Chapter Text
Chapter 1: The Girl Who Can See Won't Run into the Dual-Wielding Exorcist
Screech—Screech—Screech—
The sound of metal grinding against metal was quite harsh and grating, yet it brought a slight clarity to his consciousness.
Who... am I?
"I wish upon the Holy Grail.
Let Miyu live in a world free from suffering, where she can meet kind people and make friends with whom she can laugh."
Yes, he remembered.
His name was Emiya Shirou, and he lived in a dying world of magecraft.
The Greater Grail in that world was about to run dry, and with it, all of humanity would perish. The only solution was to use his sister, a natural Divine Child, as the Holy Grail to make a wish.
They said the only cost would be Miyu's life.
To protect his sister, Emiya Shirou abandoned his wish to become a Hero of Justice. He betrayed the world and finally wished upon the Holy Grail for his sister's happiness.
Just as he was gaining a slight awareness of his identity, countless scenes of battles and massacres flashed before him.
"With every battle I experience, I get one step closer to Archer EMIYA."
Archer EMIYA?
Is that... also him?
Yes, to win the Holy Grail War and obtain the Grail, summoning a Servant to fight was an indispensable step.
The one who responded to him in the Throne of Heroes was none other than Archer EMIYA.
He gradually saw the end of those scenes: he, who had manifested countless broken swords, clashed with that one, unique sword that split the heavens, and finally collapsed there from exhaustion of his magical power.
"I won, Kiritsugu."
The image of him saying that was because he had successfully saved his sister.
So... is he dead now?
The moment that thought flashed through his mind, the countless images before him suddenly began to twist and deform.
His head was throbbing as if pierced by a steel knife, making his consciousness gradually difficult to operate, like a decaying machine, yet he could still clearly see the scenes before his eyes.
"Shirou, you must defeat that Gilgamesh guy..."
A black-haired, twin-tailed girl... Who is that?
"I ask of you, are you my Master?"
A blonde knight in blue-silver armor... Who is that again?
"Is that so? You mean you won't inherit Emiya Kiritsugu's will?"
The man in the priest's attire whose name he couldn't recall... but he felt very disgusted by him.
"I'm afraid to lie to Senpai, but I also dare not tell him the truth. Everyone around me is so scary..."
"I completely don't know what to do. Even so, does Senpai still want me to live...?"
Sakura, gradually being stained by the black mud, crying?
"Emiya Shirou, if you can stick to your long-held belief, that's naturally good."
"If you choose another path... you will undoubtedly lose everything."
Is this the red-cloaked... Archer EMIYA?
"Hey, Shirou, do you want to live? No matter what kind of life, no matter what kind of form, do you, Shirou, still want to live?"
That was a figure with a crown on her head and long white hair facing away. Very familiar, but... he couldn't call out her name...
These scenes and memories all belonged to Emiya Shirou, but he couldn't recall them. His throbbing and decaying brain couldn't think of anything, allowing the memories to continuously crowd in.
Emiya Shirou, Emiya Shirou... Emiya Shirou...
He didn't know what he was experiencing. He didn't know what he was seeing. He didn't know where he was now. He just tried to clench his numb jaw, accepting everything that came with the name Emiya Shirou.
He saw himself hanged on a gallows. He clearly sensed that his body was decaying under the ravages of magecraft, yet he still had the ability to change everything.
But he didn't do so, just stood quietly on the execution platform, looking at the indignant people around him.
Thud, he died.
But he was still burning then, like a fiercely blazing bundle of kindling.
He saw himself holding twin guns and mercilessly slaughtering people in a crowd.
Countless people with flashing crimson eyes rushed at him like demons, but they were all cruelly wiped out by him, because his gaze was fixed on the distant woman with a face as embracing and compassionate as a Bodhisattva.
That woman ultimately had no place to hide from his ceaseless killing. He killed her, who was smiling even in death, but his feet were also trampling over the innocent corpses rejected by the world.
Bang, he died.
But he still hadn't stopped burning then; he was just an ember still clinging to a dream.
The images then began to flicker with static, like a TV with no signal, and remained silent for a long time.
He began to naively believe that the tormenting scenes had ended, but after a few more flashes, completely incomprehensible new scenes appeared before his eyes.
"This bandana has been used for a long time, so I'll give it to you."
That was a shadow lurking in the darkness, like a demon.
"I'll provisionally call myself the Nameless Heroic Spirit."
His appearance was similar to Archer EMIYA's, but... why the long hair?
"To be worthy of you and this body, this old man shall brandish the Sword That Saves People once again!"
An aged voice shouted from within the familiar body, and then... the sword cut through the sky?!
As these unfamiliar scenes began to flood his mind, he could finally no longer bear the grating pain.
His senses vanished in an instant, and his consciousness was thus interrupted.
So, it was 'me' all along...
But, thank you all the same.
.
.
.
"Where... is this?"
"Heaven? No... it should be hell, right."
The ground after the rain gave off a damp, earthy smell, and it was this smell that woke Emiya Shirou from his unconscious state.
Yes, he was a man who deserved to go to hell more than heaven; Emiya Shirou himself believed this.
Entering into a contract with the world, becoming a Counter Guardian... that was a certain possibility his future self had reached.
The Guardian's power was meant to be used to protect humanity. But Emiya Shirou, conversely, had used that power to hasten humanity's demise.
People often find it difficult to anticipate whether they would truly abandon more for the sake of one thing. But when the choice actually arrives, they find that there's no need to think about it at all.
Just because it had to be done, he did it.
"That Shinji guy said he'd wait for me in hell, but he's not even a shadow here in the end."
"But... does hell have stars?" Emiya Shirou looked up and voiced his confusion to the vast expanse of stars.
Thinking this, he suddenly sat up and looked at his hands.
His originally fair and smooth forearms were interspersed with hideous, mottled scars, like healed burns from a flame, yet much smoother than that.
Emiya Shirou knew that this was the price of his excessive use of magical power—an allergic reaction left as his body could no longer bear the strain.
He... didn't die after all?
Then where is this place?!
Emiya Shirou abruptly stood up and looked around, only to see dozens of thick tree trunks standing all around. Dense branches and leaves hung down, and the pitch black made it impossible for him to see the distant scene.
A normal person who suddenly finds themselves in a dark, desolate wilderness would immediately be consumed by fear. But Emiya Shirou was more eager to know exactly where he was.
This was certainly not the valley where he lost his memories, nor was it any place he was familiar with.
But if he hadn't died, who would be so idle as to transport him to such a secluded place?
Compared to mere fantasy, Emiya Shirou was more of a man of action.
He followed the distinct slope under his feet and walked towards the higher ground. He didn't know if this was some remote mountain forest, but standing high up would always provide an answer.
Since his physical condition was not as good as he had imagined, it took Emiya Shirou more than ten minutes to barely reach a small peak. Fortunately, the area was open enough, and it also allowed him to successfully see the scenery beyond the mountains.
What was now displayed before him was a truly magnificent picture. Countless colorful neon lights stretched from the lower part of his vision all the way to the distant end—skyscrapers, symbols of the fire of civilization.
Emiya Shirou had never seen such a prosperous city, nor had he ever heard of anywhere in the world that was so flourishing.
Although this place was unfamiliar, the presence of people was the best thing. As long as he could reach the city below, many of his questions could be answered.
No sooner said than done. To prevent himself from getting lost, Emiya Shirou simply started walking straight towards the city. Although he occasionally completely lost sight of it in the forest, he thankfully arrived at a road after about ten minutes.
He followed this empty road downwards until he was close to the city's edge before finally stopping.
"I've felt a sense of malevolence lingering behind me for a while now, and since this spot isn't quite the city yet, so..."
"Trace—"
"...on!"
.
.
.
The soul... Because humans couldn't achieve emotional fulfillment in reality, they came up with this word to substitute it.
Generation after generation, humans have been happy to deceive themselves with such lies, believing in the so-called afterlife, believing in the permanence of consciousness.
They disguise the mortal world as a place where death doesn't exist, until death suddenly intrudes upon their lives and descends upon their loved ones.
But in this increasingly digitized world, most people have begun to reject the existence of the soul. They have started to discard former beliefs and have largely lost the fear left by their ancestors.
Only Yotsuya Miko knows that the soul is a real thing.
However, rather than believing they are human spirits, she is happier to believe they are some kind of twisted, cursed ghosts.
That's right. Starting one day, Yotsuya Miko suddenly awakened Yin-Yang Eyes that could see ghosts.
She discovered that the world is actually not as beautiful as people imagine. Countless ugly-shaped ghosts lurk in every corner of society, but everyone else can neither see nor touch them.
But this doesn't mean these ghosts have absolutely no effect on humans... quite the opposite, they are constantly looking for ways to touch humans.
As soon as they discover that you have the ability to see them, they will suddenly become tangible from intangible, and launch a fatal attack on you.
For Yotsuya Miko, who possesses the Yin-Yang Eyes, this is an indescribable disaster.
Because if she dared to show any sign of acknowledging the ghosts' existence—such as displaying emotions like fear—she would probably completely disappear from the face of the earth the next second.
Some people always hope to be a little more special than others, but all she wants is to be an ordinary person.
"So why on earth did I agree to Mom to deliver the package to Grandma's house in the evening?" Walking on the road at the edge of the city, Yotsuya Miko's body moved with slightly stiff steps, and her golden-yellow pupils would occasionally drift to the sides of the road.
She can see them, she can totally see them!
In those dark corners that ordinary people often wouldn't notice—such as the blind spot next to a cabinet, the tiny gap in the bed against the wall, and behind old, untouched clutter... those terrifying guys are hiding there!
The ones with strange colors and shapes that resemble reptiles are considered the better ones.
The scariest ones are some ghosts that are designed to be as terrifying as possible: creatures with necks several meters long, creatures with a pitch-black void in the center of their head, or even distorted monsters formed by splicing together countless human remains...
This world is definitely hell!
Especially since even in a bustling city like Tokyo, areas near the countryside at the edge are rarely traversed at night, making Yotsuya Miko feel even colder down her spine while walking this road.
Fortunately, this stretch of road has been quite smooth so far. Yotsuya Miko hasn't encountered any ghosts sticking to her, as if all her bad luck has been shaken off.
Finally, after about ten minutes, the prosperous area of the city was already close at hand. She could even see the bustling crowds on the street just tens of meters away.
The sleepless city that never completely shuts down, even after midnight, truly makes one feel safe.
After letting out such a sigh in her heart, Yotsuya Miko subconsciously wanted to step towards the brightly lit area, but suddenly saw a figure walking from the other side of this triangular intersection.
It was a strange youth with a streak of white mixed into his red hair. His face was gentle, yet it also contained an unusual firmness.
He gave people a sense of approachability at first glance, but also made them feel that he must be quite reliable.
However, what made her stop was not just the youth's appearance, but the several-meter-tall creature behind him that almost squeezed the entire street.
Its appearance resembled a fox, but it was far from it. Normal foxes don't have over a dozen human heads, and their tails aren't sections of bone plates like a spine.
Aside from the 'Gods,' this was the first time she had seen such a massive ghost!
