Fate/Magus Path

After getting into the car arranged by Kotomine Kirei, they drove for about twenty minutes.

As Roy watched the city gradually recede in the distance, he noticed more and more trees, signaling that they were approaching the outskirts of Fuyuki City. If they continued in this direction, they would soon leave the city's boundaries.

He was quite familiar with this area; after all, during the years he was involved in the underworld, territorial disputes among organizations were common, and large-scale fights in the city were not allowed.

So, the docks of Fuyuki City at night and the sparsely populated suburbs were places he had visited frequently.

As Roy lost himself in thought, the car finally came to a stop in front of an old church. Kotomine Kirei helped him open the car door and said,

"Mr. Roy, we have arrived. My father is waiting for you inside."

"I understand."

Following Kotomine Kirei out of the car, the open doors of the church clearly indicated that they had been expected for some time.

"Back already, Kirei?"

As a deep male voice echoed, a somewhat burly elderly priest holding a Bible slowly approached them.

"Yes, Father, I'm back."

Kotomine Kirei nodded and then raised his hand in a gesture of invitation, leading Roy to the elderly priest and beginning the introduction.

"This is my father, the priest of the Fuyuki church, Kotomine Risei, who is also in charge of this Holy Grail War. He will answer your questions from here."

"Hello, I am Roy."

"Ah, it's a pleasure to meet you, the one chosen by the Holy Grail, the seventh Master, Mr. Roy."

After a brief self-introduction, Roy feigned ignorance, asking directly,

"Um, Father, could you explain more about the Holy Grail War and this strange symbol?"

Removing his gloves, Roy naturally revealed the Command Seals on the back of his hand for them to see.

"Indeed, it is a Command Seal."

Kotomine Risei scrutinized the Command Seal on Roy's hand, confirming in his mind Roy's identity as the seventh Master.

Although he was somewhat surprised at first upon receiving the information, how could an ordinary person be chosen by the Holy Grail? Could there have been an error in the intelligence gathering? It was only now that he could believe such an outrageous occurrence when faced with the facts.

However... an ordinary person, huh?

That could be quite good.

Ordinary people are easier to control than those reckless, rogue magus. With this, the number of participants in the Holy Grail War had already decreased from seven to six, significantly lowering the difficulty of achieving victory. It seems his old friend has really been fortunate.

"Please have a seat. Since you have been chosen by the Holy Grail, I will gradually summarize the rules concerning the Command Seals and the Holy Grail War for you."

Inviting Roy into the church, Kotomine Risei gestured for him to sit down, suppressing his emotions as he looked at Roy earnestly.

"Mr. Roy, I have both fortunate and unfortunate news to share with you. You have been chosen by the Greater Holy Grail to participate as one of the Masters in the Holy Grail War, and the red mark on the back of your hand is the best proof of your selection... your Command Seal."

"Speaking of which, you and another priest have been mentioning the Holy Grail War. Is the Holy Grail you refer to the same one mentioned in the Bible?"

"Oh?" Upon hearing this, Kotomine Risei asked, somewhat surprised, "Could it be that Mr. Roy has read our teachings?"

"Ah... to be honest, I consider myself a rather devout Christian."

Roy reached into his pocket, pulled out a silver cross pendant he had bought at a souvenir shop, and handed it to Kotomine Risei.

Seeing the cross in Roy's palm, Kotomine Risei couldn't help but smile, his attitude becoming noticeably friendlier. "No wonder! I didn't expect Mr. Roy to be a believer as well. If you have time, feel free to come to my church for prayers."

"However, it is unfortunate that this Holy Grail is not a sacred vessel containing the blood of Jesus, but merely a term; it is essentially a universal wish-granting machine capable of realizing any desire."

"Ah... that's a pity. I thought I would actually get to see the legendary holy relic." Roy feigned disappointment, his tone slightly surprised.

"But... a universal wish-granting machine? Is something like that really possible, like Aladdin's magic lamp?"

"Who knows? Although the ritual of the Holy Grail War has been held several times, each time it has failed due to some irresistible factors, so the Holy Grail only exists in rumors; no one has ever seen it."

"Then what about the Holy Grail War?"

Seeing Roy looking a bit anxious, Kotomine Risei waved his hand to signal him to calm down and continued explaining, "The so-called Holy Grail War is a battle where seven chosen Masters, along with their summoned Servants, fight fiercely for the ownership of the Holy Grail. The reward for the last victor is, in fact, the Holy Grail."

After listening to Kotomine Risei's explanation, Roy nodded.

Although Kotomine Risei was a black sheep, he indeed did not hide any information about the rules and provided everything truthfully. It was unclear whether his fabricated identity as a believer had raised his favorability or if he thought an ordinary person like Roy posed no threat or perhaps it was a combination of both.

As for the failures of the Holy Grail War, Roy had a pretty good understanding of them.

According to the setting of the moonlit world.

The first war failed because the Holy Grail system had just been established, and neither the participating Masters nor the Servants had the experience or awareness to work together. The Masters didn't even have Command Seals to restrain the Servants, which made it impossible for them to control the Servants' actions. Thus, various factors led to the complete collapse of the First Holy Grail War.

