"Lord Roy, shall we begin the training?"
The moment Tohsaka Rin left alone, Hayasaka Ai sighed in resignation. She slapped her cheeks lightly, steeled herself, and assumed the flawless, self-sacrificial posture of a maid prepared to endure anything. Entering the living room, however, she froze—Roy and Kasumigaoka Utaha were already dressed as if ready to head out.
"There's no rush for training. First, we're going to the commercial district."Roy had shed his loungewear and slipped into a long coat.
"Utaha only arrived here yesterday. The house doesn't have many of the daily necessities she'll need. We have to stock up. And you as well, Hayasaka—you'll be living here for the time being. We'll need to buy supplies for you too."
Kasumigaoka Utaha had changed into another crisp, office-style outfit.She muttered inwardly with annoyance—just how many sets of identical business attire did the Aozaki household have lying around?
"…There's no helping it."Hayasaka Ai nodded obediently.
Before long, the three had locked up the estate and were making their way toward the shopping street.
Fuyuki City—or rather, New Fuyuki City—was not large. The old Fuyuki had been reduced to ashes in the great calamity ten years ago. The present New Fuyuki was rebuilt on the ruins.
Now counted as one of the last four base cities of Japan, it held a population of roughly two hundred thousand. Its skyline was modest, lacking the forest of skyscrapers it once boasted. Even the most bustling commercial district was comparable only to a small countryside town. Still, the necessities of life were adequately supplied.
"Lord Roy, may I ask you a few questions?"As they walked, Kasumigaoka Utaha glanced toward him cautiously.
"Of course. If I can answer, I will."Roy walked at the front, speaking with casual ease without even turning his head.
From the rear, Hayasaka Ai observed him carefully. Glasses on—that meant he was in his approachable mood. Good. Maybe she could listen in safely.
She too had only crossed into this world a few days ago, knowing little of its structure. Her ears perked up.
"You mentioned Misaki City earlier, when speaking with Mayor Tohsaka. Is that also one of the base cities?"
"That's right. Fuyuki City, Misaki City, Tokyo City, and Kanfuko City. Together, they're Japan's four base cities."
Both girls fell into silence, frowning as they digested the words.
Tokyo City, they understood—that was obviously the old Tokyo. But Fuyuki, Misaki, Kanfuko… these names were utterly unfamiliar. They had never existed in their original world. The difference weighed on them.
Were people they knew drawn into this world as well?At least in Tokyo, perhaps they might find some trace of their loved ones.
Kasumigaoka Utaha silently prayed—her family lived in Tokyo. She could only hope they hadn't been dragged into this strange, chaotic reality.
"…I have a rather forward question," she finally said, her voice hesitant. "What exactly is the Holy Grail War?"
Hayasaka Ai gave a nearly imperceptible nod.
Yes, forward indeed. She herself had served Tohsaka Rin for over ten days and had never dared ask something so direct. She had thought it too reckless. Yet this Utaha, in only a single day, had dared to bring up the most sensitive subject of all.
Still… she couldn't deny her own curiosity. Grail Wars, wish-granting—these things gnawed at her mind. She decided to take the opportunity and quietly listen.
"The Holy Grail War is a magical ritual," Roy explained evenly.
"You're both familiar with the concept of the Holy Grail in the broader sense, aren't you? The cup from Christian legend, said to have held the wine of Christ. Believers claimed it possessed miraculous powers. That's why so many legends were born around it. In Europe alone, there are over two hundred 'true' Grails, each church claiming theirs is genuine. Even if Christ himself were resurrected, he couldn't tell which one was real."
He paused briefly, then continued:
"The Grail in the Holy Grail War, however, does possess that kind of miraculous power. Obtain it, and it can grant wishes—any wish, even immortality."
"To earn that chance, seven chosen Masters summon Heroic Spirits and battle one another. The last remaining pair of Master and Servant claims the prize. That ritual is what we call the Holy Grail War."
Utaha and Hayasaka nearly choked on air.
A Grail that could grant any wish? Immortality itself? Summoned Heroic Spirits fighting at their Masters' sides?The idea was so outlandish that it left them reeling.
"Of course, that's only the surface version." Roy's tone sharpened. "The Grail is powerful, almost omnipotent—but not truly limitless. The so-called Three Founding Families—Einzbern, Tohsaka, and Matō—spread that myth of an 'all-powerful wish machine' to lure people into their ritual."
"Besides, the Grail has long since lost the function of granting wishes. As proof—ten years ago, the Fourth Holy Grail War, held right here in Fuyuki City, was the very cause of the great calamity."
"The cause…?"Utaha's eyes widened in alarm. Her mind raced.
"Lord Roy, are you saying… this broken world we live in—the calamity that ruined everything—was caused by the Holy Grail War?"
Hayasaka Ai felt her temples throb.What?The Grail War caused this?And the last one took place here, in this very city?
Suddenly the ground beneath her felt hot, as if flames still licked the ruins.
"Yes," Roy confirmed, nodding gravely. "The Fourth War became the origin of the disaster. That's common knowledge in the magical world. The Grail was corrupted, twisted into a 'Black Grail.' From a wish-granting device, it became a weapon of destruction. Someone must have wished for the world to be destroyed. And the Grail… granted it."
That was the great calamity of ten years ago—the fire that burned across the globe for an entire year.
Both girls sat stunned, their worldviews shattered.
A wish machine was one thing. But someone had truly used it to wish for the world's annihilation?What kind of hatred did it take to curse the world like that?
"After the disaster, the Three Families responsible for creating the Grail War faced punishment from the Mage's Association," Roy continued. "The Tohsaka and Matō clans surrendered their magical patents. The Einzberns gave up their homunculus research."
"…That's all?"Utaha's tone brimmed with disbelief.
"For the ones who caused this? That's an absurdly light sentence."
Her words dripped with resentment. If not for those families, she wouldn't have ended up a refugee in a broken world.
Even Hayasaka, normally reserved, found herself muttering in agreement.
Only after speaking did she realize—her mistress Rin was a Tohsaka. She winced inwardly. Best to hope Rin never heard that.
"Don't mistake the Mage's Association for something noble." Roy's voice was cold. "They don't care about humanity's survival. What they care about is the survival of magecraft. Humanity only matters to them as the vessel through which magecraft is passed down."
"…I think my tolerance for absurdity just hit a new low.""…Same here."
Utaha and Hayasaka both sighed heavily, faces twisted with shared frustration.