Analysis of the Greater Grail Requires Two Preconditions:
The first is proficiency in magecraft. If Alaric were not even a proper magus, he would be unable to analyze the Holy Grail system, let alone utilize its techniques.
Although winning the Holy Grail War would grant access to the Grail, that was not Alaric's only choice. Moreover, whether he could even be chosen as a Master by the Greater Grail remained a question.
After multiple Holy Grail Wars and continuous refinement of its rules, the selection of Masters gradually took shape.
In the Seven-Servant War, aside from the inherent slots reserved for the Three Founding Families, the remaining four Master slots were allocated externally in exchange for support.
Alaric had considerable confidence in his ability to participate in the Holy Grail War, but what he truly sought was a deeper understanding of the Principle—
The system behind the Holy Grail and Servant Summoning, as well as the deepest secret hidden within both: The Third Magic – Heaven's Feel.
Despite being tutored by the omnipotent genius Leonardo da Vinci, the Magu of Flowers Merlin, and the Human Order Corrective Force's Demon King Goetia, Alaric had only begun to grasp the fundamentals of magecraft. But it was not enough.
What Alaric required was a broader foundation of knowledge.
Thus, abandoning his Clock Tower studies was not an option.
The second precondition was sufficient time. Before the Fourth Holy Grail War began, Alaric needed to infiltrate Fuyuki City and start analyzing the Greater Grail.
This act would be an outright provocation to the local magus families, particularly the Tohsaka family, who controlled Fuyuki's leyline. If it were only the Tohsaka family, that might still be manageable—but Alaric had to consider the Holy Church, which acted as the Holy Grail War's adjudicator, as well as the Clock Tower standing behind the Tohsaka family.
Alaric had some confidence in his combat abilities, but the Clock Tower and the Holy Church were institutions that had existed for thousands of years.
Among them were beings who had survived since the very beginning.
For instance, the Dean of the Clock Tower, unchanged for over two thousand years—
A fellow disciple of the legendary Jewelled King,
A disciple of Solomon, the King of Magecraft
If the Mage's Association was a chaotic family of peers who all sought the Root, then the Holy Church was a collective of kin united by a singular ideology.
Bound together by the unique tie of faith, they were incredibly unified.
For them to stand on equal footing with the Mage's Association—including the Clock Tower—for thousands of years, the Holy Church's strength had undoubtedly reached the pinnacle of this world.
The Fuyuki Holy Grail War was a grand magecraft ritual conducted under the scrutiny of these two titanic institutions. If Alaric, as a magus unaffiliated with the war, were to forcefully intervene—
"It probably wouldn't be a big deal."
Carrying his books, Alaric began recalling all the details about the Fuyuki Holy Grail War.
To be honest, from the perspective of the Clock Tower and the Holy Church, the Fuyuki Holy Grail War was not a significant event at all.
Even if it claimed to involve the Third Magic, it had never succeeded before. It was merely a small ritual devised by three magus families in a remote region.
The level of attention it received was minimal. After all, the so-called True Magic involved was nothing more than a rumored legend, and across the three previous wars, it had never been realized.
To most people, this so-called Holy Grail War was nothing but an illusion—a mirage.
The only noteworthy factor was the Tohsaka family. Though not particularly powerful, they were genuine disciples of the Second Magician—
Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg.
Two hundred years ago, when the Three Founding Families established the Holy Grail system, it was Zelretch who witnessed the ritual's formation, allowing it to be officially recognized.
...
"Waver!"
Just as he was about to enter the lecture hall, Alaric spotted a familiar figure and immediately raised his hand in greeting.
"You're looking pretty good today!"
Not far away, Waver Velvet, who was also about to enter, seemed used to Alaric's behavior. He quickly jogged over and whispered,
"Did you get into the Clock Tower?"
Hearing this, Alaric grinned and gave a thumbs-up.
"Of course!"
After a month of supplementary lessons, Alaric and Waver Velvet had grown much closer.
If Alaric weren't significantly older than Waver—and if he didn't stand out as an anomaly in this basic magecraft lecture hall—he might have blended in perfectly as an ordinary student.
Seeing that Alaric had passed the entrance exams and officially joined the Mage's Association, Waver Velvet let out a sigh of relief.
Then, the two of them walked into the large lecture hall together, ready for their next class.
Although it was just casual tutoring during his free time, the young Waver Velvet could perceive the extraordinary talent possessed by his overaged classmate.
At first, Waver had to help Alaric answer questions. But before long, Alaric could quickly grasp various magecraft theories and even develop his interpretations.
Waver could tell that Alaric already possessed considerable magecraft knowledge, though it was highly specialized—mostly related to Projection Magecraft and Mana Burst techniques.
He even seemed to know quite a lot about fighter jet mechanics.
From his demeanor and behavior, Alaric was exactly as he had introduced himself to Waver at the beginning—
"A Spell User."
A mysterious, suspicious combatant attempts to join the Clock Tower and become a magus.
Waver had his doubts, but somehow, Alaric still passed the exams and successfully entered the Clock Tower to study alongside him.
This wasn't particularly important to Waver.
What truly caught Waver Velvet's attention was Alaric's approach to magecraft—
Magecraft was independent of bloodline inheritance, relying solely on one's talent to compensate for the lack of natural advantages.
The existence of Magic Crests meant that a family with only two or three generations of magecraft heritage could never compare to those with six, seven, or even nine generations of accumulated knowledge.
Each magus who inherited a Magic Crest dedicated their life to refining and strengthening it, passing it down through generations, creating an innate advantage.
Magic Crests not only represented the inheritance of a family's research but also conferred an absolute advantage.
Yet, to the young Waver Velvet, this was not an insurmountable obstacle.
As long as one possessed talent, deepened their understanding of magecraft, and refined their mana control—
Even a magus from a two- or three-generation family could stand on equal footing with those from ancient magus lineages.
Though Waver's abilities in magecraft were not particularly exceptional, he saw this potential in Alaric—
A first-generation magus with no Magic Crest, yet able to achieve such astounding feats.
Even the supposedly basic Projection Magecraft, in Alaric's hands, had reached an astonishing level.
This only reinforced Waver Velvet's belief—his theory was very likely correct.
All that remained was to refine and expand upon it.
Tap, tap.
With the sound of crisp footsteps, Alaric officially stepped into the lecture hall, beginning his life as a magus.