Type-Moon: Shinji Matou Also Wants to Be the Protagonist

Shinji returned to his apartment late at night.

Iskandar and Lancelot have disappeared without a trace, and the artisan guild has vanished as well.

The room was quiet, but Weber hadn't rested yet.

When Shinji saw him, he was sitting on the sofa in the living room, writing and drawing in his notebook.

Shinji recognized that notebook; he had seen it before. It was Weber's lesson plan.

"Why are you only coming back now?"

Upon seeing Shinji return, Waver seemed relieved and asked Shinji with a hint of reproach.

Although Shinji is very capable, he is only seven years old after all.

As a teacher, Weber would still worry about letting a child run around outside in the middle of the night.

"Thank you for your concern, teacher. Where are they?"

Weber's concern warmed Shinji's heart. No matter where or when, being cared for is a blessing.

After thanking him, Shinji asked about the others.

"Berserker's Noble Phantasm was surprisingly useful, greatly improving the efficiency of the craftsmen's analysis. After the Demon Spear blueprints were disassembled, Rider saw that you hadn't returned yet, so he called Berserker out to patrol."

As Weber explained, he handed Shinji a large roll of blueprints.

Unfolding the blueprints, the magic circuit inside the gun is almost completely revealed, with each rune precisely imprinted.

The crucial curse, in particular, occupies almost three-quarters of the entire set of blueprints.

With this blueprint, as long as the materials are gathered, Shinji can also create a replica of the Demon Gun by following the blueprint.

Satisfied, Shinji put away the blueprints and tossed a box to Weber.

"what is this?"

He hurriedly took the box and asked in confusion.

"The surprise I told you about when I left!"

Shinji winked at him, gesturing for him to open the box as he spoke.

Seeing Shinji acting so mysteriously, Waver became a little suspicious.

Could this be Shinji's prank? He used to love playing these kinds of games at that age.

Finally, unable to bear Shinji's eager gaze any longer, he carefully opened the box.

Surprisingly, there was no prank in the box as he had imagined.

Inside the box was a ring strung on a gleaming metal chain, with a translucent ruby ​​set in it. The ring shimmered with a warm glow under the dim light of the living room.

Inside the ruby, there seemed to be some kind of liquid flowing slowly, yet upon closer inspection, it appeared completely still.

Moreover, judging from the faint magical fluctuations emanating from the ring, this is a magical artifact.

"What is this thing's ability?"

Weber held the ring up to his eyes, trying to figure out its function.

But after checking several times, I still couldn't find anything. I suppose Shinji used some unique technique again, just like the Imperial Arms.

I won't tell you now; you'll find out when you need it later.

Shinji kept it a secret, only instructing Weber to carry it with him at all times.

Weber examined the ruby ​​ring with suspicion, his fingertips unconsciously tracing the texture of the metal chain.

"At least tell me what type of formal attire this is?"

Weber persisted, asking the same question.

"Offensive? Defensive? Or support?"

Shinji simply smiled and shook his head.

"Just wear it. When the time is right, you'll naturally understand its value."

Weber tried several more times, but Shinji remained completely unmoved.

In the end, Webber had no choice but to give up and obediently put the ring necklace around his neck.

And let me tell you, even without considering the necklace's ability as a Mystic Code.

Its material and design alone make it a rather precious piece of jewelry.

From an angle that Weber didn't notice, the ruby ​​on the necklace ring gleamed with a hazy light.

The power of this magical artifact has already begun to operate without anyone noticing.

The ring's ability is actually not complicated; it simply stores memories.

After getting what he wanted from the Tohsaka residence, Shinji quickly made his escape.

Even if Tokiomi Tohsaka were to resurrect, he wouldn't be able to pose a threat to Shinji.

But being with a corpse in the middle of the night is still pretty creepy.

After leaving the Tohsaka mansion, Shinji did not go home immediately, but instead went to the previous temporary base.

Shinji is preparing to make the gift he wants to give to Weber.

Shinji has always tried to avoid influencing Weber too much because he is worried about touching the quantum recording fixation tape.

But Shinji did acknowledge Weber as his teacher, and Weber took his teaching very seriously.

In return for his kindness, Shinji also prepared a gift for him.

But not the current him, but the him after he became El-Melloi II.

This way, there's no need to worry about historical issues.

If you were to ask what El-Melloi II's deepest desire was...

That would probably mean being able to see that magnificent conqueror, Iskandar, one more time.

For this reason, he even spent years persistently collecting and analyzing various intelligence and rumors related to the Holy Grail War.

A great deal of energy and time has been invested in this.

He always harbored a faint yet intense hope: that he might have the chance to participate in the Holy Grail War again, to draw the summoning array once more, and to bring that king back to the world.

However, a cold, hard truth always stands in the way of hope.

As is well known, the Servants summoned in the Holy Grail War are merely a side or a projection of the Heroic Spirit who resides on the Throne of Heroes.

Each time a being appears in response to a summons, it is a completely new individual.

They do not inherit any experiences or memories from any previous Holy Grail War.

