Shinji Matou at Your Service

:The Curtain Rises

Aoi Tohsaka and Rin will leave Fuyuki City and return to the Zenjou family the day after tomorrow.

It sounded like a normal piece of news, without any suspicious implications. Aoi Tohsaka, formerly known as Aoi Zenjou, was the daughter of the Zenjou family. It was natural for her to occasionally bring her daughter home to visit her parents and take breaks.

However, when normal news coincides with a specific time, it becomes less common.

Three months ago, on the night Scáthach was summoned, Shinji had already planned a schedule. As a seasoned type-Moon diehard fan, Shinji was confident that his prediction accuracy was above 80%. One of the entries that he had specifically marked was "Aoi and Rin returning to the Zenjou family."

The essence of the Holy Grail War was the mutual battle between seven Masters and their Servants, as well as the ritual of summoning the Holy Grail. Although the ritual itself only required the soul of the Servant, there were still many Masters who died in previous Holy Grail Wars, for the following reasons:

First, servants draw their magical energy from their masters. Killing the Master weakens the Servant.

Second, the Master-Servant relationship is not fixed. A Servant who loses their Master can form a new contract with another Master, including Masters who have already lost their Servants.

Third, compared to Servants who are incarnations of Heroic Spirits, human Masters are easier to deal with.

Although Tokiomi Tohsaka was one of the top magi in this Holy Grail War, he couldn't guarantee the safety of his wife, an ordinary person, and his daughter, who was still in her apprentice stage. It was reasonable for him to send them away from Fuyuki City for safety reasons.

When the Matou family received this information, it meant that the curtain was about to rise on the Fourth Holy Grail War.

"It's finally starting."

Shinji made a heavy stroke with his pen in a column at the beginning of the schedule. Unspoken emotions brewed beneath his lowered eyelids.

Since the day he killed Zouken, everything he had done was for the sake of participating in the Holy Grail War.

He studied under Justeaze and received training from Scáthach—everything was for this day. It was not only to fulfill the promise he made with Justeaze but also to live up to the opportunity granted by fate to cross over to the world of Type-Moon.

Shinji, who raised his head, brushed away the silence accompanying his studies. After a year of separation, his radiant expression returned to his face once again.

From this moment on, he was no longer Scáthach's disciple, Justeaze's student, or a member of the Matou family. He was now the Master of the former and the contractee of the latter, as well as the one who would determine the future of the Matou family.

"Lady Justeaze, Sensei, gather everyone for a meeting. The calm days are over."

The Queen of Shadows stretched lazily, and her figure blended into shadows.

Golden Saint's eyes sparkled with an unprecedented brilliance, transforming into golden particles that vanished.

...

Five minutes later, in the Matou family's underground workshop.

Compared to three months ago, this ancient basement underwent new changes. Runes—symbols that appeared simple but contained mysterious power—were carved everywhere on the floor, walls, and ceilings.

In Norse mythology, the supreme god Odin hung himself upside down on the World Tree for nine days and nights, sacrificing his right eye in exchange for greater wisdom. When he descended from the tree, he understood the ancient runic script.

According to the legend, this sacred script informs the future. Each letter possesses individual power and safeguards the human soul. It can also be used to create protective talismans, record magecraft, and engrave on stones, wood, seashells, or other natural materials to become runestones.

In the hands of deities, the original runes can exert the power of authority, and heroes bestowed with runes can unleash formidable strength.

However, as time passed and technology advanced, the mystique faded, and runic magic gradually declined. Initially consisting of 18 original runes, it expanded to twenty-four runes, with reduced learning difficulty and power far removed from the original runes. In modern times, the 18 original runes were completely lost, and humans developed only a small portion of the twenty-four runes, causing numerous magi to lament.

However, in this inconspicuous land in the Far East, this legendary script was revived—not the runic magic that humans could learn and master but the authority belonging only to deities—the original runes.

The original runes, one of Scáthach's inherent skills, had an indeterminate level. Scáthach possessed mastery over 18 original runes, and when used by her true self in the Land of Shadows, it became an authority. Despite the limitations imposed by the Assassin class, the effect was still astonishing, classified as Rank A.

Scáthach, who was summoned ahead of time, did more than just teach her students during these three months. At Shinji's request, she would spend some time every day strengthening the defenses of the Matou family mansion. Now, the defense of the Matou mansion has reached a terrifying level, with the underground workshop at its core being impregnable.

On the day the reinforcement project was completed, Scáthach declared that even her sister and archenemy, Aoife, would have a difficult time breaking through this workshop if she were to come personally.

Once the runes in the underground workshop were activated, the entire workshop would be isolated from the outside world, ensuring that it could not be spied upon and that no traces of magecraft would be leaked.

Seated in the center of the workshop, Shinji spoke in a deep voice:

"If nothing unexpected happens, the Holy Grail War will begin in the coming days. From this moment onward, the Matou family entered the highest level of alertness. Father, give the servants in the house a vacation for two weeks."

"Understood." Byakuya knew the importance of the situation and answered without hesitation, "I will handle business matters at home as much as possible. If I need to go out, I will choose daytime and inform you in advance."

Everything related to magic was derived from mystery, and the fewer people who knew about it, the better. Therefore, Holy Grail Wars generally occurred at night and rarely during the day.

"Sakura, like your father, stay at home from now on and don't go anywhere. There may not be a safer place in all of Japan than our home."

This was not an empty statement. With Scáthach personally arranging the defenses, even the headquarters of the local magi organization might not be able to compare.

If it weren't for Scáthach's arrangements, Shinji would have followed Tohsaka's advice and sent Sakura and Byakuya out of Fuyuki City, even out of Japan, to a safe country for ten days or two weeks. However, this is not necessary.

"Okay, big brother. You and Uncle be careful too." Sakura held Shinji's hand with her left hand and tugged on Byakuya's sleeve with her right hand, looking left and right. She did not know much about the Holy Grail War, but she could sense a tense atmosphere at home with her sensitive heart.

"Don't worry." Byakuya reaches out and holds Sakura's small hand, his eyes filled with affection, and his voice gently.

In the end, Kariya didn't accept his brother's proposal to be called "Dad" by Sakura, but in his eyes, Sakura was his daughter.

Sakura also relied heavily on her Uncle Kariya. The two of them were not father and daughter, but they were more like father and daughter.

"We will be extremely careful." Shinji habitually stroked Sakura's long hair. "Uncle, have you obtained a Command Seal?"

"Of course." Kariya rolled up his sleeve, revealing a crimson mark that looked like three intersecting lightning bolts at 120-degree angles. "At the same time, I received that message."

Shinji calmly holds Sakura's hands. This time, the Matou family had two Masters.

The source of trouble, the scapegoat, Tohsaka Tokiomi.

 Can you still laugh?