Chapter 52: Context
I do not own Fate/Stay Night and stuffs.
o. o. o.
"So this is how we're going to interact with the Clocktower?" Rin looked at the large wooden table that Shirou had moved from his workshop to the living room. Its heavy western design looked out of place compared to his Japanese home.
"Yep. Made by the old drunk himself." Shirou nodded, dressed in one of his spare, not burnt and torn apart, suits that he donned when playing the role of Magus Killer. Around him, every other Master in the war that was available was dressed in the best clothes they had available, which was in a way impressive considering most of their homes and clothes had been burnt, blown apart, or otherwise obliterated into dust during the course of the War. "It uses runes and a load of other mysteries to synergize with a matching table that he has. Once connected, it can project images to the other side, transfer sound, make copies of documents…"
"So it's a magical version of Skype," Kiritsugu summarized bluntly, interrupting his son, breaking his silence in a rare moment of curiosity.
"Skype?" Illya and several others in the room blinked in confusion.
The Servant took a moment to pick his words carefully for the technologically impaired. "You make phone calls on the internet. Only with video and cameras."
"Ooooh."
"Didn't you die before Skype was invented?" Sakura frowned. If she remembered correctly, the internet service had only become available a couple of years ago. Somehow she didn't think that Skype would be part of the information that the Grail would feed Servants coming into this era.
"I was abusing the internet when it came out in the eighties. One of the requirements I had when the Einzberns first hired me was to get a line installed in the Castle," the Servant evenly stated. "I was curious how much had changed."
Primarily, he was curious when he found out that dialup was being edged out for broadband. Truly, the next generation was developing in a golden age… one that was far quieter.
Shirou rolled his eyes. "Yes. Fine. I know. It's a little like Skype. Just don't tell old man Sirius that. The drunk baby nearly had a fit when I got it and said something similar."
"Sounds like something he'd do." Luvia, Rin, Bazett, and Sakura all nodded in agreement.
"Not bad. The wood used to make this thing is quality stuff. Perfect for maintaining the engravings and sending out strong signals." Lancer stuck his head underneath the table to look at the runework etched underneath the table. "Using runes like this was never my strong suit, and I doubt even my Teacher ever needed to make something that would connect to the other side of the planet itself, but I can tell that the old fart knows what he's doing. Not the best work I've seen, but I'll give it my seal of approval."
"At the very least, it is a rather robust and secure piece, despite being rather gaudy in its making." Caster lazily strode around the furniture with the eyes of a professional examiner, no doubt scrutinizing each and every perceived flaw she could find. "It will serve its purpose adequately, I suppose. It would take some effort to disrupt or surveil the connection to its other, even at the distance you claim."
That was probably as close to a compliment as they were going to get from someone that lived through the Age of Gods.
Seven seats were placed around the table, with Shirou at the head. In the corners of his side, there were a slew of markings that enabled him to interact with the magical device to control various functions such as how much they were displaying to those on the other side, copying documents, volume control, etc.
Thankfully, Shirou remembered to read the instruction manual for the thing earlier that morning.
Unless asked for directly, the Servants would stay out of the discussions. Partially so that those present could keep up their image to those in the Clocktower, partially so that no one got any smart ideas and started to ask the Servants dangerous questions from out of the blue, but mostly it was because there wasn't enough room for everyone to be gathered around the table at once.
As if waiting for everyone's focus to be on the table, the center of the furniture began to blink a faint blue and hum faintly.
"Looks like someone is testing out the connection." Shirou smiled faintly, channeling his prana so that his shroud reformed itself so that it covered his entire head. Tapping a marking to his right, the teen activated the mystic code to establish the connection between the tables and turn on the audio. "Hey old man. This a test call or is the trial being rushed? We should still have time to prepare."
"A test, thankfully. No thanks to some people on my end. Impatient twats." Sirius' irritated voice echoed through the room as if he was there with them. No doubt he made an effort to be heard by said party on his end just to rile them up. "Idiots thought that they could rush Barthomelloi. Can ya believe that? The nerve of em. Between you an' me? I think that she needs a strong cuppa in the morning ta get goin' more than most. What wit' the pissants she's gotta deal with every wakin moment."
"Wouldn't doubt it with all the work she deals with." Shaking his head, Shirou couldn't help but be relieved at the sound of the old man's voice. The casual, if blunt tone of Sirus was a welcome sound given what was to come. "So, be honest, how's it look? Judging from your tone, something's got you feeling confident."
"Heh. Ya could say that, lad." They could practically hear the old man grin. "Turns out Waver's more popular here than we thought. Nearly a third of the student body's up in arms with his arrest. Public protests. Sitting out in class. Formal complaints. The bloody works. Hell, a good number of families have thrown in their support ta help him out. None as influential as the Archibalds, but enough fer anyone ta realize that it's gonna be hard ta twist the system this time around without consequences. If yer lucky, you might not have ta do much for this."
"Way to jinx it." Shirou shook his head. "You know that this trial is also going to serve as a report for what just happened here."
Many in the room looked at him as if he was an idiot. The last thing they needed right now was to give anyone listening in on the conversation ammo to make the matter worse.
"Heh." Sirius didn't seem to be worried at all. "Ya have a point lad. The Fuyuki War's such a massive clusterfuck that I'd be surprised if there isn't a body in the drink by the end of the week. The vultures here are gonna try ta peck you and your lot clean like the greedy bastards they are while claiming that they were in the right. Ya can't simply prove your innocence here if ya want ta get out of this intact, lad. Ya have to push someone down and step on their corpse ta get where ya wanna be."
"Is that so? Well, isn't that a pity." Even with his shroud on, those in the room could see a vicious smile forming on Shirou's face.
If only there was an individual or group of influence around in the Clocktower that could serve as a reasonable substitute that he had no reservations about sacrificing. One that conveniently stepped into the limelight for this fiasco on their own accord that he had no emotional or obligational ties to. But where oh where could he find someone like that?
Oh wait.
"He's planning something again." Sakura sighed.
"Master. I recommend that you do not sit near him when the trial starts," Caster advised Luvia, completely serious.
"So long as he doesn't involve me in it, he can do whatever he wants." Illya shook her head, already given up on trying to figure out what he was concocting.
"I blame Tohsaka," Luvia deadpanned.
"What? Why me?" Rin clearly didn't like being blamed for Shirou's actions first thing in the morning. Even if she did manage to thankfully get a cup of black gold in her.
