A Dimensional Journey Begins with the Dragon Clan

Chapter 1230 1223. Holy Grail War

"!!"

…Emiya Shirou stepped back unconsciously.

...It's not because I feel any fear.

…It wasn’t because I sensed hostility from this man called Kotomine.

  Even so, the air on his shoulders seemed to be getting heavier and heavier.

There is such a sense of oppression about this priest.

"I am the one who was handed over to this church. My name is Kotomine Kirei. What should I call you, the seventh Master?"

"…Emiya Shirou. But I don't remember becoming a Master."

Sucking the air into his dantian, in order not to succumb to the oppressive feeling, Emiya Shirou stared at the priest.

"Emiya... Shirou"

"Huh!?"

When the priest in front of him chanted his name, for some reason, Emiya Shirou felt the oppressive feeling in his body turn into a chill.

The priest smiled calmly, as if he had seen something worthy of joy.

To Emiya Shirou, that smile gave him an indescribable strange feeling.

"Thank you, Emiya. Thank you for bringing Rin. If it weren't for you, I'm afraid she wouldn't have come here in the end, right?"

The priest approached the altar.

Tōsaka left the altar with a bored expression and retreated to Emiya Shirou's side.

"Then let's get started. Emiya Shirou, you are Saber's Master, right?"

"No. I did make a contract with Saber. But I don't understand anything about Master and Holy Grail War. If the Master is to be a first-class magician, I think it would be better to choose a new one."

"I see. This is a serious case. Does he really know nothing about it, Rin?"

"So I told you that he's a layman. You should start training from the basics... You should be good at dealing with tricky types like this, right?"

Toosaka urged the priest with a disdainful attitude.

"...I see. So that's what's going on. Well, this is the first time you've asked me for anything. It seems that simply expressing gratitude to Emiya Shirou isn't enough~"

Father Kotomine smiled happily.

How should I put it? It feels like a conversation that makes the listeners feel more and more uneasy the more they listen.

"First of all, let me correct your misunderstanding. Listen carefully, Shirou Emiya. The position of Master is not something that can be given to others, nor is it something that can be dismissed once you have assumed the position. No one, no matter who it is, can dismiss someone who has had a Command Seal engraved on his or her hand. First of all, you must accept this fact."

"…You said I can't quit. Why is that?"

"The Command Seals are also stigmata. Listen carefully, the so-called Master is a test given to you. You cannot give up just because you don't want to. Until you obtain the Holy Grail, the Master will not be freed from the pain."

"If you say you don't want to be a Master, then there is no other way except to obtain the Holy Grail and fulfill your wish. In this way, everything will return to the way it was before, Emiya Shirou. Your wish and the haze accumulated deep in your heart can also be swept away - yes, it is possible to start over again."

"So just make a wish. When that time comes, you will be grateful for your good fortune in being chosen as the Master. If you want to remove the burn scars that cannot be seen by the eyes, just accept the stigmata."

“What———”

Emiya Shirou felt dizzy.

He had no idea what the priest was saying.

The more he listened, the more confused he became.

...Let's ignore that for now. The words this guy said penetrated into his heart forcefully.

  It dripped down like blood.

“Kirei, don’t play tricks like that. I’m asking you to explain the rules to him. No one is asking you to expose someone’s scars.”

A voice interrupted the priest.

"...To-Tousaka?"

Her voice cleared up Emiya Shirou's confused mind.

"I see. It's useless to say anything to such people, so I wanted to at least let him continue to misunderstand and get rid of his sense of morality and leave... Humph, the world often says that good will be rewarded with good. Am I not aware of it and indulge in it myself?"

"What? Will helping him benefit you as well?"

"Of course. If you help others, you will be redeemed sooner or later... But it's useless to tell you this now. Let's get back to the point, Emiya Shirou. The war you're involved in is called the 'Holy Grail War'. It's a battle between seven Masters and seven Servants that is repeated over and over again - have you heard about this from Rin?"

