"..."
When Shirou opened his eyes, he found himself lying in a room at Einzbern Castle.
He immediately understood that Saber must have brought him back the night before.
Come to think of it, did Irisviel sleep here last night too?
He spotted several exceptionally long silver hairs on both the pillow and himself.
"Lady Avalon, are you there?"
"..."
This was enemy headquarters, more or less, so Shirou felt that, at the very least, he ought to hold a strategy meeting and talk things over before making his next move.
And yet at a time like this, Lady Avalon gave no response at all.
"What in the world is she doing...?"
He had assumed that after last night's life-draining battle, he would be too wrecked to move. To his surprise, not only did he feel no discomfort anywhere, he actually felt unusually energetic.
He threw back the covers to get out of bed, only to find that his Holy Lance was standing proudly erect, just as it had the night before.
"You really don't need to be this energetic...!"
Letting out a sigh, Shirou left the room.
After making his way through the castle's long, lavish corridor and into the central courtyard, he spotted a familiar figure there. Saber.
The blonde girl was dressed in a proper blue outfit and practicing with a wooden sword in the open space. The moment Shirou poked his head out, she reacted at once.
"Good morning, Shirou. Did you sleep well last night?"
"Morning, Saber. Were you the one who brought me back yesterday?"
"Yes. No matter how many times we called to you, you would not wake up, so Irisviel and I took it upon ourselves to bring you back."
"I see."
Halfway through the conversation, Shirou's attention began to drift.
Seeing Artoria's face clearly in the morning light, he instinctively recalled that absurdly vivid dream from last night.
Saber's sweet, soft lips, her chest that fit perfectly in one hand, her alluring, full waist and hips, her long, well-shaped legs, and that burning, tight...
"Shirou, is something wrong? Your face is very red. Was last night's battle too hard on you?"
A worried look appeared on Artoria's face as she stepped closer.
Her scent drifted over him in waves, exactly the same as last night. So much so that Shirou began to wonder whether it had not been a dream at all, and Saber had really attacked him.
He quickly changed the subject.
"It's nothing. I just didn't sleep well last night... More importantly, Saber, what are you doing?"
Saber answered with a serious expression, "Isn't it obvious just from looking? I'm doing my morning training."
"Just what I'd expect from Saber. You're this serious first thing in the morning."
"What are you talking about, Shirou? You are the one who made me like this."
With a trace of dissatisfaction, Artoria explained.
Fighting side by side with Shirou the night before had been far too exhilarating. Even after a whole night had passed, Saber still could not calm down. That was why she had come out so early to practice swordsmanship, to vent the emotions pent up inside her body.
"So that's what it was..."
The corner of Shirou's mouth twitched. It seemed she really had not attacked him last night after all.
The two chatted a little longer, then decided to head back inside the castle to see Irisviel.
During all this, Shirou could feel Saber's gaze repeatedly drifting toward him.
She definitely had a lot she wanted to ask.
For example, Shirou, why do you possess Excalibur?
But she asked nothing.
Even if they had been perfectly in sync as comrades-in-arms last night, they were still opponents pursuing the Holy Grail now. Some topics simply could not be brought up so casually.
They found Irisviel in a reception room deep within the castle.
The silver-haired Homunculus inexplicably blushed the moment she saw Shirou, and her eyes even flicked toward his lower body.
"S. Shirou, you came at just the right time."
Then she planted both hands on her hips, putting on a fierce front as though trying to bolster her own courage.
Today's Irisviel looked less like a princess than a queen, brimming with a strange sort of confidence.
"Let me get straight to the point.
Shirou, I want you to form an alliance with me. Please pass my request on to your Master."
Shirou was speechless inside. ...Isn't that a little too straight to the point?
On top of that, she had mistaken him for a Servant.
Still, that was hardly surprising. What Shirou had done the night before was beyond the ability of any Magus, so it was only natural for her to mistake him for one of the seven Servants.
Shirou thought for a moment, then said, "I'm sorry, Irisviel, but I can't form an alliance with you."
"...Huh?"
Irisviel was utterly stunned by Shirou's rejection.
"Why? Weren't you the one who kept saving me over and over last night because you wanted to seek an alliance with me?"
Shirou shook his head.
"Of course not."
"Aww~~~ How could this happen? Hearing you say that, Shirou, makes me feel both happy and disappointed... ugh."
She staggered back onto the sofa. The confidence she had been radiating just moments ago vanished in an instant because of that single sentence.
"Could you explain why you won't accept the alliance? Is there something about me or Irisviel that you find unsatisfactory, Shirou?"