The worst part was that the youth seemed to have noticed something, turning his head to meet its gaze, and was about to say something.
No, he can't do that, it will kill him!
He will die!
She must do something, she must do something to save that youth.
Fear could be ignored for now, she couldn't possibly stand by and watch someone die!
"Um... student over there?"
Yotsuya Miko thought the youth should be about her age and definitely still in school. She figured it wouldn't matter if she pretended to be a frivolous girl who mistook him for a classmate and wanted to flirt, as long as she could save him.
Just as she reached out her hand and prepared to say the lines she had ready, she suddenly seemed to hear the youth mutter something.
"Trace on."
Yotsuya Miko hadn't had time to react to what this English phrase meant when she saw a black and a white katana suddenly appear in the youth's hands, and he immediately swung them in a cross-slash towards the evil spirit.
Screech—!
Even though it was a colossal evil spirit, several meters tall, which she had never seen before.
Even though the length of the twin swords was less than half the length of the evil spirit's body.
But when the twin swords crossed over the evil spirit's face, it didn't even have time to react. Its entire body was neatly sliced into four pieces, and then foul-smelling blood began to spray out as if it were free.
Perhaps the slash was too sharp; the evil spirit's body only seemed to realize its death a moment later, collapsing in two directions.
The blood transformed into a dense rain that soaked the youth's clothes, but he looked towards Yotsuya Miko's direction as if nothing had happened.
"Sorry, I just noticed someone else was here... Is there something I can help you with?"
'Yikes, Yikes...'
What is this person? An exorcist? How can he do something so terrifying without any change in expression!
Even though she tried hard to maintain a calm expression on her face, Yotsuya Miko's hands subconsciously gripped her skirt, and tiny tears began to well up in her eyes.
If she accidentally said the wrong thing, would she be killed? She would absolutely be killed, right!
However, exorcists are generally considered good people in many TV shows and movies, so even though he was cruel when killing the evil spirit, he wouldn't necessarily chop her up into pieces too, right!
So!
"I'm sorry, I actually didn't see anything at all!"
"...Huh?"
Chapter 2: A Completely Different World
At first, Emiya Shirou thought his senses might have slightly malfunctioned during the process of exhaustion, fainting, and waking up.
He distinctly felt an underlying malicious intent coming straight for his body and mind from behind, yet when he turned his head, he couldn't see anything, nor did he sense any flow of magical power.
But holding to the assumption that an enemy might be very good at concealing their presence, Emiya Shirou still projected a weapon without hesitation and attacked his rear.
To a true warrior, the senses channeled through a weapon must be even sharper than those of the body alone. He clearly felt the blade seem to strike an object, yet the sensation was only marginally heavier than air.
However, the malicious feeling did indeed vanish afterward, leading Emiya Shirou to mistakenly think that the unseen observer behind him had simply looked away after being discovered.
But when he turned back around, he realized a black-haired girl was standing not far away, her eyes filled with an unusual fear as she looked at him.
Is she a normal person?
Indeed, there is a strict rule in the Magecraft World that common people must never witness the use of magecraft. This is because the continuation of magecraft mostly relies on a form of "Mystery"—simply put, the fewer people who know about it, the higher the magecraft's power will be.
If the principle of a line of magecraft is completely made public, then even the most miraculous magecraft will eventually be reduced to a level of near nothingness.
As a half-baked magus, the former Emiya Shirou had always adhered to this principle under Kiritsugu's instruction. However, his main purpose wasn't to protect "Mystery," but to prevent ordinary people from getting involved in danger.
A magus is a creature that can ruthlessly abandon even family in pursuit of the Root; they might not bother with the effort of erasing a common person's memories, and might instead use a simpler method—killing them.
So, Emiya subconsciously wanted to explain that the weapons in his hands were merely magical tools that could be hidden, but then the girl across from him suddenly bowed her head.
"I'm sorry, I actually didn't see anything at all!"
"...Huh?"
What's going on? This feels like being caught at the scene of a murder, and the witness is pleading with the killer not to kill her.
"What are you talking about?"
Emiya Shirou could see the girl's terror, but he couldn't understand the source of this emotion.
"You... you... don't notice it?"
"What?"
"The evil spirit..."
Perhaps it was because the most powerful individual among them had just suffered a brutal slaughter, and the nearby wandering ghosts had completely vanished, which gave Yotsuya Miko the courage to say that word.
"Evil spirit?"
Emiya Shirou nodded slightly and fell into thought.
This sounds like a monster described in some supernatural fiction, composed of human vengeful spirits. But based on the theories of modern magecraft, souls simply cannot exist in the current world.
This is because, with the advancement of technology and civilization, the "Mystery" is increasingly fading in the modern era, and a spiritual body—which inherently possesses a high degree of Mystery—has no basis for its continued existence.
But all of this is assuming Emiya Shirou is still in his original Magecraft World, and he hasn't even fully figured out where he is right now.
That unique ability to see spirits that others cannot see... is it called Yin-Yang Eyes?
"What kind of scene are you seeing through your eyes?"
"Eh?"
Yotsuya Miko was stunned, not expecting the exorcist in front of her to turn around and ask her that.
However, after realizing that the person was not as fierce as she had imagined, but was engaging in a very normal conversation with her, her fear lessened a bit. She started trying to figure out how to accurately describe the scene she had witnessed.
"Well, I just saw an evil spirit behind you that looked like a fox but had dozens of heads. It was about to attack you when it realized you could see it, but you cut it into four pieces with your swords..."
Yotsuya Miko pointed to the ground nearby; the collapsed body still hadn't completely dissipated. But when Emiya Shirou looked in that direction, he still couldn't see anything.
Even when he tried using his meager remaining magical power to reinforce his eyes, the effect was the same.
Could it truly be an evil spirit that he couldn't see?
But why was it so easily destroyed by him... Wait.
Emiya Shirou raised his hands and looked at the two weapons, one black and one white, before him.
Kanshou and Bakuya, famous swords passed down from ancient times.
These swords, based on the Yin-Yang principle of Yin and Yang, are a male and female pair: the black one is the Yang sword Kanshou, and the white one is the Yin sword Bakuya. They are also the close-combat armaments that Archer EMIYA most likes to project.
However, as a reproduction of that Heroic Spirit, Emiya Shirou understood very well that this projected weapon was not strictly based on the original artifact. Instead, it was projected based on Archer EMIYA's understanding after reading the legends related to the original artifact.
In a sense, this could also be called 'forging'.
And even though Kanshou and Bakuya are not considered powerful as Noble Phantasms due to the significant difference from the original artifact, Archer EMIYA, out of some mentality, preserved the Exorcism Incantation on them, allowing them to inherit the original Kanshou and Bakuya's powerful Anti-Demon Property.
An entity like an evil spirit happens to fall into the category of a demon or monster.
Seeing this, Yotsuya Miko finally realized something and tentatively asked Emiya Shirou, "So, you actually can't see them?"
"That's right. If this weapon didn't have a strong counter-effect against things like evil spirits, I might have been in trouble too."
Regardless of the actual power disparity, an enemy one cannot see is always quite troublesome. Especially when the opponent is not humanoid, you can't guess from what angle or in what way they will launch an attack.
Most importantly, Emiya Shirou could clearly feel that his current physical condition was far from good.
After all, he had not only experienced a body swap with Archer EMIYA due to the excessive use of the Class Card, but he had also relentlessly pushed his body and magical power in battle after battle, meaning his body had already reached its limit.
No matter what, the so-called Magic Circuits are merely one type of organ in the body.
Just as the heart feels uncontrollable pain after strenuous exercise, so too do the Magic Circuits, and there's even a possibility of necrosis from overuse.
Fortunately, Kiritsugu had taught him about such situations during his magecraft training in his youth. As long as he stops using his Magic Circuits for a very long period, this special bodily organ will gradually toughen up enough to barely withstand that level of magical power.
Humans are the type of creatures that can continuously adapt in order to survive. Perhaps only then can he truly use the power belonging to Archer EMIYA.
However, Emiya Shirou himself did not know how long this adaptation would take.
Waving his hand to make Kanshou and Bakuya dissipate into blue particles, Emiya Shirou began to try and approach her.
Yotsuya Miko subconsciously wanted to keep her distance, but when she remembered that this was the first person she had met who could eliminate a powerful evil spirit, she immediately stopped and instead asked with curiosity, "So, are you an exorcist?"
"An exorcist? No, if I had to say, my profession should be a magus practitioner, which shouldn't be related to anything like exorcism, right?" Since the truth had already been seen by the other party, Emiya Shirou chose not to conceal it.
"Magus practitioner... like a wizard who uses fire magic?"
"Kamen Rider Wizard?"
Yotsuya Miko thought of a tokusatsu show she had once watched.
"No, it has absolutely nothing to do with that... If I had to say, Magi are old hermits who stay at home researching knowledge, and a so-called magus practitioner is someone who goes against their ideals and uses magecraft to make money or achieve various goals."
In the eyes of ancient magus families, magus practitioners are all rebels who ought to be purged. But when they are needed, these families still don't hesitate to hire a magus practitioner.
All in all, Magi are just a bunch of guys who don't necessarily deserve much reverence.
In fact, the reason most of them wanted to restore the Greater Grail was not to save the world, but because they wouldn't be able to pursue the Root anymore if they died—a ridiculous logic.
As an ordinary person who has no special abilities other than seeing evil spirits, Yotsuya Miko couldn't immediately accept the worldview Emiya Shirou described, but she keenly noticed the key part—
"So, you, also a magus practitioner, will take on exorcism tasks for money, just like an exorcist, right!"
"Well, if you absolutely have to put it that way, then I suppose..."
"Right? Right!"
The eyes that had just been crying were now filled with anticipation, and under a strange gleam, those golden-yellow pupils shone even brighter.
Even though Emiya Shirou considered himself a man who had been abandoned by the ideal of justice and deserved to go to hell, he seemed to have some trouble resisting a sincere request.
A regular girl like her, who can see evil spirits but has no other special ability, would indeed easily run into uncontrollable accidents.
Thinking of this, Emiya Shirou finally relented and sighed, saying, "Then, let's just say that's the case."
"Thank you! But those evil spirits are actually everywhere, and of course, I can't force you to stay by my side as a bodyguard all the time.
It's just that sometimes, an evil spirit will fixate on a person and won't leave. When that happens, I'll rely on you, and I promise I'll pay you well!"
Yotsuya Miko put her hands together in front of her and even bowed deeply to Emiya Shirou.
After discovering that the person was actually quite easy to talk to, her state of mind finally relaxed a lot. Of course, she would absolutely never default on payment; even though she was a high school student without a job, she clearly knew which was more important: money or her life!
"However, I have a question I want to ask you..."
Emiya Shirou knew that he was very likely no longer in his original world, but he still wanted to ask.
"Have you heard of the city of Fuyuki?"
Before Yotsuya Miko could fully speak, Emiya Shirou could still entertain some hope, but that hope was quickly shattered.
"Fuyuki City? Where is that? Is it a city in Japan too?"
