There is such a thing as a Lesser Holy Grail War.
A derivative, degraded version of the great magical ritual known as the Holy Grail War, originally carried out in Fuyuki City, Japan, under the leadership of the three magus families: Einzbern, Makiri, and Tohsaka.
The purpose of the ritual is the creation of the omnipotent wish-granting device known as the Holy Grail, which will unconditionally grant any wish exactly once... or rather, that is merely the pretext for reaching the Root.
For that reason, despite being nothing more than an incomplete, inferior imitation, countless magi planned and participated in this Lesser Holy Grail War.
Even if the ending was nothing like what they had hoped for.
Like moths that did not know the value of their own lives, they threw themselves into it, and every last one of them failed, fell into despair, or died.
And I was no different.
I was also one of the people who entered this chaotic war for the sake of the Holy Grail.
The difference was that my goal was not something like the Root.
And that I was not one of their losers, but the winner.
"You really made it all the way here. Congratulations, Master."
"Caster."
The Greater Holy Grail stood before me.
Its appearance was quite different from the one in Fuyuki City, but the immense magical energy I could clearly feel with my whole body made it unmistakably the Greater Holy Grail.
It was fair to say it came very close to the original.
Well, since it was a derivative, the vessel's stability looked pretty questionable.
At the very least, its output had clearly gathered to a level worthy of being called a Greater Holy Grail.
Now I just had to make use of it somehow before this thing blew itself apart and spilled its contents everywhere.
"So, how do you feel? You joined just to meet some famous people, and somehow ended up winning. What's that like?"
"It's a headache."
Just as he said. I hadn't exactly entered this ritual for the Holy Grail itself.
My goal had always been to witness the Heroic Spirits, the famous figures of history, with my own eyes.
If possible, I wanted to watch their battles in vivid detail too.
I had made that clear to the magus who was the organizer as well.
I had even used a Geas Scroll to convince him that the Holy Grail was not my objective.
Thanks to that, I had been able to join in a sort of spectator position and keep my mind at ease, only for that organizer to get eliminated first thing.
Trying to survive the completely unexpected turn of events, I did my best, and somehow ended up winning in the end.
Is this for real?
"For now, I need to do something about this troublesome thing."
"Do you have some kind of plausible plan? It looks unstable at a glance, but it is still the Holy Grail. It should have some use, one way or another."
"Not really. My wish has already been granted by this war, after all. What about you?"
I asked Caster whether he wanted the Holy Grail.
In the end, he should have usage rights too, as my partner.
But as expected, he immediately frowned at my suggestion and flatly refused.
"As if I would! Do you intend to work me to death like some military commander or queen, Master? I absolutely refuse to fire that damned heretic's bullet! More than that, I wouldn't take this fake defective junk even if you gave it to me!"
"...So you do remember that side after all."
"Hah? I have no idea what you're talking about. Must be some strange electromagnetic wave or something."
Caster brushed it off with a ridiculous excuse and a crooked grin.
At his answer, I could only sigh.
What a terrible Servant he was, in one way or another.
Still, he was a lot better than that playwright.
"No helping it, then. I'll just blow it away cleanly..."
That was when it happened.
Rumble rumble rumble!!!
"Huh?!"
"Oh, no."
Suddenly, the floor began to shake.
And that wasn't all.
The magical energy around the Holy Grail, which had at least seemed stable until a moment ago, began to surge violently.
At that point, there was no mistaking it.
This incomplete knockoff had finally lost its balance and started going berserk.
"Tch, so this is what you get for being made in China...!"
"The organizer is Chinese, so that's not entirely wrong."
"Forget it! We're blowing up that damned fake just like planned! Support me, Caster!"
"Extending my work until the very end? Your schedule management is a complete mess! As expected, you're the worst editor, Master!"
I hurriedly assembled the ritual.
What I needed now was overwhelming firepower, nothing else.
That was impossible for Caster, the self-proclaimed and widely acknowledged weakest Heroic Spirit.
So it was up to me.
Fortunately, the Magecraft I used did not draw on my own magical energy, but borrowed it from outside through a contract with the world.
And there was more than enough magical energy around me right now.
All I had to do now was use [that] with Caster's support...
"You idiot! It's already too late! Shift the ritual to defense!"
Too late, Caster's urgent shout rang out behind me.
The Holy Grail's magical expansion, which I had thought would still leave me a little room to respond, was rapidly growing stronger.
At this rate, it would explode soon.
I realized that too, but by then it was already too late.
"Ah."
Then a pure white light swallowed everything in front of me, and all sensation vanished from my body as I ended my second life in a blast.
.
.
.
Shit, boom...