*Exhales blue vapor as the world slows back down*
Hello All. As you may guess, I've been neck deep into Phantom Pain and loving every minute of it. Well worth the wait.
Had this chapter lying around so I figured what the hell, may as well post it.
Fair warning, no action this time around either, unless you count Shirou once again showing off how his kitchen swagger can tame the hearts of women.
...I apologise to all my female readers for that last statement.
False-Life 5: Good Samaritan.
Sona sighed as Shirou shut the door behind him. In all honesty, a part of her was oddly relieved that the kind, helpful teen wasn't an enemy in disguise. There were far too few honest-to-goodness gentlemen at Kuoh and Kiba didn't count due to the simple fact he'd been a Devil for some time before Rias enrolled here.
That being said, while she'd certainly learnt enough to erase him from the list of potential enemies, it wasn't enough to list him as a potential ally either. For one thing, while he'd given reasons as to why his branch of Magic, 'Magecraft' she mentally corrected, was deemed useless by many, he still didn't explain why he'd chosen to continue with it. He also hadn't elaborated as to just what schools his Mentors had adhered to, or indeed, which group of Magic Users they were aligned with.
He had introduced himself as having 'No Clan to Speak of', but did that mean he was never affiliated with one? Or that he was exiled for some reason? Either way would explain for his supposed lack of skill in more 'Traditional' Magecraft seen thus far. However, neither could explain just how he'd not only managed to stand up to a prodigal Exorcist of the church, even if said prodigy was mad as a hatter, let alone destroy one of the Seven Holy Excaliburs said organization deemed the strongest of Holy Swords.
Still, she'd learned enough for today that she was willing to give the redhead some breathing space. At the very least, she'd confirmed he was in possession of the Excalibur shards and had convinced him to hand them over to avoid any unnecessary unpleasantness with the Church. Speaking of which…
"Rias…" she called out, the Gremory heiress pausing in the midst of reaching for the tray of Daifuku to look at her "Back when we informed Emiya-kun of what we were, did you sense anything off about him."
"You mean his left arm?" Rias pondered, her troubled expression confirming Sona's line of inquiry "I must admit, for a moment I thought he was about to pull out a Sacred Gear…but in all honesty it felt more akin to the wards Xenovia used to seal away her Excalibur."
"Except whatever he was sealing wasn't a Holy Sword." Sona confirmed, her expression unreadable behind her glasses "And whatever it was, it clearly has an adverse effect on Emiya-kun's body if his brief reaction was any indication."
"He did seem to blank out for a moment there." Tsubaki noted, her tone tinged with a hint of concern for the Kuoh Brownie "Perhaps his arm is afflicted with a curse of some kind?"
"If it were a curse, we would have sensed the malignant energies even through the bindings." Sona dismissed, her expression thoughtful "No, while whatever it is clearly causes him discomfort, I get the feeling it's not actively malignant."
"Which means it can be put aside for another day, Sona." Rias opined, reaching forward and helping herself to a Daifuku, plopping one of the ground Mochi balls in her rival's lap in passing "For now, let's enjoy these before we have to get back to class."
"Honestly…" Sona sighed, shaking her head in exasperation as she accepted the tea Tsubaki held out to her, the rest of their group digging into the sweets with reckless abandon, some of them already turned to limbless puddles of ecstasy, with the notable exception of Koneko, who was shovelling them in as fast as she could swallow.
So caught up in their confectionary heaven were they, that none of the group seemingly noticed Issei approaching Saji, the Gremory Pawn apparently arranging to meet up with his Sitri counterpart after school.
After school...
'Well that went well…' Shirou sighed, waving absentmindedly towards the track-and-field team as he made his way out of the gates, intent on heading for his part-time job 'At the very least I won't have to spend my days waiting for Gremory-sempai to pop up around corners anymore.'
It wasn't that her aura was any less intimidating than before. Hell, if anything the fact he'd managed to sit in front of her for so long had been a testament to his resolve and faith in their good will. It was simply that now that he knew just what he was dealing with, he could plan accordingly for anything that may arise in the future. For example, Rias had already attempted to recruit him for her 'Peerage', something Shirou would never consider even if he'd never met Archer, living testament to the fact that 'Contracting with a Higher Being in Exchange for Power' typically came back to bite you in the ass.
Still, for the moment, he had one less problem to deal with, and the sole remaining problem could probably be dealt with simply by handing over the shards of Rapidly to Sona, who would no doubt use them to place the church in her debt, a concept that troubled him less than it should, considering what little exposure he had of the Vatican had come through Kirei and Azazel's comments on the Holy Sword Plan.
