Chapter 310: Arturia: I Want to Play the Queen!
Hearing Miss Alter's refusal, Shinji didn't show the slightest hint of irritation.
After all, Alter had never been his first choice. Compared to Alter—who only vaguely resembled Gray by hair color—Shinji's true top candidate for the role had always been Arturia herself.
So, he raised his glass (filled with soda water), clinked it lightly against Alter's, and gave a small nod.
"Since you've got no intention of acting, Alter, I'll trouble you with handling the clerical work instead."
The moment those words left his mouth, Alter's brows furrowed as she sipped her drink.
"Don't call me that."
She hated being addressed as just "Alter." It made her feel like nothing more than Arturia's knockoff.
But Shinji, who had a skin thicker than dragon scales, was completely unfazed. Lifting his soda-filled glass, he gave her a cheeky raise of the eyebrows.
"Hmph."
With a sharp snort through her nose, Alter stood up abruptly and strode away.
"Tsk tsk. Still as hot-tempered as ever. Truly, you and she are two sides of the same coin."
Once she had left, Shinji turned his gaze toward Arturia herself, a playful smirk tugging at his lips.
"Master, you do know it's wrong to toy with girls like that, right?"
Arturia shook her head slightly, her expression calm and unshaken.
Shinji's provoking tone bounced off her like arrows on steel armor.
"Master, your little taunts are far too childish. Hardly enough to stir my interest."
With that, she tore open a bag of potato chips and began eating without the slightest care for her image.
"..."
Shinji squinted against the bright light shining behind her. Finding it a little too dazzling, he shifted his seat to avoid the glare.
"So, Arturia… what exactly are you thinking? Why insist on this?"
Just like Alter, Arturia had refused his offer to audition for Gray's role in The Case Files of Lord El-Melloi II.
But unlike Alter, her reason was utterly different.
She wanted to audition for another film entirely.
"Arturia, I already told them. You've been eliminated."
Before she could state her case, Shinji cut her off flatly with his conclusion.
"...Why?"
Her foot tapped lightly against the floor, the dissatisfaction in her eyes betraying her discontent with Shinji's overbearing tone.
Truth be told, Shinji didn't consider himself petty. He wasn't the type to get upset just because his Servant wanted to join another director's production.
On the contrary, if the role suited them, he'd be more than happy to let them spread their wings elsewhere.
After all, he could only manage a handful of projects a year. If he stopped his Servants from taking outside gigs, they'd probably rot away at home.
But still…
Shaking his head, Shinji sighed. "You're not suited for the role."
"Am I really not suited?" Arturia shot back, unwilling to accept it. "I am the King of Britain. Surely that's my advantage."
The corner of Shinji's mouth twitched twice before he finally responded with exasperation.
"That's exactly the problem! The role you want is the Queen of England! Do you understand how much of an issue that is?"
The film Arturia was eyeing was titled The Queen. And the role she so eagerly wanted to claim was none other than the lifelong nemesis of the seventy-year-long Crown Prince, Charles—Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II herself.
Honestly, Shinji couldn't even begin to fathom what kind of twisted logic had led Arturia to think she was a fit for that audition.
If The Queen had been about that old lady's younger years, then fine. The problem was that the movie was set in 1997—right after Princess Diana's death—when the British royal family was facing a public relations crisis.
Sure, compared to the elderly monarch Shinji was familiar with, the Queen in 1997 was still considered "young." But no matter how you looked at it, that was hardly a role that an eternally sixteen-year-old girl like Arturia could ever pull off.
Which was precisely why Shinji thought that for Arturia to even come up with such a stunt… she must've been snacking a little too hard and accidentally chewed through her brain.
"Arturia, this joke isn't funny at all."
Shinji swirled the soda in his glass, a trace of helplessness written across his face.
But Arturia's eyes were steady as she looked at him. "I'm serious."
"So am I." Shinji snorted. "What's a teenage girl like you going to do, play a grandma?"
Arturia casually twirled a lock of her hair around her finger, utterly unconcerned. "That's not a problem."
Shinji could only laugh bitterly under his breath.
And in a sense, she wasn't wrong. With a little magical trickery, it wouldn't be hard to transform her appearance into that of an elderly lady—no need to even mess with her Saint Graph.
