Disclaimer: FATE does not belong to me, all its history and characters belong to Type-Moon.
Back to the School.
Shirou was together with Kiritsugu in the car, as he caressed PM, who was dozing on his lap. It had been almost a week since the entire operation at Aylesbury, and, thankfully, his father had gotten him out of there before someone could ask questions.
He had stayed in the apartment he shared with Kiritsugu for the entire week along with PM. Kiritsugu didn't want Shirou to come out knowing how agitated the world of magi was after the rumors spread. Also, Shirou was concerned as Avalon had run out of mana in the middle of healing from the last attack he received from Altrouge. She told him that some blades came out of his body and sealed his wounds, however, when he woke up, his wounds had healed, and there was no trace of the blades.
Surely this was Altrouge's doing, and knowing that he had been unconscious along with the Eclipse Princess, he couldn't help but worry, as she may have done whatever she wanted with his body during this time.
Kiritsugu turned on the radio, and the station he placed was reporting various news...
The first news was a statement from the Harwey family, where they explained how dangerous the Moon Cell could be and how they still did not know how to use it properly, but they assured listeners that they already had a specialized team working on it.
The second piece of news was somewhat unsettling, especially since he now knew the inevitable fate of the world. In South America, several decades ago, a terrifying being had been discovered, nobody knew exactly what it was, so they decided to call it Aristotle-ORT. This one, for now, seemed to be hibernating, and it just attacked everything that attacked it. Every attack against it had failed, but humanity was preparing a new series of soldiers who could fight against this being, in case, in the worst case, it woke up.
This concerned him for two reasons:
The first thing that worried him was that to create these soldiers, the scientists were experimenting with a substance called Grain. This was a toxic particle discovered in the year 1970, and that was spreading around the world. To Shirou, this sounded ridiculous. Were they using a substance that was killing humanity, and that no one knew how to stop, to create soldiers? Who was the idiot who came up with the idea that this could also be used as a weapon to kill a totally unknown life form?
Be that as it may, the redhead prayed that ORT would not be awakened from hibernation, as it was well known in the world of magi what his true nature was: An Ultimate One, as well as one of the 27 Ancestors of the Dead Apostles, or, in short, Type Mercury. Fortunately, the Grain particle was still very difficult to contain, so it would take years for researchers to experiment with it. And besides, it would take them much longer to perform experiments on humans, or so they had said.
The last news they heard before reaching the bedroom was more hopeful, but unfortunately, it was nothing more than a false panacea. The presenter spoke about the case in which the degradation of the planet was irreversible and in which it was not discovered in time how to use the Moon Cell, for this case the colonization of the Moon had been planned. However, many knew that this countermeasure was nothing more than a patch previously placed before humanity suffered the wound, not a true solution.
"Are you sure you can go alone?" asked the freelancer while, at the same time, he stopped the car in front of the bedroom.
The redhead smiled, "Of course, it's not my first day, do you remember?"
Kiritsugu frowned, "Yes, it is. They will no longer see you as Muramasa Shirou, from now on, they will see you as Emiya Shirou. To them, you are the heir to the Emiya Family, the son of the magus killer, and the grandson of Emiya Norikata, a magus who received a Sealing Designation."
"I know, calm down, I'm ready."
"Are you sure?"
Shirou nodded.
"In that case, have a good year," said the freelancer smiling slightly.
Shirou also smiled, "Equally, old man. Make sure you don't get into anything too dangerous, or, if you do, make sure you take me."
Kiritsugu smiled wryly and waved goodbye before getting into the car and driving away.
Shirou turned around, there was his new bedroom, the main bedroom of the Faculty of Creation, Valuay's bedroom, and inside this, Shirou also had a private room, which was much larger and more prepared than the previous. This was a gift from Lady Valualeta, thanks to his actions at Aylesbury.
The redhead entered the elegant building and spoke to the receptionist to inform her of his arrival. She nodded and handed him a key so that he could enter his room, but not before warning him that the Queen of the Tower was expecting him in her office in two hours. The apprentice mage nodded and thanked her, then went up to his room and was impressed with the new comforts it offered, including his own bathroom.
Without waiting, he prepared the ritual, which took several minutes...
"Creation of Territory: the Muramasa workshop."
When it was ready, Shirou settled down to rest. He observed his schedule, starting in his sophomore year, he would not only have the required classes by his curriculum, but he would also have electives. In his case, he had chosen to study runes, this was one of the few magecraft that he could use without much difficulty, apart from Reinforcement and Air Gradation. He had also planned to enter curses classes, not because he could use them, but because Muramasa could create cursed swords, so he wanted to know as much about them as possible.
There was still an hour and a half left before he met with the Queen, and he planned to wait until the time came, but...
Top! Top!
"Hmn?" Shirou went to the door and opened it, "Rin?"
The Tohsaka heiress stood at the entrance, "I see you really changed rooms, Shirou-kun. So, you will invite me in?"
"Oh, sure," opening the door, Shirou allowed his partner in, "How has everything been around here in the last two months?"
"Relatively 'quiet' as always…" she said, sitting down on one of the pieces of furniture in the room.
"Alliances, conspiracies, and betrayals, then..."
"The normal inside the Tower. Although, thanks to a certain boy who pretended to be a nobody, and it turned out that he was not, and who also ended up going to a big company that the Association and the Church had organized together, killing a son of a candidate for member of the 27 and, managing to survive a fight against the Mongrel Princess of the Apostles... Well, you can imagine how the situation is..."
"Many eyes on me?" the boy asked, concerned.
Very seriously, Rin said, "You are in a very delicate position, Shirou-kun."
"I see…"
"So, what are you waiting for? You should start to explain yourself."
"Okay, make herself comfortable because this can be a bit long."
She nodded.
Shirou told her how he was orphaned, how he was found by Kiritsugu in the middle of the fire, and finally, how he was reunited with Muramasa and with his past, in this way, becoming his apprentice. He avoided the more private parts, such as his and his father's joint plan to rescue his sister. He also talked to her about Caliburn and what happened in Aylesbury, of course, hiding everything Altrouge spoke about the fate of the world and, also, as she had promised to help create the ultimate sword.
