Don't Call Me Master, Call Me Director

Shinji clicked his tongue in annoyance.

Gilgamesh, on the other side, had no intention of letting Shinji off the hook. He spoke in a very loud voice, "In the end, how could this King do such a thing?! Murder, kidnapping beautiful women... aren't these the actions of a tyrant?! How could this King possibly do such a thing!"

"Don't you believe me! These are all things you did, you scoundrel!"

Shinji retorted with the same volume.

Gilgamesh scoffed, glanced at the "commoner" he was acting with, and spread his hands. "Moreover, you actually made this King die so miserably. How could this King possibly lose to some country bumpkin?"

King Arthur, the "country bumpkin" who was called out, directly drew her sword and aimed it at Gilgamesh. "King of Heroes, are you preparing to fight me?"

"Hah? King of Knights, do you think I'm afraid of you?" Gilgamesh grinned. "Why don't we have a match right here and see if this King will lose to you!"

"I couldn't ask for more!"

Seeing the two Heroic Spirits on the verge of a fight, the staff members in the film crew, for their own lives, retreated.

The only exception was the cameraman, who aimed his camera at the two Servants, trying to capture as much footage of them as possible.

This was Shinji's request. In Shinji's words, "Who knows if it might be useful in post-production or as a blooper reel, so filming more definitely won't hurt."

However, the two ultimately did not fight because Artoria backed down at Shinji's request.

After all, if those two really started fighting and accidentally damaged the filming equipment, Shinji would go crazy.

"Hmph, besides this arrogance, the King in the script is like shit! Shinji, you idiot Master, you completely failed to capture my divine spirit and essence!"

Gilgamesh stepped on a protruding prop stone and proudly pointed at himself with his thumb.

"You should have found me to write the script yourself, letting me display my heroic bearing and greatness! Let me tell you, no one understands me better than I do!"

"Who do you think you are, Mr. Know-it-all!"

Shinji also abandoned his composure and stood on the director's chair, shouting back at Gilgamesh.

"And you talk about displaying your heroic bearing, but you haven't even figured out your character's role in the script! You're the villain, the villain!"

If Shirou and the others hadn't grabbed Shinji's arms, Shinji would have probably rushed up and started a physical fight with Gilgamesh.

"You wrote me to be so stupid! How dare you say that, Shinji!"

Gilgamesh's face was almost touching Shinji's forehead.

"You're the villain, aren't you? If I don't write you as bad, how can I highlight Artoria's positive image?"

"Then hurry up and change me to a protagonist!"

"If everyone's a protagonist, then who will play the villain!"

"Who cares about that! Let that country bumpkin play the villain."

"Go to hell! This is a rip-off!"

Shinji slammed the directorial megaphone to the ground and cursed in a fit of despair.

Although there was a saying in the film script industry that "every villain is the protagonist of their own story," it was definitely not the case for Gilgamesh.

Gilgamesh poked Shinji's forehead and said loudly, "In the end, the biggest problem is... the class I was summoned into was clearly Caster, so why do I have to play Archer!"

That's right, what Shinji summoned was not the Archer Gilgamesh from the original FSN story, but Gilgamesh·Caster, nicknamed "Wise King Gilgamesh."

It was unclear whether the Archer slot was taken by Red A, or if the Holy Relic Shinji used to summon Gilgamesh was a cuneiform tablet from Uruk, but in any case, the Gilgamesh Shinji summoned was not quite what he had expected.

Because of the mistake in the Caster class, Shinji had to change his plan to summon Medea and directly summoned Assassin·Yan Qing.

Anyway, the Caster Medea's group had almost no screen time in the Fate route, so it wouldn't be a problem for Yan Qing to use the skill [Doppelganger] to impersonate Caster Medea and the gatekeeper.

Actually, at the beginning, Shinji wasn't too resistant to summoning Caster Gilgamesh.

In Shinji's opinion, compared to Archer Gilgamesh, who never listened to anyone, Caster Gilgamesh, the diligent king, should be someone he could communicate with.

However, reality gave Shinji a 360-degree U-turn.

