The Beginning, Plans, and Choices

The morning sun streamed through the gaps in the curtains, illuminating the room.

Shiki woke from his sleep, his eyes still heavy, and walked out of his room. The first thing he saw was Kariya, busy packing his luggage.

He couldn't help but be surprised and asked, "You're leaving today? So soon?"

Kariya struggled to push the suitcase, with Sakura following behind him. The little girl saw Shiki and politely nodded.

He said with a wry smile, "Since I've decided to withdraw from the Holy Grail War, I need to do it cleanly. This city holds too many painful memories for me. To be honest, if it weren't absolutely necessary, I wouldn't want to come back in my lifetime."

Although Fuyuki City had its share of happy memories, and Kariya had some lingering attachment to them, after experiencing life-and-death trials, he had let go of many things.

"Oh, right, Shiki. I've prepared some materials in the study. You must read them carefully. Although that old man Zouken Matou is detestable, his ability to gather information is truly formidable. It contains information on most of the Masters in this Holy Grail War, which will be of great help to you."

Kariya lectured like a worried parent, "Also, regarding the Matou family's familiars, if you want to use them, you need to be extra careful. Once the old man dies, some familiars will become useless and need to be remade."

He rambled on for quite a while before finishing all the important matters he wanted to convey.

Finally, he said earnestly, "Shiki, listen to me. If you ever find yourself in real danger, don't take risks. Don't forget you have family. Staying alive is the greatest comfort to your family."

After speaking, Kariya took Sakura and left.

At the last moment, Sakura turned her head and took a serious look at Shiki.

It was this brother who had saved her and her uncle. Even though Sakura's heart had been closed off for a long time, she could feel Uncle Kariya's gratitude towards this brother.

"Goodbye!" Sakura said softly.

As soon as Kariya left, Lancelot appeared beside Shiki without a sound.

"Master, is it really okay to just let Kariya leave like that? Don't forget, he participated in the Holy Grail War and knows quite a bit about you. What if he's captured by the enemy..."

"Heh, Mr. Lancelot, you're overthinking it."

Shiki waved his hand dismissively. He never worried about enemies knowing about him. In his opinion, even if information was leaked, what information could he possibly have? Before his awakening, he was just an ordinary person.

When it came down to a real fight, it would ultimately come down to strength. He was full of confidence in his own abilities.

"Besides, Kariya isn't stupid. How could he be easily caught by the enemy?"

The Matou family had deep roots and considerable influence in Fuyuki City.

If the enemy discovered that Kariya no longer had Command Spells or a Servant, they generally wouldn't pursue him relentlessly, unless the opponent was the "Magus Killer" Kiritsugu Emiya, or that reckless Church Executor.

Thinking about it this way, Kariya did seem to be in a bit of danger.

"Mr. Lancelot, follow him and protect Kariya as he leaves the city."

Shiki made a decision immediately.

"Then what about your safety, Master?"

"It's fine. There's no precedent for Servants fighting during the day. Moreover, the other Masters are probably all troubled by the Caster situation."

Shiki wasn't worried about this.

He had noticed the notice issued by the Church. It was yesterday morning, when he was still unconscious in the abandoned bar.

This Caster had been acting madly, abducting children and causing widespread panic.

The Church had no choice but to issue a kill order for Caster and their Master, while also prohibiting Servants from fighting each other.

However, everyone knew that this rule wouldn't actually be followed.

The Church promised that Masters who contributed to the operation to eliminate Caster would receive a precious Command Spell as a reward.

Because of this temptation, many people had already started taking action.

If Shiki didn't cause a major disturbance, no one would notice him.

"Then Master, you must be careful. I'll go protect Kariya first. If necessary, please don't hesitate to summon me with a Command Spell," Lancelot reminded him again before leaving.

"Don't worry, Mr. Lancelot. I will definitely cherish my life."

To Shiki, Command Spells were less a tool for absolute command over a Servant and more a powerful source of mana, allowing him to unleash greater strength.

The relationship between him and Lancelot was not that of an ordinary Master and Servant; they were partners who had exchanged vows, comrades fighting side-by-side.

Taking advantage of this time, Shiki began to gather intelligence.

He combined the information Kariya had left with the memories he had, and started to formulate a plan.

He pulled out photos and documents, pinning them to the desk.

"Saber, King Arthur, and her Master, Kiritsugu Emiya. These two are too famous; it would be a lie to say I don't remember them. Lancer's... the Minotaur, Brush Guy? His Master, Kaineth El-Melloi, Director Ken? Hiss, I remember his final fate was quite tragic."

The information was very detailed, not only including Kiritsugu's title as "Magus Killer" and Kaineth's position as a lecturer at the Magus Association, but also recording their Magic Dress Gear and trump cards.

"Kiritsugu uses modern weaponry and is known as a heretical Magus. Oh wow, Director Ken's Moon Cell Liquid is also recorded. Zouken Matou, that old monster, is truly formidable."

In addition to these two well-known figures, the information also included Kirei Kotomine, the "joyful monster" from Shiki's memory, who had become quite famous.

He was a Church Executor, very strong in combat, proficient in Baji Quan, and capable of snapping a large tree at close range even while restrained.

There was also the Master of a similar age to Shiki, only 19-year-old Waver, and his Servant, Alexander the Great, who descended in the Rider class.

The information did not include details about Tokiomi Tohsaka, the head of the Tohsaka family in the neighboring mansion. Shiki didn't pay much attention to it, assuming Kariya had taken it and misplaced it somewhere.

"Haha, that guy Kariya, it seems he truly hated Tokiomi..."

Shiki chuckled, then re-organized all the photos and data. Based on his plan, he considered who his true first opponent should be.

Given his current condition and combat strength, Shiki felt the most pressing need was to secure a substantial source of mana.

He had previously been full of confidence, intending to use the Greater Grail to open his Magic Circuits. He thought he was so powerful, so amazing, so special, that he'd gain a large number of Magic Circuits. In the end, however, he only managed to open seven, which left him somewhat frustrated.

Although seven Magic Circuits were enough, he had heard that in another world, there was an "Ai Aotian" who was born with only one Magic Circuit. He had six times more than that person.

But unlike that special "Ai Aotian," Shiki had just opened his Magic Circuits and hadn't trained them yet. The speed at which his mana was generated always felt insufficient, so he needed to find an additional source.

He set his sights on the priest old man from the Church. Since the other party dared to promise rewards to anyone who defeated Caster, they must have quite a few Command Spells.

"And then I'll go find Lancer and take care of him..."

Shiki arranged a series of plans based on factors like possibility, difficulty of execution, and success rate. The more he thought about it, the more he felt he could achieve ultimate victory in this Holy Grail War.

"Heh, opponents, I'm going to make a strong, disruptive entrance into this ritual."