Chapter 219: The El-Melloi Students!
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In a different hotel in Snowfield, Flat Escardos dangled from the ceiling, swinging as he tried to break free from his restraints.
"Svin, come on! Let me down already!"
Across the suite, Svin Glascheit kept his eyes on his book. Flat's plea reached him, earning nothing more than a tired sigh before he turned the page.
"You're not allowed to leave. Those are our professor's orders," Svin said.
"And as we speak, the Professor is already on a plane headed this way. Half the country has been taken over by an army of nearly ten thousand, and they've got two foreign gods with them, along with at least six Servants strong enough to rival Divine Spirits."
Flat looked a bit embarrassed as Svin explained the situation.
He realized how serious things were: Snowfield had fallen, the original thirteen Servants were no longer the only ones involved, and another group now controlled six more Servants. No one knew what would happen next.
"The chance that this could turn into a world-ending disaster has scared everyone at the Clock Tower," Svin went on, glancing at Flat as he started swinging again. "Professor El-Melloi told you not to go outside and make trouble."
"But they haven't attacked us..."
Flat's usual carefree grin faded. He looked calm as he thought about everything he had witnessed.
"August knows exactly how magi behave. Or maybe it would be more accurate to say that, by his standards, most magi don't qualify as human in the first place."
"If he wanted every magus dead, I wouldn't have made it back from our last meeting."
He also understood why so many classmates had come to Snowfield. Except for those from unusual or powerless families, most of Lord El-Melloi II's students had strong organizations and bloodlines behind them.
Against August, though, those families had never felt so helpless.
"Wait..." Flat stopped swinging.
"Maybe we're looking at this the wrong way. August already knows you're here—"
Everyone in the suite turned to look at him. This was what mattered most: nearly thirty of Lord El-Melloi II's students were now in the same city, and there was no way August and the occupying army hadn't noticed them.
"Huh? What do you mean he found us too?" Yvette L. Lehrman stared at Flat as if he had said something absurd. "I wasn't even a Master when he saw me... How could he have picked us out? He couldn't have used a God's power to search the entire city at random, could he?"
"He already noticed us... he just chose not to expose us." Rin Tohsaka said.
The students met in the hotel's largest suite to figure out their next move. As the group Masters of True Rider, Hippolyta, they couldn't ignore the faction that had taken over Snowfield.
Rin had already survived a Holy Grail War and knew how fast things could fall apart.
"Don't forget who else is with him. The Animusphere family's future heir is one of his Servants." She rested her chin on one hand.
"Olga Marie Animusphere became a Heroic Spirit at some point in the future. In other words, the future Lord of Astromancy has returned as Caster to participate in this Holy Grail War. Do you really think she hasn't told August everything about us?"
Rin had also seen August and Olga Marie through Hippolyta's eyes. The way Olga Marie acted around him seemed familiar.
They behaved like lovers!!
The other students went quiet.
If Caster was the future Lord of Astromancy, she would know everything about the Clock Tower and its families. She could figure out who backed each student here, and if she wanted them gone, August already had all the details he needed.
"There is another possibility," Luviagelita Edelfelt said, raising her head, her twin drills shifting as a faint smile appeared on her lips.
"You all seem to have forgotten the other young woman standing beside him. The one who happens to wear a certain person's face."
That face was unmistakable. She looked like a younger—more innocent version of Rin Tohsaka.
"If she is a Divine Spirit using a human vessel, the Rin Tohsaka serving as that vessel should have retained at least some of her memories," Luvia continued.
"Wouldn't you agree, Miss Tohsaka?"
That meant there were two possible sources of information: one from the future Lord of Astromancy, and the other from another version of Rin herself.
"Another me?" Rin reacted as if Luvia had stepped on her tail. She spun around and glared at her longtime rival.
"Why do you always have to run your mouth?"
Rin looked ready to start a fight, but several female students quickly stepped in and separated them. This was not the time for another Rin and Luvia argument—they had a Holy Grail War to survive.
Yvette glanced around at the rest of the class.
"Forget their identities and where they came from for a moment. In this Holy Grail War, what do you think our chances of surviving are?"
That was the real question. Winning could come later. Surviving was the priority.
"One hundred percent." Hippolyta appeared before them and answered right away.
The proud Amazon Queen folded her arms and faced the magi who were now her collective Masters. They had let her fight as she wished, so she was open with her judgment.
"That young man is a warrior at heart. He has no interest in defeating his opponents through hidden schemes. His intentions are clear—he entered this Holy Grail War because he wants to test himself against us in battle."
Her meetings with the Artemis Familia had already taught her plenty.
"Lady Artemis herself has never attacked us. She leaves the fighting to her children, and they face us openly as warriors. Unless a Master has committed crimes too vile to ignore, I do not believe their faction will attack one without cause."
Her reasoning made sense. When they put aside their worries about August's possible actions, his past behavior supported Hippolyta's view. The only Master his group had gone after was Assassin's Master, and Jester Karture was a Dead Apostle who preyed on humans. August hadn't tried to hunt down any of the other Masters.
So the El-Melloi students had good reason to believe they would survive.
"Kak! Kak!" A familiar used for Church communication started making noise.
"That's a message from the Church."
Doris Lusendra picked up the familiar she used to stay in touch with the overseers. She had once been Hippolyta's only Master, but after Rin defeated her soon after the summoning, Doris had no choice but to give up her rights and share the contract with the El-Melloi students.
Now, the whole class controlled True Rider, and each student had one Command Spell.
"The Church?"
"Why would they send us something now?"
Doris opened the message and began to read.
"According to the latest report, the otherworld army occupying Snowfield has confirmed False Rider's identity." She paused. "False Rider is one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Its Master is Tsubaki Kuruoka, who has now been formally placed under the army's care."
"..." Doris's eyes grew wide with shock.
What the fuck was this? One of the Four Horsemen?
All the El-Melloi students in the room stared at her. Who would be crazy enough to summon something like that? Did someone join the Holy Grail War planning to end the world?
"Kak! Kak!" The familiar delivered another message, and Doris read it quickly.
"The army has issued a second statement. To protect Tsubaki Kuruoka's life, she will not be allowed to participate in the Holy Grail War until she fully awakens. Military specialists will treat her condition. Once she has recovered, if Tsubaki still wishes to participate in the Holy Grail War, she will be permitted to return."
The message was obvious... The otherworld army had taken responsibility for Tsubaki's treatment, but they had no intention of holding her there or forcing her out of the War.
Once she recovered, what happened next would be her choice.
"Should we go see her?" Flat asked.
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