Bab 129: Chapter 129
"What's wrong? Why the faces?"
Seeing Shinji's clueless expression, Rin clenched her fists so tightly that they cracked, and she almost ground her teeth to pieces!
Before Rin could explode, Bazett dashed forward to do her usual "body check" on Shinji!
"Wait!"
Alert, Shinji stepped back before Bazett could reach him, signaling that now wasn't the time for a body check. Any checkups should wait until they were alone. But Bazett didn't get the hint. Seeing Shinji step back, she quickly stepped forward again, determined to check him right then and there!
At this moment, Rider, although not having received any explicit instructions from Shinji, decided it was time to step in. She immediately blocked Bazett's path, standing protectively in front of Shinji.
Seeing Rider standing protectively, Shinji was puzzled.
"Rider…?"
Bazett frowned, unable to understand Rider's actions. After all, they used to cooperate well during Shinji's check-ups, dividing the work clearly without missing a spot!
"Sorry, Bazett…" Rider spoke softly, feeling a pang of guilt. Simply put, she thought, "You're a good person, but I can't help it. My Master is such a jerk."
"Hmph!" Red Archer, thinking he understood everything, snorted coldly. "There should be a limit to naivety. Haven't you seen through this man yet? To him, you're nothing but a tool, Rider's Master!"
Bazett, pondering for a moment, dismissed Archer's words. She didn't believe such things; in her eyes, the Shinji who saved her was always a good person.
"Enough! Let me!" Rin dashed forward, glaring straight into Shinji's eyes. "Your soul seems incomplete. What did you do?!"
"Mm?"
Shinji was taken aback, then glanced at Illya, understanding that she must have noticed something while assisting him with the Third Magic and shared her findings with the others during his revival.
Seeing the concerned faces of Rin, Shirou, and Bazett, Shinji waved his hand nonchalantly.
"Don't worry. I can just fix it. No big deal."
"Fix?!" Rin laughed in disbelief. "Do you think it's a bill you can just pay off? How can you possibly fix a soul?!"
"Don't lump me in with you," Shinji scoffed, looking disdainful. "I figured out how to complete a homunculus's soul, so my own is no big deal."
"Huh?" Illya picked up on a key point, looking shocked. "You… you figured out even the parts beyond human understanding while studying the Third Magic?!"
"Well, since it's about me, I used Justeaze's body—cough, the Third Magic to study it a bit."
Illya's expression couldn't be described as just surprised; she was terrified. "Did you… did you completely master the Third Magic?!"
Shinji waved it off. "What nonsense. Justeaze's Third Magic is terribly inefficient. No way could I master it with her circuits and an incomplete Third Magic."
Illya sighed in relief, patting her undeveloped chest. "Whew, I thought the Third Magic had been mastered by someone without magic circuits…"
"But given some time, I might recreate the true Third Magic. But I'm not interested in magic or spells, so I won't delve deeper."
Illya, too shocked for words, silently cursed. How could a guy without magic circuits nearly perfect something her family couldn't fully grasp?
Rin, muttering "monster" under her breath, still asked, "So, what's the method to fix your soul?"
"It's simple," Shinji said, looking up at the starry night sky. "Just go outside. The natural, unpolluted mana out there can fix it. It's endless."
(Note: Mana—Considered the basic element of magic in many Oceanic languages, also believed to be a component of the soul.)
"Outside?" Shirou was confused.
Rin, however, immediately understood and objected. "It's not that easy! To reach the Root, the Holy Grail was our best shot! But you destroyed the Grail system's foundation…"
"Just because others can't, doesn't mean I can't," Shinji replied dismissively. "The Root isn't the only thing out there. There's much more. Also, one more thing…"
Shinji smirked, lowering his voice. "Creating the Grail system would be like recreating the Third Magic—just a matter of time. But I'm not interested or in need of it…"
Ignoring the shocked faces, Shinji walked past them, hands in his pockets, heading back the way he came. Rider followed.
Shinji felt a bit regretful. Although he never took that "old man" seriously, he lamented how such potential was wasted.
His adversary's full of bad intentions and overconfidence led to an easy victory for Shinji, who secretly maneuvered for ten years.
A typical web novel setup: a neglected prodigy in a magical family, overshadowed by a sister. With an "old man" mentor, it seemed like a typical underdog story.
But the "old man" didn't follow the script, manipulating Shinji while plotting to steal his body and soul. In the end, Shinji easily turned the tables.
Thinking back, Shinji sighed. He once wanted to declare "Thirty years of East River, thirty years of West River, don't underestimate the youth!" in front of Zouken. But the "old man" never gave him that chance…
After walking a few meters, Shinji thought of something and smirked, whispering to Rider, "Rider, don't tell me you're imagining I'm your real Master?"
Rider froze, her mind racing, realizing she might have misinterpreted everything—thinking Shinji was her true Master, needing her to play double agent, was all wrong!
Seeing her open-mouthed shock, Shinji couldn't help but chuckle softly.
Hearing this, Gilgamesh also burst into laughter, finding the situation amusing.
"Delightful, delightful! Hahahaha…"
Rider, feeling deeply embarrassed, clenched her fists, wanting to pummel Shinji but held back.
"Don't worry, I won't expose you," Shinji teased. "Your reaction alone is a delightful surprise."
Suppressing her anger, Rider followed, plotting silent revenge.
Shinji's tone softened. "Thanks, though. You reminded me that human nature is more complex than I thought. Even your bizarre thoughts caught me off guard. Thanks."
Rider's anger resurfaced, needing to do something. She grabbed Shinji, pulling him close to kiss his neck.
"Stop," Shinji blocked her. "I don't have extra life force to spare for you. I might need to drain you instead."
Rider froze, shocked by the implication.
"Let's go. I'm tired…"
Before finishing, Shinji caught a golden apple thrown his way, puzzled.
"King Gilgamesh rewards a good performance. Your show was the first to truly amuse me!"
PERTIMBANGAN PENCIPTA 
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