Therefore, even if the future Weber Velvet faces countless difficulties.

It was truly a miracle that Iskandar was summoned again.

The conqueror who appears before him will be a "stranger" who has no recollection of him and is completely unfamiliar with their past of fighting side by side.

The adventures they once shared, the heart-stirring conversations and bonds they forged, will all cease to exist in the mind of this new Servant.

For Weber, who cherished that encounter as if it were his life and regarded it as a turning point in his life, such a "reunion" would probably be more despairing and cruel than never seeing each other again.

The gift Shinji prepared to give him was precisely to eliminate that possibility.

The inspiration came from his experiment with Lancelot about sharing memories, combined with Shinji's already well-developed soul-searching technique.

The final result is a Mystic Code that backs up the Servant's memories through a Servant Contract.

Furthermore, Shinji drew upon his own experience of having his soul's memories readily available to him, and made special designs for the Mystic Code.

This allows the function of this magical costume to be focused on being used by a single person.

In the following period, it will back up Iskandar's memories from the time he was summoned until his departure through the Servant Contract. If Iskandar is summoned again in the future, this Mystic Code will synchronize this memory with the new Iskandar.

In this way, the Conqueror summoned by Waver will not forget him.

Shinji felt that there could be no better gift for Weber.

Chapter 71: Qi Li in Action

Just as Shinji and Waver were displaying their deep mentor-student bond, some changes were quietly taking place.

After being recalled by Tokiomi Tohsaka, Gilgamesh surprisingly did not go berserk on the spot, but instead generously forgave Tokiomi's offense.

The key point is that Tokiomi Tohsaka actually believed it.

Perhaps the Command Seals on his hands gave him too much courage, preventing him from ever truly getting to know his Servant.

After offering a perfunctory reassurance to Gilgamesh, Tokiomi Tohsaka immediately threw himself into the cleanup work.

Gilgamesh then turned around and found Tokiomi Tohsaka's disciple, Kirei Kotomine.

Upon their first meeting, Gilgamesh noticed the man's twisted mind.

At that time, Kirei Kotomine was almost a model child.

He is intelligent, upright, and responsible; he embodies all the expectations that elders have for the younger generation.

But Gilgamesh saw through his flaws at a glance, for his life was filled with only bitterness and devoid of any joy.

At that time, Kirei Kotomine himself was unaware of his own feelings and was simply responding to his father's and master's expectations out of habit.

Kirei Kotomine, who is in a state of confusion, is still tightly wrapped in a human skin.

But as the Holy Grail War progressed, that human skin had been almost completely peeled away through witnessing countless killings and sufferings.

Kirei Kotomine began to clearly feel something surging deep within her heart—not fear, not pain, but a purer contemplation and appreciation of the suffering of others.

This realization both terrified and fascinated him, like standing on the edge of a cliff overlooking an abyss.

Knowing that falling means destruction, they still can't help but want to take another step forward.

Gilgamesh appeared before him at such a moment.

Kirei Kotomine's gradual discovery of his true self is a drama that Gilgamesh should take the time to savor.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Gilgamesh will remain an observer until Kirei Kotomine confronts his truest self.

He was very curious to see what kind of expression Kirei Kotomine would have on his face when he learned that he was just a beast born to derive pleasure from the misfortunes and suffering of others.

But Tokiomi Tohsaka's presence was simply too much of an eyesore.

He always knew that Tokiomi Tohsaka harbored intentions to use him, but Gilgamesh didn't care.

After all, Tokiomi Tohsaka was quite good at putting on a show.

Gilgamesh wouldn't kill Tokiomi Tohsaka just because he hadn't done something yet.

Even if Tokiomi Tohsaka were to do something unwise, it was foreseeable.

But when Tokiomi Tohsaka actually puts his disrespectful thoughts into practice, Gilgamesh will not show him any mercy.

Gilgamesh, however, did not choose to do it himself, but instead opted for a more interesting approach.

He gently pushed Kirei Kotomine from behind, who was standing at the edge of the abyss.

As a result, Kirei Kotomine was standing behind Tokiomi Tohsaka's corpse.

A sharp blade struck from behind, piercing Tokiomi Tohsaka's heart.

Kirei Kotomine, who committed this act of betrayal and murder of his master, showed no sign of panic. Instead, he felt a strange emotion welling up as he looked at the shock and confusion still lingering on Tokiomi Tohsaka's face.

Gilgamesh introduced him to this emotion—pleasure, a right that humans are born with but which he had been deprived of.

"You already knew."

This was not a question, but a statement. Kirei Kotomine raised his head and looked directly into Gilgamesh's scarlet serpent eyes.

"I knew I would make this choice."

"I have only given you a key."

Gilgamesh chuckled, his golden armor gleaming arrogantly in the moonlight.

"As for what's behind the door, and how you feel after you push it open, that's your own business."

Kirei Kotomine lowered his head and looked at his hands.

These hands once clasped together in devout prayer, once performed Bajiquan with precision, and once stained with blood to save patients.