Fate Recast

by MM007

Shirou Emiya died in the final battle with Kirei Kotomine. A grieving Artoria Pendragon returned to her time with the scabbard after destroying the Holy Grail. Fortunately, being in the past allows her to make plans to go off the rails to resolve this tragedy... Strong Shirou x Artoria x Probable Harem in distant future. Fate/Zero finished, now in Interwar era.

23. Post-Zero: Amnesia and Politics

Author's Note: Something to keep in mind for this chapter. The current Kingdom of Britannia and the greater British Empire it is part of in this Worldline are all ruled by regents descended from Gawain who rule in Artoria's name. Artoria is still considered their living King for whom they are warming the seat until her return. As such, when Artoria sends them a series of orders and has signed them, they have to bend over backward to obey.

As for why Britannia never came to be called 'England' and why we don't see the terms 'Great Britain' or 'United Kingdom' in this story(unless I make a mistake), it is because Britannia never fell to the Saxons or the Angles to be renamed 'the land of the Angles', or 'England'. The populations ultimately merged under the Britons' terms, which also means some things still hold their old Celtic or Welsh names while others are more contemporary. Scotland and Ireland were permanently merged with Britannia many centuries earlier and simply remained 'parts of Britannia' rather than going through the centuries of breakup and reunification that created the political entities that would become 'the Kingdom of Great Britain' and the later 'United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland'.

The 'British Empire' still exists, but its borders are radically different because some of the colonial practices used in Proper Human History were strongly frowned upon by Artoria. While not always obeyed properly, her opinion greatly influenced Britannia's overall expansion. There was a noteworthy consolidation and expansion of Britannia into Scotland, Norway, Ireland, Iceland, Greenland, and Brittany(a part of Western France) in the sixth and seventh centuries AD. It stayed stable through the centuries of Viking conquests, ultimately shrugging them off and continuing to grow into Scandinavia. The Norman Invasion of 1066 was also curbed and the Britons responded by seizing Normandy, ultimately coming to control most of the French coastline and directly skewing naval power into the Britons' favor during the later Age of Exploration. Britannia did conquer but was not as likely to subjugate local populations as in other Worldlines. In cases where subjugation happened, Britannia tended to act in the role of the defender against other European nations performing the act. This improved its reputation and earned some allies among the local population. It would also offer itself as a neutral mediator between warring tribes. This was not entirely altruistic though, as being seen as 'the sole entity between living and being slaughtered' and 'a fair arbiter' was a useful incentive to ally with or even join the British Empire. Britannia's progression into Africa and the Americas may have been slower as a result, but it was ultimately far more stable and longer-lasting. The United States was ultimately allowed to break away in a peaceful manner to ensure compliance with Proper Human History. India and parts of China were never formal British territories, instead being built up as regional trade partners and defended from other European powers in exchange for permanent access to ports built by the British for trade. Australia met the same general fate as in Proper Human History except with better treatment of the natives. Yes, the Great Emu War still happened.

Ultimately, this world's British Empire never became quite as large as the one in Proper Human History—but it also did not shrink or have its constituent nations collapse into as much infighting and civil war, either. It ultimately managed to survive far more intact into the modern era rather than fall into decline as in other Worldlines.

---

Chapter 23: Amnesia and Politics

November 24, 1994

Fuyuki Church

Fuyuki City, Japan

12:40 AM

Between recording the reports for the Church and tending to the survivors, it had been a late night for Risei Kotomine. Only in the past hour had the Japanese military arrived and moved the victims to a shelter. A little under half of the children were now homeless orphans, including young Tachie. Risei gave a slight sigh as he silently condemned the Grail War for the bloodshed.

A distant flash of light was seen through his office window, almost unidentifiable through the trees, but he could feel it in the leylines. A War ended, a Grail destroyed...a geas broken. He didn't even register the sound of the explosion and collapsing mountain reaching his ears a few seconds later because he was too preoccupied with this change.

Feeling a decades-old compulsion leaving his body, Risei Kotomine smiled with the tiniest tinge of vindictiveness and immediately stood from his chair. He grabbed his wallet and coat before striding out of his office past his confused son.

"Father?" Kirei inquired, having caught a glimpse of something alien on his father's face.

"They did it, Kirei. The Grail is destroyed. A magical compulsion I've been trapped under for the past forty years is gone, and I have a duty to perform that has been long delayed," Risei uttered quietly so that the soldiers could not hear.

"Your expression...it seems like a duty you might enjoy a little too much." Kirei gave a word of warning, not used to seeing his father savoring the coming displeasure of someone else in any form.

"Perhaps it is so, son. I am only human, and the bitterness I feel toward my foes is not something so easily cast aside in the moment," Risei conceded. "Thank you for reminding me to be humble. I will show restraint and walk with God as I see justice done." Risei then stopped in front of a specific nondescript door and opened it, revealing what looked like some sort of restaurant inside. There seemed to be a brawl of some sort in progress given the tables and chairs being violently thrown about, but Risei ignored that detail entirely. "Come, Kirei. As the Master of Assassin, your voice needs to be heard as well. Let us reveal the evils of this War."

Kirei was confused by the sheer departure from reason that he was bearing witness to, but complied with his father's wishes and stepped through the door. Risei followed suit before closing the door behind them—a door that usually led exclusively to a closet full of cleaning supplies.

---

Ahnenerbe Restaurant

Fuyuki City, Japan

12:40 AM

After Artoria collapsed, Shirou stayed by her side in urgent worry and Gray cried louder in Irisviel's arms. The distress of the trio caused a situation that reminded everyone why the maternal instincts of a dragon were not to be trifled with.

Before anyone could so much as speak intelligently in reaction to Artoria's condition, Mélusine had vanished into a blur of white-blue light and violently rearranged the interior of part of the restaurant with what could be quantified as godspeed. The wall furthest from everyone else now had a barricade of overturned tables in place within which Artoria, Shirou, Gray, Irisviel, and Doctor Albion all found themselves. An armored and armed Mélusine stood protectively in front of the barricade with eyes dancing between possible threats and promising wrath to anyone who intruded upon her hatchlings' makeshift den. Since Gray was being comforted and held by Irisviel at the time rather than being attacked, it seemed that Mélusine had the presence of mind to deem the co-mother a non-threat and had simply picked them both up and moved them without breaking their embrace.

"Mother...may I try to check on Artoria's condition?" Doctor Albion asked carefully once the initial surprise partially wore off and he was able to verify the meaning of the current situation. Mélusine didn't look away from the various targets, her instincts still raging from the sound of Gray's continued crying, but she did give a nod of acknowledgment and permission. The man once known as Kurou Adashino went to the unconscious Artoria's side and started using various diagnostic spells to check on her condition. "Her Spirit Origin is in a state of flux. Her body and physical condition are fine, but it...if I didn't know any better, I would say that the very legend defining her is shifting and altering her enough to destabilize her."

"But she isn't defined by a legend. She's defined by—" Merlin started to say before his phone rang. Everyone stared at the man, most of them not understanding what a cell phone was. He answered the video call and fought back a wince as he saw the identity of the caller. "Morgan, good of you to call. Can you please verify Artoria's condition? Something strange is happening to her proxy body here and causing it to be unstable."

"Oh, that would be the minimum expectation given the situation," Morgan le Fay said before she turned her phone's camera toward Artoria's original body. The Once and Future King was still sleeping on Merlin's Magic Circle in the Tower of Avalon, but Merlin's eyes widened as he looked upon a somewhat more mature and well-endowed woman than he remembered. She was at an age roughly halfway between those of Saber and Lancer—between eighteen and twenty years—though she retained her normal hairstyle rather than Lancer's variation. The Mysterious Heroine X attire she had worn was more form-fitting on her larger body and that dark blue jacket opened so as to partially relieve the pressure that would otherwise have been caused by her physical changes.

Dun Stallion was also asleep in the magic circle somehow, and Artoria's existing weapons were joined by Rhongomyniad and a copy of Caliburn—Lancer Artoria's last known armaments. Morgan's voice cut through the surprise when she coldly said, "You have five minutes to use that infamous dreamwalking and Clairvoyance of yours to figure out what has happened. You would not enjoy the consequences of failure." The angered Morgan le Fay hung up.

A nervous Merlin looked toward Mélusine, whose attention and potential fury were now placed squarely on him. He had little choice but to word this very carefully. "...Lady Mélusine, might I be allowed to comply with Morgan's request and inspect Artoria so I can help resolve this situation?"

With all that was happening, few paid any mind to Risei as he quietly led Kirei along the innermost wall of the room until reaching Zelretch. The priest had made sure to give the petite lady who was glaring daggers at the robe-wearing dandy man a wide berth.

---

Location and Time Undefined

The adolescent and armored Saber Artoria opened her eyes, fighting a throbbing headache. Looking around herself, she found that she was in a white void that stretched on forever. There was no obvious light source, the whiteness of the place instead being inherent and ambient. She tried to draw Excalibur to protect herself as she sought her bearings, only to find it missing.

"Where..." she asked herself, looking around for any clue as to her location. The pure absence of anything was jarring. Quickly, however, she took notice of two figures who had simply appeared from the light. One was Dun Stallion, as she remembered him in life, and the other was quite familiar... "Lancer? What is this place?"

Indeed, Lancer Artoria stood in the void and seemed to have the same headache if the pained look on her face was any indication. "Saber...I know not. The last thing I recall is firing Rhongomyniad at Mount Enzo and destroying the Greater Grail."

"Yes, I remember..." Saber Artoria commented before her eyes widened. "No...I truly remember! I remember destroying Mount Enzo with the Lance as if it were by my own hand!"

Lancer's eyes widened as well at the realization. "I recall seeing the destruction of Mount Enzo from within the restaurant...and Shirou calling me Saber as I lost consciousness..."

Saber's eyes stayed wide in surprise. "You teaching Gray to ride Dun Stallion..."

Lancer's expression shifted. "Your protecting Shirou from Caster in the alley..."

Saber's hand clenched around the handle of her sword. "Your taking Mordred's arm at the docks..."

Lancer responded with a quiet tone, "your reconciling with Mordred..."

Saber smiled in amusement. "Archer helping Illyasviel and Gray reach the airport restroom in time."

Lancer Artoria nodded, feeling at peace. "...I know not what is happening or if I am only here briefly...but if you would embrace those memories of Gray for me and take my place in her life, I could return to that hill with one less regret."

"Oh, you're not going away, Lancer. At least not fully," a new voice called from the light and drew the attention of both. Merlin's familiar face met them, his eyes gleaming with amusement. "It seems that Gaia and Alaya have declined to return you to Camlann Hill. It's fascinating, you know. I would have failed entirely to understand this outcome if I lacked my Clairvoyance."

"...Truly? I was under the belief that the time loop needed to be concluded by returning me there. Why would Alaya not send me back?" Lancer inquired in surprise.

"That is because the time loop already has been concluded," Merlin responded before proceeding to explain. "There are relatively few versions of Artoria Pendragon who left the Battle of Camlann to have their wish granted in 537 AD. Let's focus on the 'Saber' version for simplicity's sake. She left one World's version of Camlann Hill in 537 AD to fight in successive Grail Wars. During those Grail Wars, various Parallel Worlds branched off in 1994 and 2004 to turn that one Saber Artoria into multiple who eventually rejected the contract with Alaya and returned. Some won the war with Shirou and parted from him. Some shifted Masters to Rin Tohsaka out of necessity. Some became corrupted. And a select few would become like this Artoria. So tell me...what happens when too many Artorias Pendragon are returned to the same time, place, and World?

Saber Artoria understood quickly. "Only one of those Artoria had to return and complete the time loop. The others would be redundant...possibly disruptive."

Merlin nodded in agreement. "You got it on the first try. Forcing those Artorias Pendragon to all return from the various futures would serve no purpose but to instantly create a Parallel World in AD 537 for each Artoria. That was a needless waste of energy from Alaya and Gaia's perspective and potentially invited a feedback loop of possibilities that could collapse the system. Several of those Parallel Worlds were made at Camlann Hill before Gaia and Alaya could recognize and correct the problem, our own being one of them. This is an even bigger problem with the subset of Artorias Pendragon like ours who return to the Battle of Camlann with a regenerative Noble Phantasm. She lived long enough to reach Avalon alive and this made the Reverse Side split into a Parallel World as well. Something that is simply not supposed to happen unless the planet itself undergoes an appropriately massive change."

The Magus of Flowers turned his attention to Lancer. "It is the same with the 'Lancers' Artoria. One became many, one of those many was enough to fulfill the burden of history, and you are among the remainder who do not need to return. In fact, your return while carrying a version of Avalon and/or Caliburn would cause a similar situation to what our Artoria caused and make the Reverse Side split into a new Parallel World again. Thus, your travel permission was revoked. You are not returning to Camlann."

Lancer Artoria didn't seem to feel upset about this. In fact, she appeared to feel relieved. The situation did leave behind an important question, though. "So what will happen to me, then? What is this place?"

Merlin answered the question for what it was, glad that Lancer seemed to be alright with not returning to her home era so long as a version of her made it back to stabilize things. "This expanse is our Artoria's dreamscape, albeit returned to its bare minimum due to the instability your presence has caused. You are being integrated with it as we speak."

"Integrated? What do you mean?" Saber Artoria asked. "Our memories are certainly bleeding together, but I gather that there is more to it."

Merlin took a moment to process his thoughts properly before speaking them—a moment that was somewhat tense for the two Kings of Knights—but he eventually did respond. "This is partially speculation...but I believe that part of Gaia and Alaya's damage control efforts are to do something similar to what I did by merging the various deceased Shirou. This Lancer, which Gaia and Alaya have deemed as redundant, has been relocated to our Worldline where the so-called 'damage' is already done. Rather than Gaia and Alaya allowing multiple Artorias Pendragon to exist long-term in our Worldline, however, she is being merged with our Artoria's mind, body, and soul now that her role as a Servant has been concluded. It makes sense that two of the same living person wouldn't be allowed to exist in the same Worldline for long. The start of that process caused Artoria's proxy Servant body to pass out. The physical changes to Artoria's true self have already been made, but your minds contain over ten years of differences to reconcile due to your histories splitting after the destruction of Caliburn. Lancer has also undergone some added changes to her mind and body due to wielding Rhongomyniad so much for ten years. That will take time to resolve. Time during which you must sleep..."

