Chapter 4

Finalized chapter 4.

Had some help with this chapter and we decided to go with this plot.

With audiences of diverse ages and races sitting far from the stage, the two of us are currently standing in the middle of the arena. Some people appear perplexed as to why Albert-san is engaging in combat with a child of just 10 years old.

"Shiiiiroooooou! Best of luck!"

With her mother seated alongside her, Aiz cheered for me. I waved my hand at the girl before turning my attention to the man, whose aura grew darker. He prepared his grips and drew his silver longsword.

Despite the fact that we have just recently met, I sometimes feel sorry for this man. His wife won't let him beat me up lest she gets angry at him, and her daughter doesn't even say a word to him.

I sighed and shut my eyes, attempting to relax. I took several breaths in and out and then focused on all my senses. I hadn't had time to adjust my mind to my present body because it had only been a few hours since I had arrived in this world.

"Trace on."

The masses made a tiny gasp as I murmured those words before tracing the same silver longsword in my palm, shocking both the man and them. I made the decision to try and use the sword against him because I immediately saw how he would use it and wanted to see how he would respond to a his usual sword technique.

I open my eyes and repeatedly swing the sword. I had to maintain balance with the sword because it is actually taller than I am in order to avoid being pulled by its weight.

A little taken aback by what he had seen, the man questioned, "You can summon the same sword as mine?"

"Most weapons that I've seen, actually."

After giving him an honest answer, I assumed Albert-position, san's with my left hand on my side and my sword hand held forward, followed by my right leg. Evelda, the referee, was holding a coin when she looked at Albert and then at me with interest.

We nod at her and she grinned, but her eyes were fixed on me like a predator sizing up its prey.

She tossed the coin into the air and jumped out of the arena.

The minute the coin landed, Albert-san and I simultaneously kicked the ground and rushed in the same direction. Because of his higher speed than mine, I had to adjust my timing somewhat so that our swords met at exactly the same moment. Our height disparity also caused me problems because he could utilize his weight to overcome me.

*CLANG!*

Our swords crossed in the center of the arena, filling the space with the sound of grinding metal. I didn't stop like Albert-san, instead, I let go of one of my grips from the handle and traced another silver longsword in my left hand before I swung it hard toward his abdomen which was not protected by anything except for his shirt.

I anticipated what he would do next: he would push my right hand away and then jump back from the incoming swing. He did this effortlessly, but I stopped the sword in my left hand in mid-swing and changed it into a thrust, which he blocked with the surface of his sword. He grunted at it, but my right hand didn't idly around while my left hand was busy. I raised my sword hand high up, leaving a huge opening for him to use, then swiftly swung it down with my now-reinforced limb as he widened his eyes in surprise.

With remarkable speed, Albert-san batted the tip of the sword in my left hand aside before raising his own blade to intercept the one coming at him from my right.

'As expected of the strongest man...he effortlessly copes with my speed if he needs to...'

But his right was open because he had lifted his sword to intercept my sword coming from his left. However, he refused to give me another opportunity to attack and instead used additional force in his arms to shove my right hand away, whirl completely around, and deliver a roundhouse kick that I narrowly missed.

I instinctively held the blade in front of my body to absorb the impact, despite being thrown rather far. To prevent myself from leaving the arena, I thrust the sword in my right hand into the ground.

'This guy is a monster.'

I grinned slightly as I closely observed him. His visage was that of a warrior, not the adoring father I had previously witnessed. He made a strong, serious stand as his eyes attempted to analyze me.

I kicked the ground once more before hurling one of the two longswords towards Albert-san. He instantly recovered his posture after deflecting it, and this time, we traded blows several times. Even though he didn't aim for a vital area, it was clear who was at a disadvantage because I could feel cuts all over my shirt and my body. After a series of blows, the sword in my right hand was pulled away. I then used the momentum it gave me to kick him in the right hand with my right foot, thus removing his weapon. After rising to my feet, I traced a second longsword and swung it with my right hand at the black-haired man.

