Someone once said.
To win a war, one needs soldiers, supplies, and information.
As Napoleon suggested, an army marches on its stomach; as Sun Tzu said, if you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles; and without soldiers, the war itself cannot proceed.
I had prepared all the supplies through Alice-san, and the information from the memories of my past life was more than sufficient.
All that remained... were the soldiers.
"Alice-san refused after all..."
As a secondary option, I tried to send a 'love call' to the superhuman puppetmaster Touko Aozaki, but she had already vanished to evade the pursuit of the Executioners.
"So, what are you planning to do?"
"For now... Ah, please set it down over there."
The move to Fuyuki City proceeded without a hitch. The first reason was that my mother and father gave their permission in the blink of an eye, and the second was that I had completed yet another technique.
"...By the way, no matter how many times I see them, they're fascinating. Living corpse puppets."
"To be honest, from an ethical standpoint, they aren't exactly commendable."
My father and mother were slightly flustered when they heard I was going to start living on my own, but they soon spoke simply.
'It's not a bad thing to have that kind of experience. Though, you might be short on money if you're living alone...'
'I didn't expect we'd be letting our son go so soon~ But we might drop by for a surprise visit sometime, so don't do anything strange!'
'...I won't, Mom. And please contact me before you come.'
'Hahaha!'
...Truly, no matter how I think about it, my parents are far too laissez-faire.
Then again, looking at it the other way, it just shows how much I've conducted myself like an adult.
"We were talking about the Holy Grail War and ended up here... First of all, it's confirmed that I'm participating."
In the first place, the Fourth Holy Grail War lacked enough participants, leading to the selection of Uryu Ryunosuke—who was effectively a civilian—as the Master of Caster.
The Magus Killer, Professor Azoth, 'Azoth', Mapo-Gundam, the Great Big Ben London Star, a psycho civilian, and a pitiful man. These were the participants of this Holy Grail War.
The problem, however, was that among these people, there wasn't a single one I could truly turn into an ally.
The most decent one personality-wise, Waver Velvet, had the drawback that his Servant, King Iskandar, desired the Grail, and there was a possibility that his compatibility with the Heroic Spirit I intended to summon would be poor. No, he might even be a natural enemy.
As for the pitiful man... Kariya Matou, the possibility of him participating in the Holy Grail War has vanished entirely. I've already moved Sakura Matou... no, Sakura Tohsaka, out of harm's way, and according to my information, he should be living freely now, having severed his ties with magecraft entirely and fled.
The psycho civilian, Uryu Ryunosuke—I plan to simply kill him. Having that madman summon Gilles de Rais and throw a grand catastrophe party is just disgusting, and if things go wrong, I don't know how Francesca in America might get involved. Since I also have to eliminate Zouken Matou, I might end up clashing with that lunatic who is obsessed with illusions if I'm not careful.
And then... the three beyond-hope cases.
Tokiomi Tohsaka. This incarnation of aristocratic pride has become an acquaintance of mine, but he's a man planning to backstab the Goldie for the sake of the Grail that reaches the Root. Even if we somehow established a cooperative relationship, he wouldn't leave me alone once I try to destroy the Grail.
As for Mapo-Gundam, I don't even have a clue how to persuade him. How on earth do you stop a lunatic who is officially certified by the original creator as being filled with twisted faith?
And Emiya is...
"Fuck."
"What's wrong?"
"Soujuurou-san, why are there so many crazy bastards in this world?"
Truthfully speaking, life was turning out to be shitty in various ways.
"Anyway, what I need most is a 'person' to participate in the Holy Grail War."
"...I'm out. For starters, Alice would never just sit still and let that happen."
"I know. In the first place, while your physical abilities are an over-balanced anomaly, fighting Heroic Spirits is a suicide mission."
Currently, the Master of Berserker is not stepping up. Even if I fill that slot, the seat for Caster's Master—formerly Uryu Ryunosuke's, whom I will preemptively remove—will remain vacant.
