Narrator's POV
During the age of the gods, there were different pantheons, one of which was the Greek gods, the Olympians, or better known as the machine gods.
During these times, several legends arose, from which other later legends emerged, such as those of Perseus and Heracles, the former being the great-grandfather of the latter.
Now, let's look at it from another perspective.
Gaia and Uranus had children, from whom they had Rhea and Cronus, who would eventually give birth to Hades, who would be the father of Dante (adopted, but it doesn't matter). Dante would have several descendants, but his firstborn was Libra, who would marry Orion and have two children, a boy and a girl. Their daughter would later marry Aeetes, son of Helios and brother of Circe, king of Colchis. From this union, three children would be born, one of whom would be Medea. Well, the rest is history.
(Note: I don't remember the exact chapter, but it was either the same one or the one after he was summoned in the Holy Grail War where he mentioned this.)
...
Dante's POV
"I see, I didn't know it was you, nor did I remember we were blood relatives," Caster half-apologized, sitting in a chair she'd summoned in the middle of the temple.
I just looked at her, somewhat tired, sitting on the floor.
It was already daytime; the sun was about to rise, which meant I'd spent hours fighting Medea nonstop and talking about fighting.
I glanced to the side to see Rider sitting, patiently waiting for me to finish my conversation with Caster.
When she arrived, she had several wounds, including one on her neck, showing she'd been close to being decapitated, but if she's up here, that means she defeated Assassin, although I didn't kill him, since I can feel him lying on the stairs, resting; besides, Caster would have told me so.
"But that doesn't excuse you from being here; we're in the Holy Grail War, we're both enemies, we're destined to fight, and I have no intention of surrendering the Grail for any reason," Caster declared, staring intently at me.
"You know, this can be easily fixed," I said as I lay down.
"What do you mean?" she asked doubtfully.
"First of all, it would be better to discuss this elsewhere; the monks should be waking up soon, and as I understand it, there's a younger one who has to go to school," I explained. She looked around at the place and the sky, noticing that the sun was almost rising from its hiding place.
She looked at me for a moment, considering her actions.
"I'll take your advice, just to give you the benefit of the doubt," she said as she stood up and began to tidy the entire temple using magic.
At that moment, a man, formally dressed, with glasses and a serious expression, walked toward us.
"If that's the case, follow me this way to a place where you can speak more privately with Caster," said the man I recognized as Caster's master.
I didn't say anything; I just followed where he indicated, with TRider following me like a bodyguard.
After a few minutes, Caster arrived, still in her robes, and sat down across from me.
"Now tell me, how can you grant my wish?" she asked.
At that moment, action was better than words. Activating my magic circuit, I extended my hand for her to do the same.
She hesitated, but seeing my gaze, a flicker of hope and curiosity crossed her eyes. The moment she touched my hand, she felt it.
Automatically, when I touched her hand, I also touched her soul, and she felt it immediately.
"This is the third magic, the miracle of being able to manipulate the soul; together with my scythe, I can bind your soul and create a new vessel so you can live your normal life with your fiancé, just as you wish," I explained.
She remained still, watching her hand being held by mine.
"And... what is your dream?" she asked me hesitantly.
"It's very similar to yours, but my intention is also to remove Medusa from the throne of heroes, or at least eliminate her monster version," I answered honestly.
It didn't really matter since, from the moment I left this universe with her, only the gorgon's body would remain, but hollow, empty, and soulless. If it were to be summoned, it wouldn't do anything; it wouldn't move. The same would be true for her younger or alternate versions.
"You don't need the Holy Grail to fulfill your wish; you need to use the Grail to..." I stopped talking at that moment.
"What's wrong?" she asked, sounding worried.
"I just remembered something," I said nervously.
"And what would that be?" she inquired.
"Well, the Grail might be a little, I don't know how to put it, strange," I explained, feeling somewhat embarrassed.
I had forgotten that the Holy Grail was completely tainted by the evil of the world, so you can't make any wish without its contents potentially being released into the world, causing the world's destruction, a Lostbelt, or something similar since it's not written in the story that something like that will happen.
...
In a certain area of the temple, Caster, Rider, and I stood staring at what was supposedly the entrance to the Holy Grail, still sealed.
Seeing that it wasn't possible to open it through "normal" means, she clicked her tongue.
"But you can't see, and these kinds of things happen as if nothing were wrong?" Caster asked me.
"I was revived with about 50 seals on my body; I don't possess that kind of power now, but I can sense objects, and I can detect the Grail," I told her. "Inside it, I can sense a being—not evil, but something strange."
As I explained, Caster stood behind me and held my head in both hands.
"Wait, give me a few seconds; soon I'll be able to sense what you're feeling," she said.
Now that I think about it, Caster is my descendant, so she should be able to use Haki.
"Hey, have you ever felt an ability like seeing the future or sensing people's emotions?" I asked him.
"No, my whole life I've focused on magic, but I remember hearing that from my uncle's family and some nephews," he replied, then fell silent, lost in thought. "I see, there's clearly an anomaly in the Grail that's slowly corrupting it; at that point, even with a suitable vessel, you can't expect the wish to be completely arbitrary or biased, since this thing can end up changing or manipulating the desire."