He grinned at me and moved his gauntlet to block my impending thrust just before my attack hit him. He swiftly grabbed his sword, which was still in the air, and kicked me again, forcing us to return to our starting position.

"WOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAHHH!"

I was startled at the sudden clamor of the crowd before comprehending that this was supposed to be a spar, not a deathmatch.

"Who's that kid!? I was barely able to see what they did in that small amount of time!"

"Damn! That kid's probably as strong as Evelda there!"

"I can't believe it! He's copying Albert's swordplay!"

"He's not older than our children here and yet he is already that strong!?"

Those were some of the comments that I'd heard as I tried to steady my breath.

"Damn boy! Were you holding back that much when we had our 'dance' before?!" Evelda grumbled while frowning, yet it was obvious that she was excited.

"Mama, what happened? Why is everybody cheering so loudly?"

"Um…Mama doesn't get it either…"

Aiz and her mother didn't appear to notice what had just transpired until Celdia, who sat on the opposite side of Aiz, started speaking.

"It would seem that Shirou managed to put the pressure on Albert at the first exchange. The boy then summoned another of Albert's sword before they exchanged some blows, then he threw one of his swords at Albert as a distraction and Shirou kicked the sword in Albert's hand. He almost landed a hit before Albert managed to block it with his gauntlets, regain his sword, and delivered a kick which made them return to their starting position."

"That all happened in just a few seconds?"

"Yes, under than 10 seconds to be exact. The boy has a lot of potentials to become even stronger than this when trained properly…if only we have the time…"

I frowned as the elf finished.

I don't like what Celdia said just now.

"Shirou."

I turned back to look at the black-haired man who was still holding out for an opportunity to strike.

"Come at me with all you've got, you are still holding a lot of things. I suggest you, do not hold back. No matter what you do here, I'll make sure that it won't get out to anyone else."

At his suggestion, I briefly blinked before grinning a little.

"Are you really sure about that old man? You might get a heart attack if I go all out, you know?"

Albert-san appeared astonished by the change in my speech as soon as I said that.

"Do it, and if you call me old man again, I'll make sure to beat you up even if my wife told me not to."

"Fine then, I won't hold back anymore..."

"W-w-wait! You're still holding back!?" I nodded in response to Evelda's startled query. "Well damn… alright then, whatever you do, do not involve the audience or destroy this place."

"Don't worry." I grinned at Evelda.

"Celdia-san, can you make a strong barrier around the arena?" I asked the elf. "I'm afraid what I'm about to do next will have swords flying here and there."

"Do not worry about us, I had prepared them for an occasion like this for quite a time."

"Swords!"

I chuckled at Aiz's comment before I nodded and said the phrase.

"I am the bone of my sword."

-Albert's POV-

He is chanting? In the middle of the fight—

I deflected the swords that flew in my direction at a speed that normal eyes couldn't keep up.

What the? Where did those swords come from!?

The boy had left his position, and I had been preoccupied with dodging all the blades that were coming my way. I ducked to avoid the swing coming from behind me when my instinct kicked in.

FAST!

In my entire life, I have never encountered anyone else that can move that fast! What's up with this kid!? Even though I've known he's abnormal since the moment I first met him, right now he seems like a whole other person!

"Steel is my body, and fire is my blood."

I then heard something strike the ground, and someone abruptly got up from their seat.

"Concurrent chanting!? A kid his age!?"

Since only Celdia, the elf queen, would be surprised by this, I didn't need to turn around to see who said it. It must have been advanced skill if she was taken aback by the boy's chanting in the middle of the fight.

There were more swords blazing at me. The blades seem to follow the child wherever he goes. He's using those swords as a decoy so he can finish his spell. I'm fortunate the child requested Celdia to set up a barrier because otherwise, those blades might have hurt the others.

I can now make out spears, axes, halberds, lances, polearms, and other weapons among those shooting at me. I can easily parry them, but for the time being, I'll just move around the arena to see what else he might be able to do.

