Track 1
Kiritsugu: So this is the Grail vessel. It collects the souls of Heroic Spirits anchored to this world as Servants, and is then presented as an offering for the Great Grail summoning. A container for that purpose. If it‘s just a vessel, it should look like one. But why does it have the appearance of a human? Damn it, this makes things difficult.
Kiritsugu: Ah, can you hear me? Do you understand what I’m saying?
Irisviel: Yes, Emiya Kiritsugu.
Kiritsugu: Ah, so you can speak too. I’m surprised.
Irisviel: You seem to have extremely low expectations for Einzbern homunculi.
Kiritsugu: Not at all. I doubt anyone can match the descendants of Justica Lizleihi, Master of Northern Alchemy and the Saint of Winter, in creating artificial humans.
Irisviel: That’s right, I come with all the functions of a complete human body. I also have magic circuits that far surpass that of a normal person and was branded with a standardized reverse-type magic crest as the starting default. My potential as a Mage should be greater than yours.
Kiritsugu: Right, that’s really great. But I have no need for those functions of yours. You’ll be… Damn it, why must I explain these things?
Irisviel: If you aren’t satisfied with my functions, you need to make yourself clear or I won’t be able to do anything about them.
Kiritsugu: Are you properly aware of the reason you were created?
Irisviel: Yes. I am the Grail vessel. I will function as the key that will activate the Great Grail in the coming 4th Holy Grail War.
Kiritsugu: Exactly. You’re just a container. Regardless of your purpose, you’re really no different from a beer mug. Why does the thing have limbs, talk so much, and even lecture its master? I don’t get it.
Irisviel: In that case, please allow me to explain. On top of protecting the Grail vessel, as the most effective method, I have also been given a psyche so I can act independently and evaluate situations. That’s what I am.
Kiritsugu: So you’re saying I don’t need to worry about protecting the Grail vessel because it can make its own decisions and keep itself safe?
Irisviel: That would be correct.
Kiritsugu: Let me ask you, then. Do you really have the ability to defend yourself in battle?
Irisviel: That’s how I was designed.
Kiritsugu: Looking at you, I find that hard to believe.
Irisviel: Are you judging me by my appearance?
Kiritsugu: Very well. All I need to do is put it to the test.
Kiritsugu strikes Irisviel
Kiritsugu: Hey. Are you playing the fool? How could you not even counter such a simple attack? Do you not even have basic self-defense skills?
Irisviel: I had no need to counter it. You are Emiya Kiritsugu, and therefore can’t possibly want to destroy the Grail vessel.
Kiritsugu: I’m not playing around. If you’re a defect that only knows how to talk and can’t defend itself, then it’s better for me if I destroy you right away and ask the family head to prepare another vessel.
Irisviel: Is returning the blow and fighting with the intent to harm what you define as self-defense?
Kiritsugu: That’s right. Got a problem with that?
Irisviel: That’s the worst decision I could make to ensure my survival. I should be avoiding dangerous situations as my greatest priority. In the event I make a strategic mistake that puts me in a situation where danger is unavoidable, escape, disguise, deceitful negotiations and so forth would be the next best options.
Kiritsugu: I’ll give it to you straight. Battle strength is what I need, not sophistry. I need agility that kills before being killed, accuracy, and destructive power.
Irisviel: That’s not a strategy for survival. If we compare you and me in terms of self-defense… Emiya Kiritsugu, you’re weaker than I am.
Kiritsugu: You’re unbelievable.
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Track 2
Kiritsugu: What do you think you’re doing, forcing a homunculus like that onto me?
Jubstacheit: You aren’t satisfied with her? She is among the best of my creations in recent years.
Kiritsugu: As a doll, she is indeed very well-made. But I’ll have absolutely no use for her in the Grail War. You gave the Grail vessel a humanoid body and a sense of self capable of self-defense, apparently, but she’s completely useless. If she encounters a drunk on the streets, she’ll most likely get hurt. I’d have better uses for it if you gave it the body of a crow or a Doberman.