With that said, he stopped holding it and stood beside me.
"I see that the Grail wish can no longer be granted; if it weren't for your choice, I would have had to take the risk anyway, but I see that won't be the case here," he said, standing in front of me. "Then I ask you to do it immediately, please."
"But that's not in my best interest," I told him with complete sincerity.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"Currently, the Holy Grail War is in a precarious situation, with a near-immortal hero, a demigod with two-thirds god blood, and a priest who would do anything to fulfill his twisted desires," I said, gazing at the sky. "I could try to do it with Rider alone, but I feel the more the merrier."
"So you're asking for an alliance?" Caster asked.
"Exactly. I'm asking for your help until we can eliminate these threats, and once we do, I'll do what you asked."
She pondered for a moment.
"Um... I need to talk to Souichiro about this," she finally said.
"No problem, we can wait until he gets back."
...
After that, Rider and I stayed somewhere to rest while Souichirou returned from school.
"Hey, Master," Rider said after a long silence; she just looked at me with puppy-dog eyes as she approached, standing close by my side. "Will you revive me too, just like you're going to revive Caster?"
That question left me speechless. The situation with Caster was different. Once Caster was revived, I wouldn't have to take care of her, but with Rider it was different; her wish was to stay with me forever, but I didn't know whether to grant it or not.
I have a great affection for Rider, but I never really liked the idea of a harem, even though I have one now. For me, Kiss-shot and Aoko are more than enough. Especially since I'm a married man; technically, I should only have one wife, at least that's how I see it. No matter how much permission I had from her, I never liked it, and I never really felt comfortable with it. That's why I never had many relationships with other women, and if it happened, it was by accident, like what happened with Touko.
"We're a team, and we'll be together as long as this war lasts. Once this is over, we'll see what the future holds," I replied, to which she just smiled and snuggled against my chest.
I could only stand still, not knowing what to do. Instinctively, I stroked her head.
I just hope this doesn't affect me as much as I want it to. For some reason, the thought crossed my mind: me neglecting Rider, hurting her, and seeing her face filled with regret and sadness made my heart ache.
Realizing this, I could only say one thing.
"Damn it."
...
"I see," said Souichirou, sitting with his eyes closed, his expression as if the sky were splitting and he wouldn't even flinch.
"Ara, I see you agreed. Do you really trust this?" Caster asked.
"It's not that; it's just the best option. Besides, the situation isn't very favorable, not to mention that if this man is who he says he is, then he's the only one who can defeat him head-on," Souichirou stated matter-of-factly.
"That man?" Rider asked cautiously.
"Or rather, ex-man," Caster replied.
"I see. I imagine you're talking about that big guy who's with that girl," I said, hinting at who she was talking about. "But why don't you want to face him, Caster?"
My question made her thoughtful for a few moments, as if she were remembering something.
"Brother Heracles was always good to me, even though his attitude was never truly kind, but he always helps me and others. I always considered him a friend; I even healed him. But now, as he is, he's an enemy, and I feel it's best to get rid of him," she explained with a certain tone.
"I see. The Argonauts' adventure was more than meets the eye," I said, to which Caster seemed a little annoyed.
"Don't mention it. It brings back bad memories," Caster asked, to which I nodded.
"So, Heracles, now as a Berserker, hasn't done anything yet?" I said, to which Caster put her hand up to interrupt me.
"The truth is, those two had already been here," he said, which threw me off, since I honestly didn't remember any of it. "A few days before the war, Berserker was wandering around looking for a fight, but unfortunately for him, he didn't run into anyone."
(Note: Before Shirou became a Master, there had already been two fights: Berserker versus Lancer, but it didn't happen in this world because Cu wasn't there, and when he tried to invade the temple, which is canon.)
"And what can you say about that?" I asked.
"The usual. Even though he can't think straight, his fighting skills haven't diminished one bit; I even think his enhanced madness has made him more powerful since he doesn't have feelings or complex thoughts when he fights," I said as he poured himself some tea.
"So what do we do?" Rider asked, looking at me.
"So what do we do?" "Nothing for now. It's best to see what happens tonight to analyze the fights, since, based on what you're saying and what I know, Berserker will be out looking for a fight tonight, at least that's what I think."
Remembering that Heracles likes to fight and that the brat is in sadistic mode, I don't think they can stay still much longer.
"I think so too; this way we can also see the strength of the other available Servants. By any chance, do you know who the others are?" she asked curiously.
"There's you, Uesugi; Medusa; Heracles; Sasaki; but I have no idea who the archer and the knight are," I lied, but I had no way of justifying knowing their identities, especially Archer's.
"I hope he faces Berserker tonight so we can try to find out something about their identities," Caster stated, now determined. "If you want, you can stay here the rest of the time."
"It's not necessary. I left your great-grandmother home alone all day, and she'll probably scold me for not getting back on time."