"I have created over a thousand blades."

The rate of the weapons firing at me suddenly increased as soon as he concluded his third line. Even as a distraction, isn't this a little bit too much!? How many swords that he can summon anyway!? As I made my way toward the youngster, I had to parry a few of the weapons. But this time, he was prepared for me, holding two falchions in the contrasting hues of black and white instead of my longsword.

"Spirit and technique, flawless and firm."

I blocked the falchions that he threw my way. After I deflected the twin swords, I realized something was amiss since there was absolutely no sound of them hitting the ground.

I shook my thoughts off before focusing on the boy in front of me.

When I manage to approach near to the child while deflecting the swords, another set of those falchions are once more in his hands, confirming my suspicion that the boy can call the identical swords as many times as he wishes.

"Our strength rips the mountains."

He engaged in close combat with those falchions, but despite his seeming vulnerability, his openings were well concealed to trained eyes. One thing I wanted to point out was that, despite being slow right now, he had extraordinary strength—enough to match, if not surpass, that of my comrades. How was it possible for a child just a few years older than Aiz to have this kind of strength!?

I made a small grunt as we traded blows for a few seconds before I could hear something whirring toward me from behind. I caught a glimpse of those two falchions he had previously thrown approaching me out of the corner of my eye.

I'm curious to know if those falchions of him have something special about them, similar to the sword he used in the dungeon.

I smiled a little. For his age, this young man is exceptional.

I used the gauntlet in my left hand to repel the approaching falchions coming from my back. I knew that they would come again later, therefore I had to at least make the boy surrender before it happened.

"Our swords split the water."

I looked at the boy and began to notice the change in his swordplay. It was smoother than the previous ones as if flowing like water, there were no errors in every move he made. Every swing connected to the next ones naturally. I was handicapped with only one sword while the boy could summon as many as he could, not that I would use that kind of reasoning if there was a possibility I will lose to this boy.

"Our names reach the imperial villa."

Once again, after he gained a bit of a distance, he threw another set of those falchions and I was forced to deflect them. This time I didn't pause and immediately went at the boy. However, it seemed that I underestimated his summoning's speed since in his hands there was another set of those falchions, but this time their sizes were much bigger and the dull sides were jagged like feathers.

"The two of us cannot hold the heavens together."

As he finished uttering the last word, I heard it again, this time twice the number. The youngster had dodged my blow and was about to strike me with his swords crossed when two sets of those falchions came charging at us from behind me.

"Crap,"

"Triple-Linked Crane Wings!"

-Shirou's POV-

It was not enough.

Albert-san had increased his speed and strength even more by the time I thought I had landed a blow. With a swing, he easily destroyed the incoming sets of falchions as well as the overedge ones in my hands.

I laughed quietly to myself. He saw it for the first time and managed to break all of them.

While he was caught off guard at first, he quickly rendered my attacks ineffective when he increased his speed and strength even further.

I took a few steps back.

Before I continued the line for my Reality Marble, something struck my mind.

Is it really wise to pull off my trump card right off the bat?

While I knew from his weapon that Albert-san is a good person, that didn't mean everyone else was.

With that thought supporting me, I decided to push off my idea of deploying my Reality Marble.

Let's just go with Noble Phantasm and the likes.

From my UBW, I drew the red barbed spear belonging to the hound of Ulster, Cu-Chulainn.

I twirled the spear before assuming Lancer's stance. A stance that made me appear to be about to pounce on my prey.

Albert-eyes san's were fixed on the spear as he entered his stance, no surprise given the bloodlust it radiated.

...

Nope, this is not going to work. This spear is two meters long and I'm in a body of a kid!

...

Oh well, let's just try it.

I launched myself at Albert-san, and when he was in my spear's strike zone, I gave him several quick thrusts which he blocked splendidly.

