No one, at this moment, pitied Namikaze Haru who walked to the Student Council room like a convict heading to the gallows. Many had thought he was being reprimanded for peeping on the girls again and was possibly getting the stern lecture he deserved. Others thought that perhaps he was starting to clean up his act. However, the major consensus as to why nobody pitied him was because of a single thought:
Better him than them.
In response, Haru mentally gave them the middle finger. Fuck them. They weren't the ones who were nearly killed the other day, exposed to the Supernatural, found out that they were descendant of Grail War participants and was now a participant in said war where people actually kill each other.
Shall I sever their heads from their bodies Master? Altera asked innocently.
Wait, what? Snapping out of his own thoughts, he frowned in disapproval. Please, don't.
Very well. she said, albeit disappointedly.
Haru sighed, palming his forehead. This was it. Now or never. Slowly, his hand grabbed hold of the handle and slid the door open. "Kaichou?" he called, stepping inside. "It's me, Namikaze. On time… as promised."
"You may enter."
Tentatively, Haru slid the door open and stepped inside. Seated around the Student Council room were the rest of its members, with Sona situated at the large desk at the center of the room. The stern woman's eyes were hidden beneath the glare of her glasses as she adjusted them. Somehow this only served to make Haru squirm further. "You're approximately twenty-two seconds late. Not a good idea…but at least you understand your position."
"W-what?" Haru choked. "But you said when lunch started!"
"Never mind that. Sit."
It wasn't a suggestion. Groaning and fearful for his own safety, he took a seat at the opposite end of the table. Meanwhile, the other members went about their work, minding their own business since they knew that Sona was in a particularly foul mood and didn't want to incur her wrath. The blonde male near the end of the table shot Haru a sympathetic look before he returned to his work. It didn't do much to lessen the tense atmosphere, but Haru was glad for it nonetheless as it meant he had obviously been through this treatment himself.
"Now then… down to business. I want to hear why you skipped school yesterday." Sona demanded with a chilling voice. "And please, don't lie. I have a rather immense dislike for people who lie to my face."
Holy shit she's majorly pissed! Chibi-Haru wailed, crawling to his corner in fear while the Haru in the real world shuddered beneath her gaze. Tread lightly, me! Tread lightly!
"I-I… I was visiting my aunt from my grandfather's side." he said nervously, not daring to look away lest he found himself under even more trouble than he already was. "S-She said that she had some business she wanted to discuss with me. I-I could have done it after school, b-but a lot of stuff has happened recently, so I wasn't thinking clearly."
Sona huffed. "While I appreciate familial sentiment, that is hardly an excuse." she said coldly as she folded her arms. "Tell me, Namikaze-kun… do you know what the required average to enroll at Kuoh Academy is?"
"N-no… what is it?"
"It is a GPA of 3.5. A GPA that you are barely meeting." She clarified. Haru's jaw dropped. 3.5?! However, Sona was far from finished as she crossed her leg, finger tapping against her bicep. "From your test results from last year, specifically from your entrance exam, you passed with slightly above average scores. After that, you received relatively average scores, though your..." she purposely paused so that Haru knew what she was referring to when she continued. "... exploits have more or less impacted your studies. If this keeps up, Namikaze-kun, your future here at Kuoh Academy may as well be tossed into the garbage bin."
"W-What?!"
"I can understand the need to see family, but do not neglect your studies." Sona advised him seriously. "Do you understand this, Namikaze-kun?" Slowly, and stunned and disheartened, Haru nodded. Sona then sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Very well… let's move on to another topic. Before that, though, I must ask something of you."
The redhead immediately noticed how the other occupants of the room briefly stopped what they were doing, leveling a gaze at him. "What… what is it?"
"Please have Saber come out of Astral form."
In that one second, Haru's body raged with panic. His breathing hitched, his heart hammered against his chest, and cold sweat ran down his face. Oh no. He thought in terror. No no no. Don't tell me...
Dancing blue aura circled around next to Haru, forming into the stalwart form of Altera, whose ruby red eyes narrowed at Sona. In hand was her faithful sword. "I see..." she said, voice as chilling as ice. "I was not able to notice it, due to the Bounded Field cast over the school, but at this range I can tell. You aren't human." A scowl crossed her features, and aimed her blade at the Student Council President, poised to cut her down where she stood. "You are a Devil. The same as that Gremory wench."
"Please, lower your sword, Saber." a new, smooth voice asked as a figure materialized next to Sona, garbed in white. "We did not come asking for a fight. My Master wishes to speak to young Namikaze regarding the Grail War."
"And you are?"
