Sincerity Was the Deadliest Weapon

I didn't want to think this way either, but there were too many suspicious points that led me to this possibility. For certain reasons—because I was afraid of dying—I couldn't investigate too deeply myself, so I hoped you could help me look into it.

I had also contacted the overseers and asked them to investigate, but they were moving too slowly. That was why I had no choice but to ask for your help. I didn't want to see anyone else die because of the Holy Grail War. After saying that, I silently shed two tears.

At that moment, Iskandar picked at his teeth with a toothpick and said, "Based on the information noted here, the only one most likely to have done these things is this fellow named Zouken Matou. Are you suspecting that he's the mastermind behind this?"

I answered firmly, "That's right. I don't want to deceive you, nor do I want to steer you toward choosing him through other means. You aren't natives of Japan, so there are some things you don't know."

If possible, I hoped they would listen to a story. It began with the very first Holy Grail Ritual.

The Third Magic was a magecraft passed down through the Einzbern Household since ancient times. Its other name was "Heaven's Feel."

It was the "Materialization of the Soul," magecraft that achieved true immortality and eternal life. Heaven's Feel, the Cup of Heaven—this was a mystery that existed on a completely different level from magecraft, the pinnacle for magi.

In the modern age, anything that could not be achieved no matter how much time or money was spent was called Magic.

Around the 1810s, the first Holy Grail War began. At the start, this first Holy Grail summoning ritual was conducted as a "cooperative summoning."

However, after the Holy Grail opened a connection to the source of magical energy, the situation developed into the Tohsaka Household, the Einzbern Household, and the Makiri Lineage fighting over exclusive control. As a result, it immediately ended in failure.

The other magi gathered after the Three Noble Families formed their alliance had not established formal rules beforehand, so the Masters had little awareness of themselves as "participants."

Furthermore, because there were no Command Spells like there were now, Servants sometimes refused to obey orders. For such reasons, this Holy Grail summoning failed before it could even take the form of a proper ritual.

Around the 1870s came the Holy Grail War after the Industrial Revolution. It was held only after detailed rules had been planned in light of the first failure.

Although the Command Spell System had been completed, allowing Masters to command Servants freely, the ritual still ended in failure for various reasons.

Around the 1930s, another was held on the eve of World War II. The Imperial Japanese Army and the Nazis also got involved over the Lesser Grail, and battle unfolded with the Imperial Capital as its stage.

In the end, the Holy Grail War failed because the Lesser Grail was destroyed. (The Holy Grail's corruption was concealed here.)

Ridiculous, wasn't it? Such a simple ritual had never once succeeded. If they had simply communicated properly, no sacrifices would have been necessary, yet they insisted on fighting to the death.

Waver spoke up. "You're talking about the history of the Holy Grail War. I could investigate all of this myself. Can you get to the point?"

I immediately said, "Sorry. I was just venting a little."

What I was really trying to say was that Tokiomi Tohsaka was the fifth head of the Tohsaka Household, Jubstacheit von Einzbern, head of the Einzbern Household, was its eighth head, while Zouken Matou, the current head of the Matou Household, was also its founding head.

Waver shouted, "Isn't that wrong? It's been nearly two hundred years since the first Holy Grail War. How could he still be alive?"

I corrected him. "He's five hundred years old. Zouken Matou's original name was Matou Zouken, and he immigrated from Europe."

It was laughable, really. Due to poor adaptation to the local environment, the Magic Circuits of the Matou Household's descendants had gradually deteriorated. By now, there wasn't a single competent magus in the entire Matou Household apart from Zouken Matou. Waver, do you understand what that meant?

Waver hesitated. "The Matou Household is about to leave the stage of magi and disappear from the records forever."

I continued, "That's right. Sorry, but I also looked into the matter between you and Kenneth. I won't judge your differing beliefs, but what if this is the Matou Household's—or rather, Zouken Matou's—last chance?"

"If they obtain the Holy Grail, the Matou Household will have a chance to continue. If it were you, Waver, what would you choose?" I threw the question back at Waver.

Waver replied without hesitation, "Killing ordinary people for victory is wrong." Then he added, "At least, I wouldn't do it."

"You should only be nineteen this year, Waver. Don't be fooled by how tall I am—I'm only seventeen." I made a small joke.

Neither of us had any deep obsession. What you probably wanted in your heart was to prove to Kenneth that commoner magi could succeed too. But Zouken Matou was different. Could you understand the terror of an obsession lasting five hundred years?

This time, Waver said nothing. Iskandar was the one who spoke. "Why all this nonsense? We'll take the job. Once we find out who it is, I'll just kill him."

After saying that, he gave Waver a hard slap, making Waver cry out in pain.

I added, "The overseers of this Holy Grail War are already investigating. If nothing unexpected happens, they'll issue a collective subjugation mission within the next two days. The Master who claims the greatest contribution can receive an additional Command Spell as a reward."

"There are extra rewards too? Then leave this to us! Hahaha!" Iskandar declared boldly.

Actually, I only hoped the two of you would help me investigate. If you encountered him, please stop him from continuing to harm ordinary people. After all, that Caster was very unusual. Even my Berserker said she might not be a match for him.

Once the overseers formally issued the mission, everyone could participate and prevent further casualties. I immediately explained.

Waver suddenly asked, "Then why don't you go yourself? Why notify us specifically about something this good?"

"You need to explain that clearly. Otherwise, I'll still suspect your intentions." Waver's intelligence had finally kicked in.

"Because I know the personalities of every Master and Servant," I answered unhurriedly. "It's not that I don't want to; it's that I can't. My participation in this Holy Grail War is also part of a certain contract."

"Because of the contract's terms, I can't tell you the reason. As for why I chose you, I watched the entire battle at the docks. Only your pair gave me the feeling that you could be trusted. If I had to give a reason, it would be intuition."

"That's why I had Berserker release her Noble Phantasm at the end and separate you, to avoid casualties."

Waver said, "No wonder Rider said Berserker's attack didn't seem intended to start a battle. It felt more like it was meant to end one."

"I believe you. We'll take this mission," Waver agreed, patting his chest. Iskandar laughed heartily and slapped Waver on the back. "That's the spirit! You're becoming more and more like a real man."

"Caster really is troublesome. We'll act within our limits, but at the very least, we'll make sure ordinary people don't suffer any more casualties."

"Then our cooperation is settled. I wish you both victory in battle."