Chapter 28: The Spirit of the Sword
"Oi, wake up."
Someone was poking him at his side.
It's so annoying. Who in the world would be able to sleep when someone keeps poking him like that?
"Seriously, how much longer are you planning to sleep?"
As long as he wanted, jerk.
"Fine, if you still keep being that annoying, I'll have to…! Eek!?"
His eyes snapped open, and he deftly grabbed the ankle of the leg coming at his side before slamming its owner to the ground and putting them in a chokehold.
"Ow! Ow! Is that what you usually do to a girl, you brute?!"
The person who was struggling like mad under his chokehold, now identified as a girl, exclaimed when trying her best to escape from the ex-Counter Guardian's clutch. EMIYA blinked. That voice, that bossy tone, that black hair that was tied into a pair of twin tails with black ribbons…
"Rin?"
The person who looked like a splitting image of his former Master groaned, still with the bossy voice. "So that's the girl's name, huh? Come on, release me!"
EMIYA's eyes narrowed. His chokehold on the girl's neck tightened even more than before. "How do you know her?" he snarled. "Why do you look like her? You'd better answer now, or…"
"Yes, yes! Okay, okay! I'll tell you! Just release me first!" the girl pleaded while flailing around desperately; her voice was starting to get weaker. EMIYA released his grip, and the girl fell over, gasping for breath.
"Jeez," she complained while rubbing her neck. "Do you really have to be such a brute? You could have been a bit gentler, you know."
EMIYA looked at the girl in front of him from head to toe. She looked like a carbon copy of Rin, but instead of her signature red shirt and black dress or the revealing white-and-gold outfit of Ishtar, she was wearing a white long sleeveless dress that covered her from her neck to her ankles, decorated with golden ornaments and different colored gemstones. The real Rin would never be able to afford such flashy clothes. And the pompous expression on her face irritated the ex-Counter Guardian to no end.
"Who the hell are you?" he demanded. "You might look like her, but I know you're not her. What is your intention? Where the hell am I, anyway?"
The girl waved her hand. "Just look around you and you'll understand."
EMIYA blinked. He looked around as the girl told him to, and saw that he was standing in the middle of a wasteland. The sky was covered in an eerie red color, decorated with giant steel gears at the horizon, and the barren land was littered with thousands and thousands of swords.
He was standing in the middle of his mind.
And only now did he realize that the Legendary Sword wasn't with him anymore.
He turned back to the girl. "Then…"
"You got that right," the girl answered him with a smug expression on her face. "You are looking at the Spirit staying within the Legendary Sword."
EMIYA stared at her. "Then how…?"
The girl shrugged. "I took the form of this girl because… well, I read your history when I summoned you and saw that you once called her your 'Master', so I guess it would make you feel more comfortable."
For a while, there was only silence. Then, EMIYA let out a snort of disdain.
"Wh-what? You don't believe me?!"
The former Counter Guardian snorted again. "Oh, on the contrary. I can fully believe that you are the Legendary Sword. That bitchy and annoying personality is unmistakable, after all."
EMIYA was famous for having a very sharp tongue. However, he had mellowed out quite a lot since the time he was summoned to Chaldea. Therefore, that kind of snarky tone in his voice was only reserved for the people whom he despised a lot. And this… woman, he guesses?... was exactly the kind of person he hated the most in his life. She might look like Rin from the outside, but the way she acted, her personality and how she treated others were just like that of a certain golden Archer. Well, maybe even worse.
And the spirit of the Sword was seemingly stunned into silence by the words of the Sword Hero. She just stood there in silence; her face froze in an expression EMIYA could say was a mixture of astonishment, rage and humiliation. Finally, after a while, she managed to stammer.
"Y-you…! H-how dare you…! I am a guardian of the world, a defender born from the will of the Planet herself! Show me proper respect!"
"I would do that if you show me proper respect first," retorted EMIYA coldly. "You rudely pulled me to this world without even asking me if I wanted to or not, invaded my mind, took the form of a person precious to me without asking for permission first, and now you're here to demand me to show you respect?!"
Once again, the spirit was rendered speechless because of the former Counter Guardian's scathing words. EMIYA ignored her. He looked around, and realized there was something more important to care about.
"Why am I here?" he asked. "The last thing I remember was that I destroyed the eight heads of the Hydra before Wyndia's beam of energy eradicated its body. Then… I died?"
And he raised an eyebrow when the mouth of the Spirit curled into a pout.
"You're not," she said flatly. "But you might as well be, for being an idiot. Who in their right mind would charge head-first into such an attack? And you!" she suddenly pointed an accusing finger at him. "That kind of thinking! Why do you always have to go all the way to hurt yourself? I summoned you here to help protect the world, not to throw away your life in such a meaningless way!"
