Come home soon, Father.
Oh, shut up! Stop ringing!
Come on, already...
I was up until late last night, so just a few more minutes.
Jeez, you're heartless!
Oh, right. That pendant...
It hasn't begun yet, but I can't be too careful, can I?
# 00 Prologue
What's going on?
I don't see a single student...
It's too quiet.
Well, I guess it's just one of those days.
Hey, Tohsaka!
You're early today.
Ah, so that's it...
Morning.
Sure is cold today, huh?
Good morning, Mitsuzuri-san.
By the way, do you know what time it is?
The time? It's just before seven, of course.
Tohsaka, are you half-asleep?
Looks like the clocks at home were an hour fast.
Not only my alarm clock, but the wall clocks, too. By exactly one hour.
It happened right after I found the pendant...
Could Father have caused it?
Tohsaka?
Holding morning practice again, Mitsuzuri-san?
Yeah, I lost one of our best people.
I have to try to put on a good show so new students will join our club.
When you're team captain, it's always something, huh?
Hey, since you're here, why not watch our practice?
You really don't want to watch?
I don't know anything about archery.
So watching from a distance will be good enough.
Good morning, Captain.
Ah, good morning, Matou.
Is it just you this morning?
Yes...
I'm sorry that I wasn't able to help.
It's fine, don't worry.
If someone isn't into it, there's no point in forcing them to participate.
I'll be going, then.
See you later, Mitsuzuri-san.
Sure. Later, Tohsaka.
Thank you for visiting, Tohsaka-senpai.
Thanks.
Work hard, Sakura.
Hey, Tohsaka!
Good morning.
I must be lucky, running into you first thing in the morning.
Good morning, Matou Shinji-kun.
You're here early this morning.
Of course!
I'm team captain, after all.
Assistant manager, more like...
See you.
Hey, wait up.
You should sit in on our morning practice.
I'll pass.
I don't want to get in the way of practice.
No one will mind.
My point is that I don't want to be a bother.
Besides, I'm not all that interested in archery.
Really?
I thought you were.
Guess I had the wrong idea.
I thought you kept coming to watch after-school practices because you were interested.
Oh? You were there to watch something else, huh?
Stay away from me, will you?
Let me be clear, Matou-kun.
Not only am I not interested in archery, I'm not interested in you.
The fact is that I only just now noticed you were on the archery range,
and I'm certain I won't notice you in the future.
Say what?
How dare you, Tohsaka?!
You're welcome to be self-conscious, but you should tone it down.
Hey, if it isn't Tohsaka-san! Morning!
Good morning, Fujimura-sensei.
Tohsaka...
Well, if it isn't the student council president.
Patrolling the campus so early in the morning?
Or are you making maintenance rounds of the club rooms?
Not that I care either way. Still, you're the diligent student as always.
And what do you have up your sleeve?
Why are you here so early, when you aren't in any clubs?
I just felt like it.
I fixed it, Issei.
Oh, sorry.
I asked you for help, but you did it all, Emiya. My bad.
Where's the next one?
I don't have a lot of time.
The next one's in the A/V room.
They say it's been acting up lately, but it's finally exhausted its lifespan.
If it's dead, I can't fix that. Buying a new one would be faster.
That's true, but I'd appreciate it if you could take a look at it anyway.
It looked dead to me, but you may be able to see if it's just faking or really dead.
Okay, I'll try...
You're here early, Tohsaka.
Was that his way of saying hello?
E-Excuse me, Tohsaka-san?
If you don't mind, would you like to eat lunch together?
Thank you, Saegusa-san.
I'm sorry, but I'm going to the cafeteria today.
I overslept this morning.
Oh, you did?
I didn't know. I'm sorry for stopping you.
Don't let this discourage you. Feel free to ask me again.
I will.
Wow, I had no idea that you were capable of oversleeping.
Actually, I oversleep all the time.
I'm not in any clubs because I can't get out of bed.
Well, enjoy your lunch, Saegusa-san.
I will. You, too, Tohsaka-san.
Looks like you got shot down, Yukicchi.
Didn't I tell you?
Tohsaka never brings a boxed lunch.
Maki, all we need to do is eat lunch in the cafeteria, right?
No way!
Try sitting with Tohsaka sometime!
It's so annoying, the way you can feel guys staring!
When she and I went out last weekend, she reaped all the benefits!
