Chapter 3

Waking up in the morning, Shirou Emiya found himself drenched in cold sweat. His hands trembled as he reached for water to calm himself. Shirou's room was on the upper floor of the inn, so he had to go downstairs to get a drink.

The inn's ground floor consisted of several rooms. Beside the stairs was a tall, empty reception desk. On the left and right were several closed doors. Continuing down the hallway, Shirou found a bar that was open early in the morning.

"Excuse me, ma'am, may I have a glass of water?"

"Would you like to add breakfast?"

Looking briefly at the menu on display, Shirou decided to be frugal.

"One portion of dry bread and soup, please."

"Coming right up."

Shirou sat at one of the empty tables. The bar was still quiet, and he was the first customer of the day. Despite this, the tables and chairs were neatly arranged, and the floor looked clean. Shirou was sure that the bar had been cleaned early in the morning.

Still shaken from his dream, Shirou recalled a [Counter Guardian] carrying out his duties. Destroying anything with the potential to endanger humanity, whether it was civilians, children or adults, men or women, [Magus] or ordinary humans—anything with the potential for disaster was eradicated without a trace.

The last time Shirou had such a vivid dream was when he was [Master] to Saber. Back then, he dreamed of Saber's memories, from the moment she pulled out the sword [Caliburn] to her death at the hands of Mordred.

'Archer's memories—why am I dreaming of them?'

Archer was not Shirou's [Servant]. So why was he dreaming about Archer?

[Sample connected to [Heroic Spirit EMIYA]...

'Is this because of the [Grail, connecting me to that man?'

Shirou recalled the nightmare that had haunted him last night. The massacre, the killing, and the destruction were all the main themes of his dream. Yet, the eyes of the main actor in his dream were not those of someone who had given up. His eyes were filled with determination, even in the face of hell.

He was summoned to cleanse humanity's evil. To kill everyone, animals, and anything involved with that evil. It didn't matter if those killed were victims, perpetrators, or just unfortunate people caught in the wrong place. Without freedom, the [Counter Guardian] eradicated anything with the potential to endanger humanity.

Archer, in his black armor, passed through that hell for an uncountable time. His long-regretted resolve was now reignited. Without realizing it, deep in his heart, Shirou felt admiration for Archer. Although he couldn't save everyone, he continued to try.

I have no regrets, this is the only path.

'Perhaps that is the true meaning of a hero.'

"Here you go, son," the woman's voice interrupted Shirou's thoughts as she placed his order on the table.

"Thank you, ma'am."

Shirou started eating the bread, dipping it into the soup. The taste wasn't much different from the bread in his own world, and the chicken broth in the soup was familiar. This was good news for Shirou because it meant he could cook with ingredients he knew.

"Add one more portion, please."

Shirou thought back to the last time he had cooked. Was it when he cooked for Taiga and Saber? It felt like so long ago, even though he had only been separated from them for a few days.

'Will I be able to return?'

It would take a miracle like the [Grail] to bring him home. Shirou didn't want to get lost in such dreams. Dreams like that would weaken him and make him lose focus. Shirou needed to decide on one clear goal.

'I will fight in this world!'

After finishing his meal and paying, Shirou, carrying the supplies he had bought the day before, left the inn to find the group he would be traveling with. It didn't take long for Shirou to find a group of people loading goods near the city's western gate. They were loading the items onto horse-drawn carts.

Shirou quickly approached the group but was stopped by a guard holding a spear.

"What business do you have here?" the guard asked.

Handing over the card given to him by the [Guild, Shirou replied, "I'm a passenger in this group."

The guard read the card and then apologized, "Oh, sorry. It's still too early. Come back around 10:30."

Shirou was surprised to hear the guard mention time with such precision. Considering this world seemed like a medieval setting, Shirou hadn't expected clocks to be invented.

The guard's expression softened, "Why don't you explore the city a bit? It's not every day we get foreign students like you visiting this town."

"Alright, sir," Shirou complied.