"Because that's the same look you get whenever you're planning something unsavory," the blonde elaborated.
"Oh yeah. It does." Sakura tilted her head to the side as if to see his expression from another angle.
"Don't agree with her!"
"Yeah. A pity." Sirius seemed to be on the same page as Shirou if his tone was anything to go by. "Speakin' of third parties, where's the midget bloodsucker? He's speakin for the Church for this thing. It would look bad in more than one way if he's late."
Shirou's smirk disappeared to give way to a look of exasperation aimed at the hallway nearby. "Don't worry, he's here."
Sitting on the open walkway facing the back yard, Merem and his left arm were enjoying themselves with a breakfast consisting of leftover pizza from last night as the winter dawn was finally lighting up the sky in the background. They'd have to move inside soon enough, but for now the two were in their own little cheesy world.
The pair had arrived half an hour ago and, to be perfectly honest, Shirou had never seen either of them so haggard and exhausted before.
When asked, the grandfatherly left arm merely stated that they were accustomed to reporting mass damages.
They were not, on the other hand, accustomed to managing recovery efforts.
Fortunately for everyone, it had only taken a single look from Merem for Shirou to understand the situation, and instantly prepare the leftovers from last night's feast for a quick meal.
"Aaah. It is sacrilege that we failed to attend last night's feast, and yet, there is something truly divine when partaking good pizza first thing in the morning," the Left Arm swooned, genuinely crying tears of bliss as he enjoyed his breakfast.
"I wouldn't go that far, but it is a relief that we are able to have something adequate before dealing with those shut in's in the Clocktower." Merem smiled contently. Next to him was a small cup of blood that many suspected was Lancer's.
"Do I wanna know?" Sirius asked skeptically, not able to see the scene from his end.
"If you have to ask, then you already know the answer."
"Fair 'nuff." The old man backed away almost instantly. He may be an impulsive drunk, but he wasn't stupid. "… Speakin' of things better left unknown, yer gonna have your hands full today, lad. There're rumors goin about all over, everyone tryin ta figure out what the hell is goin on. Haven't seen the tower this abuzz with curiosity since Zel showed up unannounced a few years back. Everyone's gonna try and peck you lot clean for every detail possible."
"They can try." It wasn't just rare confidence behind Shirou's words. He had been poked and prodded by the more adventurous part of the Tower whenever Barthomelloi wasn't around. Nobles and individuals of certain reputation that thought that they could push him around or get him to do what they wanted because of their position and skills.
Most of the time, he did worse than turn them down. He flat out ignored them, so long as they didn't actually have anything important to say at least.
According to Luvia, watching grown men and women, touted for their power or skills, fail so magnificently to impress or push him around was among the most entertaining parts of her day at the tower. Admittedly, Shirou had developed a slight enjoyment for it as well, though it was more often than not smothered by frustration and embarrassment.
"Probably helps that ya have a barrel-o-Servants backin ya up too," Sirius pointed out.
"And I'm not in the same room as everyone else."
"Lucky sod. Must be nice bein able ta actually breathe over there. Ah haven' seen the bloody sun in over a week. Anymore of this bullshit and ahm gonna turn as pasty as the rest of the idiots here."
"I'm not sure who to feel sorry for if you do actually go stir crazy." There would without a doubt be more than one victim if it did come to pass.
"What was that, brat?"
"You're a drunk, old man, not deaf. Let's just get this thing set up. You taught me the basics of how to use it, but not for this many people at once on my side, or for a trial. It wouldn't be good if we were the ones that held things up."
"Humph. Cheeky little bastard. Fine. The controls are split between what's bein' shown and how it's displayed…"
Rin slowly backed away as Shirou, Sakura, Illya, Luvia, Assassin, Lancer and Caster listened to the old man's instructions, careful not to draw attention to herself. A quick look around made it clear that Saber, Bazett, and Archer had noticed her odd behavior, but thankfully didn't point it out to anyone else. Rider… probably noticed too, but she was probably the most solitude and quiet Servant there next to Assassin. She wouldn't bother to do anything unless it was important.
Making sure to give everyone room, she moved to the hallway where Merem and his arm were eating. She would have set up a bounded field to keep the conversation private, but the instant she would try something like that everyone would notice.
"You can't have any," the Left Arm in the form of a Priest stated flatly as he reached for another slice of pizza, not bothering to look at her.
"What happened to Piety?" she couldn't help but ask in a matching tone.
"Compensation for doing your job last night." Merem didn't miss a beat just before absently going to town on his own slice. "No wonder most magi are peculiar and rarely get anything productive done. They bother themselves with more red tape than their own work."
Her eyebrow twitched. She was starting to see why even Shirou was so averse to dealing with the two whenever they were brought up. "I'm not here for the pizza."
"Your loss." Both of them clearly were of one mind at the moment.
As if they'd let her have any in the first place. She wasn't dumb enough to ask for food from an Apostle Ancestor's plate… and she wasn't desperate enough to take food from a rat's.
She frowned, first in annoyance but gradually evolving into an expression of calm composure. "Shirou's going to genuinely try and kill you if your reason for being here puts any of us in danger. Especially if it gets brought to light during the trial."
The Vampire and his arm both stopped moving. The fact that they didn't even try to hide their reactions was a monumental tell in itself.
"I would help him if it came to that," she finished firmly. "And so would the others. But, you already knew that."
She didn't have to say it out loud. They were all aware it was a forgone conclusion. No matter how helpful Merem may have been, if he crossed the line and earned Shirou's wrath, there was no question that the other participants in the War would help him for one reason or another.
Merem was strong. Undoubtedly so. But even he wouldn't stand a chance in hell against such an onslaught.
Despite that knowledge, the small vampire smiled, genuinely amused by her declaration. "It looks like Shirou's praises were accurate after all. You are remarkably bright and reliable, for a magus."
The Left Arm let out a brief snort of dry amusement. "I told you that someone would suspect your intentions if you kept on making those peculiar comments. You have no one to blame for this slipup but yourself my lord."
Rin frowned, but didn't say anything. There not a hint of killing intent or malice in the air, however there was an unmistakable atmosphere that did not at all feel out of place of the Holy Grail War.
