Ep. 96 - Holy Grail War, Explanations

Well, time passed. The Phenex annulled the engagement, but the Rating Game would still happen. Fine by me. I left Riser as a female, but I modified hi- her body and mind. Since Riser is now a female, the engagement was pushed onto Millicas. I took his future self's subconscious desires in terms of women and made the perfect wife for him. Such a benevolent God I am. Sirzechs even thanked me profusely for basically making a tailored woman for his son.

Anyway, onto a little summary of what the students have been up to.

Rias was awfully chipper every day ever since Riser became a female. She didn't have to worry about the Rating Game since her peerage's strength is already sufficient. In fact, they have all enrolled in Pyrrha's Hunter classes, so they are receiving some serious training.

Charles and his Service Club gang are doing fine. They are friends, get good grades, help people, the usual really. Hayato and Yumiko are actually putting in effort with the tennis club, and are quite a lot happier than before.

Rin was… A little more complicated. The girly was getting over her trauma. Luckily it wasn't anything serious. Well, she became more unapproachable and cold, but that isn't a problem. Since I was a little, ok very, worried about her safety, today I summoned Ryougi Shiki, obviously super strengthened and all that nice stuff I did for the other Spirits. She can't integrate with her yet, but just having her around is more than enough. I also sneakily strengthened Rin's magic circuits.

I have received intel aka used Omniscience to learn that the church has sent a new supervisor for the Holy Grail War. This time, it's a neutral party, so I won't have to 'educate' yet another priest. Not that it would pose a problem.

Caster has already been summoned, Lancer and Rider as well. Apparently, Ryougi Shiki counts as a Servant for the Grail War, an Assassin. We are just missing Archer, Saber, and Berserker. I checked the future a little and there is a slight problem: Yukino somehow summons Archer Emiya… How the fuck? I checked and she doesn't even have magic circuits… Eh, fuck it. I gave her the same magic circuits as Rin, so she should be able to at least support the Servant… I will have her ally with Rin and Shirou later. Ah, yeah. Now that I think about it, Artoria and Scathàch have been grumpy in the last couple of days, so I guess that they felt Lancer and the future Saber. At any rate, it is obvious that Rin will win. She has excellent Mystic Codes, Magecraft, Magic Circuits, and the strongest 'Servant' in the War. If Shirou develops feelings for Saber, I might just allow her to stay in this world. Well, I doubt it since I theoretically took the Unlimited Blade Works canon. Well, there are some- who am I kidding, there are many differences due to my interference and the coexistence of different universes.

At any rate, Rin found her Command Spells and was actually getting a panic attack. I found her in a hallway in school, shivering and panting, as if she was unable to breath. Shiki couldn't even materialize in public or it would attract a lot of attention. Well, when I saw her, I teleported to her side immediately.

"Rin! Calm down! Everything is fine, I am here. What happened to you?" I know, obviously, but I want to understand what scared her precisely. Possibly without looking in her mind too much.

She started answering between sobs: "T-Tula! The Command… Spells! I-I don't want… to participate! It's scary!"

Ah… Well, I guess I spoiled her a little too much and her mentality is less solid than in canon… I teleported her to her room in the bar, placed her on the bed, and stroked her hair a little. She calmed down eventually.

"Is it because of Kirei's... Attempted murder?" she nodded. "Hey, you shouldn't worry about that. Now you have me, the gang, and even Shiki to protect you."

"S-Shiki?"

"Yeah, the modified Servant I summoned for you. She's a Saber and Assassin with several other capabilities. She can be considered a bottom tier Goddess in terms of destructive ability. Wait, don't tell me she didn't present herself?"

"First time I heard about her."

"Oi, you shitty woman, why the fuck did you not even introduce yourself to your Master? Should I destroy you?"

Shiki materialized and kneeled. "Master Tula, I am considered an Assassin in this Grail War, I thought it would have been better for me to stay hidden."

"You are not a mere Servant, yet you still have those thoughts? Never let this happen again, or I will destroy you and your family in all possible realities."

"Yes, please forgive me!" she said and turned to Rin. "Master, I have been summoned to serve you from now until… Well, forever, probably. I am Ryougi Shiki, mainly a Saber and Assassin, along with a master of Magecraft and possessor of multiple Noble Phantasms."

Rin was a little, very, stumped by the woman's attitude. "U-uhm… Pleasure to meet you, Shiki. Since when have you been summoned?"

"I was summoned earlier today. I guess that the world needed some time to validate you as a Master."

"Yeah, I didn't make it perfect. I should probably fix it a little if we are going to stay here for more than a decade." I said. Damn, Shiki really hit a sore spot! I initially thought 'Eh, who cares. As long as it works, this will be fine.' and look at the time needed for the 'Master confirmation'! I should probably have the Voice start ruling this world as well.

"I think I just heard something strange: you summoned a Super Servant for me, that is fine, but you created this world?" asked Rin

"Yeah, there were some… Circumstances, and I created this place in a split second. It is like a videogame in early release: there are some glitches and bugs that I didn't solve yet. You know what? Give me a moment." I said and concentrated. I found all the flaws in the 'construction' of this universe.

