After reading the tales of Lancer and Berserker, the audience returns to their seat. Ruby and the students are feeling down from knowing that Lancer and Berserker have such a terrible ending in their lives, as opposes the idea of living happily like they thought.

"Come on, cheer up, Ruby! You can't keep being sad anyway!" Yang said to Ruby while pulling her into a hug.

"Well, it just seems unfair, ya know? They are all great heroes, yet both of them died so horribly. It's just… unfair. They are heroes! They should have their happy ending!" Ruby said sadly.

Weiss looks a little down as well. "Well, they are participating in the Holy Grail War now. Maybe they can use it to make a wish and avoid their tragedies?" She suggested.

"That would be unwise, Miss Schnee." Ozpin interjected, "Doing that is akin to changing a crucial part of their legend. It would be like if the Wizard from the tales of Maidens decided to not share his power and instead chose to keep his power to himself. The tale of the Four Maidens would have lost its meaning."

Raven's face turned dark at the mention of the Maidens, though only Slyvie and Vernal noticed it.

"Well' let's just sit down and continue the viewing, yeah?" Qrow interjected before Ruby could reply to Ozpin.

"If I can, I'd prefer nobody to be sad. If I can make people around me happy just by helping them myself, I think that would make the world a pleasant place to live in"

(Kiritsugu said that, Shirou's perspective as a kid is different from Kiritsugu, he wants to do something about the people he can't see.)

"I was reckless when I was young. I educated myself by cursing the heartlessness of the world. The world was cruel, so I made myself even more heartless and used that as a weapon, trying to follow through, with my ideals.

There will always be some that cannot be saved. It is impossible to save everyone. If I have to lose five hundred to earn one thousand, I will abandon one hundred and save the lives of nine hundred. That is the most efficient method. That is the ideal." Kiritsugu once said that.

Upon hearing this, the mood of the room grew somber. Ren and Nora were reminded how they were the only survivors of Kuroyuri, and no one else was saved from the Grimm. General Ironwood silently agreed with what Kiritsugu said, though he was wary of what Kiritsugu said about turning his heartlessness into a weapon, thinking about his Semblance.

"So he just let those minorities die? That's just evil!" Ruby exclaimed angrily upon hearing Kiritsugu's words.

"Look at it from another perspective, Miss Rose. He's not letting a hundred people die, he's saving nine hundred people." Glynda replied to Ruby, "Sometimes, not every civilian can be evacuated during a Grimm attack. Sometimes they were trapped, isolated, or had their escape route blocked. A huntress will need to make the decision of saving the most people they can, but that also means we need to abandon the minority we couldn't save. This is a decision we all have to live with."

(Shirou got angry about what Kiritsugu said, he replied something about the heart, Shirou doesn't remember what he said when he started mentioning about the heart, Saber woke him up for breakfast, and told him Sakura and Rin were arguing earlier, so Shirou heads to the living room.)

"Tohsaka!"

"Morning. You seem agitated, calling my name first thing in the morning."

(Rin tells Sakura to stop coming, explaining her terms, due to it being safer for Sakura to stop coming since her brother Shinji, is a Master, Shirou gets a bit moody knowing how Shinji is .)

"Right, they need to deal with Shinji after they deal with the soul sucking force field in the school." Yang said dejectedly.

"Don't forget the witch in the temple sucking energy from the entire town." Blake said in a sarcastically, dejected tone.

"Don't you get it? I'm saying that Sakura will return once the fight is over!"

(As Taiga arrives, they have breakfast, Taiga mentioned that Mitsuzuri was attacked by a molester, but she ran away but was injured when she fell over at the end, Shirou says that it was impossible to teach Mitsuzuri femininity unless something like this happens, then Rin and Taiga threatens to tell her.)

"It's pretty funny to see them squabble with each other like this." Jaune said. "It reminds me of when we have our breakfast at Beacon."

"True, it almost made me forget that there is a war going on." Pyrrha said.

Shirou's breakfast squabble reminds Raven, Slyvie and Vernal of their own breakfast squabble back in the tribe too.

