Chapter 9, - "An Orchestra of Fake Ideals and Fake Blades (Archer)"
After Archer and Rin had returned home, Archer had set about cleaning and cooking a meal for Rin.
Rin sat in silence, but contemplated her next words, and how to best breach the subject with Archer.
As Archer approached with her meal and her tea, she addressed her curiosity.
"Well, Archer," Rin addressed, with a dangerously sharp undertone, "Are you going to explain the connection between you and Saber? And Emiya-kun, for that matter."
"What is there to explain?" Archer retorted, "We're enemy servants fighting in the Holy Grail War. Emiya Shirou is the enemy master that commands him. That's all there is to it."
"Oh? And I suppose that explains the similarity in your stature, appearances, and magecraft?"
Archer shrugged.
"Don't play dumb with me, Archer. There's clearly some sort of connection there."
"And if there is? Would that information help you win the war?"
Rin gave Archer an annoyed look. She knew he was just trying to avoid the question, though this was a rather poor attempt on his part (and he knew it, too).
"Yes, it clearly would." Rin argued.
"...We just need to kill Saber and Saber's master and win the war, other information is irrelevant."
Rin ignored him.
"At first, I speculated that you might have been some sort of ancestor of Shirou and Saber or something," Rin said, "But seeing the similarity in magecraft - almost the same, far more similar than any mage crest should theoretically be possible of passing down, I came to a theory."
Archer and Emiya both had extremely similar types of magecraft, and Archer looked like an older version of Emiya (though his darker skin color and white back-combed hair threw her off for a while), and heroes were summon from all different eras. Mostly from the past - because the standards of becoming a hero were higher in the modern era, as the presence of magic dwindled and technology bloomed. But, even so, that didn't mean that heroes neccessarily had to be very strictlt be only from the past.
It was an unlikely, possibility, but...
It certainly wasn't impossible.
No, given the evidence she had seen up to this point, it might as well have been the only logical conclusion at this point.
Along the lines of what a certain world-famous detective had once said, "Once you rule out the impossible, only the facts remain, no matter how implausable it may seem".
"You're Emiya Shirou, as a Hero from the future, aren't you."
Thus, it wouldn't have been impossible if Emiya Shirou had become a Hero. Though she couldn't fathom exactly how he would, when it's practically possible to become a hero in the modern era, especially when tales and deeds no longer become as exaggerated and recorded mythically as legends in the modern age.
Archer's expression remained cool, not changing in the slightest. He gave her a cocky and arrogant grin.
"Well, that's an interesting theory, Rin." He said, "But, you only have circumstantial evidence to back it up. And there could be other circumstances that you haven't imagined, other possibilities you never considered."
"Well, that much I'll acknowledge." Rin conceded, nodding from her place on her seat, calmly sipping her tea, "But, this is probably the most likely possibility. And the reason I'm bothering with this in the first place, Archer, is to get you to either confirm my speculations, or to tell me the whole truth."
She held up her hand, command seal glowing.
"Now, will you tell me?" She asked in a sickly-sweet tone, "Or will I have to force it out of you, Archer?"
It was a threat to get Archer to reveal whole truth, regardless of what that truth actually was.
"Do you really want to use another command spell, just for this, Rin?" Archer spoke in a mocking tone, as they both knew it would be foolish another command spell, when she already used up one for a petty reason when he had first been summoned. But, they both knew this wasn't a petty reason.
And, internally, Archer knew she would be willing to go through with. For all her notions and pretenses of trying to act like a composed noble girl, Rin really was was just that kind of impulsive and hotheaded girl, after all. (Archer couldn't help but be amused, thinking back to about how Issei really knew what he was talking about, all those years ago, back before he, as Emiya Shirou, ever really knew Tohsaka Rin at all.)
Rin would use up a Command Sven if she didn't have a truly good reason, but in this case, it actually was a good reason.
Knowing your Servant's True Identity and Full Capacities and Weaknesses could make or break a Master's chances of success in a Holy Grail War in some cases, and using a command seal to find that out, while not optimal for various reasons, (including being down a command seal and probably not having a good communication or synergy with your Servant in the Master-Servant bond in the first place on top of that) was still worth it in many cases to use.
"And if another Master gets the information out of you somehow? What will you do then?"
There were many potential avenues for Servant information to be leaked to other Masters, via mind control or other magical methods. Maybe even non-magical methods, like truth serums or torture if fighting a non-magus.
"Well, I'll deal with that if it comes to it," She said uncharacteristically irresponsibly, "Besides, if it comes to the point where I'm that kind of situation, then that just means I'm already in an unwinnable situation. Or even the reverse, I'm in such extremely favorable circumstances to win that revealing your identity wouldn't even matter at that point."
"You're being careless, Rin." Archer noted, "Even situations that seem like sure-fire victory situations can often end up being flipped."
"Well, that much I'll agree with." She flipped her hair with her non-command spell hand. "But, even so, more than anything else, I want to know the truth, Archer."
She took one last sip of her tea, before directing her hardened gaze right at Archer.
"Now, Archer," Rin asked, hand held towards Archer in a proud display of power, "Are you going to tell me the whole story about who you really are? Or am I going to have to force it out of you?"
Archer sighed, knowing that there was no stopping Rin once she got like this.
"Alright," he conceded, "I'll tell you."
'Really, what a troublesome master I have...'
Archer thought to himself (with no small measure of fondness and affection in his tone).
...This was going to be a long night...
"But," Archer noted, "It's not much of a story to tell, really."
"I'm listening."
"This," he began, "Is the tale of young and stupid boy, who wanted to be a hero. A boy who chased after lofty and unreachable dreams, and took on twisted ideals far too heavy for him to carry. And who eventually broke under their weight."
"This," Archer explained, "Is the story of EMIYA Shirou."
The Holy Shirou War - Chapter 9, "An Orchestra of Fake Ideals and Fake Blades (Archer)" END
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Author's Notes:
CounterfeitsWords = Counterfeit's Words + Counterfeit Swords
Based Issei, by the way. That guy really knows what's up lmao
As expected of a monk's son dedicated to casting off worldly desires, his insight is pretty sharp (lol).
Next chapter, Emiya Shirou and Rider (Senji Shirou)'s interactions. Look forward to it!