Chapter 423: Everything for Justice
Let us rewind time to last night, during the conversation between Merlin and Shirou in the dim corner of the bar.
After the host club closed for the night, Merlin and the Knights of the Round Table saw the last of the customers off, politely declining the ladies' invitations to spend the night together.
On the stage where the music was performed, Bedivere moved aside the microphones and other equipment, while Gawain carried a large standing blackboard and placed it there.
At that moment, Teacher Merlin pulled out a thin, Harry Potter-style wand, spun it with a flourish, and used it as a pointer.
"Now, let us officially begin the Round Table Conference!!!" Merlin said, using his pen to draw flourishes on the blackboard.
"Eh? What is this..." Shirou stood there, stunned, completely lost as to what was happening.
By then, the other knights had already sat upright in a circle on the row of chairs nearest to the blackboard.
"Come over here, quickly." Kay beckoned to Shirou, and as he approached, Kay threw an arm around his shoulder and pulled him down to sit beside him.
"What on earth is going on?" Shirou asked, looking at the seniors of the Round Table in confusion.
The knights exchanged smiles and answered with a sense of honor: "Naturally, it is to uphold justice in this place! In the name of the Knight!"
The Knights of the Round Table represent the origin of the term "knight" in the European world. Before them, those who fought for kings were fierce warriors, but they focused primarily on brute force, lacking strategy, and even more so, lacking faith and morality—much like those shirtless Celtic berserkers of the pre-Christian era who would charge recklessly into battle without regard for their lives.
The Knight King, however, was the monarch who, following the decline of the Roman Empire on the British Isles, raised the banner of the Defender of Christianity. The Knights of the Round Table under her command were a group of warriors blessed by God, setting the benchmark for all knights to follow in later generations.
It can be said that the code of chivalry and basic conduct observed by knights in later ages were established through the actions and deeds of this group, influenced by their subconscious behaviors. Even Roland, who represents the concept of the "Paladin," derives his title from this premise.
Among the Twelve Peers of Charlemagne, in addition to Astolfo (the British prince), there was also Bradamante, who had received guidance from Merlin; she was a thorough fangirl of the
Round Table lineage. Incidentally, she was also a descendant of Hector of Troy. She was the true owner of the hippogriff in Astolfo's Noble Phantasm, though, having been summoned as a Lancer, she also carried the magic shield of her former nemesis, as well as the ring of Princess Angelica from the East. It seems that the Charlemagne lineage's tendency to "borrow" things without returning them and to directly use others' Noble Phantasms is a trait inherited from that very root.
In later times, every knight would swear an oath of loyalty to their lord and the church. The person receiving the oath would draw a cross on the knight's head with a sword, bestowing upon them a blade and a knight's baldric. Then, every person to be knighted had to enter the church in a solemn ceremony, place their sword upon the altar, and prove their obedience to the altar through a solemn vow.
They swore loyalty to God and observed the eight virtues of chivalry:
Humility: A true knight never bullies the weak. Honor: A true knight trains hard in martial arts, builds achievements, and spreads the faith. Sacrifice/Valor: A true knight fears not death; when necessary, they give their lives for their monarch and the church. Compassion: To protect the old, the weak, women, and children, and to love their homeland. Spirituality: To not be bound by material desires, to pursue the beauty hidden in nature, to seek the harmony between humanity and the natural world, and to pursue metaphysical spirituality to move closer to the realm of God and achieve transcendence. Honesty: To never deceive the church. Justice: To fight for righteousness, resisting all inequality and evil.
Shinjuku was indeed a place where filth and corruption gathered. Since a mastermind was hiding here, the knights could hardly turn a blind eye.
In fact, the Knights of the Round Table had already begun maintaining the morality of this world. Unbeknownst to anyone, they had dismantled several drug dens and rescued innocent girls who had been deceived or forced into prostitution.
However, "water that is too clear has no fish"; modern society has its own rules. Unless it was a case of grave evil, they would not overly interfere. But this current enemy had clearly exceeded the bounds of forgiveness.