Which brought him to his current, most immediate concern, namely the two Exorcists from the Church that were currently in town and, if Sona's information was accurate, packing two of the remaining Excalibur Swords. While he personally didn't have any beef with the Church, from what little he knew and what Azazel had described, these Exorcists were likely to be no better than the Executors back home, Zealots dedicated to 'Purging the Earth of all Blasphemy', regardless of what got caught in their path.
The only saving grace he could think of was that the Vatican's influence on Japan was relatively minor compared to the likes of Europe, meaning the Exorcists wouldn't be able to do as they pleased for fear of drawing attention to themselves. As such, so long as he kept his head down until tomorrow, he'd most likely never have to worry about running into them.
It was therefore par for the course that he should just so happen to run right into a pair of suspicious looking figures in clergy robes standing outside his workplace. Fucking E-Rank Luck.
"Please give blessings unto the lost lamb…" the taller one called out in accented Japanese, her tone making it clear she honestly didn't expect anything from the assembled masses and was slowly losing her temper.
"Please give charity on behalf of the Father in Heaven!" the shorter of the pair pleaded, her tone more energetic and her hands clasped before her in prayer while the other held a donation box.
It went without saying that they had garnered quite a crowd, mostly rubberneckers hanging around to see if there was going to be a performance, though Shirou could spot the odd disapproving old biddies and even the stereotypical pointing child and mother combo loitering about.
'I don't know how or why, but Zelretch is probably responsible for this.' He muttered. He didn't know who the man was, only that he had seemingly played a key role in several events in Archer's life that had wound up screwing the Counter-Guardian over down the line for no reason other than his own amusement.
"So this is the reality of Japan's Economy…" the exorcist holding the donation box muttered condescendingly "This is precisely why I hate Pagan countries, not a whiff of faith to be seen anywhere…"
"Don't say that, Xenovia." Her partner chastised even as Shirou glared for the insult. One of his best friends was heir to a successful temple, albeit in another world, but the point remained that Japan had plenty of faith thank you very much "Just look at it as a trial from God~!"
"A trial from God you say?" Xenovia muttered, her tone bitter as she pointed at a shady looking statue behind the pair "I wonder if you can really call spending all our money on that suspicious-looking painting a 'Trial'."
Shirou grimaced, unable to help feeling sorry for the taller of the two women even as her partner leapt to defend the seemingly 'holy' artefact which anyone with a brain could tell, even without employing structural analysis, was simply an expensive forgery.
"How can you say that, Xenovia?" the shorter of the two demanded, her voice laced with hurt reproval "The nice man at the exhibition assured me that this indeed the painting of a Saint!"
'Hook, line and sinker…' Shirou sighed, palming his face in exasperation at the girl's naiveté alongside her partner 'Good grief, I'd heard that some faiths keep themselves secluded in monasteries, but how the hell did someone like this make it to the rank of Exorcist?'
"Oh? Is that so?" Xenovia demanded, and despite her thick hood concealing her features, Shirou was absolutely certain the woman's brow was twitching "Which Saint then? He certainly doesn't look like one I know."
"…I think it's…" the shorter of the4 pair stammered, peering at the poorly garbed figure in the poorly designed painting desperately for a few seconds before turning to face her waiting partner "Saint…Peter…?"
"Don't mess around! Saint Peter wouldn't look anything like that!" Xenovia snapped, only to groan as her partner persisted in defending her purchase "Good grief…the only 'Trial' here is that I had to partner up with a damned Protestant of all things…"
"Oh as if you Catholics are any better!" her partner huffed, hands on her hips, causing the front of her cloak to bounce slightly "You're so caught up in the old ways you can't even adapt to the times!"
'Just walk away, Emiya Shirou.' The Faker muttered, willing his feet to move past the pair, who by now had devolved to simply hurling the word 'Heretic' at one another like they were playing badminton 'Just ignore the weirdos and go on with your life…nothing to see here…'
GROWL
He froze, muscles tensing as what he first mistook for the snarl of a beast, only to blink as the two clergywomen froze mid-rant, only to collapse bonelessly to the floor, clutching their growling stomachs.
"…In any case, we need to find something to eat soon." Xenovia muttered, her teeth grit from either embarrassment or starvation "Otherwise we won't be able to continue searching for the Excaliburs."
