This Is My Holy Grail War [62]

Thus, Saber was persuaded to form an alliance—a feat even Rin Tohsaka hadn’t expected from Assassin. However, the condition of ceding their wish for the Holy Grail left Rin visibly displeased.

“Master, is this acceptable?” Assassin turned to Rin, his tone composed. “Can you fulfill the king’s grand wish?”

Rin hesitated.

“We can’t defeat Archer. We don’t even have a good strategy against Berserker,” Assassin stated plainly. “Master, don’t you want to win? Alliances are part of war too.”

“I guess I owe Saber’s Master a huge favor now,” Rin muttered, pouting and clearly unhappy about the arrangement. “I don’t have any pressing desires for the Grail anyway… so I’ll consider this paying off my debt.”

To emphasize her lingering attachment to the Grail, she added, “But once we’ve defeated all the other enemies, we’ll have to settle the score between us!”

“My Master…” Saber began to speak but was swiftly interrupted by Assassin.

“Does the king not understand him yet? In that case, allow me to handle the persuasion. It’s a knight’s duty to ease their king’s burdens, after all.”

“Sir Lancelot…”

“What’s wrong?” Assassin noticed Saber’s troubled expression.

“I swear, I will claim the Holy Grail for the people of Britain!” Saber declared, clenching her fists tightly. “No matter the time, no matter the place—how could I, as a king, not fulfill my duty with a knight like this by my side?!”

Assassin stood dumbfounded for a moment. He hadn’t expected his words to stir Saber so deeply. His offer to persuade Shirou Emiya was simply because he felt confident in his ability to sway the boy.

At the Emiya residence, the aftermath of the battles was evident. The house, along with the nearby streets, had been left in ruins. Fortunately, no one had deliberately targeted the area for destruction. Aside from the warehouse and the living room, most of the structures remained intact.

Assassin found Shirou Emiya busy repairing the house in silence.

Shirou had no interest in the Holy Grail War and no intention of participating. This indifference to the Grail War was why he seemed so detached from it.

But Assassin’s arrival forced him to confront reality.

Without wasting time, Assassin went straight to the point. He explained everything about the Holy Grail War, then asked Shirou if he intended to take part.

Shirou replied that he had no wishes to fulfill and had no desire to continue participating.

This response was entirely within Assassin’s expectations. But instead of stopping there, he systematically maneuvered Shirou into reconsidering.

“Do you remember Berserker?” Assassin asked. “His Master is just a child. What do you think would happen if she got the Grail?”

“It would…” Shirou hesitated, unwilling to imagine it. Sensing this, Assassin pressed on.

“It would lead to countless deaths, all because of her whims.” Assassin’s tone grew sharp. “Can you picture what would happen if the Grail fell into the hands of those unscrupulous magi? Shirou Emiya, make your decision now.

“Will you abandon the Grail War and let it fall into the hands of those villains, or will you take the Grail into your own hands and entrust it to someone you truly believe in?”

—

Through a mix of persuasion and pressure, Assassin succeeded in convincing Shirou to participate in the Grail War.

The ease with which the task was accomplished left Assassin in a surprisingly good mood. Without any fanfare, he returned to Rin and Saber.

“It’s done,” Assassin said. “He’s a good person.”

“Sir Lancelot is ever so reliable,” Saber remarked, offering him a rare smile of praise.

“My king, please call me Assassin from now on.”

“You even convinced Shirou?” Rin exclaimed in awe. “That’s amazing!”

“This is exactly what you wanted, isn’t it?” Assassin turned to Rin. “You couldn’t bring yourself to treat Shirou as an enemy, so treat him as an ally instead.” He understood that as long as Rin was a Master, she could never bring herself to harm Shirou. This truth was painful not only for Assassin but also for the Heroic Spirit EMIYA.

Unlike Assassin, who depended entirely on his Master’s mana, Heroic Spirit EMIYA had independent action and the option to betray. But Assassin, without a Master’s mana, would vanish in no time.

Without waiting for Rin’s response—nor caring to hear it—Assassin turned into a shadow and disappeared. This was his silent protest and an expression of dissatisfaction with his Master. Even so, his alliance with Saber showed he still held onto a glimmer of hope for victory.

Through a window, Assassin thought he glimpsed the shadows of laughter and happiness, faint voices of mirth echoing from within. Or was it an illusion? The sight left him unsettled.

Under the cold moonlight, he stood alone on a rooftop. The chill wind cut through the night, leaving only his solitary figure.

No one to talk to. No one to confide in.

Companions? Such a thing had never existed for Assassin.

The only thing he could call his own was the battered longsword in his hands.

The blade, forged in the Age of Gods, was damaged beyond repair. Despite magical reinforcement, its tip was chipped, and its edge bore several irreparable nicks.

Even so, holding the sword gave him a fleeting sense of safety.

But even this sword wasn’t truly his—it had been taken from another. His face wasn’t his own, his skills were mere imitations, and his past was a blank slate. Even his identity was a forgery.

How should he feel when Saber called him “Sir Lancelot” with such familiarity? Displeased—utterly displeased.

Assassin despised being addressed as Lancelot by Saber. He’d rather she call him “Assassin.”

But he had compromised. For victory, he had no choice but to compromise. From the moment he was summoned, he had been compromising.

What truly belonged to him? Perhaps only the sense of presence Archer once spoke of…

Gripping a roof tile tightly, he crushed it in his hand. The shattered fragments scattered across the ground—his only tangible proof of existence.

From his class, to his actions in pursuit of victory, everything he left behind was just a fleeting trace.

“I will win!”

Beneath the slender crescent moon, Assassin raised his head toward the sky. Reaching out to touch the sea of stars, he made a wish.

I hope this world remembers me.

For the first time, after his conversation with the pure white Archer, Assassin found within himself a wish of his own.

—

This is a fan translation of 这是我的圣杯之战 by 向希望祈祷. All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!