Mr. EMIYA, Chief Designer of Type-Moon Toys

"..."

Shinji glanced at the bright lights behind Artoria and found them a bit dazzling. He shifted his position slightly to avoid the direct light.

"So, Artoria, what are you really thinking? Why did you do this?"

Like Alter, Artoria also declined Shinji's invitation to audition for the role of Gray in Lord Jared II's Case Files.

Unlike Alter's reason, Artoria's reason for refusing was that she wanted to audition for another movie.

"Artoria, I've already spoken to them over there; you've been eliminated."

Before Artoria could give her reasons, Shinji preemptively stated his conclusion.

"Why?"

Artoria stomped her feet on the ground, seemingly dissatisfied with Shinji's domineering manner.

Honestly, Shinji never considered himself a petty person, nor would he get angry if his Servant wanted to join someone else's crew.

If a suitable role were available, Shinji would be more than happy for the Servants to act in other people's productions.

I only get a few projects a year at most. If I don't let the Servants take on other people's work, they'll probably just sit at home and get moldy.

Only...

Shinji shook his head and said, "You're not suitable for this role."

Is it really not suitable?

Artoria retorted unwillingly, "I am the Queen of Britain, and I believe this is my advantage."

Shinji's lips twitched twice, then he said helplessly, "That's exactly what makes it more problematic, okay? You're playing the Queen of Britain!"

Artoria wanted to join a production called "The Queen," and the role she wanted to play was none other than Queen Elizabeth II, the lifelong adversary of Prince Britain, who had been the Crown Prince for 70 years.

To be honest, Shinji had no idea what Artoria was thinking when she decided to audition for a movie like this.

If "The Queen" were simply telling the story of that old lady in her youth, that would be one thing. The problem is that the film depicts the public relations crisis of the Britain royal family after Princess Diana's death in 1997.

Although she was indeed very young in 1997 compared to the old lady Shinji knew and was familiar with, it was still a role that Artoria, the eternally 16-year-old girl, could not handle.

That's why Shinji thought that Artoria must have gotten so carried away with her food that she ate her own brain while she was having a good time.

"Artoria, that joke you made isn't funny at all."

Shinji swirled his wine glass, a hint of helplessness on his face.

Artoria looked at Shinji and said, "I'm serious."

"I'm serious," Shinji scoffed. "What makes you, a young girl, think you can play an old lady?"

Artoria twirled her hair in her hand and said nonchalantly, "That's not a problem."

Shinji could only let out a cold laugh.

Artoria is right. With a little Magecraft trickery, she can be made to look like an old woman, without even needing to modify her Spirit Origin.

The question is, can Artoria convincingly portray an elderly noblewoman?

"Artoria, what's your reason for wanting to play that role?"

Seeing that he couldn't persuade her, Shinji decided to start by investigating Artoria's motives.

"I think this character is very charming," Artoria replied. "She has the potential to gain recognition from others."

Shinji narrowed his eyes.

Although Artoria used the word "others," Shinji immediately guessed that it referred to a specific group.

"Artoria, are you aiming for a Best Actress?"

Artoria looked at Shinji with bright eyes and replied, "As expected of Master, you guessed it right away. I'd like to try a different career path, Master, could you give me some advice?"

Perhaps fearing Shinji would directly contradict her, Artoria quickly added, "Cú Chulainn has already won an acting award, so I think as a representative of the Servants, I should also win one, right?"

"You... don't be so competitive about things like this."

Shinji rubbed his temples, his face full of bitterness, and said, "Didn't I tell you this when I was training you? Acting in art films has neither a future nor a financial future."

Ultimately, for those female celebrities, winning awards is just a form of packaging, giving them another reason to negotiate higher pay with film companies.

At this point, Shinji looked up and said sincerely, "Artoria, you don't need to compete for Best Actress at all. You can get the resources that those actresses dream of. There's absolutely no need for you to compete for that so-called Best Actress title."

Artoria clearly had a completely different opinion on Shinji's explanation.

