Leaving the residential area of the small town, the spacious streets were quiet, surrounded by a large piece of flat land that had just been developed. Empty iron houses were abandoned in twos and threes on both sides of the road, roaring in the passing wind, lonely, waiting for the fate of being recycled into waste in the not-too-distant future.

"Huh... what a big sun," Elysia remarked.

It was late spring, and the afternoon sun gradually became hotter, carrying a smell of wind and sand in the air. Elysia raised her white palm and used the back of her hand to shield her slightly squinted eyes from the glaring sun. The flawless and almost transparent delicate skin was covered with a layer of glistening sweat. "Emiya, how much longer do we have to walk?"

"Tired?" Shirou Emiya glanced at Elysia, who was no longer jumping happily while maintaining his usual slow pace. "If you're tired, why don't we go home first?"

"Well—I'm so tired that I don't even feel tired, just a little hot." Elysia, who was wearing a short skirt, showed a slightly uncomfortable expression. She suddenly turned her head and looked at Emiya Shirou, who had a composed face, her lips pursed slightly. "Don't you feel hot?"

"If you've already made up your mind to learn swordsmanship and archery from me, you'll feel the heat later on," Emiya Shirou shrugged nonchalantly.

"Hmph, you're quite strict." Feeling provoked, Elysia turned her body around and walked along the street in the opposite direction, snorting. "Why didn't I realize that Emiya is such a strict person before?"

"Of course, we have to use completely different educational methods for children and older children," Emiya Shirou glanced at Elysia with an inexplicable look in his eyes. "Or do you want me to continue treating you like a child who doesn't understand anything?"

"Are you kidding me!" Elysia rolled her eyes and stared at him. "You're obviously shorter than me! How can you still confidently treat me like a child? If that's the case, aren't you a child yourself?"

"Even if you're taller than me, you're still younger than me," Emiya Shirou said lightly. "It's just that due to certain reasons, my appearance is fixed at its current state, but inside, I'm a real adult. You're a seven-year-old kid, so don't have unrealistic expectations. To me, you'll always be just a child. The only difference is that you haven't grown up." Then again, my appearance clearly hasn't changed in any way. Why don't the people in town find it strange?

Emiya Shirou stroked his chin. He had actually realized this question a long time ago, but no one could provide him with a satisfactory answer.

Initially, he thought it was an additional effect of the background identity provided by the simulator system. However, when he asked the assistant, the assistant denied his guess.

The simulater could indeed give him a reasonable identity in this world, but it couldn't modify or interfere with other people's cognition. So, it wasn't the work of the simulator that other people didn't notice his abnormality.

After receiving this answer, Emiya Shirou was stunned for a long time. He tried to question the assistant, but all he got was a cold and ruthless response: "Player should check the surroundings for signs and hints."

Helpless, Emiya Shirou had to temporarily set aside this strange matter. After all, with his limited magical ability, it would be embarrassing for him to search for hints. Besides, this strange phenomenon didn't seem to have any negative impact on the nearby residents. Although he wasn't an unscrupulous mage, he wasn't the kind of person who adamantly resisted using magic on others. If it had no impact on the normal lives of the residents, and Emiya Shirou had no reason to interfere or meddle with things that have only benefited him.

However, when it came to the assistant lady...

Emiya Shirou contemplated for a moment and calmly read the information about the item he had just obtained.

[Item Type: Magic Dress]

[Item Name: Class Card "Archer," Class Card "Saber"]

[Exchange Price: 500 points per piece]

[Item Description: These cards have no special abilities apart from being able to install a spiritual foundation framework.]

[To utilize the special ability of the class card, the holder needs to use a catalyst connected to a Heroic Spirit to link with the Throne of the Heroes.]

"What on earth is this?" Emiya Shirou couldn't help but feel a bit bewildered.

Just a moment ago, when he subconsciously mentioned that he had no way to quickly improve his combat skills, the voice of the assistant lady resounded in his mind.

The assistant lady informed him that there were indeed items in the store that could allow him to quickly enhance his combat skills, and the price was relatively low—something he could easily afford with a point balance of over 5,000.

Upon receiving this response, Emiya Shirou didn't hesitate to ask the assistant lady to help him exchange for the designated items. However, as a result, he found himself plunged into confusion.

Class cards? Heroic Spirits? Catalyst? Throne of Heroes?

What were these seemingly powerful terms?

Just as he was about to ask these questions to the assistant lady, a low rumble suddenly echoed from the distance down the street.

As the sound of engines grew louder, Emiya Shirou shifted his attention back to reality and looked in the direction of the noise. He spotted a convoy of over a dozen military jeeps swiftly approaching through the billowing yellow sand.

Without saying a word, Emiya Shirou grabbed Elysia's hand and pulled her to the side of the road.

The convoy drew closer, and suddenly, the leading vehicle blared its horn sharply. Using that sound as a signal, the convoy's speed rapidly decreased until it came to a stop next to the two of them.

"Hey! You two kids! Why are you lingering around here?" The leading military jeep rolled down the window of the front passenger side, revealing Himiko's extremely serious expression. "Where are your family members? The road is about to be blocked. Let us take you back to town."