"The strongest Saber… King Arthur!"
Shirou Amamiya didn't even notice that his body was trembling.
In Japan, this reaction is called "musha-buri," a physiological response caused by a surge of adrenaline when facing a battlefield or a powerful opponent.
Shirou was as excited as Shinji talking about anime.
"Just like I thought, King Arthur of Proper Human History is the strongest!"
I wonder which is stronger, this King Arthur or me at my peak as "Fairy Knight Arthur"?
And which is stronger, the Knights of the Round Table from Proper Human History or my "Fae Round Table"?
In the past, Shirou could only piece together fragments of King Arthur's life through scattered "drifted artifacts."
It wasn't until he returned to Proper Human History that he was able to understand the full legend.
According to those legends, he was a perfect knight who embodied countless virtues such as kindness, nobility, justice, and humility, loved and revered by both his people and his followers.
Wow… in terms of charisma, I'm completely outclassed.
I'm the man the fairies call a tyrant, a vile king.
If the King of Knights ever found out that in another world, in Britain, there was someone using his name to stir up wars everywhere, he'd probably be furious.
Still, Shirou genuinely liked King Arthur.
If he didn't, he wouldn't have taken that name for himself, right?
"I want to shine like the Knights of the Round Table! To become a man among men, a knight among knights, just like King Arthur!"
Shirou had once held such dreams in his youth.
Though in the end, those dreams were crushed by the harsh reality of the Fairy Kingdom. That, however, is a story for another time.
"Of course, my favorite is still Morgan. Right…"
The greatest antagonist in Arthurian legend, the king's sister, the Witch Morgan.
She didn't seem to be the same person as the Morgan Shirou knew.
Although both were powerful witches skilled in Magecraft, there was not a single similarity between them, whether in personality or experience.
The Morgan of the Fairy Kingdom was kind-hearted and full of justice, while the Morgan of Proper Human History was cruel and consumed by jealousy.
My Morgan is beautiful and pure. The Morgan of the Pendragon family is seductive and wanton.
If possible, Shirou really didn't want to acknowledge this version of Morgan.
Alright, decided.
If he ran into the enchantress Morgan of Proper Human History during the Holy Grail War, he would beat her senseless and make her admit her mistakes.
In any case, even if it was only a small part, the Arthurian legend had reignited Shirou's long-cooled passion for battle.
Amid his quiet daily life of going to school, spending time with the Matou siblings, and looking after Fuji-nee, Shirou threw himself into preparations for the Fourth Holy Grail War.
Over the course of more than a month, he set up an airtight Barrier around the Amamiya residence, turning it into a magical fortress that rivaled the Matou worm pit.
Next came the only enemy currently in plain sight, full surveillance of the Tohsaka Family.
Shirou picked back up the low-level Magecraft of familiar control that he had once abandoned midway.
For his familiars, he chose crows.
The crows of Britain were very close to Morgan and the sage Grimm, but Shirou had never gotten along well with these clever and cunning creatures.
Because they always stole the food he made.
After reluctantly bringing the crows of Fuyuki under his control, Shirou sent some of them to the vicinity of the Tohsaka mansion, while the rest were scattered across the streets of Miyama Town and Shinto.
Of course, he also arranged surveillance for the Church on the outskirts of Shinto, the neutral ground of the Holy Grail War.
The search for summoning catalysts was entrusted to Byakuya Matou.
With Zouken Matou's vast overseas assets, Shirou decided to borrow a portion from his ally to use as temporary funds for the war.
Shirou: "I'm thinking of selling a few shares to buy some Holy Relics. You don't mind, Old Man, right?"
Little Yellow Duck (Not Activated): "..."
Silence meant consent.
"Apple's stock has dropped another 50% this year. Sigh… I'll just cut the losses and sell it for you."
Little Yellow Duck (Not Activated): "..."
Shirou's preparations for the Holy Grail War proceeded in an orderly, precise, and carefully planned manner.
