Chapter 39 True Name Discernment (Projection)
"Are you serious?"
Before the Saber could say anything, Shirou heard an unexpectedly sharp voice.
Though the bespectacled girl had retracted her reaching hand, she hurriedly used both hands to make a large "X" sign.
"Saber is really strong! He's protected me so many times, and he turned terrifying enemies into charred husks right in front of me! I don't know much about the Holy Grail War... but in the rules I was told, there's almost no case where a human beats a Servant! It's supposed to be Servants fighting Servants, especially against a guy as strong as him!"
Ayaka, combining the knowledge of the Holy Grail War forced into her head by the masterminds with her own observations, did her absolute best to stop the bizarre act unfolding before her eyes.
Saber was strong; Shirou knew this himself. That intrepid, fearless air of a military commander could only be honed by a high-ranking individual who led from the front.
That being the case, if he truly was weaker than his opponent, Shirou wanted to know exactly how large the gap was. He needed to re-evaluate his training so it would be of use when he eventually had to face Alcides.
What was the reality of the situation?
Seeing that Shirou remained utterly unmoved, Ayaka's face stiffened. She turned to Shirou's female companion (?) seeking agreement.
"I appreciate your concern for Shirou. However, this time, I have no objections."
Saber shook her head, her beautiful golden hair swaying with the movement. In fact, Shirou had already glanced at her before giving his formal answer.
If it was limited to a contest of swordsmanship without the use of Noble Phantasms...
If Shirou wanted to go, she would let him go. Saber had no need to worry.
"Ayaka, this person in front of you is stronger than you think."
Even Ayaka's own Saber joined in with the "sarcasm." Ayaka hung her head in dejection and retreated to where she belonged.
'Why?'
Ayaka knew that the knowledge of the Holy Grail War imprinted in her mind through something called magecraft wasn't the absolute truth. However, it was only because of this external knowledge that she was able to adapt at all to the great war in Snowfield.
'The Holy Grail War is a war between Servants and Servants, Masters and Masters; Heroic Spirits are existences on a different level, and humans can almost never defeat them.'
These two rules of the Holy Grail War carved into Ayaka's memory were very clear.
According to the basic rules, this red-haired youth named "Shirou" was a human, right? No matter how strong he was, could he really fight her Saber?
Then, a delayed realization hit Ayaka: Wait, didn't Miss Assassin say she was defeated by a "human"...?
As she began to realize who that "human" was, her eyes gradually widened.
Then, swaying back into doubt, she found a new reason to find it unbelievable: After defeating Assassin, he's going straight to challenging a Saber? Is that really possible?
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On the other side.
There was none of the dramatic psychological internal conflict Ayaka was experiencing.
Having made their decisions for their own reasons—decisions they wouldn't regret—the two men simply reined in their respective auras.
The Saber reached for his hilt again, harboring not killing intent, but a pure fighting spirit. Unlike before, his face now wore a friendly expression full of anticipation.
If there were a system to display "Affinity" as a numerical value, his affinity seemed to have increased quite casually. Shirou wondered if it was really okay for him to be this easy to win over. Shirou hadn't even thought about grinding affinity; what did it mean for it to go up on its own?
"Wait a moment, Saber."
Before starting, Shirou stopped him.
Shirou glanced toward the periphery of the area.
"Give me a few seconds."
Several swords of varying shapes appeared behind Shirou. The blades floated, remaining silent, aligning one by one toward different upward trajectories.
Then, as if simultaneously receiving a king's command, they shot forth, leaving beautiful trails behind them.
The corpses of birds fell from the sky like raindrops.
It seemed the painful "mistreatment" suffered by the intruders from Faldeus and Bazdilot was now known.
Someone had realized too late and was hurriedly controlling familiars to find traces of Shirou. Those familiars had traveled thousands of miles, risking their lives and flapping their wings through great hardship to track him to this area...
Only to be skewered by a sword.
"Wait! What did you do!?"
He felt as if he heard the sound of a certain young man's mental breakdown. But if the base was on the other side of the city, it would be impossible to hear; it was likely just an illusion.
When he took down the ambushers, Shirou had considered that the only way thirty-odd people could ambush them in advance was if he and Saber were being monitored unknowingly—for example, after leaving the Kurouka residence.
Since then, Shirou had paid special attention to the high altitude.
Strangely, this surveillance was different from the drones Shirou had seen on Day Zero; it seemed to be the work of a different person. This monitor's style was low-altitude surveillance, with familiars hovering at less than a thousand meters, so Shirou didn't even need to draw his bow.
'Just how many people have been watching me... scary.'
"Saber, you two should be careful of surveillance from the sky. As far as I know, many different parties are looking down on this city. We were targeted by so many people precisely because we didn't clear the sky."
Saber nodded, taking the lesson to heart.
With the area cleared, he formally and ceremoniously drew the longsword at his waist.
Shirou focused his pupils—not through structural analysis, but with his own eyes—to see the full view of the sword. It was a longsword that truly resembled the Sword in the Lake, with a cold metallic gleam and ornate decorations. It had a symmetrical curved guard and geometric decorations embedded at the junction of the blade and the crossguard.
However, the beautiful exterior seemed to be a deliberate imitation of a certain sword's design. It was not a Noble Phantasm. This sword could actually be projected, and the difficulty was extremely low.
Unlike the quick glance from before, the complete projection steps began now.
—Synchronizing. —Basic structure, understood.
In a single breath, the material and composition of the nameless longsword were analyzed in his mind.
—Growth experience, empathized.
In the second breath, an image was projected: a tall, heroic man conversing with a magus while examining this very blade.
—Years of accumulation, reproduced.
Had he used this sword before? How many times had he performed high-level martial arts with it? The residual light dwelling in the sword hummed as it flowed in, filling the constructed vessel. Within three breaths, Shirou's understanding was complete.
"Now, come. Shirou Emiya."
"Yeah, I'm coming too. —Richard the Lionheart."
Richard the Lionheart. King of England.
A ruler from an era even later than Saber's. One of the most legendary military commanders in Europe, having spent his life campaigning across various lands with valiant combat. Legend says that during his ten-year reign, he spent less than a year in his own country.
Repeatedly defeating strong enemies, never stopping, constantly advancing.
Held captive by enemies, betrayed by his own brother, killed by an arrow.
The King, whose life was a tumultuous collection of flaws and brilliance, widened his eyes.
Saber—no, Richard—muttered: "Why is it that everyone except Ayaka can recognize me...?"
"Sorry."
Shirou answered with a small note of apology: "Actually, it's because I cheated."
"True Name Discernment (Projection)" activated.
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