Does a Doll Deserve to Live a Happy Life? (Patreon)

Chapter 19: An End in Sight

“Well, what do you know? Seems we managed to pull it off after all,” Rider suddenly said, breaking the silence that had fallen over the clearing after Gilgamesh vanished.

Turning to the giant of a man who, despite my own 190cm height, still dwarfed me by a good 20cm, I offered him a small, grateful smile and extended my hand.

“Thank you, Rider. Without your help, this fight might not have turned out the way it did,” I said sincerely; the man had proven himself to be a great ally.

He didn’t hesitate to clasp my hand in a firm shake, a huge grin spreading across his face. “Don’t mention it, kid. You also saved my ass back there, so let’s call it even.”

Nodding to his proposal, I pulled my hand back and made my way toward Waver, who was still beside Kariya’s body. The boy’s expression had relaxed somewhat.

“This war is soon coming to an end,” I commented, flanked by Rider and Berserker on either side. “I take it your stance still hasn’t changed?” I asked Rider, glancing at him from the corner of my eye.

“Not at all. I want to live again and if you keep your promise from before, then I have no reason to seek out the Grail.” His voice was calm, resolute.

“Well, if you need more proof, you can look no further than Berserker here,” I said, motioning to the silent Lancelot at my side. “He’s no longer the raging Berserker from the start of this war. And even after his Master died earlier, he showed no signs of disappearing.”

“Everything he says is true, Rider. I’ve been offered a new lease on life even if I still don’t believe I deserve it,” Berserker said quietly in support before falling silent once more as we reached Waver and the fallen Kariya.

Rider stayed quiet, though his thoughtful expression gave me hope he’d accept my offer. If he joined us, not only would it mean more credits for his capture, but it would also remove the need to fight him later.

Looking down at Kariya’s body, I couldn’t say I was happy or sad. We all knew the risks. As harsh as it sounded, I was glad it was Kariya instead of a close companion who’d fallen.

“The least I can do is give him a proper burial for his help,” I said, crouching down and placing his body into my Pocket Space for safekeeping.

“Thank you, Master,” Berserker said, bowing his head slightly. I gave him a small nod.

Turning to Waver and Rider, now standing together, I spoke again. “Only Saber and her Master remain now. Would you like to see this war’s conclusion? I intend to end it tonight.”

Waver looked to Rider, clearly waiting for his decision.

“Yes, I’d like to see the end of this war with my own eyes. While I’ve already decided to accept your offer, I still want to witness the conclusion,” Rider said seriously.

I nodded in relief, glad to have one less Servant to fight. “Very well.”

“By the way,” Rider asked with curiosity, “do you plan to fight that young girl?”

“Our aim is to bring her to our side. But Saber’s pretty stubborn, and I’m more worried about what her Master might try. So, to answer your question, convince her if we can, fight if we must.”

“Besides, we have one of her own Knights here, which hopefully convinces her to at least hear us out.” I added, gesturing to the silent Lancelot, earning surprised looks from both Waver and Rider.

“A Knight of the Round Table? Wow… to think two Servants from the Round Table were summoned for this war,” Waver said in awe.

“Well, color me surprised,” Rider added.

Pulling up my HUD, I opened the Target Tracker app and searched for Saber and Kiritsugu’s location. A moment later, my eyes widened, and I cursed under my breath.

“What is it?” Rider—Iskandar—asked, immediately catching my change in expression.

“We have to move! Now! Some of my companions are already confronting Saber and her Master!” I declared, launching myself toward Ryuudou Temple at full speed.

Berserker kept pace easily, while Rider tossed Waver into his chariot and joined us moments later.

‘Kiara, Irisviel… what the hell were you thinking?’ I thought, worry gnawing at my gut.

=====

Meanwhile, with Kiara and Irisviel — Kiara’s POV

The gunfire didn’t stop. If anything, it grew worse, joined moments later by shots from another direction as Kiara kept her shield steady, the orange barrier shimmering under the barrage.

“Kiritsugu! That’s your wife you’re shooting at! What are you doing!?” Saber finally shouted, her voice sharp with anger as she glared toward one of the firing positions.

Her plea earned no mercy. A grenade sailed in response, forcing Saber to leap aside as the blast tore through the clearing. Smoke and dirt billowed, the gunfire pausing for the moment.

Inside the barrier, untouched by bullets or shrapnel, Kiara arched an eyebrow at the silent Irisviel, whose expression was eerily blank.

“That’s your husband?” Kiara asked after the ringing from the explosion faded.

Irisviel flinched at the question as though struck, then gave a shaky nod. A single tear escaped down her cheek before she quickly wiped it away.

“Y–yes. I was no—”

She never finished. The smoke cleared in a sudden gust, revealing Saber racing toward them, her expression tight with concern. Upon seeing them unharmed inside the barrier, she exhaled in relief.

“Irisviel! Are you two alright?” she asked, her tone still tinged with worry.

The gunfire hadn’t resumed yet, but Kiara kept the shield up. If Saber’s Master was willing to fire on his own wife, there was no telling what he’d try next.

