IBHJ Chapter 967

Mordred shooed Artoria and the others out of the room, then shut the door. She returned to Shirou's side, taking his hands in hers, her face serious. "I won't let Mom get hurt again."

Looking at Mordred's earnest expression, he felt a pang of regret for going along with Artoria's farce.

Mordred took her caretaking duties very seriously, tucking him into bed, making sure he was comfortable, and even preparing light meals to help him regain his strength.

"Mother, ah—"

She sat at his bedside, carefully spooning up some fish soup and bringing it towards his mouth.

Looking at her expression, he hesitated, then began, "Mordred, I am..."

But before he could finish, the spoon was nudged into his mouth. "Honestly," she mumbled, "talking while eating, Mom's such a naughty child."

He didn't know whether to laugh or cry, watching a child acting like a grown-up.

But...

Why fish soup again? And why did it taste so familiar?

For three days, Mordred fussed over him like a mother hen. By the end, he felt well enough to leave his bed, though his body remained frustratingly weak. His movements were awkward, as if his mind and limbs were speaking different languages.

Morrigan, with her vast knowledge of souls, explained that this was an aftereffect of the Lord of Salvation's attack. His soul and body were out of sync, and with the body swap nearing its end, he couldn't properly control Artoria's body. In this weakened state, Shirou was vulnerable and unable to defend himself effectively. If Gilgamesh were to see him now, he'd likely never stop making fun of him.

Once he could get out of bed, Shirou started taking slow walks around the courtyard, trying to get his soul and body back in sync. Seeing this, Artoria was at a loss.

"My King, you really should be resting in bed," she said, walking beside him with a worried sigh.

He chuckled softly. "Moving around helps with recovery."

She shook her head, a hint of frustration in her voice. "That's a wound of the soul, not the body. You need to lie down and rest." His persistent smile irked her slightly. "Perhaps I should take a page from Sister Morgan's book and tie you to the bed."

The smile vanished from his face. "Please, don't..." His voice was suddenly small as the thought of enduring Morgan le Fay's forceful methods made him shudder.

The afternoon sun cast long shadows across the stone-paved courtyard. In the center, a small lake reflected the sky, its surface occasionally disturbed by a light breeze or a curious fish. Shirou and Artoria had been strolling along the winding path that circled the water, their quiet conversation blending with the gentle rustle of leaves and distant birdsong.

As they approached an old wooden bridge arching over the narrowest part of the lake, Artoria slowed her pace, her gaze drawn to the serene view. He noticed her pause and stopped beside her, both of them leaning against the bridge's railing.

After a few moments, he glanced up at her, a hint of mischief in his eyes. "Say, Artie... before I fainted, I think I heard something interesting. Did you, by any chance, say you loved me?"

"You must have been hallucinating, my King." she replied, her face carefully blank.

"Ah, a hallucination..." He let out an exaggerated sigh of relief.

Her eyebrow arched. "You seem awfully relieved, my King."

"Well, you're in my body right now. As a man with a perfectly normal orientation, hearing that from my own body was... let's say, unsettling. So I'm glad it was just a hallucination." He paused, then added with a playful smile, "Though, I wonder... will there be another 'hallucination' later where Artoria uses her own body to say those words to me?"

A blush flooded her cheeks. She suddenly realized - he was teasing her!

"Honestly!" she huffed, unable to keep the pout from her face. She couldn't believe he was teasing her like this.

He stood on tiptoe, instinctively wanting to pat her head, but found that his body was too short due to the body swap. Even on tiptoe, it was extremely difficult to reach, so he gave up helplessly.

Embarrassed by his teasing, she changed the subject. "Speaking of which, my King, how are you feeling?" she asked, most concerned about any lingering effects from the Lord of Salvation's attack.

"I'm fine," he reassured her with a smile, then pointed towards a spot a little further on. "Let's go for a walk over there."

"Okay!" she agreed, nodding.

No one realized that deep within his soul, the formless vortex was twisting and warping in an extreme distortion. The inner part continued to rotate clockwise normally, while the outer layers had started to spin counterclockwise, rotating in opposite directions, all the while bursting out with an indescribable evil.

...

Shirou was finally able to move again, which was a relief. But the good news didn't last long. The Lord of Salvation's power was starting to become clear. Just a glance from its projected gaze had nearly wiped them out. No wonder the UOs were so anxious. It was a horror beyond human comprehension.

As soon as he could move, he decided to head to the three-eyed people's village to look for answers. To fight the Lord of Salvation, they needed to understand it, and this village was the best place to start.

"You should focus on resting, not worrying about all this," Artoria said, exasperated. "We'll be in trouble if your injuries get worse."

"I know, but we're running out of time."

Yes, time was running out. The UOs' judgment was coming soon, and the Lord of Salvation was waiting to strike. He had to uncover the connection between the three-eyed people and the Lord of Salvation, and he also had to complete the main quest in South America to make the UOs lose their bet. If he failed, it would be the end of everything.

The people of Gandhara were the remnants of a civilization closest to the Gaia's civilization. And Gandhara's third eye reacted to the Lord of Salvation, so there had to be some connection between the two. In any case, it was their only lead to learning more about their enemy.

Not much time had passed since the attack on the Gandhara village, and if they didn't hurry, there might be no clues left. Shirou couldn't help but feel anxious.

With his mind made up, Artoria and the others reluctantly agreed with his plan. They packed their supplies, leaving Illya and the still-recovering Ayaka behind. Shirou had also wanted to leave Mordred at home, since the Lord of Salvation had already appeared once, and there was no guarantee it wouldn't happen again. But Mordred had insisted, "If Mom, who's weaker than me, is going, how can I not go?"

Shirou was speechless. He had no choice but to let her come along.

He and his group left Lake Titicaca, following Charia toward the Gandharan village.

At their pace, it took them a little over a day to cross the Cordillera mountains and reach the outskirts of the village.

"Beyond that forest is our village," Charia said, pointing to the thick woods nearby.

Shirou nodded, keeping his distance from Charia and hiding his [Evil] deep in the shadows. He couldn't risk letting his [Evil] come into contact with the Gandharan again, in case the Lord of Salvation's power went berserk and caused its projection to appear in this world again.

They passed through the dense forest and soon came across a ruined village. The farmlands were scorched, buildings were reduced to rubble, and destruction was everywhere.

"How awful..." Kiara said, her voice heavy with sadness.

The destruction painted a clear picture of the attack this village had suffered. Debris littered the ground, and the acrid scent of smoke still hung in the air.

Shirou and his group searched the village high and low, but there was no one left. All that remained was ruin.