This chapter is heavy in exposition. Honestly, you don't have to read all of it when they start talking about classes and such. Chiron's just explaining how servants and grail wars work. Also, there's a lot of creative liberty. As I said before, I'm taking liberty with what was handed to me from Apoc and My Hero. If you've made it this far without realizing that I plan on kicking canon while it's down, I applaud you.
VGBlackwing: That's actually what I was going for, I'm glad you picked up on that. Obviously, since Astolfo was a child and got in the way to Stain, he doesn't recognize him as a True Hero yet, but like All Might and Deku, Astolfo and Chiron have both been seen helping people out of the goodness of their hearts. For the Servants who show up, they're basically rocking the entire Hero Society of Japan. Chiron and Gray could care less about fame, and Astolfo has been seen canonically helping people even if it means going against the "law" (i.e.: Sieg). Stain is very perceptive, and he certainly could tell the difference in Chiron's and Endeavor's "heroic auras" so to speak.
Ultima-Owner: Thank you!
Suzululu4moe: Sieg's his master so he wouldn't dare.
Frostlash: Thank you! I spin that the Nomu can kinda be whatever they want to be and most are probably built with the regeneration ability. In the manga, at least, there is another cell-regeneration nomu that's a paler color, but the anime might have recolored it or I'm remembering wrong. Either way, Astolfo got punched through a train. I don't remember how to access FFN login on the 3DS, but I think its similar to the mobile platform.
Wendel Santana: I update every friday or whenever I feel like it. I'm only going to go to the festival arc, provided that nothing spooky happens in the manga right now.
No matter how much he protested, Astolfo had been taken into custody with the rest of his classmates in Hosu. He, Iida, Todoroki, and Midoriya were all but held in detainment in the Hosu general hospital.
Of course, he had ended up passing out as soon as he had gotten bandaged up. His mana reserves were low and he needed all the rest he could get. It wasn't like he wasn't getting any from Sieg, it's just that he was out of practice. Shifting Classes was never easy and to have gone for as long as he had without doing it just made it harder.
That said, when Gran Torino, Manual, Chiron, and Tsuragamae arrived in his, Iida, Todoroki, and Midoriya's shared hospital room with Gray trailing not too far behind them, Astolfo ended up tuning out most of the chief's speech. He had heard the lecture about how unlicensed people shouldn't interfere with hero work many times before and Tsuragamae already knew his status as a Servant. As soon as they had arrived in Hosu, Chiron made sure of that.
Astolfo startled as Todoroki's sudden outburst finally reached his spaced-out mind.
"Saving people is what heroes do! It's their job!"
"Well, you're not wrong," Astolfo said as he sat up, making the people in the room all turn towards him. He had been silent the entire time, so he assumed that Manual and his three classmates just assumed he didn't have anything to say on the matter.
"Exactly," Todoroki started, getting over his shock. "Were we just supposed to let the Hero Killer kill Native?"
Astolfo yawned, stretching. "This is why you're not a full-fledged hero, yet, Todoroki."
He wiped his head around, shock apparent in his eyes as he gaped. "Wh-what- Charlemagne! You just said—"
"I told you, call me Astolfo," he sighed before he held his hand up. "First of all, you're children. You shouldn't be fighting the battles adults are. I admit that my words don't exactly match my actions, but I lost all rationality to the moon. Secondly, you really should let Chief Tsuragamae finish his speech."
Todoroki blinked, a look of cluelessness crossing his face. "What?"
Tsuragamae bowed a bit. "Thank you, Rider," he said with a smile before he scratched his chin. "But yes, everything I said would be what I would have to officially agree with… if the true story was put out to the public. At the end of the day, a public announcement that praised you four for taking the Hero Killer down would invite more praise and admiration from the masses, but that would also necessitate a punishment. Most likely, you'd be expelled from UA and a permanent mark would be put on your records, barring you from ever getting a license in Japan, or anywhere else for that matter. But if this were to become lost or fail to get to the public, then it could be concluded that the injuries the Hero Killer sustained were from Endeavor and Archer."
