Chapter 4

"Why are you bringing her with us?" Louise asked in a grumpy voice. She turned and saw Shirou walking beside the maid that brought food for him, Siesta. Shirou looked at her, before looking back at Siesta.

"Well, I thought that she could help us out. Besides, making new friends is important." He replied casually, failing to see Siesta's surprised expression. Louise's eyes narrowed on her familiar, before making a huff and turning ahead.

"Fine, I don't care. Anyways, what's the reason you wanted to take you to the Void tower?" She asked, though she felt like she already knew the answer.

"Well, I'm hoping to find some clues that will help me figure out how to help you with your magic. Mages tend to lock up research and notes in their workshops, so I'm hoping to find something from the previous void mage. Besides that, I'm rather interested in the magic of this world." He replied while taking a look at Louise's wand that she handed to him earlier.

"Do you know a lot about magic, Sir Shirou?" Siesta asked, causing Shirou to slightly smile. Louise only let out a sigh. She wondered why Shirou seemed to be so friendly with the maid.

"I suppose that would be a matter of perspective. I know a lot about my chosen field. Though, I've studied a little bit of everything back home, just to get a basic understanding. But, this place's magic is a lot different from mine." He replied, reaching into his jacket and placing his glasses on his face.

"So, you can perform magic? Does that mean that you're a noble like Miss Valliere?" She asked with a bit of trepidation in her voice, though Shirou only let out an amused chuckle.

"We call it magecraft, but yeah. Though, I'm a bit specialized in what I can do. I can't manipulate elements or anything. As for me being a noble, no. In my world, if you have the necessary circuits, then you can perform magecraft, regardless of your lineage."

"I am the seventh generation of my family, though I'm only a fifth generation mage, since two of those had no circuits. It can be pretty complicated when it comes to politics and such, which is why I tend to stay away. In my world, I'm a freelance magus because of things like that." He answered to the best of his abilities.

"So, you were basically a mercenary?" Louise spoke up, wondering about his status as a mage. She had a hard time wrapping her mind around his world's way of thinking. Shirou hummed, before shrugging his shoulders.

"Well, unaffiliated is more accurate. However, I have done some mercenary work for the association and even the church. Though, I'm known more for my puppets and mystic codes." The void tower came into view as they entered the courtyard, though Shirou could tell that it wasn't used often, as there was no walkway like the other towers.

"What's a mystic code?" Siesta wondered aloud, interested in Shirou's world and the things he was talking about. A world where even a peasant could use magic sounded amazing to her.

"Ah, I never explained that to Louise either." He pointed to his necklace and held out his right arm, "These are examples of mystic codes. There are three types, auxiliary, specialized, and supreme mystic codes. Auxiliary, which my necklace is considered, is used to amplify or store magical energy. Though, my necklace also has two effects, magical energy detection and storage."

"And your arm?" Siesta asked, not knowing why he was holding out his arm. She didn't know it was a puppet arm, but Louise did. Though, she still didn't know how it could be considered such a thing, as it was just a prosthetic, even if it was stronger than a normal arm.

Shirou smiled at Siesta, "Well, it's actually a puppet arm. I lost my arm during a battle and my mom made this to replace it. I added the specialized mystic code afterwards. It's the knife I used. It can channel magical energy, as well as hijack familiars and puppets."

Siesta had a bit of sad expression, probably from learning he lost his arm. "It took a lot of work, as well as some assistance from a friend to engrave the proper enchantments to achieve such a ability."

"Can I ask why you use a knife specifically? Wouldn't it be better to use a sword or something?" Louise asked, as she had been getting a lot of information recently. Though, there was something that was bugging her. 'Why is he telling Siesta all of this?' She thought to herself.

"I can just trace a sword if I really needed too, but the knife is actually far more useful in my world, as well as easier to conceal and it blends well with my martial arts. Plus, Shiki thought I should learn how to use one." He replied with a sad smile.

He still remembered seeing her a year after the fire. He was reading through a journal of his mom's notes on puppets when Shiki entered her office. After he was introduced to her, she proceeded to stare into his eyes for awhile, observing him as he would stand and retrieve another book.

He didn't know what she saw, but she never treated him bad. In fact, she often interacted with him when he was around. Thinking on it, it may have been because of what the fire did to him. He shook his head, trying to focus.

"Now, as for supreme mystic codes, they are usually symbols of a family that is of a high rank in the association, usually lords. I don't have one of those, though I hope to be able to create one someday." He finished saying, running a hand through is hair.

"Would you need a workshop in order to make those kinds of things?" Louise asked him, interested in his craft. She was wondering what would happen if he made magical tools, or mystic codes. Shirou hummed for a moment, before replying.

"I can make some with my current tools. My bag is essentially a portable workshop, though it is severely limited in its size. I'd need a forge and a decent sized room for my puppets, as well as proper tools. Though, from what I've seen, I can find some pretty amazing materials here. So, yes and no." He replied.