Saber spoke up in place of her dejected Master. Naturally, it was also what she herself wanted to know.
It was not as if he had any complaints.
It was just that he had already formed an alliance with Assassin.
Even if he were going to ally himself with Saber as well, he should at least explain the situation to that side first.
But there was no way he could openly say something like, I've already gotten involved with the "dead" Assassin behind her Master's back.
Shirou noticed Saber staring at him intently.
"If there is something dissatisfying you, please say it plainly. There is no need to worry about my feelings."
"..."
He needed to come up with an excuse to brush this off. Otherwise, she definitely would not let it go.
Just then, the communicator in Shirou's pocket began to vibrate.
"Sorry, Saber. I need to use the bathroom."
Saber shouted, "Hey! Wait, Shirou! No running away!"
Irisviel puffed out her lips resentfully.
"Uuu... Shirou doesn't want to form an alliance with me..."
Shirou slipped into the bathroom in a flash.
Assassin Big Sister's voice came from the communicator.
"Shirou, for the time being, you should not go back to your house."
"Why?"
Shirou had not gone home at all last night. Fuji-nee was probably already sharpening a knife while waiting for him. If he did not go back soon, he was seriously dead!
Assassin lowered her voice.
"My Master has been acting a little strange this morning.
That man, Kirei Kotomine, may have no interest in the Holy Grail, but his abilities far exceed anything I imagined.
I suspect he has already noticed that, whenever 'we' search Miyama Town, there is always one particular area we somehow miss.
This morning, he ordered us to search the area around your house.
Do not worry. I will find a way to deal with things over there. For now, just do not show yourself anywhere nearby."
"Understood. Thanks for the information, Assassin Big Sister."
Hassan of the Hundred Faces fell silent for a moment, then asked,
"By the way, Shirou... were you the one who killed the Sea Demon last night?"
"Yeah."
"That answer came way too fast! You really are not even trying to hide it!"
"There's no need to hide it from Assassin Big Sister."
"You little brat..."
Assassin let out a sigh, then softly said, "Thank you."
Thank you for being willing to trust me. That was probably what she meant.
…
After ending the call with Assassin, Shirou stepped out of the bathroom.
As he passed by the sink, he stopped.
Thinking that he still had to see Saber again in a moment, Shirou decided to tidy up his appearance a little.
"...Huh?"
Looking at himself in the mirror, Shirou was surprised to find a single white strand mixed into his bangs.
It definitely had not been there yesterday.
Had the side effect of the "Dead Count Shapeshifter" finally started to show?
…
He returned to the reception room.
"You took long enough!"
Saber looked thoroughly displeased.
"Shirou, can you tell me now why you are unwilling to form an alliance with us?"
She truly did not mean it that way, but to anyone who did not know her, it would definitely sound like a verbal threat.
Shirou said, "After thinking it over carefully, I've decided to form an alliance with you. On one condition. Let me stay at the Einzberns' for a few days."
"...?"
Saber froze.
Right now, Shirou had nowhere he could return to. For the time being, he could only rely on someone else's hospitality.
Since that was the case, then he might as well form an alliance with Saber and the others. After thinking it through, that was the conclusion he reached.
"Um, Shirou, I was not trying to threaten you just now."
Just as Artoria was about to explain, Irisviel's revived voice rang out from behind her.
"Really? That's wonderful! Shirou, I'm so happy! You can stay as long as you want. Please think of this place as your own home!"
Irisviel rushed forward and hugged the red-haired boy.
Once she had finally calmed down, Shirou said that he needed to call home first.
Irisviel still remembered the "Shinji-kun" setting.
"Ah, is it the relatives' house where you're staying?"
Shirou glanced back at her.
"That was a lie."
"You bad boy!"
She pouted angrily.
"But it's true that I'm an orphan with no parents. I wasn't lying about that."
"!"
At those words, Irisviel clenched her fists tightly.
Shirou first called Fuji-nee and lied, saying that he would be staying at the Matou house for a few days.
Then he called the Matou house and asked them to match his story.
"Sakura? Put Byakuya on the phone."
"Um, Shirou-nii-san, I think I just heard a woman's voice near you..."
"No, that was just the lady on the weather report. Put Byakuya on."
After settling things at home, Shirou followed them over to a table and sat down.
Now that they were allied, there was no point in hiding things anymore.
"I'm the Master, not the Servant.
But unlike a normal Master Servant relationship, I'm the one who handles the fighting."
"Wait...!"
Saber shot to her feet in surprise.
"Then does that mean you were fighting last night with power granted by your Servant?"
Shirou nodded.