Chiron nodded, the Archer back in his human form but still dressed in his battle attire.
"The lacerations will be harder to cover up," Chiron added, "But arrow points are sharp. Many of his injuries can be attributed to that as long as people don't dig too far."
Tsuragamae nodded and Astolfo sighed. All that work would just get swept under, then. Oh well, he couldn't do much about that anyway, especially if Chiron was behind it as well. The Archer tended to know what he was doing.
"The number of witnesses was extremely limited," the chief of police said, "We can bury your violation like a bone in the yard, but that means that no one can ever know of your dogged decisions and fetching feats."
He gave them a thumbs up, his tongue hanging out as he gave them a grin of sorts. "Personally, I really don't want anybody barking at you!" he told them, "I don't want you youngsters to have any trouble down the road!"
"So what will it be?" Chiron added, arms clasped behind his back.
Manual rubbed the back of his head, sighing as the three boys glanced at each other.
"Either way you kids want to go, Mister Gran Torino and I will need to take responsibility for our negligence as supervisors. I don't know why Archer wasn't given any grief though," the man grumbled.
"It's because I'm International," Chiron hummed, patting the blue-clad man's shoulder. "And instead of letting my students run off, I gave explicit permission to enter combat if it were in self-defense."
"Um, looking for the Hero Killer isn't self-defense, Archer…" Manual sighed but Chiron just smiled.
"Well, I don't really care," Astolfo said after a moment, leaning back on his hands. "I didn't jump into battle for glory."
Iida nodded, moving over to Manual and bowing deeply. "I'm so sorry, I should've listened," he said before Manual smacked him lightly on the head.
"Yeah, you caused us a lot of trouble. Remember that, and don't do it again," he told him, smiling a bit. Midoriya and Todoroki also bowed, apologizing to the chief and Gran Torino. Gray tilted her head from behind all of the adults and Astolfo just shrugged a bit.
"I know it's not fair," Tsuragamae said, "you won't be able to claim any of the praise you would have received otherwise, but at least allow me, as the Chief of Police, to thank you." The chief bowed low towards them as he spoke and the Rider felt his lips turn upwards slightly.
"You know…" Todoroki grumbled, "You could've started with that…"
Astolfo chuckled before Tsuragamae stood back up. Manual sighed. "Well, as much as I hate to do it, I gotta go help with some clean up around here," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Be good, alright, Tenya?" Iida nodded.
"I will. I'm sorry, again. Thank you."
The blue-clad hero just smiled, waving as he moved past Chiron and Gray. "Don't sweat it."
As the door slid shut, Astolfo let out a breath. "Geeeez, no offense, Iida, but I didn't think he'd leave! Man, having anyone who's so chatty gives me an anxiety rush every time a serious conversation comes to light. See, Gran Torino is fine staying here, because you know, he's not likely to gossip and all that jazz, but still!"
Midoriya looked over to him with a look of confusion as Tsuragamae walked to the door, locking it. Gray moved over to Astolfo's bed, sitting down in the chair at the side.
"Um, what do you mean, Astolfo?" Midoriya asked, giving Gray a curious look. Add was still with her, and she set the cage with the Mystic Code on the floor.
"I just wanna get all this outta the way," he said, crossing his legs over each other as he brushed his bangs back. "I'm sure you three have questions. They should be answered while we explain."
All three boys' faces grew serious and they nodded. He glanced to Chiron, who sighed, but smiled and nodded.
"Very well," he said before his eyes grew serious. "From what I can assume, you three boys saw something that we would normally try not to show anyone who is on this side of the world."
"'This side… of the world'…?" Iida asked as Gran Torino, Chiron, and Tsuragamae all sat as well.
