hasty decision; it was a deliberate move to prevent herself from hesitating in the face of family pressure. She had cut off her escape route entirely.

If one does not act decisively when the time calls for it, they will only suffer the consequences of their indecision.

With her Command Seals spent, there was no turning back now, even if she wanted to reconsider. After all, she had already issued an unchangeable death order to Saber.

"You…!"

Ahad's face twisted in anger, his body trembling as he realized what Irisviel had done and why.

"Attack!"

At his command, the android maids stationed around the hall picked up their weapons and charged forward without hesitation. Their blank, emotionless faces betrayed no fear or hesitation as they obeyed his orders. These artificial beings were nothing more than tools, perfect soldiers with no sense of self-preservation.

However, the vast difference in power between the opposing sides could not be bridged by sheer numbers alone.

Artoria, clad in shining armor, needed only a few minutes to defeat the entire squad of androids, scattering their broken forms across the floor of the hall. Her precision and efficiency left no room for doubt about the outcome.

After clearing the area, Artoria made her way to the castle's backyard to retrieve Illya.

"Emiya Kiritsugu, do you really think Saber can protect you forever?"

Ahad's voice was low, almost a growl, as he glared at Kiritsugu. "Don't forget, Saber will return to the Throne of Heroes as soon as the Holy Grail War ends. What will you do then?"

"Of course, I know that," Kiritsugu replied, his tone measured and cold. "But I have my own plans."

As he spoke, a white light enveloped his body. In an instant, his form was covered in red and black armor, resembling the battle attire of a Heroic Spirit.

This was the power of a Class Card.

Kiritsugu had obtained the unnamed Class Card from a golden treasure chest. It had granted him the abilities of Heroic Spirit Kiritsugu, which he had initially intended to use as a trump card in the Holy Grail War. However, the circumstances of the war had denied him the opportunity to utilize it, leaving him to unleash its power here instead.

"What?! The power of a Heroic Spirit?!"

Ahad's eyes widened in disbelief. The concept of borrowing a Heroic Spirit's abilities was utterly foreign to him. Yet, here Kiritsugu stood, a human wielding the unmistakable power of a Servant.

Ahad quickly realized the implications of what he was witnessing. Even the centuries-old Einzbern family, despite their wealth of magical knowledge, had no comparable tools at their disposal. Like the Matou family, they had long since lost their ability to produce capable magi. Their reliance on artificial humans beings with impressive starting points but limited potential had left them stagnant.

It was why Ahad had sought an outsider like Kiritsugu to fight on their behalf in the Fourth Holy Grail War. But now, Kiritsugu was using that very opportunity to defy them.

"Kiritsugu! Mom!"

A child's voice broke the tension in the hall as Illya came running. Artoria followed closely behind, leading her safely back.

"Illya!" Kiritsugu's expression softened as his daughter threw herself into his arms, hugging his neck tightly.

"Now that you're back, we can look for Kurumi together, right?" Illya asked, her voice brimming with excitement.

Kiritsugu smiled gently, though the armor on his body caught her attention.

"Huh? What are you wearing?" she asked, curiosity lighting up her face.

"Nothing important," Kiritsugu replied with a small laugh as he gently handed her over to Irisviel. With a thought, the armor dissipated, leaving him in his regular clothes.

"Wow! Is that some kind of magic trick?" Illya's curiosity only grew, her eyes sparkling with wonder.

"I suppose you could call it that," Kiritsugu said, ruffling her hair. "I'll explain it to you later. For now, we have to leave."

"Leave? Where are we going?" Illya tilted her head in confusion.

"To Fuyuki," Kiritsugu replied. "We'll live there together, as a family. And this time, we'll never be separated again."

"Really? That's great!" Illya cheered, her joy uncontainable. She then turned and pointed to the two android maids standing nearby. "Can I bring Leysritt and Sella with us?"

The two maids—Leysritt and Sella—were not ordinary Einzbern androids. They had been tasked with taking care of Illya's daily needs and had formed a close bond with her.

"Of course," Irisviel said softly, stroking Illya's hair. "We can bring them along."

"Really? Thanks, Mom!" Illya turned to the two maids and waved. "Leysritt! Sella! Let's go!"

The maids exchanged glances but did not move immediately. Instead, they turned their eyes toward Ahad, silently seeking his approval.

"Humph!"

Ahad snorted in disdain but ultimately said nothing. His silence was enough of a signal for the maids to obey Illya's wishes.

