Shirou watched as Maximus returned from the ships, coming down to land.
Immediately, he moved to join the guards that would stay with him, making Maximus smile wryly- but, he was stopped by Catlyn, who grabbed his hand.
"Is there a need for that, Shirou?"
His brows furrowed.
"You said yourself that he's not to be trusted."
Catlyn chuckled.
"And he is not trusted. There's no need to personally guard him all day and night, right?"
"As long as I'm there, I can keep an eye on him-"
"But what about everyone else?"
Shirou blinked at Catlyn's words.
"What?"
"Come now, mister fairy! It's your geas, isn't it? For you to broaden your gaze? Will you dive into tunnel vision just as you made that contract? Jeez!"
Shirou's face twitched.
"I would feel if my geas was about to break."
"You would, but… Bedgraine isn't heaven on earth, you know? I'm sure there's some tragedies going on this very second, and even if it didn't break your geas, I doubt it wouldn't break your heart to know you could have stopped it but didn't."
"…" Shirou slowly nodded. "You're right. I'll ask Marrok to keep tabs on him while I'm not there, then."
"That's a shame." Maximus said, moving closer to them. "The food was worth the dagger at my throat!"
Shirou tried not to frown at the man's approach, while Catlyn simply smiled at him.
"Unfortunately, his services are only a complimentary course to his companions."
"And here I thought leading legions was the greatest honor for a soldier! Well- I'll be on my way, I've still some supplies to buy. If any tragedies are indeed about to take place- don't hesitate to ask for help."
"It won't be needed."
Shirou ended the conversation, and Maximus left.
After asking Marrok for the favor, Shirou and Catlyn headed back to the market, which was abuzz especially now that Maximus was throwing gold around, in hopes of finding something that could use their attention.
"…What the-"
As they arrived, Shirou saw a familiar face.
"Hm?" Catlyn reinforced her eyes to see as well. "Oh! Byron! He's sure arrived fast!"
"…And with weapons."
Indeed- the merchant was sat with a dozen blades, pikes, bows, arrows, and other weaponry on display.
Where did he get them?
And how did he arrive with all that just one day after Shirou?
And what was up with those swords? They were so weirdly forged- skillfully, but the balance of alloys was… strange. Why would someone want a sword that was four percent gold, with a little bronze thrown in on top of the majority iron? And why have a silver sword with only its edges being steel, that made using it against creatures weak to silver useless!
Shirou found such thoughts taking his attention as he and Catlyn approached the merchant, who looked at them approach and smiled.
"Shirou! Catlyn! We meet sooner than expected!"
"So we do!" Catlyn agreed. "I'd ask how you got so many weapons stacked up, but…" She glanced at the pouch of rations he had sold her. "…I can take a guess."
"Well, it was a bit of a rush, I'll admit! I heard news of brewing battle, and thought to come sell!"
"…To who?"
Byron smiled.
"The the one handing me gold, who else?"
Catlyn chuckled, patting Shirou's shoulder.
"Don't you worry! Maximus would be cut down if he tried to stock up on weapons here and now, and I'm sure Mister Byron wouldn't break the curfew for selling wares."
The man laughed at that.
"Of course not, I'm not one to break the law- playing the rules is how you learn to game them, after all!" He leaned forward, and pushed a small bit of hardtack to them. "On a completely separate rule, I am selling hardtack, and you decide the cost! Depending on how much you pay for it, you'll get points you can spend to get some complementary gifts!"
He motioned at the weapons, which had their value written out in 'points'. It would just so happen that points had a one-to-one conversion with coin.
"Ah… the entry tax for merchants is lower if they sell food, huh?"
"It is!" Byron said. "How did you know?"
"A bard like me has special sources, my good sir!"
Byron nodded at that.
"Do you wish to buy some of my hardtack, then?"
At the man's question, Shirou glanced over the weapons.
"…A quiver is all I'd need. One that can fit many arrows, please."
He could project a thousand arrows in preparation for combat, but that would mean nothing if he could only bring along twenty at most.