...There has to be at least one person who comes to mind...
"Manaka Sajyou... no, what the hell am I thinking. That woman is an absolute no-go. I'd rather call the Jewel Old Man... Seriously, what am I doing?"
All sorts of deranged thoughts began to swirl in my head, until finally, I hit upon a brilliant idea.
"I can just call Aoko-nee, can't I?"
Her skill is beyond question given she's a Magician. And as for the Goldie who would probably attack her while shouting about her being a 'splendid mongrel,' I plan to suppress his summoning to a 'certain extent,' so that shouldn't be an issue.
Moreover, since she possesses the abilities of a Magician, she should be able to go toe-to-toe with most Heroic Spirits, and she'll certainly be able to withstand a Servant's prana consumption. Most importantly, she should be able to take a few of Kiritsugu's insane Origin Bullets...
"...It's perfect, isn't it?"
I immediately pulled out the phone and dialed Aoko-nee.
Aoko-nee answered and spoke with her usual cheer.
[The Holy Grail War? Come to think of it, you did mention building a Workshop in Fuyuki City, didn't you?]
"Yes. I'm making preparations for now, but it looks like one seat might be left open. Could you perhaps help me out as my backup?"
[Hmm... 1994, huh? I should be pretty free around then. Should I prepare a Noble Phantasm... or a catalyst?]
"That would be best. The Holy Grail War system is currently not normal in many ways."
In a situation where even Servants close to evil spirits can be summoned, there's no telling what kind of Servant will appear through a bond-based summoning alone.
Therefore, we must use a proper catalyst to pull a Servant who qualifies as a 'True Hero.'
[I'm game. It's not a bad idea to participate in such a magecraft event... And Zelretch mentioned it, you know? He said it's one of the branch points. You're aware of that, right?]
"...Of course. I'm participating specifically to ensure the most correct path is taken at that junction."
[Well, since it's a world-line that the Jewel Old Man has observed, he'd probably try to interfere if it starts heading toward the worst outcome anyway. Fine then, I'm in!]
"...I didn't expect it to be solved this easily."
"Didn't things turn out for the best? Aoko is incredibly strong, after all."
"...I don't really want to hear that from the person who spars with Lugh Beowulf using bare fists, you know?"
* * * * *
Aoko-nee became a reliable informant within the Clock Tower.
Her title of Miss Blue and her status as a Magician served as a sort of diplomatic immunity that allowed her to roam anywhere in the Clock Tower, and she extracted and delivered several pieces of information I was curious about.
"To think Hanako Akuta has already joined the Clock Tower. Though the Crypters haven't emerged yet."
Kadoc Zemlupus, Ophelia Phamrsolone, Hanako Akuta, Scandinavia Peperoncino, Kirishtaria Wodime, Beryl Gut, Daybit Sem Void.
The aforementioned seven Crypters, along with the Beast King Goetia and the mysterious mastermind known as the 'Alien God,' are targets that must be specifically watched.
Of course, while Zemlupus and Hanako eventually turn into allies, and the likes of Peperoncino, Wodime, and Ophelia provide various help, the bottom line is that they are still the masterminds of Part 2 of the Grand Order.
"But... there's something else more important right now."
Our Great Big Ben... no, young Waver Velvet has finally submitted 'that thesis' to the Clock Tower.
"Preparations are... not looking bad."
The Great Three Ploy Kickshaws borrowed from Alice-san: Thames Troll, Flat Snark, and fifteen units of Diddle Diddle.
The Six Paths of Pain created using the bodies of heretical magi and serial killers Aoko-san gathered near the Clock Tower, plus the corpse of Uryu Ryunosuke. And finally, the catalyst of the Round Table whose ownership I had transferred from Alice-san.
[That brat Waver Velvet's thesis was rejected. Kayneth is being quite harsh to the kid.]
