Germany.
In the mountains sat adjacent to the river Rhine, a sole castle ominously stood tall. To the lucky few who spied it amidst the thick fog, the Einzbern Castle, home to one of the oldest, most prestigious magi clans in all of existence, was a magnificent sight to behold. But a fleeting one, nonetheless. The area that surrounded the castle wasn't a mere forest. The mountain itself had its own folktales passed down about it through the centuries past. Ones involving mystical creatures and lost travellers.
Such was the power of an obscuring Bounded Field that made it impossible to find a path to the fortress. Magecraft and magical creations lay hidden amidst the trees. Traps that messed with an individual's sense of direction, zones that inhibited, sometimes messing with a person's memory, and artificial bird flocks that attacked trespassers and serving as the simplest of warnings. Golem wolves, actual wolves, any and all manner of subtle to deathly encounters, no expense was spared to protect the ancient workshop of the Germanic mage clan.
With the sole exception of an invitation by the place's owner, any and all trespassers would be barred entry or even forfeit their lives should they still try. Still, any sort of curious onlookers were often just that. Guests were far and few between. Even rarer than people found leaving the premises after forcible entry.
Which was why today was one of those rare days Jubstacheit von Einzbern, the eighth head of the Einzbern family and a golem made by the original head of the family, entertained the visitor before him with a sharply narrowed gaze.
"Speak." Jubstacheit didn't have time for pleasantries. The old man never liked having guests, especially for the likes of magi that eluded all the barriers and now calmly sat before him.
"Oh, my. And here I thought that the old folks are known for their hospitality." The smiling man said serenely. "Lord Jubstacheit, please. I just came here for small talk, no need to be cold with us."
The older magus eyed the smiling man's companion. How in the world the man managed to get his hands on this thing was beyond the ancient golem's comprehension. But he comprehended the danger they posed. Not just to himself but to the clan as a whole. It only made him more irritated by the presence of the two.
"I don't know who you are. However, since you have it by your side looking for conversation, I doubt you have come here to start a fight. Hence, speak your mind and leave… before I show you my hospitality for the uninvited. If I deem you have nothing important to say, then we can conclude this exchange." As Jubstacheit spoke, several homunculi dressed as maids made their appearance around their guests. The smiling man sat as if nothing was happening yet his companion eyed them cautiously. "I'm sure the lesser magi in the Tower will be glad if I took care of their… escaped lab project."
"Please, my lord Einzbern. No need for such methods." Before the woman accompanying him could do anything, however, the redheaded man raised his hand. "As I said, we're here only to chat. All I wish is to ask some questions and learn about the events of the past Grail Wars."
The statement had Jubstacheit's attention. His focus was now solely on the smiling man himself. And, particularly, of the next most important event he was already busy planning for. Namely, the next Grail War that would come in the next decade.
As the head of the Einzbern clan, and the keeper of the Grail vessel, Jubstacheit knew better than anyone else that the next war would happen sooner than the planned fifty years. Something had changed. Something was forcing the predetermined cycle to occur faster than originally designed. But why exactly it was happening forty years earlier was a question Jubstacheit wasn't bothered with. Nay, he wasn't designed to bother with it. All that mattered to the ancient golem was that the Einzbern's champion would win. The fact that he will have a new opportunity to win the accursed war and at last seize the prize for his family, his makers, was all that mattered.
The last defeat was the most devastating to the Einzberns. Just like always, they risked everything and anything yet lost once again. Only this time, it wasn't a failure that lay solely on Jubstacheit's designs. The Magus Killer failed them. He failed the contract he and Jubstacheit agreed upon. And for that, the traitor had been punished.
'Emiya Kiritsugu… I should have you killed for failing to bring us the Grail. Despite all the tools provided, despite all the compromises, we'd come together on…' A golem had no need of emotion. Yet, had old man Acht bore a beating heart, he would've sworn vengeance on the one to break their promise. 'Hm… yet, the wheels turn. A failed opportunity has passed and now a new one is upon us. You are no longer worthy of my time. No, if anything your failure will become the fire that will motivate that girl. She won't fail as her good-for-nothing father had.'
