Shinji Matou At Your Service

Chapter 9: Command Spell

The crimson-colored mark appeared as if the blood had dried, exuding a peculiar sense of beauty.

Upon closer inspection, one can faintly perceive a flowing texture beneath the vibrant surface, accompanied by a hint of magical power.

The crest pattern was unique. Three equally sized diamond-shaped fragments converged to form a triangular crest, resembling a crystalline snowflake with three petals removed or a fusion of Mercedes and Mitsubishi logos.

The appearance of the crest was accompanied by intense pain, as if directly branded by hot iron or pricked by ten thousand needles, causing Shinji to break out in a cold sweat.

Once the pain subsided slightly, Shinji immediately sought Justeaze.

"This is a Holy Stigma," Justeaze explained.

Shinji was puzzled. "Holy Stigma?"

"When the Holy Grail appears, it gives the magus who become Masters some omens, namely the Holy Stigma, which is the precursor to Command Seals. When a magus successfully summons a Servant and becomes a Master, the Holy Stigma on the Master's body will transform into Command Seals. When I formed a contract with you, I made a minor adjustment. When you officially become a magi, the specially prepared Holy Stigma for you will manifest, and from that moment onwards, you will be able to summon Servants."

Command Seals are part of the subsystem of the "Holy Grail War." It's magical crystallizations that appear on the body and serve as the exclusive marks of a Master.

The reason for such a subsystem is that the power of the Servants is too formidable. Without means of restraint, it is easy for a Servant to act against the orders of their Master or even kill them. The failure of the first Holy Grail War 180 years ago was related to the absence of Command Seals to constrain the Servants.

Command Seals are composed of three strokes and grant the absolute authority to issue commands to Servants. Each stroke represents the right to issue one absolute command, meaning that it can be used a maximum of three times.

Having a Holy Stigma means being chosen by the Holy Grail and obtaining qualification to participate in the Holy Grail War. However, those without a Holy Stigma may also summon a Servant and participate in the Holy Grail War under fortuitous circumstances. Ultimately, both Masters and Servants are selected by the Holy Grail system, and everything done by the outside world only serves to increase the probability but never reaches 100 percent.

It is worth mentioning that only seven slots are available for masters, and they are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Once the slots are filled, even those with Holy Stigmas automatically lose their qualifications to participate in the Holy Grail War.

Justeaze's answer resolved Shinji's initial doubts but also brought him new ones.

"What? Can I summon now? The Holy Grail War is still three months away."

"I told you, this Holy Stigma was specially prepared for you. It's unique," Justeaze emphasized. "Early summoning is a privilege only you possess."

The term "early summoning" reminded Shinji that the Einzbern family, to which Justeaze belonged to the designer and creator of the Holy Grail system, indeed possessed certain privileges. The irregular summoning in the Third Holy Grail War and early summoning in the Fifth Holy Grail War were both due to this privilege.

"Well, are you so sure that I can grow enough to support a Heroic Spirit within nine months?"

"I have no choice but to believe in you," Justeaze replied calmly, looking at Shinji. Although her expression remained icy, an indescribable sense of helplessness and determination could be felt.

"I won't let you down," Shinji responded with a smile.

Whenever Justeaze habitually wore an expressionless face, Shinji responded with a range of vivid expressions, hoping to influence her. Over time, Justeaze's facial expressions became more varied. She has discreetly curved her lips.

"Yes, you haven't disappointed me. You've met the standards of a Master."

"But, I never thought I would personally participate in this war. I am not even sure if Uncle Kariya will be able to participate." Shinji said with a bitter smile. "I didn't prepare a decent catalyst."

In the original timeline, it was indeed Kariya, who represented the Matou family in the Fourth Holy Grail War, but he had implanted Crest Worms into his own body, enduring inhuman pain and sacrificing almost his entire lifespan in exchange for sufficient magical power and the qualification of a master. Going through the training methodically like now, Shinji was unsure if he and Kariya would be recognized by the Holy Grail and obtain the qualifications of a Master.

A catalyst was used to summon a specific servant.

Heroes born throughout history are as numerous as stars in the sky. If one were to summon a Hero randomly without any specific preparations, nobody would know what kind of Servant would be summoned. After all, the Holy Grail War was a battle between Servants and Masters. While it is fortunate to summon a Hero with strong combat abilities, it would be disastrous to summon a Hero that is not suited for combat.

