Shinji Matou At Your Service

Chapter 21: Aftermath

Under the silver moonlight, amidst the ruins, Scáthach held a red spear bathed in the moon's glow.

Her face, veiled by a light fabric, turned towards the direction where Caster had departed, and her eyes, the same color as the magical spear, reflected a faint sense of regret.

"So, this was just an appetizer that awakened my desire for battle but couldn't satisfy it?"

With Scáthach's exceptional agility at the A+ rank, it wouldn't be difficult for her to catch up to the departing Caster. However, she was unable to do so.

This was not because she was afraid of falling into Caster's trap but rather because it was a densely populated residential area.

In the world of magecraft, there is a principle to maintain secrecy, not known by ordinary people, and to avoid causing a significant impact on the mundane world. The battles between Servants bring considerable destruction to their surroundings, and Caster's fighting style, continuously summoning monsters, would likely result in the entire residential area being destroyed if they were to engage in combat here. The Matou family could not bear such consequences and Scáthach did not want to cause such great casualties.

Only when she could no longer sense Caster's presence did Scáthach retract her magical spear and turn her head, saying, "I appreciate your help. You can dispel the magic now."

Suddenly, in empty air, golden magical particles dispersed like fireflies in the summer or fragments of scattered fireworks.

A golden saint appeared at the center of these fireflies, and the magical energy dissipated. The sounds of the two Servants' battle and the collapse of the house didn't awaken the residents nearby because Justeaze had set up a magic barrier to prevent vibrations. Whether it was vibrations of the earth or vibrations in the air, they were confined within the house and prevented from spreading. Justeaze had witnessed three Holy Grail Wars and was well aware of the destructive power of Servants.

Justeaze glanced at the ruins before her and then looked at the monsters that were disappearing from the mortal realm as Caster left, asking, "How did it go?"

Scáthach smoothed her slightly disheveled hair and replied,' An inadequate Caster, a foe used to pass the time. Next time, I'll kill him."

Justeaze nodded and walked to a corner of the ruins using magic to gently move aside the debris, revealing the boy who had lost his entire family overnight and had no knowledge of what had transpired.

A runic symbol was imprinted on the boy's back, protecting him from harm during the catastrophe.

"How should we handle this child?"

"For the battles of the Servants, let Shinji support him. He will take care of it," Scáthach said, as she had already seen Shinji contemplating how to handle the aftermath since the beginning of the first Servant battle.

The only worldline affected by Shinji's actions was the Matou family's, and Ryunosuke, who had no connection to it, was unaffected. He summoned the final Servant, Caster, as before.

According to Justeaze, the opponent possessed a Noble Phantasm in the form of a book and could command tentacle-like monsters. They were also able to withstand a strike from Scáthach. Based on these characteristics, the identity of the Servant could be determined as Gilles de Rais.

Gilles de Rais was a French marshal during the Hundred Years' War, a national hero of France, and an ally of Joan of Arc, the savior of France. However, after Joan was captured, Gilles suffered a great mental blow and retreated his domains in Marshkuhler and Tiffauges, where he immersed himself in studying black magic. As a result, he committed heinous acts against several children and was ultimately executed by burning, becoming one of the real-life prototypes for the antagonist character "Bluebeard" (Aoi Su) in Western folklore.

Gilles himself was not suited to the Caster class, and the summoning ritual performed by Ryunosuke was a coincidence that resulted in an unexpected outcome. However, this accident created the worst combination for this Holy Grail War.

Because of his experience as a French marshal and his glorious military achievements, Gilles possessed significant tactical knowledge. His timely retreat without engaging with Scáthach proved this point.

Although his strength as a soldier in historical records was not primarily in his combat ability, but in his financial resources, he fought alongside Joan of Arc as her comrade in numerous battles, both large and small, so his combat prowess was not lacking. Moreover, in other works of the Fate series, he manifested as a Saber-class Servant, so blocking a strike from Scáthach would not be too difficult for him.

However, that was all there was to it. Gilles' fighting style was relatively straightforward and his decisive techniques required prior preparation. In a direct confrontation, he does not stand a chance against Scáthach.

Shinji sighed and remarked, "Assassin started the first battle in the original worldline, and now it's the same. The inertia of the worldline is truly terrifying." He stopped paying attention to the battle and instead focused on considering its aftermath.

He looked at the flowchart that he had written once again and came up with an idea.

"Sensei, erase the memories of tonight from this child and also erase the memories of living with their family. Then, send this child to the vicinity of the Church."

Following Shinji's instructions, Scáthach extended her finger and inscribed two new runes. The effect of these runes was slumber and forgetfulness. Without love and hate, the child would not feel pain.

Without love and hate, this child with a tragic past would not experience any pain.

As for seeking revenge and settling scores, Shinji would take care of them on the child's behalf. Regardless of whether the worldline would change or not, he would not allow Ryunosuke Uryu to survive this Holy Grail War! It was not out of any saint's sense of responsibility, but simply because he despised individuals like Ryunosuke.

/Caster Plot Armor is Good XD