Chapter 21: Savior of a Chaotic World
"So, it's necessary to ask: knowing full well that we are currently 'enemies,' what exactly is your purpose in inviting me here?"
Hearing Waver's question, the youth smiled and replied.
"To seek cooperation with a magus such as yourself."
"Cooperation?"
Waver couldn't help but freeze for a moment at his words.
Anyone talking about cooperation during a Holy Grail War must have something wrong with their head. Because the Holy Grail is something called an omnipotent wish-granting cup, no one is willing to give up the chance to obtain it to others.
"I know Mr. Velvet must be somewhat confused right now; please allow me to explain my plan to you." The youth dressed in red priestly vestments looked at Waver, sincerity in his eyes.
"The so-called cooperation is merely an exchange of information we have obtained regarding other Servants. If we are the ones who remain at the very end, it won't be too late to hold the final duel then, will it?"
"That is indeed a decent suggestion."
After a moment of thought, Waver couldn't help but nod. This way, being able to obtain information on other Servants and Magi would give him a greater advantage in every battle.
"In that case, here is to a happy cooperation?" The youth stood up and extended his right hand toward Waver.
Waver likewise extended his right hand and shook it briefly.
"Happy cooperation."
Just like that, they reached an agreement.
"I can feel that Archer's strength is very formidable. I am truly fortunate that my first opponent wasn't you," the youth said, exhaling softly.
"I don't consider your Assassin to be much weaker than me, either." Arjuna looked at the woman in the long dress, speaking in a flat tone.
"Hahaha, I am flattered." Amakusa Shirou stood up. "Now that we've achieved cooperation, we should be the strongest faction in this Holy Grail War, right?"
Hearing this sentence, however, Waver shook his head gently.
"No, that way of thinking is too optimistic."
"Oh? How so?" Amakusa Shirou looked toward Waver as he spoke.
"Speaking of the strongest faction, it has to be the one called Orihara Shirou..."
"Orihara Shirou? What is so unique about him that it would make you so wary?" Amakusa Shirou searched his mind upon hearing the name but found he had no impression of it.
Waver thought about his wording for a moment, then continued.
"It happened during the Fourth Holy Grail War ten years ago... That child named Orihara Shirou's original Servant was Lancer. But later, I don't know what that guy did, but he actually made Saber willingly become his Servant. Afterward, he defeated Archer and Berserker, until finally, Rider and I also lost to them."
After listening seriously to Waver's account, Amakusa Shirou narrowed his eyes slightly. He raised a hand to stroke his chin in thought, suddenly noticing a strange detail, and immediately confirmed it with Waver.
"Wait... you said that guy named Orihara Shirou... was still a child back then?"
"That's right. I looked into it specifically; at that time, his age was around eleven or twelve. However, he vanished during these ten years, as if he had evaporated from the face of the earth. I don't know where he is now either."
Waver thought for a moment and then answered with certainty.
"To already possess the charisma to make legendary figures from history and myth willing to follow him at that age..."
Amakusa Shirou murmured, unable to suppress an interested smile.
"It seems he will be an interesting fellow. I thought such a figure wouldn't appear in an era like this; as expected, I was too naive."
Amakusa Shirou cast his gaze toward the world outside the church doors, saying word by word as if talking in his sleep.
"Orihara Shirou... just what kind of charisma do you have? I truly look forward to meeting you."
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..
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After Waver Velvet left, the Assassin standing beside Amakusa Shirou finally spoke.
"Master, should we prioritize taking out that magus named Orihara Shirou?"
Amakusa Shirou shook his head gently upon hearing this.
"No, there's no need to be in such a hurry. We still know nothing about him; I need to investigate information regarding him."
Amakusa Shirou walked out of the inner room of the church and into the vast, empty hall. He looked at the cross situated upon the pedestal, lost in thought.
"I didn't expect that, before I knew it, so many years had passed since I came to this world..."
Even though many years had gone by, Amakusa Shirou still remembered that the day he arrived in this world, it was not through being summoned.
A portion of his memory seemed to have been erased by the world; when Amakusa Shirou appeared in this world, he was standing in the middle of a raging sea of fire.
Even so, Amakusa Shirou still remembered some things, such as where he came from and exactly how chaotic this world was.
If the barriers between worlds were compared to bubbles, then the current world was a giant bubble formed by the fusion of countless bubbles, and it was even continuously growing.
Because of this, various disorganized incidents and terrifying disasters would occur without warning.
The world would not break easily, but fragile humans would.
It was precisely by utilizing the power of the Holy Grail that Amakusa Shirou wanted to correct all of this. If doing so required enduring immense pain that ordinary people could not bear, Amakusa Shirou would not hesitate.
He wanted to become a Savior.
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Night fell, but the city was brightly lit and had not quieted down. On the contrary, now was the best time for nightlife to begin; people sang and danced, throwing away all the troubles of the day.
After dinner, Shirou planned to head over to Rin's place. If that Queen of the Land of Shadows wanted to exchange blows with him, Shirou naturally wouldn't withhold his guidance.
"Doesn't that Queen of the Land of Shadows want to have a fight with me?"
On the phone, this was how Shirou explained it.
"Yeah, she told you not to waste time and get over here quickly." The girl's feigned calm voice carried a slight ripple of excitement.
Even without thinking much, Shirou could guess that Rin was probably full of curiosity right now but was too embarrassed to ask directly, pretending to be indifferent.
"Saber, I'm going over to Rin's. You don't need to come; stay home and protect Illya, Sakura, and the others."
Shirou spoke to Saber, who was still elegantly eating her meal in small bites.
Although her eating movements looked very elegant, she had already been eating for nearly half an hour without stopping. Sometimes Shirou really wondered where all that food actually went.
Upon hearing that Shirou wanted to head out alone, Saber's eating movements paused, and she hurriedly stood up.
"No, I am your Servant. How can I let you, the Master, head to another Master's stronghold alone? If you encounter danger, it would be my dereliction of duty!"
"Danger?"
Shirou was stunned for a moment; he hadn't thought about that aspect at all.
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