That protagonist is trash; I could do better!

Ten minutes later, the transmutation circle disappeared, and Shinji Matou sat down heavily on the ground, panting heavily. The project of constructing the simulated circuit had completely drained Shinji Matou's life force, and continuing would cause great harm to his body.

Magicians transform their life force into magic through magic circuits, and then inject that magic into a magic disk that is imprinted on the world through magic rituals. When using magic, the caster also experiences pain.

Normally, converting life force into magic power does not have a negative impact on the body, just like strenuous exercise consumes physical strength. A magician's magic power is formed through countless years of accumulation and conversion. Once the conversion of life force exceeds a certain limit, it will indeed bring a boost to the magic power of the caster in a short period of time, but the price is not small. At best, it will shorten lifespan; at worst, it will cause immediate death.

Shinji Matou only dared to forcibly perform magic by relying on the power of his awakened origin, implanting a pseudo-circuit into his body.

"By converting life force into magic power, the humans in this world, just like in the world of alchemists, can also be used as 'materials.' Speaking of which, during the Fifth Holy Grail War, Caster's Master used a large number of humans as a price to create high-purity magic crystals, yet they still couldn't compare to the magic crystals that the magicians of the Age of Gods could casually create. I really want to see what this so-called Age of Gods is like."

Shinji Matou barely managed to raise his right hand. The deep, bone-chilling pain lingered for a long time. The three pseudo-circuits that had lit up due to the stimulation of magic slowly disappeared. Shinji Matou curled the corners of his mouth, feeling extremely satisfied.

The beginning is always the hardest, and now Shinji Matou has overcome the most difficult hurdle.

The three pseudo-circuits are of inferior quality to regular magic circuits and are extremely fragile, but now Shinji Matou at least has the ability to convert his own life force into magic power, so there is nothing wrong with calling himself a magician.

"Brother." Matou Sakura came over, holding Matou Shinji's shirt, and quickly helped him up, asking curiously, "How are you?"

Shinji Matou put on his clothes, smiled, and patted Sakura Matou's head, his tone very cheerful: "Thanks to your help, the magic experiment was a great success."

Matou Sakura said shyly, "I'm glad I can help you, brother!"

Shinji Matou suddenly said, "Sakura, speaking of which, I haven't prepared a gift for you yet."

"A gift?" Matou Sakura tilted her head in confusion.

Shinji Matou reached out and pinched her soft little face, chuckling, "This is a gift to celebrate you becoming a member of the Matou family, and also a reward for your help in completing my magic research these past few days."

Sakura Matou shook her head and answered seriously, "I don't need any gifts. I'm content just to be by my brother's side. I've been feeling uneasy these past few days. For me, my brother's existence is the best gift."

The little girl's heartfelt words warmed Shinji Matou's heart.

A strange look appeared on Shinji Matou's face as he teased, "You really know how to talk."

Sakura Matou puffed out her cheeks, revealing a rare liveliness that a little girl should have. She muttered playfully with a hint of dissatisfaction, "That's so unfair. I was serious, and my brother just ignored my feelings like that."

Having not experienced the tragic fate of the original story, the little girl's personality has not yet broken down, and she does bear some resemblance to the grown-up Matou Sakura.

"Yes, yes, please forgive my brother's slip of the tongue. To express my apology, please allow me to present a gift to my sister."

"Yeah, I'm really looking forward to it." Matou Sakura chuckled.

Shinji Matou walked to a workbench, opened a cabinet, and took out a blue gem wrapped in cloth.

In this world, gemstones are an excellent magical material, and most gemstones contain high-quality magical power. This particular gemstone was found underground by Shinji Matou using alchemy.

Shinji Matou placed the gem and cloth on the ground, clapped his hands, and activated the transmutation circle to forge the blue gem into an exquisite sapphire necklace.

This technique of altering the structure of matter is very common among alchemists; any alchemist can easily do something similar.

"Sakura, this necklace contains a small amount of magic. It can protect you in a critical moment. Don't take it off casually," Shinji Matou said, placing the necklace in Sakura's palm.

Shinji Matou couldn't possibly keep track of Sakura Matou's every move, nor did he know when that old bug would choose to strike. Although this necklace couldn't truly protect Sakura, it could serve as a warning in crucial moments.

If the magic within the gem necklace is activated, the magic containing the [flow] attribute will flow back into Matou Shinji's body, thus allowing him to monitor Matou Sakura's movements.

