Back to Fuyuki City, the Einzbern Household

Returning to Fuyuki City once more felt like a lifetime ago. I looked at Tokiomi Tohsaka's residence; it now belonged to the Genji Clan. Then I went to see the place where I had once fought Mapo and Gilgamesh. It had been rebuilt, but it was full of memories.

I came to the branch family in Fuyuki City and asked about the leylines. After checking on the Greater Grail and estimating the earliest possible time for the next Holy Grail War to begin, I set off for the Einzbern Household.

Arriving at the Einzbern castle, I addressed the homunculus at the gate. "The Genji Clan has come to visit the Einzbern Household. Please announce us."

Before long, the gates opened, and a more advanced-looking homunculus emerged. "Please come in."

Without another word, I followed him. As we drew closer and closer to the center, we finally reached the heart of the castle and met Jubstacheit von Einzbern.

Jubstacheit von Einzbern, the eighth head of the Einzbern Household, "Acht."

Ever since inheriting the position of eighth head, Jubstacheit von Einzbern had been commonly known as "Acht."

By continuously extending his life, he had lived for nearly two centuries. He led the Einzbern Household after its pursuit shifted from the Holy Grail itself to the Holy Grail War.

Jubstacheit was an artificial intelligence created by the disciples of the Third Magic user to control the castle's core. Its full name was Automaton Jubstacheit.

He was also the father of every homunculus created by the Einzbern. "Acht," meanwhile, was the eighth humanoid terminal created by "Jubstacheit."

His personality no longer existed. At most, he was an "entity that operated the castle" and an "entity that recreated the Third Magic," with the necessary "humanity" implanted into each generation of humanoid terminals so they could imitate human words and actions.

Jubstacheit's true nature was an automaton that could continue operating forever at the cost of being unable to advance. Its existence was like an ancient clock that recorded time every moment, only to vanish from people's memories long before it collapsed.

In summary, "Jubstacheit" was the workshop's central control program. "Acht" was its terminal.

I remembered his ending. After Illya, the Einzbern's highest-achievement homunculus, also failed, Jubstacheit would abandon the Greater Grail, shut off his own power supply, and meet his end.

"Leader of the Genji Clan, I am Jubstacheit von Einzbern. You may call me Hyde. May I ask what brings you here?"

I said, "Then I'll gladly accept, Mr. Hyde. The Holy Grail War has been fought four times already. Do you know why it has never succeeded?"

Hyde replied, "It was merely poor fortune. The next time, we Einzbern will certainly win."

I smiled. "May I ask what the Einzbern Household wants if it obtains the Holy Grail? To recreate the Third Magic?"

The Einzbern Household's long-cherished wish was to recreate the Third Magic. Shortly before the Common Era, the last user of the Third Magic left this world, and the Third Magic was lost as a result.

The Einzbern workshop had been built by the disciples of the Third Magic user and had endured since the first year of the Common Era.

The Third Magic was the "materialization of the soul," turning the soul into a perpetual motion engine. This meant gaining an endless source of magical energy and achieving true eternal youth and immortality.

The Magic user could perform the Third Magic, but the Magic user's disciples could not. As an alternative, they planned to create an individual identical to their master and have that individual recreate the Third Magic.

Around a thousand years later, the homunculus Justeaze Lizrich von Einzbern was created and successfully recreated the Third Magic. She possessed capabilities nearly equal to that Magic user of old.

Justeaze herself did not age, but her body was frail, so she could not leave the Einzbern castle—the Winter Castle.

Although Justeaze had proven the Third Magic, the magi could not rejoice.

That was because Justeaze had been born by chance, so the magi believed that her birth had nothing to do with their own techniques or efforts.

Although Justeaze had successfully recreated the Third Magic, her Third Magic was severely limited: "a Magic limited to a single use and a single generation."

Saving even one human with the Third Magic alone took many years, let alone achieving the "salvation of all humanity."

Unwilling to accept the status quo, the magi continued their experiments, hoping to use their own technical system to create a homunculus surpassing Justeaze. In the end, however, they had no choice but to yield to the "limits of their own talent."

They also accepted that "even if humanity could create something surpassing humanity, it could not create something capable of saving humanity."

In the end, the Einzbern, Zouken Matou—also known as Matou Zouken—and Nagato Tohsaka established the ritual of the Holy Grail War under the witness of Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg, the Jewel Mage.

Before Hyde could speak, I said, "Give up. Do you know why Kiritsugu Emiya abandoned the Holy Grail?"

Because the Avenger you summoned in the Third Holy Grail War contaminated the Holy Grail. The Holy Grail was no longer something meant to save humanity; it had become something meant to exterminate humanity.

To protect his ideals and protect humanity, Kiritsugu Emiya ultimately destroyed the Holy Grail. Do you understand?

Hyde said, "Impossible. Absolutely impossible. We are the inheritors of the Third Magic. We exist to complete humanity's salvation."

My words seemed to have pushed Hyde toward a breakdown. He could not break down yet.

I shouted, "Right now, you are trampling upon the wishes and ideals of your predecessors! You need to atone. Help me destroy the Holy Grail!"

I had examined the Greater Grail. In one year, it would have enough magical energy to begin the Holy Grail War again. Let us bring this illusory wish to an end.

Hearing my words, Hyde said, "If it truly is a sin, then we should bear responsibility and atone for it. However, I cannot fully believe your words. I will arrange for someone to verify the truth."

"If things are truly as you say, I will help you destroy the Holy Grail. But if you deceive us, the Einzbern will not let you go."

"Please rest assured. Then make your preparations. In one year, I will begin the Holy Grail War once more."