In the northeastern corner of Fuyuki City lay a stretch of gentle hills.
Ten years ago, a church belonging to the Holy Church had been built there. But naturally, on the day of the Great Calamity ten years past, that church was reduced to ashes.
Still, the land itself remained valuable—it was one of Fuyuki's four ley lines. Not long after the church's destruction, magi dispatched by the Mage's Association seized the site and established a local branch there.
Of course, their occupation was entirely forcible. They neither purchased nor leased it.
The excuse they gave was simple: "Since the Tōsaka family caused the Great Calamity, surrendering a ley line as punishment is lenient enough."
In truth, the Association's punishment of the Tōsaka clan went far beyond this. These magi simply saw no sense in wasting money on acquiring spiritual ground when they could simply take it.
Why pay when one could plunder?
At the time, Tōsaka Tokiomi had just perished, leaving behind only a young Rin. No matter how talented she was, she could hardly oppose the envoys of the many houses that composed the Association. She had no choice but to swallow the loss in silence.
With a loud bang, the Association branch's heavy doors were slammed open.
A twin-tailed girl strode inside, her face frosted with cold fury, her very presence radiating an intimidating force that made others instinctively step back.
The hall she entered was dimly lit. The weak yellow lamps were far too feeble to illuminate the vast chamber, leaving it no brighter than a basement. The broad expanse of the hall was stripped of decoration, and the only accompaniment was the winter wind howling against the windows.
Several magi stood in the center.
Perched all around them, on poles set up across the hall, were birds, bats, crows, and other winged creatures. They stood motionless, moving only their eyes from time to time.
The atmosphere was steeped in unease.
"So you finally came, little girl of the Tōsaka family."
One of the crows, upon seeing Tōsaka Rin enter, opened its beak and spoke with a human voice.
"Time and again, you arrive a step behind us. Why not simply step down and hand the position of mayor over to us instead?"
"Those nearing their end ought to live cheerfully. If you stay so obsessed with greed and power, one of these days you might drop dead of a heart attack."
Rin pressed a hand to her lips, eyes narrowing into crescent moons as she smiled sweetly, her words dripping venom.
"If you'd just loosen your stranglehold on the magi, my responses would certainly be quicker than yours. Care to test that theory?"
The angrier she became, the brighter her smile grew.
Her gaze flicked past the familiars and landed on the group of magi at the center of the hall.
They were the very same ones who had accompanied the Guard to escort miners beyond the city walls that morning.
The moment they returned to Fuyuki, they had come straight to the Association's branch to report, ignoring her completely.
The only reason she had managed to rush here in time was because someone had sent her word through a familiar. Had these magi heeded her authority in the slightest, she would never have been forced to play catch-up with these so-called elders.
Her eyes scanned them briefly—then stopped on a boy with white hair and crimson eyes.
Roy stood among them, as was only natural. He, too, was a member of the Guard, and the first to sense trouble earlier that day.
"I support Mayor Tōsaka's proposal," Roy said lightly, raising his hand with an easy smile.
The other magi lowered their heads, pretending they hadn't heard.
"Silence! You have no right to speak here!"
The crow snapped harshly.
"You stand here only because of borrowed favor. Know your place, and do not utter words beyond your station!"
"Of course."
Roy pushed his glasses up, the very picture of an obedient child.
"Every time the subject of loosening authority comes up, you start posturing. Clock Tower nobles really are regressing."
Rin's smile tightened into something sharp and mocking, her tone thick with scorn.
"Enough. This isn't the time."
A bat spoke up, attempting to smooth things over.
"Bickering is inefficient. The real issue is to identify what exactly the enemy outside the walls was. Do any of you have useful information to raise our efficiency?"
The magi below looked at one another, then shook their heads in unison.
They had run faster than anyone else—how could they possibly know more?
"Surely you at least sent your familiars to investigate?"
"Of course we did. But investigation takes time…"
The hall dissolved into noisy excuses.
Roy yawned.
Finding their endless posturing tiresome, he turned on his heel and headed for the door without so much as a backward glance.
A derisive chuckle echoed from one of the birds as they noted his departure.
Roy ignored them entirely. Instead, he crooked a finger toward Rin.
"Excuse me," Rin said with a polite smile to the magi, before turning and following him out.
She didn't spare the familiars a single glance.
Now that's proper manners, Roy thought with a twinge of guilt. Unlike him, she had at least bothered with farewells.
Once outside, Rin quickened her steps to draw level with him, their shoulders brushing as they walked side by side.
"You called me out, Mr. Roy. What is it you wished to say?"
"I've got a lead."
"Do you now?" Rin gave him a surprised look.
"And you didn't share it back there?"
"You know me. I can't stand those old relics." Roy smiled innocently.
"By comparison, Mayor Tōsaka's style suits me much better."
"Well, thank you for the compliment, then."
Rin's lips curved into a small, genuine smile. Unlike the polite mask she had worn earlier, this one brimmed with unguarded delight, completing what the other had lacked.
"So then—what did you discover?"
"Our attackers were corrupted Servants," Roy answered without hesitation.
"Truly? Which one?"
Rin's expression immediately hardened.
"You should be asking which one wasn't there."
"…Wait. You mean to say more than one corrupted Servant was present?"
Her face darkened.
"According to my senses, there were five."
Roy rubbed his chin, frowning thoughtfully.
"There are only six corrupted Servants in total, aren't there? Leftovers from the last Holy Grail War, ten years ago."
"Yes. In that war, every Servant except Archer was corrupted. No one knows exactly how or why it happened."
Sorrow briefly clouded Rin's eyes—her father had perished during that very conflict.
But she quickly steadied herself, letting cold analysis replace grief.
"If five of the six corrupted Servants have gathered outside Fuyuki… and if your sensing was accurate, then the reason is obvious."
"With the Fifth Holy Grail War about to begin, their target can only be the Grail itself."