The Case Files of Lord El-Melloi II

The Case Files of Lord El-Melloi II (ロード・エルメロイII世の事件簿) is a Japanese light novel series written by Makoto Sanda (Rental Magica) and illustrated by Mineji Sakamoto. Officially part of the Fate series, it began serialization by Type-Moon under the Type-Moon Books imprint on December 30, 2014 to May 17, 2019. The novels are set between the events of Fate/Zero and Fate/stay night, focusing on Lord El-Melloi II, a former master who now investigates several mysteries after his participation in the Fourth Holy Grail War. A sequel novel series, The Adventures of Lord El-Melloi II (ロード・エルメロイII世の冒険), began publishing on December 25, 2020.

Two media adaptations were officially made: a manga adaptation by Makoto Sanda with illustrations from Tō Azuma began serialization in Kadokawa Shoten's Young Ace magazine on October 4, 2017 and an anime adaptation by Troyca, which adapts the Rail Zeppelin chapter, aired from July 6 to September 28, 2019. On December 31, 2018 and December 31, 2021, the anime adaptation broadcast special edition episodes.

Story
Taking place 10 years after the events of Fourth Holy Grail War and 2 months before the events of Fate/stay night, the story focuses on Lord El-Melloi II, formerly known as Waver Velvet, a successor of Kayneth and former master in the last Grail War, who is now a professor under the ranks of the Mage's Association. In his years as a professor in the Clock Tower, he is acting as the temporary head of the El-Melloi household until a proper successor can take over. When strange mysteries involving magic start occurring throughout London, he teams up with his apprentice, Gray, to solve these magical cases and expose the hidden conspiracies that drive the Mage's Association.

Main characters

 * Waver Velvet (ウェイバー・ベルベット) / Lord El-Melloi II (ロード・エルメロイII世)
 * Played by: Yuya Matsushita
 * The protagonist of the series. He was first introduced as a side character and participant in the Fourth Holy Grail War of Fate/Zero as the Master of Rider, Iskandar. After the events of Fate/Zero, he returned to the Clock Tower to resume his study of magecraft. The previous Lord El-Melloi had been killed during the events of Fate/Zero which resulted in a sharp decline of the El-Melloi clan. Waver assumes the title of Lord El-Melloi II after agreeing to assist the true heir, Reines El-Melloi Archisorte, in restoring the clan until she is old enough to take charge. In Fate/Grand Order, Zhuge Liang's spirit origin possess him and becomes a Caster-class pseudo-servant.
 * The protagonist of the series. He was first introduced as a side character and participant in the Fourth Holy Grail War of Fate/Zero as the Master of Rider, Iskandar. After the events of Fate/Zero, he returned to the Clock Tower to resume his study of magecraft. The previous Lord El-Melloi had been killed during the events of Fate/Zero which resulted in a sharp decline of the El-Melloi clan. Waver assumes the title of Lord El-Melloi II after agreeing to assist the true heir, Reines El-Melloi Archisorte, in restoring the clan until she is old enough to take charge. In Fate/Grand Order, Zhuge Liang's spirit origin possess him and becomes a Caster-class pseudo-servant.


 * Assassin (アサシン) - Gray (グレイ)
 * Played by: Saho Aono
 * An apprentice of Lord El-Melloi II, she is a girl who lived in the countryside of Britain before moving to the city. Originally a normal villager, she is revealed to have been altered since birth as a vessel for the second coming of Artoria Pendragon, the Saber-class servant of the Fourth and Fifth Holy Grail War to wield the Holy Spear Rhongomyniad. Born as a result of her village's attempts, her wielding the spear results in her appearance to slowly starting to transform into that of Artoria's. After El-Melloi II realizes who she is, he requests that Gray keeps her face hidden under her hood. In Fate/Grand Order, due to her growing image as Artoria's avatar, she is identified as an Assassin-class demi-servant, similar to Mash Kyrielight.
 * An apprentice of Lord El-Melloi II, she is a girl who lived in the countryside of Britain before moving to the city. Originally a normal villager, she is revealed to have been altered since birth as a vessel for the second coming of Artoria Pendragon, the Saber-class servant of the Fourth and Fifth Holy Grail War to wield the Holy Spear Rhongomyniad. Born as a result of her village's attempts, her wielding the spear results in her appearance to slowly starting to transform into that of Artoria's. After El-Melloi II realizes who she is, he requests that Gray keeps her face hidden under her hood. In Fate/Grand Order, due to her growing image as Artoria's avatar, she is identified as an Assassin-class demi-servant, similar to Mash Kyrielight.