Jubstacheit: You live up to your name of Mage Killer, Emiya Kiritsugu. The savagery of the way you think is far beyond our ability to understand.
Kiritsugu: Isn’t that why you sent for me? The methodology you Einzberns employ couldn’t be any less suitable in battle.
Jubstacheit: Whether or not an instrument’s functions can be put to good use depends on its owner. Regarding that, it’s clear that debating with you would just be a waste of time. Anyway, on that point, it’ll be enough to simply prove her tenacity to you. Constructed to be harder to break than a typical Grail vessel, she’s even been designed to prevent herself from being broken. You’ll witness that function of hers directly. Let’s see, we’ll have the results in two or three days.
Kiritsugu: What are you talking about?
Jubstacheit: It’s just a little experiment. You can think of it as a test of her durability. I left her at the disposal yard for failed creations in the forest depths last night.
Kiritsugu: Wha-?!
Jubstacheit: I threw her, naked, right into the middle of hungry wolves and evil spirits in the frigid blizzard. It’s a trial where even the most robust of warriors either die of cold or are killed and eaten within the night. If she manages to return to this castle alive, then you’ll have to acknowledge her strength.
Kiritsugu: You can’t be serious. She may be a homunculus, but she’s a girl you created with your very own hands!
Jubstacheit: All I ask of that thing is that it doesn’t break and maintains itself until the Great Grail ritual. If it cannot even endure a trial as trivial as this, then, in line with your complaint, I'II acknowledge the defects in my design and prepare a new vessel.
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Track 3
Irisviel: Where am… I?
Kiritsugu: There’s no need to worry. Get some more rest and don’t speak.
Irisviel: Why am I… in the castle?
Kiritsugu: I brought you back to put an end to that ridiculous test Acht sent you.
Irisviel: Ah… You can’t do that.
Irisviel: I still haven’t finished the trial. I still haven’t proved my durability to you.
Kiritsugu: Don’t be ridiculous. Does that body of yours not feel pain?
Irisviel: It does. In order to properly grasp the state of my body, pain is a neccesary sensation.
Kiritsugu: Then why? Is putting up a bold front even though your body’s been so brutally battered what you call strength?
Irisviel: Exactly. My mission is to survive. It is to live through any extreme situation. Any bodily damage that does not go beyond permitted levels is fine.
Kiritsugu: You’re wrong.
Irisviel: Why?
Kiritsugu: Strength isn’t measured by how much pain you can endure. If you don’t feel anger towards pain and have the will to retaliate against whatever caused you pain, you won’t ever win. Don’t you feel anger towards the family head? Towards Jubstacheit, the one who did this to you?
Irisviel: Anger? But why? Greatgrandpa didn’t do anything wrong.
Kiritsugu: He hurt you badly just to clear the humiliation I gave him. He values his pride as a designer more than your pain. Ah… I suppose I also hold responsibility for thinking light of you. That’s why you should be feeling anger towards Acht and me, because we’re both the reason why you were hurt.
Irisviel: Even in my current condition of damage, my body can still more than fulfill its function as the Grail vessel. Therefore, my greatgrandfather’s pride and clearing up your misunderstanding are far more important than my pain.
Kiritsugu: You’re wrong. You’re wrong! In order to become strong, you must learn what anger is.
Irisviel: Why?
Kiritsugu: Because it’s the very basis of the act of fighting. No matter how you are, you must resist anything that results in your being hurt.
Irisviel: I don’t understand what you’re saying.
Kiritsugu: You seem to be aware of your value and the meaning of your existence, at least in theory. But do you feel happiness and pride in your being born to this world and in the mission you have been given? I’m slighting that very aspect of you this time.
Irisviel: Ah…
Kiritsugu: If you really do think your mission is to protect yourself, wouldn’t you want to become stronger? Wouldn’t you want to broaden your fighting repertoire so you could win battles?
