"Ryuunosuke, my wish has already been fulfilled."
In the darkness, Caster murmured to himself like a penitent lamb.
"Through my prayer, through my Holy Grail, Jeanne has been revived once more. It was the omnipotent Holy Grail that chose me."
"That's great, that's great," Ryuunosuke Uryuu replied flatly, without the slightest emotion.
"But it's not enough! Not nearly enough! Because the Holy Grail has not chosen you!"
Caster clawed at his own face in despair.
"Oh, Ryuunosuke, poor Ryuunosuke! God has taken the Holy Grail that should have been yours and reduced you to this state!
But do not worry. I will never give up. I will not let God continue to toy with your soul!
I, Gilles de Rais, swear that I will make you revive just like Jeanne… ah!"
Caster, who had been muttering to himself, suddenly widened his eyes.
"That's it! Jeanne! If it's the resurrected Holy Maiden… then Jeanne can surely heal you with her miracles!"
As Caster shook him violently, Ryuunosuke's head lolled forward.
"Yes, yes…"
"I knew it, you think so too, don't you, Ryuunosuke? As expected of my comrade. Our thoughts are perfectly aligned."
The joy on Caster's face lasted only a moment before it twisted back into anguish.
"But Jeanne is still deceived by God… what must we do to make her see the truth and change her mind?"
"What should we do, what should we do…"
"What?"
The black magus looked at Ryuunosuke in surprise.
"You're saying we must go even further in our desecration?
Pile up blasphemous living sacrifices into a mountain and show them to her with our own hands?"
Ryuunosuke Uryuu nodded blankly, muttering, "Yes, yes."
By now, it was nothing more than a conditioned response.
Caster, who had been frantic just moments ago, suddenly calmed down. He bent forward, placed a hand on the young man's shoulder, and revealed an almost angelic smile.
"I understand. Tonight, I will go and meet the beautiful Holy Maiden."
"Good, good,"
Ryuunosuke Uryuu murmured, his gaze unfocused.
...
...
On the outskirts of Miyama Town stood a grand and imposing ancient castle.
Fuyuki City's greatest urban legend, Einzbern Castle.
During the First Holy Grail War, the proud Einzberns refused to establish a base on enemy territory belonging to the Tohsaka family, so they purchased this entire stretch of land on the outskirts of Fuyuki.
On the eve of the Third Holy Grail War, the homunculi even went so far as to airlift an entire castle from Germany to Japan.
Simply tracing the history of this structure was enough to glimpse the astonishing wealth and deep obsession of the homunculi.
Sixty years later, the castle once again welcomed its masters, becoming the residence of Irisviel and her Servant.
"Is something wrong, Irisviel?"
Saber noticed her Master's shoulders tremble slightly.
"There is an intruder."
Irisviel spoke with a serious expression.
The silver-haired homunculus sensed a disturbance within her Mana circuits, an alarm triggered by the forest barrier.
Having received the warning, the two immediately shifted into combat readiness, but everything happened too suddenly.
The intruder in the forest, Caster, was not alone. Dozens of children followed behind him.
These children were an elementary school class he had happened upon while they were heading home. He had brought them here using suggestion magecraft.
Irisviel had no time to step outside and respond, nor could she tell whether it was a trap. For the moment, she could only observe through long-range vision magecraft.
They initially assumed the children were hostages.
Clearly, they could not comprehend the mind of a madman.
The moment he entered the forest, Caster declared that he would offer these lovely children to Jeanne.
"It is nothing much, merely a simple game. Please allow me to borrow a small corner of your estate."
As he cheerfully released the children from their hypnosis, a chilling sense of instinct rose within Saber.
"Come now, children, the game of hide-and-seek is about to begin."
"The rules are simple. Just run as far away from me as you can. Otherwise…"
With a gentle smile, Caster approached a red-haired elementary school boy.
"Stop!!!!"
Saber shouted.
And then, the scene she had foreseen unfolded.
Blood sprayed into the air, tracing a graceful arc. However, what flew through the air was not the boy's brain matter or eyes, but Caster's arm.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!"
Caster clutched his severed limb as blood gushed out, staggering backward.
The children screamed in terror and scattered in all directions.
As for the red-haired boy whose head Caster had just been patting, two blades connected by a chain had appeared in his hands.
...
Shirou's encounter with Caster was purely accidental. His original plan for tonight had been to head to Einzbern Castle.
"What? Master, you're going to see Saber? I'm coming too, I'm coming too!"
Lady Avalon happily tagged along.
In the end, Shirou ran into Caster on the way, dressed like a black magus, leaving him momentarily speechless in surprise.
Caster had just stopped an elementary school bus and used suggestion magecraft to control the driver. Shirou took that opportunity to slip in unnoticed.
Although going to Einzbern Castle to confirm "something" was important, after learning about Caster's atrocities, Shirou found it hard to hold himself back.
Thinking about it now, it really did feel like he and Caster's group were somehow fated to cross paths.
Shirou believed that Ryuunosuke Uryuu was a "cause" he had planted, and that it was his responsibility to bring about the "result."
That was one reason.
The other was a personal grudge.
We both rely on affinity-based summoning, so how did you end up finding your soulmate!?
Lady Avalon: Hehe~☆
With both old and new grudges combined, Shirou decided to eliminate the two of them tonight.
Caster might seem insane, but he was actually extremely cautious. The grimoire in his hand constantly maintained defensive spells.
On top of that, they were still within the city, so Shirou could only stay hidden and wait for an opening.
Then, unexpectedly, the school bus headed straight toward the Einzbern forest.
After pretending to be under hypnosis and entering the forest, Shirou sensed Caster activating a new spell. He immediately realized that this black magus was preparing a live sacrifice.
Then came the scene from earlier.
Caster walked up to Shirou, intending to crush the boy's head, and at that exact moment, Shirou seized the chance and cut off his right arm.
"What is going on…?"
Saber fell into confusion.
How could that red-haired boy injure a Servant?
Was this some kind of act staged by Caster to lure them out? A trap?
Just as she hesitated, Irisviel suddenly stood up beside her.
"Saber, let's go."
"…?"
A powerful aura surged from Irisviel.
It was the first time Saber had ever seen her Master so serious, her expression so resolute. A sense of justice? No, it felt slightly different.
Even during the battle at the warehouse district, she had not shown such fighting spirit.
Irisviel stared at the red-haired boy through her long-range magecraft, clenching her fists tightly.
Wait for me, Shinji-kun…
Mom… no, big sister is coming to save you right now!!