"First, let me correct a potential misconception. This war revolving around the Holy Grail... the Grail itself, which acts as the core, is not a holy relic of the Son of God."
Merlin clasped her hands behind her back, moving slowly along the edge of the flower bed behind the bench. The garden wasn't particularly large, and at her furthest point, she was still some distance from Ludwig, yet he could hear her every word clearly.
"The Son of the largest Abrahamic religion of the old era, then," Ludwig noted understandingly.
"The 'old era'... I see," Merlin laughed playfully. "But as a side note, the Grail here isn't the Great Cup of Uruk once held by that Heroic King over there, either."
"Hmph... all the treasures in this world are my property. Even if it is not the Great Cup of Uruk, the Holy Grail remains my treasure nonetheless. Those thieves who dare reach for this King's wealth without permission all deserve ten thousand deaths." Gilgamesh began to move as well.
He walked along the riverside path, rounding the flower bed and moving in a relative position to Merlin. The center of their circling paths was Ludwig, who sat perched on the bench.
"The Grail here is actually a massive ritual based on the Third Magic, constructed for the purpose of reaching the Root. While it originally had other uses, the immense magical energy it collects qualifies it as a 'wish-granting machine' that can realize any desire," Merlin continued.
"The humans who created such a thing were merely seeking an escape from all suffering, rather than a way to overcome it," Gilgamesh added with a mocking laugh.
Ludwig turned his head, glancing at Gilgamesh as the man disappeared from his line of sight, though he could still hear the footsteps pacing behind him. Naturally, the boy had no particular feelings regarding the motives behind the Grail's creation.
However, a Grail that could grant wishes... he wondered if it could send him back to his original era.
Even though this era, where the planet had not yet died, was beautiful, he constantly felt out of place. He was merely an anomaly who had accidentally crossed an invisible fence and returned to the past. To the Planet, he was a potential threat that ought to be eliminated. Ludwig didn't know what he should be considered in the eyes of the current human world.
If the Holy Grail was a tool that could be useful to him, he wasn't opposed to the idea of taking it for himself.
"So, a so-called war was convened around this wish-granting machine called the Holy Grail? But this city seems perfectly peaceful to me. I don't see any traces of a war," Ludwig said. "Where are the combatants?"
"Calling it a war is a bit of an exaggeration; there aren't many participants," Merlin said, shaking her head with a smile. "The so-called Holy Grail War is a small-scale conflict where seven Masters, along with their respective Servants, fight for the Grail."
"Masters and Servants, in pairs... fourteen people in total?" Ludwig asked.
"Exactly. The seven Servants each belong to different Classes." Merlin pointed toward Gilgamesh. "For instance, the Heroic King there is one of the seven, a Servant of the Archer class. All seven are summoned through a ritual known as Heroic Spirit Summoning, descending into an era that is not their own."
At this point, Merlin added mischievously, "Theoretically, among the seven classes, Saber—who stands alongside Archer and Lancer as one of the Three Knight Classes—possesses the best base stats. One could say it is the pinnacle of the classes."
Faced with Merlin's direct jab, Gilgamesh only gave a scoffing laugh, declining to engage in a war of words with her.
Ludwig then sat up straight. "Wait a minute. Isn't Heroic Spirit Summoning supposed to be a defensive mechanism of Humanity? A ritual intended to deploy the 'Seven Strongest of Mankind' to deal with a 'Great Enemy'?"
"Ho..." Gilgamesh laughed with interest. "You even know about that?"
"Surprising, isn't it?" Ludwig looked at Gilgamesh askance. "I might have more surprises in store for you."
Gilgamesh hummed in displeasure but didn't react further, continuing his stroll.
In truth, the reason Ludwig knew this was simple: after the planet's death, during the great war between humans and other A-rays, the last descendants of magi had attempted to trigger the Heroic Spirit Summoning system. However, the Human Counter Force never responded.
If not for the birth of "Knights"—special individuals within the Human-types who possessed immense combat power—humanity would have been wiped out by other A-rays long before the arrival of the beings known as Aristoteles. Ludwig only knew of this because he had read the relevant records.
"The Heroic Spirit Summoning of the Holy Grail War is merely the result of taking that original system meant to protect humanity and modifying it into a tool for self-interest," Merlin explained cheerfully. "The seven Classes used as containers are also products of that weakened modification."
"That doesn't explain one thing, though." Ludwig looked at Gilgamesh. "At least from what I can feel, even in a weakened container, they are still far stronger than the humans of this era. Can these so-called 'Masters' actually drive Servants to fight?"
"Most Masters are special existences known as magi. Of course, the most important thing that allows them to command a Servant is a mechanism called Command Spells," Merlin said with a smile. "Each Master chosen by the Grail possesses three Command Spells. By using one, even the Heroic King over there would find it impossible to escape death."
"So a Command Spell can even force a Servant to commit suicide," Ludwig noted. "That is indeed quite useful."
"Furthermore, the relationship between Master and Servant is a cooperative one. Once the other camps are defeated, the winning pair—both Master and Servant—gets the opportunity to use the Grail to grant their wishes," Merlin said.
Ludwig began to understand. "So, does the Heroic King there have a wish he wants the Grail to grant?"
"He has no wish at all. As he just said, he's simply an obsessive hoarder who refuses to let anyone else touch the Grail," Merlin teased, throwing up her hands.
"Well said. Even though you aren't a Servant of this Holy Grail War, I might consider dealing with you before I finish off the other thieves, Merlin," Gilgamesh laughed boisterously.
Just as she walked back near Ludwig, Merlin sat down beside him again. She leaned in as if to whisper, though her voice remained perfectly clear. "See? The oldest Heroic King of humanity is exactly this kind of tyrant—just like in the epics, wouldn't you say?"
"A bit more vivid than in the stories," Ludwig replied. "He's alive, after all."
SIN (Grain Ether) Cosmic dust. A collective term for all harmful, unmeasurable particles that permeate a planet that has lost its planetary functions. Although toxic to the human body, they are also called "Ether" because they can rarely cause specific mutations. New species like A-rays, Human-types, and Knights are all products of SIN. Because the energy conversion rate of SIN dispersed in the atmosphere is so powerful, combat theories have developed that would have been impossible on the planet in the past. In the battles between A-rays who absorb SIN into their bodies and the Magic Swords that crystallize SIN, weapons of the old era have become completely worthless.
────────────────────────────────────────
Support me here: https://[email protected]/AuAuMon
Spring Sale Special – 20% OFF!
Type-Moon: The A-Ray Knight's Holy Grail Journey
Join the journey and become part of the story!
────────────────────────────────────────