Morning, outside the city of Chernobog, at the temporary camp shared by Rhodes Island and Reunion.
"So it can hold that much stuff? I learned something new today! ...Actually, no, I should probably not learn this."
Watching Rhodes Island operators continuously unload essential supplies from a vehicle, Croissant felt enlightened.
The vehicle did not even look that large, yet it had somehow managed to carry four operators along with a massive amount of cargo.
If she could learn this technique, would that not mean they could transport even more goods in the future?
Wait.
Would that not just benefit the Boss and make it easier for him to work them even harder?
The moment that thought crossed her mind, Croissant promptly deleted the knowledge from her brain.
"Stop fooling around. Since you are already here, lend a hand."
Although Shirou had no idea what Croissant was thinking, judging by her usual behavior, he doubted it was anything particularly meaningful. He immediately dragged her over to work.
At the moment, he and Nearl were helping receive the incoming supplies.
The members of Penguin Logistics had tagged along after catching Shirou early in the morning and learning about the task.
As Exusiai put it, they worked in logistics.
Picking up and sorting cargo was second nature to them.
The reality, however, was that after arriving, they found themselves unable to squeeze into Rhodes Island's transportation team to help.
After accompanying Shirou, Nearl, and the others on two patrol rounds around the area, confirming that all vehicles and personnel sent by Rhodes Island had arrived safely and that most of the supplies had already been delivered to their designated locations, they finally found an opportunity to contribute.
Their task remained the same as always:
Delivering medicine to wherever it was needed.
It could not be helped.
Most of the people who knew the camp's layout as thoroughly as the members of Penguin Logistics were busy with other matters.
The group did not have any objections.
It might not be cargo sorting, but delivery was still part of their regular work.
In the end, their professional skills had found the appropriate application.
Shirou was not some Sarkaz slave driver.
If he made the members of Penguin Logistics, who had already spent most of yesterday working themselves to exhaustion, continue hauling supplies, he would probably have to listen to his boss rapping into his ear once he got back.
Yesterday had only been so exhausting because they lacked manpower.
Now that personnel were plentiful, the group only needed to guide a few delivery runs.
Once the other operators became familiar with the routes, they could go rest.
As for him...
He still had to deal with some loose ends.
A long supply convoy was always bound to attract attention.
Perhaps there were people eyeing the supplies.
Perhaps the commotion had disturbed nearby wildlife.
Regardless of which it was, they all needed to be driven away.
Normally, that would have been Nearl's responsibility and that of several other squads.
But with someone like Shirou the task became considerably easier.
That said, patrol duties were still necessary.
Nearl was not the type to let her guard down simply because Shirou was around.
Though she normally appeared easygoing and approachable, she became an entirely different person when it came to work.
Nearl was that sort of person.
In some ways, Shirou shared the same mindset.
Their work selves and their everyday selves were practically two different people.
After all, even a minor mistake in their line of work could be extremely dangerous, both for themselves and for everyone around them.
"Hmm... Still nothing but endless white."
Finding a relatively tall tree, Shirou leaped onto it and surveyed the snow-covered landscape around him.
Everything within sight was white.
The brightness made his eyes uncomfortable, yet he had no choice but to force himself to keep looking.
At first glance, one might think that a field of pure white snow would make spotting enemies or animals easy.
However, there was a concept in nature known as camouflage.
White animals and plants blended almost perfectly into this snowy world.
Humans could achieve much the same effect simply by wearing white clothing.
Without careful observation, even Shirou could easily overlook them.
On the other hand, careful observation was exhausting on the eyes.
As a compromise, he reduced the area he searched visually.
He had already informed Nearl of this adjustment, so it would not cause any major issues.
"There are quite a few animals around... Fortunately, none of them seem to travel in groups. That would be troublesome."
After completing a sweep of the area, Shirou found nothing unusual apart from several native Ursus wildlife species.
Most of them, however, happened to be carnivores.
As a result, Shirou intervened several times to drive them away.
Predators tended to retreat easily once startled.
This was especially true when faced with Shirou's attacks, which could be heard but whose source remained completely unseen.
Even so, a handful of particularly bold animals ignored the warning arrows and continued slowly approaching the camp.
"Looks like today's menu is getting an upgrade... No, wait. These seem to be infected creatures?"
When Shirou first spotted the gathering animals, his initial thought was that the camp would be getting some extra meat today.
However, upon closer inspection, he noticed Originium crystals hidden beneath their fur.
One or two animals having Originium crystals might have been a coincidence.
But when every single approaching animal had them, the situation became suspicious.
Once he realized they were infected creatures, Shirou no longer had any reservations.
Not only humans, but most animals avoided hunting infected creatures as well.
It could be said that infected creatures contributed virtually nothing to the ecosystem and instead actively damaged it.
After all, infection significantly enhanced them in almost every aspect, making them far stronger than ordinary animals.
In simple terms, they were somewhat like an invasive species with no natural predators.
Because of that, Shirou chose to eliminate them directly without the slightest hesitation.
Still, the behavior of these infected creatures left him puzzled.
At the end of the day, infected creatures were still living organisms.
Being infected did not transform them into an entirely different species.
Yet despite facing danger, they showed absolutely no intention of retreating.
That already violated everything he understood about the laws of nature.
Of course, it was possible that they had simply been driven to extreme hunger.
But there were far too many of them.
So many, in fact, that Shirou began to suspect that their appearance had been orchestrated by someone.
If he remembered correctly, certain casters were capable of controlling infected creatures.
Back when he had delivered a message in a Ursus village, he had encountered a swarm of Originium slugs controlled by enemy casters. He had only resolved the crisis by taking out the casters directing them.
Thinking of that possibility, Shirou immediately informed Nearl of the situation and shared his suspicions.
