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That night, after a delicious dinner prepared by Sakura and Medusa...
"Don't be shy, everyone—Dig in!" Roy announced.
"Itadakimasu!" the girls chimed in unison before starting their meal.
"Mmm... delicious!" Saber exclaimed, savoring a piece of braised pork.
Her expression was adorable.
Roy chuckled—observing her with amusement. Even when she was eating, Saber was incredibly cute.
Knowing Saber's appetite, he had asked Sakura to prepare extra food. But it seemed Sakura had still underestimated her.
Fortunately, Roy had plenty of food stored in his subspace.
Sakura smiled, pleased with Saber's compliment.
Later that night, after putting Sakura and Irisviel to bed, Roy went to Scathach's room.
"Master, what brings you here so late?" Scathach asked, curious about his intentions.
...
...
...
The next morning, Roy took a shower and quietly returned to Sakura and Irisviel's side, slipping back into bed and feigning sleep.
But he was soon woken up by Sakura.
"Roy-onii-chan, breakfast is ready!"
"Ugh, okay..." Roy yawned.
Although he had spent the night "training" Scathach, he was still full of energy. After all, he had once fought several Dragons alone.
"Where's Scathach-san?" Sakura asked, noticing her absence. She had asked Medusa to wake Scathach up.
"Scathach-san said she's skipping breakfast," Medusa replied.
"But how can she..." Sakura frowned.
"It's fine, Sakura. Don't worry about her. She's an immortal queen. She won't starve from skipping a meal. Besides, she's already full," Roy said with a wink.
"What?" Sakura didn't quite catch his last words.
"Nothing. Let's eat!" Roy chuckled, patting her head.
Sakura shrugged and focused on her breakfast.
...
"Is this Sakura's home?" Rin wondered, staring at the mansion enveloped in a multicolored barrier.
No matter how she looked at it, she couldn't figure out how it was done.
Ordinary Bounded Fields couldn't achieve such a feat.
She recalled Roy's overwhelming power from last night and shuddered.
To be able to fight the legendary Scathach and defeat her so easily...
Rin couldn't imagine how this powerful being could exist in this era.
Even the Grand Magi of the Clock Tower couldn't do that.
But her current concern was how to get inside.
She knew that many mages had tried to enter the mansion before, but they had all failed.
This place was known as the "Dream Manor," a beautiful and elusive paradise.
As she was pondering, Sakura emerged from the mansion.
"Onee-chan!"
"Sakura?!"
"Come on in, Onee-chan!" Sakura said with a warm smile, taking Rin's hand and leading her inside.
"Wow!" Rin gasped, stunned by the scenery.
Although it looked like an ordinary mansion from the outside, the interior was a breathtaking wonderland.
And there were all kinds of spirits playing around, which shocked Rin even more.
"Sakura, what are those?" she asked, pointing at the frolicking spirits.
"Roar!" Suddenly, a tiger-like spirit pounced towards them with a roar.
"Aah!" Rin screamed in fear.
Ishtar, who was in spirit form beside her, materialized, ready to protect her Master.
But she hesitated.
The spirit simply licked Rin's face playfully.
Rin was bewildered.
"Hehehe..." Sakura giggled.
The spirit just wanted to play.
"Go away!" Rin exclaimed, finally pushing the spirit away.
"What was that all about?" she grumbled.
She glared at Ishtar, questioning why she hadn't intervened.
"That was an elemental spirit. Roy-onii-chan brought them here. They're quite friendly," Sakura explained with a smile.
She beckoned the spirit, and it ran towards her, rubbing against her like a cat.
"It's quite docile now," Rin commented, still a bit shaken by the earlier encounter.
But she was fascinated by the spirits.
"Let's go. Roy-onii-chan is waiting for us," Sakura said, leading the way.
Rin followed, marveling at the various spirits they encountered.
"Welcome back, Master!" Two high-ranking spirits dressed as maids greeted Sakura with a bow.
"There—there are even maids?!" Rin stammered in surprise.
Even the Tohsaka family at its peak didn't have maids like these.
And now, she couldn't even imagine having maids. Due to her practice of Jewel Magecraft, the Tohsaka family was practically bankrupt.
She had never considered the possibility of having maids.
But Sakura already had two.
Rin felt a pang of jealousy.
Sakura nodded to the maids and entered the mansion.
Rin followed, numb with shock.