Merem turned back to the yard, enjoying the peaceful atmosphere outside, mesmerized by the birds occupying the trees along the boundaries. "Rest assured. I possess no intention, plan, or desire to make Shirou my enemy, or do anything that may result in such. Not now or in the future. However, I would not complain if I did receive some help ensuring that such a scenario remains merely hypothetical. The next few hours will be quite intense after all. I am an Apostle Ancestor and a member of the Church. My position aside, you and the others will without a doubt hold greater sway during some potential negotiations than I ever will."
"Tch." Shit. That was as good as a declaration that he was going to play around during the trial and use her as either a scapegoat or rely on her to bail him out. She should have just kept her mouth shut, but she needed at least some hint as to where this monster's loyalties lie. "Don't push it. Like you said. Shirou knows me. He'll suspect something if I stick my neck out for no good reason. And I doubt any of us would call defending your casual whims an actual good reason."
"Fair enough. Today is not one for merrymaking regardless. It wouldn't be proper if I started acting out now." Merem sighed, absently putting another slice of cold pizza in his mouth. "Truthfully, I can't afford to enjoy myself much in this either. Kotomine's actions have already been confirmed to a degree, earning a pretty dark mark against the Church. Since he's already dead, I'm next in line to take responsibility for any possible faults aimed at my organization. How annoying."
"So he says. I'm the one that does most of the negotiating and face time when it comes to these sorts of events," the Priest-Rat grumbled, taking the last slice of pizza for himself just before Merem could.
"I'll keep that in mind the next time Narbarek wants to talk."
"Please. That monster would kill both of us if you even dared to think of using me as an in between."
Rin pitied Bazett if this was what the woman's relationships with her legs were going to end up like.
"Oi! Hurry up, will you?! We're about to start!" Lancer called out from the living room, grabbing their attention.
"I suppose it is." Merem sighed, getting up and giving Rin an unreadable look with his unnatural blue eyes, an outlier from the standard Apostle crimson. "A final inquiry, Tohsaka. For clarification. Do you really know why specifically I am here in Fuyuki…
… Or merely who?"
The silence was damning.
"Does it really matter at this point? If Shirou finds out, will the outcome change at all?" the Second Owner of Fuyuki stated in a dead cold tone.
"No. I suppose not." The Apostle Ancestor did not react in the slightest, maintaining eye contact for a few more seconds before turning inside and walking past her without a single care, dismissing the conversation as if it did not matter in the first place. "Come. Let's get this annoying circus over with, lest we try to kill one another for far more petty reasons than we've previously had."
For once, Rin could completely agree with the vampire.
o. o. o.
The first half an hour to forty five minutes of the trial had been nothing but pleasantries, introductions, pandering, and official rabble that in all honesty was only done for show and those that had nothing to do with the situation in the first place.
A small council of two or three dozen seemingly random heads of houses from the Clocktower served as a supplementary jury whenever the main judge's input was deemed lacking, which admittedly did not happen often. Said head judge was some middle aged appearing magus that was actually as old as Sirius and head of one of the main departments of the tower itself. Shirou didn't bother remembering his whole, overly elaborate name.
Something something, Animusphere.
Lorelei Barthomelloi normally would oversee an event of this magnitude, but because of her relationship with the Archibalds and Shirou, she was legally considered too involved with the parties to be in a position of power.
Under most circumstances, this would mean that she would be designated as another associate party.
Under most circumstances, the one involved wasn't one of the biggest political powerhouses in the Moonlit world. No more proof was needed than the fact that an entire section of the room was dedicated and modified just for her.
Outside of that, the room the meeting was taking place in appeared to be one of the assembly halls of the Tower. A bigger one at that. And from what the Servants and Masters could tell from their side, it was completely packed.
The tables that connected the Tower to Japan were quite useful. While Shirou and the others each saw a screen that focused primarily on whoever was speaking or was the subject of conversation at the time, those in the Clocktower saw only those sitting at the table in Japan. Shirou's home, the room behind him, and everything else was completely absent from the image. Unlike Skype, Sirius' table had controls that could dictate what exactly was being shown to the other side if the user so wished.
It did not, however, prevent them from being distracted whenever Merem decided that he didn't want to listen to more political rabble and started to walk around the house and curiously inspect things off screen as if he really was the twelve year old child he appeared to be.
Sadly, none of them could tell if he was doing it on purpose, or if he genuinely had completely disregarded the severity of the situation. Probably both.
At one point, he even tried to raid the kitchen.
Keyword. Tried. And it only happened once. He learned his lesson quickly.
Then finally, they got on with the damn thing.
Waver's trial was the main focus of the day's events as far as the public was concerned. The Grail War, no matter how close it was to destroying humanity, did not matter nearly as much in the minds to most of the people there. As far as the students were concerned, the Fuyuki Ritual was just being conducted by a bunch of meat headed enforcers and foreigners that couldn't do anything with their spells other than fight one another.
Insulting, remarkably so, but also incredibly convenient. The less they focused on the War, the less chances any power hungry outsiders would have to try and turn the event to their favor. If they could resolve the report on the War without too much issue, then everyone was more or less home free.
The prosecutor was, like most Magi, a condescending piece of shit.
Correction, since he was hired by the Archibalds to drag Waver's reputation through the mud, he was an expensive, condescending piece of shit that wouldn't shut up. The middle aged man that hailed from who-knows-what European country with a family history of who-cares-how-many generations couldn't utter three sentences without trying to make a shot at Waver. Behind him, three high members of the Noble family sat smugly, confident that they had things under control.
His poor family history. His rather shallow ability with thaumaturgy. His questionable decisions. His hobbies. There was not a single part of Waver's life that wasn't being scrutinized, relevant or not.
It had been viciously insulting at first, but as time went on the bite lost a good portion of its effectiveness. Now the man was simply just annoying. Judging from everyone's varying expressions, they were of the same mind as well. Even the most stalwart of traditional Magi values were starting to show their ire at the display.
Waver, on the other hand, immaculately dressed in a suit with a red and gold shawl, seemed to be taking everything in stride if his careless demeanor was anything to go by. It probably helped that he had (somehow) been allowed to smoke a cigar during the event, which added to his confident image.
"… I still question whether or not that's actually Waver Velvet," Saber quietly muttered, having incredible difficulty believing that the young screaming child from ten years back that Rider dragged with him everywhere is the man in front of her now.
She also firmly believed that she had nothing to do with him sneezing moments later after making the comment, chalking it up to a mere coincidence.
