I'm Shenji, what are you doing?

"Trial? You mean this Holy Grail War?"

"Yes. Don't be in a hurry to show your face to me. I know you are unhappy, but listen to what I have to say."

Shirou waved his hand to signal Shinji to calm down.

"It's true that your progress is very fast, but at your current speed you won't be able to catch up with your teacher even if I give you a thousand years."

"So exaggerated?"

"It's such an exaggeration. Indeed, improving your strength is like climbing a mountain. The higher you go, the harder it becomes. But difficulty does not mean standing still. Your teacher is not a fantasy species who sits idle all day and crawls into his lair to sleep. Although she says Thinking 'where is the person who can kill me', but still insists on exercising every day, for thousands of years, even if she only gets a little stronger every day, she is still making progress. Don't say that you haven't reached her height yet, even if you have, Do you think you can go faster than her?"

"..." Shen Er had nothing to say, and after a while he shook his head and said, "No."

There are several major factors that determine the speed of strength improvement: talent, character, hard work, and luck. Except for the last point, Scathach is much better than Shenji, and luck is too elusive, something that can only be met but cannot be sought. Unless you really get lucky, there is no chance of success in ten thousand years, let alone ten thousand years.

"So, if you really want to defeat her, conventional methods will not work. You must use something unconventional, such as origin and magic. Origin is the power accumulated continuously, which can greatly shorten the time gap between you and your teacher. And magic It is an unconventional mystery with infinite possibilities, and Zhu Yue’s death in the hands of the old gem man is the best example.”

"You are a little too cautious in your cultivation. You are not sure whether you, as a time traveler, have an 'origin', and you are afraid of being dominated by the impulse of origin, so you have been unwilling to dig deeper in this aspect. But you don't know the contract with Justisa And Perseus's seance has already activated your 'origin'. And your 'origin' is related to the third magic. If you don't deliberately refuse, maybe there won't be so many twists and turns."

Shirou said it sincerely, but Shinji was not satisfied.

"So, what you did before was all for me to awaken the 'Origin'? To understand my own magic? Then there is no need to use such an excessive method. You can say it properly. As long as the 'Gem Man' asks, I will definitely comply. "

"He -? He won't tell you. Just look at his disabled disciples and you will know his character. If you can't reach it, you are stupid - and it's not just a matter of 'origin' and magic."

As he said that, Shirou's expression darkened.

"Before, you were more like a madman who took advantage of the prophet's advantage and went on a rampage. He didn't suffer much, and he had a condescending sense of superiority. But you are not invincible after all, and neither are those old monsters who have lived for thousands of years. It's not waste. If things go on like this, when the advantage of the prophet no longer exists, you will have problems sooner or later, and it will be a big problem that can kill you, and even involve your whole family - you think those old guys can't do it? No. Everyone is as open-minded as the old gem."

"I……"

Shirou's words caused a layer of cold sweat to break out on Shinji's face.

Looking back on my previous behavior, it was really like this. Perhaps at the beginning, because of my own weakness and uncertainty about the development of the situation, I was still cautious and quite vigilant. But later on, as the calculations succeeded again and again, and his own strength and power increased step by step, his mentality inevitably relaxed, and his actions became more and more casual. From "White Wing Duke", one of the oldest Dead Apostles, The fact that his subordinates survived made his mentality expand to the extreme. He completely forgot that without the secret help of "Jewel Man", he might have died.

If this situation continues to develop, once the big guys among the twenty-seven ancestors really take it seriously, what will happen to you? You know, the world of Xingyue is far from as beautiful as it looks in anime novels.

Seeing Shinji's frightened look, Shirou finally smiled.

"do you understand?"

"Understood."

Many times, people are so mean and can't listen to anything when they feel good about themselves. Only by giving yourself a beating and shattering your illusions and pride can you calm down and truly grow.

"It's good if you understand. If you understand, you will pass this trial."

"What if, I mean what if, if I don't pass?"

"You didn't pass. Then I'm afraid you'll have to do this for the rest of your life. You'll never be able to reach the level of your teacher. At most, the old man Gem will keep you safe for the rest of your life for my sake."

Shen Er lowered his head, his expression constantly changing, sometimes angry, sometimes depressed, sometimes sad, sometimes crazy, and finally he said: "Thank you."

Just as Shirou expected, after passing this threshold, there will be no hatred, but resentment and dissatisfaction at most. Maybe the two of them can't become friends, but they won't become mortal enemies either.

"No need to thank you. Although my intention was good, I did a bit too much in the process, maybe because I adjusted my mentality to the age of seventeen. Speaking of which, I should thank you for not chopping me up just now. .”

"I still want to say thank you, even if it's not for me, it's for the family without me."

A kid who hasn't graduated from high school is going to work part-time in Shirou's shop? The entire salary was remitted to my parents in my previous life? Is it possible without Shirou's secret help?

This point just pokes at Shinji's weakness. After all, he was not so open-minded as to be unfazed by favors and humiliations. Even if Shirou really did it for his own good, he really couldn't accept this method. Even if there is nothing you can do against him now, he will definitely come back with revenge in the future.

But with the kindness of secretly taking care of his parents, Shenji would never take revenge. That was his biggest concern for his past life, a family relationship that could never be let go. He hoped that they would be safe and happy, even if he was no longer here.

Regarding this thank you, Shirou just smiled: "Didn't I say it? Good people are rewarded. You are a good person, so you traveled through time. She is a good person, so I helped her. I helped you, and it counts as something. He did something good, so he was rewarded.”

"Your reward?"

"Yes, this store has special meaning to me, so I need a trustworthy person to take care of it while I'm away. I originally wanted to call my sister over, but her form of existence... Anyway, that girl saved me the trouble. A lot of things. As for you—your very existence is a reward."

"Well, I'm a little confused."

"Listen to me and explain slowly, so you won't be confused. As you know, there are many world lines in the Xingyue Universe, such as the world you are in that is paradoxical to "Fate Zero", such as the "Fate apocrypha" outside, For example, the world of "Fate/Extra" where Mooncell is located. Some of these world lines are very similar, and some will have different developments, but no matter how they develop, the earth and mankind will usher in a common end - —”

Shirou poured some wine into his mouth helplessly, while Shinji swallowed involuntarily and said the final name in unison.

"——'The Land of Steel'!"

PS: Although the world of Xingyue promotes love, friendship, and justice, the original "Tsukihime" and "Fate" games had far more bad endings than happy endings.

PS2: FGO has mentioned examples of masters and craftsmen’s strength being constantly improving. Today’s big dogs can kill the masters and craftsmen of the past. However, the masters and craftsmen have grown up again, so the big dogs are in tragedy again.