It's been a while, but here it is. I don't have a lot of time to write and edit. I can only do bits and pieces of editing and rewriting at a time with my schedule. I wanted to spend more time editing, but I already put off updating and I want to get this chapter out just to show I'm still writing it. Hopefully, this will be good. So, here is the confrontation we have all been waiting for.
Chapter 8
The doors opened. Stepping across the threshold, Irisviel made her way calmly through into the foyer of the castle. The interior was almost identical to the castle in Fuyuki, adding to her mounting discomfort. Regardless, she muscled through the feelings, not giving the uneasy memories a chance to take root and cloud her thinking. Now was not the time for that. She had a task to perform and she needed to be successful.
With finality, she ended her walk at the center of the foyer, waiting patiently for the other party to arrive. Now that she stood in place, there was nothing to be heard but silence, the last echo of her footsteps dying in the air. The only sound to be heard came from the wind and the permanent winter it carried with it outside the fortress walls. She was well aware that they were intentionally making her wait, but she did not mind. In truth she was grateful for these last few minutes to collect her thoughts as she lifted her left hand revealing the single Command Seal.
The way it looked, watchful eyes may have interpreted the movement as Irisviel checking on the desired prize, but that was not her true intention. What she was really checking on was the tool hidden within the left sleeve of her trench coat, a small shimmer of light reflecting on the tool wrapped around her wrist. The item was a golden bracelet with various glimmering gemstone. Some were attached to the bracelet directly; small chains attached others. This tool would be fundamental for her strategy, but it could also be a double edge sword. For what she had in mind, she would have to tread very carefully.
Lowering her arm, she once more went over the plan. It was too late to back out and create any last minute alterations. If things went badly here then worst-case scenario she would without a doubt lose her life. Briefly, she allowed her thoughts to drift to the adopted son she left back in Fuyuki, the very boy she promised to teach magecraft, yet still failed to teach properly.
"If I don't make it back… I'm sorry, Shirou." Irisviel once more thought with more melancholy than she needed to experience in that moment. If the worst did happen, Shirou would be taken care of; she made sure of it before she left. But hopefully, it would not come to that. Her only hope would be to trust that the plan she and Waver came up with would work. She recalled one of the few times she came into contact with Waver during the months of planning. The advice he gave over the phone helped reassure her in these last few moments of respite.
"The key to negotiating is to make sure you come out on top." Waver explained giving her one of the many lectures he received from his lost mentor. "The superior negotiator can anticipate what their opponent desires and keep their head on straight long enough to keep ahead of them."
"The problem is he is my creator." Irisviel explained. "He'll know how I think, and since he is centuries my senior as well as the head of the family, he knows how to negotiate."
"I think that actually plays to your advantage." Waver explained. "Since he is your creator, he'll only assume he'll know how to deal with you. But from what you told me about the head of the Einzbern family, he does not know enough about you to understand what strategy you'll use. I think he'll underestimate you, and that will allow you to catch him off guard. True, he has experience, but you seem more adept with dealing with people."
"I see." Irisviel stated seeing the logic in his statement. She was not the same person she was when she left that castle. She did not believe Grandfather Acht would have recognized such a person. Thinking back, the elderly golem never bothered to get to know her as a person. She did not believe he would have known the Irisviel back then either. She shrugged the thought off as irrelevant as Waver continued.
"Also, if you play your cards right, I think you can take advantage of one more thing."
Her memories broke off as she sensed the approach of the expected party. Looking up at a long staircase lined with a red carpet, she saw him. There, standing at the top of the stairs, looking down at her with a stare of indifference stood the eighth head of the Einzbern family. Jubstacheit von Einzbern, a golem created to be the artificial intelligence of the castle, and Irisviel's creator. The last time the two had spoken, it had been when he had disowned her, and left her to her own devices. Now here they met once more.
Silence fell upon them. Creator and homunculus stood there, looking at one another for a good few seconds, the former with a cold superiority, the other with a warm defiance. If Irisviel could look in into the mind of Jubstacheit von Einzbern, she would see the mind of a man who feels as though he was simply accomplishing a minor task. She actually got a glimpse of that when she looked into his eyes and noted the coolness of them. It was a stare of not of arrogance or a sense of self of self-importance. He presented all that in the way he stood without showing it on his face. The look he gave her was one more of annoyance devoid of any sense of compassion or sense of empathy as though he was looking at a flying insect he wanted to swat away for invading his personal space.
"Irisviel." Jubstacheit stated coldly. "To think you would have the audacity to return to the Einzbern stronghold." Irisviel said nothing. She just stared at the centuries-old man with an unfeeling expression. The old man began to walk down the steps not paying any mind to her defiant stare. "I will congratulate you. I did not expect you to last as long as you did. When you told me of how you separated from the Grail I thought for sure you would have died sooner or later. It appears as though that Noble Phantasm of King Arthur managed to heal you more affectively than originally anticipated. And what of afterwards? Was the knowledge of the Einzbern family affective in treating you? You should show gratitude."
Still Irisviel remained silent as the old man delivered his informal speech. The white haired woman simply stared with ice in her eyes as Jubstacheit approached her, stopping just out of reach of his arm. If Jubstacheit was offended by her lack of loquaciousness, he gave no indication.
"So, now we get to the heart of the matter. What exactly did you hope to accomplish by coming here?" He questioned, his eyes scanner her with indifference. "Did you hope we would welcome you back simply because you brought us the Command Seal? It is an excellent gift, but it hardly make up for loosing the war." Jubstacheit looked her over once more to see if that could gage a reaction. It didn't. There was no sign of disappointment of surprise, no change in her expression at all. She just continued to stare at him. Evidently she expected as much. Briefly he wondered what else the woman before him had to offer. He would find out soon enough. Until then, he would continue to reprimand her for her defeat in the war.
"Every homunculus of the Einzbern family was created for one purpose. You had one duty to perform and you failed. Failure deserves punishment. Did you believe you could come here and beg for our forgiveness and we will allow you back in the family? Was that your goal? Do you have sort of bargaining chip which will allow us to accept you into our ranks?" Again Irisviel remained silent.
The golem paced the space around the woman looking her over, scrutinizing her gaze. He brushed it off and continued his speech. "Or could it be you discovered something in that small country of yours that could be of use to us? I find it highly unlikely." The golem stopped in front of Irisviel once more. "The only other thing in that dirty little country are the Tohsakas and that accursed Makiri family, the former incompetent enough to let their own heir and family name be dragged into the latter's schemes." He stopped in front of her. He decided to present a theory. He did not believe it to be true, but he wished to either get a reaction from her, or test the limits of his analytical skills. "Or is that what you wish to bargain with? Do you believe if you help us track down that Makiri you can put us in good graces?" Again, Irisviel remained silence. So that wasn't it.
He half expected as much considering how hard the Mage Association and the Church was putting pressure on them to locate the old worm. After all, he was using fragments from the Einzbern Grail in one of his experiments, and the Einzberns, more to prove they had nothing to do with Makiri, did their best to assist both parties to track him down. So far their attempts had been fruitless. Luckily both parties have not connected the Grail and whatever dark experiments Makiri had been doing to it to the Einzberns, but Jubstacheit knew they were still under suspicion. He still did not know what evidence they had which led them to find out about the Makiris' heresy, but he intended to discover it soon. Until then however, he had this little matter to deal with.
As Irisviel stood there, Jubstacheit proceeded to analyze his creation. Indeed, she was fully healed. Whatever healing process she went through was certainly affective. As a precaution he also scanned for any magical tools she may be carrying, but only found a small charm around her wrist. He was unsure of its purpose, but he did not believe it was a weapon. He also noted that within her coat there was several other metallic materials lumped together. Were they raw materials in case she had to create something in a hurry? Whatever they were, some were common metals, and some had only the scarcest magical properties within them. So far as he could tell, they posed no threat to him either.
