"Huh? You actually ran into Orsted?"
Hitogami looked surprised when he heard Shirou's words.
This reaction confused Shirou, and he asked, puzzled, "What? You didn't know I encountered the Dragon God? Can't you see what's happening to me?"
"Well, I know most things, but Orsted is an exception."
"Orsted is an exception?"
"Yes, I can't see most things about the Dragon God, whether it's the future or the present. So I didn't know you'd run into that guy."
"..."
Hearing Hitogami's words, Shirou was confused and asked, "Why can't you see the Dragon God?"
"Because that guy is under a curse that causes this."
"Is that a curse?"
"Yeah, don't you have them in your world? Those kids who are born with abnormal magic, so they have some strange ability."
Hitogami's words reminded Shirou of Miyu.
According to him, Miyu might also be under some kind of curse, but Shirou couldn't know the specifics.
He decided to trust Hitogami for now and said:
"We have something similar."
"Right? If that's the case, you should understand easily. Here, we call them Cursed Children. Because they're born with something special, they end up in strange troubles. As far as I know, Orsted has as many as three or four curses, and they're all weird ones."
Hitogami grinned, seemingly pleased with Shirou's cooperative attitude. He talked more than usual because of it, "Oh, right, right, the opposite of Cursed Children are Blessed Children. They have useful abilities with different special effects. You should have met some."
"Maybe."
Shirou had met two Blessed Children so far: the Blessed Child of the Holy Kingdom of Milis and Zanoba of the Shirone Kingdom.
He didn't know the details of the Blessed Child of the Holy Kingdom of Milis, but Zanoba had strength beyond the Undead Demon Lord Atofe.
"Actually, Blessed Children and Cursed Children are the same idea. They're both people with special magic. Humans just like to see them as separate."
"Stop with the extra talk and tell me about the Dragon God."
Hitogami smiled at Shirou's attitude and said, "Oh, my, my, don't be so hasty. Topics should always be introduced slowly. Anyway, the Dragon God has a special curse that makes all living things in this world afraid of him. You should have noticed that the people around you have very different attitudes toward him."
"That's..."
Shirou remembered Ruijerd and Eris's exaggerated reactions when the Dragon God appeared, clearly showing excessive fear.
He nodded, understanding what the Dragon God's curse was like.
It's worth mentioning that Shirou himself didn't feel any fear toward the Dragon God Orsted.
This might be because he was immune to the curse, or because he wasn't from this world...
"By the way, why does the Dragon God attack me directly when he hears about me?"
"Because that guy is an evil Dragon God, so he sees the good me as a thorn in his side."
"Do you think I'd believe that?"
"Oh well, it's free, believe a little bit."
"..."
Faced with Hitogami's deliberate taunting and topic-shifting, Shirou knew he wouldn't be able to get any information out of him. He sighed and said:
"Is the Dragon God really as evil as you say?"
"Yes, you don't need to sympathize with that guy, because he's a bad guy who was born trying to destroy the world."
"Let's just say you're right."
Shirou didn't argue, because he had been messed with badly enough by the Dragon God this time. There was no way he could get involved with such a dangerous guy.
Or rather, if he encountered the Dragon God again in the future, he would have to find a way to defeat him, or at least be able to escape from him.
The thought made Shirou feel a lot of pressure, realizing that he was still too weak and had to get stronger.
After deciding this, Shirou decided to ask Hitogami for more details about the Dragon God.
"What exactly are the Dragon God's curses?"
"I don't know, because I can't see them, so I don't know."
"Are there any ways to deal with the Dragon God?"
"You're asking me? I don't know either, because that guy is strong. There probably isn't anyone stronger than him in that world."
"Don't you have any useful information at all?"
Shirou admired Hitogami's thick skin.
He didn't know a single clue, but he was still able to argue with him for so long. It was truly a complete lack of shame.
Hitogami seemed a little embarrassed by this and quickly said, "Ahem, about curses, I can actually give you a clue. You should have seen Ruijerd's spear, right? That spear has Laplace's curse on it."
"I heard him say that."
Shirou nodded. He remembered Ruijerd saying that the Superd tribe went crazy because they got Laplace's spear.
"That curse originally belonged to Laplace. That demon god, like Orsted, had a curse that made everyone afraid of him. But he transferred the curse to the spear, then passed it on to the Superd tribe, and used green hair as a trigger."