"Hey...I have an idea…!" her partner chirped, gesturing her over conspiratorially "How about we shake some people down for money? Since they're heretics, God will totally forgive us!"
'And this is where it stops being funny…' Shirou sighed, shaking his head in exasperation as he stepped forward, cutting off Xenovia's suggestion that they simply steal a temple's offering box with a cough "Excuse me, ladies, sorry to interrupt your…conversation," he shivered at the suspicious looks being sent his way before gesturing over his shoulder towards a bicycle cop that had been listening nearby "but if you're looking for somewhere to eat, I know a decent place."
A few minutes later...
For as long as she could remember, Xenovia Quarta had dedicated her Soul and Body to God, throwing herself into her studies and training so that she may properly wield the Holy Swords that were the instruments of Faith he had bestowed upon man in their fight against the Pagans, Heretics and Devils that dared to defile his garden.
Not once had she ever been rewarded for her faith, not once had she ever hesitated to sacrifice in the name of their God. Even her hair, which had been something of a pride for her, had been cut short after it endangered her life during one of her earlier missions, an act Xenovia felt symbolized her casting aside her pride for God.
Now, however, she faced a foe which shook the very foundations of her faith, a foe which assaulted all her senses, belied all her teachings of restraint, and threatened to drag her common sense kicking and screaming into the darkness.
"Soooooo Goooooooood~!" Irina moaned, the Protestant's resolve having already broken beneath the assault, a pile of plates stacked messily beside her "I can't stop eating, it's just so good!"
"I'm glad to hear it." The Devil, or his proxy at least, offered with a smile that had likely drawn in weaker minded fools, but only managed to set Xenovia on edge "Will you be wanting more then?"
"Yes please!" Irina chirped, raising her hand in the air, her eyes literally sparkling while Xenovia fought the urge to slap her upside the head. The daft bitch nearly made her spill her plate!
'Wait! That's not the issue here!' a panicked Xenovia gasped, shaking her head to clear it of such petty thoughts as she panted for breath 'The food is not important! I could care less if it spilled-!'
"Are you finished, Xenovia-san?" the Devil's advocate asked, the concern in his tone a mockery to Xenovia's pride as a warrior, a pride which she shamelessly discarded at the sight of another full plate of food being offered to her by the redhead, the overhead lighting giving him the appearance of having a halo "Will you be wanting more as well then?"
"Y-Yes please…" she stammered, her cheeks reddening in embarrassment as she accepted the gift of food with decidedly more grace than her Heretical Partner, watching the redhead return to the kitchen with a smile on his face.
"Mm, this is the best!" Irina sighed, clasping her hands together around her spoon as her eyes glistened with tears "Dear lord! Thank you for sending this Good Samaritan our way! May you see fit to reward him for his kindness even if he is a Pagan!"
"Control yourself, Irina." Xenovia muttered, though truth be told she was just glad the girl had beaten her to the punch, as she'd most likely have begged the same of their lord "No need to draw any more attention to ourselves."
"Sorry." Irina offered, sticking her tongue out cheekily "But you see Xenovia? It was all a trial sent by God after all! How else do you explain someone like Emiya-kun appearing before us in this City of Pagans and Devils? Truly he is an instrument of the Lord's will!"
"You may be onto something there." Xenovia muttered, her expression thoughtful as she glanced towards the kitchen "Not about the trial, I still blame you for that, but there is definitely something about this 'Emiya'…something about his left arm."
"You noticed it too?" Irina noted, Xenovia's opinion of her partner rising a little at her admittance even as she placed a spoon to her lips "I thought it felt similar to those bindings you keep Destruction in."
"It is similar, yes, but at the same time different." Xenovia mused, her expression unreadable as she watched the redhead cooking through the gap in the wall "Truth be told, I've only sensed something like it once before, back when I was tasked with returning the remains of a Saint to the Vatican."
"No way!" Irina gasped, looking around in case of eavesdroppers before leaning in close to whisper in her partner's ear "Do you think Emiya-san may be associated with the Eastern-Orthodox Church?"
"I can think of no other reason why he'd approach us, especially if he's carrying what I think he is." Xenovia admitted, her expression serious "It's possible he was working as support for our contact that was murdered by Sellzen and sought us out to learn the details."
"So he's definitely a good guy, right?" Irina deduced, smiling cheerfully at the prospect of making a new friend, especially after finding out her childhood one had become a Devil, and the Red Dragon Emperor at that "I mean, come on girl, anyone who can cook this heavenly can't be a bad guy!"