Irisviel: Yes. If it really is possible, it would be very profitable learning.
Kiritsugu: Then start by having more concern for yourself. Find happiness in your life and its stage, the world. Then you won’t allow any of these things to be damaged. That way, you should be able to acquire the emotion we call anger.
Irisviel: Happiness… Concern… It’s difficult for me to embrace emotions with no basis.
Kiritsugu: Damn it, must I really go to such lengths for you? Okay. I’ll teach you about them. All right, let’s start with your-
Ah, I shouldn’t keep referring to you like that. Do you have a name? Not “vessel”, not “homunculus”, but a name of your very own?
Irisviel: I’m… Irisviel, Irisviel von Einzbern.
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Track 4
Maiya: How has the homunculus been doing since?
Kiritsugu: She’s becoming a different person day by day. She must’ve been given a great thirst for knowledge. She greedily absorbs any information I give her, and her general knowledge is becoming abundant.
Kiritsugu: Already, she can hold casual conversations like any typical person. But is there a point in educating her so much? Sometimes, I wonder if it’s all a big mistake. Maiya, you mentioned… how you used to think of yourself as a machine, didn’t you?
Maiya: Yes. What about it?
Kiritsugu: I’m just puzzled as to how you manage to firmly keep your sanity in battle when you think of yourself like that.
Maiya: That’s a strange question coming from you, Kiritsugu. I thought it’d be second nature to you as to how one stays sane in the battlefield.
Kiritsugu: It appears I’ve gotten confused on many things since I began training Irisviel. It’s true that, since she doesn’t think of herself as anything more than a machine, she probably isn’t suited for the battlefield. I thought there’d be room for improvement if l could instill battle instincts in her by strengthening her sense of self, but I might’ve gotten the premise itself wrong.
Maiya: Being a tool, she was never made for battle to begin with. Even so, while the homunculus may have forgotten she is a tool, her aptitude for battle won’t immediately awaken.
Kiritsugu: A human and a machine… which of the two would be better in battle, I wonder?
Maiya: While machines are tougher than humans, they do have their limits. On the other hand, while humans are incredibly weak, they sometimes surpass their limits and become experts of slaughtering. In other words, exceptional entities we call Heroes appear from time to time. We can perhaps overlook these rare irregularities. For the remaining majority of fighters, it is of greatest priority that they overcome their weaknesses in order to survive. That is why people abandon their souls in battle and become machines. I am one of those many people.
Kiritsugu: Maybe I really am wasting my time.
Maiya: Kiritsugu. You’re like someone who was given a hammer when you needed a pair of scissors. Since it didn’t serve its purpose, you melted it back into a lump of iron. If you wish to use it again as a sharp blade, you’ll have to reforge it. Is that not so?
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Track 5
Irisviel: Hey, Kiritsugu, what are you showing me today? A movie? Photos? Or some music?
Kiritsugu: You seem excited, Irisviel.
Irisviel: Yes! It’s true that the knowledge you’re giving me has nothing to do with the Holy Grail War, but it all amazes me so much. I had no idea the world was so plentiful and diverse. With just my basic education, I never would’ve even imagined that.
Kiritsugu: Do you want to know even more about the world?
Irisviel: Of course! But don’t worry. My mission of greatest importance is to complete the third true magic. My interests are ultimately of lower priority, and I haven’t lost sight of our wish.
Kiritsugu: If it’s what you want, you can walk away from fate.
Irisviel: Huh?
Kiritsugu: If you really admire humanity with all your heart. If you really do wish to spend your remaining years living a peaceful life… you just need to run. If you leave the castle in the dead of the night, nobody will come after you. The Grail vessel can simply be recreated. Acht won’t be very happy about having to do it again, but that’d be all. He holds no expectations for you other than that of a tool. That’s nothing compared to your sense of self.
