Disclaimer: I don't own Fate/Stay Night or Campione. They belong to their writers Kinoko Nasu & Takedzuki Jou
I've decided to drop this fic, but I thought that I should just post what I've already written. This is an incomplete scrapped chapter of The Hero Of A Thousand Blades. Hope you guys would enjoy it and forgive my selfishness for dropping it.
If all goes well however, I'll do a rewrite of my fic that I hope is much better than my current one.
Well, happy reading.
xxx Story Start xxx
When he first heard the news he was excited. His brother, Shirou is finally coming back home after about two years of wandering the world. He wondered what kind of adventures and experiences Shirou's gone through. He's quite sure Shirou's stol- invented more cooking recipes to add to his repertoire. Shirou's not known as the Chef Killer for nothing.
Even now, the local chefs of the neighbourhood are trying to outdo him in his own game. They would develop new cooking recipes and present it to Shirou and dare him to do better. Not that they knew who he was, since Shirou sends the recipe and a sample of the new dish anonymously thus, further enhancing the mystery.
Needless to say, Shirou never lost even once. He only needed to take a few bites of the dish before he starts brainstorming a better recipe. Thanks to that, you can always find a new menu in each restaurant and food stall every other week. This makes customers come in droves just to find out if there are new dishes added to the menu. It never gets dull even if you've went to said restaurants and food stalls dozens of times already.
Ever since the appearance of the Chef Killer, the number and frequency of customers in the shopping district has become an all-time high. There was even a reality TV show trying to unmask the identity of the Chef Killer. They were unsuccessful though, since Shirou seems to be always one step ahead of them though Godou was never able to figure out how he did it.
Other than the Chef Killer, Shirou also has a less known title as the Fake Janitor which is only known at the school they attend. Every time you ever find him having some free time, he's always helping someone one way or another. He's went from saving kittens from trees to fixing electrical appliances to helping the clubs with maintaining their equipment for club activities. Sometimes he thinks Shirou's actually Superman.
It doesn't help that Shirou always sneaks out of the house every other night only to find that some criminal, gang, mob, mafia or yakuza would be reported to have been apprehended by the authorities the next morning in the news. Though recently he's also gone out at nights sneaking some of the new desserts he invented with him. Maybe Shirou's got a secret friend and it's most likely a girl too if the mochis he always brings with him as he goes out is any indication.
Shirou probably thinks his family doesn't know about it but you don't belong to the Kusanagis without having that kind of insight. At least, Godou was sure Grandpa Ichirou has already figured it out; he wasn't sure about Shizuka though. They never brought the issue out in the open since it's never caused any kind of problems to their daily lives. When he first figured out about Shirou's 'night activity', Godou was very worried but after finding out that Shirou never got even a scratch from said activities, he figured that Shirou knew what he was doing so he never brought it up.
Shirou can also be found practicing swordsmanship and kyudo at times in the clubs. He was so good in both practices that the current captains in said clubs can't even make him break a sweat. His swordsmanship was flawless and dynamic, always changing his style of fighting to suit the situation and he has never missed a target in the archery range which he always hits a bullseye. At one time he once had a match with the whole kendo club at once, which numbers around twenty people, and he beat all of them within minutes without taking a single hit.
Come to think of it, that legend about a kid wielding a shinai beating the crap out of a whole gang a few years back was most probably Shirou's doing too. The timing matched the time they were visiting a relative in said area. He still remembered Shirou being very unhappy when they heard of the gang causing trouble to the townsfolk, only to see a satisfied smile on Shirou's face the next morning. The news of the gang's fate only reached their ears that afternoon. The legend of the child wielding shinai spread like wild fire. To think someone so small could beat up a whole gang by himself. Said gang was so humiliated, they never showed their ugly mugs in the town ever again.
Even Shirou's academic scores are top notch. He's always one of the top 5 students who obtained the highest scores in the exams. Godou managed to keep his own scores in the top 30 thanks to Shirou tutoring him. What's puzzling is that Shirou doesn't seem to put much effort if any in his studies at all for him to reach such a level of knowledge. Despite that, Godou had a feeling that Shirou was holding back in the exams for some reason. After all, some of the questions that he seemed to get wrong were questions that Godou was able to answer, and the one who taught Godou how to answer those questions in the first place was Shirou himself.
Whether it's athletic or academic, Shirou seems to surpass everyone in his age bracket. The only sport that Shirou didn't touch was baseball, though Godou suspects that this is due to himself being one of the top players in the sport. Shirou probably didn't want to intrude in the sport that Godou was best at. Though Godou felt a little guilty at first, Shirou's lack of interest in the sport whatsoever helped to convince Godou that he was not holding Shirou back at all. It also helped that Shirou looked genuinely happy whenever Godou's team won a match.
Basically, Shirou was the best at everything he does whether it's studying, cooking, fixing stuff or even fighting.
Alright, its official, Shirou is definitely a real life Superman.
Even with all of his obvious superiority, he never lorded it over anyone. Instead, he always helps anyone who needed it, was kind and respectful to almost everyone he meets unless they give him a reason to be otherwise and is one of the most supportive people Godou has ever known. A lot of girls have been trying to get his attention but was never successful since they were always kindly rejected. There was even a rumour that he was gay at one time but was immediately quashed by said girls that Shirou had rejected.
They revealed that Shirou already has someone in his heart since Shirou always had a smile with a distant and sad look when they asked if he already has someone he likes. Although he never said it himself, the girls were sure that he and whoever his lover is were somehow separated. The sad expression Shirou had in addition to the girls' imagination of his romantic love life completely melted their hearts that the girls united to protect the purity of Shirou's love. Though they never stopped girls who tried getting close to him, those who try to slander him will be summarily crushed especially if they tried to do it by underhanded means.
The group has been steadily increasing its numbers, consisting of those who Shirou had kindly rejected. They also keep their existence from ever reaching Shirou so he never knew about them. And since they begged Godou and Shizuka not to tell Shirou about them, the siblings also never mention them to Shirou.
All these thoughts went through Godou's head when he was suddenly woken up from his reverie by Yuri.
"Godou-san, are you alright? You seem to be lost in thought."
"Huh? Oh yeah, I'm fine. I was just thinking about the antics that Shirou went through before he went on his trip." He gave an embarrassed smile after being caught reminiscing down memory lane. They are currently at the train station waiting for Shirou's arrival. His last phone call said that he already arrived at the airport a few hours ago, so he should be here in about half an hour or so.