"So we are to become one entity?" Lancer summarized in surprise.

"Yes, you are," Merlin confirmed. At that moment, the two Artorias felt their headaches growing in their intensity. "We don't have long, my King, but you needn't worry. I will take advantage of this situation to give you something that Fate and circumstance had previously denied you through cruel necessity. All will be well."

"Merlin..." Artoria uttered before she faded from her own dreamscape, her mind now fully in the process of merging with Lancer's. Merlin could feel, however, that his assurances had eased the mind of his King.

Now it was time to make good on them.

---

Ahnenerbe Restaurant

12:46 AM

Five minutes after the phone call with Merlin ended, the veiled form of Morgan le Fay strolled through the door of Ahnenerbe. She had left Avalon for Shirou's Texture the same way Merlin and Artemis had and now entered the restaurant from Shirou's copy of Fuyuki City. Dressed in black and carrying a staff that was actually a transformed version of Rhongomyniad, she was an oddly imposing figure as she looked upon those assembled. She was yet another living being who would not be found wanting when compared to a Servant in power.

Given that she had been using the connections between the various Avalons to scry on people and events throughout the war, she was well aware of recent happenings and didn't even give a second look to the Magic Circle that Artemis had carved into the floor in a fit of inspired mania.

"Auntie Morgan!" Sakura smiled and ran to Morgan, hugging her leg. "Saber fell down and won't wake up. Can you and Uncle Merlin make her feel better?"

Morgan patted Sakura gently on the head and gave a very slight smile, something which helped diffuse the tension caused by her arrival and presence. "I am here to do just that, Sakura. That and spend time with you, Gray, and Mélusine. Though I must first hear what Merlin has to say about what ails Artoria before I can help her." It was at that time Merlin opened his eyes from his dreamwalking effort. He looked at Morgan in brief surprise that was only dispelled when she gave a sternly-voiced question. "Did you find the cause?"

Merlin gave a hesitant nod to Artoria's concerned sister. "The excessively short version is that Gaia and Alaya have stopped sending any Artorias Pendragon who abandon their contract with Alaya back to the past. Lancer would have simply lived out the rest of her life here if there wasn't an Artoria marked for this Worldline already. Gaia, with or without Alaya's aid, decided to merge the two together into one entity rather than leave them as separate beings. Explaining further means getting out the whiteboards again and delaying Artoria's treatment, so let's move on to the important part." Waver Velvet visibly winced at the thought and didn't say a word. It seemed that he had endured enough mind-bending revelations for one day.

A small cat-person ran up and excitedly provided Morgan with a cup of tea while Merlin continued his report. Sakura started to pet the odd creature on the head, which the now-purring Neco Spirit seemed to enjoy thoroughly. "While the physical merging went well and combined their strengths and powers together, like how Hercules is a merging of his Archer and Berserker classes, the merging of their memories is more of a problem. They lived different lives between the ages of twenty-five and thirty-five, so the disconnect between those ten years of memories is causing Artoria mental strain. It's taking so much brain power to fix that she can't even wake up."

Medusa spoke up at that moment. "That doesn't sound right. EMIYA, Hercules, and I all had memories loaded into our minds that contradicted each other—alternate histories for ourselves—and we didn't pass out. I only had a brief headache when I was summoned."

Merlin paused for a moment to briefly stare at Medusa, surprised at the good point coming from the normally quiet woman. "That's because EMIYA had years to process the information before ever being summoned and none of you were processing ten years of information to start with—just a few weeks' worth of events at most from only a few Worldlines plus minor deviations."

The expression Medusa wore, while hard to read for most, hinted that she wouldn't call so many versions of Shirou Emiya dying as 'minor deviations'. It was no less true that they were just brief distractions from the same few stories for the purposes of this discussion. Whenever Shirou Emiya messed up during the Fifth Holy Grail War, he tended to die quickly.

Morgan's eyes narrowed at the idea of Gaia and Alaya messing with her sister's mind for their own ends. "How long will she need to recover? Will that time be extended because of the centuries that Artoria lived in Avalon?"

The Magus of Flowers shook his head to the negative before he was offered a cup of iced coffee by a different Neco Spirit and took a sip. "I don't know how long it will take. It could be days or months depending on just how different their lives were and how much Rhongomyniad altered Lancer's nature by adding Divinity to her being. What I do know is that only the ten years of divergent memories that Lancer is inserting into Artoria's mind need to be processed. Artoria's time in Avalon will not make a difference one way or the other."

Morgan sighed in slight relief. At least Artoria's knowledge of their years of mutual tolerance wasn't at risk. Artoria wouldn't necessarily see her sister as hostile even if things went badly and she woke up without those years. "What can be done? Must she simply sleep until her mind has reconciled the memories?"

He smiled widely at this question. "She does have to sleep until she recovers, but she was already sleeping before and we were able to communicate with her through this Servant body just fine then. So long as we lock away conscious access to the unstable memories with a seal, this body will wake back up and interact with the world again. The sleeping Artoria will even remember what the Servant body experienced when she wakes up, along with everything else."

"So she'll be awake...she just won't remember us?" Shirou asked in worry.

"She'll remember this War and the Second Holy Grail War before that," Merlin gently clarified. "She may or may not remember your Fifth Holy Grail War entirely though. At worst, she will remember what you remember and she will have forgotten what you've forgotten. You'll remember the same things, and that's what matters."

Morgan found Merlin's response to the boy to be oddly diplomatic. It also hinted at something notable—Artoria wouldn't necessarily be as obsessed over Shirou. Depending on what memories made the journey, she wouldn't remember being panicked about ruining their relationship by knowing him as a child or interfering with his growth, or any of the other negatives her mind invented over fifteen centuries of waiting for the boy. She might have a rest from that. She also wouldn't have to remember so deeply the betrayals and losses that came with the fall of her Kingdom. The amnesiac Artoria might know the basic lore as presented by the Grail, but not the first-hand experience and pain. Morgan decided then and there to support this effort. Her sister deserved a rest.

"...I want to give some of my Command Seals to Gray and share being her Master," Shirou decided unexpectedly. "I have extra, and since they're family...I want them to be able to talk to each other in their heads whenever they want. Can we...do that?"

'That's a wonderful idea, Shirou!" Irisviel beamed at Shirou, clearly proud of his generosity. "If she's Saber and Lancer in one person, just without some of her memories, then she should be shared by her most important people! Do you want to do that, Gray?" The mother asked the young child who was slowly starting to understand that her Aunt Artoria wasn't gone, just sleeping.

"...Yes...I want both Auntie and Gramma..." Gray's words made Morgan tense slightly. It only now hit her fully that she was a grandmother, even if it was many generations down the line. Seeing the small child in person made it real. In spite of all the suffering the little girl had endured because of the consequences of Morgan's discarded plans, she had asked for Morgan le Fay...no, Morgan Pendragon, to step up.

Morgan approached the barricade, gently set down her tea, and knelt down to her descendant's level. Then, so that Gray could better know the face of her kin, Morgan pulled back her veil to reveal platinum blonde bangs and ice-blue eyes. "Then you'll have us both, Gray."

Merlin smiled and got to work designing the necessary magic circle to adjust Saber Artoria's Spirit Origin. Morgan would be busy for a while.

Completely separate from this, Zelretch and the Kotomines took the opportunity to approach Tokiomi, Kariya, and Waver. A gesture from Zelretch also called Kiritsugu and Irisviel over. Maiya and Natalia also tagged along with them in turn. Tokiomi was the first to speak, doing so with a bit of flair. "Father Kotomine. Kirei. I didn't expect you to come to the afterparty this quickly. The war ended not even ten minutes ago."

"Well, your teacher left a special exit in the Church in case one of the Masters decided to ignore the rules of the War and attack. I was instructed to come here the moment certain events transpired." He looked around himself in mild surprise. "I didn't expect the Servants to remain after the War. If only Okita could be here..." Risei said with some remorse.

"She is!" Irisviel exclaimed happily. "Her and Boudica's souls are in those two big cages near Ereshkigal! That's the blonde girl who looks like Rin."

The priests saw the little girl look over and bashfully wave when hearing her name. The Kotomines briefly had difficulty reconciling her unexpected presence and identity as a goddess of the Underworld with the scene before them, but they still waved back at the Divine Spirit. After this was done, Ereshkigal was quickly drawn back into her conversation with Sakura, Rin, Aoi, and another more scantily clad Rin.

"Having a crisis of faith yet, Risei?" Zelretch smiled in amusement.

Risei responded with a slight chuckle. "No, not really. Even the Mages acknowledge something similar to the Abrahamic God standing far above anything in this World, including the gods of other Pantheons. You are one of the few who have seen it, Zelretch. Though even if I didn't have such evidence, I would still believe."

"What?" Kirei asked in clear surprise.

Risei's head turned in the direction of his son. "Oh, I never introduced you. Zelretch, this is my son Kirei. Kirei, this is Kishur Zelretch Schweinorg. Disciple of Solomon, slayer of the Crimson Moon, and one of the few people alive to have reached the Root and attained a True Magic. He is also the patron of Tokiomi's family line and one of the people responsible for overseeing the construction of the first Greater Grail in the 1790s."

"The...first Greater Grail?" Tokiomi asked in notable confusion.

Risei gave a smile. "It is best if I only explain it once and that you remain unaware of the details until that time. Your teacher surely knows already."

Everyone waited to see if he would say more, but Risei declined to do so. Kirei then chose to respond to the earlier introduction to get rid of the awkward silence. "I see...it is nice to meet you, Mister Schweinorg. Or should I consider you a Rabbi?"

Zelretch waved away his gesture. "Don't worry about it. 'Mister' works just fine. When we get to the Clock Tower though, you might have to call me 'Wizard Marshal' if it comes up. Mages like their fancy titles and all."

"Wait, the Clock Tower? We're going there?" Kirei asked in confusion.

The ancient Magician gave a smirk. "Of course we are! The Grail was destroyed and you all need to get your stories together and explain why as soon as possible before Jubstacheit can come over from Germany to spread lies about it. If we leave it to him to spin his story first, he'll fan their anger and the Clock Tower will hunt you down. Thankfully, having the Masters of all three founding families speak out against him will go a long way for us. There are also a lot of things that need to be clarified, but don't go mentioning the Divine Spirits, Textures, Reality Marbles, Magic Cores, Servants still hanging around...you know, the 'impossible'. Otherwise, they'll be throwing Sealing Designations all over the place."

"They'll find out about the Servants soon enough when Gilgamesh seeks out entertainment," Tokiomi warned. It was true that the King of Heroes had spent ten years managing to hide his nature from humanity in the other Worldline, but that was a different situation. The Grail was destroyed here and Gilgamesh instead had a friend to go on adventures with. He could only hope that Gilgamesh would avoid risks for Enkidu's sake because this had all the hallmarks of a disaster in the making.

Zelretch chuckled in amusement, likely at the thought of the Golden King straining the patience of the Lords of the Clock Tower simply by doing what he pleased in the World. "If you must, just claim that 'he pulled Enkidu from the Gate of Babylon and anchored himself to the World', but you only heard about it after it was done. It's technically true, so you can even say it that way under a truth compulsion geas if they try to make you sign one. I'd advise against volunteering for that treatment, though. They may press you to answer other things that aren't any of their business."

Iskandar gave a wide smile. "So you're meeting the political powerhouses of the era! I would like nothing more than to be part of that encounter!"

"Aaaaand it's ready!" Merlin exclaimed, interrupting the conversation from across the room. He had made yet another Magic Circle on the floor—this one with proper materials—and Mélusine gently placed Saber Artoria's unconscious form inside it. When combined with Artemis' earlier work and Mélusine's barricade, the restaurant was truly looking the worse for wear. "Shirou, Gray, please come over here and stand in front of the circle. Shirou needs to place the hand with his Command Seals over Gray's...yes, just like that." He praised the children as they were guided into position properly. "Now...I'll say the amended Aria and get things started!"

This wasn't a normal Grail summoning, but it did have its roots in the system. As such, the Aria spoken by Merlin was amended from the second half of the Summoning ritual.

Behold, my will amends your body and sword!

As you heed Shirou and Gray's call, and let me shift your will and reason, answer us!

For you are all the good in the World and have defeated All The World's Evil.

From Avalon in the Reverse Side, transferring two great words of power,

Awaken now, Artoria Pendragon!

Two of Shirou's Command Seals left his hand and moved to the back of Gray's own with a red glow, making her flinch in pain. At the same moment, a white-blue light filled the Magic Circle as Artoria's body changed and shifted. She opened her eyes and slowly stood upright before them, her hair in a simple ponytail and her armor less adorned. The blue battle dress was replaced with a white and black outfit with a simple breastplate. Excalibur was gone, replaced with the copy of Caliburn that Shirou had given Lancer Artoria just before her final battle. The biggest change was her eyes, which discarded stoicism and showed her emotion without restraint. Currently, they bore clear confusion.

The light died down and she took a few moments to speak. "...This feels strange. I feel as if I am missing something important...but I recognize my young Masters. Shirou...Gray...I'm sorry to have scared you like that, but I'm here now. Okay?"

"...Auntie Artoria? Do you remember me?" Gray asked nervously, having broken from holding Shirou's hand to rub the back of her own and ease the phantom pain caused by the transfer of her two new Command Seals.

