Chapter 52: Context
I do not own Fate/Stay Night and stuffs.
o. o. o.
"So this is how we're going to interact with the Clocktower?" Rin looked at the large wooden table that Shirou had moved from his workshop to the living room. Its heavy western design looked out of place compared to his Japanese home.
"Yep. Made by the old drunk himself." Shirou nodded, dressed in one of his spare, not burnt and torn apart, suits that he donned when playing the role of Magus Killer. Around him, every other Master in the war that was available was dressed in the best clothes they had available, which was in a way impressive considering most of their homes and clothes had been burnt, blown apart, or otherwise obliterated into dust during the course of the War. "It uses runes and a load of other mysteries to synergize with a matching table that he has. Once connected, it can project images to the other side, transfer sound, make copies of documents…"
"So it's a magical version of Skype," Kiritsugu summarized bluntly, interrupting his son, breaking his silence in a rare moment of curiosity.
"Skype?" Illya and several others in the room blinked in confusion.
The Servant took a moment to pick his words carefully for the technologically impaired. "You make phone calls on the internet. Only with video and cameras."
"Ooooh."
"Didn't you die before Skype was invented?" Sakura frowned. If she remembered correctly, the internet service had only become available a couple of years ago. Somehow she didn't think that Skype would be part of the information that the Grail would feed Servants coming into this era.
"I was abusing the internet when it came out in the eighties. One of the requirements I had when the Einzberns first hired me was to get a line installed in the Castle," the Servant evenly stated. "I was curious how much had changed."
Primarily, he was curious when he found out that dialup was being edged out for broadband. Truly, the next generation was developing in a golden age… one that was far quieter.
Shirou rolled his eyes. "Yes. Fine. I know. It's a little like Skype. Just don't tell old man Sirius that. The drunk baby nearly had a fit when I got it and said something similar."
"Sounds like something he'd do." Luvia, Rin, Bazett, and Sakura all nodded in agreement.
"Not bad. The wood used to make this thing is quality stuff. Perfect for maintaining the engravings and sending out strong signals." Lancer stuck his head underneath the table to look at the runework etched underneath the table. "Using runes like this was never my strong suit, and I doubt even my Teacher ever needed to make something that would connect to the other side of the planet itself, but I can tell that the old fart knows what he's doing. Not the best work I've seen, but I'll give it my seal of approval."
"At the very least, it is a rather robust and secure piece, despite being rather gaudy in its making." Caster lazily strode around the furniture with the eyes of a professional examiner, no doubt scrutinizing each and every perceived flaw she could find. "It will serve its purpose adequately, I suppose. It would take some effort to disrupt or surveil the connection to its other, even at the distance you claim."
That was probably as close to a compliment as they were going to get from someone that lived through the Age of Gods.
Seven seats were placed around the table, with Shirou at the head. In the corners of his side, there were a slew of markings that enabled him to interact with the magical device to control various functions such as how much they were displaying to those on the other side, copying documents, volume control, etc.
Thankfully, Shirou remembered to read the instruction manual for the thing earlier that morning.
Unless asked for directly, the Servants would stay out of the discussions. Partially so that those present could keep up their image to those in the Clocktower, partially so that no one got any smart ideas and started to ask the Servants dangerous questions from out of the blue, but mostly it was because there wasn't enough room for everyone to be gathered around the table at once.
As if waiting for everyone's focus to be on the table, the center of the furniture began to blink a faint blue and hum faintly.
"Looks like someone is testing out the connection." Shirou smiled faintly, channeling his prana so that his shroud reformed itself so that it covered his entire head. Tapping a marking to his right, the teen activated the mystic code to establish the connection between the tables and turn on the audio. "Hey old man. This a test call or is the trial being rushed? We should still have time to prepare."
"A test, thankfully. No thanks to some people on my end. Impatient twats." Sirius' irritated voice echoed through the room as if he was there with them. No doubt he made an effort to be heard by said party on his end just to rile them up. "Idiots thought that they could rush Barthomelloi. Can ya believe that? The nerve of em. Between you an' me? I think that she needs a strong cuppa in the morning ta get goin' more than most. What wit' the pissants she's gotta deal with every wakin moment."
"Wouldn't doubt it with all the work she deals with." Shaking his head, Shirou couldn't help but be relieved at the sound of the old man's voice. The casual, if blunt tone of Sirus was a welcome sound given what was to come. "So, be honest, how's it look? Judging from your tone, something's got you feeling confident."
"Heh. Ya could say that, lad." They could practically hear the old man grin. "Turns out Waver's more popular here than we thought. Nearly a third of the student body's up in arms with his arrest. Public protests. Sitting out in class. Formal complaints. The bloody works. Hell, a good number of families have thrown in their support ta help him out. None as influential as the Archibalds, but enough fer anyone ta realize that it's gonna be hard ta twist the system this time around without consequences. If yer lucky, you might not have ta do much for this."
"Way to jinx it." Shirou shook his head. "You know that this trial is also going to serve as a report for what just happened here."
Many in the room looked at him as if he was an idiot. The last thing they needed right now was to give anyone listening in on the conversation ammo to make the matter worse.
"Heh." Sirius didn't seem to be worried at all. "Ya have a point lad. The Fuyuki War's such a massive clusterfuck that I'd be surprised if there isn't a body in the drink by the end of the week. The vultures here are gonna try ta peck you and your lot clean like the greedy bastards they are while claiming that they were in the right. Ya can't simply prove your innocence here if ya want ta get out of this intact, lad. Ya have to push someone down and step on their corpse ta get where ya wanna be."
"Is that so? Well, isn't that a pity." Even with his shroud on, those in the room could see a vicious smile forming on Shirou's face.
If only there was an individual or group of influence around in the Clocktower that could serve as a reasonable substitute that he had no reservations about sacrificing. One that conveniently stepped into the limelight for this fiasco on their own accord that he had no emotional or obligational ties to. But where oh where could he find someone like that?
Oh wait.
"He's planning something again." Sakura sighed.
"Master. I recommend that you do not sit near him when the trial starts," Caster advised Luvia, completely serious.
"So long as he doesn't involve me in it, he can do whatever he wants." Illya shook her head, already given up on trying to figure out what he was concocting.
"I blame Tohsaka," Luvia deadpanned.
"What? Why me?" Rin clearly didn't like being blamed for Shirou's actions first thing in the morning. Even if she did manage to thankfully get a cup of black gold in her.
"Because that's the same look you get whenever you're planning something unsavory," the blonde elaborated.
"Oh yeah. It does." Sakura tilted her head to the side as if to see his expression from another angle.
"Don't agree with her!"
"Yeah. A pity." Sirius seemed to be on the same page as Shirou if his tone was anything to go by. "Speakin' of third parties, where's the midget bloodsucker? He's speakin for the Church for this thing. It would look bad in more than one way if he's late."
Shirou's smirk disappeared to give way to a look of exasperation aimed at the hallway nearby. "Don't worry, he's here."
Sitting on the open walkway facing the back yard, Merem and his left arm were enjoying themselves with a breakfast consisting of leftover pizza from last night as the winter dawn was finally lighting up the sky in the background. They'd have to move inside soon enough, but for now the two were in their own little cheesy world.
The pair had arrived half an hour ago and, to be perfectly honest, Shirou had never seen either of them so haggard and exhausted before.
When asked, the grandfatherly left arm merely stated that they were accustomed to reporting mass damages.
They were not, on the other hand, accustomed to managing recovery efforts.
Fortunately for everyone, it had only taken a single look from Merem for Shirou to understand the situation, and instantly prepare the leftovers from last night's feast for a quick meal.
"Aaah. It is sacrilege that we failed to attend last night's feast, and yet, there is something truly divine when partaking good pizza first thing in the morning," the Left Arm swooned, genuinely crying tears of bliss as he enjoyed his breakfast.
"I wouldn't go that far, but it is a relief that we are able to have something adequate before dealing with those shut in's in the Clocktower." Merem smiled contently. Next to him was a small cup of blood that many suspected was Lancer's.
"Do I wanna know?" Sirius asked skeptically, not able to see the scene from his end.
"If you have to ask, then you already know the answer."
"Fair 'nuff." The old man backed away almost instantly. He may be an impulsive drunk, but he wasn't stupid. "… Speakin' of things better left unknown, yer gonna have your hands full today, lad. There're rumors goin about all over, everyone tryin ta figure out what the hell is goin on. Haven't seen the tower this abuzz with curiosity since Zel showed up unannounced a few years back. Everyone's gonna try and peck you lot clean for every detail possible."
"They can try." It wasn't just rare confidence behind Shirou's words. He had been poked and prodded by the more adventurous part of the Tower whenever Barthomelloi wasn't around. Nobles and individuals of certain reputation that thought that they could push him around or get him to do what they wanted because of their position and skills.
Most of the time, he did worse than turn them down. He flat out ignored them, so long as they didn't actually have anything important to say at least.
According to Luvia, watching grown men and women, touted for their power or skills, fail so magnificently to impress or push him around was among the most entertaining parts of her day at the tower. Admittedly, Shirou had developed a slight enjoyment for it as well, though it was more often than not smothered by frustration and embarrassment.
"Probably helps that ya have a barrel-o-Servants backin ya up too," Sirius pointed out.
"And I'm not in the same room as everyone else."
"Lucky sod. Must be nice bein able ta actually breathe over there. Ah haven' seen the bloody sun in over a week. Anymore of this bullshit and ahm gonna turn as pasty as the rest of the idiots here."
"I'm not sure who to feel sorry for if you do actually go stir crazy." There would without a doubt be more than one victim if it did come to pass.
"What was that, brat?"
"You're a drunk, old man, not deaf. Let's just get this thing set up. You taught me the basics of how to use it, but not for this many people at once on my side, or for a trial. It wouldn't be good if we were the ones that held things up."
"Humph. Cheeky little bastard. Fine. The controls are split between what's bein' shown and how it's displayed…"
Rin slowly backed away as Shirou, Sakura, Illya, Luvia, Assassin, Lancer and Caster listened to the old man's instructions, careful not to draw attention to herself. A quick look around made it clear that Saber, Bazett, and Archer had noticed her odd behavior, but thankfully didn't point it out to anyone else. Rider… probably noticed too, but she was probably the most solitude and quiet Servant there next to Assassin. She wouldn't bother to do anything unless it was important.
Making sure to give everyone room, she moved to the hallway where Merem and his arm were eating. She would have set up a bounded field to keep the conversation private, but the instant she would try something like that everyone would notice.
"You can't have any," the Left Arm in the form of a Priest stated flatly as he reached for another slice of pizza, not bothering to look at her.
"What happened to Piety?" she couldn't help but ask in a matching tone.
"Compensation for doing your job last night." Merem didn't miss a beat just before absently going to town on his own slice. "No wonder most magi are peculiar and rarely get anything productive done. They bother themselves with more red tape than their own work."
Her eyebrow twitched. She was starting to see why even Shirou was so averse to dealing with the two whenever they were brought up. "I'm not here for the pizza."
"Your loss." Both of them clearly were of one mind at the moment.
As if they'd let her have any in the first place. She wasn't dumb enough to ask for food from an Apostle Ancestor's plate… and she wasn't desperate enough to take food from a rat's.
She frowned, first in annoyance but gradually evolving into an expression of calm composure. "Shirou's going to genuinely try and kill you if your reason for being here puts any of us in danger. Especially if it gets brought to light during the trial."
The Vampire and his arm both stopped moving. The fact that they didn't even try to hide their reactions was a monumental tell in itself.
"I would help him if it came to that," she finished firmly. "And so would the others. But, you already knew that."
She didn't have to say it out loud. They were all aware it was a forgone conclusion. No matter how helpful Merem may have been, if he crossed the line and earned Shirou's wrath, there was no question that the other participants in the War would help him for one reason or another.
Merem was strong. Undoubtedly so. But even he wouldn't stand a chance in hell against such an onslaught.
Despite that knowledge, the small vampire smiled, genuinely amused by her declaration. "It looks like Shirou's praises were accurate after all. You are remarkably bright and reliable, for a magus."
The Left Arm let out a brief snort of dry amusement. "I told you that someone would suspect your intentions if you kept on making those peculiar comments. You have no one to blame for this slipup but yourself my lord."
Rin frowned, but didn't say anything. There not a hint of killing intent or malice in the air, however there was an unmistakable atmosphere that did not at all feel out of place of the Holy Grail War.
Merem turned back to the yard, enjoying the peaceful atmosphere outside, mesmerized by the birds occupying the trees along the boundaries. "Rest assured. I possess no intention, plan, or desire to make Shirou my enemy, or do anything that may result in such. Not now or in the future. However, I would not complain if I did receive some help ensuring that such a scenario remains merely hypothetical. The next few hours will be quite intense after all. I am an Apostle Ancestor and a member of the Church. My position aside, you and the others will without a doubt hold greater sway during some potential negotiations than I ever will."
"Tch." Shit. That was as good as a declaration that he was going to play around during the trial and use her as either a scapegoat or rely on her to bail him out. She should have just kept her mouth shut, but she needed at least some hint as to where this monster's loyalties lie. "Don't push it. Like you said. Shirou knows me. He'll suspect something if I stick my neck out for no good reason. And I doubt any of us would call defending your casual whims an actual good reason."