He was surprised she did not carry any offensive tools, considering how their last encounter ended. He was not worried by any means. If their confrontation ended violently, he did not see it ending with her victory regardless of whatever tool she may carry. Jubstacheit was still the superior magus. That was why he decided to meet her alone; to show her just how he would not intimidated by a lowly discarded tool. Still, he expected more than this. He did not know what that tool was around her wrist, but he would be wary of it. In the mean time, he would put her in her place. That stare of hers was beginning to irritate him.
"Well, what is it you have to offer?" Jubstacheit questioned. "I admit the Command Seal was a worthy gift to allow you access to the castle, but I will be honest with you. It is but a minor concern for me." This was not entirely true. Having the last surviving Command Seal could be a tactical advantage. Jubstacheit may be able to include this Command Seal into his plans in the next war, maybe even strengthen the vessel. "A mere Command Seal hardly makes up for your initial failure. You will have to do more than this to make up for losing the war and failing the Heaven's Feel. So what will it be, Irisviel? What more can you off the Einzbern family that will show us that you are willing to repent for your dereliction of duty?"
For a moment, she did not speak. In that timespan, Irisviel silently contemplated how best to respond to her elder's rather elegant entrance. He would mistake her hesitation for either shame or intimidation, that was no doubt, but she did not mind. She was not overwhelmed by her creator's presence, just wondering if she really should do what she was about to do. On paper it seemed like a good idea, but now it seemed a little… strange, especially when considering how overpowering and masterfully the elder Einzbern delivered his speech. Like any king in his castle, he made himself and his demands known to her without hesitation and without any sense she had authority over him. It was just as she expected from someone who had centuries of experience ruling over one of the world's most influential magus families. It made her wonder if she should be a little more serious in her own reintroduction, and present herself as the respectable lady the Einzberns raised her to be. Then again… how many times was she going to ever start a negotiation like this?
"HUUUUUUH?" The outburst was so sudden and so unexpected, Jubstacheit started back surprised. Out of all the responses to his speech, that certainly was not among them. "Hey old man, aren't cha' actn' a little cocky there?" Irisviel questioned glaring at him with eyes of cold contempt. "Hows about I tear that beard of yours off an' make a noose outta it? Huuuh? Would ya' like that?"
Jubstacheit could do very little but stand there with his mouth agape. There was nothing more he could do with this sudden turn of events. What in the world was she saying? For some reason the once proper and timid Irisviel was talking to him like she was some kind of lowborn gangster.
"No? Then why don't ya shut that trap of yers up before I find a piece of plywood and nail it over? I'm getting sick of hearin yer yappin' and smellin' yer old man breath. So why don't ya learn ta keep it close before that of yers get ya hurt."
"Wh-What…" Jubstacheit began once again only to be cut off by Irisviel.
"Did ya not hear me old man?" She asked the staggering Jubstacheit. "I told ya ta keep ya mouth shut! Ya want to keep talkin smack I can find ya some good real estate in the sewers if ya like. Huuuh?"
Silence fell upon them. Jubstacheit stood there, both perplexed and intimidated by the woman's sudden outburst. He knew he should be outraged by this sudden act of insubordination, but it was all so abrupt and so unexpected he had neither the time to prepare or process the situation.
And as abrupt as that outburst was, the woman before her burst out in a childlike fit of giggles. "Sorry, I couldn't resist. I always wanted to talk like that." She apologized. "It's just the way that a bunch of boys I spend time with talk, and I just wanted to see if I can pass off as the Yakuza tough type. I think I pulled it off well, don't you agree?" The elderly golem did not respond. He did not know how to respond. He just stood there staring at the younger homunculus, disbelief in his eyes.
Irisviel casually put her hands behind her back and twirled in place. "Well, I think it was pretty neat. I mean, I don't think I can be as intimidating as T-chan, but I think I can pull off a shakedown with the best of them." She nodded to herself and turned to the baffled elder. "Oh, T-chan is someone I know back in Fuyuki. The two of us have these contests all the time. Who can pull off the best tough guy act, who can out quip the other, who can prank the most people, all sorts of games."
Gradually, Jubstacheit's confusion was slowly being replaced with a growing irritation as it slowly dawned on him. Irisviel was actually making fun of him. Despite the seriousness of her situation, the woman before him dared to make a fool of him. Had she gone mad, or was it some sort of outside influence that caused this strange behavior? Either way, she actually had the nerve to make a fool out of him, her creator, and the head of the Einzbern family. And now she was making light of it all like it was all but a mere jest.
"What do you think?" She then smirked in a way that was supposed to be intimidating but had the effect of a child trying to be tough. "I was thinking of an interesting way to break the ice, and I thought, why not show off my gangster act. Pretty scary, huh?" She turned her back on him and pulled the collar of her trench coat up in a way that only added to that attempt at trying to look more intimidating than she really was. "Given the right lighting, maybe a pair of shades, and Emiya Irisviel can be the scariest…"
"Enough!" bellowed an infuriated Jubstacheit. While he had not shown it on the outside, ever since Irisviel began her little sideshow he had grown steadily annoyed with the woman's nonsensical antics. He did not know what it was she was trying to accomplish but now he wanted her to stop.
Irisviel silently obeyed the command, calmly turning towards her elder with a cool indifference as if she just remembered he was in the room. If Jubstacheit bothered to notice the action it would have angered him further, but for the moment he was trying to calm himself. He had no idea what this foolishness was, but he was not about to let this outcast make a fool out of him.
Several questions came to mind to ask, but for the moment, something Irisviel said near the end caught his interest, so he decided to inquire about that, more to give himself more time to cool his head than out of curiosity. "Did you call yourself Emiya?"
"Indeed." Irisviel confirmed. "I am no longer an Einzbern, so why not be an Emiya?"
If this was an attempt to try and slight him, he told himself he would not rise to the bait. A part of him felt more relief than offense that she would willingly cast aside her family name. If she prefers the name of the outsider than so be it. At least she would not tarnish the Einzbern name any further, especially if she was doing embarrassing things like that little skit she did earlier. When he felt his temper was under control, he turned back to the woman, meeting her defiant gaze. "Have you come all the way here to mock me?"
"Of course not." Irisviel said with a friendly smile on her face. "I just wanted to try out what I learned. Maybe a little much, but it was fun."
Jubstacheit glared at her in obvious disapproval. "Fun?" he repeated. "You believe wasting my time with these trivialities is fun?"
"The look on your face was certainly fun." Irisviel stated. "I never believed in my life I would see you make such an expression before. Cross that off the old bucket list as the old cliché goes."
Actually, the whole act was because of advice from Waver. He did not in so many words advise her to act like a gangster and make her creator angry. That was all her doing. Instead, his advice was simple. Try and find a way to throw him off balance. That would make her ultimate goal a lot easier. She thought of many ways to through someone off balance, but ultimately decided to emulate an expert on the subject, one of her favorite people in Fuyuki, T-chan. In the end, it looks like the end result was desirable. Irisviel made a note to herself to buy a really expensive souvenir for her little friend before she left Germany. But first…
"I'm learning a lot of them these days. Like the one about kicking a hornet's nest." Her tone suddenly turned serious, as she looked her elder in the eye. Now they were getting to the heart of the matter. "This brings me to why I'm here."
"And what is that?"
"Jubstacheit von Einzbern." Irisviel said in a serious tone. She took a deep breath before asking what was on her mind. "Are you an idiot?"
Again, Jubstacheit found himself completely speechless. This question was asked not with a childish tone or with the mischievous spirit she showed earlier. It was asked in a matter of fact and serious, deadpan manner.
"Excuse me?" he asked just to confirm what it was he heard.
"I asked you if you were an idiot." Irisviel repeated without hesitation in that same flat and unhesitant tone. "You knew the Grail was contaminated yet you did nothing. I don't know how you think or why you believe the risk is worth it, but only a truly spectacular idiot believe the end result is worth the entire world."
