Who Said I Only Update Once a Month?

"My true form is Heroic Spirit with a causal connection to the Holy Grail War, which is why I know information about the Magecraft and Servants who participated in the Holy Grail War. That's why I know you, Your Highness."

"..."

"Although the Fourth Holy Grail War has concluded, no one has made a wish upon the Holy Grail that has descended. The immense magical power remains stored within the ley lines of Fuyuki City, so only ten years later, the Fifth Holy Grail War has begun."

"..."

"The essential element for a Servant's existence is magic power, and the magic power that keeps us in the mortal realm is actually provided by the Holy Grail System —so if you want to stay in the mortal realm, besides becoming the final victor, keeping the Holy Grail War in an 'unfinished' state is also a way."

"..."

"Ah, although the Holy Grail War does have a two-week limit, with your ingenuity, finding a few loopholes in the rules to exploit shouldn't be difficult—it's much simpler than fighting to the death with famous figures like Heracles, Gilgamesh, and Cú Chulainn, isn't it?"

"..."

"As for my purpose—until you've considered whether you want to pursue deeper cooperation, that's all I can say. Out of sincerity for the alliance, I can reveal a little more useful intelligence— the Fuyuki Civic Hall, cough cough, I mean Central Park, is an unclaimed Leyline. While not as grand as Ryuudou Temple, it's not far off. Establishing a base there would yield far greater benefits than attacking ordinary people."

"..."

"Then we'll be going now. If you've thought it through—you know how to contact us. Goodbye, Your Highness."

Jizi said something to Caster that seemed to contain a lot of information, but in fact the key points were all vaguely mentioned. Then she picked up Rin Tohsaka in Princess Carry and triple-jumped down the steps and gate of Ryuudou Temple, disappearing into the howling wind and dark night.

Considering the person she was holding, Jizi consciously controlled her speed and constantly adjusted the angle of her embrace to isolate herself from the cold air and the chill on her skin as much as possible.

Although Rin could have been free to act on her own after leaving Ryuudou Temple, for some reason, Jizi didn't do so, and Rin seemed happy to stay in her arms.

Unlike when they left, they remained silent on the way back. Jizi could tell from Lin's preoccupied expression that she was brewing something, but since she wasn't speaking up, Jizi was happy to play dumb—she also vaguely sensed the questions that were about to be asked, but she would try to delay as long as possible.

She, who is usually carefree and unrestrained, surprisingly had the urge to run away from this matter.

It wasn't until they reached the small hill behind the Tohsaka Residence that Rin nudged Jizi's chest, signaling her to put her down.

"Uh, aren't you going back?"

"Of course I need to go back, but I need to finish everything first."

She stood up, straightened the wrinkles in her clothes, then turned around, crossed her arms, and stared intently at Jizi's face.

"..."

"Are you going to ask me directly, or should I ask them one by one?"

"..." Jizi avoided Lin's gaze somewhat guiltily, "You should ask, otherwise I don't know where to begin."

"So you're saying you're hiding so much that you can't even remember it all, right?"

"Don't argue with me, I just... I just don't know how to say it."

"That's fine then. I'll just ask directly—what exactly is hidden in the Holy Grail War?"

As an experienced Magecraft, what the West Magecraft system hadn't Rin seen? Combining Caster and Jizi's conversation, she easily grasped the key point. However, after hearing Rin ask this question, Jizi inexplicably breathed a sigh of relief.

"Mr. Tohsaka should have told you as well, the original purpose of the Three Families in establishing the Holy Grail War system."

"Yes, 'Heaven's Feel', right?"

"Knowing this makes it easier for me to explain," Jizi paused for a moment, "'The Heaven's Feel' was originally a technique of the Einzbern. Although they belong to the same the Three Families, they didn't really want to share it with the other two. However, while the Einzbern is also a prestigious family of Magecraft, their Magecraft style isn't particularly suited for combat, so their performance in previous wars was poor."

"I know that too."

"Don't rush, I'm about to get to the point," Jizi gestured for Lin to calm down, "Since it's difficult to win through normal means, they've resorted to crooked methods."

You mean they cheated?

"Hmm--Actually, the power of the Greater Grail is enough to sustain the existence of eight Servants. During the Third Holy Grail War, the Einzbern used this to summon an eighth Servant, but unfortunately, it was all for naught. The eighth Servant was defeated shortly after the war began."

