There are two reasons why Goetia pursues the Incineration of the Human Order.
The first is… his essence, and the catalyst that transformed him into a Beast of Humanity: 'Pity.'
He loved humanity far too deeply.
But because of that, he began to pity the finiteness of humans.
To Solomon, the omnipotent King of Magic who possessed—or so it was thought—the power to erase human imperfection, Goetia asked: Why do you not attempt to save them?
However, King Solomon simply replied:
"Eh, not particularly?"
…He gave an answer so blunt it could easily be misconstrued as total indifference.
In truth, if one were to expand upon King Solomon's words, he meant: 'I am merely a puppet of the Great God, and the things I can do, the humanity of the future will surely achieve on its own. If it is something I cannot do, then it is better to simply watch in silence.' Unfortunately, as a king who was closer to a non-human entity receiving divine wisdom, he failed to understand the thoughts of the Demon Gods.
From the start, King Solomon's conviction was that humanity must decide its own path, while Goetia believed the exact opposite…
Ultimately, Goetia came to despise Solomon as a slothful king and resolved to save humanity himself by creating a world without death.
By utilizing the caloric energy gained from burning the Human Order, Goetia intended to create a perfect paradise—a new world inhabited by a new humanity free from death. Furthermore, he intended to evade the invasion of the 'Alien Reason' that he had observed.
That is the second reason: the 'Alien God.'
The invasion of this Alien God would eventually result in the Bleaching of the Human Order, an outcome diametrically opposed to Goetia's ideology of human salvation. Thus, Goetia set his heart on protecting humanity from that celestial threat.
Consequently, to me—the one who knows the truth behind all this—Goetia speaks thus:
[I shall be the one to block the invasion of the Alien God. You mongrels should simply wait for your death in peace.]
Even if I were to kill Lev Lainur and Marisbury to ensure that the 2015 Human Order Foundation remains stable and free from the Incineration, the Demon God King is now capable of forcibly creating another Singularity and scattering Grails to trigger the Incineration anyway.
And if one were to complete Chaldeas to prepare for the Incineration and stop the Demon God King, that very act would naturally trigger the invasion of Chaldeas—the Alien God. To Goetia, such details are irrelevant.
For him, the Great Work is already reaching its final form. As long as the Incineration is completed, he will be able to fend off the Alien God's invasion.
Humanity dying due to the Incineration? If one cared about such a thing, they wouldn't be a Beast of Humanity in the first place. What matters to Goetia is the existence of the species called 'Humanity,' not the individual humans themselves.
"If it goes down like this, I'm completely screwed…"
My primary goal was to stop Lev Lainur and prevent the event known as the Incineration of the Human Order from ever occurring.
But, if the Incineration is inevitable… then I must finish the preparations for the Restoration of the Human Order first.
I absolutely hate the idea, but I'll have to work with Lev Lainur and Olga Marie Animusphere to complete the Near-Future Observation Lens: SHEBA, and somehow complete Chaldeas to respond to that damn Incineration.
Since the purpose of Chaldeas is the reorganization—the creation—of the Human Order, I'll deal with the Incineration first, then shut down Chaldeas before the Compilation of the Human Order begins and convert it into something else.
Right. If it's a tool like the Pseudo-Spirit Computer Laplace or the Shadow Border, it should be enough to…
"Mongrel, you think too much."
"…Ah."
"However, you are correct."
"…Excuse me?"
"Agonize, and agonize further. Put your heart and soul into pushing past the problems immediately before you. Then, come before us."
Gilgamesh spoke as he tossed a pouch stuffed with something heavy. The King of Knights stood up, her armor clanking softly, and patted my back twice.
"Please overcome your hardships and reach us. I will be waiting to stand with you in the Sixth Singularity."
"If the information you received from the Root is accurate, you should have data regarding the Singularities as well. Distinguish between the facts you should believe and those you should not. The Demon God King is observing you even at this very moment, and he will interfere with your every move. This instance of the Human Evil was merely an extreme exception; the traps laid by the Demon God King will manifest one by one in your path forward."
