In the end, Shirou was carried back to the camp on Blaze's shoulder. The reason that she was carrying him was because Shirou was a head taller than Blaze, making it rather inconvenient for her to support him normally and slowing their pace considerably.
So after discussing it with Amiya and Rosmontis, and after having a friendly discussion with Shirou himself, she simply hoisted him onto her shoulder and sped up.
What had originally been expected to take half an hour was reduced to less than five minutes, which only made the already uncomfortable Shirou feel even worse.
His stomach felt particularly awful from being pressed against Blaze's shoulder.
Still, that was within acceptable limits. In fact, Blaze had originally planned to carry Shirou with both arms, the way one often sees in films and television dramas, the so-called princess carry.
He had absolutely no need for something that embarrassing.
"Are you alright?"
As someone who was frequently carried around by Blaze, Rosmontis was very experienced with Shirou's current condition.
However, she was not as large as Shirou, so the discomfort she experienced was far less severe. She could only judge from his increasingly pale complexion that his situation was not looking particularly good.
"I should be... fine?"
Shirou had already been set down, but compared to before, he seemed to sway even more while walking.
Their first destination was to give Shirou a simple physical examination, with Rosmontis accompanying him.
As for Blaze and Amiya?
The two of them had gone to find Doctor. Although Amiya had already explained the situation through the communicator during the trip back, some of the finer details were better discussed face to face.
Besides, Amiya also needed to understand the current situation and help Doctor shoulder some of the pressure.
As for Blaze, Shirou had simply chased her away. He was afraid that if he walked too slowly again, she would pick him up and run.
If that happened one more time, he was certain he would throw up everything in his stomach.
Fortunately, he had not eaten anything before this... He wondered how Lada and the others were doing. The giant door they had brought with them seemed to have been almost completely destroyed by the aftermath of the battle.
Thinking about food reminded Shirou of the pot of potato, vegetable, and meat stew he had prepared before the battle, as well as Lada and the others who had come over after smelling the aroma.
"Do you need me to carry you?"
Seeing that Shirou was having difficulty even speaking, Rosmontis proposed using her Originium Arts to give him a ride.
"We can just walk slowly. Use Originium Arts as little as possible."
After taking a deep breath and adjusting himself, Shirou replied.
In fact, Rosmontis had already suggested carrying him with her Arts during the journey back, but things like Originium Arts were better used sparingly whenever possible.
"Mm, alright."
Hearing Shirou's words, Rosmontis obediently nodded. Hugging her terminal, she walked beside him.
"I wonder whether Texas and the others have returned yet. If they see me like this, I will probably get carried again."
Seeing that Rosmontis had abandoned the idea of using her Arts, Shirou let out a sigh of relief and began worrying about a new problem.
If everyone from Penguin Logistics saw him in his current condition, he could already imagine what would happen.
The four of them would simply hoist him up and sprint toward their destination.
Penguin Logistics always delivered. This was something they were very familiar with.
"They seem to be moving with a Rhodes Island squad. They probably have not returned to camp yet."
Rosmontis answered after hearing his muttering.
"That is good."
Only then did Shirou finally relax completely. He had narrowly avoided another mortifying scene.
Although the two walked slowly, occasional conversations made the trip pass quickly, and before long they reached the area where the medical operators were stationed.
"Is that Rosmontis? What brings you here? Are you hurt somewhere?"
As one of Rhodes Island's elite operators, Rosmontis was recognized immediately.
Or perhaps it was more accurate to say that most of Rhodes Island's medical operators knew of her or had at least heard her name. They rarely interacted with her, but clearly the person in front of them was an exception.
"Not me. It is Shirou."
Unable to handle the other's enthusiasm, Rosmontis took two steps back and pushed Shirou forward.
"Hm? Shirou? Stop joking. Shirou is not that tall, and he has red hair... Huh? Shirou? It really is you?"
The medical operator first glanced at the person Rosmontis had pushed out, then complained that he looked completely different from the Shirou she remembered. But as she continued looking, she realized it actually was him.
"Hey, Anto. You are on this operation too?"
Shirou knew this medical operator. They had met several times on Rhodes Island and were fairly familiar with one another.
"Ah... right. Well, I am better at handling medical care after catastrophes."
For a moment, Anto failed to connect the white-haired giant standing before her with the red-haired Shirou she knew. It was only after he greeted her that she moved on from the awkward topic.
It really was rather embarrassing.
"So, can I trouble you? I just finished fighting, and I am probably suffering from exhaustion. Amiya insisted that I come here for an examination."
Seeing Anto's embarrassment, Shirou deliberately asked for her help.
"Mm... alright. Sit over there for now. I just need to finish up some work and I will come over."
After learning about Shirou's condition, Anto no longer paid attention to the awkwardness. She told the two of them to wait to one side and hurried away.
About a few minutes later, Anto returned with a portable medical scanner and pushed a small table in front of Shirou.
"Hold out your hand."
Once she entered work mode, Anto looked remarkably serious, just like Doctors Shirou remembered from his childhood. For some reason, it made him feel a strange sense of pressure.
Even so, he rolled up the sleeve of his Rhodes Island jacket and placed his left hand on the table. Before long, all sorts of instruments whose functions he could not understand were wrapped around him.
He had no idea what they did, but they certainly looked impressive.
"The conditions out here are not ideal, so a lot of the equipment has been simplified."
Noticing the confusion in Shirou's eyes, Anto took a moment to explain, though her hands never stopped moving.
At the same time, she gave him a quick examination for external injuries. Apart from dirt and dust making him look somewhat filthy, there were no obvious wounds.
Combined with Shirou's earlier statement that he was simply exhausted and had only come because Amiya insisted, Anto sped up her examination.
