Chapter 581: Brutus, Were You Part of It Too?
"Tsk tsk, though it's not good news, I must say it."
"As we've already discovered in the previous labyrinth, I can't utilize my original power—it seems you, my Master, are limiting me."
"To emerge victorious from this Holy Grail War, it appears necessary to place our bets on your own growth. There should be limits to how difficult the road ahead can be."
"Don't lose heart. History has no shortage of examples where the weakest overcame through sheer effort. What you need now is persistent training and self-improvement—your dedication will never betray you."
Back in their room, under Hakuno's half-understanding gaze, Sakatsuki shrugged and delivered this speech.
To avoid Hakuno questioning where he'd been or why he was injured, he deftly redirected the conversation, successfully plunging them both into a shared sense of guilt.
Hakuno's guilt stemmed from feeling weak and failing to satisfy Sakatsuki's expectations, while Sakatsuki's came from a twinge of conscience seeing how readily Hakuno believed him...
This girl was far too gullible.
However, one thing Sakatsuki hadn't lied about—most of his capabilities as Archer were indeed sealed. Whether it was his displacement magecraft, draconic constitution, newly acquired Noble Phantasm like Electromaster or Caliburn... they weren't absent from Archer's status sheet, merely grayed out and unusable.
Tilting his head back to gaze at the moon above, the Moon Cell shimmered as it absorbed lunar rays, silver radiance cascading into the young man's golden eyes—devoid of joy or sorrow.
The claim about being hindered by Hakuno's weakness was pure fabrication. The only entity capable of forcing Sakatsuki to restrain himself was a behemoth like the Moon Cell. After all, even the Shadow of Imaginary Numbers (Draco) had drawn the Moon Cell's scrutiny and expulsion—as the original, Sakatsuki's situation could only be worse.
Should he employ abilities beyond prescribed limits, the Moon Cell... no, rather the Uncrowned King awaiting at the Heaven's Threshold would inevitably deliver judgment.
Sakatsuki had come to subjugate the Moon Cell, not destroy it. Thus, he must abide by its rules, advancing step by step toward the throne with due diligence.
Besides, even if his parameters had regressed to his Fourth Holy Grail War state—essentially just the standard EMIYA template—how weak could Sakatsuki truly be?
If anyone actually believed his nonsense, the dozens of Servants and Masters he'd slaughtered, along with countless faceless angels, would surely weep.
The man who'd grown through countless battles was no longer the amateur of yesteryear!
Sakatsuki couldn't even be bothered to tally the treasures hidden within his current Projection magecraft: The Crowned Bow, Gáe Dearg and Gáe Buidhe, Hell's Sickle and Dust Saw, Cloak of Hades, Giant Adam, the demonic sword Balmung... any single one could make a Master ecstatically exclaim "I've hit the jackpot!"
Emiya Shirou, constrained by a world where mystery faded, never produced such marvels even as a Heroic Spirit. But Sakatsuki was different—infinite worlds stood behind him, offering their power.
Yet Hakuno remained unaware of Sakatsuki's true combat prowess. Hearing this would undoubtedly dishearten her.
"Sorry, Master. I've let you down."
"...No, it's alright." Hakuno shook her head slightly. She took a deep breath as she gazed at Sakatsuki's pensive face, as if mustering some kind of courage, then stepped forward.
Sakatsuki's eyes widened slightly—this was the first time Hakuno had placed her hand on his chest. With her head bowed, she moved closer and spoke in a quiet yet utterly trusting voice:
"I believe in you, Sakatsuki."
"From the preliminaries onward, I've always... always believed in you without a doubt."
Her chestnut-brown hair brushed against his arm, tickling slightly. Sakatsuki looked down to see only the top of Hakuno's small head as she nestled against him like a little bird seeking shelter, trembling slightly as if unable to withstand the night's chill.
If Sakatsuki simply spread his arms, he could effortlessly embrace her—this girl who clung to him with such devotion.
"You really are giving me a difficult problem here."
With just a gentle tousle of Hakuno's long hair, Sakatsuki took an active step back. The smile that curled at his lips masked any excess emotion: "Alright, let's not dwell on this. Speaking of which, Hakuno, don't you think this room is a bit too bare?"
Hearing this, Hakuno instinctively glanced around, her face gradually turning crimson before she covered it in shame: "...Sorry, my fault."
Plain white walls, a uselessly oversized blackboard, randomly placed desks and chairs, a wobbly ceiling fan that looked ready to fall and decapitate someone, and wooden floors covered in scratches...
This was the so-called "My Room"—a personal space granted to every Master. In its default state, it resembled an ordinary classroom, but through magical adjustments, it could be transformed into anything. Customization and DIY were fully permitted, making it an unbelievable paradise for certain individuals.
Yet Hakuno, of all people, had lost her memories and knew nothing about magecraft.
"While this setup has a nostalgic charm, you can't exactly use stacked desks as a bed at night." Sakatsuki snapped his fingers. "Alright, Master, as I've planned—you should focus on your reading. I'll handle the room renovations."
"Won't it be too much trouble, Sakatsuki?" Hakuno asked worriedly.
Servants lacked the authority to modify My Rooms, meaning Sakatsuki would have to resort to the most labor-intensive methods—renovating the space from top to bottom, inside and out—which would require considerable effort.