"Temptation was the first sin." Xenovia reminded her flatly, even as her mouth watered at the reminder of the cooling plate before her "Keep in mind, while the Eastern Orthodox Church agreed to help, they didn't offer up their remaining Excalibur for this hunt. It could very well be they intend to steal all the Excaliburs for themselves once the dust settles to use as a bargaining chip."
"So you're saying we should keep our guard up." Irina deduced, her expression troubled yet determined as she pumped her fists determinedly "Don't you worry Xenovia; you can count on me-!"
"Order up!" the man, Emiya, called out, the redhead emerging from the kitchen with a plate of fried rice in one hand and a sizzling hamburger steak in the other "You two ready?"
"YES!" Irina chirped, all signs of her previous serious attitude and determination evaporating into thin air as she all but snatched the food out of his hands, Xenovia's head thumping off the table in exasperation.
'This girl…' she muttered, glaring pointedly at the airhead as she stuffed herself with rice, only to blink as a familiar face entered the café, her eyes narrowing as the Red Dragon Emperor caught sight of her.
Issei's Point of View...
'Feh, of all the places to run into them it had to be here.' Issei muttered, torn between relief at finally locating the two errant battle-nuns and annoyance in that it was in the self-same café where Emiya Shirou worked 'Why does this guy keep turning up where he's not wanted?'
"Welcome." The redhead called out, glancing over the group, his eyes narrowing briefly at the sight of Issei before smiling at the pouting form of Saji "Good Afternoon, Saji-san, Toujou-san." He greeted politely, seemingly ignoring Issei entirely "Will you be eating in or out? If the former, I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to leave your pet outside, the Manager doesn't allow animals in store."
"Who're you calling an animal, asshole?!" Issei snapped, seriously wishing he could just summon his Sacred Gear and belt the fucker, only to yelp as Koneko pinched his flank with all her rook strength.
"We're with them." The loli deadpanned, gesturing towards Xenovia and Irina, the former of whom was eying them suspiciously while the latter waved cheerfully at Issei between bites of food "Issei-Senpai treat."
"I see," Emiya noted, ignoring Issei's heated denials, which were cut off once again by Koneko pinching his side sharply as he turned on his heel and walked off "Very well, I'll add your bill to theirs."
'Asshole!' Issei swore, unable to do anything but glare pointedly at the redhead's back as Koneko dragged him and Saji towards the battle nuns, the pawn weeping at the sight of the stacks of empty plates they'd already emptied.
"We meet again, Red Dragon Emperor." Xenovia greeted, though the seriousness of her image was somewhat ruined by the presence of rice plastered on the side of her mouth "What can we do for you?"
"Is that really the attitude you should be taking with the guy who just agreed to pay for your meal?" Issei deadpanned, his brow twitching irritably, only to blink as the nuns recoiled as if slapped, looking down at their plates as if they'd betrayed them "Uh…you okay?"
"To think that we'd fall so easily for a devil's trick…" Xenovia muttered, palming her face in mortification while Irina eyed her plates as if they'd betrayed her "This is what we get for lowering our guard…!"
"Uh, hello? Crazy ladies?" Issei called out, only to sigh as they continued to ignore him, blinking as Shirou returned and placed a parfait in front of Koneko, who promptly dug in "Hey, how come you didn't take our order?"
"I figured you'd want to save whatever money you have on you." The redhead shot back, earning a glare from both Xenovia and Issei "Also, I'm sure this goes without saying but no violence will be tolerated within this establishment, am I clear?"
"Rest assured, Emiya-san, that if unpleasantness does arise, it will not be due to Irina or myself." Xenovia assured the man, her expression unreadable though the message to the Devils was clear.
"We're here to talk." Koneko supplied between mouthfuls of ice cream, inclining her head towards the fuming redhead "Issei-Sempai wanted to speak with them about the Holy Swords."
"Is that so?" Xenovia mused, quirking a brow at Emiya's familiarity with the devils she turned to face the pervert "Tell me, what interest does the Red Dragon Emperor have with Holy Swords he can't even use?"
"I'm not interested in them for myself." Issei shot back, his expression firm as he matched the foreign exorcist glare for glaren whislt doing his best to ignore Irina, still creeped out by how hot his bro' had gotten "We want to help you destroy the Excaliburs."
Shirou's POV...
'He's certainly ballsy, I'll give him that much…' Shirou marvelled, shaking his head at the pervert's nerve as he used the moment the Exorcists were gaping in shock to step back into the kitchen, sighing as he made his way towards the stove 'Not much in the brains department but I suppose demonic resurrection has its limitations.'
