"You'll need to pick someone soon you know. It wouldn't do to not have a patron when you go through your rite of passage."
"I know... I just can't decide on who I should pick. There's too many of them, and they're all so cool..."
Shirou moaned as he laid his head atop the pages of an open book. All around him, entire grimoires and books had been piled up upon one another in messy stacks. Each of their covers were written in different languages, though they each had the name of a famous saint on the cover.
"Why can't I just pick Saint Patrick?" Shirou complained as he turned towards his senior, who was giving him an annoyed look.
"Because he's my saint, Shirou. I can't let you have the same saint as me while we're working together. It's not unique." The blue haired girl sighed and shook her head. "Just pick one that's not Saint Patrick. Honestly, it's not that hard."
"Only you would be bothered by uniqueness, Ciel-Sempai." Shirou pouted.
If anyone were to have seen them, they would honestly have a hard time believing that the blue haired girl was one of the Church's most dangerous killers when it comes to hunting dead apostles, a Burial Agency member who mostly had no need for jurisdiction. It was Shirou's first impression of her when she was designated as his senior handler. Needless to say, she wasn't happy with her new role and had actually attempted to kill him several times in their early years.
Her spartan training regime and constant abuse was daily, but he always took it without complaining. In fact, he often exceeded her expectations and was almost at her level of skill when it came to martial arts or combat.
After six months of abuse, they actually managed to hold a conversation for a bit during one of their days off. Surprisingly, they had more in common than what they had originally thought. She, while human, had been an incarnation of a powerful Dead Apostle named Roa. Due to this, she gained a form of complete immortality that prevented her from dying no matter what you did to her. However, it also made her feel much more distant from everyone else since she was as much of a freak as the dead apostles she hunts.
Of course Shirou, being one to never hold a grudge, had pointed out the similarities between them. The fact that they were monsters, the fact that they were magi, and the fact that they both had their previous lives taken away from them were only a few he had provided, but it had been enough to prove a point. Ever since then, she actually took her job more seriously and eased up more on breaking his bones. It had been a very welcome change for him.
Eventually, they came to see each other as siblings of sorts and have been inseparable ever since. It was an odd relationship that the rest of the Church acknowledge, though they didn't mind. In fact, they seemed to welcome it as Shirou was the only one who could keep her strange curry obsession down with his godly cooking.
As of now, she was helping him prepare himself for the last step to becoming a true member of the catholic faith known as Confirmation. They were supposed to pick a saint who would be designated as his spiritual guide on his time on earth like a second guardian angel. However, Shirou had been extremely picky with his choice of a saint. She didn't know why. She had randomly chosen Saint Patrick out of a book of saints and she wasn't at all bothered by it, though Shirou was an odd duck when it comes to these things.
Even if his body had been morphed into a Dead Apostle, Shirou acted more human than most of the people he worked with. Normally, such actions would be frowned upon by the other executioners and dead apostle hunters in the business, but Shirou's own fame and unique power made it impossible for anyone to confront him about it.
Due to his ability to create objects from nothing, he earned the nickname of 'Blacksmith', 'Successor of the First', and even more comically, 'The Money Printer' due to the fact that he once created millions of dollars to help secretly take care of a small financial crisis some sections of the church were experiencing.
He was a bro like that.
"How about this one?" She picked up another book. This time with writing in greek. "Saint Nicholas? He's pretty famous. He became the basis for Santa Claus in the west."
"No... Not him. He's for little kids." Shirou mumbled as he shoved the book away and stood up. "I think I'm going to take a break for now. Besides, I have all the time in the world to decide on a saint and I haven't even researched half of them." He suddenly blinked as a stack of books with a coffee mug on top teetered over as his hand brushed against the stack.
"Oops." He muttered as he bent over to clean up his mess.
Ciel sighed in exasperation and simply continued to talk. "You don't need to research intensively into a saint to pick one for confirmation. Any single one of them would do."
