001 - What Makes it Hard to Go Home ?

Irisviel von Einzbern and Justeaze Lizrich von Einzbern.

Those were the identities of the two women who had emerged from the Holy Grail.

Irisviel was Illyasviel's mother, and Justeaze was their ancestor from two centuries ago, the woman who had sacrificed her life to transform into the Holy Grail.

But in the end, their plans had failed, and the original purpose of creating the Grail had changed drastically.

Initially, the Einzbern family sought to obtain the Third Magic, aiming for a utopia that could cure all hatred and suffering. But as their attempts continued to fail, their purpose shifted to acquiring the Third Magic solely for their own family's benefit.

Particularly figures like Zouken, who had lived so long that he'd forgotten his own original purpose why he decided to become immortal.

Rei wasted no time transforming their homunculus bodies into fully human ones while maintaining their homunculus magic circuits.

As their bodies adapted, both women slowly began to regain consciousness.

When Irisviel awoke, she looked around in confusion. The last thing she remembered was sacrificing herself to become the Grail. Her gaze eventually landed on Illya, and something stirred within her memory.

"…Illya?" she said groggily.

"Mama?"

Hearing Illya call her "Mama" caused Irisviel's eyes to widen. She immediately sat up on the bed.

"Illya, is that you?"

"It's me, Mama," Illya replied, her expression filled with emotion and longing.

Without hesitation, Irisviel moved closer and embraced her tightly.

"Illya, my daughter! I've missed you so much! I'm so sorry for leaving you alone during your childhood," Irisviel cried, tears streaming down her face.

"Huh? Mama?" Illya blinked in confusion, not understanding what she meant. It sounded as though her mother knew everything.

"I know what you've been through, Illya," Irisviel continued. "I could see it all, and I'm so sorry. It's all my fault that you had to endure that!"

Illya's eyes widened in shock, unable to believe what she was hearing.

"I should have taken you with me to Japan... I'm so sorry," Irisviel said, her sobs echoing throughout the room.

Before long, tears began streaming down Illya's face as well. She returned her mother's embrace, burying her head into Irisviel's shoulder.

"Yes... It hurt so much, Mama. I don't want to go through that again," Illya said, her voice trembling as painful memories of the Einzbern castle in Germany surfaced—especially the excruciating agony of having her magical energy drained for Berserker. At times, she had even thought ending her life would have been better.

"It's okay now, Illya," Irisviel reassured her, gently stroking her long white hair. "Mama is here. I won't let anything like that happen to you ever again."

The two of them continued to cry, holding each other tightly as though making up for all the lost time.

Liz and Sella, now fully human and capable of emotions, couldn't hold back their tears either. Both were deeply moved by the sight of mother and daughter reuniting.

Meanwhile, Justeaze still silent, clearly unable to grasp what was happening.

Justeaze silently observed Rei, her piercing ruby-red eyes fixating on him, particularly on the six pairs of pure white wings spread behind him. Her expression was as cold and unreadable as ever.

"You're Rei?" she asked abruptly, her tone distant and aloof.

"You know me? Ah, I see. You've been watching from inside Illya when she was still a homunculus, haven't you?" Rei responded.

She didn't reply, merely staring at him silently. Her gaze was unreadable, leaving Rei to guess at her intentions.

Rei sighed, wondering what she was thinking. He could attempt to read her thoughts using one of his primal beast abilities, but he dismissed the idea. There was no point.

"Show me the Holy Grail," she demanded coldly.

"The Grail? Why?" Rei asked, confused by her sudden request.

Justeaze's crimson eyes bore into him, unyielding as always. She offered no explanation, only silence.

Rei shrugged and summoned a replica of the Holy Grail, letting it hover in his hand.

The moment the Grail materialized, Justeaze immediately reached for it with both hands.

"Eh? What are you doing?" Rei questioned, swiftly making the Grail disappear before she could touch it.

Her hands paused in midair, and she turned her icy gaze back to him. She didn't voice her displeasure, but the silence spoke volumes.

"Why do you want the Grail?" Rei asked, frowning.

"For our utopia," she said plainly, her voice as cold as her demeanor.

"Utopia? What are you talking about?" Rei asked, still confused.

"Rei-sama," Liz suddenly called, stepping closer to whisper in his ear.

Liz recounted the story of the Einzbern family from 200 years ago, about their collaboration with the Matou families to achieve a utopia. The Holy Grail was meant to eradicate hatred and suffering, but over time, the dream shifted to a selfish desire for the Third Magic, and their original purpose was lost.

