Chapter 34: The Second Magic — Kischur Zelretch

My Holy Grail War had already ended.
I never thought that the Grail War I had waited ten years for would come to such an abrupt close.

Well, Archer had fulfilled his purpose and passed on satisfied, so I had no intention of complaining about that.

But still—

“…You could’ve at least given me time to say something.”

Tears welled faintly in my eyes.

There were so many things I wanted to say. I wanted to spend more time with him. He’d walked a harsh, bitter life—so at the very least, I wanted to bring him happiness to make up for it.

What was I to him, in the end?

『…I’m sorry, Rin. I wanted to make you the victor. I swear to you, that was the truth.』

That kind of excuse was the last thing I wanted to hear.

『Thank you, Tohsaka. Because you summoned me… my life—was redeemed.』

Being thanked for that didn’t make me happy at all.

“…Idiot.”

The words I wanted were words that would affirm the time we spent together.

In his heart, there was always just one person—and I was, in the end, nothing more than a stranger.

“…Tch.”

I knew full well that I was being unreasonable. Even so, whenever I looked at Saber, irritation welled up in me. I was surprised by my own pettiness, and at the same time, it made me even more annoyed.

Saber wasn’t guilty of anything. She was only trying her best to resist the trouble she had been dragged into. So why did she make me so frustrated…?

Sitting in my chair with a frown on my brow, I heard a knock at the door.

“—Who is it?”

Feeling it was a bother, I got up from my chair and opened the door.

What I saw there was someone I hadn’t expected at all.

“K–Kuzuki-sensei?”

Standing there was Souichirou Kuzuki, a teacher at my high school.

“—Tohsaka. I hear you’ve been troubled by something.”

“…What are you talking about?”

“I was approached by a friend of yours who was worried about you.”

“A friend…?”

I didn’t have anything like that. I used to have those kinds of relationships, but now, as the head of a family of magi, I made a point to keep a certain distance from others.

“And who exactly would that be?”

“The Einzbern girl.”

“…Illya?”

That girl was hardly a friend—she was an enemy. We were only working together for now because we shared the goal of saving Shirou, but that didn’t make us close.

“…And what exactly do you want with me, sensei?”

My tone came out sharper than I intended.

“…I suppose it’s meddling, but… as a teacher, I can’t just leave a troubled student alone.”

“…Is that really all?”

“What do you mean?”

“Because you’re Caster’s Master, aren’t you?”

He wasn’t a magus, but he wasn’t just an ordinary civilian either. The story was that contracting with Caster had been pure chance, but there was no solid proof of that.

Not someone I could trust so easily.

“Rin… how long are you planning on keeping up this stubborn front?”

Peeking her head out from behind Kuzuki was Illya.

“Stubborn…?”

“No one here is going to betray you.”

“And how can you say that with such certainty?”

“Because there’s no point in it.”

Illya stated it firmly.

“No point…?”

“Think about it. Neither of us are clinging to the Grail. We’re only here for Shirou’s sake. And that goes for Caster as well.”

“For Caster too…?”

“She wants the Grail, sure—but at the same time, she’s trying to keep her promise to Archer. If she weren’t, there’d be no reason for her to still be here after Archer’s gone.”

…That much, I had to admit. She could abandon us any time she wanted. Yet the reason she remained was to honor her promise to Archer—to keep Shirou and Saber alive.

“Our goals are aligned. There’s no need for betrayal.”

“But—”

“—Hey, Rin. You don’t have to carry it all alone anymore, you know?”

Her words caught me off guard. It’s not like I was carrying anything—

“Because Shirou and Saber are so defenseless, you’ve felt the need to constantly keep watch over everything around them. There were times when, after Caster took Saber and Archer, you had to protect Shirou all on your own. That’s why you couldn’t trust anyone—because you had to always be suspicious, never let your guard down.”

“T–That’s not—”

“With Archer gone, that feeling of yours has only grown stronger.”

“I—”

Before I could raise my voice, Illya pulled me into an embrace.

The shock robbed me of words. Eyes wide, I heard her speak.

“I told you before, didn’t I? Pushing yourself too hard alone is forbidden.”

“…Illya.”

“We’re comrades. I want to protect my beloved little brother. You want to fulfill the wish of your precious partner. If you want, I’ll swear it to you.”

Illya smiled gently—like a mother would.

In that moment, I was a small child again. Back in the days when my whole family was still together… back when I knew nothing of the world’s unfairness.

“—I won’t betray you. Until the very last moment, I’ll be on your side.”

“…Why?”

“Because you protected Shirou. All this time… you’ve kept my beloved little brother safe. Carrying that hopeless duo on your back, fighting through a Holy Grail War teeming with monsters and magi—forget reckless, that was outright suicidal. And yet, you’ve guarded him until today. Is it really so strange that I’d feel indebted to you for that?”

