Type-Moon, Path of the Magus

“Ah… To be honest, I’m actually quite a devout Christian myself.”

Xia Yuan reached into his pocket, then took out a silver cross pendant he had bought from a gift shop before and handed it to Kirei Kotomine.

Seeing the cross in Xia Yuan’s palm, Kirei Kotomine couldn’t help but smile, his attitude noticeably becoming more friendly: “No wonder. I didn’t expect Mr. Xia Yuan to be a follower of the Lord as well. If you have time, you can come here to pray.”

“But unfortunately, that Holy Grail is not the sacred vessel containing the blood of Christ, but just a term. Essentially, it’s an omnipotent wish-granting machine that can fulfill any wish.”

“Ah… That’s a pity then. I thought I could actually see the legendary sacred relic,” Xia Yuan said with feigned disappointment, his tone slightly surprised.

“But… an omnipotent wish-granting machine? Like Aladdin’s lamp, does such a thing really exist?”

“Who knows? Although the Holy Grail War ritual has been held several times, each time it failed due to some force majeure factors. So the Holy Grail only exists in rumors, and no one has seen it yet.”

“Then what is the Holy Grail War?”

Seeing Xia Yuan getting a bit anxious, Kirei Kotomine waved his hand, gesturing for him to calm down, and continued to explain: “The so-called Holy Grail War is a war where seven chosen Masters fight with their summoned Servants for the ownership of the Holy Grail, and the reward for the final victor is the Holy Grail itself.”

After listening to Kirei Kotomine’s explanation, Xia Yuan nodded.

Although Kirei Kotomine was a biased referee, he indeed didn’t hide any information about the rules, reporting everything truthfully. Xia Yuan wasn’t sure if it was because his fabricated identity as a believer had improved Kotomine’s impression of him, or if Kotomine thought an ordinary person like him posed no threat, or perhaps both.

As for the failure of the Holy Grail War, he understood it fairly well.

According to the setting of the Type-Moon world:

The first time was because the Holy Grail system had just been established. The participating Masters and Servants had no experience or awareness of cooperation. The Masters didn’t even have Command Spells to bind the Servants, so they couldn’t control the Servants’ actions. Due to various factors, the first Holy Grail War directly collapsed.

The second Holy Grail War, although it learned from the lessons of the first and created the Command Spell system and planned various rules, still failed due to instability and other factors.

It wasn’t until the third refinement that the construction of the Holy Grail system was truly completed.

But all the karmic ties also started from the third time.

During the third war, due to the disastrous failures of the previous two, the Einzbern family had the idea of causing trouble. They violated the rules and summoned Angra Mainyu as the extra class Avenger. However, they didn’t expect that its strength was pitifully weak and it quickly retreated. But the evil and distortion it carried were extremely strong, causing the Greater Grail to be polluted by the resentment carried in its soul. This led to another failure of the magical ritual and laid hidden dangers for the fourth and fifth wars.

Perhaps if this family hadn’t messed things up, there wouldn’t have been all these troubles later. Maybe the Holy Grail War would have concluded in the third iteration. Thinking about the stories of the two homunculi, Irisviel and Illyasviel, from the results, this family truly excelled at failing rather than succeeding.

However, it seemed he had no right to criticize them this time, as his own Servant’s class also appeared to be the extra Avenger — the Count of Monte Cristo.

Speaking of which, if the Count were to enter the Holy Grail like Angra Mainyu, would they cancel each other out and purify the black mud?

No, that’s impossible no matter how you think about it.

“…”

“Mr. Xia Yuan.”

Kirei Kotomine’s voice brought Xia Yuan’s thoughts back to reality.

His work as a referee should have been finished by now, and he should be seeing his guest off. But looking at the silver cross still hanging on Xia Yuan’s hand, and that not-unpleasant face, he sighed slightly and then advised:

“Mr. Xia Yuan, if I may be frank, you are the only ordinary person in this Holy Grail War, so your situation will be very dangerous. The Holy Grail War is a magical ritual centered around the mystical side, and as an ordinary person, you don’t need to take risks.

If possible, please summon your Servant as soon as possible to ensure your safety. If your Servant is eliminated during the war, please forfeit immediately and come here to seek the church’s protection. Kirei and I will always be here.”

“Finally, may the Lord bless His follower… Amen.”

“Amen.”

After a pause, Xia Yuan also imitated the gesture of Amen and made a cross.

“Thank you for informing me, Father Kotomine. May the Lord bless you as well.”

“Then I’ll take my leave now.”

“Alright, goodbye, young friend Xia Yuan. I hope you’ll be safe and sound.”

…

Meanwhile, in a luxurious manor in Fuyuki City.

The elegant man with a goatee also received intelligence from the Fuyuki Church.

Information about the seventh Master — Xia Yuan.

Seeing the paper crane familiar flying 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 not a magus, but an ordinary person caught up in this?”

