Facing Fate

As the sun rose, I felt relief as the final flourish for the Great Holy Grail War was nearing, and I could gain Kaleidoscope, the Second Magic. My fight with Gilgamesh exhausted me, so I had to walk home at normal speeds while I recovered my Magic and Aura. I then got a message through the shared telepathy of Masters and Servants.

" Master, the last of the Masters of Red has been dealt with..."

" I am sensing a but, Tamamo."

" Ruler finally appeared and wants to meet you after stopping Tamamo and Medea from killing that Lorelei woman."

I felt curious as to why Ruler wanted to meet me, but so long as the Servant summoned for the Great Holy Grail War is not someone troublesome, it's probably fine. I then told Tamamo as I continued walking home.

" I am completely drained right now, Tamamo, so I am currently walking twenty miles toward Fuyuki, so tell Ruler I will meet them tomorrow since it has been a long night."

" Understood, Master! Be safe."

The connection was cut, and I continued my leisurely walk back home. I now just need to set up the ritual to get the Grail to manifest, and I can finally have a way back home to Remnant.

***

The remaining Masters and Servants gathered at Silva's home, including Ruler, that is bound and determined to meet the Black Faction Leader no matter what. Himiko, unfortunately, fell asleep on the couch while waiting for Silva to return. After finally reaching his home, the Demon King crashed into the futon his daughter Sakura laid out for him in his room. Morning came and soon turned into noon as Silva finally got up. After yawning and stretching, he got up and went to the kitchen to fill his empty stomach.

The Demon King saw his daughter working on lunch and greeted her.

" Morning, Sakura."

" It's noon, Otou-sama."

" True, but irrelevant."

Silva shrugged as he replied and dug out some rice crackers to munch on until lunch was ready from the cabinet. Sakura then asked as she set the stovetop on a lower setting, then put a cover over lunch in the pans.

" Are you excited to finally gain the Grail, Otou-sama?"

" Yes, and after lunch, I will gather everyone to start the ritual to manifest the Grail."

" How do you intend to do that?"

Silva turned to the unfamiliar voice questioning him and saw Ruler at last and felt relieved it was Himiko than some other troublesome Ruler, namely Amakusa Shirō. He then pretended to be ignorant.

" I'm guessing your, Ruler?"

" Yes, Himiko is the Ruler Class Servant for this Great Holy Grail War."

" Well, Ruler, why did you want to meet me so much?"

Silva was not sure as to why the woman before him was so intent on meeting him, and Himiko replied.

" Wait a few moments."

Ruler summoned a mirror, and she started to peer into it. She looked back and forth between her mirror and the Master, then said with a happy smile.

" I can't see your future nor any future you interact with!"

" And that means?"

Silva asked as he had no clue why that would make Himiko happy, but it made sense that it was not possible to predict his future since he was a foreign entity in this world and completely disconnected from the Root. The shrine maiden looked at the Demon King with a blush adorning her face and answered.

" The only thing I have never been able to divine was my love life, so what else can you be but my Soulmate?"

Silva sighed and decided not to bother explaining himself as he did not know how Himiko would react to him being a foreign entity. He left the love-struck shrine maiden behind as he went to see his wife about the ritual. The Demon King found Skadi at the underground complex after checking the rest of the house to see that she was preparing to summon the Grail early.

" Are you almost done setting everything up, Skadi?"

" Yes, dear, but I have a question."

" Ask away."

Silva said to his wife, and she asked him.

" You know that a few members of our faction won't just hand you the Grail without a fight, right? What do you intend to do?"

" Whatever I need to in order to get my wish."

Skadi nodded in understanding at her husband's reply and then suggested.

" Shall we go and enjoy the lunch that Sakura has prepared in celebration of defeating the Red Faction?"

" After you, my queen."

***

After lunch, everyone gathered at the underground complex, and in front of the remaining 10 Servants, not counting Ruler or Skadi, were pedestals, and I explained.

" Okay, everyone, all you have to do is pour your Mana into the pedestals before you, and we can call out the Grail early without any more killing."

The Servants compiled, and soon, the pedestals summoned shadow versions of the Servants that were fed to the Grail. The trick is simple but hard, to fill the Grail rather than sacrifice the Servants, substitute them with shadows of themselves which can fool the Grail into manifesting. Skadi and I used the same trick in the last War so I would not have to order her to commit suicide in order to make full use of the Grail. With the use of an Einzbern homunculus, Irisveil provided that was nothing more than a breathing but unfeeling doll.

The Holy Grail was formed, and I then told all of the Servants.

" If any of you have any desire for Grail for whatever reason, speak now or forever hold your peace."

Unsurprisingly, Artoria walked up and said.

" I apologize, Irsveil, but I can't give up on saving Britain and Silva; I will not yield to you."

However, I received a surprise as Scáthach walked up next and said.

" My desire is simple, to face a warrior that can defeat me, whether it be through the Grail or some other means."

The Queen of the Land of Shadows eyed me at the end of her sentence, and I then asked once more from everyone.

" Anyone else?"

No one came forward, and I told the two Servants before me.

" Artoria, Scáthach, if you truly want the Grail, you will have to face me and win it."

" I am aware, Silva."

Saber answered me firmly, and Lancer looked at me with a bloodthirsty smile. I sighed as I told the both of them.

" I will face Scáthach tonight, and if I win, I will face you tomorrow night, Artoria. Is this agreeable to you two?"

" It is."

Artoria answered with a resolute expression, and Scáthach nodded before walking away. Well, I can't say this is unexpected.