I'm Not A Master, I'm A Director (Creating Fate Movie In Nasuverse)

Although Shinji was having a blast on set, he was pretty much the only one who had the energy to do so.

Among the cast, the only person who had the free time to be dragged into Shinji's antics was Arturia, who was only temporarily guest-starring.

As for Mordred, she willingly threw herself into the mix, happily teaming up with her "father" to form a troublesome duo.

It might sound a bit inappropriate, but it was the truth.

Most of the people in the Fate/Apocrypha production team were too busy taking acting classes or helping with set construction when they weren't filming.

Having fun? No chance!

Even if the actors wanted to mess around on set, there really wasn't much to do.

For the Servants, the facilities on set couldn't compare to the comfort of Fuyuki City, no matter how well-equipped they were.

Not to mention, the food in the city was leagues ahead of what was available on set.

Shinji wasn't running Toei Studios, after all—there was no way he'd divert special effects funds to improve the catering budget.

Even though the city wasn't too far from the set, no one aside from Arturia—who went there specifically to punish Mordred—was willing to travel such a distance just for a meal.

Most of the Servants had only recently been summoned and had no savings whatsoever.

With free meals provided on set, there was no reason to venture out.

"But sitting at an outdoor café like this, enjoying a cappuccino paired with chestnut cake, is truly a pleasure—if only this were France."

Jeanne was thoroughly enjoying this leisurely lifestyle.

For someone who had lived through an era of constant war, such moments of peace felt like an extravagant luxury.

Jeanne was actually quite satisfied with her experience of being summoned and subsequently joining the Fate/Apocrypha production team.

Due to the tight schedule of classes and filming, she hadn't been able to enjoy modern life as much as the earlier summoned Servants.

Still, she considered this life to be paradise.

Now, if only her Master could behave more seriously…

Jeanne was far from the first Servant to think this way, and she certainly wouldn't be the last.

Most Servants had similar opinions about Shinji: overall, he was a pretty decent Master, but his sense of humor was absolutely twisted.

If Shinji ever faced a life-or-death situation, the Servants would undoubtedly rush to his aid.

But if it was just one of his usual pranks, 99.99999% of them would stand at a distance, watching with amusement and snapping mental "I thought of something funny.JPG" reactions.

Jeanne, however, was an exception. She never mocked Shinji and even wanted to correct some of his bad habits.

Unfortunately, her attempts had been largely unsuccessful, and instead, she had been tricked into doing things that she later considered quite embarrassing.

For example, to better portray Laeticia, the high school girl before being possessed, Shinji had persuaded Jeanne to attend a few days of Japanese high school with Sakura.

It was only afterward that Jeanne realized Japanese and French high schools were nothing alike!

But by then, it was too late—Shinji had already taken a ton of photos of "high school girl Jeanne," using them for future "promotional (personal) materials (collection)."

Still, the high school experience wasn't a total waste. At the very least, under Shinji's careful guidance, Jeanne had started to adopt a bit of a scholarly aura instead of being the illiterate saint she once was.

Though, only a little.

But in Jeanne's mind, it was a whole different story. She truly believed she had become Laeticia—a normal high school girl living in a peaceful era of France.

Attending school, diving into the vast ocean of knowledge, struggling with math, and dealing with the usual teenage worries—she saw herself as a girl who loved life.

Jeanne's eager imagination wasn't surprising.

In her time, reading and education were considered luxuries.

So Shinji didn't have the heart to shatter her dreams—after all, it helped with her acting.

"Master is really something... saying that a saint with such girlish thoughts is cute and should maintain them... Does he take me for a three-year-old?"

"Of course not," a voice suddenly replied.

Somehow, Shinji had appeared right in front of her.

"I'd say you're at least ten years old," he answered seriously.

Jeanne's lips twitched—now she understood why the likes of EMIYA always found joy in messing with Shinji.

"Master, is your hobby having a death wish with no limits?"

Shinji casually sipped his coffee. "I just say whatever comes to mind. It's an advantage, don't you think?"

"How is that an advantage?" Jeanne retorted.

"It's called honesty," Shinji replied with a straight face. "That's why I'll help all of you Servants achieve your dreams."

"Dreams? What dream of mine have you fulfilled, Master?" Jeanne asked, puzzled.

With an innocent expression, Shinji answered, "Aren't you passionate about books? Haven't you always wanted to immerse yourself in the ocean of knowledge?"

"So THAT'S why you buried me under a pile of books?!"

Realizing what Shinji meant, Jeanne couldn't hold back her laughter.

