When I was a child,
I used to dream of becoming a hero of justice.
What do you mean, "used to"?
Did you give up?
I did, unfortunately.
Being a hero is a limited-time thing.
The older you get, the harder it is to call yourself one.
I wish I could've realized that sooner.
I see.
You can't do anything about that, then.
Indeed.
I really can't.
All right. Since you can't, I'll become one for you.
You're an adult now, so it's too late for you,
but I can still do it.
Just leave your dream to me.
All right.
I feel better...
We are always hounded by a despair so powerful
as to threaten to burn our hearts to ash,
and yet you manage
to smile at me
with infinite forgiveness
The wind erases our voices
Our words are carried away
I hold onto you for balance
on this treacherous path
I know that paradise awaits us,
and that future is our one and only hope
That blind feeling
might be the only emotion
that I have left
There is no true answer
I am always seeking
my very own
dawn
So what was the urgent errand from Mr. Kuzuki?
Dancing After School
I don't know.
All she said was,
"I have to finish that errand Mr. Kuzuki gave me, or I'm screwed!
So be good girls and get along with one another."
She didn't go into much detail. She was out the door the second she finished.
Seriously... She bugs you to spend the night, and then splits herself.
But it's okay. It gave me a chance to chat with Saber about things.
Yes, Sakura and I understand one another.
Come on, I'll be fine.
There are a ton of people at school.
Besides, didn't you say yesterday that school was safe?
Shirou, that was yesterday.
That doesn't mean it's still safe today.
If you're gonna be like that, I won't ever be able to go anywhere.
Anyway, you need to conserve your mana.
Just rest for the day.
Very well, if that is your decision, Master.
But if something does happen, do not hesitate to use a Command Seal and summon me.
Will do. See you later.
Hey.
What? Do I have something on my face?
Self-Study
Student Council Room
Issei, aren't you going to eat lunch?
I'll eat later.
I just want to sleep right now...
Did you stay up all night or something?
No, I just haven't been sleeping well lately.
Issei, someone's here.
I don't care!
Tell them the student council is closed.
It's Mr. Kuzuki!
Ryuudou, I need to speak with you.
Yes, sir.
Then she hasn't gone home, either?
I understand.
Sorry to bother you.
School will most likely end early today, so I wanted to inform you now.
I understand.
What was that about?
Don't worry about it.
Hey, Issei?
Well, you're not exactly an outsider, so I guess it's okay for you to hear this.
Late last night, a family called saying their daughter hadn't come home from Archery Club practice.
The faculty asked members of the Archery Club if they knew anything,
and learned that Shinji was the last one to talk to the missing student.
Shinji?
But Shinji wasn't at practice yesterday.
Apparently, a freshman forgot something at the dojo,
and when he came back to get it, he saw Shinji and the missing student arguing.
We tried to confirm this with Shinji,
but he's absent today, and no one's been able to reach him.
Quit beating around the bush, Issei.
Who's the missing student?
Mitsuzuri Ayako,
the captain of the archery team.
Did you notice anything odd about Shinji's behavior yesterday?
I'm sorry, Emiya.
I haven't really seen him lately.
That's right. I guess you wouldn't know.
Sorry, I shouldn't have asked you that.
No, that's not true.
I know my brother better than anyone else.
It's fine. You don't have to worry about it.
Later.
All after-school club meetings today have been canceled.
The library will also be closed.
Students with no urgent business are asked to leave school grounds at once.
I repeat...
If you're looking for Ayako, she's home sick today.
Oh, thanks.
If Mitsuzuri comes tomorrow, don't mention this to her, okay?
Sure...
Hm? Tohsaka?
Unbelievable.
Coming to school without your Servant? Are you crazy?
I didn't have much of a choice.
Saber can't dematerialize, so I can't bring her.
Then stay home and don't come to school.
A Master strolling around without their Servant
may as well be holding a sign that says, "Please kill me."
Emiya, do you have any idea how big of an idiot you are?
Idiot?
Masters don't fight with other people around, right?
School should be perfectly safe, then.
Then tell me...
Do you see anybody else here?
Huh?
It's finally sinking in, I see.
Seriously, this morning, I went from exasperated to pissed.
"After all I told him,
why is he doing everything he can to get himself killed?"
A Magic Crest...
Yes, this is the incarnation of the Magecraft passed down in my family.
By simply passing mana through it, I can invoke any spell etched here.
I've sent Archer away.
A Gandr should do the job.
Gandr? Isn't that just a simple Nordic curse?
That's right...
Just a simple curse.
W-Wait, Tohsaka!
Are you crazy? We're at school!
If we make a scene, someone might come!
I'll worry about that when it happens.
My policy is never to miss an opportunity when it presents itself.
Sorry, Emiya, but I'll be dealing with you now.
Besides, I don't think my nerves can handle watching you bumble around much longer.
Wait, damn it!
I don't want to fight you!
Even if you don't, I do!
Prepare yourself, Shirou!
That was a Gandr?
I thought it was a different kind of spell! Are you trying to kill me?!
I thought I made that clear!
Hold it right there!
You could really hurt someone with those things!
If you don't want it to hurt, then hold still!
I'll try to make it as painless as possible!
If I hit a vital spot, you'll die instantly!
That doesn't sound painless at all!
Shut up! Quit running around, then!
I'm getting worked up because my target won't hold still!
Crap!
Locking the bird cage!
She put up a Bounded Field!
Locking on...
Endless Salvo!
Trace on!
Did she run out of mana?
So, you finally came out?
Put down that silly weapon.
You don't have a chance of winning.