"You dare…" he began only to be cut off by Irisviel.
"You can deny the corruption all you want, frankly I don't care. But by the time I leave here, I will assure that at the very least the Einzberns will fix at least one of their blunders. We owe that much to Justeaze von Einzbern."
"Don't speak that name." The old man commanded in a regal voice. "An outcast like you has no right to speak of her."
"Let's agree to disagree." Irisviel said not the least bit intimidated. "I shall agree I am an outcast who has disgraced her family, and you should agree that the family has succeeded in disgracing itself." Again, she gave that infuriating smile. "Shall we?"
Fury once more rose in Jubstacheit. Who does this reject think she is? Just a few months ago she was a meek and proper tool who knew her station, now she had the nerve to speak to him, her creator, in such a way. What manner of riffraff has she been associating with to these past few months that molded her into this rude and lowbrow plebeian? Was it that Teechan creature? He was not sure what it was, but it sounded like a beastly thing.
"But enough about that." Irisviel waved that off before Jubstacheit could have a chance to counter. "I'm not here to discuss the family morals with you."
"Then why are you here?" Jubstacheit demanded trying once again to regain control of the conversation.
Irisviel took a deep breath as she prepared herself. This was it. This was what she came here for. "We have to end it." She said, all pretense of joking gone. "I ask of you to shut down the Grail. End the process before it begins. All of the research the Einzberns put into the Grail system will result in nothing good. So I beseech you, Jubstacheit von Einzbern to end the Holy Grail War."
For a long moment, the two looked at one another, one sizing another up. Like when they first encountered one another, they stared at one another in a silent appraisal as if both parties were trying to peer into the other's minds, but could only manage to get a glimpse.
"You would have us shut down our family legacy?" Jubstacheit questioned. "Centuries of research and study made naught just because you ask of it?"
"Not simply because I ask you to but because our legacy is no longer what it was." Irisviel replied. "It has created something that could possibly destroy all humanity. If we do nothing but sit idly by as the ritual take place, we are creating the instrument to humanity's destruction."
"Humanity." Jubstacheit scoffed at the word. "Suppose what you say is true, what of it? If we win, we win, we will have accomplished what it was Justeaze von Einzbern sought." He explained. "Our lost Third Magic will have been reclaimed and what use will we have with this world?
Irisviel clenched her fist, her eyes once again showing the anger that was present in the beginning. "There are those who may think the risk is not worth the reward. We are not just speaking of a few homunculi you grew in a factory. We are talking about lives of every naturally born human on this planet. Do you think the Mage Association will stand by and do nothing if they find out the truth about the Grail?"
"You mean if they find out the truth that you wish for them to learn?" Jubstacheit questioned condescendingly. Irisviel shook her head in disgust. She could not believe he was still denying the existence of corruption of the Grail to her face even now. How deep in denial can one man go? Does he truly not believe, or was he lying to himself simply because he thinks the prize is worth it? At this point, she could not tell anymore and it frightened her. "Which reminds me, all these months and you have not gone to the Association, have you?"
Irisviel's eyes fixed on his. So he had been keeping an ear out for any odd rumors that she may or may not have been spreading. She wasn't spreading any, but it pleased her to know he was at least taking her seriously to some degree. "And if I haven't what does that tell you?"
"What it tells me is this." Jubstacheit stated ignoring her blatant insubordination. Now he was pacing the room once again, the conversation now back in his control. "First, it tells me you can't go to them because as I suspected you have no proof. I suspect if you go to them you would be seen as a disowned outcast. Whatever plea you make to the association will be nothing more than a pariah trying to slander her persecutors."
Irisviel nodded in affirmation. "The thought has crossed my mind."
"I also see another reason." Jubstacheit stated. This time, he focused his gaze directly on the woman before him. "The girl." He needed no confirmation, but he received it nonetheless as Irisviel's cold stare turned colder and harder. "You and I both know that even if you were believed, it is highly unlikely that they would take the safety of the child into consideration. You can't afford to have the Mage Association interfere because it would risk the girl's safety. And now that I think about it, I don't believe it would be practical of you to shut down the Grail as well."
"And why is that?" Irisviel questioned in a deadpan monotone as she gave her frigid scowl.
"As I stated before. Each Einzbern homunculus was born with a purpose. If we shut down the Grail, what use would the girl be to us? What would her purpose be? She would simply be… raw material."
Irisviel resisted the urge to spit as she kept her gaze leveled. "You could simply give her to me." She answered coolly. "Let her live her life in peace away from this horrid family. If you have no use for her, what's the point of keeping her here?"
"And what of the Einzberns after we shut down the Grail?" Jubstacheit questioned. "Many of us were created for the sole purpose of winning the war. What will all of those lives do now? Will you simply curse all of them, all of us to a meaningless existence?"
It was true. Ever since he was created, Jubstacheit was tasked with but three functions. First, he was tasked to keep the castle functioning as its artificial intelligence. Second was to lead the Einzberns after the passing of Justeaze. Third, was to win the Holy Grail War. Of these functions, it was the third that was especially driven into him. It was fair to say that his obsession was not just his own personal feelings, it as preprogrammed into him since his creation. In a way, it was almost like he could not help but be controlled by this function thanks to those who created him, and unlike Irisviel, he was unable to overcome his base programming and become something more. He would always be the old man in the castle, leading a pointless existence within these castle walls, trying to win a fruitless war.
Irisviel was beginning to understand her father a bit more. The old man was created for the purpose of continuing the Einzberns' ambitions. Without any of his own, the Holy Grail War drove him. In other words, the Holy Grail War was a major part of his life, and Irisviel was basically telling him to snuff it out. She felt some bit of pity for the old golem, created and living simply to win a war the family might not even succeed. But still, she could falter here.
"I found an existence outside my own purpose." Irisviel stated. "It took some, but I managed to build a decent life for myself. I found a way to recreate my life and find a way to rebuild it from what Kiritsugu left me."
Jubstacheit narrowed his eyes at this. "Not all have the capacity of developing emotions such as yourself." He explained. For a moment, Irisviel thought she heard a tinge of regret in his voice, or maybe it was what she wanted to hear. If there was any emotion, it may have been contempt. Contempt for the emotions she developed and drove her to become what she was. Contempt for the emotions that drove her to confront him and act so… human. More likely, if there was any emotion behind his star, it was one of disgust over her willingness to embrace her newfound humanity and evolved soul. Yeah, that was probably it.
"I'm asking you this once. "Irisviel pleaded. "Please, will you willingly end this before things get out of hand?"
Jubstacheit turned away, finally breaking eye contact. "That request shall not be granted." There was barely a moment of hesitation in his answer. Irisviel was not surprised. "I believe you have another request." That was not a question.
"Illyasviel." Irisviel questioned. "Will you reconsider releasing her to me?"
"I will not." Confirmed the Einzbern head. "My stance will not change, and there is nothing you can do to alter that decision."
Irisviel tightened her fist at that. She expected as much, but hearing confirmation not hurt any less. Still, her resolve did not waver. "Then you will not heed my warning willingly." Irisviel questioned.
The last word did not escape Jubstacheit's notice. "What do you mean willingly?" He questioned. "Are you suggesting that there is a way that you can change our minds against our will?"
If he could feel humor he would be amused. What could this reject possibly do to him and his family, especially now in his own territory? This castle was one of the most heavily fortified magical workshops among the magus community. Jubstacheit had direct control over every aspect of it and was the family's most powerful magus. Irisviel was but a powerless homunculus, weakened by her separation from the Grail, and at his mercy. He could sense the very moment she tried to activate her magic circuits and tried to use any on him. She was completely at his mercy. And yet… why was she calm?
Raising her wrist to her face, she looked at her watch and a small smile formed on her lips as she confirmed the time. Jubstacheit caught that smiled and looked at her with suspicion. "What are you up to?"