He tried to jump backward, but the moment he did that, I closed into the black-haired man and gave him several more thrusts. Then, he tried to counterattack in between the blocking, unfortunately for him, instead of thrusts, I switched to slashes which almost got him in the gut.

"Tsk!"

With that click of a tongue, this time he was the one who closed into me. Another unfortunate timing for him since I already swung the spear as I rotated my body at full speed, hoping to hit him with the long shaft of the spear.

At that small amount of window time, he put his longsword between his left arm and the spear's shaft to absorb the blow which throw him quite far from my spot.

From the intensity of our close combat, I could hear some of the audience let out a withheld breath.

"You're nuts!" the black-haired man called out with a grin. "Spearmen usually would use their freedom of range to win the fight, but you just charged in like a mad dog!"

I knew it. There was no way someone as skilled as him would approve of Lancer's fighting style.

We got into our stance again, but this time, before either of us could jump at each other, a certain black-haired Amazon came up to me with her greatsword in her hand instead.

"What the hell!?" I cried out as I blocked the greatsword.

"Evelda!?"

"Sorry Al! I just can't wait for it anymore!" The woman answered as her eyes never left mine. "Here I thought you were just a boy...but the moment you fought like that, with your instincts alone, something inside me awakened and I had to get my turn!"

This woman's crazy! I pushed the greatsword away followed by a kick to her abdomen which she blocked with her leg.

"Ahahaha! Now c'mere! Let me have a taste of you!"

I couldn't help but shudder at the woman. But since she wants one, then who am I to say no? I'd like to know how powerful Albert-san's mercenary group is anyway.

What happens next? Well, she managed to stay alive while being bombarded with a rain of swords. Some of them grazed her since she didn't particularly care about blocking or deflecting them. For our close combat, I had to say I was very surprised when I saw her punching the spear off of my hand with a bare fist.

Eventually, we stopped after we had our 'dance' with me tracing the silver longsword that Albert-san used. She wanted to have more including the audience, but since Celdia-san yelled out an order to stop, the Amazon decided to save it for another time.

Evelda laughed, but eventually, she stopped after a few seconds.

"Nice fight! it's been a while since I go all out like that!"

I deadpanned at the Amazon before she opened her mouth.

"Then, what will you do now? Do you have plans?"

I frowned at her inquiry.

That's true. In this world, I have nowhere to go. If they let me, the only option I have is to join them.

"I don't have any… do you mind if I join you?"

The Amazon turned to face Albert-san who was approaching us as I stared up at her.

"If you're thinking to get close to—"

I gave him the most impassive look I could muster, then I spoke in a tired tone.

"Trust me, that's the last thing I have in my mind."

Albert-san gripped my shoulders and gave me a hard shake, as though shocked by my response.

"Are you saying that you don't want to get close to my daughter!?"

"What the hell, old man!? Weren't you the one who said that you won't let me get close to her!?"

"I'm not an old man yet, dammit! I'm still in my 20s! and yes, I did say that I won't let you get close to her, but...ARGHH!"

...

What in the world?

I turned at the Amazon who was sighing exasperatedly.

"Just...ignore him, he's just an idiot, overdoting parent."

I did so after Albert-san's companions separated us and followed the Amazon toward Aiz who was waiting for us excitedly.

"Shirouuuuu! That was amazing! There were so many swords flying!"

I smiled wryly at the girl who tackled me. Then I turned at the approaching women, Aria-san and Celdia-san.

"I concur. I've never seen or heard about the magic that can summon swords and propel themselves without any commands. Mind telling us about it?" the elf asked while Aria-san too looked amazed at it with a bit of sadness mixed in her expression.

"Well, I called it Unlimited Blade Works."

"Unlimited Blade Works huh...I've never heard of that magic before… Is it limited to you?"

I nodded at her. Unless there was another Emiya Shirou in this world.

"I see…"

"While that magic sounds amazing…that's what also limits me from using other kinds of magic."

"What do you mean?" the elf asked.

