After convincing the shadow servant to cooperate, everything else became easier—transferring the Command Seals, and re-establishing the contract. Shinji had done it before, so he could finish it in seconds. However, in reality, it took several dozen, even a hundred times longer.
Because another person involved, Waver Velvet, refused.
Yes, he refused when Shinji approached him to transfer the Command Seals.
"Sorry, give them to someone else. I won't form a contract with her."
"Huh?"
Shinji was dumbstruck.
Hey, are you out of your mind? Are you passing up a chance for revenge?
Not wanting revenge is one thing, but you don't even want a combatant? Do you realize your biggest weakness is your lack of fighting power? With a servant, who among those stubborn, highborn fools in the Clock Tower would dare underestimate you?
The shadow servant was also stunned.
I agreed to form a contract with you as a favor, and you, a lifeless workaholic, dare refuse? Even Ozymandias didn't have the guts for this!
Perhaps feeling uncomfortable under their intense stares, Waver quickly explained:
"I know you mean well, Shinji. It's not because of past events that I refuse to form a contract. I have other reasons."
Shinji, with a cold expression, urged, "What reason? Speak quickly, or if she forms a contract with someone else, you might regret it."
"First of all, she's the king's shadow, and like me, she's one of his subjects. Whether or not she acknowledges me, I don't want to form a contract that implies such a strong subordinate relationship."
For the shadow servant, this was respect, but for Shinji, this answer was meaningless.
"Cut the crap. She's agreed, so why are you being so pretentious?"
After all the effort, finally reaching the last step, and you're backing out? Do you think I have no temper?
Even the onlookers couldn't stand it. Melvin jumped out and said, "If he doesn't want her, give her to me. I want her. If my health weren't so poor, I would have participated in the last Holy Grail War."
Waver waved him away like a fly and continued to explain, "Setting aside personal feelings, let's talk practically—do you want me to participate in the Holy Grail War?"
"Isn't that obvious?"
"Then I definitely can't form a contract with her. If I do, I'll become an official Master. Can an official Master summon another servant?"
"…"
This question left Shinji speechless.
Damn, I was so focused on pairing Waver with a female Iskandar that I forgot about this. Only substitute Masters can summon servants; official Masters cannot summon another one.
Letting someone else summon her isn't impossible, but Waver would never choose that option, and the shadow servant might not agree—after all, the king they are loyal to becoming someone else's servant, how would that be acceptable?
"So, what do you suggest?"
"Entrust her to Gray."
With this one sentence, all the problems were solved.
First, although Gray herself isn't a magus, she is a descendant of Artoria, born with powerful magical energy, enough to sustain a servant.
Second, her personality isn't bad; she's not the kind of idiot Master who treats servants as tools.
Lastly, with her status as Waver's disciple, her fate is closely tied to her master, so there's no hidden danger. Waver could naturally take her to Fuyuki, summon Iskandar, and have him meet the shadow servant.
Even if Waver chickened out and didn't go to Fuyuki, the shadow servant, being one step removed, would still have room to maneuver. Waver's thorough thinking and meticulous planning explain why he caught the eye of Zhuge Liang in another world line.
Without a feathered fan or silk scarf, this man still had the demeanor of a strategist as he looked at his disciple.
"Gray, are you willing to accept this contract?"
Gray slightly lifted her hood, carefully observing the female servant who had once put immense pressure on her, then looked at her master, who was right in front of her. She remembered that recent moment of spying, remembered her first wish upon arriving in London, and finally nodded.
"I'm willing—Master, will you participate in that Holy Grail War?"
Waver's eyes flashed, surprised, and asked, "Do you want me to go?"
"Yes, I think you should go."
"Why?"
"Be-because… because deep down, you want to go. I've never seen you this excited about something."
"Is that so…"
Waver's pupils contracted slightly, and he asked no more, turning his gaze to the other side.
"And you, are you willing to form a contract with my disciple?"
"If it's her, I'm fine with it," the shadow servant, now known as Faker, replied much more straightforwardly.
"She has the qualities of a priestess and can see the light of life shining between life and death, much stronger than you."
"It's no surprise that a disciple surpasses the master, right?"
Waver retorted.
"Since you agree, then there's no problem. Shinji, please."
"No trouble, the hard part is already done."
As Shinji spoke, he handed the Command Seals to Gray.
"Stretch out your hand."
"Okay."
With a flash of red light, the Command Seals were transferred to Gray's wrist. With a new anchor, the shadow servant's ethereal body gradually became more solid.
Thus, a new contract was formed, adding another powerful member to the El-Melloi classroom.
Due to the contract's effect, a string of new information appeared in Gray's mind, all related to the servant. There were stats and skills, and among them, one line caught her attention.
"Fa…Faker? What is that?"
"That's my class as a servant. It seems that I received this non-standard class because of my unusual summoning method, but I'm not too clear on the specifics."
The shadow servant, now known as Faker, stood up while healing herself with magic.
"It's not just the summoning method; it's also the concept—Heartless used the concept of falseness."
Using the conflict between the Mystic Eye Collection Train and the Child of Einnashe, connected with the Greater Grail of Fuyuki, an irregular Holy Grail was formed.
Unlike in a parallel world, the structure of the Holy Grail War was not leaked. Even though Heartless conducted thorough research, he couldn't replicate it and had to resort to tricks. As a result, while this irregular Grail possessed some functions of the real Grail, it wasn't enough to modify the Greater Grail itself, nor could it summon the seven standard classes. Creating a completely new, additional class (EXTRA) was the only option.
The Child of Einnashe can be considered a remnant of Einnashe, and the Mystic Eye Collection Train can also be considered a remnant left by Rozay-en. Both have the concept of falseness. Based on this, Heartless constructed a false Grail, false Masters, false Command Seals, and false classes.
Generally speaking, this kind of almost-deceptive ritual shouldn't succeed. But magecraft itself is closely tied to wordplay and trickery, such as in the classic Tarot system of divination.
So, falseness itself can be utilized. Since everything is false, use the very fact of being false to perform magecraft, and the servant summoned, as a result, is this female warrior, Iskandar's shadow, which is itself a form of falseness.
The so-called Faker is a false Heroic Spirit. No class could be more fitting for her.