"Oh… nothing." She said with a shrug. "By the way, could you tell the representatives at the Clock Tower to be on the look out for any oddities that may be happening on in the next few minutes?"
Again, Jubstacheit glared at her, his suspicion growing. "How do you know I have representatives at the Clock Tower?" he asked.
"You mean the ones meeting with the Harwey family?" She questioned, walking over to the staircase. "I advise you to call them soon. Something really big is about to happen there, and you may need to be in contact with them to settle things." She plopped herself down on one of the steps sitting casually without a care in the world. "Now, I'll wait right here until you're done."
"We are not done speaking." He demanded becoming increasingly unnerved by her knowledge of Einzbern activity.
"I know." Irisviel assured. "But trust me, those representatives will need you soon." She looked at her watch again. "Any minute now."
Jubstacheit did not like this at all. How did she know about the representatives and whom they were meeting? Why was she looking at her watch? What was she planning? Ever since she arrived, she seemed far too relaxed, like she was in control even when it seemed like he, Jubstacheit, was the one who held all the cards. He did not like it one bit.
"I advise you to hurry." Irisviel suggested. "Otherwise what your representatives in the Clock Tower will do to all those fliers."
Jubstacheit jumped at that. "Fliers. What fliers?" Jubstacheit demanded. In response, a small, mischievous smile formed on Irisviel's face. "What have you done!?"
It was an uneventful day at the Clock Tower. Magi of many families, old and new roamed the grounds, some attending classes, some heading to their workshops. Some conducting business, some trading secrets. If one not apart of the community were to look onto the scene, the first thing that would come to mind would be a normal university setting, one that the staff was hoping to enforce.
Of course there were those days where the occasional oddities did tend to happen. For example, when pink sheets of paper suddenly blowing in the wind. This was certainly out of the ordinary. It began with one blowing in the wind. Then another blew by, followed by several. Those several were followed by more, until fliers began to drift, carried through the air. Now there were tens of hundreds of them in the air, covering the Clock Cower courtyards, catching the attention of the various onlookers.
The pink papers began to invade the outside of the Clock Tower. The patrons who were outside began to collect those that flew by, and those who were from the inside looking out, hurriedly ran out to see what was going on. Soon the normal day in the Clock Tower began to take a turn for the intriguing as rumors of the mysterious sheets of papers began to circulate throughout the school and many came to the courtyard to see the phenomena, intrigued by the change in monotony.
Very few continued on their business and ignored the sudden slurry of paper falling from the ground. Most however stopped what they were doing and caught several of the fliers, puzzled by the contents. The more curious looked around to find the origin of these mysterious sheets of paper, the more persistent were rewarded when they came across a crowd gathering around a mysterious object. Hidden in a corner corridor of the Clock Tower, next to a mysteriously open window was a large wooden box. The box was stuffed into a corner along with several other objects stored there for safekeeping. What those items were and what they were doing there, who could say? Maybe they were there as temporary storage space, but it was a collection of items that were often overlooked and unnoticed by anybody passing by, so nobody paid them any mind until that moment.
Two white haired homunculi in particular were interested in the object in question. Upon getting closer, they noted its design. From the outside, it looked like a large box around 60x50 cm. The box looked like a crate from the outside. Evidently it was lying there for days and nobody noticed it because of its unassuming appearance, but now, it looked like something activated within it that caused it to open up and release the content within. On the inside, it was aligned with what looked like stone and metal and engraved with several ritualistic markings. One of them analyzed it and realized the purpose.
As they suspected, the box was timed to release the papers after a certain time period. The box was apparently held together by a spell that kept it closed that steadily eroded away with time. Once it did, the box would break open and the papers within would blow out into the air like confetti and scatter in the wind. Specifically, they would go out that window which was left conveniently opened. For a moment, it made one of the homunculus wonder how lax security in the Clock Tower was to not notice it before she continued her analysis of the situation. She knew what this was. She and her compatriot had a call from the family head, Elder Acht himself to be on the look out for any oddities, but they never expected something like this.
The homunculi looked on not knowing what to do. As they watched the staff ushering the students away, they both stood there, observing the scene from the distance. One of them looked at a flier trying to process the scene. According to their programing, they had to protect family secrets, but theirs' did not really know how to handle… this situation. To say this was outside their understanding was putting it mildly. They would have to contact Elder Acht and see what he would like them to do.
And so on that day, the magi of the Clock Tower gained a new experience, including a day where something out of the ordinary happened, and several new pastry recipes.
"You!" the voice of the elder Einzbern boomed.
Irisviel calmly rose from where she sat and turned towards the approaching man. It looks like he took her advice and contacted the representatives in London as she advised, and as she predicted, he did not like the news he received.
"Was that your idea of a joke?" He demanded.
"Joke?" She questioned innocently.
"Do not toy with me!" demanded the irate man finally fed up with her games. "When I heard of those fliers floating around the Clock Towers I feared you had done something I believed you would regret." Irisviel resisted the urge to snort at that. What he meant (but would not admit) was, that she would do something that would damage the family. "But pastry recipes? You set up a ritual to release fliers that will reveal the pastry recipes?!"
"Correction," Irisviel stated. "Einzbern pastry recipes, collected throughout the ages. It seemed like such a shame to keep them hidden, so why not share them with the world?"
Jubstacheit bit back his anger once more. He was beginning to loose his patience with Irisviel and it was beginning to show. "What is the meaning of your actions? What do you think will happen if the Mage Association find out about this?"
Irisviel brushed the concern off. "I made no reference to the Einzberns in those fliers I assure you." Irisviel explained. "At worst they will see this as a prank set up by a magus with too much time on their hands. Maybe they will see this as an inside joke between friendly rivals or an experiment set up by an eccentric. Regardless, I assure you any relation to the Einzbern family with be the furthest thing from their mind. The reputation of the family is safe." What she did not add was 'for now at least.' "And even if they do discover they were the secret pastry recipes of the Einzbern family, what of it? What will they make of it? It's not like I was revealing anything important."
Jubstacheit sighed once more trying again to keep his temper in check. "I am growing increasingly weary of this behavior. I do not know if there is some sort of malfunction in your reasoning abilities or if you simply lost your mind, but I am done entertaining this folly! Now, hand over the Command Seal and I will forgive your rude behavior and allow you to leave my fortress. But once you do you will never return here again! Do you understand me?!"
He was tempted to simply end her now and be done with it, but for the first time in a long time he felt too exhausted to do anything else. He should have destroyed her for setting up that absurd prank, though even he admitted to himself destroying her for this whole ridiculous affair was far too petty for someone of his standing. While he had every right to do so as the unquestioned head of the Einzberns, he still had to present himself as the dignified man he always was, and that means showing those beneath him he was above being drawn in by childish antics. Besides, it's not like he cared for mere pastries. So he came to the decision to give her the chance to surrender the Command Seal and allow her to go back to where ever she came from. He would allow the woman before him to live if only because she did bring him what was probably the only existing Command Seal and pardon her for her disrespect, but if she was foolish enough to appear before him again, he would end her without question. That was more than she deserved.
This was what Jubstacheit thought. The thought however became less likely to come to past as he heard the snickering of his creation echoing throughout the room. "Now what is so amusing?" He managed to ask in a tone that was more tranquil than he felt.
"You still do not get the implications I am making, do you?" Irisviel asked.
"And what implications would that be?" Jubstacheit asked. He knew he was setting himself up for some further plot, but he did not like her tone. He had a feeling that whatever this nonsense Irisviel had been up to from the start, it was leading up to this moment.