"Don't worry." Sakatsuki misinterpreted her concern in an oddly specific way. "I'll keep the noise down so it doesn't disturb your reading."
As if an unseen BGM began playing, Sakatsuki rolled up his sleeves and cuffed his pants. His fingers danced across a virtual screen like performers, and when the order was complete, the transaction confirmation page reflected in his eyes, lighting them with cheerful satisfaction.
The signature skill of any Emiya-style man—EX-ranked housekeeping—
Activate!
At first, Hakuno managed to settle down, sitting properly at the central desk to read. But when she accidentally glanced up and caught sight of that red figure hard at work, she couldn't look away.
The blackboard vanished under magical influence, replaced by colorful murals. Warm faux-candlelight chandeliers illuminated the pristine walls while verdant potted plants swayed, adorned with freshly sprinkled water droplets. An ivory-white carpet unfurled across the floor, stopping just before Hakuno's feet—as Sakatsuki, with his back to her, installed a fireplace and princess bed at the front of the former classroom.
What made Shirou blush with embarrassment was Sakatsuki placing two pillows on the large bed that could easily accommodate two people.
Could it be... could it mean...!
"Hmm, you're staring, Shirou." Sakatsuki turned his head as if sensing something, startled by Shirou's intense gaze. "What's wrong? Finished studying already?"
"I'm studying, I'm studying..." Shirou hurriedly lowered her head, but couldn't resist looking up again moments later. "Um, Sakatsuki..."
"Yes?"
"Those two pillows on the bed... what are they for?"
"Oh, these?" Sakatsuki casually patted the soft down pillows. "One for your head, one to hug while sleeping... Is there a problem?"
"N-no, nothing."
Shirou shook her head frantically. Under Sakatsuki's puzzled gaze, she raised her textbook to hide her crimson face behind it, letting out a silent scream of mortification.
So embarrassing!
Knock knock knock.
The desk was tapped, startling Shirou to her feet before Sakatsuki gently pressed her back down.
"Now, I have some good news and bad news for you," the young man leaned down, looking seriously at his Master. "Which do you want to hear first?"
"Uh, the good news?"
"The good news is, the renovation of our room is complete!" Sakatsuki proudly lifted his chin, presenting their surroundings. "Scandinavian style, remodeled from the original wooden classroom—simple, natural... and economical."
"It's beautiful! Thank you, Sakatsuki." Shirou didn't hide her admiration, but after admiring it for a while, she asked nervously, "And the bad news?"
"The bad news is," Sakatsuki shrugged as casually as if discussing dinner plans, "we're broke."
Shirou's vision went dark.
This familiar feeling of being victimized...
Et tu, Brute?!
————
In short, Sakatsuki's chronic perfectionism had struck again, causing the renovation costs to far exceed estimates. Not only had Shirou's savings been depleted, but even his own private funds had been completely exhausted, leaving them so strapped they couldn't even afford breakfast.
"Time to work hard, my Master."
With these words from Sakatsuki, Shirou's painful part-time work life began.
My name is Kishinami Hakuno, age 17. My home is SE.RA.PH's Tsukinoura Academy, Classroom 2-B. I'm unmarried. I work part-time at the Arena's First Moon Sea of Thought, starting my shifts at 8 AM after drinking cold water and eating two pieces of bread. I always return home by 9 PM at the latest.
I don't smoke. I occasionally eat meals. At night, I receive one-on-one magecraft tutoring from Sakatsuki before going to bed at 11 PM. I usually sleep soundly until morning, waking up refreshed like a baby without any fatigue or stress. Nurse Sakura says I'm perfectly healthy.
For five straight days, Shirou endured this Spartan routine—training at the Arena by day, cramming magecraft knowledge by night. Amid this uneventful life, two things stood out: first, for some unknown reason, the first-round matchups were still being calculated and hadn't been announced yet, with organizers only saying information would be provided before the decisive battles began.
The second issue was that despite the large amounts of QP pouring in from their efficient teamwork, a small portion would mysteriously disappear every morning. Sakatsuki would also vanish without a trace during these times, returning empty-handed and refusing to answer when Hakuno asked. This made the girl sulk for days until Sakatsuki had to splurge on a lavish meal to appease her.
Finally, this grueling lifestyle came to an end.
With a ripping sound, Sakatsuki tore down the motivational poster on the wall that read "Study until you drop dead." Hakuno collapsed onto the large bed, utterly exhausted and not caring that her midriff was partially exposed.
"Finally... it's over..."
"You've worked hard, Hakuno," Sakatsuki said with genuine admiration, having witnessed firsthand the tremendous effort she'd put in. "You've mastered the basic magecraft and become a proper Master just in time for the first round. We've also collected both cipher keys. Tomorrow is the decisive battle, so let's indulge ourselves today."
"Really?!"
Hakuno's eyes immediately sparkled with hope as she looked at Sakatsuki, who crossed his arms in a tsundere manner and declared:
"While I'm familiar with most Servants' information, I think it would be better to take you somewhere you can experience human history more directly."
"Experience human history?" This seemed to hit Hakuno's sweet spot, making her even more excited. "There's such a place in Tsukumihara Academy? I want to go, Sakatsuki!"
"Easy enough," Sakatsuki replied with a mysterious smile, standing up straight. "Come along, Master. I'll take you there right now."
Thus, the excited Hakuno followed Sakatsuki all the way to the school's third floor—
To the cafeteria.