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“Aiiieeee!” Ogawara squealed in shock, then stammered, “Uh, uh, I wasn’t s-stealing anything sir! J-j-just looking a-around!”
“Oh I’m well aware of that, my lad. However, I can’t have you loitering in here all day.” Quickly closing the distance to Ogawara, the priest continued in a warm voice that still intimidated the boy, “But where are my manners, allow me to introduce myself. Peace be with you, I am Father Triscus Adajio, overseer of this church, and more importantly, overseer of the Great Holy Grail War, of which you are to be the final participating Master.”
“G-great H-h-holy Grail War?” Ogawara stammered in shock, “I’m s-supposed to participate in a w-w-war?”
“Indeed you are, Ogawara Yatsuhide. Once you take the last coin from that silver cup, the final details will be initialized and the war can commence in earnest.” The priest answered with a smile.
“B-b-but I’m not r-ready yet! I haven’t found all the c-clues! I don’t wanna spawn over a pit of lava or a room full of m-monsters!” Ogawara pleaded in abject terror.
His face betraying a bit of confusion, the overseer hesitantly answered, “I’m… not sure where you’re getting these ideas from, young man. You’ll have as fair a chance to survive the war as anyone else, and your Servant will appear right at your side when the transfer is complete.”
“I get a servant? Oh, is this some kind of strategy game, where trained fighters go at it and the normal people you pulled in just give commands?” Filled with hope, Ogawara suddenly began to feel as though he might be in his element after all.
“Alas, were it so easy.” Adajio sighed in affected sympathy, “Normally your Servant would be the one making these preliminary explanations, but it seems your reluctance to step forward has placed part of that burden onto me. Your life will indeed be in peril once you summon your Servant and enter the war, for the Master and the Servant both play important and differing roles.”
Crushed in terror again, Ogawara sheepishly stammered, “D-d-do I have to?”
“You’ve delayed answering the call to adventure more than long enough.” His voice becoming actively menacing, the priest placed his hand on Ogawara’s shoulder, his grip slowly tightening as he continued, “Let me be clear. If I have to throw you to the living dead and find a new participant,”
“OkokokI’lldoitI’lldoitI’lldoit!” the boy screamed, twisting himself from the overseer’s grasp and sprinting up to the altar.
“Wonderful. Now go.” Adajio deadpanned.
Taking a deep breath, Ogawara reached into the cup and grasped the coin. Feeling his mind shift into a different mode of perception, seven shining cards appeared in an otherwise empty space, each with a different portrait. As he reached toward one that had a charioteer on it, they all flipped around to reveal that in fact they all were the one with a horned monster as the portrait.
