My family runs an adventurer's guild.

In fact, several people have conducted land surveys in this forest in the past, but they have never found any trace of man-made structures.

On the other hand, every few years, someone will bring up the legend of that "mythical city" again—either a group of children wander into the forest with a mix of play and adventure, or a lost hiker stumbles upon it.

They claimed to have seen an ancient castle suddenly appear in the forest mist. Although located on Japanese soil, the castle was distinctly European in style, built of neatly arranged stones, with towering spires and blue spires that looked magnificent in the sunlight.

But upon closer inspection inside, one discovers that the castle is completely uninhabited, resembling an abandoned city. Yet, the castle is fully equipped and everything is in perfect order, giving one the illusion that someone actually lives there. In short, it is an exceptionally bizarre and mysterious castle.

Even more bizarrely, once these people who claimed to have witnessed the mysterious castle with their own eyes left, when they entered the forest again to try to find the castle, they could no longer find it, leaving only a few photos that were difficult to distinguish as evidence.

Of course, generally speaking, no one would believe this bizarre legend. At best, it would only be picked up by some third-rate magazines struggling for news material, and told as an absurd and nonsensical supernatural tale in their summer ghost story special, occupying only one page.

Only a very few magicians know that this European-style castle on the outskirts of Fuyuki City is real. The castle is shrouded in multiple layers of illusion and magical barriers, forming a strange space isolated from the mundane world. Except in extremely rare and unexpected circumstances, it is generally not revealed to the outside world.

Everyone who knows of the existence of this castle calls this dense forest the "Einzbern Forest".

This is a base of operations specially built by the Einzbern family for the Holy Grail War in Fuyuki City, and it has only been used once so far.

—At that time, it was on the eve of the Third Holy Grail War, and also just as World War II was about to break out. It was a period of crisis when the world was in turmoil, with dark clouds looming over the country and tensions running high.

The Einzbern family patriarch at the time believed that establishing a base on the direct territory of their rival, the Tohsaka family, during the war was a dangerous move. Therefore, he made full use of the family's wealth to buy out the spiritual vein land closest to Fuyuki City as a temporary base for the Einzbern family.

Despite the fact that the Einzbern family castle in Fuyuki City is not only located in a foreign land in the East, but is also a temporary stronghold used only once every sixty years, the wealthy Einzbern family still spared no expense in covering a vast area of ​​forest surrounding the castle site with a permanent magical barrier, almost completely isolating it from the outside world, in order to ensure that the Einzbern family's principle of "seclusion" would not be broken.

Then, the Einzbern family dismantled one of their original medieval magic castles in Europe, and every stone and tile taken from the castle was loaded onto a ship and transported across half the globe to Japan for reconstruction.

Considering the transportation conditions on Earth half a century ago, such extravagant spending was truly a wasteful act.

This demonstrates the immense wealth accumulated by the Einzbern family over generations, as well as their extraordinary fervor and dedication to the pursuit of the Holy Grail.

(One Type-Moon setting states that the Einzbern family is a family of homunculus humans, with the patriarch, Ahadeon, being an homunculus created by the Mage's Association with the sole mission of researching the Third Law. However, according to the appendix of the original Fate/Zero manga, the Einzbern family has clearly been established for eight generations and is a prestigious German magic family, definitely not some artificially created "fake" family—faced with the constant rewriting of established settings by the author Kinoko Nasu and the various dubious secondary settings concocted by Type-Moon fans, we writers are truly in a difficult position!)

However, after spending enormous human and material resources to build this castle in the far eastern island nation on the other side of the world, it was only briefly used during the Third Holy Grail War, and then it remained idle and covered in dust for sixty years, as if it had been forgotten.

Sixty years later, the castle has finally welcomed its owners back once again.

—Although the situation of Mrs. Irisviel von Eindzbern, the mistress of the house… seems a little unsettling?!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Late at night, in the Einzbern Forest, thirty kilometers outside Fuyuki City, in the main bedroom of the castle.

Long before Irisviel and the others arrived, the android maids sent by the Einzbern family from Germany had already arrived at the castle ahead of time with various tools and supplies to clean, repair and tidy up, and prepare everything needed for daily life.

Therefore, even though they had just arrived and put down their luggage, Kiritsugu Emiya and Mrs. Irisviel's bedroom had already been arranged impeccably.

From the tables, chairs, and bed legs to the mirrors and lampshades, everything was spotless. The sheets and blankets were all as clean as new, and the vase on the bedside table held vibrant flowers. A warm, subtle fragrance filled the air, making it hard to believe that no one had lived here for sixty years.

However, despite the room being so comfortably furnished, Kiritsugu Emiya, who was staying there, was in a bad mood.