Makinoji, it looks like Tohsaka can hear you talking about her behind her back.
She's glaring daggers at me!
I don't think she's glaring at you.
No, that's a hateful glare!
When she's smiling, she's at her scariest.
It was only a little smack talk! Let it slide!
I treated you to a taiyaki, didn't I?
I had such high hopes in Father's will...
Last night, after solving an annoying puzzle he left, I found a box of his effects.
When I finally got it open,
all it contained was what looked like a smashed-up catalyst and this pendant.
Plus, all the clocks in the house went crazy...
That's amazing in its own right,
but it won't help me summon Saber, the most powerful Servant.
According to that dubious priest's information, only two more Masters are left.
I guess I don't have time to mope and worry.
You have one message, recorded on January 31, 3:21 PM.
It's me.
As I'm sure you are aware, tomorrow is the deadline, Rin.
I insist that you start taking this seriously.
Only two slots remain,
the Archer and the Saber classes.
The ranks of the Masters must be filled without delay.
Summon your Servant, and establish your Command Seals immediately.
Of course, if you are not participating in the Holy Grail War, that is a different matter.
If you value your life, seek shelter with the Mages Associ...
I know what I have to do. You don't have to tell me.
Preparations, ready.
Time, good.
Wavelength, ideal.
By performing the summoning at 2 AM, when my mana's at its peak,
I'll get Saber, even without a catalyst!
For the elements, silver and iron.
For the foundation, stone and the Archduke of Contracts.
For the ancestor, my great master, Schweinorg.
Close the gates of the cardinal directions.
Come forth from the Crown, and follow the forked road leading to the Kingdom.
Fill, fill, fill, fill, fill.
Repeat five times.
But when each is filled, destroy it.
Set.
Heed my words.
My will creates your body, and your sword creates my destiny.
If you heed the Grail's call and obey my will and reason, then answer me.
I hereby swear...
That I shall be all the good in the world.
That I shall defeat all evil in the world.
You seven heavens, clad in the three great words of power,
come forth from the circle of binding...
Guardian of the Scales!
That was flawless!
I know I drew the most powerful card!
Why?!
The door's broken...
Damn it!
Wait, all the clocks in the house were an hour fast today...
Which means it's now 1 AM.
Not 2 AM?
I did it again!
What's done is done.
Why did you give me that task, Father?
Well? What are you supposed to be?
That's the first thing you say to me?
Seems I've been drawn by quite the unusual little Master.
Good grief.
Or was it I who drew the short straw?
Just to make sure...
You're my Servant, right?
And are you my Master?
When I was summoned, you weren't present.
You aren't a baby bird.
Don't joke and make it sound like you imprint on your Master when you first open your eyes.
All right, fine.
I'm simply asking if you really are my Servant, and no one else's.
Master-Servant relationships should be clearly laid out, right off the bat.
Yes.
I am in complete agreement with that opinion.
But where is the evidence that you are my Master?
Here. This is all the proof you need that I am your Master, right?
Oh, dear.
Do you really mean that?
It wasn't that meaningless token I wanted to see.
I wanted to see if you are someone worthy of my loyalty.
Excuse me?
I'm not good enough to be your Master?
I am utterly dissatisfied, but I do acknowledge you as my Master.
But on one condition.
In the war to come, I will disregard anything you say.
I will decide all battle policy.
I trust you have no objections.
I see...
You grudgingly acknowledge me, but you won't listen to my opinions?
Why is that?
You are my Servant, aren't you?
Yes, but in form alone.
So I will obey you in form alone.
But when fighting, I will call my own shots.
Until this Holy Grail War ends, I suggest you sit tight in the cellar or something.
That should keep even one as inexperienced as you alive.
Oh, have I made you angry?
Of course, I have nothing but respect for your office.
After all, I was summoned to win victory for my Master.
My victory is your victory, and I will yield any spoils of battle to you.
Surely that will be agreeable?
Anyway, leave everything to me, and see to your own wellbeing.
I don't expect
anything from you.
Now I'm mad!
Fine! If that's how you're going to be, I'll use one on you!
Anfang!
You wouldn't...
I would!
You lousy ingrate!
Vertrag... Ein neuer Nagel...
Ein neues Gesetz... Ein neues Gesetz...
Wait, are you crazy, Master?
Who would use a Command Seal on something so...
Ein neues Verbrechen!
Shut up!