"Fair enough. Today is not one for merrymaking regardless. It wouldn't be proper if I started acting out now." Merem sighed, absently putting another slice of cold pizza in his mouth. "Truthfully, I can't afford to enjoy myself much in this either. Kotomine's actions have already been confirmed to a degree, earning a pretty dark mark against the Church. Since he's already dead, I'm next in line to take responsibility for any possible faults aimed at my organization. How annoying."
"So he says. I'm the one that does most of the negotiating and face time when it comes to these sorts of events," the Priest-Rat grumbled, taking the last slice of pizza for himself just before Merem could.
"I'll keep that in mind the next time Narbarek wants to talk."
"Please. That monster would kill both of us if you even dared to think of using me as an in between."
Rin pitied Bazett if this was what the woman's relationships with her legs were going to end up like.
"Oi! Hurry up, will you?! We're about to start!" Lancer called out from the living room, grabbing their attention.
"I suppose it is." Merem sighed, getting up and giving Rin an unreadable look with his unnatural blue eyes, an outlier from the standard Apostle crimson. "A final inquiry, Tohsaka. For clarification. Do you really know why specifically I am here in Fuyuki…
… Or merely who?"
The silence was damning.
"Does it really matter at this point? If Shirou finds out, will the outcome change at all?" the Second Owner of Fuyuki stated in a dead cold tone.
"No. I suppose not." The Apostle Ancestor did not react in the slightest, maintaining eye contact for a few more seconds before turning inside and walking past her without a single care, dismissing the conversation as if it did not matter in the first place. "Come. Let's get this annoying circus over with, lest we try to kill one another for far more petty reasons than we've previously had."
For once, Rin could completely agree with the vampire.
o. o. o.
The first half an hour to forty five minutes of the trial had been nothing but pleasantries, introductions, pandering, and official rabble that in all honesty was only done for show and those that had nothing to do with the situation in the first place.
A small council of two or three dozen seemingly random heads of houses from the Clocktower served as a supplementary jury whenever the main judge's input was deemed lacking, which admittedly did not happen often. Said head judge was some middle aged appearing magus that was actually as old as Sirius and head of one of the main departments of the tower itself. Shirou didn't bother remembering his whole, overly elaborate name.
Something something, Animusphere.
Lorelei Barthomelloi normally would oversee an event of this magnitude, but because of her relationship with the Archibalds and Shirou, she was legally considered too involved with the parties to be in a position of power.
Under most circumstances, this would mean that she would be designated as another associate party.
Under most circumstances, the one involved wasn't one of the biggest political powerhouses in the Moonlit world. No more proof was needed than the fact that an entire section of the room was dedicated and modified just for her.
Outside of that, the room the meeting was taking place in appeared to be one of the assembly halls of the Tower. A bigger one at that. And from what the Servants and Masters could tell from their side, it was completely packed.
The tables that connected the Tower to Japan were quite useful. While Shirou and the others each saw a screen that focused primarily on whoever was speaking or was the subject of conversation at the time, those in the Clocktower saw only those sitting at the table in Japan. Shirou's home, the room behind him, and everything else was completely absent from the image. Unlike Skype, Sirius' table had controls that could dictate what exactly was being shown to the other side if the user so wished.
It did not, however, prevent them from being distracted whenever Merem decided that he didn't want to listen to more political rabble and started to walk around the house and curiously inspect things off screen as if he really was the twelve year old child he appeared to be.
Sadly, none of them could tell if he was doing it on purpose, or if he genuinely had completely disregarded the severity of the situation. Probably both.
At one point, he even tried to raid the kitchen.
Keyword. Tried. And it only happened once. He learned his lesson quickly.
Then finally, they got on with the damn thing.
Waver's trial was the main focus of the day's events as far as the public was concerned. The Grail War, no matter how close it was to destroying humanity, did not matter nearly as much in the minds to most of the people there. As far as the students were concerned, the Fuyuki Ritual was just being conducted by a bunch of meat headed enforcers and foreigners that couldn't do anything with their spells other than fight one another.
Insulting, remarkably so, but also incredibly convenient. The less they focused on the War, the less chances any power hungry outsiders would have to try and turn the event to their favor. If they could resolve the report on the War without too much issue, then everyone was more or less home free.
The prosecutor was, like most Magi, a condescending piece of shit.
Correction, since he was hired by the Archibalds to drag Waver's reputation through the mud, he was an expensive, condescending piece of shit that wouldn't shut up. The middle aged man that hailed from who-knows-what European country with a family history of who-cares-how-many generations couldn't utter three sentences without trying to make a shot at Waver. Behind him, three high members of the Noble family sat smugly, confident that they had things under control.
His poor family history. His rather shallow ability with thaumaturgy. His questionable decisions. His hobbies. There was not a single part of Waver's life that wasn't being scrutinized, relevant or not.
It had been viciously insulting at first, but as time went on the bite lost a good portion of its effectiveness. Now the man was simply just annoying. Judging from everyone's varying expressions, they were of the same mind as well. Even the most stalwart of traditional Magi values were starting to show their ire at the display.
Waver, on the other hand, immaculately dressed in a suit with a red and gold shawl, seemed to be taking everything in stride if his careless demeanor was anything to go by. It probably helped that he had (somehow) been allowed to smoke a cigar during the event, which added to his confident image.
"… I still question whether or not that's actually Waver Velvet," Saber quietly muttered, having incredible difficulty believing that the young screaming child from ten years back that Rider dragged with him everywhere is the man in front of her now.
She also firmly believed that she had nothing to do with him sneezing moments later after making the comment, chalking it up to a mere coincidence.
It was only after a certain Vice Director made a comment about her time being wasted and shooting the prosecutor a sharp look that things finally started to progress.
No one bothered to point out that the Judge did nothing to reprimand her for her actions.
For the most part, Shirou and those in Japan had remained as spectators, merely answering simple and short questions to affirm some statements or events in the past. Shirou, Bazett, and Luvia were addressed more than the others due to the fact that they were the ones that had interacted with him the most.
From the Fourth War, to Kiritsugu showing up again, to training Shirou, to the incident with Louvre, each and every event was gone over. Not every minute detail was picked at, but enough so that those in the audience had an idea of what was going on. The "scandal" was too big and long to not assume that it had some history to it.
There were several angles that the prosecution was clearly aiming for, at least initially. Waver's entry into the Fourth War and stealing Rider's catalyst that had been intended for Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald in itself had been put into question as a possible opening move into some larger scandal. Waver immediately shot it down as a bad joke, pointing out himself that with his abilities as a Magus at the time, and his even more limited resources, literally anyone in the Clocktower would have been a better pick for the role than him, let alone one that expected positive results.
When pointed out that he was alive when all of the other combatants in the Fourth War had expired, Waver merely laughed and proclaimed without shame that that fact was the biggest joke of all.
"Well, considering that the Grail War in itself ended up to be something of a similar nature, it should be appropriate that I ended up where I am now."
That clearly got chuckles from some in the audience and scowls from others.
Two hours and a lunch break later, the trial finally started to move in earnest with its first witness.
And they certainly picked the one to make things interesting from the start.
"Sirius McGinty. Mystic Code Crafter and Sealing Designate. Is that correct?" the Prosecutor asked sternly.
"Ah got a couple of other names that most have forgotten this side of the century, but yeah, that's me." The old man had not dressed up at all for the event, still in his work clothes. At the very least, it looked like he had taken a shower and was wearing a clean set for this.
"The accused claims that he wasn't at all involved in this conspiracy until you invited him at behest of the Magus Killer seven years ago. Can you confirm this?"
"Yup. Kiritsugu came fer both of us in particular. That in itself was a bit of a warnin that something was off. That man was never one ta involve others in his work unless absolutely necessary. Make no mistake either, he knew that his job wasn't something that others would be keen on bein part of. If he wanted someone ta help him out, it was only because he felt like he genuinely needed them."
"But why the accused?" the Prosecutor pushed. "His reputation was nonexistent then, and his abilities were just as poor. There is no reason to assume that even someone as ill reputed as the Magus Killer had other resources in the Clocktower."
Sirius snorted. "Humph. Yer right about the lad's reputation and ability. He's all book smarts. I was of the same mind as you at the time. Even now he looks little more than a stick ta me. But that's not what Kiritsugu wanted. Power? Ability? Resources? Reputation? Ah could supply all of that crap if I wanted. What Waver had was more important than that. It was experience."
"Experience? In the war?" There was clear confusion in his tone. "Unless you've forgotten, the Magus Killer was also a participant."
"Mmm. Not that kind. Not entirely." Sirius shook his head. "Kiritsugu knew he was dyin. He needed someone to keep things goin on track after he keeled over. Focused. In context. The lad had the experience of bein in way over your head. Experience of fully acknowledging just how outgunned you are by the competition and still pulling out alive. Of havin a good relationship with someone outlandishly stronger than you. Plus, he was the only one that's gotten a good face full of what Gilgamesh could throw out when he was serious. That input was invaluable. The idea that Waver might actually become a bigshot here didn't cross either of our minds. It was damn convenient, but not something we had planned or even aimed for. If ya were planning on accusing us of plantin the lad into your family as some kind of spy, don't bother. That fuckup was all you. None of us gave two shits about your family."
The old man pointedly made an effort to ignore the annoyed glares he was getting from both sides of the room.
"And you didn't bother questioning the Magus Killer about his claims? That a Servant was somehow still alive? That the ritual itself was corrupted. Without any substantial proof? Just like that?"
Apparently that was the wrong thing to say to Sirius if his sour expression was any indication. "… Lad. Let me teach you something that most of the shut in weaklings in this room don't seem to understand despite how special you claim yourselves to be. Those boys like Kiritsugu, the ones that find themselves more on the ground than in the lab? I was one of them once. We've seen things, survived things that you cowards only hear about in rumors tha you idiots brush off as heresy and mere hypothetical theory. Over an over again. Be it Apostles, other Magi, or Phantasmal Beasts, we know how ta gage just how bad things can get. We see the mess we have ta clean up, jump right into the middle of it all, get the shit kicked outa us, get the job done, get out, an then look for the next fiasco ta deal with without anyone askin us to. WE are the ones that tell you just how bad a situation is. Not the other way around."
Around the room, several individuals, likely Enforcers, nodded in agreement.
"Kiritsugu Emiya? Any idiot in the game knew he was one of the boys that was called when things got real nasty, or someone or something needed to die yesterday. He wasn't a part of the Association, but there was no question he was one of the best and everyone damn feared him for it. I liked him, and I wanted no part in anything that ticked him off. When he moved, when he killed, it was for a damn good reason. If he, of all people, said a situation was genuinely bad, ya don't question his validity or how he knows. The first thing out of yer damn mouth should be either ta ask for details, or what you should be doin to help, because he sure as hell didn't tell you just to gossip."
Shirou snuck a glance at Illya during Sirius' cool tirade. He had to hand it to his sister, the girl was hiding her sadistic glee pretty well. He almost wasn't worried that she was going to abuse their relationship with Kiritsugu when it was her time to speak.
Almost.
The old man leaned back into his seat, causing his spine to pop from the strain. "But, I know that for some of you lot, simply trusting another person in general, no matter the reputation, is complete heresy. Greedy useless twats. It's true, other than some pictures that golden boy, Kiritsugu didn't have much on hand to show us when he first came over. But there was something else he brought that was more than enough after a bit of digging into him. Literally."
"Literally?" The Prosecutor frowned in confusion.
"Evidence 5-T through W. My medical and thaumaturgical reports. Extensive investigations into the lad's body shortly after he first arrived," Sirius clarified. "More specifically, it's my initial and follow up examinations into the curse that killed him."
"Emiya did die rather young, and the exact means of his death were always speculative. You believed that this curse was proof enough to back up his claims?" The Judge frowned in curiosity.
"Word for word." Sirius frowned. "It killed him off slowly, but I swear I've never seen anything close to that nasty piece of work before. Infected his body straight to the circuits. I'm not an expert in curses, but I know enough to make some decent observations and try some treatments. Nothin I did slowed it down in the slightest, even some of my more potent and exotic treatments did jack, which is something I have never witnessed before. There was some quality stuff that I had on hand."
"And yet it didn't work."
Sirius shot the judge an annoyed glare. "It didn't just "not work" Animusphere. When I said it did jack, I meant it in the full meaning. There was no bloody reaction at all. Completely inert. To this day, it's the only curse I've ever laid eyes on that could shrug off genuine essence of a bloody Holy Phantasmal beast like oil and water."
Many in the room began whispering in earnest. Samples of Phantasmal beasts were rare to come by, and those that possessed a "Holy" nature were rarer still. The few that were encountered were often quickly snagged by the Church for obvious reasons. Even if curses weren't his specialty, it was particularly surprising that Sirius would admit that he was unable to provoke a response with such high quality materials.
"Did you not ask for help?" The Judge probed.
"Took samples to several of the main departments here ta get em looked at, see if he could be treated in some way. Spiritual Evocation. Celestial Body. Curse. Archaeology. Told them as much as they needed to know of its source, Zoroastrain or Middle Eastern in origin, but every reply came back the same. Either the curse itself was too obscure for them ta do anything about, or the pricks tried ta charge me up the anus for useless experiments that any novice could tell you wouldn't work because they didn't trust the paperwork I handed them. Either way, no one could do jack."
"Hmm. Is that so?" The Judge looked at the documents delivered to him, scanning them briefly to make sure that they were what Sirius claimed, before returning them to their original positions. "What about the schools in the Middle East? The curse did originate from that area."