"The Caster, Paracelsus von Hohenheim." the Servant introduced himself, much to the Saber's surprise. Revealing his True Name? Right before her? Was he suicidal, or overconfident? Going by the calm and collected look on his face… she'd garner somewhere in the middle. "Please, Saber. Lower your sword."
"Give me a single, valid reason why I should." Altera glared at Caster. "You master called us here, surrounded by her Servants who are no doubt versed in the art of battle and magic. If this wasn't an ambush to kill my Master, then I don't know what is." She pointed her blade at Sona. "You have one opportunity to change my mind before your Master is no more."
Sona, to one's surprise, remained calm as she pushed up her glasses when they threatened to fall. A picture perfect definition of composure. "If I really wanted to ambush Namikaze-kun, Saber." she said, her voice even. "Don't you think I would have had Rias and her Peerage with me? Though you're of the Saber-class, even you would have trouble facing off against four Servants, along with our Peerages. While we are certainly nowhere near the power of a Servant, we're most certainly not helpless."
Altera glared at the bespectacled Devil, even releasing the tiniest bit of killing intent.
Hearing Sona speak so calmly, all the while with a blade aimed at her throat, brought forth a feeling of amazement from Haru, who managed to calm down. Worried that she might do something rash, Haru turned to Altera. "S-Saber, it's okay." he told her. "She's right. If she wanted to kill me, Gremory-senpai and her peerage would be here." Altera still looked ready to kill Sona, but she obeyed the wishes of her master and lowered her blade, stepping back. Collectively, the members of the Student Council released a heavy sigh while Caster smiled gratefully at the redhead. Sighing, he turned back to Sona. "S-sorry. Altera's… really protective of me."
"Of course she is." Sona said, her composure intact. "It is a Servant's job to protect their Master. Anything less would be disgraceful, given that most Servants of the Sword are chivalrous in nature or value their loyalty to their contractor." She then uncrossed her legs, nodding her head. "At any rate, I thank you for trusting me. After your meeting with Rias, I assumed you would have had a more negative view on Devils. While she honestly didn't mean for you to die, her method of trying to recruit you was rather risky." A sigh escaped her as she shook her head. "I know it may be a bit much, but do try and forgive her, Namikaze-kun."
"I make no promises… but I'll try..." Haru replied in earnest. While he wasn't quite ready to forgive Rias yet… it doesn't mean he wouldn't. He just needed time for things to settle down a bit. "While we're on the subject since you have your Servant out, I guess you want to talk about the Grail war, right?"
The Devil in front of him nodded. "To an extent. Rias already explained some ideas you already know: Seven masters are chosen by the Grail, and each calls forth a Servant. The winner will have their wish granted. Of course, there's a lot more to it than that."
"I know." Haru bobbed his head. "My aunt… she asked to see me so she could tell me the whole story. Sixty years ago, the winners of the Fifth Grail War destroyed the Holy Grail in Fuyuki, and afterwards, it was dismantled by the Magus Association."
"That is correct." Sona confirmed this. "There was a great debate on what to do with the artifact in question, though the majority determined it was too dangerous. Especially since it was corrupted by the Avenger-class Servant summoned by the Einzbern family in the Third Grail War." A thin smile formed on her face, folding her arms. "I'm impressed, Namikaze-kun. It seems you have a bit of knowledge through your family, after all."
"I-I guess… but there's one thing I don't get. If the Grail was destroyed… why is there still a war going on?"
Caster sighed, shaking his head. "Unfortunately, not even the Church—the mediators in this grand conflict—knows why. The location of the Grail is known to both the Magus Association and the Vatican, which is the highest authority in the Church. When signs of a Sixth Grail War began to appear, it was a frenzy. However, no matter how hard they tried, they couldn't figure out why a new Grail had suddenly surfaced, especially since it was obviously not made by the Three Families."
"In other words, the current Holy Grail is unknown." Sona finished. "Every Faction has been trying to learn where it is, how it came to be, and why it chose now to become active… along with another factor."
Haru frowned. "Another factor?"
"Yes. The fact that Devils were chosen to become Masters." Haru's eyes widened at this while Sona's face remained calm, yet beneath this composure were signs of interest. "Not once, in the entire history of the Holy Grail Wars, have any of the supernatural beings been chosen to become Masters. The Grail has ALWAYS chosen humans and humans alone."
"Seriously? And this anomaly is what allowed you, Gremory-senpai, and her peerage to become Masters?" He inquired.
"That is correct. We wouldn't have been chosen otherwise. Although, it is a tad strange that so many Devils in this town were selected. In past Grail Wars, mages from all over the world were chosen and then congregated into a single town where the leylines fueled the necessary prana for the Holy Grail."
