After Sonya left to retrieve the rations for the exchange, Anna and Lada remained seated across from Shirou, quietly enjoying the brief warmth of the campfire.
As for where he had suddenly produced the chairs from, Anna was somewhat curious.
However, since they were not particularly close, she chose not to ask and simply watched him continue stirring the pot of soup.
The atmosphere soon became quiet.
Only the crackling of burning firewood could be heard.
"Um... what kind of soup is this?"
Lada stared at the pot for quite some time.
In the end, she could not match it to anything in her memory and finally asked Shirou.
Part of it was curiosity.
The other reason was that the silence had become a little too uncomfortable for her liking.
"Hm? Let me think... potato, vegetable, and meat soup?"
Hearing Lada's question, Shirou frowned and seriously considered it.
Unfortunately, he could not come up with a better name.
In the end, he simply gave up and settled on something straightforward.
At least it had a name.
If Croissant had been the one naming it, she probably would have called it Throw-Everything-In-And-Hope-For-The-Best Soup.
How did he know?
Because she had literally called it that earlier.
Immediately afterward, she had been dragged away to help move supplies.
As Penguin Logistics' designated heavy-lifting specialist, Croissant inevitably appeared wherever things needed carrying.
"That name does not match the actual dish at all."
After hearing such a lifeless name, Anna could not help commenting.
Because of the lighting and the environment, the soup itself did not look particularly impressive.
However, the aroma alone had been enough to lure Lada all the way over here.
That spoke for itself.
And yet that was the name he came up with?
"Exactly!"
Lada nodded vigorously in agreement.
"There is not much I can do about that."
Faced with criticism from both girls, Shirou could only shrug helplessly.
Not wanting the bizarre conversation to continue, he changed the subject.
"By the way, are you refugees from Chernobog?"
Anna's expression immediately became somewhat strange.
"Yes."
The reason for her expression was simple.
It was a rather odd question.
Still, out of politeness, she answered.
"Then why are you carrying weapons and... shields?"
Shirou knew full well that it was not the smartest question.
However, it served as a lead-in for what he actually wanted to ask.
The three of them were students.
Seeing students carrying weapons felt unusual enough.
Lada, meanwhile, was lugging around what appeared to be a bank vault door.
For the sake of convenience, Shirou had decided to classify it as a shield.
"Obviously for self-defense. If danger comes, we do not want running away to be our only option. Besides, news about the approaching mercenaries has already spread among some of the refugees. Many people are willing to stand alongside Rhodes Island and... Reunion in the coming battle."
This question was far more reasonable.
Anna relaxed slightly and shared what she knew.
When she mentioned Reunion, however, she hesitated for a moment.
For most civilians, the identities of the people who destroyed their homes were unclear.
All they knew was that some of the attackers had been infected members of Reunion.
As a result, Reunion's reputation among the refugees was terrible.
Although recent efforts had somewhat improved public opinion, healing that would likely take a very long time.
"I see. That makes sense. But regarding the volunteers for the battle... have you spoken with Rhodes Island about it yet?"
Now that he understood the reason behind the weapons, Shirou's confusion was resolved.
However, the part about refugees wanting to fight alongside Rhodes Island was completely new to him.
Chernobog had been a massive city.
Finding capable fighters among its population should not have been difficult.
If Doctor knew a volunteer force existed, they would have immediately started making plans to utilize them.
The problem was that Doctor seemed completely unaware.
After all, they had not mentioned anything about it when discussing the operation with him earlier.
"Not yet. We are still trying to determine how many people we actually have."
Anna shook her head.
The plan had always been to confirm their numbers first and then approach Rhodes Island together.
As for the finer details, she did not know much herself.
"I understand. If possible, you should inform Rhodes Island or Reunion as soon as you can. It will be safer that way."
After saying that, Shirou lowered his head and resumed stirring the soup.
He had already asked everything he wanted to know.
If he kept pressing for information, he would probably be the one taken away for questioning.
Besides, he had no interest in interrogating people.
Knowing what he needed to know was enough.
Although he had urged Anna to handle the matter quickly, he also intended to report it to Doctor later.
That way, adjustments to the battle plan could be made as soon as possible.
"Is it really that urgent? Should I go tell everyone right now?"
Lada finally found an opportunity to join the conversation.
The discussion between Shirou and Anna had shifted directions so quickly that she had been completely unable to keep up.
All she could do was sit there, looking back and forth between the two of them.
Although she did not really understand why Shirou wanted Anna to do this, it seemed to be the only thing she could do at the moment.
"Lada, just stay here. This is not so urgent that it has to be done right now."
With a helpless expression, Anna grabbed Lada, who had already stood up and was preparing to leave.
It was not because she was worried about what Shirou might do to her if she were left behind. She was simply concerned that Lada might get lost again halfway there.
"It really is not urgent. As long as it does not affect the operation when the time comes, it is fine. The main concern is accidentally injuring our own people."