"By the way, what kind of person is Godou's brother? I need to find a way to convince him of our relationship if he has any protests. All I know is that he was adopted." As usual, Erica drops the bomb with such grace and confidence that Godou starts to dread if allowing them to accompany him welcoming Shirou back home was such a good idea. Thankfully, Shizuka isn't here to make things worse because she was at her friend's house celebrating her friend's birthday.
"Erica, behave yourself. We're here welcoming someone home after a long journey of self-enlightenment. We don't need you to make him more exhausted after just arriving." Liliana chides Erica with those stern words while standing upright beside Godou like a knight guarding her liege. As expected of someone who has attained the rank of Great Knight.
"But it'll be easier to be engaged to Godou if his brother accepts me right? The same goes to you too Lily, if he doesn't acknowledge you as Godou's premier knight, how are you going to justify being around Godou to serve him?" Erica says so with a face and tone that definitely says she's mock worrying which tells him that she definitely already has some diabolical scheme set up for the meeting.
Hearing this, Liliana's face makes a small frown. "Perhaps it would be good to know some information about your brother as Erica says." Liliana says this in an unsatisfied tone for not being able to refute her rival's logic.
"I'm also quite curious about your brother as well Godou-san." Yuri inserts herself into the conversation. She's been curious about the brother of Japan's Devil King ever since she heard about him. Though like everyone else she only knows that Shirou was adopted.
Seeing no way of avoiding this conversation, Godou decides to answer honestly. Other than Shirou's vigilante activities, his life isn't exactly a great secret. "Hmmm, okay. The first thing you should know about Shirou is that he's known as the Chef Killer in the shopping district. I think you guys have heard of him before right?"
Mariya and Liliana perked up at this statement. "The Chef Killer? You mean the person who goes on to sample the foods in the shopping district and ends up making a superior recipe later?" Liliana says this excitedly. Being a cook herself, she must be trying to compare her cooking skills in relation to him.
"I heard that he has been undefeated in the challenges the chefs in the shopping district presented him. Is it true?" Yuri also seems excited at the prospect of meeting such a celebrity.
"Yup. I haven't seen him lose even once to this day. I'm sure he's gotten more recipes now that he's traveled to different countries all over the world." While saying so, Godou could feel a sort of pride welling up in my chest. Hey, Shirou's his brother. So sue him.
"I wonder if he's a better cook than Archer." Yuri mumbles this absently without thinking and although it was in a very low voice the group could still hear it.
"Archer? Who's that?" Godou asked this curiously. He has never heard Yuri talk about someone called Archer before.
"Eh? Uhh, n-no one! How could I know someone with a name as silly as Archer? Ahhahahaha." Yuri was panicked by her slip up. She doesn't want to betray her friend by revealing his existence to a Campione even if the Campione is Godou, especially how he departed while still being angry with Marquis Voban for his utter disregard for human life. She hoped Archer never found out about Marquis Voban trying to claim her again for another ritual or he might do something completely suicidal like going after said Campione.
"Mariya Yuri, you are acting suspicious. Who is this Archer and why are you hiding his existence? I demand to know. If he has any ill intention towards my King I will have to be wary of him." Liliana immediately pressures Yuri. As Yuri was acting very suspiciously, she deemed that this Archer needs to be dealt with for the safety of her lov- King.
"Mariya-san, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to but you know you can trust me right? If you're trying to protect him I'll definitely keep his existence a secret. If he ever gets angry with you for revealing him, I'll drop to my knees and beg him to forgive you if that's what it takes." Godou was curious about this Archer character as well but he was not about to force the issue out of Yuri. All he can do is to ask Yuri to trust him and, if it comes to it, take responsibility for the ensuing fall out.
Yuri contemplated Godou's words for a while. In one hand, a person she was friends with, if strangely, who trusted her to keep his secret. On the other, her saviour who risked his life in order to save her, asking her to trust him. It seemed like a no-win situation. If she tells them about Archer, she ends up betraying her friend but if she doesn't tell them then it shows that she doesn't trust Godou.
After around 5 minutes of mental conflict, she finally decided to trust Godou and hope that her friend would forgive her. She just hopes that she made the right choice. Hopefully, the fact that Godou was her savior would let her friend understand why she decided to trust Godou.
"…Archer…was a friend I met a few years back around the start of middle school." Although she has made her decision, she can't help but feel a bit of hesitation. After all, she wasn't sure of her choice.
"I see. But why do you keep him a secret?" Erica interrogates Yuri as gently as she could. She didn't want to antagonize Yuri after all.
"…When we first met, he…" And thus, Yuri starts explaining her relationship with Archer. How that she was wary of him at first since he wore a disguise, how he was curious about the magical community since he was self-taught and that she was the first mage he ever met, how they became strange friends when they started to exchange cooking recipes, his abilities to produce swords out of thin air, how he met Hikari and Ena and finally his reaction towards Marquis Voban when she was taken for that horrible ritual and becoming one of the sole two survivors of said ritual.
"Hmm... he sounds like a good friend albeit a bit mysterious since he never took off his disguise." Godou said.
"I'll admit, despite his strange behaviour, he does seem like a good person from your description. But why hasn't he taken off his disguise after all this time?" Liliana said while puzzling on this bit of information.
"My guess is he probably still feels a bit paranoid about the magical community but I can't really tell why. He's probably more paranoid now after finding out about Heretic Gods and Campiones since he's practically a newbie in our world." Erica gives her own opinion which she thinks is most likely the truth. "By the way, from the way he called himself Archer, I'd have thought he was good in archery but from your description he's actually a swordsman, have you ever asked him about that?"
"Oh, yes he's very good in archery. I once asked for a demonstration and he showed that he can snipe a target from a three quarter mile away." Yuri sounded pretty happy since the group seems to have accepted her friend.
"He can snipe from three quarter mile away with a bow!? That's amazing!" Godou was surprised at this. He's never heard someone using a bow to snipe from a location that far away.
"I agree, even I can only snipe from 400 metres away, 450 metres at most, with a bow. His skill and eyesight must be astounding." Liliana sounded amazed. As a fellow user of the bow, she knew how hard it is to snipe a target that far away.
"Hmm… that really is amazing. I wonder how the arrow can reach that far. He shouldn't know any spells to achieve that effect right?" Erica also seemed impressed. If all goes well, they might be able to add Archer to the team's battle potential.
"Actually, he doesn't exactly launch arrows from his bow." Yuri seemed a bit sheepish at this.
"What do you mean he doesn't use arrows? What else would you shoot from a bow? Don't tell me he actually shot those swords that you said he makes from thin air." At Liliana's questioning Yuri's only response was a nod of her head.
