Shirou, Merlin, Ana, and the girls from Chaldea joined up and exchanged names and objectives.
Afterward, Merlin invited Ritsuka Fujimaru to travel with him to Uruk.
King Gilgamesh's cooperation would be indispensable if they wanted to clear this Singularity, and Uruk was also the ideal city to use as their base of operations.
After discussing it with Mash, Ritsuka accepted his proposal.
However, when Ana heard that they would be heading to the southern city next, she became upset.
"...This isn't what we agreed on. We said we'd defeat the goddess as soon as possible."
Merlin brushed off her complaint. "Don't be so angry. I did promise to take you to the temple, but you understand our current situation, don't you? We can't enter that temple with our strength alone. Rushing things will only slow us down."
"But going to a human settlement..."
For some reason, Ana was extremely reluctant to interact with humans.
She had reacted the same way when Ritsuka and Mash tried to shake her hand earlier. She had coldly ignored them and said, "Please don't come so close to me."
But she wasn't nearly that cold when I first met her...
Shirou wondered whether Ana simply disliked crowded, noisy places.
Seeing how reluctant Ana was, Merlin kept winking at Shirou as if to say, Hurry up and do something~
"...Honestly."
The boy sighed and walked over to Ana.
"Shirou?" The girl looked up at him.
"Let's go back, Ana," Shirou said.
"...All right."
The girl tugged at her hood. "Since Shirou-san says so... I suppose I have no choice. Let's leave this place for now."
"Ana-san, you and Shirou-san seem very close," Mash remarked as she watched them.
"Huh? Senpai, why are you smirking?"
"No reason~"
...
On the way to Uruk, Merlin explained the current situation to Ritsuka, Mash, and the two support members in the Chaldea Control Room.
Humanity's enemies in this era were known as the "Three Goddess Alliance."
Despite the name, current intelligence indicated that there were actually four goddesses.
Ishtar, the Heaven-Soaring Goddess, who launched indiscriminate attacks from the sky.
Ereshkigal, the Queen of the Underworld, who hid beneath the earth and continually abducted human souls.
The Goddess of Demonic Beasts, who ravaged the north. All they knew about her was that the Demonic Beasts revered her as "Mother."
The Goddess of the Southern Jungle, who had killed the scout Servant dispatched by King Gilgamesh. Nothing else was known about her.
Aside from those four goddesses, there was another individual worth noting. The impostor Enkidu whom Ritsuka and the others had just encountered, who served as the mediator of the "Three Goddess Alliance."
"Merlin, may I ask you something?"
"Go ahead."
Ritsuka Fujimaru asked curiously, "Why do you call Shirou-san your 'disciple'?"
"Yes! I've been wondering about that too!"
Mash joined the conversation. "Based on what we just heard, Shirou-san should be from Japan in the year 2002 AD. There's a difference of about fifteen years, but Shirou-san is still a modern person, just like Senpai and me. So how did he become Merlin-san's disciple? Did he begin studying Magecraft under you after arriving in Uruk?"
Merlin smiled. "No. Shirou has been my disciple for a very, very, very long time."
"A very, very, very long time?"
"Hey, Merlin."
The Magus of Flowers ignored Shirou's warning glance and smiled pleasantly. "About fifteen hundred years ago, I suppose."
"Fifteen hundred years ago... Wasn't that the time of King Arthur!?"
Mash Kyrielight, Chaldea's greatest Round Table enthusiast, stared at him with wide eyes.
"Does that mean Shirou-san has had adventures not only here in Mesopotamia, but also in the Age of Gods in Britannia!?"
Unable to disappoint the girl's eager gaze, Shirou reluctantly nodded.
"Shirou has a rather unusual constitution," Merlin explained. "Drift... Well, in Japanese folklore, it would be called kamikakushi—being spirited away. He has a habit of unconsciously Rayshifting to all sorts of different eras. This time was no exception..."
"This time was completely different! You tricked me into coming to this era!"
"Fou! Fou!"
Shirou exposed Merlin's attempt to gloss over the truth, and the pure-white little beast eagerly agreed.
"So that's what happened."