"Well, since we'll be in plenty perilous situations, I would like a dagger. Do you have a silver one?"
Shirou glanced at Catlyn, and she chuckled sheepishly under his gaze.
"…I wouldn't use it against Marrok, Shirou. He's way beyond me, no matter my equipment. But the curse spreads easily, so it's good to have one on hand, right? To slam my furry throat into if nothing else."
"That won't happen."
Catlyn chuckled.
"Are you sure? With how charming Marrok is, I may just be tempted to give a smooch, curses be damned."
For some reason, Shirou really disliked the idea of those two getting together, so he focused his attention on Byron instead, who took out seven quivers and daggers for them to chose.
"Now, I can tell you which one is the best, but I'll cut the point cost to half if you try and guess yourself-"
"I will take this one, Catlyn will take that dagger."
Shirou immediately determined which of the equipment were of the best quality.
Byron's shoulders deflated as he sighed deeply, but passed along the daggers and a hard tack to them all the same.
"Well, those items have a history of their own, but you may well just go on and divine it before I can say it, too."
Was he- was he pouting? It did not fit his face at all.
"The history is something I register subconsciously, so you telling us would be appreciated…"
"…Very well. That dagger was used to stake an empusa that was mistaken for a lamyrus. She woke up and killed the do-gooder with the same dagger, then bled out and died trying to summon someone to aid her." As he told the story, his enthusiasm began to return. "And that quiver, oh, that one's just special as well! It is one said to have been crafted with the blessing of wisdom from the Goddess Armaiti, the first and only craft of the man before he died from a brain hemorrhage!"
Catlyn opened her mouth, but finding no words to express her thoughts, she closed it. Shirou looked at Byron in genuine confusion.
"…Why do you have these?"
"To sell!"
"Do they have any… I don't know, unnatural qualities?"
"They're really durable."
"…Ok."
The man frowned.
"Well, if you do not appreciate the item's history and their worth, then you may well be on your way then!"
"Sorry?"
With an apology, he and Catlyn left, with several others approaching him in interest.
"…Those stories are totally made up."
Catlyn muttered, but Shirou couldn't agree.
"They were anti-climactic enough to feel kinda real…"
.
.
.
"…Hey, Catlyn. Those things Byron mentioned, what are they?"
Deciding to return to the castle of Leodegrance, Shirou inquired about the story of their new equipment.
"Hm?"
"Uh… empusa and lamir, I think?"
"Oh! Empusa are greek monsters, said to be familiars of the Goddess of Magic and Necromancy, Hecate. They are shapeshifting wraiths that eat people, and are probably one of the foundations for the myth of the vampire. A lamyrus is instead an actual vampire- specifically, a creature created from the belief in vampires, physically manifested myths created by the world. Their name comes from Lamia, who they are a mutation of as humanity stopped to really believe in the snake-women."
"Huh. I see why you'd mix them up, then."
"Well, a lamyrus is still a Phantasmal Beast equal to werewolves like Marrok, even using silver wouldn't have stopped it from killing the man before it died. These kind of conceptual advantages are irrelevant if factual power is so far apart, common men cannot hunt monsters."
"Well… I wasn't that special before the geas, I'm sure some exceptions would exist."
Catlyn looked at him flatly.
"…Sure, let's just pretend that's true. What you said is an oxymoron- a common man cannot slay monsters, and any exceptions wouldn't qualify to be called a common man. Once they manage such a feat, they are the hero of their tale, no matter how inconsequential or small!"
He hummed, wondering what it must be like to believe what Catlyn did. That the world was literally a story.
"The saying I know is that everyone is the hero of their own story."
Catlyn chuckled at that.
"That's something a blade of grass would tell itself as the flowers are being plucked."
"…Yeah, I guess that's true. Most people end up being… ah, I can't really translate that."
"Hm?"
"The saying. It's that people are… wheels of the automata? That does not sound right."
"You mean cogs? Like, the metal wheels used in clocks?"
"Yeah, that! Wait, that? How do you know about it?"
