IBHJ 1034

"Y-yeah..." Chloe responded nervously, taken aback by Miyu's intense reaction. She suddenly remembered how much Miyu loved Shirou.

"Is that so..." A smile spread across Miyu's face. "Shirou-niisan, he's finally back."

13 years ago, when she arrived from a parallel world with no one to rely on, it was Shirou who gave her a home, support, warmth, and happiness. Most importantly, he gave her the courage to face herself. However, in the end, he had to leave and disappear to protect everyone.

Miyu was heartbroken and depressed, even believing herself to be cursed. This lasted until Emiya Shirou, Emiya Kiritsugu, and others returned from the destroyed parallel world. With their care, especially from Emiya Shirou and Illya, she finally overcame her emotional struggles.

Now, hearing of Shirou's return, she was truly happy.

"Did Shirou-niisan and Illya go to South America?" Miyu asked.

"Yes," Chloe nodded and smiled. "And since you've returned to normal, it means he must have cleared the South American connection point..."

Chloe's smile faded when she saw the worried look on Miyu's face.

Miyu turned to Pandora, her expression serious. "Pandora, can Chaldea contact South American connection point now?"

"No, Miyu-neesan."

"This is bad...!" Miyu clenched her jaw.

"What's wrong, Miyu?" Chloe asked, her voice filled with worry.

"Shirou-niisan and Illya are in danger!"

"W-what are you saying?" Chloe asked. "Look, you're back to normal—doesn't that prove they're about to clear the South American connection point?"

"No," Miyu said, her voice strained. "This proves they're about to make their move! My brother and I were fooled. Shirou-niisan and Illya won't be exceptions."

"Miyu, I don't know what you encountered in South America," Chloe said earnestly, "but remember, it's Shirou-niisan who went there!"

"That's exactly why I'm worried!" Miyu exclaimed. "This is the worst possible connection point for him!"

"Why do you say that?" Chloe was confused.

"Is it because Shirou-niisan is a vessel like me?" Pandora asked Miyu.

Miyu nodded, then shook her head. "It's more than that. Shirou has another weakness he doesn't even know about."

Weakness?

Pandora and Chloe exchanged confused glances.

Miyu's eyes were filled with worry.

The battle in Fuyuki had been traumatic for her. For thirteen years, she had replayed it in her mind, remembering Shirou leaving. Thinking about it over and over had matured her, broadened her perspective, and helped her see his weakness.

A gentleman can be deceived. Shirou would certainly be taken advantage of.

Miyu clenched her teeth and stood up, heading for the door.

"Where are you going, Miyu?" Chloe asked quickly.

"To find Gilgamesh!"

Her ability to lead the squad while managing Gilgamesh's arrogant nature showed how much she had grown in the past thirteen years. She was no longer the impulsive girl she once was. In fact, she had kept some of the truth about her time in the South American connection point from Illya, Chloe, and Gray.

It had actually been a joint operation between her and Gilgamesh. She had entered to explore directly, while Gilgamesh remained behind the scenes as a backup. That was how she knew the South American connection point was the worst possible place for Shirou. Not only because Shirou could be deceived, but also because he was a vessel.

Shirou-niisan... Please be safe. Miyu's heart ached with worry.

...

At the Sanctuary.

"Shirou, you're back!" Morrigan said, beaming at him as he emerged from the resurrection pyramid.

"Mm." He nodded, glancing at Artoria behind Morrigan and giving her a nod as well.

Artoria smiled, but her smile faltered when she saw Mordred standing beside him with her arms crossed and face turned away.

Mordred was back to her twelve-year-old body. Her naturally beautiful features, combined with the silver armor given to her by the game, made her look valiant and heroic.

But Mordred was undoubtedly smart enough to guess what had happened between her and Shirou now that their body swap had ended with the disappearance of the formless vortex's effect.

If Mordred couldn't figure it out, then she wouldn't be Mordred.

What should I do? Artoria worried. She wasn't particularly clever and struggled to understand emotions. She already had a strained relationship with Mordred, and now, after this deception, Mordred must be furious.

But that wasn't the main problem. The real issue was that this abruptly ended charade would surely push Mordred and Shirou further apart.

