"!?"
Aoko instinctively fought back with all her strength, but Shirou held her hands and waist firmly in place.
The two of them froze, neither moving an inch.
"Mmph...!?"
Aoko's eyes went wide, and she let out a muffled cry. He was... trying to put his tongue in!?
No, no, no, no... That was the one thing she was not ready for yet...!
The last shred of a maiden's modesty made her resist for a few seconds. But only a few seconds.
The instant Aoko parted her lips and met his tongue, gulp. A solid, spherical object rolled down her throat.
"???"
Shirou let go of Aoko. She wiped her lips with the back of her hand and glared at him furiously.
"What did you just make me swallow?"
Shirou smiled and explained, "A special medicine a certain future Magician asked me to give you. Its main effect is to ease the side effects your body suffers after using Magic for the first time.
Don't worry. It won't put any burden on your body. I can guarantee that."
In the original history, Aoko Aozaki used Magic to accelerate her own time ten years into the future and defeated, killed, Touko Aozaki.
But once the effects of the Magic wore off, she collapsed on the spot and slept like a log.
That was because the disorder and order inside her body were merging again.
Aoko Aozaki's time and the world's time were on different scales, so until the gears turned back to their original position, she would remain unconscious.
In the end, Alice had carried her all the way from the old school building back to the mansion.
The witch, whose stamina had already been hopeless to begin with, had nearly lost half her life hauling Aoko back herself.
Because of that incident, Aoko could barely hold her head up at home for half a year.
To prevent the same thing from happening again, the "future Aoko" had created a special medicine for Magic.
"That doesn't explain anything!" Aoko protested, her face red.
"...Oh, you mean that. Feeding you medicine by mouth was payback for your sudden attack last night. I can't be the only one getting teased all the time, can I?"
Shirou gave her a sly, wicked smile, while Aoko looked like she was about to crush her own fists from clenching them so hard.
In the end, Shirou still did not warn Aoko not to kill anyone.
Because he felt there was no need.
By now, Shirou finally understood the true reason the "future Aoko" had sent him back to the past.
Perhaps she had never truly wanted to change the past.
The sin of killing her own older sister was heavy, but for Aoko Aozaki, it was not a shackle that could bind her for the rest of her life.
Perhaps the "future Aoko" had only wanted to know.
If she really had the chance to return to the past, would she make a different choice?
That was why Shirou had no right to interfere with her choosing again.
If Aoko killed Touko again this time, then that meant the choice had not been wrong for her.
"Even though I said I had no right to interfere... my presence has definitely affected Aoko at least a little."
Shirou sighed helplessly.
Aoko falling for Shirou... That was probably an outcome the "future Aoko" never could have imagined.
Sigh. He had no idea how he was supposed to face the "future Aoko" after going back.
"...Shirou."
A cold voice came from behind him.
Shirou turned around and found that the person who had called out to him was someone unexpected.
"Sister Yuika."
Shirou did not understand why she had stopped him.
Unlike the other two from the Church, this person could not see...
No. Precisely because her eyes could not see, Shirou found her very difficult to deal with.
"Is something the matter?" Shirou asked.
Sister Yuika said expressionlessly, "Shirou, have you been avoiding me this whole time?"
"Eh..."
The composure vanished from Shirou's face.
Yuika Suse, who had been blind from birth, perceived things through her senses.
Just as small animals were very good at sensing malice, she was especially sensitive to enemies and those harboring ill will.
Basically, Sister Yuika perceived everyone as a "threat," because that was the easiest presence to detect.
One major reason Shirou had ultimately moved into the mansion during this time travel was to avoid this person.
Before someone as sharp as Yuika Suse, his true nature would surely be exposed.
"Sister Yuika, I wasn't deliberately avoiding you. It's just..."
"You were only worried that your existence would harm the people around you?"
"Shirou, you seem to have misunderstood something."
There was a quiet anger in the blind nun's voice.
"You seem convinced that your existence brings misfortune to the people near you. You've decided on your own that you are some kind of poison, so no matter when it is, you seal your heart as much as possible and treat others with extreme caution.
I don't know what you went through to develop such a mistaken belief, but that way of thinking is absolutely wrong."
Shirou blinked. "Sister Yuika...?"
The nun kept her eyes closed and spoke calmly.
"As long as people remain connected to one another, they will inevitably hurt each other.
Whether in body or in heart, everyone is wounded, inevitably and constantly.
