Sunday 12th September, 5:30pm

Turns out I wasn't. Fine, that is.

I stretched my limbs lazily, trying to shake off the stiffness from being seated for such a long time. Listening to all the talk this afternoon took more out of me than I expected. I thought I'd at least be able to understand a little, but with all their talk of 'Thaumaturgy" and 'Third Sorcery" and "the Akashic Records", I was utterly lost. All I managed to gather was that some people wanted this War to continue and others didn't.

But there was no point thinking too hard about that now; there was dinner to look forward to. We followed the crowd to the dining room, which was decked out like a banquet hall. Dinner was styled like a buffet; a smart move, since people would no doubt want to move about and chat at their leisure while eating. Already, some people were filling their plates from the two long tables that were set down the middle of the large room, covered with dishes and dishes of fancy food. A number of small round tables were set around the perimeter of the room.

I was feeling glad that participants were provided free admission. This would not have fared well with my wallet, with me having to feed a house-load of people on a regular basis and also having a massive student loan to look forward to repaying.

Saber's eyes lit up at this sight. She pulled my arm, hurrying me.

"What are you waiting for, Master?" she drooled, unable to contain her excitement. "I don't think we will have another opportunity soon to experience such rich takings!"

In the end, we found an empty table on the side where we could eat quietly, me with a modest amount on my plate and Saber with what seemed to be a mountain. I had tried to join Sakura and Illya, but they were swamped with people who looked all too eager to know them better. For professional reasons, I hoped.

"Saber, you can go back for seconds, you know," I said, poking my chopsticks at a piece of sushi that had rolled off her plate. "It's not like the dishes will be empty before you go back."

And surely the flavour of the food will be ruined with the way she literally piled it on.

"Mmhm, mmmmmhhmm, mmm." She swallowed. "It was absolutely necessary to get a little from each dish so that I know what is good for me to get more of."

I chuckled. "If you can finish what you already have, then sure."

Actually, I should be the one with the least doubt as to whether she could eat everything on her plate and more. I've had plenty of experience of running out of rice before she ran out of space in her stomach.

A chair groaned as it was scraped on the marble floor. A middle aged man with short brown hair approached our table.

"Hello, Shirou Emiya. And Servant Saber," he said, giving us a nod in greeting. "Mind if I join you during dinner?"

"No problem, Co..." I squinted at the label on his chest.

"Collochman. But you can call me Coll."

I found myself relaxing. Here was a man who not only spoke a decent amount of Japanese but also offered a handy alternative to his foreign name. No offense to my current guest.

"Yes, Coll," I said. "You're welcome to sit with us."

I moved my cup to give him more space to set his own plate down, which I noticed was filled with some of the more exotic foods found in Japan. Not a person to shy away from trying strange things, I see.

"Ah, so, Emiya – am I allowed to call you Emiya?" he asked. "I understand you were one of the Masters who took part in the Fuyuki Grail War, the one which was terminated early, is that correct?"

"Yes," I said, as a sort of answer to both of his questions. "Well, that would be the Fifth War you're referring to."

"Let me introduce myself properly. Collochman Ander, a pleasure to meet you. I am working under the Department of Spiritual Evocation at the Clock Tower, though more as a scholar rather than a practitioner," he said. "I'm not really tied to any particular faction, so the reason why I'm here this week is more related to my fascination with the summoning systems that were used here in Fuyuki."

"Uh huh." I nodded. I understood about half of what he said.

He evidently wasn't expecting me to give an introduction of my own and carried on.

"It's amazing, isn't it? This ritual, that enables one to summon not only the spirit, but the physical form a hero from the past. Ah!" he exclaimed. "I suppose this is an attempt to imitate the way the World summons them as a defensive measure."

"Um, sure." I was far from sure.

"This is why I was so elated to find you two alone," he said. "I've seen spirits of animals and spirits of nature being summoned as familiars, and even occasionally demons. But I've never heard of someone summoning a Heroic Spirit, before this, of course. Say, do you know the identity of your Servant?"

"Actually, I don't know," I admitted. "She decided not to reveal her identity, in case it gave us a disadvantage during the War."

Well, the War was suspended now so it shouldn't matter, but I didn't want to press her anyway. A few Servants had chosen to reveal their real names out of their own free will, so if the others were keeping it a secret, they probably had a good reason for doing so. For example, maybe they secretly knew another one of the Servants in the past and didn't want the other to know, or their legend involved mistakes they did not want to be judged for.