This place was like a dream. It was no wonder it was called the Dream Manor.
...
"You're here—" Roy said casually, lying on Scathach's lap as she fed him peeled grapes.
Rin scowled at him. He was so decadent—A true Devil.
"Rin, you're badmouthing me in your mind again, aren't you?" Roy asked, reading her expression.
"No, I'm not! And please don't call me so casually," she retorted.
"Heh, Rin—you don't think you can just walk away after entering my territory, do you?" Roy asked with a sly grin.
"Kekeke, how about I lock you up and make you my..." He trailed off, leaving the threat hanging in the air.
Rin shivered.
She blushed. What did he mean by "make you my..."?
Sakura giggled. She knew Roy was just teasing.
Rin realized she had been tricked and glared at him, but she couldn't do anything here. She had to suppress her anger.
"Alright, enough with the jokes. I'm here to discuss the Holy Grail War with you," she declared, her expression turning serious.
...
Rin hadn't come just to visit Sakura. She also wanted to discuss the Holy Grail War with Roy.
After all, Roy's side was overwhelmingly powerful.
Roy alone could probably defeat all the other Servants, and he had Sakura's help as well.
If nothing unexpected happened, the Grail would definitely fall into Roy's hands.
That's why Rin had come to visit, hoping to understand his intentions.
"The Grail? I don't really need it, but..." Roy trailed off.
"But what?" Rin asked eagerly.
But she had gotten her hopes up too soon.
"But Saber needs it, so I plan to let her use it," Roy replied with a smile.
Rin's face fell. As expected, he wasn't going to give the Grail to anyone else.
"The Grail isn't as powerful as you think. The idea that it can grant any wish is an exaggeration," Roy said, shaking his head.
"What?" Rin was stunned.
The Holy Grail had always been known as an omnipotent wish-granting device. But Roy was claiming that it was an exaggeration?
"What do you mean?" she asked, bewildered.
Saber, Sakura, and the others also looked at Roy with confusion.
"It's impossible for the Grail to grant any wish. For example, could it make me a god?" Roy asked rhetorically—eating a grape that Scathach had peeled for him.
The rumors about the Grail's wish-granting abilities were just a deception.
Its true purpose was to connect to the Root, allowing one to learn the Third Magic, Soul Materialization—and achieve immortality.
Rin and the others were stunned.
Could the Grail really grant a wish like becoming a god?
"So the Holy Grail War is a lie?" Scathach was the first to realize the truth.
"Yes, it is," Roy confirmed with a nod.
"This..." Rin couldn't accept it.
After a while, she finally calmed down and came to terms with the fact that the Holy Grail War was a sham.
But if it was a lie, what was its true purpose?
"What is the Grail's real purpose then?" she asked Roy.
"Of course I know," Roy replied with a smirk.
"What is it?" Rin pressed.
"Want to know?"
"Yes!"
"Come here then..." Roy sat up and patted the spot next to him.
Rin blushed. She wanted to call him a pervert, but her curiosity was too strong.
She sat down beside him.
Roy lay back down, resting his head on her lap.
He gently caressed her legs, finding a comfortable position.
Rin felt incredibly embarrassed, especially with Sakura watching, but she took a deep breath and asked, "Now will you tell me?"
"Of course. Let me explain..."
...
The Third Magic was a magic passed down through the Einzbern family.
Also known as the "Heaven's Feel," it was the magic of Soul Materialization, a way to achieve true immortality.
Three things were required to achieve the Heaven's Feel: a vessel, magical energy, and sacrifices.
The vessel was the Lesser Grail, which was inside Irisviel.
But Irisviel could now control the Lesser Grail and absorb souls, so she wouldn't be assimilated by the Greater Grail.
The second requirement, magical energy, was provided by the Greater Grail, which was located under Fuyuki City.
And the final requirement was the souls of Servants.
Only when the Lesser Grail had absorbed enough souls could it open a path to the Root.
...
Rin and the others were stunned.
The Holy Grail War, which they had been fighting for, was just a tool for achieving a magic. And the true goal was the Root, the ultimate desire of all magi.
It was unbelievable. The Holy Grail War had been a lie from the very beginning.
"Master, can the Grail really not grant wishes?" Saber asked, her voice filled with disappointment.
She had become a Heroic Spirit and sought the Holy Grail to save Britain from its destruction.
But now, she learned that the Grail couldn't grant her wish. She was heartbroken.
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