"That is a long story, but at least I understand many more things thanks to this one," the magus said after pondering for a bit.
"What do you mean?" the redhead asked, confused.
"Don't get me wrong, Shirou-kun, I was angry that you had lied to me, but if I had been in your case, I would have done the same."
"Seriously?"
She nodded, "Of course. Coming here as Emiya Shirou is the same as asking someone to kill you. Literally, you were unlikely to finish the first year. Your father's decision was the correct one."
"I guess so…"
"However, one thing doesn't change the other, you know that, right?"
He nodded, "Do you want compensation, right?"
She nodded with a smile.
"I'm very sorry, but there's not much I can give you," at that moment, Shirou opened his eyes, "wait, Rin! You won't me ask Neocaliburn, will you?"
"Well, for a moment, I thought about it…" she whispered.
"Rin!"
"Relax, as I told you long ago, my magecraft does not require weapons, and although I can defend myself in close combats, I have never used a sword."
"However?" said the redhead, knowing there would be a but.
Rin smiled, "Remember when you offered to forge something for me?"
Shirou nodded.
"Well, I want you to forge something for me..."
This piqued the young blacksmith's curiosity, "What?"
Rin took something out of her bag, "This…"
Shirou analyzed it and saw that they were blueprints, "This is... A sword?"
She nodded, "It is known as the Jeweled Sword Zelretch."
"W-Wait Rin, this... this is far from my current level!"
She looked at him confused, "What are you talking about? You reforged Caliburn, right? You are a prodigy, without a doubt, this should not be a problem."
Shirou fervently shook his head, "I think you are misunderstanding some things: Reforging and forging from scratch is not the same; forging from scratch requires a lot more work. Second, when I reforged Caliburn, I had the advantage of I could use the Structural Grasp. In other words, I know how it was created, and what I did was copy the method and add some modifications to it."
"And you can't use the Structural Grasp on the plans?"
The redhead denied, "No, at least, I can't do it. For me, it only works on already created structures. I need to see what I am analyzing if I want it to work, these planes are not enough," Shirou continued trying to dissuade the magus, "third, since I got the fragments, I have spent almost two weeks trying to reforge them, and I failed miserably almost every day. I only did it at the last moment of the last day, only before I had to go to the ritual. And…"
"And…?"
The redhead sighed, defeated, "And fourth, my hands and arms were badly injured after reforging it. I probably tore some ligament while doing it, although I never checked it, and I had to use phoenix tears to heal myself. And despite everything, I still think that something superior to me was helping me to reforge it because it really was far from my level. The only reason I tried was because of the ritual."
She sighed, somewhat defeated, "I guess it was too greedy of me, right?"
Shirou nodded, "I am not a prodigy, as you say. Unlike you, I am not an Average One like you are who can use all five elements. I can't even use elemental magecraft, and I can't cast curses either. My magic circuits are normal at best, and, to be honest, I couldn't even use the Emiya family magecraft if I didn't have the crest. The best thing you can say about me is that I am talented in one area only. I can't go any further."
"I get it. I was only excited because if we could create it, maybe the Old Marshal would accept me as his apprentice," she said understanding the situation and feeling somewhat flattered by the boy's words.
"I didn't say we couldn't..."
"Huh?" she asked, confused.
"I said it was out of my level, but," Shirou smiled, "like a blacksmith, my only pride is my swords. Hence, if we work together, hmm... Maybe in a few years, we could create a prototype. Although I do not promise anything."
"I said it was out of my level, but," Shirou smiled, "like a blacksmith, my only pride is my swords. Hence, if we work together, hmm... Maybe in a few years, we could create a prototype that is capable of working, although I do not promise anything."
"You can call me Shirou without using the honorifics, after all, we're going to be working on a project that will probably take us years to complete. And, anyway, I've been calling you Rin for a year now," stretching out his hand, Shirou took hers, "so, it will be my pleasure, Rin."
She nodded, "By the way, Shirou, I need to talk to you about something..."
This caught the boy's attention, but sadly he had to ask, "Does it have to be now? It's that I'm late," he said upon seeing the time.
"Late? Where are you going?"
"The Queen requested that I come to her office and meet with her."
This confused and surprised the girl, "Why? Did you get in trouble!?"
"No, it is probably due to the return of the Emiya crest. It was supposed to be being discussed this week." Shirou took his swords, along with the Black Barrel, and started to leave the room, leaving Fou inside.
She nodded, "Then you better hurry, the Queen is not known for being tolerant. We'll talk later."
The boy nodded, "Thank you."
"See you tomorrow then," she said, leaving the room with him.
"Tomorrow…" he said, looking down.
"Worried?"
Shirou nodded, "I don't know how others will treat me, and… I don't know how to talk to Luvia either."
The mention of the heiress Edelfelt soured Rin's gaze, but, seeing the boy's worried look, she decided to give him some advice, "She will probably try to push you away, and she will try to see you as a member of a rival family. Do you want some advice?"
"It would help me a lot."
"You have to accept it."
"Huh?" he said, not understanding.
"Accept that you are the son of the magus killer and that she can't just forget everything your families have been through."
"And so?"
She frowned, "I can't give you all the answers."
Sighing, he thanked her, "I understand. Thanks, Rin."
"You're welcome," Rin pointed in the direction of the main Tower building, "now go quickly. I don't want to think what will happen to you if you make the Queen angry."
With this, they both parted ways. Shirou ran towards Mystile, being tempted multiple times to use the time manipulation magecraft to get to his destination quickly, and he would do it if it were not because, every time he used it, he ended up suffering the rebound. He arrived at the main building of the Tower. He did not care about the multiple looks they were giving him, full of emotions from hatred to astonishment, and headed towards the Queen's office.
"Excuse me, I'm..."
"Emiya Shirou. The Queen is waiting for you, enter quickly," said the secretary.
Shirou nodded, "Thank you."
