This Is My Holy Grail War [82]

Tonight, Tohsaka Rin appeared before her once again. Assassin could tell Rin had come searching for her. When the group of three crossed the monks’ barriers and entered Caster’s workshop, Assassin sensed their arrival and silently observed from the shadows.

The intruders were three in number: Rin, her former Master, and Lancer’s pair.

Kirei Kotomine?! How did they end up together?!

Assassin was perplexed to see them seemingly allied.

Lancer posed a significant threat. With the black grimoire open in her hands, Assassin, now assuming Medea’s form, crafted a talisman for herself. It was an enchantment designed to enhance luck, granting her protection from misfortune. Perhaps, in a critical moment, it could save her life—just as Saber had once evaded the [Gáe Bolg]’s deadly strike.

While luck could be bolstered through magic and [Instinct] mimicked from Artoria, endurance remained Assassin’s greatest weakness. If the [Gáe Bolg] struck true, she wouldn’t survive—even without the spear’s instant death effect activating.

“Why couldn’t you bring Saber inside too?”

Assassin listened from her hidden vantage point as Rin whispered her question to Lancer. From their conversation, she began piecing together the current situation.

“I’ve reached my limit just getting in myself. You want me to babysit Saber too?” Lancer crossed his arms, his irritation evident. “That Saber may look as adorable as Assassin on the surface, but her personality? Completely insufferable. That haughty attitude—what does she think of my position?”

It seemed Lancer and Saber had not been getting along.

“You’re the one who provoked Saber first, and now you’re taking revenge by leaving her outside?” Rin retorted with visible annoyance.

“The stronger someone’s magical energy, the more they repel others’ magic. You really think I could bring Saber in here? What kind of joke is that?” Lancer shot back. “You’re supposed to be a mage—shouldn’t you know this? Even if she suppressed her magical resistance, there’s no way I could drag her in with runes alone.”

“But you’re a Servant!” Rin was relentless. “A so-called great hero who can’t even handle this?”

“I’m not a Caster, damn it!” Lancer snapped, the vein on his temple throbbing. “I’m a spearman, not a magician, you spoiled princess.”

The two bickered under the moonlight like children, their quarrel oddly domestic. To an outsider, Lancer might have seemed like Rin’s exasperated but dependable older brother.

“This barrier that blocks spiritual forms—it was laid by monks. Don’t you have a better solution?” Rin pressed.

“I got you inside, didn’t I?”

“But that barrier doesn’t stop humans!”

“Is that so?” Lancer muttered, genuinely surprised. “Huh. That explains a lot.”

As the enemy broke into the workshop, emergency defenses activated. Countless skeletal soldiers made of dragon fangs emerged from the mist, converging to repel the intruders.

By this point, Assassin had reached the courtyard. Her current appearance as Medea was a result of her earlier talisman-making.

“Caster?!” Rin’s voice, laced with hostility, cut through the air. Assassin instantly understood Rin’s intent.

This Master, who had lost her Servant, had not chosen to retreat. For reasons unknown, she had allied herself with Kotomine. At this moment, Tohsaka Rin was the enemy.

Assassin recalled the time she had informed Rin that Kotomine was her father’s killer. Yet now, here they stood together. Perhaps, in this world, Tokiomi Tohsaka hadn’t perished at Kotomine’s hands. It was speculation, not certainty.

Rin’s determined gaze was unshaken—a defiance that refused to back down. Perhaps Assassin’s current appearance had stirred Rin’s anger even more.

“I may have lost to you once, but I will never admit defeat!” Rin’s clenched fists trembled slightly—a subtle motion that didn’t escape the eyes of a Servant. It was a tremor born of humiliation, the result of Caster stealing her Servant and delivering a devastating blow to her pride.

“Assassin will always be my Servant. Your forced contract won’t work!” Rin declared, her gaze unwavering. “I summoned Assassin. It’s my magical energy that flows through him. Everything about him—his body, his mind—belongs to me!” She bit her lip, her voice trembling with restrained anger. “You thieving witch! I will reclaim my Servant. Assassin belongs to me alone!”

“No,” Lancer interjected with a wry smile. “She’s not Caster—she’s Assassin. Trust me, I know women. Just standing near Caster is enough to make my skin crawl.”

“Huh?!” Rin’s expression froze in disbelief. “Assassin transformed?!”

“Well, well,” Assassin said, her tone faintly amused. “To think you, who always treated me like a disposable pawn, cared so deeply for me after all. You were always so cold, ready to cast me aside at any moment. You were useless in battle, constantly holding me back. You claim you prepared for the Holy Grail War for so long, but in reality, you were hopelessly unpolished.”

“I’m not nearly as bad as you make me sound!” Rin’s face flushed a deep crimson, so vivid it seemed as if her cheeks would start dripping with color.

“And for the record,” Rin huffed, “I only got caught off guard and fell victim to Caster’s trickery. That’s all! Hmph, don’t read too much into it, Assassin.”

She’s such a tsundere.

“Argh! Assassin, you’re mine! A Servant should obey their Master!” Rin fumed, clearly agitated.

“If that’s what you think, I won’t argue,” Assassin replied with a shrug. “After all, I am merely a Servant. But first—prove it. Show me how strong your will to win really is.” She let her words linger for a moment before continuing. “Because as of now, I belong to another. I already have a Master.”

—

T/N: WOAHHH RIN THOSE WORDS… heh hehehehehehehe frig i dont know if theres actually romance in this fic…

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!