“Hmm… It seems he’s even a small-time hoodlum. There are no traces of him using magecraft or having contact with the mystical side in past records. This way, he should be purely an ordinary person, merely a lucky one chosen by the Holy Grail.”

After reading this newly acquired intelligence, Tokiomi Tohsaka felt genuinely disdainful, and was full of contempt for Xia Yuan’s existence.

To him, an ordinary person like Xia Yuan who was chosen by the Holy Grail and mistakenly entered their ritual posed absolutely no threat. Even if he could summon a Servant using the mana from the Holy Grail and the leylines, without magic circuits, he wouldn’t be able to supply mana to the Servant.

Therefore, this Xia Yuan would definitely be the first Master to be eliminated in this Holy Grail War.

So from now on, this Holy Grail War was already just a war of six people.

Now, including himself, all the Masters for this Holy Grail War had appeared, and among these seven Masters, half of them were of no concern to him.

Kirei Kotomine was his trusted disciple, who not only wouldn’t threaten him but would assist him in achieving final victory.

As for the other eccentrics, there was no need to mention them. The already declining Matou family couldn’t even produce a suitable candidate for participation and had even given up on the three knight classes. Then there was the heretical magus hired by the Einzberns who was not worth worrying about, and the not-yet-graduated student from the Clock Tower wasn’t even worth mentioning. Now there was also an ordinary person who got caught up in this.

These four participants, in Tokiomi Tohsaka’s view, posed no threat to him at all. The only one he needed to guard against in this competition was the famous Lord El-Melloi of the Clock Tower’s Mineralogy department, Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald.

Facing this Kayneth, who was hailed as a prodigy in the world of magecraft, Tokiomi Tohsaka knew he had no hope if it came down to just comparing magical prowess. But now it was different.

The Holy Grail War wasn’t just about comparing magical prowess.

This time, even the Holy Church, which was supposed to be the referee, was on his side. He also had Kirei’s assistance, so he had two Servants as his combat power. Moreover, to ensure victory, he had spent a high price to acquire that relic that only existed in legends — [The Shed Skin of the Primordial Serpent], and planned to use it as a catalyst to summon that strongest heroic spirit.

With such absolute advantages, he was confident that even that Lord couldn’t defeat him. This Holy Grail War was already in the bag.

With time, place, and human factors all on his side, how could he possibly lose when he had such overwhelming advantages?

Suppressing the excitement in his heart, Tokiomi Tohsaka’s palms trembled slightly with excitement, and the corners of his mouth couldn’t help but turn upwards.

“The long-cherished wish of the Tohsaka family… is it finally going to be realized in my generation…”

[There is an image here that can be viewed in the updated version]

Chapter 8: Cherry Blossoms and Fire

Time: Night.

Location: Suburbs of Fuyuki City.

“Master, you really have a way with things. Just a trip to the church, and you’ve already packaged yourself as a believer,” the Count laughed, seeing Xia Yuan return with a black Bible in his hands and a shiny silver cross on his chest.

At the same time, he thought to himself that his Master really knew how to surprise him.

With his keen eye, he could tell that these two items were not some common street merchandise. They carried a faint blessing. 

The black-covered Bible in his hand was a genuine article produced and blessed by the Holy Church, and the cross was also a special tool that had been soaked in holy water. It actually had some exorcising effect, and the incantations on it were enough to deal with the lowest-level Dead Apostles.

Although they couldn’t be considered too precious treasures, they weren’t items that could be casually given away. The fact that the priest of the Fuyuki Church easily gave them to an ordinary person he had just met for the first time was indeed surprising.

The Count thought: To gain such a good impression from the church side at their first meeting, his Master really always does unexpected things.

“I didn’t expect that old priest to be so enthusiastic, or perhaps I should say devout. I just mentioned it casually to try to build a rapport, and when I was leaving, he stuffed these gifts into my hands. He even invited me to try working as a pastor at the Fuyuki Church after the Holy Grail War ends.”

“Well, congratulations then, Master. Being accepted by the church side could indeed be a way out. However, you should also be careful. Compared to magi, these priests are no pushovers either.”

Seeing the Count’s strange expression, Xia Yuan smiled bitterly and added, “I haven’t betrayed you, you know. You have to believe me.”

“Heh, of course I believe you, Master. If you really wanted to betray me, you could have just used a Command Spell to make me commit suicide remotely at the church. Why bother coming back and taking this risk?”

The Count sat down next to Xia Yuan, seemingly unconcerned, flipping through the Bible in his hand while saying, “Those church folks claim to act in the name of the Lord. Although they appear righteous, they’re actually just as corrupt, no better than the Mage’s Association. Master, you need to be careful when dealing with them.”

“I know that too.”

Xia Yuan nodded, agreeing with the Count’s words. “That Father Kotomine seemed like a decent person, but he’s ultimately someone who has violated the rules. A biased referee who already sides with other participants is certainly not worthy of trust.”

