Chapter 5: Conditions
When Shinji woke up from his unconscious state, it was already in the afternoon the next day.
The warm sunlight streamed through the half-open curtains, passing through the transparent glass and casting a sacred radiance on the delicate figure of the woman, who seemed more exquisite than humans. It bestowed a holy glow upon her pure white form as if she were a saint carrying out the will of the gods.
This was the first sight that Shinji beheld upon opening his eyes. The stunning and awe-inspiring image instantly dispelled the haze of consciousness and stiffness in his body.
"Good morning, no, good afternoon, Caster," Shinji rolled out of bed and stretched lazily toward the sun.
"Good afternoon, Shinji."
Caster closes the book in her hands. It was not a book related to magic or a weighty tome; it was just an ordinary magazine. After leaving the Holy Grail system, the "Winter Holy Maiden," who had been isolated from the world for many years, began to explore the world in her way by reading books and newspapers, making it her hobby.
"How is everything at home?" Shinji walked into the bathroom, squeezing toothpaste onto his toothbrush as he asked.
"There haven't been any significant changes compared to before," Caster casually pushed open the window, and a refreshing breeze swept in, carrying away the accumulated staleness of the past several hours and bringing in fresh air. "As you planned, I used suggestion to blur Sakura's memories of last night. Apart from you, your father, and your uncle, no one will know about Zouken's death."
"Thank you. You have worked hard," Shinji mumbled with his toothbrush in his mouth.
"No need for thanks. It is part of our contract," even though Caster possessed emotions and humanity, her demeanor still leaned toward indifference.
"From my perspective, I still have to thank you, whether you accept it or not is up to you." It had been quite some time since Shinji and Caster established their contracts, and he had grown accustomed to her indifference, paying it no mind.
Caster also didn't pay attention to Shinji's reaction and continued, "While you were resting, your father and uncle came to see you twice. They still have doubts about Zouken's death and hope you can provide them with an explanation."
"As expected. After all, they have been living in the shadow of the Matou family since birth; anyone would be afraid. Even if I had obtained the Noble Phantasm of Perseus and successfully destroyed Zouken's body and soul, I would have felt uneasy. Even now, I want to confirm once again—Zouken, is he dead?"
Despite his words, Shinji's face showed no emotions and terrifying calmness.
From the first day, he realized that he had transmigrated into Shinji and had been acting. Initially, it was for self-preservation to prevent Zouken from discovering his secret. After encountering Caster, he was prepared to kill Zouken.
After several months, he forced himself to remain unruffled to maintain his composure, gradually forming it into instinct.
"He is dead," Caster confirmed. "Matou Zouken, or rather, Makiri Zolgen, has completely disappeared from this world."
"I see, that's good then."
Shinji lifted his head and looked at himself in the mirror as well as the reflection of Caster beside him.
"He is dead. The Matou family, founded by him, will continue to develop and will be even busier than before," Shinji repeated similar words ten minutes later, addressing his father, Byakuya, and his uncle, Kariya.
Byakuya Matou, the nominal head of the Matou family, was like the original Shinji, lacking any talent as a magus and never receiving the training of the Matou. He was merely a figurehead without substance and was responsible for menial tasks at the level of an assistant. The real power remains in Zouken's hands.
However, this was not necessarily bad for Byakuya. Whether as a figurehead or due to his disdain for magecraft, as long as he desired the assets of the Matou family and a carefree life, this was not a bad trade-off. Sometimes, the pressure can be overwhelming, leading to frequent escape through alcohol.
It is worth mentioning that neither from Shinji's memories nor Byakuya's life was there any information about Shinji's mother. Perhaps that woman had long since passed away, or perhaps Shinji himself was an unexpected creation. In all cases, this was the best. At least there was no need to worry about the emergence of a woman who would be called "mother."
Kariya Matou, Shinji's only uncle who still possessed some magecraft knowledge in the Matou family, was originally the intended successor of Zouken, favored by him. However, eleven years ago, Kariya broke free from the shackles of the family, unable to accept the repulsive insect magecraft and unwilling to become Zouken's puppet. He left the house, which resembled a purgatory.
Of course, Kariya's successful departure from the family was also due to Zouken's negligence. In Zouken's eyes, while Kariya's magical circuits were slightly better than Byakuya's, Zouken didn't believe it was necessary to exert the effort to strip him of his free will and make him the next head of the family. This incident also became one of the reasons Sakura was adopted by the Matou family.
Ironically, in continuation of the original timeline, Kariya would return to the house he had left many years ago because of Sakura's entry into the Matou family. He would sacrifice himself in the hope of saving Sakura, who had fallen into the abyss of insects—after all, Sakura was the child of the only woman Kariya had ever loved.
However, this sacrifice ultimately resulted in nothing. Kariya died, and Sakura became Zouken's puppet, ushering in ten years of a miserable life.
Fortunately, all of this has changed. The main culprit, the mastermind behind it, was dead.
The self-destruction of all the Crest Worms in the Nest, the gradual failure of Zouken's magus workshop, and the disappearance of the decaying aura that pervaded the house—all of these indicate the joyous fact that Zouken is dead.
Shinji looked at his father in a daze and his uncle going mad for a while before clapping his hands to calm them down.
"No matter how much you feel, Zouken is dead, and we still have to go on to live. Owing to Zouken's accumulation, the Matou family has an excellent platform. If we want to live well, the platform cannot be wasted. So, Father, Uncle, I need your help."
"You/Shinji—?" It was only at this moment that the two brothers focused their gaze on Shinji and the woman who suddenly appeared behind him.
After struggling with society for all these years, the brothers were not fools. They naturally understand the principles of giving to receive.
Being able to kill Zouken indicated that Shinji, or rather, the woman of unknown origin who accompanied him, possessed power equal to or even surpassing Zouken. What did such a person want from a Matou family? Could the Matou family, now without Zouken, provide what she sought? Were they walking out of the tiger's den or into the wolf's den?
At this moment, the long-lost brothers forgot their estrangement and the unpleasantness of the last night and this morning (after all, Kariya had previously flipped Zouken) and asked for an unprecedented solemn expression:
"What do you need us to do?"