"Yes," Chiron said with a nod, "This world is often described as divided between those with Quirks and those without, but there is another side that the mundane world doesn't ever tell you— People with Circuits and those without. Going even farther, those who are human and those who are not. Astolfo, Gray, and I fall into those who are not human."
"W-wait! Slow down!" Midoriya cut in. "'Circuits'? 'Not human'? What do you mean, Sensei?" Chiron blinked before he sighed.
"Magic, I mean," he said, making the three boys and Gran Torino stare at him.
"Pardon my french, but what the fuck, Archer?" Gran Torino said flatly. Chiron only raised a brow.
"If you're asking about the exitance of Magic, then I'm a bit worried, since all of the higher-ranked and most of the Underground Heroes know of the existence of Mages. If you're asking about the fact that we're not human, then that will be explained in due time. Nonetheless, as dubious as it might be please listen," he said before he raised a hand, summoning his bow. He set it down on Astolfo's bed as the pink-haired boy summoned his lance in a flash of light as well.
"You've seen us do this a few times already," Astolfo told Iida, Midoriya, and Todoroki. "You've also seen what Sensei can do in general. Antares Snipe, Kazikli Bey, not to mention, Hippogriff and Vulcano Caligorante. Well, the last one is a bit more easy to think of as a Quirk skill, but Hippogriff, not so much."
"Magic has been around since before Quirks, there was debate when the child of light first showed up if that child was a first-generation Magus," Chiron said. "The Church and magus association did tests and research, but we came up with nothing. The child did have circuits, but they weren't active. The light wasn't caused by the activation of their circuits. In fact, I was called upon to help figure out what was going on. It really was chaos. When everything was sorted out, though, a choice was made. In theory, it wouldn't have been difficult for the magus association to simply say 'We've been here the entire time' and come out of hiding, but the Magus community was reclusive then and still are today. Thus, an agreement was made between the world governments and the Clocktower Lords— The mundane would still be the same. Quirks would be there, yes, but they would not be considered part of the 'mystics'. Yes, a magus could interact with the mundane world, most did in fact— take Gray's teacher, for example, Lord El-Melloi II, and the brother of my old master, Caules Forvedge Yggdmillennia. Laws were set in place, if you had a Quirk, you had to choose between the magus or the hero. Or you could simply choose to abandon both— or even dabble in both. But you couldn't enter the heroic profession if you chose to be a Magus and vice versa. Anyone who broke those laws became a target for the Church and the Magus Association's magus killer teams."
He leaned back, thinking. "Gran Torino, Todoroki, Iida, have you or your heroic relatives ever talked about odd villain cases? Where things just didn't add up? Quirks that didn't seem possible and hideouts with more occult themes— and I don't mean skulls and crystal balls. I'm talking about jars of organs and old, leather tomes."
Gran Torino gazed at Chiron, Astolfo, and Gray evenly before he nodded slowly. Iida did as well after a moment but Todoroki shrugged.
"I never asked and he never told me," he said and Chiron nodded.
"That's alright," he told him, "Well, Gran Torino, you found one of those hideouts, right?"
"Yeah, didn't pay too much attention to it since the guy was going around killing people and tearing the bodies up like a madman," the aged hero grunted, scowling a bit.
"That's understandable," Chiron said, nodding. "Heroes who have stumbled across workshops just want to get the villain and go, but at least you were one of the lucky ones."
His eyes narrowed. "What do you mean, Archer?"
"Call me Chiron, but I mean exactly what I said," The Archer said. "You were lucky because those strange occurrences were a result of a magus breaking the laws. The Mages Association keeps tabs on any and all circuit activations if possible. Eyes and ears everywhere. But even knowing that… Mages are known to be coldhearted. If it's for the sake of research, killing and ethics behind kills are unneeded. Discarded."
"Get to the point," Gran Torino snapped and Chiron just smiled a bit.