Seeing the confused look on Yotsuya Miko's face, Emiya Shirou already knew the answer.
"No, it's fine... I just suddenly wanted to ask."
Even if this was no longer the world he knew, at least the Holy Grail had successfully answered his wish and successfully sent Miyu to a world where she could be happy.
Although it was inevitably sad that he, her older brother, couldn't grow up with Miyu, Emiya Shirou was content as long as she could live happily and healthily.
Moreover, since he was able to come to this world, there must still be a way to go back or to find Miyu.
The simplest deduction is: since there are evil spirits here, does that mean there are people like exorcists or Onmyoji, and are there existences like the Jeweled Sword of Zelretch (Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg) that can travel to another world?
As long as everyone is still alive, and as long as hope remains, Emiya Shirou has no reason to give up.
"You... you look a little unhappy?"
"It's fine, I was just thinking about something."
Sensing that Emiya Shirou shook his head and didn't want to discuss it, Yotsuya Miko immediately changed the subject and told him, "Oh, by the way, my name is Yotsuya Miko, a second-year student at Teitan High School. What about you?"
"Shirou, Emiya Shirou. Currently..."
At this point, Emiya Shirou paused to think about the original site of his school, which was now just a massive crater after the explosion.
"I guess you could say I've dropped out."
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.
.
After Yotsuya Miko and Emiya Shirou left the meeting point and entered the Tokyo metropolitan area, a sedan driving on the now-empty road precisely stopped nearby.
Two men in black suits walked to the spot where Emiya Shirou had exterminated the evil spirit and carefully examined the surroundings.
"The sensation of residual curse is strong; the cursed spirit must have died recently. Grade 3... maybe even a Grade 2 level."
"But there are no signs of a struggle at the scene, and Headquarters hasn't received any notification."
"So, it's likely an unregistered Grade 2 Sorcerer?"
"Most likely. The residual curse here might attract other cursed spirits. Let's leave for now and report this truthfully to Headquarters."
"Understood."
Chapter 3: Archer EMIYA's Dream
For Emiya Shirou, it was a difficult night to get through.
He successfully escorted Yotsuya Miko back home, but as he watched her turn and wave at him after being greeted by her family, a realization struck Emiya Shirou—
He had no home in this world.
Setting aside the idea that a place with family or friends constitutes a home, he didn't even have a conventionally acceptable place to stay.
The current Emiya Shirou was, in the truest sense of the word, homeless.
Though when he had just escorted Yotsuya Miko home, her mother, hearing that he had helped her daughter on the road, had actually tried to invite him in as a guest...
But Emiya Shirou ultimately couldn't bring himself to abruptly visit the home of someone he had just met, especially when their family members were present.
The final result was that Emiya Shirou was left standing alone on the streets of this unfamiliar city.
Compared to the cities Emiya Shirou remembered, Tokyo was still bustling with life, even as the time approached late night. It even gave him the illusion that if a Holy Grail War were set here, it probably wouldn't even be possible to hold one.
Emiya Shirou had seen pictures of Tokyo City; while it was large, it was far from being as prosperous as this. Therefore, even if this was a similar parallel world, it was likely over a decade more advanced than his own.
A decade is no small number. Especially in a modern society where technology is advancing every day, the current Emiya Shirou could probably be called an old-fashioned person who can't keep up with the times.
But since he was in this era, he would have opportunities to learn about these things eventually.
As for now...
Emiya Shirou glanced at Yotsuya Miko's residence not far away, but ultimately chose not to wander too far. He didn't consider himself easily lost, but there was no need to drift alone in an unfamiliar city.
People who often sleep on the streets and are homeless in the city know that there is no need to sleep on exposed park benches when you have nowhere to go. Nowadays, Internet cafes are usually open 24 hours and welcome all comers, and many other businesses are open all day and night.
Unfortunately, Emiya Shirou didn't know this, so he found a dead-end corner in a secluded alley. It was at least clean, and even had cardboard left behind by a predecessor.
As for where the person who used to live there went?
Who knows? Maybe they found a better place, or maybe their life stopped short in some unknown corner.
So, even as the era continuously advances, does humanity never truly change?
After letting out a sigh in his heart, Emiya Shirou let out another small sigh and decided to first tidy up this temporary dwelling of his.
That wasn't his immediate concern, after all.
And as for the dwelling not being good enough?
Honestly, Emiya Shirou didn't care about such things. Because no matter how crude this temporary residence was... at the very least, he could finally get a rare good night's sleep without too many worries, couldn't he?
When Miyu wasn't safe, he didn't dare close his eyes for a moment.
All in all, for the current Emiya Shirou, having a place to settle down was already enough.
Lying down on the cardboard, Emiya Shirou, whose mind and body were already exhausted, quickly drifted off to sleep.
"..."
.
.
.
It hurts, it hurts, it hurts...
What kind of feeling was that exactly?
Unbearable heat was constantly scorching his skin, and his stomach felt perforated, with corrosive fluids constantly eroding his internal organs. This was absolutely a state in which a human could not survive.
Consciousness blurred, and life continuously drained away, yet 'Emiya Shirou' forcibly supported his broken body with magical power, walking step by step into the deepest part of the nuclear power plant.
Some cowardly people, clinging to life, had long since fled to distant places; some people burdened with responsibility had entered the nuclear power plant with him, but they had already fallen behind him.
But none of it mattered anymore, because the current him was completely unable to shut down the increasingly out-of-control nuclear power plant.
Yet even so, 'Emiya Shirou' would never stop. As long as his body still had sensation, as long as his fingers could still move, he was determined to save everyone.
But would a miracle happen?
A miracle actually happened.
Because a pale blue orb of light inexplicably appeared there, and it conveyed its will to him.
"If offering my life after death is enough to save them... I don't object to that. Or perhaps, being able to save people even after death is something I've longed for."
And then the miracle truly occurred.
The three hundred employees in the nuclear power plant were saved, but 'Emiya Shirou's' body would still suffer a painful death two years later due to radiation damage. But to end the war before him, he still continued to struggle in his own way.
However, in the end, it was not illness that took him, but the very people he desperately tried to save, who personally sent him to the gallows.
This is the story of Archer EMIYA.
However, in Archer EMIYA's eyes, a Counter Guardian was ultimately different from a Heroic Spirit.
If a Heroic Spirit is an existence celebrated by people after achieving great deeds in history, then a so-called Counter Guardian is merely a miserable janitor.
Whenever the collective unconsciousness of humanity, Alaya, perceived an 'evil' that threatened the continuation of humanity, it would relentlessly dispatch a Counter Guardian to eliminate it, even if the source of that 'evil' was humanity itself.
"After death, I became a Counter Guardian, the Counter Force of the spiritual world, fighting against those who disrupt the world's balance.
Following orders, kill, kill, kill, followed by an endless repetition of killing... sacrificing the lives of a few to save a majority hundreds or thousands of times greater.
I wasn't dreaming of a world without conflict.
I merely wished that, in the world I knew, no one would ever cry again."
Archer EMIYA held onto his ideal until, after an unknown number of cycles, he abandoned it.
"And then, I finally realized. The ideal Emiya Shirou held... was nothing more than selfish idealism."
A child he had just saved once was very likely to grow up to become the world's 'evil' the next time, and he would have to kill them without hesitation.
The so-called Counter Guardian of the world is an existence that maintains world peace by erasing those who bring disaster—it cannot save anyone at all.
Emiya Shirou vaguely experienced everything Archer EMIYA went through in his dream. He subconsciously wanted to deny it but found that in the dream, he could do nothing, as he was merely an observer.
But even in this state of mental blurriness, he still believed that this perspective was wrong.
He might indeed be a person who abandoned the title of a Hero of Justice, but he never thought that maintaining justice and the desire to save others was a wrong action.
If even that counted as wrong, then nothing in this world would be right.
He insisted on refuting Archer EMIYA's perspective. He felt his voice seemed capable of reaching the other person, but he ultimately failed to do so.
Because he woke up.
Warm, clear sunlight streamed down from the opposite corner of the wall, perfectly illuminating half of Emiya Shirou's head and startling him awake from his dream.
Emiya Shirou hastily sat up, returning to the shade. Although he had rested all night, his body and Magic Circuits were still faintly aching, but he didn't have time to worry about that.
"What was all that just now? Was it really just a dream?
No... since my body has been, in a way, swapped with Archer EMIYA's, it's not entirely impossible for me to see his memories."
Emiya Shirou raised his arm and looked at the still-visible marks on it—this was the sign that he was undergoing assimilation with Archer EMIYA.
However, after stopping the use of the Class Card, this assimilation would also cease. His body might gradually adapt to this overlapping state and recover to a certain level.
"So, were those guys... really all parts of Emiya Shirou?"
After having another dream like this, Emiya Shirou recalled that during his unconsciousness before coming to this world, he had also seen many memories from other Emiya Shirous.
He could understand the theory of parallel worlds—they were essentially all Emiya Shirou, but they encountered different things and made different choices, ultimately leading to different outcomes.
Emiya Shirou, however, currently didn't understand why he could dream of their memories, just as he didn't understand why he came to this world.
"Worrying about this doesn't have much meaning right now. And judging by the time... the promised meeting must be approaching, right?"
Emiya Shirou looked up at the sun, which was nearly at its zenith, and chose to stand up and stretch his stiff body.
Various parts of his body were transmitting different levels of unbearable soreness, but Emiya Shirou knew this was a good sign, indicating that his body was gradually recovering. He just needed to maintain his regimen of not using his Magic Circuits and absorbing sufficient nutrition.
After ensuring his muscles and bones were thoroughly stretched, Emiya Shirou went to Yotsuya Miko's house and happened to meet her just as she was leaving for their appointment.
He should be grateful that today was Sunday; otherwise, Yotsuya Miko wouldn't have had the time to come out and find him, and Emiya Shirou would have had to wait until four in the afternoon, the usual dismissal time, at the school gate.
"Over here, over here, Emiya-kun, I'm coming."
Yotsuya Miko waved at Emiya Shirou, who was standing a short distance away, and ran over. The two successfully met up.
In fact, it was Emiya Shirou who had initiated their discussion for today.
For him, whether he wanted to return to his original world or simply establish himself in this one, trying to figure out the truth about the evil spirits was the fastest and most convenient approach.
This is because the evil spirits are the only unique phenomenon Emiya Shirou currently knows about in this world. If there truly are people who work as exorcists, figuring out the location of powerful evil spirits would be the quickest way to find them.
It didn't matter if he didn't know yet whether they were friendly or not; after all, risk and success always go hand-in-hand.
"So... Yotsuya-san, are the things you mentioned still everywhere, even now?" Emiya asked as the two walked side-by-side down the street.
Mindful of Yotsuya Miko's warning last night that the evil spirits would attack if they realized she could see them, Emiya deliberately avoided using their name.
"Yes, that's right."
Yotsuya Miko nodded slightly, cautiously glancing around, and quietly replied, "Behind that uncle over there, under that car, and in that alley over there—they're all present.
I've noticed that during the daytime, the especially huge ones and most of the others appear less frequently, but they don't seem to be afraid of the sun."