Using the brief interlude to get several other orders out of the way, the Faker was rather surprised when he stepped out of the kitchen, a tray of coffee and the bill in tow, to find Kiba had joined them at some point, the pretty-boy regarding the exorcists with a look of reserved understanding even as he openly glared at Xenovia's concealed sword with barely contained resentment.
"…I understand the situation." the Gremory Knight sighed, nodding his head in concession "Though to be honest, part of me dislikes having to ask permission to destroy an Excalibur."
"Consider yourself Lucky." Xenovia countered with a scowl "If it were any other Devil that proposed such a thing, we'd have cut you down for even thinking it." her expression softened somewhat as she met Kiba's challenging glare head on "As it stands, I can understand your situation somewhat, given your involvement in the Holy Sword Project."
"But isn't it thanks to that project that we can even wield the Excaliburs, Xenovia?" Irina opined, only to flinch slightly at the glare Kiba, and Shirou, leveled her way for her naivete.
"True, the information obtained from the original research proved beneficial in the long run." Xenovia admitted "However, the means by which said research was gathered was deemed intolerable by the Church, and the perpetrator was branded a heretic and exiled."
'No mention of an attempted execution I see.' Shirou muttered, his expression grim as Xenovia otherwise confirmed word for word Azazel's story on the Holy Sword Project 'They must not want to admit he got away from them.'
"If memory serves, the one responsible for the massacre was last seen on the side of the Grigori, so it's highly likely he's involved in this incident as well." Xenovia mused darkly "Indeed, I find it highly unlikely for him not to be involved in any incident involving stolen Excaliburs."
'That's putting it lightly.' Shirou deadpanned, recalling what Azazel had described as Galilei's 'obsession' with the original Excalibur, shivering in disgust at the idea of the man being allowed near the other swords even as Kiba finally learned the name of his hated enemy.
"I see…After hearing that, there's no reason for me not to co-operate with you." Kiba opined, his expression unreadable as Shirou placed a coffee before him, and everyone at the table, even a surprised Issei, though his features soon darkened when he realised there was no cream or sugar.
"I'm glad we've reached an accord then." Xenovia mused, before turning her attention to Shirou, who froze in the midst of retreating "I take it you will be providing assistance as well, Emiya-san?"
"If you're referring to the bill then if Hyoudou falls short he can do dishes to pay the balance." Shirou quipped, earning a squawk of alarm from the pervert, who grabbed the bill only to turn a sickly shade of pale at the number inscribed below "As it stands, I have class tomorrow so-!"
"You may as well drop the charade, Emiya-san." Xenovia countered, her tone brooking no argument as her hand clamped around his wrist "I could tell when you first approached us that there was something off about you. I don't know what game it is you're playing, associating with Devils like this, but did you truly think you could hide the presence of a Holy Shroud from a member of the Vatican?"
"Let me go." Shirou warned, internally grateful for the passive boost he received from the Artificial Phantasm as he shook himself free, otherwise he felt certain she'd have crushed his wrist in her grip.
"Holy Shroud?" Saji muttered, frowning in thought at the term "Isn't that a special cloth they use to wrap the bodies of Saints or something?" he blinked "Wait, you aren't talking about that wrapping Emiya keeps on his arm are you?"
'Thank you for that, Saji.' Shirou muttered, glaring sourly at the Student-Council Member even as both of the Exorcists turned their eyes on him, Irina's sparkling with interest while Xenovia's narrowed with confirmation.
"The fact you sought us out, and are in possession of a holy Shroud, lead me to believe you are associated with the Eastern Orthodox Church." The more serious of the two Exorcists elaborated primly "That being the case, I would appreciate it if you dropped the pretense and simply introduced yourself properly."
'Something tells me you and Saber would have gotten along well.' Shirou mused, sighing exasperatedly at the turn of events even as he turned to face the group "Can this wait until my shift is over?" he pleaded, tilting his head towards the kitchen "I'm sure you'd like to avoid drawing unnecessary attention too."
"Very well." Xenovia conceded, her expression stern as she rose from her seat "We shall await you at the fountain nearby." her eyes glinted beneath her hood "Don't try to run."
"Wouldn't dream of it." Shirou countered, stepping aside to let them past, only to grab Issei by the collar as the Pervert made to sneak after them "Where do you think you're going?" he demanded, dragging the struggling boy towards the kitchen "Not planning to eat and run, are we?"