The younger Artoria certainly did not appear to be Lancer, but she stepped forward and knelt down to Gray's level after regaining her bearings. She gave the child an earnest smile that would have been far more rare and guarded on Artoria's face. "I remember being summoned in Germany to meet you, through to the time I taught you to ride Dun Stallion, and all the way to to the end when I destroyed the Grail after saying goodbye to you. I'm missing a lot of my history, but I remember everything about you." Artoria's words reassured Gray, who lunged forward to give Artoria a sudden hug in return.

After a few moments, Artoria then looked at Shirou with a slightly apologetic expression even as she kept hugging Gray. "Shirou...I remember you too, but only bits and pieces of the other Holy Grail Wars. I remember all of this last one though. Consider me to be both Saber and Lancer, even if a more inexperienced version. Though I know my own Lore thanks to the information granted by the Grail, I can only remember the events of my own life up to a few battles after drawing Caliburn from the stone—"

"What?" Morgan le Fay exclaimed before turning toward Merlin in mounting anger. "You were only supposed to lock away the ten years that her mind couldn't handle the contradictions of! Why did you do twenty?" Gray broke the hug, now watching the display of her ancestor berating Merlin.

Merlin's smile was subtle due to the danger he was in. "Morgan...I acknowledge that 'asking for forgiveness rather than permission' is not always a good idea, but—"

The Witch of the Lake interrupted the man in her fury. "Why was it necessary to strip my sister of an extra decade of memories?"

"Because it protects her humanity," Merlin responded much to Morgan's surprise. "An Artoria Pendragon who remembers up to the point of Caliburn's breaking and not the whole of the Fifth Holy Grail War thereafter might be one who still believes in discarding her humanity in favor of being the perfect King. At best, she would restrict herself to the rigidity of Knighthood rather than enjoy her life. At worst, she would feel pressure to go to Britannia and reassume her throne far too early."

Morgan started to understand. "So you chose to restore her to a point in her history where she was still more human than King. A time when she could still freely follow her heart."

Merlin nodded in confirmation. "A time when she was still an innocent teenager, free from the suffering of her reign or of the previous Grail Wars. Pure and untainted like a lily. She can now bond with family and friends while enjoying the youth she was previously denied by our struggle. Your guilt would not allow you to make such a decision, but I felt it necessary. I simply did not expect it to change her enough to introduce a new Concept to her Spirit Origin. Becoming 'an Artoria Pendragon before she became the Perfect King' seems to be a large enough change to transform her. A variation of the Alter phenomenon, it would seem..."

"Merlin?" Artoria inquired as she tried to follow the conversation. "I don't fully understand...I remember you telling me when I drew the sword that I was no longer to live as a human. That it was the price of being King and saving the people. Are you saying that belief was wrong?"

The adviser smiled gently at the (Once and)Future King. "Well, it turns out that such a thing need not be entirely true. The King still needs to understand humans. My failure to advise you of that and help you find a proper balance caused you great suffering that I regret. So, while you remain in this form that need not yet be King...be human again. Live happily enough and loudly enough that your greater self will remember how to remain light in heart and become the more balanced person she should be."

"Or dragon," Mélusine interjected. Indeed, the opportunity to train her hatchling in this more receptive form was not lost on the Dragon Fairy.

"Yes!" Iskandar boldly exclaimed while raising his glass. "A King must not shut himself away from the people and die while abandoning them as a martyr! He must walk among them, know them, and represent every excess and greatness for his people to aspire to! Glory! Hedonism! To chase down what one desires and make it his own! To show the people how to live by his example! These things are all essential parts of Kingship!" The charismatic man grinned widely as Mélusine nodded sagely—her draconic sensibilities agreeing with the big red man's words. "Your sleeping self made great strides in learning how to be a proper King, but this is your opportunity to refine yourself and remember what she has forgotten! Learn to fully embrace your humanity, young lily of Britannia, so you may grow into an even more splendid flower!"

That last comment made Artoria blush crimson in a manner that was quite un-Artoria-like before she managed to collect herself enough to speak. "P-please take care of me, then..."

The fact that her little sister was now capable of making such an expression made Morgan's anger melt away. She wouldn't voice it aloud, but maybe Merlin was right just this once...

A pure lily indeed.

---

Fuyuki City Hyatt Hotel

12:54 AM

Gilgamesh, dressed in a black suit and a leopard-print dinner jacket, entered the penthouse suite of the Fuyuki City Hyatt Hotel previously occupied by the El-Melloi team. He was followed by Enkidu, who wore a white suit and a lilac shirt underneath. The King of Heroes looked around the room and found it quaint—even the cityscape displayed through the wide picture window wasn't above critique.

"Hmph. What is the point of displaying the filth of the world in such an all-encompassing manner as if it were artwork worthy of praise? Still, it is better to stand on high than tread upon the ground. I will give them credit for eclipsing the height of the ziggurat as well, though the Tower of Babel was still superior—" Gilgamesh's lips froze mid-sentence as his eyes widened in surprise, his Clairvoyance clearly triggered by something unexpected.

As Gilgamesh's eyes moved toward the direction of a certain restaurant, Enkidu watched in curiosity as Gilgamesh started to rant. "She is so lovely, it's making my chest tighten with a modicum of adoration. This is the first time I have felt jealous of someone! Merlin, you bastard...and yet forgiveness is also in order...!"

Enkidu was experienced enough to know that it was best to let his friend work through such things by himself at times like this.

---

Ahnenerbe Restaurant

One passenger van and one private bus then pulled up outside the restaurant on the London side before their drivers exited the vehicles and walked across the street. They left the keys in the ignition in a prearranged move. This prompted Zelretch to check the time. "Right...it's time for most of us to go. Sir Blackmore, Doctor Albion, you each know what to do. King Artoria...while the various children will be staying behind, Gray is an exception. I need you, Sir Blackmore, the Count of Saint Germain, Waver, and Iskandar to go with her. As there is no way to hide her from the Clock Tower as Rhongomyniad's bearer, we must arrange to protect her in other ways as quickly as possible." This was indeed a concern. Gray was known to the Einzberns as the bearer of Rhongomyniad and would surely be exposed or attacked by them soon enough.

Artoria was briefly surprised, but after seeing one of the writs her Saber self had signed in Sir Blackmore's hands and the other in Doctor Albion's, she nodded resolutely in understanding. A few whispers in Kiritsugu and Irisviel's ears from Sir Blackmore made their eyes widen and Irisviel giggled in amusement before speaking in response, "That's a fun prank, and Gray does deserve a change~"

"Before we go," Risei said to gather everyone's attention, "I am rather certain that the Mage's Association would demand that I hand over any Command Seals for their benefit. Rather than do that, I'd rather they be in the hands of those who will use them properly." The man exposed his arm, revealing seven surviving seals from previous Wars, which started to glow and vanish. Two went to Artemis. One each went to Shirou, Gray, and Waver. The other two vanished without the recipient being immediately obvious...

---

Fuyuki City Hyatt Hotel

12:55 AM

Enkidu felt a brief pain as the back of his hand glowed once more. He and Gilgamesh both turned their eyes toward the limb to watch as two more Command Seals joined the first to form a complete set of three. "Gil, what is this?"

Gilgamesh showed little expression before moving one of his hands to his hips and standing casually. "Just a slightly wiser mongrel choosing to place power in your hands rather than in those of the corrupt. Still, an acceptable enough tribute."

The act helped to calm Gilgamesh down, at the very least.

---

Ahnenerbe Restaurant

His arm now bare, Risei smiled at the feeling of another burden of his station being shed. "Everyone who obtained and kept at least one Command Seal between the start of the War and this moment now has a minimum of three Command Seals. If anyone asks, I will say that the Command Seals I once carried vanished with the destruction of the Grail. Don't waste them, because there are no more. I would recommend concealing them under your strongest spells."

"I can handle that~" Merlin said jovially, casting a wide-area illusion that hid the seals on everyone's hands.

The reminder to conceal something magical prompted Morgan to tend to a certain something as well, and she cast a spell on Gray. "I've concealed Gray's Magic Core," Morgan commented so everyone understood that she was safe. "Before we go...must we allow Caster to return to the Throne? I would rather use his magical energy for something...sufficiently demeaning as punishment."

Merlin shook his head gently. "Sorry, but he needs to return to the Throne in hopes that his throne-bound self will use the knowledge he gained during this War to seek out Jeanne d'Arc there. If his wish is granted there, the original in the Throne might avoid letting himself be summoned in his obsessed Caster form."

"I'll take care of it," Ereshkigal volunteered.

"Maiya, Sella, Hercules...please take good care of Shirou and Illya until we return, okay?" Irisviel asked, preferring not to be split from her children but noting the necessity.

"Of course, Lady Irisviel," Sella promptly replied. Parents proceeded to say goodbye to their children as the group prepared to split up. Those departing the Restaurant stepped outside into the waning London afternoon, where it was still just shy of 6 PM the previous day. Sir Blackmore, the Count of Saint Germain, Waver, Artoria, Iskandar, and Gray got in the van. Zelretch, Doctor Albion, Mélusine, Risei, Kirei, Kariya, Tokiomi, Kiritsugu, Irisviel, Leysritt, and Natalia boarded the bus with EMIYA in Spirit form tagging along.

They would discuss their battle plans in more detail en route to their destinations.

---

November 23, 1994

Einzbern Castle, Germany

6:58 PM Local Time (CEST)

(November 24, 1994; 12:58 AM Japan Standard Time)

Byakuya Matou sighed as he removed himself from the bath. The man even dared to risk a smile as he dried himself. True, this was a servant's bath, but it still allowed him to relax from the mess that had been the recent Grail War. He then put on a black suit that, while not fitting perfectly, was good enough. The maids told him that it was the closest fit readily available.

Speaking of the maids, they regarded him with indifference at best even as they did their duty. It was clear that he was only treated well because he was the vessel for the Crest Worm housing Zouken's soul. The alliance between Zouken and Jubstacheit required that the Crest Worm was kept in good condition. This had three downsides, though. First, he was essentially a well-cared-for hostage. Zouken's compliance with the alliance was guaranteed by keeping Byakuya, and by extension Zouken's soul, within Einzbern Castle. Second, he was banned from drinking alcohol in excess to ensure his own health and that of the Crest Worm. The occasional wine with dinner was all that he was allowed. Third, he was forced to earn his keep to a degree by tending to a certain woman.

"Byakuya! Over here!" The voice called out to him after he stepped into a larger living area. His eyes regarded Dark Irisviel, who was dressed in one of her counterpart's outfits. The woman's eyes roamed over his attire and showed signs of light surprise and familiarity. "My, they gave you my husband's old clothes? Well, I suppose it would be all they had. We don't exactly have any other male servants. Come sit with me and play a card game! Kiritsugu taught me poker in the other Worldline."

A confused Byakuya had a seat and a table was placed between himself and Dark Irisviel by one of the maids. Dark Irisviel began to deal with a dexterity that indicated extensive practice, something that Byakuya took note of. Before he could even inquire, the homunculus answered the unspoken question. "I spent forty years in a hole in the ground. Video games have only been around for a fraction of that time. Cards, board games, books, and scrying on others through the Grail Chamber were all I had...and they've all been destroyed now. All that is mine has been reduced to the clothes I wore in my escape, this deck of cards I had tucked away on my person, and you."

That declaration of ownership was given with a gentle smile, but the look in her eyes...Byakuya could tell that disagreeing with the claim might have immediate and negative consequences. The third downside on his list just jumped ranks up to number one as he was forced to accept the cards he was dealt in both the figurative and literal sense.

Still, he needed to make conversation. He was far too nervous to let things descend into silence or remain on this particular topic. "T-things can be replaced," he lamely answered, though this seemed to appease the woman to a degree. He kept speaking, the next thought on his mind escaping before he could stop himself. "I'm surprised you managed to survive the Grail's destruction though. I thought you were the Grail."

The entity in front of him had since finished dealing the cards and smiled gently as she inspected the hand she was dealt. "The Grail's control system is, at its core, the soul and Magic Circuits of Justeaze Lizrich von Einzbern. Almost all of the homunculi here are physical copies of her who can be remotely accessed by Jubstacheit or even directly controlled. Assigning a spare body to be an anchor for the soul of the Grail if it should be destroyed is an easy enough thing to do. Think of me as a lifeboat for the Grail's most sensitive components if it gets destroyed or captured. So long as I am recovered by the Einzberns, reconstructing the Grail is possible. It's a lot like how you're a life raft for Zouken Matou's soul."

"That is correct," An aged-yet-clear voice spoke as it emerged from the hallway. Jubstacheit von Einzbern, standing next to Zouken Matou and flanked by two maids, chose to clarify the point. "As infuriating as this entire enterprise has been, we will not be denied our goals. Another Grail can be built in ten to fifteen years' time, depending on circumstances. But first, we must...politick." These last words were said with disdain. On closer inspection, Jubstacheit was wearing travel attire that had likely not seen use since 1954.

"Politick?" Dark Irisviel asked with a tilting of her head.

"It's your fault, foolish girl," Zouken growled in frustration. "You and Avenger poisoned Lady Justeaze by appearing bound to her soul as parasites. You lost us the War by justifying our enemies' unification against us. Now your grandfather has to go to the Clock Tower and head off accusations of the Grail's corruption before Tokiomi and the others can fly over from Japan!"

Dark Irisviel looked up at the ceiling and made a subtle show of bringing her index finger to her chin in thought. "Strange, I seem to remember you taking over a Servant who couldn't be properly compelled by Command Seals and letting him turn on us all. He then aided Lancer in destroying the Grail instead of defending it as he would have were you a more skilled Master. I also remember you sending a Clock Tower Lord to his death, so good luck convincing the rest of them to stand with you," Dark Irisviel responded.

The easy way that Dark Irisviel managed to make Zouken sputter in indignation was almost impressive. Byakuya had never seen someone talk back to the head of his family before.

"Enough of this," Jubstacheit declared. "All efforts to summon a 'pure' Justeaze over the past forty years have failed, so we need to work with what we have. A detachment of maids and I are all going to London. You are all to stay here as essential assets and wait for our return. The Mage's Association would detect the worms that comprise Zouken Matou, and we cannot risk the worm hiding within Byakuya Matou."