"I've never seen one, but a few families do stuff like that. I think I heard one time that Merlin made a metal dragon that spewed smoke from metal cogs!"
"………I see."
"HALT!"
The two came to a stop, and ended their conversation, as they reached the castle. They gave their weapons to the men, were patted down for hidden blades, and were allowed in only after. Their weapons would be given back only later, once the king had a soldier fetch them for the two.
Walking through the castle quickly, they soon arrived to the throne room.
"Shirou, Catlyn. All is well?"
Looking over them, the king kept his face stoic and serious.
"Indeed, my king!" Catlyn said, smiling. "From yesterday to until he left his comrades, Shirou's sharp eyes were pinned to the Roman. He certainly did nothing so far, and by the time he'd return to his men, he'll be watched carefully again- and a single man can do little to fall a city."
"No. He could poison our water, he could set a fire, he could come for my daughter as hostage. It is imperative that he be kept under our gaze, and ignorant above that." The king looked from Catlyn to Shirou. "Thank you for your help this far."
"It's nothing."
Catlyn pouted.
"Hey, now… I'm a magus, you know? And a lone lady wandering across the isles no less. I'd been long killed if I was naive- I'm well aware of the danger Maximus could present- I'm simply aware of how absurd it would be for him to manage. Two knights of Uther? An archer that shoots from the horizon? Fortified walls and ready soldiers? Even if there were ten thousand men here, they would be crushed with minimal losses. With all that… I feel Maximus is too old."
Shirou blinked.
"Too old?"
The king understood her meaning.
"You think he's wiser than trying to attack us, with how old he is."
Ah.
Indeed, the man was in his fifties. If he had joined the army during his youth as he said… well, he would have been in far too many battles to count, and Maximus did not appear to hold the kind of power that could win every battle in his career.
"Of course." Catlyn nodded. "There's a reason he lied about being headed to attack your enemy. He knew combat wouldn't favor him."
Shirou frowned.
"So it was a lie."
Catlyn nodded with a widening smile.
"That's right, Shirou. The emphasis is on was."
Leodegrance scoffed.
"You think he will actually wage war on Vortigen rather than us? That's insane."
"Indeed, very insane! But, there's a difference between certain death in a naval battle, and a potential death in a decades-long war."
The king's eyes narrowed in confusion.
"Surely he can just go a city over rather than be at war for a decade just to be spared now."
"No." Shirou began to understand what Catlyn was getting at. "That man doesn't want an end to the war."
"…He's one of those kinds, then?"
Catlyn nodded.
"And so… if we don't show a weakness he can exploit, he should just move on to another prey to fell, I am confident in it. And, well… I'm sure a man of his means could at least distract the tyrant enough to help the insurgents who have a chance!"
"I care not." The king finally said. "He can do as he wants so long as it is away from my city- and he will be watched and mistrusted for every second he is here. I will not take chances even if Merlin himself claimed he would be of no danger to me."
At that, Catlyn shrugged.
"That's fine- just don't go discrediting my wits in your head, alright? Now then, king! Me and my friend would request a quest of you!"
"…What?"
"What she means-" Shirou said. "Is that we would like to help in any way we could while we have your hospitality."
"There's no need-"
"Shirou gets most of his power from aiding the people."
Catlyn stated flatly before he could turn them down, though she made a note to say it in a manner that was misleading of the mechanics of things.
"Ah. I see- in that case, it is best to keep you busy and powerful, hm? Well… what kind of work would you take upon?"
"Any."
Shirou said without hesitation.
"Entertainment?"
Catlyn offered.
"Then… you must have decent strength of arms to fire a bow as you do, so could you help transport some sea water? We have a lot of meat that needs to be salted, so we are bringing as much sea water as we can to boil by the forges."
"Alright."
Shirou accepted.
Catlyn poked his side.
He glanced at her, and she looked at him expectantly.
"…What?"
"He needs meat to be salted."
"Yes, that's what he said."
Catlyn sighed.
"Shirou, are any of your abilities useful with that?"
"…Huh? Ah! That's right. I can conjure salt to use for preserving."
