121 Arrival

"Impressive. While I've long been aware of your capabilities, your knack for gathering allies surprises me even more."

Stepping out from the infirmary where Arcueid was resting, Roy was greeted by a few words of praise from Touko, who had just returned from her tasks.

"A Magus Killer, a Grand Magus, a Servant, a Magus, members of the Church's Burial Agency... and now even a True Ancestor has joined your ranks."

"Honestly, with the forces you've amassed, you could attempt to overturn the entire world of magecraft's order."

"Enough to disrupt the world's balance?"

Roy shook his head. "Such pursuits hold no appeal for me. Neither the current world nor one reshaped would have any effect on the truly powerful. What we need is a stable world, nothing more."

"A stable world, huh… No wonder. After all, for magus, no matter how the world changes, you'll always hold a place in it."

"Naturally. I imagine you're the same... so long as you have your own place, the rest doesn't matter."

At this, Touko smiled softly and didn't delve further into the topic.

"Speaking of which, are you seriously planning to send Shiki to confront a monster like Nrvnqsr Chaos? Even with her Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, she's essentially a novice magus. Facing an ancient monster who's survived for centuries isn't something to be taken lightly."

Her tone grew stern as she turned her gaze to Roy.

"She could very well die."

As the mentor to both Ryougi Shiki and Asagami Fujino, Touko was well-acquainted with their abilities.

Shiki wasn't particularly adept at magecraft. Her abilities aligned more with those of a magus killer like Emiya Kiritsugu, rather than a full-fledged magus. Over the past year, Touko had only helped her awaken her magic circuits and taught her basic spells, like reinforcement magecraft and hypnotic magecraft.

Occasionally, Touko brought her along on missions, but their opponents had been no more than spirits or rogue magus. Now, Roy was proposing she face a creature that had thrived in the shadows for centuries. It seemed absurd.

But Roy simply shook his head in response. "This is her choice."

"Her choice? That doesn't mean... "

Touko's objection was cut short as Roy interrupted her.

"Don't worry. I've already put measures in place to ensure her safety. I won't let her take unnecessary risks."

She wasn't wrong. Roy had no intention of letting Shiki face Nrvnqsr Chaos alone. Even if she carried Avalon, it wouldn't put his mind at ease. When the time came, he planned to personally suppress Nrvnqsr and enlist a trustworthy ally to provide backup for Shiki.

Arcueid, with her own grievances against Nrvnqsr Chaos, seemed a fitting candidate for this task.

"I should have guessed. You've already made preparations. I knew you wouldn't let her face danger recklessly."

With this reassurance, Touko's frown finally relaxed.

"Still, that girl seems to treasure this opportunity. She's been practicing her Mystic Eyes on the training dummies I prepared, even now. It's clear she's eager to prove herself."

"Prove herself?"

"Yes. Can't you tell? Despite her cool demeanor, Shiki values you deeply and wants to follow in your footsteps. Her determination to seize this opportunity and train so hard... it's all to show you what she's capable of."

"..."

Roy nodded slowly.

"I understand. But that doesn't justify exposing her to danger."

"She's not someone who backs down from a challenge, though."

Driven by the desire for recognition, she pushed herself to the limit. Yet admiration was the emotion furthest from true understanding.

"Ah, you're so stubborn about these things. Fine. It's your business anyway. Once this matter is resolved, though, let me go. I've been cooped up here long enough and could use a change of scenery."

"There's still two years left, isn't there? Why so soon?"

"Close enough. I can't sit still. After staying here for a year, I feel stifled. Besides, you've summoned Cú Chulainn, haven't you? With him here, you don't need me to protect Misaki Town."

"And the world's a big place, isn't it? No reason for us to stay in one spot forever. Seeing Aoko again and the changes in her reminded me... there's so much out there to explore."

"Not to mention, my trip back to Misaki Town was quite satisfying. Reuniting with old friends and watching Aoko take a hit to her pride... such a delightful experience. I even kept a photo of it to show her decades from now!"

"You really are…"

Roy didn't say more, merely nodding lightly.

He agreed to her request. Although their arrangement still had two years left, he saw no reason to refuse her.

He had assumed that once their current affairs were settled, Touko would return to Misaki Town to pester Cú Chulainn about learning Runes, or perhaps go to the Clock Tower in London to reclaim her position.

Her decision to travel instead was unexpected.

Traveling, though…

It didn't sound so bad. It reminded him of Matou Kariya. He wondered how that man was doing these days.

"Thank you, Boss."

Seeing Roy nod in agreement, Touko smiled.

"By the way, Touko, grab some old clothes for Arcueid inside. She's just revived and hasn't had a chance to dress yet."