"I am," he said before his expression became serious. "Had that magus still been in the workshop, you would have been killed without hesitation. "All for the sake of research" would have been his reasoning. Recall how that villain was killed in his cell but there was no sign of a break-in. The police let it slide because it was one less killer in Tartarus. The thing is, a magus' main goal is to bring honor to their family— through the collection of mystics, participating in a Holy Grail War, or finding the Root. Grudges are made, that magus-villain was killed by another Magus for breaking the laws."
Midoriya's eyes widened. "What? Killed—" Astolfo nodded.
"Yeah, killed. It's actually not rare for things like this to happen," he told them, leaning back a bit as he sighed. "To take revenge by killing, that is. I dunno what the guy did, but he must have pissed off the wrong Magus Family on top of breaking the Association Laws."
"Seriously? And the law just let that slide?" Todoroki asked, bewildered.
"The law allowed the other side of the world to make the call," he pointed out. "Anyways, now that you know about Mages and Magic and all that now we get to that fun stuff!"
Chiron chuckled, "Chief Tsuragamae, out of everyone here, who is the oldest in the room?" he asked and the Chief looked up from examining a loose thread on his tie.
"You, of course, not many people could really trump that achievement, though to normal people they'd snort and tell me that Gran Torino and I are in our dog years," he said with a chuckle, making Gran Torino twitch.
"That often is the case, yes," Chiron said with a hum, "Iida, Midoriya, Todoroki, remember what I told you all to read when Bakugou first asked me about my quirk?" he asked and three boys nodded. "I didn't have you read those stories just so you could find out what my 'Quirk' was, I had you read them because I wanted you to find out who I was. Within the world of mystics, there is a supernatural event that is the spark of what equates to a small scale war. There've been many, and this event happens every two to sixty years. Why the timeframe spreads out so much, I don't know, but I know that there was one in the 1960s, one in 1994, and then another one in 2004. A lesser one took place in the time span of two years, but the result from that was disastrous— no one talks about it if the Grail War is brought up. The timeline is sporadic and that's the easiest timeframe I can give you. In the years leading up to it, mages all over who care scramble and fight tooth and nail to become one of, normally, seven participants. This event is known as the Holy Grail War."
Gran Torino's eyes widened and a spark of recognition was seen in his eyes.
Gray tilted her head. "You've heard that term, then?" she asked and the aged hero nodded.
"Yeah," He said, "Someone I knew mentioned it one day a long time ago. He said he didn't have the capabilities to become a hero or partake in a 'Holy Grail War'. I had no idea what he meant and he did sometimes make odd comments here and there. Moved to Germany a while back, haven't heard from him since."
Chiron nodded. "The Holy Grail War is a competition of sorts that decides the ownership of the famed Holy Grail through intense battle royale," he told them, "Now, unlike many heroes, a Magus would rely on their Magecraft and Mystic Codes to fight, many go and ignore their own bodies and the danger of modern technology. While not impossible for a Magus to fight back, as seen when Mages just straight up kill one another over disputes, the best way to fight in the Holy Grail War is to have a Servant— usually from one of seven classes. Seven masters, seven Servants— a class for each. These summoned Servants are figures who have left their mark in history— through legend, historical records, literature, or myths. All from an age far older than the emergence of Quirks."
"What are these classes, sensei?" Iida asked slowly and Astolfo could see the gears turning in his head. Chiron turned to the boy before he answered.
"The seven main Servant classes are separated into two categories— Knight and Calvary," He started, "In the Knight Class, three Servant types. The Saber Class, known to be the strongest of the seven Servants and the strongest of the Knights. Heroes like King Arthur the King of Knights, Seigfried the Dragon Slayer, Okita Souji of the Shinsengumi, or Attila the Hun would fall here."