"Now, let me tell you about our enemy this time." Merlin pointed to the markings on the blackboard behind him: first a skyscraper, then a humanoid black shadow. This was the
newest and largest building in Shinjuku, owned by a company called "Asteroid," which was funded by capital from England.
"It seems our opponent is from the same place as us," Lancelot asked.
"I am truly saddened that the British Servants are all cast as villains," Tristan said, plucking his harp strings.
"Do not be sad. He is a modern Servant, a Heroic Spirit transformed from a 'Phantom' made famous by novels—a semblance of an existence. It is Professor Moriarty, the greatest opponent of Sherlock Holmes," Merlin quipped.
"It's that guy?! Wait! If he's such a dangerous fellow, why don't we just kill him?" Shirou asked in confusion. Although he no longer possessed the power of a god, and in his human body could at most hold off a higher-tier Servant for a moment, the Knights of the Round Table and Merlin were still at full strength. Merlin possessed the power of a Grand Caster, and even if Lancelot and Tristan were not at the 'Grand' level, they were firmly frontline Servants. Gawain, when amplified by the sun during the day, could unleash three times his power, making him the strongest of the Round Table at that time. Bedivere's Noble Phantasm was the King's Holy Sword, and Kay was a very powerful presence in specific circumstances. In the end, there were no weaklings among the Knights of the Round Table.
Merlin shook his head: "As far as I know, the opponent likely possesses multiple Holy Grails."
"How is that possible? Didn't the white god restore the world?" Shirou asked, shocked.
"Mostly, yes. But the problem is that those Holy Grails did not completely vanish," Merlin explained softly. "You, who are clearly a god, survived as a human. Naturally, those Servants who used the Holy Grails to become human also survived."
"Then what should we do now?" Shirou asked.
"Shirou, there is an important task for you to do. It is something only you can accomplish. I beg of you. Everything for justice!" Merlin seemed to have been waiting for Shirou to ask, his purple eyes fixed intently on him.
"What task..." Upon hearing the word "justice," Shirou couldn't help but relent.
Merlin revealed a gratified smile. Seeing Merlin's smile, Shirou felt a bad premonition growing stronger and stronger.
Thus, this led to the scene at present: Shirou, walking upstairs with the female executive. He had been assigned a espionage mission to infiltrate this black tower and investigate the situation. Because the enemy had many ways to detect them, if any other knight came here, their identity as Servants would be exposed immediately. Indeed, only Shirou, in his human body, could handle this task.
Walking through the hallway, he didn't see many people because it was night. However, Shirou would not be fooled by this illusion. This place was the enemy's headquarters. Moriarty had
recruited many magi and spellcasters to serve him. Although it looked like a mere criminal gang chasing profit, it was actually a demonic den of extreme evil. From the magical energy he could sense alone, there were over forty people, including some strong enough to perform A-rank sorcery.
The most terrifying thing was that anyone partnering with Moriarty was undoubtedly a dangerous person with twisted morals. Take this female executive beside him, for example; she seemed to truly view the wealthy men attending the banquet downstairs as pigs kept for slaughter. But then again, magi were inherently people with twisted values. If anything, someone as upright as Rin Tohsaka was the outlier.
If the magi here all attacked at once, even if he were prepared, he would likely be focused down and killed. Fortunately, Shirou did not need to worry too much; he was not truly fighting alone. In fact, he could contact Merlin whenever he wanted. However, from the moment he entered the building, he was already inside the enemy's magical barrier. If he emitted intense magical fluctuations, he would likely be detected by the enemy, so he would not use them lightly unless necessary.
At this moment, Shirou's body was covered in mechanisms. If needed, without him even speaking, Merlin could directly peer into his surroundings through the Noble Phantasms converted from the accessories on Shirou's clothing, listening to the outside sounds and acting as a camera and microphone.
Merlin's illusions were top-tier even across the entire world. As his disciple, Shirou had naturally learned this magic—the technique that could deceive the world itself. Combined with his "Projection," it could exert power far more comprehensive than imagined, often with surprising effects.