"So beautiful, is this a real gemstone?"

"Yes."

Sakura Matou held the gemstone necklace in both hands and nodded happily: "Thank you, I will cherish my brother's gift."

Chapter Eleven: The Insect's Nest

In the second week after the simulated circuits were implanted into his body, Shinji Matou was surprised to find Command Seals on the back of his hand. They were irregularly shaped, narrow hexagons, wider at the top and narrower at the bottom, similar to the shape of the Kabbalah Tree of Life.

Shinji Matou didn't make a big fuss about it; he had already anticipated this outcome when he created the pseudo-circuit to accumulate magic power.

For a period of time afterward, Shinji Matou basically lived a life of seclusion, with alchemy and the magic accumulated by the Matou family enough for him to study for a long time.

Shinji Matou wished there were forty-eight hours in a day so he could devote all his time and energy to the study of magic without sleep. In fact, Shinji Matou was indeed very interested in this, not only in magic but also in its origins.

Life in this world is an existence predetermined by the origin, and magic is a rule flowing from the origin. The existence of the world is not accidental; if it can be observed, it can inevitably be influenced, just like quantum theory.

Time, space, rules, life—everything is engraved on a certain system.

In the world of Fullmetal Alchemist, getting started is easy, but to grasp the truth and become a fully realized being like Homunculus in a Bottle, one must pay a corresponding price.

The Type-Moon world is difficult to enter, and learning magic has very strict requirements. However, once you get started, there are many options and feasible paths for development. The truth of the world is not without clues. Even the Holy Grail War itself is for the purpose of reaching the Root and realizing the existence of the Third Law.

As night fell, Shinji Matou once again exhausted his magical power, embedding the simulated circuits into his internal organs, his lungs feeling as if they were being scalded by a raging fire.

“Sakura-chan hasn’t stayed here recently, probably because she’s afraid of disturbing my research on magic.”

Shinji Matou used the towel that Sakura Matou had placed on the table to wipe the sweat from his forehead. There was also a lot of food on the table, enough for about two adult men.

A certain "cowlick king" once said, "Hunger is the greatest enemy!"

Now, Shinji Matou deeply agrees with this statement. One of the aftereffects of consuming a large amount of magic power is an intense feeling of hunger. The pseudo-circuit created by Shinji Matou can quickly digest food to replenish his magic power, a function that ordinary magic circuits do not have.

Shinji Matou transformed into a glutton, devouring all the food in just a few minutes. After taking a bath, he went straight to sleep, entering a deep sleep state to replenish his depleted mental energy.

······

"elder sister······"

In the dark and quiet room, Matou Sakura lay curled up on the bed, her small body curled up, her eyes closed as she softly called out to her older sister. The little girl's eyes were filled with tears. Despite having Matou Shinji by her side in the Matou family, she was not happy at all.

The Matou family home was cold and eerie; the mansion felt lifeless, and apart from Shinji Matou, she felt no warmth from anyone else.

The warmer and more beautiful the little girl's memories of her family are, the more lonely and sad she feels now.

Sakura Matou held the gemstone necklace around her neck in her right hand; it was the only place she could feel warmth now.

Suddenly, Matou Sakura paused, sat up in bed, and looked at her bedroom door with a confused and puzzled expression. She sensed something.

Sakura Matou gripped the necklace tighter. She carefully approached the door, hesitated for a long time before opening it, and was startled by the scene outside. She cried out in a trembling voice, "Grandpa!?"

A thin, hunched figure stood in front of her door, one hand gripping a cane. From the outside, he looked exactly like a mummy with both feet in a coffin.

Sakura Matou instinctively distanced herself from the strange old man in front of her. She could feel an unacceptable sense of alienation emanating from Zouken Matou, and her instincts told her that the old man in front of her was a monster more terrifying than a wild beast.

Matou Zouken remained motionless like a withered tree, his voice hoarse and strained: "Sakura, come with me."

"grandfather?"

Matou Sakura watched as Matou Zouken turned and left. After hesitating for a moment, she chose to follow him. She was very intelligent and, after being adopted into the Matou family, she knew that Matou Zouken was the true power behind the Matou family.

Sakura Matou followed Zouken Matou to the study on the first floor, where towering bookshelves were moved aside to reveal a dark passage leading to the underground.