There was silence in the group for few moments; they were rendered speechless at the image of someone trying to shoot a sword of all things from a bow, before Yuri broke it. "To be precise, he used a technique similar to Erica's iron alchemy to turn the sword more aerodynamic and drill like before shooting it."
"I…guess that makes sense. You can only shoot something that's aerodynamic from a bow and the drill like appearance can increase the penetrating power of the arrow." Liliana says this while considering the effectiveness of using an arrow in such way. Perhaps she should try experimenting to see how practical it is. "Is there anything else about him shooting his…swords…that we might need to know?"
"Well… there is… one." Yuri seemed to hesitate at this while everyone else paid attention to her. What else is there when firing from a bow? Their question was answered by Yuri. "He… seemed to… shoot his swords… at supersonic speeds."
"…Come again? I thought I heard you say he shot his swords at supersonic speeds." Godou said incredulous.
"Yes, I did." Yuri deadpanned.
"….Okay how's he able to shoot something like that from a bow?" Godou still looked skeptical at this.
"I'm not sure, I never asked because I was too shocked at the time and since I felt like I lost the timing to ask him about it, I was never able to bring it up again. I do have a theory though."
"And that would be?" Liliana also seemed skeptical at this.
"There was this one time Ena tried to use his bow, but it was so hard that Ena wasn't even able to pull the strings of the bow using all her natural strength. She had a much easier time after augmenting herself with a spell but according to Ena it was still quite hard." Yuri said.
"…So it was the bow he used was what caused the arrows to be fired like that? Hmm, it was probably made with a special material if it's that hard to use like my Cuore de Leone and Lily's Il Maestro. But, how is it that you were able to tell that the arrows travelled at supersonic speeds? It might have just travelled really fast without actually breaking the sound barrier." Erica seems to still be unconvinced by this though she seemed to be keeping an open mind.
"There was a backlash that threw me back a few meters when he fired his bow and there was a two meter crater where his target was supposed to be."
"...Okay, if he is skilled enough to use a bow like that, it's no wonder he calls himself Archer. Is there anything else we need to know about him? Like his swordsmanship, since he's producing those swords of his out of thin air." Erica says trying to conclude that particular subject before they veered off topic.
"He had a spar with Ena once and he was able to keep up with her even when she got serious and went all out." Yuri didn't try to meet their eyes when she said this which makes the others feel that she is hiding something.
Erica however, had a feeling why. "Yuri, could you elaborate what you mean when you said Ena went all out? She didn't use Divine Possession did she?"
"...Yes. Yes, she did." Yuri started to fidget uncomfortably at this.
"...Mariya Yuri, although I doubt it, you are not misleading us are you? I find it hard to believe a self-taught mage could match against Seishuuin Ena when she uses Divine Possession when even I and Erica, Great Knights of our respective organizations, are hard pressed to do so." Although she sounds calm right now, Liliana's tone says that she might lose her calm demeanour very soon. Before Yuri could reply however, Godou cut her off.
"Wow, doesn't Divine Possession allow Seishuuin to match against a Divine Beast? How did he manage to keep up with her?" Godou sounded both amazed and excited for some reason.
At Godou's excited question, like he was a child being told an exciting story, Yuri started to calm herself down. "Well, rather than directly matching up against her, Archer summoned some of his swords and launched it at Ena as a distraction to get close to her. After that, he used Rule Breaker to dispel Ena's Divine Possession."
"Rule Breaker?" Liliana looks puzzled at this.
"It's one of Archer's magical weapons that he can summon. He has quite a few of them actually, each with different abilities. Rule Breaker is basically an Anti-Magic weapon. Archer said it can also sever magical contracts."
The group was quiet for a moment, digesting what Yuri told them. Summoning swords out of thin air was impressive enough but he can also summon swords with magical properties? If Erica heard this from anyone else, she wouldn't have believed them. As it stands, Erica decided to keep an open mind until she actually meets this Archer and see this magic of his first hand. And so, she continued her query while still puzzling over how is it someone could create an Anti-Magic weapon, of all things, out of thin air.
"So, Archer can also produce magical armaments in addition to normal ones. To think that he could even produce a weapon that cancels magic. I wonder what the underlying theory behind his magic is if he can make something like that. Oh, and do you know what kind of abilities his weapons have?" Her skepticism aside, this Archer can be a huge boon to the team's fighting potential with his skills if even half of everything Yuri says about him is true and coming from a Hime-Miko, who was born with powerful instincts to aid her, it most likely is. It doesn't hurt that he's male, so there won't be any rivalry for Godou's love. Perhaps there's a way to sway him to their side. She should ask Yuri later about that.
"Hold up a sec. Yuri, this Rule Breaker can dispel magic right? So that means it can work against Authorities too?" Godou was elated. If this Rule Breaker can dispel Authorities it may well be the answer to his problems of dealing with Heretic Gods. Perhaps the destruction of historical monuments and the general surrounding area won't have to be something to worry about anymore when fighting Heretic Gods.
"I'm not sure about Rule Breaker's ability to dispel Authorities, but so far it was able to dispel pretty much all the magic we could cast. It would require some experimenting. I'm thinking of asking him when he comes back to use Rule Breaker to try and recover Marquis Voban's victims who were turned to salt statues. If it works, maybe other Authorities can be dispelled as well, or at least weaken them.
As for Erica-san's question, Archer did explain the underlying theory of his magic to me and taught me the basics of it but I haven't been able to produce anything noteworthy yet. Just some simple combs, brushes, chopsticks and some cutleries, though it does come in useful when I need them. " At this, she Traced the items in question. Though it took some effort and concentration on her part, and somehow the items seem quite...fragile...as if the Traced items would just disappear at any moment despite its solid appearance.
"As far as I can tell about his swords, he has swords with elemental properties like fire, electricity and wind. I'm pretty sure he has more but he hasn't Traced them for me to see yet."
"Wait, I thought this...Tracing...allows the creation swords? How is it that you are able to produce household items?" Liliana seems a bit fascinated even though she's still doubtful about the new school of magic while asking this.
"Oh no, Tracing isn't a magic to produce swords. It's a magic to materialize any objects you could think of in your mind. Unfortunately, it requires a strong mental image of the object. Archer uses swords because according to him, he is just attuned with them. There are actually seven steps to Tracing, they are judging the concept of creation, hypothesizing the basic structure, duplicating the composition material, imitating the skill of its making, sympathizing with the experience of its growth, reproducing the accumulated years and the final step, excelling every manufacturing process which materializes the mental image of the item you want. So far though, I've only been able to materialize the items using step one until step three, but this results in the item not being perfect like what you've just seen. My Structural Analysis is still quite bad."
"Structural Analysis?" This time it was Erica who asked the question.