It was only after a certain Vice Director made a comment about her time being wasted and shooting the prosecutor a sharp look that things finally started to progress.
No one bothered to point out that the Judge did nothing to reprimand her for her actions.
For the most part, Shirou and those in Japan had remained as spectators, merely answering simple and short questions to affirm some statements or events in the past. Shirou, Bazett, and Luvia were addressed more than the others due to the fact that they were the ones that had interacted with him the most.
From the Fourth War, to Kiritsugu showing up again, to training Shirou, to the incident with Louvre, each and every event was gone over. Not every minute detail was picked at, but enough so that those in the audience had an idea of what was going on. The "scandal" was too big and long to not assume that it had some history to it.
There were several angles that the prosecution was clearly aiming for, at least initially. Waver's entry into the Fourth War and stealing Rider's catalyst that had been intended for Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald in itself had been put into question as a possible opening move into some larger scandal. Waver immediately shot it down as a bad joke, pointing out himself that with his abilities as a Magus at the time, and his even more limited resources, literally anyone in the Clocktower would have been a better pick for the role than him, let alone one that expected positive results.
When pointed out that he was alive when all of the other combatants in the Fourth War had expired, Waver merely laughed and proclaimed without shame that that fact was the biggest joke of all.
"Well, considering that the Grail War in itself ended up to be something of a similar nature, it should be appropriate that I ended up where I am now."
That clearly got chuckles from some in the audience and scowls from others.
Two hours and a lunch break later, the trial finally started to move in earnest with its first witness.
And they certainly picked the one to make things interesting from the start.
"Sirius McGinty. Mystic Code Crafter and Sealing Designate. Is that correct?" the Prosecutor asked sternly.
"Ah got a couple of other names that most have forgotten this side of the century, but yeah, that's me." The old man had not dressed up at all for the event, still in his work clothes. At the very least, it looked like he had taken a shower and was wearing a clean set for this.
"The accused claims that he wasn't at all involved in this conspiracy until you invited him at behest of the Magus Killer seven years ago. Can you confirm this?"
"Yup. Kiritsugu came fer both of us in particular. That in itself was a bit of a warnin that something was off. That man was never one ta involve others in his work unless absolutely necessary. Make no mistake either, he knew that his job wasn't something that others would be keen on bein part of. If he wanted someone ta help him out, it was only because he felt like he genuinely needed them."
"But why the accused?" the Prosecutor pushed. "His reputation was nonexistent then, and his abilities were just as poor. There is no reason to assume that even someone as ill reputed as the Magus Killer had other resources in the Clocktower."
Sirius snorted. "Humph. Yer right about the lad's reputation and ability. He's all book smarts. I was of the same mind as you at the time. Even now he looks little more than a stick ta me. But that's not what Kiritsugu wanted. Power? Ability? Resources? Reputation? Ah could supply all of that crap if I wanted. What Waver had was more important than that. It was experience."
"Experience? In the war?" There was clear confusion in his tone. "Unless you've forgotten, the Magus Killer was also a participant."
"Mmm. Not that kind. Not entirely." Sirius shook his head. "Kiritsugu knew he was dyin. He needed someone to keep things goin on track after he keeled over. Focused. In context. The lad had the experience of bein in way over your head. Experience of fully acknowledging just how outgunned you are by the competition and still pulling out alive. Of havin a good relationship with someone outlandishly stronger than you. Plus, he was the only one that's gotten a good face full of what Gilgamesh could throw out when he was serious. That input was invaluable. The idea that Waver might actually become a bigshot here didn't cross either of our minds. It was damn convenient, but not something we had planned or even aimed for. If ya were planning on accusing us of plantin the lad into your family as some kind of spy, don't bother. That fuckup was all you. None of us gave two shits about your family."
The old man pointedly made an effort to ignore the annoyed glares he was getting from both sides of the room.
"And you didn't bother questioning the Magus Killer about his claims? That a Servant was somehow still alive? That the ritual itself was corrupted. Without any substantial proof? Just like that?"
Apparently that was the wrong thing to say to Sirius if his sour expression was any indication. "… Lad. Let me teach you something that most of the shut in weaklings in this room don't seem to understand despite how special you claim yourselves to be. Those boys like Kiritsugu, the ones that find themselves more on the ground than in the lab? I was one of them once. We've seen things, survived things that you cowards only hear about in rumors tha you idiots brush off as heresy and mere hypothetical theory. Over an over again. Be it Apostles, other Magi, or Phantasmal Beasts, we know how ta gage just how bad things can get. We see the mess we have ta clean up, jump right into the middle of it all, get the shit kicked outa us, get the job done, get out, an then look for the next fiasco ta deal with without anyone askin us to. WE are the ones that tell you just how bad a situation is. Not the other way around."
Around the room, several individuals, likely Enforcers, nodded in agreement.
"Kiritsugu Emiya? Any idiot in the game knew he was one of the boys that was called when things got real nasty, or someone or something needed to die yesterday. He wasn't a part of the Association, but there was no question he was one of the best and everyone damn feared him for it. I liked him, and I wanted no part in anything that ticked him off. When he moved, when he killed, it was for a damn good reason. If he, of all people, said a situation was genuinely bad, ya don't question his validity or how he knows. The first thing out of yer damn mouth should be either ta ask for details, or what you should be doin to help, because he sure as hell didn't tell you just to gossip."
Shirou snuck a glance at Illya during Sirius' cool tirade. He had to hand it to his sister, the girl was hiding her sadistic glee pretty well. He almost wasn't worried that she was going to abuse their relationship with Kiritsugu when it was her time to speak.
Almost.
The old man leaned back into his seat, causing his spine to pop from the strain. "But, I know that for some of you lot, simply trusting another person in general, no matter the reputation, is complete heresy. Greedy useless twats. It's true, other than some pictures that golden boy, Kiritsugu didn't have much on hand to show us when he first came over. But there was something else he brought that was more than enough after a bit of digging into him. Literally."
"Literally?" The Prosecutor frowned in confusion.
"Evidence 5-T through W. My medical and thaumaturgical reports. Extensive investigations into the lad's body shortly after he first arrived," Sirius clarified. "More specifically, it's my initial and follow up examinations into the curse that killed him."
"Emiya did die rather young, and the exact means of his death were always speculative. You believed that this curse was proof enough to back up his claims?" The Judge frowned in curiosity.
