You call this a projection?

Shirou Emiya spoke his mind frankly.

However, Shirou Emiya, who was not a traditional magus, did not understand.

The thing a magus fears most is for their secrets to be exposed.

Even though Kairi Shishigou had already given up on being a magus, the events of the past and the things brought about by that curse remained an eternal pain in his heart.

Therefore, when Shirou Emiya said he wanted to know what exactly the poison within his Magic Crest was, Kairi Shishigou’s first thought was definitely not that Shirou was trying to help him.

Instead, he assumed that Shirou Emiya might be a magus sent by the Shishigou family, and that his father still hadn’t given up on the obsession of having the Magic Crest inherited. He likely wanted to figure out what this poison was all about, intending to continue the Shishigou family’s magical legacy.

Thinking this way, Kairi Shishigou naturally felt even less goodwill toward Shirou Emiya and said, ”Who would know a thing like that?”

With that said, taking advantage of this brief moment to recover some of the magical energy he had expended while fighting the homunculus, Kairi Shishigou did not hesitate to aim the hunting shotgun in his hand at Shirou Emiya.

”I have no obligation to answer that question!”

”Yes, you have no such obligation,” Shirou Emiya nodded.

As for being misunderstood by Kairi Shishigou...

Let him misunderstand.

Anyway, while Kairi Shishigou was planning to recover his magical energy, Shirou Emiya had also used the time to recount the story regarding Kairi Shishigou, which caused Mordred—who had accepted Kairi as her Master—to become stunned. This allowed Saber, who was fighting Mordred, to stop expending magical energy to fight. It also gave Shirou Emiya, who possessed the [Six Eyes], enough time to accumulate enough magical energy for another projection.

”—Trace on!”

”But as for me, if I insist on knowing about the poison in your Magic Crest, when that certain something sees your death, won’t it take back this curse and poison?”

Shirou Emiya said, ”After all, it seems quite petty.

It claimed it would restore the former glory of the Shishigou family so that you wouldn’t become unable to be magi again, but it only restored it temporarily.

Once your family’s glory is restored, it will quickly reclaim everything it previously granted you.

The poison in your Magic Crest, while it prevents you, Kairi Shishigou, from passing it on, if used as a weapon, can kill anyone just by being injected.

Because that certain something requires that no one be able to transplant the Magic Crest you carry.

If this poison, which sounds so exaggerated, could exist indefinitely, wouldn’t the Shishigou family be ’free-loading’ off it forever from that certain something’s perspective?”

Any subject, once you add the word ”any” (or ”anyone”) in front of it, immediately becomes quite twisted.

Not to mention whether this Magic Crest poison would be effective against the immortal True Ancestors and Dead Apostles, or the Ultimate Ones (UO) who lack the concept of death.

If it were effective, this seemingly side-effect-ridden poison would immediately become a highly coveted treasure.

And if it weren’t effective, it would prove that the curse placed upon the Shishigou family by that certain something was a joke.

Kairi Shishigou stopped his father from researching this poison. Although from a humanistic perspective, there was nothing wrong with that—even the United States performs human experiments secretly, rather than openly declaring they are doing so—from the perspective of a magus, who lacks humanity and only values magical lineage, it makes one wonder: how did Kairi Shishigou develop a personality so unlike a magus?

If Kairi Shishigou only stopped his father because he felt the research couldn’t succeed and didn’t want any more unnecessary casualties, then what about his foster daughter, who died after the Magic Crest was transplanted to continue the Shishigou line? Did she not also become an unnecessary sacrifice once it was realized that this poison wasn’t unsolvable?

Similarly, speaking just within this setting, the poison is produced automatically from within Kairi Shishigou’s Magic Crest and does not require the consumption of his own magical energy. In a sense, this has become a perpetual motion machine. Anything that can be linked to a perpetual motion machine belongs to the realm of [Magic].

A certain something that demands a price... Shirou Emiya did not believe the other party would be kind enough to freely and permanently bestow upon Kairi Shishigou something that could successfully create a new [Magic] once the research was continued until a way to utilize the poison was found.

”So, to verify my hypothesis...”

Saying this, Shirou Emiya extended his hand, holding his thumb and index finger out in a gesture resembling a firearm, much like Kairi Shishigou’s, and aimed it at him.

”What is about to happen might be a little painful for you, Kairi Shishigou.”

”Bang!!”

He uttered the sound of the gunshot.

Before Kairi Shishigou, who had been stunned by his words, could react—

In the perspective of a Stand user, a perspective only Shirou Emiya could see, and under the precise capture of the [Six Eyes]:

A pink figure, shimmering like diamond stardust, had already closed in on Kairi Shishigou.

Aiming at Kairi Shishigou’s heart, it threw a punch!

”ORA!!”

”It, It...!?”

Kairi Shishigou, beaten backward by the attack of the invisible Stand, looked in disbelief at his increasingly blurred vision and felt his life force fading away rapidly.

Even Mordred, who had been told by Kairi Shishigou that she didn’t need to worry about his situation and only needed to focus on fighting Saber, could no longer care about Saber. Sensing that the magical connection had suddenly been severed, she rushed toward Kairi Shishigou, shouting anxiously:

”Master!!”

”Oh, has Saber also disengaged from the fight?

That’s perfect. I do indeed need some magical energy on this end to activate the Stand’s ability. Then...”

As these thoughts flashed rapidly through his mind, Shirou Emiya did not let his hands stay idle and spoke:

”[Crazy Diamond]!!”

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