Since he was a child, Shirou Emiya had difficulty expressing himself. After being rescued by Kiritsugu from the Fuyuki City fire, Shirou slowly learned to socialize again. The tragedy had burned away his entire identity, erasing who he was before, killing all his emotions, and leaving a vessel filled with [Void]. From that empty vessel, Kiritsugu saved Shirou and gave him a dream.
Avalon, which healed him, filled the [Void] with [Sword]. At that moment, Shirou Emiya was reborn as a sword in human form.
Shirou rarely expressed the emotions in his heart. The smile he often gave was fake. But this time, his tears were genuine, coming from the heart. While wiping away his tears, Shirou pondered.
'Why am I crying?'
Shirou lay down, recalling his dream last night, remembering how Archer had acknowledged and supported his dream.
"Don't worry, Tohsaka. From now on, I will also keep trying!" Archer had smiled sincerely.
Shirou's heart was touched, knowing exactly what Archer would experience. The dream he had long regretted was now rekindled. He would become a hero who could save everyone.
Getting up from his lying position, Shirou clenched his fists.
"Yosh! I won't lose to Archer!"
The blanket fell from his body, revealing his bandage-wrapped wounds.
'Huh? Who treated me?'
Shirou looked around, finding himself in an unfamiliar bedroom. The walls were made of unpainted stone, the wooden door had no handle, and the blanket was made of animal hide.
The bedroom door then opened, and an elderly man with brown hair and a mustache entered, carrying a tray and a glass of water. The man had large brown eyes, giving him a naive and childlike impression.
"Oh, son, you're finally awake," the man smiled warmly.
Stunned, Shirou bowed his head in response, "Thank you for saving me, sir."
The man placed the tray on the wooden table beside the bed and then handed the glass of water to Shirou. "You're welcome, son. My name is Arther Magurk, a corn farmer."
"Shirou Emiya, I'm still a student," Shirou replied, accepting the glass and then drinking.
Shirou felt puzzled by the man's unfamiliar name. Remembering what had happened last night, Shirou began to speculate that he had been transported far from Fuyuki.
'Is this the result of the [Grail]?' Shirou wondered.
The man furrowed his brow. "Were you attacked by bandits, is that why you're hurt?"
Recalling Gilgamesh's face, Shirou smiled faintly. "Yes, you could say that, sir..."
"You poor thing, getting hurt like that and passing out in my field," Arther-san shook his head sadly.
"My wounds have already started to heal, sir," Shirou moved his injured body.
"See, I'm perfectly fine now," Shirou smiled to reassure the man.
"Young people these days," Arther-san smiled back.
"I'll get you some clean clothes; wait a moment."
"No need to trouble yourself, sir. My clothes are already goo—"
"Don't be shy, son. You can't possibly wear those torn clothes again," Arther-san said as he left the room, closing the door.
Shirou was deep in thought about his fate. 'After being sucked into the [Grail, it seems I've ended up far away, maybe in Europe or America.'
'But why can I understand Arther-san's speech?' Shirou was confused.
'Is this a side effect of the [Grail]?' he wondered, recalling how Saber could speak Japanese despite being born in England.
The bedroom door opened again. "Here you go, Shirou-kun," Arther-san handed him a cream-colored tunic and brown leather pants.
Shirou took the clothes. "Thank you, sir. I'm sorry to trouble you..." he felt guilty for being treated so well.
Arther-san just smiled. "It's no problem at all. You've come all this way from the [Far East] to study, only to be robbed at the border of [Rakia]."
'Far East, Rakia? As far as I know, those aren't places on Earth,' Shirou was stunned.
'Kaleidoscope...' Shirou started to recall one of his fragmented dreams.
'Maybe I'm mistaken, or perhaps I've been thrown into another dimension.'
Something that normally seemed impossible might occur due to the [Grail]'s influence, Shirou reassured himself.
Seeing Shirou lost in thought, Arther-san apologized, "Sorry for making you recall painful memories..."
"It's okay, sir. I'm just as shocked by how this happened," Shirou replied.
"Did you survive on your own?" the man asked.
"Survive?" Shirou paused for a moment. "Yes, I was traveling alone, sir."
"Oh, are you attending [Silverleaf Academy] in the capital? I heard they offer scholarships for students from outside the region?"
"Actually, I plan to enroll there..." Shirou's tongue felt bitter from his lie.
"In that case, let me take you to the city center so it will be easier for you to get there," Arther-san said enthusiastically.
"Eh?"
"Can you travel already?"
Shirou nodded. Avalon had healed his wounds.
"Then hurry up and change, take a bath, and I'll prepare the cart!"
Arther-san quickly left the room and closed the door.
-Scene Break-
After Arther-san left the room, Shirou removed all his bandages. He could see that his wounds had completely healed. He then bathed in the attached bathroom and quickly put on the clothes Arther-san had given him.