Not afraid of the sun at all—were these really the evil spirits Emiya imagined?
Or, to put it more directly, were these things truly evil spirits?
Emiya tried looking in the directions Yotsuya Miko mentioned, and predictably, he still couldn't detect any abnormality in those places.
So, how exactly do the exorcists of this world detect these evil spirits? Is it purely through natural Yin-Yang Eyes?
"Observing these weak individuals here doesn't have much meaning. If we could find some powerful ones, perhaps we could run into the professionals..."
"Grrrruumph..."
Strange, what was that sound?
Yotsuya Miko followed the source of the noise and fixed her gaze on Emiya Shirou's stomach.
"Emiya-kun, did you... not eat breakfast?"
Emiya fell silent.
It wasn't just breakfast; he hadn't eaten dinner yesterday, either.
Even though part of his body had been swapped and assimilated, was eating still an unavoidable necessity?
"Normally I cook for myself at home, but I don't have the necessary conditions for cooking here, so I... just forgot for a moment," Emiya attempted to explain.
He didn't really want to gain sympathy by revealing his homelessness in such a pitiful way. If it was just about making a living, Emiya was not without options.
"I see. Emiya-kun, are you actually very good at cooking?"
"Well, I wouldn't say very good; I'm just reasonably confident in it."
"In that case, how about this? I'll treat you to a meal, and then you can cook for me so I can have a taste."
Yotsuya Miko was not foolish; she could see that Emiya was currently down on his luck, so she felt this was an opportune time to try and gain favor with this powerful exorcist.
"Is that alright?"
"It's just treating you to some food. Good friends do this all the time."
Chapter 4: That Guy, He Has Killed People.
McD, one of the world's largest multinational fast-food chains.
It has nearly thirty thousand branches across the country, primarily selling burgers, as well as fast-food items like fried chicken, fries, and soda.
Because of its convenient and fast nature, which doesn't require the long waiting time of a regular meal—food is practically in hand immediately after ordering—it's highly favored by office workers in an era of increasing work pressure, even when its health implications are criticized.
They say long-term consumption leads to nutritional imbalance and health damage—are they kidding?
Don't office workers know that working overtime and staying up late is even more damaging to the body? Do they dare refuse overtime?
Similarly, fast food may not be nutritious enough, but the lost wages from being late for work are even more depressing.
The McD industry entered the Japanese market in 1971, after which its development became unstoppable, successfully becoming the most successful restaurant business here.
So, Emiya couldn't help but marvel when he saw such a familiar store, even though he knew there must be at least a decade's difference between his time and this one.
Perhaps the money many magus practitioners worked hard for their entire lives didn't come as quickly as the returns from investing in a restaurant chain?
"I really didn't expect, Emiya-kun... I thought people who cook for themselves wouldn't like fast food much..."
Yotsuya Miko looked at Emiya, who hadn't stopped eating even while deep in thought, her face full of worry.
Because Emiya had felt embarrassed to spend her money, they chose a relatively cheaper and quicker fast-food restaurant; a single burger only cost a few hundred yen.
But...
Yotsuya Miko glanced at the hamburger she still had a little left of, then at the more than ten neatly stacked paper wrappers in front of Emiya, fighting back tears.
It's okay, ten-plus burgers are only a little over six thousand yen, it's okay, really, it's okay.
'Ah, my pocket money...'
Even though a crystal tear seemed to form at the corner of her eye, Yotsuya Miko firmly believed she was absolutely not crying.
"I believe that any food that can provide nutrition is of equal worth. I only cook for myself because I often had to take care of my family."
Emiya stated his view very seriously, but then he noticed he seemed to have eaten a considerable amount of food and sheepishly lowered his hands.
"Sorry, I accidentally spent quite a bit of your money."
Emiya himself hadn't felt it at all, but only now recalled that, even excluding the time he was unconscious, he hadn't had a proper meal for probably two days and two nights.
In an environment where the Greater Grail gradually died out, Magi could only squeeze magical power from the Magic Circuits within their bodies if they wanted to use magic.
Essentially, the Magic Circuit is an organ that converts life force into magical power, which is why there's a saying that overuse of the Magic Circuits can be life-threatening.
With no better method, eating is naturally the best way to restore both magical power and life force.
It was strange—why did his memory suddenly bring up a golden-haired person with a large appetite, yet he couldn't recall who it was at all?
"It's okay, it's okay, I was just making a comment."
Yotsuya Miko hurriedly waved her hand, starting to talk about truly unscrupulous merchants: "You know, a string of so-called exorcism beads online cost 3,500 yen, and it turned out to be completely useless after buying it."
This was a tragic experience she had firsthand; because of those few strings of beads, she and her best friend were nearly targeted by a powerful evil spirit.
Compared to that, a dual-wielding exorcist who can easily eliminate evil spirits just for a few meals is simply wonderful.
But honestly, having such a person who can easily kill evil spirits standing by her side, Yotsuya Miko's sense of security and happiness was indeed increasing exponentially. At least when she saw ordinary ghosts and evil spirits, she barely felt scared anymore.
"But speaking of that... Yotsuya-san, have you looked into how they are born?"
Emiya finished the food in his hand, folded the wrapper neatly, placed it aside, and wiped his mouth with a napkin before asking this serious question.
"Born?"
Hearing the question, Yotsuya Miko was stunned and replied matter-of-factly, "Isn't it because a person dies with lingering regrets, and then they... Huh?"
Halfway through her sentence, Yotsuya Miko herself was surprised.
To be honest, she hadn't really considered this question seriously before, simply following the inherent assumption that evil spirits must be the product of humans who died with malicious intent.
But if that were the case, the massive monsters pieced together from human limbs could be barely explained, but what about the rest of the bizarre creatures that have absolutely no normal shape?
Were they all transformed from human souls too?
That clearly doesn't make sense!
"It seems, it really seems like it's more than that... I've also seen creatures that look almost exactly like urban legends. What are they about..."
Yotsuya Miko couldn't figure it out for a moment. After all, the condition for those creatures to kill is for someone to be able to see them, but if everyone who sees them is killed, how would such urban legends even come to exist?
"For now, there are two possibilities." Emiya analyzed seriously.
"One: some people once saw the ghosts in these urban legends, which then led to the creation of the legends.
Two: the urban legends were created first, and then the ghosts similar to the urban legends were conceived and born.
Actually, I lean more towards the second possibility."
For Emiya, this was not a difficult concept to grasp. Just as the collective praise of Heroic Spirits' epics can create great miracles, why can't human fear of monsters give birth to monsters?
If this is the case, it wouldn't be hard to deduce why, despite man-eating monsters living all around everyone, human society remains stable.
It's because some people know that fear only fuels the growth of these monsters, so they are deliberately concealing their existence, guiding public opinion, and killing the ghosts that could easily cause chaos.
The people Emiya needs to find are those people.
"Then, if that's the case, doesn't that mean they will never disappear?!"
Yotsuya Miko had been speaking very softly, but now she couldn't suppress her voice anymore.
Just as humans need to eat to survive, she also knew that humanity could never overcome the fear of death and ghosts.
And if these things can never be completely eliminated, doesn't that mean she will always have to live in an environment full of ghosts?!
No, absolutely no! She wasn't some young person who liked seeking thrills; a peaceful and stable life was definitely more suitable for her!
"Well, in the end, it's just my speculation. We still need to find more professional people to know the exact situation..."
Ding-dong—
Just as Emiya was stating facts and contemplating how to run into those people, the store's automatic door sensed a person and opened. A straight-backed office worker wearing strange glasses walked in.
Even through his neat suit, Emiya could keenly sense the muscular physique underneath. But if that was all, it wouldn't be noteworthy; plenty of office workers sacrifice their leisure time to build up their bodies.
But this person was different.
Before settling in Fuyuki City, Emiya had followed Kiritsugu on a journey as a magus practitioner.
As his adopted son and disciple, he traveled the world with Kiritsugu to find a way to save the world, and also learned many skills belonging to a magus practitioner from him.
Magus practitioners' work is mostly related to Magi; sometimes it's a simple delivery request, but sometimes it involves tasks like eliminating rivals or exterminating Apostles.
And at the first sight of this office worker, Emiya could confirm one thing with absolute certainty—he has killed people.
The concept of killing intent may sound ethereal, but it is undoubtedly real.
The reason people fear killing, besides the ideological education they receive from childhood, is the instinct of a creature facing its own kind, which is a very important factor.
No matter how timid or awkward a person once was, once they taste the feeling of killing, they can potentially turn into an unstoppable murderer. Emiya had met such people alongside Kiritsugu.
Because after feeling the life of a fellow human drain away in their hands, they might not only feel fear but also think: Ah, so this is killing. It's no different from eating a sandwich.
Just a simple swing of a blunt object, or a quick stab with a sharp one, and a life that might be considered heavy by others is easily lost. How could they not feel a sense of lightness?
'If you take a life, you can never go back.'
That's what Kiritsugu had told the young Emiya back then.
Therefore, throughout those years, Kiritsugu had never actually let Emiya do such a thing. It seemed he never truly intended to train Emiya to be his successor.
Emiya wasn't entirely averse to the act of killing, because some extremely evil people simply must be killed to account for their wickedness and to protect more people. However, the current Emiya didn't know the reason why the office worker in front of him had killed.
Was he just a simple killer hiding in the city, or...
"Miko, watch that guy over there. Don't turn your head; it'll be easy for him to notice you."
"Eh?"
Yotsuya Miko's head, which she subconsciously wanted to turn, was forcibly stopped. She only glanced over with her peripheral vision.
She saw the office worker quickly approach the McD counter with the same hurried steps as his peers, placing his order in an extremely fast voice.
"One teriyaki burger and chicken nuggets, one cola, no ice, takeout, thank you."
"Understood, please wait a moment!"
After receiving the order, the employee only took a few dozen seconds to successfully bag the food from the warming cabinet and hand it over, along with the drink.
"Your food is packed. Please enjoy."
"Thank you."
The office worker nodded, then waved his hand towards the employee and gave a rather nonsensical instruction: "Even for work, you must take care of your body. Also, it's best not to take any shortcuts anymore just to save time."
"Huh? What are you talking about, hey?"
The employee wanted to call him back and ask for clarification, but the man, who seemed to be rushing to work, was already out the door a few steps after picking up his food.
"What a weirdo," the employee merely mumbled and quickly dismissed the incident.
He had dealt with plenty of unreasonably demanding customers; compared to them, that decisive office worker was super friendly.
"Emiya-kun, he just looks like a normal office drone squeezed by his boss... Eh?!"
Mid-sentence, Yotsuya Miko suddenly widened her eyes.
"That employee had an evil spirit on his back, but that office worker just waved his hand and it... disappeared?!"
What in the world? She had watched quite a few exorcism shows on TV and considered herself knowledgeable, but where had anyone gotten rid of an evil spirit so easily in that manner?
"Assuming no major surprises, he might be the real exorcist... Yotsuya-san, you stay here. I'm going to follow him."
Emiya admitted that he was indeed very lucky this time, successfully running into such a person just by looking for them.