Those were supposed to be caring words. But to EMIYA, they only served to piss him off.
"Oh? So whose fault is it, I wonder?" he sneered, and his scathing voice and the glare he sent at the spirit actually made her take a step back unconsciously.
"Wh-why are you looking at me like that?"
"You said that you wanted me here to help protect the world, but so far, you have done nothing but hinder me at any opportunity you have," the ex-Counter Guardian growled, his voice was cold and even though he didn't show any hint of anger, anyone who happened to be there at that moment would still feel chill creeping up their spines. "You stripped me of all of the abilities I know and am used to, to force me to use a completely new set of abilities which is obviously inferior to the one I already got familiar with. When I tried to let the Sword copy the weapons of my world in order to increase my power, you did your best to prevent me from using them by establishing ridiculous conditions and requirements I have to go through if I wanted to use them. Even when I tried to do something to protect myself and the other Heroes, you still let the Sword shock me to near death. Even in a situation that literally requires me to use all of my power, like the Hydra we have just defeated, you still tried to shock me to death for trying to use a weapon that you don't want me to use. Now what do you have to say about that? Do you even want to protect the world, after all?"
The spirit, to EMIYA's ire, actually had the nerve to show a shocked expression on her face. But then, she shook it off and shot back.
"H-how dare you! I was born from the Will of the Planet, with that as my mission! I just did what I did because you were trying to break the rules! You're not supposed to be able to use something that strong at this level! You were summoned to this world; you have to obey the rules of this world!"
EMIYA's eyes narrowed. He was completely pissed now. So that's what it is, huh?
"Oh, I see. So you don't even care about whether this world could survive or not. You don't even care about whether the Heroes you summon would survive in a fight that has an obvious chance to take their lives as soon as they step into the battlefield. The only thing that you care about is to make them fight with a rule that you set for them. They can die, as long as you have what you want, don't you? Is fighting for the sake of the world just a game to you?!"
The Spirit spluttered. "Wha-! I didn't say anything like that! Stop trying to twist my words!"
EMIYA shot her a scathing glare. "Oh, really? Then tell me what you mean, because no matter how I look at it, that's the only way I can explain it."
"I—"
The words choked in the Spirit's throat before they could escape her mouth.
She had existed for centuries, born from the Will of the Planet as a lynchpin to keep it safe. A lot of Heroes had been summoned during the years, and none of them had ever questioned anything about their duty. They always happily accepted what they should do, fighting against the Waves of Calamity, destroying monsters and protecting the safety of this world. Well, what kind of person wouldn't be happy about the vision of being a hero who protects the world?
None of them had ever given her questions like this. None of them had ever even questioned the rules the world set for them.
She had never even wondered whether those rules were right or wrong. She kept enforcing them on the Heroes without any questions, defaulting it to "they are the rules, they must be right". Therefore, naturally, she didn't know how to answer these questions.
"Th-that's not what you need to know!" Finally, she managed to speak up. "You are summoned here to protect this world; the only thing you should care about is doing your job!"
And that was the biggest mistake the Spirit of the Legendary Sword could have made.
EMIYA's eyes narrowed upon hearing those words. Then, he raised his arm to the side. A sword ejected itself from the ground and flew into his open hand.
No, not a sword. It would be more appropriate to call it a dagger, even though with that jagged and brittle blade, it's hardly proper to call it such, either. It didn't have any capacity as a weapon, and yet, exuding from it was something ominous and terrifying. And the sight of it alone was enough to make the Spirit's face as white as chalk.
"No-"
"Since you already read my history, I bet you also know what this little dagger does," the ex-Counter Guardian said with a deathly cold voice. "I had wanted to do this since the day I was summoned to this place, but I know for a fact that there's no way you're going to let me do that. But here we are, in my mind, where you have no authority… you are not going to stop me."
"You can't do that!" the Spirit protested in a trembling voice. "There's no telling what will happen if you break the contract! You might-"
"-die? Then so be it," EMIYA finished the sentence for her, still with his cold voice. "It's not like this is going to be the first time I die, anyway."
He brought the dagger down on his own chest with a firm, decisive motion, in front of the Spirit's eyes which were filled with horror.
And his hand was stopped right before the tip of the dagger could touch his skin.
"I'm afraid I cannot let you do that yet, EMIYA-kun."
EMIYA turned back to see the person who had just stopped his hand and was now holding his wrist. And he sighed.
"Just as I thought… Whenever something bad happens related to the multiverse, you're always going to have something in it, aren't you?"
Because the person who was holding his wrist was none other than the Kaleidoscope, Master of the Second Magic, the Wizard Marshall, the person who singlehandedly defeated the Ultimate One of the Moon, Crimson Moon Brunestud, and in a certain parallel world, the Third of the Twenty-seven Dead Apostle Ancestors. The most powerful human being EMIYA had ever known in his life. Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg.