"Master, your statement only considers those actresses personally, right? The Best Actor award represents external recognition of an actor's Acting Skills, and its benefits extend far beyond just the actor himself. Otherwise, you wouldn't have been advocating for Cú Chulainn to win the award, would you?"

Shinji didn't answer directly, but looked at Artoria with a thoughtful expression on his face.

Seeing Shinji thought, Artoria smiled faintly, "Master, you should understand that I'm not interested in my financial future. I'd rather prove my achievements as an actor to everyone."

"..."

Shinji realized that he really couldn't argue with Artoria.

It wasn't that Shinji couldn't find an excuse, but rather that he realized Artoria had already made up her mind, and no amount of talk could change her opinion.

[Is this what Pendragon's family's paranoia is all about?]

Shinji made his judgment in his mind.

"Artoria, can you tell me why you wanted to play the Queen? Is it just because you are both Queens of Britain?"

Artoria replied directly, "No, it's just that after reading through the materials, I had a feeling that this role would be very well-acted."

Shinji gasped in amazement. "Is this the power of [Instinct: A]?"

In his memory, in 2007, the film "The Queen" dominated various film awards thanks to its subject matter of Britain royal gossip. In particular, Helen Mirren, who played the Queen, won several Best Actress Best Actress, including the Venice Film Festival and the Academy Awards.

Shinji had to admire Artoria's "Instinct"—it was damn accurate, except she hadn't considered whether it suited her personally.

As mentioned before, the problem isn't how to dress Artoria up as an old lady, but whether she can convincingly portray the feeling of an elderly person Artoria the outfit is done.

Based on Shinji's understanding of Artoria's Acting Skills...

It looks unlikely.

Shinji bluntly stated, "It has nothing to do with anything else, you are really not suitable for this role, and I don't recommend you audition."

"I didn't even audition, how do you know I'm not suitable?"

Artoria was clearly not going to give up. "I think this will be a great learning experience, and my Acting Skills will improve significantly."

"There's no chance of meeting the standards even with further improvements; the Director of that production crew won't be as easy to talk to as I am."

Shinji sighed and said, "How about this, I'll try to get you a few art-house film projects."

Artoria's eyes immediately lit up.

Shinji added, "Go find Lizzie for now and have her show you more behind-the-scenes footage of those art films."

"Master, are you going to outsource me to the Jidai Group?"

"They're professionals; at least when it comes to winning awards, they have more experience than us at Type-Moon."

Shinji, disregarding Artoria's agreement, stated directly, "If you really want to hone your Acting Skills, then you must be prepared to endure hardship."

Artoria blinked her emerald eyes and said, "As long as Master agrees, I personally have absolutely no objections."

"That would be best!"

Shinji admonished him.

He wouldn't underestimate the willpower Artoria had gained from battlefield combat, but acting really does require talent, and if she couldn't improve it for a long time, Artoria's mentality might collapse.

"You need to be prepared for a long run! It's very possible that you'll just be working for nothing after several years."

Upon hearing Shinji's words, Artoria's golden bangs fell down, obscuring her eyes.

After a few seconds of silence, she cautiously probed, "Master, if I don't make a name for myself, you won't send me back to Hall of Heroes, will you?"

This remark nearly made Shinji's nose twitch with anger, and he couldn't help but raise a hand and point at her.

Artoria tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and asked with a half-smile, "Master, will you abandon me?"

Yes! I'll make sure you can't eat anything!

Shinji replied retaliatoryly.

"Master, you can give it a try."

Artoria suddenly laughed, leaned closer, and whispered in Shinji's ear, "I think you're all bark and no bite, Master. Every time I ask you for something, you just say no, but you're really telling the truth."

"Artoria!"

Shinji glared at her, too lazy to continue the conversation, and got up to walk towards the others.

Artoria looked at Shinji and muttered in a very low voice, "Master, you're not such a playboy after all~ Why aren't you trying to make things work out for me at a time like this... So, did I not convincingly portray a girl who's interested in you?"

