This Is My Holy Grail War

Assassin was a wraith forgotten by the world and even by himself. Only by standing here, in this place, could he feel his own existence. He was unlike other Heroic Spirits—a forgotten one.

Heroic Spirits were remembered by the world. In the Throne of Heroes, each and every one was celebrated!

Even if they perished in the Holy Grail War, they would not vanish completely. Thus, it was rare for a Heroic Spirit to harbor a pure desire for survival. Isn't that something to be envied?

How desperately Assassin wished to be like such a hero—never forgotten, never abandoned.

This was Assassin's simplest wish: to live.

Thus, when faced with Lancer's rejection, he couldn't help but pose a question about Lancer's past.

"I ask you, Lancer. If loyalty and honor were placed before you, and you could choose only one, which would it be?"

From within the dense, impenetrable fog came a slow, deep voice. It carried a heavy gloom, starkly different from Assassin's usual demeanor. If before he had seemed like a dark cloud obscuring the sun, now he resembled the pitch-black thunderclouds before a storm.

Lancer responded without hesitation, his voice resolute. "Loyalty is a part of honor, and honor is the lifelong pursuit of a knight." He chose both.

"But honor is not a part of loyalty!" Assassin's shadow trembled slightly—perhaps in laughter. "If you choose honor, you must inevitably compromise your loyalty."

"Your Master is a magus, is he not?" Assassin continued, answering his own question. "Maguses are not virtuous beings. For victory, they'll stop at nothing. If you choose loyalty, your honor will surely be tarnished!"

"I will handle it all," Lancer replied. "A true knight must make his own choices."

"But a knight's choices are sometimes neither loyal nor honorable," Assassin said meaningfully, causing Lancer to pause slightly. Then, Assassin's next words pierced Lancer's heart like a sharp blade.

"I've heard a story—a story of a noble man." Assassin refrained from naming names outright, aware that Kirei Kotomine was observing from the shadows.

"He was a warrior who prided himself on loyalty but betrayed his lord. He eloped with his lord's fiancée and even killed his lord's foster mother. Many must have heard of this tale, haven't they?"

Everyone present was bewildered, save for Lancer, whose expression grew grim. He knew exactly who Assassin was talking about. It was too obvious, nearly a direct accusation! However, Assassin held back, avoiding directly exposing Lancer's true name.

To be precise, most people already knew that Assassin was referencing the tale of Diarmuid Ua Duibhne. But few realized that Diarmuid himself was Lancer in this Holy Grail War.

Assassin's words had effectively laid bare Lancer's history. Left at a disadvantage in the exchange, Lancer remained silent. Yet in that moment, his Master's voice came to his defense.

Kenneth, who had summoned Lancer, was well aware of his Servant's true name. He understood why a few words from Assassin could strike such a nerve.

"You pitiful Assassin, your wish is even more pathetic!" Kenneth amplified his voice with magecraft, broadcasting it like a loudspeaker as he mocked Assassin.

"You've been striving all this time, haven't you? Struggling just to survive? How laughable... because you'll never succeed! Ha ha ha!" Kenneth's laughter was laced with cruelty, and Assassin could sense the mage's presence nearby.

Assassin ignored Kenneth, but the magus was relentless.

"Silent, are we?" Kenneth taunted. "Do you want to know why?"

"Assassin, you're nothing more than a pawn. In fact, your Master, Kirei Kotomine, is just like you—a pawn! The difference is, Kirei is a willing one, while you are not!"

Kenneth ruthlessly exposed the thin veil between Assassin and Kirei. "Tokiomi Tohsaka, Kirei's former mentor, was the one who entrusted him with Command Spells. Then Kirei betrayed Tokiomi to join this Holy Grail War. Don't tell me you weren't aware of this!"

Kenneth's words sounded confident, but they were merely speculation, pieced together from observations of Kirei's actions. Whether true or not, it was a risk-free move: if false, it was harmless; if true, it could potentially shatter the trust between Assassin and Kirei.

"Betrayal among magi is common, but Kirei Kotomine is fascinating. A flawless enforcer of justice—why would he pursue the Grail? There's only one reason: he's acting under the Church's orders to assist a magus. My guess? His mentor, Tokiomi Tohsaka!"

Damn it, you're setting me up! Assassin cursed internally. As long as that connection remained unspoken, Kirei wouldn't take any drastic actions.

Kenneth persisted in his attempts to sow discord between Assassin and Kirei. But instead of breeding hatred toward Kirei, his incessant provocations only fueled Assassin's resentment toward Kenneth.

After all, who would willingly serve as a stepping stone for someone else's victory? Assassin refused to be that. Yet now, with his relationship with Kirei laid bare, everything was unraveling.

"How about joining me instead, Assassin?" Kenneth's voice dripped with temptation. "Altering a Command Spell's contract is trivial for me. If you agree, I can provide you with ample mana. You wouldn't even need the Grail to grant your wish—I could make sure you remain in this world forever."

Kenneth's earlier words might have been tolerable, but his offer to alter Assassin's contract crossed the line. Kirei didn't hesitate. He issued an immediate command, assessing that Assassin might defect.

"With this Command Spell, I order you—Assassin, attack Lancer!"

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