IBHJ Chapter 845

He looked at her, a hint of surprise in his eyes. "Wait, you haven't realized it yet?"

"Realized what?" she asked, her expression completely blank.

"You really need to work on your insight," he chuckled, reaching out and lightly tugging on her ahoge.

"Mm..." she shrank back a little. She didn't like others touching her ahoge, not even allowing Mordred to do so. But when it came to Shirou, she only showed a mild rejection reaction.

As for the reason...

She had probably gotten used to it. After all, Shirou's bad habit of grabbing people's hair had started with her.

Enduring his teasing of her ahoge, she said, "I just need to stand by your side and be your sword. When it comes to insight and thinking, I'll leave that to you, my king."

Hearing this, he smiled softly. "That won't do, Artie. My Princess Knight isn't just a warrior who only knows how to fight. She's a knight who can both fight and think, who single-handedly defeated the Roman Emperor and the Sword Emperor, giving me the peace of mind to peacefully lay down my crown."

"Mm..." she glanced around, then snuck a peek at him. "Um... Why did you say that if Miss Morrigan was a Heroic Spirit, you could summon her with your Noble Phantasm?"

"Well, that's because she's my sister," he said, smiling.

"Sister?" she was stunned for a moment, then completely shocked. "You... You mean she... Morrigan is your... Our sister, Morgan le Fay?"

He nodded in confirmation.

"You're joking, right?" she was in complete disbelief.

The idea that the lazy NEET they knew was actually her domineering, imposing, dark, and aggressive sister Morgan le Fay from over 1,500 years ago was enough to shake Artoria to her core.

She didn't doubt his words, but...

"Then why did she conceal her identity?" she asked with a puzzled expression.

"Hmm..." he thought for a moment. "Probably out of shame. I passed the throne to her, but she ran away in less than a year, and then the kingdom crumbled."

"I see, so that's how it is..." she frowned, processing the new information.

He glanced at her. "Do you resent Morgan?"

"Why would I resent my own sister?" she asked, looking puzzled.

"Well, if Morgan hadn't abandoned her duties, you and Mordred might not have met such a tragic fate. It would be understandable if you held some resentment towards her."

"No, my king," she shook her head. "I have never resented my sister. I can't speak for Mordred, but even if Morgan had stayed and fulfilled her role, I still would have given my all to protect the kingdom once Attila became a threat!"

He smiled softly. "I see. You truly love your people, Artie."

"No!" she raised her head, her eyes locking with his, full of conviction. "I love the kingdom and strive to protect it because I love you, my king. I want to protect the fruits of your creation, the legacy you built!"

Her voice rang out, majestic and imposing, devoid of her usual softness. Instead, it carried the forcefulness of a king who had fought countless battles. Her words were a declaration, a testament to the driving force behind her every action.

Hearing what sounded like a heartfelt confession, Shirou couldn't help but scratch his cheek, a bit flustered. "Oh... I see... That's my Princess Knight for you..."

"No... no... I apologize for my rudeness, my king." Realizing that she might have been a bit disrespectful towards him, she quickly apologized.

At that very moment, the six-pointed star circle on the ground burst into life, glowing with an intense, fiery red light.

The strange phenomenon immediately caught Shirou and Artoria's attention, their eyes widening in surprise.

"This is...!" he raised his eyebrows.

[Hint: You've discovered clues about the ancient magic circle and realized it's a summoning circle. With your Mana index of 9, you have what it takes to activate it. Now, let's roll the dice to see if you succeed - get a 10 or higher for successful activation!]

"Wait, can't I just choose not to activate it?" he asked, exasperation creeping into his voice.

But ever since Abigail's disappearance, the TRPG rules had become a mechanical, automated system, operating like clockwork.

[Time to roll the dice, please wait——]

[And the result is... 11! Activation successful!]

The very next moment...

The magic circle on the ground exploded with a blinding light, and in the blink of an eye, a horde of bizarre, humanoid monsters appeared before them.