Shirou wandered around, taking in the city's sights. Workers began leaving their homes in the morning, bidding farewell to their families. Housewives were heading to the market, and merchants were setting up their wares.

Shirou's attention was drawn to a mechanic's shop that had just opened. Using [Structural Analysis, Shirou examined one of the watches on display. The black watch had mechanisms and materials similar to those he was familiar with. However, instead of a battery, the watch used a small [Magic Stone] as its power source.

"Excuse me, sir. How much is this watch?"

"Only 300 valis, son."

The money Arther-san had given Shirou amounted to 2000 valis. After deducting his expenses, he had 1500 valis left. Without hesitation, Shirou bought the watch. His remaining money now totaled 1200 valis.

"Pleasure doing business with you, son."

Leaving the mechanic's shop, Shirou checked his new watch. The long hand pointed to six, and the short hand was between nine and ten. It was already 9:30, so Shirou decided to return to his travel group.

As he neared his destination, Shirou's attention was once again diverted. He was drawn to the books displayed in a shop window. Thinking he still had some time, Shirou decided to visit the shop.

'Information is one of the most powerful weapons. Understanding this world will make it easier to conquer,' Shirou remembered a saying he had once heard.

Out of the many books, Shirou chose two thin books titled [Ares and Rakia] and [Understanding Different Races], and a map of the continent.

"How much for all of this?" Shirou asked the cashier.

"700 valis."

Shirou took out some coins from his pocket and paid the cashier.

"Thank you, please come again," the cashier smiled politely.

Shirou arrived at the meeting point exactly at 10:30. The [Orco] group seemed to be getting ready. The guard from earlier immediately let Shirou in. Shirou looked for his assigned seat according to the number on his card.

After finding the correct cart, Shirou climbed inside. He found a young woman already sitting inside, wearing a long cloak with the hood pulled over her head. She had a short magic staff resting on her lap and was focused on reading a book.

"Excuse me, I'll be sitting here," Shirou said.

The woman remained silent, not responding. From his position, Shirou could see her shining blonde hair and green eyes focused on her book. The book was covered in a black binding, so Shirou couldn't tell its title.

"Only two people in this cart? That's pretty few," the driver remarked, looking inside the cart from his seat.

"We're leaving soon. Are you both ready?"

"Yes, sir," Shirou replied, while the woman simply nodded her head.

"Alright, let's go."

The horse-drawn cart began to move, along with the other carts in the group. Shirou's cart was at the very back, giving him a clear view of the city of [Amnes] slowly disappearing from sight.

The journey went smoothly since the road was well-trodden. The path made it easier for the horses to travel. On both sides of the road, grasslands and a few trees lined the way.

Shirou spent the journey reading the books he had purchased, while the woman in front of him continued to ignore him. When they stopped for a meal break, Shirou offered her some of his food, but she simply turned her head away. The woman kept her head down and never showed her face.

After the break, Shirou continued reading. The first book he read was about the god Ares and the formation of the Kingdom of Rakia. Initially, Shirou thought the book referred to Ares as the god residing on Mount Olympus.

To his surprise, Ares had literally descended to this world in the form of a man who sealed his divine power, known as [Arcanum]. Ares and other gods descended from [Tenkai] (the Upper World) to [Genkai] (the Lower World). Like other gods, he grew bored and came down to [Genkai] to play. The gods formed [Familia, and Ares' [Familia] became the Kingdom of Rakia, the largest [Familia] with thousands of members.

Ares founded the Kingdom of Rakia, personally selecting its king and successors. The kingdom expanded from nothing and began to conquer surrounding areas, enlarging its territory. The spearhead of Rakia's military was the [Magic Sword] forged by a man named Crozzo and his descendants.

[Magic Swords] were weapons crafted in such a way that they could produce elemental [Magic]. However, after a few uses, the [Magic Sword] would shatter into pieces.

'Perhaps the instability of [Prana] in this world causes this,' Shirou speculated.

The territory of Rakia expanded rapidly due to the [Magic Swords] forged by Crozzo. However, at one point, Rakia's soldiers burned down several [Elf] forests, enraging the [Spirits, who cursed the remaining descendants of Crozzo. This curse marked the end of Rakia's victorious expansions, and most of their wars now ended in defeat. The book ended with this summary.