"So," Irisviel said in a smile that could have told him 'I like you, but I must tell you some bad news.' "I am sorry to say that when I was abandoned, I am afraid you overlooked one tiny little detail." She paused for affect. "I'm a Justeaze type homunculus. I was never a fully developed one, but I was still a good enough model to have many of its basic functions. And since I found myself temporally apart of the Grail, I found myself access to many of those functions I previously overlooked, including one in particular." Again, she paused leaving, angering Jubstacheit that much further.
"What!?" Demanded Jubstacheit when he could not take her games any further. "What is it?!"
"Memory, more specifically, the memories of Justeaze von Einzbern."
Silence fell upon them as the significance of what she said finally sunk in. For once in his long life, Jubstacheit felt emotions other than the driving force of winning the Grail. He felt more than the anger and frustration of an antagonistic force opposing him or the sting of failure. Now, a new slew of emotions bombarded him. Surprise, bafflement, disbelief, anger, all rolled into one as realization struck him. "You..." Jubstacheit said in disbelief. It was all he could say as Irisviel stood there confidently. "It can't be… you…"
"Is it starting to make sense now?" Irisviel asked. "It's true I can't harm you. The Einzberns are too powerful to hurt. Well, at least directly. "
"You."
"Yes… me." Irisviel confirmed. "The one thing I can do to harm the Einzberns… is share… more specifically, or at the very least, most of the knowledge Justeaze collected since she was alive, which has been the bedrock of the Einzbern family's research since then."
Jubstacheit could not believe what he was hearing. Did this failure just say that to his face? Did she actually just admit to betraying the mysteries of the Einzbern families to those fools who have been coveting them for centuries? Did she…
"You heard right" Irisviel said coldly evidently reading the expression on his face. "Consider the incident at the Clock Tower a fair warning. Today it was the Einzbern family secret pastry recipes. Next time who knows what it will be? Maybe it will be the secrets of how we create affective homunculi. Maybe it will be affective elixirs or the proper rituals to perform soul transfer. Maybe even how to create one's own Holy Grail."
Jubstacheit flinched at this. He looked her over. She had to be bluffing. There was no way one of his own creations, abandoned or otherwise, would dare be so brazen as to stand before him and threaten the family, threaten him, in such a way. It had to be another foolish prank.
"Irisviel." Jubstacheit growled. "I swear, if this is another joke…"
"I assure you," Irisviel stated in an icy tone that chilled Jubstacheit. "There never was a joke, and there never will be about this matter. I do not exaggerate when I say this. Right now, I am in a position where I can damage the Einzbern family if I see fit. In fact, I have been harming the Einzberns this way for months now." Jubstacheit's eyes widened at this. "You haven't noticed any correlation between the war's end and the loss of business your partners? How did you think I knew about the representative you had in the Clock Tower? Why did you think I chose today of all days to meet you? I knew you had a meeting with the Harwey family in regards to their lack of interest in doing business. Actually, you probably wouldn't even be having that meeting if I didn't… influence them."
"You're responsible for that?!" Jubstacheit exclaimed.
"They were most dissatisfied with the table scraps you were giving them during your transactions." Irisviel explained. "So I decided to give them more shall we say... more fulfilling request." Irisviel casually examined the sleeve on her trench coat seemingly disinterested in the elder Einzbern's dismay. "I knew they were valuable partners for trading materials, but it seems as though what they desire from you has been satisfied to some degree. As for how I knew about the meeting, let's just say they owed me a favor and they were instructed to keep me informed the next time you wished to do business with them." This was actually a half-truth. While they did owe her a favor, the person they actually met with was Waver who acted as her representative, but there was no need for him to now about that, not at this moment.
"What did you tell them?" Jubstacheit demanded threw clenched teeth.
"Worry not," Irisviel assured looking her senior in the eye once more. "I did not betray family secrets if that is what you are worried about. I just gave them enough so that they can create their own theories and develop their own mysteries. In other words, far more than you were willing to divulge. I will be surprised if they will even consider doing business with you in the future."
Jubstacheit seethed. In all the centuries he had been alive, this was probably the first time he truly experienced anger. True, he knew frustration. True he knew impatience, true he knew vindictiveness from the times his family lost in the war over and over gain. But now was the first time he truly felt the emotion anger, and what added to it was the idea that it was the very same reject he threw away that brought it on.
Jubstacheit activated his magic circuits. He would not let this go. This was no longer about letting a failure make a fool out of him. Now she had committed a grave sin against the family. She had betrayed the family and this could not be forgiven. These thoughts ran into his mind as he gathered energy into his right arm ready to deal the first blow.
Irisviel naturally senses what he was about to do. Good. Let her sense his power. Let her fear him. Yet she showed no such emotion. Instead, she quickly raised her left arm, the one that had the charm wrapped around her arm. Jubstacheit determined earlier it was a defensive charm of some kind though was not too concerned. His concerned lessened when he saw the charm was breaking apart, already shattering under the pressure of his power.
"Pathetic." Jubstacheit thought. "I have yet to even show my power and it's already falling apart. What was she thinking bringing such a frail talisman as her only defense? Even a failure such as herself should have created a better tool then this."
It was then a thought occurred to him. She was perfectly capable of creating better tools than this. If needed, she could have created charms that could defend against magical attacks of higher caliber. He did not believe she could create anything that he could not easily overcome, but clearly she could make something better than this brittle thing. So why hasn't she? Everything else Irisviel was, she was never a stupid woman, yet the only magical tool she brought with her was a bracelet like piece of jewelry that could crumble so easily with the faintest magical energy? It's almost as if… that's its purpose!
Immediately, he cut off his magical circuits and the gems within the jewelry stopped cracking. A satisfied smirk appeared on Irisviel's face as she drew back her wrist in a deliberate and mocking way.
"So you figured it out." Irisviel stated. "Indeed, if you even attempt to strike me with any attack magical or otherwise, several of the gems will break apart."
His suspicions confirmed, Jubstacheit glared at her defensively. "What would have happened if they were to crack?"
Irisviel, in a self-satisfied smile revealed the secret behind the gems. "As you suspected, they are not ordinary gemstones, but inhibitor talismans that help keep certain rituals from activating. Think of them as keys. So long as they reach a ritual site, it will prevent a ritual from happening. What ritual you may ask?" She reached into her pocket and took out an uninteresting green gemstone inscribed with an alchemic symbol. "For example, this one would have prevented the ritual for in the Clock Tower from releasing those fliers. Other talismans will prevent other, shall we say… more vital secrets from flying out."
Jubstacheit's eyes widened as realization dawned on him. "It can't be."
"That's right." She confirmed with an impassive stare. "It's not just in the Clock Tower either. All over the world, there are sites just like that which will release information about the Einzbern family and their secrets. Some of them are minor, come of them are big. Some will be easy to get to, some will take effort. Some will be released in public fashion, others in more subtle ways. How, when, you may never know. They all have one thing in common, they all came from the memories of Justeaze von Einzbern."
Jubstacheit was angry before, now a new slew of emotions he had not previously known before had begun to sink in. Now he knew apprehension and uncertainty mixed in with the anger. This was not how it was supposed to go. He was supposed to be in control of this negotiation from the beginning. No, he cannot call it a negotiation. Calling it that would mean he would be admitting to the possibility of yielding to this woman, and he would not allow it. He had to gain control somehow… and yet…
She then presented the bracelet full of the shinning multicolored talismans. "And these are the only talismans that can keep those rituals from activating, yet they are set to self destruct should you try and attack me with magic or approach me without my consent. They also self-destruct if they sense my death. And by the way, since I am the creator of these talismans, only I can successfully recreate them should they end up destroyed. So if I die, then not only does your only chance of finding the ritual sites vanish, the very items you could use to stop them also vanish from your grasp."
Jubstacheit again seethed. "How dare you?" he demanded.
"How dare I?" Irisviel repeated in a tone that suggested she suspected the question yet still could not believe he had the nerve to ask it.