Irisviel: Ah…
Kiritsugu: This was why I opposed Acht’s idea to give the Grail vessel a sense of self. A tool cannot fight on its own will, and an object with a will isn’t a tool. And objects that are no longer tools must start by asking themselves if they wish to fight on their own will. That’s why you should take everything you’ve learned so far into account and ask yourself once again. Is the mission you were given really worth the fighting and the spilling of blood?
Irisviel: Are you asking me to abandon everything that I have?
Kiritsugu: That’s right. By abandoning everything, you can redo it all from square one. If that‘s what you wish.
Irisviel: Ah… I see what you’re saying. Kiritsugu, I now understand why you’ve been educating me.
Kiritsugu: What?
Irisviel: The knowledge you’ve presented to me until now, the way the world is, how people live…they’re all things you’ve forsaken and walked away from, aren’t they?
Kiritsugu: Well-
Irisviel: Did you once prioritize your mission over your happy life and choose to fight battles worth the spilling of blood? … No… that’s not it. If you had already determined which is more valuable, you wouldn’t be letting me choose. If you really do strongly believe in your justice, you wouldn’t have prepared these two options for me. Did you have no choice?
Kiritsugu tries to say something but cannot
Irisviel: Emiya Kiritsugu, aren’t you the one who’s been living like a machine with just one function? It’s strange. You’re human, but live like a machine. I’m a doll, but you’re giving me a choice meant for humans.
Kiritsugu: You have defects as a tool to be brought to the battlefield. I’m adjusting you because you’ll burden me otherwise. That’s all there is to it. Don’t get any strange ideas.
Irisviel: I see. You think that I shouldn’t blindly follow my mission as a homunculus, but acquire an impulse of wanting to fight based on thought. Is that why you’re trying to elicit anger, happiness, and pride within me?
Kiritsugu: It’s only been a few months since you emerged from the cultivating tank, but you’ve become quite eloquent.
Irisviel: I hope you aren’t underestimating my ability to think and analyze, inherited from Justeaze’s designs. From the learning materials you’ve given me, I’ve already derived a different opinion from the one you have.
Kiritsugu: What?
Irisviel: You said that anger is the source of the will to fight, and that the basis for anger is one’s dignity. But according to my analysis, anger merely runs from another simpler and more comprehensive impulse. That impulse is… love.
lrisviel’s words catch Kiritsugu off guard
Irisviel: People don’t get angry at their enemies for no reason. I’ve identified many examples of people steadfastly spilling blood for their family, their compatriots, and their country. Even animals show hostility and fight seriously to protect their newborn offspring. Even the concept you call dignity is but love towards oneself. In order for me to acquire the emotion of anger, I must first learn about love.
Kiritsugu breathes heavily
Irisviel: Because I’ve grasped my own construction and function, I’m unable to feel newly-found concern and interest in myself. However, in becoming strong, there’s no need for me to restrict my love to just myself. The more I learn about people different from me, the more amazed I am, the more I discover… the happiness is incredible. For example… Emiya Kiritsugu. I find you very interesting. The complex internal thoughts you hide arouse my curiosity to no end.
Kiritsugu: Huh? What are you saying, Irisviel?
Irisviel: So that I can acquire the strength you ask of me, the will to fight, as soon as possible, I will start by judging whether it is appropriate for me to love you. What do you think?
Kiritsugu: That’s enough joking around!
Irisviel: No, I’m simply trying to fulfill what you ask of me. You’re the one who wants me to become strong. I definitely won’t allow anyone to take away what you’ve given me. I’ll be able to feel anger and show hostility towards anyone who seeks to hurt you. Is there a… problem with that?
Kiritsugu: No, uh… It wouldn’t be very convenient for me…
Irisviel: No, don’t worry. I won’t burden you at all. It‘ll just be what I’m thinking inside.