“…No, but—you did kill Shirou once!!”

“That was because I was a Master then. Masters fight and kill each other—that’s the rule of the Holy Grail War. But now, I’m not a Master anymore. I’m just Shirou’s big sister.”

A sigh escaped me, tension unwinding from my chest.

Illya was an ally. I’d probably known that for a long time, and yet… I couldn’t bring myself to lower my guard.

The reason was exactly as she’d said. I’d taken it upon myself too much—protecting Shirou and Saber had become a burden I refused to set down.

“…Thank you, Illya.”

“Will you… talk to us? Let us hear what’s been weighing on you.”

I started to nod, only to realize that there was no longer any need.

My head felt clear, and at last, I understood the source of my irritation toward Saber.

『She… never told me anything. Even though we were together so long… in the end, right up until the very last moment…』

The words Archer had once murmured echoed in my mind.

That was it—the true reason for my frustration. Saber’s secrets. The truth Archer had longed to know.

The fact that she still hadn’t shared it with us was what made me so angry.

“—Sorry. Guess I don’t need to anymore.”

“Oh? So your problem’s solved?”

“No. It’s not that. I’m going to solve it now.”

I thanked the two of them and stepped out of the room.

When I entered the living room, I saw Saber—apron on—setting breakfast on the table.

“Saber. I have something important to discuss with you after we eat. Is that all right?”

“…Rin? I don’t mind, but… what’s it about?”

“I’ll tell you later. Let’s finish breakfast first.”

“Uh, all right…”

Saber looked bewildered.

Today, I wasn’t letting her get away. She would confess—everything.

Breakfast ended without incident, and Saber was now pouring tea for everyone.

“Saber. Sit down, please.”

Rin took a sip from the cup Saber had set before her and spoke.

“Uh… all right.”

Saber’s expression was tense.

“What’s going on between you two?”

Feeling the strange tension hanging in the air, Shirou turned to Illya, who was sitting beside him.

“Rin says she has something she wants to ask Saber.”

“Something to ask?”

Shirou still didn’t understand, and he watched the two with nervous anticipation.

“I’ll be blunt. Tell me what you’ve been hiding, Saber.”

“H–hiding? What do you mean?”

“Don’t play dumb at this point. You know exactly what I’m asking about, don’t you?”

Saber’s face stiffened. She looked to Shirou, as if pleading for help.

When Shirou instinctively moved to step in, Illya stopped him.

“I’d like to know too, Saber. If you’re keeping some kind of secret, it’s going to open a fatal rift in the trust between us. Is it something you still want to keep hidden, even so?”

Her tone was calm, but there was unshakable resolve beneath it.

“B–but…”

Saber turned her eyes to Shirou again.

“Is this… about Shirou?”

Rin pressed, and Saber murmured in embarrassment:

“…If I tell you, Shirou might hate me.”

Shirou reacted faster than anyone else.

“I’d never hate you!!”

“S–Shirou…?”

“No matter what I hear, there’s no way I could hate you!!”

“Shirou…”

The sudden bubble the two of them had created made Rin roll her eyes.

“Yes, yes, we get it. As you can hear, Shirou’s head over heels for you—so whatever you say, he’s not going to hate you.”

“…O–okay.”

Now blushing, Saber gazed at Shirou with a different kind of warmth, her dreamy eyes provoking a very different kind of irritation in Rin.

“All right, enough. Spit it out already. If you keep stalling, I’ll knock you one.”

“Y–yes, ma’am!”

Reluctantly tearing her eyes from Shirou, Saber took a deep breath before speaking.

“…First of all, you all know I’m from a different world than this one.”

Seeing Rin and the others nod, she continued slowly.

“In my world, there’s a game called Fate/stay night.”

“A… game?”

“Yes… Genre-wise, it’s a ‘romantic-fantasy visual novel.’ Basically, it’s like a novel, but with art and music to match the story—so it has some similarities to anime or manga, too.”

“…And what about it?”

Shirou and the others were clearly baffled by the sudden topic. Only Caster, who apparently understood everything, sipped her tea with perfect composure.

Saber hesitated. Telling this story meant, in a way, denying the very reality of their world—and, by extension, denying them.

But at this point, she couldn’t keep silent.

“…Shirou.”

“What?”

“…If I tell you this… you really won’t hate me?”

Saber’s shy question made Shirou blush and nod hard.

“N–never! No way!”

“Enough with the mushy stuff—just get on with it!”

Spurred on by Rin, Saber took a deep breath and steeled herself.

“…That game’s story depicts a battle between mages called the Holy Grail War.”

“…What?”

Everyone froze. Saber pressed her lips together, wondering if she should continue.

“…Go on, Saber,” Shirou said quietly.

His words pushed her forward, and she shook off the hesitation.

“…The protagonist of that game is named—Emiya Shirou.”

