Chapter 13. The False Holy Grail War
A bit of life trivia: Tinder and flint catch fire quite easily, so do not leave them in a dry area for long periods.
Fortunately, Rin had other things to say; this topic was merely an "appetizer" intended to make one relax—or blush.
Shirou sat silently at the head of the bed for dozens of seconds with a violently thumping heart, but suddenly felt something was amiss.
"Wait, Rin, you've talked about this with Sakura, haven't you? No wonder she acted like—!"
The timing was likely during the "sisters' finals."
Rin had no reason to hide it. Moreover, the reason she prepared was quite legitimate—both professionally and personally.
So legitimate, in fact, that it gave Shirou the urge to turn his head away in a blush.
Rin nodded as if admitting it, then asked with a look of confusion:
"What happened with Sakura?"
"Sakura she... no, never mind, it's nothing."
It wasn't anything serious. On the contrary, she had accepted it quite readily; the composure she displayed and her growth in handling the situation were not faked.
Shirou swallowed his words and tensed his facial muscles.
"It was within her expectations but she felt the treatment was unfair... something like that?"
"I see... Just so we're clear, Emiya-kun, if you dare lay a hand on her, I'll hit you. If you dare avoid her touch, I'll hit you too."
"I get hit either way!? No, is this a problem that can be solved by getting hit?"
What an ambiguous and fuzzy attitude. This was likely Rin's way of showing sisterly affection—not wanting Sakura to have it too easy, yet caring deeply for her.
For now, that matter would be set aside.
Rin rose from the bed. Supporting herself with both hands on the mattress, she stood up briskly.
"..."
Shirou noticed that the atmosphere had changed.
Despite the scene still being one of light and airy beauty, he could no longer feel a ghostly charm from her figure.
Such was the expressive power of her "serious mode."
"Shirou, I'll start by confessing a fact. At 8:40 PM, I may have possessed a bit more information than you two."
8:40 PM—just slightly before Shirou and Sakura returned.
"Normally I should have disclosed it immediately, but I wanted to hear your opinion alone. Therefore, I won't share this information with everyone until tomorrow. I'm very sorry."
Her gaze met Shirou's directly, making it impossible for him to move even an inch.
He felt drawn in by her eyes, merging into the vortex of her words.
"Shirou, if this land—if Snowfield City really has a Holy Grail War about to begin—are you willing to leave Snowfield as originally scheduled?"
She was asking whether he would choose self-preservation.
Shirou didn't notice his own gaze darkening.
No matter how many times he was asked, no matter whether he could extricate himself, there was only one answer.
"I can't do it."
This was an absolute, unchanging, and immovable fact.
"At the very least, I personally cannot leave such a dangerous ritual alone. If I had ignored the Fifth Holy Grail War, I certainly wouldn't be able to live in this relatively stable world now. I don't know if a fire would stop on its own—but even if there's only a one percent chance of this Holy Grail ritual becoming like that again, I can't just say 'it'll probably be fine' and run away, can I?"
Ignoring the danger, ignoring the life he had luckily snatched back, all just to prevent tragedy from repeating. For this, he would not hesitate to intervene in the chaos of a Holy Grail War once more.
Of course, this Holy Grail War might be even more fraught with peril than the fifth, perhaps even melting the Arctic Ocean or sending storms across continents—but so what?
"Even if it costs us our lives?"
"No, no, risking a life—only mine should be enough, right? There's no need for you all to take the risk with me."
"How could that be possible!"
The woman laughed as if she had seen the world's biggest fool.
"Emiya-kun, you really are dim-witted in situations like this."
"It's not as exaggerated as you say; I've recognized reality at least! Hmph, laugh all you want, I won't be able to stop you in the end anyway."
Emiya Shirou would likely never be able to defeat the person in front of him.
"True? However, we've recognized reality as well."
Rin laughed joyfully:
"I think everyone will choose to face it with you. As you said, this isn't a request—it's a declaration."
—Well then, come, survivors of the Fifth Holy Grail War.
Rin tossed the phone from her pocket. Shirou caught it with one hand and checked it, seeing an encrypted email on the main screen.
The general content could be summarized in one sentence: Bring that idiot Flat back as quickly as possible during the sham Holy Grail War.
From: El-Melloi II.
.
.
.
8:35 PM.
Inside Rin's room, she was completing her daily routine of injecting magical energy into her gems.
With the touch of her fingertips, the luster of the gems brightened visibly. When they rippled with a steady, faint light, Rin stopped the infusion.