“It’s alright, Saber,” Irisviel replied, a forlorn smile touching her lips. “I was never meant to survive this war, and Kiritsugu has always known it. So it doesn’t surprise me that he wouldn’t hesitate to kill me and my companion. In his eyes, it was going to happen eventually anyway.”

Saber’s eyes widened in shock. She stepped closer, now only a few feet away. “W–what do you mean by that? Explain yourself, Irisviel. I thought Kiritsugu’s wish was world peace, how could your death have anything to do with that?”

Irisviel’s sad smile lingered as she prepared to answer, while Kiara scanned the treeline, certain the next attack was already being lined up. If they thought she’d tire from keeping the barrier up, they were in for disappointment, it wasn’t magic she was using, and she could hold this defense for hours.

“The Einzbern family created me specifically to be the host of the Lesser Grail,” Irisviel explained patiently. “I was to serve as a vessel for the defeated Servants, collecting their souls and mana to ultimately unlock the Greater Grail and its wish-granting power.”

Saber’s eyes narrowed as the weight of the truth hit her.

“As you can imagine,” Irisviel continued, “such a role is impossible to survive for a human, much less a homunculus like me. I had accepted my role… until I learned something that changed my perspective.”

“Does this have to do with what Sieg told me?” Saber asked, realization dawning.

“Yes,” Irisviel said, her tone firm. “Thanks to irrefutable evidence he provided, I realized that if this war continued, not only would Kiritsugu’s wish never be granted, but many lives would be lost, including that of my own daughter in the future.”

“W–what!? Illyasviel?” Saber’s voice cracked in disbelief.

Before more could be said, a single deafening shot rang out. Kiara turned just in time to see the bullet slam against her barrier, pressing inward before failing and ricocheting away.

Saber’s head snapped toward the distance, her body tensing. “Two Servants are approaching fast!” she warned, casting only a brief glance of relief at the unbroken shield before readying her blade.

The next words made Kiara’s veins run cold.

“By the name of Kiritsugu Emiya and my Command Seal. Saber. Use your Noble Phantasm and destroy the enemies before you and the approaching Servants.”

The voice came from somewhere deep in the trees, clear and commanding.

Saber’s arms trembled as the golden light of Excalibur began to flare, its blade emerging from its magical shroud. “W–what!?” she gasped, struggling visibly against the order. “Why are you doing this, Kiritsugu!? You want me to kill your wife!? Why!?” She gritted her teeth, even using one hand to try and force the other down.

“Resist, Saber!” Irisviel shouted, her voice pale with desperation.

Kiara’s mind raced. Her barrier was strong, but even she doubted it could withstand the full force of Excalibur as it was.

‘Damn it. I knew coming here was a mistake.’ If she dropped the shield and ran with Irisviel while Saber was still resisting, maybe they could escape the blast but then they’d be exposed to gunfire again.

Her hesitation was crushed by the next command.

“I order you, using my third Command Spell,” Kiritsugu’s voice rang out again.

“No! Stop, Kiritsugu!” Saber roared, her sword arm slowly, inexorably rising despite her resistance. “Why did it have to be you!? Why!?”

“Saber. Hurry up,” Kiritsugu’s voice came, calm and final.

“Stooop it!” Saber screamed, Excalibur now raised high, aimed at Kiara, Irisviel… and the approaching Servants.

“Destroy them.”

The golden light of Excalibur surged. Kiara stepped fully in front of Irisviel, pouring every shred of power she had into the shield, abandoning protection of their backs entirely.

As the beam descended in slow, blinding light, a face crossed her mind, and a tear traced down her cheek.

Sieg… I’m sorry.

The last thing Kiara felt before her vision was swallowed by golden light was a sudden, brutal shove, hard enough to send her crashing into someone soft who could only have been Irisviel. The collision knocked the breath out of her and sent the world spinning in a haze of ringing ears and disorientation.

When her senses returned, the first thing she realized was that she was still alive. Irisviel was sprawled protectively over her, the homunculus’ silver hair falling in tangled strands around her face.

Then she saw him.

Sieg stood above them, chest heaving, sword clutched in his left hand. His right arm… ended in a ragged, bloody stump, crimson dripping freely onto the dirt.

Kiara’s heart seized. Relief and horror crashed together so violently she didn’t know which to feel first.

=====

Back with Sieg

Thank God… I made it.

The thought came on instinct as I planted myself between them and certain death. But relief was a thin shield against the sharp, searing throb where my right hand used to be.

We had been racing toward the temple when the air suddenly split with an intense surge of magical energy. My stomach sank, I knew that kind of power. I didn’t think; I moved. Muscles burned, wind howled past my ears, and I forced my body faster than I had any right to, overtaking even Rider’s chariot.

I burst into the clearing just in time to see her—Saber—Excalibur raised high, the blade a burning sun in her grip. Her face was twisted in strain, her feet locked in place, but the killing light was aimed directly at Kiara and Irisviel.

There was no time to call out. No time to plan.