You're my Servant, got it?
That means absolute obedience to everything I say!
Are you that impulsive, girl?
You would use a Command Seal with so broad an order?
L-Let's take this elsewhere.
Come with me.
I believe I have a fair understanding of your disposition now, Master.
Just to be sure, you do realize how precious the Command Seals are, don't you?
What's with his superior tone?
"Absolute obedience," my butt...
They symbolize our power to compel our Servants three times.
What about it?
Listen...
Command Seals compel a Servant to perform an action.
For example, I am incapable of teleporting far from here.
However, if you were to use a Command Seal and say, "Go,"
it would use mana from both of us, to accomplish it.
The three Command Seals are
the crystallization of high magic and can overcome the limits of flesh and blood.
Well, I suppose the number has now been reduced to two.
I know all that.
So what? I still have two.
The rule I ordered you to obey wasn't a waste.
I admit that I miscalculated.
When the order is vaguely worded, Command Seals are less effective.
Which is exactly what happened with your earlier order.
Even a hundred Command Seals could not compel
true, absolute obedience in every word and deed.
Then you're saying the Command Seal I used earlier was pointless?
Normally, that would be the case.
But it would seem your skill as a mage is extraordinary.
Extraordinary?
Yes, that is what I meant by "miscalculated."
Your words now carry a powerful compulsion for me.
How annoying.
What are you getting at?
I take back what I said, Master.
You may be young in years, but you are an outstanding mage.
I was mistaken in looking down on you as a child and trying to keep you from fighting.
I apologize for both that and my poor manners.
Then you acknowledge me as your Master, even without my using a Command Seal?
Of course.
I'd just been summoned, so I wasn't yet fully acclimated.
But now, we are completely connected.
As a mage, you should be able to sense the bond between us through our pact.
Our pact...
Oh, right.
Servants are summoned by the Holy Grail, but what anchors them to this world is...
Yes.
A Master's power.
A Servant is anchored to this world by the mana supplied by his Master.
My mana from you is more than satisfactory.
You are a first-rate mage, no doubt about it.
It's too late to score any points with flattery.
Wait...
You aren't Saber?
I hate to disappoint, but I have no sword.
Which makes you Archer.
Boy, I blew it...
I used all those gems, and I still didn't get the Saber.
Well, pardon me for not being the Saber.
It was a regrettable mistake, but I'm to blame.
I'll make you rue those words.
And when the day comes, apologize all you want. I won't forgive you.
See to it that I regret my words, Archer.
When you do, I'll make you let me apologize.
Very well. Don't forget that, Master.
Oh, that's right.
I forgot to ask you.
Which Heroic Spirit are you?
Archer?
I cannot give you any answers regarding my identity.
For the simple reason that I do not know.
What's that supposed to mean? Are you messing with me?
I don't mean to insult you, Master,
but it's the result of your imperfect summoning.
My memories are a jumble.
My name and origin are hazy, as well.
Admittedly, those aren't important details,
so it's nothing to be concerned about.
I'm very concerned about it!
If I don't know what Heroic Spirit you are, I don't know how powerful you are!
That is a trivial matter.
You call that "trivial"?
If I don't know how powerful my partner is, I can't formulate a strategy, can I?
What are you saying?
I am a Servant who was summoned by you.
I could not be anything but the most powerful.
Oh, well.
It won't change the fact that no one else knows his true identity...
For the time being, we'll overlook the issue of your identity.
And now, Archer, your first job.
Right down to business, then.
My Master is belligerent.
And who is my enemy...
Clean the living room.
You made that mess, so I expect you to make it spotless.
Wait.
What do you think Servants are?
Familiars, right?
These talk back and are unruly, though.
As you wish.
And you can go to hell, Master.
Father...
The battle I've been awaiting for ten years is about to begin.
My Holy Grail War...
This is way beyond running late.
I'll just skip school today.
Right, it was Archer I summoned, not Saber.
With the added bonus that he doesn't know who he is.
I've got a headache, all of a sudden.
I'm exhausted.
Did the summoning drain all my mana?
Maybe he isn't so bad.
The sun came up long ago.
You're quite the slob, aren't you, girl?
This is good.
What are you smirking at?
More importantly, have you remembered who you are?
No.
Fine.
I'll think of what to do about your amnesia in due time.
Get ready to go out, Archer.
I'll show you around the city.
Before that, Master, aren't you forgetting something important?