"It's a simple spell that analyses an object's structure and composition, though Archer has managed to advance it enough that he can even read the object's history. It's like Spirit Vision in a way, but this spell can only analyse physical objects. Objects that are beyond the realm of human comprehension is impossible to analyse however. Archer and I use it to help maintain a strong mental image of what we want to Trace."
"Heeh, so it actually materializes objects in your mind, huh? If we master something like that, we'd still have a comfortable time even if we end up stranded somewhere just by Tracing what we need. And that Structural Analysis might even be useful to analyse Divine Instruments even if it can't analyse them completely. It's a good compliment to Spirit Vision." Erica says this while thinking of the more uses and benefits this spell can provide. Household items, cutting tools, dresses, weapons and basically anything that you can imagine the structure and composition of can be materialized. The only problem is with the user's mental image but that can be solved with mental training and discipline.
The other two listeners also seem to agree with her, each with their own thoughts on what such a spell can be used for. Godou in particular thinks that if it can produce the materials and equipment needed for the repairs from the general destruction that usually happens as the result of fights with Heretic Gods, it can at least alleviate the amount of money expended. The only problem is in keeping the magical origin of the materials and equipment a secret. Oh well, he'll just let the History Compilation Committee figure out how to apply it in those situations. It's better if he doesn't meddle in their affairs if he can help it. He's still not comfortable with his title as a Devil King after all.
As for Yuri, she is just glad that everyone in the group hasn't asked anything too sensitive about Archer. Like how is it possible that he can produce swords with magical properties, including those that can dispel magic? Just like she says, Tracing requires a thorough understanding of the object being Traced. For Archer to be able to Trace magical swords, he would at least need to have seen those weapons in order to Trace it (Archer did say that he only needed to directly see an object once in order to Structurally Analyse them).
Although she knew this, she never questioned Archer about it, for she didn't want to intrude on his secrets if he wants to keep them. She was sure Archer was sincere in their friendship. If she wasn't sure before, his worry for her when she was taken for the ritual to summon a Heretic God four years back had cemented her belief of his sincerity.
She did however, have a clue as to his abilities to produce magical swords though she was not sure what it implied. It was at the time Ena lost control of her Divine Possession. Before Archer produced those swords of his in the dozens, Archer had mumbled something under his breath. It was faint and almost can't be heard from a distance, but she was close enough to Archer to hear them. It was only one sentence, an aria.
I am the bone of my sword.
In that instant, Yuri's Spirit Vision suddenly activated. In her eyes, Archer's form suddenly overlapped with another image. A barren world with patches of green grass randomly strewn about everywhere, with a brilliant blue sky, white clouds and the morning sun hanging above. She even saw the silhouettes of some kind of bird flying around. But what left her mind gaping (if it ever had a mouth) was the endless number of swords as far as the eye can see, their tips stabbed into the earth like grave markers. Swords of every kind she could ever think of. There were even those that, as far as she can tell, had incredible divine and cursed powers.
And on the only hill in that world, standing tall in the earth they were stabbed in like all the other swords in that world was only a tribute to them, she could see a four blades and a sheath. The first two swords are Chinese swords that mirror each other. One was as black as the night with red hexagonal patterns on the sides of its blade, the other was white. Both had the symbol of Yin and Yang where the hilt met the blade with a triangle like tip above the symbols that contrast the colour of the swords. These are peerless swords even to Yuri who doesn't have an eye for swords.
The third sword was a golden sword that looked like it belonged to the kings in the medieval ages. Just looking at it made Yuri felt like she was in the presence of a king with how marvellously decorated the sword was. Despite the decorations, she was sure that this sword held an extraordinary power, unlike the decorated swords she often see in the history books that belonged to past kings.
She was only able to identify the blue hilt of the final sword, for it was sheathed in a golden sheath with blue carvings on its side meeting at the bottom. She has no doubt that it was a powerful sword if the majestic sheath it is currently in is a measure of its powers. And what a sheath it was. It absolutely radiated the presence of peace and protection from anything harmful for those in its embrace. It is a utopia that everyone strives for.
The whole scene was like a battlefield, albeit one with a land that has started to heal as the passage of time covers all the scars that once littered its expanse with green grass that has started to grow all over the place. This entire image went through Yuri's mind in an instant with one sentence popping inside her mind at the end of her vision, describing the world she saw.
Unlimited Blade Works.
When the vision ended, it was to see Archer preparing to bombard Ena, who was in a rampage, with his swords. This scene however, didn't even faze Yuri for she was in a daze, too confused with what she had seen that she failed to even be alarmed at Archer's bombardment of Ena. Fortunately, everything ended with no one severely hurt except a few minor cuts and bruises. Something she was glad for.
After that, she tried to subtly interrogate Archer using Rule Breaker as an excuse. When he caved in, some of her suspicion was answered as she examined the Traced magical swords. She idly remembered seeing those same blades in the vision she had although she was not entirely sure. She wondered if Archer is able to Trace those swords on that hill. She refrained herself from pressuring Archer any further however, as she didn't want to lose her current friendship with him. Everyone has their own secrets after all and she didn't want to pry without a good reason.
Despite their strange friendship, Yuri enjoyed the time he came to visit. Especially the times he comes with the desserts that he invented. They were heavenly! It didn't hurt that Hikari also enjoyed talking with him. Ena also approved of him if her more regular visits to have spars with Archer revealed anything. Archer seems to be used to dealing with children (Ena being her airheaded self is like a child).
This is why she was reluctant to expose Archer. It took her almost a year of building their trust for Archer to teach her Tracing. How much damage to their friendship can be made from this breach of trust? She valued their friendship and she dreads the time if she ever loses his trust. She never even told Ena about the Spirit Vision she had that time about that strange world because she fears he would disappear if she pushed him too far. Something that might still happen, if she continued to reveal more about him any further. Perhaps it's time they returned to their original conversation topic. Before she could do so however, Liliana had started her query again.
"By the way Mariya Yuri, you said that you wanted to ask him to use his...Rule Breaker...to try and recover Marquis Voban's victims right? Why haven't you done so yet? It's been months since then."
Yuri internally sighed before answering. It looks like she wouldn't be able to veer the conversation topic from Archer like she wanted. "That's because Archer isn't here in Japan right now. He went to explore the world at summer 2 years ago and hasn't been back since. He does send postcards containing recipes for foreign sweets and desserts from time to time so I know he's fine. I wonder where he is right now." Yuri says this while fondly remembering the various recipes of desserts Archer sent back. Maybe she should make some and share it with everyone. She was sure they would enjoy it.