In the Second Holy Grail War, although lessons were learned from the first, leading to the creation of the Command Seal system and the planning of various rules, it failed again due to instability and other factors.

Only with the improvements made in the Third War was the Holy Grail system truly completed.

However, all the troubles began in the Third War.

Due to the disastrous failures of the first two wars, the Einzbern family developed a desire to create chaos and actually violated the rules by summoning Angra Mainyu, who belonged to the extra class Avenger. However, to their surprise, his inherent strength was pitiably weak, and he was quickly eliminated. Yet, the accompanying evil and distortion he brought were extraordinarily strong, leading to the Greater Grail being tainted by the resentment embedded in his soul, causing the magical ritual to fail once more. This also laid the groundwork for the subsequent Fourth and Fifth Wars.

Perhaps if it weren't for the Einzbern family's meddling, these troubles wouldn't have occurred, and the Holy Grail War might have concluded in the Third. Considering the stories of the two homunculi, Irisviel and Illyasviel, it was evident that this family was more of a hindrance than a help.

However, it seemed he didn't have the right to criticize them this time, as his own Servant also appeared to be an extra Avenger... Count of Monte Cristo.

Speaking of which, if the Count were to enter the Holy Grail, would he perhaps purify the black mud, similar to how Angra Mainyu would negate his own negativity?

No, such a thing was completely impossible to consider.

"..."

"Mr. Roy."

Kotomine Risei's voice pulled Roy's thoughts back to reality.

As the referee, his work could be considered done at this point, and he should be sending Roy off. But looking at the silver cross still hanging in Roy's hand and his rather pleasant face, he let out a slight sigh and advised.

"Mr. Roy, to be frank, you are the only ordinary person in this Holy Grail War, so your situation will be very dangerous. The Holy Grail War revolves around the mystical side of magic, and as an ordinary person, you shouldn't take unnecessary risks."

"If possible, please summon your Servant as soon as you can to ensure your safety. If your Servant is eliminated during the war, please forfeit immediately and come here to seek refuge from the church. Kirei and I will always be here."

"Finally, may the Lord bless his believers... Amen."

"Amen."

After a moment, Roy also mimicked the gesture of making the sign of the cross.

"Thank you for the information, Father Kotomine. May the Lord bless you as well."

"Then I shall take my leave."

"Alright, goodbye, young friend Roy. I hope you remain safe."

...

Meanwhile, in a luxurious mansion somewhere in Fuyuki City.

An elegant man with a goatee received the information from the church in Fuyuki City.

It was regarding the seventh Master, Roy.

Seeing the paper crane familiar that flew into his hand, Tokiomi Tohsaka extended his finger to unfold it.

The information recorded on it surprised him a bit.

"Oh, the seventh Master is actually not a magus, but an ordinary person caught up in this?"

"Hmm… it seems he's also a bit of a thug. There are no traces of him using magic or having contact with the mystical side in past records. It looks like he is simply an ordinary person, just a lucky one chosen by the Holy Grail."

After reading this freshly obtained information, Tokiomi Tohsaka felt genuine disdain, full of contempt for Roy's existence.

To him, someone like Roy, an ordinary person selected by the Holy Grail and accidentally involved in their ritual, posed no threat at all. Even if he could summon a Servant using the Holy Grail and the ley lines' magical energy, he wouldn't be able to provide any mana to the Servant without a magic circuit.

Therefore, Roy would undoubtedly be the first Master to be eliminated in this Holy Grail War.

From this point on, the Holy Grail War had already become a contest among six participants.

Now, counting himself, all the Masters for this Holy Grail War had appeared, and among these seven Masters, half were not a concern for him.

Kirei Kotomine was his trusted disciple, who would not only pose no threat to him but would also assist him in achieving the final victory.

As for the other peculiar participants, the already fallen Matou family couldn't even produce a suitable contestant and had given up on the three main classes. Additionally, the magus hired by the Einzbern family was also insignificant, and the Clock Tower's ungraduated students were even less concerning. Now, there was even an ordinary person caught up in this.

To Tokiomi Tohsaka, these four participants posed no threat to him at all. The only one he needed to be wary of was the renowned Lord of the Department of Mineralogy from the Clock Tower, Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald.

Facing Kayneth, who was known as a prodigy in the magic world, Tokiomi Tohsaka knew he had no hope of winning in a straightforward contest of magical skill, but things were different now.

The Holy Grail War was not merely a contest of magical prowess.

This time, even the Church, as the arbitrating party, stood on his side. With Kirei's assistance, he had two Servants at his disposal. Moreover, to ensure victory, he had spent a high price to acquire a legendary relic and prepared to use it as a medium to summon the strongest Heroic Spirit.

With such an absolute advantage, he was confident that even that Lord would not be able to defeat him. This Holy Grail War was already in his pocket.

With the timing, location, and support on his side, how could he lose?

Suppressing the restlessness in his heart, Tokiomi Tohsaka's excited hands trembled slightly, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curve upward.

"The long-cherished wish of the Tohsaka family... is it finally going to be realized in my generation...?"