Chapter 3: The Proposal
"You were WHAT?"
"I was there. You did not see me, nobody did, but I saw everything."
"But, how?"
"I was on the peak of a nearby hill, with my rifle trained on the head of Kotomine Kirei."
"W-what?" I was dumbfounded. Why would this man, whose face I have never seen, been there that night? What was he doing there? What does he want to achieve?
Again he appears to see straight through my thoughts. "Ah, where are my manners! I should have introduced myself and my organisation. I am Edward Mass, Sectional Deputy Director of the Magic-Users section of our organisation."
"Magic…Users Section?"
"Correct. We are but a small part of our organisation. Our organisation seeks to protect the people of this world from whatever threat that arises, granting assistance to those in danger or in need. We have on our hands vast amounts of resources and many skilled individuals to utilise these resources in order to achieve our goal. And we have been doing that, for many years."
Protect the people of the world? Helping those in need? Isn't this-
"Are you like, Superheroes?"
"No no no! You have it all wrong Mr Emiya!" Edward Mass laughed again, "Quite the opposite, I suppose. Superheroes bath in glory and adoration while making a big deal out of everything. We on the other hand sneak around in the shadows, doing whatever it takes to make sure this world does not destroy itself tomorrow. Sabotage, espionage, political assassinations…you name it, we have done it. Even started a few wars for good measure, though not so much of those now. We, Mr Emiya, are the Assassins."
"A-Assassins?"
"Yes, that is the name, at least currently, we have gone by many names in the past, but that is all irrelevant at the moment. What matters is that we need to do something; we need you to do it, and so we need you to work with us on this matter, since it is, as I have said before, to your benefit as well, perhaps more than it is to us."
"I-I don't know…"
My benefit? What could benefit me at this moment? Beside, how can I trust this man, given that-
"You said you were there, that night! Pointing the gun at Kotomine! Why were you there?"
"Like I said before, Mr Emiya, we protect the people from potential threats. The Holy Grail War is a major threat to the world and as such we must observe it and act accordingly. Although we would have wanted it to be outlawed and terminated entirely, the Magic Association was unshakable on this matter. At the same time, we did not trust the Catholic Church enough to leave it completely unattended and as you might have realized, our suspicion was not misplaced. Thus, we have observers for every single of these events. I was, as you may have already guessed, acting as the observer this time."
" But why? Why did you not kill him?" I was furious. If he had just killed Kotomine, all of this would not have happened. If Kotomine had been killed, she would surely not have died, we would have thought of something else, some other way out without her leaving, we would have-
"Because I was not aware of the consequences of his death." Mass cut my thoughts short with his answer, "'The 'Holy Grail' was unstable, and Kotomine was maintaining it. If he was dead, then the portal might have collapsed, or it might have spilt the magical energy contained within it, leading to a repeat of the event ten years ago. Either way, the risk involved was too high. I even considered calling in a Tactical Nuclear Warhead on the temple, but that would not stop the magical energy from spilling out to damage the world; although it was proven in the end that killing him did stop the process without negative consequences. Hence, it can be said that it is entire our failing and indecision that led to the departure of your servant. Recently however, we have found another way to bring your servant back and are now offering you a chance to do so."
I can't really think of anything to say. This man, whom I have just met, is taking responsibility for something I had always thought to be my fault, and is now trying to compensate by bringing her back.
No, it is not their responsibility. She wanted to go, she knew she had to, I couldn't convince her to stay. But-
"There is a way to bring her back?"
"Indeed. You must know that the 'Holy Grail' that you fought for was a fake, right?"
A fake? Oh, right, Kotomine said it during my first visit.
It doesn't matter if it is a fake. Only that it works.
"Indeed, this 'Holy Grail' is a fake, made by powerful magi in the past. However, if something is fake, then there must be an authentic one, correct?"
He took me completely by surprise.
"A 'real' Holy Grail?"
