Prologue

That city, rising from the darkness of the surrounding hinterland,

It was not a disjunctive barrier, of the kind that might separate day

one that demarcated a boundary between things of the same ilk. That

It was a watershed, but the things it divided were not so different

In a sense, it was a hazy boundary, smudged with the colors of dawn

begotten from a blending of pigments.

the boundary between nature and man; the boundary between

that separates dreams from mere sleep.

Its surroundings were a product of a delicate balance. North of the

lay a dense forest, an unusual sight in such an arid area. To the east, a

Though the city had not one smidgen of farmland, it was surrounded

Indeed, that city alone was a strange existence that stood out from its

A boomtown with its sights set on the future; a city with just the

might describe Snowfield, dazzled by its beauty. But in reality, the city

were apparent; but sometimes, they were not.

was as if that town—that cleft, that nexus, that blending of countless

town became as a black stage, evaluating all that surrounded it.

century, the area was home at the time to a few indigenous peoples here

Starting about 70 years ago, though, the area began to rapidly develop.

a total transformation. Now, it was home to a thriving city of 800,000

“Of course, rapid development can happen anywhere. The fact that

that we ought to devote special attention to the city’s origins.”

The night sky was dark, and there was not a star in the sky. It

From a sparse grove of trees at the edge of the vast forest to the

he gazed at the light thrown off by the agglomeration of skyscrapers

“Hrm... binoculars these days really are quite handy. They come

to use them than to go to the trouble of sending out a familiar.... What

With a sour look on his face, the old man spoke to the young apprentice

2

The man called Faldeus stood beside a tree perhaps two meters

mind that. More importantly, need we really be so concerned about

the Holy Grail War

times past. The moment that phrase left Faldeus’s lips, his teacher lowered

eyes. “Faldeus, is that a joke?”

if expecting a harsh punishment.

“I did not think I would have to ask, but... just how much do you know

“I did skim over the materials I was given, but...”

the ramblings of a third-rate tabloid—as long as there is some possibility,

will come into being, we cannot afford to ignore it.”

means to the ultimate end.”

Once upon a time—there was a battle.

The battle took place in an ordinary town, unbeknownst to its people.

war that brought about a miracle called the Holy Grail.

It is an eternal miracle.

It is a relic of the world of the gods.

It is hope—and so, to seek it is to admit despair.

from time to time, from place to place, and from person to person. In

pictured to be.

in the form of an omnipotent wish-granting device.

claim the Grail began, the wish-granting device called the Holy Grail

Before the Grail itself appeared, seven spirits were manifested.

from every medium, “Heroes” were selected to be summoned into the

They formed the fundament of the Holy Grail War, and were absolutely

Those spirits, beings immeasurably stronger than humans, were

The magi who summoned those Heroic Spirits were known as

could devolve upon but one, they too slew one another. That carnage

The spirits, once slain in battle, flowed into the vessel of the Holy

completed. That was the system underlying the Holy Grail War.

in the world.

of the world, as always, and so they trod quietly through the night,

4

As part of its mission to oversee those objects described as Holy

gleamed with a sanguine veneer as they were cleansed by those

And, now—

Far East.

was accompanied by harbingers akin to those seen in that war

As a result, the Association—that organization which brings all

And so, it came to pass that an elderly mage and his disciple were dispatched.

“...very well. Your knowledge of the Holy Grail War is sufficient.

It disappoints me that you know so much about it, yet care so little.

concerns the entire Association. Were that to happen, those wretches

“But is this really the place?” replied Faldeus, skeptical despite his

was built by the Einzberns and the Makiri. Is it not tied to the land

system... a full seven decades ago?”

is possible that this place was built solely for the sake of the Holy Grail

“It couldn’t be!”

the three founding families did anything and everything to attain the

Holy Grail War in this town, Faldeus. It would not surprise me if the

of the Tohsaka is at the Clock Tower, so I doubt it is their handiwork.”

of the founding families being involved.

almost as bright as ever. Snowfield stood serenely against the overcast

After surveying the area for a few minutes, the old mage prepared

spell would render his binoculars capable of viewing the ebb and flow

The apprentice gazed upon his master from behind, and meekly

the Association nor the devotees of the Church would keep quiet about

“Indeed... but there have only been omens thus far. Back at the

ley lines, but.... Well, that was just a crude hypothesis on his part, to

in order to verify El-Melloi’s predictions.”

With a mixture of irritation and scorn permeating his voice, he

at himself.

for a Holy Grail have already been made. If a Heroic Spirit is indeed

prefer for that not to happen.”

“Speaking for myself, I very much hope that the rumors surrounding

I would like for it to be a fake Holy Grail.”

Holy Grail is the true desire of all magi and a means to the ultimate

“Well... I suppose it does,” he replied, furrowing his brow. “But

called a true Holy Grail, I say confound that! It would pain me to

sure that many magi would do anything to reach the Root, but, to be

youngling muddying up my bedchamber with his unkempt

“Is that so?”

“In any case,” he wondered out loud, changing the topic of

of Servants could be summoned?”

classes depend entirely on their summoners, so we truly have no way

Unable to contain his aggravation with Faldeus, the mage harshly

you clod! It was not two minutes ago that I spoke of the seven

Each Heroic Spirit summoned to the Holy Grail War is placed in

Saber.

Lancer.

Caster.