 * Add (アッド)
 * Gray's Mystic Code, an alternate form of the Holy Spear Rhongomyniad taking the form a cube-like entity to preserve the spear's mystery. Extremely talkative and can transform into a scythe for Gray to wield as a weapon, though it can also change to other forms of weapons such as a bow or shield depending on the situation. His personality is implied to be based on Sir Kay, Artoria's brother. In Fate/Grand Order, due to Gray's identification as a demi-servant, Add is classified as her Noble Phantasm.
 * Gray's Mystic Code, an alternate form of the Holy Spear Rhongomyniad taking the form a cube-like entity to preserve the spear's mystery. Extremely talkative and can transform into a scythe for Gray to wield as a weapon, though it can also change to other forms of weapons such as a bow or shield depending on the situation. His personality is implied to be based on Sir Kay, Artoria's brother. In Fate/Grand Order, due to Gray's identification as a demi-servant, Add is classified as her Noble Phantasm.


 * Reines El-Melloi Archisorte (ライネス・エルメロイ・アーチゾルテ)
 * Played by: Kaho Amasaki
 * Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald's niece and the bloodline successor of the El-Melloi Household. As a result of her age and inexperience she requests that Waver Velvet, Lord El-Melloi II, lead the household until she is ready. She treats him as though he is her older brother. She is equipped with a powerful Mystic Eyes ability and was always seen with Trimmau, her Mystic Code which also serves as her maid. In Fate/Grand Order, Sima Yi's spirit origin possess her and becomes a Rider-class pseudo-servant. However, unlike most pseudo-servants where the servants and the host become fused, Reines retains her personality intact split with Sima's like a split personality disorder, sharing the same body.
 * Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald's niece and the bloodline successor of the El-Melloi Household. As a result of her age and inexperience she requests that Waver Velvet, Lord El-Melloi II, lead the household until she is ready. She treats him as though he is her older brother. She is equipped with a powerful Mystic Eyes ability and was always seen with Trimmau, her Mystic Code which also serves as her maid. In Fate/Grand Order, Sima Yi's spirit origin possess her and becomes a Rider-class pseudo-servant. However, unlike most pseudo-servants where the servants and the host become fused, Reines retains her personality intact split with Sima's like a split personality disorder, sharing the same body.

El-Melloi classroom

 * Flat Escardos (フラット・エルカルドス)
 * Played by: Takeru Naya
 * One of the students of Lord El-Melloi II in the Modern Magecraft class. He is both smart yet also dimwitted. He first appeared as one of the main protagonist of Fate/strange fake as the master of False Berserker.
 * One of the students of Lord El-Melloi II in the Modern Magecraft class. He is both smart yet also dimwitted. He first appeared as one of the main protagonist of Fate/strange fake as the master of False Berserker.


 * Svin Glascheit (スヴィン・グラシュエート)
 * Played by: Ryūjirō Izaki
 * One of the Lord El-Melloi II's prominent students in the Modern Magecraft class. He is nicknamed "le chien" ('the dog' in French) by Flat due to his Beast Magecraft skills which gives him wolf-like sense of smell and speed. Has a deep crush on Gray, becoming enamored with her the moment he first caught her scent; much to her nervousness.
 * One of the Lord El-Melloi II's prominent students in the Modern Magecraft class. He is nicknamed "le chien" ('the dog' in French) by Flat due to his Beast Magecraft skills which gives him wolf-like sense of smell and speed. Has a deep crush on Gray, becoming enamored with her the moment he first caught her scent; much to her nervousness.


 * Caules Forvedge (カウレス・フォルヴェッジ)
 * Also a student of Lord El-Melloi II and the oldest heir of the Forvedge family. He enrolled to the Mages' Association when his sister Fiore stepped down as the heir of the family. He first appeared in an alternate timeline as one of the protagonists in Fate/Apocrypha as the master of Berserker of Black under the Yggdmillennia clan.
 * Also a student of Lord El-Melloi II and the oldest heir of the Forvedge family. He enrolled to the Mages' Association when his sister Fiore stepped down as the heir of the family. He first appeared in an alternate timeline as one of the protagonists in Fate/Apocrypha as the master of Berserker of Black under the Yggdmillennia clan.


