Shinji Matou at Your Service

: ITS GACHA TIME!

Justeaze was no longer as cold and mechanical as she used to be. Having lived in the Matou household for so long, she has gained some understanding of how to discern human emotions. Upon seeing Shinji's peculiar expression, she quickly interrupted her explanation and changed it into a question.

After learning the reason from Shinji's mouth, Justeaze smiled and asked in response, "Who told you that only Hassan can be an Assassin?"

"Huh? Isn't that the case?" this time, Shinji was surprised.

Who told him? Of course, this was Fate's book.

In the Holy Grail War in Fuyuki City, it is normal for Hassan to be the only one summoned as an assassin.

Of course, there are some exceptions. In the Fifth Holy Grail War, Caster, who was a Servant, broke the rules and illegally summoned the fake Assassin, Sasaki Kojiro.

However, Caster's true name was Medea, a witch who was naturally a rule-breaker. It was not surprising that she broke these rules. How could Shinji, a rookie magi, have the ability to break these rules?

"No," Justeaze explained, "Indeed, as you said, the Assassin class is a catalyst, but catalysts have priorities. Although the Assassin class has high priority, it can be overturned. In theory, by preparing a suitable catalyst in advance and modifying the summoning chant, you can summon a Heroic Spirit other than Hassan."

"I see." Shinji suddenly realized, "You must have already prepared the modified summoning chant."

In the parallel world of the Fourth Holy Grail War, in "Fate/Apocrypha," the Holy Grail system of Fuyuki City was stolen and leaked after the Third Holy Grail War, and various subversive Holy Grail Wars emerged around the world. In these Holy Grail Wars, the characteristics and Noble Phantasm abilities of the Hassans, except for the First Generation, were exposed, making them easy targets and the first to eliminate. Therefore, the magi put effort into researching the Assassin class and discovered a method to summon other Heroic Spirits.

In this timeline, no magus has conducted similar research; therefore, there is no method for summoning other classes. If there is someone who can find such a method, it can only be Justeaze herself, who is the core of the Holy Grail system.

"That's right." Justeaze's answer was just as Shinji had expected.

Shinji laughed and chuckled heartily. "Then Assassin is undoubtedly the best choice. Without the limitation of Hassan, Assassin is the most versatile and adaptable class."

Justeaze nodded. "As long as they can kill in non-frontal combat, anyone can assume this class. And those famous heroes, not many of them are truly upright and have never used any dishonorable means."

Take Shinji's ancestor, Perseus, for example. Although the setting in the Type-Moon world is that he fought against Medusa for 300 rounds and eventually killed her after she had turned into a monster, the most widely spread version in the world is that Perseus cut off her head while she was sleeping—a typical assassination.

There are many similar stories, such as Cao Cao's attempted assassination of Dong Zhuo, although he failed; Lu Bu's successful assassination of Ding Yuan; and the most famous Greek hero, Heracles, ambushing and killing the Lernaean Hydra.

Realizing this, Shinji immediately proposed, "How about summoning my ancestor, Perseus, as the catalyst? I have a strong affinity for him, and I have also obtained his Noble Phantasm. It would be perfect to have him as my mentor."

Justeaze shook her head. "No, I don't think that's a good choice. Perseus has already entrusted his Noble Phantasm to you, and if you summon him again, there is a high possibility that he won't have his Noble Phantasm or the Noble Phantasm entrusted to you will automatically return to its owner. This would be a disguised weakening of the strength. The premise of purifying the Holy Grail is to obtain it first, and I don't want you to withdraw halfway."

"Sorry, I didn't consider it thoroughly," Shinji lowered his head. "Please continue with your plan."

Justeaze looked at Shinji's slightly curly, purple-tinted hair and, for some reason, recalled a scene of him rubbing Sakura's head. Following her memory, she reaches out and ruffles Shinji's hair.

In Shinji's astonished gaze, Justeaze spoke in a cheerful voice, "Your idea of needing a suitable mentor aligns with mine. I was an artificial being in my past life, skilled only in the magecraft of the Einzbern family, and an incomplete Third Magic. It's not suitable for you and Kariya. Now that you have officially become magi, there's nothing much I can teach you."

"The current situation of the Matou family and my existence cannot be revealed to the outside world. We cannot seek a magecraft teacher from the outside, so it must be someone summoned by our people. Therefore, the Heroic Spirit you need to summon should not only have the aptitude for Assassin but also be compatible with you as a magi. The higher the compatibility, the better."

"Being an Assassin class restricts the Servant's magical abilities but not their knowledge of magecraft. It fulfills the need for knowledge but is still within your capabilities. Oh, and one more requirement: they should be willing to teach."

"Oh dear, those are quite strict conditions," Shinji remarked, impressed by Justeaze's conclusion. "From my understanding, such individuals are incredibly rare. So, what is your choice?"

Instead of answering directly, Justeaze picked a well-protected parchment scroll from the table. Its worn and fragmented body silently spoke of antiquity. "This is an artifact I found among Zouken's belongings. It originates from Ireland, a famous ancient text called 'The Cattle Raid of Cooley,' the earliest version."

Shinji's mind immediately clicked. "The great hero of Ulster, the Hound of Culann, Cú Chulainn."

Indeed, he met the criteria for remarkable combat skills and exceptional spear techniques, making him suitable as Shinji's martial arts mentor.

Although he did not rely much on magecraft, he had mastered eighteen "Original Runes" and had considerable expertise in magecraft. The versatility of Rune magic was also suitable for the three novice magi in the household to learn.

Cú Chulainn himself had a generous and easygoing personality, rarely refusing the requests of his Master.

Outside the legends of "The Cattle Raid of Cooley," there were stories of Cú Chulainn betraying trust and assassinating his friend Ferdiad, which aligned with the requirements of an Assassin.

The only remaining question was—

"There is more than one Heroic Spirit in 'The Cattle Raid of Cooley' with the aptitude for Assassin, and the most typical one would be Queen Medb, who conspired to kill Cú Chulainn. If she were to be summoned, it would be the worst outcome. I might even command her to commit suicide in a fit of anger."

" It is highly unlikely," Justeaze reassured as she unrolled the sheepskin parchment written in Gaelic. "This is just one volume of 'The Cattle Raid of Cooley,' depicting Cú Chulainn's journey to the 'Land of Shadows' to learn his skills. It doesn't involve irrelevant characters."

Shinji's mood brightened. "I have no issues then. When do we begin the summoning?"

"You rest for three hours, and I'll prepare the summoning ritual," Justeaze replied before leaving her room. To avoid arousing suspicion, she usually operated in a physical form.

---------------------------

Three hours later, in the basement of the Matou Residence.

The worm nest was demolished and rebuilt into Justeaze's magecraft workshop.

On the specially constructed floor, a magic circle was meticulously drawn with the prepared blood.

Various magical gemstones are arranged in a regular pattern at each node of the magic circle. Even the cheapest gemstone among them was enough to sustain an ordinary person for 20 years.

In the center of the circle, an old parchment scroll served as the catalyst. Protective magecraft that preserved the parchment was unraveled.

Justeaze created this summoning circle. It is more complex and expensive than traditional summoning circles but places a lighter burden on the summoner.

Shinji placed his hand on the most crucial magical node and chanted it with an unprecedented solemn expression.

"——I declare!"