"A trigger?"
"Yes, curses always need a trigger to take effect. The Superd tribe's green hair is that trigger, because Laplace himself also had green hair. So when Ruijerd shaved his hair, his curse quickly faded."
"I see."
Shirou finally got some useful information from Hitogami, so this trip wasn't a complete waste.
The reason he was willing to listen to Hitogami this time was mainly to get compensation for being beaten up by Orsted for no reason.
After all, he could say he was beaten up for Hitogami's sake, so even if it was an equal exchange, he had to get something in return.
Shirou even felt a little like he was giving up.
Since Orsted kept slandering him as Hitogami's disciple, Shirou might as well actually become Hitogami's disciple.
After all, compared to the Dragon God, who beat him half to death right away, Hitogami had never been unfavorable to him.
Of course, this thought was just a passing one. He wasn't crazy enough to believe in these so-called gods.
"Do you have any other information about the Dragon God?"
"No, because he's too strong. Even if I send someone over, they'll be defeated instantly."
"Indeed, Ruijerd was instantly killed by him. That's not the strength a human could have."
"Right, right? That guy is just a freak. Even though he's burdened with several curses and restricted, he's still the strongest."
"The strongest? Wait, isn't the Dragon God ranked second among the Great Powers?"
Shirou remembered this.
"Those rankings aren't accurate."
Hitogami frankly said, "Because the stone tablet was made by the Skill God, so he ranked himself first. But Orsted is much stronger than the Skill God. If they fought seriously, Orsted would win. Because Orsted can use all the techniques and spells that exist in this world, plus he can use the Dragon God's unique Dragon Clan secret techniques. If he gets serious, he has the ability to destroy this world!"
"Then why doesn't the Dragon God do it? According to you, isn't he an evil god?"
"Because he's burdened with curses, and his magic and fighting spirit recover extremely slowly, so he can't use his full power."
"I see, no wonder he was holding back at the time... Wait a minute, didn't you say you didn't know the Dragon God's curses?"
"Uh, that's..."
Looking at Hitogami's embarrassed expression after letting something slip, Shirou became even more suspicious of this so-called god and wouldn't easily believe his words again.
But he didn't refuse him like before, just quietly said, "Anyway, other things aside, I'll stay on the same side as you when it comes to dealing with the Dragon God."
"Huh? You're willing to help me?"
"Maybe, after all, I can't let such a dangerous person exist, or he might harm my family."
Shirou quietly said, expressing his biggest worry.
The Dragon God was too powerful and extremely ruthless.
If his family was targeted by the Dragon God, he couldn't even imagine what that would be like.
So, even if it meant working with a dangerous being like Hitogami, he had to find a way to deal with the Dragon God.
"That... should I say I'm touched?"
Hitogami spoke in an exaggerated tone, even looking like he was about to hug Shirou in excitement.
"Get away, get away!"
How could Shirou allow Hitogami to do such a disgusting thing? He quickly kicked him away.
"Speaking of which, now you should be willing to listen to my suggestions, right?"
Hitogami said as Shirou was about to leave.
"I don't need them. I just need you to provide me with information about the Dragon God. I'll think about how to defeat him myself."
Shirou quietly said.
Hitogami said helplessly, "Alright, alright, let's leave it at that for now. Trust needs to be built slowly, step by step."
"If I could, I really wouldn't want to build trust with a guy like you."
Shirou shook his head, and his figure suddenly disappeared.
...
Shirou opened his eyes and found himself lying in a cave.
He then saw Eris tightly hugging him, as if afraid that he would die at any moment, refusing to let go.
Ruijerd was lying on his back beside him, still unconscious.
Shirou wanted to stand up, but suddenly felt a strange feeling on his right hand.
"What's this?"
Looking at his intact right arm, Shirou was stunned.
This arm had clearly been cut off by the Dragon God before, but now it was here, completely whole.
This miracle-like event didn't make Shirou feel happy, but rather a sense of indescribable fear.
Because this scene meant that Shirou was getting closer to becoming Servant Emiya.
If this change continued to happen, he would eventually become someone else, a killing machine purely to enforce justice.
That was an incredibly terrifying future, and something Shirou wanted to avoid at all costs.
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