Chapter Four: Shopping

Chapter 4: Shopping

So sleepy. Is it morning already? My consciousness lingered between dreams and reality, my body clinging to the warmth of the quilt. If only I could lie here forever, even if the Holy Grail War...

Wait, the Holy Grail War!

Rin Tohsaka jolted upright in bed. The usual fifteen-minute bout of hypoglycemia she experienced upon waking vanished instantly. Glancing at the wall clock, she saw it was already past nine. It wasn’t a matter of being late anymore; the morning classes were nearly over. For an honor student like Rin, this was a first, but given that the Holy Grail War was underway, such trivialities were no longer a concern.

She had stayed up past two in the morning for the Heroic Spirit summoning, but her stiff body wasn't solely due to sleep deprivation. After all, she had exhausted a significant amount of mana yesterday; an average magus might not even have been able to regain consciousness the next day.

"Hmph, I truly am the most excellent magus," she mused, indulging in a moment of narcissism.

Rin nodded in confirmation. She had summoned an Archer, one of the Three Knight Classes. While not the Saber class, which was generally considered the strongest, she doubted even a Saber could compare to the stats of this Servant.

Her Servant—though she appeared to be a girl of similar age—was not someone any magus would dare judge by appearance. Heroic Spirits were mysteries beyond common sense. Moreover, Rin still found it difficult to believe the attributes she had seen yesterday; "exaggerated" was an understatement—it could only be described as "defying the heavens."

The multiple "EX" ranks in particular had rattled her brain.

In truth, Rin didn't fully grasp what "EX" implied. According to her knowledge, the highest standard evaluation in magecraft was "A"—representing a Great Magecraft that neared the realm of True Magic, such as the "Reality Marble" that countless magi chased their entire lives: a Great Magecraft that eroded the reality of the world with fantasy, existing only in theory. If that was the case, what did "EX" mean? Even with just her eyes, Rin could perceive the density of her Servant's mana; it was like an ocean. Perhaps "EX" meant something that transcended evaluation—a mystery that could not be measured.

What kind of monster had she summoned? But one thing was certain: the moment she summoned this Heroic Spirit, she had already won this Holy Grail War!

Thinking of this, excitement finally conquered her sleepiness. It was already 9:15. She jumped out of bed and headed for the bathroom.

Her body felt fine, though her internal mana reserves were down to less than ten percent. For summoning such a satisfactory Servant, this price was negligible. After all, her ability to intervene on the actual battlefield would be limited, so retaining combat power was of little significance.

But was such a formidable existence truly unknown?

There was no doubt that Heroic Spirits were beings that transcended humanity, but there were disparities in strength among them. Two factors determined a Heroic Spirit's power: first, their prototype—if the prototype was powerful, such as a legendary deity, the resulting Heroic Spirit would be equally powerful. Second was the hero's fame; the higher the fame and the more widespread the legends, the greater the power the Heroic Spirit would possess.

Who was she, exactly?

Why was her Servant so powerful? It couldn't be fame, and Rin couldn't discern her identity. If someone as knowledgeable as Rin hadn't heard of her, then it was impossible for anyone else to have.

After changing out of her pajamas and into her school uniform, Rin finished washing up and dragged her hypoglycemic body out of the bedroom. It turned out the mental fog wasn't hypoglycemia, but her body still felt the effects.

The Holy Grail War was a grand ritual that had repeated for centuries.

To participate was to eliminate the other six, staking one's life on mutual slaughter. The origins of the Holy Grail War were lost to time, but legend held that the Holy Grail existed here in Fuyuki. In the past, many magi had competed with the sole goal of obtaining the Noble Phantasm known as the Holy Grail. While the true origin of the Grail could not be confirmed—and it was certainly not the cup that held the blood of a god—its immense power rivaled the legendary Grail. Yes, legend said the Holy Grail could grant any wish. But there was only enough for one person; only one human wish could be granted. Yet, to summon the Grail in this land required seven magi, a miracle, and seven collaborators. Simply put, it was only a matter of time before they began to tear each other apart for the Grail. It began as a typical story of greed and conflict. Seven magi used the power of the Grail equally, competing with other magi using their various Servants, but only one could claim the prize. In the end, they began to view their former allies as enemies, engaging in wretched mutual slaughter. That was the ritual known as the Holy Grail War, a battle for the Grail among magi. The magus chosen by the Grail was called a Master. By the grace of the Grail, a Master could obtain a powerful familiar.

There were two proofs of being a Master: summoning a Servant and forcing them into submission, and binding a Servant with three Command Spells.

The first was a given; hours ago, Rin had summoned an Archer, one of the Three Knight Classes, to be her Servant. Yet, Archer had claimed she wouldn't strike against her even if Rin used all her Command Spells. Was she really that kind-hearted? Rin decided she must keep at least one Command Spell just in case.

"Good morning, Rin!" Lolita walked in wearing an apron, carrying a tray with freshly made breakfast and a cup of black tea. Seeing the still-dazed Rin, she offered a greeting and placed the items on the table.

"As much as I appreciate your kindness, Archer, I don't have the habit of eating breakfast," Rin said, glancing