"Maybe for you Ciel-Sempai, but this is important to me." Shirou said with a deadpan look, earning a groan from the girl.
"Whatever you say. Just don't expect me to help you put all of these books away when you're done."
"Mhm... Sure." Shirou murmured as he finished collecting all of the books and placing them in a neat stack atop his desk. Opening his hand, he casually created some wipes to clean the stain on the floor, but stopped as a sudden noise resounded through the room.
*Knock* *Knock*
"Shirou? Are you in there?"
Shirou relaxed as he recognized that voice. After all, how could he ever forget the voice of one of his closest friends?
"Yeah, I'm here. You can come in."
The door opened, and the boy who went by the code name of 'Crown' walked in. His regular smile was still on his face, though Shirou could tell that it was much more real now than the first time they met. Now that he was a part of the Church, they had no need to keep their true names hidden from each other.
His true name was Merem Solomon, one of the legendary 27 dead apostle ancestors. He was also one of the oldest despite his young appearances, having met the Crimson Moon during his human life. While his appearance was common to him, most members of the Church don't actually know of this form due to the fact that he often interacted with others using his demons.
Yes, his demons. Both of his arms and legs were actually not real appendages, but were actually demons who were created to serve as his limbs after he lost them long ago. One of them wasn't really worth much in terms of combat, but the other three limbs were powerful enough to contend with the other dead apostle ancestors. As a general rule though, he doesn't tend to use them all at once unless he was serious.
"Good evening you two." Merem greeted politely.
"Hello Merem-sempai." Shirou replied, bowing politely and earning a chuckle from the Ancestor.
"No need to be so formal, Shirou. We're both Ancestors now and there is nothing left for me to teach you. Just call me Merem."
"But you're still higher than me on the hierarchy, Merem-sempai. It's only natural that I do so."
Merem was very well known in the magical world, as everyone knows him as the only Ancestor who willingly cooperates with the Church to capture his own kind. So when word got out that he had taken in a dead apostle as a student of sorts, it spread like wildfire. When it soon came to light that his apprentice was able to use the First True Magic, that's when people began to take it seriously. A magician was dangerous on their own and usually played by their own rules, serving no one but themselves. If it was true that the Church actually managed to get ahold of one...
The difference in power would tip towards the Church and increase their influence by tenfold. It only became more apparent over the next few years when Shirou began taking more dangerous missions and succeeding without fail. His fame increasing to the point where the other Dead Apostle Ancestors noticed, earning him the designation of number 22 among the 27 Dead Aposlte Ancestors despite barely being out of his infancy by their standards.
It's incredible how utterly terrifying magic actually is.
"Your rank is only a formality, Shirou. You should most certainly be higher up on the list." Merem said with a shake of his head. "Even I admit that you're stronger than me. For what it's worth, you might even give my princess a run for her money. So please, just call me Merem. We've known each other long enough anyway."
Shirou looked like he wanted to protest, but he faltered when Ciel gave him an imposing glare. She knew he was quite the gentleman, but she didn't want her little brother to become a freaking goody two shoes. It would shame her as his acting charge.
"Fine..." He mumbled, conceding defeat. He could never argue with her.
"Why are you here anyway, Merem?" Ciel asked, ignoring Shirou's moping. "It's rare for you to step out of your quarters. Something catch your attention?"
At this, the normally cheery face the boy had turned serious. "Yes, actually. I've just received some important news from the higher ups that I believe the two of you need to hear. Come with me, please."
"The mission was a failure, Lady Barthomeloi."
The middle aged magus began sweating as he felt the glare of the female woman increase tenfold at his words. Inwardly, he cursed himself for his crappy luck at having to be the one to personally deliver the message. If they hadn't offered him money, he would have been long gone by now.
"A failure, you say?" The woman growled, causing the Magus' hair to stand up on end. "How embarrassing... To think that 50 of our best hunters failed in destroying this sad excuse for a magus family."
"T-This is the power of the Queen of the Clocktower..." The magus thought with fear as the pressure began doubling around the room in accordance with the woman's anger.
