Shinji Matou at Your Service-Chapter 962: The Response to the Confession

That's right, a flag! And not just any flag—a death flag!

In the Fate/Stay Night UBW timeline, Illya's contracted Servant is Berserker, Hercules. During her battle with Gilgamesh, Illya proudly shouts, "Berserker won't lose to anyone because he's the strongest in the world."

And then, Hercules was swiftly killed by Gilgamesh, with Illya herself being brutally killed afterward. This event became an irredeemable black mark on Gilgamesh's record.

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In other timelines, the outcome was slightly better—Illya survived, but Hercules still couldn't escape the fate of being devoured or killed.

Now that Illya's contracted Servant had changed to Artoria, she still uttered the same ominous declaration.

Fortunately, Artoria wasn't a mindless Berserker like Hercules. She had her thoughts and could clearly express them. She said, "There were special circumstances in the last Holy Grail War. If Lady Scathach hadn't intentionally held back, I wouldn't have achieved victory."

Shinji felt a wave of relief. Nice, well done, Artoria! As expected of someone with Luck Rank A and Instinct—you unconsciously avoided a death flag!

"Is that true?"

Illya pouted as she looked at Scathach.

"More or less, but things might not be the same now," Scáthach said with a meaningful glance at Artoria.

"The current you is similar to me in many ways. If we fought again, I might not win."

"I knew it! Saber is the strongest!"

Illya said, her face lighting up with pride. But just as she began to bask in her triumph, Artoria added:

"And you've become stronger too. You're a Lancer now, not an Assassin!"

The two ancient beings, both of whom had lived for over a millennium, smiled at each other. Illya, who didn't understand what was going on, pouted again.

"What is going on?"

"You'll only know that at the end of the fight," Artoria concluded.

"Illya, why do you want to compete in the Holy Grail War? Do you have a wish you want to fulfill?"

"I do, I do! I have several! I want Mom and Dad back, and I want to protect my family. I want to defeat that awful giant and avenge my mom, aunt, and grandma. I also want to beat Rin and that big liar and prove that I'm the best!"

Illya's wishes were simple and childlike, but it was precisely this simplicity that made them so powerful when awakened. This is why, in the final moments, the Greater Grail responded to her.

It was also this simplicity that awakened Artoria's memories from over a thousand years ago. She, too, had drawn the sword from the stone to defeat her enemies and protect her country.

"Then you have to work hard, Illya. I don't know who this Rin is, but if the big liar you mentioned is him..."

"It's him!"

Illya nodded and waved a small fist in Shinji's direction.

Shinji responded with a helpless look. Come on, I saved you. Can't you stop with the fighting words?

Illya glanced toward Natalia and Shirley as if to say, You may have saved me, but you're also sealing away my grandma and aunt.

This subtle interaction was, of course, lost on Artoria, but that didn't stop her from continuing the conversation.

"You've chosen a very strong opponent, perhaps the strongest."

"The strongest? Him? Hmph!"

Illya scoffed.

"How strong can he be if he needs you to save him?"

"That was because he saw that I was distracted. You haven't seen it, so you don't know how powerful he is when he fights to protect those he cares about."

"You've seen it?"

"Yes, I've seen it with my own eyes. It was like watching a demonic god."

The term demonic god stirred something in Shinji's memory, recalling the last time he and Artoria parted ways five years ago. Her expression back then—relief, blessing, reluctance, and emotions Shinji couldn't quite understand—flashed in his mind.

But that was in a parallel world. How could she—

"Wait, you... do you have the ability to cross parallel worlds?"

"Ah, I thought you knew."

Artoria looked mildly surprised.

"The power to cross parallel worlds belongs to the Second Magician. I don't have such convenient abilities."

"Then, why—?"

"Consider it a privilege granted by the Counter Force. My current state is somewhat similar to when I was on the Hill of Swords. Except, unlike that time, I'm not bound by time. In every way, I'm similar to a Heroic Spirit. Whether it was ten years ago or five years ago, whether it's this world or another, it's still me."

"I see... That certainly sounds like something Gaia or Alaya would do," Shinji said, suddenly understanding.

If Artoria was employed by the Counter Force, it was only natural that she would be tasked with handling more than just one world. Granting her such abilities made perfect sense.

At the same time, he realized another thing—why Artoria had been so unquestioning in following his orders.

If it were just their connection from ten years ago, it wouldn't have been enough for her to trust him to this degree. Though he had done a lot for her, Artoria knew very little about it. She might have eventually listened to him, but not without asking questions first.

Her comment earlier, "I thought you knew," might have stemmed from this very reason—due to the Master-Servant dynamic from five years ago, Shinji had been giving commands with such confidence, and Artoria had been following those commands just as smoothly.

"Well then, let's start over. It's been a while, Artoria. I'm really glad to see you again."

"Me too, Shinji. Although I'm not your Servant this time, I feel very reassured having you here."

The two—youths dressed in blue—smiled at each other, just as they had when they fought side by side five years ago.

"Wait, hold on. I don't get it. What are you talking about? What do you mean, five years ago? What parallel worlds?"

Illya, utterly confused, interrupted.

"And also, Master-Servant? Artoria-san, were you ever my brother's Servant? When did this happen? Why don't I know about this?"

Sakura also chimed in. Ever since the conversation started, she'd noticed that the way this woman looked at her brother was odd, and she felt an impending sense of crisis.

"Yes, in another world. We fought in a massive Holy Grail War together. It was incredibly dangerous, and both my Master and I nearly died. Fortunately, we managed to overcome the challenges in the end." Artoria, perhaps out of habit, referred to him as "Master" without thinking.

"Die?!"

Sakura covered her mouth, her eyes wide open.

"Brother, why didn't you ever tell me?"

"Because it's all in the past. Artoria, could you maybe not say too much?"

Shinji had avoided mentioning his journey through parallel worlds, fearing it would worry his family.

"Alright, if that's what you want."

Artoria nodded lightly.

"But there's one thing I can't leave unsaid—I owe you an answer about your confession."

"Ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh?!"

Suddenly, the room erupted in astonished cries.

PS: Don't forget, Illya's been through a lot of hardships (refer to the Kara no Kyoukai arc where Illya was abandoned in a pile of corpses), so her mental resilience is quite strong.