As a magus, this was a task to be performed every day.
"The way he produces such high-quality gems is honestly enough to leave one speechless."
Like looking at an object and thinking of the person, Rin picked up a top-grade gem and scrutinized it from side to side.
Normally, the amount of magical energy one can inject daily is limited. At most, it ends when one's own prana is exhausted. Considering self-defense, one must leave at least half.
But for Rin, the amount of magical energy she could inject in a day didn't depend on her own capacity; it only depended on how much she wanted to inject.
Because she held "that sword," Rin's magical energy could recover at a super-speed rate. Thanks to it, the number of gems she could use as ammunition had increased several times over.
A triple increase that her self without the sword could never reach.
Out of thirty Rank A large gems, six had been used, leaving twenty-four.
To put it another way, it was "excessive combat power."
Rin inadvertently felt smug. Then, a question suddenly occurred to her, and she could no longer laugh.
The gems were given by Shirou, the "sword" was given by Shirou—doesn't that make her a freeloader?
"Ugh!"
Rin collapsed onto the bed, her legs kicking the mattress rhythmically.
Wait, why should she feel guilty toward the big jerk who was currently out on a date with her sister?
Thinking this, Rin's mood returned to normal.
However, from a woman's perspective, it went without saying. Even from a magus's perspective, Shirou had given her benefits far beyond imagination. Even if her father knew from the afterlife, he would surely highly approve of their union.
Rin felt no guilt, but silently etched these matters into the depths of her heart.
"So, when will my cute sister and he return?"
It happened at the same time Rin propped herself up at the head of the bed. Her phone emitted a short notification tone.
Rin frowned.
"An email?"
The current Rin still knew nothing. In other words, her awareness was a blank slate.
However, someone cruelly tore that blank paper to shreds. In a way that was written as a "request" but read as an "imposition."
"To Tohsaka:
A Holy Grail War is occurring on the land of Snowfield.
Structurally, it is a sham.
That idiot Flat actually wants to be a Master.
And what's more, he went out with nothing but a toy knife.
Fxxk.
Please, hurry and catch that Flat who ran off over there. Any reward is fine, name your price—as long as he returns here with his limbs intact!"
Signed: El-Melloi II
...Damn it, we can't leave.
Cold sweat began to bead. Rin subconsciously understood this short sentence.
Questions and shock piled up layer upon layer. However, Rin immediately realized she felt this way not because of that Pride-ranked genius of the El-Melloi Class, the user of Chaos Magecraft, the dim-witted, sunny blonde—commonly known as Flat.
But because of her sweetheart.
What would Shirou think when he heard this news... it was hard to say.
Rin could make a guess first. To begin with, there was no guarantee this Holy Grail War wouldn't have the same hiccups as the fifth.
Whether it was black mud destroying the world or Angra Mainyu descending, the disaster range was enough to affect more than half the world. If such things could happen just by holding a Holy Grail War, Shirou would inevitably refuse to leave Snowfield—even if the theoretical probability was low.
Even if everything went smoothly and someone successfully obtained the Grail, it wouldn't be over.
To use an extreme example, if it were a bloodthirsty villain who made a wish akin to "destroy the world," it would still leave deep scars on everything around them.
That idiot would choose to at least witness and judge the will of the Holy Grail War participants. In other words, he would certainly deal with the Masters.
He would involve himself deeply in this Holy Grail War.
Rin sighed. Without even meeting him, she had already grasped the character of one of the people she knew best.
Even so, Rin still intended to tell Shirou; she had no thought of hiding it.
Because that was the kind of relationship Rin and Shirou had.
The only thing Rin didn't expect was that Shirou had already come into contact with such information beforehand alongside Sakura.
Though she considered Shirou's thoughts, Rin was not a person without her own opinions. Rin was, after all, a magus. The ritual here, in the end, had not yet shown obvious hidden dangers like the Fuyuki Grail.
On the contrary: Sakura and his lives, the succession of the Magic Crest, her own life—and counting the lives of the others as well—she had an overwhelming amount of things to consider.
If he said he wasn't up for it, she would buy plane tickets and head home with everyone without hesitation. Whoever wanted to care about the matters here could care about them.
But.
Well.
What if he said he wanted to go for it?
Snowfield was not Fuyuki's territory. In this situation, she didn't have the responsibility of a Fuyuki administrator.
However, if he wants to offer himself to the sword, then so be it.
After all—that man's determination to save others has never been wrong.
Rin swung her legs, the corners of her mouth curving into a bitter yet strong smile.