35 - Swords of All Sizes

Shirou opened the Ingvild's runes and read through them thoroughly. It seems that she had both become a Titan and received an Aspect Legacy. Unlike himself however, it seems that there is no specific path that she has to take to develop her Aspect.

She didn't seem to be in a state to claim it herself, so Shirou decided to do it instead.

[You have received a Memory: Drop of Ichor.]

Huh? Another one of those?

Shirou checked the description, and although it was similar, there were some differences at the end.

Memory: [Drop of Ichor]

Memory Rank: Unknown

Memory Tier: Unknown

Memory Type: Unknown

Memory Description: [Before, there was only boundless, eternal void. From that dark abyss, the -unknown- were born. Just like chaos itself, they were endless and everlasting, vast and forever changing. But then desire came, and with it came direction. From it, the gods were born.

When gods appeared, the void was not eternal anymore.

When gods appeared, the darkness was not endless anymore.

When gods appeared, the chaos was not orderless anymore.

The gods appeared, and brought with them war. This drop of divine blood was spilled by Storm, at the depths of the sea.]

[You have received a drop of ichor. Do you wish to consume it?]

Shirou stared at the [Drop of Ichor]. He shouldn't consume it since it was meant for Ingvild. However, it might end up going to her anyways, so he decided that he should.

If it ends up being used on him, it would be quite bad.

"Yes."

Artoria looked at him strangely as he spoke into the air.

Oh, I forgot she was here.

"Why do you have divine blood? Did you get it from the beast?"

Well, not exactly.

The golden blood split into seven, and they all got absorbed by the [Storm Ruler]. Shirou sighed in relief as Ingvild was the one who absorbed it. Shirou checked her runes and found a new Attribute.

Attributes: [Spark of Divinity], [Undrowning], [Master of Storms], [Reforged], [Scales of the Sea Dragon].

[Scales of the Sea Dragon]

Attribute Description: [You can summon a set of armor that was made from the scales of Leviathan. Due to your heritage, they can also be enhanced by lightning. This armor will grow with you.]

Attribute Traits: [Depths Conqueror], [Thunder Sync], [Bound].

[Depths Conqueror]

Trait Description: [This armor becomes stronger underwater.]

[Thunder Sync]

Trait Description: [This armor becomes stronger when electricity flows through it.]

[Bound]

Trait Description: [This armor is bound to your soul.]

Shirou had never seen an Attribute with so many functions. He guessed that this was simply a Memory, but with higher potential. Similar to his [Shroud of Justice].

He took a look at [Storm Ruler], and sent a mental command. Surprisingly, the sword became scaly, yet still sharp.

Does [Vorpal Blade] and [Depths Conqueror] stack?

He didn't even know if her other abilities still functioned, so he decided to test it out.

He dropped the sword to the floor, and watched as it dissolved into a puddle. The winds blew somewhat harder for a moment, before the [Storm Ruler] turned back into a physical form.

Shirou lifted the weapon, and carried it in his hand as he turned to Artoria. She stared at the sword strangely before looking towards him.

"You have a strange weapon."

Shirou looked down at the [Storm Ruler], before grinning.

"That's quite rude. She's a delicate lady after all. Well, something like that."

————————————————————

Shirou was currently sitting on the throne back in the castle. The hole was completely covered up, as the castle seemed to have a self-repair function.

What a nice, cozy chair.

"You are aware that the throne belongs to me, correct?"

Artoria's annoyed voice can be heard beside him.

"Unfortunately, you are not the king, so it is up for grabs."

She scowled. She walked over to him, causing Shirou to freeze up.

I SAID TOO MUCH!

Instead of decapitating him however, she simply sat down.

On his lap.

It seems that [Eroge Protagonist EX] is getting impatient.

Shirou was not quite sure how to feel about this situation. On one hand, he could brag to Sunny about how he had royalty sitting in his lap. On the other, she might kill him simply because it was uncomfortable.

Artoria moved into a different position, laying on the armrest of the throne with her legs laid atop the opposite side, as if it was a couch. She had a completely indifferent expression on her face.

Shirou gulped.

"…Do you not see any issue with this position?"

She raised her brow.

"Of course not. This is the same as a king using their sword in battle."

I'm not your sword though?

"…But you are a girl, right?"

"Before I am a woman, I am the king."

Shirou noticed how she said woman instead of girl.

"…Artoria, how old are you?"

She started to think about it.

Why do you have to think about your age?!

"If I recall correctly, I should be 36 currently."

…I THOUGHT SHE WAS 15!

"Oh… is that so. Well, you look quite young, if I do say so myself."

Shirou was still baffled about her age.

"That is because of Avalon of course."

Shirou looked at her in curiosity.

"What is Avalon?"

She held her hands up, as a golden sheath started to materialize in her hands. Shirou's eyes widened, as he stared at it in recognition.

The memory that the old man used to save me!

"It grants me immortality."

Shirou blanked.

"…Why are you looking at me like that."

Shirou locked in.

"I apologize, but it seems that I have misheard you."

He did not.

