Chapter 27
It took them nearly a month to finally send the girls back to their original parents or to orphanages that would take them, with Atrum constantly working in the dead of the night to fill in the forms and paperwork that would guarantee their safety. Caster spent the time feeding and playing with them, slowly restoring them to some semblance of normality. The stock of mana crystals that he had left was slowly depleted with each day, but he didn't object to her manifesting, even once.
As soon as they sent the last girl away, with the girl hugging Caster and even Atrum before he wiped her mind clean of any memories of magecraft, as he did for all the girls before her, they left for Fuyuki. Atrum packed the remaining materials and tools he might need, and then they set off for the airport. There was no need to delay after all, and he was keen on meeting the supervisor from the Church to see which Servants had been summoned, and find out if he could strike an alliance with them. The faster the better, since there was a danger that they would ally with each other before he even got the chance, and attack him once he appeared in Fuyuki.
He kept Caster in physical form all the way through the trip, even on his private jet. Although she was just an exceptionally powerful familiar, a Ghost-Liner type, it still felt wrong to him to confine her to her spiritual form. There was no need to grant her any privileges that a normal human being would need, but he would do whatever he wanted to with his Servant. All along the way, she couldn't stop from marveling at all the sights on the path to the airport.
"Oh, oh! Is that a "car"? It's much faster and waaaay more comfortable than a horse! Hmmm, though I think I still prefer being able to feel the warmth of a living being under me. Something about riding a horse just calms me down, you know?"
"Wow, look at all those tall buildings! They're even made of glass and steel instead of stone, and something called, uh, "concrete"? But they really look amazing!"
"Heeeh, what's that? That shiny sign advertising some sort of food, several balls on top of a reversed cone...is that the famed ice-cream I've heard about? Master, Master, can we try it later?"
"Ueeeeh! What was that loud rumbling over us just now? That surprised me, was that one of those "planes", the steel boxes that can fly from place to place? Civilization really has advanced since my time."
"Oh, over there Master, look at that! They're dueling in broad daylight on the streets! Eh? That's not real fighting you say? But they're using these strange glowing swords that hum, and it looks really cool! Maybe I can try to get one of those later…"
"That hair...could they be the "Goth punks" I've heard about? Their face paint reminds of the Saxon's warpaint, though honestly they look much less threatening. I guess there are all sorts of people in the world!"
"Uwah, so many people are crowded around here in this "airport"! I can see people from all sorts of places gathered around here travel to places around the globe, it's sort of like what I want Camelot to be like! I mean the part about many people of different races getting together, though having an airport in Camelot doesn't sound too bad either. Being able to travel to a sunny beach any time you want...ufufu."
Atrum was exhausted by the time the private jet took off, forced to deal with Caster's non-stop commentary about the sights along the way. If it wasn't for the fact that his image would be ruined if he started yelling at a little girl, he would have roared at her to shut up. As it was, mentally telling her to do so only resulted in her staying silent for five minutes, before something new came up to pique her interest. In that regard, she really was like a village girl who had just come from the countryside, and was astounded by the modern city.
He collapsed on a plush chair in the jet and fell asleep almost instantly, giving in to the allure of rest. Unlike Illya, he experienced no dreams cycles, instead dreaming about the conclusion of the Grail War and his eventual victory, culminating with him going back to the Clock Tower and forcing the three main families to step down, even adding Barthomeloi Lorelei to his harem. He drooled in his sleep while Caster looked on, giggling to herself quietly.
The fourteen hour flight passed uneventfully, with Atrum waking up midway to readjust his bio clock for the time zone in Fuyuki, eating dinner with Caster and then watching a movie with her on the large screen TV he had installed. The movie was about a band of rebels fighting against a massive space empire equipped with planet-destroying weapons, and they waved around glowing swords and spoke a of mysterious "Force" that aided them as they fought against the seemingly invincible "Darth V*der". The reason he had chosen this one was because she had nagged him constantly about the cosplayers she had seen on the street earlier, and he decided to just show her the movie to make her shut up.