"I want a detailed report of the situation. Now." She ordered, her eyes glistening with anger.
"U-um..." The man stuttered as he began fumbling with a folder under his arm. "Well... The fifty hunters we sent to dispatch the Yggdmillenia were completely massacred. Only one of them managed to get out of there alive, but he's in critical condition. We fear he'll never be able to utilize magecraft again."
"These were all first class mages who were handpicked by me. How could they have been massacred so easily?!"
"W-well the survivor said that they had been attacked by a servant. A familiar of some kind, I think."
The woman's eyes narrowed. "A familiar? Preposterous. You're telling me that a familiar was capable of doing this?"
"Only the extraordinary ones. And right now, that is what we are dealing with."
From the doorway, a man with long black hair and a black suit casually strolled in with a lit cigar in his mouth. His posture was relaxed despite the heavy aura that was being emitted.
"El Melloi..." Barthomeloi's anger calmed down somewhat. "Come to offer your knowledge?'
"Please add the II. It's incredibly grating without it." The man muttered as he exhaled a small whiff of smoke. "As for what advice I have come to offer... I suggest that you take the situation more seriously, Barthomeloi. These aren't your simple dead apostles that you are so accustomed to hunting."
El Melloi's calm statement surprised Barthomeloi a little. Unlike anyone else, the man has never once given her a lie. Everything he says is logical and has often proved to be correct on several different occasions. Thus, she took his suggestions rather seriously compared to everyone else.
"Continue." She beckoned.
"The Grail the Yggdmillenia have in their possession is indeed an all-powerful cup that can grant the desires of its wielders. It was created a long time ago by the Einzberns, Tohsakas, and Matous with the intent of reaching the Root. However, the system upon which it was founded required a large amount of prana to do so. Thus, the use of two true magics were used to create the means to gather such power." El Melloi II sighed. "It's a genius system, really. It summons a portion of a heroic spirit down to Earth with the intent of using their powers to activate the grail. Barbaric, but not at all uncommon amongst us, no?"
"Heroic spirits?" Barthomeloi's eyebrows rose.
"They're the spirits of those humanity calls heroes. Their forms are made of pure mystery, equaling those of the 27 ancestors. Unlike them, however, they have certain limitations that they need to accept." He lit another cigar.
"Do you think the Yggdmillenia would send one of these servants here to attack?"
"To be honest? I'm not completely sure. The head of that family is as unpredictable and as sly as a snake. No telling what he would do." El Melloi II shrugged. "The only way for us to combat them now would be to gather up a force and summon our own heroic spirits. However, I doubt the Yggdmillenia would let us do so. Seven servants can only be sustained at a given time and they must have already chosen candidates to fill in the spots."
"Actually... I think there's another part of the report you might want to hear about." The magus noted, drawing the other two magi as he pulled out a folder filled with papers and began flipping through it. "Says here that the last surviving member of the squad we sent was able to activate something called the 'Reserve System'. Doesn't explain what it is, though."
El-Melloi looked miffed. "Really? What the hell are they playing at?"
Barthomeloi gave him an annoyed look. "Explain."
"Well you see..."
"So you're saying that the Holy Grail has been found..." Ciel muttered as she processed the information Merem had just dumped on them.
"Indeed. It's located in Romania, the heart of the Magi house known as the Yggdmillenia." Merem confirmed with a nod, though his expression was one of excitement rather than concern. "Isn't it amazing? It has almost been fifty years since the grail had vanished and it chooses now to resurface."
"In the hands of a radical family with a pathological liar as their leader." Shirou pointed out. "I mean... shouldn't you be worried?"
Merem snorted. "Worried? No. Concerned? Perhaps. Excited? I most certainly am. A legendary artifact created by number 4, while not the real deal, is still a powerful device. I must have something like that in my collection!"
