The man sitting on the throne gave off an overwhelming presence. His bright silver hair, eyes with a lot of white showing that seemed to scare his opponents, and gold eyes, combined with the king-like air he gave off, made it clear that this person was the one in charge of this sky fortress, the Dragon King Perugius.
When Shirou saw this world-famous great hero, he didn't feel any admiration. Instead, he almost without thinking reached for the weapon at his side.
Even though he was trying hard to control himself and not do anything disrespectful, Shirou's body was naturally acting in a hostile way.
The reason for this was that Perugius looked too much like that man.
He hadn't forgotten him for a single day since they met, and that terrifying figure even appeared in his nightmares sometimes – the Dragon God Orsted.
Dragon King Perugius and Dragon God Orsted gave him a very similar feeling.
Even though their hair, clothes, and looks were completely different, the feeling was very similar.
Especially many things about how they looked, like the silver hair and gold eyes, and their cold and distant air, were exactly the same.
"What's wrong?"
Ariel noticed Shirou's movement and looked confused.
She had thought she was already nervous enough, but she never imagined that Shirou would be even more nervous than her, and even looked completely confused.
"I..."
Shirou couldn't explain, so he could only try to hold back his hostility and calm down.
At the same time, Nanahoshi had already walked to the middle of the hall.
Shirou and Ariel followed her.
The hall was very large. Tall pillars like trees held up the ceiling. If you looked up, you could see huge lamps giving off bright light. It was very fancy, like a golden palace. On the walls were strips of cloth like signs, with complicated designs on them.
Perugius was on the throne in the middle of the hall. Next to him stood eleven men and women of different races. They were all wearing white clothes. Even though the design of each person's clothes was a little different, the color was the same.
Everyone was wearing a mask, but the masks were all different. Some were designed to look like animals, some only covered the eyes, some only showed the mouth, and some even looked like buckets...
There was no doubt that these were Perugius's twelve servants.
Even though they were called servants, they looked just like humans.
Almanfi had once fought Sword King Ghislaine to a draw, which meant that these twelve people, including Sylvaril, were probably all at the Sword King level.
Shirou didn't want to fight such a group. Even if he used Servant Emiya's form, he might not be able to win. So he tried to hold back his feelings and stay calm.
"I am the Dragon King Perugius Dola."
From the throne on the high platform, Perugius looked at them with a judging eye, especially at Shirou, and made eye contact with him.
Most people would probably be so nervous and confused at this time that they would naturally look away.
But Shirou quietly took Perugius's gaze and said, "Hello, Dragon King, I am Shirou Greyrat."
"..."
Ariel looked worried at Shirou's casual attitude, afraid that his rude actions would upset the Dragon King.
In fact, the twelve servants around the Dragon King (Sylvaril had just joined the group of twelve) all had different reactions to Shirou's behavior. Some of them didn't like it.
Dragon King Perugius himself didn't say anything after hearing Shirou's answer. He didn't argue with Shirou's reaction, and he didn't agree with it either.
"It's been a while, Lord Perugius."
Nanahoshi quietly greeted him.
Her tone was very respectful. It was the most respectful he had ever seen her be.
At the same time, Ariel also bowed right away. But as a princess of the Asura Kingdom, she didn't really know how to show respect to an old hero, so her attitude seemed very rushed.
Perugius looked at the three of them and then looked at Nanahoshi first, saying, "Nanahoshi, it's been a while. Have you learned anything new about summoning from another world?"
"I'm sorry, there haven't been any new things yet. If I find anything, I will tell Lord Perugius right away."
"Good... Seeking knowledge is the fate of us dragons."
After the Dragon King said this, Shirou realized that he really was a dragon.
After all, like Orsted, the Dragon King had many special features that showed he wasn't an ordinary human.
Shirou had recently done some research at the magic university and found out that there was a race of dragons in this world. They were different from red dragons and king dragons. They had a similar body shape to humans, but they had much more fighting spirit and magic than humans.
Dragon King Perugius and Dragon God Orsted were members of the dragon race.
But there were very few of them.
At least Shirou only knew about these two people being dragons at this time.
Even though Nanahoshi respected Perugius, she was still calm. She talked to Perugius without changing her expression, mostly about summoning magic.
"I hope that Lord Perugius will keep his promise and share all of your knowledge of summoning magic in this world with me."
"Yes, as long as you make progress, I will allow it."
"Thank you."
Nanahoshi nodded and then quietly stepped back.
It seemed like she had made a deal with Perugius.
Nanahoshi was studying summoning from another world. If she found anything, she would report it to Perugius. In return, Perugius would tell her the main points of summoning magic in this world.
After finishing his talk with Nanahoshi, Perugius looked behind her.
He looked straight at Shirou and said, "Are you Shirou Greyrat, who has been showing off in the magic university recently?"
"Yes."
Shirou wasn't shaken by Perugius's words and answered quietly, "May I ask why Dragon King invited
"Oh?"
Hearing Shirou's words, Perugius seemed intrigued.
After all, when facing him, Shirou neither showed reverence nor fear, yet he also displayed no hostility. Instead, he regarded him as an equal.
This struck the Armored Dragon King as something novel. Still, as a king, he carried his inherent dignity. He spoke calmly:
"The reason I summoned you here is that I heard you once released a rather interesting form of magic at the Magic University."
"That magic… do you mean the one I used when fighting the Demon King Badigadi?"
"Correct."
"..."
Shirou immediately understood why the Armored Dragon King had called him here.
Indeed, the commotion caused by his battle with Badigadi had been enormous.
Due to the presence of barriers, ordinary people had been incapable of observing the fight. However, for Perugius, breaking through one or two barriers to witness the battle firsthand would hardly pose any difficulty.
