"What are you doing?"
Nono saw Shirou with the corners of his mouth slightly upturned, as if something on the screen had inexplicably amused him.
"Nothing, just teasing a little kid." Shirou hit a shortcut key and switched the page away.
"Who's this little kid?"
Nono didn't quite understand. At the moment, she was holding her phone, messaging with Wazhu.
Wazhu said that since they were out on a mission in name, they needed to send periodic reports for appearances. Originally Shirou was supposed to write them, but Nono volunteered and took over, casually chatting with Wazhu in the process.
After they'd cleared up misunderstandings, the two of them now seemed able to talk like normal friends.
But Shirou still felt there was something not so simple about it. After all, girls… were mysterious creatures that could open five different chat groups even if there were only four people…
"By the way, are you still practicing with your magic circuits today? How's it going?"
"Mm, it's… okay?" Nono extended an arm, magic surging through the vast number of circuits in her body. When she suddenly activated them, the circuits lit up momentarily on the surface of her skin.
They formed vivid red patterns.
She demonstrated it several more times, and it was the same each time.
Shirou watched her arm, expression calm, but inside he was uneasy.
That sight made him feel something was off — the sheer number of circuits was far beyond normal. Unlike him or Old Tang, who had amazing circuit efficiency, Nono's anomaly was in quantity.
Thinking about the unclear "Frigg" project from the Chen family, could it be that Nono's body had undergone some unknown experimental adjustments to cause this result?
Shirou knew there was someone else like this — who, through countless magical treatments, had gained an overwhelming number of circuits compared to ordinary magi: Illyasviel von Einzbern.
For some reason his heart felt uneasy. Odin had indeed used some kind of spiritual descent technique to modify those dead servant armies — and after all, "Heroic Spirit Summoning" also fell into the category of spiritual descent… could Old Tang have been right?
"Is your body okay?" Thinking of this, Shirou asked, worried.
Nono thought he was asking about that mark Odin had left, and shrugged. "Same as before, I don't feel anything."
"Then keep practicing as before."
Nono answered enthusiastically. Magic filled her circuits down to her legs, and then she stood on tiptoe, like she was dancing, and spun lightly. With a leap, she bounded from one end of the wide room to the other.
This was her practice — to suppress excessive output from her vast circuits, she used only the bare minimum of magic to strengthen her limbs, and danced around the room like a red sprite.
As swift as a swallow, as silent as a falling leaf.
Nono was indeed a natural. She didn't have Old Tang's lazy attitude and picked up the basics of magecraft easily. As for controlling her excessive magic, she'd even come up with this training herself.
Her red silhouette spun through the room, stirring the air in chaotic whirls, her graceful clothes and skirts fluttering high. Bathed in sunlight, her legs were supple yet powerful, her form elegant and exquisite, reminiscent of a little swan on a ballet stage, brimming with vitality and the fragrance of a young woman.
The sun was bright, the shadows shattered.
After a while, Nono finished with a light step and landed right in front of Shirou, a fragrant breeze wafting past her as she said: "Why don't we go outside to practice? I feel like these cramped moves don't work too well indoors."
"Sure." Shirou nodded after watching for a bit. Then he glanced toward Old Tang's suite, which was still empty. "…Weird. Did Old Tang go meet his online friend this early? Didn't he say he hadn't even decided on a place yet?"
"Maybe he went out early just to sort it out?"
"True."
Nono casually followed Shirou to get ready to leave. Her lively hopping gradually faded and she grew calm and quiet, while her phone was again tapping out messages —
"Wazhu, I don't think you need to keep such a close eye. That little chat partner of his is just a kid. He spends more time talking with Old Tang. I recommend you raise your evaluation of 'Old Tang's danger level.'"
The reply quickly came back: "Do you like making these kind of teasing jokes, little sister Nono?"
"Fine, then pick someone else — Wazhu, in my eyes you're the most dangerous one in Shirou's circle."
"…Seems you don't like me calling you that. Fine. Are you satisfied with the arrangements I made — using your profiling to observe the people around Shirou during this time out?"