That was Laeticia's very first appearance on screen:

While searching for materials in the school library, Laeticia was suddenly possessed by Jeanne, causing her to lose balance and fall off the bookshelf.

Thanks to Jeanne's agile reflexes, Laeticia managed to grab onto the shelf mid-air.

However, the bookshelf she clung to tilted forward and knocked over the next shelf.

Then, the falling shelf hit the one behind it.

One by one, the bookshelves collapsed like a row of dominoes...

By the time Laeticia snapped out of it, she was already buried under a mountain of books.

Just as Shinji had mentioned earlier, Jeanne had quite literally "immersed herself in the ocean of knowledge"—in a very physical sense.

But Jeanne wasn't ready to admit defeat so easily. Seizing on a flaw in Shinji's wording, she argued, "Those were just prop books used for filming! That doesn't count as an 'ocean of knowledge,' does it?"

Shinji narrowed his eyes at her. "Saintess, are you seriously suggesting we should use real books? What if they got damaged? I thought you were someone who valued books. Guess I was wrong about you."

"I— You—" Jeanne clenched her fists, resisting the urge to let out a few French curses.

In the end, embodying the virtue of religious patience, she took a deep breath and asked, "Master, why did you even include that scene? It had no meaning whatsoever!"

"How can you say that?"

Shinji sipped his coffee leisurely and explained, "A character's first scene is crucial in shaping the audience's impression. It sets the tone for how they perceive the character."

"And how does making me look ridiculous contribute to that?" Jeanne asked, squinting suspiciously.

"It's all connected," Shinji replied confidently. "Whether it's you or Laeticia, you're both as pure as white lilies."

Jeanne's eyes narrowed further. "Master, why do I feel like you're not complimenting me?"

"That's not the point." Shinji waved dismissively. "The point is how to effectively convey that purity. The best way is to make you appear easily deceived. In popular perception, girls who are a bit clumsy tend to be seen as naive and innocent—like a blank slate."

Jeanne's eyebrow twitched violently. "Master, you're definitely not complimenting me!"

"It couldn't be helped," Shinji said matter-of-factly. "After all, Jeanne, you do get deceived by me in the movie."

At that moment, Amakusa Shirou chimed in, laughing as he took a seat beside them. "He's got a point, Jeanne."

"If it weren't for the script... there's no way I'd be deceived by you!"

Jeanne crossed her arms and snorted coldly, showing an unwilling expression.

She was now certain—her Master just loved to tease his Servants.

In contrast, Amakusa Shirou, Jeanne's co-star and the other protagonist of the movie, seemed to trust their Master far more.

"He was able to accurately state my wish and didn't ridicule my ideals. A Master like that must be my kindred spirit—how could he possibly be a bad person?"

"Since Master has asked this of you, Jeanne, you should just follow his instructions. Master can't possibly be wrong."

As he said this, Amakusa put on an expression that suggested he and Shinji were very close.

Jeanne, however, really wanted to retort.

Knowing someone's dreams is one thing, but whether they're a good person is a completely different matter, isn't it?

Just look at all the Heroic Spirits summoned into the modern world—how many of them have only praise for their Masters?

Jeanne even suspected that Amakusa's blind devotion to Shinji was the reason he managed to secure the leading role in the Fate/Apocrypha film.

As far as Jeanne knew, the original plan for the Fate/Apocrypha movie had a different male lead, and Amakusa was supposed to be just a villain—basically, a glorified extra at best.

Rising through the ranks later on—wasn't that simply because he kept flattering Shinji?

In response to Jeanne's doubts, Amakusa refuted her with full confidence.

"Master understood my ideals and gave me a greater platform to express them! How can you say I'm flattering him?"

"Does Master even need flattery? He must be an exalted soul, just like me—eager to help all of humanity!"

"..."

Before Jeanne could say anything, Shinji himself felt a little embarrassed by Amakusa's words.

But he couldn't refute them.

What if Amakusa went dark and climbed into his room one night to chop him up?

"Ahem, I'll be heading off now. Don't be late for your class later."

Under Jeanne's disdainful gaze, Shinji quickly got up and left.

Watching him leave, Jeanne suddenly spoke with an emotionless expression:

"Mr. Amakusa, why don't you just become Master's spokesperson?"

Amakusa seriously considered it.

"That's not a bad idea. Master and I could form the 'Saving All of Humanity Enthusiast Club' together!"

"Good idea, I'm sure Master would love it," Jeanne responded with a devious smile.

'Though I've fallen to the dark side, I finally understand the joy of messing with Master. Archer, is this how you slowly succumbed to temptation?'

'Lord, please forgive me.'

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