Shinji Matou at Your Service-Chapter 964: Princess, Where on Earth Have You Gone?

It was natural for Artoria to feel down.

Irisviel had just said—this kind of response was a gentle rejection. For anyone, their first experience with love failing would leave them despondent, right?

Seeing Artoria's downcast and hurt expression made Irisviel's heartache. She was about to scold someone when Shinji continued speaking.

"Don't make that face. What I meant was the same as your answer—completely the same, from the wording to the meaning. In simple terms, the timing isn't right, and I can't give you a definite answer right now. Look, we're in the middle of the Holy Grail War, and you're not even my Servant. Plus, there's also Ilya's attitude—"

Noticing Shinji's gaze, Ilya snorted without hesitation, "As expected, you're a liar. A big, fat liar. Not only did you deceive me, but you also tricked Saber's feelings. Saber, you mustn't like him! You need to stand with me, and together we'll defeat him!"

"Ilya..."

Artoria's expression became awkward. Having been lost in the long-delayed feelings of a girl from 1,500 years ago, she had forgotten her position. Remembering it now, she couldn't help but feel embarrassed.

"See?"

Shinji spread his hands toward the two of them.

"Ilya's been stubborn since she was a child, holding grudges. She called me 'brother' ten years ago, and she's clung to that title ever since. With her like this, we're bound to fight at some point. Now, if we were to confirm a romantic relationship, what should we do then?"

It was such a practical and irrefutable reason that Artoria's girlish heart settled down, and she regained her usual knightly composure and straightforwardness.

"Hmm, I understand. Then let's wait until the war ends. Hopefully, we'll both still be here by then."

The same blessing, the same prayer.

With that, the conversation naturally came to an end. It was already late at night, and after everything that had happened, both the Emiya and Matou households were burdened with a lot of stress and fatigue. Almost everyone had lost the energy to continue talking, allowing Shinji to proceed with his previous arrangements.

The Emiya family would temporarily relocate to the Matou family's mountain villa near Mount Enzou, close to Toukos workshop. Back when Touko purchased her workshop, Shinji had asked his father to secretly buy the surrounding land and houses for security reasons.

Fuyuki City wasn't a major metropolis, and in the mid-90s, Japan's land and property prices were relatively low. Buying a piece of land in the countryside wasn't much of a burden for the Matou family. After a few years of development, it had become the Matou family's mountain retreat, a place for family and friends to relax and vacation. It was more than spacious enough to accommodate the Emiya family, even with the addition of Natalia and Shirley.

Moreover, the area was sparsely populated, making it hard for others to find. The unique nature of Mount Enzou, combined with the defensive system Touko had set up, ensured the Emiya family's safety, making it the perfect hideout.

Naturally, Kiritsugu and the others had no objections to Shinji's thoughtful arrangements. Although Ilya was reluctant to stay at the enemy's place, she knew Shinji was looking out for her family's safety. So, she put away her temper and even decided that if she did beat this big liar in the end, she wouldn't punish him too harshly. She'd just give him a light scolding to let off some steam—after all, this big liar had been quite kind to her and her family over the years.

However, that decision lasted less than three minutes. Just before Shinji left, he said, "If you want to defeat me, you should ask Justeaze and Touko for help. Your new grandmother can also give you plenty of guidance. As you are now, you're no match for me—not even for Rin or Sakura."

"Got it, big liar. You should worry about yourself first."

Ilya's retort wasn't entirely baseless. Originally, Shinji had planned to personally escort the Emiya family, ensure everything was in order, and then return home. But Sakura stopped him.

She reasoned that her brother had been busy all night and had fought several battles, so he should rest early. The task of escorting the Emiya family could be left to Medusa and Scathach. Both of them had the Independent Action skill, so they wouldn't have any issues with mana supply, no matter where they were in Fuyuki. With them as escorts, there was no need to worry about the Emiya family's safety. If any emergencies arise, they could use Command Seals to summon help—after all, that's what Command Seals were for.

Sakura's reasoning was perfectly sound, leaving no room for argument. But Shinji didn't want to go home right now. Just looking at Sakura's expression—the darkness hidden behind her smile, the oppressive tone behind her gentle words—was enough to know that going home right now wouldn't be for rest. Instead, it would be for a full-on interrogation.

Lead Prosecutor: Matou Sakura.

Assistant Prosecutor: Kirie Fujou, Asakami Fujino.

Court Clerk: Medea.

Defendant: Matou Shinji.

The main point of the interrogation? Naturally, how Shinji had become involved with Artoria.

However, given the personalities of the girls, this interrogation wouldn't turn into domestic violence or, worse, a yandere bloodbath. But just seeing their jealous expressions and hearing their envious words would give Shinji a headache.

He could already predict what the girls would say.

...

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"Oh, so that's what happened, huh."

"Brother's charm is something."

"Even King Arthur..."

"Waaah, but I'm already here!"

"I was first. I was first! Why did it turn out like this?"

"Hmph, you're such a heartless flirt."

What made it worse was Medea—one of the most notoriously jealous women in mythology. As a staunch opponent of infidelity, who knows how much she would fan the flames and give the girls bad ideas. The good impression Shinji had worked so hard to build might disappear all at once—or even turn into a negative impression.

Sigh, Artoria, my dear adorable king with the ahoge, you've left me with a huge problem—though, complaints aside, I know I have to take responsibility for the consequences of my actions. And I can't let it interfere with more important matters. That much responsibility, at least, I have. If I didn't, I wouldn't have made it this far, nor would I have so many girls worrying about me.

Clearing his thoughts, Shinji sent everyone off, made a quick call to Touko to give instructions, and then took one last look at the ruins around him, letting out a sigh.

"If only Arcueid were here. With her abilities, no matter how bad the damage, she could fix everything."

"And that's the only reason you want her around?"

Sakura turned her face toward him, her expression dark and ominous. With no outsiders around, she no longer needed to hide her feelings.

"It's not because of her endless indulgence toward you?"

"Uh..."

Shinji's expression stiffened, his mouth twitching.

The True Ancestor princess's views on love, values, and morals were completely different from a human's. She didn't care about infidelity at all, as long as Shinji stayed with her. With her around, no matter how terrible the love rivalry, she could always break it up.

My princess, where on earth have you gone? Why haven't you come back yet?