—On the luxurious four-poster bed draped with gilded tassels, lay Mrs. Irisviel, who had been unconscious for some time. Although her face was still as beautiful and elegant as ever, it was deathly pale, and beads of sweat streamed down her forehead like a waterfall.

The Einzbern family's android maids carried basins of water and towels, moving in and out of the bedroom. According to Kiritsugu Emiya and Mrs. Irisviel's original plan, after settling down at the castle in Fuyuki, these maids were to be sent back to Germany to avoid being affected or harmed by the war.

The problem is that Mrs. Irisviel has only just arrived in Fuyuki and has already been seriously injured in a car accident due to unlicensed racing. During the Holy Grail War, Kiritsugu Emiya and Maiya Hisau often need to leave the castle to gather intelligence and conduct guerrilla warfare in the city, so they cannot stay here to take care of the patient.

Princess Catherine, who plays Saber, doesn't seem like someone who can take care of others. On the contrary, she needs to be served by a maid. Because she was involved in Mrs. Irisviel's car accident, Princess Catherine was thrown into the air and crashed into dozens of trees. It took her quite a while to fly back, dressed in rags. Although she wasn't seriously injured, her face was so pale that she looked like she was about to explode at any moment...

Therefore, Kiritsugu Emiya had no choice but to keep the Einzbern family's homunculus maids behind, instructing some of them to serve the little golden dragon princess with a terrible complexion, while sending the other maids to care for and treat Irisviel, watching them busily doing this and that with great concern.

Despite the meticulous care and treatment she received from the maids, and the fact that her minor injuries from the car accident were quickly healed by magic, Mrs. Irisviel remained in a deep sleep, her face flushed with an unhealthy fever.

Meanwhile, Kiritsugu Emiya silently stayed by her bedside, watching her sleeping face with bated breath, without even blinking.

It wasn't until midnight that Irisviel moved slightly, causing ripples to spread through the still air.

"...Irisviel, how are you feeling?" Kiritsugu Emiya immediately widened his eyes and leaned closer to ask.

"...Uh...it's Kiritsugu...uh, yeah. It's almost finished being adjusted, so everything should be fine for now."

Mrs. Irisviel lazily brushed aside the strands of silver hair in front of her eyes and slowly sat up. "...This was decided long ago, wasn't it? The fact that I can still exist as a 'human' is already a miracle of luck..."

Despite the sorrowful content, her tone was so calm, as if she were leisurely recounting something unrelated to herself.

Hearing Irisviel's gentle yet cruel words, Kiritsugu Emiya fell silent once again.

Indeed, everything that happened to Irisviel was predetermined.

From the moment she was born into this world, everything that happens today was already predetermined.

—As the eldest daughter of the Einzbern family and the world's top-tier android, Mrs. Irisviel was originally protected by a powerful Noble Phantasm. Not only could no disease approach her, but even the aging of her body had long since stopped.

No matter how time passes, her face and body will always remain as healthy, beautiful, and radiant as when she was first born.

So why did Mrs. Irisviel suddenly lose her composure without warning on the forest road earlier, as if she had suddenly fallen ill?

This is because she was fulfilling her duty as the "Minor Grail" at the time—the spirits of defeated heroes had entered her body.

Regardless of her exquisite and beautiful appearance, or what titles and identities she held, Irisviel was an artificial human designed for the Holy Grail War. Or rather, a "vessel" prepared for the Holy Grail's descent, used to contain the souls of defeated heroes, the so-called "Minor Grail."

This is her innate mission, and the fundamental reason she came into this world.

The reason for making the "Minor Grail" into the form of a homunculus is that in the last Holy Grail War, the old man Arhad, who represented the Einzbern family, not only lost miserably, but also destroyed the Minor Grail in the chaos of battle. As a result, the Third Holy Grail War in Fuyuki City could not continue before a winner was decided, and was declared invalid, which was equivalent to fighting for nothing.

From that time on, the old man Arhad began to reflect on his oversights and finally decided to package the Lesser Grail in the next Holy Grail War into a humanoid form with self-management awareness, endowing it with the instinct for survival so that it could automatically avoid various dangers.

The final creation of the old man Arhad is today's Irisviel, a so-called eldest daughter of the Einzbern family, but in reality, she is nothing more than a one-time magic prop, a pathetic existence.

Although Irisviel's appearance and behavior seem no different from ordinary people, after the Holy Grail War begins, Mrs. Irisviel must constantly use her body to contain the souls of defeated Heroic Spirits in preparation for the coming of the Holy Grail.

As time goes by, the function of the "Little Grail" within her body will gradually strengthen, constantly compressing the excess human body. At first, she gradually loses her five senses, then she becomes unable to move, and then she can't even speak.