Sirius rolled his eyes. "We both know that those annoying bastards are too busy rebuilding their schools every few weeks because of the fighting going on in the area. Only the best bounded fields around could protect them from shoddy overpowered missile targeting systems and dumbass American soldiers. Half of the students there have been leading some stupid revolt to try and change the administration and their policies so they can fight the yanks, or overthrow whoever's in charge of their part of that insufferable litterbox. Their entire internal structure's a mess and even more corrupted than here. Their black market's a godsend in a pinch, but if you want security? Good luck. You can't trust anything valuable to them and expect it to be safe. I might as well just hand my samples to them on a platter and never come back."
No one bothered to argue against the old man. They all knew he was right. The "war against terrorism" was a total joke across the board. Hell, the idiots in the west couldn't even target the right country.
Sirius nodded to the desk of evidence. More specifically, to a vial of pitch black fluid contained inside. "The only sample I have left is over there. Five hundred ml of the nastiest shit I've ever encountered. Needed to make the container and carrier custom made ta make sure there wouldn't be any accidents."
Now that Animusphere knew what it was, the man seemed to be both placated and unnerved by the ebony contents of the container. "I suppose that there is enough evidence at face value to prove Kiritsugu Emiya's allegations of the Fuyuki Grail, and your motivation to follow through with his plans. We'll have to question the members of the Department of Curses that you interacted with later to examine the sample. One that we will keep an eye on."
"You have fun with that."
Truth be told, the Department of Curses in particular had become slightly obsessed with the curse itself after Sirius had delivered his initial samples. Had they been more genuinely interested in helping the "test subject" recover from his situation, he might have been willing to tell them about Kiritsugu.
Bastards wouldn't leave him alone until he threatened to stop making their research equipment at reasonable prices.
The rest of Sirius' time being questioned went pretty quickly.
It had been clear that he was mostly in charge of teaching Shirou and being a contact in the Clocktower. He didn't do anything of notable worth politically, and he wasn't related to the Archibald family in any way, so there wasn't much worth to keep questioning him other than the usual probes to try and find out if anyone was doing any illegal research and other invasive questions that had no place in the courtroom.
The old man's snark was getting on everyone's nerves, but it did come in handy at some points.
"McGinty, did you or the accused conduct any forbidden research in preparation for the War?"
"No more than any other Magus that was being put up against unreasonable odds. Desperate times leads to dumbass measures, and all that. Because clearly all the major problems in the world can only be solved by forbidden research that is more likely to make things worse in reality."
Clearly no one assumed that anyone had made any progress in said forbidden research given the fact that no one bothered to press the subject any further than that.
And who said that being disrespected all the time was a bad thing?
The rest of the old man's trial went as well as expected. As a Sealing Designate, and a teacher, it was only reasonable that what he could do in his situation was limited from the start.
It didn't stop the Prosecution from making some pretty wild stretches at some points. Shirou had to force himself not to burst out laughing when the idiot actually tried to insinuate that the old man had let himself get caught on purpose by Louvre in some sort of grand scheme for Waver to make himself better known.
The old man, on the contrary, possessed no such form of self-restraint, laughing his ass off for almost a whole minute after the accusation was made.
Ultimately, at the worst, Sirius merely confirmed everyone's suspicions that he had acted as a sort of in between for Shirou and Waver once Waver was forbidden from talking to the former. But then again, pretty much everyone had suspected as much by this point.
And then it was Shirou's turn.
"Haaah." Even if he was on his best behavior, it wasn't missed that Shirou was actually getting tired of the event, what with him propping up his head with one of his arms on the table. In fact, he had been in this and similar positions for some time now, even when Saber and some of the others tried to nudge him awake outside of the view of others.
Sitting at the table all day doing nothing wasn't normally his thing. He was normally an active person, tinkering with broken objects, or studying, or sparring, or planning, or cooking. His body felt uneasy if he was not doing something for long periods of time. More so if it was during the middle of the day, when his Apostle nature urged him to rest. The only exception was when he meditated.
It didn't help that being in such close proximity to Archer for extended periods of time was causing him to have dreams that he would very much prefer not to go through.
Off to the side, he noticed that Merem was faring just as well as he was, napping on a couch, dead to the world (no pun intended), and under a thick blanket so to prevent exposure from the light outside.
"Is there something the matter, Emiya?" the Prosecutor accused smugly. "I would have thought that someone of your position would be able to carry themselves through such a minor event."
Shirou glanced at the man's image, which was in turn shown through his own magnified holographic projection in the Tower. "No. Rather, I'm more disappointed than anything."
"Disappointed?"
He waved his other hand lazily. "The Prosecution is spending more time trying to denounce or demean Lord El-Melloi II and any evidence that supports him rather than trying to support their own accusations. Those supporting it are clearly depending too much on their political clout to the point that they aren't even trying to hide it. It's so embarrassing it's genuinely boring. My apologies for letting it get to me."
Judging from the way more than a few members of the audience were speaking to one another, Shirou wasn't the only one that caught onto this.
"I would appreciate it if you kept meaningless and baseless thoughts like that to yourself."
"I'm merely satisfying your curiosity, sir." Shirou yawned lethargically, not at all paying attention to the looks he was getting not on screen, but from everyone else in the room as well. It was not often that he was blatantly so rude to others.
Before the irritated man could speak up again, someone else beat him to it.
"Dog."
Someone with far more authority than he did.
Almost instantly, the room went dead quiet, several people even sitting up straight on instinct. Shirou included.
Lorelei Barthomelloi frowned. "You are normally not this sloppy and crass."
There were several ways to interpret her statement, and few of them were positive.
Shirou looked at the image of his superior quietly, as if debating what his next statement would be, before sighing to himself, clearly coming to a decision, and reaching for the shroud that was wrapped around his head.
Just the action of moving to reveal part of his face caught the attention of many. After all, his personal information was considered a widely sought after secret in the Association.
It didn't take long for their curiosity to give way to something else.
He didn't take the shroud off, but he did give the crowd a good view of the left side of his face, covered in a metallic scale like mesh that did not belong to a normal human being.
"The mission was a success. I never said that there weren't complications."
Even Lorelei was momentarily caught off guard by his mutilated state if the look of genuine surprise she had was any indication, even after he had hidden his face behind the shroud again. "… You did not mention that in our previous exchanges."
"My personal state was unimportant compared to the situation at hand." The teen waved away his mistake as if it was inconsequential. "It's only been these past few days that everything has been catching up to me. I did not recognize the severity of my state and my exhaustion until I had time to rest. Had I not have the resources I currently do, I might still be unconscious and recovering from my excursions. My apologies."
"You did not notice that half your face was mutated?" the Prosecutor echoed, unwilling to believe such a ridiculous claim.
"I did not deem it as a problem worth recognizing." Shirou corrected, his tone a bit firmer, allowing no argument. "A leftover from my encounter with the King of Heroes. One of several. I can still eat, breathe, and function like this. Caster has been kind enough to examine and treat my status, and determined that it can be addressed and rectified. However between this and other injuries that I accumulated, I am unfortunately not at my best. It is why I did not travel to the Tower in person the moment I had resolved the situation here. Does the court have issue with my decision?"
The others in the living room couldn't help but look at Shirou as if he had grown another head. They had all just gotten used to the young man that, while dangerous, was rather easy to push around and did requests without hesitation. He apologized frequently. He cooked. He stepped aside for them whenever their paths crossed for one reason or another.
For most of them, the idea that Shirou could be rude to someone that didn't specifically push his buttons was just fantastical. It was almost as if he was a different person entirely.
The only person there with him that wasn't so surprised was Luvia.
She had seen him like this on many occasions within the Clocktower, albeit never to this extreme. She knew how little he genuinely cared about people that worked against his interests, how he frequently spoke in half-truths among his peers to tell them what they wanted to know while keeping what he knew secret.
His injury and warped face was a leftover from his fight with Gilgamesh. His exhausted state was, in part, due to all the fighting he had participated in. Neither were lies, and yet, neither indicated in the slightest that his Apostle nature existed in the slightest.
It also gave those in the Gallery a brief glimpse into just how twisted and dangerous the War had been.
If Barthomelloi's dog had been mangled to this degree, just how badly would they fare? Did he actually fight a Servant? What curse was he affected by? How is he able to ignore such an affliction?
Questions of this and similar nature echoed through many of mind. In a few seconds, Shirou had gone from, "the current focus of the meeting" to "the most interesting person in the room". The significance and command he held over everyone's attention was now unquestioned.
More so, this was the first time the masses of the Clocktower had borne witness to Shirou's "face". As far as they, and soon most parties, would know, he was a mutilated teenager that either would have to carry about with half his head hidden by some means, or refrain from going out at all. Few, if any would suspect that he was able to return his face back to normal anytime he wished. Should someone try looking for him in the near future, they would be running on false information, allowing him to move with greater ease for that period of time.
Luvia had to cover her mouth with her hand, not to hide her shock, but to mask her bemused smile. She had seen him do things of this nature several times at the tower, playing the expectations and assumptions of others against them. But never to this degree before. She seriously didn't know if she wanted to berate or applaud him right now.
"… No. You are fully in your right to make such a decision, Emiya." The Judge took a moment to regain his voice, still slightly caught off guard from Shirou's current state. "Lady Barthomelloi, while I understand the concern you have over your subordinate's behavior, I must remind you that you are a witness in this trial. You are not in a position to speak out of turn here."
"The Vice Director was completely in her right to chastise me," Shirou corrected the Judge. "It was my error to assume that the Prosecution would not approach this event with such a lofty and drawn out method, and was unprepared for it. I am deeply sorry for my oversight."
Shocking the court into revealing his condition which then evolved into politely insulting the opposition while keeping Barthomelloi looking good. Rapidly, yet seamlessly chaining these gestures within the first few minutes of being the focus of attention. Subtle strong plays like this were NOT Shirou's forte.
It was little wonder that pretty much everyone sitting near Shirou was staring at him as if he had just grown a second head.
Rin looked at Luvia accusingly, as if to say "I thought you said that he was terrible at Clocktower politics."
Luvia returned the glare with one of her own. "I did. He keeps to himself most of the time. He has his moments, but this is beyond that. Don't blame me. It's almost like someone else is speaking for… him."
Both Luvia and Rin turned to look at Saber standing quietly a small distance behind Shirou, eyes focused on the display of the court, yet every now and then there were certain twitches on her face as if she was somehow distracted… or talking to someone.
"… Damn it Shirou."
Screw dignity. B ranked Charisma was simply too damn tempting of a resource to not abuse.
He of course couldn't use the skill, but there was no rule against having Saber give him a few pointers before he could open his mouth.
Playing the role of someone overly cocky was something that Saber tried to avoid when playing politics. But Shirou already had a questionable reputation of that nature in the Clocktower, so she went with it with only some reluctance. Thankfully, he had enough experience adlibbing and bullshitting his way around the tower to play along with her plan.
It was needed though. What Shirou needed most in this situation was not evidence and support. He, no, Waver had enough of those. Instead, with so many people watching, he needed a strong reputation and impression. People knew of him, but now they were going to see him. Hear him. Believe that they knew him.
If he gave the impression of just being another hired gun or yes man, there would be little reason to assume that he would move under his own violations or motives. That everything he did was because someone else told him to it.
Talking down to the Prosecutor. Calling them out on their bullshit while at the same time disregarding it as meaningless. Involving Barthomelloi yet not simply doing as he was told. All while maintaining a professional composure. It all gave him an independent image that would make others curious and wonder what drove him to do what he did. That he and his motives were genuinely important.
Important things stuck out in people's minds. Thus, his words would have greater weight than the opposition.
Another petty psychological trick, yes, but at least his had decent presentation.
"Very well." Judge Animusphere coughed, clearly wanting to put this minor debacle behind them. "For the record, please identify yourself."
"Agent Emiya, direct subordinate of Vice Director Lorelei Barthomelloi of the Magus Association. Sixth head of the Emiya family and adopted son of Kiritsugu Emiya. Known Alias': Queen's Silver Dog and the Second Magus Killer. Bearer of the Noble Color Silver." Shirou recited calmly. "My occupation is whatever the Vice Director dictates. Primarily in Sealing Designation and Apostle acquisition, along the Eurasian border and parts of Asia."
"Identification code?"
"Alpha six two seven eight zeta gamma."
"Age and full name?"
"Classified."
"Primary field of Magecraft?"
"Material and Temporal Transmutation." It was like saying his major in college was a chemist or a craftsman. Specific enough to satisfy most, but vague enough to not hint at what he could do specifically. Everyone knew he specialized in projection anyways. They just didn't know what the limits of his projection skills actually were.
There was a brief pause. "… Temporal... Transmutation? Not Temporal Modification?"
"It's a work in progress." His timeless blades were merely the first step. There would be future progress, but not much. At best, he was just laying down the groundwork for someone more competent down the line to make the real strides.
Animusphere looked curiously at Shirou, clearly something other than the trial being debated in his mind. "I look forward to seeing your future research."
"And I your input." The young man bowed slightly in thanks.
An annoyed and forced cough from the Prosecutor unfortunately got them back on track.
"We have established that you and Lord El-Melloi II have had a relationship and were involved in this plan for the Grail War before his promotion. Correct?"
