Get Ready to Welcome the New Era of Cinema

Shinji clicked his tongue in annoyance.

Gilgamesh across from him had no intention of letting him off the hook. He raised his voice and said, "In the first place, how could I possibly do such a thing?! Murdering people, abducting beautiful women... Aren't those things only tyrants do? How could I possibly do something like that?!"

"Don't try to deny it! That's exactly what you did, you bastard!"

Shinji shot back at the same volume.

Gilgamesh clicked his tongue and glanced at the "commoner girl" playing opposite him. Spreading his hands, he said, "And you even made me die in such an undignified way. How could I possibly lose to some village girl?"

The "village girl" in question, King Arthur, pointed her sword straight at Gilgamesh. "Hero King, are you planning to fight me?"

"Hah? You think I'd be afraid of you, King of Knights?" Gilgamesh grinned. "Why don't we settle this right here and see whether I'd really lose to you!"

"I'd be delighted!"

Seeing the two Heroic Spirits looking ready to fight, the crew members all backed away for the sake of their own lives.

The only exception was the cameraman, who pointed his camera at the two Servants and filmed as much of them as he could.

That was Shinji's idea. As Second Master had put it, "We might be able to use it later or put it in the behind-the-scenes footage, so there's no harm in shooting extra."

In the end, though, the two didn't fight. Artoria backed down at Shinji's request.

After all, if those two really fought and accidentally damaged the filming equipment, Second Master would lose his mind.

"Hmph! Apart from the arrogance, the me in this script is complete shit! Shinji, you idiot Master, you haven't captured my spirit or my true nature at all!"

Gilgamesh planted one foot on a raised prop rock and proudly pointed his thumb at himself.

"You should have come straight to me to write the script! Then I could show off my own magnificence and grandeur! I'm telling you, no one understands me better than I do!"

"Where did you crawl out from, you know-it-all?"

Shinji threw aside his dignity too, climbed onto the director's chair, and started arguing with Gilgamesh.

"And you're talking about showing off your magnificence? You haven't even figured out your role in the script, have you? You're the villain! The villain!"

If Shirou and the others hadn't grabbed Shinji by the arms, Second Master might have charged in and started a full-on brawl with Gilgamesh.

"You're the one who made me look so stupid! How dare you say that, Shinji!"

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

"You're the villain! If I don't make you look bad, how am I supposed to make Artoria look good?"

"Then hurry up and make me a hero!"

"If everyone's a hero, who's going to play the villain?!"

"Who cares?! Let that village girl play the villain!"

"Go to hell! What the hell is this?!"

Shinji flung the director's megaphone to the ground and swore, ready to give up on the whole thing.

There was a saying in the film industry that every villain was the hero of his own story, but Gilgamesh wasn't that kind of case at all.

Gilgamesh jabbed a finger at Shinji's forehead and shouted, "In the end, the biggest problem is... why am I playing Archer when I was summoned in the Caster class?!"

That was right. The Gilgamesh Shinji had summoned wasn't the Archer Gilgamesh from the original FSN story, but Gilgamesh Caster, better known as Wise King Gilgamesh.

Whether the Archer slot had already been taken by Red A or Shinji had summoned Gilgamesh because his catalyst was a clay tablet inscribed with Uruk cuneiform, the Gilgamesh he'd summoned wasn't quite the one he'd expected.

Since the Caster class was already taken, Shinji had to change his plan to summon Medea and summon Assassin Yan Qing instead.

The Caster Medea group barely appeared in the Fate Route anyway, so there shouldn't be any problem with Yan Qing using his [Doppelganger] skill to impersonate Caster Medea and the gatekeeper.

Actually, Shinji hadn't been all that opposed to summoning Caster Gilgamesh at first.

In Shinji's view, unlike Archer Gilgamesh, who wouldn't listen to anyone, this hard-working king should be the sort he could reason with.

Reality, however, had hit Shinji with a full 360-degree spinning clothesline.