"...I heard about it. The seven masters killing each other. Don't you think this is crazy talk?"

"That's right. But we're not doing such an inhumane thing just because we're happy. All of this is a ritual to select the most suitable candidate to obtain the Holy Grail. After all, rules are rules, and it is necessary for the owner's selection to have some tests."

...What kind of test is this?

Shirou Emiya didn't think that the "Holy Grail War" mentioned by the priest was a test at all.

"Wait a minute. You've been talking about the Holy Grail from a while ago. What exactly is that? You're not saying that it's really the Holy Grail, are you?"

Holy Grail.

A cup containing the blood of the saint.

It is regarded as the highest among many holy relics and is said to be able to cause various miracles.

The most popular one among them is that whoever possesses the Holy Grail holds the world.

Such a statement.

...However, this statement is totally unreliable.

After all, the existence of the Holy Grail itself is almost elusive.

Indeed, the Holy Grail that can grant wishes has appeared in legends and biographies spread around the world.

But that's all.

Because it is a fantasy technology that does not consider whether it actually exists or whether it can be successfully reproduced.

That is the Holy Grail.

"Is that so? Father Kotomine. Is the Holy Grail you're talking about really the Holy Grail?"

"Of course. The Holy Grail that appeared in this city is genuine. One of the proofs is that an unreasonable miracle like the Servant happened, right?"

"Summon the heroic spirits of the past and use them. No, this miracle of reviving the dead can be called magic. Since it is a holy grail with such power, it can give the owner unlimited power. The truth or falsity of things is worthless in the face of facts." "..."

In other words.

Even if it is a fake, as long as it has more power than the real thing, there is no point in asking whether it is real or not.

“…Okay. Let’s just pretend that the Holy Grail really exists. But if that’s the case, why do we still need to hold a Holy Grail War? If there is a Holy Grail, why bother killing each other? If it’s really such a powerful thing, can’t we just share it?”

"That's a very normal opinion, but we don't have that kind of freedom. There is only one person who can obtain the Holy Grail. That is not decided by us, but by the Holy Grail itself."

"Whether it is the selection of seven Masters or the summoning of seven Servants, it is all done by the Holy Grail itself. Didn't I say that this is a ritual? The Holy Grail selects the people who are suitable to own it, lets them compete with each other, and selects the only holder. This is the Holy Grail War - the ritual of the spirits chosen by the Holy Grail, and they kill each other in order to get it!"

The priest said calmly.

"..." Emiya Shirou had nothing to refute and turned his eyes to his left hand.

This is the seal they call the Command Spell.

  In other words, the priest means that as long as one has the mark, one cannot give up the qualification of being a Master?

"...I can't accept it. It's really uncomfortable to have to kill the rest of the masters just because only one can be chosen."

"? Wait a minute. You said that we must kill the other Masters. That's your misunderstanding, Emiya-kun. There is no need to kill the Master."

Toosaka patted his shoulder and made an unexpected comment to him.

"What? But didn't they say to kill each other? Father Kotomine also said so."

"It's killing each other." Kotomine Kirei smiled.

"Shut up, Kotomine. Listen carefully. The Holy Grail that was brought to this city is a spirit. So it does not exist in the form of a physical object, but must be summoned through a special ritual - that is, only by descending the spirit."

Toosaka Rin glared at him like a priest, then explained to Emiya Shirou.

"Then, if we want to summon it, we magi can do it, but as long as it is a spirit, we can't touch it. Do you understand what I mean?"

"I understand. Only spirits can touch spirits. Ah~, that's why we need Servants!"

"That's right. To put it bluntly, the so-called Holy Grail War is to defeat all Servants except your own. So it is not necessary to kill the Master."

"what!"

What? If it’s so late, why don’t you just say this earlier?

I can't stand it. Both Toosaka and this priest love to play tricks on me.

...Anyway, this way, Emiya Shirou felt relieved.