But that guy had genuinely killed people. It was best not to involve Yotsuya Miko until he was certain the man was friendly.
"Eh, am I being left here alone, eh?!"
At first, Yotsuya Miko had considered staying put and waiting obediently for Emiya to return.
However, after losing Emiya's protection, several evil spirits began to wander around her again, and one even sat down quite naturally next to her. This immediately terrified her, causing her to straighten her back and not dare to blink.
"Emiya-kun, wait for me!"
Chapter 5: Swords and Arrows Fly Forth
Nanami Kento—former office worker, current Grade 1 Sorcerer.
A Sorcerer is exactly the specialized profession Emiya had been looking for, responsible for eliminating dangerous "Cursed Spirits" in this world.
Emiya's deduction was quite correct: Cursed Spirits are precisely bred from all kinds of human negative emotions.
Sorcerers classify Cursed Spirits simply by grades; a Grade 1 Sorcerer is expected to handle a Grade 1 Cursed Spirit. However, this standard is not merely being "able to fight a Grade 1 Cursed Spirit," but being able to "achieve one hundred percent annihilation of a Grade 1 Cursed Spirit."
In other words, excluding a few anomalies whose strength is beyond measure, a Grade 1 Sorcerer is practically considered the pinnacle of the Sorcery World.
"Since entering the store, those two children's eyes have been constantly on me, yet the fluctuation of Cursed Energy isn't very noticeable. So... innate Yin-Yang Eyes?"
Even though the targets he's responsible for eliminating are usually Cursed Spirits and not humans, his battle-hardened senses are unusually sensitive to being watched.
Having received professional training, Emiya's gaze was somewhat subtle. But Yotsuya Miko's peering was very crude, clearly an amateur—to the extent that any sensitive ordinary person could notice it.
It's a shame that something like the Yin-Yang Eye, while sounding useful and being rare, is not necessarily a good thing.
Being able to see the ever-present Cursed Spirits means one could encounter danger at any time, but joining the Sorcery World doesn't mean safety; rather, it's a step closer to danger.
The structure of the Sorcery World personnel is quite straightforward, with danger level and status roughly descending as follows: Sorcerer Assistant Supervisor Window.
Sorcerers engage in combat with Cursed Spirits, while Assistant Supervisors are responsible for the Sorcerers' logistical support.
The final Window refers to people scattered throughout the city who possess Yin-Yang Eyes or have a keen sense for Cursed Energy, used to constantly feed intelligence to the Sorcerers.
It's safe to say that regardless of the role, as long as one is involved with the Sorcery World, the level of danger will significantly increase. It would be better to simply remain an ordinary person and pretend not to see Cursed Spirits, which would generally keep them safe from harm.
Therefore, even though the higher-ups had instructed that any rare individual with the Yin-Yang Eye should be reported and registered truthfully, Nanami Kento had absolutely no intention of doing so.
Not wanting to involve ordinary people in the troubles of the Sorcery World was secondary; more importantly...
Who would seriously execute the words of a rubbish superior!
Everything that comes out of those guys' mouths is utter trash!
Anyone who would seriously carry out the trash commands of those trash leaders is worse than trash!
Thinking this, Nanami Kento tore open the packaging of the burger in his hand and took a bite. He was instantly enveloped again by the helplessness of life.
"I still can't accept fast food. Next time I'll run a bit further to the bakery."
Despite this sentiment, Nanami Kento, even though he disliked the food, swallowed every bit of it.
This couldn't be helped; after all, adults can't be as whimsical as children.
After quickly finishing his lunch for the day, it was time to start today's work.
According to the intelligence received from the Window, a rather large Cursed Spirit had appeared in a nearby commercial center with heavy foot traffic. Such a dangerous presence absolutely could not be allowed in the city center, so Sorcerers had to be deployed for annihilation.
Since there had been no direct damage or combat yet, the Sorcerers' Association had temporarily classified it as a Grade 2 Cursed Spirit based on the overflowing Cursed Energy.
As for why a Grade 2 Cursed Spirit requires a Grade 1 Sorcerer for exorcism?
That is, of course, because the situation in the Sorcery World is completely trash, just like its higher-ups.
It's already a good situation for a high-grade Sorcerer to clean up a lower-grade Cursed Spirit, as the Sorcery Association frequently misjudges the grade of Cursed Spirits. Thus, situations where Grade 2 or even Grade 3 Sorcerers have to face Grade 1 Cursed Spirits are not uncommon.
If they're lucky, the Sorcerer can save their life and the task is reassigned to a Grade 1 Sorcerer; if they're unlucky, they perish right there.
This has led to a high mortality rate among Sorcerers, and the number of Cursed Spirit exorcism tasks is completely mismatched with the number of available Sorcerers, leaving many Sorcerers with little room for rest.
Despite such exhaustion, Nanami Kento always carried out his duties as a Sorcerer to exorcise Cursed Spirits.
Yet, even so, upon arriving at the mission site and seeing the constant flow of people at the entrance, Nanami Kento's blood pressure spiked instantly.
He immediately called the Assistant Supervisor.
"What's going on, Ijichi? Has the crowd dispersal work not been done at all?"
Hearing Nanami Kento's calm yet seemingly oppressive voice, the voice on the other end of the phone responded with a distinctly meek tone: "W-well, Nanami-san... The original plan was indeed to exorcise the Cursed Spirit at night, but the Window responsible for monitoring said that people have already been seen disappearing inside, and if we are to conduct a rescue, we can't wait until then."
"Also, this shopping center is open 24 hours, so even at night, the foot traffic would only be slightly less... The top floor area where the Cursed Spirit appeared has already been temporarily sealed off. As long as we don't cause too much of a commotion, it won't be noticed."
"To prevent any incidents, I will still deploy the Curtain promptly on the periphery. But it can only be maintained for ten minutes at most, otherwise, ordinary people will notice the abnormality..."
As he spoke, the voice on the other end gradually became softer. He seemed to know his work was not perfect and was afraid of being harshly scolded by the silent Sorcerer.
Click—
Nanami Kento expressionlessly hung up the phone.
"I have to rescue hostages, keep the commotion down, and there's a time limit, huh... Tch, they sure know how to make work difficult."
Muttering this, Nanami Kento lifted his head and looked at the sky. A deep black color surged from the position of the sun, then transformed into a semi-circular dome covering the entire commercial center.
This is the Curtain, a simple barrier technique, and the reason Sorcerers have been able to remain hidden until now.
It prevents ordinary people outside the Curtain from seeing what's inside. This is not a visual disappearance, but a subconscious ignoring of events happening in this area by the senses.
Similarly, the Curtain can be set so that ordinary people can only exit and not enter, or only enter and not exit; it's a very convenient barrier technique.
But in a shopping center with such a large flow of people, even with the Curtain deployed, if it lasts too long, ordinary people are bound to notice an abnormality.
So, Nanami Kento's job was to annihilate the Cursed Spirit within this limited time.
The mature office worker tugged at his tie, then reached his hand inside his suit jacket to his lower back, pulling out a wide, short blade wrapped in bandages.
"I hope the hostages haven't been harmed yet."
The reason Nanami Kento decided to carry out his mission meticulously was not to appease the old folks in the Sorcery World's high command, but merely to realize some value like this.
If the hostages captured by the Cursed Spirit were still alive and he successfully rescued them, allowing them to return to society and continue fulfilling their duties—that's how he would realize his value.
Just as people who like bread would be troubled if a bakery disappeared, people would similarly mourn if those harmed by the Cursed Spirit died.
So, for this job, he probably had to be serious.
Ten minutes—a long time for customers waiting in line, but fleeting for students during a break... Nanami Kento wasted no time, quickly ascending to the top floor of the commercial center in a few dozen seconds.
The area had indeed been temporarily closed. Were it not for the sunlight filtering through the windows at the far end, it would be pitch dark.
But a little darkness was no obstacle for Nanami Kento. Just as criminals leave footprints after a crime, Cursed Spirits leave behind "Residual Curses" wherever they pass. This unusual aggregation of Cursed Energy is very easily detected by a Sorcerer.
For some unknown reason, the Cursed Spirits gathered on this top floor were exceptionally aggressive. But they were only Grade 3 at most; a disaster for ordinary people, but nothing at all to Nanami Kento.
Bang!
Just by raising his arm and swinging hard, a Cursed Spirit foolishly rushing forward was easily exorcised by him.
But he had no time to waste on these lackeys...
Following the Residual Curse left by the Grade 2 Cursed Spirit, Nanami Kento began moving at extremely high speed towards the target's location.
Inevitably, some Cursed Spirits would unleash their malice due to his unrestrained actions, but it didn't matter—just kill them.
In barely two minutes, Nanami Kento had crossed almost the entire shopping center, and the Cursed Spirits on the top floor were nearly all wiped out. Maybe a few tiny ones were hiding somewhere, but that wasn't his concern.
The important thing was that, even after searching the entire top floor, he couldn't find a trace of the Grade 2 Cursed Spirit.
The Residual Curse led through a passage straight to a higher level; the Cursed Spirit had somehow run up to the rooftop.
Nanami Kento slightly adjusted his breathing and quickly followed. The anticipated ambush didn't occur, and he successfully reached the top, finding the target Grade 2 Cursed Spirit.
Except that...
The good news was that the hostages were still alive. The bad news was that they were in the hands of the Grade 2 Cursed Spirit and might not be alive the next second.
The Cursed Spirit even faced Nanami Kento with a bizarre smile, as if it had been waiting for him here all along.
Undoubtedly, Cursed Spirits are born from human negative emotions.
The stronger the fear humans project onto a certain thing, the more powerful the Cursed Spirit born from that thing becomes.
And in Tokyo, this awful place where tens of millions of people are densely packed, the Cursed Spirits generated by the amalgamation of the emotions of millions are absolutely incomparable to those in some smaller locales.
They might lack reason and emotion, but that doesn't mean they lack intelligence.
Some of these creatures, having hidden for a long time in human cities, have thoroughly learned excellent qualities like cunning and deception.
After Nanami Kento and the Cursed Spirit stared at each other in silence for a moment, the Cursed Spirit seemed to confirm that he was the object of its intimidation. It then extended a tentacle, curling around one of the hostages, towards him.
During this process, the gradually increasing force squeezed the hostage almost to the point of suffocation, and the threat was clear without words.
'Damn it... what should I do now?'
Nanami Kento was finally stuck in a dilemma.
Because a Grade 1 Sorcerer was exorcising a Grade 2 Cursed Spirit, the higher-ups hadn't assigned him any backup Sorcerers who could intervene.
He wasn't at all afraid that a Grade 2 Cursed Spirit could hurt him, nor would the higher-ups punish him over the safety of a few hostages. So, if he acted without hesitation, the Cursed Spirit wouldn't be able to react and would surely be annihilated, and the hostages might not all die.
So...
"In the end, I'm being blackmailed by a Cursed Spirit."
Nanami Kento crouched down, placed the weapon in his hand on the ground, and then stood up with his hands raised.
