Shinji Matou At Your Service

Chapter 23: Saber’s Arrival

The following days, everything remained calm and peaceful.

The serial killer, Ryunosuke Uryu, disappeared without trace, seemingly leaving Fuyuki City.

Shinji stayed indoors and did not venture outside of his home.

Kariya quickly returned home after visiting the fire department and did not go out again.

The other Masters did not engage in any noteworthy activity.

Shinji continued his reclusive lifestyle, either training at home as per Scathach's instructions, or playing games with Sakura. However, these were not ordinary children's games; they were runic rune-based decryption games designed by Scathach. Anyone, be it an ordinary person like Byakuya or a magus like Shinji or Sakura, could play with similar rules. Over a few months, this game became an entertainment activity for everyone in the Matou household.

You might think that the Masters' cautious actions were excessive, even cowardly.

Shinji did not deny this, nor did the other masters, except for the madman, Ryunosuke. Although magus possessed mysterious powers, they were still human beings. Their bodies were not much stronger than those of ordinary humans; they would bleed if their skin was cut, and they would die if they were fatally injured.

The same could not be said for servants. Even the weakest servant possessed power far surpassing that of the humans. If we consider countless ancient monsters and non-human entities that can directly confront servants, their number does not exceed double digits.

Therefore, the primary objective of the Holy Grail War was not victory, but self-preservation. If they die, everything will be lost.

Without a guarantee of self-preservation, the masters concealed themselves in the shadows and collected information through various means.

Tohsaka Tokiomi gathered information through his disciple, Kirei Kotomine, and channels of the Church. Kariya acquired information through his brother, Byakuya, and his growing influence in the secular world. Kenneth relied on his familiar, while Shinji utilized the characteristics of the Assassin class and Scathach's bug-like abilities. Only Assassin possessed the ability to freely roam the city without being noticed by other Masters, thanks to her class skills.

As for Shinji's trump card, Justeaze, she had already left Fuyuki City and headed towards the nearest airport.

She was going there to meet someone, a crucial figure in the current Holy Grail War, someone who should theoretically be her clone, an artificial human.

The Einzbern family constructed the system of the Holy Grail War. In addition to being the core of the system known as the "Greater Grail," Justeaze's body served as a necessary device to stabilize the magical connection between the "Greater Grail" and the material world. This device was known as the "Lesser Grail." The magus outside of the "Three Families" competed for this "Lesser Grail." The Holy Grail War, which stemmed from the pursuit of the "Grail that can grant any wish," was, in a sense, a deception.

The provision of the "Lesser Grail' was usually handled by the Einzbern family, specifically through the production of artificial humans created by Einzberns. Essentially, these artificial humans were magical instruments with human forms, and their blueprints and prototypes were based on Justeaze.

However, Justeaze did not trust Einzbern lineage. Their violation of the rules during the Third Holy Grail War led to the corruption of the Holy Grail. This was why Justeaze, after manifesting in the material world, deliberately concealed her existence instead of contacting the Einzbern family.

The meeting was just her observation from the shadows, not revealing her presence.

As an invisible spiritual being, Justeaze effortlessly passed through walls, bypassed security checks, and entered the tarmac, which only staff members were allowed to access.

Although F Airport was located in western Japan and served several surrounding cities, its area was not particularly large because of the technological limitations of the '90s. Justeaze found a vantage point with a good view and waited quietly.

According to the information she obtained through suggestive magecraft, Einzbern's chartered plane was supposed to arrive around noon.

This information is accurate and complete. At approximately 1 p.m., a small passenger plane descended from the sky and landed smoothly on the runway, bearing a distinctive Vorale logo on its fuselage.

This logo represented a renowned Italian airline that operated domestic and international routes in Central and Western Europe while also providing charter services for VIPs.

"It should be this one." Combining the information collected by the Matou family in advance, Justeaze locks onto her target.

The speed of the plane on the runway gradually decreased until it reached a complete stop.

A few minutes later, a young woman dressed in pure white emerges from an aircraft. She wore a white fur hat, a white coat, a white knee-length skirt, and her fair silver hair complemented her snow-white skin. She looked like a pure white princess straight out of a fairy tale perfectly suited for the chilly winter season.

The woman, whose appearance was strikingly similar to that of Justeaze, looked up at the gentle afternoon sunlight with a relaxed smile on her face, seemingly saying something.

Behind the woman, a young, petite boy follows closely. In terms of appearance alone, the 'boy' was no less impressive than the woman in front of 'him.' 'His' golden hair was simply styled, and 'he' wore a sleek black suit that exuded a sense of sophistication and gallantry, perfectly complementing the pure white woman who smiled and looked at 'him.'

If the woman was a princess from a fairy tale, then the 'boy' was her knight.

If there were anything discordant, it would be that the 'boy's' suit seemed slightly thin. It would be easy to catch a cold dressing like that in winter. However, Justeaze knew that the boy wouldn't have such concerns because he wasn't human; he was a Servant, a manifestation of a Heroic Spirit in the present world.

Having detached herself from the Holy Grail system, Justeaze, a mere ghost attached to a human, couldn't confirm the Servant's class like she could with the system's support. Fortunately, the vigilance of these two individuals wasn't particularly high. From the movements of the woman's lips, as she turned around to speak to the boy, Justeaze learned the Servant's class—Saber, the highest-rated class among the seven classes. It was the class that most Masters participating in the Holy Grail War desired.

As soon as Justeaze confirmed the Servant's class, she retreated into the airport lounge. She waited until she was certain that her magical presence wouldn't be detected by Saber before initiating communication magecraft.

"Shinji, the Einzbern family has arrived, and Saber is accompanying her."

"What are your thoughts on meeting your sister?" Shinji asked with a smile. As an artificial being created based on Justeaze, she was considered her sibling in human society.

"I have no particular thoughts. I'm just here to confirm if she can utilize the functionality of the 'Lesser Grail,'" Justeaze replied with an emotionless tone.

Shinji sighed in resignation and said, "Well, take your time to confirm and stay safe."

The "sister" walking on the tarmac had an innocent smile, while the "older sister" hiding in the airport lounge seemed indifferent, like two opposite poles.