Shinji Matou at Your Service-Chapter 874 - : An Apology

Shinji's strange attitude caused Sakura to be a little suspicious—could her brother, a flirtatious guy, have been involved with another female Servant?

"Brother, did something happen between you and Rider?"

"If my memory serves me right, I've never met Master's brother before, nor do I have any memory of him."

Medusa, who had been silent since her appearance, finally spoke. Her voice was as cold and elegant as her appearance.

"Of course, you wouldn't have any memory of me. Nothing ever happened between us. But—don't you think I look a little familiar?"

Hearing Shinji's question, Medusa aimed her blindfold at the young man in front of her—her blindfold, a Noble Phantasm similar to Mystic Eyes Killer, sealed her infamous petrifying Mystic Eyes, but did not impair her normal vision.

"It does seem... a little familiar."

"How about now?"

As Shinji spoke, he pushed back his bangs with one hand, casting a runic spell that turned his hair from blue to dark red.

"It's even more familiar now."

There was a slight tremor in her voice.

"And what about with these?"

As he spoke, Shinji manifested the Harpe in his left hand and the Shield of Athena in his right.

"This—this is—"

Medusa's cold and elegant demeanor finally shattered, as if an iceberg had turned into flames. Her body trembled uncontrollably.

"Brother, could there possibly be—?"

Sakura covered her mouth in disbelief. She knew her brother had many Noble Phantasms and was aware of Medusa's legend, but she had never asked about the names of those Noble Phantasms and never thought to connect the two.

"Yes, it's exactly what you think."

Shinji nodded with a bitter smile.

"The Harpe, the weapon that killed Medusa. The Shield of Athena, the Noble Phantasm that blocks the petrifying Mystic Eyes. Later, the goddess Athena even embedded Medusa's head into the shield—so you see why I don't know how to face you."

To be honest, he had never intended to summon Medusa as an ally.

It wasn't a matter of her strength. Although her performance in Fate/Stay Night was subpar, Medusa was quite powerful. Her attributes, enhanced by her monstrous nature, were impressive, but the true terror was her highest-level petrifying Mystic Eyes, Cybele, which was a deadly surprise attack, capable of instantly killing someone with insufficient knowledge.

It wasn't a matter of her personality either. On the contrary, Medusa could be considered one of the easiest Servants to get along with. She had many endearing qualities. In Shinji's previous life, Medusa not only had a large fan base but many fan creators made doujin works about her. At her peak, she even held the title of Doujin Queen in the Type-Moon fandom—a fact that was quite revealing.

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In short, Medusa was ideal as a Servant: powerful, reliable, and very obedient.

However, no matter how ideal a Servant she might be, it was difficult for anyone to stay calm when confronted with the weapons that killed them, especially when those weapons were the bane of their existence. That was what worried Shinji. He knew that Medusa had long accepted her fate, but accepting her fate was one thing; having someone waving the tools of her demise in front of her was another matter entirely.

"Are you—Perseus? No, you're not him."

Seeing the red hair she had seen in her final moments, the sickle that severed her head, and the shield adorned with her head, Medusa's voice became dry, her body unconsciously leaning forward. She quickly began shaking her head, completely losing the composure she had as the Gorgon who slaughtered countless warriors.

"Indeed, I am not him. But you could think of me as his successor. The Matou family's bloodline can be traced back to Perseus."

Shinji was Shinji—he was not anyone else, nor did he want to become someone else. No matter what legacy or gifts he received from Perseus, that fact remained indisputable.

"When I was very young, I had an encounter with Perseus. He entrusted these Noble Phantasms to me, and I was able to glimpse a part of his life. He asked me to pass on an apology to two people if I ever had the chance. One of them was Acrisius, and the other was you."

Here, Shinji lied. Perseus had left such a request, but the sentiment was genuine. If Perseus had the chance to meet these people again, he would undoubtedly apologize, and Shinji, who had connected with Perseus on a soul level, could confirm this.

Acrisius, the king of Argos, was Perseus' grandfather, who died when Perseus accidentally hit him with a discus during a sporting event. Although a prophecy had foretold that Perseus would kill his grandfather even before he was born, leading Acrisius to exile his daughter and infant grandson, Perseus still felt sorrow over the incident.

As for Medusa, when Perseus killed her, he didn't have many personal feelings—he just saw her as a monster that had devoured countless lives, a formidable enemy, a target he needed to defeat to save his mother. However, after learning about Medusa's past, his mindset changed. He didn't regret killing her, but he couldn't help feeling a sense of guilt.

That's just the kind of person Perseus was. You could say he was honorable, or you could say he had a bleeding heart.

Medusa clearly understood this, as her reaction showed.

"I see, that man did say such a thing. He was always a hero who acted out of goodwill. Though it's awkward, I bear no grudge or hatred towards him. I might even pity him, though that's not something I could say to his face."

"You pity him, but he likely felt the same way about you. Anyone with half a brain knows it wasn't your fault; it was Athena's unreasonable curse."

That was Shinji's belief, and Sakura shared it as well.

"Exactly, exactly! When I read that legend, I thought it was unfair. Why should a goddess be allowed to curse someone like that?"

"Thank you, Master, and you too, Master's brother."

Medusa smiled—a faint but beautiful smile. Perhaps this was her true nature, not as a Gorgon monster, but as Medusa, the Perfect Idol.

"Matou Shinji. Just Shinji is fine,"

Shinji said, introducing himself.

"Medusa—no, Rider—and Sakura. Whatever my plans were in the past, or who I intended to summon, that's all in the past. Now, you two are Master and Servant, you're comrades. I hope you can respect each other, understand each other, trust each other, and support each other. Don't let the shadows of the past affect how you treat each other now."

All the prior explanations were just for this one request. Whether it was the inertia of the timeline or the fact that Sakura and Medusa were a perfect match, none of that mattered anymore. What mattered was their current Master-Servant relationship and the upcoming war.

"Understood, brother."

Sakura agreed immediately, and Medusa nodded silently. Their similarly long purple hair swayed slightly, making them look almost like sisters.

"Rider, tell me about yourself. Is it true you have two sisters? And what about Perseus—was he as great as the legends say?"

"I do have two sisters, and they were both very kind to me. As for Perseus... hehe... I'm not sure if he was that great, but in my eyes, he was a coward."

"A coward?"

"Yes, he was trembling all over when he approached me."

"Huh?"

As her voice grew softer, Shinji's mood lightened considerably.

Despite the unexpected events, this wasn't a bad start. Now it was time to think about his issues.