"Word for word." Sirius frowned. "It killed him off slowly, but I swear I've never seen anything close to that nasty piece of work before. Infected his body straight to the circuits. I'm not an expert in curses, but I know enough to make some decent observations and try some treatments. Nothin I did slowed it down in the slightest, even some of my more potent and exotic treatments did jack, which is something I have never witnessed before. There was some quality stuff that I had on hand."
"And yet it didn't work."
Sirius shot the judge an annoyed glare. "It didn't just "not work" Animusphere. When I said it did jack, I meant it in the full meaning. There was no bloody reaction at all. Completely inert. To this day, it's the only curse I've ever laid eyes on that could shrug off genuine essence of a bloody Holy Phantasmal beast like oil and water."
Many in the room began whispering in earnest. Samples of Phantasmal beasts were rare to come by, and those that possessed a "Holy" nature were rarer still. The few that were encountered were often quickly snagged by the Church for obvious reasons. Even if curses weren't his specialty, it was particularly surprising that Sirius would admit that he was unable to provoke a response with such high quality materials.
"Did you not ask for help?" The Judge probed.
"Took samples to several of the main departments here ta get em looked at, see if he could be treated in some way. Spiritual Evocation. Celestial Body. Curse. Archaeology. Told them as much as they needed to know of its source, Zoroastrain or Middle Eastern in origin, but every reply came back the same. Either the curse itself was too obscure for them ta do anything about, or the pricks tried ta charge me up the anus for useless experiments that any novice could tell you wouldn't work because they didn't trust the paperwork I handed them. Either way, no one could do jack."
"Hmm. Is that so?" The Judge looked at the documents delivered to him, scanning them briefly to make sure that they were what Sirius claimed, before returning them to their original positions. "What about the schools in the Middle East? The curse did originate from that area."
Sirius rolled his eyes. "We both know that those annoying bastards are too busy rebuilding their schools every few weeks because of the fighting going on in the area. Only the best bounded fields around could protect them from shoddy overpowered missile targeting systems and dumbass American soldiers. Half of the students there have been leading some stupid revolt to try and change the administration and their policies so they can fight the yanks, or overthrow whoever's in charge of their part of that insufferable litterbox. Their entire internal structure's a mess and even more corrupted than here. Their black market's a godsend in a pinch, but if you want security? Good luck. You can't trust anything valuable to them and expect it to be safe. I might as well just hand my samples to them on a platter and never come back."
No one bothered to argue against the old man. They all knew he was right. The "war against terrorism" was a total joke across the board. Hell, the idiots in the west couldn't even target the right country.
Sirius nodded to the desk of evidence. More specifically, to a vial of pitch black fluid contained inside. "The only sample I have left is over there. Five hundred ml of the nastiest shit I've ever encountered. Needed to make the container and carrier custom made ta make sure there wouldn't be any accidents."
Now that Animusphere knew what it was, the man seemed to be both placated and unnerved by the ebony contents of the container. "I suppose that there is enough evidence at face value to prove Kiritsugu Emiya's allegations of the Fuyuki Grail, and your motivation to follow through with his plans. We'll have to question the members of the Department of Curses that you interacted with later to examine the sample. One that we will keep an eye on."
"You have fun with that."
Truth be told, the Department of Curses in particular had become slightly obsessed with the curse itself after Sirius had delivered his initial samples. Had they been more genuinely interested in helping the "test subject" recover from his situation, he might have been willing to tell them about Kiritsugu.
Bastards wouldn't leave him alone until he threatened to stop making their research equipment at reasonable prices.
The rest of Sirius' time being questioned went pretty quickly.
It had been clear that he was mostly in charge of teaching Shirou and being a contact in the Clocktower. He didn't do anything of notable worth politically, and he wasn't related to the Archibald family in any way, so there wasn't much worth to keep questioning him other than the usual probes to try and find out if anyone was doing any illegal research and other invasive questions that had no place in the courtroom.
The old man's snark was getting on everyone's nerves, but it did come in handy at some points.
"McGinty, did you or the accused conduct any forbidden research in preparation for the War?"
"No more than any other Magus that was being put up against unreasonable odds. Desperate times leads to dumbass measures, and all that. Because clearly all the major problems in the world can only be solved by forbidden research that is more likely to make things worse in reality."
Clearly no one assumed that anyone had made any progress in said forbidden research given the fact that no one bothered to press the subject any further than that.
And who said that being disrespected all the time was a bad thing?
The rest of the old man's trial went as well as expected. As a Sealing Designate, and a teacher, it was only reasonable that what he could do in his situation was limited from the start.
It didn't stop the Prosecution from making some pretty wild stretches at some points. Shirou had to force himself not to burst out laughing when the idiot actually tried to insinuate that the old man had let himself get caught on purpose by Louvre in some sort of grand scheme for Waver to make himself better known.
The old man, on the contrary, possessed no such form of self-restraint, laughing his ass off for almost a whole minute after the accusation was made.
Ultimately, at the worst, Sirius merely confirmed everyone's suspicions that he had acted as a sort of in between for Shirou and Waver once Waver was forbidden from talking to the former. But then again, pretty much everyone had suspected as much by this point.
And then it was Shirou's turn.
"Haaah." Even if he was on his best behavior, it wasn't missed that Shirou was actually getting tired of the event, what with him propping up his head with one of his arms on the table. In fact, he had been in this and similar positions for some time now, even when Saber and some of the others tried to nudge him awake outside of the view of others.
Sitting at the table all day doing nothing wasn't normally his thing. He was normally an active person, tinkering with broken objects, or studying, or sparring, or planning, or cooking. His body felt uneasy if he was not doing something for long periods of time. More so if it was during the middle of the day, when his Apostle nature urged him to rest. The only exception was when he meditated.
It didn't help that being in such close proximity to Archer for extended periods of time was causing him to have dreams that he would very much prefer not to go through.
Off to the side, he noticed that Merem was faring just as well as he was, napping on a couch, dead to the world (no pun intended), and under a thick blanket so to prevent exposure from the light outside.
"Is there something the matter, Emiya?" the Prosecutor accused smugly. "I would have thought that someone of your position would be able to carry themselves through such a minor event."
Shirou glanced at the man's image, which was in turn shown through his own magnified holographic projection in the Tower. "No. Rather, I'm more disappointed than anything."
"Disappointed?"