"Roar! Roar! Roar! Roar! Roar——"

The monsters, while humanoid in shape, had undergone grotesque, irreversible transformations. Some were covered in writhing tentacles, while others had sharp weapons protruding from their flesh. A few looked like nothing more than puddles of mud, their forms barely holding together.

"Artie!" he shouted.

"Yes, leave it to me!" she responded, her grip tightening on Excalibur's hilt as she charged towards the horde of humanoid monsters.

The strange and misshapen humanoid monsters proved to be no match for Artoria's skills. He didn't need to intervene as she effortlessly destroyed them one by one.

Of course, this came as no surprise. With her Luck stat at 8, she could defeat these creatures by the roll of the dice alone, even without considering her true combat power.

However -

"How long do you plan on watching us?" Shirou suddenly turned his head, his gaze landing on the darkness in the corner.

In the shadows, a pair of eyes had been observing them intently since the battle began, never once looking away.

While his perception wasn't as keen as Artoria's, who had the [Instinct] skill, the gaze had lingered on them for far too long. As a seasoned veteran, there was no way he could have missed it.

[Hint: Due to your Mana at 8 or higher, you've noticed a pair of eyes staring at you from the darkness...]

Ignoring the tabletop RPG panel left behind by Abigail, he kept his focus on the dark area, his eyes never losing their focus.

"So you noticed me?"

A deep male voice rang out from the darkness. A mysterious figure, completely shrouded in a cloak, emerged from the shadows.

As the cloaked figure appeared, Artoria sliced the humanoid monster in front of her in half with a single swing of her sword. She stepped in front of Shirou, pointing her blade at the mysterious person. "Who are you?" she demanded.

"Just a nobody," the cloaked figure replied, his gaze falling first on her sword, then lingering on her beautiful face. "I can't believe something so incredible could happen... I'm speechless."

Shirou's brow furrowed deeply. He reached out, shielding Artoria behind him. "It's not polite to stare at a lady's face like that."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean any harm. It's just... I was so surprised to see that King Arthur is a woman."

Hearing this, Artoria's brow furrowed, and she said, "I am a woman. Is that a problem?"

"No, not at all. It's just a bit... unexpected, that's all."

The man then slightly raised his head to look at him. "Shirou, a guest from Chaldea. If you want to fix this Connecting Point, you must defeat these resurrected Undead, as well as the Archer brought back by the Black Grail."

"Undead? Archer?" Shirou raised an eyebrow.

The mysterious man nodded, his voice serious. "There was a Holy Grail War at this Connecting Point. In that war, Archer won, defeating all the other Servants. Because of that, everyone—the people and the Servants who answered the call of that Grail War—was turned into Undead. If you want to fix this Connecting Point, you must defeat Archer!"

"I see." Shirou nodded, thinking it over. Then, he raised his head, his sharp eyes staring intently at the mysterious man. "But why should we trust you? Why should we believe someone who won't even show his face?"

"You'll find Archer at the top of Tokyo Tower. If you want to fix this Connecting Point, defeating Archer is the only way. It's up to you whether you believe me or not. But watch out, if you go to tower, you'll face more than just Archer. The defeated Servants have also been turned into Undead and are roaming this city..."

With that, the mysterious person's body gradually faded away.

Spiritualization!

"Wait!"

Artoria shouted. Holding Excalibur, she wanted to give chase, but a hand landed on her shoulder, stopping her in her tracks.

She turned her head, puzzled, and saw Shirou shaking his head at her. "No need to go after him. We might get ambushed by the Council."

Hearing this, she nodded. "I understand, my king. But that person must be..."

"A Servant!" he said seriously.

Aside from Assassins who have [Presence Concealment], regular Servants can usually sense the presence of other Servants. There was no doubt that the mysterious man from earlier was a Servant!

"Yes, that fighting spirit reminded me a bit of Diarmuid. But there was never a Holy Grail War in Shinjuku, right?" she looked confused.