The redhead entered the office and really couldn't believe his eyes: The size of the room had increased with the use of magecraft, and it was filled with bookshelves, artifacts he couldn't understand, and expensive furniture. In the background, behind an elegant desk, was the deputy director of the Tower. She was wearing an outfit similar to the one she was wearing when he first saw her.
"Emiya."
"Lord Barthomeloi."
She narrowed her eyes, analyzing him, and for a moment, her gaze lingered on Caliburn, "Is that the sword you used to wound the Princess of the Eclipse?"
The redhead nodded.
"Show me it."
Shirou unsheathed it and showed it to her, hiding the side of the sheet that contained the scriptures.
"Hmm... what's the sword's name?"
"That is a secret, Lord."
She looked at him like an eagle looks at a mouse, "You know it's up to me if the Emiya crest is returned to you, right?"
He nodded, "I know, but magi have to protect their mysteries. Otherwise, they lose their value. Don't you think so too, Lord Barthomeloi?"
"Hmm…" Lorelei crossed her arms, "at least you think like a true magus, unlike your father's heretic."
"Due to my limitations, I will never be a decent magus, but I do what I can."
She nodded, "As you may know, a meeting was held a few days ago to decide various matters. Among these was whether we will return Emiya's Crest to you."
"Yes, I know."
"Surprisingly, there were several Lords in your favor: Lady Valualeta, Lord Trambellio, and, surprisingly, Lord El-Melloi. Although, of course, there were also Lords against you, like Lord Sophia-Ri, who accused your father of being a heretic."
Shirou nodded, "I expected it. My father killed his daughter, as I understand it."
She nodded, "Although she died in the middle of a pre-arranged war between magi, he shouldn't have the right to complain. Although, if I were you, I'd be careful," as she spoke, she also sorted out some documents, "of course, some Lords refrained from voting for or against."
"Considering you called me here, rather than just sending someone, may I assume you have the final vote, Lord?"
The Queen smiled, "Of course, my decisions can only be countered if the other two factions act together."
"So, what is your verdict?"
"Half of the crest," she said as she finished organizing the documents, then stared at him, "thanks to your grandfather, the Emiya's crest is very dangerous. So you will receive half of it now, and depending on your achievements, and if you meet my expectations, maybe you'll get the other half when the year is over."
"I greatly appreciate your vote in favor," he said, leaning down.
"You are an interesting experiment, Emiya..."
"Experiment?"
"Although your grandfather was a genius and received a Sealing Designation to honor him, we both know what he really was. Your father, on the other hand, is directly a heretic. So, through you, I am testing whether a family of heretics can become a decent family as long as they have the right heir," Lorelei smiled, "I am the head of the Policy Department, for me, this is an interesting experiment. Don't let me down, Emiya. The day after tomorrow, in the afternoon, you will be able to recover half of the crest."
"I understand. Thank you very much, Lord Barthomeloi," he said, bowing once more.
"Now, you can retreat."
The redhead nodded and proceeded to leave her office, he walked through the corridors, and again, the boy ignored the stares, along with the whispers, and proceeded to leave until he reached the outer part of the main Tower facilities.
Walking through the streets of the university city, there he saw her.
Luvia He thought as he watched the Edelfelt heiress head toward a limousine. He thought about getting her attention, but he knew she was likely to ignore him. So he walked quickly towards the girl, trying to make as little noise as possible. Her butler saw him, but the boy begged him with his eyes to let him reach her.
The butler seemed to understand what he was begging for, and, fortunately, he was understanding enough not to inform the girl.
He held her hand.
"Hmm?" the girl exclaimed when she felt that someone had grabbed her hand. She turned, and, seeing who the person was holding her, she narrowed her eyes at him, "Emiya, please let go of my hand."
Seeing her harsh tone of voice, as well as her way of calling him Emiya instead of Shero, he could easily see that what he had believed turned out to be true.
"Forgive me, Lady Edelfelt," the boy said, withdrawing his hand.
"I have nothing to talk to you about, Emiya."
"I understand... But I do have something I need to tell you, Lady Edelfelt."
She looked at him confused, "If you're talking about how you hid your lineage, I have nothing to say about it except that it was a good move."
"I am flattered, my Lady, but I hope that what I am about to propose seems like a better move."
"What do you mean?" she said, being cautious.
"I propose an alliance, Lady Edelfelt."
"Excuse me?" she was surprised and confused.
He tried to explain to her, "I know that our families have had friction in the past due to our mutual field of work. But, after knowing her for a year, I have decided to end this, so I propose an alliance."
She stared at him, "That are great statements, but are exactly just that, mere words, Muramasa."
"I never lied to you about my lineage, Lady Edelfelt. I just couldn't reveal my other lineage back then. Since, unlike you, I did not have the capabilities to protect myself if someone tried to assassinate me."
She narrowed her eyes, "Rumors about your performance at Aylesbury say otherwise."
"You overestimate me. Rumors always exaggerate things, my father was by my side, and I barely got out of that hell alive. I was lucky and was only able to achieve everything I did thanks to, in part, to the year I studied alongside you and the others," to demonstrate his intentions, he even went further, "and if you still doubt my intentions, I'm willing to sign a Geis."
"A Geis?" Luvia thought about it for a few moments. Finally, she sighed when she saw the boy's determined look, "Well since you seem to want to be serious about this, I am willing to negotiate and give you a chance. I will inform you of the date when we will meet to discuss the clauses later." Before retiring, she said goodbye, "See you tomorrow, Muramasa."
He smiled slightly, "It will be a long time before you can call me Shero one more time, won't it?"
Before closing the door of her limousine, Luvia replied, with a slight and fleeting smile, "Do your best."
With that said, she departed.
"Well, that turned out better than you expected," his ancestor spoke to him.
The redhead nodded, "I have to thank Rin... again..."
His ancestor laughed, "If you keep piling up debt, then you will end up becoming her butler or something."
"I'd rather not think about what she would make me do if that's the case," Shirou sighed.
"Are you tired?"
He nodded, "I've lived here for a year and still can't get used to this whole thing about the different Lords or the manners I have to maintain. And all these kinds of things..."
