"Ehehehe... Just as I thought... just as I thought, just as I thought~~ The Holy Grail War! Hahahaha, this is so interesting. Oh my, it even injected common sense and all that into my head—pervert? The Holy Grail is actually a pervert? Ah~ It's seen everything!"
Some time, somewhere.
A woman's voice.
It sounded shrill and unrestrained.
"But... I did get the Servant most to my liking, so, well, a pervert is a pervert. I'll forgive it. Hey, hey, you're Assassin, right?"
The woman spoke to something before her.
Though her tone made it sound like a question, her words carried not the slightest doubt or expectation of an answer.
Before her stood something that could only be described as a "monster."
It possessed magical energy far beyond anything a human could possibly hold.
If humans were matches, then the thing before her radiated the scorching heat of a steelmaking furnace.
Taciturn, and carrying an air of danger.
The thing waited quietly for a moment before finally determining that the emotionally excited woman before it was its Master. And it seemed that its Master had just asked it a question.
"I am the Servant of Assassin, summoned in accordance with your call."
"Ah!! It really is Assassin! Ass! Ass! In! (Splitting the word up like this has a strange meaning. Readers under eighteen, please do not look it up yourselves.)"
"Forgive my frankness, but I cannot understand why obtaining the Assassin class has made you so excited."
"Pfft! 'I cannot'? Hahahaha, where did you come from, some antique? Don't be like that, I'm not teasing you anymore! But 'I cannot'—no, little old me, you see, I love stabbing people in the back and playing tricks in the shadows! I'm just that kind of gloomy woman, but it's fine because I'm a pretty girl! No, rather, it's precisely because I'm a pretty girl! That's why flawed girls are especially popular! Men are so easy to fool. As long as you're pretty, people will forgive whatever mistakes you make! They'll say things like, 'We believe you're not that kind of person,' 'Everyone makes mistakes, we shouldn't be too harsh on her,' or 'Do you know how hard she worked?' Ehehe."
"..."
"Um? Are you angry? Sorry, sorry! Actually, I'm super happy. Compared to getting the Holy Grail, I prefer the feeling of hunting Masters! We're definitely going to get along great. And... what's with your stats? Is this really Assassin? You're basically Lancer, aren't you? You're way too strong. With you, the Holy Grail this time is practically already ours. All that effort I put into obtaining the Holy Relic wasn't wasted."
"... Master, please give your command. No matter what kind of enemy it is, I shall eliminate them for you. For my lord, I offer my life and loyalty."
"Pfft... Hahahaha, stop making me laugh, cut it out. You're not Assassin at all, you're a comedy performer! Hahahaha..."
Seemingly having laughed enough, the woman's shrill voice gradually faded. Everything returned to silence, as though it had never existed.
Only the dense magical particles lingering in the air told of how what had just happened was not fiction.
The first Servant had descended. The Holy Grail War had already begun without anyone noticing.
Some time, somewhere.
Silver-white snow filled the sky, carrying fine flakes and creating a frigid atmosphere. Not a trace of green could be seen on the trees; layer upon layer of snow piled upon their withered black trunks. In that pure white world, there was only a chill that seeped into one's bones.
And within this frozen world, upon the barren tundra, stood a castle built of black bricks and stone, more awe-inspiring than ice and snow. A castle that should have gradually vanished with technological progress centuries ago stood abruptly in the depths of the snowy forest.
Anyone with even a little knowledge of magecraft would surely name this place.
Einzbern.
Whenever the alchemy-proficient Einzbern family was mentioned, their first impression was likely snow and castles.
And deep within the castle's dark underground chambers, a woman was changing clothes.
She had pure silver hair and vivid crimson eyes. Together with her porcelain-white skin, she was as beautiful as a fairy from a storybook.
Yet her body was covered in wounds: whip marks, cuts from blades, scalds and burns, scars left after stitches. These injuries spread across large portions of what should have been delicate skin.
The woman did not care in the least as she concealed every one of them beneath a white leather coat.
She tied her long hair into a simple ponytail. A red vest was wrapped beneath the white leather coat, and she tucked a handgun into her waistband. It was a military pistol produced by a famous Austrian firearms company. Its .50 caliber rivaled that of a machine gun, a weapon renowned for its destructive power.
It was difficult to imagine that someone armed with firearms could be found inside the castle of the magecraft family Einzbern!
She tucked a dagger into her calf-high boot, then made one final check of the ammunition pouches on her body. Only then did she carefully pick up the scarf hanging from a nearby clothes rack.
It was a scarf woven entirely from silvery-white silk.
For Magi, one of the most important magical mediums was their own hair. This was especially true for female Magi, whose hair had many uses. That was why most female Magi chose to keep their hair long.
The scarf the woman now wrapped around herself was woven from the hair of her companions, a magical formal dress specially prepared for the Einzbern family.
After making all her preparations, the woman inadvertently glanced at her right hand. Though fair, it was large and hard, making it difficult to associate with a woman's hand. And upon that pale skin, bright crimson marks were branded clearly.
What an eyesore.
Thinking that, she swiftly left the room and headed for her destination—the ritual chamber.
"You're here? Hmph."