"...Then it seems the time has finally come. Can you come over now, Nee-san?"
[No problem. I've already secured a flight, so I should arrive in Fuyuki around the day after tomorrow.]
"Understood. Then... it's time to begin."
An incantation that every TYPE-MOON fan must have mimicked at least once.
An incantation that would deeply impress anyone going through a chuunibyou phase.
The very incantation that remains the dream of every fan, alongside Unlimited Blade Works.
"I announce. Thy body shall be under my command; my fate shall be with thy sword.Following the call of the Holy Grail, if thou wilt abide by this will and this reason, then answer.
An oath shall be sworn here.
I shall be the one who attains all the virtues of the eternal world; I shall be the one who prevails over all the evils of the eternal world.
Thou art the Seven Heavens clad in the three Great Words of Power.
Come forth from the Ring of Deterrence... O Protector of the Balance!"
The catalysts I used were two-fold.
The first was a fragment of the Round Table.
The Servants belonging to the Knights of the Round Table are all, without exception, 'cheat' characters.
With the exclusion of the Knight of the Violet (Mash), all of them are high-tier Servants. There are even evaluations that Gawain and Lancelot are equal to or even surpass King Arthur himself. Furthermore, since they all belong to the three knight classes, their Magic Resistance is practically guaranteed to be solid.
...But what I am aiming for is not the usual Saber class.
The only one among the Knights of the Round Table who took up the 'bow.'
"Tristan, the Knight of Lamentation, has answered the call to battle. I pray... that this body shall be of use to you. Please, give me your orders, Master."
"...Um, glad to meet you."
The reason I summoned Tristan... to be honest, was simple.
First, to bring Artoria Pendragon—who suffers immensely throughout the Fourth Holy Grail War—over to our side as an ally.
Artoria Pendragon, consumed by the obsession of reviving Britain and drowning in self-loathing over her failure, was unable to even argue back properly when pressed by King Iskandar's Way of the King—something she normally would have refuted easily—and suffered through all sorts of misery before being forced to retreat after destroying the Grail.
...Honestly, King Iskandar's words weren't entirely wrong, but if he knew the actual state of Saber's country, he wouldn't be able to spout such nonsense.
Anyway... the first reason was to turn Saber into an ally, and the second was for a direct counter.
"With this, I have blocked the summoning of the King of Heroes."
Archer Gilgamesh, the so-called King of Heroes.
Of course, Gilgamesh has aptitude for all classes and the potential to be summoned as something else, but at the very least, the King of Carelessness I know will not be summoned. The most likely existence to appear would... naturally be the Wise King of the Caster class.
Moreover, with his clairvoyance, he would surely know what the corruption within the Grail truly is. If I can persuade him well enough, he might even help us deal with the Grail in the cavern without a fight.
"Master, what are you thinking so deeply about?"
"Hmm? Ah, it was nothing much. More importantly, how about it, Tristan? How do you feel about being summoned back to the mortal world?"
"...I am not sure. I wonder if a traitorous knight such as myself deserves such treatment."
"A traitorous knight... are you talking about that incident? 'The King does not understand the hearts of men'... that one?"
"*Cough, hack!*"
Oh, Tristan just spat up blood. That's quite a rare sight...
"Is that your wish, Tristan? To be forgiven by the King?"
"...Yes. At that time, I did not know the pain the King was suffering. Swept up in nothing but my own emotions, I spoke such cruel... disloyal words. It is an unforgivable sin."
"In that case, this Holy Grail War will be an opportunity for you!"
"Pardon...?"
"The Einzberns have supposedly obtained a catalyst. The contents... are the scabbard of the Holy Sword."
"...!"
"How about it, do you feel a bit motivated now?"
But as someone once said, trouble always happens in the most unexpected places.
[Karma, it looks like a problem has occurred.]
"...A problem?"
[I've arrived in Fuyuki City... but why aren't any Command Spells appearing?]
"...?"
...Excuse me?