That protagonist is trash; I could do better!

Saber nodded confidently: "My riding skills are applicable not only to divine beasts and mythical beasts, but also to vehicles with a transportation concept. As long as I hold the reins, I can rely on my intuition."

"Relying on intuition and stuff..." The silver-haired woman couldn't help but chuckle, inadvertently revealing a childlike side. Elegance and maturity, which should be opposites, were perfectly combined in her.

Saber looked puzzled: "Irisviel, did I say something strange?"

The silver-haired woman shook her head while laughing: "No."

"But every time you show that smile, there must be a deeper meaning behind it."

"That's impossible to say."

Piloting an airplane based on intuition.

If it were a follower, it wouldn't be surprising to do such a thing, but it would seem very strange to modern people.

The two went down the stairs, followed by a group of maids carrying luggage.

Just as she was about to leave, Saber suddenly turned around and looked at the small van carrying the stairs, blocking the silver-haired woman behind her and shouting, "Back off! Irisviel!"

Saber's right hand surged with a storm, forming an invisible sword.

“Saber?” Irisviel looked puzzled.

Saber, sword in hand, declared resolutely, "This magical energy fluctuation is unmistakable; it's an enemy Servant! They're hiding inside that truck!"

Chapter Twenty-Six: Invitation

"Click~"

The truck door opened, and an ordinary middle-aged man got out of the cab. His movements were a little strange, his expression was stiff, and his eyes were devoid of any spirit.

He is a puppet remotely controlled by Shinji Matou using water elemental spirits. It's never a bad thing to be cautious when you first come into contact with him.

Irisviel clasped her hands together, staring at the man before her with a puzzled look: "Saber, what's going on? He's neither a Master nor a Servant, but there is definitely magical energy emanating from his body."

Saber remained vigilant for a moment, the storm enveloping the holy sword pointing at the descending man: "Our whereabouts have been exposed. The magic that manipulates humans, the enemy must be Caster."

The middle-aged man opened his mouth, and a gurgling sound like boiling water came out. He then spoke abruptly: "Homunculus of the Einzbern family and the Servant Knight King."

Saber gripped her sword with both hands, her chilling voice filled with murderous intent: "Who are you? How do you know my true identity! Answer me!"

Servants are all historically renowned heroes; revealing their true names is tantamount to telling others about their combat strengths and weaknesses.

The man replied stiffly, "Saber, are you going to fight me here? This is an airport, and it's daytime. Killing this human puppet will only put you at a disadvantage."

"You despicable scoundrel, you were the one who struck first. If you have any sense of shame as a hero, come out and fight me fair and square."

"Don't misunderstand. First of all, I'm a magician, not a hero. Secondly, my purpose in approaching you is not for fighting. Einzbern family's homunculus, I'm waiting for you at the Asakura Hotel next to the airport. My name is Matou Shinji. Please contact Magician Killer. We have a lot to discuss."

After speaking, the middle-aged man collapsed.

The Einzbern family's android maid went over to examine the person and calmly reported, "This person is merely under the influence of magic; there is nothing seriously wrong with his body."

Irisviel sought Saber's opinion: "Saber, shall we go?"

“Irisviel, you are the Master, the decision is in your hands. This could very well be a trap set by the other party, and his mention of the Magician Killer is also very concerning. Is Irisviel someone you know?”

"No, I've never heard of that name before. The person just now called himself Matou Shinji, so he should be the Master of the Matou family. He knows us quite well, so if he really wanted to launch a sneak attack, he probably wouldn't have acted rashly."

Saber said confidently, "Please don't worry, Irisviel. I am your knight, and I will protect you until the Holy Grail War ends."

Irisviel smiled gently: "Saber, it's wonderful to be able to summon such a reliable Servant as you."

Saber blushed slightly as Irisviel praised her.

······

In the hotel's independent restaurant, Shinji Matou ate while deep in thought.

Kiritsugu Emiya, the Magician Killer, calls himself a partner of justice, but he is a boring man who, in the eyes of others, is chuunibyou (a person with delusions of grandeur).

Shinji Matou admired his decisiveness, and his actions truly lived up to the title of a partner of justice.

Killing a few to save many more—this is Kiritsugu Emiya's method of upholding justice, maintaining a balance between relief and sacrifice.

The more you want to save people, the more you need to kill.

Kiritsugu Emiya joined the Holy Grail War in order to break the balance that was close to the curse and to seek a miracle that could truly save humanity.

Regardless of what kind of person he is, Shinji Matou is very clear that the corrupted Holy Grail is definitely not what he pursues. In fact, it can be said that the Holy Grail is the complete opposite of the partner of justice.

In this way, at least in terms of their goals, Shinji Matou and Kiritsugu Emiya are of the same mind.

Therefore, Shinji Matou approached the Einzbern family, wanting to join forces with Kiritsugu Emiya to destroy the corrupted Holy Grail.

"Well···"

After finishing the large piece of beef on the plate, Shinji Matou called over the waiter and ordered some more food.

"I'd like a cream salad, a medium-rare Kobe beef steak, a large iced Coke, and an English dessert set meal, thank you."

The waiter took notes of the dishes Matou Shinji ordered, then glanced strangely at the numerous empty plates on the table, finding it hard to believe that so much food had been eaten by a little boy.

"Yes, please wait a moment." The waiter bowed and left.

Shinji Matou is a pseudo-Servant. One of his major drawbacks is that he cannot become a spirit like a Servant. One of his advantages is that he can replenish his mana through food.