To avoid such situations and to summon a hero that aligns with the master's intentions as much as possible, most masters would prepare appropriate catalysts in advance.

Catalysts come in all sorts of varieties. Some are items that the Hero used during their lifetime, known as "relics," while others are objects related to a particular Hero's legend.

In response to Shinji's concerns, Justeaze waved her hand gently. "Don't worry. A few good items in Zouken's collection can serve as catalysts. Considering your circumstances, I have already selected them for you."

"Oh?" Shinji's eyebrows twitched, and a hint of surprise appeared on his face.

Justeaze's subjectivity wasn't particularly strong, and for most of their time together, Shinji made the decisions while Justeaze merely provided goals or relevant suggestions. It was unexpected that this time, she had decided without consulting Shinji.

Was it due to her dedication to the Holy Grail or had Shinji influenced her unconsciously? Or perhaps both?

Regardless, Shinji shrugged and indicated that he had all ears.

Justeaze spoke, saying, "You have indeed met the minimum standards of a Master. However, this was the bare minimum. Compared to the head of the Tohsaka family, Tokiomi Tohsaka, and the Masters prepared by the Einzbern family, there is a significant gap. Just in terms of magical energy alone, you are several times or even dozens of times inferior to them. Therefore, it would be best if the Servant you summon requires minimal magical energy and preferably can replenish it themselves."

"However, most Servants with the ability to replenish magical energy themselves fall under the 'Caster' class. That wouldn't be a good choice for you, a novice magi. So, the only remaining option is the 'Assassin' class, which consumes the least amount of magical energy."

Upon hearing Justeaze's words, Shinji immediately felt the chills in his heart.

Before summoning a Heroic Spirit, the Holy Grail system in Fuyuki City prepares a vessel with a high level of compatibility with the Heroic Spirit and then summons the Heroic Spirit from the vessel. This type of vessel is known as a class. The basic lineup of the Holy Grail War comprises seven classes: Saber, Archer, Lancer, Rider, Caster, Assassin, and Berserker. Each class has distinctive features.

Note that Heroic Spirits, who have ascended based on their achievements and legends during their lifetime, do not have a specific class. They possess only class compatibility. Heroic Spirits that meet the criteria of a particular class can manifest in that class, while those who do not cannot.

The standards for different classes varied. Some are relatively strict, whereas others are more lenient. Assassin was the most unique of the seven.

The term "Assassin" originates from Assassins, a sect within Islam, and is considered a heretical group. This term serves as the catalyst. Under normal circumstances, this class can only summon the leader of this heretical sect, the 19th generation "Hassan-i Sabbah."

Based on Shinji's understanding, the 18th generation among the 19 Hassans had weak direct combat abilities and relied mainly on covert mobility and intelligence-gathering skills, which aligns with the translation of the class name, "Assassin." In another Holy Grail War, they might have had the chance to fight. However, the upcoming Fourth Holy Grail War was filled with formidable opponents, and both Masters and Servants were not easy to assassinate. Considering these two, Shinji does not have much confidence unless he summons the First Hassan.

Thinking about this, Shinji could not help, but laugh.

The Heroic Spirit, the most prestigious in the Fate series so far, at the pinnacle of the Assassin class, the unparalleled master of assassination with supreme skills, one of the seven strongest guardians in the world—how could he possibly summon him?

Even if he succeeded in summoning him, he would not be able to withstand immense magical energy consumption.

PS: The First Hassan, also known as King Hassan, has the highest prestige among Heroic Spirits to date. He achieved feats like beheading Ozymandias, who had the best defense in the Golden Trio, and severed the wings of Tiamat in the Temple of Gods. He even imposed death on Tiamat, who has no concept of death. His motto is, "No one knows when I have infiltrated, because everyone who sees me dies."

PS2: King Hassan: "Among the 18 generations, you are the weakest Hassans I have trained."

PS3: Although King Hassan holds the highest position, this does not mean that he cannot be summoned with a regular magi foundation. Summoning him has certain conditions, but they have not yet been clarified.

PS4: Shirou did not have Command Seals appearing beforehand but still summoned Saber, and he obtained Command Seals after forming a contract. The same applies to Ritsuka Fujimaru, who accidentally activated the summoning ritual and unlocked his magic circuits before summoning a servant.