"Alright, Grandfather. Good luck," Dark Irisviel said to him. The group departed and Dark Irisviel played a few more hands of poker with Byakuya. On finally hearing the sound of the Mercedes driving away, she beamed happily and looked to her newest maid. "Fillia, please find the closest store that sells video games and televisions and send a group to buy at least one of every video game console, accessory, and game they possess. Buy as many controllers as each console will support. I've waited long enough for my Sega Saturn."

---

Unknown Site

London, Britannia

6:04 PM Local Time (BST)

(1:04 AM Japan Standard Time)

Iskandar adjusted the collar of his suit while the group waited for their vehicle to be let inside the gates and parked. The man had clearly never worn a tie before. Artoria, dressed in her butler outfit from her previous time through the Fourth Holy Grail War, was far better adjusted even if her memories of that time were quite limited. "To think that men of station must wear a knot around their necks that may be grabbed at their opponent's leisure. Politics is even more brutal in your time than in my own! Boy, you were braver than I ever knew to wear such a thing for the duration of the War!" Iskandar smacked Waver on the back, though the vertically-challenged Master was getting familiar enough with the man's timing to brace himself to some small degree.

He was also familiar enough with Iskandar not to bother correcting the misconception right now.

"Did you at least memorize your backstory and the name on your new identification?" Waver asked, restraining his irritation for the sake of the child in their presence.

"Of course! According to this odd slip of plastic I am...'Alexandros Pella'. Odd, the family name is the city in which I was born..." Iskandar observed.

"That isn't a coincidence," Sir Blackmore explained. "We can't exactly go around calling you 'Alexander III of Macedonia', so we went with that. You should thank Natalia for her help once you see her again. Making an iron-clad identity for you is something Merlin had her working on for the past 15 years." Sir Dan Blackmore said.

Speaking of an iron-clad identity, Artoria looked at her own identification. She was Elise 'Lily' Watson, aged fifteen, born on November 11, 1979. The 'Lily' nickname was hastily added last minute at Irisviel's insistence with Morgan, of all people, agreeing. The various documents and relevant pieces of paperwork had been added at the appropriate dates and times to her file rather than being back-dated. She had obtained a Driver's License with a motorcycle endorsement early for government work. There were even records of her having taken Clock Tower placement tests and remote classes since the late 1980s. These weren't lies—she just took them from her place in Avalon. They painted the image of a skilled young Magus who was related to the Blackmore and Pendragon lines—a niece of Sir Daniel Blackmore who taught her the sword and a student of Doctor Albion who taught her Magecraft. One who had been unofficially adopted by the eccentric Mélusine Albion in the process. The reason Tokiomi Tohsaka was able to provide her an identity so quickly during the War was because Natalia, a member of his staff, had such a massive headstart on it.

Artoria's mature self would be calm about this coming visit, but her current self couldn't help but be somewhat nervous. They were about to meet some very important people, after all. But those people would think that she was the most important person in the room.

The group was finally allowed out of the van and led inside a fine mansion worthy of being called a palace. Waxed floors, servants, art...Iskandar now seemed to understand the position of the people they would meet well enough to take things seriously. Artoria and Gray, however, suddenly lost much of their nervousness when they saw a white and brown ball of fluff skittering about one of the hallways.

"P-puppy!" Gray managed to say in glee just before Artoria's own composure broke as well.

"Adorable!" Artoria said before the small creature took notice of them and fled into a room...a room with two wide open doors that seemed to be meant for receiving guests. Both hoped that they were being led into that room so they might see the puppy again, and they were not disappointed. No fewer than four such dogs were in the room. A woman appearing to be in her late sixties sat in a chair, wearing a pastel pink dress and hat. She held a handbag on her lap. Standing behind and to the side of her was a man in his mid-forties with somewhat pronounced ears who was wearing a blue-gray suit and a red tie. Waver Velvet immediately paled in clear recognition of these people, drawing Iskandar's inquisitive eye. The room also had several uniformed guards inside who were standing along the walls in pre-planned positions.

"Are these your puppies? T-they're adorable..." Gray timidly asked the woman.

"Oh yes, I love my corgis. They are my pride and joy alongside my children," the aged woman said warmly to the little girl.

Sir Blackmore handed the writ that Saber Artoria had signed before to a guard, who gently inspected the rather unusual document. When it passed the surprised man's analysis and was deemed safe, he handed it over to the elderly woman. She then opened it and carefully read its contents before showing it to the man standing behind her.

"See, Charles? It's all true. Things are already changing in preparation for her return," the elderly woman said to the man in the blue-gray suit. "I hope to live long enough to see that day. If I should be unable, it will be up to you to greet her properly."

The man standing behind her gave a nod after reading the writ. "Yes, mum...I would fulfill our obligations when the Promised Moment comes. In the meantime, yielding my Scottish titles seems to be a proper start."

The elderly woman smiled at her son's willingness to do his duty and pulled the paper back in front of herself, holding it open in her lap over the handbag. Her voice took on a tone of command as she began to speak formally. "We, Elizabeth the Second, King-Regent of Britannia and the greater British Empire, hereby recognize and implement the commands in this writ from our Sovereign." Gray's eyes went wide at the realization of who the kind, old puppy lady truly was as she began to read from the paper in her hands.

"I, Artoria Pendragon, High King and Patron Saint of Britannia and the greater British Empire, King of the Britons, and Knight of the Round Table, sign this writ on the twenty-third of November, nineteen hundred and ninety-four as a binding order to my regents and people."

"Item one. Gray Pendragon—as a direct descendant of His Royal Majesty King-Regent Gawain Pendragon of Britannia, King of the Historical Petty Kingdoms of Orkney and Western Norway, and Knight of the Round Table—is recognized by both myself and Queen Mother Morgan le Fay of the Historical Petty Kingdoms of Orkney and Western Norway as the rightful heir of the Historical Petty Kingdoms of Orkney and Western Norway, a bearer of the name Pendragon, a member of the British Royal Family, and the bearer of the Holy Lance Rhongomyniad. In addition, the Blackmore family that previously administered the modern-day Duchies comprising these historical territories and more has been deemed collectively abusive toward the child to the point of planning her death in a family-wide conspiracy, as verified by the Clairvoyance of Court Magician Merlin Emrys. Of her family, only her mother Magdalena Blackmore, her uncle Sir Daniel Blackmore, and her teacher Bersac Blackmore have actively resisted this crime. The Blackmores' landed titles with the exception of any held by these three are to be immediately stripped from them upon the reading of this writ and they are to be held accountable.

The King-Regent smiled with pleasure as she read the next part. "Gray will claim her rightful place among the nobility and be provided the appropriate lands previously held by the Blackmores to achieve equivalency with that of the Historical Petty Kingdoms of Orkney and Western Norway plus relevant gains. These territories will be consolidated into the creation of the Grand Duchies of Scotland and Norway for her administration within the wider structure of the British Empire. The courtesy titles of Scotland, previously held by Prince Charles as part of the Regency, will also be transferred. Gray Pendragon is known, henceforth, as Her Royal Highness Gray Pendragon, Grand Duchess of Scotland, Grand Duchess of Norway, Princess of Britannia and the greater British Empire, Duchess of Orkney, Duchess of Rothesay, Countess of Hordaland, Countess of Carrick, Baroness of Renfrew, Lady of the Isles, Great Stewardess of Scotland, and Guardian of the Holy Lance Rhongomyniad. This will come with the appropriate stipends, to be calculated and applied no later than the first of January, nineteen-hundred and ninety-five. The previously scheduled Blackmore stipends will be provided to Her Royal Highness in the interim. Sir Daniel Blackmore, Knight of the Order of Saint Artoria, is named Regent of the Grand Duchies of Scotland and Norway until Her Royal Highness reaches the age of eighteen on the seventeenth of June, two thousand and six." Gray's eyes were wide at the idea of suddenly becoming a princess, though the girl didn't yet realize that the title of Grand Duchess was an even higher one. She had just been handed the historic seat of post-Artorian Britannia—from which King-Regent Gawain ruled in his early years until the stabilization of Londinium. These assets weren't separate from the British Crown, but they were certainly the equivalent of nations.

The truth of the matter was that the Blackmores had gotten a bit too powerful and combative over the centuries, seizing extra lands through marriage agreements that were unpopular and reminded people too much of the Plantagenet Dynasty's excesses before Artoria finally dealt with them in the fifteenth century. Holding the Artorian Armory, a literal chamber built to preserve the Mystery of the Noble Phantasms and Mystic Codes from the days of Camelot, gave them too much potential firepower to risk offending. This measure was clearly meant to cleanse the board while also protecting the girl. King Elizabeth II welcomed the change.

"Item two. For defending Her Royal Highness Gray Pendragon and acting in the name of the Crown, in addition to his prior services during the Gulf War and various classified operations, Sir Daniel Blackmore is also named the Earl of Morgannwg and will be responsible for the administration of the area. This includes the site of Blackmore Cemetery and the Historical Armory of Camelot—currently known as the Artorian Armory. His full title will be His Grace Daniel Blackmore, Duke-Regent of Scotland, Duke-Regent of Norway, Earl of Morgannwg, Knight of the Order of Saint Artoria." The newly minted regent lowered his head in a humble bow at his reward and new appointment.

"Item three. As a result of various covert operations, assorted historical artifacts had to be stolen from hostile forces or otherwise reallocated to guarantee Her Royal Highness Gray Pendragon's protection. I, High King Artoria Pendragon, hereby issue a pardon to the Einzbern Family for her initial abduction and the theft of Rhongomyniad from the Blackmores. I also pardon the Clock Tower for the withdrawal of the shield Prydwen from the Historical Armory of Camelot, currently known as the Artorian Armory. Lastly, I pardon Waver Velvet for the interception and theft of the fragment of the Mantle of Iskandar from Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald's post." Waver went from shocked to visibly relieved. The poor boy probably thought his life was over.

"Item four," King Elizabeth II continued, "Her Royal Highness Gray Pendragon's guardianship will be tended to cooperatively by His Grace Daniel Blackmore, Mélusine Albion, Waver Velvet, Tokiomi Tohsaka of Japan, Irisviel von Einzbern of Japan, and Kiritsugu Emiya of Japan. Her mother Magdalena Blackmore, on receiving the proper psychological care and on separating herself from the elements that originally attempted to harm Her Royal Highness, may be added to this list after a period of supervised visitation and a positive evaluation by psychologists in good standing with the Crown consistent with applicable law. Even after that time, she must regularly coordinate with the others on this list. Elise Watson will also join this list on her eighteenth birthday on the eleventh of November, nineteen hundred and ninety-seven. Whosoever cares for Her Royal Highness during a given period will receive an appropriate payment from her stipend for her care for that time." The surprise on Waver's face when he was named as a guardian was obvious, not that he hadn't already been surprised by the contents of the writ so far. The Count of Saint Germain was clearly entertained by the expressive boy.

"Item five. Due to various misconceptions of history, not everyone realizes that I have reconciled with and forgiven my son, Mordred, who survived her rebellion and redeemed herself as the Knight of Penance by battling foreign invaders to stabilize King-Regent Gawain's rule of Britannia. As such, I formally recognize Mordred's historical title as Her Royal Highness Mordred Pendragon, Prince of Britannia, Duke of Cornwall, and Knight of the Round Table. May this help to further rehabilitate her place in history."

The King-Regent of Britannia closed the writ and her eyes went to Artoria. "The reading of the writ is concluded. However, we wish to do one thing more—to knight Miss Elise Watson for her excellent defense of Her Royal Highness Gray Pendragon to the point of engaging in armed close combat beyond the scope of duty. If she accepts this honor, Miss Watson will be ordered to continue acting as Her Royal Highness' protector and also to assist in subduing the rogue Blackmores during the investigation. Do you accept this duty, and would you prefer to be styled as 'Dame' or 'Sir' if so?"

Artoria was mildly surprised by this, but soon realized that her alternate identity didn't have such a title. It would be easier to openly spend time with and protect Gray going forward if she did, and being a formal Knight again had its own appeal. This was the girl who had only recently become a Knight before Kingship complicated everything, after all. It would also give her a life outside of Shirou, which she strongly suspected she would need until he was older. "I'd be honored! The title of 'Sir' appeals to me more, Your Majesty." Artoria knew that the King-Regent was aware of who she really was, but the guards might not be.

"Then approach us. We lack time to schedule a more open ceremony, but this shall still be a complete and binding one." King Elizabeth II rose from her chair as her son, Prince Charles, handed her an investiture blade and a ribbon with a golden medallion hanging from it. While not the usual sword for such ceremonies, it was kept on hand for matters such as this where timeliness was essential. "Would all Knights who have previously been awarded the Order of Saint Artoria please come forward." At this request from the King-Regent, His Grace Dan Blackmore stepped forward along with two of the King's guards.

Elizabeth began to speak. "This warrior has been called forward to receive Knighthood in the Honorable Order of Saint Artoria. High King Artoria Pendragon was born in the Year of our Lord five hundred and two in Tintagel Castle, only to be spirited away for her own safety during a time of war and raised in secret by one of her father's Knights, Sir Ector. She would ultimately rise in five hundred and seventeen to unify Britannia under the guise of a man and defend it against the Saxon invaders before disappearing into the realm of Avalon in five hundred and thirty-seven. She became a symbol of strength, chivalry, just rule, mercy, and gender equality. High King Artoria continued to appear at key points in history to steer Britannia's path, eventually becoming recognized as the Patron Saint of Britannia and the greater British Empire in the year one thousand and ninety. Saint-King Artoria would sometimes appear unexpectedly to speak and make her opinion known at essential moments, even against injustices performed by her own descendants, and at other times would stand and fight against Britannia's enemies. There have been reports of her intervention as recently as the Second World War, complete with photographic evidence and my own first-hand experience on the battlefield." The old King smiled at Artoria knowingly, who wore a bashful face as if she had been caught doing something by a parent. Iskandar grinned. The knowledge that Elizabeth had been on the battlefield in a time of war clearly elevated his opinion of her. "Her name has been linked to famous speeches, battles, military orders, and cavalry forces acting in defense of British integrity and life. In eleven hundred and ninety-four, King Richard the Lionheart established the Order of Saint Artoria to recognize those who not only stood in defense of Britannia and her people beyond even the most demanding of expectations but also held themselves to the standards set forth by our Once and Future King." The Count of Saint Germain nodded sagely with a smile, remembering these events. The man had lived through the founding of the Order, after all. He also took out a certain shield that he had recovered for this moment at Merlin's behest.

