imperial_stage | Grail War Council

This was bound to have happened. After all, several decades have passed since the last war where results have been inconclusive. It's not as though Rao hasn't been expecting this day either, but there isn't much that she could do about it. Whether or not she tried to stop it, it was inevitable. The Holy Grail would automatically select its competitors by its own will.

Knowing this, Rao seated herself in front of the council table a few chairs away from Delacroix. Her expression remained calm, yet concerned all the while.

"... I expected that it would happen during my own lifetime. It's as though hardly any time passed since I first learned of it.

Then once again, the Church is to act as the mediator in this war among magi."

Ky sat down, back in the Holy Order uniform once more. He laced his fingers together as he watches the two with a calm face. "How long has this going on?" The knight started to question, trying to get as much information as he can.

"This will be the second Grail War to come to Dagaria," Delacroix replied, "although how long the war has gone on in earnest I do not know."

"Perhaps not too long if we have noticed it just now. At least, I am not aware of any noticeable damage or casualties. Are we at least aware which Servants have been summoned, Father?" Rao asked.

Ky frown deepens. "How likely is it that innocents will be harmed by this Grail War?" He questions, prioritizing information in his head.

Though he does wonder why he was summoned to the meeting.

"The current Servants that have been summoned are Saber, Archer and Assassin," Delacroix said, before turning to face Ky. "As far as the threat to innocents, it can be quite high. That is why we take on the roll of adjudicators, to ensure that the war is contained."

"Each of the Servants have tremendous, destructive power which is why it's important for the Church to contain the war. Innocents have been used and killed to siphon magical energy if a Master should choose, but even a benign Master has the possibility of accidentally involving human lives in the middle of a battle.

But even after the conflict has ended, there is still the concern over the wish the Master may make to the Holy Grail."

The Holy Grail grants a wish, but its alignment is neutral. A destructive, selfish, or beneficial wish may be equally made by it. It possesses the power to change the face of the entire Empire if the victorious Master or Servant should wish.

Ky slowly breathes out, any wish would be granted? He didn't need to think hard about the worst case scenarios - such as if one of the Masters was the Lich, he shuddered to think what would happen.

Though again, he wondered why he in specific was being told about this. "I have to ask, what I know of the Holy Grail, how did it come to be that a Magus War would be fought over it over and over when by all accounts it is lost."

"It is difficult to say... I have not even verified if it is truly the Grail or some mage's bauble that they have bequeathed a grand title upon. That said, if it be true then it is dangerous, and as the Church has interest in the Grail - should it truly be, it is our duty to oversee the battle."

"Whether or not it is the true Holy Grail will be investigated during the war and at its conclusion. For now, we must prepare for every scenario that may result in widescale casualties.

Investigating the individual Masters may prove to be something worth investing time in..."

"Do we have any idea who the current masters are?" The knight inquired, seeing that his previous question would be unanswered. He may as well asked more, he despise going into a situation unawares. "And how do we exactly adjudicate this Grail War beyond sheltering the defeated Master?"

"The Church also has the ability to alter the rules to some degree, if for example a Master acts outside of the boundaries of the war and targets civilians, we may offer incentives for the other masters to focus on them. As to the current masters, there are means with which to find them."

Delacroix sets two blue crystals with an ornate gold setting on the table.

"These crystals will allow you to track the presence of Servants and their Command Spells, the means in which they control their Servants. They will glow blue with greater intensity when you approach a Master, and glow white when you approach a Servant. If both are together, the colors will alternate. This can also be used with a map, it will glow over the province or city they are currently located."

Rao takes her crystal and examines it. It isn't much of a surprise that neither are glowing at this very moment. The chances of having a representative from the Church enter into the war seemed doubtful considering how even among magi, knowledge of its existence is fairly contained.

"And Ky, I too wondered about the nature of the Holy Grail when I first learned of the war. There is a possibility that the wish-granting vessel the magi are fighting over is not the true Holy Grail known to us. It may be a moniker than anything else.

But... although it may be lost, the magi may have found a way to draw it out and find it once again. A method that we are unaware of. That is what we must investigate.

... We will not learn the answer to that until the end of the war, however. Yet another reason we must work to contain this struggle at all costs. In the meantime, I believe these crystals would help us moderate and step in whenever necessary..."

Ky picks his up, turning over the crystal in his hand before closing his fingers over it. So that was it - they want him to monitor the war. He frowns at that as he considers everything he heard. "And how do we - as the church exactly deal with those Magus who violates these rules?"

Stopping the riftborn was one thing, humans are another thing entirely. "And what are command spells?"

"Command spells allow a Master to give an absolute command to their Servant that must be obeyed. This can even empower their actions and make it even mightier than it might otherwise have been. All Masters are allotted three, and the loss of all three indicate the Master's loss of right of authority, although the Servant and Master can still cooperate together in the Grail War should they so choose."

Delacroix frowns thoughtfully.

"If a Magus violates the rules, we are not technically able to directly intervene, but we can instead encourage the others to go after them. It's a poor way to do business, but we are primarily observers."

"But that is often rare. Both the Master and Servant have desires separate from one another. Should a pair remain standing at the end of the war, one of them will lose the rights to being granted a wish.

A Servant may also cooperate with another Magus in the Grail War should he or she also have lost his or her Command Spells. This is particularly why the magi often aim to be thorough with their methods... and would often prefer to cut their losses than take risks when it comes to partnerships."

"I see." Ky rub his chin at that as he stands up. "And I presume by my being brought here that I am to assist in the adjudication of the Grail War?"

"Yes, but in a capacity not generally seen before in a Grail War. You see, last time the Grail War occurred, catastrophe followed in it and hundreds of innocents were slaughtered. I aim to prevent that. You are our mightiest Templar, and as such I am appointing you to a new position in this war. You are now the Enforcer, you will see to it that the rules are maintained and, should they be broken, you will bring them to justice."

Ky's widened, staring in shock.

"As an Enforcer, Sir?" He repeated quietly, frowning at the implications of 'bring them to justice'. "And would the magus accept such a change?" The Knight questions as he weighs the responsibility on his mind.

"They may not, but at the same time, I feel they will not give them a reason to intervene further than this."

"The Magi have no choice in this matter. They will respect the peace of Dagaria outside their war, or we will enforce it for them."

Ky sigh, and bows. "Very well, I will do everything in my power to protect the innocent on the Holy Order's Honor."

To put such a burden on Ky seemed worrying to Rao, but in the end, he isn't a child. He has prepared to fight in scenarios that would be foreign to him from the very moment he took up his position. Rao would respect that much enough to not object, but help Ky with his duties wherever possible. She turns and looks at Delacroix.

"And what shall I do during the Grail War, Father?"

"You will serve as the primary adjudicator. I have served for a war before, and I have little patience to do so again. My anger at this foolish squabble disqualifies me from actively judging, so it falls to you Cardinal. I will serve as an advisor, but I cannot directly be involved this time lest I end the foolishness myself."

Grail War Council

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