I threw myself forward, an all-out sprint that blurred the world and slammed into Kiara with more force than I meant, shoving her into Irisviel’s path. The moment they tumbled clear of the blast zone, the edge of that golden inferno caught me.

Agony tore through my arm—heat, white and absolute—until the world narrowed to a single, deafening heartbeat. I didn’t even realize I’d screamed until the sound faded into my ears.

By the time I stumbled to a halt, half-kneeling over them, blood was already spilling freely from the stump where my right hand had been. The blade’s brilliance had spared my torso, but at the cost of the limb.

Before I could even process it, a black blur streaked past—Berserker—meeting Saber head-on before she could prime another strike. I silently thanked him; in this state, I couldn’t guard against Excalibur and protect the two behind me.

“S-S-Sieg-kun! Y-your arm!” Kiara stammered, panic flaring in her voice as she pushed Irisviel off and began summoning her shield.

“Stop,” I cut in, voice low and firm, my eyes scanning the treeline where I could sense two hostile presences circling. “I’m fine. Keep that shield up around you and Irisviel, and don’t drop it until this fight is over.”

“B-But—”

I shot her a look sharp enough to cut steel. She flinched, then nodded, the orange barrier springing back into place.

“I’m sorry, Sieg-san,” Irisviel said quietly, brushing dust from her dress. Her voice was heavy with guilt. “I wanted to help… but I only ended up getting you hurt.”

“We’ll talk later,” I said, shaking my head. “For now, stay here with Kiara. Don’t step outside that barrier for anything.”

Kiara glanced around as if expecting someone else to appear, then fixed her gaze on me. “By the way… where’s Casko-san?”

The question hit like a blade to the ribs. My expression tightened, but I forced myself to relax. “She was injured in our fight with Archer. Don’t worry, she’s alive.” I wasn’t sure if the reassurance was more for them or for me.

Over my shoulder, I spotted Rider and Waver watching from a safe distance. “Rider! Would you mind keeping these two safe while Berserker and I finish this?”

“Leave it to me, kid,” Rider called back, face set in determination with a quiet respect shining in his eyes.

With that settled, my focus returned to the field. Berserker was locked in a furious sword exchange with Saber, though to my surprise, she looked more shaken than enraged, her old comrade’s calm was unsettling her but there was no denying the look of relief on her face. As if we had stopped her from doing something she didn’t want.

‘Command Spell probably.’

I let him handle that. My attention was already on the two magical signatures attempting to flee through the forest as they realized they were outnumbered. My jaw tightened.

‘Enough running, Kiritsugu. I’m ending this tonight. You’re just lucky Tamamo isn’t currently present or your death wouldn’t have been pleasant.’

Reinforcing my legs, I launched myself toward the higher of the two fleeing signatures. The forest blurred around me until I was on them—Kiritsugu—my sword already swinging forward. A grenade arced toward me; I smacked it aside mid-flight, sending it detonating harmlessly in the distance, and landed across from him.

He didn’t hesitate. The moment my boots touched the ground, he shot a patch of dirt right under me. The ground erupted in fire and smoke.

Too bad for him though, my constitution as a Campione made me immune to most regular weapons. I stood there, unflinching, as he kept firing and then popped a smoke grenade to obscure my vision.

I frowned. One clean swipe of my sword and a gust of wind roared outward, tearing the smoke away.

And there he was, aiming his Thompson Contender straight at me, Origin Bullet chambered.

My scowl deepened. In the same heartbeat, I blurred forward faster than his eyes could track. My blade came down in a sharp arc, slicing not just his gun in two but taking his right arm with it.

To his credit, he didn’t scream, just gritted his teeth as blood sprayed. A shimmer of prana wrapped his body, and suddenly he was moving unnaturally fast but nothing that I couldn’t keep up with. Time Alter – Double Accel. He dove back, Calico submachine gun coming up, spraying bullets. His face was slick with sweat; the magic putting too much stress on his body.

“I see,” he rasped between shots. “Irisviel told you about me.”

“She did.” My voice was flat, my grip tightening on the sword. A little payback for every attempt he’d made on my life and for using his Command Seals to force Saber to kill Kiara and Irisviel, felt more than fair.

His magazine clicked empty. That was all the opening I needed. I was on him again in a flash, taking his other arm without hesitation. Before he could collapse from shock, the pommel of my sword cracked against his skull, dropping him into merciful unconsciousness.

No pity. No second thoughts.

I crouched, Stamped him, and swept him into my Pocket Space. One problem solved.

The crack of a sniper rifle made me tilt my head just as a round hissed past where my face had been. My gaze snapped to the treeline.

Maiya.

She ditched the rifle instantly, drawing her own Calico and firing in tight bursts, her expression hard.

I’d had enough. In the blink of an eye, I was behind her. One precise strike to the back of the neck dropped her, and a moment later, she too was Stamped and stored away.

With both of them dealt with, I turned back toward the others. A faint dizziness tugged at my balance, too much blood lost, but I ignored it.

The war was over. Kiritsugu was down, Maiya with him.

Now all that remains… is convincing Saber to join us.