章節 61: Chapter 61

Because his gaze wasn't focused on Kojirou, Kojirou didn't notice Shinji's quick glance in his direction.

However, as Shinji approached the temple gate, Kojirou felt a slight sense of unease.

This boy's movements were too natural.

Every swing of his arm, every step he took, was natural, coordinated, and without any superfluous motion.

A samurai's son of this era? Quite a promising youth.

Kojirou praised Shinji in his heart but didn't pay much attention to him.

At seven o'clock, after finishing his business at the temple, Shinji exchanged a few pleasantries with the monks and left.

Even until he left, Shinji didn't see his hidden target for this visit—Caster. No one at the temple mentioned anything about a new woman living there either.

Worried that Caster might have used some kind of suggestion magic to prevent people from talking about her, Shinji didn't ask directly to avoid alerting her.

However, Shinji keenly noticed an unusual atmosphere around a particular room in the back courtyard and a strange aura covering the temple's natural barrier, undetectable by ordinary people.

(Note: Ryudou Temple is located at the focal point of Fuyuki's ley lines, an excellent place for gathering souls. Magi can easily collect life force from Fuyuki by manipulating the natural ley line flow. For magi, this land is akin to a shrine.)

(Note: The mountain where Ryudou Temple is located has a natural barrier or spell that excludes non-natural spirits, making it inconvenient for Masters. For Servants, it is unfriendly; entering from anywhere other than the front gate will lower their abilities as if restricted by Command Spells.)

Shinji knew that once Caster settled down, she had begun to act again, as Issei mentioned the murder cases.

The two recent home invasion murders were Caster's attempts to gather magical energy from ordinary people.

Shinji had considered preventing the tragedies and saving people. Last night, he even secretly searched for and infiltrated the home of the four-person family for an hour.

But it was too late; the boy's sister and parents were already dead. If they had even a breath left, Shinji could have extended their lives by expending some of his own energy, just like he saved Bazett before.

Unfortunately, Shinji didn't have the power to resurrect the dead.

Before leaving the crime scene last night, Shinji felt a pang of pity for the little boy sitting in a daze, covered in his family's blood, his mind shattered or mentally collapsed.

Even if he survived, the boy's life would be shrouded in darkness, plagued by mental and psychological illnesses.

Understanding this, Shinji found a way to make the boy fall asleep, knowing that staying awake until dawn would completely break the child's spirit.

As Shinji left the boy's home, his attitude toward Caster plummeted, even considering setting a trap for her in the Holy Grail War…

Meanwhile, on the rooftop of an office building in Shinto.

Standing at the edge of the unprotected building, Rin placed one hand on her hip, facing the distance.

"Hu——" She exhaled softly before speaking, "Sorry, Archer. I delayed a bit too long. I couldn't take you around as planned. If necessary, I can take another day off tomorrow to show you around. For now, let's just look at the city's panorama."

"No, that's not necessary."

Archer's voice came from behind Rin before his figure appeared. He continued, "Just being here is enough for me."

"What are you talking about?" Rin naturally replied, feeling the cool wind. "From here, you can only see the city's panorama. How can you understand the layout without walking around?"

"That's not entirely true. The Archer class isn't just for show. Poor vision would disqualify me as an Archer. For example, I can clearly count the tiles on that bridge."

"That's amazing! You really are an Archer!"

Seeing Rin's surprised expression, Archer seemed a bit helpless. "Rin, though it might be my imagination, are you underestimating me?"

"Of course not." Rin smiled as she turned back, starting to walk. "Alright, let's go back, Archer. My magical energy hasn't fully recovered yet. A good night's sleep should help."

"Wait, Rin. You still have other concerns, right? What about that man?"

Rin's steps halted instantly. After a few seconds, she turned around with a constipated expression. "I have to say, you sure know how to bring up topics people don't want to talk about."

"What do you mean by that? Although he said so this afternoon, if he lied to you today and later summoned a Servant to become a Master, he would be your enemy in this Holy Grail War."

"That won't happen."

Rin's tone suddenly relaxed.

"Do you trust him that much?"

Archer frowned. Even with his fragmented memories of this era, the Matou Shinji he vaguely remembered wasn't like this!

Rin waved her hand dismissively, looking indifferent. "I know that idiot well. He has no interest in the Holy Grail or magus battles, just as he said."

"Otherwise, he wouldn't have let the Matou family withdraw from the world of magecraft even with a child possessing magical potential."

"Are you sure you know that man, Matou Shinji, well? From what I heard in your conversation, he doesn't seem as superficial as he appears."

"I know better than you."

Rin affirmed, then looked at the distant night sky. After a few seconds, she spoke again.

"Archer, do you believe in true geniuses in this world?"

"Do you mean people with exceptional talent in certain areas?"

"Something like that."

"I believe they exist."

"Then that idiot is someone who is even more abnormal than those with overwhelming talent in one area. Simply put, anything he's interested in, he can achieve results far beyond normal people in a short time."

"What do you mean?" Archer slightly furrowed his brows.

"Let me explain through his actual experiences..."

Rin began to recount Shinji's incredible feats, which seemed unbelievable to ordinary people.

...

"In short, anything he finds interesting, he can reach heights others can't in a very short time. What would you call such a person?"

Looking at Rin, who turned back to stare at him, Archer pondered for a moment before slowly uttering two words.

"A monster."

Rin nodded. "Exactly, he's a real monster that makes everyone lose the desire to challenge him. Of course, this is only within the realm of ordinary people. He doesn't have the basic requirement for being a magus—magic circuits—and he has no interest in magecraft."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course. He never hides his dislike for magecraft in front of me."

"Hmm, from your words, it seems you really understand him."

"Of course."

Rin replied instinctively, but then she blushed and stammered, "Wh-wh-what are you talking about? Just so you know, don't get any weird ideas! We're just from the same school!"

"Alright, I'll take it that way."

"What do you mean, 'take it that way'? That's the truth! Let me make it clear, I have no interest in that guy! Didn't you see how we always argue when we meet?"