Lord El-Melloi II's Case Files

is a Fate novel series written by Makoto Sanda and illustrated by Mineji Sakamoto. It is succeeded by the sequel series, The Adventures of Lord El-Melloi II.
==Story==
===Setting===
The series takes place in the United Kingdom and revolves around the Clock Tower.
The world of Lord El-Melloi II's Case Files is set as the same parallel world of Fate/stay nightFate/strange Fake Volume 1 - Afterword: Nasu Kinoko's Commentary and relatively closely to Fate/Zero, as Waver Velvet had participated in the Fourth Holy Grail War.
===Plot===
Ten years after the Fourth Holy Grail War, Waver Velvet, now Lord El-Melloi II and in charge of the Department of Modern Magecraft, solves problems and investigates mysteries in the thaumaturgy world on behalf of magi with the help of his apprentice Gray, all the while navigating the cutthroat politics of the Clock Tower.
==Characters==
==Novels==
The first novel was first published by Type-Moon under their Type-Moon Books label on December 30, 2014. The tenth and last was published on May 17, 2019. Kadokawa Shoten later re-released the novels in a paperback edition.
Casefiles1.jpg|Volume 1 - "case. Adra Castle Separation"
Casefiles2.jpg|Volume 2 - "case. Twin Form Tower (Upper)"
Casefiles3.jpg|Volume 3 - "case. Twin Form Tower (Lower)"
Casefiles4.png|Volume 4 - "case. Mystic Eyes collection train (Upper)"
Casefiles5.png|Volume 5 - "case. Mystic Eyes collection train (Lower)"
Casefiles6.jpg|Volume 6 - "case. Atlas' contract (Upper)"
Casefiles7.jpg|Volume 7 - "case. Atlas' contract (Lower)"
Casefiles8.jpg|Volume 8 - "case. Grand Roll (Upper)"
Casefiles9.jpg|Volume 9 - "case. Grand Roll (Middle)"
Casefiles10.jpg|Volume 10 - "case. Grand Roll (Lower)"
El Melloi Case Files - Kadokawa V1.jpg|Volume 1 - "case. Adra Castle Separation" (Kadokawa Edition)
El Melloi Case Files - Kadokawa V2.jpg|Volume 2 - "case. Twin Form Tower (Upper)" (Kadokawa Edition)
El Melloi Case Files - Kadokawa V3.jpg|Volume 3 - "case. Twin Form Tower (Lower)" (Kadokawa Edition)
El Melloi Case Files - Kadokawa V4.jpg|Volume 4 - "case. Mystic Eyes collection train (Upper)" (Kadokawa Edition)
El Melloi Case Files - Kadokawa V5.jpg|Volume 5 - "case. Mystic Eyes collection train (Lower)" (Kadokawa Edition)
El Melloi Case Files - Kadokawa V6.jpg|Volume 6 - "case. Atlas' contract (Upper)" (Kadokawa Edition)
El Melloi Case Files - Kadokawa V7.jpg|Volume 7 - "case. Atlas' contract (Lower)" (Kadokawa Edition)
El Melloi Case Files - Kadokawa V8.jpg|Volume 8 - "case. Grand Roll (Upper)" (Kadokawa Edition)
El Melloi Case Files - Kadokawa V9.jpg|Volume 9 - "case. Grand Roll (Middle)" (Kadokawa Edition)
El Melloi Case Files - Kadokawa V10.jpg|Volume 10 - "case. Grand Roll (Lower)" (Kadokawa Edition)
====Case. Adra Castle Separation====
====Case. Twin Form Tower (Upper)====
====Case. Twin Form Tower (Lower)====
====Case. Mystic Eyes collection train (Upper)====
====Case. Mystic Eyes collection train (Lower)====
====Case. Atlas' contract (Upper)====
====Case. Atlas' contract (Lower)====
====Case. Grand Roll (Upper)====
====Case. Grand Roll (Middle)====
====Case. Grand Roll (Lower)====
==Gallery==
CF announcement&First Mats.jpg|Announcement image, illustrated by Mineji Sakamoto
CF Visual Key.jpeg|Promotional image, illustrated by Mineji Sakamoto
==Development==
Makoto Sanda, of and Red Dragon fame, is the writer. Mineji Sakamoto is in charge of the illustrations. Kiyomune Miwa is responsible for the "Magical Investigation", which consists of helping with the research and explanation of magecraft matters. Occasionally, other authors will assist Sanda by providing input on the characterization and lines of the characters they created and wrote and who subsequently appear in the novels as "guest" or side characters: most often, it's Ryohgo Narita checking and providing input on Flat Escardos's linesLord El-Melloi II Case Files Volume 2: case. Twin Towers of Iselma (Upper) - AfterwordLord El-Melloi II Case Files Volume 6: case. Atlas Contract (Upper) - AfterwordLord El-Melloi II Case Files Volume 7: case. Atlas Contract (Lower) - AfterwordLord El-Melloi II Case Files Volume 9: case. Grand Roll (Middle) - AfterwordLord El-Melloi II Case Files Volume 10: case. Grand Roll (Lower) - Afterword and his incantations and combat style.Lord El-Melloi II Case Files Volume 3: case. Twin Towers of Iselma (Lower) - Afterword Yuuichirou Higashide and Hikaru Sakurai have also helped with minor adjustments to the characters of Caules Forvedge and Olga Marie Animusphere.Lord El-Melloi II Case Files Volume 4: case. Mystic Eyes collection train (Upper) - Afterword
The series first began as a spin-off of Fate/stay night, starting as an idea Kinoko Nasu got when Takashi Takeuchi requested to launch TYPE-MOON BOOKS in winter 2008, giving him the desire to see a detective story that wouldn't be possible in a TYPE-MOON game, and combining magecraft and mystery in the World of Magecraft. But the idea was difficult to realize, as its execution would require a writer with deep understanding of TYPE-MOON, the ability to write both fantasy and mystery novels, and, above all, share the worldview and mood that TYPE-MOON had gathered over time. The only candidate meeting these requirements was Makoto Sanda, and Nasu believed it would be impossible to get him to write it when he was a successful author with an incredibly busy schedule.Lord El-Melloi II Case Files Volume 10: case. Grand Roll (Lower) - Afterword: Explanation by Kinoko Nasu However, when, on their way home from Shinjuku, Nasu went to him anyway and asked him, Sanda replied that, while not possible right now, he would definitely free up his schedule and help so he could contact him anytime.Lord El-Melloi II Case Files Volume 1: case. Adra Castle Separation - Afterword