I won't know until I try.
Is that so?
This is your final warning.
Put down your weapon, and give me your Command Seals.
At worst, I'll strip the nerves from your arm, but that's better than losing your life.
There's no way I can give you my Command Seals!
That's no different from telling me to betray Saber.
I see.
I'll give you three seconds.
It's your life, so it's your decision.
Time's up.
What's your decision, Emiya?
Tohsaka, was that...
A scream?
Wait, Emiya!
Looks like she's just unconscious.
She isn't just unconscious! Can't you see she's been drained dry?
Drained? What do you mean?
Of her mana... Her life force, if you like.
She hardly has any blood left.
If we don't do something, she'll die.
Die? Hey, Tohsaka...
I should be able to stabilize her with this gem.
Tohsaka...
Look out!
Wh-What is that?
Why did you...
Anyway, you're bleeding!
You're bleeding badly!
D-Doesn't that hurt?
It hurts... It hurts like you wouldn't believe.
Tohsaka, take care of her.
What?!
A Servant!
She vanished?
I'm surprised. You aren't going to use a Command Seal?
Sorry, but I don't have many left.
I see.
Unlike my Master, you possess courage.
In that case, I will take a different approach.
I shall grant you a merciful death.
Compared to the other Servants, you aren't very impressive.
You don't pack any punch.
No, this is the end for you.
You've been at my mercy this whole time.
Now, then... What was that amusing thing you were just saying?
Something about me being inferior to other Servants?
That won't do at all.
I'll start by plucking out those eyes that were so dearly mistaken.
Then I'll move on to your limbs.
Emiya, are you all right?
W-We have to stop the bleeding!
Do you have anything I can wrap it with?
Uh... Oh, I have a handkerchief.
Sakura always prepares them for me.
Like minds, huh?
But it's better than nothing.
Together with mine, we can make do.
So that woman was a Servant?
Yeah. She attacked out of nowhere.
Don't look at me like that.
I couldn't tell who it was,
but doesn't that mean there's another Master here besides us?
They finally made their move, huh?
Okay, I've patched you up for now.
Tohsaka, what happened with that girl?
She's better. I think she made it out of the woods.
I see.
That's good.
Why are you staring at me like that?
J-Just so you know, I'd never do something like that!
Yeah, yeah, I know.
You'd never do something like that.
I'm talking about our fight.
Shall we continue?
What's wrong? I mean...
What do you want to do?
I don't feel like it. Let's call it a day.
I owe you one, yet again.
All right, let's go.
We need to get your wound treated.
You'll have to bear with it until we get to my place.
Your place?
Put simply,
there's probably another Master at our school
who's responsible for draining people's mana like that girl's.
Why would they do that?
To win the Holy Grail War, of course.
Their plan is to sacrifice the students to strengthen their own Servant.
Are they insane?
Who knows? But there's already a Bounded Field around the school.
Once it's activated, everyone inside will probably die.
Emiya...
You might reject the idea after all I've done,
but I think we should call a truce for now.
A truce? Between you and me?
I want to deal with this other Master first.
So until then, want to call a truce and help me track them down?
How about it? Personally, I think it's a good deal.
Sure, I'll feel better about my chances if you're helping me.
I'm not really helping you.
We've simply agreed to a ceasefire.
But as long as you don't betray me, I'll assist you.
Oh, so the same as what you've been doing all along.
No problem then, Tohsaka.
It won't be quite that long, but try to make yourself useful.
Now I understand.
You aren't a legitimate heir.
Your father died before he could pass his Magic Crest on to you.
I'm not so sure...
He was always against me becoming a Magus.
Isn't that contradictory?
Maybe.
It always seemed like Dad only taught me because I refused to give up.
In the end, he only taught me Reinforcement Magecraft,
so that's all I can use.
Hold on... Why would you tell me that?
What's wrong?
Look, Emiya, we might be partners for the time being,
but Magi should always keep their arts secret.
What's the point of hiding it now?
Dad always said that Magecraft isn't something you should go out of your way to hide.
He really said that?
Yeah, I think he was trying to tell me to not let myself be bound by rules.
He always said I could quit if I ever felt like it.
That's ridiculous! Your father was no Magus!
And if he trained you, then I can't recognize you as a Magus either!
Why are you mad?
I know I can't call myself a Magus, but my dad was the real deal.
That's not what I mean.
What I'm trying to say is...
Well...
Yeah, I do have a problem with your lack of training.
What can I do? My old man's dead.
Yeah, that's the inherent limit of a single Magus.
Magi never know when they'll die, so they leave behind a Magic Crest.
I was just upset at your father for not taking the proper steps to prepare.
Magecraft is the culmination of lifetimes of work,
passed down from parent to child, generation after generation.
The instant a child is born into a family of Magi,
that child becomes its heir and successor.
That's the reason we're born, and it's what we die for.
It is the family's duty to take the human child they gave birth to
and turn it into something else, over long years of rigorous training.
That's why your father was no Magus, Emiya.
He put being a father ahead of being a Magus.
We didn't understand anything
My left hand groped for things that vanished to my touch
A moral conflict
stays your hand
and tricks you
out of your future
I don't know how to protect anyone,
and my love might well be fake,
but I want to live my life
The past repeats before my eyes
Here I will trust the me that now stands with you
Until my dream crumbles and withers,
we will open a path together
with prayers on our lips
Is this Ryuudou Temple?
Please don't be so stiff, Emiya.
All the people in this town belong to me.
Although I am inexperienced, I am still a Magus.
If you wish to pass, then force your way through.
Next Time
Mirage