"…Oh. That… would be easier, then."
"Right. So, I'll go that. See you later."
Feeling his face burn from the embarrassment, Shirou headed out. Damn it, Morgan would kill him if she heard that he forgot about his magecraft!
.
.
.
"So, sir. How may I be of help?"
Catlyn inquired with a tilted head.
"Well… you are a bard. Singing of coming glory is what I'd ask."
Catlyn nodded.
"Of course- though that's best with a crowd, so I do believe it's best kept to the tavern. If you wish, I could act as a bodyguard to Gwen? Even if I'm a woman, my magic lets me overpower most mundane men, and my songs can ease her nerves at least."
"…Yes, that would be for the best, thank you. I've had her closed in her rooms for most of this, and I'm sure it has started to make her feel uneasy."
Catlyn was floored by those words. To think the man could say them with a straight face after what he had done? Absurd.
But her poker face was one that couldn't be broken- as if her thoughts and words were from different people, she happily agreed with his words.
"Of course! Ah, my king- I don't want to overstep my boundaries, so I'll ask for your permission. May I teach some singing to Gwen? She asked me to do so, but I evaded the request yesterday."
"…When you say sing-"
"The mundane kind. My secrets as a bard aren't given out so easily, no matter how adorable she may be!"
"Then… I see no reason not to agree?"
"Well, you're not there! I couldn't imagine missing my child's first songs!"
"Ah… I see!" The king's eyes lit up as he envisioned it. "It does sound like a shame to miss it, but… no, she always tries too hard to impress me. She would just be demoralized if she did it badly in front of me, and not even try to learn."
"I see- then I'll just make sure she's skilled enough by when I'm done that she'll proudly show off!"
With those words, Catlyn turned around and moved out of the throne room. Then, humming a soft and subtle tune to herself, she furtively moved not to the room of the princess, but down to the basem*nt, where the king kept his dirty little secret.
…After an hour, Catlyn moved back up the castle, probability twisted for her not to be noticed by her hummed song yet again, and joined the guards and Guinevere as the king expected, using a subtle hypnosis to make their memory of when exactly she arrived foggy.
.
.
.
Asking for a large hammer, Shirou easily broke the large crystal, then he and the man further ground it.
Once done, they emptied the tubs they put the saltwater into, and simple carried two tubs worth of salt, something that would have taken months or even years to produce even if they worked themselves to death.
"What… what happened here?"
Once they arrived to the meat, Shirou was left speechless by the carnage.
Seven horses was the source of the coming meals. He didn't mind that alone, he had already eaten horse meat at the village and would do so again if the beasts were already dead anyhow, but-
These weren't killed by a human.
Their throats ripped out, their heads crushed, their bodies bruised and dirty as if they had been dragged through the ground for hours…
"Ah, it's the stallion! It always kills a bunch of horses."
"Stallion? A horse did this?"
"You don't know? Our most prized stallion is a descendant of the very horses that Heracles used! The ones that Alexander conquered damn near the whole world with! Our greatest war horses are the descendants of the Mares of Diomedes!"
"I… see. That sounds impressive, but how does that relate to… this?"
"Well, you see… the Mares of Diomedes were carnivores. More specifically, they had a taste for human flesh. These ones' blood is diluted enough that they can digest what normal horses can, but the instinct for slaughter is still there, see?"
"That's… is it safe to ride it?"
The man huffed.
"For a worthy rider, yes! They are predators, but not stupid ones! They are intelligent as any man in their own way, and for a prized master, they will ride to certain death to save them! Normal horses- bah! A blown horn or a loud shout makes them flee in terror! Men have to blind their horses just to ride into war! Not our prized stallions and mares, though- they are warriors just as much as any knight can be!"
One of the younger workers leaned over to Shirou.
"…He's gotten to ride of those horses. He's just setting up for how great he was for being allowed this honor. Well, he's right though- our horses are the pride of Bedgraine, even if a twentieth of them is trampled and half eaten every year. Food's always short anyway."
Well…
Man-eating horses.
He shouldn't even be surprised.
