"Beimu, height 174.3 cm, weight…"
Beimu held Illya while staring at the medical report in her hands.
Hmm… no Spirit Origin reaction?
Spirit Origin… is it what I think it is?
He turned his head toward his mother beside him, confusion all over his face.
Less than an hour after he returned, Illya had notified their mother—Irisviel von Einzbern.
When he'd first met her again, Irisviel had been ecstatic, but she quickly calmed down and insisted on checking his body.
If he hadn't refused with all his might, he probably would've been dragged off on the spot…
And so they'd brought him to the First Heroic Spirit Hospital for an exam.
On the way, he'd been curious about everything from this era.
Six years missing—too much had changed outside.
He'd never seen the instruments used in this hospital.
The items on the report included many new terms he couldn't even read.
"Mom, what's this 'Spirit Origin Reaction'?"
Beimu pointed to the most eye-catching line.
"This…"
Irisviel fell silent, seemingly unsure how to explain.
"Um, I'll explain for big brother. The teacher talked about this yesterday."
Illya sat in Beimu's lap, swinging her slim legs in white stockings.
Between Illya's explanation and Irisviel's occasional additions, Beimu finally understood.
Six years ago—right when Beimu disappeared—the world changed.
When people looked up, an eerie red light swallowed the world.
After that, everything was different.
Heroic Spirits from history descended into reality.
From that incident onward, all humanity on Blue Star gained Spirit Origins.
The ancient magecraft organization—the Clock Tower—also revealed itself to the public.
But this era was ultimately the era of Heroic Spirits.
Humanity reacted quickly, forming academies dedicated to training Heroic Spirits.
Naturally, the great figures of history were elevated.
The First Emperor of the Dragon Dynasty was domineering enough to set up a Great Wall rail-cannon in the sky.
Those who offend China, even if far away, shall be slain.
"So that's how it is. Sounds like I'll need Illya to protect me from now on."
Beimu gently pinched her soft cheek. It was so tender it felt like he could squeeze water out.
"Mm-hm! Illya will study hard. From now on I'll protect you, Onii-chan!"
Illya's eyes lit up.
When she was little, Onii-chan protected me.
Now I finally get to protect Onii-chan.
The three returned home.
"Tomorrow, I'll have someone test your magecraft aptitude. Even if you aren't a Heroic Spirit, as long as you have Magic Circuits, you can become an excellent magus."
Irisviel's sweet voice drifted around his ears.
She was genuinely worried he might spiral into bad thoughts.
From childhood, Beimu had been strong-willed, always trying to do everything perfectly.
Now he lagged far behind his peers—how could he feel good about that?
"Mom, I'm fine. I've already gotten over it. As long as I can help you, that's enough."
Beimu shook his head, then looked at the laptop on the table.
"By the way, has the internet changed much these years? I wanna surf."
"Not really… faster speeds count?"
"Then let's see what the net looks like now."
He opened the browser skillfully and typed bikacom… cough, wrong one—bilicom.
A white interface popped up.
Where did the old pink homepage go?
And why are all the recommendations Heroic Spirits from various countries, and pretty boy human spirits?
I'm here for anime, not variety shows.
What is this?
And these stats—are they faked this badly now?
A front-page video posted only two hours ago had three to four million views, almost a million likes, and a ludicrous coin count nearing 1.2 million.
Even faking numbers shouldn't be this shameless. Is that really okay?
Six years gone and the site's rotted into this?
"Oh, this video has crazy views. Little Mu, click it!"
Irisviel noticed it and got curious.
"I wanna watch too!"
Illya ran over, hopped into Beimu's lap, and stared at the screen eagerly.
The scene suddenly made Beimu feel like he'd gone back to childhood.
The family used to sit together like this and watch TV… so hopefully this video was something warm.
The video was titled "The King's Inheritance."
"Huh? Is this a King Arthur video?"
Illya's eyes shone.
This Heroic Spirit was one of her favorites.
Her figure collection had plenty of Arthur-king figures—swimsuit versions, riding outfits, all kinds.
Mom spoiled her; every time new figures dropped, she bought them in advance.
Of course, part of that was because Onii-chan liked figures too.
After King Arthur descended, she quickly sent the Round Table Knights to take over Buckingham Palace.
Though a king who didn't understand people's hearts, she still commanded enormous public respect.
Since her enthronement, Britannia's living standards had risen substantially.
The video began, and bullet comments flooded the screen.
[High energy ahead!]
[Our King is gorgeous!]
[Watching for the 4th time.]
[The uploader's name is funny—"Stand-in User." Stand-in for who? Arthur?]
Illya expertly lowered the comment density, kicked off her slippers, and got comfortable.
The opening shot showed a magnificent ancient city.
Gigantic white walls loomed before everyone.
Suddenly, a baby's cry rang out from the palace at the center.
"The king… it's a girl…"
A midwife emerged holding the infant.
"Another girl… We have no choice. We'll have to rely on her."
A middle-aged man stared at the baby with resignation.
Cut.
A blonde, cowlicked girl practiced with a sword, sweat flying as she swung again and again.
"Arthur, are you there?"
After a brief knock, the cowlicked girl disguised herself as a handsome young man.
"Brother, what is it?"
"I heard there's a tournament. It's time we show our strength, win the people's trust, and survive this chaotic era."