Something important?
Good grief...
We have yet to carry out the most important exchange of our pact.
The most important exchange of our pact?
Girl... You really aren't a morning person, are you?
Who do you think you are, "girl" this and "girl" that?!
I...
Darn.
Our names.
It finally clicked?
So, Master... From now on, what shall I call you?
I'm Tohsaka Rin.
Call me whatever you want.
I will call you "Rin," then.
Yes, the sound of it suits you.
What do you think? Doesn't this place have a great view of the city?
If we'd come here in the first place, we wouldn't have had to walk around all day.
What are you talking about?
All you get from up here is a panoramic view of the city.
You can't get a feel for how a city is laid out unless you go places in person.
That isn't quite true.
My class isn't called "Archer" for nothing.
Without excellent eyesight, bowmen aren't much use.
Let's see.
I can make out how many tiles are on that bridge.
I'm amazed.
The Archer class really is made up of archers!
Rin...
Could it be that you're mocking me?
Of course not.
It's him. I know it.
Have you spotted our enemy?
No, just an acquaintance.
An ordinary person who has nothing to do with this.
I neglected to ask you something.
Which is?
Rin, were you trained from an early age to be a Master?
And did you go along with that?
That's right.
For generations, winning the Grail has been the Tohsaka dream.
Then I expect that you know your goal.
Unless I know your wish, I cannot entrust my blades to you.
Rin, what is your wish?
Wish?
I don't really have one.
What?
That isn't possible.
The Grail is an omnipotent cup that can grant any wish.
It has the power to conquer the real world for you.
Conquering the world seems like a pain in the butt,
and there's no point in wishing for dumb things like that.
I fail to understand.
Why, then, are you fighting?
Because there's a battle to be fought, Archer.
Then you are...
Yes, I'm fighting to win. That's all.
All right...
You are indeed my ideal Master.
There can be no doubt that you are the perfect Master for me.
There is no one else whom I could hope to serve.
Hey...
Rin? Why are you hiding?
It's someone I know.
I skipped school today, so I don't want to run into anyone.
Kirei? It's me.
I made a pact with Archer last night, so please list me officially as a Master.
Very well.
Then, what are your plans?
Would you care to stop by?
I have something for you that your parents left in my care.
You mean Father's will?
I already deciphered it and found what he left, so that's fine.
I'll stop by if I'm ever in the mood, so I'll see you then.
Wait, Rin...
Are you going to school?
Yes.
Is that a problem?
No, but isn't a school
a location where it would be difficult to prepare for surprise attacks?
We avoid public battles with other Masters, don't we?
So I think if we're somewhere as public as a school,
there's little chance of a sneak attack.
Purely hypothetically,
if there is an enemy in this haven, what will you do?
That won't happen.
There's only one mage family in this city besides the Tohsaka.
That family is a shadow of its former self.
They could never produce a Master.
Then what you're saying is that there is indeed another mage at your school.
But this person possesses insufficient mana to ever become a Master.
Exactly.
Nevertheless, Rin, there is an exception to everything.
If a mage you're unaware of is at the school...
This is more than just stale air...
Has a magical barrier already been established?
Not fully.
But preparations seem to be well underway.
To act so boldly, this person is either a heavy hitter...
Or a complete novice.
If a bounded field can be sensed by others, that's a third-rate hack.
A first-rate mage stays hidden until they're ready to strike.
What is your plan, Rin?
I don't give a damn whether this person's first-rate or third-rate.
Whoever started to put up crude garbage like this in my territory gets taken out!
Listen, Archer...
After school, we'll start by examining the barrier.
Let's decide whether to remove or leave it once we determine what kind of field it is.
We'll talk later, Archer.
Let me help you, Sakura.
Tohsaka-senpai!
Thank you, Senpai.
It's no problem.
So, are you taking these to your class?
To Kuzuki-sensei.
He said there was a typo, so he was taking them all back.
Kuzuki-sensei is a perfectionist, all right.
This makes seven.
Anyway, this one seems to be the trigger point.
I've never seen, or even heard of, writing like this.
Darn it.
This is way over my head.
Archer, you can sense the barrier's nature, can't you?
If this barrier is activated,
it will cause every human inside it to literally dissolve.
This is soul-eating.
A fortress of blood that will dissolve
any human body within the field, and harvest the souls oozing out.