Though, due to my connection to her as her Master, I did have dreams from time to time about Saber's life, of when she trained with knights and lead an army into battle. She also fought a dragon at one point. Were there any famous female dragon slayers out there?

"Since she is still present, that must mean you still have your commands seals, right?" Coll said interestedly. "May I take a look at them?"

"Alright."

I removed the bandage that I kept wrapped around my left hand. Others disguise it using far more sophisticated methods, but I resorted to primitive measures. There were two bright red marks on the back of my hand, as well as one faded one from when I stopped Saber from attacking Rin. I found out that was a wasted effort the very next day.

"Interesting. Very interesting." He studied them as if they were ancient marking with deep significance. "As Mr Velvet explained before, Servants are not allowed to attack anybody who possessed command seals, am I correct?"

"I think it's rather that the Servant is physically incapable of making themself harm a Master," I said. "Even Berserker stopped his weapon before he landed a blow on me, even though he was completely out of his mind. I don't know what would happen if, say, a Master was caught in the middle of a massive blast that wasn't specifically aimed at them, however."

There was also the time we had a run in with Caster, only for the fight to be cut short when Saber stopped herself before dealing the blow. Even though Saber was especially annoyed afterwards, she supported me when I told her I wanted to tell the others about this fault in the rules.

"Well, what a marvellous measure to ensure the safety of the Masters," Coll said, rubbing his hands. "And this would naturally extend to the Church's supervisor as well, allowing him or her to truly be a neutral judge. Absolutely marvellous."

The supervisor had actually suggested I take out the enemy Masters myself as an easier way to eliminate both them and their Servant, so I wasn't quite sure if...never mind.

"I wanted to meet the Servant Caster tonight as well," Coll said. "She must be quite an expert on magecraft. Do you know if she is here?"

With my brief answers that were short on detail, he must have sensed I wasn't much of a person to talk with about anything magic-related. Fair enough, really.

"Yes, she and her Master are both here," I replied. "She has purple hair, so I think she'll be easy to spot."

"Thank you. I'll have a look around once I'm done eating. Would you look at that, I've been so busy talking I've forgotten about my food."

I nodded and took a bite as well. Picking up a piece of chicken, I plopped it in my mouth.

"Mmm. This butter chicken is really good," I said. "Saber, have you tried any?"

"Not yet."

And then, instead of searching for a piece on her loaded plate, Saber grabbed one off mine.

"Hey!" I yelped in shock. Saber giggled.

"You're right, this is really good!" she said with a contented smile. "Ah, the slight sour taste really brings out the flavour of the curry. And the spices are so well combined to give it such a lovely complexity. I think this may be an authentic Indian taste!" She looked at me with bright eyes. "Master, the ingredients in butter chicken should be quite easy to get around here. Would you be willing to make it if I asked for the recipe?"

"Alright, I'll see how well my own cooking compares," I said.

Excited, Saber left for the hallway.

I continued with my meal. The food didn't look like a lot, but it was surprisingly filling. It was unfortunate some of it got cold while we were talking.

Coll, in the meantime, was looking rather green, probably from those curious looking pieces of fish. He tried to discreetly sneak some of his food onto Saber's plate when he thought I wasn't looking.

Then he suddenly jumped.

"Eep! The dinner food is quite interesting, don't you think?" he said, looking at someone across the room.

Oh, Saber was back. I didn't think five minutes had passed yet.

"That was quick," I said. "Did you run into the chef?"

She shook her head.

"No. But there's a golden bastard out in the hall that I'd rather not see at the moment."

"Hmm? I'll go take a look instead."

I was almost done eating anyway, so I didn't mind doing this for Saber's sake. Excusing myself, I headed toward the entrance of the castle to get to the kitchen.

Sure enough, there was a pompously dressed golden haired man standing on the staircase. He had a shiny motorcycle with him, for some reason, on top of the staircase. He appeared to be having a verbal sparring match with someone who couldn't be bothered to shout at him from the same room.

"Hmph. It's an honour that I've decided to grace this place with my presence, yet none of these peasants even care to recognise me," he said, his voice booming even though he didn't exert his vocal chords. "What a low state the present world has reached."

"NOBODY BLOODY CARES THAT YOU'RE HERE. GO DO YOUR KINGLY ACTIVITIES SOMEWHERE ELSE."