On the honour of the Einzberns, the golem pushed on. The man that should have been Einzbern's champion had tried and failed like all others before him And while the magi clan had enough resources to find and see him dead and destroyed, a living yet distant Emiya Kiritsugu would serve them better. If only to become the target of vengeance for his own daughter, Illyasviel von Einzbern, the child left behind would have more than enough of a reason to claim victory.
Jubstacheit had already planned to make Illyasviel his next candidate for the following war. And, with this burning motivation planted in the half-human heart of his 'granddaughter', she would become his best creation. Of course, after Jubstacheit calibrated her enough times to rid any more defects as the past generation of models had.
Because of the current phase of the plan, the eighth head of the Einzbern family didn't have time to speak with some interloper magus from Clock Tower. Jubstacheit could have spent this time overseeing the child's training, but alas, the smiling man wasn't a complete waste of his time.
"You are here on behalf of someone else. Speak. Who is it?"
About an hour ago, the smiling man and the thing next to him entered the Einzbern forest, proudly and loudly declaring that they were there by the order of a Clock Tower Lord. While Jubstacheit made sure to keep a highly limited contact with London's magi and the outside world in general, a guest sent by one of the Lords wasn't a mere matter he could ignore. The Clock Tower was an inefficient mess of politics, dregs unworthy of his attention, yet they were the largest magi organization. The Einzbern clan had to keep a few ties to some extent if only to make sure none of them would interfere in the Grail Wars.
By design, Jubstacheit was to carry out and maintain the Grail and the war's necessary faculties, ensuring the cycle continues until the eventual victory of his clan. The last thing Jubstacheit needed was for mere cretins to interfere, much less learn about the true nature of the Grail. Allowing the more dangerous magi to participate in it was not inhibited by his programming, but even a machine knew better than to create more problems for itself.
"Oh, yes. My benefactor. How could I forget!" The smiling man exaggeratingly exclaimed before pulling out a letter and showing it to the old man. "My Lord is a generous man, enough to lend me whatever I might require for my mission."
Old Man Acht carefully took the letter and examined it. Even someone as isolated as him could recognize the family crest on it. Animusphere. One of the Clock Tower's top magi families, not to mention their head being a prominent Lord on his own merit. As much as Jubstacheit wished he could ignore it, he couldn't just close his eyes when someone this influential was asking for an audience with him. Although looking at his guests it was easy to guess what was the matter of discussion.
"What does the Lord want to do with the Grail War?"
The smiling man giggled. "Please, it should be obvious. My Lord desires to participate in the upcoming war that will happen in forty-seven years."
The machine showed no emotion, but a bug in the golem's programming had his grip wrinkling a corner of the letter slightly.
Having Western magi fight in the war was never a desirable outcome for Jubstacheit. Compared to the likes of Matou and Tohsaka, they were usually more experienced and talented. Especially now when two Japanese magi clans were weakened. Considering that the next war was going to start in less than seven years, Jubstacheit hoped that this time, everything would go as he wanted. But having one of the Clock Tower Lords volunteer as an enemy Master? It was a terrible scenario. Not the worst, but unpredictably detrimental.
However, there was still a chance. The man with a creepy smile before him wasn't aware of the war's… startlingly different circumstances as to the past ones. Time was an advantage yet. The golem, undeterred, pressed for more.
"… Why should I humour you? Not only have you trespassed upon our clan's home, but you've also even dared bring this…" He spared a side glance to the woman smirking his way, "with you. To not have been invited to the ritual, much less be aware of the processes required to summon and maintain one of its components, leads me to think you've been spying from the sidelines like the cur you are."