Berserker.

various special characteristics, thereby honing their abilities even fur-

with the spear as Lancer.

weaknesses and special abilities; as such, Servants are typically referred

skills, each able to influence combat in its own distinct way.

while Assassin has the ability of Presence Concealment.

ability.

designed for a battle royale. And every piece has the chance to control

It was this most fundamental principle of the Holy Grail War that

disciple, but—

He hadn’t turned a deaf ear to his teacher’s words, nor did it seem

total, Mister Rohngall,” he said, in a soft and steady voice.

Suddenly, a chill ran up the spine of the old mage, Rohngall.

He wanted to yell at Faldeus; to ask him what was going through his

Faldeus’s emotionless visage twitched. “In the Holy Grail War

pointing out his teacher’s mistake. “But in this city, there are only six.

exist in this false Holy Grail War.”

Something crunched in his backbone.

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His Magic Circuits, his nerves, and his blood vessels all conveyed

His apprentice—or at least, the man who must have been his apprentice

created by the Makiri, Einzberns, and Tohsaka was truly amazing,”

perfectly. We would’ve liked to begin the war with an exact copy... but

mess of its own, you see. It really is a shame.”

and yet he was narrating events from over 70 years ago as

Just when it seemed that his expression was going to turn sinister,

as cool as ever, he spoke from the bottom of his heart.

reason for you to remember, elder.”

“That you ought not to make light of a young nation.”

Every last one of Rohngall’s bones and muscles creaked. Perhaps

“You wretch... who... are you?”

really know about me is my name. Anyway, I really have learned quite

for that.”

1[sic] - the word Faldeus uses here in the original (若い) is not one that Rohngall

9

Based on his extensive experience as a mage, Rohngall knew right

rather, he was an enemy.

acquaintance of his made a move. And yet, alarm bells continued to

He must have known precisely how capable a mage Faldeus was.

As an experienced spy for the Association, he could be sure of that.

him that he was in a dangerous situation.

the Association. And you have been one ever since you told me

“Another organization, eh?” With a gluey, syrupy voice, Faldeus

that a group of non-Association heterodox mages is responsible

could... well, never mind.”

took a step forward.

enemy, but it was nonetheless clear that he was plotting something.

preparing himself to respond to whatever Faldeus might do.

As he spoke, he readied a plan to make the first move in this duel

By the time they had begun trying to outwit one another as magi,

“I’m not underestimating you, sir.”

place.

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Faldeus ignited the lighter that he was holding in one hand. A cigar

It looked like apportation, but there were no signs that he had used

Seeing that Rohngall was puzzled by his actions, he grinned. It was

had never seen. He went on, saying, “Haha, that was just an illusion—a

“......?”

I hope you aren’t too disappointed,” said Faldeus, without even

to the United States of America. It just so happens that we have a few

Rohngall was silent for a few moments, and then he replied. “—I

you’ve got’?”

he spoke those words—

decided in an instant.

The bullet decelerated as it pierced his cranium. Lead scattered

away.

around his brainpan, putting an instantaneous and permanent

And then—even though he was quite apparently dead, dozens

The bullets were not all fired from one place. There must have been

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That was clearly overkill. What an inexorable way to destroy.

forced to dance to rap music.

Rohngall’s body sent up a red spray as it slumped to the ground,

“You look thirty years younger now, Mister Rohngall.”

Faldeus stood still before the body of his teacher, collapsed in a

But the forest around him had changed. There was a strange atmosphere

Dozens of men clad in camouflage gear moved out of the forest

Each one of them wore a black balaclava and held a silencerequipped

yet detailed.

affects. One of them straightened up and walked up to Faldeus, delivering

We’ve found nothing out of the ordinary.”

spoke quite formally, Faldeus’s voice was warm.

with a weak grin on his face.

as how many of you are probably unfamiliar with these so-called

The uniformed men had already fallen into formation behind him.

“A mage is not a sorceror. Don’t clutter your imaginations with

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think more along the lines of a Japanese anime or a Hollywood flick.

He squatted down before the body of what was once his teacher,

It was a bizarre sight, but nobody so much as raised an eyebrow.

effective against them. Now, there are some who cover themselves with

are others who can transfer their consciousness and extend their lives

type has no defense against an anti-tank rifle, while the latter type

They may well have figured that Faldeus was joking. The camouflaged

But—the moment they heard the next thing Faldeus had to say,

“There are exceptions, though.... For example, this fellow, who

“...could I ask you to elaborate on that, Mr. Faldeus?” inquired one

of the corpse’s flesh at him.

finger, and gasped with surprise. “...wha—?”

protruded from the red sinews of the flesh.

true human.

out of the flesh and wormily wiggled about in a most disturbing

1...and that’s how it should be.

Fate/strange fake Prologue

a terribly cautious investigator, you see. He’s not so foolish as to come

situated either in one of the branch chapters of the Association, or in

“A puppet...? That’s preposterous!”

wasn’t able to make it seem perfectly human. The form of an old man

a puppetress whose dolls are utterly indistinguishable from the bodies

talked, sounding disinterested, as if he were an uninvolved third party.

you said earlier?” he asked of Faldeus, his commanding officer.

“Er...?”

precisely in order to ensure that the Association would come to know

pool of fake blood, and gazed up into the dark sky as it began to drizzle.

warning to the magi.”

The beginning of the banquet of men and Heroic Spirits; the beginning
of the false Holy Grail War.