Shinji Matou at Your Service-Chapter 1066: Attila’s Wish

The temporary stage was set up next to a highway, and as Illyasviel and Olga Marie gave the opening remarks, preparations on the racetrack were also completed.

On one side of the four-lane highway, two rows of objects covered by black tarps were neatly arranged. Without a doubt, these were the vehicles to be used for the cross-country race.

"We'd like to give special thanks to the Fujimura Group for this race. They provided both the track layout and the vehicles. The maintenance of the vehicles was handled by my lovely mother, Irisviel, and my handsome father, Kiritsugu Emiya. Please, let's give them a round of applause and hear a few words from them."

As Illya spoke, she flew off the stage using a flight spell and landed at the starting line of the race.

At the moment she landed, a man and a woman, both dressed in blue mechanic uniforms and holding various tools, pulled off two of the covers and crawled out from under the cars.

The man sighed as he lit a cigarette. "How did it come to this?"

The woman waved cheerfully, her smile radiant.

"Everyone, do your best!"

"To ensure fairness, the starting order will be determined by drawing lots. Let's invite our race hostess to handle the draw."

At this point, Olga Marie had retrieved her microphone and waved toward the other side.

A tall woman with short purple hair, dressed in a revealing racegirl outfit with a cropped top and skirt, walked out holding the lottery box.

Cú Chulainn, who was waiting below for his turn to draw, instinctively covered his nose, his voice trembling. "Ba-Bazett!"

The race hostess, who had been acting naturally, suddenly became shy and awkward. Her body shrank back, and she looked far more delicate than her usual capable self. "L-Lord said we were short on staff, so he made me—Is this, um, is this inappropriate?"

"No, no, no, it's perfect! What a feast for the eyes, ahahaha," Cú Chulainn laughed heartily, while Bazett became even more embarrassed.

"Y-You're making fun of me."

"No, no, this is nice."

As Cú Chulainn teased his Master, he didn't forget to give a thumbs-up to Lorelei, who stood nearby. Lorelei, however, remained indifferent. She turned around and found Shinji staring at her with a strange expression.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Well, if I remember correctly, you were the one who picked the race girl role during the draw."

"Oh? Do you want me to dress like that in public? (annoyed + sharp glare)"

"Well, it might not be appropriate, though I am curious to see you dressed as a race girl."

Lorelei glanced at Cú Chulainn, then at Shinji, and sighed.

"Men, honestly... Well, I'm not going to be a race girl, but I have prepared a proper racing suit. I still don't understand how you all managed to turn the Holy Grail War into this kind of event, and yet so many people agreed to it."

"That's because most people don't enjoy the killing. Especially for the Servants, a rare second chance at life should be spent enjoying themselves."

When it came to understanding Servants, Lorelei could never compete with Shinji. After overcoming her initial shock, Shinji was the first among the Masters to agree with Gilgamesh's proposal—even though just moments earlier, the two of them had been fighting to the death.

"And what about Attila?"

Lorelei asked, referring to the woman who called herself the King of Destruction, who had never understood or agreed with the idea.

"She's no different. She just hasn't realized it yet."

"Huh?"

"Have you ever asked her what her wish is?"

Lorelei paused for a moment, then replied, "To destroy everything. To crush civilization?"

"That's her instinct or duty, but it's not her true wish. Have you ever seen her dreams? When the bond between a Servant and Master reaches a certain level, they can see each other's dreams."

"Ah—"

Now that he mentioned it, Lorelei recalled having a strange dream where Attila was the main character.

The dream was very simple. Attila, dressed in nomadic clothing, was riding a horse, galloping endlessly.

She rode across vast grasslands, leaped over rivers, passed by yurts, and saw countless cattle and sheep.

At the end of the dream, the young woman finally stopped. Under the blue sky and white clouds, on a windy hillside, she smiled with pure innocence. That smile was so beautiful that even Lorelei, as a fellow woman, was stunned.

Because it was so different from the Attila she knew, Lorelei had dismissed the dream as a product of her imagination. But now, it seemed that wasn't the case.

Shinji's gaze drifted past Lorelei, focusing on the warrior goddess who wasn't comfortable in this public setting.

"What do you think her most memorable moment in life was? Shattering the pride of the Roman Empire? Making half of Europe tremble beneath her iron hooves?"

Lorelei instinctively nodded, but Shinji shook his head.

"No, those things are fleeting to her. The truly vivid memories she holds in her heart are much more ordinary, even mundane. Riding a horse across the plains, feeling the wind, herding sheep and horses—doesn't that sound surprising?"

"Ah, yes."

"It's easy to understand. Just like how many people think of you as cold and ruthless, a ruler who stands above others, they forget that you're also human, with emotions and desires. Attila is the same. She's always been curious about a life that isn't centered around being a warrior, about what it would be like to live as something other than a soldier." frёewebηovel.cѳm

Shinji's mind drifted back to the Moon Cell, where that self-isolated giant had once spoken to him with a tone full of wonder and longing.

"If I weren't a warrior, what would I be like?"

"Would I ride a horse and travel the world as a free wanderer?"

"Would I, like the people of Europe I once saw, farm the land, grow wheat, and bake bread in a warm oven?"

"Would I hunt wild animals and birds?"

"Would I learn the thing called writing and use it to create books?"

"Or perhaps... would I shyly lean into someone's embrace?"

"I don't know."

"What would it be like?"

Back then, Shinji had replied:

"You'll find out. One day, you'll know."

And even now, Shinji still believes that. He was more certain than ever.

Seeing the gentle, almost heartbreaking expression on the man's face once again, Lorelei sighed, her expression complicated.

"You do know her well. What exactly is your relationship—"

"You'll find out eventually."

"Why not now?"

"Because the lot draw is finished, and the race is about to begin."

Shinji pointed, and sure enough, Fiore's board now displayed the starting order of the race and the corresponding participants.

"One thing at a time. Focus on the present—wasn't that something you taught me? Let's continue our unfinished battle."

"Alright, let's settle this!"

No longer dwelling on her thoughts, Lorelei walked over to her Servant, and the two of them headed into the racetrack together.

Behind them, Shinji clenched his right fist.

Deep in his palm—no, deep within his very soul—a brilliant prismatic light quietly blossomed.