Otherwise, he would not be able to remain within this floating fortress while still monitoring whether Laplace, the Demon God of the Demon Continent, had been revived.
Knowing that Perugius was not interested in him because he was aware that Shirou was the forged sword Muramasa was, at least, good news. It meant that his identity had not been exposed.
Even so, Shirou truly did not wish for outsiders to know too much about Unlimited Blade Works.
Especially since, at present, he himself was unable to properly deploy it and had yet to gain full control over that power.
With some reluctance, Shirou spoke:
"My apologies, Lord Armored Dragon King. I have yet to fully control that power, and cannot demonstrate it to you."
"Mm. I have already heard as much from others."
Perugius appeared to be extremely well-informed about the situation at the Magic University.
This was only natural. The university existed under the foundation of the Mage Association, and the being most revered by the Mage Association was none other than Perugius, the Armored Dragon King.
That Perugius had informants within the university was entirely to be expected.
Gazing silently at Shirou, Perugius spoke with clear interest:
"I possess profound expertise in barrier magic and am well aware of how difficult it is to create such spells. Even so, I have never heard of anyone capable of creating an entire world as you did. Even Laplace himself, were he to appear, likely could not accomplish such a feat."
"That's…"
Shirou had not expected to be compared to Laplace, and for a moment, he found himself at a loss for words.
After all, he did not believe himself capable of standing shoulder to shoulder with the individual ranked fourth among the Seven Great Powers.
However, considering that Laplace had once been defeated and sealed through the combined efforts of Perugius and his companions, perhaps Perugius's judgment carried its own weight.
This only deepened Shirou's regret that he was unable to release Unlimited Blade Works at present.
At that moment, Perugius suddenly spoke:
"Shirou, if you so desire, I may be able to assist you in mastering that power."
"Eh?"
Caught completely off guard by the Armored Dragon King's proposal, Shirou froze.
"Is… is that really possible?"
"I pursue all truths within this world. A form of magic I have never seen before naturally arouses my curiosity."
Perugius spoke frankly.
"However, I do not offer aid without condition. If I help you fully master that magic, I would hope you do something for me in return."
"What would that be?"
"I have not yet decided. Simply consider it owing me a favor. How does that sound?"
"..."
Shirou never imagined such an opportunity would fall into his lap.
For a moment, he even wondered whether he had misheard.
The Armored Dragon King was willing to trade nothing more than a favor in exchange for helping him control Unlimited Blade Works. For Shirou, this was unquestionably a deal with no downsides.
Given Perugius's status, it was difficult to imagine him demanding anything truly unreasonable.
If the condition was something Shirou could accept, receiving guidance from the strongest mage in the world to master Unlimited Blade Works was more than worth it.
"As long as it does not endanger my family, I am willing to accept."
"Rest assured. I will not demand anything excessive."
Perugius's tone was calm and sincere. From the look of him, it almost seemed as though he sought no benefit at all, merely wishing to help Shirou gain control over Unlimited Blade Works.
Of course, Perugius had his own objective. That was to understand the concept of Reality Marbles.
As the world's only God-rank mage, the Armored Dragon King sought to comprehend all magic. It was for this very reason that he had once cooperated with the Seven Heroes.
Shirou readily accepted this.
After all, a Reality Marble was not something that could be created simply by understanding its principles.
It was the crystallization and manifestation of an individual's inner world, a form of personal transcendence that could not be stolen.
Even if the Armored Dragon King were to grasp its theory, he would never be able to recreate Unlimited Blade Works. At most, he could only produce something superficially similar, another imperfect Reality Marble.
With a simple agreement reached, the atmosphere in the hall immediately relaxed.
Though the twelve familiars held differing opinions on the matter, none opposed the Armored Dragon King's decision.
Perugius spoke in satisfaction:
"By the way, I heard you once fought Orsted?"
"Yes."
Shirou nodded, speaking with some concern.
"For reasons unknown, Orsted bears intense hostility toward me. He may attempt to attack me again in the future."
"I will not involve myself in that man's affairs."
With that, the Armored Dragon King drew a clear line between himself and Orsted.
Shirou realized then that, despite both being dragons, the relationship between Perugius and Orsted was far from amicable.
"That said, if Orsted attacked you, it means you are familiar with the name Hitogami, are you not?"
"..."
Hearing that name spoken aloud by Perugius startled Shirou.
Noticing his reaction, Perugius understood immediately and spoke calmly:
"Rest assured. I have no connection to Hitogami, nor do I care for the conflict between Orsted and Hitogami. However, I am aware that Orsted hunts those who know Hitogami's name."
"Why does Orsted hunt those who know Hitogami's name?"
Though he doubted he would receive an answer, Shirou asked anyway.
"I do not care."
Translated plainly, it meant that he did not know.
Shirou said nothing further.
The two continued discussing barrier magic, with the Armored Dragon King stating that he would provide all necessary conditions to help Shirou complete Unlimited Blade Works.
Shirou was naturally deeply grateful.
Once Shirou's matters had concluded, the Armored Dragon King appeared somewhat fatigued and instructed the group to withdraw and rest.
This, however, was unacceptable to Ariel, who had not yet been given the chance to speak.
Acting against Perugius's wishes, she forced herself to speak:
"Um… Lord Perugius. This is our first audience. I am Ariel Anemoi Asura, Second Princess of the Asura Kingdom. To have the honor of meeting such a great figure as Your Majesty today is truly my privilege."
Though Ariel's words were respectful to the utmost degree, her act of speaking out of turn caused the Armored Dragon King's expression to darken.
In an instant, even the air throughout the great hall became heavy with pressure
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