Seeing Anna's exasperated look, Shirou added an explanation. Only then did Lada give up on the idea of running the errand and sit back down in her chair.
"Friendly fire... is it really that serious?"
After thinking for a moment, Anna voiced her doubts.
"The personnel on the front lines do not know who you are. There are also buried traps and explosives that could easily hurt you by mistake. Most importantly, if you get caught in a large-scale Originium Arts attack, that would be a real problem."
As a civilian, Anna had clearly not considered these possibilities, so Shirou took the time to explain further.
Perhaps among the people Anna had mentioned, some already knew how to avoid such dangers. However, Shirou's real point was the last one.
In front of a Caladbolg, there was no distinction between friend and foe. It treated all life equally. If Shirou was ruthless enough, he could even blow away the ground itself.
"...You have a point."
The additional explanation helped Anna understand the seriousness of the matter, and being clever, she thought even further ahead.
Although Shirou had not mentioned it, most of the refugees from Chernobog knew that certain suspicious individuals had mixed themselves into their ranks.
If those people also slipped into the group...
After sharing this thought with Shirou, he froze briefly before replying,
"You do not need to worry about that. Doctor has already dealt with most of the suspicious individuals in the camp over the past few days. The ones who remain are basically not much of a threat. As long as information does not leak out, everything will be fine."
Anna was far smarter than he had expected. With only a few additional explanations, she had already identified several other potential dangers.
It was not ideal for a child to be dealing with such things so early, but after meeting Amiya and Rosmontis, Shirou was no longer as stubbornly attached to his old way of thinking.
The Shirou of the past might have concealed these matters, believing that he should protect them, or allow them to continue growing up free from worry.
But on this land, every bit of experience and wisdom was a guarantee of future survival.
He could not deprive them of their growth simply because of his own personal beliefs.
"I see."
Hearing Shirou's explanation, Anna finally felt relieved.
She had originally believed that their actions would help others, but it turned out they had nearly caused a problem instead. Had Shirou not pointed it out, she might not have realized the issue until something actually went wrong.
"Hey! Someone give me a hand over here!"
While they were chatting, Sonya came walking toward them with both arms full of loose rations.
Because the supplies were not packaged together, the rations piled on top looked as though they could tumble down at any moment. However, Sonya's excellent sense of balance kept everything steady.
Such a feat was manageable on flat ground, but in this uneven environment it was pushing the limits.
As soon as they heard Sonya's call, both Lada and Anna hurried over to help.
Shirou glanced in their direction before turning to look somewhere else.
He could clearly feel the overwhelming malice washing toward him.
"Earlier than I expected. The stew still needs some time before it is ready."
Lowering his head to look at the pot, Shirou estimated that it still needed to simmer for a while longer.
He could serve it now if necessary, but the potatoes would not have absorbed enough flavor and would taste somewhat dry.
Bzzzzzz—
Just as Shirou was considering whether switching to a different pot might speed up the cooking process, a drone flew toward him.
It was a Rhodes Island drone, and a clip-on communicator had been tied to it with a piece of rope.
This was the signal he and Doctor had agreed upon beforehand. Before the operation began, Doctor would open a dedicated communication channel to contact him.
The arrangement served two purposes: preventing tactical information from being intercepted and creating the illusion that Rhodes Island and Reunion were in a disadvantaged position.
After all, they had not allowed Shirou to take action before. With a large force of mercenaries attacking, deploying a powerful person like Shirou would appear entirely reasonable.
The net had already been cast.
Now all that remained was to wait for the Emperor Blades to step into it.
As long as they could inflict a devastating blow and gain some breathing room, that would be enough.
If they could directly force those Emperor Blades to abandon the idea of eliminating them, that would be even better.
Shirou rose to his feet, removed the communicator from the drone, and put it on.
"This is Shirou."
As he spoke, he lightly stretched his arms to warm up and began circulating the magical energy within his body.
The arm hidden beneath the Rhodes Island operator's coat was now covered with numerous Magic Circuits, preparing for the next projection.
"The enemy has already entered your attack range. From here on, we are counting on you, Shirou."
Doctor's voice sounded extremely tired. Ever since the morning strategy meeting had ended, they had been busy trying to understand Shirou's Noble Phantasms and the ways they could be used in combat.
The more Doctor learned about these so-called Noble Phantasms, the more confident they became in the chances of victory.
If Shirou did not need to conserve mana for dealing with the Emperor Blades later, Doctor genuinely wanted Shirou to march over with the Golden Sword and teach those mercenaries a lesson.
Unfortunately, reality did not allow that.
Still, the combination of a Caladbolg and Broken Phantasm seemed more than effective enough.
The only real issue was that the surrounding terrain was almost entirely flat, with no suitable sniping position.
Fortunately, that problem could be solved using one of the Noble Phantasms Shirou was capable of projecting.
"No, this is what I should be doing."
Shirou replied calmly.
At the same time, he turned and waved toward Lada and the others.