"To all here present, know ye that Elise Watson, having been recognized for honorable and judicious service to King and Country beyond even the most demanding of expectations, is hereby admitted as a Distinguished Knight under her new title, Sir Elise Watson, Knight of the Order of Saint Artoria, Guardian of the Royal Shield Prydwen, and Guardian of the Royal Sword Caliburn Image. Elise, please take your shield, kneel, and receive your knighthood." Artoria was a bit surprised to find Prydwen being handed to her by the winking Count of Saint Germain, but she accepted it in good grace before kneeling in front of the King-Regent. All the while, she was pondering the oddity of being inducted into an Order of Knights bearing her own name. The ribbon and medallion were placed around her neck and the twinkle in the eye of the old sovereign proved that she was enjoying herself. Artoria could not admonish her, though. It was by no means a harmful or demeaning act. "Elise Watson, I do hereby knight thee into the Honorable Order of Saint Artoria." The regent then gently tapped Artoria once on each shoulder with the blade. "Arise Knight, and be recognized." The three Knights as well as Prince Charles applauded, with the remainder of their group soon following suit.

"This concludes the ceremony. Please join us in welcoming the newest member of the Order of Saint Artoria." The trio of Knights and the Prince would then each shake Artoria's hand. Iskandar would do the same, loving the ceremony involved and hoping there would be drink later. The King-Regent wrote out something, signed it, and stamped it with her own seal before one of her guards took it from the room. It was likely for making the written appointment. A gesture also sent the guards away, leaving only the visitors, the Prince, the King-Regent, and her corgis.

"Gray, dear, how would you like to pet the corgis? The one you saw in the hall before is a playful one," Elizabeth offered.

"Really, Your Majesty? T-thank you!" Gray was a bit overloaded from the events so far but was soon kneeling on the ground and distracted by playing with a puppy while Artoria looked on in interest.

"So you are our Once and Future King...you seem young at heart," Elizabeth said, drawing Artoria's attention.

The Future King of Knights blushed slightly. "I'm sorry. After I signed that writ...something happened that made Merlin need to temporarily seal away some of my memories. He chose to seal more than necessary so I might live as a human for a while rather than as a King. He felt guilty about the life I had and wanted me to spend some time as I was at fifteen summers to bond with Gray as family. Oh, I still have my skills as a Knight, though! As for the dogs..." Artoria's eyes glanced to Gray. She was giggling as the one she was holding licked her. "...I know not how one could not find them endearing."

A subtle nod from Dan confirmed this story and Elizabeth nodded. "Well, it is good that you are going to have a chance to get used to humanity and family again, after all those years spent in Avalon. You are kin to the Windsor line as well, as we too are descendants of King Gawain, so you may come here any time you desire. I only avoid deeming your new name Pendragon as well because of Merlin's wishes and because you may one day need the Watson name as an escape."

Artoria smiled at a thought that crossed her mind. "Just as your namesake needed another name to escape her responsibilities. She is in Avalon, you know. Queen Elizabeth the First was also known to the World as Sir Francis Drake. The plundering Queen of ship and cannon is the reason the Dragon Albion is now so obsessed with guns and missiles."

Elizabeth took a moment to process this odd comment about dragons and firearms before she smiled in amusement. Iskandar, however, laughed heartily. "Hah! A woman of conquest!" Iskandar grinned. "If she can visit from Avalon through that beam of light like the others, then have her drink with us, Saber! I wish to hear her tales!"

"Oh, and who might you be, good sir?" Prince Charles asked the boisterous Greek.

"Well, you all seem to be aware of the truth, so I can freely proclaim it. I am known by many names. My false name in this era is Alexandros Pella. History, however, knows me as Alexander III of Macedonia. The masses of the World know me far and wide as Alexander the Great! But in this form, I prefer to be called Iskandar, King of Conquerors!" The wide grin held by the man of daring, the King from the past, was the type to energize the room. Even Artoria was less resistant to his Charisma in her younger form.

"Truly? And you are staying after the end of this Holy Grail War that His Grace Blackmore and Doctor Albion referred to? I thought most Servants would vanish upon its conclusion and that it had ended very recently." Elizabeth inquired.

"It has, my King," Dan interjected. "Certain events, however, have led to the majority of allied Servants managing to retain their link to the World in various ways. The information, however, is of such a type that classifying it and concealing it from the Mage's Association would be for the best. Even now those Masters who aided in resisting the corrupt Grail are meeting at the Mage's Association. The authority and protection you just recognized and dispensed to the Grand Duchess in our Saint-King's name is essential in preventing them from acting against the child in rather...inhumane ways. Her connection to Rhongomyniad would see her in danger without Royal protection," Dan said this last part quietly, glad that Gray was distracted by puppies.

Elizabeth's eyes, clear and focused in spite of her age, now showed signs of cunning and potential irritation directed at the Mage's Association. "...Those secretive and morally bankrupt fools are always a problem when it comes to things like this. Tell me what you know."

---

Clock Tower

London, Britannia

6:30 PM Local Time (BST)

(1:30 AM Japan Standard Time)

Most people would need weeks to call the various Lords and available nobles of the Clock Tower together. They would then bicker and complain before they finally got around to aligning their schedules. Most people weren't Wizard Marshal Kishur Zelretch Schweinorg, who had made this appointment only a few days ago at the behest of a time traveler and a clairvoyant while promising to discuss 'major developments'. There were other factors that drew attention as well. Lord Animusphere's existing interest in the War. The news that Lord Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald had been killed while murdering his own fiance—the daughter of another Clock Tower Lord. That Kayneth had earlier attempted to exterminate an entire family during an agreed-upon time of truce that he was party to. A violation of the concealment of Mystery that led to over a thousand dead in Fuyuki City. The destruction of a Greater Grail that was heavily cursed. All of these things meant that people were rushing to fill the chambers and be part of the conversation. The Head of the Edelfelt family, the elder of the twin sisters who had fought in the Third Holy Grail War, came mainly so that she could show her eight-year-old successor Luviagelita who the Second Magician was in person and maybe introduce them if the opportunity arose. The Edelfelts were vying to become his students, after all.

Lord Barthomeloi was also present along with their successor Lorelei, the latter shadowing the former to learn her future duties and hopefully discover a few things about combat from this discussion on the Grail War.

A recently inducted member of the Department of Policies, Hishiri Adashino, would help with the questioning alongside the individual lords—but it was likely just going to be a formality since the many Lords present could ask their own questions well enough. The woman gave Doctor Albion a somewhat odd look but seemed to let whatever it was go. "Before we begin," she inquired after everyone identified themselves, "how are there so many Masters of the War here so quickly? Our information only received word of an explosion at Mount Enzo less than an hour ago."

"Because we have a Zelretch!" Irisviel said happily, not intimidated in the least by the tense atmosphere.

The Magician she referred to snorted in amusement. A few of the people present were forced to acknowledge that, yes, that indeed answered the question as efficiently as possible. It was irreverent and childish, but the man himself didn't seem to plan on correcting her. Some of those assembled still gave Irisviel irritated expressions, while others were stunned that an Einzbern homunculus was even capable of acting in such a manner.

"Is Waver Velvet not part of your alliance? Our intelligence from the RMS Galehut indicates that he should be with you. Is he hiding away after stealing Lord El-Melloi's Catalyst?" Lord Barthomeloi inquired.

Tokiomi fielded this question. "No. As he is both a Briton and currently the least essential of the Masters in the eyes of the Clock Tower, he was sent as our representative to deliver the signed orders of Saint-King Artoria Pendragon to Buckingham Palace. She manifested from Avalon as she sometimes does when there is grave danger, which is the reason there were two Artorias Pendragon in this Grail War. Her arrival was fortunate considering how badly things derailed." He had an envelope in his hands. "I have an identical writ here if you need to see it. She signed two copies. These orders have likely been put into effect by the Crown by now."

These orders were collected and read by Miss Adashino, whose expression was not yet trained enough to conceal her surprise. "T-this..." A basic use of Projection temporarily duplicated the paper that Miss Adashino had been given so that all of the Lords and nobles could look upon it as well. Their reactions were similar, though restrained through decades or even centuries of experience.

Zelretch decided to explain, needing to frame this next part very carefully. "Lord Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald entered the Fourth Holy Grail War and acted in a manner that endangered the life of a six-year-old girl who Saint-King Artoria Pendragon had deemed the rightful guardian of the Noble Phantasm Rhongomyniad and a bearer of the Pendragon name. Waver Velvet's actions in interfering with Kayneth's participation in the Grail War allowed one of the Knights of the Round Table to be summoned as Kayneth's Servant instead. This initiated a series of events that ultimately led to the protection of one of history's most powerful Noble Phantasms and the survival of a child with the potential to wield it upon maturity." Zelretch gleefully memorized the shocked looks on the faces of almost everyone in the room when hearing this knowledge. "Merlin's Clairvoyance and his ability to manipulate others through dreamwalking are certainly powerful tools to guide events toward desirable conclusions. I doubt Mister Velvet even remembers such a thing happening to him."

The chamber murmured as Zelretch let his statements sink in. None of his words were technically untrue. Kayneth did act in such a manner to recover Gray during the Fourth Holy Grail War(even if he only started working with the Blackmores to hunt Gray as a result of Waver stealing Kayneth's original Catalyst), Merlin's powers were formidable(a general truth to frame his next implication), and Waver did not remember Merlin's powers being used on him in that manner(largely because Merlin never used his powers on Waver to begin with). It was all in the ordering of events, the framing, and the implication. Now instead of being a jealous thief, Waver would look like someone who entered the War to protect something of immense value to Britannia and the whole Magical community under the direct guidance of Merlin. And if Waver were asked under a geas about his involvement, his ignorance of the implied nuances would be seen simply as Merlin's skill at concealing the truth. The fact he had been named as one of Gray's guardians was also of import not only for his reputation but also to guarantee that he was one of her primary teachers of Magecraft.

Kayneth had done enough wrong during the War for Zelretch to feel no hesitation in using him as a scapegoat or stepping stone for everything he possibly could. He did feel a bit bad about changing Gray's life so suddenly though. It was the best way to protect her with her lack of anonymity from the Einzberns and also served to draw attention away from Shirou.

"And where is the child in question now?" Hishiri asked Zelretch in a slightly quiet voice.

"Right now? Our newest Grand Duchess is at Buckingham Palace under guard. Magic-capable guard. Even if the vast majority of this body were to accept her lineage and potential as something to protect, it only takes one overly ambitious and short-sighted person to ruin it and destroy what she and her successors might accomplish for our community. One Lord has already tried. The Clock Tower will have to make certain formal decisions regarding Gray before she could ever hope to set foot in these halls. It is fortunate that members of the Clock Tower are represented in her guardianship should that endeavor fail. She would still be able to obtain the necessary education." More implications, more words guiding them toward a certain course of action. This time various members of the body recognized the effort for what it was...but they also saw that he was right.

"But why make her a Grand Duchess?" Lord Inorai Valualeta Atroholm asked. "To make her a pawn of the British Crown?"

Zelretch carefully fielded the politically charged question. "No, it is a way of protecting her and purging the unworthy at the same time. Many of the people who used to administrate her new territories were part of the very same Blackmore family that was planning to kill Gray. They were also the ones causing the King-Regent various forms of trouble over the years. There are even rumors that they took the Blackmore name in honor of a True Ancestor." Lord Barthomeloi and Lorelei took quiet notice of this statement. Zelretch pretended not to observe this and continued speaking. "They made things worse by handing out artifacts and even a Noble Phantasm from the Artorian Armory to Kayneth to further their goals. Luckily, Artoria's orders have absolved the Clock Tower of any responsibility for Kayneth's actions in that regard and saw to the return of the shield Prydwen to the Crown. Otherwise, we'd be on the hook with them for a missing Noble Phantasm." Several people winced in spite of themselves. "Artoria saw both a proper heir for the territories once held by her nephew and a dire need for the purge of corrupt nobility. It wouldn't be the first time in British history that she's chosen to do this."

This fact was by no means something that could be denied. Artoria Pendragon was willing to cut support from branches of her family tree if they ignored basic decency and transgressed too far. The Hundred Years' War was a solid example of what happened when a line of King-Regents failed to stay in her good graces over a sustained period of time. The Plantagenet Dynasty, with the exception of Richard the Lionheart and his descendants who Artoria ultimately restored to power at the conclusion of that war, was still universally condemned.

Saint-King Artoria's response to almost a century of corruption and aggression culminating in Jeanne d'Arc's martyrdom? Regime change. With a sign that strong, the Catholic Church couldn't canonize Jeanne d'Arc as a Saint fast enough.

Doctor Albion noted that they were already getting off-topic. "Okay, we need to get back on track and establish some things. First, the Grail in Fuyuki was irredeemably corrupted with curses that twisted its wishgranting function into unconditional malevolence. It needed to be destroyed. We brought evidence from the site of the Greater Grail for your immediate analysis. Mélusine?"