"You must be familiar with the legend of King Arthur, who went in pursuit of the Holy Grail. Legend has it that the Holy Grail can grant a single wish to the one who possess it. King Arthur never did use the wish, but placed the grail at his final resting place, Avalon, to be sealed away forever."
"That, is the real Holy Grail?"
"Indeed. For a long time it was thought to be only a myth, but seven months ago we have discovered evidence that it exists. And now, we seek it to grant you your wish."
"My wish? But why? Why me? Why bother wasting so much effort just to grant me my wish? What am I to you?"
"Please do not misunderstand, Mr Emiya, my primary objective is not to grant YOU your wish, but to expend this wish, so that no one else can use it for themselves. And the reason for choosing you has been explained to you earlier."
"So you want me to use the wish, to bring her back?"
"Oh no, not that specifically. Anything would do, but we trust that you would not do something which will have too much of an impact on the world. The Holy Grail is something that has the power to destroy the world, so wasting it on something like that is a fail-safe. It may be wasteful as you may think, but it is better than it being abused."
"I see. But why me? Why not one of you guys?"
"It is simple, because we can trust you where we cannot trust even ourselves. Faced with such great power, even the best of us may have second thoughts, myself included. But you, Emiya Shirou, can be trusted with this BECAUSE of your predictability. By our analysis, there is only one thing you desire right now: bringing that girl back to you, and that is why it is on your mind all the time, evidently shown by the extra serving of lunch that you have prepared. "
"So you are saying that I am predictable in this sense? That I would only wish for that one thing? To bring her back?"
"Indeed. Everyone is allowed to be selfish when faced with such a great power. Your selfishness is simply the most harmless."
I don't know whether to be flattered or angry. Already I don't like way this man puts things.
"So, what do you want me to do?" I ask as a matter of fact. After so much talk, the man still has not reached his main point.
"I would like you to come with me to Avalon. There, we will find the Holy Grail and use it to fulfill your wish."
"It is not as simple as that, is it?"
"No, it is not."
That's it; there is always a catch to this sort of stuff. Like those promotions in shopping malls, always filled with hidden terms and conditions.
"First of all, we cannot enter Avalon. The Key to Avalon is currently an unknown, so we have to do further investigation, presumably on sites important to King Arthur. "
"That sounds fair enough." Investigating historical sites seem easy enough to carry out. Although I don't think I'm the smartest person around, it would be easier with the support of their organisation, especially if it is as powerful and influential as it sounds.
"And the second problem: someone else wants the Holy Grail."
"What? Someone else wants it?" Then I quickly marveled at my own stupidity. Of course, with such a powerful object, there is bound to be someone else seeking it for their own purposes.
"Indeed. A powerful Magus is trying to find the Holy Grail. His power is unquestionable. For someone who can destroy a town with a single spell, and actually did something like that, to possess the Holy Grail is unimaginable. After all, the true Holy Grail does not contain magical energy, but rather actually grants any wish directly, which means that whatever he wants, he will get it, and I cannot imagine it to be good. "
"So, you want to get to this thing before the other guy does?"
"Indeed Mr Emiya, indeed, and that is why we are leaving for England on Monday." Mass said it in a tone usually used when telling someone to go down to the grocery store.
"England? Monday? But, that is just…too sudden? I still have school and stuff! And besides, Fuji-Nee will never-"
"I will settle this with your legal guardian and your school, so please prepare any and everything you need. We leave on Monday afternoon." Again, Mass says it as a matter of fact, as if everything was prepared already.
"R-right." I cannot bring myself to disagree with him. All that cynicism in me was gone, at the prospect of actual, tangible hope. Hope of bringing her back, however little, is something I must grasp. After all, she was the only one that I-
"So it is settled. And if I may excuse myself, you do seem to have anticipated my arrival with the excess food you have here."
"I-what?" That's right! Well, at least it is not wasted. Satisfied, Mass settled down to consume the food meant for the girl who is not here.