A dimensional journey starting from the Dragon Clan

The magicians colluded with each other and organized a self-defense group called the "Association" to compete with the threat of the Templar Church. Now the two sides have reached an agreement and have achieved temporary peace. Despite this, it would have been an unlikely thing for the priests and magicians of the Holy Church to gather together for talks. According to his father Risei, although the Tohsaka family is a family of magicians, they have had a deep connection with the church since very early on.

Looking at the three traces of pattern appearing on the back of his right hand, Kirei was thinking about what happened last night. After discussing with his father, Risheng took his son to Toriya early in the morning and introduced him to the young magician.

After that, just after greeting Tokiomi, he explained to Kirei the secret talk about the "Holy Grail War" just now. The meaning of the pattern that appears on Kirei's hand...that is, when the Fourth Holy Grail is about to arrive three years later, Kirei also has the right to compete for the "Wish Machine" that creates miracles.

There is nothing inherently objectionable about putting yourself in a fight. In the Holy Church, Kirei's duty is actually to directly eliminate heretics on the ground, which means that he is experienced in many battles.

It was his job to fight to the death with magicians. But the paradox of the problem is the Holy Grail battle between magicians. Why was Kirei, a priest, selected as a "magician" to participate in this battle?

"The essence of the Holy Grail battle is to send Servants to fight. Therefore, in order to defeat others, a summoner must have a certain degree of magic training... Originally, the seven Masters selected by the Holy Grail for Servants must all be magicians. People like you have nothing to do with magic. It’s really strange for anyone with any relationship to be noticed by the Holy Grail so early.”

"Is there any order in selecting candidates for the Holy Grail?"

Tokiomi nodded to the question that Kirei seemed not to fully understand.

"The 'three founding families' mentioned earlier - the Matou family, the Einzbern family and the Tohsaka family's magicians have priority in being granted command spells. In other words..."

Tokiomi raised his right hand, showing the three patterns carved on the back of his hand.

"As the current head of the Tohsaka family, I will participate in the next battle."

So, even though this man guided Kirei so kindly and patiently, does he plan to have a sword fight with him in the near future?

Although he didn’t quite understand these words, Kirei decided to continue asking questions step by step.

"What did you mean by Servant just now? Summoning a heroic spirit to make it a shikigami means..."

"It's hard to believe, but it's true. This can be said to be the jaw-dropping thing about the Holy Grail."

"Those strong men and great men who have left their names in history and legends, and who have become eternal memories in the human world, will break away from the category of human beings after their death and be promoted to elves, so they are called 'heroic spirits'. That and magic There are essential differences between the monsters, ghosts and the like that masters usually control. They can be said to be equivalent to gods. Even if someone can borrow part of their power for their own use through summoning, they should be regarded as shikigami. To use it in the real world, this is indeed something that is unimaginable.”

"It is the power of the Holy Grail to make the impossible possible. Think about it this way, it is such a powerful treasure. After all, summoning Servants is only a small part of the power of the Holy Grail."

As if saying this, Tokiomi took a deep breath and shook his head as if it was incredible.

"In history from the modern century to the beginning of ancient chaos, all heroic spirits can be summoned. The seven heroic spirits are subordinate to the seven Masters, and while defending their own Masters, they drive out their opponents...Heroes of all eras and all countries. They are all resurrected in modern times, fighting each other for the Holy Grail, that is Fuyuki's Holy Grail War."

"...How could such an incredible thing happen? In a place where tens of thousands of residents live?"

"All magicians try their best to hide their whereabouts. This is a common belief. In modern times where science is believed as the only universal principle, this is the attitude that should be taken as a matter of course. In this way, the Holy Church will never The magician’s existence is made public.”

Speaking of heroic spirits, just one person has tremendous power to cause disaster. As a tool for human wars to fight against each other, seven heroic spirits called "Servants" will appear... This is no different from modern wars that use large-scale killing weapons.

"... Of course, the duel is conducted in secret. This is a self-evident rule. In order to thoroughly implement this, special personnel must be assigned to supervise."

Kirei's father, Father Risei, who had remained silent, interrupted here.

"This is the fourth Holy Grail War that happens every sixty years. Japan has started to be civilized since the second war. Even though it is a remote place in the far east, it is impossible to completely cover up the big war. sabotage on a massive scale.

Therefore, from the beginning of the Third Holy Grail War, our Holy Church will send people to supervise.

Minimize the harm caused by the Holy Grail War, hide those existences, and make the magicians abide by the rules that have been set in advance. "

"Does it mean that the church will act as the referee in the battle between magicians?"

"It is precisely because it is a fight between magicians. If you are a member of the Magic Association, you will always be involved in factional disputes, and you will not be able to make a fair judgment. Therefore, the people of the Association will rely on outside authority.

Moreover, this treasure that started everything has been named the Holy Grail, and we, the Holy Church, cannot sit idly by. This is because the possibility that it inherited the true blood crystal of the Son of God cannot be ignored. "

Both Kirei and Rizheng, father and son, belong to the Eighth Secret Society—the department responsible for managing and recycling holy relics in the Holy Church.

The secret treasure called the "Holy Grail" in various folklore and mythology is largely the same holy object as the Holy Grail in church teachings.

"For this reason, when the Third Holy Grail War broke out last time while taking advantage of the chaos of the World War, I was still young and took on the important task of ruling. In the next Holy Grail War, I will continue to go to Fuyuki. Oversee your battle."

Hearing his father's words, Kirei couldn't help but tilt his head and think.

"Please wait a moment. Isn't it necessary that the person chosen to take on the role of overseer from the Holy Church should be a fair candidate?

Isn't there a problem with someone who is related to him participating in the Holy Grail War..."

"About this, it can be said to be the blind spot of this rule."