Shirou processed the information he had just learned, drawing several key points. First, the [Age of Gods] had not ended in this world, and gods and goddesses descended to this world to play, sealing their powers as [Arcanum]. However, they were allowed to bless their followers with [Falna].

Second, there were sentient non-human races living alongside humans, such as [Elves] and [Spirits].

Third, non-[Magus] humans could create [Magic Swords, which reminded Shirou of the [Mystic Codes] from his own world. However, [Mystic Codes] crafted by magi were more varied, not just limited to swords, and were more durable in use.

Having finished the first book, Shirou moved on to the second one for further understanding. When Shirou set aside the book on [Ares and Rakia, his eyes met those of the woman in front of him.

Shirou's golden eyes locked with her green ones. Shirou smiled at her. Expecting to be ignored, he was surprised when she made an effort to return his smile, though it was a bit stiff. Shortly afterward, she quickly averted her gaze.

'Perhaps she's just shy,' Shirou thought.

Shirou continued reading his next book, [Understanding Different Races], which was even thinner than the previous one. This book provided brief descriptions of non-human races along with illustrations.

'Did I buy a children's book by mistake?' Shirou wondered.

The book's simple explanations allowed Shirou to grasp the concepts quickly. Broadly speaking, the races in this world were divided into [Humans, [Demi-Humans, and [Spirits].

[Demi-Humans] consisted of various races, such as [Elves, who had long, pointed ears and mostly lived in forests. [Elves] had low birth rates, long lifespans, and a natural talent for [Magic]. Then there were [Dwarves, who were short, broad, and incredibly strong—so strong that they could defeat monsters without [Falna].

[Amazoness] was a race of dark-skinned women known for their love of fighting. [Amazoness] only gave birth to female [Amazoness] children. As a result, they would eventually leave their villages to find men.

Then there was the [Pallum] race, short in stature but not as strong as [Dwarves]. They were known for their agility and ability to see in the dark.

Most of the [Demi-Humans] fell under the category of [Beast-Humans]. [Beast-Humans] were [Humans] but with animal features, like [Boaz, who had boar ears, [Cat People, who resembled cats, [Chienthrope, who had dog ears and tails, and various other types of [Beast-Humans].

And finally, there were the [Spirits]. The name reminded Shirou of [Heroic Spirits, the heroic souls who had ceased to reincarnate and were stored in the [Throne of Heroes]. However, according to the book, [Spirits] in this world had nothing to do with [Heroic Spirits]. They were a race that descended to [Genkai] to help humanity before the gods and goddesses came down. [Spirits] also had magical potential greater than [Elves].

Having gathered enough understanding, Shirou closed the book and placed it beside his seat. His legs were stiff from sitting for too long, so he stood up and stretched his body. Just as he stood, the cart he was riding in gradually came to a halt.

"We're almost there, but since it's getting late, we'll rest for a bit," the driver announced.

The female passenger in front of Shirou had long fallen asleep. She slept with her head resting against the seat. Her hood had slipped off, revealing her delicate, clean face, partially covered by her tousled blonde hair. Though asleep, her face bore a determined expression. However, what surprised Shirou the most was her ears, which were long and pointed, like the ones he had seen in the book.

'So that's what she was hiding. She's an [Elf].'

Shirou now understood why she had been so distant. Being an [Elf] among humans would naturally draw attention, so she avoided interaction and kept her face covered to conceal her race.

Shirou stepped out of the cart to survey the area. A dozen or so horse-drawn carts were arranged in a circle. Some passengers had disembarked and were sleeping outside the carts. Some of them carried lanterns lit by [Magic Stones]. A campfire had been lit in the center of the circle of carts.

Approaching the campfire, Shirou sat down to enjoy its warmth while gazing up at the sky. A crescent moon shone brightly, surrounded by stars. Without any clouds, the sky was especially clear. The sky looked just like the one in Shirou's original world.

