Chapter Thirty-Two: Roland, You Schemed Against Me!

Finally, at long last, I have obtained it…

Everything—absolutely everything—now rests within my grasp.

Roland clutched the sword’s sheath, moved nearly to tears. This ought to be a moment of joy and celebration, yet now he felt only an unexpected calm.

It was as if nothing in this world could ever again disrupt his peaceful life.

And indeed, that was the truth.

Key of All Spirits

—Bound Spirits: Yoshikage Kira (contracted), Soul of the Holy Lord (uncontracted)
—Summon Attempts: One
—Status: Traversable

It all transpired in silence, but Roland understood clearly: his foremost need upon arriving in this world had been fulfilled.

Now, he could leave this world at any moment—no longer forced to face the dangers of the Holy Grail War, no longer compelled to wager his life. The only thing left for him in Fuyuki City was to digest Yoshikage Kira.

The unease lurking in his heart, like a beast whose desire had finally been sated, settled into rare tranquility.

He seemed decisive, but Roland knew himself well—he could never let a bound spirit slip away. For that, he would have to confront Kiritsugu Emiya.

Thus, he had to face a practical question: how to deal with the Servants?

Until tonight, he hadn’t even known who possessed the bound spirit; he’d been quietly playing with his hand in a shop, only to be taken hostage. Everything that followed was both meticulously planned and improvised.

To lure Kiritsugu Emiya into a trap before his own information was exposed—such an opportunity would never come again.

To corner Kiritsugu, Roland had to feign absolute confidence, negotiating with a seasoned killer.

Roland’s calmness came from his resolve. Even if he had to sacrifice the hand that bore the withered, heart-piercing attack, he would obtain the bound spirit and escape.

Fortunately, perhaps his luck truly shielded him, Kiritsugu didn’t overthink and agreed to the deal.

It was sheer luck. If a fight had broken out and people started dying, Avalon might have ended up implanted in Irisviel’s body, and Saber could have revealed the true power of that Noble Phantasm.

At that point, acquiring it would be nigh impossible.

For now, Avalon was not something Kiritsugu couldn’t part with—it was paid for by the Einzberns, after all, and he hadn’t done anything special to earn it.

“I can leave now, right?”

Though he had brushed past death countless times, Kiritsugu Emiya felt a tension unlike any before.

Saber, the strongest class, possessed excellent magical energy. To force him to suicide would require at least two Command Spells.

Losing one here would be disastrous for his strategy going forward. He’d already lost Maiya, his capable assistant; with one less Command Spell, the future would be fraught with difficulty.

Like someone interrupted at their happiest moment, Roland cast a slightly irritated smile at Kiritsugu Emiya.

That gaze, chilling enough to make one’s skin crawl, made Kiritsugu think Roland might break his promise and turn hostile. But Roland withdrew the sheath and passed by him calmly.

The little car that could explode transformed into a badge, landing on the back of that peculiar guardian spirit’s hand.

Roland left, thoughtfully shutting the battered door that Maiya had rammed, though a gap remained where it wouldn’t close.

Through that gap, Kiritsugu stood motionless, watching Roland’s figure recede.

The other really had just left.

As Kiritsugu tried to make sense of the situation, his body acted first.

“Hah…”

He exhaled deeply, his heartbeat gradually slowing. As the adrenaline ebbed, the pain in his organs and muscles crawled back.

“Who is this man, really?”

Still in place, catching his breath, Kiritsugu methodically sorted through tonight’s losses and gains, as was his habit.

The greatest loss was, of course, Maiya’s death. But in the grand scheme, though he hated to admit it, it was precisely because of her sacrifice that he survived this crisis.

Previously, the enemy had all the advantage; Roland knew everything about him and his plans. If Maiya hadn’t inadvertently involved him, Kiritsugu might have been eliminated without ever realizing it.

He’d expended so much effort just to escape the streets earlier; if he’d been cornered at the sniper point atop the building—even calling his Servant, with the building collapsing, would have meant certain death or injury.

This thought brought a wave of defeat, but soon his eyes filled with shadow and malice.

Roland’s failure to kill him today, choosing not to go for mutual destruction, was his gravest mistake.

That man wasn’t a magus; he couldn’t know the channels between Masters and the Church, nor the rules for concealing mysteries.

