Chapter 61: Isn't it Just Bragging?

Arturia is a very serious girl.

She doesn't like Shinji, but because of the contract, she will work hard to do what Shinji asks.

Similarly, although Arturia herself doesn't have the ambition to become a star, however, since she has entered this industry, she naturally wants to do her best.

However, with Arturia's current acting skills, she can at best be a face-value decoration.

But her face is too beautiful, to the extent that even without the outstanding figure of other decorations, she can still become a beloved one for the audience.

To become a qualified decoration is not as easy as outsiders imagine. The path of a decoration is far from easy.

A qualified decoration actor, no matter what hardships or difficulties she has experienced, must show her face value and sexiness in front of the audience consistently for decades.

Just this point is enough to make most decoration actors hesitate.

Why do face-value actors transition to versatile actors after achieving a certain level of success? It's because those who fail to transition are kicked out of the industry after losing their face value.

On this point, Heroic Spirits have an unparalleled advantage—they never age.

However, having just face value is not enough; Heroic Spirits also need to showcase their face value in front of the camera.

In this aspect, Diarmuid is not as good as Arturia. Perhaps it's because of his tragic love life before death, Diarmuid always shows a subtle restraint in his performance, as if afraid of attracting young girls again.

To this, Shinji just wants to say, "Hate iron for not becoming steel."

I want you to seduce women, what's with the shyness!

So, Shinji is more satisfied with Arturia's performance. Regardless of how harsh the criticism may be, this King of Britain's appearance is top-notch, and she knows how to showcase her charm.

The only regret is that she cannot abandon the sword and change her Noble Phantasm.

If she could, Arturia would have completed the decisive blow, but unfortunately, it's not possible.

After finishing the chase scene, Shinji, along with the crew, shot the remaining outdoor scenes.

In the end, all the plotlines of Fate/Zero are basically shot, leaving only the scenes of the Three Kings' Banquet.

If fans were to choose a famous scene from Fate/Zero, there would likely be many different answers.

Some people may like the showdown between the Kings and Gilgamesh, some may choose Arturia releasing the Excaliblast, and some may be fond of Diarmuid's tragic ending.

Of course, there are some mischievous folks who might choose the scene of the betrayal of Master and Servant.

But if you add the premise of a "dialogue scene" to this choice, most people would think of the Three Kings' Banquet in the middle of the plot.

Although many people criticize Saber for being hung up and beaten by the other two in this three-person debate, it cannot be denied that the scene of the three kings drinking and answering questions at the Holy Grail is a famous scene in Fate/Zero.

As the most crucial literary scene in the entire movie, Shinji deliberately placed it at the end to allow the actors to shoot this scene in their most perfect state.

In the final preparation stage before shooting, Shinji called Arturia, Gilgamesh, and Iskandar over.

"Just as I said before, I won't give you lines for this scene. You three can say whatever you want based on the outline."

Shinji raised three fingers to the three Servants and instructed, "I have only one request: make this debate more exciting for me within the given time. I want to see a clash of your three ideologies."

Saying this, Shinji glanced at Arturia.

Right now, Shinji just hopes that Arturia's performance in the upcoming scene will be slightly better than in the original play.

It's difficult because compared to Gilgamesh's dominance and Iskandar's conquest, Arturia, who only focuses on protecting Britain, is at a disadvantage in terms of scope.

But if Arturia steps out of the framework of Britain, it would mean a complete change in character, which would be more out of place.

It can only be said that with the premise of having the wish to choose a king again, Arturia is naturally at a disadvantage in this debate.

"Master, I will do my best."

Arturia nodded and clenched her fist firmly.

"Hmph."

Gilgamesh snorted heavily; he obviously thought everything Shinji said was nonsense.

Only Iskandar kept flipping through the script outline in his hand.

"Hey, kid."

After the other two left, Iskandar patted Shinji on the shoulder.

"A very interesting outline," Iskandar asked with narrowed eyes, "Why did you write a script that suits my personality so well before summoning me?"

If there were a real Holy Grail War, without knowing the corruption of the Holy Grail, Iskandar might choose the same wish in the script – to obtain a physical body.

In theory, modern people can only infer the situations of heroes through literary records and mythological legends, with subjective imagination.

But Shinji could guess very accurately, so accurate that it seemed like he had seen it with his own eyes.

"Master, I'm curious about you."

Iskandar smiled meaningfully.

"Then turn that curiosity into motivation for filming," Shinji patted Iskandar's back, "Get ready quickly; we're about to start shooting."

"Alright, I got it."

Iskandar clenched his fist against his temple and left humming a strange tune.

"This guy..."

