IBHJ 1099

Before he could pursue them, the remaining mechanical soldiers moved in perfect unison. They formed a wall around him, their gun barrels all turning to face his position.

"Ratatata—"

Gunfire filled the air.

Shirou raised his eyebrows and calmly projected a wall of legendary shields.

The mercury bullets struck the shields with sharp, clear sounds like raindrops on glass.

He channeled magical energy into the shields, then released it. The explosion scattered the incoming bullets in all directions. Without pause, he formed several massive Ig-Alima blades, each sixty meters long, and launched them at the mechanical soldiers.

The giant swords tore through the soldiers, leaving only scattered debris behind.

He scanned the area but found no one.

"There's no mistake, that crystal's composition is similar to the Holy Grail's leyline crystal." He paused, recognizing the familiar magecraft. "And that magecraft..."

His brow furrowed as he made the connection.

...

Deep in the forest, blades clattered against the ground.

"It hurts!" The masked figure fell to their knees, blood seeping from their wounds. Tears soaked the inside of their mask as they looked at the blood-stained swords scattered around them.

"Where... Where did he come from?" Their voice shook. "He wasn't among the Twelve Apostles. This wasn't supposed to happen!"

"Be grateful you escaped with your life," the woman said. "Most aren't that lucky with him."

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm not exaggerating. That man is a protagonist."

"Protagonist?" The masked person stiffened. "You sound like you know him."

"How could I not? That face, those eyes burning like flame—it's definitely him." She shook her head. "His appearance here puts us all at risk."

"First we fail to capture Guinevere, and now this." The masked figure's shoulders sagged. "At least the Apostles must be distracted by the city now, right? We got past the Emperor's Hand without them noticing—they have to be worried."

"Perhaps. But let's not get careless. The Apostles are dangerous enough, and for all we know, everything we've done might never have escaped the Emperor's eyes."

"The Emperor spends all his time watching other worlds. He wouldn't waste time looking at us - to him, we're nothing more than ants beneath his notice." The masked person looked up at the sky, their voice filled with bitterness.

..

White doves sat on the branches. They cooed softly as their small eyes watched the people below.

Shirou had beaten the invading forces with ease, and on the ship, the soldiers couldn't help but stare at him with wonder.

As the ship sailed back to port with the others, the water lapped gently against its sides.

"Lord Shirou!" Before he could step onto the dock, Guinevere ran to meet him. Her eyes were bright as she looked up at him. "You saved me again, and you protected the entire city. I don't even know how to thank you."

He smiled. "No need to thank me. I couldn't let such a beautiful city fall to disaster. And didn't you promise to show me around? The tour wouldn't be the same with a worried princess."

"Lord Shirou—"

"Please, just call me Shirou. There's no need for 'Lord.'"

"I-I see. Then... Sh-Shirou..." A light blush colored her cheeks. "You should call me Guinevere as well, not Princess."

"All right." He nodded.

She lowered her head, her face growing warmer as she looked at his bright eyes. "Shirou... he's just like the Hero from 'The Tale of the Holy Sword Hero'..."

Several military officers who had gathered at the port approached them, smiling. "We owe you our deepest thanks for protecting the city, Lord Shirou."

"Not at all, the Princess saved my life before, and I believe in repaying my debts. Besides, this was well within my abilities."

The officer stared at him with admiration. Such a brave yet modest warrior! "Would you consider joining our military, Lord Shirou?"

Guinevere's eyes brightened at the suggestion. If Shirou joined the military, he wouldn't have to leave the city. She knew it was selfish to wish for this, but since their first meeting, something about his eyes had drawn her to him.

"I'm sorry, but I need to continue my journey," Shirou said with a polite smile. He couldn't stay here idly when he still had to find the mastermind and confront his enemy—the Lord of Salvation.

"What a shame," the officer sighed. "Your skills match even the Apostles. With you here, our city wouldn't be so vulnerable to attacks."

Apostles? Shirou raised his eyebrows.

"At least stay a few more days," the officer continued with a smile. "We'll make sure you're comfortable. Besides, His Majesty the Emperor must have seen how you helped save the city. He'll want to reward you properly."

His Majesty the Emperor? Shirou raised his eyebrows again, then smiled. "Of course. The city's beauty has inspired my poetry. I'd like to write a few more verses about this land."

"Well then," Guinevere said. "Sir Shirou must be tired. I'll take him back to the palace to rest."

"Yes, Your Highness."

"You must be hungry, Sir Shirou? Come with me to the palace - I want to thank you properly."

Guinevere gently guided Shirou toward the palace with a hand on his back.

As they walked away, the soldiers began clearing the battlefield under the officer's orders.

From the corner of his eye, Shirou watched the destroyed mechs. Like the mechanical soldiers from before, the five-meter-tall machines dissolved into smoke and vanished without a trace.

What were these things? They weren't alchemical creations or magical constructs, and definitely not real steel mechs.

He narrowed his eyes.

The mechanical soldiers had vanished into smoke, but the crimson battleship remained. The soldiers moved it to the military warehouse at the port for safekeeping.

At the palace, Guinevere ordered the guards to arrange a grand feast. The royal chefs prepared an elaborate meal, which she hosted in the back garden.

Shirou looked at the array of dishes before him, especially the variety of meat dishes, with raised eyebrows.

This Britain was different from the one he knew. His Britain had been harsh, filled with people dying from hunger and starvation. But here, just the abundance and presentation of food showed how prosperous this kingdom was.

A guard rushed to Guinevere's side. "Your Highness, Master Xuanzang says she's in seclusion studying Buddhist dharma and can't attend the banquet."

"Of course she is," Guinevere said with a gentle sigh. She then turned to him. "It seems I'll be hosting your victory feast alone. Unless... we could always invite some of the councilors. They do know how to keep a party going."

"Just us is fine," Shirou said, matching her smile. "I prefer the quiet."

"I see..."

But that was a lie. As Mordred's father - and Mordred lived for court drama and gossip - Shirou had actually grown quite fond of livelier gatherings.

He just didn't want to deal with the formal talk and polite pretenses that came with meeting the councilors.

Besides...

He picked up his fork and took a bite of the aromatic meat, chewing slowly. "Guinevere, those enemies we fought - what exactly were they?"

"You've never seen them before?" She asked.

"Nothing like them, no. And I've seen quite a bit in my travels."

"Ah, that's right - you're like Master Xuanzang, aren't you? From beyond the Empire." Guinevere traced the rim of her glass. "Truth is, I don't know much about them myself. They come from across the sea, and when you kill them, their bodies just... disappear. The strange thing is they move like puppets, but there's no one controlling them."

No controllers? He frowned, thinking of the masked figure and the attacker he'd chased. Something wasn't adding up.

While the mechanical soldiers had no one controlling them, he had seen pilots inside the battleship.

Strange... Did Guinevere not know about them?

"Wait." Guinevere set down her glass. "There were people inside?"

"Skilled pilots, yes." He studied her reaction. "You didn't know?"

"Of course not. Everyone knows these enemies come without pilots..." Guinevere's face showed concern. Then she brightened. "Shirou, this is important news. His Majesty the Emperor will surely reward you well for reporting it."

"About that - I've been meaning to ask. This Emperor..."

"The Emperor is the Emperor - the god of our world and ruler of the empire." Guinevere spoke as if explaining that water was wet.