"Summer 2 years ago huh? That's a coincidence; Shirou also went travelling the world at summer 2 years ago." Godou says this while oblivious to the sudden freezing of his companion's bodies.
Both of them left to travel the world at summer 2 years ago? And didn't Godou mention that Shirou is actually the Chef Killer? From Yuri's earlier description Archer was also a very good cook...Nah, it couldn't be...could it?
This little revelation prompted Erica to ask a certain series of questions to Godou. It wouldn't do to make assumptions based solely on coincidences. This would require some subtle manipulation on Erica's part but that's the topic shines in. Manipulating others to do what she wants until they are all wrapped up nicely around her fingers.
"So Godou, we got off track because of Archer, but can you tell us more about your brother?" Erica says in her sweetest and most seducing voice she can muster.
"Well, he's also the type of person who likes to help others. He's always helping someone with something no matter how trivial. He's good at fixing things whether electronic or not. He's also quite mature for his age. You might think that he's already an adult sometimes." That last statement was true for as long as he's known Shirou growing up with him. Even when they were kindergarteners Godou has felt like he was talking to a full grown adult when conversing with Shirou, and he's supposed to be the older one too (Shirou was born 2 months after Godou).
Deeming that this amount of information is not enough to form a conclusion, Erica asked her next set of questions. "Does he have any hobbies? Any sports that he like to participate in like soccer, tennis, kendo, archery or maybe even baseball like you used to?" By now, the only person who hasn't realized Erica's intention with these questions is Godou. Yuri and Liliana had realized Erica's subtle interrogation when she mentioned kendo and archery. She had made it look like that she was stating something in general but the two realized that it was these two particular sports that she was interested in.
"Hmm, Shirou doesn't have any particular hobby other than cooking. As for sports, he's already tried out every single sport that our school offered and he was good in all of them. If there was anything he excelled at the most though, it would kendo and kyudo. I've seen him spar with the whole kendo club at once. He beat the whole club without a scratch and without breaking a sweat. As for archery, I've never seen him miss his target even once. He always hits the bullseye."
Erica was 50% percent sure of her suspicions now, but it was still too soon to jump to conclusions. "Heeh, I guess it's as expected of a Devil King's brother to excel at so many subjects. Does he have many friends? Maybe even a girlfriend? I'm sure that he goes out at night during weekends to meet her for a dinner date if he does."
At this query Godou was stiff for a single moment. It looks like she hit the bullseye.
"W-what makes you think that?" Godou tried to hide his panicking emotions. Trying and failing.
"Well, he seems to be quite popular at school if what you're saying is true for one thing. And from your panicked body language, I'd say there's something about him that you're trying to hide." Erica closes in on Godou with the smile of predator that's readying to catch its prey. Godou became paler at every inch Erica closes the distance between them though he didn't say anything and just kept his mouth shut. As Erica's face came closer and closer to Godou's and seemed like they were going to kiss, Erica suddenly pulls back and puts on a sad smile.
"Godou, I'm not trying to do find something I can use to blackmail him or anything of that sort. I just want to know more about him, if you don't want to say it then I won't try to pry." Godou relaxed a bit at this. He thought he might've revealed Shirou's vigilante activities if Erica's interrogation went on like that. He relaxed too soon however. "In this case I'm going to use the exact same words you used to convince Yuri. Godou, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to but you know you can trust us right?" At this, Erica looks at both Yuri and Liliana indicating the very people who stuck with him through insurmountable danger by their own choice and are now asking him to trust them just like he had asked Yuri to trust him just a moment ago.
This is karma isn't it? For trying to convince Yuri to trust him moments ago, now he is being forced into the same situation. Now that he himself has been put in the spot, he could now understand Yuri's dilemma. Oh, how he should apologize to Yuri later for putting her through something like this. To think he caused her this much anguish just from one simple and sincere sentence. He'll have to watch what he says in the future, lest he repeats his mistakes. These girls are his companions after all, how could he be so irresponsible as to pry into their private lives just out of curiosity?
Now that it has come to this, if Archer ever gets angry with Yuri for her transgressions because of him, he'll definitely do more than just go down on his knees and beg him to forgive Yuri if it's not enough. He has to take responsibility for his own actions after all.
For now though, he shouldn't be a hypocrite. As they say, you reap what you sow. Right now he needs to answer the feelings these girls have laid out to him. He won't be able to ever forgive himself for any less. Just like Yuri who decided to trust him at the risk of damaging her friendship with Archer (as strange as the friendship seems) he would trust these girls at the risk of his sibling bond with Shirou. He'll deal with the consequences of his choice afterwards if or when it happens. He can only hope for the best now.
Releasing a small sigh, Godou finally made his decision. Of course, he made sure there was no one near enough to hear his confession. Now that he thinks about it, why is everyone avoiding them? Once he started to recall when this particular phenomenon began, he realized it was around the time Yuri started talking about Archer. Huh, the girls must have cast a privacy spell of some kind. It looks like it was a needless worry. "Well, the truth is Shirou is what you would call a...vigilante." There, he finally laid it out in the open. Now he just needs to deal with the aftermath as best he could. A Heretic God manifesting that he has to deal with sounds very good right about now...Then again, maybe not.
"A...vigilante? Godou-san, you wouldn't happen to be talking about the rumored vigilante who was catching criminals every few days and sending them to the appropriate authorities a few years back are you? The one that the police wasn't even able to get a description of because he knocked out the criminals so fast that they didn't even have enough time to notice him? That, vigilante?" Yuri was recalling some of the gossip she heard that had spread around the town a few years ago. She had already figured out that the vigilante was most likely Archer as news of the vigilante had suddenly stopped around the time Archer departed from Japan.
It made more sense as to how someone was able to ambush a whole gang without them noticing it. All the criminals were normal people who didn't know about magic. With Archer's stealth skills and magic, taking them down without being caught doing it would be possible. She didn't make a big issue of her discovery, as Archer hadn't done anything wrong in her eyes. In fact, all the criminals Archer caught only suffered minor bruises before being handed over to the authorities so it was clear to her that Archer knew what he was doing and wasn't abusing his powers like some people who was drunk in their own power and superiority.
As for the gossip itself, once Archer left Japan, the rumor mill about the vigilante dwindled until only a few people are left still talking about it, more specifically, the detectives that was assigned to apprehend said vigilante. That said, as there is practically no evidence of his existence other than the fact that those criminals they apprehended couldn't have knocked themselves out and sent themselves to them, the detectives have no other possible lead to his identity. There were no pictures of him, no description from the apprehended criminals as they were knocked out cold before they even knew what hit them or even traces of him transporting his 'victims' to the police precinct (from this the media, and the police agreed, coined him by the name of Ghost). Suffice to say, the pride of every policemen/policewomen in the town had taken a major blow.