Ritsuka and Mash nodded in understanding.
Merlin apparently wasn't finished. He continued, "Actually, Shirou's identity in Britannia was someone the two of you already know."
"Merlin! That's enough!"
"What's wrong with telling them, Shirou? Are you embarrassed?"
"Tsk..."
"An identity we already know?"
Ritsuka and Mash exchanged puzzled looks.
Dr. Roman, who had been listening to the conversation, could no longer resist speaking up.
"When it comes to the disciples of Merlin, the Magus of Flowers, there are only a handful of possibilities, aren't there? If we exclude the fairies who lived in the lake, as well as those whose names were never recorded in legend, the answer should be obvious."
Cold sweat formed on Shirou's forehead.
This is bad!
Damn Merlin... They're about to discover that I was King Arthur!
At Dr. Roman's hint, the girls' eyes lit up.
"C-could it be..." Mash's voice trembled.
"Shirou-san, are you really..." Ritsuka dramatically covered her mouth.
"Hah..."
Shirou sighed in resignation.
There was no point in hiding it any longer. He might as well tell them the truth.
He took a deep breath. "That's right. It's exactly as you suspect. I am Ar..."
"Shirou-san! Is your true identity Morgan, the Fairy Queen!?"
The two girls shouted their answer in unison.
The air instantly froze.
Shirou stared at them in utter confusion.
Merlin collapsed to his knees, laughing so hard that he repeatedly slapped the ground.
...
"Oh, so Shirou-san isn't Morgan. He's King Arthur."
"Fou~ Fou~"
Ritsuka hung her head in disappointment.
Shirou stared at her, speechless. "Why do you sound so disappointed? More importantly, why did you think Morgan was more likely than Arthur? The gender doesn't even match!"
Mash explained that they had once briefly encountered a female King of Knights, so they had unconsciously ruled Arthur out as a possibility.
A female King of Knights... Artoria!?
Ritsuka nodded. "The dark King of Knights who appeared in Singularity F was the first enemy Mash and I ever faced."
Singularity F...
Artoria Alter...
Merlin interrupted Shirou's thoughts. "You could call her the end point of one possible Artoria. Just as the Lion King is an Artoria who came into being as a 'goddess,' the Dark Artoria is the final destination she reached as a 'Guardian of Human Order.'"
There was a trace of sadness in Merlin's voice. Shirou was about to ask him for more details when he noticed something.
A pair of intensely passionate eyes were fixed on him.
"Mash-san, is something wrong?"
"Shirou-san... You're King Arthur from a Pruning Theoretical Phenomenon..."
Mash's cheeks flushed as she gazed at him with sparkling eyes.
Shirou could feel an indescribable mixture of admiration and respect pouring from her.
Well, he supposed he could understand how she felt.
After all...
"By the way, Mash-san, that shield of yours..."
"Cough! Cough, cough!"
Merlin suddenly began coughing loudly, cutting Shirou off.
"Everyone, we've arrived! Uruk!"
The Magus of Flowers pointed toward the towering city walls that had appeared in the distance. "All right~ We're finally about to meet King Gilgamesh face-to-face."
"So we're finally going to meet the legendary King of Heroes... My stomach is already starting to hurt."
"Remember when we met Pharaoh Ozymandias. Take a deep breath, Senpai! Deep breaths!"
Shirou silently watched the two girls encourage each other, then glared at Merlin, who was pretending to look innocent.
Merlin, you bastard...
Does Mash still not know the true nature of the shield she carries, or the identity of the Heroic Spirit possessing her?
...
"Damn it! Damn it, damn it, damn it!"
Enkidu slammed his fist into the trunk of an ancient cedar tree, venting his frustration.
"I am the mightiest creation upon this earth... So why..."
Enkidu had ultimately fled from his battle with Shirou Amamiya.
It wasn't because he had been losing. A malfunction had suddenly occurred midway through the fight.
The balance between his output and power had fallen into disarray, and his records could no longer remain orderly.
Memories of the past played endlessly inside his mind. Enkidu found himself reviewing old battle records against his will.
His first confrontation with the Golden King.