Look at Aoko and Touko. The price they pay comes from the karma they have built up, and so they are always hurting each other.
But do you think either of them is an unforgivable evil?
There is no one in this world who is absolutely good. But Shirou...
You, of all people, are simply too gentle and too kind. That is why you get trapped over things like this."
Shirou was a little stunned.
He had thought the nun was going to give him a lecture, but instead, it felt like she was comforting him.
No, maybe calling it a lecture was not wrong either.
He did not really understand what had just happened, but Shirou felt much lighter than before.
Sister Yuika really was a good person...
"Thank you for your... advice. I'll take it to heart."
Shirou bowed deeply to her.
"It's all right for you to show them your true self."
Yuika Suse spoke softly to the boy's back.
Because you possess an incomparably noble soul.
On the night Ritsuka had dragged Shirou back to the Church, the blind nun had seen it clearly.
The thing the boy named Shirou Amemiya could not hide, no matter how tightly he sealed his heart.
The soul that had so deeply fascinated the fairy of paradise from another world that she chose to offer up the Holy Sword.
The soul that had saved the girl Knight King, tormented again and again by guilt.
The undying soul that calmed all conflict and despair, never yielded before any injustice, and continued to shine as it guided those who had lost their way.
That was exactly what it was.
The blind nun had witnessed a noble star blooming with light in the pitch-black night.
...
After finishing his preparations and saying goodbye to Aoko, it was already nearly evening.
Once he confirmed that the three from the Church were standing by nearby, Shirou entered the [Thick Fog Barrier] alone.
The forest at night was utterly silent.
In the world of Magi, there seemed to be a saying that Magecraft worked better at night.
Leaving aside certain anecdotes tied to mythological traditions, the more important reason was that Magi did not have to worry about the principle of concealment at night.
It was like an athlete who had once suffered a serious injury. Even after the body healed, the brain would still react whenever force was applied to the injured area, unconsciously holding back.
Magi were the same. Once night fell, the switch in their subconscious automatically flipped, making them stronger than they were during the day.
Unfortunately, Alice was an exception. A witch truly was the type to grow stronger once night fell.
Now Shirou had no choice but to face Alice on her own ground.
He continued up the mountain path.
Even after reinforcing his eyes with magical energy, he could barely make out his surroundings.
Before long, an enemy blocked his way.
It was a creature Shirou had never seen before.
A Great Dragon with a pure white body and crimson claws and fangs.
Its entire body gave off an eerie presence that would make anyone's heart jolt.
Rather than a Phantasmal Species, it looked more like a Chimera. Not the Magical Beast from Greek mythology, but a modern hybrid monster.
When the monster saw the boy standing before it, it snorted loudly through its nose.
"Can you take me to your master?" Shirou asked.
The white monster did not answer. It threw its head back and let out a long howl, then launched its attack.
Flames poured from its mouth, blowing away the thick fog around them as they surged toward Shirou.
"Well, no helping it. I'll pay Alice back for this later."
Shirou remained perfectly calm.
A sleek, sci-fi-style black Longbow appeared in his right hand, while a longsword appeared in his left.
The sword's name was [Gram : Dawn of Destruction].
In Germanic and Norse mythology, it was the "Sword of Victory," the demonic sword once wielded by Sigurd, the King of Warriors.
Originally gifted by the chief god Odin to Sigurd's father, Sigmund, it was forged by the dwarves from iron of the underworld. A Holy Sword that shone with the glory of a hero's victory and represented his magnificent life.
It was once shattered by Odin's divine spear, Gungnir, and reforged after Sigmund's death.
At the same time, this sword was also the prototype of the Sword in the Stone, [Caliburn], in the legend of King Arthur. The Sword in the Tree.
Known as the strongest Demon Sword, standing opposite the strongest Holy Sword, [Excalibur], it was also the strongest sword in the King of Heroes Gilgamesh's treasury after [Ea].
During his clash with Archer in the Fourth Holy Grail War, Shirou had analyzed this sword. Now he used it as an arrow, and its greatest feature was overwhelming firepower.
The Demon Sword transformed between the boy's fingers into the shape of a pitch-black arrow, then was nocked onto the string.
The monster's breath was already right in front of him, the heat wave blocking Shirou's vision.
Yet he paid it no mind and drew the bow, taking aim. The arrowhead pointed straight at the monster's magical energy core, its heart.