Although Caster Gilgamesh was willing to talk and had agreed to act in Shinji's movie, he was extremely unhappy with his role.

Not only did he refuse to accept the villainous characterization Shinji had given him, but he was also very unhappy with all the scenes in the script where Archer Gilgamesh abused his strength and recklessly ran wild.

In Gilgamesh's own words, how could the dignified Hero King possibly be so low-class, like some country bumpkin who'd suddenly come into money?

Shinji couldn't even be bothered to complain about that anymore.

Looking at Gilgamesh's performance across the three FSN routes, he really did get wilder with every route.

If he'd only complained about the script, that would have been one thing. But Gilgamesh kept rewriting it from his own perspective and going off-script during rehearsals, trying to change the ending where Artoria cut him down.

According to Gilgamesh, in the situation depicted in the script, that was exactly what he would have done.

No one understood him better than he did, declared His Highness Gilgamesh, Fuyuki City's newly crowned know-it-all.

In the end, the only advantage to summoning Caster Gilgamesh was that Shinji didn't have to worry about him asking Father Mapi to stab him in the back for the sake of "pleasure."

"Ugh, what a difficult actor."

Shinji sat back down in the director's chair, brooding.

"Damn it, if this guy keeps doing whatever he wants, I might as well find some middle-aged Korean guy to play him!"

"Why a Korean?" Shirou's mouth twitched. "Wouldn't Yan Qing be better? Then we could get A... Mr. Archer to impersonate Gilgamesh and use the Gate of Babylon for the special effects..."

Shinji wasn't listening to Shirou. He gnawed on his fingernail, weighing the pros and cons of replacing Gilgamesh as an actor.

To be honest, Shinji didn't think the role of "Gilgamesh" was hard to play. As long as the actor could portray Gilgamesh's arrogance, pride, and conceit, there was nothing difficult about it.

After all, aside from the fight scenes, the character barely had to interact with anyone else. He was the easiest role in the whole movie to perform.

Actually, if Caster Gilgamesh didn't feel burdened by the performance, the role would be a piece of cake. All he had to do was stand in front of the camera, threaten people in the most arrogant tone he could manage, and then hit them with weapons from his Gate of Babylon.

The role was practically just playing himself in front of the camera until the director called cut.

Then they could add the voice-over in post-production, and it would all be done.

The role barely required any blocking either. In most of the shots, he just stood there like a wooden post.

Of course, the main reason the role of "Gilgamesh" was so easy was that Gilgamesh himself was playing it.

With another actor, the special effects for the Gate of Babylon alone would add a huge sum to the budget.

Even if Red A used Projection Magecraft instead, the visual effect would still be a little worse than having Gilgamesh do it himself. And Red A would use far more magical energy to project the weapons than Gilgamesh would to use his Gate of Babylon.

For the best value for money, Shinji still hoped Gilgamesh would play the role. Replacing him would definitely be the last resort.

Of course, having Yan Qing transform into him was out of the question.

Gilgamesh didn't care much about his own image, so he wouldn't mind someone else playing him. But he cared a lot about fakes.

If Little Yi Ge actually stood in front of the camera looking like Gilgamesh, he'd probably blow him and the camera to smithereens with the Gate of Babylon.

"Looks like I'll have to try a different approach."

After sitting in silence for a while, Shinji seemed to have thought of something. He stood up and walked over to Gilgamesh.

"Hey, Hero King."

Shinji called to him softly.

"Hah? What nonsense are you talking about, Shinji? I've said it from the start: I am not a hero who embodies the power of rampage, but a wise king who rules over his people."

Hearing that, Shinji's eyes lit up. He stared at the languid golden-haired king before him, thinking his plan might actually work.

"So His Majesty the Wise King doesn't like that arrogant version of himself either, huh?"

"Of course I know how reckless I was back then. But that still doesn't give you the right to write the script like this, Shinji. Don't even try to claim that you wrote your script to portray the me from back then."

Gilgamesh still looked utterly uninterested.