That's not to say they were angry with what he did. On the contrary, many policemen/policewomen were glad for his actions as more than half of the people he sent to their doorstep were notorious enough that the only reason they weren't in jail is because they couldn't be found. Some of them were also able to escape prosecution by escaping from police custody and either killing or seriously injuring the police on duty so you can imagine how grateful some members of the police force are when said suspect was put into their custody in a silver platter (metaphorically of course). And since none of them received any noticeable injury, they were not even able to file a complaint for mistreatment.
They were also having a far easier time in performing drug busts. The reason for drug busts to sometimes have casualties in the police's side is because the guards of the place are usually armed. In this case, usually being the key word. Ever since Ghost's vigilante activities started, every drug busts the police ever performed met with only few resistance if none at all as the guards who were supposed to be keeping an eye on the place can be found either knocked out or tied up or both. Thanks to all this, the police can concentrate their efforts on more important cases as they have more manpower to spare.
The only reason they are hunting Ghost is solely on principle. That is to say, as officers of the law, they can't allow any vigilantes to take the law into their own hands. By now, even the most hardened detective or police officer have decided to avoid as much force as possible when the time comes that they apprehend him (which most of them doubt they can at this point) as a token of courtesy.
"Yes, that vigilante. I should say this first though; Shirou doesn't know that Grandpa and I already know about him being a vigilante. We never confronted him about it since it never caused any problems. Plus, he seems to know what he's doing. I never saw as much as a scratch every time he came back from his 'patrol'." Godou said to answer Yuri's query.
"He is a vigilante? And from Yuri's reaction I could guess he was quite a famous one as well. Although I'm sure he did it with the best of intentions I'm not entirely comfortable with the idea." Liliana gives her own honest opinion.
"Ummm...Godou-san may I ask a question about Shirou-san?" Yuri hesitantly asks Godou.
"Sure."
"Have you ever seen Shirou-san go out on his...patrols?"
"Yeah, I have. It was why I was sure that Shirou was a vigilante."
"Did he wear a disguise?"
"Yeah, he did. He wore-" Before Godou could finish his sentence, Yuri cut him off.
"A black shroud covering his head with a black coat, black pants, black shirt and black shoes. Clothes that emphasize on stealth."
Godou was surprised at this. "Huh? Yeah, that's right. How did you know?"
The three girls in the group look like they had finally confirmed something. It was the final piece of the puzzle that they needed to link Shirou and Archer together, though it seems Godou is still oblivious to their conclusion. This might be hard for him to accept but it is best that he knows the truth about his brother. Besides, this might also solve his and Yuri's dilemma a while ago since Shirou and Archer are basically the same person. He shouldn't be too offended that people he cares about reveals his secret to each other, right?
"If I have to guess, that was the disguise that Archer wore when he came to visit you? You never did tell us what his disguise was." At Erica's query, Yuri's response was only a small nod of her head. It was a mistake on her part. If she had revealed what Archer's disguise looked like at the beginning, Godou would have realized the outfit was the same as the one Shirou wore during his vigilante days. They would have figured out Archer's identity sooner and she and Godou might not have to experience the pain of betraying someone dear to you. Of course, she would still have to apologize to Shirou/Archer later, but as it stands the situation isn't as bad as she had initially thought. At least, she hopes so.
After giving it some thought as to what his companions were talking about, Godou finally seems to have realized the similarities between Shirou and Archer.
They both like to cook.
They're both exceptional swordsmen.
They're both very good in archery/kyudo.
They both wore the same outfit.
They both left Japan around the same time two years ago.
Huh, that was coincidence. Who knew that those two had so many similarities? It was as if they were kindred spirits. Now that's a thought. He might even be able to tease Shirou that his destined one might be of the same gender. He was sure it would cause some laughs, right?...Oh, who was he kidding? There's no way this many coincidence can exist without justifiable cause. It was there right in front of his eyes staring at him this whole time and he never realized it. And the answer to how these 'coincidences' happened is very simple. Archer and Shirou is the same person.
That very thought hit Godou so hard, it was like a wakeup call for every single doubts he had about Shirou which he buried in the deepest part of his subconscious mind. The way he beat up that gang years ago, being good in every sport he could think of, all those times he spent inside the shed at the back of the house doing god-knows-what and all the other things he could vaguely remember Shirou doing since they were little infants. If the answer to these questions is linked to Shirou being able to do magic, then it all makes sense now!...So the answer to anything around him that doesn't make sense is because of magic, huh?...This is so messed up.
"I see that you were finally able to connect the dots Godou." Erica says this in sympathetic voice. It's not every day that you find out the person that you grew up with is not who you think they are. This kind of revelation can shake a person to their very core. She could only imagine how this is affecting Godou. To her surprise however, Godou seems to only be mildly shaken up.
"Yeah, with all the evidence in front of my eyes there's no way I won't realize it."
At Godou's barely shaken up behaviour, Yuri started worrying for a different reason. "Godou-san, you...don't seem to be all that affected by all this. I would have thought you would be more confused by everything we've discovered by now." He had just found out someone that he knew all his life is not how they seem. How is it that he can just shrug it off just like that? Is he trying to suppress his feelings?
"Mariya Yuri is right. My King, I implore you, please do not hold your feelings back in account of us. You do not have to keep it all inside you just because you do not want us to worry. On the contrary, keeping your emotions bottled up will make us worry about you more. So please tell us anything that is bothering you." As ever, Liliana tries to be the perfect knight for her King.
Godou's response was a small sigh before answering. "It's not that I'm keeping it all bottled up you know. Finding out Shirou can use magic actually made a lot of sense. There were things that I noticed when we grew up together that can only make sense if he knows magic. It looks like I kept those memories buried deep in my subconscious and now, all the doubts I've had about him are finally solved." Godou had a sort of peaceful smile on his face at the end of his sentence.
"And?" Erica tries to prompt Godou to continue.
"And in the end, nothing's changed. He's still my brother who likes to cook, help people, respectful to everyone who deserves it and who would protect those he cares about. The only difference is that he's doing some of them with the help of magic." Godou's eyes were filled with conviction and belief. There were no doubts in his eyes. This was the truth. So what if Shirou knows magic. At his very core, he hasn't changed a bit in Godou's eyes. He is still the Superman that he's always looked up to. And that is all that matters to Godou.