"You could say that. It's only because of her Magecraft Reinforcement and modifications that I can use that kind of power.
That was our agreement. I handle the fighting, and she stays hidden in the shadows to support me.
As for my Servant's identity, I can't tell you, and I can't let you meet her either..."
"Don't be ridiculous!!"
"Saber...?"
Irisviel looked at Artoria in surprise.
"You have the Master standing on the front lines while the Servant hides in a safe area behind him.
Shirou, what on earth is your Servant thinking? It's completely unreasonable!"
Saber was so angry over Shirou's situation that even her voice trembled.
"Let me meet her. There are things I need to say to her!"
Shirou shook his head.
"...That's not possible."
"Shirou...!"
Saber clenched her fists and fixed the red-haired boy with a burning stare, as if she were trying to force him to reveal his Servant.
"That's enough, Saber. Don't make things too hard for Shirou."
Irisviel stepped between them.
"This is something Shirou and his Servant decided together. It's not our place, as outsiders, to interfere."
Saber turned her anger on her own Master instead.
"And you're really fine with this, Irisviel? Aren't you the one who dotes on Shirou the most?
Letting a child like him go onto the battlefield. That Servant is clearly no decent person!
Shirou, please arrange a meeting with her..."
"I think it's fine."
Irisviel cut Saber off.
"Anyone who saw Shirou last night should understand that much.
That wasn't a level someone could reach through a Servant's Magecraft Reinforcement alone, right?
Even someone like me, who knows nothing about swordsmanship, can tell how much effort Shirou has poured into it.
And when the two of you fought side by side last night, you looked so completely at ease together...
Saber, you know that better than anyone, don't you?"
"But..."
"If fighting is Shirou's purpose, then as a mother, I don't think it's right to casually take that purpose away from a child."
Irisviel seemed to think she had just delivered a deeply moving line. As she spoke, she even winked at the red-haired boy.
Since when did I become your child? Shirou thought.
Irisviel continued, "Saber, why are you so worked up today? This really isn't like you."
"Mm."
Artoria was left speechless.
She had not realized that the reason she was so agitated was because she saw her own reflection in Shirou.
If girls should not fight, then by the same logic, children should not fight either.
Artoria had given up the happiness she might have had as a girl and devoted her life to her country.
Of course someone like her would empathize with Shirou, who had likewise given up the happiness of childhood and thrown himself into battle.
Even if she believed her own choice had not been wrong, she still could not bear to watch someone else walk the same path.
"...Even so, I still can't accept it."
Saber threw out those words and turned to leave the room, only for Shirou to catch her by the wrist.
"Thank you for worrying about me, Saber. But just like Iri said, this is my own choice."
"Shirou..."
Saber's pupils trembled slightly as she saw the black Holy Sword from last night appear in Shirou's hand.
"This sword has nothing to do with my Servant. It belongs to me.
If I put it that way, then you understand, right?
It would be a real problem for me if you treated me like some ordinary child, King of Knights."
A torrent of intense Mana burst from Shirou and swept from deep within Einzbern Castle all the way into the courtyard.
Artoria's mouth fell open.
Shirou, just what are you...?
He pulled her back to the sofa and sat her down again.
"I'm sorry. I lost my composure just now."
"Hehe, I have to say, seeing a side of Saber that no one else gets to see feels very fresh."
Smiling, Irisviel said, "Saber just likes Shirou too much, so she got all worked up. It's not like I can't understand how you feel."
"..."
Saber kept a stiff expression and said nothing.
At a time like this, you should really hurry up and deny it, Shirou thought.
Next came the exchange of information.
Though calling it an exchange was generous. It was really Shirou unilaterally feeding information to the two of them.
"What? Zouken Matou is already dead?"
"What? Kirei Kotomine's Servant isn't dead yet?"
"What? Kirei Kotomine secretly formed an alliance with Tokiomi Tohsaka a long time ago?"
"What? Even the Holy Church is in league with them?"
"What? Lancer was corrupted by his Master using a Mystic Code?"
"What? Besides the seven Servants, there's also an unidentified assassin type enemy infiltrating Fuyuki?"
Pressing a hand to her forehead, Irisviel let her tired body sink into the sofa.
"Sorry, Shirou. That's too much information all at once. Give me a moment to process it."
In just a few short days, Shirou had managed to obtain so much hidden information, while all I've done is drift through my days wandering around town...
Her pride as a Master had just taken a serious blow.
Could it be that I'm a Master who's useless for anything except supplying Mana?
No, that's not it... It's not that I'm useless. Shirou is just absurdly capable!
Irisviel desperately tried to convince herself.