Recalling what Kirei Kotomine had said, and thinking about the dealings he had made with Tokiomi Tohsaka, Xia Yuan could guess that at this moment, Tokiomi Tohsaka had already obtained all the information about him.

However, he wasn’t concerned about this leak of information. On the contrary, he wanted to thank the church for helping to confuse the situation. He had only become a magus yesterday, while the church’s information was just his details from not long ago.

Through his conversation with Kirei Kotomine, he could confirm that in the information they had collected, he was still just an ordinary person who couldn’t even provide mana, and they hadn’t become suspicious.

This information gap would allow him to hide and give him more room to maneuver.

Even when the Holy Grail War begins, they would classify him as an outsider with no competitive threat. Although the possibility that they might eliminate him first couldn’t be ruled out, as long as he hides deep enough, no one would be willing to actively expose themselves for someone like him.

No one would do something as stupid as prematurely revealing their position and combat power for a combination that has no chance of winning.

So if he could lay low, his safety factor was actually quite high.

After careful consideration, Xia Yuan decided not to dwell on this matter for too long.

He looked towards a huge building not far from here, let out a sigh, and lowered his head to think, his expression changing unpredictably, as if he was engaged in some kind of internal struggle.

He secretly glanced at the Count beside him, who was flipping through the Bible, slightly opened his mouth as if wanting to say something, but after hesitating for a while, he finally put his hand down.

“No… it’s impossible after all. Attacking the Matou family… it’s just too outrageous.”

Just like other isekai predecessors, Xia Yuan also yearned to change the tragedy.

The Matou family was the biggest tragedy he knew of.

If the Fourth Holy Grail War was a collection of tragedies, then the biggest victims in this tragedy were undoubtedly Rin Tohsaka and Kariya Matou, two pitiful people.

The former, because of her father Tokiomi Tohsaka’s foolish good intentions, was adopted into the Matou family. He didn’t know that the Matou family had already fallen, that his once righteous partner was no longer human, and that their proud butterfly magecraft had degenerated into worm magecraft. This led to little Sakura enduring over ten years of inhumane torture in the worm pit.

Kariya Matou was equally tragic. After trying so hard for many years to escape from that hellish worm pit, he willingly underwent the cruel crest worm modification by the old worm Zouken in order to save little Sakura from her misery. He represented the Matou family in the war, endured a year of torture and modification that turned him into something not quite human, and finally died exhausted in the Fourth Holy Grail War.

If it were a fairy tale of a knight dying to protect a little princess, it would indeed be tragic and beautiful.

But until his death, he never knew that Zouken Matou had no intention of keeping his promise from the very beginning. While he was fighting hard, little Sakura had already been pushed into the worm pit by the old worm. All his efforts were in vain.

Having witnessed such a tragedy across worlds before, he had empathized with it.

Thinking: If only I could save her, if only I could prevent the tragedy.

This was empathy, and Xia Yuan really wanted to try to save them, but he could also clearly recognize his own situation.

In terms of magical prowess, he, who had just opened his magic circuits, wasn’t even fit to tie the shoes of a magecraft grandmaster like the old worm.

If nothing unexpected happened, he would probably be eaten clean by his worm swarm at the first encounter, dying a death more complete than death itself.

But if he let the Count go…

Now that the mana problem had been solved, except for the Berserker summoned by the Matou family, the Count, as a top-tier Servant, could naturally sweep through the entire Matou family.

Even the so-called magecraft grandmaster had no significance in the face of the overwhelming mystical specifications of a Servant. Zouken Matou’s magecraft would absolutely not be able to stir up any waves in the Count’s hands. Even if Lancelot had already been summoned, in his state of madness, he wouldn’t be able to stop the Count with his extreme speed from taking away a person.

But… would doing this really benefit him?

He had no relation to Rin Tohsaka, had never even met her, so why should he take this risk for her? Should he put himself in danger just out of kindness?

Once the Count and himself were exposed, their initiative might very well turn into a passive situation.

Now, none of the Masters had appeared yet. Everyone’s situation was like that of hunters in a dark forest – the deeper they hid, the greater their advantage. Was it really worth acting rashly for someone else’s well-being?

And who would thank him?

There was no reward at all, but he would have to bear the risks and responsibilities.

He himself wasn’t a saint, nor was he as powerful as those isekai predecessors. At best, he was just a small-time hoodlum who knew how to play both sides and had some street fighting skills.

“I… don’t have the power.”

He really couldn’t do anything.

“…Let’s go back.”

After a long internal struggle, Xia Yuan sighed, stood up dejectedly, and called for the Count to return with him.

“…”

However, the Count didn’t move. He just narrowed his eyes and calmly looked at Xia Yuan, lighting a cigarette.

“Count… what are you doing? We should go back, we need to prepare for the upcoming battles.”

“I know.”

“But before we go back, I’d rather have a chat with you first, Master. I can’t pretend I didn’t notice your preoccupied state.”

“Hmm… Is my concern that obvious?”

Xia Yuan smiled bitterly.