This stirred feelings of nostalgia within him. Shirou had always enjoyed gazing at the sky from the veranda of his home, often accompanied by a few cups of tea. He had developed this habit after Kiritsugu entrusted his dream to him in his final moments—a beautiful dream that Shirou knew was impossible to fulfill.

"Kiritsugu, can I become a hero in this world?" Shirou murmured to himself.

For a while, Shirou drifted off, lulled to sleep by the warmth of the fire. However, he was suddenly jolted awake by a sharp, unpleasant smell that disturbed his peace. The smell was like damp cloth that had been left unwashed for too long. But this wasn't just any damp smell; Shirou's nose was sensitive to mystical things, and now he was certain something was wrong.

Rising from his resting position, Shirou did some light stretching to prepare his muscles. He steeled himself and began searching for the source of the foul odor.

The smell came from multiple directions around the circle of carts. Shirou followed one of the scent trails, creeping silently toward the center of the circle where several tents had been set up. Shadowy figures were moving around the tents.

As Shirou drew closer, he caught a glimpse of one of the shadows in the moonlight. The figure had the head of a wild dog, with a protruding tongue. The creature was hunched over, standing about as tall as Shirou's shoulder. Its body, from its feet to its thighs, hands to its arms, and head to its neck, was covered in maroon fur.

What made these creatures threatening were the claws protruding from their toes and fingers, as well as the fangs visible in their mouths.

The group of monsters seemed intent on surrounding the tents that were now occupied. Shirou couldn't allow any casualties from this attack.

"Trace on," Shirou muttered as he summoned [Kanshou] and [Bakuya] into his hands, preparing to strike.

Taking advantage of the element of surprise, Shirou sprinted toward one of the monsters on the far end of the group, extending his right hand to stab the creature with his sword.

Stab!

[Kanshou] easily pierced the monster's back. Poof! The creature's body dissolved into black dust, leaving behind a small [Magic Stone] that fell to the ground.

Without hesitation, Shirou moved on to his second target, which was still confused about what was happening. This time, he slashed at the target's head with [Bakuya]. Blood spurted from the monster's neck before it, too, dissolved into dust.

Seeing their comrades being killed by Shirou, the group of dog-headed monsters began howling, "Awoooo!" The dozen or so monsters gathered together, preparing to attack Shirou all at once.

Both sides took positions, observing each other's movements. Shirou steadied his stance, with [Kanshou] in his right hand pointed forward and [Bakuya] ready to strike. The monsters knew that Shirou's swords were dangerous and were looking for an opening in his defense.

From behind!

Shirou channeled his [Od, converting it into [Prana] to reinforce his elbow. He half-turned, slamming his reinforced elbow into the head of the monster that had tried to ambush him from behind.

KRRAKKK

The sound of a skull cracking echoed as the monster was flung two meters backward, landing face down.

No sooner had the first monster fallen than three more leaped at Shirou from the front. They thought they had a chance since Shirou had been distracted, but with swift precision, Shirou adjusted his stance and slashed at the incoming monsters with both swords.

Srett Srett!

[Kanshou] and [Bakuya] easily sliced through two of the three attacking monsters. However, the third one managed to get close enough to swipe at Shirou's face with its clawed right hand. Shirou dodged slightly, causing the claw to miss its target.

At point-blank range, Shirou easily drove his sword into the back of the third monster. Poof! The monster disappeared into a cloud of dust.

The [Anti-Monster] trait of [Kanshou] and [Bakuya] made all attacks from these swords particularly effective. It felt like a hot knife cutting through butter—Shirou encountered almost no resistance when striking the monsters. A single effortless slash could deliver a fatal blow.

Having gauged his enemies' strength, Shirou shifted his stance to a more offensive position. With both swords ready, he prepared to launch an attack.

But the monsters had also learned about the power of their opponent. They realized they were no longer the hunters but the hunted. Dropping to all fours like wild dogs, they began to flee, yelping in fear.