And then, cautiously, Saber began to recount the plot of Fate/stay night—in as much detail as she could manage.

When she finished, she kept her head down. She didn’t want to see anyone’s reaction.

Especially Shirou’s.

“…A game, huh… That, I have to admit, I didn’t see coming.”

Rin’s words sent a shiver down Saber’s spine.

“…Tell me—did you know?”

Rin’s gaze fixed on her.

“You knew about the Makiri Grail and Archer’s true identity from the very start?”

It was just a simple question—no anger in her expression when Saber glanced up.

“…Yeah. I knew. I knew Archer was Shirou.”

“I see… So that’s how it was.”

Rin let out a long breath. Saber couldn’t even begin to guess what she was thinking.

“Well, at least the mystery’s solved now. We know why you assumed Kirei Kotomine was the Overseer.”

Illya’s comment earned a nod from Rin.

“…If you’d told us sooner, we might have been able to do something differently.”

“…Sorry.”

“Though, to be fair, even if you had told me out of nowhere, I’m not sure I would’ve believed you.”

Rin and Illya treated Saber’s revelation simply as another piece of information to file away.

But Saber’s unease remained. The person whose reaction mattered most still hadn’t said a word.

“…A game, huh…”

Shirou finally spoke. The sound of his voice made her flinch.

She was terrified of what he might say next. Words like traitor, liar, fake—she could think of a dozen insults that would fit her right now.

“…Satoru.”

Shirou’s voice again.

“Don’t be afraid.”

“…Eh?”

He reached out and traced just beneath her eye with his finger. When he pulled it back, there was a small droplet clinging to his fingertip.

Only then did Saber realize she was crying.

“I told you, didn’t I? No matter what I hear, I could never hate you.”

“Shirou…”

He smiled gently to reassure her, then let a faintly annoyed look cross his face.

“Honestly, thinking I might hate you is insulting. Am I really that untrustworthy to you?”

“N–No! Of course not!!”

She leaned forward over the table, blurting out her denial. Shirou’s eyes softened as he looked at her.

“Then don’t doubt me. I’ll never hate you, and I’ll never do anything to make you hate me.”

“Shirou…”

Her feelings overflowed; she couldn’t control them. Almost without thinking, she reached up and cupped his cheek.

“…This is bad, Shirou. I think I’m falling for you even more.”

Her almost trembling confession earned a sharp chop to the head from Rin.

“Cut it out already.”

“S–Sorry…”

Seeing the exasperated faces of Rin and Illya suddenly made Saber feel very self-conscious.

“Saber.”

“Y–Yes?”

“There’s something I want to tell you too.”

“S–Something…?”

At this timing, what could it be?

Her mind immediately flooded with visions from the dream she’d had of life with Shirou—days of bliss straight out of Caster’s imagination.

“…Why does Saber look like she’s wandering around in some flowery dream world?”

Illya looked at her in mild disgust.

“Well, she’s never been in love before, right? First boyfriend—of course she’s over the moon.”

Ignoring the two of them, Saber waited expectantly for Shirou’s next words.

“…Caster’s agreed to help power me up.”

“…Huh?”

Saber could only stare blankly at the unexpected words.

“Power up…?”

She asked, and Shirou relayed to everyone exactly what Caster had explained to him.

“W–Wait a second! If there’s even a chance your personality could be overwritten, that’s—!”

“It’s already decided. And no matter what, I’ll still be me. I told you, didn’t I? I’d never do something you hate.”

“So,” Shirou said,

“Trust me.”

“…Shirou. But still, this is just too—”

“Please, Satoru. I want to protect you. And I want to save my precious family.”

“…As a hero of justice?” Saber murmured without thinking.

Shirou shook his head.

“Not as a hero of justice… As Emiya Shirou, I want to help my lover and my family. That’s why I want this power.”

“Shirou…”

The depth of determination in his eyes made Saber tremble, and tears spilled down her cheeks.

“Y–You’d better… come back to me, okay?”

“Of course. I know you’d be sad if I died.”

“Shirou…”

Watching the two of them, Rin and Illya were completely left behind, and both let out a sigh.

“I’m starting to think worrying about these two is a waste of energy.”

Rin muttered, pressing her fingers to her temple, and Illya nodded.

“This is what they call a ‘baka couple’ in Japan, right? That’s what Grandfather told me.”

“…Grandfather? Don’t tell me you mean… Jubstacheit von Einzbern?”

Illya didn’t answer, merely sipping her tea.

“…I think I’m getting a headache.”

“Pull yourself together, Rin. You’ve got an important role to play after this.”

“Important role? Since when? This is the first I’ve heard of it…”

Illya smiled slowly, as if savoring the moment, and spoke.

“I plan to have you attain it.”

“Attain… what?”

“Isn’t it obvious? The point the Tohsaka family was meant to reach. The Second Magic—Kischur Zelretch.”