The dark night is not a good time to rush on the road. Although Shirou Emiya, who has turned into a spirit body and follows him all the time, guarantees safety, in the darkness where you can't see your fingers, it is difficult to find the right path compared to threats such as wild animals. The way forward is even more troublesome.

A bonfire was lit in the hanging star curtain, and the pale yellow flames danced slightly in the dark forest. Elysia's pupils reflected the grilled fish in the firelight, and she sat huddled on the edge of the tent, looking eagerly at Shirou Emiya, with a trace of saliva hanging from the corner of her mouth.

Although there are still a few sandwiches that Shirou Emiya prepared in the morning in the backpack, for Elysia, who went to the forest with Shirou Emiya to embrace nature directly for the first time camping, this kind of life similar to savagery is obviously a challenge. A very novel experience.

Not far from the bonfire is a clear stream. The sound of gurgling water mixed with the sound of firewood being ignited echoed in the open mountain. After the surface of the grilled fish was baked to a golden brown color, Shirou Emiya handed the grilled fish with a natural aroma to Elysia, who was sitting in the tent.

"Come on, it's a little hot, so be careful when eating it."

Elysia happily took the grilled fish handed by Shirou Emiya but suddenly hesitated. "Emiya, don't you want to eat it?"

"It's not necessary." Shirou Emiya shook his head, "You should already know that I'm not a real human being, and I don't need to eat. Although eating is indeed a pleasant thing, there is one more important thing than eating. Important things."

"More important things?" Elysia asked, "What is it?"

"Clean up the rats around here a little bit." Shirou Emiya looked around in the darkness and said blankly, "You first stay here and wait for me, I'll be back soon."

After finishing speaking, Shirou Emiya's body disappeared instantly in the faint fluorescent light. At the same time, with the wailing of several beasts, the sound of something falling on the ground suddenly sounded in the woods where nothing could be seen.

When the sound stopped, Shirou Emiya appeared next to the campfire again, patting his palms without leaving any traces. After dealing with the beasts ambushing around, Shirou Emiya returned to the camp and cast his gaze in the direction of Elysia.

"Why, why are you staring at me in a daze? Hurry up and eat the grilled fish and wash your body over there, and then you will be ready to go to bed. You probably don't want to stay in this mountain forest all the time."

Elysia laughed suddenly, lowering her head happily. As long as Emiya was with her all the time, there seemed to be nothing wrong with being a little savage in the forest all the time. She opened her pink lips, closed her teeth, and lightly bit the edge of the grilled fish.

"It's so hot...!"

"But... it's delicious!"

Elysia chewed lightly in her mouth while enduring the temperature remaining on the grilled fish as if she was enjoying something supremely delicious.

Seeing Elysia's beautiful appearance, Shirou Emiya shook his head helplessly and added a handful of firewood to the campfire. The flame that had dimmed a little suddenly became much brighter.

... Only, after the night passed and the morning came, the flames that disperse the night should also gradually go out as they lose their value in the night, so stop burning. Like a guardian angel who protects others will quietly disappear after others no longer need their protection.

[The night is getting darker, with the campfire and your company, Elysia retreated into the zipped tent and fell into a deep sleep peacefully.]

[You stand by the campfire outside the tent, silently watching the scene in the night sky.]

There are no streetlights or any electrical equipment in the pitch-black forest. In the dark mountains and forests, people can see the stars that cover the night sky more clearly than in the towns that remain bright even at night.

Looking at the sky full of stars, Shirou Emiya suddenly recalled the scene in his dream last night. As time goes by, it gradually fills up the star trails in the sky. Clear, like a mirror-like endless sea.

The ray jumping out of the sea and floating in mid-air... a magnificent and holy girl like a grown-up Elysia. A servant... a ghostly body like him normally shouldn't be able to dream. If you want to talk about what you can see in your sleep, there should be only other people's memories left.

That is to say, that dream...

"Is it Elysia's memory?" Shirou Emiya whispered to himself as his pupils reflected the dim yellow firelight. "But... it seems a bit strange to say that it is Elysia's memory."

The servant and the contractor who signed the contract with each other have a strong spiritual link. So, seeing each other's memories should not be very surprising. But logically speaking, after coming to this world, hasn't Elysia grown up gradually under his care? Even if he really saw Elysia's memory in his dream, he should only be able to see what he already knew.

He saw Elysia's grown-up appearance in a dream... and if Shirou Emiya remembers correctly, the grown-up Elysia even engaged in a dialogue with him, who didn't know that he was dreaming at that time. Unusual.

Moreover, the grown-up Elysia also looked a little strange. Temperament, appearance, speaking style... Leaving aside these things for now, why did she appear in such a place before that? That strange space was obviously not something that could be seen in the real world, and... she stayed alone in that space as if she was waiting for something.

Shirou Emiya whispered deep in his heart while turning his gaze to the small tent immersed in silence.

'...Forget about tonight. When we reach that city tomorrow, if I get a chance, I'll try to see if I can enter that strange space again by falling into a deep sleep.'

What Shirou Emiya, who made such a plan, didn't see was that Elysia, who was in a deep sleep inside the pitch-black tent, suddenly turned over and wrinkled her eyebrows slightly.