"..."

"Up to this point, there's nothing particularly noteworthy, but the important part is coming soon—the eighth servant's real name is that guy known as 'Angra Mainyu.'"

"Angra Mainyu..." Rin murmured the name, searching her memory for myths from around the world that she had memorized, and quickly identified someone, "Is he from the Zoroastrianism sect?"

"That's right, 'All the World's Evil' —the souls of Servants who died in battle will be collected by the Holy Grail, and you should be able to deduce what will happen next."

"The Holy Grail itself has no will, but if it is influenced by a sufficiently strong, extremely strong will, it will be forced to be stained with that color—so the Holy Grail summoned ten years ago was actually—"

"It actually contains the oldest and most absolute evil of mankind. It does retain the function of Omnipotent Wish-Granting Machine, but it deliberately chooses evil methods when it executes it. For example, if you wish for an end to war and eternal peace in the world, it will kill all of humanity."

"If that's the case—" Rin's expression suddenly changed, "The fire that happened at the Fuyuki Civic Hall ten years ago—"

"It was a minor disaster, after all, the Holy Grail hadn't absorbed all the Servants' souls yet, so it couldn't be considered a complete descent—I really don't know whether to call it lucky or unlucky."

"So, what happened between you, Saber, and Gilgamesh were present at the time?"

"..." Jizi was silent for several seconds before giving a bitter smile. "I really don't want to recall it again— Illya's mother, the Lesser Grail of that generation, was almost losing her human functions. I, for the sake of the Holy Grail, snatched her away from Saber and used her to blackmail Saber into fighting Archer—that is, Gilgamesh. But perhaps the heroes summoned that time were all extraordinary beings. Even though three Servants were still alive, the Lesser Grail's stored magic power was enough to allow it to manifest."

"..."

"After Irisviel's death, the Lesser Grail that transformed from her body appeared in my hand. At the last moment, Kiritsugu Emiya, who suddenly understood the truth about the Holy Grail, ordered Saber to unleash her Noble Phantasm to destroy Holy Grail with all her might. I was caught in the crossfire and died. Saber also returned to the Heroic Spirit Hall after losing all her Command Seals and magical power."

After saying this long string of words, Jizi let out a long breath and looked up at the sky.

"That's what happened ten years ago. I originally wanted Kiko Emiya to tell you, but she always seemed to have a resistance towards me—oh well, the result is the same anyway."

"Wrong--"

After a moment's pause, Rin suddenly shouted loudly, making Jizi look at her with some surprise.

"You're still hiding something—the Masters in the final battle were Kiritsugu Emiya and Kirei Kotomine. Since Kiritsugu Emiya appeared afterward and issued Command Seals to Saber, it means he defeated Kirei Kotomine. So why Kirei Kotomine still alive? I don't think Kiritsugu Emiya is the kind of person who wouldn't eliminate the threat completely."

"Furthermore, the final victor, Kiritsugu Emiya, destroyed the Holy Grail, and Saber returned to the Heroic Spirit Hall after the war ended. So why Gilgamesh still alive and existing to this day?"

"Furthermore, if you claim to know the truth about the Holy Grail because you are Heroic Spirit with a causal connection to the Holy Grail War, then where did Kiritsugu Emiya, who doesn't have this privilege, learn about All the World's Evil? He risked everything for the Holy Grail War, even sacrificing his wife and daughter! Would he have changed his attitude so decisively without completely irrefutable evidence?"

"And finally, since you said you were already dead, and that you came to the Tohsaka Residence with your last bit of strength and gave me this eye, then why are you able to reappear now? I originally thought that Mask was a relic that summoned you, but that's not actually the case, is it? -- Jizi, and Kiko Emiya, what exactly is between you two --"

Rin's words, sharper than the cold wind blowing through the forest, pierced Jizi's heart. She didn't—or rather, dared not—meet Rin's gaze. Turning away, she stared at the Tohsaka Residence not far away and slowly said:

"... Do you really need to know?"

----------------------------ps--------------------------

P. S. 1. Who said I only update monthly?!

P. S. 2. But seriously, I might as well just write the outline and disappear like I did with the Gensokyo side story~ That way you won't have to wait and I can be lazy -- cough cough, I mean I'll focus my attention on the new (and cheesy) book.