บท 26: C26
A scapegoat. Shirou understood that in order to conceal his identity as a Master, he needed a substitute Master or scapegoat to serve as a decoy so he can disguise himself as Caster. This will solve one of his problems, but...
Despite this realization, deep down he still desired to have another scapegoat take his place as a Servant, yet he knew there was no way to make it happen.
The distinctive aura of Servants is easily recognizable, it's the same with his unique aura brought by his Saint Graph. But this is only when he was activating it. This is why Matou Zouken initially failed to see through him as a Servant, underestimating him and ultimately resulting in defeat.
However, when considering someone to act as a substitute, Shiro couldn't bring himself to use an innocent person as a sacrifice. After much contemplation, he could only choose someone who is extremely nefarious. Thus, the only viable option was Uryuu Ryuunosuke who still roams free as a murderer.
Trying to enter the deadly whirlwind of the Holy Grail War and then attempting to escape from it? Impossible! Ryuunosuke is simply elusive and difficult to capture.
The only thing for certain is that this individual is still in Fuyuki City. However, it is of little concern as he is no match for Shirou. Even someone like Ryuunosuke, who managed to evade justice in the technologically limited 1990s, would not be able to evade capture in today's world of nationwide surveillance cameras, instant internet access, and DNA tracking technology.
It is sufficient to demonstrate to him the true meaning of justice in a harmonious society. And with his mastery of magecraft, Shirou now possesses the ability to match the technological advancements of 2019.
There is a basic form of magecraft known as "Search," which uses a strand of hair from the targeted individual to locate their whereabouts. Even though Shirou may not be aware of this particular magecraft, it is ingrained in the spiritual foundation of Emiya. The range of the search is determined by the amount of magical energy used in the magecraft.
Shirou's magical attribute is at a level of C, which is sufficient to use the "Search" magecraft to locate Ryuunosuke within Fuyuki City. However, this magecraft is only effective against ordinary individuals as a true magus has many ways to counter it. Fortunately, as Ryuunosuke has not yet summoned his servant, he remains an ordinary person and thus, can be easily found by Shirou using this magecraft.
With a well-constructed plan in place, Shirou visited the police station at dawn and used "Suggestion" to obtain a strand of hair found at the scene of Ryuunosuke's kidnapping. Utilizing this strand of hair, he spent three hours tracking down Ryuunosuke, who was hiding in a small, dilapidated house in Shinto and on the brink of starvation.
Upon seeing Shirou, Ryuunosuke was perplexed. Shirou then employed a powerful form of "Suggestion" to hypnotize him into believing that he was a Master. Shirou brought him to a relatively secluded tattoo shop in Shinto. Using "Suggestion" again to influence the tattoo artist, the artist followed Shirou's instructions and tattooed command seals onto Ryuunosuke's right hand.
Shirou had previously considered using tattoos to conceal the seals, but it was not feasible with his parent around, as "Suggestion" can be easily undone when there is a lack of consistency between the brain's cognition and reality. Furthermore, as a mother, Mrs. Fujimaru would not have been pleased to see her son getting tattooed.
The idea did not come to him later when he was trying to escape Fuyuki City. At this point, these elaborate actions are no longer necessary, as it would be more advantageous to create a Master and have them sacrifice themselves instead.
Ultimately, the tattoo artist makes a living with their skills and the tattoo on Ryuunosuke's hand looks very realistic and like a true Command Seals just by looking at it. After the tattoo was completed, Shirou used "Suggestion" again to make the artist forget about this incident. He also did not pay him, not because he wanted to avoid paying, but because doing so would create an inconsistency with reality and could cause the artist to have doubts, which might break the "Suggestion" and increase the chance of this matter being exposed.
Despite the small chance of it happening, Shirou knew that in the midst of a death battle, every precaution must be taken. With that in mind, he made a mental note to pay the bill after the war was over. The tattoo served as a symbol of Ryuunosuke's new role as a Master, and he couldn't wait to see what the future held for them.
It was ironic that Ryuunosuke had pulled Shirou into the deathly vortex of the Holy Grail War, and now, because of Shirou, Ryuunosuke too was caught in its grasp. Perhaps this was what the Buddhists would refer to as Karma? The two of them were now entwined in a fate that neither of them had chosen, but it was too late to turn back now.
...
Shirou knew that he couldn't return home. As he was now a participant in the Holy Grail War, his own house was not a safe option as it would put his family in danger if he were targeted by other Masters. The house, which he and his family had worked hard to purchase and were still paying off a mortgage on, would be at risk of being destroyed in the war, causing not only the loss of property but also potential financial ruin and mental stress for his parents. He needed to find a new base to operate from, one that would keep his family out of harm's way.
With the ongoing war, Shirou understood the importance of having a safe and secure base of operations. After much searching, he eventually came across a cheap rental home that belonged to Ryuunosuke. Though the house was in a state of disrepair, it offered the perfect solution.
The standalone house, isolated from the rest of the city, would not put innocent civilians at risk during battles. Determined to make it suitable for his needs, Shirou used his E-ranked ability, Fortification Construction to make a few simple renovations to the rental home, giving it the necessary security and fortification to serve as their base during the Holy Grail War.
The Saint Graph was truly remarkable, there was no denying that. Despite having no prior knowledge of magecraft, the moment Shirou fused with it, an understanding of Fortification Construction flooded into his mind. This allowed him to complete the renovation of the rental house with ease. Though the E-ranked skill was only for simple modifications, it still provided a level of protection against magic, which was certainly better than nothing.
After finishing the renovation of the rental home, Shirou turned his attention to creating an item that could aid him in protecting innocent people. Using his Caster's Skill, "Item Creation E", he crafted a bracelet which he then gave to Ryuunosuke, sealing "Suggestion" into it. The bracelet would constantly suggests to Ryuunosuke that he is a participant in the Holy Grail War and a good person, thus preventing him from causing harm to anyone during the war.
Once the bracelet was prepared, Shirou moved on to his next task, using his Projection to bring forth a variety of materials, then using his Item Creation E- again, he crafted a transparent film with a powerful magical aura.
This film was then affixed to the back of Ryuunosuke's right hand, where the Command Seals tattoo was located. Yes, the transparent film that Shirou created was infused with a significant amount of magical energy, acting as a source of magic that would aid in concealing the fact that Ryuunosuke was just a normal person. It was designed to fool other magi into thinking that Ryuunosuke possessed magical abilities of his own.
If the transparent film that Shirou created did not have the desired effect, he would have to accept that fact and move on. He had already exhausted all of his own ideas and wisdom based on his current level of understanding. His last resort was to do his best, and then leave the rest to fate.
As Shirou sat on a bench, he glanced once again at his attributes panel which displayed mostly E-ranked attributes. A feeling of faint sadness washed over him as he realized the limitations of his abilities, he knew that these attributes would only allow him to bully magi but would not be enough to defeat a Servant.
Furthermore, the Servant aura emanating from his Saint Graph when he uses its abilities made it impossible for him to disguise himself as a Master. Everything he was doing was out of necessity and not by choice, it was all forced by helplessness. In this situation, all he could do was give his best effort and leave the outcome to fate.
"Hmm--?"
As Shirou scrutinized his attributes, something caught his attention and he stared at it, wide-eyed in shock. Among his inherent skills, he noticed a new one that had been added.
"Why is there an additional skill in my inherent skills?"
[The Wisdom of Mortals D]
Confused and surprised, he couldn't tear his gaze away from the new skill that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. He couldn't fathom how this skill had come to be.
AN: Next 33 Chapters are up on my Patreon: patreon.com/bcloud
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