Even with some level of intelligence, a Grade 2 Cursed Spirit's thinking ability wouldn't be very strong. Once the opponent either captured him or initiated an attack, he would have enough confidence to save the hostages, with the maximum cost being a few injuries to himself.
"As you can see, I pose no threat. Now, why don't you... What?!"
Completely contrary to his expectation, the Grade 2 Cursed Spirit had no intention of attacking him; instead, it clenched its tentacle tighter, clearly aiming to kill the hostage.
'Is this thing smart, or utterly stupid?'
Nanami Kento instinctively reached for the weapon on the ground. It would only take him two seconds from initiating the attack to eliminating this Cursed Spirit... but it wasn't enough; that level of speed wasn't enough!
To kill the hostage in its grasp, this Cursed Spirit wouldn't even need one second.
'Damn it... I won't make it!'
Consciousness seemed to stretch infinitely at this moment. Nanami Kento desperately tried to make his body move faster, but reality could not be altered by will alone.
Just as he watched the hostages' bodies on the verge of being crushed and distorted by the Cursed Spirit, and he thought everything was about to end, the thing that suddenly appeared behind the Cursed Spirit made him instinctively widen his eyes.
"What... is that?"
A sword-arrow flying in from a distance?!
Chapter 6: Please, Be My Eyes
On the other side, not long ago, Emiya chose not to stick close behind the suspicious office worker but maintained a safe distance of about a hundred meters, keeping his guard up.
Since he already knew the person had definitely killed someone, it would be foolish to rashly expose himself to the dark side of this world before confirming whether they were good or bad.
His father, Kiritsugu, had taught him that tracking from such a distance made him harder to detect, and with his eyesight enhanced by Reinforcement Magecraft, he wouldn't easily lose sight of the target from that range.
Within a few minutes, however, Emiya saw the figure stop at the entrance of a large shopping center.
The person clearly hadn't impulsively decided to buy fast food but had simply chosen a convenient and quick place to eat near their destination.
Seeing the man pause briefly at the entrance before stepping inside, Emiya was about to follow when he was suddenly tugged on the arm by Yotsuya Miko.
"Emiya-kun, look over there, there's something..."
Yotsuya Miko's finger pointed toward the sky, but when Emiya looked in that direction, he couldn't see anything.
Undoubtedly, it was another sight visible only to the Yin-Yang Eye.
"What did you see?"
"Well, a pitch-black barrier came down from the sky and covered the shopping center and the nearby streets... right about there?"
Yotsuya Miko pointed again toward a street lamp not far in front of Emiya, but Emiya, turning to look, still couldn't see anything. It didn't even seem to be affecting the ordinary people... Wait?
With the fixed coordinate point as a reference, Emiya finally realized something.
Although people were still moving freely in and out of the area where the black hood had descended, noticeably fewer people were going in than were coming out.
This was likely a barrier technique similar to the Magecraft used in the Sorcery World to disperse the uninitiated. However, its effect was much more subtle, only discernible to those who "can see."
So, was something about to happen inside that shopping center?
"Quick, Yotsuya, let's go over there!"
Realizing that the prepared individual was likely not alone, Emiya decided against following directly into the shopping center. Instead, he found a building that was also encompassed by the barrier and climbed to its rooftop.
Excluding high-risk areas for teenage romance like schools, few people ever venture onto a building's rooftop other than suicidal office workers. This empty high ground was more convenient for Emiya to observe the activity inside the shopping center.
Thanks to the mall's design, which featured mostly glass walls, Emiya could successfully observe something, despite the high reflectivity.
Ignoring all other potential abnormalities, he focused entirely on locating the office worker's figure.
First floor, no... second floor, no... third, fourth, fifth floors...
Finally, focusing his sight on the very top floor, Emiya acutely caught sight of the target. The person was moving at an unimaginable speed across the empty top floor, reaching a speed that was difficult for Emiya to lock onto through the hazy glass wall.
"As expected, this is definitely no ordinary person..."
Emiya's suspicion was further confirmed, but Yotsuya Miko, who couldn't see anything clearly, was bewildered.
"What? What is it?"
She felt like she was already behind the times after just one night. She hadn't encountered a situation like this in the month or so since awakening her Yin-Yang Eyes.
Hearing Yotsuya Miko's confusion, Emiya subconsciously wanted to explain. But before he could fully organize his words, the situation inside the mall suddenly reversed—
The office worker, who had traversed the entire top floor of the mall, finally reached the rooftop. It was then that Emiya abruptly noticed a few ordinary people were actually on that rooftop.
In Emiya's field of vision, the moment the Exorcist arrived on the rooftop, the people suddenly floated up. Their whole demeanor didn't suggest they possessed special abilities but rather that they were being held and lifted by something.
Undoubtedly, it was another evil spirit whose form Emiya couldn't see.
But even more terrifying was the evil spirit's action: it clearly possessed considerable intelligence and was using the hostages to threaten the man.
"Look closely at the rooftop of that shopping center, Miko... What's happening over there?"
"Eh?"
Yotsuya Miko instinctively looked over and then her eyes snapped open wide.
"It looks like—it looks like an octopus-like evil spirit! It's wrapped its tentacles around those people!"
She had never seen a scene like this before. Weren't evil spirits supposed to only harbor resentment and lack reason?
Why did this evil spirit look like it was... threatening that man with hostages?!
What would he do? Choose to give up the attack and protect the hostages, or disregard the hostages' safety and eliminate the evil spirit first to prevent greater casualties?
Would he choose to risk protecting these few individuals, or sacrifice a small number of people for greater stability?
Under the gaze of both Emiya and Yotsuya Miko, the office worker was seen slowly placing his weapon down, indicating that he was indeed being threatened, and signaling the evil spirit not to cause any more harm to the hostages.
But an evil spirit is an evil spirit; how could it, born from human negative emotions, think like a human?
"No, this will only make things worse!"
"Trace... Gah?!"
Emiya raised his hands, subconsciously wanting to use Projection Magecraft. However, deep blue lines visibly climbed onto his arm, followed immediately by an unbearable and unimaginable stinging pain.
Clearly, a single night was not enough time for his Magic Circuits to fully cool down, and rash use could easily worsen the situation. But Emiya couldn't worry about that anymore.
"Trace... ON!"
Suppressing the throbbing pain coming from his arm, Emiya projected a black longbow into his hand. Then, with his other hand, he fitted a longsword onto the bowstring as an arrow, aiming it at the shopping center's rooftop.
Before fully synchronizing with Archer EMIYA, Emiya didn't actually know much professional swordsmanship; archery was his true strength.
But... even with that, it was completely useless; he couldn't lock onto the evil spirit's true position.
Even though he could determine the evil spirit's general location based on the hostages floating in mid-air, its form was not a conventional human shape, making it impossible for Emiya to lock onto it using those references.
He only had one chance. If he missed, the evil spirit would likely kill the hostages immediately in a fit of rage.
So...
"Miko, tell me the evil spirit's position. I can't aim."
"But... me?"
Yotsuya Miko was noticeably hesitant. Things were happening too fast; her brain hadn't fully caught up.
She had never done anything like this, and she didn't know how to describe the evil spirit's position accurately. What if an accident occurred because of her direction? That would be disastrous.
Even though he knew Yotsuya Miko needed time to adapt, Emiya didn't have time to comfort her and could only try to calm himself down and speak seriously:
"Please, Miko.
Be my eyes."
"..."
"Okay!"
Looking at Emiya's side profile—firmly resolute despite the obvious pain he was enduring—Yotsuya Miko realized that being overly delicate now would truly get people killed.
She quickly looked at the opposite rooftop to assess the situation and quickly came up with an answer—
"The person being held furthest forward by the evil spirit's tentacles, its main body is about five meters behind him!"
"Understood!"
Without any hesitation, Emiya chose to trust Yotsuya Miko unconditionally. He immediately aimed at that location and released the fingers clenched around the bowstring.
The sword-arrow transformed into a streak of light and sped forth, instantly arriving at the shopping center's rooftop.
Boom—!
Chapter 7: Projection Magecraft
At the same time, on the shopping center rooftop, Nanami Kento was watching the sword-arrow flying in from a distance.
He could clearly recognize that it wasn't a coalescence of Cursed Energy, nor was it a Cursed Tool infused with Cursed Energy; it was some kind of physical product.
Yet, his gaze remained fixed on the sword-arrow.
The reason was simple: this was Nanami Kento's only chance to save the hostages!
Finally, the speeding sword-arrow violently plunged into the evil spirit's body from behind, followed by an explosion that Nanami Kento could not comprehend.
—BOOM!
In Nanami Kento's view, a noticeable, multi-meter-wide hole was blasted into the center of the Grade 2 Cursed Spirit's body, but the spirit, wailing in pain, was still not dead.
Theoretically, an explosion of that magnitude should have completely annihilated the Cursed Spirit's body, yet it only injured it to some degree.
This is because of Cursed Energy—Cursed Spirits, born from curses, can typically only be truly destroyed by using Cursed Energy.
But there was no doubt about it... this was the opportunity he needed!
Now is the time!
Without time to contemplate who had provided this assistance, Nanami Kento swiftly snatched up the weapon on the ground, then leaped with all his might to land in front of the Cursed Spirit.
"?!"
The Cursed Spirit finally reacted from the pain, but it was too late.
Bang—!
With a swing of the weapon, which resembled a blunt cleaver, the Cursed Spirit's body was cleanly sliced into two halves, falling to the ground with no chance left to struggle.
Grade 2 Cursed Spirit, successfully exorcised.
However, the current Nanami Kento had no time to focus on that. He quickly called the Assistant Supervisor, but his eyes remained fixed on the rooftop of the building nearby.
"Are there any other Sorcerers involved in this operation?"
"What do you mean, Nanami-san? Is there someone else on site—?"
"Alright, I know the situation. Come to the mall rooftop now to clean up the area, Ijichi. I need the status of several hostages confirmed."
"Okay, okay... but—!"
Click.
Nanami Kento expressionlessly hung up the phone, paying no mind to the other party's distressed feelings.
To prevent the person who provided assistance from leaving, he quickly rushed to the rooftop of the building from which the sword-arrow had been fired.
.
.
.
Emiya was waiting there, having not moved.
After confirming that the Exorcist in front of him was likely a good person, Emiya naturally had no need to continue hiding. However, to prevent any surprises, he had told Yotsuya Miko to find a safe place to wait for news first.
But upon seeing Emiya's true self, Nanami Kento frowned immediately.
He had thought he'd misjudged things when he was at the fast-food store. Yet, even standing in front of Emiya again, he could still confirm one thing:
"You... are not a Sorcerer?"
While ordinary Sorcerers might not be able to do this, for a Grade 1 Sorcerer like Nanami Kento, constantly seeing the flow and traces of Cursed Energy is a fundamental skill.
Not only can they see the Residual Curses left by Cursed Spirits, but they can also clearly see the flow of Cursed Energy in others' bodies.
If someone is a Sorcerer, their Cursed Energy won't noticeably leak out because they have mastered its control. But for ordinary people who are completely unaware of Cursed Energy, their Cursed Energy operates in a completely irregular state.
The Emiya standing before Nanami Kento was exactly like this.
