Shinji Matou At Your Service

Chapter 53: Shinji’s Plan

"As for the Holy Grail itself, which is known as the 'Wish-Granting Device,' being all-powerful doesn't mean it can do everything. In a sense, the Holy Grail can be seen as money. If you're interested in buying a house, you inquire about its price, pay the money, complete the procedures, and obtain the house. If you're interested in a person, things become more complicated. If the person is materialistic, you can use money to win them over. But if they don't lack money, you'll have to find other ways to captivate them. If your approach is wrong, you won't succeed. However, you need to come up with that approach yourself. The Holy Grail can only assist you in shortening the process; it can't bypass the process and provide immediate results."

Shinji certainly had goals and desires, but whether it's a goal or a wish, if there's a method to achieve it, it can be accomplished without the Holy Grail, relying on his power and the power of the Matou family.

"According to what you're saying, I don't currently have any wishes that I want the Holy Grail to fulfill."

Kariya's thoughts were the same. The Holy Grail, which magus yearned for, turned out to be a disappointment in front of them, which was both laughable and frustrating.

"But just because you and I don't have any wishes doesn't mean the Servants don't. Sensei has a wish to break free from her eternity through the Holy Grail and die like a human. What about Berserker?"

"Berserker doesn't need it," Kariya shook his head at Shinji. "I have seen his dreams and know his wish. He desires to be punished by King Arthur, to seek redemption, and because of that, he has fallen into madness. Shinji, you should have guessed his true name by now."

"Of course," Shinji replied.

How could Shinji not know? Even without the memories of his past life, he could deduce the answer based on the information he currently had.

"Widow-Hu... cough, cough, Knight of the Lake, Lancelot, the First Knight of the Round Table."

"King Arthur has manifested as Saber, and once I defeat Archer, who is loyal to Tokiomi, I will let Lancelot face Saber and seek forgiveness on his own."

Kariya's plan didn't exceed Shinji's expectations. As for Lancelot, once he and King Arthur both manifested in the present world, he no longer needed the Holy Grail. The only question to consider was how to defeat Archer.

Regarding this matter, Shinji had already pondered it before the current Holy Grail War began and had formulated his theory.

"Uncle, I don't mean to discourage you, but your Berserker, although powerful, is not a match for Archer. If Archer gets serious, he can end the Holy Grail War overnight."

"Are you not joking???"

Kariya stood up abruptly, his face filled with immense shock. This blow was ten times greater than finding out that his nephew was a Master and his mentor was an Assassin.

"Uncle, please calm down and let me explain."

Shinji pressed his hands down, gesturing for Kariya to sit back down, and then he stood up to pour him a glass of water.

"It is your wish to defeat Tokiomi, and as your nephew, I naturally support you wholeheartedly. When Tokiomi summoned Archer, Sensei was monitoring nearby and also learned Archer's true name—Gilgamesh, the King of Heroes from ancient Uruk, the protagonist of one of humanity's oldest epics, the original Heroic Spirit."

"Two-thirds divine, one-third human, he was born as a king to maintain the connection between gods and humans, but in the end, he made the choice for humanity and severed ties with the gods. The mysterious retreat and departure of the deities began with him."

"He is truly a top-tier Servant, one of the strongest Heroic Spirits. Uncle has also witnessed his method of attack, the relentless bombardment of Noble Phantasms. Just that alone is enough to annihilate ninety-nine percent of the Heroic Spirits."

"Lancelot belongs to the remaining one percent, but Lancelot's defense against Noble Phantasms depletes Uncle's magical energy. In such a state, how long can Uncle continue?"

"And besides, everyone can see that Gilgamesh hasn't even gotten serious yet. We don't know how many Noble Phantasms he can unleash at once, nor do we know if he's hiding any other trump cards."

To avoid arousing unnecessary suspicion, Shinji only made deductions based on the available information without directly revealing all the intelligence, indirectly attributing the information source to the all-knowing Scathach. However, even so, it still made Kariya's heart sink like it was in an ice cellar.

A year of desperate training, a year of endurance, summoning Berserker at the cost of increasing burdens—wasn't it all to defeat the detestable Tokiomi?

Could it be that his efforts were truly in vain?

Could it be that he really couldn't compare to Tokiomi?

Could it be that he truly couldn't realize his wish?

His heart gradually grew cold, and the fervor slowly lost its warmth.

Just when Kariya felt lost and disoriented, as if he had lost everything, Shinji's next words reignited his confidence.

"However, Gilgamesh has a fatal weakness—pride. He is too arrogant, calling everyone mongrels and showing complete disregard for others. His attitude towards battles is filled with condescension and mockery from a superior position. I believe that in his eyes, taking a mongrel seriously would be an insult to him."

"Interestingly, he insults Lancelot, calling him a mad dog, making him sound even worse than a mongrel. If we can use this to our advantage, there might be a chance for victory."

"Uncle, don't you think Gilgamesh and Tokiomi have similar attitudes? Gilgamesh looks down on Lancelot, and Tokiomi looks down on you. So... what do you plan to do?"

"Is there even a need to ask?" Kariya clenched his fists tightly, his nails digging into his flesh without feeling any pain. In a hoarse voice, he said, "Of course, I'll deliver a powerful blow right to their arrogant faces. Shinji, help me. I want to punch him."

"That's what I've been waiting to hear from you." With a satisfied smile, Shinji finally got what he wanted.

Kariya's hatred towards Tokiomi ran deep, deep enough to overshadow his rationality. Otherwise, he wouldn't have let Lancelot appear in the complicated situation where the five Servants were mutually restraining each other and provoking Gilgamesh.

What's worse, looking at the outcome alone, Lancelot forced Gilgamesh to retreat, which inflated Kariya's confidence rapidly.

Shinji didn't want Kariya to be blinded by the current victory. He wanted to make Kariya understand Gilgamesh's strength and approach the situation with a calm and cautious mindset, rather than causing chaos like a mad dog, as he did in the original timeline.

In the Holy Grail War, the most hated are the ones who recklessly trample upon the rules—destroyers—and the second are the ones who disrupt the distinction between friend and foe—meddlers. The world line has already shifted, and Shinji couldn't guarantee that Kariya's continued recklessness wouldn't result in a backlash from the masses, just like what happened to Caster.

On that day, the double Master advantage of the Matou family would be completely lost.

The advantage of having two Masters becomes more apparent in the later stages of the war, so in the early stages, conflicts need to be minimized as much as possible.

In Shinji's plan, it would be best to wait until Caster is besieged and killed, until Saber and Lancer clash, and until one of Archer and Rider falls. Only then would Scathach and Lancelot truly unleash their power.

Of course, those were all matters for later. The immediate priority was to eliminate Caster!