(Shirou tells Taiga that he'll skip school, and Taiga trusts Shirou that he has a good reason, Taiga and Rin proceed to head to school, then Shirou goes to the dojo and Saber arrives in her casual clothes.)

"…? What is it, Shirou? You look like you're surprised at something."

"Oh… well, I'm surprised because you're still in those clothes. I thought you'd be in the other outfit."

(Shirou and Saber have a brief talk about her armor, Shirou compliments her but doesn't notice Saber is embarrassed.)

Ruby grew slightly jealous at Shirou's compliment for Saber, Slyvie even more so.

(Shirou gave Saber a Shinai, Saber explains how she will train Shirou by giving him as much experience as possible, after the sparring session Shirou is beaten black and blue by Saber.)

"How does that even count as training? It looks like Saber is just abusing Shirou." Winter pointed out.

"Saber is trying to make sure Shirou knows how to react in a fight as fast as possible. They are in a war, Ice Queen. They don't have time to work up the foundations, not when his opponents are literal superhumans." Qrow replied.

(Shirou and Saber take a rest but Shirou wants to continue, Saber admonishes him.)

"Listen, Shirou. If you say you are going to fight a Servant, it will be meaningless unless you have full power, the best ground, and an escape route prepared. You cannot even be a match to a Servant unless everything is perfect. You have already made a mistake when you decide to fight a Servant in a poor condition."

"…Ugh. So you mean never fight in this kind of a situation no matter what?"

"That is correct. If that happens, no miracle will be able to save you, Shirou. Your battle starts with perfecting your condition and finding the perfect situation."

"That seems impossible, with how powerful the Servants are." Ren pointed out.

"Well, the whole point of being a Master is that you're not supposed to fight the Servant yourself, right? Training to fight them seems kinda useless in hindsight." Jaune replied.

(Saber goes ahead to get Shirou water and Shirou starts to admire Saber's beauty, so Shirou decides to ask a question.)

"Um, it's something I forgot to ask. You're lending me your power because you also want the Holy Grail, right? So, what do you want from the Holy Grail?"

(Saber tries to avoid his question, Shirou understands if Saber wants to answer, she decided to tell Shirou.)

"…No. As a Servant, I certainly must tell my Master my wish. Shirou, I seek the Holy Grail to fulfill an obligation. I want the power of the Holy Grail to accomplish a duty I could not accomplish during my lifetime."

"…Accomplish a duty…? During your lifetime… you mean, before you became a Servant…?"

"…Yes. But I do not know my true intentions myself. Perhaps I only desire to redo things again."

'Saber looks down quietly. For a moment, She looks like a repentant lost child.'

(Shirou is relieved it's not something like taking over the world, but feels like something is wrong with Saber's wish.)

"So Saber wants to redo her past? That's understandable, we all have our mistakes in the past, and if given a chance, I would want to prevent myself from making the mistake as well." Winter said, with most of the audience nodding in agreement.

"I bet the other Servants wanted to fix their mistakes as well." Yang said, thinking of the tragedy of Lancer and Heracles.

(Shirou wants to train again after some rest, but Saber's stomach growled in hunger, Shirou decided to go buy groceries while Saber rested in the house.)

"All right. It's a good time, so let's have lunch. I'll go buy some groceries, so you can rest in the living room."

"Shirou, I shall escort you if you are going outside."

"It's fine, I'm only going to the shopping district nearby. There's no one who would attack me in the daytime, and we'd rather stand out if you were with me."

"…There is really no danger?"

"No. I'll come back right away, so please wait here."

"Aah, he jinxed it. Now somebody is definitely going to attack him later." Qrow said after drinking from his flask.

"How are you so sure, drunkard?" Winter sneered at Qrow.

"I have enough experience with jinxing to know one when I see one."

(Shirou goes to the shopping district and buys some groceries to cook for meals.)

'I feel something tugging at my clothes from behind.'

'There. Is a young girl with silver hair.'

"I'm glad. You're alive, Onii-chan."

To say that the audience is shocked is an understatement, to say the least.

"Why is she there!?" Sylvie all but shrieked.