"Sorcerer? In fact, that's the first time I've heard that name." Emiya was naturally completely unfamiliar with this world's system of abilities.
In the past Magecraft World, there were many Magi who specialized in curse-type Magecraft, but they were still referred to as Magi by others.
"Not a Sorcerer? No, but that attack just now clearly resembled some kind of Innate Technique. Could this be a child who inexplicably awakened a Technique but completely doesn't understand it?" Nanami Kento speculated in a low voice.
An Innate Technique is an innate talent that a Sorcerer is naturally born with and can only be used by them.
Theoretically, every Sorcerer should possess an Innate Technique, but whether or not they awaken it is another matter; some may never gain the ability until death... Therefore, the ability to awaken an Innate Technique is also a talent, and heavily dependent on bloodline.
In simple terms, the awakening of an Innate Technique is a critical indicator of one's potential to become a Grade 1 Sorcerer.
"If you accidentally discovered you could use this ability one day, then it's very likely you've awakened an Innate Technique."
"Innate Technique... what is that?"
Emiya did not rush to refute, but instead asked a question, following the man's lead.
"In short, it's a talent.
Theoretically, every Sorcerer possesses an Innate Technique, but whether they can awaken it is another story. It's an ability that doesn't need to be learned later on and can only be used by the individual."
Saying this, Nanami Kento briefly explained the concepts of Cursed Energy and Techniques to Emiya.
Just as Cursed Spirits condense and form from human negative emotions, Cursed Energy is also born from a person's intense emotions.
As for Cursed Techniques (Jujutsu), the feeling Emiya got was very similar to Magecraft.
However, unlike Magecraft, it doesn't have complex types and learning processes. Aside from rare techniques like Barrier Techniques and Shikigami Summoning, the Cursed Technique most commonly used by Sorcerers is just one kind:
The Innate Technique, which is inherently engraved on the body and is a birthright.
Because it is an innate ability, it cannot be learned through training, but it has a certain chance of being passed down through bloodlines.
Therefore, the mainstream in the Sorcery World is essentially Sorcerer Families.
Relying on the probabilistically inherited Techniques and generations of continuous development of those Techniques, their lead over ordinary Sorcerers is almost total.
Fortunately, once Cursed Energy is awakened, an ordinary person may still awaken an Innate Technique. Although the probability is not high, there have been individual cases where Sorcerers suddenly awakened their Technique years after mastering Cursed Energy.
It's just a pity that Emiya's ability was not a so-called Innate Technique, but Projection Magecraft.
However, he wasn't foolish enough to gain trust by honestly revealing his abilities. It was better to go along with the man's assumption and initially disguise Projection Magecraft as his Innate Technique.
Thinking this, Emiya spoke.
"If that's the case, then my Innate Technique should be called this..."
Saying this, Emiya extended his palm and created a dagger out of thin air in his hand.
"Projection Magecraft."
Chapter 8: The Reason to Fight
In the original Magecraft World, the so-called Projection Magecraft was actually considered a minor, insignificant form of magic.
Its essence is the Magecraft of materializing a mirror image or imitation of an object that has existed in reality using magical power. Its duration is only a few short minutes, and it dissipates when the illusion is flawed, making it a highly inefficient practice.
But it wasn't until Emiya Shirou began to assimilate with Archer EMIYA that he realized his 'Projection Magecraft' was fundamentally different from the conventional concept of projection.
Although it can only be used to project weapons and is restricted to armaments based on the concept of a "sword", the weapons he projects are nearly perfect replicas, including their material composition.
Even when projecting the Noble Phantasms of Heroic Spirits, Archer EMIYA's projected items are almost flawless, even mimicking the Heroic Spirits' fighting techniques. The only flaw is that the Noble Phantasm's rank drops by one grade.
For example, a Noble Phantasm originally ranked B would only have C-rank strength when projected.
But even so, most people should realize how terrifying this is.
All manner of swords and martial arts gathered in one person's hands—does anyone truly believe such a Heroic Spirit would be weak?
And there is an even more important point: although the scope of Projection Magecraft is limited to the "sword", defensive Noble Phantasms can also be projected instantly, provided Archer EMIYA is willing to maintain the enormous magical energy cost.
The duration is very short, but that small window of opportunity is enough to turn the tide of a battle.
Actually, even before his shift with Archer EMIYA, Emiya Shirou had learned many useful forms of Magecraft from Kiritsugu.
However, upon arriving in this world, they all, without exception, stopped working.
Unlike the Age of Gods Magecraft, which could be cast solely by relying on vast amounts of magical power and one's own body, modern Magecraft relies entirely on something called a "Magic Foundation.
For a modern Magus to use Magecraft, the Magus must use magical power and chant a spell to write an instruction, and this instruction is input into a pre-established Magic Foundation for the magical phenomenon to be completed.
This world is not the original world of the Magi; Emiya knew that long ago.
Therefore, the Magic Foundation, which is woven in advance by Magi, does not exist in this world either. This caused most of the Magecraft Emiya had mastered to lose its efficacy, leaving only two forms:
Reinforcement Magecraft and Projection Magecraft.
The former's essence is simply using magical power to directly strengthen the presence of an object to achieve an upgrade, while the latter is a unique technique belonging to Archer EMIYA.
In Emiya Shirou's view, it is more like the ability to materialize conceptual objects, bearing no resemblance to so-called modern Magecraft.
Fortunately, the current Emiya does not need to figure out its principles, only to master the application of this ability.
"Projection Magecraft...?"
Staring at the dagger that mysteriously appeared in Emiya's hand, almost indistinguishable from a real object, Nanami Kento deeply understood the concept of limited knowledge.
He did not sense any clear flow of Cursed Energy, and the dagger in front of him was clearly not an aggregate of Cursed Energy. This even gave him the illusion that this might not be Cursed Technique at all.
But on second thought, if an Innate Technique were so easily seen through, it wouldn't be unique to each individual.
Perhaps the essence of this Technique is to construct forms using some unknown substance other than Cursed Energy; otherwise, simple Cursed Energy would find it difficult to construct matter of this size.
If Nanami Kento remembered correctly, there was a student at Jujutsu High with a construction-type Technique.
However, her Technique relies on her own Cursed Energy as a foundation to construct matter from scratch, leading to extremely high Cursed Energy consumption.
The young man in front of him... seemed completely unaffected by the construction of this dagger, meaning his Technique at least has great potential yet to be unlocked.
In that case, things are getting complicated.
If it was merely the Yin-Yang Eye, he could pretend not to see it and allow the child to continue enjoying an ordinary life. But a Sorcerer who has already awakened and even possesses an Innate Technique cannot be ignored.
It's fortunate that he met Emiya first; if he had been encountered by a Curse User or a powerful Cursed Spirit first, the situation would likely not be this harmonious.
But before all that, Nanami Kento still had a question to ask—
"Even I cannot afford to disregard a Sorcerer who has awakened an Innate Technique.
So, are you willing to fight, even if it means risking your life, young man?"
Nanami Kento knew that when asked such a question abruptly, most people's instinctive answer would be negative.
In fact, if he could help it, he wouldn't want more people to become Sorcerers.
Born in a peaceful era, yet they must risk their lives to fight. Furthermore, colleagues often die due to intelligence errors.
In this trash of a profession, sacrifice is the norm.
"If I refuse, can I avoid fighting those kinds of evil spirits?" Emiya chose to ask this question.
"Yes. I will do my best to arrange you in a support position so you won't necessarily have to fight.
I've always believed that no matter how bad this country and society are, they are nowhere near the point where children must risk their lives.
If it ever reaches that point, humanity is probably close to being finished anyway."
It was fine to speak such discouraging words because this was the most sincere thought in Nanami Kento's heart.
This was the first time Emiya Shirou had encountered such a person.
The man wasn't proclaiming any grand ideals, yet he firmly adhered to his own beliefs—he believed that as a Sorcerer, he was obligated to protect humanity, and as an adult, he was obligated to stand in front of children.
But there was no great reason for any of this; it simply was.
"Then what is the reason to fight?" Emiya asked.
After fulfilling his wish for Miyu to be happy, Emiya Shirou had essentially lost his reason to continue fighting.
The self who wanted to be a "Hero of Justice" had long been discarded, and the only person close to him had embarked on a path to find happiness, leaving behind only the shell named Emiya Shirou.
He still possessed pure benevolence, but that couldn't be a reason for him to fight blindly.
Perhaps not everything needs a reason, but this particular thing is an exception.
Something Nanami Kento had not anticipated finally happened; he never thought Emiya would ask this question.
Asking about the treatment of Sorcerers, or considering the dangers of being a Sorcerer—either of those would have been fine... but he never expected someone to ask him this.
Yes, the reason to fight—it's something every Sorcerer should have, but which is unclear even to themselves.
But this did not include Nanami Kento.
"In all of Japan, over fifty thousand people go missing or die every year under mysterious circumstances, and most of those incidents are the work of Cursed Spirits."
"The mission of Sorcerers is to eliminate Cursed Spirits, thereby achieving the goal of maintaining social peace and protecting humanity.
But.
I think that reason is garbage!"
Nanami Kento simply and reasonably stated what others would consider a rebellious statement.
"Society will continue to function without anyone, and the Sorcery World won't fall apart because of someone's departure... but!
If the bakery worker dies, people will be troubled because they can't eat bread; if the bus driver dies, children won't be able to get to and from school on time; if a father dies, his wife and child will be heartbroken...
Therefore, that is my reason for being a Sorcerer and for fighting."
Nanami Kento wasn't ashamed that his reason wasn't grandiose, because fantasizing about being the center of the world is what children do.
"So, young man, tell me, do you want to become a Sorcerer?"
The question was still free of any coercion, merely an inquiry.
If Emiya chose to refuse, he would absolutely not force him.
Compared to any magnificent ideals, these words moved Emiya more. He remembered his dream from the night before and the words of Archer EMIYA.
["I am not dreaming of a world without conflict; I merely wish that, in the world I knew, no one would ever cry again."]
Is that it...?
It's not for a grand ideal like Justice; it's simply a refusal to see the sorrow of the people right in front of him.
Emiya Shirou finally made up his mind and nodded.
"Yes, I am willing to fight for that."
Chapter 9: You Are Now a Grade 4 Sorcerer
If Emiya Shirou saw someone crying right in front of him, could he remain deaf and blind to it?
Undoubtedly, the answer is clearly no.
Even if he considered himself no longer destined to be a Hero of Justice or to save the world, Emiya Shirou absolutely refused to abandon his principles and allow himself to become such a cold person.
That is why Emiya Shirou accepted the invitation to become a Sorcerer—not just to find a possibility of returning home, but also to do something within his power.
"Very good."
Nanami Kento didn't appear excited by Emiya's answer. Instead, as if suddenly regretting something, he began to advise Emiya in a subtle tone.
"In fact, operating as a part-time Sorcerer is also a good choice. You won't have to venture too deep into dangerous situations, and you'll receive notifications in advance when a disaster occurs in the area.
You will form your own judgment on whether to fully commit to the Sorcerer profession after you've had some exposure to it.