Now that he think about it, Shirou discovered his magic by himself, practiced it by himself and even created a new school of magic by himself. Godou might not have been exposed to the magic world very long but it was enough to know that magic is not an easy subject to learn. The fact that Shirou figured out how to harness his magic to the point that he created a new school of magic from scratch without prior knowledge of how magic even worked was incredible in and of itself. He really does deserve to have the title of Superman, though Godou will never tell this to anyone.
Flanking him, Yuri, Erica and Liliana all smiled at Godou. It seems even this event was not able to throw this person into confusion. He truly is worthy of their belief in him if even this didn't seem to faze him. That said, now that all the confusion has been settled, it's time to continue their 'information gathering'. Since Shirou already has prior knowledge about magic it would be prudent to explain everything about their relationship to him. He won't be easily deceived from sentences that have dual meanings, thus it will be good to know more about his personality. As usual, Erica is up to her hobby again. Scheming.
"Godou, seeing that you were able to sort out your confusion in a short time, let's continue our talk about your brother where we left off shall we?"
Oh, yeah! They were trying to know more about Shirou before finding out all the revelations about Archer and started to veer off topic, though technically they were still talking about Shirou since they are actually the same person. How did that happen anyway? Oh, that's right. He decided to indulge in his curiosity which prompted the lengthy talk about Archer that led to the discovery of his brother's secret. The world really works in mysterious ways.
Godou was trying to find more words to describe his bother when the the train that they were waiting for arrived in the station. Looks like they would have to continue this some other time because right now there is someone he has to welcome home.
"Sorry everyone. We'll have to continue next time. Also, I think it would be easier to explain everything about him if the person himself is there as well. And don't forget, we also have our own explanation to give him later."
Looking at the crowd coming down from the train, Godou searched for a streak of red hair and was able to immediately spot one coming towards them. He put his hand up high and waved to get Shirou's attention and sure enough, Shirou saw him and lightly waved back as a response that he saw them. Godou was contemplating how to introduce everyone to Shirou when Shirou's smiling face was suddenly replaced by shock and then annoyance and finally he sighed with a dejected face and a slump in his shoulder. Godou was wondering what was wrong until Shirou started talking with a voice that makes him think that Shirou has given up on something. "Godou, I'm tired from a long flight, so I'll just be blunt. How the hell did you become a Campione?"
Okay, he wasn't expecting that at all.
xxxScene Breakxxx
After the initial shock of Shirou's blunt statement about Godou being a Campione, the whole group decided to relocate their conversation somewhere more crowded and with a lot of noise. This is so that they won't appear suspicious which would have happened if they tried somewhere more secluded and the noise can mask their conversation. After walking a short distance, they arrived at a café that was also playing some music from the radio. Erica picked a table that was a bit farther away from the other customers. Of course she casted some privacy spells for good measure. Everyone sat down facing Shirou who had a tired look the entire time since they met.
"Now then, I believe it's time for introductions. Since I am the one who suggested it, I will go first. My name is Erica Blandelli, Great Knight of the Copper Black Cross, the inheritor of the title Diavolo Rosso and Godou's first and foremost lover. Pleased to make your acquaintance Kusanagi Shirou." Erica introduces herself with the usual grace and confidence she always exhibits. She wasn't even embarrassed with her declaration as Godou's lover. Stating it like it was already an undeniable fact. Shirou only raised an eyebrow at her declaration. Of course Godou wanted to protest but before he was able to do so, he was cut off by Liliana.
"Since Erica has introduced herself, then I will go next. My name Liliana Kranjcar, Great Knight of the Bronze Black Cross and Kusanagi Godou's premier knight. It is an honour to finally meet my King's brother, Kusanagi Shirou." As always, Liliana tries to be as formal as possible in her introduction doing it in a behaviour befitting of a knight.
"I-I guess it's my turn to introduce myself now. My name is Mariya Yuri, Hime-Miko of the History Compilation Committee. I am a friend of Godou-san. Please take care of me Arch- I-I mean, Shirou-san." Yuri introduces herself in her normal reserved and polite self, though she almost slipped trying to call Shirou by the name she knew him as.
It was only a slight mistake but Shirou has already concluded that Yuri has most likely already figured out his identity as Archer and so he let out a small sigh. Well, no use in hiding it any longer than. "Looks like it's my turn then. My name is Kusanagi Shirou. I'm a self-taught mage who also goes by Archer which I'm sure you've already figured out if Yuri's slip up trying to call me that a while ago is anything to go by." Yuri became a little red from embarrassment at this. "I'm also known as the vigilante, Ghost and as you all know, I'm Godou's adopted brother. Pleased to make your acquaintance." At the end of his introduction, Shirou gave them a small smile (he gave Yuri a happier smile, indicating how glad he was to meet her again).
Yuri flashed her own relieved smile at Shirou. "Um, since we've all introduced ourselves, Shirou-san, do you mind telling us how you knew Godou-san is a Campione?" Yuri tried to start a conversation topic while hoping that it will not end badly.
"I have a… sensitive nose for magical things. And I mean that literally. The amount of magical power Godou is emitting is similar to the other Campiones I've met. Didn't I already told you about my nose being sensitive to magic when we first met Yuri? I'm sure I did. It was how I know you were a mage of some kind back then." While he was talking about the Campiones, Shirou had a calm but annoyed expression like he was remembering some annoying events. It turned to a small confusion when he asked Yuri about his magic sensitivity.
Huh? Now that she tried to recall the memory, Shirou/Archer really did already tell her about it. It just that the memory slipped her mind after finding out Shirou's/Archer's other more esoteric abilities. Before Yuri could form her answer though, she was beaten to the punch by Godou.
"The other Campiones? Shirou, you've met them?" Godou asked while his jaw dropped little showing how shocked he is. Meeting the other Campiones can't have been a good experience if that idiot Doni and Voban are the norm for Campione behaviour.
"Five of them, I had two fight with two of them. I was able to converse peacefully with the other three." Shirou had his earlier expression of annoyance on while saying this.
"You fought with two of the Campiones? How did you survive? Who did you fight with?" It was Liliana who asked this time and from her tone she was shocked bordering on hysterical. She wasn't the only one; Erica was similarly awed but she had a hint of suspicion in her eyes. Maybe she didn't fully believe what Shirou is saying? That is possible. How could any mortal man survive a fight with a Devil King unscathed?
Yuri however, wasn't as shocked as the other two, she already had her suspicions on how Shirou was able to accomplish this feat. She could still vaguely remember the world full of swords from her Vision before. Still, Yuri was also unable to voice out any questions because she wasn't sure what to ask. She still thinks that she shouldn't reveal what she saw to anyone. She wasn't even sure if Shirou even knew what it was.