"…I'd have it no other way. I'll settle this and then head off to solve your problems as well."
"Indeed, a fine spirit! You must have at least that much resolve to reach my Uruk."
Leaving behind the boisterously laughing Gilgamesh, I opened the pouch to find an staggering amount of jewels spilling out.
"In a lost future, that magus likely would have demanded 'money' from the Grail. It is useless to me, so use this to alleviate your wretched poverty."
"…King Gilgamesh. And…"
"King of Knights is sufficient. I have returned the holy sword, and I am currently only maintaining a Saint Graph of a Divine Spirit. While I have used Rhongomyniad to anchor the unstable Singularity, my essence remains that of the King of Knights."
"Understood, King of Knights."
Instead of a formal goodbye, the two smiled and laughed together before vanishing into a haze of golden light. The golden galley I had been riding also faded into light. Landing slowly using Shinra Tensei, I tucked the pouch into the Naraka Path and… let out a roar filled with raw emotion.
"FUCK!!!!!!"
I had tried to look dignified and composed in front of the kings, but my mental state was on the verge of collapsing.
* * * * *
Realizing I couldn't face the others in this state, I took several deep breaths before slowly opening the door and stepping inside.
"Hm? What happened? Where did the King of Knights go? And Goldie!"
"They have dematerialized. They left this for me—apparently, it's a reward."
"Hoh…"
Tokiomi, who practiced Jewel Magecraft, let out a gasp of admiration as he recognized the value of the stones. Leaving him behind, I began to slowly explain the situation.
"First, I need to discuss the aftermath of the Holy Grail War. Kiritsugu, you are coming with me to the Einzbern estate. I need to show Old Man Acht a glimpse of the Third Magic and strip the Einzberns of their authority."
"…The phrasing is a bit harsh, but appropriate. I have no issue with that. However, may Irisviel accompany us?"
"That is exactly what I was hoping for."
At that moment, Waver cautiously raised his hand.
"What is it?"
"No, it's just… everyone seems to be overlooking it, but you're speaking politely now?"
"…Speaking casually was just part of the disguise to hide my identity. Honestly, if it were leaked that a wielder of the Third Magic had suddenly appeared, wouldn't magi go after my family first?"
"I can't deny that."
Deciding what advice to give Waver, I caught Aoko-nee's eye and gave a slight nod. She promptly scooped Waver up and half-dragged him into another room.
"Next is… Kayneth El-Melloi, your turn."
"I'm listening."
"Honestly, there's not much for me to do here. The Fifth Magician will personally vouch for you, and if things get difficult, I'll persuade Zelretch to turn the Department of Policies upside down for us."
"No… honestly, having fought against a literal Beast of Humanity, the Department of Policies doesn't seem so intimidating anymore."
Turning toward Tokiomi and Kirei, I looked at them for a moment before continuing.
"I don't have much to say to you two. For Kirei-san, since I separated the Lesser Grail, you can just report my deeds to the Church as those of a Magician of the Third Magic… and as for Tokiomi-san, well, everything you've suffered is of your own making, so I assume you have no complaints."
"…Wait, then I have one thing I wish to ask."
"What is it?"
"Gilgamesh, the King of Uruk, said that you would know why I am in such agony."
"Ah…"
Come to think of it, this man's awakening to 'Pleasure' had yet to be addressed.
"I… want to know. Why I cannot fill the void in my heart. Why… I am so empty. Gilgamesh said it would be better if I did not hear it, but that if I must, hearing it from you would be best for my future."
The expression on Kotomine Kirei's face as he spoke was one of absolute sincerity—an honest display of emotion.
"…In the possibilities of parallel worlds, there is a future where you fill that void. Even so, do you truly want to know?"
"Of course… If there is one thing I would wish for from the Grail, it is that. Why can I not feel sorrow? Why can I not feel joy like other people? I want to know the truth of that fact."