"YOU FIEND!"
After-hours...
"So let me get this straight." Xenovia muttered, her expression disbelieving as the Faker finished his brief recap of everything he'd explained to Rias and Sona earlier that day, minus an in-depth explanation of his magecraft "You're a Heathen Magician with enough power to destroy an Excalibur," she pointedly ignored his attempt to correct her with 'Magus' and pressed on "Who was entrusted with a Holy Shroud in order to save your life?"
"More like 'prolong my suffering' but yeah." Shirou admitted, rolling up the sleeve of his shirt to reveal the Shroud of Martin, Irina's eyes sparkling with interest, as she'd never been so close to a Holy Shroud before, whereas Xenovia's narrowed in confirmation "I have a…condition that can't be treated by modern medicine. The Shroud keeps that affliction in check, but it doesn't stop the damage that's already been done."
"I always wondered why you always wore a tracksuit even in summer." Kiba opined, his eyes locked on the Shroud inquisitively "I never would have imagined it was a Holy Shroud however."
"To be fair, I never would have anticipated sharing classes with a Devil either." Shirou chuckled, a sentiment shared by the rest of the group sans the Exorcists and Koneko, who was watching Xenovia warily "I trust this isn't going to be a problem, Xenovia-san?"
"By all rights I should be bringing you in and confiscating the shroud out of sheer principle." Xenovia muttered, the Devils tensing in preparation only for her to sigh "But as it stands I've already sinned by agreeing to co-operate with Devils. So long as you return the shards of Excalibur Rapidly, I'm sure God will forgive me for overlooking your Shroud at this juncture." She glanced up at the group's sigh of relief "Though for the record, I'll need to know the name of the Saint it belongs to."
"The priest who gave it to me called it the 'Shroud of Martin'." Shirou supplied dutifully, already making plans to skip town if need be should she go back on her word "I don't know if that means anything to you specifically, as I'm afraid I'm something of an atheist."
"An atheist he says…" Saji scoffed, shaking his head in disbelief "He's wearing an honest to God-ow! Fucking Hell - an actual Holy Shroud and he has the balls to claim he's an atheist while surrounded by Devils and Exorcists of the Church…"
"Blaspheme aside, the Devil has a point." Xenovia mused, the smile on her face that seemed oddly approving for some reason "You don't seem to understand your situation, do you?"
"You've already said you'll leave me be provided I return Rapidly to you and help you find the others." Shirou countered, channelling some of Archer's iron into his voice "You don't strike me as the type to go back on her word willingly without orders from the top, and even then I doubt you're the type to stab a man that fed you in the back."
"Urk-!" Xenovia choked, her features flushing as she tugged her hood lower to hide her blush, glaring pointedly at Irina, who was giggling off to the side "I-In any case, we've already received the Red Dragon Emperor's contact details from his mother…" she stammered, earning a cry of alarm from Issei "For the time being, we'll accompany you back to your place to retrieve Rapidly, then regroup to hunt down Freed."
"Fine with me, just let me call my caretaker so he doesn't get the wrong idea." Shirou sighed, pulling out his cell phone and hitting speed-dial "Hello? Yeah, it's me. Listen, you remember that stuff I brought home the other night? Well its owners came looking for it so I'll be bringing them over to pick it up…oh, you're out? Fishing? Well whatever, I'll be going out myself so you'll need to sort yourself out for Dinner." He sighed as he hung up "Coast's clear, he's gone out for the evening."
"Then let us move." Xenovia muttered, "The sooner we can secure the shards, the sooner we can focus on retrieving the rest of the blades."
"I'll head back to the church to begin making preparations." Irina offered, smiling cutely at the Issei in parting "Who knows, Issei-kun, maybe if you're lucky and you repent hard enough, God will forgive you for becoming a Devil and let you into Heaven."
"I may be an Atheist, but even I know that no matter how hard he repented for being a Devil, there's no way God would ever let a pervert like that into Heaven." Shirou deadpanned, a sentiment shared by Koneko and Saji, Kiba merely chuckling weakly while Issei flipped the redhead off heatedly as they went their separate ways.
And that's chapter 5.
And so Shirou's culinary expertise once again brings tsundere swordswomen to their knees.
He was praised by the King of Knights even before he gained Archer's expertise. You never stood a chance ladies.
Things should pick up next chapter but don't hold your breath waiting for it.
In the meantime? Stay awesome.
*Lights a Phantom Cigar and watches the world move*