He waved his other hand lazily. "The Prosecution is spending more time trying to denounce or demean Lord El-Melloi II and any evidence that supports him rather than trying to support their own accusations. Those supporting it are clearly depending too much on their political clout to the point that they aren't even trying to hide it. It's so embarrassing it's genuinely boring. My apologies for letting it get to me."
Judging from the way more than a few members of the audience were speaking to one another, Shirou wasn't the only one that caught onto this.
"I would appreciate it if you kept meaningless and baseless thoughts like that to yourself."
"I'm merely satisfying your curiosity, sir." Shirou yawned lethargically, not at all paying attention to the looks he was getting not on screen, but from everyone else in the room as well. It was not often that he was blatantly so rude to others.
Before the irritated man could speak up again, someone else beat him to it.
"Dog."
Someone with far more authority than he did.
Almost instantly, the room went dead quiet, several people even sitting up straight on instinct. Shirou included.
Lorelei Barthomelloi frowned. "You are normally not this sloppy and crass."
There were several ways to interpret her statement, and few of them were positive.
Shirou looked at the image of his superior quietly, as if debating what his next statement would be, before sighing to himself, clearly coming to a decision, and reaching for the shroud that was wrapped around his head.
Just the action of moving to reveal part of his face caught the attention of many. After all, his personal information was considered a widely sought after secret in the Association.
It didn't take long for their curiosity to give way to something else.
He didn't take the shroud off, but he did give the crowd a good view of the left side of his face, covered in a metallic scale like mesh that did not belong to a normal human being.
"The mission was a success. I never said that there weren't complications."
Even Lorelei was momentarily caught off guard by his mutilated state if the look of genuine surprise she had was any indication, even after he had hidden his face behind the shroud again. "… You did not mention that in our previous exchanges."
"My personal state was unimportant compared to the situation at hand." The teen waved away his mistake as if it was inconsequential. "It's only been these past few days that everything has been catching up to me. I did not recognize the severity of my state and my exhaustion until I had time to rest. Had I not have the resources I currently do, I might still be unconscious and recovering from my excursions. My apologies."
"You did not notice that half your face was mutated?" the Prosecutor echoed, unwilling to believe such a ridiculous claim.
"I did not deem it as a problem worth recognizing." Shirou corrected, his tone a bit firmer, allowing no argument. "A leftover from my encounter with the King of Heroes. One of several. I can still eat, breathe, and function like this. Caster has been kind enough to examine and treat my status, and determined that it can be addressed and rectified. However between this and other injuries that I accumulated, I am unfortunately not at my best. It is why I did not travel to the Tower in person the moment I had resolved the situation here. Does the court have issue with my decision?"
The others in the living room couldn't help but look at Shirou as if he had grown another head. They had all just gotten used to the young man that, while dangerous, was rather easy to push around and did requests without hesitation. He apologized frequently. He cooked. He stepped aside for them whenever their paths crossed for one reason or another.
For most of them, the idea that Shirou could be rude to someone that didn't specifically push his buttons was just fantastical. It was almost as if he was a different person entirely.
The only person there with him that wasn't so surprised was Luvia.
She had seen him like this on many occasions within the Clocktower, albeit never to this extreme. She knew how little he genuinely cared about people that worked against his interests, how he frequently spoke in half-truths among his peers to tell them what they wanted to know while keeping what he knew secret.
His injury and warped face was a leftover from his fight with Gilgamesh. His exhausted state was, in part, due to all the fighting he had participated in. Neither were lies, and yet, neither indicated in the slightest that his Apostle nature existed in the slightest.
It also gave those in the Gallery a brief glimpse into just how twisted and dangerous the War had been.
If Barthomelloi's dog had been mangled to this degree, just how badly would they fare? Did he actually fight a Servant? What curse was he affected by? How is he able to ignore such an affliction?
Questions of this and similar nature echoed through many of mind. In a few seconds, Shirou had gone from, "the current focus of the meeting" to "the most interesting person in the room". The significance and command he held over everyone's attention was now unquestioned.
More so, this was the first time the masses of the Clocktower had borne witness to Shirou's "face". As far as they, and soon most parties, would know, he was a mutilated teenager that either would have to carry about with half his head hidden by some means, or refrain from going out at all. Few, if any would suspect that he was able to return his face back to normal anytime he wished. Should someone try looking for him in the near future, they would be running on false information, allowing him to move with greater ease for that period of time.
Luvia had to cover her mouth with her hand, not to hide her shock, but to mask her bemused smile. She had seen him do things of this nature several times at the tower, playing the expectations and assumptions of others against them. But never to this degree before. She seriously didn't know if she wanted to berate or applaud him right now.
"… No. You are fully in your right to make such a decision, Emiya." The Judge took a moment to regain his voice, still slightly caught off guard from Shirou's current state. "Lady Barthomelloi, while I understand the concern you have over your subordinate's behavior, I must remind you that you are a witness in this trial. You are not in a position to speak out of turn here."
"The Vice Director was completely in her right to chastise me," Shirou corrected the Judge. "It was my error to assume that the Prosecution would not approach this event with such a lofty and drawn out method, and was unprepared for it. I am deeply sorry for my oversight."
Shocking the court into revealing his condition which then evolved into politely insulting the opposition while keeping Barthomelloi looking good. Rapidly, yet seamlessly chaining these gestures within the first few minutes of being the focus of attention. Subtle strong plays like this were NOT Shirou's forte.
It was little wonder that pretty much everyone sitting near Shirou was staring at him as if he had just grown a second head.
Rin looked at Luvia accusingly, as if to say "I thought you said that he was terrible at Clocktower politics."
Luvia returned the glare with one of her own. "I did. He keeps to himself most of the time. He has his moments, but this is beyond that. Don't blame me. It's almost like someone else is speaking for… him."
Both Luvia and Rin turned to look at Saber standing quietly a small distance behind Shirou, eyes focused on the display of the court, yet every now and then there were certain twitches on her face as if she was somehow distracted… or talking to someone.
"… Damn it Shirou."
Screw dignity. B ranked Charisma was simply too damn tempting of a resource to not abuse.
He of course couldn't use the skill, but there was no rule against having Saber give him a few pointers before he could open his mouth.
Playing the role of someone overly cocky was something that Saber tried to avoid when playing politics. But Shirou already had a questionable reputation of that nature in the Clocktower, so she went with it with only some reluctance. Thankfully, he had enough experience adlibbing and bullshitting his way around the tower to play along with her plan.