But the real question was: could Arturia truly act the part of a seasoned, dignified matriarch?
"Arturia, why do you want this role so badly?"
Since logic wasn't getting through to her, Shinji decided to probe her motives instead.
"I find the role… fascinating," she replied, her voice calm but firm. "It's a character with the potential to win recognition from others."
Shinji's eyes narrowed.
She had said "recognition from others," but Shinji could already guess which particular "others" she meant.
"Arturia… are you aiming for an Oscar?"
Her bright eyes locked onto his, and she answered without hesitation: "As expected of Master, you saw right through me. Yes—I want to try a new path. Could you give me some advice?"
Perhaps fearing he'd shoot her down immediately, she hurried on: "After all, even Cu Chulainn managed to win an acting award. Don't you think I, as the representative Servant, deserve to win one as well?"
"You… honestly." Shinji rubbed his temples, his expression pained. "Do you really have to get competitive over things like this?"
"When I first trained you all, I made it clear, didn't I? Arthouse films have no future. They don't make money."
"At the end of the day, those so-called awards that actresses chase after are just a bargaining chip. A shiny trophy they can wave around when negotiating higher paychecks with producers, nothing more."
Raising his head, Shinji looked her square in the eyes, his tone suddenly earnest. "Arturia, you don't need to chase after some meaningless award. You already have access to resources those actresses would kill for. There's absolutely no need to cling to the title of 'Best Actress.'"
But Arturia clearly didn't share his perspective.
"Master, that way of thinking only applies if you're looking at it from the standpoint of the actresses themselves. A Best Actress award isn't just about the individual—it's a symbol of recognition for an actor's craft. Its value extends far beyond a personal pay raise. Otherwise, you wouldn't have fought to get Cu Chulainn an award, would you?"
Shinji fell silent, not giving her an immediate answer. He only gazed at her, a thoughtful expression crossing his face.
Seeing him waver, Arturia's lips curved into a faint smile. "Master, you understand, don't you? I'm not interested in money. What I want… is to prove to the world that I can achieve greatness in this profession."
"..."
For once, Shinji found himself with nothing to say. Against Arturia's resolve, he couldn't muster a proper rebuttal.
It wasn't that he had run out of reasons behind his view. Rather, he realized that Arturia had already made up her mind—no matter what he said, there was no turning her away from this path.
'So this is the infamous stubbornness of the Pendragon bloodline, huh?'
He sighed inwardly, resigning himself to that thought.
"Arturia, at least tell me this. Why The Queen? Is it really just because both of you happen to be the ruler of Britain?"
Her reply came instantly. "No. I read through the material, and my intuition told me this role—if performed well—would truly shine."
Shinji clicked his tongue in amazement. "So that's the power of A rankedInstinct, huh?"
In his own memory of 2007, The Queen had absolutely dominated the awards circuit, fueled by the juicy gossip of the British royal family. Especially Helen Mirren, who played the Queen—she had swept Best Actress titles left and right, from the Venice Film Festival all the way to the Oscars.
Shinji couldn't help but respect Arturia's razor-sharp instinct. It was terrifyingly accurate… but she hadn't spared a thought for whether she herself was suitable for the role.
As he'd already said—transforming Arturia into the image of an old lady was trivial. The problem wasn't the makeup. It was whether she could embody the weight of age, the dignity of someone who had weathered decades.
And judging from his understanding of her acting skills so far…
Yeah, not happening.
So he spoke plainly. "Regardless of anything else, you really aren't suited for this role. I don't recommend you audition."
"I haven't even auditioned yet. How can you say that I'm not suited?"
Arturia's eyes held firm resolve—clearly, she wasn't ready to back down. "I believe this would be a valuable trial for me. A chance for significant growth as an actress."
"Even if your skills improve, it won't reach the standard they're looking for. Their director isn't going to be as forgiving as I am."
Shinji exhaled heavily, then offered an alternative. "How about this? I'll arrange a few arthouse film projects for you."
At once, Arturia's emerald eyes lit up.
"But," Shinji continued, "for now, go see Lissy. Have her show you more behind-the-scenes records from arthouse productions."
"Master, are you outsourcing me to the Time Group?" she asked, tilting her head slightly.