"Partially. I was being trained for it, but I was not aware of the Grail War or what was intended for me until shortly after the incident with Louvre," Shirou corrected.
"I still find it particularly odd that your father would place such a heavy burden on you. A child, no offence. As skilled as you may be, one would think to place it on someone…"
"Older? More experienced?" Shirou sounded amused. "Do not worry. I was, am still, of the same mind to some extent."
"But you do have an explanation for it."
The teen shrugged. "This War is an abnormality. The Masters. The Servants. The fact that it was fifty years premature. Everything was rushed. More than half the Masters in this are my age. Father was banking on several factors when he picked me for this task, though that did not mean he was fond of the idea of using me at all. The fact that I would be more prepared than my peers. My inside knowledge on things I should not know. The hope that I could make connections and possibly talk the other Masters, primarily of the three main families, to my side of things. The greater the odds of not triggering the Greater Grail, the better. This wasn't an issue that could be resolved by killing the opposition."
Several people in Shirou's house found it very hard not to look at a certain Assassin at that moment.
"Are you insinuating that executing the opposition would be counterproductive?"
"Yes. The details are unfortunately classified until the Einzbern give permission." Shirou looked at Illya pointedly.
"As the representative of the Einzbern, I have determined that information about the Grail System is irrelevant to the current topic being discussed and should remain classified."
Animusphere nodded, glancing briefly at the Einzbern representatives with him in the Clocktower that had yet to make a sound, let alone twitch. "The court has made note of your decision. I assume this means that you have extensive knowledge regarding the functions of the Grail system in Fuyuki then? Emiya?"
"More than most, but I would hardly consider myself an expert in its intricacies. The thaumaturgy that it is comprised of is in a completely different spectrum than what I specialize in. I only have a cursory knowledge of Alchemy. Rather, if you wish for a report on its current status, I would recommend that you wait until the current representatives of the Three Families here and Caster have had their time with it. I've inspected it myself several times. It truly is a masterpiece stained by poor management."
"And they could not inspect the Grail in the time between now and when you have resolved the war?"
"The aftermath of the final battle was and is still a convoluted affair that needs constant oversight. We can only prioritize and address so much at a time. Caster is attending to the various immediate issues that her counterpart had caused during the War, aiding in the stabilization of the leylines in Fuyuki and the recovery of everyone here. In fact, she only just returned from the scene of the final battle last night. Tohsaka was occupied with the extensive damage and information management from the fighting along with the representative from the Church. As for Einzbern and Matou, we decided that given the unstable state of the Grail from Caster's machinations, it would be best to postpone their inspection until the leylines here were stabilized for accurate analysis."
"And when do you anticipate that you can make these accurate assessments?"
"Within the next few days at the latest."
"I see." The Judge frowned. "I assume that you have inspected the Greater Grail yourself in person at some point?"
"I have, but I could determine little in its inert state. McGinty and Lord El Melloi II have tried their hand at it as well with similar results. We are not an Alchemists. Even if we knew what was wrong with it, we do not have the knowledge or the means to examine its corruption in that state. One of my goals for this event was to obtain some assistance in addressing this issue."
"You mean to fix the Grail?"
"I mean to end it. It is little more than a failed experiment in its current state, one that was kept running on the misguided hopes that it could still yield positive results regardless of the cost it would incur. I couldn't do that properly without proof, and normal means of obtaining proof would only cause complications, not resolve them. Showing that a unique curse killed my father is not enough to prove that the entire system was contaminated. More was required."
"What of the Servants?"
This time Shirou did pause, picking his words carefully. "… They are useful. If possible, it would be beneficial if the Grail could be dismantled in a way that would enable their extended stay."
"You make it sound like they are guests instead of familiars," the Judge noted curiously.
"I do not live in a castle or a mansion. Please do not say anything that might irritate the half dozen super powered Heroic Spirits here. I'd like my home to stay in one piece, thank you." His dead even reply generated a few laughs in the audience, a significant break from the professional attitude he had portrayed just moments earlier.
"Yes. I recall that you are in fact hosting the remaining participants of the War in your home. I am somewhat surprised considering recent events. Do you believe that this is wise?"
"We have come to an understanding that none of us would benefit from any further bloodshed. Anyone that would risk breaking this truce would put themselves at risk from the others."
Lancer held back a snort. That was one way of saying it. Another would be that at least half of the Servants here would jump to the kid's aid without a second thought.
If anyone wanted to try something stupid, they best pray that it worked on the first try and had enough time to get the hell out of there, because there wouldn't be time for a second chance, and they'd risk the wrath of the kid himself. No one liked their odds of being his next target.
"Even after learning of Lady Edelfelt's contract on your head?" The Judge probed.
Shirou shrugged, brushing away the topic as if it didn't bother him. "A nonissue. We knew one another long enough to be aware that it was a very real possibility. The contract has already been nullified regardless, so the Edelfelt family is no longer under any obligation, nor are they tied to an unreasonable request from a family that does not respect its superiors."
Several shouts of indignation echoed through the room as Shirou finally started firing shots relentlessly at his opposition. The courtroom was full of commotion as Judge Animusphere hammered his gavel loudly to regain order.
"Quiet! Quiet! Emiya. Ignoring your blasé commentary, you stated that the contract between the Edelfelts and Archibalds, evidence A-017, has been negated without being fulfilled nor the punishment clauses triggered?"
Shirou nodded, ignoring the brief look that Luvia was giving him. He was taking the blame for her actions again and she loathed every second of it. "Yes. That is correct. I am one of the parties responsible for that turn of events, and I do have the means and reason to accomplish such a feat."
More whispers echoed through the room, though not enough to delay the proceedings.
"I don't suppose you are willing to share such means with the court?"
"I will refrain. It's not relevant to the trial." He refused to answer a question for the first time that day. Of course he would. It would expose his ability to replicate Noble Phantasms and the existence of Rule Breaker.
Judging from the fact that Lorelei Barthomelloi did not seem to react to his statement or urge him to answer the question, she appeared to have come to the correct conclusion as well.
"I supposed as much." Animusphere shifted through his papers. "Did you assume that the Archibalds were after your life before being informed during the War?"
"It was only an educated guess that someone was after me specifically at the time, especially after Lord El-Melloi had been ordered to not contact me." Shirou shrugged. "I did have a few incidents with other Magi during my employ under Lady Barthomelloi, but nothing that pointed to them in particular."
"May we have an example of these incidents?"
"An example…" Shirou had to think for a moment before coming with a reasonable one. "For the first few months of my employ, during Designation Hunts, there was reason to believe that information about my coming was being leaked to the targets. Several had escaped days before I had even arrived on site. Others had seemed to prepare for me in particular. Two had hired help from specifically those that had grievances against my Father. I found myself in unreasonably difficult situations at times because of them. We eventually suspected a leak within Lady Barthomelloi's employment, but before she could narrow down the source, the suspected culprit, a gifted young woman that was part of her human resources department had disappeared. We still have yet to find a body, if there is one anymore."
Rin shot Luvia a questioning glance, all but asking if she knew anything about these events. The blonde didn't respond back, merely frowning in thought as she tried to recall the events during that time period, clearly indicating that this was as new to her as it was everyone else.
"Did you take part in the investigation?"
"No. I was still new to the organization under her. I was not trusted with any more sensitive knowledge to its workings and members more than I was already privy to," Shirou denied.
"Lady Barthomelloi. Can you verify his statement?" Animusphere looked at the Vice Director curiously.
"The Dog is speaking the truth." If Lorelei was at all bothered with reveal of this minor scandal, she did not at all show it. "I will not speak names at risk of prolonging this event even further. However I can state that the person in question, and those close to her, did not have any direct ties to any notable family or group, and had come under my employ out of sheer merit. None of the possessions she left behind indicated as such either. The investigation was continued for a year and a half after her disappearance with little ground made."
"And after her disappearance, the information leaks stopped?"
"Yes."
"And these leaks appeared only during tasks that involved Emiya?"
"Yes."
More whispers echoed through the courtroom, with several people glancing at Shirou with mixed emotions and curiosity.
"Emiya, did you ever have any peculiar encounters near home? The city where you reside in is not restricted knowledge." The Judge changed gears slightly.
"Not as frequently. Fuyuki is owned by the Tohsaka family, and there is… was, a notable member of the Church overseeing the territory as well. It is more difficult and riskier for magi to start trouble here." It was blatantly clear to those that knew him that Shirou wasn't looking forward to talking about this particular subject.
Rin didn't miss the wordplay in his answer.
"But there were still attempts," the Judge concluded.
"I dealt with four. Though there may have been more that I am unaware of," Shirou relented, avoiding eye contact with Rin in particular.
What caught his attention though, was the brief look of confusion that escaped the Archibald representative's face for a moment.
"Only four?"
Shirou frowned in thought, realizing that the number was a bit on the low side. "Kirei Kotomine… he was an unfavorable man, but he did take his obligations seriously. Zouken Makiri may have been responsible for others as well as he considered me a… resource at the time. Neither were considerably generous individuals when it came to information. I would not expect them to inform me of any possible assailants if they did encounter any unless directly questioned or had something to gain from it."
His guess was right and wrong at the same time. It was true that both Kotomine and Zouken accumulated a meager count of Magus lives over the past couple of years, two or three each at best. However, the fact of the matter was that Taiga with the aid of her "Family" had managed to score slightly more than the other two parties combined. Rather than say she was more adept at combating Magi than the Priest and the Worm, it was more accurate to claim that she was the only one of the three actively hunting those that were hunting Shirou with more resources available.
"Sh-Emiya." Rin spoke up, correcting herself at the last moment. Few people in the tower knew Shirou's full name. "Why wasn't I informed about this?"
Shirou shifted uncomfortably, showing the first sign of weakness for the entire trial. "They started happening around the time our lucrative side project was starting to take off. I didn't want to interrupt the momentum."
That and it was something to hold over some of the clients' heads during negotiations whenever one of their bodyguards disappeared. A happy Rin was a safe Rin.
Suddenly all those rumors Luvia heard about "not pushing her luck" when making those artificial gem deals with Rin made a lot more sense in hindsight.
Rin blinked several times owlishly before shooting him a very dirty glare. She instantly knew which clients he was talking about, and had always wondered why they suddenly became so cooperative during the middle of their talks. "We are going to have words once this is over."
"Hoooh?" Lancer spoke to Bazett telepathically. "Looks like the kid's got a meaner streak than we thought. Didn't think he had it in him unless someone pissed him off. Well, then again, they probably did try to kill him first, so that isn't much of a leap."
"Lancer. Be quiet." Bazett didn't want to deal with his sass right now.
"Oi. Come on Master. Don't tell me you didn't notice." Lancer ignored her request, his tone developing an edge. "He didn't show any sign of regret killing those guys in the slightest. He was more worried about angering little red here."
Of course she noticed. She doubted that anyone that was familiar with Shirou's behavior missed it either.
"Noted. However, Miss Tohsaka, please refrain from speaking out of turn."
"… Understood." Rin didn't look away from Shirou, her tone still less than pleased.
"Emiya, again, throughout all of your encounters, you never suspected the Archibald family's involvement in particular?"
It took a moment for Shirou to get himself back on track. "No. The first time I received word that they were up to something was when my resources told me that they were interested in the Grail War once word got around that it was starting early. They weren't the only ones, of course, but the scale of their investigation could only be matched by someone that intended on getting involved."
"Or in this case, involving Miss Edelfelt."
Shirou shook his head. "No. Their research started before she was chosen as a Master. I believe that they would have sponsored and hired anyone that wasn't closely associated with me so long as they were a Master and had a Servant."
"And do you believe that her being a Master affected the outcome of your actions?"
"Yes." Shirou didn't hesitate at all answering the question, getting a few looks.
"How so?"
"She's worth keeping alive."
He said it with an almost casual tone, and yet the words themselves seemed to suckerpunch most of the people that heard them.
"… Explain."
"I respect her. She's a capable magus with experience on the ground and knows how to fight. She's also shown genuine interest into my father and my methods when taking down targets and not once dismissed what she learned as meaningless. Rather, I have witnessed her incorporate what she has learned into her own stratagems. There are few magi that are willing to go the extra mile to utilize "demeaning" tactics and ways of approaching issues like she has, even if it is to increase efficiency. It shows proactive and adaptive thinking, which I appreciate," Shirou elaborated.
"Careful master. At this rate, you might actually blush."
"Quiet Caster!"
"So she proved to be a difficult target for you to defeat using your normal methods then," Animusphere surmised.
"That, and I personally trusted her judgement skills to recognize the situation for what it was, prioritizing the greater issue at hand over a petty contract." Shirou shrugged. "She was one of the first in the War that I requested cooperation with. She did not disappoint expectations."
Luvia honestly didn't know how she should feel right now, or what she was currently feeling for that matter.
"And you were not worried about her contract?"
"A roadbump. At best."
"How did you discover about the arrangement? Did Lord El-Melloi II or Lady Edelfelt inform you? Or do you have any resources that have yet to be mentioned."
"None of those, your honor. The renegade Caster had announced it during one of the earlier confrontations in an attempt to sabotage any efforts of possible collaboration between us. Fortunately, neither of us are so petty as to let something like that blind us to the situation at hand. I had also, correctly, anticipated the possibility of one of the other Masters being hired to kill me during the events as well and made preparations for possible outside interference."
"Which are?"
"Classified and irrelevant."