"Do not take that tone with me!" demanded her elder. "We gave you life, a purpose, and you repay the family with this? And now you have the nerve to harm us because you were too incompetent to complete your task? Have you no sense of shame, of loyalty? End this foolishness now, and maybe… maybe… I will forgive your transgressions!"
He had no intention of doing so. He would not let this traitor who had the audacity to appear before him and threaten everything he worked hard to accomplish leave this castle alive. The insults she had spoken until now he could overlook, but now she had overstepped. Her actions were treason towards him and the family and were punishable by nothing short of death. He knew he could do nothing to her at the moment, so he would have to give her the chance to willingly surrender the keys and surrender the locations of those ritual sites, then he would end her.
He expected her to once again talk back at him or glare at him in rebellion. It appeared to fit the pattern. Yet she did not such thing. Instead, she broke the pattern by just looking at him with a bran new expression that for some reason irritated him even more than the defiant glare he had become accustomed to seeing. Instead, it was a puzzled expression. If Jubstacheit were to accurately describe it, he would say it was one of a wide-eyed child looking at an exotic animal, or an uncultured plebian trying to scrutinize a piece of art.
"Do you care for me?" Irisviel suddenly asked innocently.
Now it was Jubstacheit's turn to wear a puzzled expression. "Excuse me?" He rightfully asked. The question itself was random and nonsensical enough, but to be asked it so suddenly, he could not help but ask for clarification. She repeated her question slower and in a softer tone to assure him he heard correctly. "Do I care for you?" He repeated.
"Yes." Irisviel confirmed. "I am just curious. Do you care for me… father?"
Where was she getting at? Jubstacheit did not understand the meaning of the question. Was this some sort of trap? If it was, it certainly was one the blindsided the old golem. What did she gain by asking such a perplexing question? For that matter, what does it mean to actually "care" for something? He never truly cared for any one homunculus in particular. Fair to say, he was one who never card for anything outside of his duties. So what was she trying to determine? He was unsure what exactly the woman wanted to hear, so he decided it was best to answer honestly.
"You are a homunculus of the Einzbern family." Stated the elder. "One I might add which was meant to be a device to bring about our victory and failed spectacularly. One does not care for the beakers or tools in one's laboratory, why should I feel any differently for a mere homunculus, let alone a failed product?"
Irisviel nodded in confirmation. If there's one virtue she'll say for her creator, he was honest. He was not being very diplomatic right now, but he was honest. So she decided for the sake of fairness, she would reply with nothing but honesty.
"So then, why should I care for the Einzberns?" Irisviel asked with genuine interest.
"Why should you care?" Jubstacheit repeated.
"Yes," Irisviel confirmed. "Why should I care? By your own admission, you are just a collection of tools, items, and devices. Should a device feel inclined to have any sense of loyalty towards their so-called owners, especially those owners who callously discard them?" She tilted her own head philosophically. "You seem to have a very myopic view on loyalty and obligation."
"You dare!" Jubstacheit demanded. "We created you. You…"
"And you threw me away." Irisviel interrupted coldly. Her words carried little playfulness of the confidence from earlier. Now it was just cold and serious with a touch of anger. "Should a 'mere device' feel any loyalty towards those who abandoned them? You admitted yourself you do not care for me, so what is it to me if a few secrets of those who see me as a broken or useless item are leaked?"
Irisviel moved forward, peering deeper into the eyes of her elder. Jubstacheit, was still not used to having one of his creation looking at him with such defiance, especially this one, whose red eyes looked into his own, with none of the admiration or respect he so rightfully deserved. Instead, they were distant and accusatory like she was looking at something she would like to pretend doesn't exist, but was forced to speak to.
"Let me ask you, father." Irisviel asked, spitting the last word out like it was a curse. Now whatever playfulness she had before was completely gone. Now she spoke with pure venom. "It never occurred to you that maybe I would be a little… angry with you for abandoning me and threatening to use my daughter as the next Grail? It never struck you that I would not feel any innate form of loyalty towards the family that insulted my husband and cared so little about the world they would throw away everyone else just so they could win a competition and satisfy their egos?" She paused for a moment. "Well, did that ever occur to you?"
Silence fell upon him. Jubstacheit refused to answer. He would not play this game any further. He would let this woman throw her little tantrum and wear herself out. He was far too dignified to sink to her level. For now he needed to keep himself from loosing his head from her little tirade. He…
"In that is a case, my initial judgment stands." She then innocently tilted her head and gave an innocent smile. "You are indeed an idiot."
That was the final straw. Jubstacheit once more charged mana, this time he gathered it in his entire body. Reflectively, Irisviel brought the bracelet and the talismans up to remind him what he would loose should he try anything foolish. Now both sides glared at one another, one in indignation, and the other in cold defiance, neither giving in.
Further within the castle, another homunculus peered from within her room. Feeling a tremor in the castle, she initially thought it wise to listen to her grandfather's advice and stay in her room, but curiosity got the better of her. What could have caused such a tremor? All she knew was that the family had a visitor and that she was not to leave her room until she was instructed. But there were a few things that concerned her.
First, Grandfather forbade her from leaving her room, but there was something off about the way he gave the command. It was not like his usual command. She could tell, there was something different about the way he gave it, like he was intentionally leaving the reason for the command out. She asked for the reason, but he simply said he had to entertain a guest. She concluded he did not want her getting in the way of this new stranger, but there was something else that bothered her. Why did he want her to go through… that before meeting with the visitor? It was odd. She did not know the nature of the visit, but she thought it would be rude to keep a guest waiting just to attend to her. It was the way she was raised to believe.
These sudden shaking in the castle was another oddity. She knew Grandfather was directly connected to the castle, and it made her wonder if something happened between him and the visitor. Are they fighting? Did the visitor do something to anger him? She could not imagine anything angering Grandfather. What kind of person is capable of doing that? She wanted to find out, but should she? Grandfather was adamant in his instructions. He commanded her to stay in her room, and she was always told to do as Grandfather says.
But there was something that bothered her. Ever since she heard about this visitor, a sudden flutter of hope ran through her. She asked Grandfather who the visitor was, but he refused to answer. He simply stated it was 'a bothersome guest he had to deal with,' and left it at that. Surely, it couldn't be. Grandfather said she wasn't coming back. She was tempted to ask if it was… but Grandfather would tell her if that visitor was… he wouldn't lie… would he?
"You think that will protect you!?" Jubstacheit asked, charging his mana once more. He was not going to strike, not just yet, but he would remind her just how powerful he was.
"It's performing its duty well so far." Irisviel countered proving how she would not be intimidated. Her defiance only added to Jubstacheit's anger.
"You will not get away with this treachery! I assure you, you will pay for your insolence! And once you do I will find those ritual sites!"
"And do you think I haven't thought that far ahead? I knew what I was risking coming here. Even if you kill me here, others will stop you."
This caught Jubstacheit off guard. Others? As in others involved in this plot? As in the treacherous woman managed to get others to follow along in sabotaging the Einzberns?
Irisviel smirked as she noted the expression of realization on Jubstacheit's face. "Did you think I could plan all this by myself? Of course I had help. Not all magi think like everything is one big experiment. There are those who actually see this world and the people in it as something worth protecting. So I gathered a few likeminded individuals and we decided to put a stop to your foolishness."
Of course she had help. He should have realized she could not have pulled all of this off by herself. He would have cursed his lack of foresight more if not for a fresh new batch of worries that plagued his mind. "How many?" Jubstacheit demanded through gritted teeth.
"Who knows?" Irisviel teased. Actually there was only one, Waver. There were more that were technically apart of the group if you counted the business contacts Waver met with and traded materials and favors for, and they were 'likeminded individuals' who saw the world as something worth protecting, though there was no reason for any further elaboration. Irisviel tried her best to tell the truth, but that did not necessarily mean she had to tell everything.
"Tell me!" Jubstacheit demanded in a more commanding tone, speaking as the family head.