"I thought there would be a feast worthy of a king, but all I see is food fit for dogs. How sorry it is that the proud King of Knights must relegate herself to this level."

"OH, SHUT UP AND LET ME WORK IN PEACE. AND GET THAT LOUD DAMN BIKE OUTSIDE BEFORE YOU RUIN THE CARPET."

"You think you can win her heart with the food of plebeians? Know that only I possess the food of kings that can satisfy her!"

"GO AWAY ALREADY. I DON'T SEE YOU CONTRIBUTING ANYTHING."

"Foolishness! You are not worthy even to look upon my marvellous treasures! I shall not forgive you for your insolence, mongrel!"

"MIGHTY RICH COMING FROM YOU, KING OF HOARDERS."

"How dare you, Faker! Or should I say, My Little Phony!"

I...had no idea what was going on. Maybe I was better off asking for the recipe from someone else.

As I backed away, I bumped in someone.

"Tohsa-? Oops! I'm sorry!"

I had mistaken that someone for Rin, but it was different person with a red and black colour scheme. Waver Velvet adjust his glasses, which had become crooked from the collision.

"No, no, it was my fault. I wasn't being careful," he said apologetically. "Now, let me go handle this uninvited guest."

He mumbled something about a wine party and walked off briskly.

"Too bad, I wanted to talk with him..."

I turned around to see Rider gazing after Waver's retreating figure. She had entered the hallway as silently as a snake; I hadn't noticed she was there until just now.

"Do you need to talk to him for something?" I asked.

But then, of course she would be interested in him. After all –

" – well, he was the Master of the previous War's Rider." "I wonder, just how does he keep his hair so smooth and sleek?"

Eh? Did I just hear what I thought I heard?

Rider suddenly stiffened as she realised I was also standing there.

"O-Oh, Shirou! What a surprise!" she said, her voice squeaking. "Err, sorry, I've got to find Sakura! Yes!"

She quickly turned tail and left for the dining room.

Huh. In the handful of times I'd seen Rider since I'd come back to town, she's been acting very strangely. It was suspicious.

If the guy in the kitchen was who I thought it was, I doubted he'd give me the recipe so easily. Giving up on my expedition, I went back to the dining room, but the table where we had been seated was bare, the plates cleared away. Or, did I find the wrong table? I walked around slowly, grabbing another drink, but there was no sign of Saber or the magus among the myriad of people.

I was about to look in the conference room when somebody grabbed my wrist from the middle of a group of people. It actually was Rin this time. Her face was in a wide grin as she peeled a guy off her side.

"Shiroooou! It's great to see you!" she said in weirdly friendly manner. Her eyes were not smiling. "Now, I have something really important I want to discuss with you. Yes, with you only. That's right, come sit right down."

She dragged me to a two-seater table in the corner. The followers surrounding her took it as a sign they should leave. One man tried to join us, until she blatantly jammed her chair leg onto his foot and laughed it off as a mistake.

As soon as her back was turned to the rest of the room, her face instantly drooped.

"Ugh. You wouldn't believe it!" she groaned. "They're all vultures! Hounding me all evening! These rich-ass parents think that sending their children off to socialise is the way to get around the fact that they have zero prospects! Just send me your money directly to me next time instead of wasting your effort!"

I don't think vultures and hounds have anything in common, though.

"Sorry," I said. "I don't think I quite follow."

"Of course you wouldn't," she said. "There are some troubles in this world that men don't ever need to, well, trouble themselves with."

"So, um, did you have something important to tell me?"

"This! This is very important." She gestured wildly. "I desperately need to let off some steam. Goodness knows, I'm so tired of fake-smiling as they make creepy comments about my dress and rattle on about another one of their pointless anecdotes."

"Oh," I said. "So you aren't angry at me?"

"Eh? Why would I be angry?" she said. "That last trial, do you mean?"

"Well, yeah..."

Rin gave me a long, hard stare. I swallowed nervously, expecting her to blow up at me at any moment.

Instead, she laughed in my face.

"Ahahahaha! Oh, come on, I can take a loss," she said. "Alright, maybe I felt a bit annoyed. A bit very annoyed. But I'm not about to let business affect the relationships in my personal life."

"I guess you find me better company than that group, then."