"Next are the Lancers. Known for their agile bodies, proficiency in hit-and-run tactics, and their magic resistance. They were often knights if they were from the west or renowned warriors in the east. Think of heroes such as the Hound of Ulster Cu Chulainn, Hector of Troy, or the Lord Impaler Vlad III. And finally, the last of the Knights are the Archers. Known for possessing powerful Noble Phantasms,— or ultimate moves and weapons, if I were to use terminology similar to the superhero world— for acting as highly effective scouts, and are proficient at fighting at a distance. Robin Hood, Billy the Kid, Touta Tawara, and even Oda Nobunaga would fall here." Chiron explained, holding his hand up and counting each class as he said it. He lowered his hand before he placed it on his chest.
"And of course, this also includes me. I'm an Archer Class Servant." There was a bit of silence before the three boys erupted in slightly shocked cries. Gran Torino raised a brow.
"For such smart boys, they were a bit slow," he said and Chiron chuckled.
"When did you figure it out?" he asked and the hero scoffed. "As soon as you said there were Classes to these Servants," he said, "Your hero name is 'Archer of Black'— if you have the information, the name is a dead ringer."
"W-Well now that you mention it, it makes sense," Midoriya stuttered, rubbing the back of his head. "So does that mean…?"
"Yep," Astolfo nodded. "I'm one too. So is Gray, but her circumstance is a bit weird."
Todoroki tilted his head. "So what class are you, Astolfo? You use a lance, so… a Lancer? But you had a sword… so maybe Saber?"
Astolfo hummed, giving him a slight grin. "You're only half right. See, classes are fluid in some cases. In the duration of one Grail War, it would be impossible for any Servant to switch between Classes normally, but I've been here since, like, 2004. I've had more than enough time. You saw how I changed attire and weapons suddenly, right? Well, that was me switching into the Saber Class. I'm eligible to be summoned in two classes— Saber, which you know, and my normal Class, which is Rider. I'm more comfortable as a Rider since that's how I was summoned originally. Anyways, Rider Classed Servants are known for riding mounts, whether those mounts were living beasts or human constructs hardly matters. That being said, we've got lower perimeters than the Knight Classes, I myself am considered to be pretty weak even in legend. I share the class with heroes such as Iskandar the Great, Achilles the Hero of Troy, and Woman who brought down the Sun, Francis Drake— El Draque!"
"Oh, Francis Drake! I read a bit about him in a really old book once!" Midoriya said, perking before he startled. "Wait, you said the woman."
Astolfo laughed, making Chiron sigh and shake his head.
"Believe it or not, the Grail sometimes changes the gender of the Servant for no real reason that we know— maybe it enjoys messing with people, maybe all historical accounts are wrong, we don't know. Only those Servants could tell you for sure," the Archer said. "Okita Souji, for example, has appeared as a woman. As has Oda Nobunaga, King Arthur, and the sun god Quetzalcoatl."
"Wait, the Grail can summon gods?" Todorki asked, eyes wide and Chiron sighed.
"Not exactly. They're not as powerful in myth when they are summoned, but they are strong. Think of it as an aspect of a god, or a portion of them, instead of the whole thing," he told them and the duel eyed boy nodded slowly as Midoriya and Iida mulled over the information.
"Also in the Calvary class are Casters," he continued, "Many of these Servants were mages, used magic, or were connected with spirits in their own time— Medea, Merlin, and Geronimo are a few. Others were masters of artistic craft— poets, writers, and inventors. People like William Shakespeare, Hans Christian Andersen, and Leonardo Da Vinci come to mind first. Many Casters are great at magecraft works such as spells, setting bounded fields, or summoning familiars, but lack in the combat department. Healers also often fall here, my qualifications as a Sage could have landed me here as well, but I haven't bothered with class changing. I was summoned as an Archer and I have no qualms about staying as such. There is another Servant who still walks this earth, she was summoned much earlier than I was and took part in and won the second Holy Grail War. She was part of this Class as well."
"Well, what about this lass here, Chiron?" Gran Torino asked, tilting his head towards Gray before he glanced at the Chief of police. "And if you don't mind me asking, why don't you seem at least a bit shocked?" Tsuragamae blinked, chuckling a bit.