"Merlin, 'Universe Heal'." I said. It is faster for me to isolate the problems and fix them with the Spirit Ring.

"Sure thing!" my dear wife said as she materialized and made one of the Spirit Rings shine. It lasted a split second only. "Done! I'll go back to my TV series for now!" she said and dematerialized.

"Merlin got lazy in this world, huh? I have something else with which I can tease her. Anyway, we fixed this place, so don't worry. I feel like we digressed from the initial problem here. Rin, I know that everything that happened to you caused a trauma, but you can rely on me and the gang. If you ever get in trouble, I promise I will arrive to save the day. Nothing bad will happen, so smile!" I said. Since I was pretty sure she'd like it, I leaned in and put my forehead against hers. What? Did you think I'd go for a kiss? Pervs! She's like 16 while I am way too old to count! The hell is wrong with you?!

Anyway, Rin shook a little, then relaxed and closed her eyes.

"So you promise that I will be safe? That you specifically will protect me if anything happens?"

"Yup. Omnipresence, Omniscience, and Omnipotence are perks of being a God, so you don't need to worry."

"Hm… Kinda sounds like a knight in shining armor…"

"Want a knight? I can be a knight, no problem. I'll even go to Artoria to get knighted and join the Round Table."

"Pfft! That would be pretty nice, but good-old Headmaster is nice as well."

And so the little panic attack ended. Damn, I kinda forgot how it is being an actual mortal. Even though I have my memories and all that, becoming a God would affect anyone. Hm… I can remember the panic attacks and stress before exams in uni, but I can't help but feel that I was weak-minded back then. Well, the important thing is that I can still help and relate to those that are experiencing such problems. Not that I would do it for just anyone, but it is still something important.

Anyway, the school year continued swimmingly. The Service Club was working perfectly and Hachiman and Yui were growing closer, though that helpless loner is still a tough nut to crack. Hayato and Yumiko were doing just fine, so I don't have to monitor them anymore. Rias and company had their Rating Game and stunned the entirety of the Underworld with those fantastic Longinus Sacred Gears I made them. Heh, I took a recording that I shared with Rias. The faces of those old fucks in the stands were priceless!

Well, the main part was that the 'players' of this Holy Grail War were all ready. Yukino somehow lost control of her magical circuits and summoned Archer, while Shirou kinda just found Saber in his house. Eh, magical shit. Illya has summoned Berserker and the rest are all previously summoned.

Yukino was super worried when a crazy guy calling himself 'Archer' called her 'Master', but I summoned her to the headmaster's office alongside Shirou and Rin. The two 'newcomers' were obviously confused, so I should explain…

"Well, you two are probably wondering what's up with those strangers that appeared and called you 'Master', am I right?" They both nodded. "Well, put it simply, you have been involved in a traditional war between crazy magicians for a magical artifact that can grant any one wish. Usually it involves a lot of bloodbath and all that stuff."

"Magicians? As in the Hunters?" asked Yukino

"Nope, as in Magi. They are people that have been around for thousands of years and practiced magecraft in the hopes of reaching something called the 'Root'. That isn't exactly important no-" I got attacked by both Archer and Saber. I stopped their weapons with a finger and continued. "-w. Archer, Emiya Shirou from the Counter Guardians. Saber, Artoria Pendragon, previously summoned by Emiya Kiritsugu. Your weapons can't hurt me, so stop trying. Anyway, I was about to say that Rin here is a descendant of one of the families of Magi. She has summoned Assassin, Ryougi Shiki. I want you three to work together in an alliance."

Archer didn't look satisfied. "And what prevents me from killing the other two brats, in particular my alternate version?!"

"Well, me first and foremost. If you try anything, I will destroy you and prevent your return to the Throne of Heroes. Secondly, Shiki here is a Servant I personally modified. She can easily win this war alone and kill you all, but I would prefer that my students stay alive. Well, if you die I will simply resurrect you, so don't worry too much."

At this point Yukino's head was steaming. It was quite hilarious seeing the calm and composed Yukino so confused.

"Wait, I understand the part about an alliance and all that. I agree. I have no idea how to fight a war, so it's best if we work together. This lead to the question: who are you, Headmaster? In the few minutes I've known Saber, I've seen that she is insanely powerful and you stopped her strike with a finger…" said Shirou. What's happening? Shirou is thinking?! The world is going to end!

"Well, I am a very powerful person, well versed in Magic and Magecraft, among other things. As I said, your Servants are pretty much moulding clay for me. I can make them more powerful or kill them off completely. Merlin, do you mind showing yourself?"

My wife materialized with a bucket of popcorn in hand and casual clothes.

"Ugh, you slob! This world isn't good for your health. Anyway, this is Merlin, she is most closely classified as a Grand Caster. No, we are not participating in this war, I don't have the Command Seals."

"Are they these red things?" asked Shirou, holding his hand up.