"Is she going to attack Shirou in broad daylight!?" Jaune asked panically.

"Don't tell me… you intend to fight me here?"

"…? You're saying strange things. We can't fight while the sun's up."

(Shirou is cautious, Illya says that Berserker is not with her, she just wants to talk to Shirou, Shirou refuses.)

"What, do you not like me, Onii-chan?"

The audience feels a chill up their spine when they hear Illya say that.

(Shirou understands Illya is threatening him, and follows her to the park, Illya doesn't want to talk about Saber, Shirou asks about Illya.)

"I see. It's not always like this, but it's strangely cold today. It would be pretty bad if you don't like the cold… um, where are you from, Ilya? Your name sounds kind of noble."

"It's not 'kind of noble', I am a noble. I was born in the old Einzbern castle. It was always cold and snowing. So I'm fine with this cold."

"So the Einzberns are a noble family. I suspected it from the formality Illyasviel conducted herself with, but it's nice to get some confirmation." Winter said.

(Shirou and Illya talk about their parents, Illya is just a Master, not a magus, she lives in a mansion in the western forest, and rarely gets to come out, so Shirou shares some dorayaki with her.)

'Why was I thinking it might be nice to have a smaller sister like this?'

"Yeah, I remember when Ruby was a kid, she would stuff her face with cookies until her cheeks puffed out, too. I have a few pictures on my scroll." Yang said while wiping a fake tear. "Ah, where has the time gone?"

"Yaaang!" Ruby shouted at her sister.

Weiss was slightly jealous that Ruby and Yang have such a close relationship, though Winter didn't notice it.

Then, Illya suddenly raises her head as if called by someone.

"…Illya? What's wrong?"

"Yeah. I have to go home. Berserker woke up."

"Berserker sleeps….? That's… a bit odd" Jaune said, a bit confused about Illya's statement.

(Illya runs off to go home and Shirou goes home and decides to keep meeting Illya a secret. Afterwards, Shirou trains with Saber after lunch, while Rin prepares dinner after his bath, tells Shirou to dry his hair, Shirou stumbles upon a naked Saber.)

The males of the audience politely averted their eyes or blocked it with their hand, and the students grew red from embarrassment.

"Argh, why is Saber naked?" Jaune shouted.

"She's taking a bath, you dolt! Of course she's naked!" Weiss shrieked at Jaune.

Sylvie looked at Saber's body, and looked at her own more... developed one, and mentally fist pumped.

"It seems you are here to take a bath again, but I am using it at the moment. It would be helpful if you could reserve yourself for now."

(Saber acts like nothing is wrong, Shirou is embarrassed, he apologises, but Saber says it's unnecessary.)

"Ah...huh?"

"I have told you before. The Servant's gender is meaningless. It seems you are in a panic because you saw my body as a woman, but I am a Servant before I am a woman. So I believe such consideration is unnecessary."

'What is she saying? No, even if Saber herself says that, it doesn't change the fact that she's really feminine. Or could it be? I have an idea, but is it true…?'

"…I'll ask, but don't tell me you're not embarrassed by people seeing your body."

"…? Why would I need to be embarrassed?"

The audience is essentially speechless at Saber's attitude towards having someone see her naked.

"Is Saber stupid? Does she not know any shame?" Weiss asks in disbelief.

"Saber says that she is a Servant before a woman, but even I think that she has taken it too far." Glynda said in equal disbelief.

"I can't believe there is actually someone like that." Pyrrha said. She would've lost her composure immediately if someone saw her naked.

"Man, she has a nice bod, but if I was a man? That would've turned me off immediately." Vernal exclaimed.

(Dinner ends, Saber reminds Shirou about his magic lessons, Shirou heads to Rin's room.)

'As soon as I enter the room, I see Tohsaka doing something weird. Tohsaka has something like a jewel in her hand, a syringe in the other hand, and a handkerchief in her mouth.'

(Shirou waits for Rin to finish, asks her what she is doing, Rin explains that she is storing magical energy into jewels, Shirou mentions that he doesn't have a Magic Crest.)

