Shinji Matou at Your Service-Chapter 1067: Lancer Dies Again

After the rankings were announced, the contestants gradually entered the field. The first event of the Holy Grail Grand Prix, the cross-country race, officially began.

As Olga Marie's commentary from the podium became more enthusiastic, the atmosphere in the arena grew increasingly intense.

"Alright, the race is finally about to start! Who will be the Master and Servant to take the lead? Let's wait and see. The signal light is about to change from red to... green!"

Just as her words fell, the signal light switched, and the exhaust pipes of all the racing vehicles roared in unison.

"All the racers have started simultaneously. Each group had a perfect start, sticking closely together. It looks like this race is going to be a high-level competition—Fiore, what do you think?" ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com

"As long as everyone reaches the finish line safely and nothing goes wrong, it'll be fine."

Fiore smiled as she spoke, though for some reason, her smile seemed a bit forced.

"There's no way nothing will go wrong."

Olga Marie muttered under her breath before continuing her commentary, "Oh, it's happening! Someone's breaking away from the pack—it's Lancer, Cú Chulainn! His car, The Big Dog, has surged ahead at lightning speed! Wow, that name is awful."

"It's not The Big Dog, it's Gáe Bol Car!"

Lancer, dressed in a blue racing suit, stuck his head out of the speeding red rocket car.

"Sorry, but I'm going to leave you all in the dust!"

"This wild dog is pretty impressive."

Gilgamesh, who had held the lead until that moment, pushed up his sunglasses.

"Rin, don't you think it's time to accelerate?"

"There's a curve ahead, accelerating now would be dangerous," Rin replied leisurely as she drove her golden sports car.

Just one car length behind, driving an off-road vehicle emblazoned with a sun emblem, Luvia also chimed in, "The race has only just begun. There's no need to rush. As long as we win in the end—"

"—no matter what it takes, we must win!"

Both girls, who shared similar bloodlines and personalities, declared simultaneously.

The expressions of their two Servants in the passenger seats were quite different: Gilgamesh wore a sinister grin, while Karna stared stoically ahead.

Meanwhile, Cú Chulainn was still reveling in the thrill of acceleration.

"This is amazing! My Gáe Bol Car, this feeling is just too good!—Bazett, watch me, I'm going to win!"

"Ahh, he's gone," sighed Scathach, who was in last place and the final contestant to start.

"Shinji, I remember you said this race was fair and that all the vehicles were balanced, right?"

"That's right," Shinji replied as he adjusted his shoes. He and Scathach were using rollerblades as their mode of transportation. When they entered the race, they were almost laughed off the field by opponents like Gilgamesh, who were driving luxury cars.

In response, Shinji had only said, "The race is fair. What you see isn't necessarily everything."

Scathach, intrigued, asked, "So, what's the weakness of a car with such insane straight-line speed?"

"It's the curve. Cú Chulainn's car is a type of dragster, and its biggest flaw is its inability to turn properly—watch."

As soon as he finished speaking, the first curve appeared on the horizon. Cú Chulainn instinctively hit the brakes and turned the steering wheel—but due to the extreme speed, the car couldn't stop, and the steering wheel was locked, making it impossible to turn.

"Damn it, what do I do—ahhhhhhhhhh!"

Amid the screams of the blue beast, the dragster crashed straight into the curve's barrier.

Then—BOOM! It exploded!

Sparks ignited the rocket car's fuel tank, and flames spread, completely engulfing Cú Chulainn's body.

"See?"

Shinji spread his hands, barely holding back his laughter as he exclaimed, "Ransa ga shinda!"

"Kono hito de nashi," Olga Marie chimed in, "We've already had a major accident right at the start of the race."

"Lancer!!!"

Bazett screamed in anguish.

"Post-race procedures..."

Fiore began rubbing her temples, unsure whether her headache was caused by herself or by others.

The explosion had ignited the atmosphere of the entire venue, but only Scathach remained silent. She finally spoke as they neared the blazing wreckage, "You did that on purpose."

"Don't say that. Irisviel provided every contestant with detailed vehicle instructions. If he had stayed calm and read them like you, this wouldn't have happened."

Sighing, Scathach muttered, "Even after countless failures, he's still as reckless as ever, unable to see what lies ahead. But now that the road is blocked, what's your plan?"

As they spoke, the fire grew more intense, obstructing the entire road. While the flames weren't dangerous to the Servants, their vehicles couldn't withstand them.

Shinji remained unfazed.

"Don't worry, besides the medical team, we also have an emergency response unit to handle situations like this."

Suddenly, snowflakes began to fall from the sky. Though they were only the size of fingernails, when they touched the fire, the flames were instantly extinguished, and the surrounding ground froze over. Within seconds, the fire was completely out.

At that moment, the medical team rushed in. Two homunculus maids unceremoniously strapped Cú Chulainn onto a stretcher and carried him away.

Roman kept wrapping bandages around the unconscious Lancer.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure you recover. You won't die."

"Don't jinx me like that—mmpphh!"

Cú Chulainn's last protest was cut off by a perfectly placed bandage over his mouth.

"Stay strong, Lancer."

Hiding in the clouds, Medea, who had been responsible for the snowfall, symbolically wiped her eyes as if shedding nonexistent tears.

"..."

Scathach had no words.

This bunch—especially her fellow heroic spirits—were genuinely enjoying the race, savoring this peculiar variation of the Holy Grail War.

Was she taking things too seriously? Too fixated on winning?

The Queen of the Land of Shadows, ever seeking strong warriors, pondered.

"Shishou, watch your step. We're about to hit the ice zone."

Now that the fire was out, the track was clear again. The blocked vehicles resumed the race, passing through the frozen section, leaving only Shinji and Scathach behind. For rollerblades, this low-friction ice surface was the worst possible terrain.

But to Scathach—

"An ice patch is nothing to worry about."

Her beige trench coat fluttered as she raised one long, powerful leg and spun around on the ice, gracefully gliding across the surface with a perfect pirouette. Shinji, cautiously inching his way through the ice, was left dumbfounded, and even Olga Marie's commentary became flustered.

"Did I just see that? A—a Biellmann spin! It's a flawless Biellmann spin! Amazing! Lady Scathach just pulled off a figure skating move on rollerblades."

Landing lightly on solid ground, Scathach calmly adjusted her coat. Her composed demeanor seemed to declare:

I, too, can go with the flow and enjoy this race.