"Only by a little! It's not like I sought you out because I prefer you that much." She took a sip. "Let's see. You're a hopeless magus and you don't have anything to your name, so I don't need to worry about speaking formally with you and watching my words in case you run off to cry to your mummy and daddy."

Basically I was unimportant enough that she didn't need to act dignified.

"Okay...um, Tohsaka, is that alcohol you're drinking?"

"Yes. No. Maybe just a little." She giggled. "One of the guys brought a bottle over, said I needed to loosen up. Darn, am I really acting that drunk?"

"No. It's more like...you're a lot more honest than usual," I said. "Well, uh, remember to watch how much you're drinking, anyway."

"Oh, don't you get started with that as well," she said, snorting. "I get enough from Archer as it is."

"Well, how are you enjoying the conference?"

"It was interesting," she said. "Getting the chance to talk to powerful magi who normally wouldn't look me in the eye was nice. I had already reviewed some parts from the speakers for today's intro, so it was nothing new, kind of like watching a rehearsed play. If anything, my presence here is to make sure these magi don't go suddenly making decision about my land without my permission."

"You'll be quite involved in the discussion tonight, then. Being one of the main families behind this and all."

"Ugh. The discussion." She rubbed her temples. "I'm hoping people are going to stay civil, but after all those 'interruptions' this afternoon, I highly doubt it. Just as long as it doesn't drag on for too long, I think I'll be fine. With any luck, I can slip out before everybody else leaves so I don't get stuck in the traffic heading out of the forest."

"Right, why did they choose to have the conference held here, of all places?" I asked. "Surely they could have rented a hall in the middle of the city. Not somewhere so remote."

"Secrecy, probably. But I honestly don't know." She nursed her drink. "Did you know they basically forced the Einzberns to construct the entire road through the forest? It wasn't here six months ago."

"Oh. Wow. Back then, it was, like, a half day trek to get here. And only if Illya was feeling generous enough not to make you get lost."

"I don't know why they agreed to it. I can tell they've removed quite a few layers of protective spells, on both the forest and the castle. In a sense, they've put themselves at risk, even if it's only for the week."

"Mm. Even so, it's not like anybody's going to attack now."

The only conflict I could think of, the Grail War, hadn't been an issue for a long time. Illya told me her family was quite reclusive, so it wasn't like they had any enemies. Right?

"How about you?" Rin asked. "How are you finding the conference so far?"

I shrugged. "It's been, err, difficult. Considering I don't have much understanding about magic and stuff, and the fact that the War only really lasted about two days for me, it was hard to follow at best."

"If you don't understand something, let me have a go at explaining it to you," she said. "It might be useful practice for when I get an apprentice."

"Alright," I said. "Something I heard getting thrown around a lot was the 'Root'. But I don't understand what's so important about it."

Rin tapped the bridge of her nose, as if pushing up a pair of invisible glasses.

"Ahem. Reaching the Root is the ultimate goal of all magi. To reach the Root is to reach the source of everything, the truth of the universe, where all knowledge and events are recorded. Those who have reached it were able to attain True Magic. It's different to magecraft, which can only do things which can also be achieved otherwise without magical means, while True Magic can achieve what is thought to be an impossibility."

"It's the source of everything, huh?" I scratched my chin. "Does that mean the magi who have reached it can use...sourcery?"

"That's true. Sorcery is another name for True Magic," she said. "Well, I don't know if that explanation cleared things up for you. I ended up using more specialist terms."

Ah. She didn't get the pun. That one would work better on paper than verbally.

"I think that gave me a vague sort of idea about what the Root is supposed to be," I replied. "Thanks, Tohsaka."

"Still, you've got tons of gaps where much of the knowledge you need should be. You'll need to study up on theories about magecraft properly before you'll really understand," she said. "At least the food is free, huh."

There was still a considerable amount left on the tables, despite dinner being almost over. I wished I could fill a takeout container to bring home for Fuji-nee.

"Yeah, it was great," I said, "but I don't know if it's worth sitting for three hours straight."

"You know what? Just don't come."

"What?"

"You don't understand a thing and have little interest or investment in this entire discussion," Rin said. "This conference might have been relevant for you if you had chosen to take part in the War, but you were just some guy who got randomly thrown in. And it's only going to get more complicated from here, so why bother sitting through it all? It's completely free for you anyway, so all you're missing out on is a free meal. In fact, just go home now if you want."

