Shinji Matou at Your Service

The Matou family had two study rooms.

One was on the first floor, not very large, with few books. It was more of an office for the head of the family than a study room.

The other was deep underground, with an area equivalent to an entire floor above ground. It had a longer history than the surface buildings, designed and decorated by Zouken Matou himself, and later filled and modified by Scáthach and Touko.

For magi, knowledge is the most valuable resource and wealth. Besides the magic crests implanted in their bodies, books are the most important source of knowledge.

Therefore, every magus family has a rich collection of books, which grows richer with each generation. So far, the Matou family's collection could rival a small library.

It included various magical books and magi notes passed down through the Matou family or acquired through other means, as well as ordinary books unrelated to mysteries. Mysteries need to be hidden, but magi must live in this world. Moreover, magecraft, science, history, and humanities are deeply interconnected.

Due to its location deep underground and its initial design by Zouken Matou, who excelled in insect magecraft, the study had a dark and gloomy style. There were no obvious light sources, only a desk lamp illuminating a small area, adding a spooky atmosphere to the entire space.

However, Shinji under the lamp was not affected by the atmosphere and continued to focus on the book in front of him.

He flipped through the pages quickly, the rustling sound of pages turning every few seconds repeating endlessly.

After an unknown amount of time, the quiet of the study was broken by light footsteps.

"Brother, why don't you turn on the other lights?"

A slightly reproachful, tender voice sounded, and a strand of purple hair draped over Shinji's shoulder.

"You said this is bad for your eyes."

Sakura said, tracing a pale purple rune in the air. As the rune formed, the shadow at her feet quickly extended forward, reaching the wall at the end of the study and climbing onto a protruding device.

With a "click," the ceiling lights of the study were switched on, and the originally dim room became bright. The rows of bookshelves and the neatly arranged books on them added a sense of oppression to the entire study, a weight born of knowledge.

The ceiling lights did not make the extended shadow disappear. Only when the rune in the air dissipated did the shadow retract from between the bookshelves, obediently curling up at Sakura's feet, with two faint glows faintly visible.

Shinji moved his gaze from the book, glanced at the shadow on the ground, and then reached out to ruffle Sakura's hair.

"Your control over the Shadow Apostle is getting more and more skillful. My little sister is indeed amazing."

"Hehe."

Sakura squinted, shaking her head in sync with her brother's caress, "Brother, aren't you done yet? It's already been an entire afternoon."

"The content is more than I expected. It might take another half an hour."

Although more than half of the book had been flipped through, there were still a considerable number of pages left.

"Then let's eat first. Mom brought back a lot of delicious food, and if we're late, Sister Arcueid will eat it all."

"That girl is eating more and more, and it's winter now, so it gets dark early."

Shinji reluctantly closed the book in his hand and stood up. Early darkness meant Arcueid would wake up early, and in this aspect, she was just like a vampire.

Unaware of Arcueid's true identity, Sakura tugged at Shinji's sleeve: "Brother, can I sit next to you at dinner today?"

"Of course."

How could Shinji refuse his little sister's small request?

Sakura made a small victory gesture behind him. When she was younger, the seat next to her brother had always been her exclusive spot, but now, with more girls in the house, more people were competing for the seat. Sakura's gentle nature rarely led her to compete actively, but that didn't mean she was willing to give up this spot.

I will never give my brother to you!

Clenching her fist to cheer herself up, the girl jogged to keep up with her brother.

Before leaving, she casually glanced at the book cover. With the knowledge inherited from Scathach, she recognized the English title on the cover at a glance.

"The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire? Why is Brother reading this?"

...

Why read such a book? Of course, because it was needed.

The reasons for Rome's fall are complex, but undeniably, Attila leading the Huns westward was one of the significant factors.

Due to the Huns' nomadic nature, historical records about them are quite scarce. Shinji could only start his research with Rome, which was closely related to the Huns.

As for why he was researching Attila, it was undoubtedly for Altera.

Although they had exchanged names and were no longer strangers, becoming acquaintances or even friends required more interaction and understanding.

Altera lacked experience in this area. Besides looking at you with hopeful eyes, she didn't even know how to start a conversation, leaving the burden on Shinji. Learning about Attila's deeds was Shinji's chosen entry point.

Attila's life was one of Altera's most precious memories, and this rare conqueror in human history was also one of the heroes Shinji was very interested in. Even before the Fate series came into existence, he had heard of Attila's deeds and his famous saying: "No matter how unpleasant the Huns' words are, hold your temper and listen to him first; don't be in a hurry to cut him down."

Upon hearing this, the image of a rough and towering male figure immediately became vivid, which contrasted sharply with the Altera in front of him. The dissonance was overwhelming. Did you say that?

In response, Altera confirmed that she indeed said those words, taught to her by an elder of the Huns who raised her. He was one of the few wise elders among the Huns. Previously, when Shinji mentioned being enemies with Sefar, Altera didn't directly attack him but instead gave him time to explain, possibly influenced by this saying.

Aside from this, other legendary sayings attributed to Attila had little to do with Altera herself, such as:

"A great leader must not be too serious." — When Altera isn't speaking, she exudes a strong sense of oppression, and Attila rarely speaks.

"Beware of the rear in political battles." — Politics? What's that? Altera asked, tilting her head.

"There must be a reason to make enemies." — Enemies? Those things should just be eliminated. Altera said seriously.

"The Huns must have a far-reaching vision." — Only by seeing far can you eliminate all enemies! Altera thought for a moment and stated her understanding.

...

...

...

What else could Shinji say?

Forget the history books, this is the Nasuverse!!!