"I can't use any other magic since…well, maybe you can say that I'm over-specialized in that one magic alone…"

"That's unfortunate…but have you tried using other magic?"

I nodded at the elf while she just sighed at my answer.

"One more question then... your concurrent chanting and chant connection... where and how did you learn to do that at an early age?"

"Concurrent chanting? Chant connection? What are they?"

I gave the elf a confused look as she began to explain what they mean.

"You chanted while fighting, that's what concurrent chanting is. As for the chant connection, I recall after the third line of your magic, you chanted a different one, correct?"

I nodded.

"That's what I called chant connection, we used our first lines of one magic to change the strength of our next magic."

I gave her a wry smile.

"To be honest, I was forced to learn all of that in one go and I just can't remember how I did it... It just came to me naturally as if I've known how to do that for a long time..."

Another fabrication based on truth. It appears that since arriving in this world, I have lied quite a bit.

"If you say that way, that means you're quite a prodigy to be able to use Concurrent Chanting and Chant Connection even without learning the basic knowledge of it... If this makes you feel better, right now, there are only two people that can use those kinds of high-level chanting, me and you."

Celdia smiled at me and I nodded in return.

"Anyway," Evelda cut in. "Shirou here is staying with us from now on. We need to prepare the tent for him since everyone else's is already occupied." The amazon then looked at me. "Is a small-size one enough for you?"

"Yes, that'll be enough." I nodded before giving Aiz a light pat. "Can I help? At least I have to prepare my own place to rest for tonight."

"Eeeeh!? But I want to play with you, Shirou…"

I smiled wryly at the whining Aiz. "Later, okay? It makes me feel bad if I don't help them."

Aiz pouted at me before Aria-san put her hands on Aiz's shoulder.

"You are pretty responsible for a kid, Shirou." Evelda laughed at me. "Come then, I'll show you where your spot is."

I gave her a nod and followed the Amazon before waving at the pouting blonde girl in her mother's hands

Albert walked up to the three as Aiz, Aria, and Celdia watched the redhead and their companion proceed toward the open area to set up the former's tent.

"Then? What do you think, Albert?" the elf whispered the moment she saw him.

"I'm conflicted… at one point, I want him to join us for our journey…but I also want him to stay with Aiz…"

"He might give us a chance to win this…but we don't know the full strength of it…"

"I know… that's why I'm conflicted…"

Before Aria joined Albert and Celdia, the two watched Aria nod at Aiz and then let the latter go where Shirou was heading to.

"Al, dear…"

"Aria, what do you think is the best choice… we bring him with us, or have him stay with Aiz…"

The options her husband presented to Aria made her appear a little depressed.

"As a friend, a mercenary, and your companion, I want him to go with us… However, as a parent, a mother, and your wife, I want him to stay with Aiz..."

Albert and Celdia averted their eyes away from Aria.

"If we bring Shirou with us...then Aiz would be all alone… she's too attached to the boy already…and I wouldn't dare to let that happen to our precious daughter..."

Despite the fact that Albert's face cramped at his wife's comments and he agreed that Aiz was too attached to the boy, he chose not to comment.

Celdia began to speak as she sensed the atmosphere becoming more intense.

"If I recall correctly, Aria, you too were attached to Albert here the moment he saved you right?" As she continued to observe the two, Celdia teased them. Aria enthusiastically laughed at her friend's comment, while Albert became red at the elf's teasing.

"It's true... I suppose she resembles her mother, huh?" Aria followed.

"She's still too young, Aria…"

"The same as I was when you saved me, Al."

Celdia snickered at the two's antics.

"For now, let's just observe those two. While it's a bit unfortunate that he can't use other magic, I'll still teach him knowledge of the magic our race use and you teach him and Aiz in combat, Albert."

"Aiz doesn't need—"

"She does." The black-haired man was cut off by Celdia's stern tone. "We don't know what will happen to her after this. If we have Shirou go with us, then she will be left alone with no knowledge or anything. And if Shirou goes with her, the boy can protect and further her training so that she can protect herself."

