The sky was clear and immaculate, and brilliant sunlight bathed the entire city in dazzling clarity.
The soldiers stationed in the city swiftly arranged themselves into orderly lines, scattering in every direction as they packed up items from their tents.
By the looks of it, they were preparing to return to the Empire, carefully organizing everything they'd acquired from this campaign.
Shirou silently followed behind Liver, watching the soldiers move quickly, excitement evident on their faces.
Yet something felt off to him, although he couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was.
A faint scent of blood lingered persistently in the air, unsettling him.
After the city's massacre, the Imperial army had thoroughly cleaned the area to set up camp—after all, they couldn't very well sleep surrounded by corpses.
Thus, since Shirou awoke, he hadn't seen a single person from the conquered nation—only Imperial soldiers.
But it was a military encampment, after all, so encountering only Imperial troops wasn't unusual.
As for the bloody smell, Shirou dismissed it as simply the inevitable aftermath of warfare.
War is always accompanied by bloodshed.
"Mr. Liver, where exactly are we heading?" Shirou asked, following Liver through the bustling camp.
Though he'd accepted Liver's invitation, Shirou had no idea what their destination actually was.
Having only just arrived in this world, unfamiliar and confused, he'd immediately stumbled onto a battlefield. Since then, he'd repeatedly clashed with Esdeath and spent most of his time recuperating in a medical tent.
"Did you come from some remote village?" Liver asked casually, based on his observations over the past few days.
After all, the Empire was widely recognized as the strongest nation on the continent. Nearly everyone knew of its existence, even those from neighboring countries.
Only isolated villages, hidden deep in mountains and disconnected from the world, would remain completely ignorant of the Empire.
Even so, not every corner of this vast land had been explored by the Empire, given the numerous, dangerously powerful Danger Beasts that inhabited remote regions. Such creatures were troublesome enough that the Empire usually chose to avoid unnecessary conflicts.
Just like with the Northern Tribes—the Empire was already internally unstable. If not for the support of Teigu, it would have crumbled long ago.
There simply weren't enough resources for conquest or expanding territory. Had the Northern Tribes not invaded first, the Empire might never have dispatched Esdeath to eliminate them.
"We'll rendezvous with my two teammates, then head for the Imperial Capital," Liver replied steadily, providing a simple answer Shirou could accept. Any deeper details would require deception.
Marching with the main army would take far too long. Waiting until Esdeath personally arrived in the Capital would give Night Raid the initiative—a scenario Esdeath refused to accept.
Though she doubted Night Raid could harm her personally, given her supreme confidence in her own strength, she preferred proactive measures. Thus, Esdeath sent her Three Beasts ahead to secretly coordinate with Minister Honest, eliminating troublesome ministers and pinning the blame on Night Raid.
Bringing Shirou along was also part of her scheme.
Liver was instructed to inform Shirou that those targeted ministers were vile parasites within the Empire—corrupt, murderous villains who preyed on innocents and deserved death.
Even if Shirou didn't personally kill them, failing to intervene made him complicit. After all, he was powerful enough to stop their deaths but would simply watch them unfold.
Esdeath eagerly anticipated the moment Shirou learned those executed were actually righteous, loyal officials. She imagined how exquisite his expression of betrayal and shock would be.
Smiling faintly at the thought, Esdeath delicately picked up a slice of carefully prepared apple offered by a guard. Taking a gentle bite, sweet, crisp juices burst in her mouth.
"Delicious."
It was rare for Esdeath to openly praise any food. Even in the Empire, she'd seldom tasted something so wonderfully refreshing.
"Which chef made this?" she asked, deciding immediately to appoint him as her personal cook.
"This was made by that boy named Emiya accompanying Lord Liver," the guard respectfully answered, kneeling before her. "Lord Liver enjoyed it very much and specifically sent it for you to taste."
"Oh?" Esdeath's tongue traced her lips slowly, savoring the lingering sweetness. "It seems I'll have to accelerate my plans to recruit him."
---
"Well, well! Why has General Liver brought along a child?"
Sitting atop a carriage was a youth with golden hair and a pair of mischievous, demon-like horns protruding from his head. His adorable features twisted in amusement as he waved mockingly at Liver and Shirou, casually spinning a flute-like instrument in his hand.
"My apologies for making you wait, Nyau," Liver replied evenly, completely ignoring the sarcastic edge. Nyau wasn't deliberately provoking him; biting remarks were just his natural way of speaking.
Before Shirou could fully catch up to Liver, a towering, muscular figure holding a massive battle axe stepped forward, blocking Shirou's path.
"So you're the brat who fought Lady Esdeath?" His fierce eyes bore into Shirou as if ready to rip him apart at any second.
"Don't scare the kid too much," Nyau called from the side of the carriage, spinning his flute casually, a gleeful expression on his face. "For all we know, he might never even have killed anyone yet."
Apart from Liver, neither of them had personally witnessed Shirou's fight with Esdeath. They simply couldn't believe anyone lacking a Teigu could stand his ground against that terrifying woman—even briefly.
Although Shirou ultimately lost spectacularly, just having the courage to face Esdeath directly was unbelievable. They themselves lacked even the bravery to challenge her.
Yet Liver simply stood silently by the carriage, neither intervening nor commenting, watching the situation unfold.
"That's right. Is there a problem?" Shirou's voice grew cold; he knew exactly what was about to happen next.
"You'll make excellent experience points!" Daidara roared excitedly, swinging his giant axe mercilessly at Shirou's neck, clearly intending to decapitate him with a single blow.
Daidara, one of Esdeath's Three Beasts, was an absolute battle maniac who relished fighting strong opponents, eagerly seeking ways to sharpen his skills.
However——
Clang—!
A sharp, deafening ring echoed out from Daidara's direction.
He barely had time to glimpse a silver flash before realizing Shirou was now holding an unfamiliar katana against his throat, thin lines of blood trickling from the shallow cut.
Shirou's body barely seemed to have moved—yet somehow he'd instantly deflected Daidara's attack and turned the tables entirely.
BOOM—!
Moments later, a thunderous crash drew everyone's attention.
Daidara's massive axe blade came hurtling down from above, embedding deeply into the ground with violent force, sending shockwaves rippling outward.
In a mere instant, Shirou had knocked Daidara's weapon away and placed his sword calmly against the man's throat.