True. I didn't actually have an obligation to come here; rather it was from Illya's insistence that I decided to come today. I didn't even get to meet with her this whole time, so surely she wouldn't mind if I disappeared for the evening. I could tell Saber to come with Sakura if she just wanted the dinner.

The only problem was, my guest was the one who gave me a ride here and I didn't have a way to get back without him. Maybe I could get Saber to carry me while she ran through the forest...

"Oh, would you look at that. I need to go help with some preparations. The next session is due to start in twenty minutes, so you'd better find Saber quickly if you want to leave." Rin stood up. "Heh, I'm not feeling tipsy at all. Maybe my tolerance is better than I thought."

Halfway through the conversation, I noticed that the bottle of wine she was drinking from was actually non-alcoholic. I think I was better off not letting her know.

The dining hall was emptier now that a lot of people had returned to their seats in the ballroom. I found Saber sitting with Kuzuki and Caster at the back of the hall. Saber's hair was untied and hung loosely about her shoulders.

"Apologies, Master!" she said loudly and bowed her head. "Mister Coll asked if he could meet Caster and her Master, so naturally I obliged, but unfortunately I became occupied here instead."

And she was still quite occupied, as Caster was busy plaiting her hair.

"Emiya, did you have enough to eat?" Kuzuki asked me.

"Thanks, I've had plenty. I wish I could take some food home," I laughed. "How did you find the conference this afternoon?"

"I didn't understand much," he said. "Although my wife is an adept magician, I have neglected to learn anything about magic, since I never felt it was necessary. However, I decided that it was most important that I accompany her."

We were in the same boat after all, thrust into a world that we weren't really a part of.

"Ah, I get what you mean," I said. "Though, in my case, both Saber and I have little understanding. Tohsaka suggested I skip out on the rest of the conference. Actually, I'd rather leave now if I could."

"Hmm? Is there any reason you cannot?"

"We were driven here by somebody else, you see," I explained. "He will definitely be planning to stay for tonight as well, so unless we were to make our way out of the forest on foot..."

"How about I drive you two?" Kuzuki said suddenly. "My car is outside and I can return to pick up Caster later."

Caster was flustered.

"No, Souichirou-sama, you don't need to worry about me," she said. "You can drive them home, but don't drive all the way back here. I-I will be fine returning on my own."

"Of course not," he said sincerely. "I can't possibly leave you to go home alone, dear."

Caster looked like she was going through a range of emotions. Finally, she beamed.

"Yes, dear. Have a safe trip."

I found Kytuneck and informed him about our leaving early. He was chatting with someone who appeared to be from the same place as him and seemed content to stay. The entrance hall was empty again as we headed out. I wondered why that golden haired man was here in the first place. That's right, the reason why I came out here before was...

"Oops! I almost forgot!" I rapidly turned back. "I haven't got that recipe yet!"

"No need," Saber said and waved a piece of paper. "Sella was kind enough to write it down for me."

Night had fallen while we were inside. The castle looked magical; its pale walls seemed to glow in the dim light. Saber and I followed Kuzuki to his car.

"Having a car seems quite handy," I said. "Do you usually drive to school?"

"I usually walk," Kuzuki said, starting the car. "I drive my car if I need to carry supplies that would not be possible for me to carry myself. I simply feel it is healthier for me to walk daily, even if it takes a longer time."

Considering that Issei also walked every day despite the distance...maybe living in the temple instils a certain kind of discipline in a person.

"It's probably worth it for me to learn to drive as well," I said. "Not that I would rather drive than walk a short distance, but because I'd be able to travel to faraway places more easily."

I would need to earn enough money to buy a car first, though. It might help to see if Raiga had any old vehicles I could fix up for myself.

"If you wish to take lessons, I could recommend a driving instructor," Kuzuki said. "Not me, of course. While my occupation is a teacher, I do not think I will be any good at teaching driving."

"Yeah, teaching driving is quite different to teaching from a book," I said. "Well, my old man did say he'd be willing to teach me befo-"

"I don't think he would be a good teacher," Saber interrupted. "Kiritsugu would not be a suitable driving teacher."

Eh? Was she speaking from experience?

"Oh yes," Kuzuki said. "I wanted to ask you this earlier, but it slipped my mind. What did you do after you finished high school?"

I remembered Kuzuki was one of the teachers I consulted about career planning, but he probably couldn't pick out my case from the hundreds he's done.