"Yup, they are used to command or enhance a Servant. Here, take these manuals." I said and passed the three of them a pocket edition of the 'Holy Grail War and Being a Master for Dummies - by Tula, Origin of Knowledge and Love'. Yeah, my title is included.

"Seriously? You wrote a manual? And 'Origin of Knowledge and Love'?" asked Yukino

"Yup, it's for those that have no idea how to act and prepare for the battles, along with some interesting tactics based on each individual class. And that's my title. As a God I need one."

"Huh, got it." said Shirou, completely disregarding the 'God' part.

"Anyway, I take it that the alliance is official starting this moment. No attacks on allied Masters will be tolerated and the winner will be determined by this thing." I said, pointing at a hard light projection of a ranking. "You will get some 'contribution points' based on how much you participate. In the end, the winner in the rankings will be declared the winner of this Grail War."

"Seems fair… How will you keep tabs on us?"

"Omniscience and Omnipresence. Don't sweat the details. You three can also use the bar as a HQ. It would also be safer if you all stay there until the end of this thing. A week max and this war will end. Ah, by the way, Shirou's step-sister is Berserker's Master, while Rin's sister is Rider's Master."

"I have a sister?!" they both shouted.

"Yeah, Illyasviel von Einzbern, daughter of Emiya Kiritsugu and Irisviel von Einzbern. She hates your guts by the way, so she's out for blood. Then we have Sakura Matou, or should I say Tohsaka. She's your blood-related sister."

"You are dropping too many bombs on us!" shouted Rin, the 'hmph'ed and turned her head.

"Tsundere."

"Old man."

"Oh, so you are a pervert, to have a crush on this old man."

"Wh-wha- No way! Who has a crush on you!"

"Hm… Sure. Anyway, you are free to go. I will deal with a couple more documents here then. You will find a clone in the bar and one patrolling the school."

Well, that went well! I finished those documents the very moment the three exited the office, so I teleported to the bar and waited for them. Heh, I like dropping info bombs on those poor, unsuspecting children. And Rin is so fun to tease! Tsundere for the win! Reminds me of Weiss, just more 'tsun'. My Ice Princess melted almost immediately and became very 'dere'.

I saw them walking through the door half an hour later. I was at my usual place, cleaning glasses.

"Cup of tea? Or maybe some hot chocolate, since the weather is getting colder?"

"Tea, please. Headmaster, could you tell me more about this war?" said Yukino.

"Sure. Basically, the Holy Grail exists, though there are various iterations of it. The one the magi seek is a concept, created with ancient magic. Basically, it can connect to the 'ruler' or 'arbiter' to grant a wish, whatever it is. Some magi want it to reach Akasha or the Root. Basically, Omniscience. Servants can also make their own wish, but some are dangerous. Artoria, for example, wishes to basically change the past in a drastic way. Now, that can create a parallel world or fundamentally change our world. Since I am here, it would result in a parallel world.

Anyway, this particular Holy Grail War was supposed to be a clusterfuck, if you allow me to use that term. Kirei Kotomine, a priest that was supposed to oversee the war, wanted to interfere with the help of another Archer, Gilgamesh, King of Heroes aka Goldie. I have already dealt with the both of them, so there will be no interference from the outside.

Now, the other Masters will be planning their moves, but you three have an advantage over them, well, two advantages. The first is information, me. The second, is that no one would expect high school students to be Masters. Well, Sakura probably knows already, since she also studies in my school.

Sakura is Rider's Master. Medusa is her Servant. Illya is Berserker's Master. She has Heracles, arguably the most annoying opponent. One of the teachers I have replaced a couple of decades ago is Caster's Master. He has Medea, Witch of Betrayal. She is a pretty annoying enemy if allowed to prepare. The last is Bazett Fraga McRemitz, pretty much a magus killer. She is Lancer's, Cú Chulainn's, Master. He is not too difficult to deal with, in particular if you take him by surprise or employ Artoria's Instinct Skill and Luck value. His spear, Gáe Bolg, is a Noble Phantasm that can theoretically never miss its target. It literally rewrites fate itself, an interesting ability.

I will make it clear for you. The most dangerous enemy is Berserker, followed by Bazett. She is deadly to normal Masters. Then, we have Caster, if given enough time, otherwise she is pretty mediocre. Rider comes next, and finally Lancer. You don't have to kill the Masters, though they will try to kill you."

There was silence for a bit. Shirou and Rin were doing the intelligent thing and were reading their manuals. That shit has literally the strategy to win any kind of battle. Courtesy of Omniscience and looking into the future. Yukino was trying to make sense of everything I dumped on her. Well, it's a very boiled down version, but it's enough for the poor girl. In all her life, she has only heard about Hunters being capable of magic, not actual magicians. She nodded to herself after some time and started reading the handbook.

"Wait, this thing says I need Magical Circuits and Mana to sustain a Servant. No one in my family is a magus, so how do I have them?" she asked

"Oh, that. I was checking the future and saw that you would somehow summon Archer without your circuits, so I gave them to you. You're welcome."