"I understand. I moved to a remote area of Ise because of that. And, in the end, I ended my life living on a mountain quietly."
"Sounds good."
With that said, the two smiths set off back to their bedroom. And, what they found there, although, in a way they expected it, they did not expect it to be so soon.
"Fou, I'm here."
"It took you quite a while, you know?" there, sitting on one of his furniture, was the Princess of the Eclipse, along with Fou on her lap.
"A-Altrouge? Did you really come?"
She looked at him like he was saying incongruities, "I told you that I would help you, didn't I? How will I do it if I'm not by your side?"
"B-But how did you come here? The barriers? The bounded fields!? How did you manage to sneak around and get through all that without making a fuss!?"
She cracked a smile, "I repeat myself. I told you, didn't I? I just had to talk to old Kaleido."
This surprised Shirou, "Kaleidoscope? How did you convince him? No, more importantly, how is Barthomeloi not trying to cut off your head or something?"
"Don't you see something different, Shirou?"
"Yes, of course, you've changed quite a bit, haven't you?" the reason why Shirou was so surprised was not only because she had appeared out of nowhere, but also because she had changed her appearance. She seemed much older than he had known her, in fact, maybe a little older than he. Her change in appearance was big enough that he doubted if she was the same person he had met, and in his eyes, she had become much more beautiful, she was a high-class beauty.
She smiled mischievously, "Well, how do I look? Or has my beauty left you speechless?"
For a moment, he was speechless, what should he say? Should he tell her that she looked beautiful, attractive, or just that she looked good? He couldn't make up his mind, so in the end, lest his mind short-circuits, he simply said, "You look amazing, but…that dress…Might make you easy to recognize."
She smiled, "Jackpot. It's not the best compliment, but I'll give you one point. I changed my appearance to avoid being recognized, although I kept the base intact, I've never liked to change it that much. As for the dress, everyone here thinks we're still in the victorian era, so actually, I think you look more out of place than I do in your current clothes."
"I-I guess, you really like that phrase, don't you?"
Altrouge nodded, "I've heard it a lot from Enhance."
"Another of the 27?"
"Yep, although he may be demoted soon, there are rumors that he is hunting down other dead apostles. He is a dead apostle with white hair, and he is quite young in appearance, also he has a large sword with a skull and a pistol, and he wears a red coat. He's quite fun to be around compared to the others."
The apprentice magus nodded, "I see, but you haven't told me yet: How did you get here?"
"Well, they can't easily identify me, they're not able to perceive me like they do the other dead apostles, thanks to the other half of me, it's like when you tried to smell me. And, besides, the only thing known about me in recent decades is that I had the appearance of a 14-year-old girl, which, with my change in appearance, doesn't matter anymore," Altrouge took her dress and turned around to show the boy her new style.
"Can you change your appearance at will?" the curious boy asked.
She shook her head, "Not, unlike the other apostles, I cannot recreate my body at will. But, as long as I keep the base of my appearance, I can modify it at will," seeing that they had strayed from the topic, Altrouge returned to the main topic, "on how I convinced Kaleido, well… I didn't need it," she said, smiling.
"What do you mean? He's one of the Marshall magi, just like the Queen, no way would he let you stay inside the Tower."
"Yes, he is, but he is also a dead apostle over a thousand years old, so at the moment I told him that I wanted him to help me get around here because I'm interested in a human, he said something like: 'Sure, it looks interesting.'."
Shirou couldn't believe it, was magician Marshall was so irresponsible?
"So, from today, I am Crimson Rouge, the magus' 'apprentice' Emiya Shirou, who was able to bring me thanks to the patronage and recommendation of Lady Valualeta."
Oh God, I think I'm starting to understand what the professor feels when he has to deal with Flat.
The redhead thought with a slight headache, "By the way, you told me that you would help me create the ultimate sword, but... how will you do it?"
"I will help you develop your reality marble."
He looked at her confused, "You said I had one, but I've never been aware of this. Also, reality marbles are the taboos of taboos, so to have one is directly to get a ticket to a Sealing Designation."
"Well, just don't get caught."
"It's easy to say..." seeing how late it was, Shirou prepared to cook dinner, "do you think owning a reality marble will help me?"
She nodded, "Oh yeah, if what I saw when we signed the contract is true, then your reality marble will be your best weapon."
That stopped the boy, "Contract? What contract?"
"Oh well, you were half dead when I took you out of town, so I had to create a contract between us to keep you alive."
"I don't remember signing any contracts!"
The girl started to whistle, "Well, you know, if someone moves your hand while you're unconscious, it also counts, you know..."
This caused a nervous tic in the boy, "Altrouge, what does the contract imply?"
She smiled, "You'll find out with the time..."
The boy sighed, he knew there was no way he could make her change her mind. Without being able to do anything else, Shirou served dinner and decided to try to continue the conversation.
"When we talked in the cave, you told me about the Aristoteles, the box, and the star."
She nodded, "Wow, this is extraordinarily good. Maybe I won't need to suck blood for a bit..."
"You're welcome," Shirou replied, accepting the compliment while continuing the conversation, "I've come to understand that Aristotles and the Types are the same things, haven't they?"
She nodded again, "There are eight Aristotles in all. One of them is already on Earth."
"ORT."
"So is, this is an advantage."
He looked at her confused, "What do you mean?"
"If all the Ultimate Ones attacked us at the same time, then there would be no way to win, but the fact that the ORT arrived much earlier means that they will not attack together."
"Still, simply facing just one Ultimate One is a near-impossible challenge. They are monsters with the ability to destroy all civilizations of other worlds. Maybe they can even destroy worlds themselves."
"Yeah, but every enemy has a weakness, and the Ultimate Ones should not be the exception. They are merely so powerful that no one has found a significant weakness in them."
He nodded, "And the star and the box?"
"When I refer to the box, I speak of Pandora's box. Do you remember the myth?"
"Yes."
Enjoying the food, she continued with the explanation, "The myth was wrongly passed on: the box was opened and closed before the last thing came out."
"You speak of Elpis. In the Greek myth, it is the spirit of hope."