A flash like a storm.
The arrow left the string and became a bolt of light, as if the Demon Sword had been fully released, piercing straight through the flames the monster spat out.
It did not only pierce the flames. The monster more than ten meters away was also blown open, mangled so badly that its original form was impossible to recognize.
Shirou let both arms hang naturally, maintaining his state of awareness. The pitch-black bow in his hand and the white monster in the distance dissolved into particles at the same time.
Just then, a sudden voice rang out.
"Well, isn't that something. To think there's another human besides me who can take that thing down in one hit."
Expressionless, Shirou turned to the side.
From within the fog-shrouded forest, a blond boy around Shirou's age slowly walked out.
A boy with blond hair and emerald eyes, with an attitude that looked incredibly cocky...
His features matched the description of Touko Aozaki's familiar given by the "future Aoko." Was this [Lugh Beowulf]?
According to the "future Aoko," this boy who looked like a child was actually a Phantasmal Species possessing more than two thousand years of Mystery...
During the war in Misaki City, he defeated Aoko and Alice one after another. Even the Last Witch had been no match for him.
However, the "future Alice" had said that she had simply been too young back then. If it were her current self, at twenty-five, she would not lose.
I see. An Elemental. No wonder Aoko and Alice lost to him.
Touko really came prepared.
Shirou narrowed his eyes. The fact that this guy had appeared here meant the situation was about what he had expected.
After Shirou and Aoko went out yesterday, Touko Aozaki attacked the mansion.
Then, during that battle, Alice lost control for some unknown reason.
One of the Ploy Kickshaws in the witch's possession was probably the [Wandersnatch]. In its temporal state, it had turned the entire mountain into a [Fairy Domain].
Tch... Touko, you really know how to make trouble for me!
"By the way... aren't you the brat who lives on this mountain?"
The werewolf boy tilted his head, then spoke as if something had suddenly occurred to him. "I heard about you from Touko."
Apparently, after Touko met Shirou that day, she had mentioned him to Beowulf when she returned.
Shirou thought for a moment, then stopped hiding it and said, "That's right. My name is Shirou.
You must be Beowulf. I know why you're here. You've been trapped here since last night, haven't you?"
"..."
Beowulf said nothing.
Just as Shirou had said, he had been trapped on this mountain since last night. Nearly twenty hours had already passed.
During those twenty hours, the space-time within the forest had constantly reset.
No matter how many white monsters in the thick fog he killed, no matter how many times he killed the mysterious girl deep within the fog, Beowulf would suddenly find himself back at the forest entrance.
Unable to leave and unable to dispel the fog, the werewolf boy had gone through the cycle again and again.
On top of that, Beowulf's nature was extremely simple. For twenty hours straight, he had persistently challenged Alice, probably, and ended up going through nearly a hundred loops.
Finally, after this latest reset, he met Shirou.
"So, even though we're enemies from different sides, how about we work together and get out of here?"
Shirou knew that although the Elemental named Beowulf had lived for a very long time, at his core, he was still a child with a very simple personality. So he tried speaking to him as if coaxing a child.
"With your strength and my information, we should be able to get out of this fog pretty easily."
Incidentally, Shirou had no information whatsoever on the [Wandersnatch]. He simply felt that Beowulf would make an excellent shield right now.
Hearing Shirou's words, the werewolf boy frowned slightly.
Rather than focusing on the sincere invitation to cooperate, he latched onto something else.
...Touko?
For some reason, that annoyed him.
"You're close with Touko?" Beowulf asked.
"We've only met once. You should know that too," Shirou answered.
The werewolf boy muttered, "Huh... You use such a familiar name after only meeting once?"
Looks like he had properly studied human culture. Shirou explained.
"I call her that to distinguish her from her younger sister, Aoko Aozaki. Touko and I have only met once so far."
"I see."
Beowulf nodded, apparently accepting Shirou's explanation.
"Oh, but... Touko did invite me to come over to her side."
"What did you say?" The werewolf boy's brow furrowed tightly.
Touko had certainly warned him not to kill anyone without her permission, but Beowulf had never heard anything about her taking in an enemy.
Shirou continued, "Touko, well... even though it was our first meeting, she touched my face and said things like, 'I simply want you,' 'You're special,' 'I'll treat you differently from everyone else,' and 'Come to my side'...
She was so passionate that it honestly made me kind of embarrassed. Is she always like that with you too?"