Although this Caster Gilgamesh in front of him could communicate and agreed to appear in Shinji's movie, he was very dissatisfied with his role in the movie.

Not only did he not acknowledge Shinji's villain setting, but he was also very unhappy with Archer Gilgamesh's various reckless actions in the script due to his strength.

In Gilgamesh's own words, how could he, the dignified King of Heroes, be so low, like a nouveau riche from the countryside.

Regarding this, Shinji was too lazy to complain anymore.

Looking at Gilgamesh's performance in the three routes of FSN, it was truly like rowing without oars, with each route being more outrageous than the last.

If it were just dissatisfaction with the script, it would be one thing, but Gilgamesh also rewrote the script from his own perspective, acting recklessly during rehearsals, trying to reverse the ending where he was killed by Artoria.

In Gilgamesh's own words, under these circumstances in the script, he would definitely adopt such an approach.

No one understood him better than he did, the newly crowned "Mr. Know-it-all of Fuyuki City," Prince Gilgamesh, declared.

Ultimately, the only advantage of Shinji summoning Caster Gilgamesh was that he didn't have to worry about the other party stabbing him in the back for the sake of "pleasure" and having Father Mapi betray him.

"Sigh, what a difficult actor."

Shinji sat back down on the director's chair, sulking.

"Damn it, if this guy continues to act on his own whims, I'll just find some middle-aged Korean man to play him!"

"Why a Korean man?" Shirou's mouth twitched. "Wouldn't it be better to find Yan Qing? Then let A... Mr. Archer pretend to be Gilgamesh's Gate of Babylon special effects..."

However, Shinji wasn't listening to Shirou. He was biting his nails, contemplating the pros and cons of replacing Gilgamesh as the actor.

Honestly, Shinji didn't think the role of "Gilgamesh" was difficult to play. As long as the actor could portray Gilgamesh's arrogance, pride, and conceit, the role would be effortless.

After all, besides the fight scenes, this character barely needed to interact with anyone else, making him the least demanding role in the entire movie.

In fact, if Gilgamesh had no psychological burden about acting, this role would be incredibly easy. He would just need to stand in front of the camera, spout threats in the most arrogant tone, and then smash people with weapons from his Gate of Babylon.

It was practically like acting as himself in front of the camera until the Director called cut.

Then, a voice-over in post-production would finish everything.

This character even had very little movement; for most shots, he just stood still like a wooden post.

Of course, the simplicity of the "Gilgamesh" role assumed it was Gilgamesh himself playing the part.

If another actor were cast, the special effects for the Gate of Babylon alone would incur significant additional costs.

Even if Red A used his Projection magic instead, the visual effect would still be slightly inferior to Gilgamesh himself. Not to mention, the magic Red A spent on projection would be far more than Gilgamesh's Gate of Babylon.

From a cost-effectiveness standpoint, Shinji still hoped for Gilgamesh to play the role. Changing actors would be the absolute last resort.

Of course, having Enkidu disguise himself was out of the question.

Gilgamesh didn't care much about his image, so finding someone else to play him wouldn't be a huge issue. However, he was very concerned about fakes.

If Brother Yi were to stand in front of the camera in Gilgamesh's image, he might just use the Gate of Babylon to blow up both the person and the camera.

"As expected, I need to find another way."

Shinji, who had been silent for a long time, seemed to have an idea. He stood up and walked directly to Gilgamesh.

"Hey, King of Heroes."

Shinji called out softly.

"Hah? What nonsense are you spouting, Shinji? I've told you from the start, haven't I? I am not a hero who displays chaotic power, but a wise king who rules the people."

Hearing this, Shinji's eyes lit up. He stared intently at the lazy, blond king before him, estimating that his plan might actually work.

"It seems His Majesty the Wise King also dislikes that arrogant version of yourself."

"Of course, I know my own rashness back then. But! That doesn't give you a reason to write the script like that, Shinji. Forget about it if you're writing about me from that time."

Gilgamesh still looked uninterested.

"What if I separate the immature you from the current you?"

Shinji stroked his chin, a sly smile appearing on his face.