As he turned to leave, Roy offered a casual reminder.

...

Under the pale light of the moon, Arcueid slowly stretched, rising from her bed. Her delicate golden hair shimmered under the moonlight, exuding an ethereal glow.

"Mm…"

The lingering pain from her wounds had significantly subsided after a full day of rest, leaving her feeling noticeably lighter.

She slipped on the slippers near her bed and donned the set of standard pajamas Touko had prepared for her before stepping out of her room.

"Good evening, Arcueid. It seems you've recovered quite a bit."

Roy greeted her casually from the living room, where he was in the midst of preparing dinner.

"Hmm?"

She patted herself lightly, a soft smile gracing her lips.

"Thanks to you, my drained magical energy has already recovered by half, and the healing process is progressing rapidly."

"That's good to hear. At this rate, you should make a full recovery in no time."

"Yes, thanks to your timely treatment, I estimate I'll need about a week. With another week of rest, I should be back to full strength."

A week might seem fleeting, but for the recently resurrected True Ancestors, it was a relatively short period. Even at her current strength barely 20% of her full power, Arcueid felt confident she could handle most enemies.

Of course, exceptions existed. Roy, standing before her, was one such anomaly she couldn't easily gauge.

"Congratulations, then. Would you like something to eat? You've been asleep the entire day."

"Something to eat?"

At the mention of food, Arcueid instinctively touched her stomach, realizing it was completely empty.

Since her demise, she hadn't eaten anything. Even after being revived, she had slept an entire day. While Dead Apostles could survive solely on blood, Arcueid, who abstained from drinking blood, relied on food to replenish her energy.

The blood transfusion Roy had given her earlier had restored her magical energy significantly, masking any feelings of hunger.

But now, with Roy mentioning dinner, she realized she was indeed ravenous.

Growl...

There was no need for words; the loud rumble from her stomach answered for her.

...

After an entire day of training, Shiki returned to the hotel. Upon pushing the door open, she was met with the sight of an unfamiliar woman in the living room.

Golden hair, crimson eyes, strikingly beautiful features, and a well-proportioned figure... these immediately caught Shiki's attention.

The woman was clad in a set of pajamas identical to the standard ones provided by the hotel.

Her casual, slightly unkempt demeanor made the scene all the more intriguing.

Arcueid was seated at the dining table, eating dinner, while Roy, apparently the cook, was still busy in the kitchen. The upscale hotel offered a fully equipped kitchen in every room, catering to guests with a penchant for preparing their own meals.

Although ordering room service would have been more convenient, Roy had decided to cook a meal himself, considering Shiki might not have eaten yet. Seeing Arcueid awake, he had simply made extra portions and invited her to join them.

To Shiki, however, the situation appeared much different.

"You're back, Shiki. Have you eaten yet?"

"…No."

She shook her head, glancing at Arcueid, who was devouring her food with gusto and then dropped an unexpected comment.

"Is this the 'special room service' you ordered?"

"Cough! Cough!!"

Roy froze, spitting out his coffee in shock. Arcueid, unfamiliar with such innuendos, simply tilted her head in confusion.

"What kind of nonsense is in that head of yours, SHIKI?" Roy grumbled, ruffling her hair in mild exasperation.

"Is that really the impression I give you?"

"Huh? You caught on that quickly? I thought I was acting pretty convincingly." SHIKI retorted with a smirk.

"Shiki's blunt at times, but not nearly as crude as you just were."

"Wow, you really know her well, huh?"

SHIKI grabbed her portion of dinner and sat across from Arcueid. With a teasing tone, she added, "Still, it's hard to believe. We leave for just one day, and you're already having dinner with a foreign beauty in her pajamas. Very convincing."

"She's the ally I found. Didn't Touko mention her when I picked you up?"

"This is the help you found? Huh, appearances can be deceiving. Anyway, hand me a set of chopsticks. I'm starving."

The misunderstanding cleared, SHIKI dropped the subject of Arcueid and began eating.

"SHIKI, what brought you out today? I heard you haven't surfaced much recently."

"I'm not entirely sure. Maybe Shiki pushed herself too hard, passed out, and then poof I showed up."

"Pushed herself too hard?"

Roy furrowed his brow, perplexed. With Avalon in her possession, fatigue shouldn't have been an issue.

Avalon, the legendary construct capable of healing all injuries and curses, rendered such exhaustion unlikely.

Although skeptical, Roy refrained from calling out the obvious lie, nodding slightly to encourage SHIKI to continue.

"Yeah, I've never seen her work so hard. She spent an entire day in a heightened state of tension, slashing away non-stop. She must have overdone it."