And as for who, or what, might want souls, the obvious answer is a Servant.
Archer, would your kind do such a thing?
You surmise correctly.
Fundamentally, we are non-corporeal beings.
Just as your kind partakes of meat as nourishment, Servants partake of minds and souls.
In other words, the more ingested, the greater the mana stores.
Meaning that they aren't satisfied with the mana their Master is supplying?
It's not that they aren't satisfied, but that more is always better.
To absorb energy from nearby humans is a basic stratagem of a Master.
In that sense, this barrier is highly effective.
I feel aggravated.
Never say such a thing again, Archer.
I agree.
I would never do something like this.
Let's erase it, then.
I may not completely undo it, but I can throw a wrench in the works.
What, you're going to erase it?
What a waste.
Is this your handiwork?
Nope.
Stooping to dirty tricks is a mage's role.
My kind simply fights when and where we're told.
Right, my invisible buddy?
So you can see Archer...
You're a Servant!
And if you know that, little girl, can I assume you're my enemy?
Fenced in on four sides... Fighting here, we're at a disadvantage.
Impressive.
You seem ignorant, but you have the gist of things.
Boy, I really blew it.
I shouldn't have let curiosity...
...get the better of me and spoken up.
Es ist groß.
Es ist klein!
Vox Gott Es Atlas!
Archer, handle the landing.
Archer!
Now that's more like it!
I'm okay with people who get right down to business!
Lancer-class Servant!
Indeed.
Your Servant doesn't strike me as a Saber, though.
Who are you?
You don't seem like the proper, single-combat type, either.
So, an Archer.
Go on, take out your bow, Archer.
I'll wait for you.
Archer?
What's he...
Archer, you'll get no assistance from me.
Right here and now, show me what you've got!
You fool!
So this is a battle between Servants...
That was stupid.
Archer!
A dual wielder, huh?
A mere bowman who thinks he's a swordsman, eh?
Twenty-seven.
To think I've disarmed you twenty-seven times, yet you still have more.
What's the matter? This wait-and-see approach isn't like you.
Where'd all that spirit go?
Trying to provoke me, you sly old man?
Fine, I'll ask the question.
What land's Heroic Spirit are you?
I've never heard of a bowman who wields two swords.
You, on the other hand, are easily identifiable.
They say that only the swiftest heroes are chosen to be spearmen,
and you stand head-and-shoulders above them.
There aren't even three spearmen of your skill in the world.
Add in a beast's agility, and that leaves but one.
You flatter me, Archer.
Then, will you face my mightiest blow?
I won't stop you.
You are an enemy I must overcome eventually.
This is bad...
That massive amount of mana...
He's clearly about to use his Noble Phantasm.
If he attacks...
Who's there?
A student?
Someone was still in the school building?
So it would seem.
It saved my life, actually.
Wait, where did Lancer go?
He chased after that person.
He's a witness, so he probably went to eliminate him.
Follow them, Archer!
I'll catch up!
Damn it, that was so stupid!
Eliminating witnesses is the first rule for mages.
I hated that rule, so I've always been extra careful.
Archer, follow Lancer.
If we don't at least learn his Master's face, none of this will have been worth it.
Rin, this is your responsibility.
Lancer pierced him with his spear...
If his heart was hit, there's no way to save him.
I'm sorry.
I'll sit with you until your time comes.
Don't do this to me...
Why are you here?
Why did you have to pick this hour, on this day, to be here?
How am I supposed to look her in the eye tomorrow?
There's still a way.
I'm sorry, but I failed.
This Master is very cautious.
Oh.
I guess I shouldn't have expected it to be that easy.
You went to get it for me?
Don't lose it again.
It doesn't suit anyone but you.
You think?
Well, thanks.
Like I thought, there doesn't seem to be any mana left in it at all.
Hang on...
What is it, Rin?
When Lancer's Master learns the witness they thought they'd killed is still alive...
He'll probably send Lancer back to finish the job.
This isn't your burden to bear...
After what it cost me to save him, I'm not about to let him die!
He's here...
The Lancer-class Servant!
Wait, Rin!
I'm sensing more than one Servant!
The Saber-class Servant...
Trace on.
You're an early riser, Tohsaka.
Still, there should be a way.
I need to live, to fulfill my duties.
If I don't hurry and call someone, you'll die.
Seventh Servant?
Next Time Winter Days, A Fateful Night
Are you my Master?