"Wait. What did you just say?"

"Huh…? Well, I said I don't have this Magic Crest thing. I think Father had one, but he never gave it to me."

"No wonder you're an amateur. …So you're really doing things from the very beginning… yeah, then I guess it can't be helped." she murmurs to herself.

"…Tohsaka. Haven't you realized that I don't have a Magic Crest?"

"No way. I wouldn't have let you go out by yourself if I'd known. Well, it's true that I thought you were unskilled, but if you don't have a Magic Crest, you're not even a magus."

"Is a Magic Crest really that important?" Ruby wonders.

"I think Rin will explain it to Shirou now." Weiss replied.

(Rin explains the differences of magical energy, Circuit uses your own energy, magus passes them down to become Magic Crest, it is similar to an organ, can only pass down to a single person.)

"…So, well, that's why a family of magi is succeeded by only one descendant. If the family happens to produce brothers or sisters, it is common for the rest of them to live normally without learning about magic. Since you can't give them the Magic Crest, there's not much point even if they succeed as a magus."

"Yeah, Shinji was saying that too. I see, so that's why they didn't teach Sakura."

"Yes. …But the inheritance of the crest itself stopped a few generations ago in the Matou family. So I assume Shinji was only taught knowledge of magic. Really, that type is the most troubling. They can't feel magic, but they still try to use it." Cursing in a disappointed manner, Tohsaka takes a deep breath.

"Hmm… so the older the family, the more powerful the Magic Crest is?" Ozpin mused. The idea of using something like a crest to pass down magic is certainly interesting, and he wonders if he can create something similar.

(Rin cancels today's tutoring because she wants to prepare for making a switch. Rin asks if everything is okay with Saber, and Shirou answers yes, then asks Rin for her opinion of Saber.)

"I see, so you like Saber."

"What? I just said she's the kind of person I like. Y-You should stop saying things so directly. You'll make more enemies that way."

"I refuse. I hate being indirect like you, and I'm a poor talker by nature."

"…I assumed so. You don't seem like the kind to be sarcastic or cynical. Yeah, I bet you think of me as a loud annoying person, right?"

"…? Why? I like the way you say things. It wouldn't seem like you if you weren't like that."

(Rin turns around embarrassed, and Shirou thought she was angry.)

"Yeah, Weiss acts like that when we praise her, too." Ruby said without thinking, causing Weiss to turn red.

"Aww, Snow Princess is embarrassed now!" Yang teased with a grin. "Do you want us to shower you with praises when we get back?"

Weiss shouted indignantly. "Sh-shut up!" Winter smiled at seeing her sister getting along with her teammates.

(Shirou goes to the shed again, and Archer appears.)

'…Something annoys me. I feel irritated for no reason, or I should say, I can't get myself to like this guy. I've never talked with him nor has he attacked me. But still, I understand the moment I see him face on.'

'...I cannot approve of him. There's no reason for it, but I just can't like him. It's just not me. It should be the same for Archer. There can't be three people in this world who match me so badly. He's someone like that to me, so it'll be no surprise if he considers me irritating as well.'

Raven, Sylvie and Vernal frowned in confusion. While Shirou generally doesn't like people who commit crimes, this is the first time they see him actively dislike someone for no reason at all.

(Shirou starts taking with Archer but not in a friendly tone.)

"…What? Weren't you going to confine yourself to keeping watch until your injury healed?"

"Of course, I intend to do so. I will end this ridiculous cooperation once my wound heals. That is why I have remained as a spectator, believing that I have nothing to tell you."

"Oh, don't hold back and stay as a spectator. I don't have anything to talk to you about either."

"As much as I'd like to do so, there's something I cannot overlook.
It seems you are not letting Saber fight."

"What's wrong with that?" Shirou automatically answers him back.

"…As I thought. It is indeed something a kid like you would think. There's no need for help from others. I can do everything myself. And on top of that, there can't be any victims, huh? I'm disgusted with that attitude of yours."

"What…!? You have no reason to tell me that! I'm just going to do what I believe is right. You have no reason to complain…!"