Thankfully Shinji didn't hear Artoria's mutterings. Otherwise, if he knew that the King of Knights was using the matter of persuading him as an Acting Skills exercise, he would have forced her to eat 30 bowls of Mapo Tofu with Command Spell.

◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆

The auditions for "The Second Prince's Case Files" haven't even started yet, Shinji's two Artoria have already been eliminated.

Therefore, Shinji could only choose one of the two remaining Artoria species on his side— Joan of Arc and Mordred— to play Gray.

Shinji decided to let the two of them get to know Gray's character first, and then audition to see how it goes.

Therefore, Shinji had to arrange a separate audition for the two of them.

Before that, Shinji had already decided on several supporting roles.

After reviewing the auditions, Shinji decided that Touko could play herself in the movie, while the Kiritsugu Flowers would be played by the little girl Akiha.

Although Akiha's current age differs somewhat from the age set in the flower's character profile, it's not a big problem; a little makeup can solve it.

Anyway, given the flower's status as a Tool Person, it wouldn't be a problem if she were replaced by a talking Familiars. The reason why Kokutou Goku has a sister is probably simply because Nasu has a particular fondness for giving the protagonist a sister who isn't actually a sister.

Looking at it this way, Akiha the little loli is actually quite suited to her profession.

Regarding the most important male and female leads, after Shirou passed the first round of auditions, Shinji decided to cast him as the actor for Kokutou Goku after no longer considering other candidates.

Actually, earlier on, Shinji almost decided to play the Kiritou Kaguya himself.

If Shinji hadn't felt his Acting Skills was inadequate and that his personality was too different from Kiritou Kaguya's...

Shinji might actually direct, write, and Ryougi Shiki in a scene where he and Ryougi Shiki are a couple on camera.

Fortunately Shinji held back; otherwise, who knows what Chloe would have thought of him.

When Ryougi Shiki first entered Type-Moon, she acted as if she didn't get along with them.

However, it's understandable. After all, Shiki was acting on her father's orders and was after Shinji's body. It would be strange if Chloe liked Shiki.

Even though Shinji was only Director "Kara no Kyoukai" this time, Chloe reminded him several times.

"Little Er'er, when you're out in the world Director, you need to learn to protect yourself. Don't let the leading lady ruin your reputation."

Shinji didn't want to say anything to this, and tossed a life-sized body pillow to Miss Lizzie.

Chapter 311 Mr. A, Chief Designer of Type-Moon Toys

Shinji doesn't care about the fate of his life-size body pillow.

Whether Miss Lizzie hangs it up as a punching bag, throws it on the bed as a venting tool, or even uses it as material for curses, Shinji can accept it all.

Preparing for <Painful Remnants> alone has already consumed a great deal of his time and energy; just reviewing the costume designs for a few characters has taken Shinji a considerable amount of time.

Unlike the other Fate movies, Shinji personally handled most of the art design for Kara no Kyoukai.

After all, characters like Ryougi Shiki and Asagami Fujino don't have built-in skins like Servants.

Servant are the Heroic Spirit of heroes enshrined in Hall of Heroes by humans. Their images are based on their historical or legendary appearances, plus the additions made by humans' subconscious imaginations.

Therefore, the Servant's battle appearance can be used directly after summoning, with only minor modifications needed for camera design.

But the character designs for Kara no Kyoukai are different this time. Because there are no direct references, Shinji had to design them from scratch.

Even though he had already decided that Shiki's look would be a red jacket and a blue kimono, the specific details, such as the color codes, the style of the clothes, the fabric patterns, and whether the clothes needed special coatings to increase their contrast in front of the camera, all required constant adjustments.

Unlike Shinji's previous Pegasus Fate films, the story of <Kara no Kyoukai> will lean towards realism, and Shinji does not intend to use any overly exaggerated Magecraft.

If the success of the Fate movies lies in their mainstream and flashy special effects, then Shinji wanted the Kara no Kyoukai series to appear more realistic and understated.

This stylistic difference is somewhat similar to the stylistic differences between Marvel's Iron Man and Nolan's Batman.