Taking this as her cue, Mélusine approached a table while carrying a red bundle. She placed it there and started to unwrap the Holy Shroud to reveal a shining chunk of gold coated in spots of black mud—a piece of the destroyed Grail that she had rushed out to retrieve before they had left for the Clock Tower. Being able to accelerate to supersonic speeds in the blink of an eye had its uses. Everyone in the chambers could feel the evil curses rolling off of the Grail fragment. "...Don't touch it," the strangely unaffected girl warned, seemingly invulnerable to the malevolent power. "The mud of All the World's Evils will corrupt you and ultimately kill you if you can't endure it. Humans in particular are susceptible."

Tokiomi stepped away from the foul thing as he felt its evil nature, but he did not yield any further. "Miss Albion is right...and the only reason there was almost no mud in the Greater Grail was that it was virtually sucked dry of magical energy during the War. The souls of Servants were extracted from the Lesser Grail so as not to fuel the creation of the mud or trigger the end of the War, which would have resulted in the granting of the wish in the most malevolent and destructive interpretation possible for humanity. Speaking of extracted souls, I should mention to Lord Eulyphis that we managed to use the Lesser Grail to grab his daughter's soul at the moment of her murder and extracted her from it for storage. It is a container meant to catch souls, after all. We don't yet have a body for her, but she is under long-term containment for when a plan can be made." Lord Rufleus Nuada-Re Eulyphis' face took on a very complex contortion. His child had been killed, which was horrible, but the situation was somehow salvageable. That was not what he expected when he'd first been told that Kayneth had murdered his daughter.

"How did the Grail become corrupted like this? Someone had to have known ahead of time." Lord Barthomeloi asked of the group.

"Someone did know." This time, it was Overseer Risei Kotomine who stepped forward to speak. "The story begins during the Third Holy Grail War. Darnic Prestone Yggdmillenia survived after his Lancer-class Servant was defeated by a Ruler-class Servant who the Einzberns had illegally summoned for the War. The Ruler class possesses its own Command Seals with which it can issue commands to other Servants, an overwhelming advantage. In retaliation for his loss, Darnic initiated his backup plan and called in an attack by the Nazis on Mount Enzo to successfully steal the Greater Grail. The Einzberns, to avoid repercussions, informed us initially that enough of the Grail's core control system survived to render the Yggdmillenia component inert and allow the Fuyuki Grail to be to rebuilt to full functionality to reach the Root, but this was intended to be a lie. In actuality, they started to construct a brand new Grail." With Risei's words, everyone in attendance turned their head to look at Darnic Prestone Yggdmillenia—a man whose success in making Subcategory Holy Grails was suddenly much more understandable. To his credit, he was in no way nervous...no, now that he had the only Greater Grail tucked away and mostly charged up, he knew that he was indispensable. It said something about Magus society that his act wasn't met with rage from most in the room, but thoughts ranging between 'clever bastard' and 'well played' depending on political alignment.

Allowing this knowledge to sink in, Risei resumed his tale. "The true intention of the Einzbern family was to construct a new Greater Grail that would grant most wishes short of reaching the Root itself, which they would then use to restore their own Third True Magic that had already existed in the World. At that point, they could either discard the project or 'complete' the Grail later with the recovered True Magic. Lying about the Grail's nature was meant to preserve their dignity and place within the Clock Tower. They created a custom homunculus with Mystic Eyes of Whisper and subtly guided each of us remaining in Fuyuki who had been part of the Third Grail War to sign a rather restrictive geas in 1954 under the auspices of 'maintaining secrets about the Grail's restoration' and bound the contract to the Grail itself under the expectation that it would outlive us all. Only now that the Grail in question was destroyed has the geas been broken. After that geas was signed, we learned the true scope of Darnic's theft and the Einzberns made a token show of attempting to restore the new Grail to complete functionality so that we would honestly believe it was viable."

"But they succeeded somehow? Unexpectedly?" Darnic inquired with interest.

"They did," Risei confirmed. "A plan that had a very low chance of success actually worked...but in doing so, it introduced a very insidious sort of corruption that had also polluted the Grail in other Worldlines. I dare not give more details of how they achieved the creation of a second Greater Grail able to reach the Root lest some fool tries to recreate their own corrupted Grail that would wipe out humanity if employed."

Darnic sat in thought for a moment before smirking. It was very likely that the man who had spent half a century studying the Greater Grail had a solid idea of what had been attempted. "I see. So they did something like that...but if so, then the World itself conspired to corrupt the new Grail to destroy its viability. The Einzberns also knowingly endangered humanity by continuing the ruse."

Risei nodded in agreement. "You're right. Their logic was that it didn't matter if humanity died out if they immediately used the Third True Magic to elevate their souls. I doubt they would have managed it in time, though."

Every Master present was surprised. They'd been so sure about the cause of the Grail's corruption...and Merlin and Gilgamesh, who likely knew the truth, never corrected them. Had Alaya been that determined to recreate the Fuyuki Fire and claim Shirou? What of Okita? Had she known and been unable to say anything as well? Some Servants were known to be bound to the geas they held in life, so it was possible. Now they knew why Merlin insisted on Mélusine taking a Holy Shroud from EMIYA and rushing to get a piece of the Grail before they left. The truth was simply not what they thought and they wouldn't have been able to defend their perspective otherwise.

"How did you come across this knowledge?" Lord Animusphere inquired, with an expression of interest more than surprise.

Zelretch fielded the question. "In every Worldline in which the Fourth Holy Grail War occurs in November 1994 under the aegis of a Greater Grail, it is corrupted and causes extensive damage to Fuyuki City. This is something Alaya actively enforces to achieve a specific end. Its preferred way of doing so is by having the Einzberns select an Avenger-class Servant known as Angra Mainyu instead of Ruler, who ultimately becomes trapped in the Grail and corrupts its function with this very mud you see before you. Ruler's non-presence tends to lead to Darnic failing to steal the Greater Grail, either through his death or through some other incident. A common symptom of this corrupted Grail is the presence of Gilles de Rais' 'Bluebeard' aspect during the Fourth Holy Grail War. The Grail, in normal function, could not summon a being like Caster."

"So I don't normally obtain the Grail?" Darnic asked with interest.

Zelretch smirked slightly. "In less than ten percent of Worldlines you do, and most of those timelines simply have Zouken and the Einzberns ultimately giving up or trying to use your Subcategory Holy Grails to grant their wishes. The Fourth Fuyuki Holy Grail War is usually replaced with an uncursed Subcategory Holy Grail War that progresses more normally. Here, however, the Einzberns and Zouken Matou were able to access more resources to start work on a new Grail of their own. This is because Okita Souji's life had been saved by Artoria in 1868 and she kept Japan from using up resources to invade its neighbors throughout the 1910s and 1930s, while also inverting its alignment in World War II. We had a strange fusion of two Worldlines' paths in play. Alaya sought to correct the imbalance by enabling and corrupting the new Grail from the time of its completion in 1954. Forced corrections like this can happen in Worldlines at times." Several of the younger nobles looked at each other in confusion. Not everyone was able to follow along with the discussion, but those with the most education thankfully were.

"It was Artoria who identified the corruption. During her long rest in Avalon, which is outside of the World's influence and considers the normal flow of time to be a mere suggestion, she sometimes remotely manifested in other times and Worldlines with Merlin's aid." Zelretch wove a subtle lie into the truth to avoid revealing Artoria's own quest for the Grail and the headache that represented. Delving into it right now would needlessly complicate things. "She has fought in other Worldlines' Fourth and Fifth Holy Grail Wars before and recognized the signs of 'the usual corruption' when clues appeared here, but Merlin knew it to be due in part to Alaya's overcorrection for her saving Okita Souji's life. Rather than let her believe that this was somehow her fault or overcomplicate the explanation at a critical moment when she needed to gather allies, he chose to let her believe that this was an Avenger-based timeline rather than a Ruler-based one. The threat and the resolution were the same, so he saw no harm in it."

Irisviel blinked. "So...we were all pranked by Merlin?"

Zelretch agreed. "All of you were pranked by Merlin except Gilgamesh. But it was for a good reason."

"Are Artoria's interventions always in defiance of Alaya like this? Isn't that dangerous?" Tokiomi hesitantly inquired. The Lords and nobles of the Clock Tower nervously listened.

Zelretch gave a chuckle. "First, she has a clairvoyant guiding her to navigate those issues and limit such conflict. Second, there were already several reasons the corrupted Grail would have failed to conclude the War even if Artoria hadn't manifested. Most Worldlines rely on one or more of those. Third, Artoria's actions are to humanity's benefit the vast majority of the time. Though Artoria saving Okita Souji indirectly allowed this situation, it also made a Worldline where Japan wasn't aggressive with its neighbors and radically changed the nature of the Second World War. It's a gem of a Worldline in that regard. Alaya was just stubborn this time because Fuyuki was supposed to be a Counter Guardian's edgy origin story."

Again, the truth was more complicated than Zelretch let on in these chambers. There was no way Artoria would have wanted to even risk the Fuyuki Grail meddling in Shirou's life this time around. Merlin thus explicitly interfered to make sure this was an Apocrypha-compliant Worldline by using his dreamwalking to subtly guide the Einzberns away from choosing Avenger and toward choosing Ruler. Alaya noticed and used Okita's survival as a justification to get things back on track toward trying to force Shirou to become a Counter Guardian. Everything else went mostly as described.

But now Shirou would never fall to Alaya. His soul was altered in a way that made it incorruptible by Alaya's efforts. Merlin had been successful in that regard.

It was at this point that the doors to the room opened again. Jubstacheit von Einzbern, flanked by two of his maids, strode into the chambers to immediately see two things. First, most of the adult Masters of the War were present and in the apparent care of Kishur Zelretch Schweinorg. Second was what was clearly a piece of the Greater Grail covered in cursed mud.

Things did not bode well for Old Man Acht.

---

9:07 PM Local Time (BST)

(4:07 AM Japan Standard Time)

Much transpired over the next few hours that made Jubstacheit von Einzbern furious. Physical evidence provided by the alliance set against him was carefully analyzed. The corruption of the Grail was verified not only by people at the Clock Tower who studied the sample Mélusine had provided in-house but also by the groups in Fuyuki that the Mage's Association had embedded in the Japanese and American militaries. The RMS Galehut and its people also provided readings. The corruption of the Grail was undeniable, and its destruction was deemed justified. What was worse was that Risei Kotomine had signed a new geas and retold the story about how he was compelled to secrecy and the nature of the new Grail. Of course, the geas was very carefully structured and only specific questions were permitted to be asked, but it was still extremely incriminating and irrefutable. The information had also been sent off to the Church.

Stories were also told by the alliance and by Jubstacheit about their perspectives of the Grail War, but Jubstacheit had a problem. All of his accounted-for witnesses were stuck on Mount Enzo for the vast majority of the War before being killed. He had gathered no information of his own. While he knew various facts that Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald and Zouken Matou were aware of, he had to distance himself from them lest he be implicated in their sins as well. The two worked with Caster in defiance of the Overseer's order. That meant when the alliance said something that wasn't quite right or twisted the narrative, he didn't have a justifiable reason to correct them without explaining how he knew. Lady Justeaze's scrying through the Grail was a boon, but a limited one. He couldn't exactly say anything to hint at her continued existence. Fortunately, the people in the room didn't want to know how he replicated the Grail...or at least they refused to ask in an official capacity. He might be able to find allies behind closed doors later, though.

Thank goodness he had not coordinated with Zouken in an obvious way, or he would be in even more trouble than he was right now. Case in point...

"Dead Apostle?" Lord Barthomeloi growled out at a certain point in the story. Lorelei's expression snapped into one of intense focus. Yes, there was the defining hatred for anything remotely vampiric from the head of the Barthomeloi family.

"Zouken Matou," Kariya Matou clarified. "We'll get there very soon."

"You'll get there now." Lord Barthomeloi said, their tone dark and leaving no room for debate. Jubstacheit knew that the words 'Dead Apostle' were not necessarily fitting for Zouken by the strictest of definitions, but this was only in the nuances of the process by which he had reached his conclusion. In form and function, he appeared every bit the Dead Apostle he was accused of being. That interpretation would be considered the truth going forward.

Tokiomi chose to speak on this matter, calling up every bit of poise and refinement he could. "It was revealed by Kariya Matou to us that his ancestor, Zouken Matou, is none other than Makiri Zolgen. He was one of the original architects of the Holy Grail War. Zouken has cast aside his humanity and transformed himself into a collection of vampiric insect familiars that need to feed on the energy of others to sustain themselves, using his own descendants as livestock to sustain his life long enough to wish for immortality from the Grail. This is accomplished by filling their bodies with such insects that act as the Matou Family Crest. Passing his craft on to future generations is not his goal and Kariya Matou assisted in convincing me that my daughter Sakura, who had been adopted into that family as its next heir, needed to be rescued both because she was being fed upon by a Dead Apostle and because Zouken was not properly teaching her Magecraft as the adoption agreement required him to do. Kariya and Sakura were successfully spared and cleansed through the power of the scabbard Avalon, much like Okita Souji was also cleansed of parasites and saved during the Second Holy Grail War. And yes, Avalon was in the possession of Artoria Pendragon this whole time. It was returned to her immediately after the Battle of Camlann by an ally at the cost of his life and helped to keep her alive. That historical fact was clarified for us as well."

The Tohsaka patriarch clearly no longer considered the learning of Magecraft to be the most important reason to save Sakura, but he still included it for the benefit of the various Mages who considered the passing of knowledge from generation to generation to be one of the most essential duties of a family head. Clever enough. If people weren't already angry that the man had willingly turned himself into a vampiric creature, the idea that he had abandoned one of the fundamental aspects of being a Magus ensured it. "Lord Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald, who allied himself with Zouken Matou, used such Crest Worms to partially compensate for the damage to his own Magic Crest earlier in the War. It is key evidence that he allied with Zouken and Caster as well as proof of Zouken's own nature. We have brought the corpse for the Clock Tower's analysis, though we warn you that the body and the insects infesting it have been thoroughly poisoned with mercury by his own Mystic Code. Any autopsy should be performed with the appropriate precautions."