One was the combination of illusion, taijutsu, and archery, allowing Shirou to carry out sniper attacks more covertly. The second was the falsification of projection conditions. For the projection of Noble Phantasms, the conditions were actually very harsh. Aside from those he had witnessed with his own eyes, only a few could be recreated based on the imagination of epic records, but that required deep study and thorough understanding. As for higher-level Noble Phantasms, like the will of a planet or artifacts forged by gods, he could not project them because the rules of the world did not permit it.
Merlin's illusion could briefly change these rules, making the impossible possible. For example, using a catalyst to simulate the presence of a Heroic Spirit, allowing Shirou's projected Noble Phantasm to succeed. Deceiving the rules of the world, a Noble Phantasm that was not a sword could be projected with sword-attributes.
Of course, Merlin's methods were not limited to this; his greatest influence on Shirou was actually manifested in the modification of tools. Every outstanding orthodox magus seemed to have the potential to become a producer of "black technology."
For example, how to turn a world-class Holy Sword into a human's silver arm. If a sword could be turned into a human arm to be used, then turning it into anything else was not impossible...
Inside the Round Table Knight Club, Merlin was explaining the plan to a large blackboard while several knights sat below.
"As the saying goes, when one thinks of Britain, one thinks of James Bond! This time, I have prepared everything perfectly for Shirou. As an agent, one naturally needs some 'black technology' tools."
"Black technology? James Bond... I know him. The second most failed agent in history. You want Shirou to imitate him? Tell us, what kind of gadgets are there?" Kay asked bluntly.
Merlin smiled and explained to the knights: "For example, the clothes Shirou is wearing. They look like a suit, but they are actually an indestructible sword."
"Ohh," the knights exclaimed in admiration. Although they despised Merlin's underhanded nature, he was highly reliable when it came to doing his part for their comrades.
"The tie around his neck: if you pull it straight, it becomes a spear that will inevitably hit its target when thrown. His belt is actually a Ziwei soft sword." Merlin waved his pointer and continued the explanation, then suddenly increased his volume: "And the underwear Shirou is wearing right now!"
"That's a sword too?!" Tristan opened his eyes in shock.
"How could that be?" Merlin paused, staring at Tristan with a look reserved for fools for a long while without speaking. Lancelot and Bedivere beside him sighed in relief.
Although he knew how unreliable the so-called Knights of the Round Table were, he hadn't expected it to be all of them... Merlin sighed helplessly and continued: "Of course that's just normal underwear. I just meant that there is a sword hidden in there too."
"What the!" "We aren't here to listen to your dirty jokes!" The knights protested.
"You don't understand. Sometimes, this 'sword' is more effective and lethal than any other blade!" Merlin said with a mysterious smile.
"Hm? How so?" Lancelot, being the one with the highest sword skill present, asked.
"Stop stalling, you bastard!" Kay cursed impatiently.
"I just contacted my informant and learned that the female executive on duty tonight seems to be quite fond of that sort of thing. I imagine Shirou's 'honey trap' will be very successful. However..." Merlin said with a smile.
"However?" the knights asked suspiciously.
Merlin's lips curved into a pleasing arc, but he just smiled without answering. This smile looked quite malicious, as if he were gloating.
At this very moment, Shirou was led into the office by the female executive. He surveyed the room, using his keen eyes not to miss a single thing, trying to find any clue. This office was unexpectedly spacious, with a strange layout. Aside from an office desk, a large sofa, and a standing cabinet against the corner, there was no other furniture. In the middle, there was a vacant space large enough to fit two single beds or two billiard tables.
Click. The door was locked from the inside.
"Shirou-kun, you want to join our company and then open your own shop, right? Then let's discuss the terms first~!"
"I have every kind of 'tool' here. Shirou-kun, are you ready~!" The executive walked forward and opened the standing cabinet in the corner, revealing all sorts of indescribable items.
The woman pulled open a drawer and took out a pair of black leather panties; for some reason, a black plastic cucumber was inserted in the middle. In her other hand, she held a silver steel-wool ball that looked incredibly painful, rubbing it against the leather and making a creak-creak sound...
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