Zouken Matou went downstairs first, and the sound of his cane tapping on the stone bricks echoed in the quiet room.

Sakura Matou stopped in front of the door leading to the basement, her eyes wide and her legs trembling. She heard strange rustling sounds, like the ceaseless surging of the tide, sounds that had kept her awake for weeks.

Moist air surged up from the basement, carrying a nauseating stench; the passage leading to the basement felt more like the entrance to hell.

"What's wrong? Come on." Zouken Matou's laughter echoed from the depths of the darkness, sharp and hoarse, perfectly matching the strange hissing sound.

Sakura Matou's face was pale, and she bit her cherry lips with her pearly teeth. Shinji Matou's smiling face appeared in her mind because he had once said that he would protect her.

She sensed danger.

However, before her stood the head of the Matou family…

Sakura Matou, clinging to a sliver of hope, stepped down the stone steps leading to the basement and followed Zouken Matou into the depths of darkness.

The strange sounds grew louder and more numerous, like a multitude of insects wriggling, or like waves crashing against rocks.

Upon entering a basement, Matou Sakura finally discovered the source of the strange noise.

"Click~~ Click click click~ Click~~"

Insects, countless insects, each the size of a fist, wriggling in layers, their ugly appearance and astonishing numbers sending chills down one's spine.

The Hole of Insects—this scene is unacceptable to any normal person; it is a phenomenon more terrifying than hell itself.

"Ah..." Matou Sakura covered her mouth and gasped, taking a few steps back and collapsing to the ground. Her shoulders trembled, and her small body convulsed with fear as she clutched her stomach and dry heaved incessantly.

Just one glance at the insect nest was enough to shatter Matou Sakura's courage. After a long pause, she asked in a panic, "Grandpa...Grandpa, what are these...?"

Zouken Matou grinned, his bark-like face contorted in a strange laugh: "No need to make a fuss, this is a secret technique passed down through the Matou family."

Sakura Matou looked on in disbelief: "These... are also magic?"

"Magic isn't just about the Tohsaka family's Jewel Magic. The Matou family is skilled in insect manipulation. Sakura, go down and become a breeding ground for these insects. These insects will modify your body, making you more suitable for the Matou family's magical heritage."

"No...no!" Matou Sakura was so frightened by Matou Zouken's words that she burst into tears and hurriedly shook her head.

"Heh, what are you talking about? Your father, Tokiomi Tohsaka, sent you to the Matou family to inherit the Matou family's magic, didn't he? Magic is a path that deviates from common sense. No matter how shocking it is, magic itself is an honor. Your father thought so too, which is why he sent you here." Zouken Matou's hoarse voice was full of mockery. Even though the other party was a little girl, seeing the struggle and pain on her face still made him feel happy.

Throughout his long life, only this hobby remained to stimulate Zouken Matou's numb and twisted heart.

I've been adjusting my sleep schedule lately.

I will resume updating twice a day in two or three days.

Chapter Twelve: Questioning

In the basement, the gaunt old man, Matou Zouken, stared mockingly at the little girl slumped on the floor, chuckling, "Aren't you going down?"

Sakura Matou shook her head with all her might, vehemently resisting, "No! This isn't magic at all! I don't want to go down!"

Zouken Matou walked to Sakura Matou's side, placed his hands on his cane, and said mockingly, "So, do you want to go back? Go back to the Tohsaka family that abandoned you, and beg your parents to keep you here? Didn't you do that before you were sent here? The head of the Tohsaka family made up his mind to send you here. You have nowhere to go back to."

“There’s nowhere to go back to…” Matou Sakura bit her thin lips. The warm memories before she was sent to the Matou family had long since faded.

Just as Zouken Matou said, she had tried to resist before coming to the Matou family, but was eventually sent there. She was a discarded pawn, unable to control her own destiny.

The complex thoughts overcame Sakura Matou's fear, leaving her with an empty, numb feeling. She curled up and muttered to herself, "What should I do?"

"Accept the secret magic of the Matou family and become the heir of the Matou family."

"No... I don't want to become food for the insects."

You have no choice.

"Why do I have to go through this?"

Zouken Matou patiently explained, "Sakura, you know no one will save you."

"..."

Sakura Matou raised her head, her eyes vacant, and muttered to herself, "Father... Sister, is this the result they wanted?"

"Of course, this is your only home."