So instead, he focused on helping butcher the half-broken carcasses to then salt them. It was a surprisingly swift process, as far more people joined to help once the physical labor of carrying water was mostly done. As the sun began to turn to orange, Shirou headed back for the tavern to let Marrok rest as well.
Drinks were handed out to many men that had come, most here due to Maximus, who seemed to have made a good few friends throwing his coin around.
As for Shirou, he was instead handed utensils to cook, and all but thrown to cook by the fire. As he did, he kept an eye on Maximus, and kept an ear out for what he talked about with others.
He served soup for dinner to everyone, having it sold at half price in exchange of cooking it, and for a brief moment left to wash himself, passing a coin to one of the more serious soldiers to carefully keep an eye on the Roman and tell him all he did when he returned.
Finally, by when it was dark outside, most people began to retreat, and Maximus himself headed for his room.
Shirou sat down by his seat, and though he closed his eyes, he kept his ears attentive.
In a few hours, he heard a deep sigh, and heard as Maximus sat up in his bed.
"It is rather hard to fall asleep when constantly watched, Emiya."
Shirou's eyes opened, and he met the man's eyes with little sympathy.
"It's hard to asleep with someone like you in the room as well, Maximus."
The man chuckled.
"I see I really got under your skin, hm?"
"Most people don't appreciate those like you."
The man nodded readily in agreement.
"Of course! After all, humanity hates all things that diverge from its common sense. Something that enjoys carnage is something that should be trampled down upon, so long as it isn't useful anyway."
"You say that like it's unfair, while you'd readily butcher everyone in this town."
Maximus' lips thinned. Genuine anger seemed to grip him as his fist squeezed and his knuckles whitened.
"Is there a contradiction within that? Self-defense is one thing, but… it's not like I chose to be like this."
"…"
"Do you know what it felt like? To see Attila die, to see my family and village avenged, and feel disappointed? To retire from war and settle down, only to dream and fantasize of more? To see my son born, and have my first thoughts be that he'd hopefully become a good killer? To only feel pride as he became a better warrior? To have my most fond memory be when he first killed a rabbit at the start of his training to make him unphased by killing men?"
Shirou looked at the man, who seemed to be talking more to himself than to him, with absolute silence.
"…I didn't chose to like what I do. But my nature, or nurture forced upon me, shouldn't make me unfit to exist. If I attack someone, it is fine for them to kill me in return, of course. And if I break the laws of the land, they are of course going to punish me as any other. But I'm not a senseless murderer, am I? Rome is the bastion of progress for civilization- and the huns were the opposite, to battle them was a net positive. So, why can you hate me just for my nature?"
"…Because it's incompatible with mine. I didn't chose to feel as I do either- but despite what I'm told, I cannot see you or me surviving the following days."
Maximus looked surprised at the answer, then he laughed.
It was a genuine, happy laughter.
"So, you want me dead because it's your nature… hah! Hahaha! That's… good. That's good. Then, please do me a favor. If things truly turn to us being opponents, give me the honor of being killed by your hand!"
"…"
Shirou said nothing.
But, despite himself, he accepted the request in his heart.
He may not be able to… no, he could not allow himself to sympathise with this man, but he couldn't help but feel pity for him all the same.
.
.
.
In the end, the man fell asleep, or feigned as much.
A new day began, and Shirou headed to the castle, where Marrok and Catlyn should be staying at.
Once allowed himself, he found them by Guinevere's room. Marrok was lifting up Guinevere with a hand as they looked out of the window, letting her sit in his gauntlet, while Catlyn was giving some instructions about controlling her voice.
"Hey, you three."
"Eeek!"
Guinevere tried to curl up into a ball, twist around to look at him, and dive under her bed all at once, making for a fascinating sight as she threw herself off of Marrok's hand and flew in the air like a drunken bird.
She was flying to the ground though, so… Shirou moved.
It was bizarre. To cross meters in a fraction of a second, the world seeming still yet still only taking a moment to pass. It wasn't like his reactions were slower than his movement, but… moving at the most speed his geis granted was like trying to be mindful of where he stepped while sprinting at full speed.