"Because I already knew. I am the Chief of Police," he said simply, "And, Chiron told me the moment he and his charges arrived in Hosu."
"Hmph, that makes more sense now," Gran Torino grumbled before he nodded. "Okay then, the lass?"
"I was wondering that as well," Iida said, "When you and Gran Torino met us, you had a scythe. I would assume that a bladed weapon like that would warrant a Saber classification but you didn't say anything when it was first mentioned." Gray shifted a bit, before nodding.
"This is where it gets tricky," She said, "As of 1943, no new figures have left a mark like the rest. One could argue that presidents from America, activists from all over, writers, poets, inventors— all of those people who have left marks in history books today— should be more than qualified, but the last known regular Servant with the closest…. Death date to our time now was the inventor Nikola Tesla, Archer Class," she told them.
"But then there are what are called Irregular Servants. These are Servants whose bodies belong to a time after 1943 and they have merged with the Spirit Origin of another Servant or they are Servants who are just pure abnormalities. I'm the second one. I was born around the early 2000s and I was to be the flesh of King Arthur, as my face vaguely resembled her. Slowly, the rest of my body changed to match the King of Knights and I forgot what my original appearance was. The village where I was from aimed to be able to control the Holy Lance, Rhongomyniad, sealed within Add." She lightly nudged the cage with the mystic code cube in it, the code silent but watching everything in the room. "By that logic, I should be a Lancer, but I'm not. My class is that of Assassin and in all honesty I've just been, um, what's the term…?"
"'Rolling with it'!" Astolfo supplied and she nodded.
"Yes, I've just been 'Rolling with it'. I shouldn't be a Servant and I don't know why the Grail summoned me alongside of the other Servants when any other figure would have been just as, if not more, powerful than me for this task. That armor-class Assassin far outranked me in ability..." she sighed. "Most Assassins are known for stealth, covert actions, and silent movements. They carry out killings in a sneaky and mostly untraceable manner, but there are exceptions to this, such as executioners like Carles Henri Sanson. I also share a class with the numerous Hassan-I-Sabbah, Fuuma Kotaro, and Jack the Ripper."
Midoriya just scratched his cheek. "No offense, Gray, but I can't really see you assassinating anyone…"
Gray just gave him a slight smile. "That's what Astolfo said, but I can't change my class like he can. I could possibly change my age, but I'm apparently in my prime right now. I'm an abnormality and I'll most likely vanish when my job is done here."
He blinked, tilting his head at that as Astolfo and Chiron both frowned, the Rider looking down at his hands as Chiron cleared his throat.
"The last class of the Calvary Servants are the Berserkers," he said. "And of the seven, they are the hardest to control and the most deadly to fight. They're inflicted with a madness enhancement that trades their sanity for a strength boost. All the classifications needed are that they must have gone insane in their life at least once. The hero Heracles of Greece, Sir Lancelot of the Round Table, Emperor Caligula of Rome, or Frankenstein's Monster are just a few. Obviously, in certain cases, there are…. exceptions to the madness— Beowulf, for example, doesn't have this. He's fully functional, but a bit battle-hungry. If anyone on staff were to be a berserker I'd say… Present Mic."
"Wh- really?" Midoriya asked, leaning forwards. "W-Well what about All Might? Or Mister Aizawa?"
"All Might is definitely Ruler Material— if we add in classes outside the main seven. Inside the main seven though... hm…" Astolfo said as he glanced up at the ceiling as he thought. "Maybe… Caster? Like a really brutal caster. The Caster that uses spells but still would rather hit you with his staff instead."
Chiron made a face, smiling a bit but also looking rather unconvinced. "Ruler, I can agree on, but knowing his fighting style, I'd say All Might is a more coherent berserker. Aizawa is Assassin material."
"'Ruler'?" Iida asked, looking a bit puzzled. "So there are more than the base seven?" The Archer nodded. "Yes, at least two others. Astolfo and I have encountered two of one of these Extra Classes— the Ruler Class. The other Class actively combats the Ruler's authority— the Avenger Class."
