Inquiry, the Holy Grail and the Saintess

Mount Enzō, located west of Miyamachi in Fuyuki City, is merely an unremarkable small mountain.

Halfway up the mountain stands a temple called Ryūdō Temple.

But at this moment, none of that matters. What truly matters is that deep within Mount Enzō lies the most crucial existence in the Holy Grail War—the Greater Grail.

Entering the mountain through a hidden passage, a rich mystical aura immediately assailed him.

Shiki couldn't help but smile, muttering to himself, "Greater Grail, let me uncover your secrets."

His eyes were fixed on the altar in the center of the great cavern, the very place where the Grail had once descended.

Thanks to the inheritance he received from the old ghoul Zōken, Shiki knew many of the Greater Grail's secrets.

He issued a command: "Mr. Lancelot, let's begin."

The Black Knight Lancelot moved swiftly, starting to set up a temporary base.

Items such as lights, bedding, and water were quickly put in place. Before long, a simple yet orderly temporary camp was established.

"Master, the camp is ready."

Shiki, who had been intently observing by the altar, turned back. He looked at the camp with great satisfaction. "Thank you, Mr. Lancelot."

"It is my duty, Master. Call upon me anytime you need."

After speaking, Lancelot materialized and vanished before Shiki.

Servants typically materialize at all times to reduce unnecessary mana consumption. Even though Shiki possessed a vast mana source, he didn't want to overspend it.

After all, controlling mana still required considerable effort from him, and expending too much energy was something Shiki wished to avoid.

Now, with no further concerns, studying the altar became Shiki's sole focus.

It was a square altar, resembling a stone bed.

Despite the passage of time, the altar remained spotless.

Coupled with the small pool of water surrounding it, anyone would feel that this place was filled with a mystical aura, as if mystical events could happen at any moment.

"But in reality, extremely important mystical events have indeed occurred here."

Shiki mused as he caressed the altar, feeling the patterns on its surface.

What was the Winter Saintess thinking back then? To choose to sacrifice herself and construct such a Greater Grail.

"That old man Zōken didn't even write about it in detail in his records. What a shame."

As one of the Three Founding Families who constructed the Grail system, Zōken, the first of the Makiri, left behind many records concerning the Greater Grail system.

Shiki, who enjoyed reading, had unearthed all those materials, but Zōken hadn't mentioned some crucial matters.

However, from Zōken's records, Shiki could sense that the old ghoul seemed to have special feelings for the Winter Saintess.

The records about the Winter Saintess were exceptionally detailed, filled with nostalgia between the lines, while the description of the head of the Tohsaka family, another of the Three Founding Families, was sparse.

That old ghoul must have had a youthful side too. How did he end up like that later on?

He stopped pondering these thoughts.

"Well then, let's begin."

A myriad of colors flashed in Shiki's eyes. His right eye instantly transformed into a Magic Eye, emitting a strong green light.

Drawing from his vast mana source, he activated the abilities of the Human Path and the Hell Path.

Intense mental fluctuations passed through the altar, connecting with the Greater Grail. Simultaneously, he utilized the abilities of the Hell Path, attempting to search for the Winter Saintess, who was hidden within the Greater Grail in soul form.

Dong!

A spiritual bell chimed, radiating like a signal throughout the Greater Grail.

The mental tremor lasted for over thirty seconds.

Maintaining his Magic Eye and unleashing his abilities beyond their limits for an extended period caused Shiki's right eye to become bloodshot, the capillaries at the corners of his eyes bursting. A trickle of blood slid down his cheek.

His eyes throbbed with unbearable pain, but Shiki did not give up.

For him, it wouldn't matter if this eye was ruined. Magic Eyes were abilities that existed on the consciousness and soul level; the physical eye was merely a vessel for assimilation. Even if he went blind, he could regenerate a Magic Eye by replacing his eye, and he would still be able to use it.

Two minutes later.

Finally, his efforts bore fruit. The dual stimulation of mind and soul awakened a consciousness slumbering within the Greater Grail.

Connected to the altar through his Magic Eye, Shiki instantly felt the surrounding environment change. He transitioned from the dim great cavern to a vast, white world.

It was spacious and pure white, as pristine as fresh snow.

"Consciousness space... also known as the mental world."

Shiki was no stranger to such spaces; in fact, he was quite familiar with them.

But this was the first time he had encountered a consciousness space as pure as snow.

Humans are complex, a mixture of good and evil, and their mental worlds are usually a riot of colors. Pure individuals do exist, but they are exceedingly rare, and it's impossible for them to be this purely white.

Suddenly, Shiki sensed something. Before he could even turn around, a cold, clear female voice reached his ears. At the same time, another layer of meaning was received into his consciousness.

"Wer bist du? (Who... are you?)"

"……"

Shiki felt a wave of helplessness. He always forgot that this wasn't the ninja world, but Earth, where over two hundred countries didn't share a unified language.

The languages spoken by these foreigners were naturally different from what he was familiar with.

Fortunately, a mental connection allowed him to understand the other person's meaning even without understanding the words.

He snapped back to attention, turned to face the speaker, and was instantly stunned by the woman before him.

The young woman before him wasn't tall. She wore a gorgeous, pure white formal gown adorned with golden patterns. It was solemn and heavy, both sacred and somewhat revealing.

After all, what kind of sacred attire had a circular design from the neckline and collarbone to the abdomen, exposing skin? The waist had a hemline even decorated with rubies, and the legs were covered in pure white stockings that created an absolute territory effect.

What drew him in the most were her silver-white long hair and gem-red eyes. Paired with her exquisite face, she was like a Nordic elf untouched by the mortal world.

"Who… are you?"

The woman asked again, and Shiki finally came back to his senses.

"Sorry, I lost my composure for a moment."

He hadn't seen beautiful women before, but the woman before him, whether it was her appearance, hair color, or eye color, perfectly suited his taste.

After all, as someone with the soul of a Celestial Empire inhabitant, white and red held a special attraction for him.

Shiki could somewhat understand why the old spirits of his youth harbored peculiar feelings for the Winter Saintess.

It was simply that the Saintess's beauty was transcendent and ethereal.

He organized his thoughts, his mind returning to a state of calm, and began to introduce himself: "I am Hōraisan Shiki, a Magus who was accidentally drawn into the Fourth Holy Grail War. I find the Holy Grail War to be too cruel, so I wish to trace its origins. That's why I sought out the esteemed Winter Saintess, hoping to understand the origin and purpose of the Holy Grail War."

Shiki had always pursued the [Root]. Other Magus had this goal as well; the Three Founding Families were no different.

However, he was unaware of the Einzbern Family's, or rather, the Winter Saintess's, thoughts. To achieve his own goal, he first needed to understand their intentions, otherwise, his plan would be difficult to advance.

The Winter Saintess also frowned upon hearing Shiki's words.

She was facing the same predicament as Shiki earlier – the language barrier.

She could only rely on the channel of mental connection to understand the other person's meaning. She fell silent for a moment, processing Shiki's words, analyzing and extracting relevant memories, trying to find the key information in his speech.

Soon, she noticed the crucial phrase, "Fourth Holy Grail War."

The Holy Grail War had already reached its fourth iteration?

This seemed different from her original assumptions.