Still, he could control his burst of movement enough to be there and catch the girl in his hands.
"Be careful-"
From her perspective, he must have appeared in her sight from nowhere, so he couldn't blame her, but…
He still felt a tad annoyed as she slammed her fist into his face by instinct.
Something cracked, but it wasn't in him.
"Ow! I'm sorry, you startled me- and gosh darn it my finger hurts! But it's not your fault, I just-"
"It's fine. And, I'm sure Marrok can do something?"
"Of course, I'll heal you right up."
The knight took the girl, while Shirou looked at Catlyn in question.
"She has a bit of stage fright. And as it turns out, she leans toward fight rather than flight! We were trying to get rid of her fear by making her sing to the window and having her imagine it's an audience. Your entrance must have startled her."
"…Clearly… did everything go well?"
"Pretty well, yeah!" Catlyn nodded. "Ah, but… say, Marrok. Are there any other guests in here?"
The man ignored Catlyn for a few seconds as he prayed, something that made for quite a sight as a golden glow emanated from his hands into Guinevere's hurt finger, but as soon as he finished, he looked up at her.
"I don't think so, why?"
"Well, all the servants sleep in the left wing of the castle, the guards that aren't patrolling on the right. Yet, I noticed the cooks always bring food to the basem*nt! And the good stuff too, whatever's down there eats as well as the king!"
Shirou blinked.
"Huh… how do you know all that?"
"Oh, I was scouting out the kitchens to make sure we could get you in there once the tensions are low."
"Hey, you can cook for yourself while we're in the city, you're an adult woman."
"I can! But I refuse to!"
Hadn't he heard those same words from T-
"And if I refuse as well?"
"Ack! You would turn me down like that? Fine, fine… but I know you won't be able to resist… this! Quickly, Guinevere, give him the puppy eyes before your tears dry up!"
"…"
Catlyn grabbed Guinevere, pushing the still teary girl into his face.
"Um… Catlyn said you're really good at cooking, and I haven't eaten fairy food yet, so… please, would you make some later? If it's not a problem? I'll help if you need!"
"…"
Shirou walked past the two to look out of the window, so as to hide his face from them, and nodded.
"I'll make something before we leave, yeah."
"Thank you!"
She gave an excited laugh.
"But for now, I have things to do. Marrok, please pay attention to Maximus again. Catlyn, come with me."
The bard's lips thinned at the command.
"Shirou?"
Marrok inquired, but he shook his head.
"It's nothing. Me and Catlyn will call some guards for Guinevere, you can leave after."
With that, he pulled the bard out of the room and turned to look at her, his expression furious.
"Ah… Shirou, what's-"
"Stop that. Stop… acting like her."
"…Sorry. I didn't mean to make you angry."
Catlyn sighed.
"How did you-"
She held up a hand.
"I was just making note to your reactions to how I act. If I ended up acting like someone you knew, it was by accident… I guess it's normal you'd like someone that reminds you of a loved one, and I should have guessed seeing that while stranded through time would be rough. I won't do this again."
"You… why are you acting? Look, there's no need to lie-"
"It's not a lie to act, Shirou."
His lips thinned.
"Look, if reality is all on a stage, then the way you are normally is a character anyways, so…"
She shook her head.
"I don't think you understand, Shirou, so let me be a bit more clear than I would like to be as a magus."
She raised both of her hands, her index fingers pointing upward.
"If there is a story, and a writer, then they exist separately, you see? The words on a page won't kill you, the characters in a play won't really die in the tragic finale, a song of war will not truly bring armies to your doorstep. This is a fundamental fact that all humans learn to understand as they grow up- the separation of reality and fiction."
She joined her index fingers together.
"My purpose is to break that barrier. I am a character, yet I wish to become the writer. Or, at least a writer. Yet, so long as I exist as someone whose life is written by another, I cannot become 'real' as they are."
