Fate/Broken Melody Chapter 2: Rin Summons a Servant

Rin Tohsaka PoV

Today…was the day.

The Holy Grail War. Where seven magus would do battle against each other while commanding heroic spirits as familiars. The winner of course obtaining the fabled holy grail, and having their wish be granted.

There were three big families behind this war. The Matous, the Einzberns, and the Tohsakas. And each time they never failed to join in. Though that wasn't to say that anyone could simply join the Holy Grail War.

They had to have been chosen by the grail.

Yet despite four Holy Grail Wars having come and gone, none have actually obtained the grail. Forcing another Holy Grail War to happen in the next sixty years.

But everything had changed.

For some inexplicable reason, the Holy Grail War had started early. So much so that it was mind boggling to see the red crest on the back of my hand. Yet it was an immutable fact.

Of the three families that resided in Fuyuki, only one was actually fit enough to participate in the Holy Grail War. The Matous didn't have anyone who could actually be a master, and the Einzberns had gone quite ever since the end of the fourth war.

The only real candidate from the three families…was me.

Not to say that I was stupid enough to not suspect both families were going to attempt to make their own moves somehow. After all, in the Fourth Holy Grail War the Einzbern's had actually hired someone to do the work for them. Such a thing wasn't outside the realm of possibility.

Even so, there was little to no time to prepare. Everyone was caught flat footed, and the person who's currently in the best position was me. The Second Owner of Fuyuki.

And it was my duty as a Tohsaka to obtain the holy grail. Even if I didn't really care all that much about having my own wish.

Though admittedly an object that could grant wishes was rather enticing. It was something I'd rather have than not.

In order to obtain it, I would need to summon my servant at the peak of my power. With the best servant to summon would the saber class. The strongest and most versatile of the seven.

But there was just one step that I found myself still iffy about.

That of the catalyst for the summons.

Sure enough if I simply summoned a hero at the peak of my power I was to get a Saber. For sure. Yet I also couldn't help but wonder if I should use a catalyst or not.

Those that were actually available for me to purchase were either too pricey, or looked too much like a fake. Which left only one other actual option if I wanted to use a catalyst.

In preparation for the Holy Grail War, my father had purchased several before deciding on one. I wasn't sure which one he had actually used, all I did know was that it had apparently disappeared.

As sharp and well prepared as he was, he had also hidden several catalysts in the event that something happened to the one he was to use. Catalysts that were still safely stored away in the workshop.

The problem with them though was that they didn't have any sort of identifiable marks on them. I only knew of their existence by chance, everything else was simply unknown.

Which of course made them risky to use.

Then again, I can't imagine father would have settled for anything but the best, even for a backup catalyst. So it was quite possible that there was something there to help me get a Saber.

Did I trust my father and potentially add a risky element into the mix, or did I simply rely on my own power to obtain a saber?

…It was a hard call.

While I definitely had the strength to pull a saber all on my own, it would be foolish to not take every advantage I could get. Especially those that had already been prepared ahead of time by my father.

Thus I decided to use an ancient stone carving that was safely hidden within the workshop. One that had a meticulously carved out deer surrounded by trees engraved onto it.

I wasn't sure what heroic spirit that was supposed to connect with, as there were many connected to the figure of deer or even wildlife as an extension. Even so, dad wasn't the sort of magus to settle for anything less than the best.

The summoning circle had already been prepared ahead of time in the workshop, and the peak of my power was fast approaching.

Which meant it was time to start.

"Let silver and steel be essence…"

The chant was relatively easy to memorize, if a bit tedious. Several jewels lit up in the circle in order to fuel even more of my own prana into the circle. My raw power would be more than enough to command the respect of only the best of heroic spirits.

"An oath shall be sworn here. I shall attain all virtues under heaven. I shall have dominion over all evils of hell."

The words continued to pour out of my lips. The air felt electrified with the amount of prana coursing through it. The gems used for the ritual had already hit their maximum output. All that was left was now was for them to slowly fade away and turn to dust.

I needed to finish this soon.

"Come forth from the ring of restraints, protector of the holy balance!"

The gems that were starting to fade lit up brilliantly one last time. Shining with a luminous glow before quickly fading away.

As the light died, in its place stood a servant.

A woman near my own height with piercing and unwavering green eyes. They seemed to search for something in my own before finally giving me a small barely imperceptible nod.

"Are you my master?"

She asked before readjusting the bow in her hands.

…Wait…

….Bow?

OH FOR FU-



~o~


Medea PoV


Things had been rather quiet as of late, which was good. There had been no hiccups as I took complete control of the local leyline. Taking as much mana as I could without actually harming it. Not to mention that these monks would serve well enough as a backup if needed.

The only actual break in the monotony had been Orpheus himself. Even when expressly told to not play his music, he would eventually disregard my rules. Claiming that he couldn't help himself.

I'd have considered using a command seal to stop him if it wasn't for the fact that playing music was all he could really do. That and singing. But this wasn't the time for distractions.

At the very least he wasn't a complete annoyance. The few amount of meals he's made have helped save on prana, if only by an infinitesimal amount. Still, the more prana I can save up the better.

Not to mention that the food was…edible. At the very least.

Now that I was mostly finished with shoring up the defenses of the Temple, I could turn my attention elsewhere. Not to mention Orpheus had been quiet as of late.

It wouldn't do to have a guard dog tied down constantly. Else they try to bite the hand that feeds. Hmm…

Alright. Giving Orpheus some freedom wasn't outside the realm of possibility. He couldn't be completely trusted, but it wouldn't be too much work to summon him with a command seal if needed.

Then it was decided.

I started to travel towards the steps of the temple. The steps were brightly lit due to it being around noon. Which meant I could perfectly see that Orpheus was NOT where he had been instructed to be.

Instead there was simply a piece of paper on the ground that was held in place by a stone.


Went out to gather herbs and groceries.
Will be back soon.
p.s, what tea do you like?


My eyes narrowed as my hand slowly crumpled the piece of paper before sighing in annoyance. I was probably going to have to use a command seal on him, wasn't I?

Honestly…why couldn't I have summoned someone more…dependable?

…And what was the point of asking me what tea I liked if he had already left to get some!?

Hah.

At the very least, I could be certain that he wasn't stupid enough to attract another servant's attention. His strange little presence concealment skill would be enough for that.

…Hopefully.