"Men believed that by keeping hope locked up, they would always have it with them. But that was a mistake. By keeping it locked up, they let infinite evils roam the world, sealing man's fate, with nothing to stop them."
"And Pandora, what happened to her?"
"Zeus was angry that Pandora didn't open the box thanks to Prometheus's warning, so he cursed her with immortality until she opened it, and, once she did, she became mortal. When she realized she had done it, she tried to reopen the box; however, the humans prevented her from opening it, they believed that if the box was opened once more, they too would lose hope. Therefore, Pandora died without being able to reopen the box, although she lived an extremely long life, and, being the only key to the box, in the end, she could do nothing but entrust her wish to an unknown family of magi."
"And hope ended up locked in a prison for eternity, evils populated the world, and that led us here. Is that what you mean?"
She nodded, "Yep. As for the star, it's called Velber. Charlemagne discovered a mural showing drawings of what it looked like, although who made them is not entirely clear. Long story short: Velber is an alien threat that appears within the Milky Way every 14,000 years. And its purpose is to destroy all intelligent civilizations in its path."
"That... is crazy..." said the incredulous boy.
"Now do you understand why I told you that we have fate against us? Besides, now that you know the whole story, will you give up?" she asked as seriously as when they had first talked about it.
"No, I won't. What's the use of giving up? If we do, we will all die. Even if it's useless, I'd rather keep trying to find a solution than just sitting around doing nothing."
She smiled, "Stubbornness is not wrong sometimes..."
"We'd better go to sleep, classes start tomorrow, and it's going to be a long hard day."
"Agreed."
Shirou walked to his bed and noticed a little problem…
"What's going on? Why are you stopping?"
"There is only one bed..." said the boy remembering that, originally, it was a room for one person.
"I do not see the problem…"
"I guess you're right. You can use the bed, I'll use the sofa."
But before he could withdraw, the Princess threw him onto the bed.
"A-Altrouge, what are you doing!?"
"If you sleep poorly, it will affect your performance. The bed is big enough for both of us, I may look your age, but I'm centuries old, remember?"
"That is precisely why I am leaving the bed to you!"
She laughed and, scoffing, said, "Oh relax, maybe in a few more years, but if I wanted to eat you now, it wouldn't be in that sense..."
How the hell can she go from an innocent girl to a mature woman in a matter of seconds? The redhead thought worriedly.
"I don't know, they have always told me that I am somewhat unstable..."
"You read my mind!?" he asked, concerned.
"Not exactly, it's part of our contract," she smiled.
Restless, the boy whispered, "I feel like I don't win anything with this contract..."
"Oh, don't worry, there are things you win, but you still don't know what they are," then she smiled ghoulishly, "by the way when you thought of doing that, two girls briefly appeared in your mind..."
"P-Please stop..."
"You did put me before them, so you have good taste, I will not deny it...
"A-Altrouge!"
The Eclipse Princess laughed, "Sorry, it's fun to bother you. If you make me breakfast, I'll stop."
And, thus, it returns to its infantile form.
Tired, and knowing that he would not be able to win against the woman in front of him, he decided to go to sleep.
The next day, in the courtyard of the bedroom...
"You are being very rigid!" said his ancestor.
"I understand, is this way better?"
"Only a little..."
Shirou was in his morning training with his ancestor. He was brandishing the katana, trying to improve his technique.
"Spread your legs more," said the voice of his 'teacher' and, at the same time, his 'apprentice'.
"Just like that?"
"Better than before…"
Altrouge wasn't the biggest fan of using swords, but she had faced several sworders during her long life so that she could point out the redhead's flaws.
In this way, with the advice of both masters, Shirou continued to swing his sword for a few more hours.
…
"If you are a blacksmith, why do you wield a sword?"
They were both walking towards the main building of the Clock Tower.
"Grandpa is not only a great blacksmith, but he is also a great swordsman..."
"Seriously?" Altrouge asked curiously.
"I'm not that amazing, but I got to the point where I was able to cut the causality. On the other hand, the boy will be the one who wields the last sword, that's why he has to become a decent swordsman."
"Hmm... That's impressive, although Shirou still has a long way to go to reach that level..."
He nodded.
Right now, they were walking around the outer area of the Clock Tower.
Shirou...? Altrouge asked telepathically. By the way, use your thoughts to answer me.
Is this part of the contract too?
She nodded. Why are there people looking at you like that? I'd understand if they knew who I was, but...
"It's not because of you, it's because of who my father is. He's, how to say, well, let's say he's like Enhance, in the sense that he works hunting magi."
She slapped her hands, implying that she knew what he was referring to. Does he also go around on a motorcycle with a shotgun and like strawberry ice cream?
Shirou shook his head quickly. No, no, no. They are only the same in the part where they hunt their own species.
I understand, by the way, where do we go now?
To my General Fundamentals class, won't you get bored going with me?
She shook her head. On the contrary, I have always wanted to see what the Clock Tower is like, also the Holy Church, but there I have no contacts.
You live on the edge...
Neither of them realized that people no longer viewed them strangely for who they were. Instead, they looked at them that way because of the strange gestures they made for no reason.
Shirou came to the auditorium, and the reaction was as expected: looks, whispers, the occasional insult spoken in whispers. Fortunately, thanks to his involvement in Aylesbury, it seemed that no one wanted to confront him directly.
Shirou sat in his usual position and, surprisingly, Ayaka was unaffected and greeted him with a nod, just like she had done all the past year. After a few minutes, Lord Trambellio entered the classroom.
Again, with Lord Trambellio? The curious redhead wondered.
He is important?
Shirou nodded. He is one of the Three Kings of the Clock Tower, just like Barthomeloi. Do you remember her?
She nodded. Of course, she has an absurd hatred for us, just like the rest of her family. A troublesome brat, in a nutshell...
He couldn't help laughing. I think you are the only person in this place who could refer to her that way, except for the director and Kaleido.
Oh, the director, he is an old Solomon apprentice.
Merem?
She shook her head. No, I'm talking about The King of Magecraft, that Solomon.