"I fought the Devil of Balkan, Sasha Dejanstahl Voban and Ruler of the Martial Realm, Luo Hao. As for how I survived, let's just say I have a lot of trump cards in my disposal." Shirou's voice was filled with hate when he said Marquis Voban's name but his face turned a little shade of red when he said Her Eminence Luo Hao's name. Yuri noticed this little detail, so she was a little suspicious of this. Curiosity taking hold, she decided to take a risk and just ask.
"Shirou-san, what happened between you and Her Eminence?" Yuri asked this as normal as possible without any hint of pressure.
The effect was instantaneous. Shirou's face started becoming redder and he started losing his calm a little. "N-Nothing. Nothing happened. We fought for about an hour and it ended in a draw. After that, I made my escape. Nothing happened after that."
Although Yuri was a bit surprised that he was able to fight Her Eminence, one of the oldest and most experienced Campione in the current age, to a draw (really, there have been more shocking revelations in the past half hour compared to the past few months combined), she was able to keep her calm and just stared at him accusingly, like she used to when she wanted to pressure him a little, which Liliana followed suit. Erica just looked amused somehow (she probably figured out that whatever happened was something really embarrassing) while Godou just looked confused.
"Shirou, what happened with Luo Hao? Come on, you know you can trust me right? I can vouch for Erica and Liliana, and I know you trust Mariya-san. Still, if you think that it's a...sensitive... topic, we'll just skip it." Godou said imploringly to his brother while making sure not to pressure him. He was not going to repeat his mistake with Yuri if he can help it out of pure curiosity especially now that it concerns another Campione. Who knows what could happen.
Shirou just looked at Godou with a troubled expression for a few seconds before answering him. "…Our…fight…ended up in a small clearing full of a certain type of flower, which I found out later, are the main ingredients of a strong aphrodisiac. We were exhausted, battered and bruised. Both our magical reserves were running low so we never noticed the flower's pollen entering our systems until we breathed in a large quantity of it. …We ended up doing it until midnight." At this, Shirou looked exhausted.
Everyone was speechless, even Erica. No one spoke anything for the next few minutes. That was how stunned everyone was. Yuri's mind has stopped working but she still was able to unconsciously note that Liliana's face has become as red as a tomato. The same thing is also happening to Godou. Erica just looked at Shirou in disbelief. After a few more minutes, it was Erica who was finally able to find her voice.
"You expect us to believe that you actually fought Her Eminence to a standstill and in the end had…sex…with her? I could think of a few ways for you to fend her off for an hour if what Yuri told us about your...abilities...are even half true, which I think it is since it's Yuri, how did you end up 'doing it' until midnight with her Eminence? With a Campione's body, she would have been able to flush out the effects out of her system in less than an hour even if you weren't able to do the same. I find it very hard to believe." At the end of her sentence Erica sounded a little outraged. Not surprising, since once you think about it, it sounded ludicrous. But, as outrageous as it sounds, Yuri was sure that Shirou is telling the truth.
"If you don't believe me, you can ask Miss Alice of the Witengamot. She saw everything that happened but kept quiet as a favour to me. Just mention my name and she will confirm my…statement." Shirou deadpanned. He has never felt so grateful for his distortion that tells him to help as many people as he can. The only reason the Speaker of the Witengamot agreed to keep the whole event a secret, is because he implanted Avalon inside her when he found out about her weak constitution.
Thankfully, some of the restrictions that allow Avalon to only be used by its true master (Saber) are lifted in the absence of Gaia, so it was able to slowly heal her. Of course he made sure that she didn't know what exactly he did to heal her (he made her close her eyes when he implanted Avalon). And she doesn't seem to have figured out how to remove it from herself either. Still, she was grateful enough to make sure rumors of the event that day never left the mountain.
Everyone kept quiet for a while, trying to digest everything that they just heard. Yuri wanted to chastise Shirou for doing something so stupid as to challenge a Campione and for doing something so shameful (having sex) out in the open even if it were in the woods or mountain like he implied. There is no way he was able to match a Campione in a straight up fight, this she was sure of (at least, that's what she keep telling herself). Oh, he might have been able to fend off Her Eminence by himself for some time with those swords of his and his current skill set, but she still couldn't imagine him being able to match Her Eminence (again, that's what she keep telling herself).
She could imagine what he meant by those so called 'trump cards' of his if that 'world of swords' (she remembered it was called Unlimited Blade Works, a fitting name) she saw was any indication. Her rational mind didn't want to accept that he would put himself in such danger by challenging a Campione of all things and the oldest and most experienced two of the current age no less. However, her instinct as a Hime-Miko says that Shirou hasn't told them a single lie. Everything he said was true, from having fought two Campiones and lived (without any permanent injury too) to having sex with one of them.
This means there was a reason he had to fend for himself against two Campiones. At least, she hopes he had good reason for it. Otherwise she'll have to beat some sense into him. She'll have to interrogate him about that later. She just hoped he didn't go after Marquis Voban because of her being taken by him four years ago, which would make it her fault that he was put in such a treacherous situation in the first place.
There was also the issue of how he survived a fight with said Campione but if he can fight Her Eminence to a standstill (which she still find it hard to believe. He probably exaggerated a little. Most likely, he was buying himself some time until he could figure out how to escape. At least, until that happened), than surviving Marquis Voban isn't too farfetched. He was probably buying himself some time in a battle of attrition like he did with Her Eminence and if Marquis Voban had set himself a time limit like he did with them; Shirou might have done just that.
All this went through Yuri's mind, finally finding a reasonable scenario of how Shirou survived his misadventures. By the looks of it however, Erica, Liliana and Godou seem to still have doubts about Shirou's claims. Not surprising, since they don't know the whole scope of his abilities. Even she herself wasn't sure of the answer to that question. The only clue she has is Unlimited Blade Works and she has no idea what it implied. Though she was still sure it wasn't enough to match a Campione.
It was when everyone was absorbed in their own thoughts that Shirou broke the silence.
"So, now that I have answered all your questions, perhaps it's time I asked mine. First, how the hell did Godou ended up becoming a Campione? Second, I already know Mariya Yuri works with the History Compilation Committee so it's not surprising she is sticking close to Godou. But why are you two here?" At this, he looked at Erica and Liliana. "It's obvious that you're Italians since you're affiliated to the Copper Black Cross and the Bronze Black Cross, so how come you're here instead of watching that idiot Doni? Thirdly, why do I have this sinking suspicion that Godou has amassed his own harem?" At that last statement, he looked at Godou with narrowed eyes full of suspicion.
Godou's only response was to sink in despair while sitting between Yuri and Liliana with both their faces red.
A/N : My first fanfic. Please review.