"They're the professionals. At least when it comes to award-chasing, they're far more experienced than us in the Type-Moon circle."
Without waiting for her answer, Shinji pressed on. "If you're serious about honing your craft, then prepare yourself. It won't be easy."
Arturia blinked those gem-like eyes and nodded firmly. "As long as you give your consent, Master, I'll have no complaints."
"You'd better not!" Shinji warned sharply.
He knew better than to underestimate the iron will she'd forged on the battlefield. But acting wasn't a matter of grit alone—it demanded talent. If her progress stalled for too long, her frustration might eventually explode.
"You need to be ready for a marathon, Arturia. There's a very real chance you'll spend years grinding away, only to realize it was all for nothing."
Hearing Shinji's words, Arturia's golden bangs slid down, casting a shadow over her eyes.
After a few seconds of silence, she probed carefully, almost timidly:
"Master… if I fail to make a name for myself, you won't send me back to the Throne of Heroes, will you?"
That line nearly made Shinji blow a gasket. He jabbed a finger at her, his nose practically bending out of shape with frustration.
Arturia tucked her hair behind her ear, a teasing smile playing on her lips.
"Master… would you really throw me away?"
"Yes! And I'll make sure you don't get to eat a single meal ever again!" Shinji shot back out of spite.
"Then by all means, Master, do try."
Arturia suddenly broke into a laugh, leaning in ever so slightly. Her breath tickled his ear as she whispered:
"I think you're all bark and no bite, Master. A sharp tongue with a soft heart. Every time I ask you for something, you say 'no'… but in your heart, you're always honest."
"Arturia!"
Shinji glared at her, but he couldn't be bothered to argue any further. He simply rose to his feet and walked off toward the others.
Left behind, Arturia muttered in a voice so soft it was nearly inaudible:
"Master, you're not quite the playboy people think you are… At a time like this, you didn't even try to push me harder… Could it be… am I just not convincing enough as a girl who's supposed to have feelings for you?"
Fortunately, Shinji didn't hear her little soliloquy. Otherwise, the Knight King's bright idea of using her attempts to "persuade" him as acting practice would've earned her a Command Seal order to eat thirty bowls of mapo tofu on the spot.
◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆
The auditions for The Case Files of Lord El-Melloi II hadn't even started yet, and already Shinji's two Arturias had been eliminated from the race.
Which left him with only two other "Arturia variants" under his wing: Jeanne and Mordred. One of them would have to take on the role of Gray.
To decide the winner, Shinji resolved to let them study Gray's character settings first, then hold a special audition just for the two.
Before that, however, he needed to finalize some of the supporting cast.
After watching the auditions, Shinji decided that Touko could play herself in the movie, while Azaka Kokutou would be played by Akiha.
Sure, Akiha's actual age was a bit off from Azaka's setting, but that was easily fixed with makeup.
And really, given how much of a background prop Azaka was, even swapping her out for a talking familiar wouldn't have made much difference. The only reason Mikiya even had such a "not-quite-sister" character in the first place was probably because Nasu loved saddling his protagonists with one.
Looked at that way, casting Akiha was practically a perfect professional fit.
As for the all-important leads: after Shirou cleared the first round of auditions, Shinji stopped considering anyone else. He was set on having him play Mikiya Kokutou.
Truth be told, Shinji had almost considered playing Mikiya himself.
If it weren't for the fact that his acting wasn't up to par—and that his personality was nothing like Mikiya's—he might've actually gone for the triple threat of writing, directing, and starring, just to act opposite Shiki as her love interest on camera.
Fortunately, Shinji managed to restrain himself. Who knew what Cloris would think if he had actually done something that insane?
After all, when Shiki had first been inducted into Type-Moon, Cloris had butted heads with her instantly.
And really, who could blame her? Shiki had been ordered by her father to go after Shinji's body, after all. For Cloris to like her would've been far stranger.
Even with Shinji merely serving as the director of The Garden of Sinners this time, Cloris still reminded him multiple times:
"Shinji, when you're out there directing, make sure to protect yourself. Don't let the heroine gobble you up."
To that, Shinji had no words—only the patience to shove an oversized body pillow of himself into Lissy's hands.
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