Rei listened in silence, but the moment Liz finished, he began laughing.

"Hahahahaha!" His laughter filled the room, loud and uncontrollable.

Illya and Iris, who had been hugging, stopped and turned to look at him in surprise.

"Holy Bahamut, utopia? That's hilarious!" Rei said, holding his stomach as he wiped a tear from his eye.

Justeaze tilted her head slightly, her gaze unwavering. "What's funny?" she asked, her tone cool and detached.

Rei composed himself, still smirking. "The funny part is that you think the Holy Grail can actually grant that wish."

"And why wouldn't it?" she asked, her voice sharp and indifferent.

"Do you even know how the Grail would grant that wish?" Rei countered, his tone serious.

Justeaze tilted her head slightly, acknowledging her lack of understanding without a word.

"If you used the Grail to wish for a utopia, it would interpret that wish in the simplest way possible," Rei explained. "It could either erase humanity entirely or strip humans of their emotions. No emotions, no hatred or suffering—utopia achieved."

Rei shook his head with a smirk. "And even if you tried using the Third Magic, Heaven's Feel, good luck with that. Humans are greedy. With that much power, they'd hoard it instead of using it to create a utopia."

Justeaze's expression remained cold and unreadable, but her eyes seemed to narrow slightly, as if considering his words.

"Your point?" she asked, her voice still as emotionless as ever.

"My point," Rei said, leaning back, "is that utopia isn't something you can create with magic. The Grail isn't the solution you think it is."

Justeaze didn't respond, her gaze drifting elsewhere. Her icy demeanor remained unchanged as she chose not to press the matter further.

The room fell into an awkward silence, the atmosphere tense and uncertain.

Even Illya, Liz, and Sella, who were used to Rei's usually composed demeanor, were stunned. They had never seen him laugh so hard, and none of them knew how to react.

Only Irisviel broke the silence, her cheerful tone cutting through the tension. "You're Rei, aren't you? The one who's been making my daughter so happy here?"

"Yes, I am," Rei replied as he walked to the side of the bed where Iris was sitting.

Taking her right hand in his, he gently kissed it. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Irisviel. Illya has told me so much about you."

"Ara~ Ara~ Such a gentleman," Iris said with a playful smile, resting her chin on her free hand.

"But," she continued, her voice suddenly tinged with a faint edge, "when I first saw you during the cemetery battle from inside Illya, I thought you were going to kill my little daughter."

Rei tilted his head slightly, intrigued. "Ah, so you could see everything from inside Illya? Is it because of the similar model or the connection to the Holy Grail?" he thoughts, his curiosity piqued.

But after a moment, he shook the thought away, deciding it wasn't worth pursuing for now.

"No, of course not. I never planned to kill Illya. Who could harm such a cute girl?" he said, his gaze falling on Illya with a gentle smile.

Hearing Rei call her cute made Illya's cheeks flush bright red. Her blush stood out starkly against her fair complexion, and her ears turned an equally vivid shade of pink.

"My, my," Iris chimed in with amusement. "You understand how cute Illya is, don't you? Especially now that she's grown up so beautifully. My daughter is just the cutest."

"Yes, yes, Illya is absolutely adorable. Especially when she pouts—she's just irresistible," Rei agreed, his tone teasing.

The two of them continued their playful exchange, showering Illya with praise, while Liz and Sella simply sighed at the scene.

Justeaze remained silent as always, her aloof demeanor unchanged, observing everything without a word.

Illya, however, was completely overwhelmed. Her blush deepened to the point where it was impossible to ignore, and her flustered state became even more apparent.

Finally, unable to take it anymore, she stepped forward and forcibly separated Rei's hand from her mother's.

"Enough already!" she shouted, her voice loud and exasperated.

Both Rei and Iris burst into laughter at her reaction. Illya, pouting, began lightly hitting Rei's chest in protest, her expression both annoyed and embarrassed.

"Ah, come on, Illya. It wasn't just me laughing; why am I the only one getting hit?" Rei teased as he caught both of her wrists to stop her.

Iris watched the two of them with a warm smile, delighted to see her daughter enjoying herself so much.

But then, as if remembering something important, her expression shifted slightly.

"Ah, that reminds me," she said, tilting her head thoughtfully. "Since you turned Illya into a human, I can no longer see what she sees."

Her words made both Rei and Illya stop, their attention fully on her as they waited for her to continue.

"So," she began innocently, "are you two dating?"