You call this a projection?

What was the reason the original Emiya Shirou became a Master in the Holy Grail War?

It was because he didn’t want to die. After finally being saved by someone, he hadn’t yet used this second chance at life to accomplish anything; how could he allow himself to be killed right here by someone like Lancer, who killed without a second thought!?

That powerful conviction and a matching desire happened to be selected by the Holy Grail, which was still missing one person, making the Emiya Shirou of the original story the seventh Master of the Holy Grail War.

Of course, it is also highly likely that when the Shirou of that time was pursued by Lancer into the storehouse of the Emiya estate, he happened to fall upon the magic circle drawn on the floor ten years prior by Kiritsugu Emiya and the others to stabilize Irisviel’s structure as the Lesser Grail.

He then uttered that final sentence, which was treated as a summoning chant to begin the summoning of a Servant. Thus, he ”boarded the train first and bought the ticket later,” becoming the final Master of the Holy Grail War.

Even if the latter explanation sounds a bit absurd compared to the former, didn’t Ryunosuke Uryuu use a similar operation in the Fourth Holy Grail War? He summoned using a haphazardly drawn magic circle and used a chant that wasn’t even fully recited—let alone recited correctly—and yet successfully summoned Caster.

It is clear that the standard for selecting Masters in the Holy Grail War is characterized by sheer capriciousness. Or rather, the Three Founding Families specifically embedded these ”backdoors” to ensure their own families were guaranteed participation. For instance, even after the seven Master slots are filled, Matou Zouken can still summon a new Servant by using a Servant’s body as the magical energy for the summoning, becoming a new Master against the rules by ”boarding first and paying later.”

Naturally, the main issue is that the current Emiya Shirou does not possess such an intense desire. Now, it is almost impossible for him to be driven into a corner by Lancer.

His wish to become an ”Ally of Justice” has also diminished after gaining his past-life memories. One could also say that, having the System, he has no wish that must be entrusted to the Holy Grail—especially since he knows the current Grail is a corrupted ”Black Grail” that only grants wishes in the worst possible way. It seems very difficult for him to become a Master through the former explanation.

Thus, seeing Shirou apparently preparing to perform a summoning just like that, Tohsaka Rin couldn’t help but ask Archer (EMIYA) beside her: ”Archer, do you think this method will really work?”

’Huh? Asking him?’

How should he know? He’s just a plain old ”Information-gathering Archer.” Besides, ever since Emiya Shirou deviated from the original trajectory for reasons unknown, much of his knowledge is no longer applicable.

”Rin, I should be the one asking that,” Archer replied helplessly. ”As the head of the Tohsaka family, one of the three founders who constructed the magical ritual of the Holy Grail War, you should be much clearer than us on whether this is feasible or not.”

”Uh, well, about that...” Rin scratched her cheek and turned her head away to avoid Archer’s gaze.

After all, she didn’t know either!

Tohsaka Tokiomi hadn’t taught her such things when he was teaching her magecraft. As for Kotomine Kirei, who took over the teaching responsibility after Tokiomi’s death, there was even less to say.

However, as the head of the Tohsaka family, she felt she couldn’t admit to not knowing without damaging the family’s prestige. She could only bite the bullet and mutter incomprehensible phrases like, ”The Tohsaka family have been gentlemen for generations,” ”We don’t cheat,” and ”Forming an alliance with the supervisor doesn’t count as cheating.”

-

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At the same time, inside the Fuyuki City Church.

Contrary to what Rin and the others imagined, Kotomine Kirei—realizing that Lancer might have slipped from his control and knowing that the blond man (Gilgamesh, who remained from the previous war and generally ignored his orders)—did not try to find a way to summon a new Servant. Instead, he made a call to someone far away through a familiar.

”Yes, the seventh Master of the Holy Grail War has been confirmed. It is Emiya Shirou.

Furthermore, the Servant summoned by Emiya Shirou is the same Saber once summoned by Kiritsugu Emiya... I imagine this news should be quite interesting to you.”

”...”

Hearing the questioning voice from the other side of the magical communication, Kirei did not rush. As a former ”Emiya Kiritsugu fanboy,” he maintained an attention far beyond ordinary people toward Kiritsugu and anything related to him. That was why, in the original story, he was able to discover so quickly that Emiya Shirou had not died and ordered Lancer to continue the attack.

And here, Kirei—who knew exactly why Kiritsugu had tried to go to Germany every year after settling in Fuyuki, and knew that Kiritsugu had returned empty-handed almost every time—

was even less worried about a rejection now that he sensed the person on the other end harbored a deep-seated resentment.

”What is my goal? What goal could I possibly have? I am not even a Master in this Holy Grail War; I am just an ordinary supervisor.

Even if I did have some goal, with your Servant’s strength, you could kill me easily, couldn’t you?

That is precisely why I contacted you. Although I had some grievances with Emiya Kiritsugu and we were competitors in the last war, all of that passed with the end of the Fourth Holy Grail War. I am giving you this tip as compensation, specifically to ensure you don’t let Kiritsugu’s influence cause his old grievances to be passed down to me.”

”...”

After Kirei offered this explanation, the person on the other side was clearly persuaded. Or rather, she was so filled with confidence in her summoned Servant’s strength that she quickly accepted the reason Kirei provided.

”Well then, I shall tell you Emiya Shirou’s location,” Kirei said with a smile. ”I wish you and your ’brother’ a wonderful encounter.”

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