Archer didn't say anything, but his gradually furrowing brows suggested he understood Caster's sudden proposition or at least her intent.
"Yes, that's right. I'm asking if you'd like to join forces with me. I can offer you better conditions than your current partner, at least a contract with a superior mage compared to your present Master."
Archer frowned, seemingly deep in thought, and noticing this, Caster continued to coax him gently, "Doesn't it sound like a good deal? I am also prepared to end this war. I've mentioned that winning is easy. What do you think?"
As soon as she finished speaking, Caster suddenly heard Shinji, hiding under the nearby wall, muttering something. She gritted her teeth in an instant.
At the same time, Archer seemed to hear Shinji's mutter as well and laughed happily, "Hahaha, 'insatiable greed,' what an apt description."
"You could hear that from so far away?"
Shinji, in the distance, looked a bit surprised.
What Shinji had just muttered was: "She said she needed me, but now she's inviting someone else. Is this woman insatiably greedy?"
Seeing Caster gritting her teeth again, seething with anger, Archer stopped laughing and said seriously, "I refuse. I have no reason to borrow your power. Firstly, your camp's combat power is insufficient. No matter how much you expand your forces, you can't match Berserker's strength alone. The conditions for cooperation have not been met."
Then, as in the original plot, after some more back-and-forth, Caster disappeared and left.
Slightly different was that, at the moment Caster turned to leave, Archer looked at Shinji in the distance, curled his lips, and murmured, "I wonder if this was a fluke. I must say, your judgment isn't bad, Caster."
This statement confirmed to Shinji that Archer was indeed investigating him, if not outright setting him up.
"Hmm?"
Before disappearing, Caster uttered this puzzled sound and glanced at Shinji following Archer's gaze.
...
"You've truly been underestimated, Matou Shinji."
Archer said, arms crossed, standing in front of Shinji.
"Hmm? What do you mean?" Shinji asked, puzzled.
"Still pretending?" Archer chuckled, closed his eyes, and said, "Just now, you predicted my landing spot after breaking through the spatial confinement and the trajectory of my arrows, didn't you? You threw the sword I gave you in advance, causing that careless woman to shift her position and stand right in the path of my arrows, which otherwise would have missed her. If I hadn't realized this at the last moment and forcibly redirected the arrows, delaying them by almost a second, she would have been severely injured."
"What are you talking about?" Shinji pretended not to understand, "I just thought since you came to save me, I should repay the favor by doing something when you were trapped."
"Hmph, you're a dangerous man," Archer snorted, "Just a tiny, almost unnoticeable action nearly changed the course of this battle. Impressive."
Shinji didn't argue further on this matter, thinking it wasn't a big deal if Archer saw through him.
"What about you?" Shinji put away his playful demeanor and asked, while walking toward the gate of Ryuudou Temple, "How are you going to explain this to Tohsaka? She hates Caster. If she questions me, I might spill the beans about your conversation with Caster."
"That doesn't matter. In her eyes, you're just an ordinary person, so she won't ask someone unrelated to the Holy Grail War. Of course, that's if you don't voluntarily tell her."
Hearing Archer's words, Shinji raised his hand and waved, "Don't worry. I've already said, I have no interest in the Holy Grail War. As long as she doesn't ask, I won't say anything. Besides, you don't seem like someone who would harm her."
Archer didn't respond but snorted coldly. However, Shinji then said, "By the way, you remind me of a friend."
"Hmm?" Archer stopped, frowning at Shinji, his face full of displeasure and caution.
"Don't be so fierce. I was just talking about your eyebrows." Shinji stopped too, waving his hand and smiling.
"Hmph!" Archer snorted again and walked ahead toward the gate of Ryuudou Temple, "It's a pity, I didn't have a friend like you when I was alive."
...
Just as Shinji walked out of the gate, he saw a standoff between three parties, one of which was unexpected.
The three parties were Saber, Assassin, and... Bazett with a black cloth covering her face!
Bazett! Covering your face with a cloth won't hide your identity! Shinji thought to himself.
Seeing Shinji come out, the three, who were in a standoff, all looked at him and Archer.
Seeing Shinji safe and sound, Bazett breathed a sigh of relief.
Having just learned from Rider that Shinji was possibly taken by Caster, Bazett hurriedly rushed over, half of her face covered in black cloth.
She originally wanted to go with Rider, but Rider said she had encountered Lancer!
So, Bazett had no choice but to come alone.
When Bazett arrived, she saw Saber and Assassin fighting. Thinking Shinji was being tortured by Caster, she didn't hesitate and was ready to intervene!
Noticing a stranger, Saber and Assassin both stopped attacking and started a three-way standoff.
Then, they saw Shinji walking out of Ryuudou Temple.
"Archer... and Matou Shinji." Saber frowned and asked loudly, "Why are you here?"
"What other reason could there be? This idiot got himself involved again."
Archer crossed his arms disdainfully and then looked at the formally dressed Bazett, "Who is this person..."
Before he could finish, a purple figure suddenly appeared in front of Bazett and swiftly disappeared with her.
"Rider, Shinji..."
Bazett, not understanding why Rider took her away, wanted to resist.
In Bazett's eyes, it was dangerous for an ordinary person to be involved with three Servants present!
"The Tohsaka girl, the Master of Archer, and Emiya Kiritsugu's son, the Master of Saber, are friends of Shinji."
Bazett then remembered the information Rider had previously gathered, which she had overlooked in her hurry.
"Almost forgot..." Bazett finally relaxed, then asked, "What about Lancer? Your fight..."
"He escaped using a command spell."
...
"Was that Rider's Master just now?"
Archer frowned, looking in the direction Bazett and Rider had left.
"Archer, where is Caster?" Saber asked, frowning, "Since you were inside, then..."
"Don't misunderstand, Saber," Archer interrupted, "Unlike you, I didn't come here against my Master's orders. I was just acting freely."