Chapter 148

It was useless.

No matter how much he 'grasped', how many times he tried, he just couldn't make a copy that truly resembled the real thing, instead of just being a shallow image that only looked similar on the surface. And even then, there were some very small details that could be found if one scrutinized the object closely enough, though for Caster, it was hard to tell at a single glance.

To add to that, he could barely last through four times of projecting Secace, the catalyst sword that Caster possessed with the least Mystery, and also the least complicated in design, making it the easiest one for Shirou to project. But only doing so one time was enough to make him sweat and pant like he had run ten miles. After 4 times, it was like his body was on fire, sweat coating every inch of his skin as he felt parts of his body turning number and number. The magic circle just couldn't offset the lack of ability he had, the paltry Magic Circuits in his body already straining to the limit with each successive Projection he did with Secace.

He shook his head, doing his best to stay conscious as a splitting headache throbbed, his brain feeling like it was expanding and shrinking with each heartbeat, hammering away at the walls of his skull. Blinking his eyes, he felt a persistent itch in his eyes, the world blurring every time he blinked, with his right eye sore that he just kept it closed now. His breathing was slow and deep, each one releasing a cloud of mist into the cold winter air as he gratefully breathed in fresh air into his starving lungs.

Caster frowned as his last copy simply crumbled away in her hands without her even doing anything to it.

As far as she could tell, there hadn't been any improvement between his first and last Projection. In fact, it had gotten even worse, as the fatigue gripped his body with each copy made, the od within his body drained more and more. If they went any further, it was likely that something bad would happen, and she didn't want to push that far.

Sighing, she went and slipped a capsule out of her pouch, the depths shimmering and iridescent blue as swirls of mana currents stirred within the azure pill-like container. Walking over to the edge of the circle, she reached the spot where Shirou was facing, planting the tip of her staff right on the glowing edge. Lifting her hand, she aimed the capsule above Shirou's head as the crystal on top of the staff lit up when it touched the circle, her thumb flicking the capsule into the air as it spun in an arc above Shirou.

"Burst!"

The capsule exploded into a shower of blue droplets that rained down on Shirou, though he felt nothing when they touched him. The droplets dripped within the circle, the ones that fell on him seemingly absorbed through his clothing into his body, sinking through his skin with ease. The circle glowed with greater intensity as it felt the influx of new mana, and then Caster directed the energy towards Shirou, restoring his od, replenishing the dried up reserves in his body.

Normally, it was difficult for magi to transmit mana to one another, owing to the Circuits tendency to naturally resist foreign magical energy, making it a difficult task to successfully give mana to others. It often required skin-to-skin contact, exchange of ingestible substances containing mana such as blood, saliva or jewels, and also tantric rituals. For Caster though, she had designed the circle with this in mind, and by indirectly suffusing the circle with mana to then circulate it through Shirou's body, using the circle as the medium, she could help restore his strength without much resistance. In addition, her blessings also came into effect, soothing his body, and they helped alleviate the pain in his body as well, though it didn't completely go away.

When she judged he had recovered enough, she pulled the plug, the magic circle dimming until it vanished entirely, leaving behind only lines and squiggles drawn on the dirt. With a wave of Chastiefol, the dirt shifted, covering up any trace of the formation she had drawn. The Secace that had been resting in his lap for the entire duration of his trials disappeared as she summoned it back into her hands, and then deposited where it belonged, along with the other catalysts she used.

"Let's go back now. You need to rest."

Saying so, she walked over to Shirou and offered her hand, pulling him up to his feet and holding him steady, a wave of nausea washing over him even as his legs turned numb, causing him to almost collapse on top of Caster, though she probably wouldn't budge with her strength as a Servant.

She managed to catch in time, propping him upright as he head dipped low, his breathing coming in short bursts, a harsh gulping of air as he closed his eyes to ward of the feeling. It passed in a moment, and he straightened back up, though Casters hands remained on his shoulders.

"Hey, take you time to recover ok?"

His legs were still numb, but he wouldn't let that stop him, and he did his best to ignore the throbbing in his head, though her mana cycling in the circle had helped to lessen the pain.

"Thanks, but I'm fine now. Let's go."

His smile was tad strained, but he walked forward, walking as straight as he could so Caster would believe him.

Looking at him being stubborn, she couldn't help but sigh again. Looks like he could be troublesome too. She followed closely behind him, ready to catch him if he tripped or staggered.

When they reached the temple, Caster and Shirou went back to their own rooms, bidding each other a good night.

Back in his own room, Shirou slid down against the wall as he stared at Saber, sleeping peacefully within the futon on the floor. It was hard to imagine that just hours ago, this beautiful teenage girl was fighting for her life against enemies from legends, pitting her deadly skills honed on many battlefields against opponents of equal worth. What could he as a Master do? All he could do was watch, behind their backs, the three Seals on his hands the only things he could provide, and serve as an anchor for their existence. Other than that, he was virtually useless.

Would he ever stop being a burden to them, become able to save other people like his father saved him?

He stared at his hands, wondering what kind of effort it would take to become an ally of justice that could save everyone.

Maybe, he would spend just a bit more time practicing his magecraft.

Even though it was a dubious prospect of whether it would even help him at all, at the very least, it eased his mind as he stealthily slipped out of the room, picking up sticks in the forest around the temple, then going to a shed on the temple grounds to reinforce them. Sweat beaded his head as the branches cracked in his hands from failed reinforcement, the od within his body something he struggled to control, filling the empty spaces within the structure with too much mana each time.

On the other side of the temple, Caster frowned as she stared at the kitchen knife that Shirou had projected, still left on the table where it was, while Kuzuki slept on the futon close by, breathing evenly through his nose, his face a picture of calm.

Why hadn't it disappeared yet?