Shinji Matou at Your Service

White radiance spread outward from the point where Shinji's finger touched the Lesser Grail, quickly filling the entire underground space.

The scene of the underground altar grew fainter, and the exclamations of Fiore and the others gradually faded away. Shinji found himself in an unfamiliar world.

Here, there was nothing—only an endless expanse of pure white.

To others, this world might seem extraordinarily monotonous, and staying here too long could drive one mad. But Shinji did not feel this way.

In this pure white world, he felt an extraordinary warmth, both physically and spiritually.

It was as if he were soaking in a hot spring, his entire body feeling refreshed and comfortable.

It was as if he were not in this strange world but at home.

It was as if he were lounging in the backyard on a recliner, brewing a pot of black tea, enjoying the spring afternoon sunshine. He would look up casually, and there she was, the woman who loved to wear white, sitting next to him, engrossed in a fashion magazine.

"Is it you, Justeaze?"

Shinji murmured, calling out the name of the one who had accompanied him the longest.

This call seemed to trigger something. A familiar figure in white appeared before him, calling out to him in a voice he had heard countless times.

"Shinji."

"Justeaze!"

Shinji lunged forward, wanting to hold her tightly and never let go.

But this was only a wishful thought. The figure before him was an illusion, not real. Shinji's body passed through it, and he fell heavily to the ground.

The illusory figure did not respond to Shinji's call, for it was merely a message.

"When you hear this, I may no longer be by your side."

"The mastermind in the Red Faction, the man named Amakusa Shirou Tokisada, is very dangerous. It was he who injured your Pegasus, and that earlier beam of light might also be related to him. I can sense that before this, a strange magical power connected to the Greater Grail. I think he has already detected my presence."

"However, this is not your fault. You've already taken him seriously enough and warned me to relocate, but I didn't listen. So it's my fault. If you want to blame someone, blame me."

No, no, how could that be?

Shinji shook his head repeatedly.

I just mentioned relocating offhandedly and didn't take it seriously. If I had insisted, this wouldn't have happened.

And I didn't take that guy seriously enough. If killing him had been my top priority, I would have told Jeanne long ago. It was my carelessness, my assumptions. It's my fault, all my fault!

"Even though you might blame me, I won't be able to hear it. But I want to hear it. If Amakusa Shirou Tokisada hadn't discovered my presence and hadn't disrupted the Greater Grail, I would have come to find you after the Holy Grail War. At that time, no matter how much you complain or what you want me to do, I will listen to you."

Shinji's eyes reddened.

Complaints? There won't be any. As long as you can come back, you can scold me all you want.

"If I can't come back, you shouldn't be sad or heartbroken. You see, I was supposed to disappear as soon as the Greater Grail was completed. Every extra day I had was a blessing from the gods. To have lasted until today, to have met you, Sakura, Scáthach, Irisviel and Fujino, Touko, to have become a real human being, I have been very fortunate and content."

"So, even if I'm gone, it's just returning to the ending that was always meant for me—don't say it isn't, Zelretch already told me that among the many parallel worlds, this was the conclusion meant for me."

What do parallel worlds have to do with you, or with me? I just want you to live, to live well, together with me.

Tears could no longer be held back and silently slid down.

"The days I spent with you, teaching you magecraft, watching you work hard, worrying about you, I was truly happy."

Just like that, she spoke with a smile, like a blooming flower. That smile was incredibly beautiful, free from any negative emotions.

"As long as I think of those days, even if I vanish right now, I won't be afraid at all. During the time I'm gone, I will always think of you and recall the six years we lived together. That must be very happy, that must... must be very happy! So, Shinji, I am very happy."

His throat felt choked.

Even so—even so, I...

"You gave me happiness, so you must be happy too."

Justeaze.

"I like you just as you are..."

Justeaze!

"I like you the most, the most."

Justeaze!!

"Ah, perhaps this is what Irisviel called 'love'."

Justeaze!!!

"Goodbye, my beloved."

Justeaze...

"Lastly, I want to give you a gift."

A stirring.

A shock to the body.

Seeping into the soul.

Like a heartbeat, a pulse symbolizes the force of life.

"You always said you wanted to experience my magic firsthand, didn't you? Now is the time."

Magic.

Pure white magic.

Far surpassing individual stores, even more abundant than Pegasus.

Vast and boundless, seemingly endless.

At that moment, he understood.

The white before him, this entire world, was her magic, the gift she gave him.

"Unfortunately, I was not endowed with the Second Magic and cannot send you back to your original world. All I can do is ensure your prolonged existence in this world. This is the only function, the only 'salvation' of me as a deteriorated copy of the Third Magic user."

Salvation, magic, gift—I don't want any of them.

"Speaking of which, we have to thank the spirits of the Servants stored within the Lesser Grail. Without their help, it might have taken me years to prepare this gift, or perhaps I wouldn't have been able to separate the Lesser Grail at all. As you said, my magic is a finely woven fabric, beautiful but inefficient. But this time, it was quite efficient. So, accept it."

The world inverted, all the white, all the magic concentrated in Justeaze's hands, focused on the golden cup that carried Justeaze's thoughts.

Then, Justeaze, holding the Lesser Grail, walked up to Shinji and slowly, bit by bit, merged into his body.

Along with the golden cup in her hands, along with the world's pure white, along with Justeaze herself.

Through the combined action of the three, the spirit particles that constructed Shinji's body rapidly converted into reality.

Based on the information contained within the soul, flesh, organs, bones, and skin were recreated one by one, indistinguishable from a real human.

The reliance on the contract with the Master to maintain magic power was severed, replaced by the magic power autonomously generated by the newly formed body. The need for an external anchor to remain in the world was eliminated due to the independent physical form.

This is Justeaze's Third Magic—soul materialization, the blueprint for salvation that the Einzbern family had sought for a millennium.

The difference was that she once wanted to save all of humanity; now, she did it for him alone.