"So… you are the one who summoned me to this place."
That wasn't a question, but a confirmation. Zelretch shrugged.
"Well, that is a pretty big stretch. I didn't summon you here, EMIYA-kun… but I have to admit, I had a hand in that. Summoning you is what that girl over there did; I just gave her a push on which person she would choose to summon, that's all."
EMIYA stared at the old sage in front of him. It's true that he was the Master of the Second Magic, the True Magic that allows its user to observe and interact with Parallel Worlds, but…
As if reading his mind, the old wizard chuckled in mirth. "This world is one of the rare worlds that I have personally been observing and interacting with since I achieved mastery of the Second Magic. Have to say, I actually have a hand in a lot of things that happen in this world. Don't you think it's weird when all the people summoned to this world by the Legendary Weapons are from Earth, albeit from different parallel worlds?"
EMIYA nodded in understanding. He had also wondered about that for a while, but then due to everything happening recently, he needed to put it to the back of his mind. "So… it's just like that in our world? The Servant Summoning System?"
Zelretch shrugged again. "Close enough. If anything, I would say that it's more similar to the Heroic Spirit Summoning Ritual used by Alaya to summon the Grand Servants. But yeah, you got the point."
"So someone like me is considered Grand level, huh," quipped EMIYA. "What an honor."
The old Magician sighed. "Well, it was supposed to be like that, anyway."
Then he threw a glare at the Spirit of the Legendary Sword. Surprisingly, the Spirit seemed to cower under the glare of the old man. She looked away with a huff.
"In the past, a lot of Heroes were summoned to fight by the Legendary Weapons," Zelretch explained. "However, the only proper Heroes that were summoned were from the Legendary Shield. The Sword, Spear, and Bow rarely managed to summon their first choices before; for some reason, all the so-called 'Heroes' they managed to summon were people with serious character problems. They were all obnoxious jerks who thought of themselves as main characters in a game. Notably, that girl over there only managed to summon a decent Hero once in all of her life," he jerked his thumb at the Spirit of the Sword.
EMIYA blinked. "How so? Aren't you the designer of this system? Couldn't you, like, put a restriction around the summoning conditions or something?"
Zelretch shook his head. "I wasn't the designer of this system at all. The Legendary Weapons are creations of the… well, you can say this world's Alaya itself; I just happened to be here at that time and… well, was asked to make a small tweak in it, that's all. The decision of who would be summoned belongs to her, and, well, her equivalents within the other Legendary Weapons. And for some reason, they seem to like the 'obnoxious dimwit' type."
"Hey! It's not like I wanted that to happen!" the Spirit of the Sword retorted immediately. "The first candidates always refused to fight for us for some reason!"
With that kind of character you have, one has to wonder why they refused, thought EMIYA sarcastically.
Then EMIYA remembered something important. If Zelretch was the one who brought him here, then surely he would understand what was going on, wouldn't he?
"What's going on with this world anyway?" he asked. "If you are the creator… ahem, sorry… one of the creators of this system, then it means that this Wave thing is not something that has happened since the beginning of this world, doesn't it? Then what the hell is it?"
What he didn't expect was that Zelretch's face suddenly turned into a frown. And the atmosphere around the three people became heavy and serious in an instant.
The old Wizard Marshall looked at EMIYA up and down. Then, he closed his eyes and said in a grim tone.
"It seems you have realized it too, EMIYA-kun. Yes, it is as you thought. The Wave of Calamity is not a natural disaster. There is actually someone behind it."
"Who is that?"
"I cannot tell you. At least, not yet."
EMIYA's eyes narrowed. "Why?"
"Because you are not strong enough to handle that enemy. If you know its name, there is a chance that you might blurt out the name at a random time, and no one would be able to save your life if that's the case. You know the words, 'speak of the devil and he doth appear'."
"Gee, and whose fault was that, I wonder?" EMIYA drawled while glancing at the Spirit of the Sword again. "Who is the one with the brilliant idea to strip me of all my abilities in the first place?"
Zelretch's face hardened. He looked straight into the ex-Counter Guardian's eyes and said in an utterly serious voice.
"EMIYA-kun. Do you think that if you retain all of your abilities, you would be able to fight off and defeat an enemy with power equal to an Ultimate One alone?"
That question threw EMIYA off guard. Not because of the content of the question, but because of the seriousness in Zelretch's voice.
Usually, the old Wizard Marshall was someone everyone would fear, not because of his power or position in the Mage's Association, but rather, because of his eccentric personality. True, he was a heroic person who would do his best to stop evil, but at the same time, he was also a jerk who wouldn't hesitate to throw others into troublesome situations just for fun.