 * Yvette L. Lehrman (イヴェット・L・レーマン)
 * A student from the El-Melloi Classroom debuting from the Rail Zeppelin arc and involved in the Mystic Eyes Collection Train incident. Her family specializes in gems to create Mystic Eyes. She harbors deep romantic feelings for Lord El-Melloi II and desires to become his mistress, much to his discomfort.
 * A student from the El-Melloi Classroom debuting from the Rail Zeppelin arc and involved in the Mystic Eyes Collection Train incident. Her family specializes in gems to create Mystic Eyes. She harbors deep romantic feelings for Lord El-Melloi II and desires to become his mistress, much to his discomfort.


 * Ruviazeritta Ēderuferuto (ルヴィアゼリッタ・エーデルフェルト)
 * A student from the El-Melloi Classroom who is the descendant of the Edelfelt family, who participated in the Third Holy Grail War with twin Masters, believing it would be advantageous for them to have two Servants due to their Crest being split in half, though the family has not participated since. Luvia is an outstanding but arrogant student at the Mage's Association and frequently fights with other students, including Rin Tōsaka, her cousin. She is notably famous in the non-magical world due to her job as a professional wrestler, where she is known as the "Forklift Lady" due to her immense strength. Her powers are similar to Rin's.
 * A student from the El-Melloi Classroom who is the descendant of the Edelfelt family, who participated in the Third Holy Grail War with twin Masters, believing it would be advantageous for them to have two Servants due to their Crest being split in half, though the family has not participated since. Luvia is an outstanding but arrogant student at the Mage's Association and frequently fights with other students, including Rin Tōsaka, her cousin. She is notably famous in the non-magical world due to her job as a professional wrestler, where she is known as the "Forklift Lady" due to her immense strength. Her powers are similar to Rin's.

Mage Association/The Clock Tower

 * Melvin Weins (メルヴィン・ウェインズ)
 * An old friend of Lord El-Melloi II and a member of the Mages' Association from the Creation Department, who is responsible for Waver's participation in the Fourth Holy Grail War in Fuyuki, Japan. He is also a legendary Tuner for Magic Crests and carries a violin to tune them. He is the only one who calls Waver by his original name and not by his title.
 * An old friend of Lord El-Melloi II and a member of the Mages' Association from the Creation Department, who is responsible for Waver's participation in the Fourth Holy Grail War in Fuyuki, Japan. He is also a legendary Tuner for Magic Crests and carries a violin to tune them. He is the only one who calls Waver by his original name and not by his title.


 * Shishigō Kairi (獅子劫界離)
 * An freelance necromancer and Mercenary from Japan who partake jobs from the Clock Tower. He first appeared in an alternate timeline as one of the protagonists in Fate/Apocrypha as the master of Saber of Red under the Red Faction.
 * An freelance necromancer and Mercenary from Japan who partake jobs from the Clock Tower. He first appeared in an alternate timeline as one of the protagonists in Fate/Apocrypha as the master of Saber of Red under the Red Faction.


 * Hishiri Adashino (化野 菱理)
 * Played by: Kazuho Sō
 * An officer from the Policies Department of the Clock Tower debuting from the Adra Castle Separation arc.
 * An officer from the Policies Department of the Clock Tower debuting from the Adra Castle Separation arc.


 * Olga Marie Animusphere (オルガマリー・アースミレイト・アニムスフィア)
 * A very high ranking mage from the Animusphere family and the future director of the Chaldea Security Organization debuting from the Rail Zeppelin arc.
 * A very high ranking mage from the Animusphere family and the future director of the Chaldea Security Organization debuting from the Rail Zeppelin arc.


 * Doctor Heartless (ドクター・ハートレス)
 * The main antagonist debuting from the Rail Zeppelin arc. He was the previous head of the Modern Magecraft Theory Department and was responsible for the murders of mages who had their heads stolen along with their Mystic Eyes seven years prior to the start of the series. He is named "Heartless" due to his heart being stolen by fairies. After he summoned Hephaestion, he ranked her as a Faker-class Servant, which he created.
 * The main antagonist debuting from the Rail Zeppelin arc. He was the previous head of the Modern Magecraft Theory Department and was responsible for the murders of mages who had their heads stolen along with their Mystic Eyes seven years prior to the start of the series. He is named "Heartless" due to his heart being stolen by fairies. After he summoned Hephaestion, he ranked her as a Faker-class Servant, which he created.