When the fourth or fifth Heroic Spirit departs and their soul enters Irisviel's body, the "Minor Grail," Irisviel's human form will no longer be able to be maintained, and she will completely transform into a "thing."

Therefore, in the end, Irisviel's humanoid body will turn to ashes, leaving only a Holy Grail made of internal organs.

This is the tragic fate she cannot escape, but it is also the only reason she exists in this world.

Because she is an artificial being, Irisviel, like home appliances and cars, has a limited lifespan from the moment she is created.

Even without the Holy Grail War, she would have only about a year left to live.

After this period, her bodily functions will gradually deteriorate and cease.

In other words, no matter how things develop, Irisviel doesn't have much longer to live.

Therefore, having seen through everything, she faced death and the end so calmly, like a wise monk or saint who had attained enlightenment.

But Mrs. Irisviel's optimistic and cheerful attitude made her husband, Kiritsugu Emiya, even more heartbroken.

The oppressive atmosphere in the room caused Kiritsugu Emiya to let out several long sighs. Finally, he gritted his teeth, took out his most powerful Noble Phantasm, the scabbard of King Arthur's sword in British legend, "The Distant Ideal World," and placed it on Irisviel's lap.

Originally, the Einzbern family spent a great deal of money to collect this sacred relic, intending to use it to summon King Arthur of British legend. However, the result was that they summoned a golden dragon princess from a fantastical otherworld.

Nevertheless, this scabbard is still a rare and powerful Noble Phantasm, possessing the ability to stop aging and infinitely heal. If given to Irisviel, it could prevent her 'outer shell' from peeling off, allowing Irisviel's grandmother to maintain her human appearance for a longer period of time.

"...Alice, you can take this...at least it will make things easier for you during this time..."

"...No, no, Kiritsugu, you need it more...I'm immobile now, and can only lie in the castle waiting silently. But you still have to wander outside, searching for opportunities to fight, battling all sorts of enemies! With it healing your injuries at any time, I can feel much more at ease..."

Mrs. Irisviel refused her husband's offer and returned the "distant ideal world" to Kiritsugu Emiya.

But in the next moment, Irisviel cried out in surprise, and her bloodless face turned from pale to pure white!

"...This is...the third soul?! Oh! That's so fast!"

With a short scream, Mrs. Irisviel, who had just regained consciousness, collapsed limply again.

Meanwhile, her husband, Kiritsugu Emiya, was frantically using the Noble Phantasm "Far Away" from King Arthur's sword sheath to heal the collapsed Mrs. Irisviel, while also vigorously ringing the bell to summon someone.

Soon, a large number of well-trained android maids entered in single file, carrying various items, upon hearing the bell, pushing Kiritsugu Emiya aside.

Seeing that his wife's condition seemed to have improved, Kiritsugu Emiya tactfully made way for the maids and turned to walk onto the balcony.

Looking up at the bright moon, Kiritsugu Emiya couldn't help but light a cigarette, holding it in his mouth, feeling infinitely melancholy.

—In just a short time, three Heroic Spirits have been eliminated?

However, this Holy Grail War in Fuyuki City has only just begun and hasn't been going on for very long!

Kiritsugu Emiya had just arrived from Germany and hadn't even participated in any battles between Masters when Fuyuki City was already reduced to ruins. Of the seven Servants summoned to fight, three had already perished within just a few hours…

Everything seemed to be accelerated, the process was so fast that he was dazzled and overwhelmed.

The pre-formulated battle plans have all become obsolete because they simply cannot keep up with the changes.

As for what to do next, well, to be honest, Kiritsugu Emiya was also in a state of confusion and couldn't make up his mind at all.

Moreover, another question was constantly lingering in Kiritsugu Emiya's mind.

—Besides Caster, who was besieged at the beginning, what class and faction do the two Servants who left the stage today belong to?

Author's message

P.S.: While reading the original *Fate/Zero* manga, I noticed something illogical. It's the scene where Marshal Caster Bluebeard leads a large group of children infected with monster embryos as cannon fodder to attack the Einzbern Forest Castle. I didn't think about it carefully at the time, but now that I look at the lore, the Marshal's hideout is in the sewers of Fuyuki City, thirty kilometers from the Einzbern Forest Castle. If he were alone, it wouldn't be so bad, but leading a large group of children… so many children traveling at night, especially on mountain roads, would barely reach an average speed of four kilometers per hour. And the Marshal had to avoid detection, not just kill his way through. Even if they set off around six or seven in the morning, it would be almost dawn by the time they reached the castle.

