At the Aozaki residence, there was a basement.
This was the Aozaki family's magical workshop, and in principle, it was off-limits to people like Utaha and Hayasaka. When Aoko wasn't around, only Roy was allowed to use it.
Not only were a large number of grimoires stored here, but also various magical artifacts made by Roy, such as rune papers and other magic-related items, which could be seen everywhere.
Usually, Roy would practice magecraft here.
The space was pitch-black, with no sunlight at all. Only a few dim wall lamps were installed, barely illuminating the place like a tomb chamber.
Upon closer inspection, there were several corpses lying on the ground.
Their limbs and torsos were exactly like those of humans, indistinguishable in every way.
Only their faces were blank.
Like dolls whose facial features had been cut off, they were chilling to look at.
The atmosphere was so eerie that anyone faint of heart might pass out on the spot.
And those corpses weren't the only ones in the basement.
They were sprawled all over the ground, unmoving under the dim light, as creepy as a morgue.
Touko opened the basement door.
She ignored the eerie atmosphere, walked inside, and scanned the corpses on the ground before selecting one and dismantling it.
Before long, she returned to the living room of the house carrying a severed arm.
By now, it was already midnight.
But everyone in the house had gathered there, all with frightened and uncertain expressions.
The reason was obvious.
Roy, the pillar of the household, was currently sitting at the living room table. His right arm had been severed at the shoulder, the cut incredibly smooth, with muscle fibers and bone marrow clearly visible at the stump.
It was a terrifying sight. Even Hayasaka looked pale, and the Nakano sisters were too shocked to say a word. Only Illya remained expressionless.
Utaha sat beside Roy, trembling as she applied medicine to the ghastly wound.
"This is from your spare body."
Touko entered the living room and placed the arm she had brought from the basement on the table.
She gestured for Utaha to step aside and took over the next steps.
"The size should be a perfect match, but the muscle fibers on this arm are denser. It's stronger than your original right arm, so you'll need some time to adjust."
Touko began the transplant surgery right then and there.
"Anyone who can't handle this should leave now."
Ichika glanced at the trembling Miku and supported her out of the room.
Hayasaka went to the kitchen, leaving only Utaha and Illya.
"Master, may I speak?"
"Taigong Wang? What is it?"
Taigong Wang initiated a conversation with Roy.
"The spare body Miss Aozaki mentioned—is that your contingency plan? Even if you die outside, you could revive with that spare body?"
"No, that's a technique only Aoko can use. It doesn't apply to anyone else. That spare body was something she prepared to replace me with after the Holy Grail War ends."
"I see."
Taigong Wang's voice fell silent for a while.
But it wasn't the end of the conversation—more like he was choosing his words carefully.
"Today's battle, in terms of outcome, was quite good. Several Servants were dealt with."
"But that's merely the result. It was because Master was lucky and that magician lady suddenly returned, forcing King Arthur to retreat. That's the only reason it turned out well—if that magician hadn't returned today, and you couldn't use the spare body to revive, what would you have done?"
"I'll be blunt, Master. In the past few days of observing you, I've found an enormous contradiction within your personality."
"You harbor both love and hatred for humanity. I suspect you've noticed this contradiction yourself and tried to divide it using the act of putting on and taking off your glasses. When you wear them, you're easy to talk to—that's because you've partitioned your friendly side there. When you take them off, you're full of malice—that's where you gather your hostility. Am I right?"
"...Yes."
Roy silently admitted Taigong Wang's analysis.
Roy with glasses was overly agreeable.
Even when facing magi he despised, he could treat them with a sincere smile.
Roy without glasses was full of malice, seeing everyone as someone he wanted to kill.
This malice might be partly due to curses accumulated in his body over three years without release, but at its core, it stemmed from the destructive desire hidden deep in his heart.
"You took off your glasses when confronting Uemon Ji before. At that time, you should've recognized no one and wanted to kill everyone, yet you were persuaded by Miss Tohsaka and put your glasses back on. Did you notice this contradiction?"
"..."
"Master, good and evil are two sides of the same coin. Both are human emotions and cannot be completely separated. Their contradictory nature spirals together—that is what it means to be human."
"You were willing to be persuaded by Miss Tohsaka, and tonight you hesitated when deciding whether to protect her. This means you can't truly sever your good and evil sides. Honestly, I'm relieved. It shows you're aware of your own contradictions. If you had blindly followed the on-off personality model with the glasses, like a machine—permitting sin with them on and killing loved ones with them off—then I could only pity your fate, not say any of this to you."
Taigong Wang's voice carried a strong sense of relief.
He was genuinely worried about Roy's mental state.
And for good reason.
In this world full of magi, many had the form of humans but had long become monsters in spirit.
He admired Roy's noble ideals and deeply wished he wouldn't turn into a spiritual monster.
"There's only one reason I'm telling you all this."
"Since you have the courage to risk your life for your ideals, why not use that courage for your own growth? Don't divide your good and evil—merge them."
"When this Holy Grail War ends, and if you're still alive, then you'll have only taken the first step toward your ideals. At that time, you'll need the help of many people. If you're still the way you are now, those close to you will only drift further away."
"So, after going through all that, you're basically telling me I should've let you teleport me and Rin away together?"
"Hahaha, well, I was definitely leaning toward that choice!"
Taigong Wang's hearty laughter echoed.
"Ahh, if you died, I'd have to carry out your ideals. I'm not even sure I could pull it off—and it'd be a huge hassle. Might waste hundreds or even thousands of years of my time!"
Roy was speechless.
So it was just that you didn't want to work!
"But thanks anyway. What you said makes a lot of sense—I'll think about it seriously."
"As long as it inspired you, that's enough."
Taigong Wang let out a subtle sigh of relief.
Silently, he nodded to himself in satisfaction.
***
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