"For example, I could film another movie in the future with the current you as the protagonist, showcasing your wise side..."

Shinji deliberately left his sentence unfinished, leaving room for Gilgamesh to imagine.

"..."

[Hmm... Re-examining my immature self... If I were to differentiate them...]

Upon hearing Shinji's words, the Wise King, who had been indifferent, suddenly began to ponder. The shadow of his somewhat long bangs obscured his face, but the two slightly excited red glints emanating from within the shadow made Master Shinji secretly rejoice.

"And then, I can even summon Enkidu to act opposite you~~"

Hearing this, Gilgamesh frowned slightly. "Enkidu, perhaps not. I have nothing I need to say to Enkidu. It was because of his death that I became the king who ruled Uruk. From the moment I ascended the throne, I lost the freedom to converse with him."

"But you aren't the king now, are you? You could communicate as friends and colleagues..."

"Hmm..."

The golden flash, with stars in his eyes, finally let go of some of his obsession with his Master's script and began to fantasize about acting opposite Enkidu.

[If I can use this opportunity to communicate with Enkidu, shedding the burden of our past identities... that wouldn't be bad either.]

"Sigh~~"

Seeing that Gilgamesh was showing signs of wavering, Shinji also sighed.

Threatening Gilgamesh, who was impervious to both hard and soft tactics, was useless. On the contrary, if Gilgamesh could be given a "desire to obtain something he liked," he would endure it because of that.

What gave Shinji inspiration was the relationship between Gilgamesh and Kirei Kotomine in the original FSN game.

Because Father Mapi was a source of pleasure for Gilgamesh, he was willing to endure a little and follow the other party's instructions and commands for the sake of amusement.

Although it seemed twisted and insane to outsiders, Gilgamesh was just that kind of person.

"Brother, are you really planning to make a movie specifically for this blond foreigner later?"

As Shinji sat back down, Sakura asked softly.

"Of course."

"How long from now?" Sakura asked, confused.

Shinji spread his hands. "Probably after fifteen or sixteen movies."

Who knew when the FGO project would be made into a movie? After all, Shinji's plans included more than just the Fate series.

However, Shinji didn't intend to break his promise. If FSN was a huge success, FGO would eventually be released.

"Ah, right." Shinji tapped his chin and whispered to those around him, "Don't tell that King about this. Otherwise, he'll definitely throw a fit. If anyone leaks it, they'll have to eat Mapo Tofu all day, fed by Kirei Kotomine!"

After Shinji finished speaking with a "kind" smile, everyone's smiling faces, including Sakura, Shirou, Rin, Illya, and Artoria standing nearby, suddenly froze.

[Brother, are you insane?]

[Wait! Wait! Just imagining this is terrifying!]

[We don't deserve this, Shinji!]

[Brother Shinji, what's the difference between you and a terrorist!]

[Master, can I choose to eat Sir Gawain's mashed potatoes?]

Several people fearfully glanced at Shinji, who was sitting in the director's chair. The faint, almost imperceptible smile on his handsome face sent shivers down their spines.

[This demon!]

"Very well, let's continue then."

And so, amidst Gilgamesh's joyous exclamations, the others' quiet curses, and Shinji's triumphant laughter, the assistant director knocked the clapperboard.

"FSN, Scene 143, Act 14, Fifth Rehearsal, Action!"

Chapter 12: Prepare to Welcome a New Era of Film

The winter sun shone on the grounds of Homonculus Academy. The neat and beautiful campus was silent, save for the bustling shouts of students taking a physical education class on the sports field.

In a window seat in a classroom, Sakura Matou unconsciously twirled a pen in her right hand, her left hand propping up her chin. She stared blankly out the glass at the sports field.

The students running laps on the field seemed to hold more appeal than Taiga, who was speaking standard Japanese-English from the podium.

"This is so boring," she muttered to herself. "I wonder how Brother is doing."

It was Monday, and as per Shinji's request, several students from the film crew had to attend school until they could leave after club activities in the afternoon.

Leaving the film crew after a pleasant weekend, Sakura felt like a bird locked in a cage.