"I assumed as much…" Throughout the entire conversation, Animusphere was writing down notes and making his own assumptions. "And Lady Edelfelt informed you that the Archibalds specifically were her employers once the contract was annulled?"
Shirou knew that there was trap in the question, but answered it without hesitation. "She merely confirmed my pre-existing suspicions given what I already knew. It was no secret Lord El Melloi II had been tasked with supporting her extensively for the War, nor was it unknown that the Archibald family did not see me in the highest regard. It did not take much deductive reasoning to come to that conclusion. No one does anything for free. They were clearly expecting something from the Edelfelt family for their services."
The judge looked at Luvia's image curiously. "The Edelfelt family is well known for its involvement in mercenary activities and professionalism. I am somewhat surprised that you would expose your employer so readily."
Huffing in a way that only a noble aristocrat could, Luvia appeared more affronted than guilty. "Please keep in mind the context of the situation, Lord Animusphere. By the time we were exchanging information of that nature, my sister had already been betrayed by her Servant and I had become aware of the current nature of the Grail itself. While abandoning the contract will be a mark on the family, abandoning my sister and being responsible for a catastrophe incarnate to walk the planet would accomplish nothing less than drag the entirety of our pride, name, and principles through the mud for little more than some petty benefits is something that I will not tolerate."
Just two words, but the weight behind them was insurmountable.
"Petty benefits". That is what she called the rather substantial monetary and political capital that her family would have come to possess had she had indeed managed to kill Shirou. She had all but severed all ties between the Edelfelt Family and the Archibald Family, denouncing the latter as beneath them despite the difference in social standings.
It was a very, VERY significant and risky move she had just made, and more than one person had taken particular note of it if the murmurs in the crowd generated were any indication.
"I see… And what of the idea of simply cooperating with Emiya until the issue was resolved before completing your contract?" Animusphere probed.
Luvia smirked. "Lord Animusphere. By the time I had enough information to contemplate that option, I had just been informed that the Grail War was a potentially cataclysmic sham, my sister was incarcerated by her Servant, the overseer of the Church was hiding and collaborating with possibly the strongest Heroic Sprit that could be summoned, a good number of my moves and my Servant had been predetermined without my knowing before the battle even started, Zouken Matou had been hiding in the background aware of all of this and in a position to make everything worse. Throughout all of this, for the past two years, for the entirety that I knew him, Emiya had been preparing to address it all without anyone being the wiser."
She sighed and waved her hands in a helpless gesture. "Please, do not take me for a fool, my lord. I am confident in my abilities, but I know a doomed prospect when I see one. His Saber is a remarkably powerful Servant, and more than one of the other Masters and Servants here would jump to his aid without a moment's hesitation after all that he's done for them. I am outgunned, outnumbered, and I owe him a debt that cannot be repaid easily. My common sense and my pride will not allow me to do something so asinine."
She ignored Shirou looking at her. She couldn't tell what he was thinking with his shroud on. Her relationship with him over the past few weeks had been all over the place, to the point that she doubted that either of them knew where exactly they stood with one another now.
She did know that he still, beyond all reasonable logic, trusted her.
Why? Even she didn't know. But… she did owe him her life. And her sister's. At the very least, as head of the Edelfelt family, she intended to repay that debt.
"And you believe that you are not one of these marks now?"
"I am under the impression that Emiya is a rather reasonable individual. The Vice Director is not the sort that would employ a reckless fool. So long as I do not give him a reason to harm me, I have no reason to be afraid. Additionally, he is generously hosting us for the time being. With my sister in the situation that she was in, I was obligated to consider the continuation of my Family's legacy."
"You are speaking of Ore Scales."
"It is remarkably useful at times, but completely worthless if both holders are killed." Luvia admitted without shame. "This is the second time that Japan has almost wiped out both holders. Sadly neither my sister nor I apparently learned from the mistakes of our predecessors."
"Right. There are records that this is not the first time that the Edelfelt family participated in the Fuyuki Grail war." Animusphere shuffled through his notes. "Regarding the Archibalds. I assume that you will not attempt to renew the contract and compensate their expenditures?"
Luvia nodded. "Of course. My sponsors were responsible for procuring the artifacts used to summon Caster, and accumulated information and resources here in Fuyuki. All expenses of which will be refunded in full, even if the contract is no longer in effect. However, the Edelfelt family will refrain from doing any further business with them in the near future. The previous contract was one already written under duress, and now that the matter is being brought to light, I believe it is in my family's best interests to refrain further contact unless necessary to avoid further involvement. I'm certain that we will be able to make due with more reliable and stable resources in the near future. Especially should Caster remain with me as a consultant."
Translation. Being Shirou's ally is more beneficial to her than the Archibald's. If he can ensure that she maintains control over Caster as a resource, she'd be able to make up for her losses easily plus interest. Shirou Emiya is far more dangerous as an enemy to her family than the Archibald family is, and it is in her best interests to be on his good side.
Bottom line. The Archibalds can get bent as far as she was concerned. She picked her side and wasn't moving anytime soon.
For the first time since the court started, one of the representatives of the Archibalds stood up. "The Archibald family would like to make a formal complaint to the Edelfelt family due to breach of contract. Despite not being directly responsible for its annulment, Luviagelita Edelfelt has none the less broken sacred protocol. We demand compensation for this in the form of her Command Seals and control over Servant Master."
The audience could not keep quiet, excited and surprised by the turn of events.
Luvia, in contrast, was surprisingly unflappable. Bored even. It was as if she had been expecting something like this. "Caster? What do you say to this? To be handed off to a Master that will likely not refrain from pursuing Emiya's life?"
The Princess of Colchis knew exactly where her Master was going with this, and chuckled politely while materializing, exposing herself to the audience. "Hmhm. It's an amusing prospect, Master. One that I would enjoy spectating, but would rather avoid taking part of personally. Quite the contrary, if I was forced to play a role in such an endeavor, I would find my time in this plane end even more quickly."
"Familiar! Are you actually saying that you hold more loyalty to the boy than your own Master?!" It was clear that Caster's words surprised and angered the Archibald if the shade of red on his face was any indication.
"Loyalty?" Caster scoffed. "Of course not. Do not twist my words to fit your delusions, you plebian. Even the words of my era cannot accomplish something so fantastical."
Animusphere frowned. "Then, when you meant that you would rather kill yourself…"
Caster smiled genuinely. "I merely implied that doing so would be the lesser of two evils. I have little intention of ever seeing the boy as an ally. However, I have more reason to ensure that he is never my enemy. Witnessing my counterpart going mad with my face is a rather distasteful experience I would rather avoid repeating on myself."
The courtroom went dead quiet.
"For verification, are you saying that Emiya was the one that killed your other?" Animusphere clarified.
"No. He wasn't, not for a lack of trying, I assure you. The final deed was Assassin's to claim." The Princess smiled genuinely. "However, from what I've heard, he's come remarkably close several times over the course of the War. Enough to leave quite a lasting impression. By the time of the climax, the one that the Witch was afraid of the most was not Berserker or Saber, but the boy himself."
Shirou shifted uncomfortably, showing a rare moment of weakness that everyone on both sides of the conversation could see. No matter how much he prepared, he was never comfortable with being complimented. He never desired or liked being put on a pedestal.
"Emiya, is there anything you would like to add to Caster's statement?" the Judge probed warily.
"… Fighting Servants sucks. You'll get beaten into a pulp at the bare minimum if you're unfortunate enough to survive the first few seconds. I don't recommend it."
It was a crass statement that totally destroyed the mood of the trial and completely undid the image that he had given himself up till then.
"Er. Is that so?" The Judge clearly had also been caught in the whiplash.
"While image and reputation are important, please do not make me out to be some monster that is capable of going toe to toe with a Servant of all things." It wasn't exactly pleading, but there was an exasperated desperation in Shirou's tone, as if begging "please don't be as gullible as I hope you aren't".
The fact that he had actually gone toe to toe against Gilgamesh did not even cross his mind while making his statement. As far as he was concerned, he was just unusually suited to fight the King of Heroes so long as the latter was still holding back.
His statement seemed to snap everyone out of their funk, getting a few nervous and uncomfortable laughs from both sides of the conversation.
"Right. Yes, well, regardless, is she telling the truth Emiya? That you have fought and injured Servant Caster on multiple occasions?"
"I'm apt at sneaking around when I need to, and am fortunate enough to have tools that excel in piercing thaumaturgic defenses," Shirou bluntly stated, as if it should have been obvious. "Anyone would be capable of such feats with those two things so long as they weren't being reckless."
More than a few people sitting with him had to choke back their reactions at that statement. Shirou was the very definition of reckless without even trying.
"Even mysteries from the age of Gods?" Animusphere frowned.
"Very fortunate," Shirou stressed.
Rin barely held back a groan, knowing exactly what he had just done and aimed for. Instead of possibly risking his unnatural abilities, Shirou had given everyone the impression that he had some sort of valuable unknown mystic code which happened to be his key tool for killing other Magi.
On the one hand, he had just reduced his odds of getting a Sealing Designation.
On the other, now more people were going to go after his head to try and steal this disgustingly useful and rare artifact.
Turning back to the Archibald representative, the Judge could not help but be skeptical. "Well? What say you to this, Archibald? It is clear that the Servant does not share interests with you. It would be a significant loss, not just to Edelfelt, but to the Association if such valuable insight to the Age of Gods was lost."
"I wouldn't take that gamble if I were you," Waver spoke up casually, as if it wasn't his problem. "Servants are more trouble than they're worth. And from what I've seen firsthand, the family doesn't have good luck when it comes to hedging its bets."
"You speak as though there is value in your words, traitor." the representative sneered, but he already knew that the damage was done. It was already blatantly clear that they had tried to take kill Emiya, who was a direct subordinate of their superior, Barthomelloi. While Waver may technically be guilty, so were they. Worse, their actions had apparently been interfering with a vastly more significant issue to everyone without their knowing, despite all the research and efforts they went into learning as much about the War as possible, ultimately making them look like utter and incompetent fools.
The Archibald family was in deep water. It felt like the longer the trial went, the worse they looked to the Judge, jury and Association as a whole.
If Waver took any offence to the insult, he hid it well behind an amused smile and a careless shrug.
"Lord El Melloi II, please do not speak unless addressed," Animusphere berated halfheartedly, getting just as effortless of a shrug of compliance in return. "Archibald. Your request for Servant Caster is understandable. However, this is not the venue for such demands. Our focus today is on the Grail and Lord El Melloi's actions."
"Tch."
Animusphere looked at Shirou. "Emiya. We have confirmation that while you are responsible for Edelfelt reigning on her contract with Archibald, neither of you were responsible for exposing it, or the details of its contents while it was active. Thus, the accusations that the accused exposed the existence, contents and nature of a contract that he was not associated with are all but resolved. The matter between both mentioned families will be determined at another time. Back to the matter of the Grail. Why did you not inform the Association or your superiors of its nature when you were first invited?"
"I couldn't. As I alluded to earlier, Zouken Makiri had enlisted me as a co-conspirator to his plans before anything was finalized," Shirou reasoned.
"Could you not simply kill him?"
"I… could. However some context is needed. Zouken Makiri was a magus that had aided in setting up the Grail War in the first place, and was already centuries old by that point. Finding a way to deal with him in a way that would be permanent without rising suspicion was… difficult."
"Hoh? Even for one as reputable as you? Even after invited inside his home?"
Shirou frowned. "The majority of Apostles I have encountered can be considered more human than that monster. The worm had a habit of transferring his mind into a new victim whenever he needed. Be it when his current rotting body was failing on him or when he sustained an injury that he could not recover from. Even then, he kept his soul elsewhere to ensure his twisted longevity. The bastard was a worm in every way imaginable. If he didn't want to be found, it would be impossible to find him. Servant or not."
The revelation caused a small ruckus in the gallery.
"He segregated his mind, body and soul among his familiars?" Animusphere was genuinely shocked. "Impossible. There have been experiments before, but no magus has managed to successfully separate all three and remain sane while maintaining control over all three."
"You are partially correct," Sakura spoke up. "If I may, the Makiri family thaumaturgy specialized in mysteries that 'bind onto oneself'. Grandfather felt little attachment to his physical body, so he primarily focused on the longevity of his mind and soul. His soul was always hidden among his familiars in a safe location, but his mind was what was normally in control over his actions, transferring between disposable body to body, acquired from the local populace when needed. I believe that there are stories of puppeteers who have attempted immortality using similar methods utilizing their own creations as hosts."
The room quieted down; however, the discomfort was still present. "Yes. Yes, of course, you are correct, Miss Makiri. If you put it like that, then it does make sense in context. But please, like the others, request permission before speaking."
"My apologies, your honor."
"Emiya, your… effectiveness against Puppet and familiar users is well known. Even if Zouken Makiri was as proficient as you say, I am having trouble believing that you would have so much trouble with him."
Shirou shook his head. "There were two issues that stayed my hand. Zouken's soul, the worm that he kept it in, was secured in a... troubling location. If he had even suspected that I knew where it was, no, that I was even aware that he kept it separate from whatever his current "body" was in the first place, there would have been severe consequences. The second was that playing the long game gave me a reason to team up with one of the other Masters without raising unwanted suspicions when the War began. With this setup, I was in a good position to get rid of one of the biggest obstacles to the War and get more allies."