Even if you decide you want to live as an ordinary person then, that's fine, as long as you learn to control your Cursed Energy and stay hidden."
Nanami Kento didn't say anything like "because you have this power, you must bear the responsibility."
Because he himself knew that those were just high-level clichés used to manipulate people.
"If you feel you have a sufficient understanding of the Sorcery World and wish to take the next step, I can be your recommender for entry into Jujutsu High."
"Jujutsu High?"
That sounded nicely academic.
"Tokyo Metropolitan Curse Technical College, abbreviated as Jujutsu High. One of only two schools in Japan related to Sorcery, it's responsible for cultivating talent while also serving as an organization where Sorcerers accept missions and eliminate Cursed Spirits."
Without training and trials, it's impossible to become a qualified Sorcerer.
In contrast to the Sorcerer Families who pass down their abilities through bloodlines, these educational institutions, primarily focused on cultivating Sorcerers, emerged in modern times. They allow ordinary people who unexpectedly awaken their abilities to become competent Sorcerers, rather than just consumables for the Sorcerer Families.
To Emiya Shirou, this seemed a bit like the Clock Tower in his world.
However, this academy at least prioritized the elimination of Cursed Spirits, unlike the Clock Tower, which still fixated on bloodlines and saw itself as separate from the rest of the world.
In that regard, Jujutsu High was several steps ahead of them.
"I see... Nanami-san, I will seriously consider your suggestion."
At least in Emiya's eyes, the Nanami Kento before him was a very good person.
Just being able to wholeheartedly fulfill his duties was already remarkable.
"However, since you say Cursed Spirits are constantly emerging, and casualties among personnel cannot be completely suppressed... shouldn't it be better to have as many Sorcerers as possible?"
Emiya still found this point incomprehensible.
If he were a high-ranking official in the Sorcery World, and if Sorcerers weren't as heavily reliant on innate Magic Circuits as Magi are, then even if high-level fighters couldn't be mass-produced, ordinary Sorcerers should be easy to create, right?
"How should I explain this?"
Nanami Kento pondered for a moment and replied:
"Because the world is still far from being destroyed due to a shortage of Sorcerers."
Simply because that man still exists, the Cursed Spirits can never succeed, no matter what.
"Furthermore, as long as humans exist and people continue to have negative emotions, unconscious Cursed Energy will constantly leak and accumulate, giving birth to new Cursed Spirits.
Things like the 'Evil of All the World'—where defeating it would lead to a happy ending for everyone—simply don't exist in the real world."
That's right. Reality is not a fairy tale where one decisive action leads everyone to a beautiful conclusion.
"If you have no more questions, I'll now register you as a Sorcerer."
Just as Emiya thought he was in for a series of investigations and tests, he saw Nanami Kento simply pick up his phone, make a call, and then issue a pronouncement to him—
"You are now a Grade 4 Sorcerer."
"...Huh?"
Emiya was a bit confused.
It was one thing to not require an investigation, but did they not even need a simple strength test? Just like that, they absorb people into the organization?
Is this truly a legitimate official organization, or some shady underground assassin group?
Perhaps he'd found the reason why Cursed Spirits were so rampant.
"That's how it is. Since you're only a personal Sorcerer and at the lowest Grade 4... you won't get very difficult missions, and you'll be able to learn a little about the Sorcery World. It's just right for you.
However, having seen what you've seen, you should already understand now..."
Nanami Kento straightened up, gently adjusted his glasses, and solemnly shared his views and experience as a senior to Emiya—
"Being a Sorcerer is trash!"
"...Huh?"
.
.
.
A little while later, Emiya and Yotsuya Miko were conducting a debriefing at the familiar MDL restaurant.
"So, Emiya-kun, you're now a Sorcerer who specializes in exorcising Cursed Spirits?"
"That's right."
"You don't need to report to their headquarters, and you even have the right to judge whether or not you can carry out the missions they give you?"
"That's right."
"And most importantly, the salary is a full 300,000... yen?!"
"That's right."
"..."
Yotsuya Miko, whose monthly allowance was only 10,000 yen, fell silent.
She turned her head to look at a distorted-looking evil spirit not far away and thought that perhaps going over to fight it wouldn't be out of the question.
As soon as the thought flashed through her mind, the evil spirit seemed to notice her gaze, turned its head, and revealed its true form, instantly scaring her stiff and making her sit up even straighter.
'Gulp...'
Yotsuya Miko swallowed.
'J... just kidding.'
"Yotsuya-kun is a bit timid after all, so facing those Cursed Spirits directly isn't very suitable for you." Emiya said, focusing on finishing the food in front of him, speaking to the stiff-faced girl.
"Who said that! I'm not that scared, really! It's just that these things always appear when you least expect them, even when I'm taking a bath and..."
Choked by the remark, Yotsuya Miko instinctively tried to retort, but realized her words sounded a bit off toward the end. Her voice grew quieter, and her cheeks flushed.
Emiya, meanwhile, didn't notice a thing. When the voice stopped, he even paused his eating to look at her curiously.
"What's wrong, Yotsuya-kun?"
'Her face is red. Is she sick?'
"..."
"Baka!"
Chapter 10: Perhaps Emiya Isn't Very Popular with Girls
Emiya wasn't quite sure why things had turned out this way, but there was no doubt that Yotsuya Miko was angry.
And not just a little angry—she was genuinely mad.
On the walk home, she barely spoke to Emiya, merely focusing intently on her phone, her slender fingers clicking away on the screen so fast they almost sparked.
Emiya tried asking what she was doing, but Miko only said she was discussing something very important with her best friend.
Even though it was practically the same world, and barely more than a decade had passed, Emiya could feel a definite generation gap.
In his world, the mobile phone, while a convenient communication tool, didn't have nearly as many functions as it did now.
In Emiya's memory, a phone was still the clunky, old-fashioned type with a small screen and many keys.
If we shift our perspective to Yotsuya Miko's side, we can see the true content of her discussion with her best friend—
【...】
【Can't Eat Enough How dare he tease our adorable Miko-san? That kind of guy is absolutely despicable!】
【Miko Bunny : Right, right!】
【Can't Eat Enough: So, Miko-san, how about we go to Shibuya tomorrow after school? I heard the restaurant we frequent got a new chef.】
【Miko Bunny: Speaking of chefs, I remember Emiya-kun saying he can cook, too?】
【Can't Eat Enough: ...】
【Can't Eat Enough: You've changed, Miko-san. Now you can't go three sentences without mentioning a boy.】
【Can't Eat Enough: So introduce him to me quickly. I need to judge his cooking skills to decide whether or not to allow him to date our lovely Miko.】
【Miko Bunny: What are you talking about?!】
Yotsuya Miko abruptly pressed the power button hard on her phone, then shoved it back into her pocket without hesitation, ignoring its continuous vibrations.
She was angry. She was going to give her best friend the silent treatment for ten minutes.
How could her first reaction not be to help her, but instead to inquire about that guy's cooking skills? If he really was a great cook, would this friend even betray her?
Besides, what was this nonsense about dating? Was she kidding?!
They'd only known each other for less than two full days!
Yotsuya Miko instinctively turned her head to look at Emiya, who was walking behind her. She found that he was staring all around the streets, not even noticing that she had stopped.
Smack—
Inevitably, Emiya walked right into her, but the prepared Yotsuya Miko simply leaned slightly forward and maintained her balance.
Even at this moment, Emiya was utterly bewildered, but Yotsuya Miko slowly narrowed her eyes.
She didn't know why, but she felt even angrier now.
"Ding-a-ling-ling—"
Fortunately, the ringtone sounded just then. However, the call wasn't for Yotsuya Miko, but for Emiya, who had just gotten the phone.
It was given to him by the Assistant Supervisor named Ijichi Kiyotaka, who said it was a special model exclusively for internal Sorcerers and would notify him of mission requests in advance.
Emiya answered the call.
The person calling him was indeed Ijichi Kiyotaka, who said there was a low-level mission perfect for him, so he had accepted it on Emiya's behalf and was now asking for his confirmation.
Emiya accepted, as expected.
After hanging up, Yotsuya Miko seemed to forget her earlier displeasure and quickly asked Emiya, "Are you going to take a Cursed Spirit exorcism mission now?"
"They said there's a low-level exorcism mission nearby at a school, so they want to test my ability first."
Emiya thought this was normal. After all, it was an official organization, so they should at least test the capabilities of new recruits.
"You're going right now? Won't it be dangerous?"
Yotsuya Miko couldn't shake her worry. Whether high-level or low-level, facing those monsters was bound to be dangerous, right?
Furthermore, the Sorcerers didn't know Emiya couldn't see the Cursed Spirits' true forms, but she did!
"It shouldn't be, right? They said the Cursed Spirit this time is at most Grade 3, and I'll be cooperating with a student from Jujutsu High..."
Ijichi's original words were that the student could easily exorcise the Cursed Spirit alone, so there was no need to worry about safety. The main reason for having Emiya join was that the higher-ups wanted to observe his abilities and have him demonstrate his skills as much as possible.
But while that might be theoretically sound, is a girl the kind of creature you can reason with?
So Yotsuya Miko's worries were not lessened one bit.
She hesitated and pondered for a moment before finally saying to Emiya, "Then, if it's okay... how about, how about you take me with you? At least I can help point out the Cursed Spirits' location..."
Yotsuya Miko was, of course, scared to go fight evil spirits in an empty academy at midnight.
But compared to that fear, she was more worried about Emiya's safety. And if the evil spirit was truly as weak as they claimed, he could definitely protect her.
Besides, the Yin-Yang Eye wasn't going to disappear, so learning more about this stuff would certainly be beneficial to her!
Yotsuya Miko internally made many excuses to conquer her fear, but she still couldn't completely hide the worry and fear on her face.
To creatures like Cursed Spirits, who have little to no intelligence, Yotsuya Miko's expression might not have changed much, but the emotion was quite obvious to Emiya.
He was very touched that she was worried about him, which made it all the more impossible for him to let Miko come along.
"Even if you wanted to go, Miko, you wouldn't have a reason to explain to your family why you're going out at night, would you?"
Emiya's intention was just to get her to drop the idea of coming along, but his words seemed to carry some ambiguity.
"..."
Bang—!
This time, Yotsuya Miko didn't speak; she took direct action.
She expressionlessly flicked Emiya on the forehead with her finger, then turned and walked away. In Emiya's line of sight, she walked to her house at the end of the street, went inside, and closed the door.
"It seems... I accidentally said the wrong thing again?"
Emiya was trying very hard to reflect on his problem.
Maybe he was just the type who wasn't very popular with girls?
Fortunately, just as Emiya was wondering how he could get her to forgive him, a new message suddenly came in on his phone.
【Miko Bunny: If I could see Emiya-kun's home-cooked food tomorrow, maybe I'd be very happy?】
The good news was that she wasn't truly angry. The bad news was... when did they become friends?
Was it when Miko said she would help him set up his new phone?
Hmm...
Even though it was a smartphone, why did Emiya have to feel like it wasn't smart at all and was somewhat difficult to deal with?