Beginnings, Plans, and Choices

Morning sunlight streamed through the gaps in the curtains and spilled into the room.

Shiki woke from his sleep and, still bleary-eyed, walked out of his room. At a glance, he spotted Kariya busily packing his luggage.

Surprised, he asked, "You're leaving today? Isn't that a bit rushed?"

Kariya struggled to push the suitcase, with Sakura following behind him. When the little girl saw Shiki, she politely nodded in greeting.

With a bitter smile, he said, "Since I've decided to withdraw from the Holy Grail War, I need to make a clean break. This city holds too many painful memories for me. Honestly, if I hadn't been forced into it, I wouldn't have wanted to come back for the rest of my life."

Although Fuyuki City had once held good memories for him, and Kariya had been reluctant to let them go, after facing life and death, he had come to terms with many things.

"Oh, right, Shiki. I left some materials in the study. Make sure you read them carefully. That old bastard Zouken Matou may be hateful, but he's genuinely good at gathering intelligence. There's information on most of the Masters in this Holy Grail War. It'll be a great help to you."

Like an overly concerned parent, Kariya continued, "Also, if you want to use the Matou Family's familiars, be especially careful. Now that the old man is dead, some of those familiars are useless. They'll have to be remade."

He rambled on for quite a while before finishing everything he needed to say.

Finally, he said earnestly, "Shiki, listen to me. If you really run into danger, don't take risks. Don't forget that you still have family. Staying alive is the greatest comfort you can give them."

With that, Kariya took Sakura and left.

At the very last moment, Sakura turned back and gave Shiki a serious look.

This big brother had saved both her and Uncle Kariya. Even though Sakura had long closed herself off, she could still feel Uncle Kariya's gratitude toward him.

"Goodbye," Sakura said softly.

As soon as Kariya left, Lancelot silently appeared beside Shiki.

"Master, is it really all right to let Kariya leave like this? Don't forget, he participated in the Holy Grail War. He knows quite a lot about you. If the enemy were to..."

"Heh, Sir Lancelot, you're overthinking it."

Shiki waved a hand indifferently. He had never worried about enemies learning about him. In his view, so what if information leaked? What information did he even have? Before awakening, he had merely been an ordinary person.

When it came down to a real fight, strength was what mattered in the end. He had full confidence in his own power.

"Besides, Kariya isn't stupid. How could he let himself get caught by the enemy so easily?"

The Matou Family had deep roots in Fuyuki City and possessed a certain degree of influence.

If enemies discovered that Kariya no longer had Command Spells or a Servant, they generally would not relentlessly pursue him—unless it was Kiritsugu Emiya, the "Magus Killer," or that Church Executor who acted without regard for the consequences.

Thinking about it, Kariya did seem to be in a little danger.

"Sir Lancelot, follow him and protect Kariya as he leaves this city."

Shiki made his decision immediately.

"Then what about your safety, Master?"

"It's fine. There's no precedent for Heroic Spirits fighting during the day. Besides, the other Masters are probably all dealing with Caster's mess right now."

Shiki was not worried about it.

He had already noticed the notice issued by the Church earlier. It had come out yesterday morning, when he had still been unconscious in the abandoned bar.

This Caster was acting like a madman, abducting children on a massive scale and causing public panic.

The Church had no choice but to issue a kill order against Caster and his Master, while also stipulating that Servants were forbidden from killing one another.

Of course, everyone knew that no one would actually follow that rule.

The Church promised that any Master who contributed to the campaign against Caster would receive a precious Command Spell as a reward.

Because of that temptation, quite a few people had already begun to act.

As long as Shiki did not cause too much of a stir, no one would notice him.

"Then please be careful, Master. I'll go protect Kariya first. If necessary, please do not hesitate to summon me with a Command Spell," Lancelot reminded him once more before leaving.

"Don't worry, Sir Lancelot. I'll definitely cherish my life."

To Shiki, Command Spells were less tools for absolutely commanding Servants and more a powerful source of magical energy, allowing him to unleash greater strength.

The relationship between him and Lancelot was not that of an ordinary Master and Servant. They were partners who had exchanged vows, comrades who fought side by side.

Taking advantage of this time, Shiki began gathering intelligence.

Combining the materials Kariya had left behind with information from his own memories, he began formulating a plan.

He pulled out photograph after photograph, along with stacks of documents, and pinned them to the table.

"Saber, King Arthur, and her Master, Kiritsugu Emiya—those two are too famous. It'd be a lie to say I don't remember them. Lancer's... that bull-headed warrior, Brush Bro? His Master is Kaineth El-Melloi, Professor Kaineth? Hiss, I remember his ending being pretty miserable."

The files were very detailed. They not only recorded Kiritsugu's title of "Magus Killer" and Kaineth's position as a lecturer at the Mage's Association, but even listed their Magic Dress Gear and trump cards.

"Kiritsugu uses modern weapons and is called a Magus who defies convention. Oh? Professor Kaineth's Moon Cell Liquid is recorded too. That old monster Zouken Matou really is impressive."

Besides those two famous figures, the files also included Kirei Kotomine, the "Joyful Monster" from Shiki's memories who had become widely known.

He was an Einsatz of the Church, possessed formidable combat power, and was proficient in Baji Quan. Even while restrained, he could shatter a large tree from point-blank range.

There was also Waver, a Master around Shiki's age and only nineteen years old, along with his Servant, Alexander the Great, who had manifested as Rider.

There was no information on Tokiomi Tohsaka, the head of the Tohsaka Family in the Western-style house next door. Shiki did not pay much attention to it, figuring Kariya had taken it and tossed it somewhere.

"Ha ha, Kariya really does hate Tokiomi..."

Shiki smiled, then reorganized all the photographs and documents, considering who his true first battle should target according to his plan.

Given his current condition and combat ability, Shiki felt that his most urgent task was obtaining a large source of magical energy.

Earlier, he had confidently planned to use the Greater Grail to open up his Magic Circuits. He had thought he was so impressive, so extraordinary, so special that he would possess a huge number of Magic Circuits. In the end, however, he had only opened seven, which left him somewhat discouraged.

Seven Magic Circuits were still enough, of course. After all, he had heard that in another world, there was an "Ai Aotian" who had been born with only one Magic Circuit. He had six times as many as that person.

But unlike that special "Ai Aotian," Shiki had only just opened his Magic Circuits and had not trained them yet. The rate at which he generated magical energy always felt insufficient, so he needed to find an additional source.

He set his sights on the old priest from the Church. Since the man dared to promise rewards to those who defeated Caster, he must have quite a few Command Spells.

"Then I'll go find Lancer and deal with him..."

Shiki arranged his series of plans according to factors such as feasibility, difficulty of execution, and success rate. The more he thought about it, the more certain he became that he could achieve ultimate victory in this Holy Grail War.

"Heh, opponents, I'm about to forcefully crash this ritual."