"How was Zouken one of the biggest obstacles? I understand he would be difficult to find, but was he that dangerous once you had your Servant?"
Shirou frowned, not liking what he'd have to say. A quick glance from Sakura was the final push he needed to reveal what he was hiding next. "Like I said, Zouken was one of the Magi responsible for the Fuyuki ritual in the first place. It is believed he was over Five Hundred years old by this point. A monster, but even I cannot deny his abilities as a Magus were exceptional. At the end of the previous War, he found some of the remains of the one provided by the Einzbern after it had been destroyed, discovered its corrupted nature, and then without hesitating in the slightest, proceeded to construct an improvised version of his own."
SLAM!
"Impossible!"
This time it wasn't an Archibald or member of the tower that spoke out of line, but a member of the Einzbern family that had been sitting in the front row with the rest of the VVIPs that had attended the hearing. "Even if that old worm had found some scraps from the previous vessel, it is impossible that he would have the knowledge or the ability to construct a functioning replacement!"
"Just like how it was "impossible" for Caster to fabricate one from scratch in just a few days? The world is a big place, Einzbern." Shirou stood his ground, not budging an inch.
"Then where is it?! Where is this abominable fake?! Where is your proof!?" Nearly everyone was genuinely surprised by the amount of outrage that the man was radiating. While some parties so far had been annoyed or put off during the trial, no one had actually lost their tempers yet, much less to this degree.
"Classified." Shirou coldly held his ground.
"You dare to-!"
"That is enough, cousin." It was Illya's turn to speak up now, just as composed as Shirou. "As the Einzbern representative in Fuyuki, I can verify that Emiya is speaking the truth. Zouken Makiri has made an improvised version of the Grail. A shoddy and insulting one at that, but nonetheless it has the potential to have a greater compatibility with the corruption, Angra Mainyu, as well. I have discussed this in detail with Caster and the others here, and we have come to a consensus that this is not the proper venue to be discussing such delicate information. Or do you think otherwise?"
Give them a noose to hang themselves with. It was obvious to anyone that if the subject was pressed any further, then information that the Einzbern would kill to keep secret would get out in droves. Illya had just worked against them by working in their interests.
"Ngh. To be spoken down to by a failure… you were supposed to have killed Emiya, Homonculus!" Instead of calming down, the man had merely redirected his anger to the girl.
"Einzbern! Do not speak out of turn!" Animusphere chastised the man before turning to Illya as well with a less severe expression. "Both of you."
"My apologies. Seeing my family lose control seemed to have affected me." Illya didn't seem to hold back any punches as she cranked up her loli factor momentarily, complete with wide innocent eyes and putting lips. She almost looked innocent.
It would have worked better if the images of everyone in Japan were not clearly displayed giving her dry, unconvinced looks that indicated that she was doing that on purpose.
"Ah. No. It's no problem at all, young lady." Animusphere fumbled, not expecting to get a blast of the little girl treatment so suddenly. No one missed the faint blush on his cheeks and his awkward smile.
Said accusing looks were redirected from Illya to him, accompanies by many in the crowd.
"Pedophile."
"Dirty old man."
"Lolicon." Shirou was slightly surprised that anyone in the Tower actually knew that one, let alone used it.
Animusphere probably wouldn't have gotten a reaction like this if the bulk of the audience didn't consist of mostly the student body and young women that were enamored by Waver, and not veteran politicians.
"Get your minds out of the gutter! She reminds me of my granddaughter!"
Somewhere in the back of the audience, a young girl tried very hard to pretend that she didn't exist.
His argument clearly didn't help the situation.
Shirou felt for the man. He really did, but he wasn't stupid enough to willingly walk on that minefield.
"Enough!" Animusphere hammered the gavel down several times, his face flushed red, a mix of embarrassment and anger. "Either the Gallery will be silent or I will erect a bounded field to keep you quiet! Am I understood?!"
The rapidly muted volume of conversation in the room indicated an affirmation to the question.
"Emiya." It was clear that Animusphere was trying to wrap his head around the spirals that was this case if his tired expression was anything to go by. "To summarize, after the Louvre incident, but before you came to the Tower, you engaged in an agreement with the Makiri family to team up with them for the War. During this same period of time, you discovered what Zouken Makiri was doing, his corrupted Grail and his plans, discovered the nature of the Greater Grail from posthumous messages from your father, and began planning to address it all two years in advance. Am I correct?"
"Sir." Shirou nodded.
"And you had no intentions of involving or enlisting Edelfelt into your plans until she was chosen as a Master?"
"No. I intended to keep everything close to my chest until Zouken was addressed."
"And the Archibalds?"
"An annoyance that got involved where they shouldn't have and are now trying to distract everyone from the fact that they got caught and are guilty of their disloyalty. If it weren't for the fact that they are trying to use people I trust and respect as scapegoats, I wouldn't care less about such a useless group."
"Brat…" Several members of the family cursed in the gallery and from the prosecutor's bench.
"So it would be accurate to say that your actions before and during the War were not intended to antagonize them in any way?"
"That is correct."
"And if you find them to continue to be confrontational?"
Shirou shrugged. "Would that not be a question for the Vice-Director, rather than me?"
It was the casual way that he referred to Barthomelloi that sent chills down everyone's spines. When you spoke to or of her while she was around, it was normally with the utmost respect and reverence. Doing anything less had a tendency of yielding, unfortunate results.
Slowly, more than one pair of eyes turned to the calm and seemingly unflappable woman who looked like she had not noticed the shift in attention in the slightest.
It was only the slightest impatient glance to Animusphere that told the Judge what she was expecting. "Ah. Er. Yes. Lady Vice Director. Emiya is quite correct in his assessment. This supposed issue between the Archibald and himself does appear to be something that would reside under your jurisdiction. Do you have anything to say on the matter?"
"Humph. A subordinate family is going through so much trouble trying to kill an adopted errand dog under my employment. It's such a trivial and foolish story that I have trouble even comprehending how it is so interesting to anyone in the first place. A squabble that is beneath my time." Lorelei dismissed the issue as though she were speaking about children having a meaningless fight at the park. It was an event that happened all the time, and completely nothing noteworthy about.
"Then…" The Judge was clearly about to make some sort of conclusion before he was cut off.
"However. It is apparent that this useless squabble had the potential to interrupt an operation that was of genuine significance." She shot an annoyed look at both Shirou and the Archibalds. "Emiya. I do not care how dedicated to your task you were or how good your intentions were. You failed to inform your superior of the Grail. The disrespect you displayed is inexcusable. Archibald. You had ample time and reason to investigate the war after the previous Lord El Melloi's death, and yet you were so obsessed over a mere child that you completely ignored the increasingly obvious signs that something was amiss. As far as I am concerned, both of you are guilty of treason. The only difference is that one of you actually produces results."
The reactions of both parties were as different as night and day.
Shirou had expected her to say as much. He was used to being torn down by headstrong women that barely had anything nice to say to him, so he didn't so much as flinch as Barthomelloi demeaned his achievements, making them sound as something barely worth noting when compared to his recent faults. He just sat there and took it in stride with a resigned look in his eyes, as if to say "oh well, sucks to be me".
Archibald though looked like he had just been stabbed. "Lady Vice Director! You cannot be… you are actually comparing the entirety of the Archibald family to a single brat?"
"What I am doing is merely clarifying the situation, as you seem to be unaware of even that." While Lorelei sounded the same as usual, Shirou picked up the barest hint of annoyance in her voice. "This is neither the time nor the venue to attempt to redeem yourself. I suggest you do not embarrass yourself, or me, any further than you already have. Unlike the dog, you do not have the luxury of hiding your emotions behind a mask like a child."
Shirou would not deny it. He was giving his boss the stink eye from that last bit. He could handle a lot of things, but he did not appreciate being called a coward in an important setting like this.
She must have been really pissed off at him if she had allowed herself to casually throw insults like that around in public. Calling her out on it would not do him any favors, no matter how satisfying it would be.
"Do you have something to say?" Lorelei clearly didn't miss her other subordinate's displeasure.
"No. I'm fine with simply thinking it."
More than a few people stared at Shirou as if he was insane. No one ever spoke to the Vice Director, no, a Barthomelloi in such a manner before without extreme consequences.
Fortunately, or not, Lorelei was not one of those caught off guard. Instead, she just waved off his glare like an annoying fly. "How vexing. I don't know whether to be pleased or disappointed in you proving me correct with your cowardice."
She could start by stop being a blowhard. He almost voiced his thoughts, but a mental kick from Saber stopped him before he could open his mouth.
Stuck between a King and Queen. And they were both stubborn women. He was destined to be forever to be doomed in life.
Saber mentally kicked him again.
"Such a harsh superior I have." It took nearly everyone in Japan's willpower to not look at Archer.
"Another reason why I try to avoid spending time near the boy whenever possible. I already hate myself. There was never any reason to give me yet another reason to further cement that notion. You are welcome." Rin couldn't help but agree with her bitterly amused Servant's statement, regardless of how large of a headache his words had given her.
Animusphere cut into the conversation, annoyed enough to have it leak into his voice. "It is clear to this court that the Archibalds are the aggressors in this event as a whole. They have instigated conflict against Emiya on at least one occasion, knowing full well that he is a direct representative of their mutual benefactor. However, this conflict is ultimately not the main topic of scrutiny for today's events, merely a supplementary tale to provide some much needed context."
That was true. Going over the details of the War from an outside perspective was just a way for Shirou to exemplify just how bad the situation was and maybe justify Waver's actions.
On the other hand, for Shirou, it was a way to shed light on just how close the Archibalds had been to screwing things up for everyone, magnifying their supposed inadequacy and inferiority to the public, in front of Lorelei Barthomelloi no less.
He didn't miss the fact that she did nothing to protect the Archibalds either.
She did not portray him in a good light, but that didn't matter. Shirou was the adopted son of a mercenary. A reputation outside of his ability to kill and follow orders of Barthomelloi held little significance. Right now, he was a glorified hunting dog that knowingly and willingly did something major without her knowing. There was no real reason for her to come to his side in this petty squabble. No benefit. She already owned him. His punishment was hers to decide in the first place.
But for the Archibalds?
For her to not come to the aid of a well-established, long lived, and long allied family like theirs was nothing short of damning. To look down on her singular dog was one thing. To completely ignore the plight of a family was something that shifted entire political spectrums. Regardless of what happened, their reputation after this trial would be in absolute ruins.
Judging from some of the forced calm looks he saw in the gallery, more than a few other people recognized the signs as well.
"Does the Prosecution have any questions to ask Emiya?" Animusphere pretended to ignore the subtle signs of change rippling through the room.
The previously confident and cocky noble grit his teeth, realizing that things were slowly shifting in a way he did not anticipate or like. It was clear that he was going to have to be more aggressive now. "Yes, your Honor. I do. Emiya. For the entirety of this trial, you and the accused have stressed the power and danger of the previous War's Archer, yet neither of you have detailed just how you managed to defeat him. Can you please elaborate?"
"We fought him in Einzbern Castle. The main hallway was enclosed, limiting the output of his Noble Phantasm Gate of Babylon. Saber and Berserker wore him down while I provided support with my thaumaturgy. Then when an opening showed itself, I magnified Saber's speed with the Emiya time thaumaturgy tremendously and took him down in a single blow before he could react."
Shirou's tone was so monotonous and bored that it was borderline condescending. Almost as if what he had done should have been obvious to everyone there. Again, it was an act to mislead his audience. He knew that the Prosecution was looking for any evidence of any illegal or abnormal research to pin on him or Waver.
On a side note, nobody noticed Assassin freeze at the last part of Shirou's description of the fight, viciously resisting the urge to slap his spiritual hand against his spiritual forehead in shame.
Accelerating a Saber to ensure a near unblockable lethal blow against a powerful opponent… why the FUCK didn't he think of that during the Fourth War? He would have been able to take out all of the competition instantly with that move save for Assassin.
"You forgot about the bombs," Illya added, a dry look of scorn in her eyes. Clearly she still held a grudge against him for that.
"Right. Sorry. And preset explosive ordinances used as additional distractions," He added absently.
"You? Directly supported a fight against one of the strongest Servants?" It was clear that the opposition did not sound convinced.
"Do I need to show you my face again?" Shirou deadpanned. "I assure you, it wasn't like that prior to the War."
"No. I am not doubting your, willingness, to fight. I am merely questioning what you could have contributed to it outside of magnifying your Servant's abilities." It was clear that the man was having trouble holding his tongue.
Shirou shrugged, projecting a weapon over his shoulder for the audience to see. "My abilities in Gradient Air and Structural Grasping have been noted by the Association for some time. Due to the nature of the King of Hero's style of combat, you could say I am suited to at least counteract some of his actions, so long as he is not focusing entirely on me."
Another truth that skirted around the greater truth. He would have to be careful here.
"Gradient Air? Structural Grasping? Are you actually insinuating that your fakes are capable of going up against Noble Phantasms? That you can actually recreate Noble Phantasms with such a useless mystery?"
Shirou pointed to his head, annoyance clearly expressed in his eyes. "If I could, I wouldn't be looking like someone failed to experiment on me, would I?"
"Emiya, answer the question in full, if you don't mind." Animusphere was clearly interested in Shirou's answer as well.