"Rulers preside over a Holy Grail War," Gray explained, "When the Grail feels as if Servants and masters are encroaching on its authority, it will summon forth a Ruler— even with supervisors from the church. Ruler Class Servants when summoned are a neutral party and are acting in accordance with the Greater Grail's wishes. They are given Command Seals for the other Servants."
The three students looked even more confused as Gran Torino tilted his head back a bit. "'Command Seals'?" Midoriya asked and Gray nodded.
"Essentially, they're tattoos that are three claims of absolute obedience, the crystallization of great magic, that a master has over a Servant in a Grail War carved into the Master's arm at the moment of summoning," Astolfo told them, legs crossed. "Oddly enough, though, Servants can also have command seals and act as masters. One of the two Rulers from Chiron and I's War was like that. Seals that were unused will return to the Grail and all of them will be given to the Overseer chosen for the next war. There's a lot of logistics that are in there or something, but I dunno. I don't think they're really important."
Chiron nodded. "We have gotten horribly off-topic," He pointed out. Gran Torino nodded as well, arms crossed.
"So, to get an overview," the aged hero started, "You, the pink kid, and the lass are all Servants from stories that are from what, a thousand years ago? You're here now for a Holy Grail War, but aren't doing it, instead, you're playing teacher and hero students in our side of the world?"
"When you say it like that it sounds awful, Gran Torino," the Archer sighed, leaning back before he crossed his arms. "You're only a bit right though. As stated, I'm the eldest of the Servants here, from Greek Myth. Astolfo follows next from the 13th century, Gray's from the early 2000s, and an abnormality."
"Chiron and I are from a different Grail War than Gray," Astolfo added, "We're from the Great Holy Grail War, one of the largest Grail Wars in history. Gray was summoned about, what, a week ago? Two?"
"About," she said, nodding. "I was an extra, eighth Servant. No Master, but I did have a goal. My job is to assist Chiron in his own job the Grail gave him. When I finish, I'll probably vanish like all other Servants."
Midoriya, Todoroki, and Iida exchanged looks.
"You'll 'vanish?' Apologies for the questions, but there's a lot I don't understand," Iida said, shifting a bit in his bed.
Gray gave him a soft smile, nodding. "I understand. Basically, I'll go back to being dead. Servants, unless granted a wish from the Grail that brings them back to life, aren't meant to walk among the living for a very long time. And since I'm without a Master, I rely on the Grail's power to sustain myself. When my job is done, the Grail will probably call me back unless I somehow get a master. And that part isn't easy."
Both Midoriya and Iida looked horrified and confused. "You mean your life would end— just like that?" Midoriya asked.
Gray only gave him a smile. "I understand that it sounds strange— cruel even. But this time at least I'll be returning to the Root painlessly. Hopefully, that is, if I get killed then that might be painful. I don't really want to go through that again."
"I don't think any of us do, but things happen," Astolfo sighed.
"All things die one day," Gran Torino agreed before he crossed his arms. "So, you said you two are from a different grail war? How are you even here, then? I was under the impression that a War ended when all you Servants were picked off and this Grail obtained."
"You're not wrong," Chiron said, "We're both from a war that ended in the early 2000s, over a hundred years ago. Gray was still alive then, if I recall correctly. Astolfo's master is still alive, so Astolfo is as well. My wish was granted by the Grail so as long as no one with higher divinity comes along to kill me, I'll be alright."
"Immortality, then? That was your wish?" Todoroki asked and Chiron blinked in surprise.
"Yes, actually. I wished to have back what I had asked to be taken from me. Selfish, but I had regretted giving up the one thing that granted me a bond with my parents," the Archer told the boy.
"The Grail can grant that? No strings attached— sounds more like a god than a relic," Gran Torino noted with a raised brow.