"Help me, Ob*-wan K*nobi, you're my only hope!"
"I find your lack of faith disturbing."
"Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side, kid."
"Aren't you a little short for a stormtrooper?"
"Use the Force, Luke."
She stayed quiet throughout the entire film, spellbound by the fictional events playing out on the black screen in front of her eyes. After the credits started rolling, the dam burst.
"That was so amazing! Did you see that at the start, those massive steel triangles in space shooting those huge lasers? That blonde guy also shot the torpedoes into that tiny hole and went all the way through the pipe into the core! That old guy also disappeared when he got hit like a magician, and using this "Force" seems really cool! TheDeathStarshotahugebeamthatdestroyedtheentireplanetandtheoldguycouldstillfillitinhyperspace,likehehadClairvoyanceEX,andtheblackvillainwouldhavebeenamazingasaServant" Her words sped up to the point that Atrum could no longer make sense of what she was saying at the end, and the headache forced him to go back to sleep, while she continued to rant herself and proceeded to binge watch the rest of the trilogy.
They arrived at the Fuyuki International Airport soon after she finished the final film, still hemming and hawing about the films, and he started regretting letting her keep physical form. An accomplished magus, chosen for the Holy Grail War with millions in financial assets, yet he couldn't make a single girl shut up, even if she was a Servant.
His chauffeur drove them off to the workshop he had prebuilt before their arrival, and he dropped off his belongings there, after which they headed straight to the local church on the hill near Miyama Town. The car stopped outside the black metal gates, and they got out, with Caster finally back in spiritual form after he commanded her before they left the plane. One could never be too careful, especially in affairs involving magi. Pushing open the creaking gates, they stepped through the paved road and past the marble statue, entering the wooden double doors.
There standing in front of the altar in black robes, was the supervisor, Kirei Kotomine.
"O lost lamb of the flock, have you come here to make a confession? Fear not, for the Lord will surely listen, and pardon you of your sins, for he is a loving God that forgives his children." His baritone voice echoed around the empty church, a deep timbre that soothed the soul as soon as it entered their ears. A slight smile was on his face as he turned around to face them, the golden cross around his neck motionless with its weight. Unruly brown hair stretched until it reached his shoulders before curling upwards, and his dark brown eyes twinkled under the church lights, but without a hint of warmth in them.
Immediately, Atrum was on guard, his back instinctively straightening as he almost activated his Magic Circuits.
He didn't know why, but deep inside him on some basic, primal level, he understood that this man standing in front of him was fundamentally wrong in some way. Yet, there was nothing to substantiate his suspicions beyond that feeling.
"Master, be careful." He silently acknowledged her telepathic message, and stepped forward to talk to him, but leaving a certain distance between them.
"I've come to register for the Fifth Holy Grail War as the Master of Caster."
"Hoh, the Master of Caster you say? Then, could you please enlighten me with your identity?" Kirei spoke in a pleasant voice, yet the look in his eyes never changed.
"I am Atrum Galiasta, magus of the Clock Tower." He was unwilling to divulge anymore, and waited for his response.
"Is that all? Well, I suppose you're polite enough to show up here and register as per the rules. Very well, from now on let be officially confirmed that Atrum Galiasta, the Master of Caster, has joined the Fifth Holy Grail War. Do you need to hear the rules and specifics?" The last question seemed to tease Atrum, with full knowledge that he had mostly likely reviewed the rules at least twenty times in the past few weeks. He was a magus after all.
"No, thank you. However, I would like to ask you whether the other Servants have been summoned yet." At this, Kirei raised an eyebrow.
"As the sole supervisor of the war, it is my duty to remain impartial. As such, I cannot freely give out information to anyone, not even Masters."
Atrum quickly changed tack, putting forth a poker face worthy of the poker tables at Las Vegas.
"Then has the other candidate from the Clock Tower registered yet? I personally know that person, and would like to contact them to discuss the war."
That was a lie, he had no idea who the other candidate even was, but Kirei had no way of knowing that.