And that was when the old Magician was not serious. When he was serious, like how he was in front of EMIYA right now, EMIYA knew this wasn't something to joke about.
He had fought against an Ultimate One before, during the seventh Lostbelt, and he knew how hopeless the situation was. There's no way a lone Heroic Spirit, no matter how strong they are, could even stand a chance against something like that.
"…No," finally, after a few seconds of thinking, he grudgingly admitted.
"And there you have it," Zelretch nodded. "Even with your full power as a Heroic Spirit, you wouldn't stand a chance against it. You would need the power of all the other Heroes… and even more than that."
There was something in the old Wizard Marshall's voice that unnerved EMIYA.
"Did you fight that enemy before?"
Zelretch nodded. "Twice. The first time was when I first discovered this universe and arrived in this world."
"And did you win?"
Zelretch closed his eyes. "Well, if you consider 'winning' as 'managing to stop it and chase it away,' then yes. I managed to push it back, yes… but I cannot say that I 'defeated' it. It could not be killed, with just my power alone. I drove it away… but then not long after that, it returned, stronger than before. It grew… by devouring other worlds in this universe, ones it deemed 'ripe enough' to take. And if it grows strong enough, there's no guarantee that it's not going to turn its head towards the Multiverse itself… including Earth, that is. It isn't simply a universal threat anymore; if not defeated once and for all, everything in existence is going to be in peril."
"A… World Devourer…" EMIYA muttered.
"That was why after the second time we managed to drive it away, we decided that something must be done about this," Zelretch continued. "The Worlds of this universe themselves set up a leveling-up system as well as creating the Legendary and Vassal Weapons so that the citizens of the Worlds could defend themselves against the World Devourer, and I established the connection between these Worlds and their equivalents of Earth so that they could summon Heroes from our world to help. This leveling-up system is not a game; it is the best way we could think of for the people of these Worlds to grow strong in a short period of time, enough for them to deal with the Waves of Calamity that the World Devourer sent at them, to stall for time and stop it from growing too much until someone finds a way to completely destroy it."
Then he sighed. "What the people here seem to lack is a true understanding of the system's purpose, however. The Heroes summoned to this world before didn't have the slightest idea of what they needed to do; instead, they wasted their time, their strength and their lives on bickering, and sometimes even warring against each other. The World Devourer didn't even need to come here on its own, because the Heroes of this world were so pathetic eating them was just not worth coming."
Zelretch ended the last words with a solemn note in his voice. And now EMIYA could vaguely understand the reason why he was summoned to this world.
"So what you need me to do is…"
"You got it," Zelretch nodded. "You already knew what the system is about, so there's no better person than you to guide the other Heroes and the people of this world and the other worlds of this universe to grow, to become a force strong enough to fight against the World Devourer. It needs to be destroyed before it becomes strong enough to be a threat to the whole multiverse."
Silence filled the air again. EMIYA closed his eyes when he digested the information he had just received.
Technically, he didn't have to do anything. He was pulled to this world to fight in a contract against his will, and the truth is, he wasn't fond of the ones summoning him here, either. Upon seeing how the royalty and nobles of Melromarc treated the Heroes, his disdain for this world deepened even further. However, soon he realized that not everyone in this world is bad. His team, the four demi-human bodyguards, the good shopkeepers in Melromarc, Captain Fargus, Larsazusa… They were all good people who would do their best to protect the world, and they didn't deserve to suffer the fate of becoming food for an alien invader.
And EMIYA's mission when he was summoned here wasn't only to fight back the Wave. A single Hero isn't going to be enough against the enemy they're going to face. He was also supposed to be the mentor who led the Heroes and this world on the right track, to make sure that they reached the level of a true Hero in the correct way, not through endless conflicts with each other. He needed to get rid of their toxic mindsets about the world being a game before everything was too late, and unite them into a force strong enough to stand against the World Devourer if… no, when it arrived to destroy everything.
And if he wanted to do that, there was no other choice for him. Being stronger than the other Heroes isn't enough; what he needed to do was to become strong while still playing by the rules, to prove that he was better than them without, well, cheating, because even he had to admit that his ability was a cheat in the setting of this world.
"Then I'll have to stick with this for a while more, huh…" he said while throwing a glance at the Spirit of the Legendary Sword.
"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?!"
Zelretch shook his head. "I'm afraid you would have to, EMIYA-kun. I know you don't like her, but for the sake of this world and our own universe, too, please, put up with her for a while. And you," he turned to the Spirit, who was fuming after hearing what EMIYA said. "I already told you, that kind of attitude is not going to do you any favor. You're supposed to cooperate with the Heroes to bring out the best of them, in order to protect the world, not to abuse the rules of the Legendary Weapons to torture them whenever you see them doing anything you don't want them to do."