It was during the showing of the Fate/Zero anime on the big screen during TYPE-MOON's 10th Anniversary Festival that Sanda's passion for the project was reignited. He wondered about the start of Waver's new life as well as how he would keep his promise to Iskandar. He told his friend, Ryohgo Narita, about this, and three days later, Narita told Nasu.Interview with Sanda and Urobuchi about Lord El-Melloi II When Sanda asked if anyone had plans to write a story about Lord El-Melloi II, he was struck with the unforgettable reply: "Nope. Do you?" Planning for the series thus started in earnest four years after the initial meeting, and the first volume would be announced for release at Comiket 87.TYPE-MOON Information - 2014/12/4 News
From the beginning, Sanda wanted to write a mystery because that's what El-Melloi II is good at, while at the same time the first hook he had from the lore side of things was the . Since he wanted to make Case Files similar to the first half of Kara no Kyoukai in terms of being a mystery, the Dismantling War wouldn't allow that. And there were already big action pieces like Fate/Apocrypha and Fate/Grand Order in motion, as well as the Tsukihime Remake series being announced, so he thought it would be cool to write a different side of TYPE-MOON from these.
During the planning phase, Sanda came up with several alternative themes, but in the end they decided on "magecraft + mystery" as originally planned. Several things were decided:
#The work will be set in the world of Fate/stay night.
#Because it will not be based on Tsukihime, Dead Apostles will be different.
#The main stage of the story will be the Clock Tower, and the protagonist will be Lord El-Melloi II.
#Lord El-Melloi II is a professor, not a superhero. He is only a second-rate mage.
#The story must be centered around mystery (magecraft).
#Existing characters from TYPE-MOON should appear as guest characters (Sanda's request).
This was the basis for the first draft of the first volume. Nasu wanted it to feel suspenseful and bizarre; two charming protagonists, a mage that died in an enclosed space, and finally, an ending for someone who devoted their life to magecraft. Sanda managed to fulfill these conditions in a way that exceeded Nasu's expectations. After he finished reading it, Nasu told Sanda that he should make it a series with one book published every year. Originally, Sanda was planning to make it two volumes with five "episodes" shared between each, but Nasu said they should extend it. And so, Case Files was reconstructed as a full-length work consisting of five stories, the original five "episodes". They were themed around the angels of the world, the beauty in society, the value of Mystic Eyes, records of death, and magecraft in this age.
The writing process of Case Files was unlike other spinoff works such as Fate/Apocrypha, Fate/Prototype: Fragments of Sky Silver, and Fate/strange Fake. First, other spinoff works were set in “what-ifs”, but Case Files was different in that it was a direct continuation of the world of Fate/Stay Night, not something that existed in its own parallel world. The laws of the world that the authors are usually allowed to create on their own were already set in place for Case Files. Secondly, it was more of a long-term collaboration between Nasu and Sanda, with Nasu providing him with previously unrevealed details about the setting.
According to Sanda, the structure of the novels as written is that there's a battle by page 50, another at page 120, and the best battle on page 180, and the volume ends on page 240. In regards to the guest characters from other series, Sanda always tries to connect them to the theme of the arc they feature in and choose them based on it.Makoto Sanda Twitter 7:28 PM JST · Aug 22, 2024
Shortly before the release of the sixth volume and the start of the fourth arc, Lord El-Melloi II Case Files First material was released on August 18, 2017, to explain to newcomers the basics of the series and the setting of the World of Magecraft.TYPE-MOON Twitter 4:35 PM JST · Aug 18, 2017
==Media==
===Manga===
===Anime===
===Anime Special===
===Stage Play===
===Drama CDs===
Drama CDs were included in the blu-ray disc of the anime releases as bonus:
*Lord El-Melloi II's Case Files: Rail Zeppelin Grace Note - Drama CD Volume 1
*Lord El-Melloi II's Case Files: Rail Zeppelin Grace Note - Drama CD Volume 2
*Lord El-Melloi II's Case Files: Rail Zeppelin Grace Note - Drama CD Volume 3
*Lord El-Melloi II's Case Files: Rail Zeppelin Grace Note - Drama CD Volume 4
*Lord El-Melloi II's Case Files: Rail Zeppelin Grace Note - Drama CD Volume 5
*Lord El-Melloi II's Case Files: Rail Zeppelin Grace Note - Drama CD Volume 6
*オリジナルドラマCD: 「生霊とプールサイドと虹の橋」
==External Links==
*Official Website 
==Notes==
==References==
vi:Hồ Sơ Của Lord El-Melloi II
it:I dossier di Lord El-Melloi II
fr:Lord El-Melloi II Case Files
pl:Lord El-Melloi II Sei no Jikenbo
Category:TYPE-MOON works
Category:Novels
Category:Fate
Category:Lord El-Melloi II Case Files
Category:Released in 2014