Chapter 225: The Versatile Emiya Household
Despite Heaven's Feel's top-tier production and emotional impact, at the end of the day, it wasn't a movie—it was just a TV series.
The peak of a series' popularity and influence is during its airing period, but once it ends, it quickly fades into yesterday's news.
Even a massive hit like Heaven's Feel was no exception.
By the time February was coming to a close, Heaven's Feel's buzz had all but died down. Only hardcore fans like Kuonji Alice would still hold onto it.
Not that it mattered—Heaven's Feel had already made Type-Moon, Time Group, and Bandai a fortune. The hype had served its purpose, and everyone had long since moved on to their next money-making project.
The World of Magecraft, however, was a completely different story.
Unlike the entertainment industry, the discussions surrounding Heaven's Feel had only grown more intense. The magecraft theories explored in the series had sparked heated debates, and the excitement showed no signs of slowing down.
Two topics, in particular, were at the center of it all.
One was the blueprints for the Jeweled Sword of Zelretch, which the Tohsaka family had made public.
The other was the feasibility of the various life-extension methods mentioned in Heaven's Feel.
Whether it was the Second Magic or the concept of drawing mana from parallel worlds, this legendary Mystic Code was destined to be a major research focus in the mage community for years to come.
The only reason the topic hadn't completely blown up yet was that the conditions to recreate the Jeweled Sword were way too demanding—far beyond what was currently possible.
To put it in simpler terms, it was like modern magi had just gotten their hands on the iPhone 13 Pro Max's blueprints, but their available technology was still stuck at 8-bit arcade consoles.
The gap was enormous, but the magi weren't discouraged. Having a goal was better than having none at all.
And if enough people worked on it, maybe—just maybe—they'd find a way.
The Department of Modern Magecraft Theory had already established a special research team dedicated to recreating the Jeweled Sword of Zelretch. The goal? To bring back one of the greatest Mystic Codes in history.
As for the other hot topic—the methods of extending one's life, there were two key debates:
Zouken Matou's insect-based life extension method
Emiya Shirou's doll-based body replacement technique
Of course, Zouken's method was incredibly inhumane, but let's be real—since when did magi care about ethics?
With a few exceptions, most magi were ultimate egoists.
If it meant reaching the Root, they couldn't care less if all 6 billion people on Earth dropped dead.
In fact, it'd be even better if they did—fewer competitors meant a greater chance of securing the "ticket" to the Root.
The real reason magi hesitated wasn't morality—it was that Zouken's method gradually twisted the soul over time, making it impossible to retain one's sense of self in the long run.
And for a magus, that was unacceptable.
To them, immortality wasn't the goal—reaching the Root was.
If they lost sight of that purpose over centuries of existence, then what was the point?
Emiya Shirou's doll-based body replacement technique had the same problem.
No one could guarantee that their soul would remain intact forever.
Of course, there was also the issue of how to extract a soul from a body in the first place.
Right now, souls simply weren't strong enough to exist independently—at least not under normal circumstances.
It wasn't that body-swapping was impossible.
It was that something would definitely be lost in the process.
The only ones strong enough to bypass this issue were Heroic Spirits, whose deeds were recorded in the foundation of human history.
But then again…
What the hell would a Heroic Spirit need a doll body for?
Why the hell would they need a physical body, period?!
To have kids or something?!
So, as the mages of the Clock Tower busied themselves with their frantic research and half-baked theories, Shinji Matou had only one thought on the matter:
"What a complete waste of time!"
…
Wait.
That was more than one word.
"Tch! I've been around those idiots for too long—I'm even starting to think like them."
Clicking his tongue in annoyance, Shinji tossed his pen onto the desk.
While the Clock Tower was caught up in heated debates, Shinji wasn't exactly sitting around idly either.
He wasn't busy researching magecraft, though—his focus was on fine-tuning the script for Fate/Apocrypha.
At this point, he had lost count of how many times he had gone over the script.
After giving Jeanne and the others a lesson and engaging in some in-depth discussions, Shinji had picked up plenty of valuable feedback from the actors' complaints.
Based on their suggestions, he revised the script once again.
When he presented the updated version to the cast and crew, everyone agreed that the main characters now had even stronger, more distinct personalities thanks to his adjustments.
Of course, good writing didn't come without effort.
The director shot him a knowing look—after all, there was a reason people said "screenwriters work themselves to the bone."
And as the head writer for Fate/Apocrypha, Shinji wasn't just working himself to the bone—he was grinding himself down to dust.
Even though he had handed off a lot of detailed scene work to hired scriptwriters and was only handling final revisions himself, there was still no avoiding the fact that he had to personally put in the work.
With all the edits, cuts, and rewrites, the crew would still need some time before they could get their hands on a fully finalized version of the script.