"But the rules need to be obeyed," she insisted stubbornly while glaring at EMIYA.
Zelretch shook his head. "I'm not saying you must let him do whatever he wants. What I'm saying here is, while you're strong on your own, you're not omnipotent. There will always be times when your assistance alone isn't enough. Don't just throw a tantrum whenever he tries to use another weapon; instead, think about whether it was actually necessary for him to do it or not first. Sometimes, the rules aren't everything. And frankly," the old wizard said bluntly, "so far, I've seen you being nothing but a jerk to every single Hero that you managed to summon. No wonder why the decent ones didn't answer your call."
Ooh, that burns.
Even EMIYA had to wince at the extremely blunt statement coming from the Wizard Marshall. The Spirit of the Sword looked like she had just gotten a hammer blow to the head; she grabbed her head with both of her hands, and her eyes were filled with horror and regret as she digested what the Old Man of the Jewels had just told her straight to her face. But unlike before, she just stood there and looked down at the ground, not saying anything.
The two men looked at the Spirit in silence for a while. Then, Zelretch said.
"I think it's time for you to wake up, EMIYA-kun. You wouldn't want to let your disciples cry anymore, I assure you. That dog girl has been throwing herself around in despair since that last blast hit you and the Hydra, you know."
"How am I still alive, though?" EMIYA wondered. "Did you save me from that blast?"
Zelretch grinned. "Not me, but someone I have known for quite a while happened to be there at that moment. She's someone you would want to befriend in the future, because I cannot say for sure things would be all right for you or anyone if you somehow manage to anger her."
"Am I going to see you again in the future?" the ex-Counter Guardian asked. Zelretch just answered him with a shrug.
"Maybe. Well, probably. I'm going to return when I deem it necessary for you to know more about things. Just do your best and survive until that day comes."
But there was still something else that bothered EMIYA.
"That enemy is something even you cannot completely defeat. Even if we could master the power of the Legendary Weapons, we're just human beings in the end. How are we going to be able to defeat something with that level of power?"
What he didn't expect was a very suspicious twinkle in the old Wizard Marshall's eyes when he said those words.
"Oh, you are going to understand when the time is ripe."
Then everything disappeared in a white flash.
His eyes snapped open.
The first thing he realized was that he was lying on a comfortable bed. His eyes were staring at an extravagant marble ceiling, with a big crystal chandelier hanging down from it. So he must be alive, just like Zelretch had just told him.
He groaned. His head felt just like someone had just smashed a gong right next to his ear. He pushed himself up from the bed and looked around to have a grasp of what was going on. But before he could understand anything, he heard a gasp, and his vision was completely obscured by a large quantity of brown, silky hair. Someone had jumped on him with a force that nearly knocked him flat back on the bed again.
There was only one person among whom EMIYA had known since he arrived in this world who had this hair. And the voice coming from the direction of his chest confirmed his suspicion.
"Please… never, never… do that again," Wyndia sniffled between hiccups; her tears were wetting the chest of the shirt he was wearing. He chuckled lightly.
"So it takes you nearly blasting me to smithereens to change your opinion about me, hm?"
The dog girl punched his chest weakly with her small hands. "Jerk…"
"Welcome back to the land of the living, Brother," Fargus, who had just entered the room upon hearing the commotion inside, said with a big grin. "She has been crying her eyes out for the two days you were unconscious. Truly, can't believe that someone like her could care about you so much she hasn't left the side of your bed since you were carried here."
Wyndia's face started turning red upon hearing the pirate captain. She turned toward him to say something, but the man didn't have any intention to let her talk. He grinned and nudged the Sword Hero.
"Hey, she actually looks pretty nice after such a big level jump, doesn't she? In a few years, she's going to be a bombshell for sure. You're so lucky there, Brother."
Wyndia's face was now as red as a ripe cherry. She leaped off the bed and ran out of the room, startling the other disciples who were walking into the room upon hearing that their teacher had regained consciousness.
But even a single glimpse was more than enough for EMIYA to see how much the level spurt had done for Wyndia. The dog girl was now as tall as Farrie, and her face now looked older and more mature than before, even though there were still some hints of the naivete she had shown at her younger age. Her brown hair had lengthened to her waist, and even the (now pretty short) blouse she was wearing couldn't completely hide the developing curves on her new seventeen-year-old body. In short, she had become a very attractive young lady.
She still got a lot more to learn about her personality if she wanted to attract the boys, though…
The other members of Team EMIYA gathered around the bed. Welt exclaimed enthusiastically.
"Sensei, you're so awesome! I was scared shitless when that Hydra appeared, but you even managed to kill it!"
"And nearly got myself killed in the process, remember?" the ex-Counter Guardian reminded the archer. But the enthusiastic smile didn't even leave the boy's face.