Kiritsugu: The love between man and woman isn’t that simple! Ah, damn it… I can’t believe I have to explain all this… Okay. I’ll teach you for now. You’ll soon realize just how wrong everything you were talking about was.
Irisviel: That sounds interesting. I’m really looking forward to it.
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Track 6
Kiritsugu: This is nothing more than an act. Irisviel, I cannot love you, and you cannot love me.
Irisviel: But why?
Kiritsugu: To begin with, look at what our aim is. After we win the Holy Grail War and defeat all the other Servants, you will cease to exist. I will cause your death.
Just how big of a fool am I? I’m trying to teach someone I’ll be forced to kill the insistence and desire to live. If I had only so much as thought about it, I would’ve realized just how cruel it is.
Irisviel: Kiritsugu…
Kiritsugu: If there was a way to save you, then I could continue to love you. But if I do that, everything I’ve sacrificed up until now would be for naught. The many lives I’ve taken would become completely meaningless. Your death is the only way I can make up for all the sins I’ve committed. Do I have any right to receive your love?!
Irisviel: Why is it wrong to love something that will be destroyed? Kiritsugu, it doesn’t look like you’ve thought about your life after the Grail War. You intend to burn yourself out and perish in the coming battles, don’t you?
Kiritsugu breathes out heavily
Irisviel: Even so, I find myself holding feelings of love for you. We only have nine more years together in this world. Is there anything wrong with loving each other during that time?
Kiritsugu: We have no salvation, no hope. The two of us have no future.
Irisviel: Future?
Kiritsugu: You see, love is about wishing for the salvation and hopes of your partner and entrusting those prayers. I’m unable to save you, and there is no hope for you, so we can’t possibly love each other. Even now, by saying you love me, it means you’re still unable to love yourself. The fact that you feel no sadness for your eventual demise is proof enough.
Irisviel: Anger is needed for strength… Love is needed for anger… And a future is needed for love. Is that it?
Kiritsugu: Great, not only have we wasted much of our time, we’ve come straight to a dead end. I’m sorry. If I knew it’d all be in vain, you’d have it so much easier if you had just remained the emotionless tool that you were.
Irisviel: No. I have no regrets. Everything I’ve received from you is very precious to me. If we don’t have a future now, we just need to create a new one. A blank sheet, a new life, that isn’t yet bound by anything…
Kiritsugu: What?
Irisviel: I’m a woman. You’re a man. Together, we can create new life. As a complete homunculus, I have a womb that functions no differently from that of a normal person. It should be entirely possible.
Kiritsugu: That’s just…
Irisviel: If I can carry your hopes inside my body, and if I can one day give birth to an individual that will give you hope… As the one who made it possible, I’ll be able to feel proud of and love myself. Without needing how others think, I’ll be able to fight for my life and the fate of the future it leads to, entrusting my prayers…
Kiritsugu: Iri, why would you go to such lengths?
Irisviel: That’s because I’m stronger than you are. I think I’ve said so before.
Kiritsugu: Heh…
Irisviel: Having won and survived many battles, you probably think you’re stronger than everyone else, but you’ve simply chosen to make your enemies die before you do. That’s not the same as wanting to live longer. The strength you’ve acquired is nothing more than the ability to hasten the deaths of others as you all rush towards your doom. You’ve simply arranging the order in which you and others die. That’s not true strength.
Kiritsugu sighs
Irisviel: To never give up… to be able to find a way out and execute it no matter the predicament… to carry out the will to live until the moment of your demise… That’s the strength of the perfect Einzbern homunculus. That’s the power of the souls of the truly strong, something you don’t yet have.
Kiritsugu: Ah, I see… It appears I’m no match for you. I have no further worries, I can truly believe now. Together, the two of us will yield to no enemy and surely reach the Grail.
Irisviel: Yes.
Kiritsugu: Please bear me a strong child. A child who’ll give me new hope once the war is over.
Irisviel: Yes, please come up with a wonderful name for the child… my love.
