Question: Do you know what a grand spectacle is?
Answer: Of course! It's when gongs and drums resound, firecrackers explode, banners wave, and crowds surge!
Hero King Gilgash gave his approval to this answer and decided to make it happen.
And so—
On a certain day after the temporary ceasefire treaty was signed, such a scene appeared on the outskirts of Fuyuki City.
Iskandar beat the drums—thunder drums—and the force he produced alone was louder than an entire drum corps.
Attila struck the gongs—heavenly gongs—with a sound that shook the heavens and the earth.
Gilgash personally fired off so cannon rounds, launching three consecutive, non-lethal lammu Dingir from the Gate of Babylon into the sky.
As for the flags, they were hoisted by Artoria and the battle maids of the Einzbern family. However, instead of red flags, they raised colorful ones.
As for the crowds, well, that part couldn't be t at the mont. After all, this event was destined to remain hidden, only to be rembered by a select few.
Why make such a grand spectacle?
Of course, it was because of the Holy Grail War.
"The Holy Grail War. A bloody battle among magi for the omnipotent wish-granting machine—the Holy Grail. Saber, Lancer, Archer, Rider, Caster, Assassin, Berserker—seven Servants and their Masters must fight until only one remains. At this very mont, the fierce battle for the Grail begins once more."
As somber music played, a deep voice narrated, and a beam of light descended from the sky, illuminating a stage that had just been set up.
Suddenly, the music stopped, and the tone shifted entirely. Two adorable girls, holding hands, erged from the darkness.
The first girl looked reluctant, muttering under her breath, "Why do I have to do this?"
The second girl, holding a microphone, smiled sweetly and spoke in a soft yet excited voice: "Things have changed unexpectedly! The rules of the Holy Grail War have been altered—this is the Fifth Holy Grail Grand Prix!"
In an instant, all the lights turned on, revealing a massive magically-generated title behind the girls. Rounds of applause echoed from the audience.
"Good evening, everyone! I'm your host, Illyasviel von Einzbern."
"..."
"Co on, Mary-chan, you need to properly greet everyone too!"
"Don't call Mary-chan!"
The other girl snapped but quickly composed herself.
"Ahem, apologies. Olga Marie Animusphere."
"Tonight, we're broadcasting live from a special venue on the outskirts of Fuyuki. Now, let's introduce the sponsors and support teams for this Grand Prix."
"First, our main sponsor, providing all kinds of support for the event—the Einzbern family, represented by their patriarch, Jubstacheit von Einzbern!"
With a wave of Olga Marie's hand, the spotlight shifted to an elderly man with white hair and beard, sitting upright and silent.
"It seems Grandpa Acht is a bit nervous," Illya chuckled awkwardly, trying to ease the tension.
"Next, the provider of the venue, the representative of the Tohsaka family, Rin Tohsaka!"
"Hmph! It was a piece of cake for the Tohsaka family," Rin boasted, puffing out her chest proudly.
"Stop that! There's hardly anything there to puff up!"
Luvia muttered quietly from the side.
A vein bulged on Rin's forehead as she was about to explode, but Luvia quickly followed up with another snide remark.
"Don't get mad! If you do, your makeup will crack, and your dark circles will show."
Rin had no choice but to sit down, fuming. Though this was an outdoor event, setting up bounded fields and temporarily acquiring the rights to use a large plot of land was no easy feat. Rin had been busy with this for the past two days, barely getting any sleep, and had to rely on makeup to hide her fatigue.
At that mont, the spotlight shifted again.
"Lastly, we have our sponsors for logistics and resources—the Matou siblings, Shinji and Sakura Matou."
"My brother is still finishing up so final tasks, so I'll greet everyone on his behalf."
Sakura, dressed in the latest winter fashion and looking every bit the lady, bowed gracefully.
Behind her, hurried voices could be faintly heard.
"Other things can wait, but the food supply must be prioritized! We've got a bunch of big eaters here, and if they're not fed, they'll go on a rampage—this is a matter of life and death for the city! Whether Fuyuki gets nuked or the citizens see tomorrow's sunrise depends on you!"
"Haha, it seems our logistics manager is quite busy," Illya quickly interjected to smooth things over.
"Now, let's introduce the referee for this Grand Prix, Miss Fiore from the Holy Church."
This ti, no mishaps occurred.
Fiore stood up gracefully and solemnly declaring: "As the referee, I will uphold the principles of fairness, justice, and transparency. I will carry out my duties impartially and diligently. I wish all the participants the best of luck! Finally, let emphasize once again—using offensive Noble Phantasms or magecraft is strictly forbidden in this Grand Prix. Anyone who violates this rule will be imdiately disqualified."
"What?! That's not what we agreed on!"
Rin and Luvia slamd their hands on the table in unison.
"Because cleaning up afterward is a hassle. Would you like to see the bill for the damage caused in previous battles?"
Fiore pointed to a stack of receipts next to her, causing Rin to fall silent. She had just spent a fortune replacing her jewels, and her wallet was feeling particularly light these days.
"Furthermore, the focus of this Grand Prix is sportsmanship, not combat. You don't need offensive Noble Phantasms to determine a winner. Those with outstanding performance will have the privilege to choose their opponents in the main battle, where there will be no restrictions—host, please continue."
Olga Marie took the cue: "Although Referee Fiore has imposed strict rules for safety, considering the nature of the Servants and the dangers of the competition—"
("What kind of events did you plan?!" more than one person muttered in disbelief.)
"—we have prepared a dedicated dical team for this Grand Prix. The chief physician and head of the dical team will be Caster, Dr. Roman. The nurses and healers will be Einzbern maids—uh..."
She suddenly trailed off as the spotlight shifted to a pink-haired man, who was flirting with two homunculus nurses.
Olga Marie's temper flared. She had fought hard to secure an exemption from the competition due to being the youngest, and here he was, wasting ti flirting instead of doing his job.
"What the hell are you doing, you idiot?!"
With a sharp whoosh, the microphone was hurled straight at Roman, knocking him down. Seizing the mic from Illya, Olga Marie continued:
"Enough about that useless man. Now, I declare the Holy Grail Grand Prix officially open! The first event will be—cross-country racing!"
PS: Ahem, I know it's weird...
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