Shinji Matou at Your Service

The conflict between historical records and reality successfully sparked Altera's curiosity. She wanted to know more about the story of herself. Shinji also wanted to learn more about Altera—not the one in the game, the setting collections, or the texts, but the real her.

With this foundation, their communication no longer had barriers, and more explosive details emerged in their exchanges:

"Historical records state that Attila's father was Mundzuk."

"That's the name of the Hun elder who adopted me."

"The heirs Ellac, Dengizich, and Ernakh were also descendants of the elder's family?"

"Yeah, it should be like that."

"Should be?"

"I don't have these names in my memory."

"Huh? I'm a bit confused; these are your heirs."

"These matters were all decided by the elders."

"Then what did you do?"

"Fight, destroy."

"You as a king of Huns..."

"..."

"What's wrong?"

"King... it's a very nostalgic title."

"You like this title?"

"I don't dislike it."

"Then you like it. Hello, King."

"Ugh..."

Her body shuddered.

"What's wrong with you, King?"

"Mm..."

Her body shuddered again.

"King?"

"Stop, stop saying that."

Altera sat at the top of the temple, hugging her knees, burying her head between her thighs.

"Okay, King. I won't say it, King."

"You, you said it again. You're mean..."

The King is so cute!!!

...

"There are two theories about Attila's death in historical records. The first one is that she was killed by a newlywed maiden named Ildico in her sleep."

"That's not true."

Altera shook her head.

"I don't possess the human function of sleep. Even in deep rest, I don't lose consciousness. Assassinating me is impossible."

"I thought so too."

Shinji wasn't surprised. Attila's performance as a weapon was nearly perfect. Even if just a backup of information, she still inherited this trait.

Moreover, a honey trap? Setting aside that Attila wouldn't fall for that, Attila's beauty itself was at a planetary level. To use a honey trap on her, it would need to be a beauty of the same caliber, like Arcueid. That maiden Ildico—wouldn't she feel ashamed standing in front of Attila?

"So, how did the dream version of you die?"

"Natural death."

"Natural?"

"Yeah, because without the main body, the information entity has a limited active time. When the time is up, it dissipates."

Altera stated this fact plainly. Only at this moment could one see some of the grandeur of the Scourge of God.

"Then the reason you didn't completely overthrow Western Rome back then was because you ran out of time?"

"Yes."

In 452 AD, Attila advanced westward, reaching the banks of the Po River, terrifying the Western Roman Empire. Emperor Valentinian III abandoned his capital and fled in panic. However, at the critical moment of the Western Roman Empire's impending downfall, Attila suddenly withdrew his army, leaving another mystery for posterity.

Later scholars offered various explanations for this, but none expected the reason to be so simple.

"I see. Do you want to hear the second theory about Attila's death?"

"Yes, yes."

Even if it was false, she was still interested.

"The second theory is that he drank too much, and during a hangover, a blood vessel in his nasal cavity burst, causing blood to flow back and suffocate him—this is also impossible, right?"

"Yes, my body is special. No matter how much I drink, it won't have any adverse effects."

Shinji raised his head, looking Altera up and down.

In this world, there's a physique that countless food lovers envy—no matter how much they eat, they don't gain weight. Altera is the ultimate version of this physique— an innate body. It's a perfectly complete biological body. Though she appears slender, she possesses greater strength than a muscle-bound strongman. No matter how much she eats or drinks, her body shape doesn't change, all thanks to this.

"Uh, um, please don't stare at me..."

She was shy.

The King is so cute!!!

...

"By the way, Altera, do you know Siegfried?"

"Siegfried? The name sounds familiar; I think I've heard it."

"Then do you know Kriemhild?"

"I know her. She was my wife in the dream."

"As expected... Okay, I won't ask how you two women got married—Kriemhild was Siegfried's wife before she married you."

"I seem to remember her saying she married me to avenge her husband. Is this Siegfried?"

"Yes, if you're interested, I can tell you Siegfried's story. Not just the legendary stories, but also new ones that were never recorded."

"Sure, I'd like to hear it."

"Then let's start from the beginning—a man, who was an invincible knight, a noble hero, a great hero, the prince of the Netherlands..."

Artoria's eyes sparkled, like a child listening to a bedtime story.

The King is so cute!!!

...

Starting with Siegfried, their conversation began to branch out from Altera herself. Shinji also had a chance to use the knowledge he gained from Scathach and the Holy Grail.

In Altera's words, Shinji was more knowledgeable than all the Hun elders combined. This was only natural; a modern person should be more learned than a person from the 5th century AD, right?

Days passed in their exchanges. Altera got used to Shinji's presence, and Shinji got used to chatting with her daily. Their relationship evolved from acquaintances to friends.

...

And so, a month passed.

"You're not coming tomorrow?"

Still in the same temple, still hugging her knees, Altera looked completely dejected. Besides that dream, her conversations with Shinji were her most cherished treasure. She didn't want to lose it, didn't want to return to solitary confinement.

"Let me finish. I only said maybe. I have to go on a trip tomorrow, and I don't know when I'll have time, so I told you not to wait."

Shinji quickly explained. For the past month, his routine had been very regular. He practiced in the morning, and when his family got busy with their things in the morning, Shinji would chat with Altera until lunchtime. The afternoons were free for either research or helping his family. In the evenings, everyone would gather to hang out, and at bedtime, he would explore the Mooncell with Arcueid until dawn, when Arcueid went to sleep.

However, this peace was broken today. Due to a phone call from Lorelei, Shinji had to end his stable routine and couldn't keep up his regular schedule.

"I promise you, as soon as I have time, I'll come to find you."

Hearing this, Altera's expression softened but still showed some unease.

"You must come, okay?"

"Of course. Trust me—I'll tell you all about it when I get back."

"Alright, it's a deal."

Altera extended a finger, touching Shinji's palm, a gesture Shinji taught her to make promises.

"Yes, it's a deal."

"Where are you going?"

"A country in the Asia."

It's also the homeland of Shinji's soul.