Even with Shinji's intervention, some things remained unchanged.
For instance, Spartacus was still forcibly severed from his original contract with Vlad III and Avicebron, and a new master-servant contract was established.
Similarly, Astolfo still used the opportunity to escape with Sieg, only to be intercepted by Gordes and Siegfried.
The difference this time was that Spartacus's situation was due to Shinji intentionally not interfering, whereas the current scenario was purely coincidental.
According to the novel, Gordes wasted two Command Spells over the issue of whether to use a Noble Phantasm and was severely reprimanded by Darnic. At that moment, Avicebron discovered that the homunculus he had been searching for had escaped, so Darnic ordered Gordes to redeem himself by capturing Sieg with Saber. This incident ended up providing Sieg with a significant opportunity, and Gordes began to reflect and change due to the blow he received.
Now things were different. Without Gordes making any mistakes, Darnic had no reason to punish him, so there was no need for redemption. The reason why the two still went to intercept Sieg was simply because they were the only available team.
Of course, the simplest and most effective method—to use a Command Spell to order Astolfo to bring Sieg back—was dismissed by Darnic from the start. Astolfo, with a magic resistance of A rank, could resist one Command Spell by sheer willpower. To force a command, two Command Spells would be necessary. Instead of wasting two Command Spells and creating a rift between master and servant, it was more appropriate to send someone to capture Sieg.
As commanders, Darnic and Vlad III were naturally in charge of overall coordination and would not personally take action.
Roche and Avicebron were busy dealing with Spartacus. Considering Spartacus's tendency to single-handedly charge at Millennia Castle, it was clear that if left unchecked, he would cause significant trouble. Therefore, a cage capable of restraining him was necessary. Avicebron's idea was to create a dual magical and physical restraint using the liquid that previously bound Spartacus and the castle's dungeon, only releasing him when his combat power was needed.
Building this cage required considerable time, so the Caster team could not disengage.
Among the other teams, Fiore was not mobile, so she was immediately excluded. Caules, on the other hand, was a viable option, and Darnic initially considered sending him. Compared to the arrogant Gordes, Caules was easier to command. Although Caules was the weakest Master in terms of strength, dealing with a supply-use homunculus should not have been a problem, and Chiron could handle Astolfo.
However, to Darnic's surprise, Chiron had been held up and couldn't come.
The person responsible for this was none other than Black Assassin Matou Shinji.
Upon returning to the castle, Shinji didn't say a word to Gordes. Instead, he directly carried Fiore's wheelchair—note, carried, not pushed, as pushing was too slow—leaving Gordes puzzled. Gordes had expected some sharp taunts from Shinji, as he had experienced Shinji's sharp tongue before, but Shinji hurried off, which was quite unexpected.
However, Gordes did not dwell on this minor matter, as he was pondering a more important issue—how to strengthen the bond between master and servant. Since the start of the Holy Grail War, none of Gordes's actions had gone smoothly. After successive setbacks, his overinflated confidence and pride were gradually shattered, and his obscured intelligence began to resurface. He knew he had made mistakes and wanted to have a good talk with Siegfried, but he hadn't found the right opportunity yet—it was difficult for him to lower his pride to apologize directly.
Meanwhile, Shinji, carrying the wheelchair, charged straight into Caules's room and bluntly said:
"Train me, Chiron."
Both Caules and Chiron were stunned by this abrupt request.
"I've figured it out. Don't tell me you haven't realized who Red Rider is," Shinji said as he set down Fiore's wheelchair.
"I did figure it out, but what does that have to do with training?" Chiron still didn't understand.
Then, Shinji described the entire battle in detail. Although Chiron and Fiore had watched the live broadcast, they couldn't hear the sound and didn't know exactly what had happened.
As a result, everyone, including Chiron, was dumbfounded.
Fiore exclaimed, "Are you saying Achilles mistook you for Hector?"
Shinji corrected, "It's not that he mistook me for Hector; rather, he saw Hector's shadow in me, like a substitute."
"No wonder he struck that pose at the end. That was a duel declaration, asking the gods to witness. Achilles wouldn't make such a declaration unless he recognized his opponent," Chiron said with a knowing smile. "I didn't expect him to treat you that way. I've heard of Hector too. Despite being merely human, he reached heights many demigods couldn't."
"Hey, you're laughing, but I feel like crying, okay?" Shinji said with a bitter expression. "If I had known he was Achilles, I wouldn't have gone head-to-head with him. I should have changed tactics early on, coordinated with your support, and used the advantage of information asymmetry to kill him, or at least break his immortality."
Although Shinji also played with slingshots, he was leagues away from Chiron's level as an archer and had no idea how many opportunities Chiron had missed. He always thought the reason Achilles wasn't taken down was his fault. For example, his positioning might have been poor, placing him in Chiron's blind spot, making it difficult to shoot; or perhaps he was mostly on the defensive, focusing Chiron's attention on rescuing him rather than critically injuring Achilles.
Of course, even if Shinji knew Chiron missed opportunities due to hesitation, he would at most complain a bit regretfully and not take it to heart—after all, humans aren't unfeeling. If it were Sakura on the other side, Shinji's reaction would be worse than Chiron's; he might even switch sides. However, if Scáthach were on the other side, his approach would be different again.
Caules couldn't understand Shinji's pessimism: "Didn't you do pretty well? From what you described, it sounds like Achilles was at a disadvantage."
"That was exploiting the advantage of information asymmetry to achieve an unexpected victory. Such tricks only work once; they're unlikely to succeed a second time. I seriously doubt Achilles won't be prepared next time."
Shinji began scratching his head. In his previous life, he didn't have seaweed hair but straight hair, making scratching much smoother.
"I have some self-awareness. I could probably kill someone at Astolfo's level, and I could manage someone slightly stronger if I fought hard. But with Achilles, I'd be lucky just to escape alive. The strength gap is too big; other factors become negligible, and I've lost the initiative—ahhh, I don't want to follow Hector's footsteps. So, Chiron, I can only rely on you."
"You want me to teach you how to deal with Achilles?"
At this point, if Chiron still didn't understand Shinji's plan, he wouldn't deserve his reputation as one of the great teachers of Western mythology.
"At the very least, help me get used to his abnormal speed. That speed is terrifying. For Karna to reach that speed, he must consume a lot of mana and can't sustain it; Achilles has no such concern. Speed is power. I'm afraid that next time, a single mistake could get me killed."
"I see. As I thought. You may not be top-tier in terms of physicality or martial skills, but your control of the battlefield and self-awareness are excellent. These are precisely what Achilles lacks. If you maximize these traits, you might have a chance."
"So, you mean—?"
"You wanted special training, right? Let's start now."
"Yes, great sage—no, Teacher Chiron," Shinji corrected himself immediately.
While special training for others might not yield quick results, this one could. Because Chiron possessed a skill similar to Scáthach's Bug-level skill—"Wisdom of the Divine Gift."
The Wisdom of the Divine Gift, Rank A+.
The various wisdoms of a sage are granted by the gods of Greek mythology. Chiron learned medicine and music from the sun god Apollo, and hunting from the goddess Artemis. He was proficient in nearly all skills within the Greek mythological system.
Except for the unique skills of heroes, he could exhibit proficiency at levels B to A in almost all skills. Additionally, with the Master's consent, he could impart these skills to other Servants.
Shinji was very curious about what kind of sparks would fly when "Wisdom of Dún Scáith" met "Wisdom of the Divine Gift," and how far he could go with both divine and demonic inheritances.