Except Kirei did know the other candidate, and was quite sure someone like the pretty boy magus in front of him wouldn't be someone she knew very well. He may be twisted, but he was no fool. At best, he could only be a passing acquaintance of the Enforcer. However, he saw an opportunity to toy with him.
"You know that person? He will be pleased to hear from you then."
"Yes, he's a dear old friend of mine, so I was hoping we'd be able to at least avoid fighting each other for the early parts of the war." Kirei closed his eyes, as if trying to recall something.
"Ah, wait I seem to remember the other Clock Tower candidate to be a female. My apologies, my memory has been shaky as of late. The imminent war has been hanging over my head and occupying my thoughts." His memory was still as sharp as ever.
"Could you also have been so anxious about the war that you forgot your "dear old friends" gender? Heh, it seems we both have heavy burdens to bear."
Atrum felt the urge to punch him in the face, but he resisted and kept his face impassive, although Kirei noticed the slight trembling in his right arm.
"Ahaha, yes it seems that my nerves and memory have been quite affected by the upcoming war. But still, could you please help me contact her?" He didn't break down, since it would accomplish nothing, but maintained his facade even though it had already been seen through. There was still a chance he could help him.
"Hmmm, as fellow mages sent from the Clock Tower, I suppose you two possess the shared goal of preventing the Holy Grail from falling into the hands of others and winning it for the Magus Association. She also has yet to register for the war. Very well, when she arrives at this humble church, I will pass along the message that you wish to meet with her." Atrum sighed in relief internally, but externally he simply nodded. With the supervisor's help secured, he took out a roll of vellum and handed it over to the priest. Kirei quickly scanned the contents of the document and made an amused smirk.
"Hoh, what's this? A geis to bind two Masters in an alliance? This is an interesting document you have here. And you're entrusting it to me?" Kirei smiled, but his words were laden with deceit.
However, Atrum had already taken care to make sure that the document couldn't be tampered with in any way, calling in the last of his favours and moving large amounts of capital to ensure the most professional magus in the Faculty of Policies who specialized in writing such documents to craft and seal it for maximum security. Reading the contents would be easy for magi, but changing it or even destroying it would be difficult.
Regardless, despite how sketchy the priest might seem, he doubted he would do something so obvious as hiding the document away. He could always come back tomorrow or the day after to check with him on the delivery of the document, or just meet with the other Master after she arrived in Fuyuki. If he did actually conceal the scroll, he would just search the entire church and every nook and cranny until he found it.
"Thank you for your assistance Father Kotomine. My business here is complete, and I bid you farewell."
Saying so, he turned around to leave the chapel.
"Wait. As a show of good faith for being willing to entrust such an important document to me, I will tell you about the Servant that the other Clock Tower magus plans to summon."
Surprised, Atrum stopped in his tracks and listened to his words.
"She plans to summon Cu Chulainn of the Lancer class." Atrum nodded and then proceeded to leave the church, ignoring the priests parting words.
"May the Lord bless your trials in this war, and if you ever find yourself lost in defeat, remember that the church will always be a sanctuary for the vanquished."
He strolled out of the musty church back onto the paved road, the sun already set as stars started to twinkle in the dark sky. Taking a breath of the crisp night air, he let a puff of white vapour out of his mouth as he exhaled. The chilly night air did nothing to dampen his enthusiasm as he smiled.
"It's finally begun."
Even though he hadn't summoned the Servant he wanted, even though he dismantled his own workshop and set back his research by decades, even if his Servant was weak, he still had this optimistic voice whispering in his mind that he could do it. No, he would win. It was simply a matter of time.
"Let's go Caster. I still have one more place to check before we go back to the workshop."
"Ok Master! By the way, that priest was kind of creepy, wasn't he?"
"For once, we can agree on something."
"Wait, you never agreed with me before?"
With the mental banter going on in his head, he got into the car, and the chauffeur drove them to their next destination, Mount Enzou.
Inside the chapel, Kirei's lips slowly widened as they stretched from side to side, his sides shaking before he broke out in full-on laughter.