"You mean having me check for risks? Even without you reminding me I already know. He's my 'hero,' after all."
"This is just making it official — to give you a proper position. And it shows I don't want Shirou to get hurt because of some oversight. An open attack is easy to dodge, but a hidden arrow is hard to guard against."
Nono's fingers quickly tapped out a long reply: "Thank you for your consideration. I hope this regard of yours is as sincere as the words themselves, and not with some ulterior motive."
"…" The other side seemed to fall silent for a long while at her barbed words.
———
At night, the Regent Hotel was surrounded by dazzling neon and garish lights.
The brilliance of human civilization shone in long bands and curves through the night, forming a modern tapestry of light and darkness, laid out below the high rooftop of the Regent Hotel.
Norton's golden eyes burned as he gazed down at the city.
A king's eyes did not linger on these vulgar illusions. What lay hidden beneath the glamour was what he should be paying attention to.
This city was not ordinary… it hid secrets. Perhaps they were his cunning brother Odin's secrets.
But it wasn't yet certain. He still needed to wait.
Wait until those hiding in the shadows could no longer resist their urge toward Shirou.
But a mere trap didn't mean much to him — not worth a First Generation Dragon going to such lengths. Norton needed to gain more, and for that he needed to call in a helper.
Whoosh—
From below the rooftop, a wind suddenly rose.
It didn't come from the stairwell, nor from anywhere on the platform. It surged straight up along the building's wall.
Something was climbing the tall wall of the Regent Hotel and shooting up!
The wind grew louder.
The eerie whistling through the night would have terrified others, but to Norton, it was simply his guest arriving.
Bang.
As the wind instantly stopped, a figure landed lightly. It wasn't some ferocious beast or brutal dragon.
She looked completely like a petite, perfectly proportioned girl — with a flawless face seemingly blessed by the goddess of beauty, though the night laid a delicate veil over her, leaving her expression indistinct.
"…We meet again, Norton. Who'd have thought, after so many long years, we'd meet in a place like this."
Her voice was cold and solemn, at odds with her adorable appearance.
Her tone was guarded, and her stance was subtle — ready to leave at any moment.
"You too, my little sister, Jormungandr." Norton's voice remained regal yet calm.
The King of Fire spoke her name — his little sister, the Dragon King of earth and mountains, Jormungandr.
"Jormungandr, you're the youngest of us, yet also the cleverest. Surely you thought about the reason we're meeting here before you came?"
"Brother, I imagine it's not to exchange some naive talk about abandoning our struggle and devouring each other — that would only earn 'Father's' cold laughter when he one day returns."
Jormungandr's eyes glittered as she chuckled faintly. "Or… is it that you've found another 'nest' of our kind, and want to propose a temporary alliance?"
"My sister, you're not being honest." Norton's gaze turned cold, his voice devoid of mirth. "You being able to find this city too proves you've sensed something strange here — haven't you?"
"No, brother, I don't understand what you're talking about." Jormungandr did not waver.
"Oh? Then what a pity. I seem to be just a little ahead of you." Norton let slip unexpected information.
"This is likely Odin's territory. Right now, he may very well be lying dormant, waiting to revive in a Nibelungen cocoon. I suspect… somewhere right here."
Jormungandr's beautiful eyes flashed with shock and caution. "Waiting to revive in a cocoon? Odin was once our greatest warrior… and you killed him once?"
"Sister, you're behind the times. Odin being killed was already a while ago. That news should have spread through the hybrid organizations of the human world by now…"
Then his tone grew suspicious. "Jormungandr, you didn't just awaken recently, did you? To be so clueless? I have to wonder… have you been playing dress-up in human society, too busy playing house?"
"…"
A faint awkwardness flickered across Jormungandr's face. She had indeed spent quite a bit of time blending into human society.
As for the elemental disturbances caused by extinction-class words of power in other cities before, she wasn't unaware — she just hadn't expected Odin to actually die in the process.
"Norton, what I do is my own business… Just tell me why you asked me here tonight."
"Fine, let's get to the point — Jormungandr, do you know about the Holy Grail War?"
(End of Chapter)
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