And just like that, the reasonably positive relations the Barthomeloi family had with the Archibald branch of the El-Melloi family vanished like mist. Allying with Dead Apostles was a key way to earn their particular family's ire. "I want the relevant data from the RMS Galehut for my personal analysis, and I want to be there for the autopsy."

"I will also be present," Lord Rufleus Nuada-Re Eulyphis similarly insisted. Inwardly, he was entertaining the notion of smacking around and mutilating the corpse of his daughter's killer.

Lord Barthomeloi glared at Darnic. "You knew of this. Why did you fail to report the presence of a Dead Apostle for fifty-five years?"

Darnic looked calm and unfazed. "First, I thought he was dead after I incinerated him on Mount Enzo. The unclean worm must have stored his soul in another vessel beforehand. Second, I was immediately occupied by securing the Grail from the Nazis, hiding it, and spending years sabotaging the German Reich from the inside. Aiding the Allies by playing the villain and using myself as bait to draw the normally lazy Einzberns toward classified German magical research for them to destroy took up a vast amount of my time and focus. By the time Germany finally surrendered, the Clock Tower had long completed its own investigations into the Third Holy Grail War." This jab enraged Jubstacheit even more. 'Lazy'? And the Nazi who sustained his own youth by occasionally integrating the soul of an infant into himself was criticizing another being for being vampiric—all while saying he was too busy being a war hero for the Allies to file a report?

Irisviel's eyes widened slightly. "Wait, you incinerated his body on Mount Enzo? Gilgamesh just did that too!"

Darnic smirked. "Then perhaps we should consider it a Grail War tradition at this point."

"You can bond over Zouken Matou's various inglorious deaths later, I'm certain Lorelei would find them amusing," Zelretch commented while briefly teasing the Barthomeloi heiress who was present, shadowing her predecessor and learning the ropes.

Lorelei did not give him the benefit of a response as Lord Barthomeloi instead looked to Jubstacheit. "And you worked with him for two centuries. Do you intend to tell us that you did not know of his condition?"

Jubstacheit did not lose his stony expression. "Over those two centuries, I can count the times I met with Zouken Matou on one hand. Most of those times were through homunculi I was remotely operating from the other side of the planet. I also never dealt with the man for any longer than absolutely necessary and he was of the same mindset for now-obvious reasons. So no. I did not know, and it was quite simple for him to conceal the fact."

Jubstacheit was scrutinized silently for several long moments before the conversation carried forward. "And the Grail? You knew of its corruption."

Jubstacheit had to be careful how he parsed his denial. Risei Kotomine had already sworn, under a geas, that Jubstacheit knew of the corruption. "Every sensor indicated that things were operating properly. While there was some buildup of mud, as presented, that level of corruption was accepted as a reduction of efficiency due to certain required design changes and could be dealt with through regular cleaning of the Grail Chamber, I highly doubt that the full scope of the problem would ever have been known until the Lesser Grail sent the Servants to the Greater Grail."

"But we told you that the Grail was corrupted and you denied it and ignored the warnings even knowing you were dealing with such problems." Tokiomi reminded everyone.

"You told me that you were concerned about devastating corruption from a Servant named Angra Mainyu who fought during the Third Holy Grail War, not what was seen as a minor and manageable corruption based on the Grail's alternate design. I would certainly deny your claim because Angra Mainyu was never summoned in a previous Grail War. In fact, this Greater Grail had never even been used in a Grail War at all. Had Merlin not elected to conceal what he knew from you to save King Artoria's feelings, the whole situation would have immediately changed." His defense was weak. He knew it. Still, there were enough people feeling doubt to where he might find some allies. Most of them from outside Britannia or its territories, he observed.

Lord Barthomeloi took note of this weakness and seized upon it. "Indeed, and if you hadn't locked Risei Kotomine into that geas with malicious intentions, he could have corrected Tokiomi Tohsaka. Merlin's deception would have been exposed, you could have brought it up with the King, she could have ordered the truth out of Merlin, and we would still be living in that alternate future where this mess never happened."

Nobody really had an argument for that one. The topic ultimately returned to exploring the events and timeline of the Fourth Holy Grail War and hearing the testimony of both sides until the stories in their entirety were told—or at least the totality of the stories both sides were willing to offer.

"What do you plan to do now that the Grail is gone again?" Lord Brishisan asked Jubstacheit at the end of the latter's testimony.

"Abandon Fuyuki. It has no value to the Einzberns any longer. The attack by Caster surely corrupted one of its leylines and rendered it less useful for future Wars than other sites. A Subcategory Grail War might be suitable for restoring the Third True Magic now that there is no need for posturing or defending the loss already spent on the second Greater Grail. We might consider making another Grail after we have the ability to do so in the original manner. Alternately, we might take our rightful place as a participant in the War the original Grail will govern." Jubstacheit was being subtle, but there was the implication for either a peaceful agreement with or a violent attack against the Yggdmillenia. Darnic was an enemy that had taken what was not his, after all.

"We'll see," Darnic said, giving an equally vague response.

"If I may," Natalia said in her identity as Natalie Ambrose, "the agreement between the Three Families indicates that the Einzberns are financially responsible for all physical damage and other reasonable costs caused by the Grail War. The restoration of the Emiya, Einzbern, Matou, and Tohsaka estates, Ryuudou Temple, Downtown Fuyuki, the city's sewer system, the stabilization of the damaged mountain's remains, and more are already part of the Einzberns' contractual obligations. They are also obligated to pay for the strain on the hospitals, the victims' medical bills and funerals, the expenditures of the local police and military forces, etcetera. Any reparations should be calculated on top of such things.

"And you are?" Lord Barthomeloi inquired.

"Natalie Ambrose, magical real estate developer and investor," Natalia said in self-introduction.

"But we're all magical here..." Lord Karmaglyph Meluastea Deluc uttered in confusion.

The Edelfelt Head chose to interject. "Lord Meluastea, Ms. Ambrose means that she deals in the exchange of magical lands that carry leylines as well as normal real estate. Miss Ambrose managed the fall of the Soviet Union well enough to become the largest magical landowner in the whole of Europe. She must have smelled blood in the water in Fuyuki." This was said with a measure of respect. Following her investments had improved the wealth of the Edelfelt as well, after all.

"Land changes hands in violent clashes. Given the low price of land in Japan to start with since their real estate bubble has already burst, I expect to be quite busy after today," Natalia responded with a small smirk. "I'm mainly here to advise on the existing contractual obligations of the participants of the Holy Grail War, as well as make statements regarding known holdings that may or may not be suitable for reparations. For example, I already purchased the ancestral lands of Makiri Zolgen in Ukraine years ago and added them to Tokiomi Tohsaka's holdings at the behest of a certain dreamwalking clairvoyant. They will not be suitable collateral on Zouken Matou's debts. He was chased out of Ukraine long ago."

Lord Barthomeloi couldn't help but give the smallest smile at that one.

Tokiomi pondered the matter. "I have several possible uses for that land, depending on whose Magic Circuits resonate with it."

"Speaking of reparations, I have recommendations." Natalia's words drew everyone's attention. It was time to talk about money.

"What did you have in mind?" Hishiri Adashino inquired.

Natalia began to read from her notes:

"For the Matou's and Einzberns' repeated breaches of contract with the Tohsaka regarding the Grail War, I recommend the following:

—The Einzberns pay for the repair of Fuyuki City from the War as contractually obligated.

—The Einzberns pay for all medical, public, and military services employed as a result of the War.

—The Einzberns pay for the care and education of the orphans of the War until their maturity.

—The Einzberns pay for the funerals and insurance premiums caused by the War.

—The Einzberns pay for the Clock Tower education of any Mages orphaned by the War.

—The Matou and Einzberns each surrender their respective share of the Grail wreckage.

—The Einzberns pay for the Clock Tower education of Rin Tohsaka and Sakura Tohsaka.

—The Tohsaka Family has the right to use any Magecraft or Magic used in the construction and operation of the Grail should they manage to salvage it."

This was meant to be a big deal on paper, but not so much in practice—at least in appearance. Paying for everything meant little for the Einzberns since they had infinite wealth from Das Rhiengold. As for the rights to the Magecraft and Magic...while it would ultimately mean that the Tohsaka had the right to Command Seal creation or the Third True Magic, a worthy trade for the sheer betrayal the two families performed against the Tohsaka by cheating in the Third Grail War and again every day over the past forty years, it wasn't like the Tohsaka could get much data from the wreckage of the fake Grail to employ it...at least not without a certain child capable of Recursive Grasping that no one here knew the abilities of. There was also the fact that the gold the Grail was made of was badly cursed, but that wasn't anything Rule Breaker couldn't handle. It would likely stave off any remaining curses from Das Rheingold as well. In short, this looked more like a salvaging of face and perhaps some money than much else when it could really be used to let the Tohsaka make their own Subcategory Holy Grails. Legally.

"For the Einzberns' manipulating Kiritsugu Emiya and Irisviel von Einzbern into this situation, and in so doing forcing them to choose between family ties and the survival of humanity, I would recommend the following:

—The Einzberns surrender all Japanese assets, including property, to Irisviel after their complete repair.

—The Einzberns surrender all liquid assets set aside for their Master's use during the Holy Grail War.

—The Einzberns acknowledge the formation of the new von Einzbern branch family, retaining nobility.

—Members can refer to themselves either as 'von Einzbern' or 'von Emiya-Einzbern'(the German nobiliary particle 'von' is retained).

—The Branch Family is given full rights to the Einzbern Family Magecraft.

—Members include Irisviel as Branch Family Head, Kiritsugu, Illyasviel, Sella, and Leysritt.

—Illyasviel and all other children born in her generation will receive full tuition at the Clock Tower.

—The Branch Family retains its rightful place in the line of succession of the Main Family.

—Members of the Branch Family can't be expelled by the Main Family without proper cause."

These concessions were far more practical. Homunculi were typically born to be discarded, so this guaranteed that Irisviel's family and maids wouldn't be thrown out of their family simply because they did right by the world. Also, if someone killed Jubstacheit, Irisviel could inherit because she was officially listed as his granddaughter and heir. It also meant that they got the Einzbern Castle in Japan, the surrounding forest, the Emiya Residence(though that was already ironclad), and everything in them.

The next two sections were interconnected.

"For the Matous' manipulating Kariya Matou into this situation, and in so doing forcing him to choose between family ties and the survival of humanity, I would recommend the following:

—Kariya Matou immediately becomes Head of the Matou Family

—The Matou surrender all assets, including property, to Kariya Matou after their complete repair.

—Byakuya Matou, for his siding with Zouken Matou, is ineligible to ever be Head of the Family.

—Kariya Matou is responsible for the welfare of Shinji Matou for as long as he remains a minor.

—Shinji Matou, if his Magic Circuits never open, is behind Sakura Tohsaka in the line of succession."

This flowed directly into the Matous' next reparation.

"For the Matous' breach of contract with the Tohsaka regarding the adoption of one Sakura Tohsaka as future Family Head, the following contractual obligations exist:

—Sakura will immediately be returned to the Tohsaka family as Tokiomi Tohsaka's second heir.

—She and her descendants will be permitted the use of any Magecraft learned from the Matou.

—Sakura's education at the Clock Tower will also be paid for by the Matou.

Due to a lack of funds and the nature of the breach of contract, the latter two clauses of the contract cannot currently be activated. No other terms within the contract were defined for failure. To compensate, I would recommend the following:

—The Matou Magecraft will be available for Sakura to study for the remainder of her life.

—Sakura and her descendants may use the Matou Magecraft freely as their own.

—Sakura remains eligible to inherit the title of Matou Family Head should there ever be a lack of eligible successors and should she consent, at which point the Matou family would become a Tohsaka branch family and Sakura would bear the name Sakura Matou Tohsaka."

Not only would this give Kariya control of the Matou family, but it would also set Sakura up to be its head as originally intended if Kariya did not have any children and if Shinji were unable to use Magecraft. Granted, she had the right to decline this time around and it wouldn't kick her out of the Tohsaka family in the process even if she agreed. Shinji would be well-cared for because, at this point, he was both somewhat decent toward Sakura and also unaware of her torture. He had yet to be tainted by his grandfather into assisting with such things like the cowardly Byakuya was.

"For the Matou's and Einzberns' compulsions on Risei Kotomine lasting forty years, I recommend the following:

—The Einzberns pay for the care and education of Risei Kotomine's granddaughter, Caren Hortensia.

—The Einzberns pay for a home for Risei Kotomine, whether for his retirement or for Caren's use."

This one was rather straightforward. Might as well milk the Einzberns a little more for what they did to the man and give the little girl a more stable life.

"For Lord Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald's attack on Shirou Enjou during a time of truce, I would recommend the following:

—The remaining money set aside for Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald's use during the Fourth Holy Grail War is immediately placed in a trust for Shirou's Clock Tower tuition and expenses. Any remainder may be made accessible to him upon either his graduation or adulthood."

The wording on this one was to ensure that the money would still be available when the corpse of the Archibald Family was long picked clean. Of course, the real shocker was the last item.

"For Lord Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald's attempt to exterminate the Tohsaka family during a time of truce, his destruction of their home residence, and the restoration and return of the El-Melloi Magic Crest by means outside the Age of Man, I would recommend the following be transferred into Tokiomi Tohsaka's ownership with the support of Wizard Marshal Kishur Zelretch Schweinorg:

—The El-Melloi Classroom

—The transfer of Lordship

—The role of the Head of Kishur, the Clock Tower Department of Minerology"

The room suddenly erupted into a mix of chatter and shouting. "Order! Order!" Lord Brishisan called out before things finally quieted down. People were about to ask Tokiomi where he got off expecting such things, but the sheer look of surprise on his face and the wide grin on Zelretch's own made it clear whose idea this really was.

"Wizard Marshal Zelretch!" The Edelfelt Head called out in a mix of fury and disbelief. "How could you support this? And what do you mean 'the return of their Magic Crest by means outside the Age of Man'?"