Initially, Shirou had intended to tease Mordred, but after seeing Mordred's feelings for Artoria, he had changed his mind and wanted to confess. However, Artoria had asked him to keep deceiving Mordred, to continue interacting with her as Artoria.

This was supposed to help them understand each other. But with the vortex's body swap disappearing, their goal wouldn't be achieved. Instead, it would make them more hostile.

Artoria was worried. She didn't mind Mordred's hostility toward her, but she hoped Shirou and Mordred wouldn't remain estranged.

"Lost in thought again. How annoying."

Mordred sneered, her blue eyes blazing with a wild and aggressive light as she looked at Morrigan. "Your true identity is my aunt who caused all that trouble back home, Morgan le Fay, right?"

"Y-yes..."

Cold sweat trickled down Morrigan's forehead. Unlike the child Mordred, this Mordred had regained her lost intelligence and age, returning to the king who carried the blame for the fall of her kingdom. Her gaze and temperament were like a lone lion in the wilderness, full of aggression. Morrigan, in contrast, was more timid.

Most importantly, the guilt she carried as Morgan le Fay made it impossible for her to face Mordred.

This is bad. She's going to kill me!

Morrigan wailed inwardly.

"I'll deal with you later, after we finish with this connection point."

Mordred glared at her. She had seen through Morrigan's disguise. Despite hiding her identity, Morrigan was timid and easily intimidated, so it was easy to get information out of her. However, this connection point felt strange, and she had already failed here once. To resolve it, she decided to put aside her desire for revenge against Morgan le Fay.

Did she actually have a grudge against Morgan le Fay? Not really, but Morgan had left behind such a mess that her mother had to clean it up. Even if her mother didn't mind, Mordred felt obligated to take revenge.

"Still, I didn't expect the war in the Sanctuary to be dragging on... What do you think, old man?" Mordred looked at Shirou.

O-old man?

Artoria and Morrigan's eyes widened.

"I told you not to call me old man! What's old about me?" Shirou looked at her with exasperation. "I'm not even as old as you!"

"Yeah right, old man! How many times have you been in a loop? Don't you know how many years that adds up to?" Mordred sneered. "And that's not even the point—a foreign soul, a mature soul, pretending to be a child. I, Mordred, officially despise you!"

Shirou: "..."

This kid is really not cute anymore.

"Enough, I won't argue about this. But we need to find a way to end this war." Shirou rubbed his chin. "This connection point is still based on a game, an RPG to be exact. This monster wave siege must have a boss leading them. Usually, defeating the boss ends these kinds of events in games."

"So basically, it's a checkmate situation. But that boss can't be checkmated, right?" Mordred pointed at Saturn looming large in the sky. "Old man, if you're suggesting something impossible, I'm going to laugh."

"How can you be so sure that's the boss? Maybe it's just part of the background? If that's all you've got, I won't laugh—you're still young and don't understand."

"Oh my, you just admitted you're old! Everyone heard you. And tell me, how are you so sure it's not the boss?" Mordred challenged, poking holes in his argument.

"I simply said you were young, not that I was old. Does calling you young automatically make me old? Where's your proof? This only proves you're immature. As for your question, I'll tell you—just look at how this war still hasn't ended..."

Their bickering continued, each refusing to back down from their position.

Kiara and the others exchanged helpless glances.

"Aren't you going to stop them?" Morrigan asked, turning to her sister. But Artoria seemed lost in thought.

"This scene... it feels familiar." Artoria smiled.

"F-familiar?" Morrigan was taken aback.

Artoria turned to her. "Sis, remember when we were planning the north-south pincer strategy against Vortigern?"

Without waiting for an answer, Artoria continued to watch the arguing pair and smiled. "The king first proposed the continental counterattack strategy, and then everyone debated it. That was the only time I argued with the king, just over which sea route to take."

Morrigan suddenly understood what Artoria meant. "You mean Shirou and Mordred are..."

"They're not arguing because they dislike each other, but because they trust each other enough to share their perspectives. It's a clash of ideas and personalities."

Morrigan stared at her, speechless.

Watching them argue, Artoria couldn't help but cry. "It seems I was worried for nothing..."