"…So…"
"So." Her smile fell, her face losing all semblance of emotion. "As a foundation of my magecraft- the 'character' created for me must be discarded, and one must be crafted in its place. Once we were of the right age to begin learning magecraft, me and my siblings competed to be given the right to carry our legacy. Once I won, my father helped my use self-hypnosis to scatter my mind, and then weaved a grand tale to shift my Origin to Oblivion, to discard all nature forced upon me. Then, he gave me his legacy as a magus."
Shirou's eyes widened in horror.
"What? That's- he… he killed you."
"Change and death are hard to differentiate past a point, but does it matter? If Catlyn was killed by her father, then I was born only after anyway, so it's not of my interest. What matters, and the reason I told you this much- is that it is my purpose to craft a character to use. I'm not doing it to get in your good graces, nor to try and trick you, my family of bards specializes within self-hypnosis as a path to become something dictating reality, by first mastering ourselves."
"Even then, that's-"
"That's what it is to be a magus, Shirou. To walk with death, and to forsake the world of man in pursuit of the Truth.
Would you not discard all your existence for the sake of being a hero?"
"…"
Catlyn smiled, shifting back into her character.
"Then, please try overlook this much! My magecraft doesn't need live sacrifices or stuff like that, at least, and you of all people can't complain of self-mutilation!"
"I can. Even if I'm a hypocrite, that doesn't make me wrong."
"Well, then feel free to travel a decade and a half back in time to save Catlyn. Until then though… nothing we can do about it, right?"
"…Right."
After they called guards for Guinever, Catlyn said she would head out to the tavern, leaving Shirou alone. His mind was abuzz with conflicting thoughts as he moved through the castle.
He knew magi were extreme, but… Catlyn's story seemed a bit much. Yet he doubted it was a lie, either.
"Ah, Shirou! I heard of your help yesterday, you saved us a lot of meat from rotting!"
He arrived to the throne room on auto-pilot, and so Leodegrance's words startled him.
"…Ah, sorry, what was that?"
"Just that you were of great help. Is something the matter, Shirou?"
"Ah… I just haven't slept much."
The king smiled.
"I haven't been having the best sleep with that Roman here either. I do have some medication to help get some rest if you need?"
"No, there's no need for it." Shirou shook his head. "What can I help with today?"
The king smiled.
"Well, we were reinforcing the city, but we don't want workers in the way in case of war, so perhaps could you go help carry the materials while tensions are high?"
"Of course."
"Thank you, again. I will repay this before you depart."
"There's no need." Shirou dismissed the offer without much thought, but as he turned to leave, he found himself pausing. "…Ah, if I may ask, what is in the basem*nt?"
"…What?"
The king's smile fell.
"Ah, I… noticed food was being brought down there." He didn't reveal Catlyn had told him, just in case it would be a problem. "So I was wondering if there's someone there?"
"Not someone. Something. Have you heard tale of our horses?"
"The man-eating ones?"
"Exactly! Well, I've got a calf with strong blood stored in the depths of the castle. It's particularly strong, but it's rather violent, so I will only allow it to be brought out once it's mature. That's the annoyance of selective breeding- when you get an exemplary specimen with a horrible temper! Hopefully its children will be more mellow, hahah!"
With a forced laugh, the king explained as such.
"Ah, I see." Shirou nodded at the information. "Ah, also, Guinevere asked if I could cook after the Roman is gone, I hope that won't be a problem."
"Hm? Once the tensions are down, of course!"
"Alright. I'll be on my way to help outside, then."
And once the Roman was gone, Shirou would look into what was really down there.
.
.
.
It was a simple matter to carry things from one point to another- even if it was several kilos, that was not enough to really wind Shirou anymore. After a few hours of hard work, everything was cleared, and he ended up being pulled into a talk and a few drinks with his temporary co-workers.
Nothing truly noteworthy was said, yet…
Shirou ended up sitting back, telling stories of the first village he had arrived at, and relaxing under a warm sun, with some cold drinks, and with decent company.
…
"Well, well. Look at who skips sleeping for two days, just to go to sleep during afternoon! I have a life, you know? I can't go checking whether your asleep or not every ten minutes!"
