A few moments later...
At the finish line, Sakatsuki held Illya in his arms, leaning against a Kawasaki Ninja H2R. Both had their mouth half-open, looking like souls leaving their bodies.
"Yay, we won, Kiritsugu!"
On the other side, even before the smoke from the car's tyres had settled, Irisviel had already grabbed Kiritsugu, shaking him vigorously. Her triumphant expression made her look more like a child than Illya.
As for Kiritsugu...The usually composed and cool assassin, always clad in a coat, now resembled a ragdoll being tossed around by his wife.
To make the formidable magus killer helpless—truly, the terror of Fuyuki's racing queen is not to be underestimated.
How did a 90s sedan outpace a bike with far superior performance? The answer lay in the driver's skill... or rather, the driver's sheer recklessness.
Having grown up in Einzbern, Irisviel's familiarity with the forest far surpassed Sakatsuki's. After Sakatsuki sped ahead at the race's start, Irisviel decisively turned the steering wheel, veering into a side path. This shortcut, though potentially quicker, was perilous for a bulky sedan, with any misstep risking a crash into the trees.
Despite her previous hesitations, today Irisviel boldly faced the challenge for the sake of victory! Whether it was due to her well-earned title as Fuyuki's racing queen or sheer luck, Irisviel navigated the shortcut safely, surpassing Sakatsuki to reach the finish line first.
At least, that was how the innocent lady perceived the race. For the other three involved, it was a completely different story.
For instance, the infamous magus killer who used Time Alter multiple times is now wracked with pain, being tossed about by his wife.
Or a little girl, nearly thrown out like on a roller coaster ride, who was close to tears.
And Sakatsuki who employed Projection and Reinforcement magic nonstop to smooth the road for the car, almost causing his magic to spiral out of control, nearly making Illya fly out—his heart nearly giving out from fright.
Only Irisviel's joyful world remained intact. Thus, with four votes in favour and one against, the first and only Einzbern Racing Grand Prix concluded.
"By the way, Mr. Shirou~"
Supporting Kiritsugu and Illya, Irisviel turned her radiant smile to Sakatsuki.
"I may not understand your purpose, but I believe you are a good person!"
After the Emiya family left, Sakatsuki looked at his hand and smiled.
A good person card huh? She could hand those out, but calling him a good person wasn't necessary.
What Sakatsuki inherited wasn't the idealistic Hero of Justice version of Shirou Emiya but a different possibility—someone willing to oppose the world for his sister.
Even Sakatsuki knew he couldn't bear such lofty praise. Yet, recalling Irisviel and Illya's pure smiles, even he felt a desire to protect something.
[Aditional Condition Completed, Reward Issued.]
[Reward Obtained: Fragment of the Third Magic.]
[Fate Compendium Updated.]
[004: Irisviel von Einzbern]
[Character Information: Created by the Einzbern family for the Fourth Holy Grail War, she is the wife of Kiritsugu Emiya...]
[Hidden Information: Enthusiastic about cooking, though her creations deviate towards "dark cuisine." With only nine years of accumulated life experience due to her homunculus nature, she possesses the elegance of a noblewoman and the innocence of a child, a combination that can be quite troubling.]
[While Irisviel's physical traits are mature, her psychological age is only nine, which presents challenges for Papa Kiritsugu.]
[Record Conditions (2/1)]:
[•Gain Irisviel's approval (Completed).]
[•Additional Condition: Protect Irisviel von Einzbern (Completed).]
A small shard emitting a colourless glow appeared in Sakatsuki's consciousness, sparkling and pulsating like a brilliant star.
With a mere thought, Sakatsuki could access the Third Magic, one of the five great magics in existence—a treasure that could drive countless magi mad with desire.
However, Sakatsuki had no intention of using the shard just yet. If the Third Magic were so easily grasped, Einzbern wouldn't have spent a millennium pursuing it in vain.
He had more pressing matters to resolve. His golden eyes shifted to his hands, reflecting the blue particles flowing within, Sakatsuki clenched his fist. During the race, his magic power suddenly halted, causing Illya to almost fly out off the bike, and him to fall behind Irisviel.
It was like a momentary lapse of consciousness, and by the time he realized, Illya was already crying out, having slipped from her seat.
He needed to uncover the abnormality within himself.
With a lingering sense of unease, Sakatsuki turned to Acht, his tone colder than usual.
"I hope the Einzbern family doesn't disappoint me. Let's go."
"Hmph, just follow me."
Einzbern, known for its top-tier artificial human-making technology, possessed equally advanced diagnostic instruments. It wasn't long before Acht handed Sakuya a report he had written himself.
"Your hands are trembling, Jubstacheit von Einzbern."
Sakatsuki took the report, his tone icy.
"If I sense your greed again, it might be time for Einzbern to find a new head."
The two-hundred-year-old elder lowered his head deeply, hiding the turmoil in his eyes from Sakatsuki.
Only then did Sakatsuki take a deep breath and read the paper in his hands.
"After three rounds of magical stimulation, it was concluded that the individual's magical power exceeds the standard parameter by a factor of 100, with the potential to connect to the Akasha... perhaps even more."
"No human factors detected, ability parameters surpass any known data, suspected to be a Phantasmal Species..."
"Experienced magical overload within five hours, resulting in an abnormal reaction. The adverse effects are expected to subside within two hours."
"Subject operates by magical energy consumption. Aside from the absence of magic circuits while still performing magic, other physiological responses are normal. If not subjected to further overload, activity is expected to cease after 8,520 hours."
With each line, Sakatsuki's heart grew colder, his shock deepening. By the end, his body felt as cold as standing alone on a snowy night.
So that's why origin bullets didn't affect him, why his magical parameters spiked, and why the race had gone awry...
Ah, so that's how it is.
The young man had been residing in a non-human body since his awakening.
He had no magic circuits, and every battle, every use of magic—
Was at the cost of his life.