"Is it... do you need our help?"
The girls were not entirely sure what was happening. Ever since the drone arrived, Shirou's expression had become noticeably more serious.
They had no idea what information he had received through the communicator.
Since he did not say anything, they had no intention of asking.
They had originally planned to leave immediately, but Shirou had called them over, apparently because he had something to say.
Having just shared a friendly conversation with him, Anna and Lada were naturally willing to hear him out.
Sonya respected their decision as well.
"Yes! Help me keep an eye on this pot of stew. Once I finish dealing with what I have to do, I will come find you. As payment, there is no need to exchange those rations anymore."
As he spoke, Shirou handed over the heat-resistant gloves he had projected much earlier.
"..."
Sonya suddenly felt as though carrying all those rations over here had been completely pointless.
"Okay!"
Lada, however, did not care about that at all.
After putting on the gloves, she picked up the pot of stew.
It was still quite hot, but as long as she was careful not to touch the pot directly, she would be fine. As for the weight, it was no more strenuous than a warm-up exercise for her.
"Are we leaving?"
Anna asked in confusion.
After all, running around while carrying a pot of hot stew seemed rather bizarre.
"Yes. This place is about to become a battlefield. The operators will be arriving soon, so hurry back to the camp."
Shirou understood what she meant, but there was no helping it.
For one thing, Rhodes Island operators and Reunion members would soon be gathering here. It would be awkward if the three girls remained.
For another, he was about to project something rather large.
The resulting commotion would be significant, and he certainly did not want the stew he had been carefully tending for so long to be ruined.
The ingredients had been gathered by Penguin Logistics and the others.
He could not casually waste the thoughtfulness and effort they had put into it.
"Come on, Anna! And you too, big bro Shirou! I will take good care of the stew for you! You have to come back, okay? Also, I am leaving my shield here for now! I will come back and get it later!"
Once Lada heard that this place would soon become a battlefield and that there was nothing she could do to help, she immediately prepared to leave with the pot of stew.
As for her shield, she could only leave it behind.
Her hands were occupied, and nobody else was capable of carrying it.
"...All right. Just hurry and leave."
Although Lada corrected herself quickly, Shirou had already heard what she was about to call him.
After the three of them had moved a fair distance away, Shirou adjusted the communicator on his ear and kept the channel open.
"Then I am starting on my end."
"Trace, on—"
As soon as he finished speaking, Shirou raised his right hand high into the air and began casting Projection Magecraft at the designated location.
The outline of a gigantic sword, as large as a building, materialized out of thin air.
It plunged straight into the ground, kicking up an enormous cloud of dust.
The next moment, a rope shot out from within the dust cloud and wrapped itself around the giant sword's hilt.
Using the rope's pull, Shirou launched himself upward from the ground in a single leap.
"Hmm... not the easiest thing to stand on, but it will do."
Standing atop the massive blade, Shirou adjusted his balance.
After taking a moment to get used to the footing, he dismissed the rope and replaced it with a black longbow.
If there was no suitable sniper position, then create one.
Those had been Doctor's exact words.
Even Shirou had never imagined that the Ig-Alima could be used in such a manner.
Of course, there were drawbacks.
Even though he had projected only an empty shell, the mana consumption was still considerable. Under normal circumstances, there would be little reason to use it this way.
Only now, when he did not need to worry too much about conserving mana, could he afford such extravagance.
Otherwise, closing the distance and sniping from ground level would have been far more efficient.
"Well then, as requested, Doctor..."
Shirou drew back the bowstring and looked toward the distant enemy forces.
"Let us begin by sending them a friendly greeting."
After making sure he could stand securely atop the giant sword, Shirou gripped the longbow in his left hand while projecting a Caladbolg in his right.
Although it looked identical to the Caladbolg he had projected before, Shirou knew very well that this time he had poured more magical energy into it than ever before.
The primary reason for keeping the communicator connected was so that Shirou could constantly monitor Amiya's and Alina's conditions. The moment either of them showed signs of trouble, he would stop feeding mana into the projection.
This projection proceeded exceptionally smoothly.
An immense amount of magical energy condensed within the sword, and Shirou knew this was still not its limit. However, under the current circumstances, it was already more than sufficient.
He placed it against the bowstring.
As Shirou drew the string back, the drill-like blade gradually elongated and became more slender.
"Target: the area in front of the enemy forces—"
Once Shirou had fully drawn the bow, Doctor's voice came through the communicator, informing him of the exact point where the shot should land.
Just as Shirou had said earlier, this shot was merely a friendly greeting.
If it could persuade the enemy to retreat, that would naturally be the best outcome.
If they insisted on advancing, then they would have to be eliminated.
This was the final act of mercy from both Doctor of Rhodes Island and Shirou.
"—Fire!"
The instant Doctor gave the signal, Shirou discarded all distracting thoughts from his mind and released the bowstring, launching the Noble Phantasm.
After this shot, he would no longer hold back.