Very soon, the results came out.
"Your blood sugar is low, and your muscles show signs of overexertion. A few days of rest and you will be fine. Lie down here for a while."
The most serious issue was probably his current motion sickness. Upon hearing that Blaze had carried him all the way back, Anto simply gave him a sympathetic smile. After hooking him up to a glucose drip, she returned to her work.
Shirou's condition was not serious. She only needed to come back and disconnect the IV before the glucose ran out. What he needed most right now was rest.
Besides, Rosmontis was watching him, and that gave her peace of mind.
The little cat might be absentminded most of the time, but she always did her utmost to accomplish whatever was entrusted to her.
"That was fast."
From extending his hand to being forced to lie down with an IV, less than a few minutes had passed, leaving Shirou unable to help admiring her efficiency.
From his bed, he could see numerous medical operators hurrying back and forth, treating everyone injured by the Catastrophe or the battle.
Seeing the scene before him, he could not help wanting to get up and assist.
Unfortunately, his body would not allow it.
Or rather, Rosmontis would not allow it.
"Doctor said you have to lie down."
The moment she noticed that Shirou was trying to sit up, Rosmontis stepped forward and pressed him down with both hands.
"I know, I know. I will stay in bed."
Shirou laughed awkwardly as the little cat pinned him down.
After all, he knew very well that even if he resisted Rosmontis now, she only needed to use her Originium Arts and he would have no means of fighting back.
So there was no point struggling. He might as well skip straight to the final stage and lie down obediently.
"Mm-hm, mm... mm!"
Seeing how cooperative he was, Rosmontis nodded and withdrew her little hands before picking up her terminal.
However, after looking at the terminal in her hands and thinking for a moment, she chose to sit beside the bed and laid her tail across Shirou's upper body.
That way, if he tried to get up again, she would notice immediately.
"Is that really necessary?"
Shirou had no idea what Rosmontis was thinking. He only saw her say "mm" four times before placing her tail on top of him.
It was obvious she had replaced her hands with it to keep him pinned to the bed, making him feel somewhat distrusted.
"It is necessary. Shirou, stay in bed."
In response to his verbal protest, Rosmontis merely stared at him with a puzzled expression.
"...Fine."
After a few seconds, Shirou gave up resisting and lay flat on the rather uncomfortable bed.
Fortunately, Rosmontis was small enough that the bed could support both of them without collapsing.
Staring at the ceiling of the tent, Shirou thought about what had happened earlier.
The Imperial Guards had been completely dealt with. At the very least, while Blaze had been carrying him back, they had received news that the Ursus military was withdrawing.
The only thing left was the group of infected who had been incited. Doctor had not arranged for Rhodes Island personnel to handle them, instead entrusting the matter entirely to Talulah and Patriot.
Amiya had also gone to help coordinate these affairs. However, Doctor still remembered that back in Chernobog, Patriot had once attempted to attack Amiya.
Although the two sides were currently cooperating and Talulah would keep him in check, Shirou, one of the few people capable of standing against Patriot, was still recovering. Therefore, Doctor had specifically requested that Talulah keep Patriot farther away.
This much was what Shirou had overheard during the journey back. He had not had time to hear anything more detailed before reaching camp.
At the very least, the entire Chernobog incident had finally come to an end.
But...
Could he really rest?
Although the two greatest problems, the Imperial Guards and Koschei, had been dealt with, there were still many unresolved issues, were there not?
There should still be people trapped inside Chernobog who had not been rescued yet, right?
"It is alright. Amiya and Doctor will handle it. Shirou, all you need to do right now is rest peacefully."
Noticing the anxiety in the Shirou lying on the bed, Rosmontis saved the notes she had been recording, set aside her terminal, and began soothing him.
She could not read minds like Amiya, but she could roughly understand what Shirou was thinking.
Thinking that he could have done better.
She understood all of those feelings, because she had once gone through the same thing.
Back then, she had Amiya, Blaze, and many other elite operators taking care of her, which kept her from becoming too obsessed with those thoughts.
And now, Shirou also needed someone to calm his emotions.
"You have already done enough. You defeated the powerful enemies. Leave the rest to everyone else. Trust that Blaze, Ace, Scout, and everyone else can handle things."
Her tail gently tapped against Shirou's chest as Rosmontis spoke softly.
That was what Amiya had told her back then. The people of Rhodes Island could always be trusted, whether they were elite operators or medical operators.
Everyone had their own strengths.
Everyone had their own responsibilities.
So there was no need to carry everything alone. It was alright to entrust some things to others.
She remembered very little, but this was one thing she remembered clearly.
Likewise, she remembered that Shirou was this kind of person as well, perhaps even more so.
She had let him do as he pleased before because he still had energy to spare.
But now, Shirou needed rest and recovery.
His weakness was visible to the naked eye. If Rhodes Island's trainee operators challenged him now, they might even be able to defeat him.
"Mm... you are right. I should not think about it so much."
The anxious Shirou gradually calmed down after hearing Rosmontis's words and feeling the rhythm of her tail.
He understood everything she was saying.
He simply could not settle his mind. The moment he became still, thoughts like those from earlier would surface involuntarily.
It was almost instinct.
"So stop thinking about it. Right now, all you need is a good sleep. When you wake up, Amiya and the others will have taken care of everything."
As her tail continued its steady rhythm, Rosmontis gently covered Shirou's eyes with one hand.
She remembered that Shirou had excellent eyesight, so perhaps covering his eyes would stop him from thinking too much.
Sleep.
Sleep.
When you wake up, all the troubles and worries will have vanished completely.
And when that time came...
Everyone could go home together.