Magical User Aozaki Aoko Case Files Chapter 071

Fearing that the Gold of the Rhine would interfere with the soul replication ritual, Ahadhawn simply halted the process for the time being, ordering the Artificial Humans to first send all Formalcraft related to the Gold of the Rhine, along with the Gold of the Rhine itself, out of the Winter City and into the territory beyond.

Aoko and Touko had no objections to this, as failure would bring them no benefit, and waiting a little longer wouldn’t hurt.

The accumulation of the Einzbern family over a millennium, even if they lost the Gold of the Rhine, would not be depleted quickly.

Moreover, Aoko was confident that after taking over the Einzbern, she could use this “startup capital” to make a fortune at the critical juncture of Japan’s bubble economy collapse and the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Achieving the Aozaki family’s class transcendence in the mundane world would be effortless.

Because of all this fuss, Aoko and Touko went to have lunch again. It wasn’t until the maid who went to dispose of the gold returned to the castle that everyone re-entered the alchemy laboratory.

The operating bed in the laboratory had been moved, replaced by a massive magic circle drawn by Touko.

The logical characters within this magic circle were modern Runes, based on Touko’s own restored Runic foundation. They were densely packed into every corner of the magic circle, numbering at least tens of thousands of characters.

The overall shape of the magic circle somewhat resembled the mathematical symbol “∞”. Irisviel lay in the enclosed structure on the left, while her replicated body was in the enclosed structure on the right.

The heads of the two bodies faced each other, the closest points, while their feet were the furthest apart.

This new body was entirely new, crafted by Touko using her own techniques, after referencing Einzbern technology. It could be said that, apart from their identical appearance, the internal techniques used were completely different.

Touko stood at the midpoint of the “∞” magic circle, extended her finger, and wrote a series of Runic symbols in the air. Then, chanting an incantation, she activated the entire magic circle.

As the magic circle activated, the entire formation emitted a strong white light. Irisviel, lying on the left, suddenly felt a tingling sensation throughout her body, as if something had entered her, flushing her soul inside and out…

This feeling was very strange; it wasn’t pain, but rather a sense of shame, as if all her secrets had been seen through…

Just as Irisviel was nearing her limit of endurance, the ritual ended.

“You can get up, Irisviel.” Touko’s slightly weak voice reached her ears, and Irisviel struggled to stand up from the ground.

As soon as she turned around to look at the other side, she saw “her replicated body” making the exact same movement, looking back at her.

It was like looking in a mirror…

This was the first thought that came to Irisviel’s mind.

“Oh, oh oh!” Ahadhawn’s eyes widened, and he immediately approached the replicated Irisviel, instantly beginning to use various alchemical spells to examine the replicated body’s soul state, to confirm if Touko’s replication project had been successful.

The result was perfect.

Ahadhawn’s understanding of the souls of the Einzbern Artificial Humans was absolutely the most profound in this world, bar none; even Makiri Zolgen, who still lived somewhere, couldn’t compare to him.

Yet, his conclusion was: there was simply no difference between the two.

Even Jubstacheit, who understood Artificial Humans the most in this world, could not find any flaws or replication traces in Irisviel (replicate)’s soul.

Or rather, if not for the fact that one’s body was the Lesser Grail, while the replicated body had no Lesser Grail function whatsoever, then definitionally, both could be called Irisviel von Einzbern.

Even the origin concepts corresponding to the two Irisviels were identical.

Is this the terrifying power of a Grand Puppeteer? Ahadhawn deeply felt the gap between genius and mediocrity…

“The Einzbern have already witnessed the extraordinary abilities of Miss Aozaki Touko,” Ahadhawn respectfully said to the triumphant Touko and Aoko, who sat by her side. “Then we can begin to discuss the specific details of our cooperation.”

“…However, I still have a small question,” Ahadhawn paused and continued, “Why wasn’t the Lesser Grail function replicated?”

“Because there’s no meaning,” Touko said after taking a sip of the potion Aoko handed her. “Why make the Lesser Grail into a human shape? Is it to facilitate the Artificial Human soul attached to it to control the Greater Grail? Having lost the controller Heaven’s Feel, what is the necessity for you to do this?”

“You must know, as long as it’s work done by humans, there’s always a possibility of failure, Ahadhawn,” Aoko said meaningfully.

Jubstacheit had no rebuttal to the sisters’ answer, as it was a fact that even he, as an AI, could not refute. Irisviel von Einzbern’s existence as a humanoid Lesser Grail had lost its meaning.

—Dividing Line—

Emiya Kiritsugu paced back and forth anxiously.

This situation reminded him of waiting for the birth of his daughter, the child of himself and his wife, Irisviel.

Even as the infamous Magus Killer, he was almost powerless to resist when facing Ahadhawn and the young Fourth Magician.

Because no matter what method he used, he couldn’t resist Ahadhawn and that young Magician experimenting on his wife.

After all, even his wife and daughter were creations and possessions of the Einzbern family. What right did he have to dictate anything?

Emiya Kiritsugu, this human, was now lost in confusion. What was the meaning of his lifelong obsession since boyhood to “save humanity”? He couldn’t even protect his own wife and daughter; what right did he have to continue pursuing the salvation of humanity?

He didn’t understand profound magical theories, and his understanding of the relationship between the Einzbern family’s Holy Grail ritual and the Third Magic was only superficial.

But the one thing Emiya Kiritsugu understood was that the omnipotent wish-granting device—the Holy Grail—could free him from this painful and empty life.

Throughout his life, he had witnessed too much suffering and human malice; these elements formed Kiritsugu Emiya’s current personality. And to free this world from such a vortex of pain, in Emiya Kiritsugu’s eyes, there was only one possibility: to wish upon the Holy Grail.

However, the price of this wish was Kiritsugu Emiya’s wife…