"We will now proceed to study the location and potential of the thaumaturgical lines. Join in pairs, we will use the equipment provided by the Astrology Faculty."
The students began to form duos, the apprentices did not count as members of the class, so the blacksmith's apprentice could not team up with Altrouge. Shirou had managed to break the ice a bit last year with some other students, however, he came to understand why Rin had chosen to have him help her with the classwork, for some reason, there was quite a lot of xenophobia in the Clock Tower, although not to the same degree as the mutual contempt that existed between various families of high and low level. Be that as it may, it seems that his efforts of the past year had been wasted with the discovery of his lineage.
One weird thing about magi is that they always put their magic circuits ahead of their blood, so in short, no matter who you are, as long as you can use the family magecraft, even if you are adopted, you are considered a member of the family. So, it was of little value whether or not he was adopted.
He watched as everyone got into pairs, and little by little, he was left alone, he looked to his side and saw Ayaka in the same position, and this wasn't new to either of them the two of them had been doing most of the class assignments together for the past year. They were both Asian, so it was normal for the local magi to avoid them, also, and worse still, in the past year, he had noticed that Ayaka was a person who found it quite difficult to relate to others, and in an environment like this, it was two or three times as difficult for the girl.
They both looked at each other for a moment, and knowing what the other meant, he nodded, she nodded back, and the two of them went to work together.
"Arigatou, Emiya-kun," said the insecure girl.
He smiled, "On the contrary, thanks to you, Sajyou-san. If it weren't for you, I'd have to do the job alone. By the way, this is Rouge, my apprentice."
She bowed slightly in greeting, to which the Princess nodded.
Since a certain event that occurred in her childhood, Ayaka had had a hard time socializing with people. She had become a very insecure person, both herself and others.
She felt bad, but she felt bad because she felt good. She wasn't someone to wish harm on anyone, but deep down, even if she denied it, she was glad the boy was forced to work with her.
And deep down, she knew it. In my own self-assessment, I really am the worst.
"Sajyou-san, are you okay?" asked the concerned boy as he saw how the girl had lost herself in her thoughts and seemed to be sinking into a small "hole" more and more.
"Huh?" she wondered, coming out of her ramblings.
The apprentice magus was concerned, "For a moment, you looked like you wanted to be swallowed up by the earth. You leaned over a lot until you almost touched the ground."
Every word the boy said made the girl blush more and more with shame, "Gomennasai!"
"N-No! I didn't say it that way. I was just worried."
"You know, if you keep up like this, you won't finish the job," the Princess told them with a smile upon seeing the two socially awkward teenagers.
Seeing that he was right, the two of them quickly got to work.
"Bright," Ayaka said.
Suddenly, a map of the world unfolded like some kind of hologram. This was an invention built by the Animusphere family, and the ones they were using were a prototype. The full version should show a more detailed map, with all the leylines specified, but the ones they were using didn't have the leylines, let alone be able to measure how strong the leylines were; doing this was their job.
"Ready, Sajyou-san?"
She nodded.
They both took turns locating and measuring the lines, and when they were both going a certain line, the boy frowned.
Does something happen? Altrouge asked.
That leyline... the one that goes through the bay.
Is quite weak.
He nodded. It was with it that I reached the Reverse Side of the World to obtain the fragments of Caliburn.
Wait, did you reach the Reverse Side of the World!?
He nodded slightly. I thought it was crazy when I analyzed it, but it happened. The fairy I met when I arrived said it could have been the will of the World.
Hmm… Interesting.
After half an hour, they both finished identifying the lines and measuring their power.
"Well, I guess that's it," said Shirou
Ayaka nodded wearily.
"By tomorrow, everyone has to come with the contagious magecraft chapter already read, read carefully the ones that can be activated remotely and the ones that have an incubation time," said Lord Trambellio.
"I guess we'll see you tomorrow, Sajyou-san."
"In fact, I'll see you later, Emiya-kun."
"Huh?" he exclaimed.
She smiled slightly, "I got Lord El-Melloi to accept me into his class."
He smiled with joy, "That's fantastic, Sajyou-san! I'm sure the teacher will be able to bring out your full potential. Although, a tip..."
"Which?" asked the interested girl.
"II, never forget to refer to him as Lord El-Melloi II. He gets angry if you don't tell it."
She nodded, "What classes do you have now, Emiya-kun?" Ayaka asked to the surprise of both herself and Shirou.
"Class on Curses. Although, I'm only going to enter as a listener."
The witchcraft apprentice nodded, "I have botany classes. So we do see later."
He nodded, and the two parted their ways.
Curses? The Princess asked.
Grandpa was famous for creating cursed swords. I can't use any curses myself, but identifying them or learning how to place them on some object is something I want to learn.
I understand. I could create some for you if you want, I am not very well versed in the art, but I can do it through my contracts.
He smiled. Thank you, it would be helpful.
The apprentice magus entered the Curses Department class and sat in one of the vacant seats. Before class started, another young man came to sit next to him.
"Hmm!? Why the hell are you here!?"
Hearing the annoying voice, Shirou wished it wasn't who he thought it was, but unfortunately for him, he was: Matou Shinji.
Shirou couldn't help but act somewhat cynical with the magus, "Well, this it's a classroom, so I'll leave it to your imagination..."
"I thought you were useless with no talent for almost everything, am I supposed to think you can cast curses?"
"First, I am here as a listener, and secondly, if I am useless, then what are you that you lost against me?"
That statement annoyed Matou, but he was not that foolish to face someone he had already lost against, even more so if the rumors were true, "And who is the girl? Has she come with you?" he said, almost resigning himself to sitting in that place, not seeing any other void.
"Rouge, my apprentice..." said the apprentice magus without paying much attention to the boy, as the class had already started.
Instantly, he looked at her with contempt, "If she is the apprentice of someone without talent, I can imagine what she will be like..."
At this, Altrouge smiled happily and, with a speed that Shinji was unable to follow, she grabbed his wrist and broke it...
"AAAAAHHH!" cried the magus in pain.