"Hmph! You are nothing more than a puppet created by the gods, yet you dare tell this king what to do! Unforgivable... Even a thousand deaths would not atone for such insolence!!"
With those words, King Gilgamesh drew Merodach from his treasury.
In his eyes, Enkidu was nothing more than a weapon that had acquired intelligence.
He was no different from a Beast, and not worthy of making the King draw Ea, the Sword of Divergence that was equivalent to his other half.
Yet that arrogance caused the supremely self-centered Gilgamesh to taste hardship for the first time in his life.
After a deadly battle that shook heaven and earth, they acknowledged each other's strength.
The Chains of Heaven and the Wedge of Heaven.
The Clay Golem and the Golden King.
No two beings could have been further apart.
Yet in the end, they became irreplaceable best friends. They shared countless adventures, joys, and sorrows.
Those memories now continued to flood into Enkidu's mind, no matter how fiercely he resisted them.
The resurrected puppet could not understand what this malfunction inside his heart truly was.
...
After entering Uruk, the group did not head directly to the Divine Tower. Instead, they spent some time exploring the streets and The Souq (Marketplace).
Ritsuka Fujimaru, Mash, and Dr. Roman were all astonished by Uruk's prosperity, which seemed far beyond its era. Ana alone showed no interest in human civilization.
"Well, this is where I leave you."
At the intersection leading to the Divine Tower, Shirou suddenly stopped and said goodbye to the others.
"We're about to have an audience with Gilgamesh. Aren't you coming with us, Shirou-san?"
"No, I'll pass. I still have something to take care of. Besides, having Merlin with you should be enough."
Shirou held up the ingredients he had purchased at The Souq.
For one thing, he intended to return to the dormitory early and prepare a welcome banquet for Chaldea that evening.
For another, he was certain Gilgamesh would do everything possible to make things difficult for Ritsuka and Mash.
They might be saviors who had crossed six Singularities, but Shirou felt they still had a long way to go as warriors.
He could already imagine how Gilgamesh planned to "entertain" them.
And when that happened, Shirou doubted he would be able to stop himself from stepping in to protect them.
For the sake of Ritsuka and Mash's growth, it would be better for him to stay away.
Ritsuka Fujimaru placed a finger against her chin. "Having only Merlin accompany us... That's a little worrying."
"Now that you mention it, you're right," Shirou agreed.
"You two! What is that supposed to mean?!"
Merlin stamped the ground angrily. "Just go back, Shirou! Leave the rest to me!"
Shirou nodded and warned him, "Come home early once you're finished. And don't take them to a brothel."
"If I went, I'd go alone. Who would bring children to a place like that?" Merlin kept trying to shoo Shirou away.
Incidentally, prostitutes in this era were not quite the same as those of the modern age.
Brothels, like Sacrificial Grounds and Priestess quarters, were religious municipal institutions.
Of course, as far as Merlin was concerned, brothels and Priestess quarters were simply places filled with young women.
"I'm leaving, then."
"See you later, Shirou-san!"
Just as Shirou turned to leave, a petite figure dressed in black approached him.
"Then I will... take my leave as well."
"No, Ana. You need to go to the temple and introduce yourself properly."
Shirou patted Ana's head through her hood. "Don't worry. King Gilgamesh isn't as terrible as the rumors make him sound."
"Hmm... Fine. I suppose I have no choice."
Ana closed her eyes contentedly as he stroked her head.
Nearby, the orange-haired girl and the pink-haired girl whispered to each other.
"Shirou-san is actually two years younger than Senpai, isn't he? It's amazing how mature he is."
"Really? To me, Shirou-san has always seemed like a remarkably mature and dependable man."
...
"Welcome back, My Lord!"
"You're back, Brother!"
The moment Shirou entered the dormitory, Tomoe Gozen and Ushiwakamaru emerged from their room to greet him.
Shirou briefly explained the situation. Two new members would be joining them at the dormitory that night.
Tomoe Gozen smiled. "Oh my... Then we must give them a proper welcome."
Ushiwakamaru immediately called out, "Benkei! Let us leave the city and hunt some Demonic Beasts at once!"