Honestly, he was missing his workshop. He had one in the shed of his home, one at the Einzbern castle, and one in Misaki. Though, he was actually enjoying making puppets the old fashioned way. It was the forging he was miffed about. He was still trying to figure out how to create a mystic code with a pseudo-personality.

He was close before he was sucked up into this world, but now he'd need to figure something else out. 'Maybe this world has some mystic codes that could help me out. I'm sure there are some hidden treasures to be found somewhere.'

"Shirou!" Shirou jumped at hearing his name being called. He looked towards Louise, who was glaring at him. He let out a weak laugh while rubbing the back of his head. Louise let out a sigh, something that was oddly familiar to him. "I said, what are you doing with my wand?"

Shirou flipped the wand around in his hand. "Well, from what I've seen so far, you use these as a type of focus to cast spells, correct?" Louise nodded at his question. Shirou reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a beautiful clear gem. "Well, I was thinking about improving your wand in a few different ways."

"Wait, what? It won't break my wand will it? They're pretty expensive." She replied in an anxious tone. Shirou quirked a brow at her words, 'Really? The wood they use is pretty good and the conductivity of magical energy is impressive, but it shouldn't cost that much. Maybe, 500 U.S dollars if I were to charge for it.'

"Well, I don't really consider myself on the level of my mom, but I'm a pretty decent craftsperson. Plus, I handle magical objects nearly everyday. It won't damage the wand, in fact, if the improvement works as it should, you should have a large storage of magical energy ready to go."

"How so?" She knew that she'd need to keep that a secret. If people found out that Shirou could create such things, then the Empire, or really any country really, would try to capture him and her both. Though, she noticed that Shirou simply had that same thoughtful expression on his face. Though, if he took off his glasses, she was sure he'd have a more carefree expression.

"Well, this is only from what I've been able to deduce with my mystic eye, but you all have a large amount of life-force, like an insane amount. Then, there's the mana in the air, which is incredibly high quality. The wand is the equivalent of my magic circuits, where you turn the two sources into magical energy, allowing you to cast a spell."

"So, if I were to convert your wand into a mystic code that stores magical energy, you will be able to cast more spells than normal. Ideally, I'd want to make a proper wand or staff, or maybe a wand-rapier mix, but that can wait until I know this will work." Louise looked at Shirou with a surprised expression.

'He was able to figure all of that out from the few uses of magic he's seen so far? Wait, when he placed his hand on me, he must have been able to see our willpower. So, that's what magic circuits are used for and why he can cast spells without needing a wand.' She thought to herself in awe.

She thought for a moment, before turning her head to Shirou, "Okay, I don't mind. Just, be careful with it. I've used that ever since I could use magic." She saw Shirou give one of his small, genuine smiles.

"No problem, I'll take great care of it. I understand sentimental value." He replied just as they reached the void tower.

"This is it, the void tower. Before we go in, can I ask you something?" She asked him while taking a glance at Siesta, who was standing behind him a bit, as if shielding herself. Shirou simply nodded his head. "I understand how you are, at least a bit, but I wasn't expecting you to share so much with Siesta around. Didn't you want to keep it a secret?"

Shirou took of his glasses, before looking back towards Louise. "Well, I thought that if Siesta wanted to, she could help us out with our magic and projects." He replied to her. Louise saw the surprised expression on Siesta's face. 'He wants her to help us? Why?'

She shook her head, before looking at Siesta. "What do you think about this?" She asked, causing the girl to flinch slightly. 'I'm not that scary, am I?'

"Um, I-I think I would l-like to help you. Of course, I have my maid duties, but I'll help when I can." The second half had a lot more energy behind it. Louise let out a sigh.

"Okay, then I don't mind. As long as it doesn't cause you any trouble." Louise said to her, though she noticed that Shirou was simply looking at the tower. "Uh, do you want to go in now?" She asked, however, she then noticed that his eye was different. 'He's using his eye?'

"Hmm, yes, let's check it out. I have a feeling we'll find something worth our trouble." He replied with his eye returning to its natural color. He then activated his magic circuits. "Trace on."

The tower was largely just storage for things that Shirou may have found interesting if he wasn't determined to check the mana fluctuations on the top floor. However, he was a bit worried that Louise would get in trouble, even though she told him not to worry about it.

After passing the floors that were literal storage, the group of three climbed higher. Honestly, there was a lot of things that would have interested Shirou if he wasn't so focused on finding whatever was left behind by the previous void mage. Then again, according to Louise, it's been so long that the Void isn't considered an element anymore.

Shirou let out a small sigh. "Mr. Shirou, is there anything that we should be looking out for?" Siesta asked aloud.

"Well, I'm guessing most of the research here will be on scrolls or inside of books. Just keep an eye out for anything unnatural or out of place. Be careful though, mages in my world usually put up spells to protect their stuff." He informed her with a small smile.

Both Siesta and Louise looked a bit concerned with Shirou's words, but they only nodded in return. Shirou was a bit worried, but he had a feeling that they'd be okay. He had a feeling that this world wasn't exactly as secretive as his world. He would have asked Louise the details of their system, but knew that she'd probably make him tagalong to her lessons.