Shirou considered whether to chase and hunt them down or check on the potential victims first. He decided to inspect the nearby tents before going after the remaining monsters. Dispelling [Kanshou] and [Bakuya, he approached one of the tents.

A young man with a shocked expression stood in front of the tent, his brown eyes wide as he watched Shirou's fight.

"Hey, are you hurt?" Shirou asked.

The young man was silent for a moment, then slapped his cheeks to snap himself out of his stupor. "No, I'm fine. The [Kobolds] hadn't started their attack when you arrived."

"That's good to hear," Shirou felt somewhat relieved. Before continuing his hunt, he instructed the young man to sound the alarm, "Warn everyone—we're under monster attack."

"Yes, sir!" the young man replied with a military-like salute.

With that taken care of, Shirou dashed off, following the lingering scent of the remaining monsters. Most of the smell had faded from the area around the [Orco] caravan, but one particularly strong scent led him back to his cart. There, just in front of his cart, a skirmish was underway.

"Move back!" A young [Elf] woman with her hood down was surrounded by three [Kobolds]. She swung her short magic staff like a baseball bat, trying to keep the monsters at bay.

"Trace on!" Shirou charged at the [Kobold] on the edge of the group, slashing it with [Kanshou]. Sret! The diagonal slash from the upper left to the lower right easily tore through the monster's body. Moving swiftly, Shirou struck down a second [Kobold]. The third monster tried to escape, crawling away in fear.

Shirou pulled his right arm back and hurled [Kanshou] at the fleeing [Kobold]. Like a boomerang, the black blade flew forward and pierced the monster right between the eyes. As the creature disintegrated into dust, [Kanshou] dissolved back into [Prana].

"Fiuhh..." Shirou exhaled, surprised that his throw had perfectly hit the target's head. He then turned halfway around to face the [Elf] woman he had just saved.

With her hood down, Shirou could clearly see her beautiful, surprised face. Her large green eyes were wide with shock, and her long blonde hair flowed gently over her shoulders, reflecting the moonlight.

For a moment, Shirou was at a loss for words. The woman appeared unharmed, her face still clean and her clothes in perfect condition. A sharp attack would have left visible marks, but a blunt one might not.

Shirou wanted to ensure that she was okay, but before he could speak, the [Elf] woman addressed him.

"You're hurt," she said softly, stepping closer to Shirou and touching his right cheek. The scrape he hadn't noticed was now under the gentle touch of an [Elf].

'I must have gotten this during the [Kobold] fight,' Shirou thought, feeling a bit embarrassed as he turned his face away. "It's nothing, just a small scratch."

"Even so, please allow me to repay your kindness," the [Elf] woman gently turned Shirou's face back toward her, placing her fingers on his wound and chanting a soft spell. After a few moments, Shirou heard the conclusion of her incantation, "Lesser Heal..." A small magic circle appeared at the tip of the [Elf]'s finger.

The wound on Shirou's cheek began to close, leaving no trace behind. Once she had finished healing him, the [Elf] removed her hand from Shirou's cheek.

"Thank you," Shirou said with a smile.

Previously, the woman hadn't returned his smile, but now, with her cheeks slightly flushed, the [Elf] returned a small, beautiful smile that Shirou found enchanting. "You're welcome..." she replied shyly, lowering her head.

"HEY! What are you two doing over there? Hurry up and get back on the cart!" The driver's shout interrupted the moment, spoiling the atmosphere.

Hastily, Shirou and the [Elf] climbed back into the cart and took their seats, sitting across from each other, now feeling a bit awkward.

"Heiiighh!" The horses at the front of the caravan neighed as the driver urged them onward.

Without waiting for the passengers' approval, the cart took off at a much faster pace than before. The journey now moved swiftly, and the cart shook slightly from the increased speed.

Despite this, Shirou initiated a conversation with the woman across from him. Extending his hand, he introduced himself, "My name is Shirou Emiya, from the [Far East," recalling the most fitting name for his homeland in this world.

"Saria Balsys, from the Forest of Alf," she replied, her hand trembling slightly as they shook hands.

"Nice to meet you," they both said, exchanging smiles.