Seeing his usually stern father showing a rare smile, Kirei felt that he couldn't figure it out.

"Kotomine, please don't deliberately make your son confused. Let's get to the point quickly."

Tokiomi Tosaka urged the old priest to continue speaking with meaningful words.

"Well, that's it - Kirei, what we have talked about so far has only been about the 'appearance' of the Holy Grail. There is another reason why I, you and Tohsaka-sama are gathered together today."

"……you are right?"

"Actually, the Holy Grail that appeared in Fuyuki was not the holy relic of the 'God's Miko'. We found the conclusive evidence a long time ago. In the end, what was fought for in the Holy Grail War in Fuyuki City was just Taoyuan Township. It’s just a replica of the Cauldron of Omnipotence. It’s just a treasure that magicians need. It’s a fake that has nothing to do with our church.”

It is indeed possible. If this were not the case, how could the Holy Church be willing to only serve as "supervisor"? If it was related to the Holy Grail, the "holy relic", the church would definitely take the Holy Grail away from the magician even if it broke the truce.

"If the original purpose of the Holy Grail War is to serve only as a means to reach the 'Vortex of the Source', it has nothing to do with our church, and we have nothing to do with it. Because the magicians' desire for the 'Source' is not in harmony with Our teachings are in conflict.

——But, having said that, the power of the Fuyuki Holy Grail is too powerful if left unchecked. In any case, it is a universal machine that can realize any wish. If it falls into the hands of some extremists, I don’t know what kind of disaster it will cause. "

"Then, if we exclude him as a heretic——"

"That's also very difficult. The magicians' obsession with this Holy Grail is unusual. If you interrogate it from the front, it will definitely conflict with the Magic Association. In that case, the sacrifice will be too great. As a second best option, if possible, , it would be better to entrust Fuyuki's Holy Grail to the person we expect to entrust it to."

"……I see."

Kirei also gradually understood the true purpose of this meeting. However, the reason for the relationship between his father and the magician Tokiomi Tohsaka is still unclear.

"The Tosaka family has been implementing the same doctrine as ours since a long time ago, when the faith of the motherland was suppressed. As for Tokiomi-kun himself, his character can be guaranteed, and he clearly stipulated the purpose of the Holy Grail."

Tosaka Tokiomi nodded and continued what the priest said.

"Reaching the 'roots'. We, the Tosaka family, only have this one wish. But - unfortunately, the Einzbern and Matou families, who have the same ambition as us, have gradually lost their original roots in the process of passing down the generations. Now I have completely forgotten my original ambition. It’s better not to say anything about the four Masters recruited from outside. It’s easy to imagine what kind of shallow desire you have to pursue the Holy Grail.”

In other words, the only person recognized by the Holy Church as qualified to possess the Holy Grail is Tosaka Tokiomi.

Kirei finally understood the role he had to assume.

"Then I just need to help Tosaka Tokiomi-sama achieve victory and participate in the next Holy Grail War, right?"

"That's it."

At this time, I finally saw a smile on Tohsaka Tokiomi's lips.

"Of course, on the surface, you and I must pretend to be enemies competing for the Holy Grail. But in fact, we fight together and work together to expel and annihilate the remaining five Masters. In order to obtain a more certain victory."

Listening to Tokiomi's words, Father Risei nodded solemnly. With the Templar Church acting as a neutral judge, this situation has turned into a farce. The church also got involved with this Holy Grail War out of its own considerations.

Even so, Kirei had no reason to deny it. If the church's intentions are clear, as an agent oneself only needs to carry them out faithfully.

"Kirei-kun, you will transfer from the Holy Church to the Magic Association through this form of dispatch and become my disciple."

Tosaka Tokiomi continued to speak impartially.

"You said - change of ownership, right?"

"The official document has been issued, Kirei."

After Father Li Zheng said this, he handed over an official document. It was signed by the Holy Church and the Magic Association, and was written as a notification document received by Kotomine Kirei. Seeing how efficiently they worked, Kirei was beyond surprised and a little dumbfounded. It's only been two days, and things have already progressed to this point rapidly.

In the final analysis, there was no room for Kirei's personal intervention until the very end. But there's no need to be angry about this. Originally, Kirei had no will of his own.

"For the time being, you have to practice magic day and night at your home in Japan. The next Holy Grail War will be three years later. Until then, you must become a magician who can control Servants and participate in battles as a Master. "

"But... doesn't it matter? If I openly become your disciple, won't others suspect that we are secretly cooperating in future struggles?"

Tokiomi smiled coldly and shook his head.

"You don't understand magicians yet. It's commonplace in our world for magicians and apprentices to kill each other due to conflicts of interest."

"Oh I got it."

Although Kirei didn't think he knew the magician, he still had a certain understanding of the general personality of a person like the magician.

After all, he is an agent of the church who has fought head-on battles with "heretic" magicians several times. The number of people he has personally handled exceeds ten or twenty.

"So, do you have any other questions?"

Tokiomi finally asked, and Kirei asked about the origin.

"There is only one - what criteria does the Holy Grail use to select its Master?"

Tokiomi didn't seem to expect that he would ask this. The magician frowned and answered after a while.

"The Holy Grail...of course gives priority to the Master who truly needs it. Among them, the top ones are the 'Founding Three Families' that I just mentioned, including Tohsaka."

"So all Masters have a reason to desire the Holy Grail?"

"It's not all like that. To reproduce the Holy Grail, seven Masters are needed. If there are not seven Masters in the current magic world, people who would not have been chosen as the main candidates may be awarded the Command Seal. It seems that this happened in the past. Example—ah, that’s it.”

When Tokiomi answered like this, he seemed to suddenly understand Kirei's doubts.

"Kirei-kun, you seem to be still confused about being chosen, right?"