For Risei Kotomine, Overseer of the Fourth Holy Grail War, the strain and complications of this war had far exceeded his expectations.
Perhaps it was because he was no longer as young as he was sixty years ago, or perhaps it was because this war had introduced far more anomalies than any previous Holy Grail War.
Caster's reckless actions caused such an uproar that not only the Holy Church but even the Mage's Association had been forced to act behind the scenes.
So when the old priest saw Tenkei Shiomi and Berserker push open the doors and step inside, his first instinct wasn't to offer a welcome—but to express gratitude.
It was thanks to Berserker that, when Caster summoned that massive sea monster, the entire Mion River area had been shrouded in thick fog. The fog continued to spread, eventually covering both Miyama Town and Shinto.
The low visibility did disrupt city functions somewhat, but it was extraordinarily effective in concealing any traces of the supernatural. Only a few quick-witted residents living along the riverbanks had caught a glimpse of Caster's spectacle.
To everyone else, it simply looked like an unusually foggy evening.
Because of this, both the Holy Church and the Mage's Association had been spared considerable trouble.
No matter how the war turned out, Shiomi's decisiveness in preserving the secrecy of Magecraft had already earned him greater standing and credibility within the Association as a Magus.
"Shiomi-kun, welcome," said Risei Kotomine, offering his greeting as the head of the Fuyuki Church and Overseer of the Holy Grail War.
The clock had just struck noon.
"I was the one who requested this gathering from Mr. Tokiomi, so I'm grateful that the Church is able to offer its support," Shiomi said, walking through the aisle between the pews until he stood before Father Risei.
As he moved, he scanned the room. Tokiomi Tohsaka and Gilgamesh were already there, seated separately on different benches.
Iskandar and Waver were present too.
Unlike Gilgamesh, who sat coldly at the very front, ignoring everyone around him, Iskandar was openly curious, observing the architecture and furnishings of the church as though he were touring a museum of antiquities.
Also present were the pairs of Kirei Kotomine and Kiritsugu Emiya.
Kirei aside, the defeat of Assassin had been officially concealed. The Church clearly intended to keep up the ruse.
Shiomi could sense Kirei's presence behind the door that led from the chapel to the courtyard—but no trace of Assassin's aura.
"This matter you brought up is too serious to ignore. As Fuyuki's overseers, the Tohsaka family cannot afford to stand by," Tokiomi said earnestly.
After all, if things were truly as Shiomi claimed—if there were unknown issues with the Holy Grail—then the war would need to be halted, perhaps even canceled entirely.
Should a defective Grail manifest, and word of it reach the Mage's Association operatives stationed in Fuyuki, the damage to the Tohsaka family's reputation would be inevitable.
"That's good to hear," Shiomi replied with a nod, glancing around. "I thought we'd be the last ones here, but looks like someone else is still late."
Just as he finished speaking, the chapel doors swung open. A figure in a black trench coat appeared in the sunlight.
Kiritsugu Emiya.
The moment Tokiomi saw him, his expression tightened briefly. He had assumed Kiritsugu was merely a Magus hired by the Einzbern family to assist in the war, but now it seemed his initial suspicion had been correct all along.
Kiritsugu Emiya was the real Master. The Einzbern homunculus was only a front.
Not that Tokiomi could criticize this. He himself was working covertly with the Church and employing underhanded methods.
Which meant that, in this entire war, the only Masters conducting themselves with open transparency were Shiomi and Waver.
After Kiritsugu walked in, he let the door swing shut behind him—only for it to be stopped a second time. Artoria entered right after him, her expression blank.
That one moment said everything about the terrible state of their Master-Servant relationship. It made clear why Irisviel had been acting as the nominal Master.
Kiritsugu took a seat on a bench about five steps away from Shiomi.
Saber, meanwhile, simply stood behind Morgan, slightly to the right.
The only one visibly puzzled was Waver, who started to speak—but the King of Conquerors placed a hand on his shoulder, quietly stopping him.
"Well, looks like everyone's here." Shiomi glanced around at the gathered Masters in the church, his gaze even subtly including Kirei Kotomine, who was eavesdropping behind the side door. "Thank you all for accepting my invitation. As you've likely heard by now, the issue concerns the ultimate prize of this Holy Grail War—the so-called omnipotent wish-granting device. I believe there's a critical flaw in it, one that will harm all parties if kept secret. That's why I've chosen to make it public."
As he spoke, his eyes swept naturally across the room, observing the other Masters.
Tokiomi and Waver were listening intently. Kiritsugu, on the other hand, was watching with a look of thinly veiled contempt, as if thinking, "Let's see what kind of story you're trying to sell."
Clearly, he didn't believe Tenkei Shiomi at all—he probably thought Shiomi was bluffing, trying to scare everyone into backing out of the war.
At that moment, Morgan placed a hand on Shiomi's shoulder, silently signaling through thought-speech that she would take over the explanation.
Shiomi didn't object. After all, he'd only gotten a brief summary from Morgan on the way home the night before.
If anyone had the clearest grasp of the situation, it was Morgan—she had gone into the cavern beneath the Great Grail herself and seen it firsthand.
"I'll explain from here."
Unlike Shiomi's calm and sincere tone, Morgan's voice was cool and formal.
"Time is valuable, so I'll start with the conclusion." She cast a sidelong glance at Artoria, a faint smile flickering on her lips. "The Greater Grail in Fuyuki has been corrupted. The mana accumulated within it is no longer colorless."
That single sentence threw the chapel into commotion.
Both Masters and Servants were visibly shocked.
For those who had attended last night's prematurely ended "banquet," the King of Conquerors and the King of Knights finally understood what Morgan had meant when she said, "The Grail has gone mad."
But shock alone didn't guarantee belief.
"And what grounds do you have for saying this, Witch of Britain?" Tokiomi asked, his tone respectful. While he didn't care much for Servants personally, he held reverence for Heroic Spirits—especially one who had lived during the Age of Gods.
Waver, sounding agitated, chimed in, "Yeah, where's the proof? If you're just going to bring up Caster again like you did last night, I'm not buying it."
On the other side of the room, a crack finally appeared in Kiritsugu Emiya's expressionless face—his eyes widened slightly in shock.
Their reactions were exactly what Morgan had expected.
In fact, had they all simply accepted her words without question, she would've found it boring.
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / PinkSnake