Chapter 8: Chihiro’s Intrusion
Tohsaka Tokiomi: "Rin, have you forgotten all the lessons I taught you about proper etiquette?"
Other group members might not recognize the Hero King, but Tokiomi was well aware of who he was. After all, Gilgamesh was the Servant he planned to summon.
However, just as Rin had mentioned, Gilgamesh was indeed quite rude, and now he was even arguing with Tokiomi's own daughter. Tokiomi could only hope that the King of Heroes was merely venting his frustration and wouldn't hold a grudge once summoned.
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[Ding! The first question is about to begin!]
[This is a matching question. Please watch the following video and make the correct connections.]
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The video began playing.
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[The first scene shows a secluded grove, where Waver Velvet stood before a drawn summoning circle, chanting an incantation.]
["I declare that your sword shall be bound to my fate, and my fate to your blade."]
["Follow the call of the Holy Grail, and if you accept the terms of this contract, let your will be done."]
[The scene shifts to a church. Emiya Kiritsugu stands in front of a summoning circle, with his wife Irisviel beside him.]
["I hereby swear that I shall bring all good to the world, and suppress all that is evil."]
[The scene changes again to the dark, foul-smelling worm cave of the Matou household, where Matou Kariya stands. His hair has turned gray and the veins on his face bulge grotesquely. Matou Zouken is beside him.]
["Embrace the madness and chaos, and serve under my command."]
[The scene shifts to Kenneth, standing with his fiancée Sola-Ui beside him.]
["You, bound by madness, shall be held in my chains. I am your master."]
[The final shift is to Tohsaka Tokiomi, accompanied by Kotomine Risei and Kotomine Kirei.]
["You, one of the Three Great Words of Power, arise from the Wheel of Restraint as the guardian of equilibrium."]
[The video then flashes white.]
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["Are you my Master?"]
[The first figure to appear is a small blonde girl clad in knightly armor, with a prominent ahoge atop her head.]
[The label next to her reads: King of Knights - Artoria Pendragon.]
[Next, a haughty man wearing golden armor appears.]
[King of Heroes - Gilgamesh.]
[Then, a large, muscular man with red hair and a beard steps into view.]
[King of Conquerors - Iskandar.]
[A tall, slender man holding a pair of spears follows.]
[Glory of Ireland - Diarmuid Ua Duibhne.]
[A shadowy figure in a skull-like mask appears, gender indeterminate.]
[Troupe of Acrobats.]
[A knight clad in purple armor, their features obscured by the helmet.]
[Knight of the Lake.]
[Lastly, a crazed-looking man in garish attire with a twisted grin and bulbous eyes is shown.]
[Bluebeard.]
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Waver: "Is this showing how we'll summon our Servants later?"
Waver: "The connections seem obvious enough. We just need to match the Masters with the correct Servants."
Kenneth: "Hmph, that much is clear to anyone."
Kenneth: "But why weren't the true names of the last three Servants displayed?"
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[The system replies: Because their true names have not yet been revealed in the group.]
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Waver: "Fine, but this gives away quite a lot!"
King of Conquerors: "Don't worry, lad. Even if my true name is known, it doesn't concern me."
Kenneth glanced at the relic he had painstakingly obtained, a piece of Diarmuid's spear and considered whether he should switch to a different artifact. His Servant's name was now compromised even before the summoning had taken place.
Tohsaka Tokiomi remained composed. Even if Gilgamesh's true identity was known, he was confident that no other Servant could match the King of Heroes.
Kiritsugu Emiya looked down at Avalon in his hand, contemplating. King Arthur was a small girl? She didn't appear to be particularly intimidating.
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Waver: "Wait a second, something doesn't add up."
Tohsaka Tokiomi: "What's wrong?"
Waver: "The Servants shown in the video should represent the seven for this Holy Grail War, but I only saw five Masters."
King of Conquerors: "Now that you mention it, that's true."
Artoria: "Could this be a mistake?"
Kenneth: "You're still too young and naïve."
Kenneth: "Pay attention. The video isn't over yet."
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["It finally worked!"]
[The next scene shows Uryuu Ryuunosuke standing in a dark room, grinning maniacally, his name clearly marked beside him.]
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Waver: "How can you reveal the answer just like that?"
Kenneth: "Everyone could see it coming. There's no harm in stating the obvious."
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Bluebeard: "Ah! Ryuunosuke-kun!"
Bluebeard: "Chihiro, I'll make you suffer for what you did!"
Bluebeard had been reveling in the appearance of Jeanne d'Arc, but upon realizing that Ryuunosuke was supposed to be his Master, he flew into a fit of rage.
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[The scene shifts to a small Japanese-style storehouse, where a young boy stands before a summoning circle, scratching his head.]
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["Weird… Why isn't it working? Did I get something wrong?"]
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Chihiro nearly choked as he watched the scene.
"What the—? That's me! Why is the system showing this?"
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Tohsaka Sakura: "That's the big brother…"
Tohsaka Tokiomi: "Sakura, is that the boy who rescued you?"
Waver: "Wait, could that person be…?"
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Chihiro: "Yes, it's me."
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Waver: "I had a feeling. Are you from Japan? Your name sounds quite traditional."
Kenneth: "A Japanese magus? Interesting."
The Japanese magecraft community was known for being insular, and the Mage's Association had limited information about their practices. Kenneth was aware that Japan had unique magecraft traditions, including practices that differed significantly from the Western-style thaumaturgy studied at the Clock Tower.
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[The door in the video suddenly swings open, revealing a middle-aged man in pajamas.]
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["Chihiro!"]
[The video-Chihiro looks startled.]
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[The man grabs Chihiro by the ear, scolding him loudly. "You little rascal, what are you doing out here at this hour? I knew you were up to no good! Didn't you practice enough today?"]
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["Well then, let's see how you handle another round!"]
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["Master, no! Ahhh!"]