Wearing the long-sleeved cream-colored tunic and leather pants felt strange to Shirou. He had never worn clothes like these before.
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Looking at himself in the mirror, Shirou thought, 'I look like a medieval European youth.'
Shirou left the room and looked out the window. He saw Arther-san loading several sacks into a wooden cart, with a horse tied at the front.
Without hesitation, Shirou quickly left the house and helped the man load the sacks onto the cart. The sacks were filled with Arther-san's corn harvest.
"There's no need for you to trouble yourself, son. You should rest first."
Shirou smiled. "I've had plenty of rest, sir."
After they finished loading the cart, Arther-san moved to the front of the cart and sat down.
"Shirou-kun, sit here next to me," Arther-san pointed to the seat beside him.
"Okay, sir," Shirou immediately followed Arther-san's instructions.
Seeing that Shirou was seated beside him, Arther-san then whipped the horse's reins.
"Heiiighh!" The horse neighed and began walking, pulling the cart. The journey began.
The surroundings were filled with greenery as they traveled. Various plants adorned the landscape, including corn, tomatoes, grapes, oranges, and many others. For Shirou, this was a new experience, and he enjoyed the fresh air and the natural scenery.
While holding the reins, Arther-san started a conversation, "Shirou-kun, it seems like you're from an urban area?"
"Yes, sir. I live in Fuyuki City," Shirou replied.
Massaging his forehead, Arther-san said, "Hmmm... Fuyuki, huh... I've never heard of it."
After a moment, he continued, "But with a name like that, you must be from the [Far East, right?"
"Yes, I do live in the east, sir," Shirou answered truthfully, though not entirely. 'Japan is in the east, after all,' he thought.
"Where exactly are we going, sir?" Shirou was curious about the city they were heading to.
"Of course, we're heading to the city center of [Amnes]. My cornfield was on the outskirts of the city," Arther-san explained.
"I'll take you through the east gate, and then I'll head to the market to sell my corn harvest," the man added.
Shirou listened attentively. "And where should I go next, sir?"
Arther-san answered, "Just go to the [Guild]. I heard the [Guild] is organizing a trip to the capital. A student like you should be given a ride."
Shirou was stunned for a moment. "Why is that, sir?"
"Even though [Rakia] is a military country, we also value education. That's why students from faraway places like you shouldn't be neglected," Arther-san said proudly.
"If I had studied diligently back then... I would've..." The journey continued with Arther-san reminiscing about his youth and his desire to become a famous philosopher. Being a good listener, Shirou calmly listened to the man's nostalgic stories.
A few hours later, they arrived in the city of [Amnes]. The city was surrounded by stone walls and iron gates guarding each entrance. After entering through the east gate, Arther-san said his goodbyes.
"Take care, son, and don't let the same thing happen to you again," Arther-san patted Shirou's head.
Shirou stood silently, contemplating the possibility of facing Gilgamesh once again.
'I hope he doesn't make it to this world. I don't want to fight him a second time.'
Shirou was confident that he had won by sheer luck. Gilgamesh had underestimated him, Rin had provided mana, and Archer had saved him. Many people had helped Shirou, and one of them was Arther-san.
After the man stopped patting his head, Shirou asked, "Arther-san, why did you help me when all I did was trouble you?"
Shirou felt unworthy of receiving so much help. He couldn't repay the kindness Arther-san had shown him, from saving him to giving him direction.
"I want you to fulfill the dream I couldn't achieve. That's why you must study hard," Arther-san said with a gentle smile.
Before Shirou could respond, the man forced a pouch of coins into Shirou's right hand. Without realizing it, Shirou was already holding the pouch.
"Sir, I can't accept—" Shirou tried to refuse the generous gift from Arther-san.
"Don't worry about it," the man smiled and returned to his cart.
"Arther-san, thank you very much!" Shirou bowed deeply.
"You're welcome, Shirou-kun," Arther-san waved from atop his cart.
Shirou waved back until the cart began moving again. As the cart disappeared from view, Shirou looked around for the [Guild] building to continue his journey.
Shirou thought about fulfilling Arther-san's hopes for him. It was rare for him to meet someone as kind as Arther-san, who helped him selflessly. Without asking for anything in return, Arther-san had helped him when he was injured and now provided him with provisions and a purpose.
As he walked around, Shirou reflected on his experiences so far. He had been sucked into a portal caused by the [Grail].
The [Grail] had rejected him as the [Core] and discarded him through the [2nd Magic Kaleidoscope], leading him to this unknown world. While unconscious, he had dreamed that Archer asked Rin to take care of him.
'Hey, that doesn't make sense. If I'm here, who did Archer mean?'
'Maybe I dreamed of an Archer in another dimension where he managed to save me from the portal?'