Calming down, or at least appearing so, he leaned back into his seat. "Using a personalized, extreme variant of Structural Grasping modified to directly feed information into an equally elaborate version of Projection, I am able to make significantly advanced copies of items that I see. Swords and other melee weapons, if no one has noticed already, have always been a specialty of mine. During the engagement, I was at the time, able to make imitations of a portion of Gilgamesh's armory. Imitations that were decent enough to deflect their originals and preserve my life. Decent enough to lighten the onslaught that Saber and Berserker were forced to manage, if only slightly."
That got him more than a few looks. He was standing on the edge of the abyss now. He had to be incredibly careful.
"You, can copy Noble Phantasms?" Animusphere blinked.
"I can copy what I see, and even then there are limitations. I use a method of information allocation and application that many in Atlas utilize when 'processing' information is unnecessary. It is a streamlined procedure applied to my brand of thaumaturgy. That does not mean I can simply make copies of Noble Phantasms whenever I wish. Please be realistic, sir. There are always constraints to what we can and cannot do. I nearly killed myself in that fight by going beyond those limits. More than a few items that came my way were beyond understanding, and I suffered consequences because of it. Noble Phantasms are crystalized mysteries. There is a reason why we have yet to make them ourselves," Shirou clarified, albeit misleadingly.
He never directly confirmed or denied the Judge's question. Rather, he merely gave everyone the impression of "I could only do it under those specific circumstances that rarely happen in the first place. Isn't it only natural to be able to do something abnormal under abnormal conditions?"
For the most part, it looked like his wordplay had worked, as most of the Gallery seemed to relax and the Prosecutor glared at him loathingly. Waver in particular seemed to be ignoring the whole situation if not for the small smirk of amusement that played on his lips.
Barthomelloi on the other hand, had an unreadable pokerface on. She knew that he could imitate Noble Phantasms. She had seen him replicate the Mace of Odo two years ago, and she had spoken to him enough times, face to face, to know when he was piling on the bullshit.
She'd probably figure out a good third of the things he didn't want anyone outside the loop to know by the end of the trial.
But she couldn't do anything about it. Not without humiliating herself and her family name in the process, regardless of how she approached it.
Good god she was going to be pissed with him after today. He might just fake his death just because of this. He wouldn't be surprised if she started sending him on suicide missions or sending people after his life soon.
"That, does sound reasonable. No doubt McGinty and Lord El Melloi II were the ones that concocted such a risky chain of mysteries for you to use. With their combined understanding of your skills and the King of Heroes' abilities, such an approach is logical, if a bit of a gamble." Animusphere at the very least seemed convinced. "Does the Prosecution have any further inquiries?"
"Yes." Surprisingly the man did. "It was noted that the accused specifically chose Caster to be the Servant of the Edelfelts. Is there a specific reason for this? Was this another one of your precautions?"
Shirou blinked once, the only expression of genuine surprise he was willing to show. It appeared that the Prosecutor knew how to ask decent questions after all… but why didn't he ask Waver this when he was being interrogated?
"Yes and no. I already knew who I was going to summon beforehand. Having Edelfelt summon Caster while I had Saber was… more convenient than anything. However, I maintain that I did not contact Lord El Melloi II since his orders to do the same for me. His choice to summon Caster was ultimately his."
There was a hesitant pause before Shirou added his final thoughts. "I must note, however, that had I the benefit of Ore Scales, from a tactical standpoint, Caster would have been one of my initial picks for a Servant, alongside Archer. If the War itself had been conducted and managed properly from the start, the accused's decision to summon Caster would have been a logical choice, at least from my perspective."
The advantage from having two of the most versatile Servant types on his side was no joke. Outside of Caster and Archer, his next picks would have been Rider or Assassin.
"Your opinion is unneeded, but noted. Please stick to the facts, Emiya." Animusphere jotted down more notes on the papers in front of him.
"You mentioned that it was convenient that Edelfelt summoned Caster while you possessed Saber, but you claimed to have not contacted the Accused for several years. Are you lying, or does this mean that the Accused knew that you would somehow summon Saber ahead of time?" The Prosecutor pressed.
"The latter." Shirou didn't hesitate answering the question without any excess information.
"You have an artifact that made you believe that you would summon Saber?"
"I have one, yes. It would be foolish to assume that I at the very least did not have an artifact related to a decent heroic spirit on hand after all the other preparations we had organized."
"Simply decent, am I?"
"We're dealing with magi. These guys wouldn't be satisfied even if they reached the Root."
"Point."
"Did the accused procure it?"
"No."
"Where did you get it then?"
"I fail to see how that is relevant to the case." Shirou frowned.
Animusphere spoke up. "Allow me to reword the question for the Prosecution. Did the accused take any part in the procurement or acquisition of the artifact you used to summon your Servant?"
"No. I would appreciate it if the court would not probe into resources I use that are not directly related to this case. Anonymity is rather important in my occupation."
"I am merely trying to paint an accurate picture for the audience," the Prosecutor hummed, clearly having something on his mind as he paced back and forth, looking at his notes. "If memory serves, your Father had also summoned Saber in the previous War. Could it be that you managed to summon the same Servant?"
"Emiya. You do not have to answer that," Animusphere spoke up, his tone hard. "None of the Servants are to have their identities revealed to the public or in this court case unless absolutely necessary, as they are likely to become assets for the Association in the near future. Do not tell me that you have forgotten this."
"No. No of course not, your honor. I merely let my curiosity get the better of me. My apologies." The middle aged man didn't sound regretful at all as he bowed.
Shirou wasn't fooled in the slightest as he directed his attention to the Einzbern representative in the gallery. The German had an excellent pokerface on, but there was no hiding the glimmer of satisfaction in his eyes.
Damn. Bastards had gotten one up on him. Even though technically, no information of his Servant was known to the public outside of the fact that he summoned Saber, it didn't change the fact that Kiritsugu had summoned King Arthur in the previous War was unclassified public knowledge. Even if it was mere speculation right now, it wouldn't be long until people would start to assume it as fact.
Very well, two can play that game.
"Be sure that it does not happen again," Shirou droned as if nothing had bothered him. "It would be rather unprofessional if next you asked if I was also capable of destroying magic crests like my father did your client's."
It was as about as subtle as a sledgehammer. And judging from the lack of noise, the impact was just as devastating.
Not a threat, but a humiliating reminder. One that hinted at just the barest possibility of something worse hidden away if pushed too far.
It was interesting to see Archibald react to his words. It was almost as if the man couldn't figure out if he wanted to turn ash white or beet red.
Destroying magic circuits and magic crests. The very idea of someone possible of such a feat was nothing short of horrifying to a magus. Most people knew that Kiritsugu was really good at killing his opponents, but only a select few, well, until then only a select few, knew that he could butcher the lifeline of any self-respecting Magus.
Everyone knew that the Archibald's Crest had been screwed over in the previous war, but most assumed it had been a freak accident caused indirectly by some Noble Phantasm, not on purpose by another Magus.
And like that, the momentum was once more Shirou's.
"Emiya. Please do not antagonize the Prosecution." Animusphere frowned.
"Yes, your honor." Just reminding them that Waver wouldn't be there to bail them out if something happened to the crest, again.
"…" Judging from the look his opponent was giving, it was clear that things would not end quietly. "Emiya. The representative with you from the Church is Crown. A Dead Apostle Ancestor. I find it hard to believe that his being there is merely a coincidence. Can you elaborate on the circumstances of him being there?"
"I'm right here you know," Merem grumbled from the side of the room. Clearly he did not like being awake during the day. "Don't talk as if I can't hear you. Useless meatbag."
Shirou pointedly ignored his guest. "There is not much to say. I have worked alongside him on several missions over the years, and it was no secret that I was chosen to be a Master before the War started. It is common knowledge that Apostle Ancestors are incredibly whimsical and curious individuals at times. Enough so that even I consider haphazardly manipulating them to do anything a suicidal and foolish enterprise. In hindsight, I was only slightly surprised when I learned he was here in the first place. When we did make contact, the idea of trying to get him to do what I wanted never crossed my mind. Rather, I was more focused on ensuring he didn't do anything to interfere with my plans."
"Under the judgement of the Holy Father, I will verify and confirm what agent Emiya has stated as the truth." The King of Rats humbly bowed his head.
"And the idea of killing another Apostle Ancestor never crossed your mind? You were not enticed with the prospect of having another Ancestor notched onto your belt? It would no doubt be a significantly easier prospect for you now with several Servants at your disposal."
A bitter laugh escaped Shirou's throat. "As humbled as I am that you assume my abilities are great enough to organize an accident that can take out one of the Twenty Seven, and a prized member of the Church, without any suspicion pointing back at me, I must regretfully inform you that such a mystery is beyond me. While I was inclined to have Saber… vent some of my frustrations on him for a time after I learned of his presence, I unfortunately lack the immature impulses that you suggested."
"And I personally thank you for your self-restraint." The king of Rats bowed, genuinely sincere in his words. "Regardless of what the outcome would have been, I have little doubt that the paperwork following such events would have eclipsed what needs to be managed now."
Merem visibly shuddered before hiding himself under his blanket. Clearly he had been discouraged from provoking Shirou for whatever reason he might have.
"I am surprised that the underling of the Vice Director would be so lenient towards an Apostle, regardless of his position."
"The Vice Director would not waste time on an underling that was unable to stay focused on the task at hand." Shirou's tone hardened. "And unless you have forgotten, the Association does have an Apostle Ancestor among its ranks, does it not? I do hope that you are not making any unnecessary assumptions about certain individuals, sir."
In a single go, Shirou broke two unspoken taboos.
If there was one thing that was guaranteed to piss off Lorelei Barthomelloi, it was acknowledging Zelretch's position in the Association. As much as she despised Apostles, even she was unable to touch the Fourth Ancestor. Even remotely referring to that fact was political suicide in many circles.
The second, was simply that he brought up Zelretch in the first place. It was like a childish superstition. Speak of the devil and he shall appear.
"Hmhm. Quite reckless this time around, even for one of your disposition. Agent Emiya." Case and point, said devil was clearly amused, sitting in the front row of the Gallery as if he had been there the entire time. Rather, he may have been, but simply set things up so that no one had noticed.
And now that people noticed, the area around the vampire had become surprisingly vacant.
"Kaleidoscope." Shirou nodded. "It's not recklessness if you expect it coming."
"Did you now? How disappointing." Zelretch's smile widened, as if knowing exactly what Shirou was referring to.
Of course the Old Man of the Jewels would show up. Rin had used a functional copy of the jeweled sword just two nights ago. The Second Magic was his domain. Any form of its use that didn't originate from the old bastard himself would assuredly attract his attention. The War and the current trial were just the most likely places to start looking.
"L-Lord Zelretch!?" Animusphere was clearly as surprised by the Vampire's appearance as everyone else's. "You know of Emiya?"
"Hmhm. You should know by now that technically, I know of everyone here." Zelretch eased back into his seat like an overconfident grandfather, ignoring the glare that a certain Vice Director was giving him. "However, you could say that whenever the Fifth Fuyuki Grail War takes place, Emiya tends to have a rather, curious relationship with it. As do most of the current Masters. Whether or not they manage to survive by this point is another matter entirely."
No one blamed the current Masters in Fuyuki from shifting uncomfortably at that statement. It was impossible to tell if Zelretch was planning something from it.
There was a brief pause.
"Although, it is quite curious for Crown present. To see you in Fuyuki… I never took you for the sentimental sort."
Sentimental?
Shirou didn't know why, but that single word that he didn't know the context of filled him with a sinking dread.
"If you bothered to pay attention earlier, you'd know that I encountered Emiya some years ago. Like you stated yourself, Kaleidoscope, he's interesting." The King of Rats didn't so much as flinch at the odd choice of words.
Shirou impressively pretended that this conversation wouldn't in some way contribute to his premature death before the age of twenty.
"Lady Vice Director, Lord Animusphere, I hope you don't mind my interruption?" Zeltretch asked politely, as if he had only done something slightly offensive.
"No. No. It's fine. Just make sure to let everyone know that you are here in the first place next time." The Judge took a moment to wipe a bead of sweat from his face.
"…" Lorelei on the other hand simply ignored him, and the rest of the world for that matter. Instead, she was quite insistent on calming herself down with crossed arms, closed eyes, and a very displeased expression on her face.
"I see." The Ancestor nodded before turning to the Prosecution with a pleasant and care free smile. "Sorry to interrupt your questioning. Please. Carry on."
"…" If the man had any intention of pushing forward with his Apostle based accusations before, they were non-existent now. He had been wary enough doing it with Merem Solomon listening from the other side of the planet, but there was no way he was going to paint a target on his back while in spitting distance of someone that was arguably even more terrifying.
Two Apostle Ancestors. Even if it could be considered a technicality, there were Two Apostle Ancestors backing Shirou right now. In public. In front of Lorelei Barthomelloi.
Shirou had been playing with the idea of going dark soon, but now he was genuinely considering it.
"… For clarification, Emiya, you did not ask, request, or lead Agent Crown to interfere with the Grail War?"
"I did not ask." Shirou shook his head. "I know better than to make such a lofty demand. The most I did was request that he did not interfere with my plans. Whatever actions or assistance he provided was on his own merit."
"And did Agent Crown, a member of the Church, directly participate or interfere with the Grail War against protocol?"