Most importantly, he’d exposed his own information.

Without magical circuits, yet possessing such an extraordinary guardian spirit—if he were exposed, every magus’s attention would converge upon him.

A mocking smile crept onto Kiritsugu’s face as he slowly clenched his fist.

Tonight’s fire could be exploited. Though he’d set it himself, no one knew; the fact that the little car caused several explosions in the blaze was plain to see.

Such supernatural traces could not escape the Church’s notice. With clever framing, he could let this lucky fool, ignorant of the darkness of the adult world, experience the terror of being wanted by both the Church and the Mage’s Association.

It was a despicable tactic—Kiritsugu knew it well—but for victory, it was worth it.

If he could obtain the Holy Grail, it would be humanity’s final bloodshed; choosing the many, sacrificing the few—Kiritsugu always played that role, as though born for it, convinced it was absolutely right.

Besides, letting Roland continue in Fuyuki would mean who knows how many more atrocities by his contracted Heroic Spirit, deprived of magical energy.

I am justice.

If all goes well, Maiya, I will avenge you.

Kiritsugu, steps heavy, grasped the door handle and pushed open the door.

His mind replayed Maiya’s last words.

“The mystery of his ability lies in explosions. He can make anything he touches…”

He’d witnessed the explosive power—be it the car or the guardian spirit. When confronting the grenade, the opponent had tossed something like a pebble, detonating the grenade in advance.

Was Maiya trying to warn him the guardian spirit could create explosive tools? No, the crucial point was the so-called touch. Just like Maiya’s body exploding before him, could the guardian spirit detonate the human body through contact?

As he calmed, his thoughts expanded. Kiritsugu’s lips began to tremble—fear manifesting. No matter how dire the situation, even losing a Command Spell, he still had a chance for reversal.

But death was another matter.

Could it be—could it be—that anything the opponent touched became a bomb? Kiritsugu’s expression twisted in terror as he stared at the door handle in his grasp.

Impossible. How could such a horrifying power exist in this world?

Just as he’d once outmaneuvered other magi, Kiritsugu now felt their immense sorrow and despair firsthand.

His thoughts flashed by in an instant. Anxiety and restlessness tangled in his chest; his breath halted. Ignoring his injuries, he let the pain roar through his consciousness, activating Time Alter once more—just to release the door handle immediately.

At a street corner, unseen, Roland leaned against the wall, his lips moving silently.

—Killer Queen has already touched that door handle.

With Killer Queen’s keen sight, at the moment Kiritsugu touched it, no matter how he struggled, the outcome was already decided.

Before you even begin to resist, Killer Queen has already settled your fate.

In true combat, a single mistake can be the last.

This was a philosophy Kiritsugu had once engraved in his heart, but now he experienced its truth firsthand. From provoking himself with words, deliberately killing Maiya before she could finish, it was all luring him into this building? From start to finish, the entire process, even the trump card of the Origin Bullet, was all within the opponent’s calculations?

Kiritsugu’s final Time Alter dissolved into a furious roar.

“Roland, you set me up!”

With elegant steps, Roland returned to the building where a whole team had been buried, gazing at the unscathed door handle and the vanished figure, wearing a victor’s smile.

In Yoshikage Kira’s philosophy, there were things Roland wholeheartedly agreed with.

For instance, never let an enemy exist who would rob you of sleep. To make an enemy of someone like Kiritsugu, Roland had no desire to one day be shot in the head by a sniper, nor to live like a rat in a gutter, hiding in humiliation.

Putting distance was merely the first step to lull the opponent. If the trap failed, Roland would use that distance to contract a new spirit on the spot. In any case, for the sake of a peaceful life, Kiritsugu Emiya had to die.

“Though wasting three Command Spells is a pity, it doesn’t matter,” he mused, sorting through the remaining supplies in the base. In a well-preserved box, a dozen special bullets caught his eye. “Besides, isn’t this a nice surprise?”

Looking at the Origin Bullets, Roland felt a touch of gratitude toward Kiritsugu—sending him a spirit, a gun, and bullets, perfectly solving his urgent needs.

“Tonight, I can finally sleep soundly.”

Humming a cheerful tune, Roland strode once more into the depths of the darkness.

On the eve of the Holy Grail War, Kiritsugu Emiya would rise no more.