"I have a reason. As a Servant just like her, I can understand Saber's troubles. Saber must bear a large burden with a Master like you."

"Don't kid me…! I'm not a burden to Saber! I'm going to fight in her place, so that should be fine!"

"Heh, are you saying she won't get hurt if she doesn't fight? Servants are beings that only exist to fight. It is an insult to deny fighting to such a being, but telling you that won't do any good."

"Shirou's right! There's nothing wrong with him fighting for Saber!" Ruby shouted to support Shirou.

"But Archer's right, yeah?" Vernal said. "Saber is here to fight for him, not the reverse. From what we see so far, Shirou can't hold a candle against other Servants anyway, so isn't it best to let Saber fight? If Shirou gets killed, Saber will disappear and lose."

"So, how shall it be, Master of Saber?"

"What do you mean?"

"Do you really intend to finish this war without fighting? Not fighting anyone, not killing anyone, and not letting anyone be killed?"

"…I didn't say I won't fight. I'll fight when the time comes."

"I see. So you won't kill anyone even if you fight?"

"That's right. You have a problem with that?"

"I won't interfere with your overly optimistic thinking. I don't have the time, and I am not that crazy." Archer turns his back.

"But do not misunderstand. The hero of justice you are being is no more than a cleaner. Know that the only people you can save like that are the ones that survive."

'…I wonder why. Those words make me feel like I've been beaten all over.'

"Wh-what does he mean?" Ruby asked with trepidation, with the students feeling the same.

"…You should have realized it already too. Look, your methods will not allow you to reverse a sad event or a miserable death. Those are the limits. A hero of justice is only someone that tidies up events that have already taken place. You will definitely not be able to save the people you want to save the most."

"An ideal is only an ideal after all. As long as you embrace that ideal, the friction with reality will continue to increase. The path that you are about to take is of that sort. So you will someday face reality and will have to pay the price for your compromises. That choice of yours might end up taking the lives of many people."

"Wha..."

"Be at least prepared. When you realize how small you are, decide what you will make right and whom you will punish. If you cannot do so, then throw away those dreams and that magic of yours, right now." His back disappears into the night.

"Understand? No matter what anyone does, people that cannot be saved will always exist. All you can save with your ideal is the ideal itself. That is all humans can do. But still..."

"Thats… but…" Ruby wanted to refute Archer's words, but she couldn't find herself to do so.

"That's why I say huntsmen and huntresses ain't superheroes, Rubes." Qrow said in a sad tone. "Most huntsmen are on standby in the major cities unless a village sends out a distress signal. But when they arrive, there will always be a few victims who die from the Grimm."

Qrow continued. "This is why villages still fall even though we have huntsmen on standby." Ren and Nora winced at the mention of fallen villages. "Huntsmen are a passive response. We are only deployed when we receive news of an attack, even though we may have the power to stop the attack from happening in the first place. A village can fall between the time it takes for the message to arrive in the city until the huntsmen arrive. That is just the truth."

"This is why Atlas trained their military." Ironwood voiced his thoughts. "The soldiers are there to buy time until the huntsmen arrive. People like to think that the military are unnecessary, and those are the same people who think huntsmen are unnecessary because they have never been in a Grimm attack before. They have never experienced the fear and despair a Grimm is clawing at your door when you are waiting for the huntsmen. That negative emotion will attract more Grimm, create more victims, more negative emotion, and the cycle repeats."

"Remember this, students." Glynda said. "Most settlements are not big enough to warrant a huntsman stationed there. That's why the huntsmen must respond as fast as possible. It is to minimise victims and damages."

Raven silently thought that this is why she retired from being a huntress. No matter how hard you fight, people die anyway. If she can't focus her effort on defeating the leader, might as well change her job to do something she likes. She didn't voice her opinion because she didn't want to worsen Yang's opinion on her though.

"I'm ready. If I'm wrong, I'll just pay with my life."

"But still, can I follow that ideal without turning back even once?"

While Shirou's determination cheered up the students a little, the adults couldn't help but feel that Shirou's determination was somehow distorted. His readiness to throw away his life simply isn't normal.