Beneath the ritual chamber's magnificent stained-glass windows, an elderly man with white hair and beard wore an unhappy frown between his brows. His dried lips spat out words colder than the snow falling beyond the castle walls.
Strictly speaking, this
woman was not human.
She was a homunculus of the Einzbern family.
And moreover... she was one of the rare "modified versions."
Ordinarily, Einzbern homunculi were all imitations based on the most perfect finished product, the Winter Saint Justeaze Lizrich von Einzbern.
Only the homunculus before him, the model known as Elena, was the sole exception.
Though she possessed the exact same beauty as the other homunculi, another person's personality had been implanted into her.
Emiya Kiritsugu.
The infamous Magus Killer.
He had also been the agent hired by the Einzbern family in the Fourth Holy Grail War. He should have been the man to bring the Holy Grail to Einzbern.
Of course, if it had only been because he failed to obtain the Holy Grail, if it had simply been fate, Einzbern would not have hated that outsider so deeply.
However...
He had also been a damned traitor.
At the conclusion of the Fourth Holy Grail War, just as Emiya Kiritsugu was about to achieve victory, he used two Command Spells to order his Servant to destroy the Holy Grail.
That was the gravest betrayal!
That was the greatest insult to the Einzbern family!
And it made him the person Einzbern hated most.
Thus, Elena was born.
She had been infused with some of Emiya Kiritsugu's traits, along with the Einzbern family's hatred for that man.
The Einzbern family was one of the greatest contributors to the Holy Grail War. Every generation, it was Einzbern that provided the vessel for the Holy Grail. Yet after five consecutive wars, Einzbern had never obtained it. How could that continuing madness not fill them with resentment?
Emiya Kiritsugu's betrayal became an outlet.
They shifted all the resentment accumulated by their vast family onto that damned traitor, comfortably transforming themselves from victims into perpetrators and venting their fury through him.
Emiya Kiritsugu was dead. But the hatred did not disappear with him.
Again and again, Einzbern created homunculi modeled after Emiya Kiritsugu, beating and torturing them to vent their rage.
Especially after the Fifth Holy Grail War, when the Greater Grail was dismantled and Einzbern could no longer hope to obtain the Holy Grail, they naturally cast all their resentment onto Emiya Kiritsugu.
That man! He had held on until the very end!
It had clearly come down to a duel between Saber and Archer! Archer's Master had clearly already been dealt with! Yet at that very moment! He chose betrayal! He destroyed the Holy Grail!
If not for him! Einzbern's long-cherished wish would have been fulfilled sixty years ago!
Elena was this generation's "Emiya Kiritsugu."
Yet by sheer coincidence, during another "venting," proof known as Command Spells appeared on her right hand.
Three crimson marks sharply stirred the nerves of the Einzbern family.
Nothing brought more joy than recovering something once lost.
Especially when something thought impossible suddenly appeared once more...
"Elena, I pay my respects to you."
In the castle's joyless candlelight, the woman, beautiful beyond human, knelt on one knee in respect.
"Mm. Elena, listen carefully. This time, you must bring us the Holy Grail. Use it to cleanse your disgrace."
"Yes."
"For this purpose, we have prepared the strongest Berserker. The roots of mountains, the footsteps of cats, the breath of fish, the beard of women, the Achilles tendon of bears, and the saliva of birds. Hearing these things, you should understand what a powerful Servant we have prepared for you."
The things the old man mentioned did not exist in reality. They were magecraft materials in the truest sense, alchemical materials that only Magi could possibly use. Strictly speaking, they were concepts rather than tangible objects.
And there was only one legend connected to all these things.
If they had gone to such lengths to find these materials and use them as a Holy Relic, then they would surely summon the most terrifying Berserker.
"Yes."
The woman replied simply. Her words contained neither the joy of receiving a trump card nor unease at heading into battle, only the hardness of marble and the coldness of the blizzard beyond the castle walls.
"Go and claim victory. Bring back the Holy Grail. If you cannot..."
A flash of madness suddenly passed through the old man's eyes.
Five consecutive failures to obtain the Holy Grail had already driven this family mad. They had been bewitched by something called the "Holy Grail War," completely losing the restraint a Magus should possess.
"—If you cannot, use the Command Spells to release Berserker. Have it destroy the Holy Grail War! Heh heh, if Einzbern does not obtain the Holy Grail this time... then no one will have it!"
"Yes."
Beneath the vast white snow, inside the sealed ancient castle, the girl's calm, unhesitating voice echoed between the basalt bricks for a long time.
Some time, China, Qianxi.
Someone: "Mm... The Master slots have nearly all been assigned? According to the reports... Assassin and Berserker have both already been summoned. Adding my invincible Saber, three Servants have already descended... Soon... It will finally be soon... My dream... my wish... will finally come true! Cough, cough, cough, cough!"
Someone suddenly began coughing violently, and the hand covering their mouth was stained bright red with blood.
Someone: "Damn it... Hold on, my body. Before our dream is fulfilled... I absolutely cannot die. The Sixth Holy Grail War... must be held... I must personally claim the Holy Grail!"
Prologue—The Holy Grail War That Should Not Exist—END
Before you continue