The next morning, Rhodes Island Medical Department.
Shirou had already changed into the loose clothing used for medical examinations and was waiting in a room filled with various instruments.
He had been here for quite a while. The first time was unfamiliar, the second time easier, this examination was not as torturous as the last, since he already knew roughly what procedures to expect.
The night before, after Lappland, Jessica, and Liskarm had their fill of fun and cleaned up, they all went their separate ways.
The cookies were left with Liskarm and Jessica, and judging from their reactions, they had been very well received.
At the very least, Shirou's original goal had been achieved and Jessica's motivation was clearly burning strong.
As expected, eating really was humanity's greatest driving force forward.
And today was the day for both him and Lappland to undergo their routine checkups.
Lappland went through a normal examination process, but Shirou's situation…
"Be sensible. Lie flat on it and close your eyes. I do not want to repeat myself."
Kal'tsit stood outside the glass, staring at Shirou with sharp eyes, her tone completely flat.
Not just Kal'tsit even Amiya, who had taken time to assist, was wearing an unusually gentle smile.
"…Understood."
Seeing the two of them like that, Shirou obediently lay down on the machine. As for how things had come to this… it all started with the red marking on the left side of his chest.
Even Shirou himself did not know when it had appeared. If Kal'tsit had not shown him with a mirror, he would not have noticed it at all.
Mainly because of its awkward location. Looking through the mirror, he confirmed that this marking was the same kind as the previous one but just shorter this time.
And he was not foolish. He quickly guessed the main cause.
It was definitely related to Lappland seeing his memories…
Although he could not quite grasp the key point yet, he knew he was close to the truth.
The attitudes of Kal'tsit and Amiya right now, to some extent, indicated that they knew about these things.
Lying on the machine with his eyes half-closed, Shirou thought about many things.
"Alright, you can come out now."
After some time, Kal'tsit finally spoke, allowing Shirou to leave the instrument-filled room.
"Um…"
As soon as he came out, Shirou cautiously tested whether the two "bombs" in front of him were still on the verge of exploding.
"Sit down. Then explain what that thing is. Amiya, keep an eye on him and if there are any signs of lying, make him repeat it."
One of the "bombs" exploded immediately.
"Got it! I know what to do!"
And the other one looked eager to follow.
"…"
Looking at the two of them, Shirou wondered if he had somehow walked into the Lungman Guard Department interrogation room.
This felt just like when Swire had interrogated him back then.
Taking a deep breath, Shirou steadied himself and spoke.
"I have some guesses… Doctor Kal'tsit, you should know more about this, right? For example, how this marking is formed?"
Asking directly, he hoped she might provide a more complete explanation.
He had his own suspicions, but perhaps Kal'tsit would confirm them.
The strange interaction between his mana and the Originium of this land… and the words Archer had said after learning that he had given his blood to Rhodes Island for research—
—Do not cross that line. Once you step past it, there is no turning back.
"Do not answer a question with another question."
Kal'tsit frowned.
It was not that she wanted to deceive him. The test results indicated that Shirou was not suited to knowing the truth.
Moreover, he himself had said he did not understand mana replenishment, yet now something like this had happened.
She should be the one questioning him, yet he was acting as if they were the ones in the wrong.
What exactly was going on here?
"On the way to Rhodes Island, I helped bandage Lappland. At that time, my finger was injured… and she licked it."
Faced with Kal'tsit's serious expression, Shirou answered honestly.
"Injured? Is it related to your blood?"
Hearing this, Kal'tsit immediately understood.
At the same time, she turned to Amiya and said, "Lappland's examination should be finished. Pull up her detailed report."
Amiya nodded, took out her terminal, tapped a few times, and handed it over.
"…It is small, but there is indeed a decrease."
After reviewing it, Kal'tsit confirmed her suspicion.
Comparing Lappland's previous and current reports, both the cell-Originium assimilation rate and the Originium content in her blood had slightly decreased.
It was only a minute change of several decimal places down which was something that would not appear in standard reports and was only visible in Rhodes Island's backend data.
That was why no one had noticed it.
Although the change was small, for this land, for the infected, and for Oripathy, it was a significant development.
After all, Oripathy was considered incurable. Once infected, it was something one had to live with for the rest of their life.
At most, they could only slow down the progression of Oripathy and reduce the suffering of patients.
That was what Rhodes Island had always been doing.
"So it really is like that?"
Hearing Kal'tsit's words, Shirou confirmed his suspicions.