Fortunately, Fate/Apocrypha had only just started filming, and there were plenty of scenes that could be shot without waiting for the revised script.
As a result, aside from the few days following Heaven's Feel's final episode airing, the movie's production hadn't suffered any major delays.
That being said, Shinji's previously laid-back work environment was officially a thing of the past—he had already pulled several consecutive all-nighters.
And now, right on cue, Irisviel had dropped by to congratulate him on Heaven's Feel's success, only to walk in and find him looking completely disheveled.
"Hmm… but Shinji, your hair is always messy, so it doesn't make much of a difference, does it?"
Shinji's eyebrow twitched. "Excuse me, madam, but could you please refrain from so cheerfully pointing out other people's flaws?! And for the record, my hair isn't messy—it's naturally wavy!"
"So that's why Sakura-chan and Flora-chan call you a walking strand of seaweed?"
Irisviel's big, innocent eyes sparkled with mischief—her entire expression screamed, "Tell me more gossip!"
Shinji rolled his eyes. "Irisviel, the way you address Lissy is so weird. Why are you adding '-chan' after her surname?!"
"Hehe, don't sweat the small stuff~" Irisviel patted Shinji's shoulder with a grin. "So, how does Flora-chan address you in private?"
Shinji shot her a glare. Like hell he was going to tell her about that embarrassing nickname—"Little Shinji".
At the moment, Irisviel was working as a producer on the spy film project starring Diarmuid.
Because of copyright issues, the movie couldn't use the original title Mission: Impossible, so Shinji had given it the name Spy Among Spies.
Of course, in reality, Irisviel was basically just a mascot for the production.
Other than high-speed car chases, she wasn't exactly someone you could rely on for actual work.
The person actually keeping the set running was her husband, Emiya Kiritsugu.
In addition to Irisviel's "producer" title, Kiritsugu was also working as the film's military advisor.
As a former magus mercenary, he had an almost encyclopedic knowledge of firearms and combat tactics.
For a modern gunfight-heavy action film like Spy Among Spies, he was practically the perfect consultant.
Don't underestimate the role of military advisors in film production.
They might not be able to influence the plot much, but when it came to boosting a movie's realism, they could make all the difference in the world.
There were plenty of small but crucial details that only experts would notice—like the correct way to hold a gun, where to point the barrel in different combat situations, and even the distinct sound effects for different weapons.
Back in Shinji's past life, almost every major action film hired professional military personnel to assist with filming.
It wasn't just Hollywood—even Tsuburaya's tokusatsu productions regularly invited JSDF officers to the set as military advisors.
Take Ultraman Z, for example—the realistic depiction of the military arsenal owed a lot to its consultant.
"Really, thanks a lot for your help, Shinji. Kiritsugu is having a great time on set," Irisviel said with a smile as they chatted about the production.
"Is that so? I thought he'd find the whole thing tedious." Shinji remained unconvinced.
"Well, he's over forty now—he can't spend his entire life on the battlefield, right?" Irisviel sighed, resting her face in one hand. "If something happened to him, what would become of us—just a lonely widow and her child?"
Shinji shrugged. "Nothing much. Shirou would take care of you and Illya."
"You're as blunt as ever, Shinji."
Irisviel twirled a strand of her hair, grinning. "Shirou's a good kid, but he's way too stiff. Every time I invite him for a drive, he gets all shy and refuses."
'That's not shyness—that's basic survival instincts kicking in!!'
Shinji screamed internally.
Irisviel's "pedal to the metal and leave the rest to fate" driving style was not something any sane person wanted to experience firsthand.
'Kiritsugu must have nerves of steel to stay calm whenever she's behind the wheel— Wait a second, didn't she learn to drive from him?!'
Suddenly, Shinji no longer felt sorry for Kiritsugu.
That guy brought this upon himself!
"I just wish that kid would get a little closer to me. Right now, he's still too distant."
'I think that's just fate preparing its next big disaster for your family…'
Shinji had a bad feeling.
If Irisviel kept being this reckless, it was only a matter of time before the entire Emiya household got into serious trouble.
Like, what if one day she got too excited while driving, the magecraft-based safety enchantments on the car failed, and the whole situation escalated from flying through the air to a tragic funeral in record time?
That would be a huge loss.
Where else was Shinji supposed to find such a talented and budget-friendly family?!
Shirou's projection magecraft, Kiritsugu's military expertise, Illya's adorable marketability—these were valuable resources!
Not to mention, the entire Emiya family was basically one of Alaya's favorites.
If anything happened to them—and if it somehow got linked to him, a reincarnated outsider—he'd probably get obliterated by the Counter Force in an instant.
Irisviel, of course, remained completely unfazed.
"Relax~ Nothing bad will happen with me around."
"You're literally the most reckless person in your entire family…"
Shinji sighed, rubbing his temples.
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