It wasn't until they reached one of the top floors that he was sure they found what they were looking for. It was in a state of disrepair, but Shirou could tell that it was a workshop. There weren't many things in the room, which he figured made sense. He let out a sigh, before he began to check out the drawers and such.

"What were doing before I summoned you, Shirou?" He heard Louise ask, he turned his head and saw her flipping through an old journal. He looked down and picked up some stray papers, being sure to check if there was a false bottom as he did so.

"Well, I had actually just started to take a vacation from mage things. I had just left the home that my dad left me to visit my sister, Illya. So, you actually got me at a good time." He replied, narrowing his eyes at the papers and then sighing. 'I forgot I can't read the language.'

"Um, Sir Shirou, could this be something?" He heard Siesta ask him. He quickly turned and saw her pulling a brick out of the wall. His eyes widened as he dashed forward. He had just reached her when she managed to pull the brick out completely.

He grabbed her and spun her around so he was in-between her and the wall. He was ready for something to happen, but after a few seconds, he realized that he was worried over nothing. He let out sigh of relief, before noticing Siesta's red face. He quickly let go and rubbed the back of his head out of habit.

"Sorry, I was afraid there might have been a trap and didn't want you to get hurt." He explained with a nervous smile on his face. However, he was rather surprised to see Siesta merely shake her head and smile at him. The sight actually reminded him of Sakura.

"I-its alright, I didn't mind." She squeaked out in a shy and sweet voice that only further reinforced the similarities between the two. Shirou couldn't help but get a bit flustered, as Siesta was actually very pretty. He then heard Lousie clear her throat, causing both Siesta and Shirou to turn towards her.

Louise was looking at them with an annoyed expression. "Shirou, I believe that you were going to look inside of the wall, weren't you?" She said with a strained smile. 'Wow, she really is like Rin.' He thought to himself, before nodding to her question.

He let out a sigh and turned, seeing a small hole in the wall from the missing brick. However, he saw something hidden within. He reached in and grabbed the small box stuck inside. After opening it, he saw what looked like multiple pages of research notes that had been rolled up.

He smirked, 'I have a feeling that this is what we needed. I'm going to have to get Louise or Siesta to teach me how to read.' He thought, before turning towards both girls with a smile. "This is what we were looking for, at least I think so." He could tell that Louise was happy, even though she was trying to not show it.

Louise was happy to know that they actually managed to find something. After leaving the tower, the two parted ways with Siesta, as she had to return to her duties. The two returned to the room, as the day was coming to an end.

Since Shirou couldn't read the papers, Louise read it instead. Unfortunately, it appeared to be a list of spells that she had no idea how to cast. Not to mention, the cast time was incredibly long. However, Shirou made her feel better when he mentioned that he would help her with whatever was written.

There were some instructions, but she didn't understand why Shirou was excited to help her out with these spells, rather than the usual ones. Of course, he didn't know too much about how magic worked in her world, so she supposed it made sense he was excited. However, she wanted him to get a basic understanding before they attempted anything.

If she was more honest, she'd admit that she wanted to try out whatever was written down the moment they found it. But, alas, cooler heads prevailed. After she changed to go to sleep, she realized that Shirou didn't have anywhere to sleep. She didn't want him sleeping in his chair like the previous night.

At the moment, Shirou was sitting at his desk, working on his puppet with Layla. Oddly enough, she noticed that there was the beginnings of a tiny body on the desk. It appeared to be the size of a hand, if not a bit bigger. However, she didn't know what it was for, but decided to ask about it later.

"Shirou, you should get some sleep. I know that you didn't get a good night's rest yesterday." She informed him, causing him to turn his head slightly.

"Yeah, I was focused on creating Layla. But, I got some sleep, so no need to worry. I'll get some sleep tonight, so don't worry about me." He replied with a small smile on his face, the same smile that frustrated her. She let out a groan.

"I trust you Shirou and I know that you're a good person, so you can share the bed with me. We're going to be busy for awhile and I want you to be well rested for class tomorrow. So, go to sleep." She said in a stern voice, though she was actually very nervous and embarrassed.

Rather than wait for his reply, she simply covered her face with her blankets and turned away from Shirou. The fact that Shirou wasn't saying anything was only making her more nervous. She heard him let out a sigh, "Of course, master, your wish is my command."

She really wanted to hit him for that, but thought better of it. Needless to say, rather than offer up a witty retort, she continued to stay quiet under the blanket until she finally fell asleep.

Louise's dreams were once again invaded by the memories of Shirou. However, the memories this time around showed her something that she wasn't quite ready for. For the image that was before her was a certain red clad Archer and a girl with black hair.

Decided to take a mini break. Anyways, next chapter will be where we get into some more action packed scenes, as I want to change a few things up. There's not much for me to say this time around, so I'll just finish up. Thanks for you reading, hope you enjoyed, and if anyone has any questions, feel free to ask, I usually try to answer them. Until next time.