Soon, Byakuya Matou obtained the catalyst for the Summoning through overseas channels—It was an exquisitely crafted ebony box that looked extremely expensive.
Shirou opened it carefully. Inside lay a carved wooden fragment, still faintly radiating residual Mana.
"So this is…"
Byakuya Matou nodded. "This is the designated Holy Relic, the 'Round Table.' One of its fragments.
In the past, many knights capable of defeating a thousand alone gathered around this Round Table to exchange words.
To protect their homeland, Britannia, they did not cross swords, but clashed through words."
"Well done, Byakuya."
Shirou ran his fingers over the wooden fragment, as if he could feel a trace of warmth left behind by that legend.
Byakuya Matou continued, "However… it's impossible to predict which Knight of the Round Table will be summoned. Most likely, it will be a Heroic Spirit whose temperament aligns well with yours, Shirou."
Without using a catalyst, a Magus summons a Servant whose mental structure closely resembles their own.
Shirou nodded. "The old man said that as long as it's a Knight of the Round Table, most of them are at least first-class Servants.
If I manage to summon top-tier members like Gawain or Percival, I might even win the entire Holy Grail War with ease.
At the very least, winning the first three Holy Grail Wars shouldn't be a problem."
Strength wasn't the only reason Shirou chose the Round Table among all the Holy Relics.
As a King Arthur from another world, he wanted to fight side by side with the Knights of the Round Table in this world.
Of course… if he somehow drew King Arthur himself, that would be the ultimate jackpot.
...
...
On the vast continent across the sea, there's an idiom: "Strike while the iron is hot."
Although he didn't know whether its origin had anything to do with forging swords, Shirou liked the phrase so much that he practically treated it as his personal motto.
That night, as soon as he finished his homework, he began setting up the Summoning Array.
The location of the Summoning Array was said to be extremely important.
After some hesitation, Shirou ultimately chose the storage room at home.
This mansion was fully equipped, even including a dojo for practicing kendo.
As a sword-forging Magus, why didn't Shirou set the Summoning Array in the dojo?
Because he didn't want to introduce too much bias into the Summoning Ritual.
If the ritual were held in the dojo, the one who appeared might very well be a Round Table member renowned for swordsmanship.
That wasn't what Shirou wanted.
He wanted to follow the fundamental principle of the Holy Grail War and summon the Round Table member with whom he had the best compatibility.
"If I set it up in the dining room, I might end up summoning a Round Table member who's a big eater," Shirou thought.
After eliminating every possible factor that could influence the result, the only place left was the completely empty storage room.
There was no doubt about it.
Here, Shirou would summon the Round Table member most compatible with him.
The time was midnight.
"Alright, let's begin."
Shirou tossed aside the white chalk he had used to draw the Summoning Array and took a deep breath.
He pushed aside the distracting thought that, even now, he still didn't know what his wish truly was.
"Kukuku… If you add two extra lines of a special incantation to the summoning chant, you can grant the Servant Mad Enhancement, forcibly converting them into the Berserker Class."
The yellow duck toy's irritating advice echoed in his mind.
"Though it will strip away their sanity, it can significantly boost their overall parameters."
"In terms of raw stats, it might even surpass Saber… but for you, it's probably an unnecessary and clumsy trick."
"The Mad Enhancement incantation… I won't add it."
After placing the Round Table fragment—the catalyst—on the ground, Shirou moved to a corner of the storage room and began chanting.
"Fill, fill, fill, fill, fill. Cycle and repeat—five times."
(Omitted)
"Bound by the three great Word Spirits, from the Wheel of Restraint, O Guardian of the Scales—!"
With that final line, a violent gale erupted from the Summoning Array, and blinding light flooded the entire storage room.
"Ow, ow, ow…"
After a while, a woman's resentful voice came from within the Summoning Array.
"Oh dear, I messed up… I didn't expect I wouldn't be able to refuse the Summoning. How forceful…"
...
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