"I don't know if it would be the same if any mortal man asked for Immortality, but the Grail is an omnipotent wish granter," Chiron told him. "It can bring people back to life, grant unlimited power, lay waste to nations— to humanity, even. I was already immortal before I asked to be released from it. That said, there were some agreements that the Greater Grail and I came to. I'm to act as a counterforce of sorts in the face of a Greater Evil that rises up in humanity's time. It'll be my job to… deal with it when the time comes. If that means putting the Evil down, then I don't have any qualms about it. To ensure my task doesn't fail, the Greater Grail granted me the Phantasms of the other Servants who died in Trifas— our Grail War. I can use them or I can grant them to others to use for a certain amount of time."
"Was that spike move you used at the USJ one of those, um, Phantasms?" Midoriya asked and Chiron nodded, smiling a bit.
"Indeed it was, very good," He told the boy. "It's known as Kazikli Bey: The Bloody Monster King. It had belonged to the Lord Impaler."
Astolfo grinned. "He was such a stick in the mud," He recalled before he hummed, "Anyways, like Chiron said, I'm here because my master is still alive and I'm still getting mana from him through the Grail. He's not fully immortal or anything, he's just a dragon at the end of the earth right now."
Midoriya raised his good hand. "Um, that gives me more questions than answers."
The Rider only grinned. "That's all I'm gonna give you. We don't have the time to explain everything, after all. The only thing you need to know is that when you eat the heart of a dragon, some weird stuff happens. Even though, he's still my master. Right now, my objective is to help Chiron and Gray, but in the event that my Master returns to me, he's my priority."
Midoriya nodded slowly before Iida spoke up.
"So who else knows this? We can't be the only ones."
"You're right about that," Chiron said, "Right now there are only about four of your classmates who haven't seen or asked about our Servant abilities. The Governments and the Hero Embassies of Japan, Romania, England, France, and Greece are all aware, as are most of the core staff at UA, including Recovery Girl and Nezu. Nezu was actually the first of the staff to know, which happened about fifteen years ago, but that's another story."
He stood after he finished, brushing his tunic off again. "That said, I'm still your teacher. I don't plan in treating you three any differently and I only hope that you don't treat Astolfo, Gray, or myself as such either."
"So Gray will be transferring in… seems a bit unfair since exams are coming up," Iida said as Gray stood, picking Add up. Both Chiron and Astolfo vanished their weapons, Astolfo standing as well.
"I'll be alright," she told him with a smile. "I have Add with me after all."
"Damn right you do, kid!"
"It talks!?"
Gray giggled as Add rattled in his cage. Chiron just sighed, but smiled.
"Midoriya, Iida, Todoroki, meet Add, the Mystic Code that holds the Holy Spear," Chiron said as Astolfo poked at the cube.
Hopefully, the Mystic Code would behave himself in class, though Chiron was unsure if he would. Add tended to be a bit of a strong-willed character from what he could figure out, but he held out on that hope.
Speaking on strong-willed characters... he had a meeting with a certain Flame Hero soon.
The Centaur glanced over his shoulder as he watched Astolfo and Gray talk to the other students and he smiled a bit.
He'd have to try and set that man straight now, wouldn't he?
Anyways, this is the longest chapter in the series so far. The rest should be back to the usual 1-3k words. As for the Mystery Caster, she won't be important until waaaaaaay later. This ends the Internship and Stain arc, and pretty quickly too. I know that the manga and anime show the internships taking longer, but also :/ Stain needed to get punched.
Lots of things for the future that will be happening behind the scenes. I know we all want to see Endeavor getting a long-ass lecture, but that would be a lot of dialogue and it's not in my plans as of yet.
Also, I'm very excited about the final exam arc. The Movie Arc will probably be a different story so yeah! I'm going to separate them so look out for "Two Heroes, Three Servants" after the Exam Arc. Question for the masses, though: has anyone read the manga Eat-Man? or seen the spin-off Anime for it?