Chapter 183: Normal Love and Abnormal Love

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PS : I know it's supposed to be Irisviel, but it's Illyasviel, not Irisviel, :)

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A warm fire crackled in the hearth, warding off the winter chill as Haru looked down at the two newborns, his expression a mixture of wonder and complication.

Their faces were wrinkled, like tiny, ancient grandmothers. He knew it was from their prolonged immersion in amniotic fluid, but still…

"They're—fragile" he muttered.

He gently lifted one of the infants, his hands cradling the fragile life as if it were a snowflake, afraid it might break with the slightest touch.

The baby's mouth opened and closed, its tiny breaths barely perceptible, its body struggling to maintain its warmth.

Haru felt the faint—fluttering heartbeat against his palm.

"I thought they'd be as cute as Kohaku when they were born," Illyasviel said, a soft smile on her face as she watched Haru hold the child.

The exhaustion of childbirth hadn't yet faded, the color not fully returned to her cheeks, but her beauty, remained undiminished.

Despite her words, her eyes shone with happiness.

Aoi Zenjou, lying in the other bed, her dark eyes fixed on the infant in the nearby cradle, also smiled.

"The books said newborns always look like this. They'll become cuter in a few days."

Haru gently placed the silver-haired infant—a tiny monkey—in the cradle beside its sibling.

"Elia and Rin. Their names," he said, sensing the resonant echo of their bloodlines within him.

--

In a room within a villa built on a small hill in Fuyuki City's old district, three men sat on a sofa. Kirei Kotomine, Tokiomi Tohsaka, and the priest who had introduced them and arranged this meeting, Risei Kotomine—Kirei's father.

Kirei looked at the document in his hand. "So, my mission—is to ensure Tokiomi Tohsaka's victory in the Holy Grail War?"

Tokiomi smiled. "Indeed."

"Of course, publicly, we'll maintain the charade of being rivals, competing for the Grail. But in secret, we'll work together, eliminating the other five Masters. That way, victory is assured."

Risei nodded solemnly.

The Church's supposed neutrality in the Holy Grail War was a lie. They had their own agenda, and Tokiomi Tohsaka obtaining the Grail aligned with their interests.

Kirei didn't question their motives. He didn't want to question them. As an executor, his duty was to obey.

"The official orders have arrived, Kirei." Risei handed him a document, addressed to Kirei, bearing the joint seals of the Church and the Mage's Association.

The pre-signed document indicated that the Church hadn't bothered to seek Kirei's consent. Not that Kirei minded. He was indifferent.

Tokiomi's voice was firm, a hint of command in it. "You'll stay at my house and begin your training immediately. The next war is in three years. By then, you must be a capable Master, worthy of wielding a Servant."

"But—won't my apprenticeship—raise suspicions? Even if we pretend to be rivals, people will still assume we're collaborating."

Tokiomi chuckled, his voice laced with a hint of scorn. "You don't understand Magicians, Kirei. When it comes to personal gain, betrayals, even between Master and apprentice, are—commonplace."

"I see." Kirei didn't particularly care about understanding Magicians. As the Church's executioner, he'd encountered enough of them. He'd killed dozens, perhaps even hundreds, of heretical mages. He knew their nature.

"Any other questions?" Tokiomi, pleased with Kirei's obedience, asked.

Just then, the door burst open.

Kariya Matou stormed in, his face contorted with rage. "Tokiomi! That woman downstairs! What's going on?!"

Tokiomi's face stiffened, but he forced a smile. "Kariya, what about the—tool I acquired from Scandinavia?"

"Tool? What tool?" Kariya's brow furrowed, a sense of foreboding washing over him.

"A tool to—bear my children, of course," Tokiomi replied, his voice low, like a husband caught in an uncomfortable situation.

"A breeding tool?! You're—with her…?" Kariya's voice turned cold.

"Of course not. Once her purpose is fulfilled, she'll be—disposed of. Don't worry, Kariya. I love you." Tokiomi's tone was casual, as if he hadn't just uttered something incredibly cruel.

"But—isn't that—inhumane? To just—dispose of her…" Kariya's eyes widened, his voice laced with a mix of disgust and pity.

Tokiomi sighed, rubbing his temples. "What do you suggest, then?"

"Let her go," Kariya said firmly. Releasing the woman seemed like the best way to preserve his relationship with Tokiomi.

"That's not an option. The Tohsaka line cannot end with me. I need an heir," Tokiomi said, his voice hardening.

Kariya's face turned cold, and the two men stared at each other, the air thick with tension.

Risei—watching their silent mexican standoff, his face a mask of discomfort, wondered when Tokiomi had become like this.

Involved with a man—But the situation was what it was. He had to help Tokiomi, guide him.

"Kariya, listen to your old grandpa Risei. The Matou family has your brother to carry on the line. But Tokiomi—he's the last of the Tohsaka. He needs an heir."

Kariya's expression softened.

Risei gave Tokiomi a subtle look, and Tokiomi, understanding, stepped forward, pulling Kariya into an embrace.

"....."

Kirei, watching them, his face contorted in a strange expression, murmured, his voice so low that only he could hear it, "Why…? It's so grotesque—this homosexual affection—yet—I find it strangely—moving…"

"What's—wrong with me…?" He frowned, a look of confusion on his face. But the image of Tokiomi and Kariya, locked in their embrace, was burned into his mind.

Then, he grinned, a cruel, predatory smile spreading across his lips.

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