One cannot lie in the presence of a god. Roy maintained a calm, composed expression. "Lady Goddess, please don't mind it."
Roy had discovered that as long as he spoke with a serious face, people would take him seriously no matter how ridiculous the content was—the art of talking serious nonsense. However, this rule didn't seem to work quite as well on the Goddess Astraea.
Facing the rogue-like Roy, Astraea's deep blue eyes flashed with a mix of embarrassment and annoyance. Her small hand reached out to pinch the soft flesh at Roy's waist, giving it a light twist. Even then, she didn't dare use too much force, fearing she might actually hurt him.
Roy, acting like a "dead pig unafraid of boiling water," let a wicked grin spread across his face as he continued his antics.
"You... honestly, even with injuries like these, you still can't behave," Astraea sighed, reaching out a slender, jade-like finger to poke Roy's forehead in mock frustration.
Roy just chuckled. Spending his days traversing worlds like a pro gamer and his nights with Goddess Astraea by his side—this was a life truly fit for an immortal.
The Next Day.
Roy woke up slowly. His bedside companion, Astraea, was gone again, though the lingering, enchanting fragrance on the sheets proved she had indeed slept there.
Roy realized that being heavily injured had its perks. The members of the Familia and their patron deity treated him like a national treasure, looking after him with the utmost care. Sharing a bed with Astraea and occasionally teasing the shy, timid Daphne and Cassandra made his days blissfully comfortable. As the saying goes: "Survival from a great disaster brings great fortune." News of such fortune soon arrived from the Fate/Zero world.
[Divine Descent Target: Kiritsugu Emiya has successfully hunted Diarmuid. Congratulations! You have obtained 300 Attribute Points, Gáe Dearg, and Gáe Buidhe!]
Name: Gáe Dearg (Red Rose of Exorcism) Rank: Epic Special Effect (Mana Stripping): Renders magical defenses useless. A "Noble Phantasm Killer" spear that can only be defended against by physical means.
Name: Gáe Buidhe (Yellow Rose of Mortality) Rank: Epic Special Effect (Incurable Wound): Wounds inflicted by this short spear cannot be healed.
Seeing the reward panel pop up, Roy beamed. Truly, rewards were falling from the sky while he just sat at home.
While he had been sleeping soundly with Astraea in his arms, Kiritsugu Emiya—that powerful "tool"—had already dealt with Kayneth and Diarmuid. Utilizing his "Divine Descent" link, Roy got a general idea of what had happened. Just like the original timeline, Kayneth, seeking revenge after his workshop was bombed, led Diarmuid in an assault on the Einzbern castle.
While Diarmuid faced Artoria, the arrogant and self-important Kayneth insisted on a formal magus duel with Kiritsugu. The outcome was predictable. With his attributes boosted to Level 4, Kiritsugu easily shattered Kayneth's pride and joy, the Mystic Code "Volumen Hydrargyrum," and ground him into the dirt. Kiritsugu was ruthless; while the duel raged, he sent his assistant, Maiya Hisau, to kill Kayneth's fiancée, Sola-Ui.
Kayneth had used his genius to modify the Grail's summoning system, transferring the mana supply for the Servant to Sola-Ui. With both of them dead, Diarmuid was inevitably defeated. Knowing his power came from a "Demon God," Kiritsugu remembered his debt. From eight hundred meters away, a single rocket propelled grenade sent the Lancer on his final journey.
This brought Roy his rewards. He couldn't stop smiling. It was a pity he could only link to one target at a time and that it drained so much mental energy; otherwise, he would have found hundreds of "tools" to fill a warehouse with rewards.
"Good job!" Roy praised internally.
The voice echoed in Kiritsugu's mind. He could feel the Demon God's joy, confirming his suspicion that the souls of Masters and Servants were indeed valuable to this entity. Even now, Kiritsugu's shock had not faded; the power bestowed upon him was immense—enough to let him face a Servant head-on.