Shirou and Ciel rolled their eyes. It was a very well known reason around the Church that Merem only hung around because he wanted to be close to all of the mystical artifacts the Church has stored and kept hidden from the public. An avid collector since long ago, he takes pleasure in seeking new things that catch his fancy.
It has almost become a weakness of his. It wasn't uncommon for someone to bribe their way out of his grasp through bartering whatever valuables they have stored up.
"So what does the Church want us to do? A retrieval mission?" Ciel asked.
"A mission of that kind, yes. They've already sent in a member from the 8th sacrament to assist the Mage Association with retrieving the cup. I believe you've heard of Shirou Kotomine?"
Shirou and Ciel's eyes widened in surprise, earning a chuckle from the boy.
"Yeah... They sent him in. It's a code 10 emergency, after all."
Shirou Kotomine was one of the unknowns in the agency, even to Merem himself. All that was known was that he was the adoptive son of the late Risei Kotomine and was appointed to the sector that regulates and controls Holy Artifacts.
He was also scarily close to the top of the hierarchy when it comes to slaying dead apostles. His black keys, which were powerful holy sacraments of the Church, are abnormally more powerful than usual. It was at the point where even Merem himself had claimed him to be an 'Ultimate Killer of the Undead'.
Fitting how the only two people named 'Shirou' in the entire organization would be abnormally powerful in their field.
"Wait... Are you saying that he's working with the Mage Association? Don't we hate them or something?" Shirou asked with a curious look.
"Well, yeah, I guess. We're not exactly on good terms with each other." Merem shrugged. "But we cannot exclude each other from something like this. Mages will always desire that cup and we can't ignore it due to sharing the same name as the Holy Chalice. Therefore, we shall work with each other until the chalice is secured from the hands of the Yggdmillenia."
"But why call for us if they have a man on the ground?" Ciel asked with raised eyebrows. "Does he need backup of some sort?"
At this, Merem's expression turned sour. "No... Not really. He'll be fine on his own. However, I simply wish to have a direct line of eyes and ears on the ground that I can trust."
It didn't even take them a full second to realize what he meant.
"You just want the cup for yourself, huh?" Shirou accused with a deadpan look, earning nothing but a grin in response.
Ciel shook her head. "Honestly... Sneaking behind the Church's back is a bad idea."
"What? It's not like they really care. They just want to one-up the Mage's Association." Merem said with a dismissive wave. "So what do you guys say, huh? Are you up for the challenge?"
Despite himself, Shirou actually nodded. "Sure, why not? It sounds exciting. What about you, Ciel-Sempai?"
"Um..." Ciel had her eyes closed in thought for a moment before shaking her head. "No. Sorry. I can't join you two this time. I have to go out and hunt for Roa soon. His last incarnation died four months ago and I need to get back on his trail."
"Ah, yes. That's right. You still have yet to make the Serpent pay for his crimes against you." Merem murmured. "Well... That's fine. Shirou will be enough for me. Do as you please."
"Awww..." Shirou gave Ciel a pout, causing the girl to roll her eyes in exasperation.
"Don't be like that, Shirou. I'll try to hook up with you if my job ends sooner than expected. Until then, you're on your own." Ciel said as she gave him a gentle pat on the back.
Still, it did nothing to quell Shirou's displeasure. Hanging out with Merem wasn't bad, but he could get really annoying when he wanted to without Ciel to reign him in.
He could only pray to the Lord in Heaven that he could put up with him for the next week or so.
SEARCH ... BEGIN
SEARCH ... COMPLETE
PERFECT MATCH.
PHYSICAL BUILD ... COMPATIBLE
SPIRITUAL BUILD ... COMPATIBLE
PERSONALITY ... COMPATIBLE
PRANA ... COMPATIBLE
BEGIN POSSESSION VIA PROVISIONAL SEALING OF FORMER PERSONALITY AND SPIRITUAL INSTALLATION OF HEROIC SPIRIT.
FORMER PERSONALITY CLEARANCE ... RECEIVED
CROSS-DOMAIN BASE ANATOMY BACKUP ... BEGIN
INSTALLATION COMPLETE.