"Lord Einzbern, please. I've come only as an investigator. To learn more about what happened during the last war's conclusion, that is the reason I've spent the last three years wandering the globe." The smile never faltered, as though naught a lie was spoken from his lips. "The tragedy known as the Great Fire, while inconsequential to many practitioners of magecraft, has the interest of certain Lords of the Clock Tower. Especially those who would prefer our secrets remain such from the wider world. As for my friend." The redhead spared a glance at his companion. "She is my bodyguard. Snooping about on the trail of a small magi ritual in the far east has apparently drawn a target on my back. Who could've known, Ahahah?"
The false laugh didn't stir Jubstacheit's solid expression. His stern frown hid the confusion, however. A former Director of the Clock Tower department being targeted wasn't anything new. Yet this man gave Acht little doubt about his ability to escape mere executioners and enforcers. No. Someone else was after him. Someone dangerous enough for the man to summon that familiar stood next to him.
The reason was his inquisitiveness about the Grail War, that much wasn't a lie. Yet, it wasn't the full truth.
The golem family head held his silence. The Animusphere Lord wanting to join the next war could be easily dealt with. As he was out of the loop as to the intricacies of the Grail's inner workings, it'd be easy enough to convince the man that the ritual would begin far off into the future. And while it was likely that the current Animusphere head had the potential of becoming a Master, he wouldn't have enough time to properly prepare for the war in a mere decade.
But another outlier remained. One separate from the inquisitive fool sat before him. It seems like someone else had designs for his predecessor's creation and was trying to silence the smiling man before he could've reached Jubstacheit. And though it was frustrating to admit he could infiltrate this far into the Einzbern territory without falling victim to their defences, the golem couldn't outright deny the man's worth as a magus. To hound him so… whoever they were, it meant more trouble for his clan.
The situation had long since changed from manageable to concerning. Two dangerous and influential magi going after the Grail wasn't what Jubstacheit wanted but he could manage them for a time. An unknown factor lurking in the shadows though… that just made things even more problematic.
'… Perhaps it'd be best to let them deal with each other.' Yet not all hope was lost. The necessary pieces were already in place. The game itself was about to start all over again. Only the extras, the other would-be Masters, were not in the know as well as he, the war's technical host. After all, it was the Einzberns that would provide the Grail Vessel. Without it, the war could not function as it had been made to. Circumstances were on his side. 'Whoever this outsider was, they would be in the same boat as this fool and the Animuspheres. Victory will be ours at last.'
It didn't matter if it was the Animusphere clan or someone else. They weren't in the inner circle like the Tohsaka or the Makiri, or Matou as they were called now. Even Archibald's heir had apparently been one of the earliest to fall. But the Einzberns were even more prepared than the last time. Illyasviel von Einzbern, the child of that man that Jubstacheit spitefully modified and engineered to be the winning gambit, will be ready to beat them all. He will make sure of that.
"So, about my questions." The persistent smile snapped the golem out of his designs of grandeur. Not that a homunculus would be arrogant to think of it as such.
"Hmph. You may speak and perhaps I will consider answering your inquiries, plebeian." Jubstacheit opted to entertain him. Inhumane as he was, he could tell the man would simply return once again. And if he invoked the name of a Clock Tower Lord, not even he could brush it off with his clan's reputation.
Killing the annoying creep wouldn't solve anything either. The thing next to him didn't look as strong as the tool Jubstacheit gave to Kiritsugu. The woman lacked the same imposing Aura as Saber did. But he didn't want to see the castle harmed because of it. Playing along will be the easiest direction right now.
"Marvelous! Very well, first I would like to learn more about the story that led to the Fourth Grail War. Let's start with your perspective of the Third." The man's smile grew wider, as though he'd registered the slight surprise in the golem. Not that Jubstacheit showed any. "Ah, yes. The reports did mention that it was your invitation that involved the representatives from the Edelfelt family, yes? However, it seems baffling that your clan was the first to lose their servant. Is this true?"
That he would have already known as much beforehand and dared to bring it up as the first question was an affront to the face of the Einzberns for centuries. But before Jubstacheit could impolitely tell the man off, something he never expected happened.
Einzbern Castle was rocked by a sudden explosion.