For a moment, Irisviel lost herself, seeing the man before him as the head of the Einzbern family and her creator instead of her opponent in negotiations. That brief feeling of submission subsided and she regained her composer. "You have more pressing matters to attend to. Namely what we have been doing the past few months and what we are still capable of." Irisviel explained. "Right now we are in a position to crush the Einzbern family should we see fit."
Once more, Jubstacheit's eyes widened at that. He took a deep breath trying his best to compose himself, but Irisviel could tell he was gradually loosing his head. "You are bluffing." He stated. She wondered if he said that more to himself than to her.
"You still believe that?" Irisviel questioned. "Look at the works we have done so far and see if we are bluffing. Take a look at the Makiri whom we exiled and the Tohsakas whom we disgraced."
Again Jubstacheit found himself in disbelief. The magic energy he gathered began to weaken as he thought about what it was she was telling him. "You're responsible for that as well!?" He joked to himself about her having a hand in those activities, but he hardly believed it was true. Now here she was claiming it to be the truth. How powerful was this conspiracy, and how far reaching was its members?
"You never noticed that after Matou Zouken's exile, most of your business partners related to Tohsaka began to distance themselves from you?" Irisviel questioned. Actually he had noticed, but he associated that with the scandal. "That was actually because an ally of mine took the liberty of prioritizing those business partners connected to both you and the Tohsakas and give them what they wanted. It's thanks to the files I personally stole from the Tohsaka mansion from the time of my exile."
"You…" Jubstacheit growled.
Irisviel sighed defiantly. "You're starting to sound redundant. Well, I believe I've made my point." Again, her stare became serious. "This is my proposition. I make this once, and once alone. Return Illya to me, shut down the Grail, and we can end this all once and for all. Don't and not only will my allies and I expose the truth of the Grail, we will expose everything of the Einzberns. Every secret you covet, every resource on this planet you lay claim to will be public knowledge. You worry about purpose, and soon your purpose will become less clear."
"You dare blackmail me!?"
"Think of it as aggressive negotiations." Irisviel stated coldly using a term Waver used earlier.
Jubstacheit took a deep breath to collect his thoughts. He was not about to let this upstart youngling, centuries his junior, get the better of him. He would find a way out of this.
"I will find them." Jubstacheit threatened, his tone calm at first, then rose in volume with every word. "Everyone and anyone who ever helped you… I will find every last one of them!"
"By the time you know who it was who helped me it will be too late." Irisviel explained. "They are already in a position where if I don't contact them within a certain time frame, they are to abandon me and expose the truth of the Grail. And when that happens, they will have gained the Church's protection, and you will be too busy preparing for the Church's counter attack against you and loose your opportunity to protect your precious family secrets."
"Y…" Jubstacheit began, and then froze. For the first time since the meeting, he seemed genuinely worried, and for good reason. "The Church?" Indeed, the Einzberns and the Church, like all other magi, were neutral at best. But recent events with the Makiri made the Church look at them with particular suspicion since they believed the old worm performed blasphemous experiments using fragments of the Grail. The Einzberns did not bother to correct this assumption, lest suspicion fall on them, but Jubstacheit could tell they were not convinced. But if what Irisviel was saying was true…
"Are you saying… they suspect?"
"Not only do they suspect…" Irisviel warned. "I can make it so that their suspicions are confirmed."
This was the Final Option. Waver's current location, Vatican City, in a hotel owned by the Church where magi are permitted to lodge. Should the Final Option be implemented, it would be Waver's duty to bring Irisviel's recorded testimony and all the evidence she collected to the Church officials. In that testimony, it would give a detailed account of everything. What happened in the Holy Grail War from Irisviel's point of view, the events of the Third Holy Grail War, the corruption, and Einzbern's steadfast refusal to admit responsibility. It may not be enough to make the Church act, but it will be enough to ruin the Einzberns for good, and shut down the Grail War.
No, she was confident it would ruin them. Considering the samples that were sent, the Church is well aware that there was something wicked happening in Fuyuki and the Gail is involved, especially after the Matou incident. They would not take the risk. And from what Irisviel learned months afterwards, the Einzberns were already under suspicion before. This testimony would be enough to doom them. There was however one flaw with this option.
Jubstacheit's fist tightened at this. He could not allow it to happen. The woman was clearly mad. How could she, an Einzbern homunculus betray her own kind like this, and all for a mere child? The child… yes… that was what he had to do. He had to use the child to convince her to stand down. "The girl!" He exclaimed desperately. "If you do that, there will be no guarantee they will save the girl. If anything you may doom her to death like the rest of us. And what if the Mage Association gets involved? They may even put a Sealing Designation. Is that what you want?"
That was it. The one thing Irisviel could not fight that made this the Final Option. At the very end of her testimony she gave a final plead with the members of the Church to save her, but it was no guarantee. True she would be providing them with the truth, but above all, they had a duty to perform, and they had no real obligation to save one child, a homunculus child nonetheless. Still…
"It's a risk I am willing to take." Irisviel admitted. Her next statement was one she spoke from experience. "Whatever the outcome, it is preferable to becoming one with that thing in the Grail."
"Even if it means her death?" Jubstacheit questioned.
Irisviel sighed before answering. "Every night since I began this operation I pondered that very same question. I came to my conclusion when I remembered actually almost turning into the Grail. The few seconds I was bound to that thing in the Grail was like a nightmare. No, more accurately, it was like becoming a nightmare itself. The way that abomination was trying to get into my head, trying to turn me into something I was not, and never meant to be, it was an experience I would not wish on my worst enemy, let alone my own child. So I can honestly answer this way." She looked him squarely in the eye to show how serious she was. "Death would be preferable than her becoming the Grail." Her eyes narrowed further. "But…"
A loud crack could be heard throughout the room. The golem's flinched as he saw one of the red talisman shatter into small fragments. How? He did not activate any of the castle's defenses. It was when he once more analyzed Irisviel once more did he sense the mana she poured into the talisman and come to the conclusion that she intentionally destroyed the talisman. Her next cold statement all but confirmed his suspicions. "That will not be an option."
Once the initial shock subsided, Jubstacheit sighed in relief upon realizing that what she destroyed was the talisman to the ritual site at the Clock Tower that was already activated. His relief turned to apprehension once more as she reached over to her other hand and held one of the talismans up between her fingers. Her intentions were made clear. Without saying anything, she threatened to destroy the talismans herself, one by one if need be. Sure, they are protecting her for the moment, but that does not necessarily mean she needs to keep all of them intact. And since Jubstacheit does not know which Talisman unlocks which ritual site, or which site contains what information, he cannot take the risk of one of them getting destroyed. She's drawing him further and further into a corner.
"Do you understand now?" Irisviel questioned. She then began to summarize the predicament of the Einzberns just so Jubstacheit comprehend his situation. "If worst comes to past, you will have no allies. The Einzberns are not apart of the Mage Association so they will not protect you, and any ties you have in Fuyuki were severed. You can strike me now, but I assure you, that would be the worst decision of your life. I am far more valuable to you alive, and if any of these talismans are destroyed, you loose the opportunity to unlock any of the many ritual sites I have all over the world." She moved closer and looked him in the eye. "You have no chance of winning."
Jubstacheit was livid. Never in all his life had he been so angry. But more than that, he experienced something more. For the first time, he was powerless, uncertain, and afraid. From the very beginning Irisviel had been playing him for a fool until she ultimately revealed her true intentions. Jubstacheit attempted to look over everything. He tried his best to try and find how he could bring this situation back to his advantage. Ultimately, he could find no way. She had cornered him and he had given him the opportunity to do so.