Because in this way, even if she participated in the Holy Grail War, there would be no possibility that Toosaka would die.

"I see, that idea does work. Then Emiya Shirou, I want to ask you, do you think you have a way to defeat your Servant?" Kotomine Kirei asked with a smile.

"?"

Defeat Saber?

Of course that's impossible.

Besides, magic is useless against that guy, and his swordsmanship is ridiculously strong.

"Then let me ask you again. Although it's a boring question, do you think you are better than your Servant?"

"??"

What is this guy talking about.

Since he can't defeat Saber, how can he be better than Saber?

  No matter which question was asked just now, wasn't the answer that he, as a Master, was weaker than the Servant?

"what!!"

As if he had thought of something crucial, Emiya Shirou's expression became serious again.

"That's right. Even if the Servants are left alone to deal with it, it's still not easy to break through. So how about this. Look, this is actually a very simple statement, right? Servants cannot exist without their Masters. No matter how powerful a Servant is, once the Master falls, the Servant will be destroyed. In this case——"

Yes, that is a natural behavior.

No one would deliberately choose to take the difficult path.

If you really want to win and survive, you should kill the Master instead of the Servant. This is the most efficient way to win!

"...Well, I understand that it's faster to defeat the Master in order to destroy the Servants. But if the Servant is defeated first, then the Master will no longer be the Master, right? Only Servants can touch the Holy Grail, right? In that case, wouldn't the Master be worthless without his Servants?"

"No, as long as the Command Seals are still there, the Master's rights will still be retained. A Master refers to a magus who can make a contract with a Servant. As long as the Command Seals are still there, one can make a contract with a Servant."

"Servants who have lost their Masters do not disappear immediately. They will remain in the world until the magic power in their bodies is exhausted. If there are such Servant who have lost their Master, they may make a contract with the Master who lost the Servant again. It means that they can return to the front line. That's why the Master will kill the Master. Because if he is left alive, he may become a new obstacle."

"…What if the Command Seals are used up? Then we won't be able to sign contracts with other Servants, and the freed Servants will join forces with other Masters, right?"

"Wait, that's────" Toosaka Rin seemed to realize what Emiya Shirou was thinking and tried to persuade him.

But Kotomine Kirei was one step faster than her.

"Well, that's correct. As long as you use up all the Command Seals, you will be released from your Master's duties... However, I don't think there is such a magus who would use the Command Seals that can use powerful magic meaninglessly. Even if there is, that guy is probably not even half-baked, just an idiot, right?"

As if he saw through Emiya Shirou's thoughts, the priest laughed.

"Well……"

It's really uncomfortable.

This priest has been making people feel like he is trying to provoke him since just now, treating people like little fools.

"Do you understand? That's all for the explanation of the rules. Well, let's get back to basics, Emiya Shirou. You said you didn't want to be a Master, do you still feel the same way?"

"If you want to give up your qualifications as a Master, that's fine. Just use up all the Command Seals as you just thought and break your contract with Saber. At that time, I will guarantee your safety until the end of the Holy Grail War."

"...? Wait a minute. Why do I have to ask you to guarantee my safety? I can protect my own safety myself."

"I don't have the time to pay attention to you. But this is the rule. I was sent here to supervise the repetitive Holy Grail Wars. Therefore, the sacrifices in the Holy Grail Wars must be minimized. Protecting the magi who are no longer masters is my primary job as a supervisor."

"—The endless Holy Grail Wars...?"

Wait a moment.

  He said it happens over and over again. Does that mean wars like this have happened many times before...?

"What do you mean by that? Doesn't the Holy Grail War begin now?"

"Of course. Otherwise, do you think they would send someone like the Overseer here? The church here is responsible for recovering the holy relics, and is the hand and foot of the Secret Service. Originally, the focus was on investigating and recovering the True Cross, but here they are responsible for approving the Holy Grail. Investigate the 726th Holy Grail observed in the Far East, and if it is the correct thing, recover it, and if not, deny it, that's it."