"I went to Osaka University to study law," I told him. "Actually, I just had my graduation ceremony last month. I'm not working yet, but I have an internship starting soon with Morioka & Ogino."

"Well, congratulations. That's excellent. What kind of company is that?"

"It's a law firm. It's over the bridge, so I'll have to commute in the morning," I answered. "Apparently it's one of the oldest firms in Fuyuki, but I guess it's not really well known because it's not very large."

"I see." He nodded. "Good job on graduating and congratulations on your new job. I'm glad to see my past students are taking steps toward their future."

If he knew where Rin was at with her career, I was sure he wouldn't think I was so amazing anymore. Though, not many people could measure up to Rin in the first place.

Kuzuki drove slowly along the dark forest road. He was quite a skillful driver, taking care to brake smoothly at every turn so that the passengers weren't suddenly jolted to a side. It was an enchanting experience, watching the thick woods pass by. At least I was of that opinion, while Saber was staring at everything with a heavy scowl, like she was being forcibly reminded of unpleasant memories.

At long last, the cover of the trees broke and our vision was flooded by bright moon...no, the moon wasn't out at the moment, but the abundance of streetlights meant that was never a problem. Kuzuki took a different road to the one we used to get here earlier, which took us behind the school and past the entrance to the temple road. I directed him along a few of the residential streets until we reached my house.

"Thank you, Souchirou," I said, getting out of the car. "It was nice to see you again tonight."

"You too." He smiled. "Have a good evening."

A light rain began to fall. I took my keys out to unlock the front door and headed inside.

"Mm? Saber?"

Saber stayed standing outside even as the intensity of the rain steadily increased. She seemed to be in a sort of daze, her eyes not focused on anything.

"Hurry up and come in," I said.

I pulled her inside before she got too wet. It'd be no good to get a cold at this time of the year.

"Hey. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," she said. "I...I guess I was just thinking. About the things that were spoken today."

"Did you find it interesting?"

"I just wondered, what was the point of the Servants being summoned here, and promised a wish, if the Grail was not really capable of granting it?" she said and crossed her arms, troubled. "Was it a lie, our hope for salvation? And what will happen once the Grail is destroyed? Will all the Servants simply disappear?"

I really didn't know how to answer. I was no expert in magic. But I wanted to comfort her at least.

"I...I don't understand the magic side of things enough to say anything," I said and scratched my head. "Well, if it was up to me, I wouldn't want you to just disappear, for sure."

She looked at me curiously for a while, and then returned a smile.

"Yes, Shirou," she said softly. "I'm glad you want me to stay."

Rumble. We both jumped at the sudden sound of thunder. And then jolted at the sound of the rain as it turned into a drastic downpour.

"Ack!" I screamed, rushing for the porch. "I forgot about the laundry!"

"We can still bring it in if we hurry!" Saber shouted.

And so, we busied ourselves in our futile attempt to save our clothes from the rain, distracting us from all thoughts of today, of the conference and the dinner, of our guest, our dinner companion, the strange intruder, Rin, Caster, and Kuzuki. Little did either of us know, that was the last time we would see him alive again.

I think I'll try explain the events of the 4th and 5th war, partly because I'm paranoid that it's too vague and people won't be able to piece it together and get put off.

There's an additional rule put in place for the war, which is that Servants are only allowed to fight other Servants and aren't allowed to attack the Masters or random people. How this actually works practically is that Servants are unable to attack any people if they have a command spell (so no effect for random people and people who used them up). Of course, nobody truly respects the rules.

4th war: Most events stay the same. (I think there were only direct Master-Master fights, not Servant-Master.) A lot of not really allowed stuff goes on that doesn't get out to everyone or the overseer turns a blind eye.

5th war: The beginning is pretty much the same. The second night, Shirou and Saber go to the temple. Saber and Caster get into a one-on-one fight where Saber almost wins, but finds herself unable to deal a finishing blow. They realise this is because Caster is the Master of Assassin and report this to Kirei. Kirei suspends the war. Everybody either accepts this or is forced to accept (Shirou is happy not to have any more deaths, Caster's goal was never to win and Assassin doesn't get a say, Archer is seriously injured so Rin is in no place to argue, Bazett is currently on the verge of death after having an arm cut off, Rider took back Shinji's Master rights and Sakura doesn't like killing, Illya is the only one who is bloodthirsty enough but she alone isn't enough to oppose everyone and is eventually talked down by Shirou.)