"How's she doing now?"

"How should I know?" SHIKI shrugged. "We don't completely share memories. I only get glimpses of her experiences, feelings, and thoughts... if I'm lucky."

Her gaze turned sharp. "But one thing's clear. Whatever spell you cast over her, you've become the first person she's ever cared this much about besides me."

"While I don't fully understand your intentions toward us, I'm certain of one thing, you're not a bad person. If anything, you're overly protective."

She stood, her tone unusually serious.

"So, Roy... don't be too arrogant. Try understanding the feelings of those around you. True protection doesn't mean shutting people out. Some things are best experienced together."

"…"

"Did you pull that line from an anime?" 

"Think what you want. I've said my piece; the rest is up to you."

With that, SHIKI gave him a light jab to the chest and walked away, leaving him with plenty to ponder.

"Before you act, I hope you take a moment to think carefully about your decisions. The way you constantly keep others at arm's length... it's really not ideal."

"Well, I'm heading to bed now. And don't tell Shiki about what I said tonight. If she finds out, she'll just scold me for meddling."

"I understand. Thank you, SHIKI."

"No need for thanks. Next time I'm out, take me on one of your adventures. Watching Shiki experience all these exciting things makes me a little envious."

"I promise."

"Hah, then it's settled."

After their brief but muddled exchange, SHIKI, seemingly in high spirits, left the dining room. Her steps carried a lightness that wasn't there before.

As Roy watched her retreating figure, he shook his head slightly, a wry smile forming on his lips. "Every one of them… They're so straightforward they can't even lie properly."

Once SHIKI disappeared into her room, Arcueid, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke, her expression thoughtful as she regarded Roy. "Impressive. You even have ties to her?"

"Who do you mean?" Roy asked, tilting his head. "The Root?"

"So you do know." She replied, raising an eyebrow. "I never expected someone like her to willingly forge connections with others. That's quite unusual."

"Well, as long as you're aware of what you're dealing with. If she's unwilling, no one can reach her. I won't say more... just get along with her."

"I understand. Thank you for the reminder."

Her cryptic advice lingered in Roy's mind, and he nodded slightly, a trace of gratitude in his tone. As expected, Arcueid had discerned Shiki's true nature.

"It's nothing. Anyway, if she's willing to back you, I have nothing to fear. Maybe this time, we can finally put an end to Roa."

"Alright, I'm done eating."

Arcueid pushed her empty plate aside and stood, turning her gaze toward Roy with a seriousness that seemed almost out of place.

"My strength has recovered somewhat. Do you have any tasks I can handle? It'll be good as a post-meal workout."

"Honestly, not much needs attention right now." Roy began, leaning back slightly. "The Dead Apostles are being dealt with by my assistants and the local authorities. At this hour, they're likely patrolling... "

Bang!

Before he could finish, Aoko burst into the room, her urgency palpable.

"Hey, Roy! We've got an incident... and it's a big one. Alice's familiars spotted a swarm of beasts appearing suddenly in the downtown apartment complex."

The downtown apartments?

Roy exchanged a glance with Arcueid, and understanding passed between them instantly.

Nrvnqsr Chaos. He must have tracked down Arcueid's former hiding place.

Ding!

At that moment, Roy's phone vibrated. A text from Emiya Kiritsugu appeared on the screen, marked with an urgent request for assistance and a location pin.

The message was grim.

[A massive beast attack involving familiars and large-scale carnage at an apartment building. A Dead Apostle Ancestor was leading the assault, making it impossible to handle alone. Reinforcements were needed immediately.]

"I understand."

Roy closed his phone with a sharp click, the location in the text confirming his suspicion. It was indeed the same area where he had first encountered Arcueid.

Despite wiping out the probing familiars earlier, Nrvnqsr Chaos hadn't retreated. Was it sheer confidence in his abilities?

"You heard that, Arcueid?"

"Of course. Beasts. I know exactly who's behind this... Nrvnqsr Chaos. That persistent pest." She growled, her expression darkening at the mention of her longtime pursuer.

"Then let's move. We'll finish him off this time."

"I'm ready."

Roy nodded, but his attention shifted as he noticed a familiar figure already dressed and prepared for battle.

"…Shiki. Are you up for this?"

Shiki didn't reply with words. Instead, she drew her gleaming knife, her heterochromatic eyes locking onto his.

Her intent was clear.

"Let's go."

***

Bonus Chapter:

100 Power Stones = 1 BC

300 Power Stones = 2 BC

500 Power Stones = 3 BC

700 Power Stones = 4 BC

1000 Power Stones = 5 BC

***

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