I apologize, but I cannot fathom how a short, flat-chested, tyrannical, woman who does not act her age, got their hands on something like this!

"I said, it grants me immortality."

"I see."

Actually, where the hell did the old man find this thing in the first place?!

Not even [Mind of Steel] could stop the incoming migraine.

Shirou decided to get back to business.

"Anyways, do you know of any other human settlements nearby?"

"No. The closest would take days of travel."

Crap.

Shirou thought for a moment before deciding that he should take matters into his own hands.

"Alright, let's go back to the fake world, or whatever it's called. I'll teach you what you need to know personally. Once I'm finished, you'll become the perfect king."

She nodded as she got up from his lap, freeing Shirou from his torture. She took his words completely seriously, as if he wasn't lying as easily as he breathed.

He looked down at his lap for a moment, before paying his respects to his sword.

————————————————————

Shirou once again sent out his Blades to search for the Sword of Selection. As he thought about it, he decided to ask Artoria a question.

"Does Avalon not help against the corruption?"

"It does. However, it is connected to the soul of the wearer. The more powerful, the stronger the effects. It changes how quickly I regenerate from wounds. I wouldn't be immune unless I was Supreme again."

So that's why she needed to get her authority back.

Shirou felt sword fragments trickle into him. He had ordered his Blades to kill as many Nightmare Creatures as possible while they search. It seems that they were doing quite well.

Shirou sighed. They only had a month until the army of the Underworld came. Fortunately, the Daemon would not be coming, but he was still quite worried. After all, Artoria did not seem to be confident in her ability to win as a Transcendent.

Shirou guessed that the conflict was between Daemons and Gods. If that was the case, he could also assume that Artoria served the Gods. He didn't have enough information to confirm this, but it was his best guess.

He stood from the throne and looked at Artoria, who was standing silently.

"Lead me to a bedroom."

"…You are aware that I am the king here, yes?"

"I'm sure we had this conversation before. Until you are worthy, you must follow my orders. How else will you regain your authority."

Shirou had no idea what he was talking about. She seemed to hesitantly accept it however, as she walked to the end of the throne room.

After a few minutes of walking through the maze, she opened a door to a room. Shirou walked in with grace only a true faker may have.

"And where is the baths?"

Artoria walked into the room as well, before opening a door that leads to a bathroom.

"Hmph. Acceptable, I suppose."

Shirou tried his best to sound haughty.

Artoria scowled at him, resisting the urge to cleave him in two.

Shirou walked into the bathroom, closed the door, and dismissed his armor. It was quite luxurious, and already filled. Shirou decided to jump straight in.

"…Perfect."

After months of living in the wilderness, Shirou was now back to his priveleged lifestyle. He had lived in a mansion after all.

The door opened.

Shirou slowly turned his head. With a deadpan expression, he looked up at Artoria. Luckily, she was still clothed, so he didn't have to worry about the good old bath scene.

However, she just stood there, looking at him with complete indifference.

…Did I do something?

"Is something wrong?"

She tilted her head slightly, confused by his question.

"No, I do not think so. Why do you ask?"

"Maybe because you are watching me taking a nice dip, in a bath that was meant for me? As a woman, are you not uncomfortable with watching me bathe?"

"As a knight, I had seen many men in various states of undress. Of course, they have never seen me, in order to hide my identity. There is no reason for me to be uncomfortable."

"…Actually, how about this? Why did you feel the need to come in here?"

"You may have had a lesson to teach that required me to be in this room."

Shirou was slowly starting to lose it.

"…I suppose I do have a lesson."

She smirked, as if she knew that it was the case all along.

"And what might that be?"

Shirou's eyes darkened.

"Today, you shall be taught public decency. The best way to teach you would be to have you feel uncomfortable."

"As I said before, I have not reason to feel uncomfortable just because you are not clothed."

I'll show you "uncomfortable"!

Shirou rose from the bath, revealing everything.

Artoria did not react, but simply looked down. She started to go red, taking a few steps back.

Shirou started to speak with a look of determination.

"It seems that you are indeed becoming uncomfortable. Don't you know? I can detect lies from across the globe."

Shirou had just lied.

Artoria started to speak in a quiet tone.

"N-no. I was telling the truth. I-if it was just one of my knights, I wouldn't react this way."

Huh? What does she mean?

"…Can you tell me the issue?"

She pointed down to his sword.

"T-that thing is not normal!"

Shirou's eyes widened in fear. He looked down to make sure he didn't get any Dream Realm diseases. However, he didn't see anything wrong.

"…Do you mind explaining?"

She didn't speak for a few moments, making a face, as if appalled by what she was going to say.

She started to speak.

Shirou stood in silence, listening to the metaphors that she was using to describe his sword. He had immediately understood, but she seemed to keep describing it anyways.

"…I see."

Her imagery was… quite descriptive.

Shirou shooed her out of the bathroom, before continuing where he left off. Shirou looked towards the ceiling for a moment, wondering if he had just imagined the whole thing.

What an awkward confrontation.

[Eroge Protaganist EX] strikes again.