Albert gritted his teeth. The thought of letting his daughter use a sword and fight monsters flashed in his mind. Then he felt someone clutching his hand tightly.

"Dear, I agree with Celdia in this matter… If we want our precious daughter to be safe, we need to give her whatever we can right now…"

"Aria…"

After briefly closing them, Albert opened them again with renewed resolve. Shirou's training was fine in his eyes, but Aiz was another story. He had no other options at this point because time was of the essence. If his daughter was going to pick up a sword in the future, it was preferable if it happened now so he could train her.

"Alright, I'll do it…"

Celdia nodded with a small smile on her face.

"Good. Now, excuse me for I have something to do regarding our 'plan'."

"We're counting on you, Celdia."

"And I won't disappoint, Aria."

With that, the elf left the couple alone as the two walked toward their tent.

"What do you think of Shirou, Aria?"

"I think he's a good kid, why? Are you finally allowing him to get close to our Aiz?"

"…"

"Aww, why are you pouting? You do know that if we allow Shirou to get close to Aiz, that means we are already acquainted with our future son-in-law if Shirou does go with her, right? It's better than someone that we don't know~"

"…"

"Or maybe we can have the marriage ceremony right now but have Shirou promise us not to do the deed until they grow up~"

Albert fell on his knee with his hand holding his chest after he heard his wife saying the word he didn't want to hear concerning his daughter.

"You're exaggerating dear." Aria sighed as she helped her husband to stand up. "You're now acting the same way as my father did, you know? Didn't you say that you won't turn into a father like that?"

"Ugh!"

"Enough with being overdramatic, Albert Waldstein." Aria chided with a gentle tone while her husband let out a heavy sigh at her.

"I know, I know. Let's just not talk about our daughter's m..ma..mar—"

"Marriage?" Aria teased.

"Why do you look so happy at the notion of our daughter being with Shirou…"

"Why wouldn't I? I mean…we have planned this for years since 'it' showed up." Aria's eyes went solemn as she inhaled. "I despaired knowing that our Aiz would be in a place she wouldn't know by herself."

Knowing how stressed his wife had been, Albert flinched.

"We wouldn't be there to see her grow up, so we would miss her as she did. As she got older, she would find someone she loved, and finally get married to someone we wouldn't know. But now she's found someone who will be there for her even if we aren't."

Aria gave Albert a smile.

"Does that mean, you're voting for the boy to go with Aiz?"

"Yes."

"I see."

The wife nodded and the two entered their own tent.

Shirou was busy arranging the tent with Evelda's and some of Albert's companions' assistance when he observed a blonde girl approaching him from the direction he came from.

"Shiiiiirrrooouuu!" Aiz called out as she waved her hand.

Shirou could only smile as he saw the cheery girl approaching them when he heard the Amazon snort.

"Aiz-chan appears to like you a lot."

"I have no comment." he rolled his eyes.

Evelda arched her brow at the boy.

"Y'know, usually boys would be happy if a pretty girl approaches them as Aiz did, you're weird."

"Still no comment."

"Why you brat..."

Evelda stopped as she noticed Aiz was getting closer.

"Shirou! Is there anything that I can help with?" Aiz inquired while panting.

"Um...right now..." The boy looked around to see if Aiz could assist him with anything until his gaze was drawn to a sheet that needed to be cleaned.

"Ah, perhaps you can lead me to the river to clean this sheet?"

"Sure! Let's go then, Shirou!"

Aiz then proceeded to pick up the basket with the white sheet until Shirou stopped her.

"Let me do the heavy lifting, okay? I'll let you do the washing."

Aiz pouted at him for stopping her, but she quickly nodded and led Shirou while holding his free hand.

Evelda and the rest of her companions watch them in amusement until a voice called for them to continue with the tent.

Author Notes.

Chapter 4 final version!

I had some help in finalizing this chapter!

Enjoy!