"Is that so..." Soji looked deeply at Sora.
"Well then, I won't pry, I suppose!"
As far as Soji was concerned, nothing would escape the jurisdiction of the Counter Force.
But there was one question Soji had to ask no matter what.
"So, Master, in this lineup, what are we seeking in this Holy Grail War?"
"What are we seeking, huh..." Hearing Soji's words, Sora thought for a moment.
This question actually stumped him a bit.
Currently, Sora sought to be free from the bound Servant contract.
After that, his goal should be to encounter more Servants! Win this Holy Grail War first, then obtain a body that could act freely in this world.
So his objective was clear.
"Win the Holy Grail War, then purify the corrupted Grail, and finally obtain a body that can act freely in this world."
Sora said. "That is my goal."
"I see!" Soji nodded, indicating understanding.
"I just happened to sense this situation during my outing. In that case, I'll set my goal to that as well."
"But the Grail is corrupted, what's that about?" Soji asked.
"Because the Holy Grail absorbed Angra Mainyu, the Evil of Humanity, so the Grail was corrupted by that evil," Sora explained briefly. "No need to delve deeper… just know that it's the case. It's not our problem."
Then Sora looked at Merlin beside him. "As the one who forged King Arthur, purifying a mere Grail shouldn't be a problem for you, right?"
"Uh..." Merlin's smile stiffened. She wanted to say it was, but under the pressure of Sora's gaze, she finally nodded helplessly. "I can do it. I can purify the Grail."
"Good. Let me arrange the next steps," Sora nodded.
"You, Merlin, stay here or find somewhere nearby and prepare the magic to sever the contract."
"Then, Soji, you'll follow Kaguya. You two will pose as a Master-Servant pair."
"Merlin, give Kaguya and Soji some cover. Make it look like Kaguya is the summoned Caster. Can you do that?"
"This..." Merlin was exasperated. Why did all of Sora's tasks for her seem troublesome?
But she had already agreed to so many things… now she couldn't say no.
"No problem. I'll do it. Magi☆Merlin will do anything. Ugh, this Master really doesn't know how to appreciate things. Magi☆Merlin wants to rest, wants to play..."
Merlin sighed mournfully.
Her teary-eyed expression looked very cute, very ahem-able.
However, Sora completely ignored this unreliable woman.
He then looked at Soji: "Any problems?"
"None!" Soji nodded. "What next?"
"Next, pretend you're a participating pair and roam the streets to gather information."
"Of course, besides pretending to be Caster, put on another layer of disguise. For example, pretend you are Saber, and Kaguya is the Master."
"This will muddy the waters," Sora instructed.
After his contract was severed, their side would have the strongest lineup, but Gilgamesh was still not to be underestimated.
Sora hadn't brought all his power over, so caution was still needed in the Holy Grail War.
A steady victory was fine.
"Understood!" Soji nodded again… she had no issue with Sora's plan.
"Well then, let's move out!" Sora said.
Afterwards, he left the building and continued his reconnaissance according to Kirei's orders.
Meanwhile, Kaguya left with Soji.
With Caster summoned, the Holy Grail War officially began.
Not long after, dusk fell.
At the seaside port, a sharp fighting spirit emanated.
Immediately, everyone was drawn to it.
But the first to arrive, as in the original, were Irisviel and Artoria Pendragon.
Facing the Lancer before her, Artoria stepped forward. "Are you the one who sent the challenge to us, Servant? From your gear, I assume you are Lancer!"
"That's right, from your appearance, you must be this war's Saber!" Diarmuid Ua Duibhne said.
The Saber and Lancer pair began their fated conversation.
Meanwhile, Kirei contacted Sora: "How is it, Assassin? What's the situation?"
"Master, Saber and Lancer have encountered each other. It looks like they might start fighting soon!"
Sora reported the situation, pretending to be a dutiful Assassin.