"Ding-a-ling-ling..."
"Ding-a-ling-ling..."
Rin, who was lying on her futon, sleeping away her precious time, was woken by her tactless phone. She reached out, grabbed it, pressed a button, and, with her eyes still closed, brought it to her ear, saying weakly, "moshi moshi (hello), who is this?"
"It's me, Touko."
"Touko, didn't you go to find Alice and Aoko? Why are you thinking of me?"
"Are you leaving Misaki tomorrow?"
"Yes, I'm going to London. I probably won't be back for a long time. If I'm lucky, we might see each other again, but it'll probably be years."
"That's why! I finally managed to convince Alice to come out and have a meal together. Consider it our farewell for you."
"Oh, really? You managed to get Alice to go out before school starts? You truly are old friends who've known each other for ten years. Since it's a farewell for me, I can't be paying, right? Who's treating?"
"Since I initiated it, of course it's me. Great Capital BBQ, do you know the location?"
"...That poor restaurant, is it still open?"
"Ah, it seems today is its last day of business. If we don't go today, we won't have another chance. So, we should seize the moment, the four of us, and eat our fill."
"Heh heh... Alright."
Rin got up, rubbed her temples, washed her face in the restroom, and then went out dressed in her usual attire.
Meanwhile, on the other side... Touko sat on the sofa, hung up the phone, and called out to the upstairs with a smile, "Aoko, bring Alice, we're leaving."
"Coming, Older Sister! Alice, let's go."
"Wuwuwu..."
Aoko came down from the second floor, carrying Alice, who was tied up securely with ropes, her face beaming.
Poor Alice's mouth was taped shut by these two mischievous friends, and her hands were bound behind her back. Without the conditions to cast spells, Alice was just a frail girl, carried by Aoko, unable to resist. She was forcibly put into the car. It didn't look like they were going out to eat together at all; it looked more like she was being taken to pay the bill.
In front of the Great Capital BBQ restaurant... Rin looked at her three close friends with a bewildered expression. Mainly, Alice's appearance was just too... innovative. Finally, Rin looked at the smiling Touko and Aoko, the two sisters, and asked, "Is this how you 'called' Alice out?"
"Exactly (x2)."
"Then, why did you 'invite' Alice like this...?"
"To pay the bill (x2)."
"..."
Rin covered her face with one hand, unable to watch. These sisters truly were a pair, throwing their best friend under the bus. Alice had known one of them for ten years, and the other was her disciple whom she personally guided in Magecraft and her roommate for nearly two years. The time she spent with them was arguably longer than the time the sisters spent together. Yet, as soon as these sisters reconciled, they decisively sold Alice out to pay the bill... She decided she couldn't hang out with these two sisters anymore; who knew when they would sell her out too.
To avoid causing a public disturbance, Rin walked over and untied Alice. Alice's usually pale face showed a rare hint of anger. She glared briefly at the conspiring sisters, then turned her head, ignoring them.
It's because your temper is too good that you get bullied... Rin watched this scene, sighing inwardly. Afterwards, the four of them walked into the "Great Capital BBQ" on its last day of business.
Ignoring the horrified expressions of the staff, from the manager to the waiters, who looked as if ghosts had arrived, everyone found an inconspicuous four-person table and sat down.
Alice and Rin sat on one side, and the sisters Touko and Aoko sat on the other. They were all close friends who had been through life and death together, so there was no need for awkward formalities. They simply ate and chatted casually.
Touko took a sip of the beer Rin handed her, then said, "Rin, if I'm not mistaken, your departure for London this time is preparation for participating in the Holy Grail War, isn't it?"
Rin, who was chewing on grilled meat, froze for a moment, then lowered her head with a look of understanding. The Holy Grail War was no secret in the world of Magecraft; anyone who investigated the Three Founding Families of the Holy Grail War even slightly would know about it.
However, one could never truly understand the immense power contained within this small Magecraft ritual, which merely unfolded in the impoverished land of the Far East, without being directly involved.
The usually silent Alice then spoke softly, "The Tohsaka, Makiri, and Einzbern, three prestigious Magecraft families, jointly organize it. Approximately every sixty years, the spiritual power in the ley lines of Fuyuki City accumulates to a sufficient amount to sustain the descent of the Holy Grail. Thus, the Holy Grail, possessing the power to grant any wish immediately, appears in Fuyuki City."
"And the right to obtain this power can only belong to one Master and Servant pair. Therefore, an unwritten pact is made: seven Maguss, each leading their summoned Heroic Spirit, engage in a battle for the ownership of the Holy Grail. The ultimate survivor, the victor, will gain ownership of the Holy Grail—this is the Holy Grail War of Fuyuki City."
Rin nodded along. Aoko, listening to Alice's words, immediately became interested: "Rin, are you going to participate in this Holy Grail War?"
"Mm... (mouth full of grilled meat)"
"Then how about we come with you and help you?!"
"Pfft! Cough, cough, cough..." Rin choked on Aoko's words, grabbed the nearby beer bottle, and gulped it down. Touko said, "There will be one winner in a Holy Grail War, and ordinary Maguss are powerless against Servants, who are Heroic Spirits. And the Maguss chosen as Masters are inevitably those who desire the Holy Grail. At that time, who can guarantee that they won't turn their swords on each other when faced with the Holy Grail, the omnipotent cauldron that grants all wishes?"