BEGIN ADAPTATION OF PHYSICAL BUILD AND SPIRITUAL BUILD.
ASSIGNMENT OF CLASS SKILLS ... BEGIN
BEGIN INSERTION OF DATA PERTAINING TO ALL HEROIC SPIRITS AND MODERN ERA AS REQUIRED.
BACKUP ... COMPLETE
CLASS SKILL ASSIGNED. SKILL {SAINTHOOD} OPTION {HOLY SHROUD CREATION} CHOSEN.
INSERTION OF REQUIRED DATA COMPLETE.
ADAPTATION COMPLETE.
ALL CLEAR.
CLASS {RULER} SERVANT ACTUALIZATION COMPLETE.
She opened her eyes. The means by which she was summoned were so very unusual... There is no precedent for a summoning where the summoned is so weakly linked to the present world. Is it because this Great Holy Grail War is just so irregular?
The girl had somehow managed to take form in the world. There are no problems with her specifications, either... but this body is unmistakably that of a French girl's. What's more, she possessed the majority of her memories. Yet rather than having two personalities in one body - a so-called split personality - it would be more accurate to say both personalities have merged into one. Perhaps due to her own acuteness and deep conviction of faith, she has recognized and completely accepted 'La Pucelle' within her.
"...Please lend me your body for a while, Laeticia."
The girl said to the owner of the body.
Having decided on her first task, the girl greeted 'her' friend - moving to the other bed and shaking her. After some groaning, she woke up and rubbed her eyes, looking half-awake.
"Mmn... w-what...?"
She was so clearly drowsy that the girl felt bad for waking her, but she spoke clearly.
"I will be leaving here for some time."
Perhaps not understanding the seriousness of the girl's words, she fell back onto the bed while waving her hand in farewell - then flung away her sheets a few seconds later and shouted.
"What did you just say?!"
"I'm sorry for leaving so suddenly, but time is of the essence."
"What? What essence? What is this, all of a sudden - you just said 'Good night' and 'See you tomorrow'! What are you saying?!"
The girl looked at her bewildered - and loud - friend with earnest and told her three things:
'I'm going on a long trip.'
'I absolutely must go.'
'Don't worry.'
Her friend listened to those words with a blank expression, her mouth hanging open, but finally nodded in understanding.
"All right... There's no helping it if you absolutely must..."
"That's right. I will explain this to the teachers."
"Well, okay... Good night, then."
"Good night."
The girl did not use thaumaturgy to cast a suggestion on her friend. But as Servant Ruler, she has the ability to make others believe in her words.
She told her teachers and friends that she must go on a journey and made them understand that it was absolutely necessary. She was probably being more forceful than she should but there was no way around it - so she sighed and pushed away such idle concerns.
Luckily, the owner of this body lived in a student dormitory far removed from her parents. It was unlikely that they would notice even if she were gone for a month.
Packing a change of clothes, her passport and some textbooks into her bag, she left the dormitory. The owner of this body... Laeticia is still a student. She, on the other hand, came from the farmlands and never had the chance to learn to read and write - how strange it was to have been able to automatically acquire knowledge of modern languages, thanks to the Holy Grail.
"...Yet this is still all too strange."
She should have been summoned like any other Servant - actualized in the city where the battle would take place without needing to borrow the physical body of anyone else.
Nevertheless, she has been summoned this time via possession of another's flesh and what's more, she was summoned in her homeland - a France still with lingering vestiges of its past.
Besides, Ruler should have been the eighth Servant to be summoned - this time, she was the fifteenth Servant. Among all the Holy Grail Wars of the past, the scale of this one is most likely the largest. Perhaps there was some accident during last large-scale Holy Grail War...
In any case - having already been summoned - the girl is determined to surmount all difficulties in order to carry out her mission.
She is Jeanne d'Arc - the Master-less Servant of the Ruler class, and the absolute controller of the Holy Grail War. In God's name, she couldn't fail.