Shirou opened his mouth to answer before pausing for a moment to think, glancing at the King of Rats. "To my knowledge, yes. Only once, before I knew he was present in Fuyuki. He directly interfered with Einzbern's intention to participate in one of the earlier battles, deterring her from reaching the others. Any other instance I know of could be considered either acceptable indirect activity, or acting within the scope as Supervisor after Kirei Kotomine was removed from the position."
"Crown? Do you have anything to say?" Animusphere turned to the party in question.
"It is as he says." The King of Rats nodded. "I did act outside of my boundaries that one instance. At the time, Emiya's plans had been in suspect, but nothing had been verified. My actions were to his benefit, but, rather, Einzbern's Berserker is a rather potent specimen. I was concerned that things would conclude rather abruptly should she reach her intended target that night. Admittedly, I desired to see things stretch out for a bit longer out of selfishness."
"Her target being Emiya," the Prosecutor verified. "She intended to kill him then?"
"Yes. Most assuredly. She would likely have succeeded too. He was in a suboptimal state at the time, and Saber was preoccupied with Rider fighting the Edelfelt Servants."
No one noticed the Einzbern representative's displeasure. For closure and revenge to be snatched away by the whim of a Vampire that did not even have the nerve to die against their carefully chosen Servant was beyond infuriating.
If anyone had, they would have been at least slightly prepared for what would happen next.
"So this is before Edelfelt's Servant went rogue."
"Yes."
Shirou breathed a mental sigh of relief. If they found out that the Witch actually betrayed her Master that night after encountering him, there was no telling how the story could be spun against their favor.
"Before you ask or insinuate anything, the accused, Lord El Melloi II has not been in contact with me or the Church in any means regarding the War, outside of the standard protocols he managed while preparing the Ladies Edelfelt. We can provide documentation if requested," the King of Rats elaborated.
Frowning, the opposition opened his mouth to ask another question before a loud cough caught his attention. He, as well as many others, turned to see the Einzbern giving him a cold look, nodding ever so slightly, as if giving him a command for some action.
Shirou had a bad feeling about this.
The Prosecutor paused, before ignoring the King of Rats for Shirou, pretending as if the former did not even exist.
"Lord Animusphere, due to my next question, there may be need to extend charges to a new party in this case by means of association and compliance to theft."
The Judge frowned. "I fail to understand. Why is this being brought up now?"
"It was my intention to avoid bringing this matter up in such a public space for the privacy of related parties. However I believe that their desire for justice has surpassed even that now." The man bowed in fake humility.
More than one person felt like throwing up in their mouth. "Justice" never occurred in the Clocktower unless someone benefitted from it.
"Hurry up then. What is it?"
The Prosecution surprised everyone by pointing at Shirou. "We accuse Lord El Melloi II, along with Agent Emiya, of possessing a stolen Artifact from the Einzberns of the highest value, taken by the First Magus Killer, Kiritsugu Emiya. The Scabbard of King Arthur himself. Avalon."
… And things had been going so well too.
o. o. o.
Omake: All work and no good food…
Warning: Spoilers for those who haven't played/gotten far in Fate Grand Order.
Shirou stood casually in the throne room of Camelot, situated where Jerusalem once was.
In front of him was King Arthur. Not the King of Knights, but the Lion King. A divine entity with an aura to match, wielding the Lance that was an equal, if not surpassed Excalibur. It was only due to his familiarity with Saber and her memories oh so long ago that he could withstand looking at the thing without going into cardiac arrest.
To either side, no less than two members of the Round Table stood at the ready with weapons drawn, ready to obliterate him in a moment's notice. It wasn't a saying either. They really could do just that faster than he could react if they wanted to…
… Well, he could hold his own against that prick Tristian if needed, but against all of them at once? Hell no.
"You have my attention." King Arthur stated impassively, looking down upon him as if she was channeling Gilgamesh. "Here, at the end of the world, as the tower activates, I will grant you the boon of speaking with me, if only because I sense some sort of misplaced nostalgia looking at you."
Despite her overwhelming aura and presence, Shirou didn't flinch in the slightest. Rather, if anything, he looked exasperated. Instead of addressing her, he turned to look at Gawain and Lancelot to his left. "… Was she like this when she summoned you?"
Apparently, ignoring her for the others was not the right thing to do if everyone's irritated expressions were any indication.
"Your Majesty. Please do not waste your time on this rude child." Tristian readied his bow. "Give me the word, and I shall pluck his head off so we can hear no more from his insubordinate tongue."
Shirou, surprisingly didn't seem to mind the threat, reaching into his pocket and taking out a sizeable black box.
For some reason, the Lion King's heart jumped seeing it. It took a moment for her to realize that she was feeling joy and excitement at the sight of the parcel. Odd.
"Your majesty, when was the last time you had anything decent to eat?"
The King blinked once in confusion, but didn't say anything.
"… Eh? What the hell are you talking about?" Mordred asked loudly from behind him, Clarent at the ready to tear him apart.
Shirou rolled his eyes as he lazily tossed the box to the person in question. Instead of destroying it on reflex like she normally would, the Lion King instead caught it deftly in her hands on instinct. By the time she realized what she had done, she was already opening the Bento Box with practiced ease, as if she had done this before.
"Your King tends to get cranky if she doesn't eat anything decent for a while." Shirou went on, ignoring the blades that were poised at his neck in the time the box left his hands.
"Enough of your jokes. You have disrespected the King for the last time." Gawain frowned, pressing his Excalibur Galatine against the boy's skin to draw blood… or rather, he should have been drawing blood, but for some reason it felt as though he was pushing his blade against another at that moment… how odd.
Until he heard something that sounded incredibly out of place.
"Om nom nom nom."
Gawain desperately ignored the deadpanned expression Shirou was giving his attackers and glanced at his fellow Knights, all of whom were clearly starting to get just as uncomfortable as he was.
"Nom nom nom nom."
"O-oi. You can't be serious…" Mordred, the only one other than Shirou that had a good look at the back of the room, was clearly bewildered with what she was seeing.
"I told you." Shirou sighed. "It's not as bad as when someone takes off her Ahoge, but not by much."
"You! What have you done to his Majesty?!" Agravain snarled, the only one that pressed further into Shirou's flesh.
"I fed her." The young man deadpanned. "Oi. Saber. You good?"
"Hm?" A distinctively and almost comically shorter King of Knights looked up from her lunch with a confused look in her eyes. "Oh. Shirou. Yes. Thank you. Your cooking is sublime as always. Are there seconds?"
"I got a second box, but that's it. Resources are pretty scarce on the outside." He shrugged.
"Mmm. Mmm. Yes. Completely understandable." Saber nodded. "I will have to show you the kitchens later."
"Already ahead of you there. I grasped the tower when I got here."
Saber paused and gave him a wary look. "… You didn't set up any bombs this time, did you?"
"Couldn't. Security was escorting me every second I was here." He shrugged helplessly.
She instantly went back to her lunch. "Good."
"… What the hell just happened?!" Mordred shouted, more confused than angry now.
"British food sucks." Shirou answered, as if what he said was a perfect explanation to everything.
On that day, another tale vital to humanity lost to history was made. A tale of how truly good food was the salvation to reality.
o. o. o.
Omake:
V2: There appears to be a pattern somewhere…
"Om nom nom."
"Master. How much longer are you going to take?" Without seeming to care to read the situation, Ishtar opened the main doors to the throne room impatiently and walked in. "I know you said you had it under control but… I…"
Ishtar stared.
Not at Shirou.
Or at the Servants poised to kill him.
But at the Lion King…
Or rather, a certain, mature aspect of the Lion King.
*Boing.*
"Ah. Rin. Long time no see. I see you are also among the divine now." Arturia greeted the newcomer while popping a roll of sushi into her mouth.
"SHIROU!"
"You guys can walk away now. I'm probably going to die soon enough regardless." The Second Magus Killer sighed, knowing that there was no hope of escaping. "No. Wait. On second thought. Kill me now please. It'll save me the excess pain."
Sadly, before any of the Knights could register his request, Shirou was yanked away from them violently, and was now being shaken to the beat of his Servant's angry yelling.
"IS THERE SOMETHING YOU WANT SAY?! DO YOU HAVE SOMETHING AGAINST ME SHIROU EMIYA?! WHY IS IT THAT EVERY GIRL AROUND YOU WINDS UP ABSOLUTELY STACKED WITH HUGE BEAUTIFUL BREASTS EXCEPT ME?! SAKURA! BAZETT! THAT COW LUVIA! RIDER! SUMIRE! EVEN ILLYASVIEL WOUND UP LOOKING JUST LIKE HER MOTHER ONCE SHE FINALLY HIT PUBERTY! WHY AM I THE ONLY ONE THAT'S LEFT OUT?! IS THIS YOUR SECRET FETISH?! DO YOU SECRETLY HATE ME?! ANSWER ME SHIROU EMIYA!"
He would if he could, but by the time Rin, not Ishtar, had gotten halfway through her rant, Shirou had already passed out from the violent handling he was experiencing.
"Om nom nom nom."
As for the Lion King… she was content with the show that accompanied her meal. So long as her loyal chef survived his ordeal, there was no need to do anything for the moment.
She wasn't worried. Shirou would get better. Eventually. He was good at taking hits.
In the end, Rin wasn't the enemy.
Hunger was.
o. o. o.
A/N:
As always, thanks Wayfarer for betaing.
Ok. A side note after beating Camelot, due to Nasuverse timeline shenanigans, it is TOTALLY possible for the Lion King to be FSN Saber. There should be a fic that exploits that possibility.
Sorry for the late chapter guys. I would have had it out sooner, but I had a family vacation to go to. I was in Germany for a week on a river cruise up the Rhine.
It was nice and relaxing, but uh, lots of old people.
Good food though.
Also, Amsterdam was fucking beautiful. Easily the best looking city I have ever been to. I highly recommend visiting it at least once in your life.
I have come to a realization.
I suck at writing trials.
Or, at least, I think I do. It doesn't seem passable or believable at all to me, and really, the vast majority of this chapter was, from my eyes, the main characters doing exposition in a way to cover their asses and not get in trouble with "the man". At best, if the last chapter was considered a cooldown, this one was a slow buildup, and I'm not exactly sure just how well I did at that.
Not much else to say. Lots of ambiguous hinting. Lots of Barthomelloi getting angry at Shirou, even though she's disappointed at everyone in general. Lots of Shirou being… Shirou.
Although, I do want to bring up this one point. Am I the only FSN ff writer that has ever brought up the possibility that the Einzberns may be just a tad bit salty about Shirou possibly still having Avalon? I mean, it's a fucking Noble Phantasm that was technically originally theirs before they gave it to Kiritsugu. Shirou summoning King Arthur is pretty damning evidence that, yes, he still has the thing. Even if they do give up on the war, you'd think that they'd at least want to get their hands on that second prize, right?
Ok. Onto more personal, slash selfish news.
Some of you know that I make it a point to never monetize from my fanfiction work. More specifically, I refuse to make money off of works of others, such as Masashi Kishimoto, Kinoko Nasu, and other authors whose work I have based my own on.
That does not mean that I am bashing other authors that have set up Pa treons that do just that, or look down upon them. If they are able to obtain a following that is willing to support their writing, I fully applaud their abilities. In fact, I have had several fans ask me why I haven't set up an account myself yet to do just that, and express their willingness to support this hobby of mine that I have done for…
… Over ten years… shit that's a long time.
Anyways. I still stick to that. I will NOT, now, nor ever profit monetarily from my fanfiction writing.
Directly.
T-shirts on the other hand, are another thing entirely.
Right now, I'm posting two shirts on Teespring. Nothing fancy atm, just shirts with inside jokes related to my fics, just to see what the demand is.
What I DO plan on doing though is if this is popular enough, use the money to commission some custom art for future shirts that you guys would like. All the designs and the like would be specifically related to OC and unique aspects of my fics so that I don't invoke any copyright issues.
Any extra money I have will… I dunno, go into FGO, or stocks or something. Or it'll pay for my weekly trips to the bar with the guys. The food is terrible, but at least the rewards from winning trivia pays for the nachos we share.
The art I have in mind for future shirts is mostly cartoonish, omake style pictures that won't cost much, but I will be asking for several, so quantity over quality in this case. If any of you fans are confident in your art skills and think you're up for helping me out, let me know. Please note that I will ask for examples of your work and proof that you did it just to be safe.
That being said, if anyone that has already made fanart for my fics in the past reads this and doesn't mind it being sold on tshirts, please let me know. I'm not going to use any fanart for reasons unfortunately, but if it is tshirt worthy (meaning it will sell), I'll be more than happy to compensate you ahead of time for your permission.
I know some of you guys have expressed desires to support me in the past in some way other than Reviews and the like. Well, here's your chance.
Oh, and if anyone has any recommendations or quotes they want to be put on future shirts, please let me know. I'm not going to try and sell every suggestion, but I am looking for more options. I can't remember every crazy thing that I've put down over the years.
Here are the links to the shirts I have posted already. Don't know if they'll still be up in the future, so take it with a grain of salt.
teespring website / new-strawberry-ice-cream-perso #pid=2&cid= 578&sid=front
teespring website / floor-hater#pid=2&cid=2397&sid=front
Just thanking you guys ahead of time. Thanks for your support.
That's it for now. Nothing else to talk about other than the fact that I'm going broke for Summer Arturia. Like everyone else. Because I'm a shameless whore.
SO REVIEW! WORSHIP THE LOG! BUY MY SHIT! AND REVIEW AGAIN!