"Matou! Stop making such a fuss. Even if your grandfather was one of the best students in this faculty, don't think that will give you any special treatment."
He was about to tell the teacher what the young woman had done, but as soon as he went to open his mouth, his familiars fidgeted, warning him not to do it; they were afraid of Rouge.
"I suggest you don't do that again, Matou. She is much less tolerant than me."
In the end, Shinji decided to go to the medical wing and ended up missing his first class.
On the other hand, Shirou focused on listening to his teacher...
Curses have many variations, and some are related to other branches of Magecraft, such as Runic Magecraft or Witchcraft. And specifically, the curses that are placed on objects are mostly magecraft that grants certain effects or characteristics to said object, and the effects can be absurdly varied.
Who was the insect? The Princess asked.
Matou Shinji is an heir to a magi family residing in the city where I live.
Did you fight him?
I defeated him in front of three Lords, and since then, I think he hates me twice as much. Still, I think he's gotten a little less cheeky since that day.
This surprised the Princess. If he is like this now, I don't want to know what he was like before. I would surely rip out his vocal cords so as not to hear him speak.
This scared the redhead a bit, but after remembering the fight they had, and that it was also Shinji they were talking about, he did not object.
"Now, where do we go?" Altrouge asked as she looked at Mystile's style and decorations.
"Mineralogy."
They entered the mineralogy auditorium and there they saw Luvia and Rin, both arguing as usual. Luvia seemed to be showing off her achievements as heir to the Edelfelt family, and on the other hand, Rin seemed to be showing off her improvement in Magecraft. The boy thought this was normal; since they had not seen each other in almost three months.
When both were aware of his presence, the two reacted differently:
Rin was curious as she looked at the Princess who followed him, however, she cared little and approached them both with a smile.
Luvia, on the other hand, seemed to have mixed feelings: On the one hand, she was looking curiously at the Princess of the Dead Apostles, but, on the other hand, she seemed to want to go greet him as usual, but, she was still holding back, and, finally, she found herself annoyed by the superior smile her rival was giving her. So, in the end, she could only give a small nod in the form of a greeting.
"Good morning, Shirou."
"Good morning, Rin."
"Who is your companion?" Rin asked curiously.
"This is Rouge, I brought her to the Tower as my apprentice."
"Hmm... Delighted, Tohsaka Rin," she said, extending her hand to her.
In return, she also introduced herself, "Likewise, Rouge."
Hmm… The Eclipse Princess exclaimed as she watched the girl.
What happened? The apprentice magus asked.
When I told Kaleido about you, he told me that you spent a lot of time with the descendant of his mediocre apprentice. It just seemed incredible to him that, in just six generations, the family of a mediocre magus was capable of spawning a monster like her. Then she put on a mischievous smile. It is also curious that she was...
Altrouge!
You make it too easy for me. It's okay, you're a teenager, after all...
Please just, stop...
His pleas only made the apostle happier. Okay, I won't bother you with either of them, but one doubt: Do you have a fetish for cemeteries? Or is it because of the style of the people who work on these?
He decided not to comment, he knew that whatever word he used, she would use it against him.
"I also wish I could bring an apprentice..." Rin exclaimed.
He looked at her curiously, "Who would you bring?"
"To my sister. Although, at present, she cannot leave our home."
"Do you have a sister? I believed that most magi tried to have only one heir."
"Yes, and for that, my father was about to sell her to another family," Rin clenched her hands tightly for a moment, then sighed, "but some things happened, and she managed to stay with us. The only bad thing was that she ended up confined to our house..."
"Sorry for asking such private things," the boy apologized.
She shook her hands, "Don't worry, it was me who decided to answer."
The teacher came to the class and ordered everyone to sit down, and unlike in his General Fundamentals classes, in this one, his teacher had changed.
"We will start with the class. Open your books in the energy storage section..."
After the theory, came the practice, and as usual Shirou and Rin were placed together to work. The activity given to them was to measure how much magical energy certain minerals and gemstones could withstand.
"Hey, Rin..."
"Hmm?"
"If the energy in a receptacle is increased until it exceeds the allowed amount, it ends up breaking, right?"
She nodded, "I don't usually do it with my jewels because of how expensive it is to have to replace them, but if I did, then the spells released with them would be more powerful."
"Could the same operation be performed with objects created purely with mana...?"
"Your projections?" she asked curiously.
"Except for what I forge, everything I project is weaker than the original objects. Seeing your jewel magecraft, I thought that if I overloaded my projections, I could increase their power."
She nodded, "The theory is correct but in practice… Do you want to destroy your hands, Shirou? After all, these will blow up when you're using them."
"Yes, you're right. I was thinking of firing the projections somehow..."
She looked at him in equal parts, surprised and confused, "Shoot swords? Is that why you had a rifle in your room?"
This question scared several students a bit, after all, it was the son of the magus killer who had firearms in his room. Even if magecraft might be more dangerous than most weapons, the way the magus killer worked was well known, as was the fact that he had used firearms to kill several powerful mages.
He shook his head, "Not exactly... I don't think he's capable of changing the shape of swords enough to turn them into bullets, but...maybe arrows."
"In that case, it would be possible, but you would have to get used to activating your Od from a distance, and this is a bit more complicated than doing it while the object is in contact with your body." After finishing measuring the energy a pyrite sample could hold, Rin commented to him, "By the way, today we will start with our little project?"
He nodded, "In your bedroom or mine?"
She thought about it for a few moments, "Since we are creating a sword, I think your room is better conditioned, and if we need some jewelry, I'll take care of it."
Immersed in their conversation, neither noticed Luvia's constant glances or Altrouge's laughter at the sight of the whole scene.
After an hour, the class ended, and Rin, Shirou, Altrouge, and Luvia headed to Lord El-Melloi II's class. Upon reaching the auditorium, the first thing they heard was...
"Formalcraft…"
"Excuse me?" Ayaka asked, confused.
"Your talent lies in the Formalcraft, although you also have a slight talent for Witchcraft. However! Formalcraft is without a doubt where your potential lies."
She nodded, stunned.