"Even so! Had it not been for you, this city would have been reduced to rubble now!"
EMIYA glanced at Captain Fargus. But strangely, the Axe Hero didn't have any anger or dismay on his face.
"The boy's right, you know," said the pirate captain with a big smile. "If you hadn't been there, there's no way we would be able to find out how to kill that monster. The credit for killing it is all yours and that little mage; the best we could do at that moment was to assist you with everything we had. You should be proud of it."
Hearing that soothed EMIYA down a little.
"Hey, speaking about that, how am I still alive now? If that Hydra was killed by Wyndia's spell, there should have been no way for me to be alive here, shouldn't it?"
Captain Fargus jerked his thumb toward a corner of the room. "Ah, that would have been her fault, then."
EMIYA followed the direction of the Axe Hero's thumb, and only now did he realize the existence of the person who had been in the room since he woke up but hadn't said a single word.
That person was a young lady dressed in a white-and-red long dress. She had short, silver hair with thin streaks of light blue which was done in a short bob, and EMIYA was amused to see the three ahoges standing up vertically from the crown of her head, which reminded him of a certain King of Knights. Her ruby-red eyes held a constant sharp but dreamy gaze, and her face was small and well-composed. A pair of elegant white wings sprouted out of her back, making her look even more like an angel.
She looked like a girl about ten years old or so. However, even with just a single glance, EMIYA knew that she was incredibly strong… maybe even stronger than all the people in this room combined. Just looking at her made EMIYA's hair stand up. She must be at least as strong as top-tier Servants… no, scratch that, she might even be a match for Grand Servants if they happened to face each other in a fight.
The girl stood up from the chair she was sitting on. She looked at EMIYA, and bowed her head with an elegant curtsy.
"Greetings, Sword Hero. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Fitoria, and I am known as the Queen of the Filolials."
A loud gasp came from Farrie's mouth.
"No way! You are Fitoria?! The legendary Queen of the Filolials who was raised by the four Legendary Heroes in the past?!"
Everyone's eyes turned toward the young priestess. The lady, now identified as Fitoria, looked at her with amused eyes.
"I believe you have done quite a lot of research yourself. Yes, my name has always been Fitoria, and there has only ever been one."
Usually, people would be suspicious if someone suddenly appeared and announced themselves as a legendary figure of history. However, with the people in this room right now, there was no reason for them to raise any suspicion. Because, after all, she had just saved the Sword Hero's life from a certain death situation. A fake would never be able to do something like that.
She must be the acquaintance Zelretch talked about before.
EMIYA pushed himself up from his bed. He stood up and raised his hand for a handshake.
"It's my honor to see you, Your Majesty. My name is Emiya Shirou, and thank you very much for saving my life."
To everyone's bewilderment, Fitoria grabbed the hand of the Sword Hero in earnest with a light smile.
"You're welcome, Sword Hero. That is my duty. After all, I cannot let the only Legendary Hero who actually devotes himself to assisting with fighting the Waves die like that. You are the best among the Heroes who have been summoned here recently."
Seeing EMIYA's face, the Queen of the Filolials said. "I have been keeping track of you four Cardinal Heroes since the day you were summoned to this world. And at the same time, I have also been fighting the Waves of Calamity that happen around the world, in which the Cardinal Heroes don't bother participating. The Wave that happened today, for example. I had expected none of you would be here, so I came here, with the intention to assist… but you were already here, doing your best to push back the Wave, so there's no need for me to intervene anymore. And I have to thank you for that, Sword Hero."
"Well, your assistance would have been a good thing, Your Majesty," the Sword Hero couldn't help but quip. Fitoria let out a mirthful chuckle.
"Well, perhaps. But you cannot say that watching you from afar didn't help. From watching how you fought, I've gotten a glimpse of how strong you are, whether you would need my help or not, and more importantly, whether you would deserve my help at all. And I have to say, you didn't disappoint me, Sword Hero. I would have intervened if something bad had actually happened, but you handled it so well I didn't have to do anything… well, except for saving your life at the end."
EMIYA rolled his eyes. There was no denial of the arrogance in the voice of the Queen of the Filolials, but he knew for a fact that she had all the right to say those words. She had been the protector of this world for - who knows, thousands of years? - already, and she had more than enough right to criticize the Heroes about the way they acted to help the world.
Not to mention, she was incredibly powerful; if she wanted, she could take the lives of every Hero easily. Even EMIYA himself. He's not going to throw his life away angering a Grand-level being, thank you very much.
Fitoria let go of EMIYA's hand. "I guess it's time for me to go now. There's nothing else for me to do here since you're already awake. But I'll say that we're going to see each other again, soon enough. And before I go…"
She walked across the room and stopped in front of Team EMIYA. The disciples and Yuki tensed up in fear, but Fitoria didn't seem like she wanted to hurt them. Instead, she looked them up and down, before stopping at Yuki's face. Her eyes softened at the sight of the little kitsune who seemed to be afraid of the Queen's gaze, and was now hiding behind Farrie's legs.