Zelretch raised an eyebrow, clearly pleased with the confusion and disarray he had caused. Still, it was a good question worthy of an answer. "Well, first off...it's the department I founded. Why should I let the factions fight tooth and nail to stuff it with someone over politics more than merit when I have a perfectly good Jewel Magecraft user right here who would be a perfect fit for Kishur, the Department of Minerology? His studies into the Grail also make him suitable for the secondary Spiritual Evocation aspect of his duties that currently come with the El-Melloi Classroom, and Waver Velvet can help get him prepared while the students are learning from the substitute. He seems like a drop-in replacement for Kayneth to me." Indeed, Kayneth had set aside the rest of November and the first two weeks of December to ensure that he could finish up the War and its logistics. His students were learning from a substitute until then.

"And then there's the fact that I've been watching his family line for generations. I know they won't stray from the right path. His conduct during this Grail War cemented it. He's also from Fuyuki, which is only a stroll through my restaurant away from London...and if he ever gets too bogged down by his combined duties, Irisviel von Einzbern is competent enough to assist in Fuyuki until his daughters Rin and Sakura are old enough to take on some of the load. It's an ideal situation in my eyes. That and the fact that the El-Melloi will need what physical assets they have to pay off Lord Eulyphis for his claims." Eyes turned away from Zelretch toward Lord Eulyphis...yes, that was a man who had reparations on his mind now.

"Finally, Tokiomi simply arranged for the same power that copied his own Magic Crest by accident to do the same to Kayneth's by design after he thought he died and burned away. Tokiomi considered returning it for a price, already steep because of the first attack on his family, but then Kayneth discarded all honor to keep working with Caster and a Dead Apostle as they knowingly violated the concealment of Mystery. Could the El-Melloi retain their title after that anyway? At least this way they won't be reduced to glorified first-generation Mages." Zelretch was somewhat enjoying this. The twisting of the facts, surprising Tokiomi with the fact that he'd had Shirou recreate the El-Melloi Crest with his abilities, the promise of a position of prestige at the Clock Tower...all at the expense of these fools who needed a reminder that yes, they could fall after all. He also looked forward to what Shirou would do with with the El-Melloi Magecraft in terms of Mystic Code production, but that was for later.

"But his lineage is only 200 years old! You might as well be handing a Department and Lordship to the Democratic faction!" A member of the El-Melloi Archisorte family exclaimed in horror in an attempt to make excuses and dissuade this nightmare.

Zelretch gave a sigh as his enjoyment was dulled by the foolishness he had just heard. "And your lineage would be all but gone without your Crest once the debt collectors came to pick you clean. Tell me...what appeal does the 'long-lived' Aristocratic faction have when most of your family histories aren't even a third of my personal age? You're all young to me. It's like I'm watching a few slightly older kids beating up the younger ones on the playground when you act all high and mighty like this. I favor those aristocrats that have used those years to accomplish more than their counterparts. Those of you who have actually done something in the past hundred years or so." That shut a lot of people up. "Tokiomi has skills in Minerology, Spiritual Evocation, and administration. You would be hard-pressed to find someone who could fill all of Kayneth's positions, but here he is. Stop bickering about politics and let's get something practical done."

The factions of the Clock Tower were split between the Aristocratic ones that favored lineage and age to rule, the Democratic faction that preferred the talented to rule regardless of other factors, and the Neutral faction that just wanted to get their work done without being harassed. Zelretch was sounding a lot like a Neutral at the moment. The Democrats loved that he was supporting a choice for his talents rather than other factors and tearing the El-Melloi to pieces, and a few of the Aristocrats felt momentarily humbled by their own inadequacies in the face of Zelretch's standards. The Neutrals just wanted the choice to be made without having to worry about a massive political mess. There was also Lord Brishisan's confirmation that Zelretch could indeed decide who ran the Department bearing his name and transfer a Lordship attached to it if he stopped playing nice, though it was possible that Lord Brishisan was willing to play a little loose with the rules on Lordships for the sake of his fellow Student of Solomon. These things all put together with Zelretch's support and the once-Lord El-Melloi's debt to the Tohsaka family narrowly allowed for something to happen that was unique in the various Worldlines.

Lord Brishisan, as Headmaster of the Clock Tower, accepted Natalia's compensation recommendations and also the immediate ascension of Lord Tokiomi Tohsaka, Head of Kishur, the Department of Minerology. The furious look on the Edelfelt Head's face was absolutely priceless.

---

November 24, 1994

Remains of the Tohsaka Mansion

Fuyuki City, Japan

5:16 AM

It had been sealed away for so long, only for light, noise, heat, and vibration to rock Its world and destroy Its prison...then nothing. Oh, It had detected the powers throughout the city and stayed put for Its own self-preservation. Could It feel fear? Cowardice? But now the power was all gone. The danger had finally passed. It moved carefully through the wreckage, shaking loose the debris before escaping what had once been a large, European-style estate. Well, It assumed the place was large. There wasn't enough left to know for sure.

When the early morning chill replaced nervousness with calm, It wondered what had happened. Was It the only magical being left around? The entity started to explore what magical signatures could be found that were still fresh, save for the two massive ones. Those might still be dangerous. There was also something 'underneath' the World that was massive and unusual, but It needed to focus on one thing at a time. It explored more wreckage next door and found rotting flesh that was not human. There was nothing here, either. After this, It decided to proceed into the city.

Its inhuman form floated through the shopping district without being noticed before finally arriving at another damaged place. This one was in better condition, but only marginally. There was a recent battle here. Blood could still be seen nearby, as well as dead insects that felt like the rotting flesh in the other place. But even as empty of life as this was, It felt something. There, on the floor, was a lost playing card. The King of Hearts. The card looked normal, but It could feel the magic. It integrated the power into itself.

The Shadow-Treading Carnwennan. This Noble Phantasm seemed to be converted directly into a form that It was meant to handle. And someone just left it here! How lucky!

After leaving the place, It kept searching for a time before finally feeling something. It floated off toward a large estate that seemed to be a prominent one in the area just as much as the previous places were. It floated over the wall and hid in a tree, listening in on conversations while slowly approaching the building.

"I can't believe all of those visiting miko were killed in the mountain's explosion. First the gas leak, then the earthquake and the massive sinkhole in the middle of town, and now this? It's the second time this century that the Shrine was destroyed. Will they even bother rebuilding it? What if Mount Enzo is a volcano that's waking up? All these things point to geological activity. We shouldn't have tried to reclaim swamp land and build a city on top of it!" A young man in a monk's outfit lamented while resting on the porch.

A girl who appeared to have perpetually closed eyes smacked him in the arm and whispered in an angry hiss. "Stop that, Reikan! At least your family all survived! Poor Tachie in there lost everything! Do you want her to hear you?"

The teen boy tensed at that realization. "Y-you're right, Neko. I should be focusing on what I still have. It's just hard...that temple was my future, but Tachie has it worse. We're all lucky Taiga's grandfather was willing to let us stay here...thanks for visiting us, by the way. I couldn't exactly sleep."

"I figured her grandfather would be setting up something to help someone through this, even if I didn't know the details. I'm more surprised that Taiga's not here yet. She called to say she was alright, but she sounded rushed and panicky. I...think she saw some bad things tonight." Otoko, also known as Neko, said.

"...We'll be here for her too, then." The boy said this before the two entered into a companionable silence, unable to sleep due to contemplating the trio of nightmares that had rocked their city within the last twelve hours. It empathized to a degree, even if It wasn't human. This broken town needed someone to stand up for it. A symbol...a hero...and It knew just what to do.

Floating into a makeshift bedroom with a futon on the floor, one that contained perhaps the only magical signature it could detect in range at the moment, It scanned the raven-haired girl trying and failing to fall asleep. Twenty-seven Magic Circuits, only one of them opened very recently. There was obviously a heroic backstory there. "Pssst...psssst! Hey! What's your name?"

Tachie blinked as her eyes cleared and she tried to get a look at what was calling her. It remained in the shadows and the girl seemed a bit suspicious, but she needed the distraction. "Tachie...Tachie Kyrielight. Who are you?"

It moved forward into a beam of moonlight shining through one of the windows, revealing its floating form in the process. It was power. It was magical. It was...

"I'm Magical Ruby! How would you like to be a Magical Girl?"

---

Author's Notes: In case you didn't notice, Elizabeth II of this timeline is a little different from the one in Proper Human History. Not only did she choose to be known as a King in spite of her gender, an option that British nobility and royalty of this Worldline may choose on coming of age or coronation, but she took a more active combat role during the Second World War than her historical counterpart.

Also, for those of you who keep pushing me to get to Shirou x Artoria time, I've repeatedly said that isn't the only part of this fic and that it will take a long time to get there. I keep trying to refine the description of the story to focus on that less without omitting it fully, but some people just aren't satisfied. On the upside, I found a way to keep Artoria around Shirou without it being creepy or torturous for the poor girl. They'll be able to develop and interact naturally without Artoria's worries in the way. That and we get Saber Lily living her own life out of it.

I did not plan on using Carnwennan's playing card form like this when I first wrote it in, but when someone pointed out that Kaleidostick Ruby was stored in the Tohsaka Mansion in the FSN timeline and might have escaped when it was destroyed...my mind made the connection and I had to do this. I just wish they gave more than the name "G" from a guest account so I could credit them better for dragging our favorite cursed transformation wand into the story.

Also, I credit Fate/Grand Order for contributing the line Gilgamesh speaks when his Clairvoyance reveals a blushing Artoria Lily.

The titles bestowed require some explanation. First and foremost, the current Kingdom of Britannia and the greater British Empire it is part of are all ruled by regents descended from Gawain who rule in Artoria's name. When Artoria says 'give this little girl territory and titles', they have to obey. The titles and lands Gray received, however, have meaning.

King Lot, who was Gawain's father and Morgan's husband, ruled the Petty Kingdom of Orkney and also conquered parts of Western Norway with High King Artoria's aid. As such, Gawain not only ruled the whole of Britannia as Artoria's regent but also had a separate and distinct right to rule the lands he inherited from his father. All were considered British lands ruled by Artoria as High King, but those were Gawain's own feudal territories within the larger Kingdom and were split into various Duchies when the Petty Kingdom system was abolished. In this Worldline, most of those lands and more fell to the Blackmore family who are descended from Gawain, but that family has been problematic to the regents ruling Britannia and the greater British Empire who serve as a different branch of Gawain's family. A large number of courtesy titles held by the Heir Apparent of the King Regent, the Crown Prince, are also based on the administration over Scotland and belong to Gawain's line more than to the Regents themselves.

With Gray being declared Gawain's heir in all matters except the regency of Britannia and the greater British Empire, those territories and courtesy titles King Lot originally held(and that Gawain later expanded) were immediately transferred to her. For ease of administration, many of them were consolidated into the Grand Duchies of Scotland and Norway, with the Duchy of Orkney(Scotland) and the County of Hordaland(Norway) retained for both their historic relevance and the potential that they would be used as courtesy titles for Gray's firstborn or heir apparent. This is much like how the Heir Apparent to the British Empire is called the Prince of Wales in Proper Human History.

Daniel Blackmore also got his hands on some other land held by the Blackmores, but it is located way out in Wales and wasn't really part of Gawain's original holdings as much as something a branch of the Blackmores obtained before he was even born. As such, Gray did not inherit that property and it was given to Dan to give him authority over Camelot's old Noble Phantasms that are stored there. He also became Gray's regent so he can take care of Gray's two Grand Duchies. This is a separate and distinct 'regency' from the one that is held by over Britannia and the greater British Empire as a whole in Artoria's name.

SERVANT DATA:

Name: Artoria "Lily" Pendragon

Class: Saber (Double Summons with Lancer skills)

Strength: A

Endurance: A

Agility: A

Mana: A+

Luck: A+

NP: A+

This is a version of Artoria Pendragon who carries the Concept of 'an Artoria Pendragon before she became the Perfect King'. She is thus Artoria just after she pulled Caliburn from the stone and before ideology and time wore away her humanity. She is thus very much the fifteen-year-old girl she appears to be in mentality and emotion, allowing her to live more freely and enjoy her manifestation without being as heavily burdened by her Kingship.

However, she is not quite as one would expect from her Saint Graph. Comparing the Artoria Lily found in the Chaldea of some Worldlines and this one would be a mistake because this Artoria Lily was arrived at by a fundamentally different process much more akin to the creation of an Alter than a typical 'Lily' servant. Rather than being derived from a standard Saber Artoria Saint Graph, this one is derived from the merging of 'a Saber-like Artoria that lived in Avalon through to the modern day' and 'a Lancer Artoria that came to terms with her end' who have had two decades of contradicting memories sealed away. She retains the training and skills of both, even being able to summon Dun Stallion and ride him, though Excalibur and Rhongomyniad are locked away with her memories. These retained skills include the centuries of practice conducted in Avalon and knowledge of Magecraft as taught by Merlin. Between these things, her increased fame, her accumulated Conceptual Weight of fifteen centuries, and having two Masters with Magic Cores—one of whom can draw added power from the Reverse Side of the World to sustain her—all of her parameters are ranked A or higher.

Though lacking the most powerful Noble Phantasms of her legend, she still has an A+ ranking for her Noble Phantasm because of Durandal, which was created for her by EMIYA using Shirou's True Magic for a duel with Mordred. Were it not for that technicality, her Noble Phantasm parameter would have dropped to a solid B. She still prefers to use Caliburn, albeit under the name of Caliburn Image so as not to cause confusion with the original in Shirou's possession, but Durandal allows her to use Mana Burst for her largest attacks without breaking to replace Excalibur. She also possesses the Noble Phantasms common between the Saber and Lancer versions as of the time of merging; Carnwennan, Avalon(Lancer had a Shirou-made copy), and the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch. She is also known to use the shield Prydwen, though it is a physical artifact rather than something in her Spirit Origin.

Though A-ranked all around and easily a Top Servant, she is still constrained compared to her greater self in Avalon...