'Or did my soul split into two—one part was discarded into this world, and the other survived the portal?'
Shirou scratched his head, feeling frustrated trying to understand the possibilities and mechanisms of the [True Magic] used by the [Grail].
Because he wasn't paying attention to where he was going, Shirou bumped into a rough figure walking in his direction.
"Hey, watch where you're going!" said the middle-aged man he had bumped into.
"Sorry, sir. I'm just looking for the [Guild] around here," Shirou quickly apologized.
"In that case, get in there quickly!" the man said roughly as he walked away.
"Eh?"
Shirou noticed the building next to him, bustling with people coming and going. The building was larger than the surrounding ones. It was painted blue and had two large limestone pillars supporting it from the outside.
Shirou then climbed the small steps and entered the building.
Inside, several counters had lines of people waiting. Interestingly, each line seemed to have a different type of person.
The eastern line was mostly filled with people who looked like soldiers, wearing armor and carrying sheathed weapons.
The northern line also had armed people, but they were not in uniform, and their equipment varied. They looked like mercenaries to Shirou.
The western line was mainly filled with civilians and didn't appear threatening.
Since he had no military business, Shirou chose to stand in the western line. While waiting, Shirou used [Structural Analysis] on the weapons of the other two lines.
'[Trace on]' Shirou chanted in his mind. Activating his 27 [Magic Circuits], he converted his body's [Od] into [Prana]. Then, with that energy, he used [Tracing] on the weapons and armor in the northern and eastern lines.
At first, everything seemed normal—the materials used were mostly iron or steel. However, a person who appeared to be the captain of the soldiers had armor made of an unusual material: [Mythril]. Compared to iron and steel, [Mythril]...
'Perhaps this is a material unique to this world,' Shirou speculated.
But what surprised Shirou even more was that some of them had experience killing monsters. Most of them were from the northern line. A young man in the northern line had a poisoned dagger that had killed several [Goblins]. Another had a bow that had injured a [Kobold].
'I didn't expect there to be [Phantasmal Beasts] in this world,' Shirou thought.
[Phantasmal Beasts] were fantastical creatures in Shirou's world that had long been extinct since the end of the [Age of Gods]. The [Mystery] in this world seemed to thrive everywhere. Shirou also noticed several people carrying long staffs with [Magic Stones] at the tips.
'They must be in the [Caster] class,' Shirou thought, amused.
Before he realized it, it was his turn to conduct his business. The female clerk at the counter wore a black vest over a long-sleeved white shirt and black pants. The uniform gave a modern impression, making Shirou feel confused.
"How can I help you?" the clerk asked.
"Erm... My name is Shirou Emiya. I'd like to know if there's a group offering rides for foreign students to the capital?"
"Please wait a moment."
After a few moments, the clerk checked a list of names and responded, "Yes, there's an economy-class group departing tomorrow morning. The [Orco] group still has nine seats available. Would you like to register, Emiya-san?"
"Yes, please."
The clerk wrote Shirou's name on a card and stamped it with what appeared to be the [Guild] emblem. She then handed it to Shirou.
"Please show this to the [Orco] group leader. Don't lose it," the clerk said with a playful smile.
"Okay, thanks. I'll keep it safe," Shirou replied with a smile.
Shirou took the card and saw that it had details like his seat number, foreign student package, transit points, and the destination city. Shirou left the [Guild] building and went to buy supplies for the next day's journey.
-Scene Break-
After buying supplies and renting a room using the money Arther-san had given him, Shirou rested in the rented room. On his bed, he experimented with [Magecraft].
He tried [Projection], summoning [Kanshou] and [Bakuya]. Unlike usual, this world did not reject [Magecraft] like [Gaia] in his own world. However, the materials that made up [Kanshou] and [Bakuya] began to destabilize when they were not in contact with him.
'This world cannot handle [Prana] stably.'
'In a few days, my [Projections] will likely disappear.'
After dismissing [Kanshou] and [Bakuya], Shirou projected a small ribbon with a small bell that only rang when shaken vigorously and tied it to the side of his pants.
'When this bell falls and rings, it will mark the time limit for my [Projection].'
Finished with his experiment, Shirou lay on the bed, thinking about the upcoming journey. He thought of Rin and Saber and hoped they were safe. He remembered his dream of becoming a hero.
'Will enrolling as a student help me become a hero?'
In a world where monsters still roamed, it would certainly be easier for Shirou if he went hunting using [Magecraft]. But Arther-san, who had saved him, hoped that he would become a diligent student.
Sighing, Shirou thought, 'Let's see where fate takes me...' He decided to continue on the journey he had signed up for.
After strengthening his resolve, Shirou drifted off to sleep. That night, Shirou Emiya dreamed of swords and war. It was a dream that left him drenched in cold sweat the next morning.