Across the heavens, I am the Avatar Sword Master

Old man Yubusta Kuhayid took a deep breath and slowly pushed open the heavy wooden door.

A stale smell of books wafted into the air. The library was dimly lit and the air was filled with the smell of dust.

The towering bookshelves extended all the way to the ceiling, filled with all kinds of ancient books. After thousands of years of time, some of the magic books were even badly damaged.

Old man Yubusta Kuhayid turned on the magic lamp on the wall. The dim light illuminated a corner of the library, but it also made the whole space seem even more gloomy.

"The books about the Holy Grail are over there," said old man Yubusta Kuhaid, pointing to the innermost bookshelf, his voice hoarse, "and the books about android magic are..." He paused and pointed to the bookshelf on the other side, "...there."

Chen Yu said nothing and walked straight to the bookshelf where the books related to the Holy Grail were stored.

Norbert did not follow Chen Yu into the library, as his huge body did not allow him to pass through the narrow door.

Old man Yubusta Kuhaid stood at the door, looking at Chen Yu's back, his heart filled with anxiety and fear.

Even puppets that imitate humans are confused about the future.

Chen Yu pulled out a notebook that recorded the Holy Grail ceremony, flipped through it quickly, and took a photo to quickly record the contents of the notebook in his mind.

"By the way, send someone to Illya's room and invite Emiya Kiritsugu and Irisviel over, and tell them that the matter is over."

Chen Yu put the notebook in his hand back on the bookshelf and brushed off the dust.

He did not explain why he wanted to meet these two people, but just gave the orders in a calm tone.

When old man Yubusta Kuhaid heard the words "Illya's room", a complex emotion flashed in his turbid eyes.

Emiya Kiritsugu and Irisviel, unexpectedly...

His lips moved, but he said nothing in the end. He just said in a low voice, "Yes."

------

the other side.

Irisviel’s slender fingers tightly grasped Kiritsugu’s rough big hand, and Maiya followed closely behind.

Under the cover of the Disillusionment Charm and the Confusion Charm, the three of them sneaked along the corridors of the castle like ghosts.

The ancient tapestries on the walls gave off a faint musty smell, which mixed with the lingering fir scent in the air, making Irisviel feel a little uneasy.

The closer I got to Illya's room, the more nervous I became.

As long as we find Illya, we can take her out of the "cage" of Einzbern and let her live happily outside.

The three of them can be together and feel happy no matter where they are or what they do.

Irisviel seemed to be able to hear the rapid beating of her own heart.

Emiya Kiritsugu's steps were light and steady, and each step was precisely calculated to avoid the android maids patrolling the corridor.

His tense muscles were like a cheetah ready to pounce, ready to respond to sudden danger at any time.

They found that the number of android maids in the corridor had dropped sharply, causing the originally tight defense to slacken a little.

In the Great Hall of Winter City, huge fluctuations in magic power indicated that a fierce battle was taking place in the castle.

Kiritsugu's eyes flashed, he knew that Chen Yu was buying them time.

After dodging a team of android guards who came to support them, they finally arrived at Illya's room.

The oak door is carved with exquisite patterns, which looks particularly mysterious in the dim light.

Irisviel gently pushed open the door, and a familiar scent of lavender hit her in the face. That was Illya's favorite smell.

In the room, Illya was sitting on the bed in her pajamas, her long silver hair cascading down like a waterfall, staring blankly at the walnut tree outside the window with empty eyes.

Hearing the sound of the door opening, Illya suddenly raised her head, opened the door but found no one there, and was stunned again.

Irisviel and Emiya Kiritsugu used their own magic power to disperse and break the Illusion Spell and Confusion Spell that Chen Yu cast on them.

Seeing her parents suddenly appear, she was stunned at first, then tears welled up in her eyes and she shouted excitedly: "Mom! Kiritsugu Dad!"

Irisviel walked quickly forward and hugged Illya tightly in her arms. Feeling her daughter's soft body temperature, her long-suppressed maternal love poured out like a flood.

Kiritsugu stood aside, watching the mother and daughter hugging each other, a gentle smile appeared on his tense face.

Illya hugged Irisviel tightly, feeling the familiar warmth from her mother, and her tears soaked Irisviel's clothes.

With a trembling voice, she spoke intermittently about how much she missed him these days.

"Mom, Kiritsugu dad, are you done with your work?"

Kiritsugu gently stroked Illya's silver hair, his heart filled with guilt and self-blame.

He knew that he owed Illya too much for the Holy Grail War.

"Didn't Kiritsugu father already make an agreement with Illya that he wouldn't let Illya wait too long? Now that the work is over, we can be together as a family again. Are you happy, Illya?"

"Uh-huh."

However, this brief reunion was as fragile as a bubble.

"Squeak-"

The oak door was pushed open again, breaking the lost tranquility.

Two female androids dressed in black and white maid outfits walked in. They had silver hair and red eyes, and their delicate faces showed no emotion at all.

The former is Einzbern's head maid, Sera.

Although she possesses excellent magic circuits, she is not good at combat. She is one of the maids that Yubusta Kuhaid arranged to be responsible for Illya's magic education.

Another artificial maid named Lijielit.

It is also an artificial life form created by the Einzbern. Although it was originally assigned the duty of the Holy Grail, which was to materialize the Ether Block of the Heavenly Dress, it developed self-awareness and was therefore considered a failure. When it was about to be discarded, it was able to prolong its life as Illya's maid.

When Illya dons the Heavenly Dress, her duties will also end.

It can be said that she is a spare part of Illya. When Illya dies, her life activities will also stop.

She has excellent athletic performance. Although she is the same type of android as Sera, her front armor is unusually full.

Irisviel and Kiritsugu reacted almost instantly, protecting Illya behind them, their muscles tensed like a bow with a fully drawn string.

Although Irisviel had a good relationship with Sera and Lijelite in the Einzbern family, at this moment, in order to take Illya away, they had to temporarily sever this friendship.

There was a tense atmosphere in the air, like a string about to break, which could snap at any time.

At this tense moment, Sera spoke up: "Kiritsugu-sama, Irisviel-sama, the head of the family invites you two to the library for a chat."

"Master of the family?"

Kiritsugu and Irisviel were both startled.

He didn't understand why old man Eubusta Kuhaid knew that he and Irisviel had returned to the castle even though they had clearly bypassed the barrier.

Did Chen Yu fail and be captured, or was there something else going on?

Kiritsugu frowned, with doubts in his mind.

Irisviel was equally upset. She held Illya's small hand tightly, her fingertips were cold.

Illya looked at her parents in confusion, not understanding what was going on.

"The library..."

Kiritsugu repeated these three words in a low voice, his mind working rapidly, trying to analyze the current situation.

If it were normal, old man Yubusta Kuhaid would not be waiting for him in the library.

First of all, the library itself is strange. Almost all members of the Einzbern family are androids, and the way they acquire knowledge is not traditional reading and learning, but the information is directly instilled into the brain through magic circuits.

Therefore, the existence of the library is more symbolic than practical for them. It is preserved only as an ancient ritual to store backup of some documentary materials.

The fact that old man Eubusta Kuhaid invited them to the library was incompatible with the Einzbern family's style.

Secondly, there must be some special meaning behind the fact that old man Yubusta Kuhayid chose to meet them in the library rather than in other more functional places such as the reception room or the meeting hall.

Kiritsugu's brain was working rapidly, and various possibilities flashed through his mind: Was it a trap? Was it a negotiation? Or was it some kind of temptation?

"let's go."

Kiritsugu's voice was low and calm, like the surface of a deep pool, without a single ripple.

But his clenched fists revealed his inner tension.