"And..." Rin, finally swallowing what was in her mouth, interjected, "And the Holy Grail has degenerated."
"Degenerated?! (x3)"
Rin nodded gravely and said, "The Holy Grail War is essentially a grand ritual system devised by the Makiri, which is now the Matou Family, the Einzbern Family, and our Tohsaka Family, in order to reach the 'Root.' Simply put, the Einzbern Family creates the vessel for the Holy Grail, the Matou Family creates the command spells to control Servants, and the Tohsaka Family provides the land's magical energy source. Fuyuki's ley lines are connected to a source of magical energy so vast it can be called infinite. To utilize this magical energy, besides the massive magic circle on the surface, two essential conditions are required: a key to activate the magic circle, and a conduit to draw out the magical energy. In terms of concrete implementation, it means gathering the magical energy contained within seven Heroic Spirits to serve as the key to activate the magic circle, and then drawing out the magical energy through the Holy Grail. Originally, the Holy Grail was like this, but..."
Rin took a sip of water and continued, "But after the Third Holy Grail War, a decisive, fundamental degeneration occurred. It wasn't that the rules changed, but that the greater grail itself mutated, became polluted, and was completely distorted. This was because the Einzbern Family violated the rules by summoning the eighth class 'Avenger' Servant, Angra Mainyu. That was an anti-hero embodying all the world's evils, and according to the rules, he was absorbed into the Holy Grail. Therefore, all the world's evils polluted the Holy Grail."
Touko's gaze became serious as she asked, "What happens after it's polluted?"
"After being polluted, the Holy Grail still retains its function of 'granting the victor's wish' and that hasn't changed; the Holy Grail continues to operate. Its power is immense, and at first glance, it seems nothing has changed. But it has indeed changed. Firstly, all methods of granting wishes will be interpreted in an evil direction, and will only be fulfilled in ways that bring destruction and disaster. Secondly, it becomes uncontrollable. Once unleashed, the greater grail will begin to pour out 'all the world's evils.' It will evoke calamity after calamity, continuously spreading malice until it destroys all humanity that it deems cursed," Rin explained.
After hearing Rin's words, Aoko immediately bristled, "Isn't that the end of the world!?"
A chopstick accurately tapped Aoko's head, and Touko said exasperatedly, "For a Fifth Magus, you're underestimating the people of this era if you think the release of all the world's evils means the end of the world. However, if it fully erupts, widespread casualties are inevitable, and even the existence of the mysterious will be hard to conceal. If it reaches an unmanageable point, it could cause global unrest."
At this point, Touko looked at Rin seriously and asked, "Rin, are you participating to prevent the spread and outbreak of all the world's evils?"
Rin thought for a moment and replied, "Yes and no. After all, the Holy Grail War itself, even if polluted, holds immense value. The summoned Heroic Spirits themselves possess unique and great value. More importantly, my family is one of the Three Founding Families of the Holy Grail War, and my father will certainly be involved. Regardless of whether he genuinely disowned me from the Tohsaka Family, for my mother not to become a widow and for that family not to fall apart, I have no choice but to go."
"Then do you have a way to stop the spread of all the world's evils?"
"Actually, stopping all the world's evils is very simple. The 'destruction of the world' only happens if everyone ignores it. As long as the greater grail's opening is closed when the Holy Grail overflows, or more simply, by directly destroying the descending Holy Grail, although this will cause a small amount of all the world's evils to leak out, the greater grail, without a full descent, will quickly seal itself."
Touko, Aoko, and even Alice all breathed a slight sigh of relief. After all, they couldn't stand idly by during something like the end of the world. But seeing Rin's calm and confident demeanor, they felt a bit more at ease, as Rin had always proven to be more reliable than anyone else.
"I remember the texts saying that summoning Heroic Spirits can be done using relics to summon a specific Heroic Spirit, rather than blindly relying on luck. How are you preparing for the relic? Perhaps we can only help you in that regard," Touko said with concern. Aoko and Alice also looked at Rin with worried eyes, all hoping to help her.
Rin smiled confidently and said, "Don't worry, I've already prepared the most suitable relic. Coupled with the multiple layers of extra arrangements I'm about to make, and not aiming to obtain the Holy Grail, I can say with absolute certainty that I can retreat safely. Plus, with the puppet Touko and I researched together, it's definitely no problem for me to come back alive and see you all again."
Alice nodded slightly and said, "The puppet has already been placed in my family's underground secret room. I will protect it."
"Then I can set off with peace of mind. Everyone, wish me a triumphant victory as I go to save the world!"
"You're all talk! The world doesn't need you to save it. Just come back alive!"
"Oh, Aoko, can't you say something nice?"
"Alright, stop arguing, everyone. After tomorrow's farewell, who knows when we'll meet again. Let's cherish every moment we have now."
"Hmm, Touko, everything in Misaki is resolved. What are you planning to do next?"
"Me? I've decided to accept the Clock Tower's invitation and study there for a while. While I'm there, I'll also try to find out who was stirring up trouble in Aoko's matter. I must make him pay the price."
"Hmm, well said. Come, let's have a toast!"
"Come, cheers!"
This was the last meal before their parting. Touko, Aoko, Alice—being able to sit here together, laughing happily and worrying about her safety—this was Rin's pursuit for her future life. She had truly changed her so-called predetermined fate.
This was Rin's first firm step on the path of change. Tomorrow, she would embark on the second chapter of her life.
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