In that case, would they even have time to fight that night? Unless the marshal not only brought these children but also used magic to control a driver and obtain a large bus or truck to transport the children all the way to Einzbern Castle, there's no chance they could arrive in time...

Of course, it's also possible that the Marshal himself drives the bus, since the Holy Grail System has instilled driving skills in them. But thinking about it this way, for some reason, I feel that the Bluebeard Marshal driving the bus seems to have some similarities to the image of Ms. Fujiwara from Highschool of the Dead.

Chapter 64, The Second Night of the "Peaceful" Holy Grail War

The stars shone brightly, and the moon was as cool as water.

As the US military and Self-Defense Forces withdrew from Japan after the ceasefire, and the fire in Fuyuki gradually died down, the deep night once again covered the land.

Under the cover of night, Fuyuki City was truly a scene of devastation. From both sides of the Mien River to the foot of Mount Enzo, there were collapsed houses, broken bomb craters, large areas of charred ruins and ashes, as well as corpses that had not yet been cleared and scattered shell casings.

Although the Fuyuki City government announced on the radio at dusk that water and electricity supplies to the city had been restored, the hydroelectric power station that supplies electricity to Fuyuki is located far in the suburbs and was not affected by the fire and the fighting.

The problem is that a significant portion of the substations, transformers, and power lines in the city were damaged in the fighting and fires and have not yet been repaired, leaving most of the remaining streets in Fuyuki City without power.

More importantly, most of the citizens of Fuyuki City have either died in the turmoil or are fleeing elsewhere, and are currently observing the situation, not daring to return to the city rashly.

Even residents who have returned to the city turn off their lights and close their windows early at night, for fear of attracting the attention of rioters.

Therefore, although the entire city did not experience a power outage, less than one percent of the houses in Fuyuki City still had their lights on that night.

From the outskirts, the entire city appears dark and gloomy, almost like a ghost town.

It was deep and silent, exuding a chilling, ominous aura.

Regardless, the various magicians who participated in this Holy Grail War in Fuyuki City seemed to have exhausted their energy due to the intense scenes before, or hesitated for various reasons. On this night when the chaos had just subsided, they all went into hiding and did not make a move.

Fuyuki City, which has suffered greatly in the past two days, has finally ushered in a long-awaited peaceful night.

Hmm? Why use the phrase "long time no see"? This Holy Grail War has only been going on for two days!

Well, for the more than 100,000 Fuyuki citizens who were caught off guard and inexplicably dragged into the war, the recent period can truly be described as "each day feeling like a year."

Even during the Pacific War, Fuyuki City had never been bombed so badly.

Seeing one's familiar home suddenly turned into war-torn ruins, with hundreds and thousands of neighbors and friends dying tragically, even entire families dying one after another, and more importantly, being completely baffled and still not understanding what happened... anyone would have a mental breakdown!

In short, on this night when the fighting had just ended, these people, who had long been like frightened birds, could finally get a good night's sleep.

—Although they will face even more nightmares and terrors in the days to come…

In other parts of Japan besides Fuyuki City, countless people have jumped off buildings or hanged themselves due to the new wave of stock market crashes.

However, although no more battles between Servants broke out in Fuyuki City that night, new Servants still left the stage.

※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※

Thirty kilometers from the Einzbern Forest, on the southern outskirts of Fuyuki City, lies the magic workshop in the basement of the Fuyuki City Cathedral.

Having rushed over in the middle of the night and heard his apprentice Kirei Kotomine's explanation, Tokiomi Tohsaka was overwhelmed with mixed feelings.

"...So...Kirei, does that mean you've made the decision to withdraw from this Holy Grail War?"

Staring blankly at his disciple's face, Tokiomi Tohsaka sighed and said, "...Even willing to give up his own Heroic Spirit?"

"...Yes, teacher. The parish has sent in the final proposal, and it cannot be changed any further."

Kirei Kotomine held up a fax paper in his hand and said to Tokiomi Tohsaka, "...I think it would be more helpful for you, Sensei, to give up the useless Assassin role and take over my father's position as the supervisor of the Holy Grail War, rather than being a participant in the war in name only."

—Just now, the Holy Church sent a fax in secret, demanding that Kirei Kotomine choose between being a participant in the war and an overseer.

According to the Church of Japan and the local tradition of father-to-son succession, when the old priest Risei Kotomine died, his only son Kirei Kotomine should have inherited Risei Kotomine's Fuyuki Cathedral and the position of supervisor of the Fuyuki Holy Grail War.

The problem is that Kirei Kotomine is also one of the seven Masters in this Holy Grail War. If he is made the supervisor, it would be like being both a player and a referee at the same time, cheating to such an blatant and shameless degree.