If she did reveal the corruption of the Grail, that was probably salvageable. The Einzberns had plausible deniability. In fact, they still did not believe there was even a corruption to begin with. It was a story they always stuck with to this day. And if there were, they would find a way fix it. They always did. But what she was threatening to do; to expose the research and the mysteries of the Einzberns that could not be recovered. Everything they worked hard to accomplished, exposed to the masses, given away just like that. And if the Church does not destroy them for heresy and threatening the safety of the world, their enemies will because they now have all of their secrets. And the Mage Association will unlikely life a finger to intervene, the reasons ranging from the threat of the Einzberns exposing the secret of magic to the fact that since their secrets are now public knowledge, they are no longer considered of value. Doubtless, even their allies will have neither the obligation nor the inclination to assist them in their time of need. Without those secrets, they are nothing but a group of homunculi with nothing but their names, which would be worth little in a matter of months, years if they were lucky.
Jubstacheit did not know how far Irisviel thought this out, but it was clear she meant to create a situation where the Einzberns were completely and utterly trapped, and she succeeded. There was no way out of this Jubstacheit could think of without the leave of the woman before him. He was at her mercy and she seemed completely aware of it. The best he could do was to find some way to placate her and try and get her to back down. But that was it. She came this far and now looking at her, he could tell, she had no intention of backing down. She held all the cards thanks to the memories of Justeaze, and should she wish it, she could destroy the family of her own will. But she had to bluffing. It had to be some joke, just like that foolish prank just like the one in the Clock Tower. No homunculus of the Einzbern would dare betray their own. He had to keep telling himself that. But he was simply trying to convince himself otherwise. He knew she was serious. Jubstacheit needed to find some way to convince her to give up this errand. But what could he say? She had come this far? What in the world could he say to convince her?
As Jubstacheit stood there in silence, processing this whole mess, Irisviel stood aside examining him, waiting to see what he would do next. From the look on his face, it seemed as though he was finally taking her seriously. So far, everything was going better than she anticipated. She was half expecting him to have attacked her in a fit of rage for daring to defy him, but he managed to keep his head for the time being. Adding to that relief was a sense of satisfaction when she saw just how conflicted her creator was. It looks like Waver's counsel paid off.
"The advantage you have is your emotions." Waver explained. "If what you say is true, the Einzberns are more logical than emotional. I suggest trying to get them emotional before proceeding to your ultimatum. One lesson I learned is that it is often the more levelheaded that wins the negotiation. Normally one would assume someone who has no emotion would have the advantage, but I think that is only the case so long as emotions are not introduced. In this situation, I don't think they can help but get emotional, so when they do, someone who actually has more experience controlling their emotions will have the advantage in the negotiations. That person is you, Emiya-san. If you play your cards right, it will be your overwhelming victory."
And so she did. In the end, she came up with the plan to simply throwing his mind into turmoil by playing the role of a trickster and acting as unpredictable as she possibly could. She was unsure how affective it would be, but she had to admit the entertainment value. And from the looks of things, it was indeed affective. Now all she need do was continue chipping away at him. She needed to deal the finishing blow while he was at his lowest and he had no time to think his way out of the situation. She may face repercussions alter, but for now she had to get Illya out of the castle. That was all that matters.
"I need your answer Jubstacheit von Einzbern." Irisviel pushed. "What will it be?
"Who do you believe you are to give me demands?!" Jubstacheit exclaimed with all the indignation he could muster. Irisviel simply stood there unmoved. She saw this outcry for what it was, one last attempt to put her in line and get her to back down. "I am your creator! I have led the family for centuries when we have fallen on bad times. I…" It wouldn't work.
"I am done!" Irisviel yelled, her voice boomed with anger. She hoped her voice sounded as impatient as she felt. Now was the time for her to deliver the final ultimatum. Give into her demands, or lose everything he worked hard to build. "No more stalling! No more games! You can yell all you wish, my stance will not change!"
"You…"
"I said enough!" Irisviel exclaimed. "I have lost so much, been through so much to simply fall back. I will not back out. The Grail will be shut down, I will leave with Illya, and the two of us will never see each other again, or the entire Einzbern legacy is made public and deemed heretical by the Church. Make your choice Einzbern head!"
Jubstacheit faltered once more. This was it. He was finally weakening. She could see it in his eyes. She never saw any emotion on her father's face before today and now she was seeing a slew of them at once. Anger, surprise, confusion, doubt, and many more, and all caused by her. It both thrilled and terrified her the sense of accomplishment and power it gave her. This time she was seeing another expression on the elderly golem's face. It was an expression she never in her dreams believed she would see and one she was hoping to see when the meeting would conclude. It was one of a defeated man.
"I… she can't…"
"She can't?" repeated Irisviel. She approached him, staring at him boldly, speaking with full authority. "She can't, or you wont?"
"She can't leave." Jubstacheit said with more steel in his voice.
"She can and she will!"
"No…" the old man said not looking her in the eye. His fists clenched with frustration as he tried to get the words out. "The girl…she…"
"Mama."
Silence.
There was nothing but silence in the foyer. Whatever tense atmosphere there was earlier was drowned out by that one word. Irisviel in particular tensed when she heard those words. Any sense of strength she had rapidly diminished. A moment ago she held her own in a negotiation with the most powerful magus in the Einzbern family, now she felt completely helpless just from a single word, a word uttered from a familiar voice, a voice she had not heard in a long time.
Both artificial humans turned to the stairs, their gazes turning upwards to the very top. There, standing at the apex of the staircase was the source of the sudden sound. Irisviel's eyes widened at the sight of the small figure that stared back at her equally wide eyed.
"I… I-Illy…" was all Irisviel managed to get out. The power trip she was on earlier instantly vanished upon seeing her. There, in a pink nightgown was a small homunculus girl, similar in appearance to Irisviel herself. Long white hair, red eyes, she was the spitting image of Irisviel. There could be no mistaking who the child was. There could be only one like her, and she was right there, right in front of her this very moment.
All present said nothing. The two homunculi stared at one another for the longest time, neither reacting to the other. Just stood there, looking at one another, each hardly believing one was actually looking the other in the eye. It was the girl who made the first move.
"Mama…" the little girl repeated. She then began to advance, slowly at first, then at a quicker pace, advancing down the steps. "Mama… mama… mama!" the girl kept repeating the word over and over again as though not doing so will somehow cause Irisviel to disappear.
Finally, Irisviel broke from her trance and made her own advancement, running towards the girl, her arms open wide, tears filling her eyes. "Illya!" she called.
Meeting just at the foot of the stairs, the daughter leapt into the mother's arms. And for the first time in the long time, Irisviel remembered what it was like to truly be happy as she held the sobbing girl in her chest. Irisviel, abandoning all pretense of a shrewd negotiator once again became the mother she was always meant to be and began to sob and comfort the little girl she never in her wildest dreams thought she would see again.
"Mama… mama…" Illya kept repeating the word while sobbing. "Where were you mama? I was so lonely… mama… mama…"
"It's okay." Irisviel assured between her own sobs, stroking the girl's head. "Mama's here for you now. Mama's right here. She's not going anywhere." She continued to caress the girl's head as she assured the girl that everything would be all right. And she believed it would be, because now for the first time in a long time, they were together again, and nothing would separate them.
From a distance away, Jubstacheit watched the scene, completely unmoved. More pressing concerns clouded his mind. He believed the threat that Irisviel delivered onto him was all too real, now he had to figure out how to counter it. The problem was, he did not see any foreseeable solution to the matter. He had to think of something quickly. Even worst, what will happen when she learns about what he did to the girl? How was he to remedy the situation?
A/N
It always struck me as odd the Einzberns never tried to recover Illya in the original Fate Stay Night route. I mean, sure she had a short life span, but she also had the memories of one of Justeaze. One would think they would take better care to recover that. Anyway, I will try and update soon.
I wanted to extend the meeting between Iri and Illya more but I think that would have just been filler at this point. So, next time, things really get... messy.
By the way, what do you all think of Iri acting like a yakuza? Too much? If you don't like it, blame T-chan, she's a bad influence on our poor Iri.