"I see… Poor you, little one…"
Now EMIYA remembered something. "Your Majesty, there's something about Yuki that I don't understand. Before, during the Wave, she seemed to lose her ability to transform back into her beast form. And it's definitely not normal, because she seemed to be deathly terrified about that. Do you know why that happened?"
Fitoria looked at EMIYA with analyzing eyes for a while. Then, she closed her eyes and said.
"I do. However, it's not something you or anyone can do anything about at the moment."
In her voice, there was something that unnerved EMIYA.
"Why?"
The Queen of the Filolials sighed and said in a solemn tone. "Within this girl, there is a tremendous power lying dormant. What you have all witnessed so far was just a very tiny fragment of what she could actually do. If fully unleashed, she could potentially become one of the most powerful beings that exist in this land. However…"
She suddenly turned toward EMIYA. "Tell me. Did she get some kind of trauma that made her lose control of her beast form recently? Did she go crazy and start attacking everything within her sight?"
This was such a detailed and precise question it was as if she already knew the answer already, and EMIYA didn't bother to deny it. He nodded.
"Just as I thought," Fitoria sighed. "Even though she contains such power within herself, she's not powerful enough, mentally or physically, to properly control it. I dare guess when that incident happened, her power exploded outside uncontrollably with her emotions, and she lost herself to it and started attacking everything with her feral instinct of a beast. And when she calmed down and realized what she had done, it was such a traumatic experience for her that she started fearing herself. That immense power was locked up unconsciously by her mind, together with her ability to transform back into her beast form. As long as she's still afraid of that power, she's not going to transform again."
Everyone in the room was horrified by that information.
"Then it means…"
"Yes," Fitoria nodded. "She's going to have to grow stronger by herself and face the fear with her own strength someday if she wants to regain her full power."
Heavy silence covered the room. Then, EMIYA walked toward Yuki and lifted her up into his arms.
"Yuki. Is what she said true?"
The little kitsune looked at the Sword Hero, her eyes trembled in fear. "Papa…" she whispered with a timid nod.
If what Fitoria said was true, then having Yuki's latent power unlocked would be a very great boon to him and the world. The little mikon could be one of the greatest weapons this world could have to fight against the World Devourer. However…
No matter what she actually was, how powerful she actually was, Yuki was still a child. An innocent child who was just born a month ago and was immediately swept into this. His child. And no matter how pragmatic and coldhearted he could be, there was no way he would force her into something that he knew might leave a big scar in her innocent mind forever.
"There's no need for it."
Fitoria followed the Sword Hero with her eyes with a curious interest. "Oh?"
"Yuki really needs to defeat the fear within her mind, yes," EMIYA patted the kitsune's head. "However, she's going to do it when she decides she's ready herself. We're going to help her prepare for it, and when the time comes, we're going to do it together. And if she gains some power with that, then so be it."
Fitoria looked at the Sword Hero and Yuki without saying anything for a while. Then, a small smile appeared on her face.
"I see. Then…"
She walked toward the two, and to the surprise of everyone in the room, she grabbed the kitsune's hand and placed a kiss on the back of it.
"Think of this as a blessing from me to you, little one," she said while looking into Yuki's eyes. "Your journey ahead is going to have a lot of obstacles, but I know you will be able to overcome all of them. I wish you good luck."
Then instead of going to the door, she walked toward the opened window of the room. And to everyone's bewilderment, she leaped out of it with a graceful jump.
"Wha…?!"
Everyone in the room dashed to the window to look out, but instead of a smashed corpse below, they found an elegant carriage floating in the air. The carriage didn't have anything pulling it, but for some reason, it was still moving fine. And Fitoria was sitting inside it.
"Take care, Sword Hero," the Queen of the Filolials said. "We'll see each other again soon, I'm sure about that."
The door of the carriage closed, and the whole thing disappeared in a bright flash.
[Companion Sword: Second condition of evolution fulfilled.]
EMIYA looked at the pop-up window which had just opened in front of him. The Companion Sword, huh…
That sword was the sword he unlocked when he accepted Tersia, Farrie and Welt as his companions. It didn't have very impressive stats, and the only ability it gave him was just a boost in EXP gain, nothing else.
And what attracted his attention was the wording of the notice. Evolution, not upgrade. He knew that there are swords that can be reforged to become stronger, but he had never heard about a sword that could grow on its own.
And this wasn't the first time it happened. Before, after the confrontation with Motoyasu in Erhard's store, a similar notice also popped up, something about the first condition being fulfilled. However, the sword didn't give him information about what the conditions were exactly. Therefore, he hadn't paid much attention to it, and it seemed this time was no different.