Shirou grabbed Ushiwakamaru by the back of her collar. He had no intention of serving Demonic Beast meat to Ritsuka and Mash.
"I've already bought everything we need for tonight. I picked up some lamb and fish at The Souq. Are the two of you free to help?"
Tomoe Gozen planted her hands on her hips and proudly thrust out her ample chest. "Please allow me to assist you~ Tonight, I shall show My Lord my virtues as a Yamato Nadeshiko~"
Ushiwakamaru refused to be outdone. "Leave the chopping to me!"
Several hours later, a welcome party for Ritsuka, Mash, and Ana was held in the dining hall of the Heroic Spirit Dormitory, which had now officially been renamed the Chaldea Embassy.
During the audience at the Divine Tower, Gilgamesh had treated the two members of Chaldea with contempt, exactly as Shirou had expected.
Merlin had taken Shirou outside the city under the pretense of "searching for the Tablet of Destinies," yet he had returned without the tablet and brought back two strangers instead.
Merlin insisted that they were the "foreign Magi" from the prophecy, but Gilgamesh dismissed his claim entirely.
The King declared that he would test their strength, brought out the Dingir, and forbade Merlin from intervening.
As a result, even with Ana's help, the girls were completely overwhelmed by Gilgamesh in a one-sided battle.
It was fortunate that Shirou had not been there.
Otherwise, he knew he would never have been able to resist helping them.
Gilgamesh was deeply dissatisfied with the result and was about to order Ritsuka and Mash expelled from the city when the goddess Ishtar suddenly attacked and invaded the Divine Tower.
It would not have been an exaggeration to call Ishtar their savior.
As Gilgamesh fought alongside Mash and Ana against the goddess, his attitude toward them softened slightly.
In the end, he reluctantly allowed them to remain in Uruk.
"This is frustrating. How are we supposed to earn King Gilgamesh's trust? We can't even have a proper conversation with him."
Ritsuka Fujimaru looked toward Shirou. "Come to think of it... What did you do back then, Shirou-san? How did you earn the King of Heroes' trust?"
"Well..."
The corner of Shirou's mouth twitched.
There was no way he could say something like this to such innocent, cheerful girls.
"I beat Gilgamesh senseless when he was at the height of his power. It's very simple. Why don't you try it yourselves?"
Shirou cleared his throat. "Ahem. My circumstances were rather unusual, so they wouldn't be useful as a reference. Still, while the King's thoughts can be difficult to understand, everything he does is for the sake of protecting the people of Uruk."
"The King may have said that he doesn't need you, but he never said that you were worthless or that your presence was meaningless."
Siduri joined the conversation. "Therefore, if you want the King to listen to your request, I believe the best approach is to accomplish something worthy of recognition."
"Accomplish something..." Mash considered her words. "Does that mean we should go to the Demonic Beast front lines? Perhaps eliminate some of the Demonic Beasts threatening Uruk?"
The Head Priestess shook her head. "No. That is the soldiers' duty. As for the two of you... Let me think."
She paused for a moment.
"I would like you to begin by taking care of various tasks around Uruk. I believe that is also what the King expects of you. I will arrange the work myself."
With Siduri's persuasion, Ritsuka Fujimaru and Mash joined Shirou as Uruk's resident Jacks-of-All-Trades.
...
That night, after Shirou returned to his room and fell asleep, he once again heard the voice he had not heard in so long.
"Aaaa..."
It was a lonely, sorrowful call, yet one filled with tenderness and affection.
"Aa... Aaaaa... Am... Sh..."
It was a miracle born of maternal love.
She wanted to converse, to speak, to express her love. To make all of that possible, the abandoned Primordial, the goddess who was also a mother, let out her first cry like a newborn infant.
"Aa... Aa... Am... emiya... Shiro..."
Using a tongue like that of a human, Tiamat awkwardly formed the sounds until she finally managed to pronounce the cherished boy's name correctly.
"Amemiya... Shirou..."
"Mother!!"
Shirou rushed forward and wrapped the goddess in a tight embrace.
***
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