After eating for about half an hour, the waiter came over to tell Shinji Matou that a guest had arrived.

Saber and Irisviel entered the private restaurant one after the other. Saber's eyes scanned every corner of the restaurant looking for traces of magic. Only after confirming that there were no traps such as magical barriers did she set her sights on Shinji Rinki, the only person in the restaurant.

"A child?" Irisviel's eyes showed both surprise and confusion.

Saber reminded her, "No, it's a Servant, Irisviel, using the Master's authority."

"It really is a Servant... but something feels off."

Saber stepped forward and addressed Shinji Matou in a loud voice: "Answer me, are you the Servant who controlled that human? If you want to cooperate with us, why don't you let your Master show up?"

Shinji Matou swallowed his food and said slowly, "I am the Master."

With its silver eyes gleaming, the elemental magic eye sees through the android's body. One has to admire the Einzbern family's android technology; from appearance to internal structure, there is not a single flaw. The number and quality of the magic circuits within its body have an overwhelming advantage over humans.

At Irisviel's heart, Shinji Matou saw an incomprehensible magical crystal, which should be the Lesser Grail, a container used to store the souls of Servants.

"What a joke! The aura emanating from you is unmistakably that of a Servant. Does your master not even have this much sincerity?"

Shinji Matou lowered his sleeves, revealing a Command Seal smile, and said, "I am the Master."

Saber exclaimed incredulously, "Command Spell!?"

Irisviel solemnly replied, "Saber, that is a true Command Seal, proof of your Master's authority."

"How could such an absurd thing happen that the Master and the Servant are the same person?"

Irisviel was not surprised and explained, "If it's the Holy Grail War, it's not surprising. He probably used magic similar to spirit possession to tamper with the summoning ritual, but that's not enough. The most important thing about this kind of possession summoning is the will of the summoned, which is something that the Command Seals cannot change."

Command Seals can force a Servant to do something, but they can never interfere with a Servant's thinking.

Chapter Twenty-Seven Oh no! It's over!

In the empty restaurant, Irisviel's ruby-like eyes gazed at Shinji Matou, and she asked in a soft, clear voice, "Excuse me, are you the Master or Servant of the Matou family?"

She was asking whether the dominant consciousness was the person or the follower, and the answer to this question was crucial to the meeting.

"Master."

"So, what brings you here? Since you are the Master of the Matou family, you should be aware of the relationship between the Matou family and the Einzbern family."

Of the three founding families in the Holy Grail War, the Tohsaka family is a semi-outsider, while the Einzbern family and the Matou family, who are responsible for building the core of the Holy Grail system, are sworn enemies.

Shinji Matou said meaningfully, "There are many things we can talk about, such as the other summoned Servants, and the truth behind this Holy Grail War."

"The truth behind the Holy Grail War?" Irisviel asked, puzzled.

Shinji Matou nodded knowingly: "Yes, knowing the truth about the Holy Grail War, the Magician Killer would probably be very willing to cooperate with me."

Irisviel hesitated before asking, "That..."

"Please speak."

"I was really curious about this at the airport. Who is this 'Magician Killer' you mentioned?"

Now that things have come to this, does the Einzbern family still want to hide the fact that they hired a magician assassin?

Shinji Matou laughed: "Why ask who it is? It's Master Kiritsugu Emiya, hired by the Einzbern family. I know he's acting separately from you."

Irisviel tilted her head and thought for a moment, then asked in confusion, "The Master hired by the Einzbern family? I'm sorry, I've never heard of that name before, and I am the Master of the Einzbern family."

???

Shinji Matou's face stiffened, and then he saw Irisviel lower her sleeves to reveal a bright red Command Seal to prove her identity.

real or fake?

No, the magical fluctuations from the Command Seals are genuine.

No allies of justice?!

Oh, it's over!

"Snapped!"

Shinji Matou slapped his forehead, surprised yet aware of the situation.

This isn't Fate/Zero, it's Fate/Grand Order!?

As far as Shinji Nemamoto knows, there is indeed a timeline in *Fater/Zero* where Kiritsugu Emiya does not participate. In that timeline, if Chaldea had not intervened, Saber would have been the ultimate victor.

The sudden change threw Shinji Matou's thoughts into chaos, and the plans he had meticulously crafted over the past year were completely overturned at this moment.

"How could this happen? The Einzbern family actually completed the ultimate android ten years ahead of schedule. No wonder the number and quality of their magic circuits are so abnormal." Shinji Matou muttered to himself in frustration, and he was also saying this to Irisviel and the others.

The ultimate android—this was a technology that the Einzbern factory was supposed to complete ten years later, and the android created using this technology was Ilya.

If Illya does not win the Fifth Holy Grail War, the homunculus factory of the Einzbern family will be closed, because the Einzbern family's technology is no longer able to create stronger homunculi.

Having completed this technology ten years ahead of schedule and created the strongest homunculus Master, the Einzbern family naturally wouldn't need to hire an outsider to fulfill their long-cherished wish.

In a world where Kiritsugu Emiya doesn't exist, a different approach is needed to achieve cooperation with the Einzberns.

"What exactly are you trying to say, Master of the Matou family?" Irisviel demanded, clenching her hands.

Shinji Matou waved his hand and sighed, "Don't worry about it, I'm not your enemy. By the way, would you like to sit down and have something to eat? We can talk while we eat."