Caster then continued on. "However, Kuoh has no such leylines. Meaning that the Holy Grail is located in another place."
At this, the human Master frowned. "Wait, so then… we're just fighting in Kuoh by chance?" he asked. "So where is the Grail?"
"If we knew the answer to that..." Sona sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Then we wouldn't be having this conversation. As the nature of this War is unprecedented, both the Maou—the leaders of the Devil—and the Church have agreed that unless ordered otherwise, hostilities between Masters are forbidden. In other words, unless the Church and the Maou have said otherwise, this War is effectively on hold."
Relief washed up against Haru, who made this known through a heavy sigh, sinking in his chair. "Oh, thank you God..." he said, grateful that his life wouldn't be in danger. He also noticed the cringe on the majority of the Devils' faces.
Sadly, Sona ruined this relief for him.
"However, just because such an order is given does not mean it has to be followed." Once again, tension flooded the room as Haru's back straightened, panic slowly rising. "The Master of Assassin, a Stray Exorcist by the name of Freed Sellzan, has been killing innocent people in the city. Because he is not a proper magus, he cannot provide his Servant mana, hence using other lives as power sources instead. The Church has ordered his elimination." A cold gaze burned in her eyes as she pushed up her glasses again, creating a glare that made her all the more intimidating. "Under no circumstances can the Grail War be discovered by ordinary people."
"W-Why?" Haru asked, afraid the answer he would receive. "What happens if they do?"
Sona's next words made his heart drop. "It would cause widespread panic and would force the Executioners of the Church and overseers of the Clocktower to take measures and eradicate any and all civilians who possess knowledge of the Grail Wars."
Horror. Panic. Terror. Haru wasn't sure what he was supposed to be feeling. His mouth ran dry. At his side, Altera tensed, noticing his distress. "Y-You mean..." he gaped. "You would KILL them?! B-but that's...!"
"It is necessary." She responded coolly. "It is for their own safety. Ignorance is bliss, as they say." She then shook her head. "At any rate, back to the matter at hand. The Church has ordered Freed Sellzan's execution. If he is left alone, people are going to die… among other things."
"A-And you want me to help you kill him?!" Haru asked, voice rising. "As in, actually kill someone?!"
"The two of you are Masters. You're bound to fight each other eventually."
"B-but I...!" Haru lowered his head, hands balling into fists. What the hell was Sona trying to get at? Didn't she realize she was asking him to kill someone?! He didn't even want any part of this! The Grail was the one who chose him on some kind of whim! "I-I can't...!"
Sona sighed. "If you do not accept your role as a Master, Namikaze-kun… then you only have two options. Allow yourself to be killed, or forfeit your Command Seals."
"What?" Haru looked at her like she grew a second head. He looked at his hand, where the red markings that resembled a dragon. Slowly, his fingers traced against them. The idea sounded so tempting, but...
"Thus, I ask of you… are you worthy of being my master?"
He slowly turned to Altera, who looked befuddled how her Master stared at her in such a way before he bit his lip. Haru then turned his attention back to Sona. "Is… is that all you wanted to discuss, Kaichou?"
"Yes, it is." Sona said as she looked at the clock. "The warning bell for class rings in two minutes. I'd hurry to class if I were you."
"Gotcha." Without another word, Haru stood from his seat and made his way out the room. Altera frowned, watching her master leave before leaving a glare at Sona and her Servant. She then dispersed into Astral form, following her red-haired contractor. As she left, the Student Council members released a baited breath of relief.
"Holy shit that woman is terrifying." Genshirou Saji said, palming his face. "And we have to fight THAT when the Maou and Church decide to call off the investigation?"
"I'm… gonna have to agree with Saji-kun." Meguri Tomoe said, shoulders shaking. "Saber looked ready to kill us when she popped up."
Caster chuckled softly, a hand at his chin. "Well, that is to be expected. Like many Servants, she is devoted to her Master's safety… though something tells me it is something more. Regardless, I pity the poor lad. While his family obviously has roots to the arcane arts, he himself is lost without any direction."
"Perhaps." Sona said, closing her eyes. "Truth be told, I hope he chooses to bow out. It would leave a bad aftertaste if I'm forced to kill my own kouhai. Especially when he obviously wants no part in this war."
"But will he really bow out of the War? He seemed reluctant to give up his Command seals." Yura Tsubasa wondered.
"It is a rational decision. He has no magical ability and very limited understanding of magic. He would not survive the impending battles."
Shinra Tsubaki merely tilted her head in wonder. "I don't know about that, Kaichou." she said. Sona turned to her, curious. "That look in his eyes..."