Ten years ago, during the Fourth Holy Grail War, among the participants was an unexpected figure who appeared as an ally of the Tohsaka family, the lords of Fuyuki City.
To secure victory, Tokiomi Tohsaka somewhat underhandedly leveraged his position as the city's lord to gain additional advantages.
As a member of the Holy Church and a priest, Kirei Kotomine, under his adoptive father's arrangement, became the seventh participant in the Holy Grail War. With access to the Command Spells stored within the Church, he gained a cheating-like ability.
An abundance of Command Spells, free to use as he pleased!
This hidden figure was, naturally, meant to aid Tokiomi Tohsaka in achieving victory... or so it should have been.
But events spiraled out of control, and Tokiomi Tohsaka died.
The one responsible for this was, of course, the man lurking in the shadows.
Upon hearing this truth, Rin Tohsaka fell into an eerie silence. She didn't shout or cry out, "That's impossible!" Instead, her familiarity with Kirei Kotomine made her feel this possibility might actually be true!
"So, that priest killed Tokiomi Tohsaka?!" Shirou Emiya asked in shock, recalling the distasteful priest from their last encounter and his connection to Rin. Shirou was reluctant to believe it.
"He never denied it himself, and that insufferable guy often brings it up to mock Kirei," Cú Chulainn said. He had frequently witnessed Gilgamesh taunting Kirei and was well aware of their interactions.
This also let him in on things he wasn't supposed to know.
"Gilgamesh…" Illya muttered under her breath, her eyes filled with doubt. "If he's a Servant too, then this Holy Grail War already has eight Servants."
"He's a Servant from the Fourth Holy Grail War. It seems he gained a physical body at the end by relying on the Grail's power, but he needs an external source of magical energy. To that end, beneath the church, he's captured people from ten years ago... many of them orphans, victims of crises... and sealed them as sources of mana."
A sharp, grating sound interrupted... the table scraped, even spilling some of the sukiyaki broth. The cause was Shirou Emiya, his face pale, staring intently at Cú Chulainn. He asked, word by word, "Is… this… true?!"
Seeing Shirou's expression, Cú Chulainn felt as though the boy might devour him... not in an ambiguous sense, but as if he were facing a ferocious beast genuinely intent on killing him!
This usually mild-mannered boy radiated astonishing killing intent in that moment.
"Gilgamesh… the Archer of the Fourth Holy Grail War, known as the most ancient king. Arrogant, he views everything but himself as beneath him.
"When faced with troubles during his reign, he only sought divine aid, extorted and slaughtered mortals, and committed atrocities like rape as if they were routine. Of course, you could say most tyrants share such flaws.
"But I don't believe that just because everyone does it, such egregious wrongs are permissible."
The sudden commentary drew attention to Morpheus, who had spoken. Cú Chulainn couldn't help but say, "You seem to know a lot about him?"
"So-so. His deeds are all recorded on stone tablets, aren't they? Sure, he earned the title of 'sage-king' for a time after being swayed by a friend he met through a courtesan, but looking at his current state, one has to wonder if he's truly changed for the better."
Morpheus glanced at the silent Artoria. "Saber, King of Knights, as a participant in the Fourth Holy Grail War, you're probably the most qualified to say what kind of person he is."
Shirou Emiya looked at his Servant in shock, completely unaware that his Saber had also fought in the Fourth Holy Grail War.
"Don't be surprised. She was your adoptive father's Servant," Morpheus revealed Artoria's secret, but she didn't object. She knew there was no need to hide it in this situation.
She glanced at Morpheus, then at Shirou, nodding slightly to confirm the statement before sharing her judgment:
"Cruel, without compassion. To him, committing evil acts is more about his own pleasure than necessity. He lacks the qualifications to be a king!"
"As expected, your assessment aligns with mine," Morpheus said, clapping his hands with a smile while inwardly muttering.
"Of course, this world's Saber is different from the one Nasu wrote. Nasu's version feels completely disconnected from the Saber of the Fifth Holy Grail War. The real Artoria adheres to knightly virtues but will resort to underhanded tactics when necessary.
"Abandoning villages to preserve forces is a commander's choice, a sin they must bear. It's an unavoidable sacrifice for a leader, and while I don't like weighing human lives, preserving fighting strength is understandable.
"As for that golden tyrant who bullies men and women alike and extorts without restraint, he has no right to criticize Artoria.
"What nonsense did Nasu write?!"
Morpheus grumbled inwardly before continuing, "So don't doubt it... this is likely true. If you don't believe it, Shirou, you can use a Command Spell to force Cú Chulainn to tell the truth. It's your choice."
Cú Chulainn raised an eyebrow. If Shirou used a Command Spell for this, he'd understand but feel oddly annoyed.
To his surprise, Shirou sat back down, shaking his head. "No, no need to force it. As hard as it is to believe, I hope it's true…"
He gave a bitter smile. "I know everyone's been suffering for years, but doesn't this mean there's a chance I can save them?"
As long as they could still provide mana, they weren't dead yet. If they weren't dead, there was a chance to save them!
"Don't get your hopes up. They're only alive thanks to special magecraft. Without it, they'd die instantly…" Cú Chulainn shook his head, but another voice cut in.
"Not necessarily. As long as they're alive, there's always a chance. I happen to know some unique methods to save people."
Morpheus's expression was calm. After a long pause, Rin Tohsaka finally spoke.
"Morpheus."
"I'm here."
"Did you already know about this?"
Morpheus was silent for a moment before nodding. "Yes."
"Sorry, I need to clear my head…" Rin stood and walked out, her back looking forlorn.
Medea glanced at Morpheus, her eyes asking what to do. He shook his head. "Let her cool off for now. It's not a good time to follow. I'll talk to her later."
He then looked at another person connected to Tokiomi Tohsaka... Sakura Matou.
Sakura's expression remained largely unchanged, but deep in her eyes, a hidden sorrow lingered. Perhaps not wanting it seen, she quietly ate the food in front of her.
Even if he had sold her off, he was still her father.
In the end, it left her heart uneasy.
***
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