During a short break, a silver-haired, red-eyed Homunculus maid brought in tea.
As she sipped hers, Saber asked,
"Shirou, do you have a wish for the Holy Grail?"
The question made the red-haired boy pause for a moment.
Shirou had no particular interest in the Holy Grail.
If he had to name one selfish desire, it would be that he did not want the Grail falling into the hands of evil people.
An omnipotent wish-granting machine. If someone like Caster were to use it for evil, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Shirou felt that if the Holy Grail had to be entrusted to someone other than himself, then Irisviel and Saber would be the most suitable choice.
That, more than anything else, was the most important reason he had formed an alliance with Irisviel.
"I see. So your wish is to protect the people important to you. The ones you were talking to on the phone earlier."
After hearing his thoughts, Saber smiled in quiet relief.
"Hehe, Shirou really is a gentle child."
...
…
"Avalon-nee-san, are you still there?"
"It'll be night soon. Tonight, I'm planning to team up with Saber and try attacking the Lancer faction's Magical Workshop."
"They seem to have marked Saber as the highest priority target to eliminate, so we've decided to strike first."
"Avalon-nee-san, can you cast Reinforcement Magecraft on me?"
"Ah, it's not like I'm completely taking Saber's side or anything..."
"But Kayneth might have seen my face last night, so making him bow out first seems like the best option. What do you think?"
The boy's voice kept echoing through the female Magus's mind.
"Ugh... ngh...!"
Lady Avalon lay at death's door in a pitch-black dreamscape.
Her petite body trembled uncontrollably, her frail back curled in on itself as tightly as it could.
At this point, she had no choice but to admit that she had underestimated the Holy Grail War a little.
Good grief, good grief. Even I'm frightened by my own genius-level talent in Magecraft.
Even though she had optimized it as much as possible, the side effects brought on by "Dead Count Shapeshifter" still far exceeded her expectations.
She had still been able to walk and run last night, but after only one night had passed, she could no longer move.
"Uu... uuu..."
Lady Avalon forced back her cries of pain.
Her beautiful face twisted faintly with suffering. Her slender fingers had carved countless claw marks into the dirt, and the strain had bent her fingertips out of shape. Several nails had even been torn off.
This was the price of violating a taboo. The punishment known as "World Correction" was eating away at Lady Avalon's physical body, her Spirit Origin.
It felt as though countless insects were mercilessly gnawing at her organs from within, as though someone were stirring her brain with a chopstick, as though her spine were being pulled out little by little.
All day long, Lady Avalon had done nothing but cycle between passing out from the pain, waking from the pain, and passing out from the pain again.
"Avalon-nee-san?"
"I've already decided not to hold it against you for making me mistake Saber for Morgan, so if you're there, please answer me."
"Are you mad because I didn't let you come save me last night?"
"Honestly... the moment I'm not around, you completely fall apart... my Arthur..."
Gasping raggedly, Lady Avalon forced her shattered upper body upright.
Master was a child more perceptive than anyone else. Even the slightest flaw would give her away.
So she spent dozens of seconds just steadying her breathing.
Only after checking again and again that her tone sounded no different from usual did she finally activate her telepathic Magecraft.
"Coming, coming Avalon-nee-san is here"
"You're finally here! I've been looking for you all day!"
"Really now, Master completely falls apart the moment I'm gone. What a helpless little Master~"
Shirou's voice was overflowing with delight.
"What were you doing all day? And where are you right now? I feel like you're really far away from me."
He really is sharp. I can't let my guard down for even a second.
Thinking that gloomily, Lady Avalon answered,
"Sorry. Merlin-nii-san suddenly needed me for something, so I had to step away for a while."
"What? You're my Servant, aren't you? You're not allowed to just run off with someone else whenever you feel like it."
Lady Avalon spoke with a tragically lovely expression.
"Sorry. Just forgive me this once, okay? It won't happen again."
"Fine. Tell me a story about this Merlin-nii-sani, and I'll forgive you."
"Hehe, all right. It's a promise♡"
Lady Avalon barely managed to force out a smile.
Master still had two uses of "Dead Count Shapeshifter" left.
It'll be fine.
What little life I have left should be enough to pay for them.
There are still two more rounds of side effects. No matter what, I have to endure them.
"Oh right, Avalon-nee-san."
"Mmh, what is it?"
"Saber's Master said that the person who defeated Caster yesterday can apparently receive a Command Spell from the Church as a reward."
Shirou said happily, "Which means I've got one more 'Dead Count Shapeshifter' I can use!"
"..."
The moment she heard that, Lady Avalon's vision went black, and she nearly fainted from sheer shock.