"Fufu, fuHAHAHAHAHAHA, HAHAH, HAH!"
He couldn't wait to see the look of shock and surprise on Atrum's face when he informed him that Lancer's master was dead, and he was even more keen to kill Bazett now. Originally, he was only planning to kill her to use her Servant as his puppet, but now he could also let down Atrum at the same time. Truly, the Lord worked in mysterious ways!
"Aaah, the Lord rewards the devout and religious. I am thankful to be alive in this day and age." Gradually, he regained his calm demeanour, though a smile still hung on his face. Just as his laughing fit ended, the king appeared sitting on the first row of pews. Shiny golden hair reflected the light from above as crimson red eyes glared at the priest in annoyance, the handsome features of his face not distorting in the slightest from his emotions. A white dress shirt and black dress pants covered by a simple black jacket with white lines of the finest material spoke of taste and entitlement, the black leather shoes gleaming like they were just polished. His entire being was the epitome of humanity, surpassing it even, as if a god had descended into the human realm, and that wasn't too far off. Words failed to describe the aura around him, such was its effect that all passerbys, whether they be male or female, would all find their attention drawn to him irresistibly. The King of Heroes without peer, Gilgamesh.
"Mongrel, what were you laughing about? I just came back and my ears were immediately assaulted by your hideous laughter. You had better have a good excuse for yourself." The golden king seemed unamused, but Kirei had accompanied him long enough to understand that he simply wanted to hear a good story.
"The Master of Caster registered at the church just now, and proposed an alliance to the Master of Lancer. However, I plan to kill her and take Lancer for myself, so I was simply enjoying myself at the prospect of killing two birds with one stone by bringing grief upon both of them, your majesty." He calmly narrated the situation to the golden king, and he grinned slightly.
"Hoh, so another mongrel has arrived for this sham of a war. Finally, some entertainment shall arrive in this forsaken land. Exciting Splash was fun for a while, but swimming all day there got boring fast, and they restricted the diving board height! Those mongrels, they only made it as tall as 50 meters for "safety concerns"! Who do they think they are, to stand against the King of Uruk?" Kirei knew he had recently bought a large indoor swimming pool in Fuyuki, but he didn't know he had been that invested in it.
"Well, since I currently have nothing to do, I shall personally inspect the Master to see if he qualifies for the War." He stood up and made to leave the church, arrogance and confidence overflowing from his entire body to the extent that an introvert would most likely die in his presence.
"Ah, hold on. Here is a scroll that he entrusted to me. I'm sure it will aid you in your search for him, your majesty." Kirei took out the scroll from within his cassock and placed it in his hands. Gilgamesh examined the scroll, then smiled.
"Despite how boring you've become, you still have your uses." Without a word of thanks, he left the doors, leaving Kirei behind to contemplate the most efficient way to kill Bazett.
Outside the doors, he activated the Noble Phantasm that he normally kept restrained, Sha Naqba Imuru. The ability to see all truth, the mentality of Gilgamesh sublimated into a single Noble Phantasm, the knowledge spread across all corners of the world as if the brilliance of the stars, seeing through all creation. Simply by looking at the document, he could already tell where the current Master of Caster was at.
"Mount Enzou? Perhaps the Master may yet be worth watching." He knew that several of the local ley lines converged there, and it would make sense for a Caster to set up base at that location. In addition, depending on the skill of the Caster, it was also possible to tweak with the Greater Grail placed inside the cavern hidden in the depths of Mount Enzou, allowing them to gain an enormous advantage, such as breaking the rules to summon another Servant.
"Let us be off." A golden portal opened up next to him with a weathered stone handle jutting out of it. Grasping the handle, he pulled out a flaming sword that was an inferior copy of the Divine Construct Sul-sagana, completely vaporizing the scroll, then let is dissipate into gold dust back into the gate as pulled out what looked like an airbike from another golden portal, jumping on and quickly speeding his way through the quiet streets of Miyama Town to Mount Enzou. Despite not being a Rider, he still had some sweet skills on the bike.