Watching the King's departing figure, Shinji shook his head helplessly.

Calling him crude might be true, but his heart is surprisingly meticulous. He could sense the problem through the script, which even Gilgamesh, who knew the inside story due to being there at that time, chose to ignore.

Once everything was ready, the final scene began shooting.

To authentically present this debate to the audience, Shinji decided to use a single long continuous shot from start to finish. Therefore, he only prepared one camera for this scene.

In places where the camera couldn't reach, a countdown electronic board was set up, indicating the remaining shooting time for the three main actors.

This tested the skill of the production team and actors; any small mistake could ruin everything.

In front of the camera, the three kings sat in a circle, each with a magnificent wine glass in front of them.

When Shinji shouted "action," Iskandar eagerly picked up the glass in front of him and took a sip of the colorless and clear divine wine.

"Delicious~"

Iskandar widened his eyes in praise.

This wasn't acting from Iskandar; it was a genuine compliment from the heart.

He had been eyeing Gilgamesh's wine for a long time, but Gilgamesh never brought out a drop of it except for official filming.

"Fantastic."

Iskandar was immersed in the taste of the wine, full of admiration.

"This surely isn't made by humans; it's for gods, right?"

Gilgamesh revealed a relaxed smile and proudly shook the wine glass in his hand.

"Of course, whether it's wine or a sword, I only keep the best. That's the taste of a king."

"Enough of your jokes."

Arturia put down her wine glass and made a sarcastic remark.

Seeing Arturia starting to speak, Shinji quickly zoomed in on Arturia, capturing a close-up shot.

"Excessively boasting about one's collection is something a parvenu would do, not a king."

Gilgamesh chuckled, looking at Arturia disdainfully and said, "Someone who doesn't even understand wine has no right to be a king. When you ruled Britain, did you only drink river water?"

Shinji pursed his lips.

Gilgamesh's dissatisfaction with Arturia has a long history. Since the Fate/stay night era, when Arturia stole his spotlight (in his self-perception), he hasn't been fond of her.

Now, finally finding an opportunity, there was no way Gilgamesh would let it pass.

So, Shinji expected Gilgamesh to be more venomous than in the script, but he didn't anticipate him saying such things.

'Isn't this turning into a street fight rather than a debate?'

Fortunately, Iskandar, who sensed that things were getting out of hand, quickly interjected before Arturia could retort.

"Alright, you two. We're here to drink, not to argue."

Iskandar emphasized the word "drink," implying that they were still making a movie.

Then, following the script outline, the King asked Gilgamesh about the Holy Grail.

"Archer, your wine is undoubtedly a treasure, but the Holy Grail isn't meant for holding wine."

"We are here to consider whether each of us is qualified for the Holy Grail through the Holy Grail Q&A."

"So, Archer, as a king, tell us why you are qualified to obtain the Holy Grail."

Gilgamesh still maintained the expression of being the greatest in the world, proudly announcing,

"This question is meaningless; I don't need the Holy Grail at all."

Saying that, Gilgamesh sighed helplessly.

"Originally, the Holy Grail was my possession. It could be said that all the treasures in the world originated from my collection. The Holy Grail just happened to be lost from my treasury, but its true owner was still me."

Seeing Gilgamesh so self-satisfied, Arturia recalled the term Shinji mentioned – Versailles literature.

Gilgamesh seemed to be talking about the Holy Grail, but in reality, wasn't he boasting about his lofty status?

"Archer, your thoughts are as confused as Caster's," Arturia continued to mock, "He mistook me for someone else, and you mistook the Holy Grail for your wine glass, right?"

"Isn't that because you, Saber, are ignorant?" Gilgamesh retorted unyieldingly, "Not understanding my greatness and still yapping here."

'I really don't want to understand!'

Arturia wrinkled her nose, feeling annoyed.

"I think I've guessed Archer's true name."

Iskander said while secretly taking a few more sips of the divine wine. The taste of this wine was too good; he had to drink more now, or it might be gone next time.

"Speaking of which, there should be only one king who is more arrogant than I, Iskandar."

'Alright, Versailles Literature Writer No. 2.'

Arturia resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

Iskandar's words seemed to be praising Gilgamesh, but in fact he was putting himself above all other kings throughout history.

'It seems like this so-called Holy Grail Q&A is just bragging, isn't it? Why didn't Master make it clear from the beginning?'

<+ >

If you want to see more chapter of this story and don't mind paying $5 each month to read till the latest posted chapter, please go to my Patreon1

Current Chapter In Patreon: Chapter 155: Arturia: "So, I was just a backup option?"

https://www.patreon.com/Thatsnakegirl2