Caster was about to say something, but she stopped mid-sentence; she just nodded in confirmation.
After saying goodbye, we left the temple and headed home.
At that moment, when we were alone, Kiss-shot spoke to me telepathically.
"Did you finish talking to her?"
"Yes, what happened?" I asked curiously.
"While you were at the temple enjoying some family time, I, out of boredom, deployed several familiars and ended up discovering that Saber and Lancer had a fight not too long ago outside Fuyuki High School."
"So? What happened?"
"Nothing too important; since the brat was wearing red, it ended pretty quickly, but it seemed like the blonde and Medusa were giving each other death stares."
"I see, I think they ended up forming a small, momentary rivalry; this could be bad," especially since I don't see Medusa winning a fight against Saber. At best, they'll kill each other, but that's not good. If things get out of hand, I'll have to intervene.
"Thanks for the information; we're on our way; continue with the deployment. While I was talking with Medes, we deduced that there will be conflict tonight, so we need to be on high alert."
"Understood, but will you be participating tonight?"
"Not this time; we'll just observe and analyze," I told him.
"Okay, I'll wait for you here," with that he broke the telepathy.
As we walked, I stopped halfway, looking at Rider.
"What's wrong, Master?" he asked curiously.
"I just noticed that you only wear those clothes all day, right? Wouldn't you like to have another set of clothes?"
...
Once we left the women's clothing store, Rider stared at her clothes, which were a pair of workout clothes—something she really liked.
"These clothes are so comfortable. They're like my formal attire, but I feel like I'd get too hot if I exercised in them," she said, smiling at me.
"You could have chosen a windbreaker instead of a fleece," I complained, looking at her.
"Can't I have both?" she asked, as if it were the most reasonable thing in the world.
"That's the thinking of someone with money," I said bluntly.
"But you have plenty of money," she countered.
"Yes, but it's for other things like bus fare, food, and paying our rent; of course, if the Holy Grail fire burns the house down, I wouldn't have to pay for it—no dirty thoughts," I told myself, trying not to think anything evil. "Well, let's find something to eat and go home."
"Let's eat pizza," Rider declared enthusiastically.
"You can't eat pizza all the time; you need to eat other things to get nutrients," I told him.
"But, man, I'm dead. What good are nutrients to me?" That response left me speechless.
"Let's go to Pizza Hut," I said listlessly.
"Hooray!" Rider exclaimed, jumping up and throwing his arms in the air.
...
*The next day*
"Oh, what memories," Rider said upon seeing the entrance to the forest, where the Einzbern castle would be located.
"Yes, that's when we fought to the death," I commented.
"That's when you defeated me and took my first time," she said dreamily.
"First defeat, be clear, woman," I corrected her.
"That's how I realized you were the one to be my husband and that you would give me thousands of children," she declared.
"Can a woman have several children?" I asked, more to the air than to her.
"You had several children with Aphrodite," she tried to contradict me.
"Yes, but she was a goddess," I tried to justify myself.
"So am I. I am the avatar of Bisahomente, which makes me a goddess," she explained proudly.
"That's not true," I told her.
"Yes, it's true," she replied.
"No, it isn't."
"Yes, it is."
"No, it isn't."
"Yes, it's true."
"The truth is, prove you're a goddess," I ordered.
"No need; just by looking at me, it's clearer than water that I am," she said, trying to puff out her chest as she opened her hands, trying to show off her magnificence. I just looked at her listlessly, turned around, and continued walking. "See, I left you speechless."
I think I'll ignore her for a while.
As we walked, I remembered what happened last night.
Just as expected, Berserker roamed the streets of Fuyuki, encountering Saber and, oddly enough, Archer.
I think Rin and Shirou have already allied themselves, but I'm not sure.
They were probably looking for Lancer because of the incident at the academy and the barrier there.
For Rin, the students' safety is a priority since she's the "owner" of Fuyuki, while with Saber, it was to finish some unfinished business.
But unfortunately for the two of them, and fortunately for Illya, the three of them met.
In the end, all three fell ill, and as expected, Shirou acted recklessly by getting involved in the battle, causing him to lose an arm. But thanks to Saber and Avalon, it was reattached.
The fight ended in nothing, with no clear winner, but if it had continued, Berserker would have been the clear victor, but only if things had stayed that way. If Archer used Unlimited Blade Works and Saber Excalibur at full power, they might be able to defeat him; I'm not entirely sure, really.
Right now, we're on our way to confront Berserker.
Not long ago, we returned to the Fuyuki Temple and agreed that the first thing we had to do was eliminate the most unstable variable, or at least that was the idea. But as long as Berserker is around, Caster will want to jump into a fight, and it wouldn't be ideal to fight there because people live there.
(Note: Interestingly, in all three routes, the final battles take place in the temple. I think there are people there; I have no idea what might have happened to the civilians.)
In the previous routes, Caster acted when Berserker was eliminated or when he had Saber under his control; Not before, or at least not without a plan or something certain.
"I think the first thing we should do is kill the priest, but what does it matter, the order doesn't affect the outcome," or at least that's what I hope.