IBHJ Chapter 949

She frowned. "What do you want from me?"

"I simply want to fully understand what the Umbral Star is, and only you, Miss Altera, can help me with that. What do you say? There's no harm in trying, is there?" he asked with a smile.

Altera was tempted. She didn't believe he could actually help her, but what if he could? Most importantly, there was no risk to anyone else, and even if there was a risk, it would only be to herself.

Archimedes had dangled a tempting offer in front of her, one she couldn't refuse.

After a long moment, she nodded. "Alright."

Archimedes smiled.

"Miss Altera..." Ramoi hesitated. Although Altera, as a Titan, was incredibly powerful, this man Archimedes gave her a very uneasy feeling. She wanted Altera to reconsider.

Of course, part of the reason was that if Altera left, wouldn't she be alone again?

But if Archimedes really did have the knowledge to help Altera break free from the Star's control, wouldn't she be holding Altera back?

That would be too selfish.

"Thank you for taking care of me these past few days, Ramoi," Altera said, her gaze softening as she looked at her.

Although she was a vanguard of the Umbral Star, she wasn't just a killing machine. She was a warrior who possessed both coldness and gentleness. She had noticed and appreciated Ramoi's care, but out of concern, she hadn't wanted Ramoi to get too close. Hence her cold demeanor.

In truth, she deeply longed for connection with others.

Archimedes also turned to Ramoi, "I must thank you as well, Miss Ramoi. Also, your divine eye is very beautiful. If exposed to magi or priests of this era, it would be a treasure they would pay any price to obtain. Therefore, people who know its value will inevitably take action to acquire it, especially some already twisted and obsessed madmen. So when interacting with others, it's best to cover your divine eye with cloth or a veil to avoid trouble," Archimedes advised.

"Th-thank you for the advice, Mr. Archimedes," Ramoi replied.

At some point, she noticed that the stinging in her third eye had subsided.

As she watched Altera and Archimedes leave, she knew in her heart that her interaction with Altera had come to an end. However, shouldn't she be happy for Miss Altera? Because when she left, she finally saw a smile on Altera's face.

"Okay."

Patting her own cheeks, Ramoi turned and walked towards her village. Miss Altera had her own life to live, and she, too, had her own life to continue.

But still...

Her heart felt heavy.

Because Altera was her first friend.

...

A sword sliced through the air, and space flashed with seven cold lights. A massive wild boar let out a pained roar before collapsing to the ground, dissolving into experience points that flowed into his character panel.

Shirou was busy assembling a sandwich—two slices of bread and a meat patty—while keeping Mordred, who was trying to snatch a bite, pinned on his lap. He waved to Artoria, who was carving her way through the monster horde. "Hey, Shirou, take a break! It's time to eat!"

"Alright."

The Lv9 human called "Shirou," who was actually Artoria Pendragon, heard his call. She paused her slaughter, sheathed her weapon, and walked towards him.

"Here you go-"

"Thank you."

Artoria took the offered sandwich and was about to take a bite when she felt Mordred's intense stare.

She held the sandwich out to her. "Do you want to eat first?"

Mordred pouted. "I want my mom to feed me, not you."

"Oh." Artoria simply replied and started eating her sandwich.

Seeing "Shirou" already eating, Mordred wrapped her arms around Shirou's waist and looked at him with pleading eyes.

He tapped her little head. "Don't cause any trouble," then he handed her a sandwich.

She beamed and started eating.

"Unbelievable, just unbelievable... What a crazy change... I must have crossed over to a world of female supremacy... Ahh... How do I get back? Miyu's still waiting for me to help her get her age back..."

Illya muttered beside them, her eyes glazed over, clearly in a state of shock.

Shirou sighed, hearing Illya's mumbling.

But it couldn't be helped. To level up faster, they'd had Artoria, who was using Merlin's ID, do most of the monster hunting.

And to Illya, this was a mind-blowing, impossible situation.

Why?

Because Shirou and Artoria had their records and bodies swapped thanks to the Invisible Vortex.

So, to Illya, Artoria and Shirou's behavior was totally out of character and bizarre.

Shirou leading the charge, with Artoria watching from behind... This was indeed a lot for Illya to handle. She was used to "Shirou" hiding behind others and buffing the fighters, not being the main attacker.

What she found hardest to swallow was that Shirou and Artoria were Heroic Spirits with a long and complicated history—inheritance, subordination, and even a forbidden romance. Their affair had led to Mordred's birth, so usually Shirou was the one calling the shots.