"I understand. Shirou, please eliminate as many infected creatures as possible and do not let them approach the camp. They are very likely carrying reconnaissance equipment."
After receiving Shirou's report, Nearl made a calm and rapid decision.
According to Shirou, most of the infected creatures were hounds.
Hounds were inexpensive, small, and fast.
When controlled by casters, there was no need to worry about obedience, making them exceptionally useful.
As a result, they were commonly used for scouting and vanguard attacks and were one of the most widely employed assets among mercenary groups.
Shirou might not have much experience dealing with mercenaries, but Nearl and Rhodes Island as a whole regularly interacted with them.
As such, she was intimately familiar with their methods and habits.
"I am already dealing with them. But I can only guarantee that they will not get within one kilometer of the camp."
As he spoke through the communicator attached to his ear, Shirou continued drawing arrows and searching for the approaching hounds.
The landscape was an endless expanse of white snow.
The hounds' fur was also white.
Combined with the enormous area he needed to monitor, he could not guarantee perfect coverage.
"That is more than enough. I have already sent people to notify Amiya and Doctor. Any extra time we can gain is valuable."
Nearl had no complaints.
In fact, preventing enemy reconnaissance from getting within a kilometer of the camp was already an extraordinary achievement.
Otherwise, by the time they noticed the enemy scouts, the enemy's reconnaissance work would probably already be complete.
If they only started preparing at that point, everything would become rushed.
They would also need to divert personnel to deal with the hounds, potentially resulting in casualties during the process.
Fortunately, with Shirou acting early and already clearing out the infected creatures, none of those scenarios would come to pass.
Until Amiya and Doctor reached a decision, Nearl's job was simply to maintain stability.
"Understood. If I discover anything else, I will let you know."
After receiving Nearl's approval, Shirou ended the transmission and focused all of his attention on the infected creatures.
Besides the hounds, there were also Originium slugs and crab-like creatures.
The one thing they all had in common was the presence of Originium crystals embedded in their bodies.
Originium crystals meant they could be controlled by casters.
And that meant they posed a potential threat.
After learning that from Nearl, Shirou became even less restrained.
He even infused his arrows with magical energy, ensuring that they would explode after piercing their targets.
As long as a controlled infected creature still had a single breath left in its body, it remained under the caster's command.
Only death could break that control.
That was why Shirou chose to completely destroy the bodies, regardless of his remaining reserves of magical energy.
Speaking of magical energy, it was impossible not to mention the strange new ability that had appeared after his Connection with Archer Card.
At present, there seemed to be a flow of magical energy between him, Amiya, and Alina.
It was somewhat similar to the magical comment between a Master and Servant during the Holy Grail War.
With this additional source of magical energy, he could finally afford to use his magecraft a little more freely.
As for extra sources of magical energy, Shirou had also noticed something else.
His magical energy seemed to recover faster in Chernobog than it had in Lungmen.
As for the reason...
He had no idea.
At the time, he had been too busy fighting and rescuing people to notice.
It was only afterward, while reviewing his actions in Chernobog together with the members of Penguin Logistics, that he realized it.
If he had possessed this level of magical energy recovery during the Holy Grail War...
No, forget Chernobog.
Even if he had only enjoyed the recovery rate he experienced in Lungmen, he might have been able to defeat his enemies sooner and destroy the Holy Grail before things escalated.
But there was no such thing as "if."
Fuyuki City and the Holy Grail War were already part of a distant past.
There was no point dwelling on it now.
The magical energy he received from Amiya and Alina was most likely being obtained through Originium.
If that was true, then Kal'tsit and Warfarin had yet another subject to research.
Hopefully the two of them would not overwork themselves.
Actually, with Doctor's return to Rhodes Island...
He should probably hope that all three of them would not overwork themselves.
As for why this connection had suddenly formed between the three of them, Shirou attributed it to the magical crystals that Amiya and Alina had possessed.
The red and black magical crystals had already disappeared.
In their place was the Archer Servant card now resting in his pocket.
He had not yet asked either of them about it.
Mainly because by the time he discovered the phenomenon, it was already late at night.
Both Amiya and Alina had spent the entire day managing the operations of Rhodes Island and Reunion's camps.
They undoubtedly needed rest.
As such, Shirou had chosen not to disturb them.
Besides, it would not be particularly appropriate for him to wander into someone else's tent in the middle of the night.
Getting to the bottom of this issue would probably require a great deal of time and effort.
So Shirou simply pushed it to the back of his mind for the moment.
After all, his knowledge of magecraft was limited almost entirely to its practical use.
There was no one else around who truly understood magecraft either.
Researching it would have to be a gradual process.
As always, his philosophy remained the same:
Since it did not appear to have any negative effects for now, there was no need to worry about it.
For Shirou, the additional magical energy allowed him to fight more effectively.
For Amiya and Alina, it offered a potential way to reduce the on Originium within their bodies.
As Exusiai would put it:
"Everybody wins and nobody loses. Sounds pretty great, doesn't it?"
"Haaah... Good thing there were not too many of them. Otherwise my eyes and arms would not have been able to take it."
After shooting continuously for quite some time, Shirou lowered his longbow and shook his right arm, which had drawn the bowstring countless times.
At the same time, he mentally reviewed the approximate number and locations of the infected creatures he had eliminated.
Nearly all of them had come from the north.
In other words, from the direction of Ursus.
There were some approaching from other directions as well, but nowhere near as many.
Having identified a likely direction, Shirou rubbed the area between his cheeks and eye sockets in an attempt to relieve some of the strain on his eyes.
Then he focused all of his attention.
Following the tracks left behind by the infected creatures, he attempted to trace them back to their source and estimate the location of the casters and mercenaries controlling them.