Leysritt and Sella stepped forward, standing respectfully on either side of Irisviel.

"Let's go," Kiritsugu said, his tone decisive. He turned and began walking toward the exit.

Though he had his reservations about bringing the maids along, he couldn't refuse after both his wife and daughter had spoken.

"Great-grandfather, we'll come back to visit when we have the chance," Irisviel said, bowing politely before following Kiritsugu with Illya in her arms.

Artoria, Leysritt, and Sella followed closely behind, their footsteps fading as they left the castle.

In the now-quiet and disheveled hall, only Ahad remained, his expression dark with fury and frustration.

---

Time passed quickly, and the morning light streamed into the room.

"So… what's going on here?"

Chihiro rubbed his tired eyes, dark circles visible under them. He stared at Zhang Jiao and Hassan of the Hundred Faces, both of whom were still present in the human world despite the Holy Grail War having ended.

"Shouldn't the two of you have returned to the Throne of Heroes by now?"

Zhang Jiao shrugged nonchalantly. "Don't look at me. This is my first time in a Holy Grail War too, I don't know how this works."

"I don't understand it either," Hassan added, their multiple voices overlapping slightly as they shook their head.

"Great. No answers from the people involved," Chihiro muttered, letting out a deep sigh. Frustrated, he decided to consult the group chat for help.

Chihiro: "Altria, are you still in this world?"

Artoria: "It seems the situation is the same on your end."

Even Artoria, who had expected to vanish after the war's conclusion, remained present.

Emiya Kiritsugu: "We're confused as well. Saber should have returned to the Throne of Heroes last night."

Waver: "Wait, what? What happened?"

Chihiro: "It's nothing major. Saber, Caster, and others are still here and haven't disappeared."

Waver: "???"

Waver: "Isn't that against the rules? Servants are supposed to leave once the Holy Grail War ends."

Chihiro: "I don't get it either, which is why I'm asking."

Kayneth: "This seems like a question for someone more experienced."

Kayneth: "Kotomine Risei, you've been involved in two Holy Grail Wars. Do you know what's going on?"

Kotomine Risei: "I'm just a mediator, not a participant. How would I know such specifics?"

Chihiro: "Looks like we'll need to rely on someone directly involved."

Chihiro: "Tokiomi, do you know anything about this?"

Tohsaka Tokiomi: "How could I possibly know?"

Tohsaka Tokiomi: "Wait a moment. I'll check the archives."

Tokiomi went offline, leaving the group to speculate among themselves.

Tohsaka Rin: "Maybe the First Emperor knows something. As Ruler, he should have some insight."

The First Emperor: "I am unfamiliar with this anomaly. This is my first time overseeing a Holy Grail War."

Chihiro: "Guess we'll have to wait for Tokiomi."

An hour passed before Tokiomi returned.

Tohsaka Tokiomi: "I've figured it out. We made a mistake."

Kayneth: "What kind of mistake?"

Tohsaka Tokiomi: "It seems… there's no actual time limit for the Holy Grail War."

"WHAT?!"

The revelation left everyone, including Chihiro, completely dumbfounded.

Iskandar: "Wait a second… What do you mean by that, Tokiomi?"

Tohsaka Tokiomi: "It's exactly what I said. I reviewed the ancestral records, and nowhere does it explicitly state that the Holy Grail War has a fixed time limit."

Everyone fell silent.

Waver: "So… the idea that the Holy Grail War only lasts seven days…?"

Tohsaka Tokiomi: "It's a misconception. The records only indicate that the longest Holy Grail War in history lasted seven days, but that doesn't mean seven days is a hard limit."

Everyone: "…"

Irisviel: "Now that I think about it, I've never actually heard of an official time limit for the Holy Grail War. We've all just assumed it was seven days based on previous instances."

Kayneth: "It's the same for me. I assumed seven days was the standard duration because of tradition."

Tohsaka Tokiomi: "Even I believed that to be true, until now."

Tokiomi sighed, his tone exasperated as he continued. "It's only after looking through the official records that I realized our belief in a fixed time frame is entirely unfounded."

Artoria: "Then all our rushing and planning yesterday… it was for nothing?"

Iskandar: "…"

The King of Conquerors remained silent for a moment before his booming voice cut through the conversation.

"Wait a minute… are you telling me that all the effort I put in last night was pointless?!"

***

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