Across the dining table, Artoria and his wife, Irisviel, looked at him as if he were a monster. His "god-like" performance had been far too dazzling.
Having delivered the souls of a Master and Servant, it was time to demand payment: the most vital information.
"Demon God, what exactly is the Holy Grail War?" Kiritsugu asked the question he cared about most.
The greed of magi! A minor ritual in the Far East! The "Root"!
The words the Demon God spoke yesterday haunted Kiritsugu. Since the entity's prophecies and intel had been proven correct, he had no choice but to believe.
Roy wasn't surprised by the question. A smirk tugged at his lips. He cleared his throat, preparing to... tell the truth. Recalling the lore of the Grail War, Roy asked, "Do you know of the Third Magic?"
Kiritsugu frowned. Why bring up Magic? In the world of magecraft, Magic (Mahou) was known to all. The difference lay in the fact that Magecraft (魔术) could be replicated by technology or human effort, whereas Magic represented miracles beyond such reach. Only five remained.
But the specifics of those five were beyond Kiritsugu's knowledge. Was the Grail War related to the Third Magic? Kiritsugu felt a sense of foreboding. "I know of it."
"Then this will be simple," Roy continued. "The Third Magic is 'Heaven's Feel'—the materialization of the soul, granting immortality and infinite mana. The Einzbern family, who commissioned you, had an ancestor who was a disciple of the Third Magician..."
Kiritsugu's pupils shrank. Such a prestigious lineage?
As Roy spoke, the truth began to unfold, sending a cold shiver down Kiritsugu's spine. The Third Magic was undoubtedly a miracle that could save humanity, but long ago, the Third Magician vanished. His discouraged disciples left, but the homunculi they left behind—the Einzberns—continued the pursuit. It took them nearly nine hundred years to create Justeaze Lizrich von Einzbern, a unique homunculus capable of performing the Third Magic.
However, time revealed that Justeaze was a "defective" product. She could use the Magic, but saving just one person took years and immense effort. She could never save all of humanity. Furthermore, she was a fluke of nature—impossible to improve or mass-produce.
So, they devised another plan. Joining forces with the Tohsaka and Makiri families, they dismantled Justeaze to form the core of a massive magic circle. The Tohsaka provided the land, allowing the circle to absorb the leylines of Fuyuki City over sixty years. Once enough mana was accumulated, seven heroes could be summoned from the Throne of Heroes for a one-week period.
Then, the Servants would be killed, and their souls collected by the Lesser Grail. Once enough souls were gathered, they would be released all at once to tear a "hole" in the world leading to the "Root." Reaching the Root would make achieving the Third Magic easy.
But they needed seven souls, and the three founding families didn't have enough people. So, they disguised the ritual as a "Holy Grail War" to lure other magi into the fray.
Hearing this, Kiritsugu's expression turned deathly pale. This meant that even if he won, he couldn't save humanity. It was a scam—a hateful trap constructed by the three families.
"Did you think that was the end of it?" Roy added with a malicious grin.
Kiritsugu stared. There was more? Roy continued to strip away the families' secrets.
"During the Third Holy Grail War, the Einzbern Servant was defeated early. The homunculi were desperate; after a hundred years and sacrificing Justeaze, they had nothing. They discovered the Grail could summon more than the standard seven classes... they summoned the eighth class: Avenger. Angra Mainyu. He was incredibly weak, but his soul was unique. When he was defeated and absorbed into the Grail, what do you think happened?"
Kiritsugu's face, usually a mask of stone, actually twitched. How deep was the hole his predecessors had dug?
"The Grail was corrupted by Angra Mainyu's soul. Now, when the Servants are defeated and the 'hole' opens, it won't grant wishes. It will pour out a black mud that pollutes the world. No matter how hard you fight or who wins, the final result is a global catastrophe."
Roy didn't keep him in suspense for long. Even his own voice held a trace of irony at the complexity of the war.
Kiritsugu's heart went cold.
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