It must be related to the events that had happened recently. That's the only thing he could guess.
He was about to put it away when another pop-up window appeared in front of him.
[Personal Skill upgraded. Skill unlocked: Emergency Projection.]
That's strange. He hadn't unlocked any new sword recently, except for the Hydra series, which he got from absorbing the fang of the Hydra he had just killed. And he was sure that none of the swords in the series had anything about a Personal Skill upgrade.
Curious, he opened the skill list to check the information on the new skill.
Emergency Projection: Allowing the use of a sword created by Projection Magic as a weapon once per day.
So this is how the Spirit of the Legendary Sword apologizes, huh…
EMIYA chuckled lightly. This wasn't much, but at least it was an improvement.
"So… I guess it's goodbye for now."
Team EMIYA, as well as Captain Fargus, the crew of the Ark, Arthur Bentley and Larsazusa, were standing on the hill on the outskirt of Zeltoble Harbor.
The city was ravaged quite badly. However, they would always find a way to bounce back and return to prosperity. The country of merchants and mercenaries was not something that would give up easily like that.
"Do you really have to go back to that place?" Captain Fargus half said, half complained. EMIYA chuckled.
"Well, even though we don't, we still have the duty to fight back the Wave over there. We wouldn't want that crazy old bird to get mad, would we?"
"Fair enough," the Axe Hero also chuckled. "Still, if someday you find yourself in need of help, just come to Zeltoble. The crew of the Ark and I are more than ready to offer you assistance, with everything we have."
He reached out his hand, and EMIYA earnestly grabbed it.
The ex-Counter Guardian turned toward Larsazusa. "So you're still going to refuse my offer, hm?"
The panda warrior smiled. "For a while. The work of a mercenary doesn't lie in one place, you know. I'm going to travel around this continent, to other countries, finding out whether they need help with things I can deal with."
Then she gave him a coy smile. "But then, who knows? Maybe someday I'll consider it… when I decide I'm tired of moving around. Stay safe until then… my hero."
Then she did something no one could expect her to do. She leaned over and gave EMIYA a kiss on the lips.
Needless to say that the reactions of everyone there were… interesting. EMIYA's disciples all gaped in horror and embarrassment, while Captain Fargus and the others were more than amused.
"Ew! Get a room, you two!" Tersia exclaimed with a brightly blushing face. Not only her, but Farrie's, Welt's, and Fohl's faces were also bright red. Strangely, Wyndia looked rather annoyed at the scene rather than embarrassed.
Even EMIYA looked shocked at what had just happened. But that moment passed away quickly, and he cleared his throat.
"Ahem… so, we're going now. Is everyone ready?"
Answering him was a nod from every other member of the team. The Sword Hero nodded.
"Then, let's go. See you later, everyone."
He activated his Transport Sword, and the team disappeared in a bright flash.
EMIYA opened his eyes, and saw himself and his team standing in the Hall of Hourglass of the Church of the Three Heroes. The chamber was quiet; red sand was still dropping down the lower bulb silently, and standing within the room right now was a lone nun, who looked really surprised at the sudden appearance of the team.
EMIYA cleared his throat. "Well, we're back to get ready for the incoming Wave."
The nun looked terrified. Then, without a word, she bowed at him and ran out of the chamber. EMIYA was still wondering what the hell was going on when the entrance of the chamber opened again, and this time, a group of soldiers ran into the room with their weapons ready.
"Lord Sword Hero, please come with us to the palace."
What now…?!
And that concludes the Zeltoble Arc!
During the last chapter, I said there would be an unexpected character who would appear in this chapter. And turned out, there wasn't just one, but THREE new characters who joined the cast: the Spirit of the Legendary Sword; Fitoria, who saved EMIYA's life from the blast that destroyed the Hydra; and last but not least, ZELRETCH himself. The old Wizard Marshall always has something to do when things related to the multiverse happen, and he's going to have a very big role in this story, also, even though I would say that he's not going to appear a lot.
And I assure you, I'm not trying to wank up the characters of the Shield Hero world in this chapter. Considering what happened during the canon of the original WN and LN, I'm pretty sure Fitoria is at least at the level of a Grand Servant. During the fight with the Spirit Tortoise, she fended off the monster for a while, ALONE, barely assisted by the normal soldiers, as the stronger fighters were already inside the beast to find a way to seal it off. And considering what the Spirit Tortoise and the Guardian Beasts, in general, were created for, the last defense of the World to protect it from the Waves, by killing at least two-thirds of the humans of the world... have you seen what I'm implying now?
Next time is going to be the start of the Third Wave of Melromarc arc. And something was already happening even before the arc begins. What is it? Stay tuned!