This Is My Holy Grail War [48]

Assassin had revealed his ability to glimpse the future, though he did not offer all the information freely. He only answered Rin Tohsaka’s questions directly, withholding many of the hidden truths that lay within his sight.

Rin, young and inexperienced, lacked the cunning to probe deeper. She wasn’t aware of the veil concealing key details from her understanding.

The reason for Assassin’s reticence was simple—he had observed Rin’s softer side.

Merely a few subtle tests of her resolve confirmed it. Rin lacked the ruthlessness and calculated ambition of the Masters he had encountered in the Fourth Holy Grail War. Nor did she possess the cold determination to order the outright assassination of enemy Masters. This realization left Assassin with mixed feelings.

At least… she desires victory, and her mana reserves are plentiful.

As time passed, the bond between Master and Servant deepened. Rin’s mana flowed through their contract into Assassin, surging into his ethereal form and suffusing his essence with energy. The sensation was invigorating, as though his body brimmed with boundless strength. His Strength and Mana grew significantly as a result.

Compared to his previous Master, Kirei Kotomine, Rin’s natural aptitude was undeniably superior.

With every piece of information Assassin divulged about the other Servants, he offered strategies for dealing with them. Whether it was assassinating the Master or striking while a Servant was weakened, Assassin had a plan for every opponent.

“If everything goes according to your calculations… you could end the Holy Grail War in a single night!” Rin exclaimed, the weight of his methods finally dawning on her. Sweat beaded on her back as she realized the terrifying extent of his capabilities.

“More than that,” Assassin added with a cold smile, “every time I kill a Servant, I can raise one of my attributes. The more I kill, the stronger I become.” He hoped to subtly nudge Rin toward adopting more decisive actions.

“But I need to correct one thing,” Rin interjected. “You said I was supposed to summon Archer, yet I ended up with you instead.”

“This world has changed,” Assassin replied. “The exact nature of the changes, I can’t be certain yet.”

“Your [Clairvoyance] allows you to see far away, right? I suspect that your EX-rank ability lets you perceive parallel worlds—events happening in timelines separate from this one,” Rin said, pointing downward as if to ground her reasoning.

“It’s like how a person can see ahead but not look at themselves. Since you’re part of this world, you can’t see its future directly.”

Rin’s calm analysis impressed Assassin. She had deduced that his [Clairvoyance] could peer into the events of parallel worlds but not predict what would happen in this one.

“You’re correct, Rin,” Assassin acknowledged. “The moment I was summoned, this world diverged from the futures I saw.”

From Assassin’s perspective, Kirei Kotomine had summoned him in the past, but his class had remained the same. Now, Rin, who should have summoned Archer, had brought him forth instead. This suggested that the Holy Grail War had experienced greater deviations than anticipated.

More importantly, Assassin could not confirm whether this world was the same as the one he remembered. If it was, his knowledge might already be compromised.

“For example,” Rin continued, “the fact that you were summoned means there’s no guarantee other Servants will align with the events of the parallel worlds you’ve seen.”

“Correct. You might call it the butterfly effect,” Assassin said.

“Exactly!” Rin exclaimed. “Your [Clairvoyance] can provide valuable insights, but everything must still be evaluated against the reality of this world. For all we know, Archer has already been summoned by someone else.”

“Until we understand how much has changed, we’ll proceed based on what we do know,” Assassin declared. “Our first target is Caster. Either we eliminate her early or you claim her as your Servant.”

“Claim Caster as my Servant?!”

“Yes. She’s a magus from the Age of Gods with exceptional battlefield control. If we can secure her assistance, we’ll be much closer to victory,” Assassin explained. “Caster’s wish is to return to her homeland. I seek only victory, and you… you don’t have a specific wish for the Grail, do you?”

“Well, no, but… the Grail is a wish-granting omnipotent device,” Rin murmured, absently fingering the gems in her pocket, her hesitation palpable.

“If you want to reserve the chance to make a wish, then I’ll deal with Caster myself,” Assassin said, showing no resistance to either option.

Unlike his last summoning under Kirei, which left him bewildered and aimless, this time Assassin felt clarity. His goals were simple and unwavering.

Rin recognized the names of the Masters Assassin mentioned, though she hadn’t yet entered the cold, calculating world of the Mage’s Association. Her heart still bore the warmth of humanity, unlike the detached rationality of most magi.

If she had summoned one of the Three Knight Classes, the road to victory might have been simpler—winning through direct battles between Servants. But Assassin lacked the powerful Noble Phantasms necessary for such contests. His strength lay in killing Masters, a path Rin found hard to reconcile with her ideals.

“You mentioned earlier that Masters could betray their Servants. What did you mean by that?” Rin asked.

“My previous Master betrayed me,” Assassin said, his voice flat.

“That’s impossible! Why would a Master betray their own Servant?” Rin asked, disbelief evident in her tone.

“I pursued victory with everything I had, but my former Master handed that victory to someone else,” Assassin explained. “He willingly became a pawn. I was left to fight alone, forced to claw my way toward victory in his absence.”

“So your loyalty is to victory, not to me,” Rin said with a resigned sigh. “I see… that’s all it is.”

“What’s past is past. Let’s focus on the present. You desire victory, don’t you?” Assassin pressed. “Tonight, we hunt for Caster.”

“Going after Caster right now feels like cheating,” Rin said hesitantly, her uncertainty lingering.

“Not at all. I am your Servant, and this intelligence comes from me. It’s all within the framework of the Holy Grail War. Nothing about this violates the rules,” Assassin reassured her. “So let’s act tonight.”

“I get that you’re eager to win, but think about reality for a moment,” Rin said. “I spent the entire day preparing for your summoning. My gems are spent, and I don’t have enough mana left to fight right now.”

“Time is of the essence. The slower we act, the greater the disadvantage,” Assassin countered. “Leave the fighting to me. As for your gemcraft, isn’t its power drawn from the mana stored in the gems themselves?”

He turned to glance out the window. Outside, dark clouds began gathering ominously, a storm brewing in the distance.

—

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!