I’m Just an Ordinary Person

When he woke up, Naoki saw Arthur's face staring at him.

"Master! You're finally awake!"

Seeing Naoki wake up, Arthur clearly felt relieved: "I'm deeply sorry, Master. I pushed you too hard in this operation, and I used too much Mana. I will be more restrained in the future."

"Arthur..."

Sitting on the tatami, Naoki still lowered his head in a daze, then grabbed Arthur's shoulders and stared at him as if he were Sadako.

Arthur, who initially felt a bit strange, was stunned when his eyes met Naoki's.

Those were the eyes of someone who had been close to death and experienced despair and hell. Those were the eyes of someone who had walked through mountains of corpses and seas of blood, never seeing hope, and whose faith and soul had been shattered.

Describing his lethargic state—although Naoki's body was still healthy, his spirit was undoubtedly on the verge of collapse.

"Master... did you have another nightmare?"

"Sajyou Manaka..." Naoki gripped Arthur tightly, "That woman is a devil, Arthur, a real devil... I was such an idiot before. I thought that if this was a dream, no matter how hard she opposed me and tortured me, I could endure it... Where did I get the courage to think like this?"

"I died, Arthur, over and over. She cursed me, made me die repeatedly, and feel the pain of death again and again... Why should I bear such pain! Just because I summoned you? Just because I'm your Master? Just because that woman unilaterally thought I had stolen you?"

"WHY?"

Naoki's cries were heart-wrenching, and his disheveled hair made him look even more terrifying. People who didn't know the truth might have sent him straight to a mental hospital. In fact, he really needed psychiatric treatment now.

He didn't remember how many times he died, he only remembered that he died, in various circumstances. Manaka was right. She couldn't interfere with reality here, but she could use every means to torture Naoki's soul and turn him into a living corpse with no desires.

"Master."

Arthur suddenly hugged Naoki.

"I'm sorry. It's all because of me that you're suffering such injustice. I'm sorry."

"Don't... Don't be so gentle with me! Don't do this to me!" Naoki struggled to push Arthur away, "The more you treat me like this, the more Sajyou Manaka will torture me, don't you understand!"

"..."

Seeing Naoki looking at him with fear, Arthur felt momentarily confused. He didn't know how to deal with Naoki, nor did he know how to handle this situation.

After all, it was still a leftover issue from his improper treatment of Manaka in the past, but because Manaka truly loved him, Naoki had to bear the pain that should have been his.

"Manaka, you've gone too far." Arthur gritted his teeth, "Master shouldn't be involved in what happened between you and me. He's innocent. If you have anger, vent it at me. Why must you strike at Master?"

No one answered Arthur's question. Manaka, far away in a parallel world, wouldn't hear his question, and Naoki couldn't answer it either.

Arthur felt his helplessness again, just as he had felt at Camlann Hill that year, powerless to change anything.

*KNOCK!* *KNOCK!*

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door; someone had come.

Naoki had repeatedly told Arthur not to appear in front of outsiders, but the current situation...

When they reached the door, Arthur asked, "Who is it?"

"It's me, Kotomine Kirei, Natsukawa-sama. I have something to ask. Could you open the door?"

Kotomine Kirei.

Arthur had heard this name when chatting with the priest yesterday afternoon. He was from the church.

"Natsukawa-sama?"

Outside the door, seeing the door still hadn't opened, Kirei couldn't help feeling a bit strange. He had come here because of the incident at the Matou family the previous night. The Matou family, one of the three great families of Fuyuki City, had been destroyed overnight. This was no small matter, as it involved the secrecy of mysteries and whether the Holy Grail War could be held normally. After much investigation, the church finally found Naoki.

The door opened, but it wasn't Naoki who opened it, but a strange blond man.

"Isn't this... Natsukawa-sama's house?"

"Master is unwell, and I am his Servant." Arthur said frankly, "If you are a member of the church, may I ask for your help?"

'A Servant? Did he summon a Servant this early? It's only been a few days? Besides, who taught him Magecraft?'

Various questions arose in Kirei's mind one after another, but in the end, he held them all back and followed Arthur into the house.

Seeing Naoki curled up in the corner, Kirei couldn't help but ask: "Natsukawa-sama, what happened?"

"Master will dream about the Servant's past life experiences. My past life experiences weren't so great and have seriously impacted Master's soul. People from the church should be able to use spiritual healing Magecraft. Please make sure to help Master."

"I will try."

Kirei said this while squatting in front of Naoki and began providing psychiatric treatment.

Although Magecraft is considered heresy in the eyes of the church, thanks to the cooperation between Tokiomi and Risei three years ago, Kirei also became Tokiomi's disciple and began studying Magecraft. He is skilled in psychic healing, which doesn't heal the body, but the soul. His healing skills in handling spirits and mental states have reached the level of a priest.

In other words, Kirei is an expert in mental care, and it was truly a blessing that he happened to come to the Natsukawa family at this time.

◆━⊰✧⊱━◆

The treatment didn't last long. The magical light only persisted for a dozen minutes before fading. Seeing Naoki, who had fallen asleep peacefully, Arthur couldn't help but ask Kirei, who had stood up, "How is Master?"

"He's fine for now." Kirei went to the sink to wash his hands. "He did suffer serious mental trauma, but miraculously, there's some kind of technique in his body that works automatically, continuously healing his mind. Even without me, he would eventually recover."

'Is there a technique in Master's body that can automatically repair his soul?'

Arthur felt a bit doubtful in his heart, but he still thanked him: "Even so, thank you, Mr. Kotomine. I will remember this kindness in my heart."

"I didn't do anything. At most, I just let Natsukawa-sama sleep soundly and gave him mental protection Magecraft. It's really nothing worth praising."

At this point, Kirei couldn't help but sigh, "However, seeing Natsukawa-sama like this, he can't answer anything. I will visit again in two days and ask some things about the Matou family. Please inform Natsukawa-sama when I return."

"Alright. Please take care."

After seeing Kirei out, Arthur sat back down next to Naoki. Suddenly, his attention was drawn to a white light spot between Naoki's eyebrows.

Arthur brushed aside his bangs and stared at the magical mark that looked like a flower. In an instant, he understood everything.

"Is it you who's responsible there, Merlin?"