It was needed though. What Shirou needed most in this situation was not evidence and support. He, no, Waver had enough of those. Instead, with so many people watching, he needed a strong reputation and impression. People knew of him, but now they were going to see him. Hear him. Believe that they knew him.
If he gave the impression of just being another hired gun or yes man, there would be little reason to assume that he would move under his own violations or motives. That everything he did was because someone else told him to it.
Talking down to the Prosecutor. Calling them out on their bullshit while at the same time disregarding it as meaningless. Involving Barthomelloi yet not simply doing as he was told. All while maintaining a professional composure. It all gave him an independent image that would make others curious and wonder what drove him to do what he did. That he and his motives were genuinely important.
Important things stuck out in people's minds. Thus, his words would have greater weight than the opposition.
Another petty psychological trick, yes, but at least his had decent presentation.
"Very well." Judge Animusphere coughed, clearly wanting to put this minor debacle behind them. "For the record, please identify yourself."
"Agent Emiya, direct subordinate of Vice Director Lorelei Barthomelloi of the Magus Association. Sixth head of the Emiya family and adopted son of Kiritsugu Emiya. Known Alias': Queen's Silver Dog and the Second Magus Killer. Bearer of the Noble Color Silver." Shirou recited calmly. "My occupation is whatever the Vice Director dictates. Primarily in Sealing Designation and Apostle acquisition, along the Eurasian border and parts of Asia."
"Identification code?"
"Alpha six two seven eight zeta gamma."
"Age and full name?"
"Classified."
"Primary field of Magecraft?"
"Material and Temporal Transmutation." It was like saying his major in college was a chemist or a craftsman. Specific enough to satisfy most, but vague enough to not hint at what he could do specifically. Everyone knew he specialized in projection anyways. They just didn't know what the limits of his projection skills actually were.
There was a brief pause. "… Temporal... Transmutation? Not Temporal Modification?"
"It's a work in progress." His timeless blades were merely the first step. There would be future progress, but not much. At best, he was just laying down the groundwork for someone more competent down the line to make the real strides.
Animusphere looked curiously at Shirou, clearly something other than the trial being debated in his mind. "I look forward to seeing your future research."
"And I your input." The young man bowed slightly in thanks.
An annoyed and forced cough from the Prosecutor unfortunately got them back on track.
"We have established that you and Lord El-Melloi II have had a relationship and were involved in this plan for the Grail War before his promotion. Correct?"
"Partially. I was being trained for it, but I was not aware of the Grail War or what was intended for me until shortly after the incident with Louvre," Shirou corrected.
"I still find it particularly odd that your father would place such a heavy burden on you. A child, no offence. As skilled as you may be, one would think to place it on someone…"
"Older? More experienced?" Shirou sounded amused. "Do not worry. I was, am still, of the same mind to some extent."
"But you do have an explanation for it."
The teen shrugged. "This War is an abnormality. The Masters. The Servants. The fact that it was fifty years premature. Everything was rushed. More than half the Masters in this are my age. Father was banking on several factors when he picked me for this task, though that did not mean he was fond of the idea of using me at all. The fact that I would be more prepared than my peers. My inside knowledge on things I should not know. The hope that I could make connections and possibly talk the other Masters, primarily of the three main families, to my side of things. The greater the odds of not triggering the Greater Grail, the better. This wasn't an issue that could be resolved by killing the opposition."
Several people in Shirou's house found it very hard not to look at a certain Assassin at that moment.
"Are you insinuating that executing the opposition would be counterproductive?"
"Yes. The details are unfortunately classified until the Einzbern give permission." Shirou looked at Illya pointedly.
"As the representative of the Einzbern, I have determined that information about the Grail System is irrelevant to the current topic being discussed and should remain classified."
Animusphere nodded, glancing briefly at the Einzbern representatives with him in the Clocktower that had yet to make a sound, let alone twitch. "The court has made note of your decision. I assume this means that you have extensive knowledge regarding the functions of the Grail system in Fuyuki then? Emiya?"
"More than most, but I would hardly consider myself an expert in its intricacies. The thaumaturgy that it is comprised of is in a completely different spectrum than what I specialize in. I only have a cursory knowledge of Alchemy. Rather, if you wish for a report on its current status, I would recommend that you wait until the current representatives of the Three Families here and Caster have had their time with it. I've inspected it myself several times. It truly is a masterpiece stained by poor management."
"And they could not inspect the Grail in the time between now and when you have resolved the war?"
"The aftermath of the final battle was and is still a convoluted affair that needs constant oversight. We can only prioritize and address so much at a time. Caster is attending to the various immediate issues that her counterpart had caused during the War, aiding in the stabilization of the leylines in Fuyuki and the recovery of everyone here. In fact, she only just returned from the scene of the final battle last night. Tohsaka was occupied with the extensive damage and information management from the fighting along with the representative from the Church. As for Einzbern and Matou, we decided that given the unstable state of the Grail from Caster's machinations, it would be best to postpone their inspection until the leylines here were stabilized for accurate analysis."
"And when do you anticipate that you can make these accurate assessments?"
"Within the next few days at the latest."
"I see." The Judge frowned. "I assume that you have inspected the Greater Grail yourself in person at some point?"
"I have, but I could determine little in its inert state. McGinty and Lord El Melloi II have tried their hand at it as well with similar results. We are not an Alchemists. Even if we knew what was wrong with it, we do not have the knowledge or the means to examine its corruption in that state. One of my goals for this event was to obtain some assistance in addressing this issue."
"You mean to fix the Grail?"
"I mean to end it. It is little more than a failed experiment in its current state, one that was kept running on the misguided hopes that it could still yield positive results regardless of the cost it would incur. I couldn't do that properly without proof, and normal means of obtaining proof would only cause complications, not resolve them. Showing that a unique curse killed my father is not enough to prove that the entire system was contaminated. More was required."
"What of the Servants?"
This time Shirou did pause, picking his words carefully. "… They are useful. If possible, it would be beneficial if the Grail could be dismantled in a way that would enable their extended stay."
"You make it sound like they are guests instead of familiars," the Judge noted curiously.
"I do not live in a castle or a mansion. Please do not say anything that might irritate the half dozen super powered Heroic Spirits here. I'd like my home to stay in one piece, thank you." His dead even reply generated a few laughs in the audience, a significant break from the professional attitude he had portrayed just moments earlier.