Cheerful, Shirou walked past her and placed a hand on her shoulder in greeting, "I told you I would do it."
Noticing it was her partner, she smiled slightly, "I guess so."
Seeing that the class was starting, Shirou went to sit at his post, being followed by Altrouge, although not before greeting his teacher.
"Good morning, Gray," he said, smiling.
Seeing him, she also smiled, "Good morning Shirou, and…"
"Oh, this is Rouge. She came to the Tower as my apprentice."
She nodded, "Delighted."
The Eclipse Princess waved back, "Likewise."
Do you have some kind of contract with this girl?
Huh? Not because? He asked as Waver started class.
There is a kind of bond that binds you two.
I think I know it is, but I have yet to check. No, rather, I have to know why.
"Are you okay, Shirou? I heard about the rumors of the Aylesbury ritual," Gray said.
"Yeah, it was crazy, but I managed to get off well."
Well dead, you will mean.
Lord El-Melloi started giving his class, and Shirou didn't have time to talk to Gray anymore. Fortunately, Shirou did not have so many problems in the El-Melloi class, the class was not that big, and besides, it could be said that everyone in the class was peculiar:
He, Caules, and Ayaka were poorly talented in most areas, and on the other hand, Gray was not a magus in every sense of the word but had more potential than the previous three put together. Rin, Luvia, and Flat were monsters, but they had peculiar personalities. Svin was, in fact, the most 'ordinary' of all. Yvette was a supposed spy, and now that she looked at it, there were also two other new students in the class...
"Huh?"
"Is something wrong?" asked Gray.
"Gray, the girl over there... she is a member of the Ainsworth family, right?"
She nodded, "She, along with the boy next to her, her brother, requested to join our class. Do you know her?"
He nodded, "She was in Aylesbury..."
Be careful...
By?
You may not have noticed, but she has been giving you a look from time to time. Also, her brother has been keeping an eye on Tohsaka.
"Rin? That's weird. I can understand why he's watching me considering what happened in Aylesbury, but why Rin?"
Thus the class began, and at the end of this...
"Shirou," Lord El-Melloi called him as the redhead walked past his desk.
"Yes, teacher?"
"At the weekend, are you busy?"
He denied with his head, "Not especially."
"In that case, I want you to come with me."
Confused, he asked, "Where we go?"
"Do you know the Fargo family?"
"In name only..."
"They asked me to investigate a case, and I want you to come with me."
"Sure, but what kind of case?"
"A murder."
"Excuse me...?"
"Your father must have taught you how to track, right?"
The redhead nodded.
"Then it will be useful for us if you join us."
Of all the cases where he could need me, it had to be the one that starts with a dead. Thought the boy, resigned, "I understand, where will we meet? Front of the Tower?"
Waver nodded, "By the way, Shirou, is that girl really your apprentice?"
The redhead nodded, "Yes, she is Rouge."
"I see, in that case, take care..."
Waver was no genius at identifying people, but having survived a war against legendary heroes, he had acquired a certain sixth sense that warned him about dangerous people, and, despite her appearance, he was sure that this girl was, and much.
"Shirou…!"
The redhead turned and saw Caules greeting him.
"Caules!" Shirou returned the greeting, "everything went well in Romania?"
The brunette nodded, "Fortunately, there were no major problems, although there was a small issue..."
This caught the redhead's curiosity, "A small issue?"
The Yggdmillennia nodded, "Could you come to my room? There is something I need to show you."
"Something you need to show us?" Shirou watched as Flat and Svin were waiting for them at the door, "I understand. Rouge..."
"Relax, I'll go wander around London. When I'm done, I'll go back to our apartment."
"Don't get into any trouble."
She smiled, "I don't promise you anything..."
"At least receive Rin when she comes..."
Caules looked at them confused, "Have you known each other for a long time?"
The redhead shook his head, "No, not at all."
"It's just that you two act like you've known each other for quite some time..."
"No, it's that she's just like that."
With that said, the three of them left for the bedroom where Caules was staying. On the way, the Yggdmillennia looked nervous, Svin looked calm, although, from time to time, he sent certain analytical glances to the redhead, although he did not notice it much, because, all the way, Flat was:
"So, is it true that he shot down a plane to take down a dead apostle?"
Shirou nodded.
"And, that time he put a bomb in the middle of a town in America to destroy another apostle, is it also true?"
Shirou nodded again.
"And the rumors that he took down a building to kill a rogue magus?"
"Yes, that one too."
Flat yelled like an excited child, "Your father is amazing!"
I believe that the old man thinks many things about the actions that he carried out, but that these were incredible it is not one of these. Shirou thought wryly.
Caules stopped in front of his room.
"Well, here we go..."
The magus opened the door to his room and said, "Look, all three of you..."
The three of them peeked through the porch, and...
"Hmm?"
"Oh!"
"What?"
All three said.
Inside the room was another boy. He had brown hair, red eyes, and extremely white skin, he also wore a brown vest and pants, as well as a white shirt.
"He is Sieg, he is a homunculus that I met in Romania, and by certain twists and turns, I ended up bringing him with me without permission… Will, you help me…?"
Author notes:
Well, this chapter is ready. I have just started my trimester, so it will be difficult for me to keep up with updates, but I will do my best. With this, we begin a small part of "school life" within the story.
Well, now I will answer the questions you asked me in the last chapter:
ENDDRAGON369: Yes, I know. Several readers went to read the Spanish version after the last chapter.
TrueVirtuoso: Only time can tell us.
Xx-noobslayer69-xX: I think both types of swords have their pros and cons depending on how you use them.
Mcride: It is not that the Spanish version is not working. Is that a reader suggested that I translate the story so that more readers could read it. I usually write a chapter in Spanish and then translate one into English.
Monsuno gamer: It is not an error. I took the appearance of Rin from Fate Extra. Not her avatar in the Moon Cell, but the one in the real world. And this will have some relevance much later.
Thanks to everyone who gave me suggestions and corrections in the previous chapter. And, without more to say, I appreciate your comments and hope you enjoyed the chapter, see you in the next one.