Shinji Matou at Your Service

"A trial? Are you talking about this Holy Grail War?"

"Yes. Don't be so quick to give me that look. I know you're upset, but hear me out first."

Shirou waved his hand, signaling Shinji to calm down.

"You've indeed been progressing quickly, but at your current pace, even if given a thousand years, you wouldn't catch up to your Shishou."

"That exaggerated?"

"Exactly that exaggerated. Indeed, increasing your strength is like climbing a mountain—the higher you go, the harder it becomes. But harder doesn't mean standing still. Scathach isn't some fantastical creature that spends all day sleeping in a nest. Even though she says 'Where is the person who can kill me,' she still trains every day, like clockwork, for a thousand years. Even if she only gets a little stronger each day, she is still progressing. You haven't even reached her level yet. Even if you did, do you think you could progress faster than her?"

"..."

Shinji had nothing to say for a while, then shook his head and said, "No, I can't."

Several key factors determine the speed of strength improvement: talent, temperament, effort, and luck. Aside from the last one, Scáthach surpasses Shinji in all aspects, and luck is too elusive to rely on. Unless he has extraordinary luck, it won't happen even in a thousand or ten thousand years.

"So, if you want to defeat her, conventional methods won't work. You'll need something unconventional, like Origin or Magic. Origin is a continually accumulating power that can significantly shorten the time gap between you and Scathach. Magic, on the other hand, is an extraordinary mystery with infinite possibilities. Crimson Moon falling at the hands of the Old man Jewel is the best example."

"You've been overly cautious in your training. You're unsure if you, as a transmigrator, have an Origin, and you're afraid of being dominated by the impulse of Origin. So, you've been reluctant to delve deeply into this area. But you don't realize that your contract with Justeaze and Perceus' descent has already activated your Origin. And your Origin is related to the Third Magic. If you didn't intentionally reject it, perhaps there wouldn't be so many twists and turns."

Shirou spoke sincerely, but Shinji was not satisfied.

"So, you're saying that everything you did before was to awaken my Origin? To help me understand my Magic? There was no need to use such excessive methods. You could have just talked to me. As long as Zelretch asked, I would have complied."

"Him? He would never tell you. Look at his ruined disciples, and you'll understand his personality. If you can't achieve it, it's because you're stupid. And it's not just about Origin and Magic."

As he spoke, Shirou's expression turned serious.

"You used to be like a reckless madman, relying on the advantage of foresight, charging ahead with arrogance. You rarely suffered losses, carrying a sense of superiority. But you're not invincible. Those ancient monsters who have lived for millennia are not pushovers. If this continues, once the advantage of foresight fades, you'll eventually get into trouble—trouble that could cost you your life or even your entire family. Do you think those old monsters couldn't do it? Not everyone is as broad-minded as the 'Old Man Jewel."

"I..."

Shirou's words made Shinji break out in a cold sweat.

Thinking back on his past behavior, it was indeed like that. At first, due to his weakness and uncertainty about how events would unfold, he was cautious and vigilant. But as he succeeded time and again, and his strength and influence grew step by step, his mindset inevitably relaxed. His actions became increasingly casual, and surviving an encounter with one of the oldest Dead Apostles, Ortenrosse, inflated his ego to the extreme, completely forgetting that without Zelretch's help by sending a Len, he might already be dead.

If he continued down this path, once the big shots among the twenty-seven Ancestors took him seriously, what kind of end would he meet? It's important to remember that the Nasuverse is far from as pleasant as it appears in anime and novels.

Seeing Shinji's frightened expression, Shirou finally smiled.

"Do you understand now?"

"I understand."

Many times, people are just like that—they can't listen when they feel good about themselves. Only a thorough beating, shattering their illusions and pride, can make them calm down and truly grow.

"Good, as long as you understand. If you understand, then this trial is considered passed."

"If, and I mean if, what if I didn't pass?"

"If you didn't pass, then you would probably remain the same for the rest of your life, never reaching Scathach's level. At most, the Old Man Jewel would keep you safe for my sake."

Shinji lowered his head, his expression constantly changing—sometimes angry, sometimes dejected, sometimes sad, sometimes manic—before finally turning into a simple "Thank you."

As Shirou expected, once this hurdle was overcome, there wouldn't be much hatred left. At most, there would be resentment and dissatisfaction. They might never become friends, but they wouldn't become mortal enemies either.

"There's no need to thank me. Although my intentions were good, I did go a bit overboard in the process. Maybe it's because I adjusted my mindset to that of a seventeen-year-old. Speaking of which, I should be thanking you for not chopping me up earlier."

"I still need to thank you, even if not for myself, then for the family that no longer has me."

A high school teenager who hadn't even graduated yet went to work, and it just happened to be at Shirou's shop? And all the salary was sent to his parents from his previous life? Could it have been possible without Shirou's covert assistance?

This point precisely hit Shinji's weak spot. He ultimately wasn't magnanimous enough to remain unmoved by honor or disgrace. Even though Shirou genuinely meant well, he found it really hard to accept such methods and means. Even if he couldn't do anything to Shirou now, he would seek revenge in the future.

But with the kindness of secretly taking care of his parents, Shinji wouldn't seek revenge, no matter what. That was his greatest attachment to his previous life, an irreplaceable familial bond. He wished for their safety and happiness, even if he was no longer around.

For this act of gratitude, Shirou merely smiled, "Didn't I say? Good people are rewarded. You are a good person, so you transmigrated. She is a good person, so I helped her out. By helping you both, I did a good deed and thus received a reward."

"Your reward?"

"Yeah, this shop holds special meaning for me, so I needed someone trustworthy to look after it while I was away. I originally thought of calling my sister over but given her existence... Anyway, that girl saved me a lot of trouble. As for you—your very existence is a kind of reward."

"Um, I'm a bit confused."

"Listen to me carefully, and you won't be confused. As you know, the Nasuverse has many world lines, like the world you're in which is somewhat similar to 'Fate/Zero,' or the 'Fate/Apocrypha' outside, or the world of 'Fate/Extra' where Mooncell exists. Some of these world lines are quite similar, while others develop differently. But no matter how they develop, they all lead to the same ultimate end for Earth and humanity—"

Shirou helplessly took a swig of his drink, while Shinji involuntarily swallowed and, in unison, they uttered the name of that ultimate end.

"—'The Land of Steel'!"