Shirou's eyes opened to great plain with a few trees about, a land untouched by man, beside himself anyhow.
Sitting up, he looked at Morgan, who was looking quite annoyed.
"So? What's your excuse?"
"You were checking every ten minutes?"
"…No I wasn't. That was an exaggeration for emphasis."
"Also, do you look… different?"
"As I said, I have a life. I'm using the body I have in Avalon to focus on you - the place - since there's little to do there but stop my sisters from causing a disaster."
"Ah, I understand."
Morgan nodded.
"Good, then let's begin our lesson- hey, you didn't give me a reason yet!"
"Right, the lesson. You said you were setting something special up for this lesson?"
"Yes, actually, I- stop changing the topic."
…It seemed that, so long as one provided a tangent of interest to Morgan, part of her mind would be compelled to follow that and force whatever her current focus was away.
It was something he noticed during their lessons, when he asked questions during her explanations and such, and it was honestly a delight to do when she was being difficult.
"There's a bunch of Saxon ships led by Romans in Bedgraine. They claim to be here to fight Vortigen, but they are absolutely eyeing the city up as prey."
"Hm? It doesn't sound very impressive."
Losing interest just like that, she sighed and waved her hand. Beside her- a forge appeared.
Well, a dream of one. The materials were all perfectly reproduced, but the forge had no history or such.
"To continue our studies of reinforcement, while starting to step into some actually interesting grounds that you yourself may have a talent for- we will be practicing forging. Items created by you are easier to reinforce, items created with magical reinforcement from you during the forging are practically impossible to fail reinforcing unless you're trying to, and mystic codes can reinforce themselves without any focus on your part! We'll be trying to improve on that order. And if you sleep once per month, we may be done within your lifetime!"
"…You're still annoyed at that?"
"Bah, just get to the forge and repeat what I do."
And so, in a manner that conflicted quite a bit with her graceful looks, Morgan grabbed a hammer, grabbed metal ingots, and beat them into the shape of a blade with considerable skill.
Shirou didn't do quite as well- he understood every step of what she did, but translating the information in his brain to precise movements in his body, and adjusting for the differences between his materials and hers, made it a rather poor attempts.
So he was made to start from scratch.
Then, again. And again. And-
"Hm?"
He felt something on his shoulder, but when he looked, he saw nothing.
"…Well. It seems someone is trying to shake you awake, so we'll have to stop here.
I suppose you've some Saxons to cut down?"
"…I'll try to sleep by tomorrow night. If I don't by the day after that, you can stop checking."
Morgan frowned.
"I really wasn't checking that much, all right?"
Shirou just smiled wryly, in response to which Morgan banished him from the dream.
…
What he woke to… was Maximus.
"You're awake!"
The man was standing at his side, Marrok at the other. Shirou was in a bed, seemingly in the castle.
Marrok quickly explained for Shirou.
"You fell asleep after work and me and Maximus noticed, so we carried you back to the castle. Advancing armies have been noticed by scouts coming on foot- they bear Cornwall's insignia."
"Cornwall..?"
"A neighboring kingdom. Leodegrance will approach to attempt for diplomacy, but…"
Shirou nodded, getting out of bed. His mind didn't feel very rested, but his body was fine even with this little rest.
"Alright. My weapons…"
"I've got them already."
Marrok handed them over, and Shirou sighed in relief.
"Alright. Then… I'll get on top of the walls and be ready to fire."
"As for me…" Maximus joined the discussions. "…if you will allow me to have Byron provide my men with bows and arrows, I will have them fire at the landlocked invaders."
Shirou frowned, but Marrok was the one to answer.
"That is an agreement to be made with the king, not us."
The man nodded.
"It is- but it matters little whether the king agrees or not if I get an arrow through my head grabbing the first bow. And- I will remain on the helm of the ship. You may shoot me down if ever I act in a way you dislike as well."
Shirou looked at Maximus and slowly nodded.
"…Marrok's right, ask the king. I will simply shoot down those seeking to destroy this city."