But now, "Artoria" seemed to be the head of the family... It was mind-boggling.

Ignoring Illya, who was still struggling to accept reality, Shirou turned to the group of monsters and asked, "Do you guys want to eat?"

The monsters shook their heads. Seeing him and the others taking a break, they simply wandered around nearby.

"Don't waste your time. Those things don't have simulated personalities like me. They're just simple leveling targets," a voice suddenly chimed in.

An uninvited guest had already appeared at their makeshift table, snatching Mordred's sandwich.

"Hey! You golden cockroach, why are you stealing mine instead of his?" Mordred pointed at 'Shirou' and shouted, clearly annoyed. "Do you think I'm easy to bully?"

"Of course not, it's because—" Venus looked over at Artoria. Artoria hesitated for a moment, then offered, "Are you hungry, Miss Venus? I haven't been eating much lately, so I can share some with you. Please don't hesitate."

Venus pointed at Artoria, then at Mordred, throwing her hands up in a helpless gesture. "See? That's the difference. That's why I'm taking yours."

Mordred puffed out her cheeks. "What?! I don't get it! Why?"

"Because your annoyed face makes me extra hungry!" Venus said with a grin.

Mordred gritted her teeth, wondering how someone could be so infuriating.

Shirou looked at Venus with a resigned sigh. "I honestly can't tell if you're copying Crimson Moon or Arcueid..."

"Guess," Venus playfully winked.

Shirou: "Guess if I'll guess."

Venus: "..."

After shooting him a look, Venus grabbed another of Mordred's sandwiches and started eating.

"Ahh! You're stealing my sandwich again!" Mordred was at her wit's end.

"Yours really do taste better," Venus said with satisfaction, enjoying Mordred's frustrated expression.

Mordred gritted her teeth, then pulled out a notebook from her pocket and started writing, "Today, the golden cockroach stole the lunch Mom made for me again. I won't forget this grudge..."

"What are you doing?" Venus asked curiously, leaning closer to her.

"Recording my grudge against you. I'll get my revenge sooner or later! Just you wait!" Mordred said through clenched teeth.

"Go ahead and record it then," Venus said with a smile, not taking it seriously.

Watching Venus and Mordred's antics, Shirou shook his head and then looked over at the monsters.

These monsters were Venus's spores, each a high-level monster of Lv9. They would only take hits without fighting back, specifically created for Shirou to level up.

However, even if they didn't fight back, their high defense due to their high level made them tough to kill. So, they formed a party and let Artoria clear the monsters alone, which was particularly efficient.

Gilgamesh had figured Shirou couldn't reach Lv9 and enter the holy land anytime soon. He probably never imagined someone would actively cheat for him. Of course, it was understandable he didn't know, as he had no information about Venus and didn't realize she'd take Shirou's side. Plus, the Omniscient Omnipotent Star was useless against alien beings like Venus.

After dinner, Artoria cleared another wave of monsters, gaining a good chunk of experience points before night fell.

That night, Shirou sat by the window.

A full moon hung high in the night sky, its cold light casting a faint watery pattern on his face.

"My King."

A gentle voice sounded in his ear. He didn't need to look to know who had sat down beside him.

"Any word from Morgan yet?"

"No," Artoria said, "It seems that she is still getting ready to enter this Connection Point. We haven't been able to make contact yet."

"I see," he nodded, then turned to look at her. "Artie, according to Venus's calculations, I'll probably hit Level 9 in about ninety-three days. And I figure the effects of that Vortex will wear off in about a hundred. We can be honest with them now. I think you must be tired of keeping up the act too, right?"

"My King," she asked curiously, "aren't you worried about what Gilgamesh will say?"

He winced, already imagining the teasing Gilgamesh would dish out when they got back to Chaldea. "He already knows," he said. "So, there's no need to keep up the act. And it's obviously causing you trouble."

"No, it's not troubling me," she shook her head, hesitated for a moment, then met his eyes. "Actually, that's part of why I came to find you. Can we... keep this a secret a little longer?"

"Huh?" he raised an eyebrow, looking at her in confusion, "Why?"

Then something clicked. His eyes widened. "Did you do something weird with my body?"

Hearing this, her face flushed, and she denied it vehemently, "No! You're imagining things! I would never do anything so shameless!"

"Then why are you blushing? Why are you so flustered?" he questioned. He was worried because this woman had a history.