Servants

 * Faker (フェイカー) / Puritendā (プリテンダー) – Hephaestion (ヘファイスティオン)
 * A mysterious servant belonging to Doctor Heartless. Although summoned as Hephaestion, she is actually its twin sister; "Iskandar's Shadow". She was summoned by Heartless using the stolen piece of Iskandar's cape and harbors deep hatred to Waver concerning his relation to his previous servant. Though Doctor Heartless summoned and invented a new class which puts her in the "Faker Class", in Fate/Grand Order however, she is recorded as a Pretender-class servant in Chaldea.
 * A mysterious servant belonging to Doctor Heartless. Although summoned as Hephaestion, she is actually its twin sister; "Iskandar's Shadow". She was summoned by Heartless using the stolen piece of Iskandar's cape and harbors deep hatred to Waver concerning his relation to his previous servant. Though Doctor Heartless summoned and invented a new class which puts her in the "Faker Class", in Fate/Grand Order however, she is recorded as a Pretender-class servant in Chaldea.

Novel
The Case Files of Lord El-Melloi II was written by Makoto Sanda, considered to be his first work after being approached by Type-Moon. During a session of tabletop RPG game Red Dragon, alongside Nasu and Gen Urobuchi, Nasu asked Makoto if he could actually write a story for the Fate series. It was then on TYPE-MOON FEST in July 2012 that Nasu asked Makoto to write a story for Waver Velvet/Lord El-Melloi II, on which he agreed. The first novel was first published by Type-Moon under their Type-Moon Books label on Comiket 87 on December 30, 2014. The tenth and last was published on May 17, 2019. It was illustrated by Mineji Sakamoto. Kadokawa Shoten later released the novels in a paperback edition.

A sequel novel series titled The Adventures of Lord El-Melloi II (ロード・エルメロイII世の冒険) was announced in December 2019. The first volume was released on December 25, 2020.

Manga
A manga adaptation by Makoto Sanda with illustrations from Tō Azuma began serialization in Kadokawa Shoten's Young Ace magazine on October 4, 2017. As of November 2023, eleven volumes have been released.

Anime
An anime adaptation of the novels, which only adapts the Rail Zeppelin storyline under the title Lord El-Melloi II's Case Files {Rail Zeppelin} Grace note (ロード・エルメロイII世の事件簿 -魔眼蒐集列車 Grace note-) was announced at the Fate Project New Year's TV special on December 31, 2018, which also aired a special episode of the series. The series is animated by Troyca. Makoto Katō directs the series with Ukyō Kodachi as its writer, while Yuki Kajiura composes the music for the series. Jun Nakai is the character designer, while Ei Aoki is credited as supervisor. It aired from July 6 to September 28, 2019 on Tokyo MX, BS11, GTV, GYT, and MBS. Kajiura composed the series' opening theme song "starting the case: Rail Zeppelin", while ASCA performs the series' ending theme song "Hibari" (雲雀), with lyrics written by Kajiura. Aniplex of America and Crunchyroll streamed the series in North America, Central America, South America, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand. AnimeLab streamed the series in Australia and New Zealand. Funimation also simulcasted the series in their streaming site in North America. On October 3, 2020, which is Waver's birthday, Aniplex of America announced they will be releasing the series in a Blu-ray box set with a full English dub. The set was released on December 15, 2020.

During Aniplex Online Fest 2021, it was announced that the series will receive a special edition episode. It aired on December 31, 2021. ASCA performed the theme song "Kimi ga Mita Yume no Monogatari" (君が見た夢の物語).

Video games
Characters of the novel series also appeared in Delightworks's mobile role playing game Fate/Grand Order as special servants based on the characters. Waver Velvet/Lord El-Melloi II is a main five-star Caster-class Servant under the name of Zhuge Liang and has appeared in the Fate/Accel Zero Order event as a main character and guide. Gray, Reines (under the name of Sima Yi) and Luvia (under the name of Astraea) all were added as servants in the Lady Reines' Case Files collaboration event. Both Gray and Luvia are four-star Assassin and Ruler class Servants respectively, however Reines is a five-star just like her adoptive older brother, in the Rider class.

Stage play
A stage play adaptation based on the novel's "Adra Castle Separation" chapter, began on December 14, 2019 and concluded on January 19, 2020. Voice Actors Daisuke Ono, Akio Ōtsuka and Takumi Yamazaki, who voice Add, Rider (Iskandar) and Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald respectively, reprised their roles for the play. Limited release of the musical was released on blu-ray July 8, 2020.