"Has it already been ten years?"
Tohsaka Rin pushed open the main gate and returned to her desolate home.
In order to fulfill the obsession that had been passed down through the Tohsaka Family for generations like a curse, her father had died in that war.
Her mother was also severely injured during that period and followed her father shortly after.
And her younger sister...
Her sister had been a strange child since she was little. Though she didn't know what her father was thinking when he gave her up for adoption to the Matou Family on the eve of the war.
But since that parting, we have rarely been able to meet again.
Later, I heard that on the day she entered the Matou Family, the head of the Matou Family died in an accident, and those members without talent fled the Matou household that same day like refugees.
And so, at only 6 years old, she inherited the position of the Matou Family head all by herself, living alone in that gloomy mansion.
Recalling this, Rin looked around her equally desolate home and murmured in a faint voice: "There isn't much difference, is there?"
However, those sentimental emotions quickly vanished. "I'm clearly used to it, yet I still thought of these things. Am I really that nervous?"
That's right, today is an important day. Not only is it exactly ten years since the end of the last Holy Grail War, but it is also the day I perform the Servant summoning.
From the moment I accepted the Tohsaka Family's Magic Crest and became the head of the family, the Holy Grail War became my destiny and my responsibility.
---
Just as Rin was examining her resolve, she suddenly noticed the phone by the door flashing incessantly.
Stepping forward, she carefully identified which button was for message playback. After dozens of seconds, that Fake Priest's annoying voice finally came through.
"It's me. I'm sure you understand, Rin, there's no time for you to live leisurely. Right now, the greater grail is unstable, and master seats need to be confirmed as soon as possible. Of course, if you're unwilling to participate in the Holy Grail War, that's another matter. Come to the church early..."
There was no need to listen to the rest; it was all just malicious talk anyway.
She went to the basement, prepared the ritual site, and took out a piece of parchment she had found in the family Workshop to serve as a holy relic.
Although the writing on it was completely undecipherable, the power contained within was genuine. At the same time, her intuition told her that this would be the strongest card, the card that would surely bring victory.
That's right, it must be the strongest Class among all Servants—SABER!
Time passed minute by minute. When the clock pointed to two in the morning, the moment her magical energy was at its peak, she double-checked everything once more.
"Preparation complete, time confirmed, wavelength good."
Taking out the few remaining jewels in the house and injecting them with magical energy, she began the incantation:
"Set."
Declaration:
Thy body shall obey my command; my fate shall be entrusted to thy sword.
If thou submittest to the call of the Holy Grail, and if thou wilt obey this will and this reason, then answer!
I hereby swear,
I am the one who shall accomplish all good deeds in the world,
I am the one who shall slay all evil deeds in the world,
Thou, clad in the three great Words of Power, shalt descend from the seven heavens unto this ■■■■,
■■■■■■!"
After the ritual, although parts of the incantation became unpronounceable, the connection of magical energy had been achieved; the Servant summoning was a success.
But before Rin could finish celebrating, a sudden tremor came from upstairs.
Hurrying upstairs, she saw atop the ruins of piled furniture, a young girl dressed in knightly attire, flawless as if from a painting, holding a matching white blade and sitting regally.
Those beautiful eyes were looking down at her with great interest. Even in such a cluttered environment, she was unaffected—so noble, elegant, and heroic.
---
After entering the portal and experiencing the now-familiar dizziness, a pleasant voice suddenly reached her ears. This voice was so familiar it was as if images of various facial expressions were appearing before her eyes.
'Could it be...'
Then, accompanied by a burst of turbulence and impact, she regained her senses to find herself atop the ruins of a Western-style mansion.
Fortunately, at the very top of this pile of junk was a bench; otherwise, sitting here would have been very uncomfortable.
Next, the sound of 'thump, thump, thump' came from below as someone climbed the stairs.
So Jean remained in her position, choosing an elegant-looking posture and striking a pose without moving.
Sure enough, before long, dressed in red and still wearing a short skirt and over-the-knee socks in the dead of winter in late January, Tohsaka Rin kicked open the door and made a grand entrance.
Looking at her somewhat disheveled state, Jean couldn't help but show a friendly (probably) smile. It was at this moment that Tohsaka Rin realized the clock in her room was an hour fast.
Although many sources stated that whether she missed that hour or not wouldn't affect the result of the summoning,
if the time had been correct, at least her home wouldn't look as miserable as if a Husky had rampaged through it.
'Ah, she's starting to crouch with her head in her hands. Well, it's understandable given the house is wrecked like this,' Jean thought to herself.
"So, who are you?"
She wasn't as abrasive as in memory; her tone was much calmer, but she was still a very rude child.
"Generally speaking, before asking for someone's name, an introduction is proper etiquette. If you don't even have that much manners, we won't be able to talk about cooperation."
Tohsaka Rin was clearly bluffed by Jean's logical argument. After holding it in for a moment, she still said:
"I am Tohsaka Rin. Now, can you tell me who you are?"
"I am Jean. You can just call me Jean."
"Just to confirm, you are my Servant, right?"
"Oh my, no way. My summoner is actually a novice Magician who can't even feel the magical energy link? This really looks like a difficult future ahead." Matching Tohsaka Rin's slightly aggressive tone, Jean also became sarcastic.
"I can certainly feel that much. What's important is that the master-Servant relationship is established clearly from the start. I am your master, and you are my Servant."
These two words were indeed pronounced that way and had that meaning, but it made Jean feel displeased.
"Oh my, oh my. I also highly agree with establishing positions, but do you have the means to prove you are my master?"
"Here. This is the proof that I am your master."
"I was just mocking you, but I didn't expect to actually hit the mark? Using something bestowed upon you by others as a means to prove yourself? If that's all you've got, you should just pack up and go to sleep. The Holy Grail War is too dangerous."
In Jean's keen perception, Tohsaka Rin began to tremble slightly. 'Did I go too far?' Just as Jean felt a bit of self-reproach, Tohsaka Rin suddenly began an incantation.
'Ah, this... didn't this happen in the original story too?' Jean suddenly remembered the process of Tohsaka Rin using her first command spell in the Fifth War.
The incantation was quickly finished in Tohsaka Rin's mouth. "Listen well, you are merely my Servant. Therefore, you should [Absolutely Obey] what I say."
Jean, who had remained unmoved because she felt the magical energy in the command spell was insufficient to affect her, suddenly remembered that the mission brief included a one-time command spell countermeasure. So she said: "Command Spell Counter: [Absolute Obedience]."
"Eh?"
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