"Yes. I recall that you are in fact hosting the remaining participants of the War in your home. I am somewhat surprised considering recent events. Do you believe that this is wise?"
"We have come to an understanding that none of us would benefit from any further bloodshed. Anyone that would risk breaking this truce would put themselves at risk from the others."
Lancer held back a snort. That was one way of saying it. Another would be that at least half of the Servants here would jump to the kid's aid without a second thought.
If anyone wanted to try something stupid, they best pray that it worked on the first try and had enough time to get the hell out of there, because there wouldn't be time for a second chance, and they'd risk the wrath of the kid himself. No one liked their odds of being his next target.
"Even after learning of Lady Edelfelt's contract on your head?" The Judge probed.
Shirou shrugged, brushing away the topic as if it didn't bother him. "A nonissue. We knew one another long enough to be aware that it was a very real possibility. The contract has already been nullified regardless, so the Edelfelt family is no longer under any obligation, nor are they tied to an unreasonable request from a family that does not respect its superiors."
Several shouts of indignation echoed through the room as Shirou finally started firing shots relentlessly at his opposition. The courtroom was full of commotion as Judge Animusphere hammered his gavel loudly to regain order.
"Quiet! Quiet! Emiya. Ignoring your blasé commentary, you stated that the contract between the Edelfelts and Archibalds, evidence A-017, has been negated without being fulfilled nor the punishment clauses triggered?"
Shirou nodded, ignoring the brief look that Luvia was giving him. He was taking the blame for her actions again and she loathed every second of it. "Yes. That is correct. I am one of the parties responsible for that turn of events, and I do have the means and reason to accomplish such a feat."
More whispers echoed through the room, though not enough to delay the proceedings.
"I don't suppose you are willing to share such means with the court?"
"I will refrain. It's not relevant to the trial." He refused to answer a question for the first time that day. Of course he would. It would expose his ability to replicate Noble Phantasms and the existence of Rule Breaker.
Judging from the fact that Lorelei Barthomelloi did not seem to react to his statement or urge him to answer the question, she appeared to have come to the correct conclusion as well.
"I supposed as much." Animusphere shifted through his papers. "Did you assume that the Archibalds were after your life before being informed during the War?"
"It was only an educated guess that someone was after me specifically at the time, especially after Lord El-Melloi had been ordered to not contact me." Shirou shrugged. "I did have a few incidents with other Magi during my employ under Lady Barthomelloi, but nothing that pointed to them in particular."
"May we have an example of these incidents?"
"An example…" Shirou had to think for a moment before coming with a reasonable one. "For the first few months of my employ, during Designation Hunts, there was reason to believe that information about my coming was being leaked to the targets. Several had escaped days before I had even arrived on site. Others had seemed to prepare for me in particular. Two had hired help from specifically those that had grievances against my Father. I found myself in unreasonably difficult situations at times because of them. We eventually suspected a leak within Lady Barthomelloi's employment, but before she could narrow down the source, the suspected culprit, a gifted young woman that was part of her human resources department had disappeared. We still have yet to find a body, if there is one anymore."
Rin shot Luvia a questioning glance, all but asking if she knew anything about these events. The blonde didn't respond back, merely frowning in thought as she tried to recall the events during that time period, clearly indicating that this was as new to her as it was everyone else.
"Did you take part in the investigation?"
"No. I was still new to the organization under her. I was not trusted with any more sensitive knowledge to its workings and members more than I was already privy to," Shirou denied.
"Lady Barthomelloi. Can you verify his statement?" Animusphere looked at the Vice Director curiously.
"The Dog is speaking the truth." If Lorelei was at all bothered with reveal of this minor scandal, she did not at all show it. "I will not speak names at risk of prolonging this event even further. However I can state that the person in question, and those close to her, did not have any direct ties to any notable family or group, and had come under my employ out of sheer merit. None of the possessions she left behind indicated as such either. The investigation was continued for a year and a half after her disappearance with little ground made."
"And after her disappearance, the information leaks stopped?"
"Yes."
"And these leaks appeared only during tasks that involved Emiya?"
"Yes."
More whispers echoed through the courtroom, with several people glancing at Shirou with mixed emotions and curiosity.
"Emiya, did you ever have any peculiar encounters near home? The city where you reside in is not restricted knowledge." The Judge changed gears slightly.
"Not as frequently. Fuyuki is owned by the Tohsaka family, and there is… was, a notable member of the Church overseeing the territory as well. It is more difficult and riskier for magi to start trouble here." It was blatantly clear to those that knew him that Shirou wasn't looking forward to talking about this particular subject.
Rin didn't miss the wordplay in his answer.
"But there were still attempts," the Judge concluded.
"I dealt with four. Though there may have been more that I am unaware of," Shirou relented, avoiding eye contact with Rin in particular.
What caught his attention though, was the brief look of confusion that escaped the Archibald representative's face for a moment.
"Only four?"
Shirou frowned in thought, realizing that the number was a bit on the low side. "Kirei Kotomine… he was an unfavorable man, but he did take his obligations seriously. Zouken Makiri may have been responsible for others as well as he considered me a… resource at the time. Neither were considerably generous individuals when it came to information. I would not expect them to inform me of any possible assailants if they did encounter any unless directly questioned or had something to gain from it."
His guess was right and wrong at the same time. It was true that both Kotomine and Zouken accumulated a meager count of Magus lives over the past couple of years, two or three each at best. However, the fact of the matter was that Taiga with the aid of her "Family" had managed to score slightly more than the other two parties combined. Rather than say she was more adept at combating Magi than the Priest and the Worm, it was more accurate to claim that she was the only one of the three actively hunting those that were hunting Shirou with more resources available.
"Sh-Emiya." Rin spoke up, correcting herself at the last moment. Few people in the tower knew Shirou's full name. "Why wasn't I informed about this?"
Shirou shifted uncomfortably, showing the first sign of weakness for the entire trial. "They started happening around the time our lucrative side project was starting to take off. I didn't want to interrupt the momentum."
That and it was something to hold over some of the clients' heads during negotiations whenever one of their bodyguards disappeared. A happy Rin was a safe Rin.
Suddenly all those rumors Luvia heard about "not pushing her luck" when making those artificial gem deals with Rin made a lot more sense in hindsight.