"What if I separated your immature self from the person you are now?"

Shinji rubbed his chin, a mischievous smile spreading across his face.

"For example, I could make another movie later, starring the you of today, and show off your wise side..."

Shinji deliberately left the sentence unfinished, giving Gilgamesh room to imagine the rest.

"..."

Hmm... Taking another look at my immature self... If I treated that version as someone separate from me...

After hearing Shinji's words, the previously uninterested Wise King fell into thought. His long bangs cast a shadow over his face, but the two faintly excited red gleams shining from beneath them made Second Master begin to gloat inwardly.

"By then, I can summon Enkidu to play opposite you, too~~"

Gilgamesh frowned slightly at that. "Enkidu? Better not. I have nothing I need to say to Enkidu. Because he died, I became the king who ruled Uruk. But from the moment I took the throne, I lost the freedom to speak with him."

"But you're not a king now, either. You could talk with each other as friends and colleagues..."

"Hmm..."

The golden Gilgamesh's eyes lit up as he finally let go of some of his fixation on his Master's script and began imagining his scenes with Enkidu.

If I could use this chance to set aside the burdens of our past and talk with Enkidu... that might be nice.

"Phew..."

Seeing Gilgamesh start to soften, Shinji let out a sigh too.

There was no point threatening someone like Gilgamesh, who wouldn't bend no matter whether you used force or reason. On the other hand, if Shinji offered him something he wanted, Gilgamesh might be willing to put up with a little more.

What had given Shinji the idea was the relationship between Golden Flash and Kirei Kotomine in the original FSN game.

Father Mapi was a source of pleasure for Gilgamesh, so Gilgamesh was even willing to put up with a little inconvenience and follow his orders for the sake of enjoyment.

To outsiders, Gilgamesh's way of thinking seemed twisted and downright sick, but that was just the way he was.

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

When Shinji sat back down, Sakura asked in a small voice.

"Of course."

"How much later?" Sakura asked, confused.

Shinji spread his hands. "Maybe fifteen or sixteen movies from now."

Who knew when they'd finally get around to adapting the FGO project into a movie? Shinji's plans included much more than just the Fate series.

Still, Shinji had no intention of going back on his word. If FSN became a huge success, FGO would be released sooner or later.

"Oh, right." Shinji tapped his chin and spoke quietly to everyone nearby. "Don't tell that king about this, or he'll definitely make a scene. If anyone lets it slip, they'll have to eat Mapo Tofu served by Kirei Kotomine for an entire day!"

After Shinji finished speaking with a "kind" smile, the smiling faces of everyone around him—including Sakura, Shirou, Rin, Illya, and Artoria—instantly froze.

Brother, have you lost your mind?

Wait! Wait! Just imagining it is terrifying!

That's going too far, Shinji!

Shinji, how are you any different from a terrorist?!

Master, can I have Sir Gawain's mashed potatoes instead?

The group stole a fearful sidelong glance at Shinji, who was sitting in the director's chair. The faint smile on his handsome face made their hearts tremble.

This demon!

"Great, let's keep going."

And so, amid Gilgamesh's daydreaming, the others' quiet curses, and Shinji's smug laughter, the assistant director clapped the slate.

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

Chapter 12: Get Ready to Welcome the New Era of Cinema

The winter sun shone over the grounds of Homonculus Academy. The neat and beautiful campus was silent, broken only by the noisy shouts of the students having PE on the sports field.

At a window seat in one of the classrooms, Matou Sakura absently twirled a pen in her right hand. Resting her chin in her left, she stared blankly at the sports field through the glass.

The students running laps around the field seemed more interesting than Taiga at the front of the classroom, speaking textbook Japanese-accented English.

"This is so boring," she muttered to herself. "I wonder how things are going with Brother."

It was Monday. At Shinji's insistence, the student members of the film crew had to attend school and couldn't leave until club activities in the afternoon.

After leaving the crew behind and their enjoyable weekend, Matou Sakura felt like a bird locked in a cage.