Through his blood or rather, through the process of mana transfer he could "heal" Oripathy.
And the price was the dark red marking on his body.
He did not know what kind of effect that marking would have on him, but he was certain the outcome would not be good.
Otherwise, Archer would not have stepped in to stop him.
And Shirou had already experienced part of it himself, those dreams related to the infected…
"Shirou, I suggest you think this through carefully. Operator Nameless left precisely because of this. You do not need to force yourself for the sake of others."
Seeing that she could no longer hide it, Kal'tsit changed her approach and tried to persuade him.
At the mention of Nameless, Amiya beside her pressed her lips together slightly.
"I know—"
Before Shirou could finish, Kal'tsit cut him off.
"No. You do not."
Shirou: "…"
Could she at least let him finish speaking?
"Think about the people you know. Think about what you promised me, to stay vigilant against the people, events, and things that might descend from your world. The weight of your life is far greater than you imagine."
Not giving him a chance to continue, Kal'tsit pressed on.
It was a classic moral appeal, reminding Shirou of how she had persuaded him in a similar way last time.
"I think so too. Shirou, you should listen to Doctor Kal'tsit."
Amiya nodded vigorously in agreement.
After that, the three of them fell into silence, staring at each other for quite a while.
"…Can I speak now?"
After some time, Shirou finally asked.
Receiving their nods, he continued:
"I am not entirely sure about the exact situation, but something similar appeared on my left hand before. It disappeared after a while."
"And based on information I got from someone… as long as it does not exceed a certain threshold, there should not be any problems."
At this point, Shirou had already shared everything he knew. He just hoped Kal'tsit would be equally open about what she knew.
Preferably without speaking in riddles.
"Someone you can trust?"
After hearing this, Kal'tsit felt the situation might not be as bad as she initially thought.
If, as he said, things would return to normal after some time… then it could be beneficial for Amiya and other severely infected patients.
But people inevitably have their own selfish thoughts. Kal'tsit hoped to prioritize having Amiya continue receiving this kind of treatment.
After all, Amiya had already borne far more than she should at her age. The burden she carried was too heavy, and as an adult, Kal'tsit could not share much of it.
Still, she was curious about who exactly was the "someone" Shirou mentioned?
Someone who clearly understood mana… likely someone Shirou had known before?
So besides Nameless and Shirou, there were others?
"…Probably someone I can trust? That person is in the same situation as me and Nameless."
Hearing Kal'tsit's question, Shirou thought for a moment before answering.
From his perspective, Archer still was not entirely someone he could fully trust. After all, Archer had hidden quite a few things from him.
If Archer had explained earlier, he might not be facing this situation now.
In any case, Archer was definitely taking the blame for this.
"What situation?"
Amiya tilted her head in confusion, not understanding the connection between Nameless and Shirou.
"I see. Your relationship is quite complicated. But if that is the case…"
On the other hand, Kal'tsit understood exactly what Shirou meant, this "someone" and Nameless were both versions of Shirou Shirou.
So how many Shirou Shirou were there?
And judging from his tone, they had even met and they did not seem to get along particularly well?
…Understandable.
If she herself could return to the past, she would probably want to strangle her past self for the decisions she made.
After all, no one could know the future. One could only choose what seemed like the best path at the time.
She had lived the same way, yet in truth, there was only so much she could do.
If what Shirou said was true, then what they needed to do now was determine exactly where that limit lay.
But she hesitated.
Was this decision really the right one?
To take advantage of Shirou's kindness and have him sacrifice himself to help Amiya…
If Amiya ever learned of her thoughts, she would surely resent her.
After all, she was just as kind.
Troublesome… the person she wanted to make use of and the person she wanted to protect were both incredibly kind.
"Um… what exactly are you two talking about?"
Amiya, who had her Originium Arts active, could feel the guilt coming from Kal'tsit, guilt directed at both Shirou and herself.
But from earlier, she had not really understood their conversation, so she had no way of guessing what Doctor Kal'tsit was trying to do.
What kind of plan would make her feel guilty toward both of them?
"Doctor Kal'tsit… do you want my help?"
Looking at Kal'tsit, who was clearly conflicted, Shirou could roughly guess what she was struggling with.
After all, she had just told him not to do this kind of thing. Now that she knew he could recover from it, it was only natural for her to hesitate.
Shirou himself had read several books about Oripathy. While the details varied, they all shared one common point:
With current medical capabilities, curing Oripathy was absolutely impossible.
"I do have that thought, but it does not include me. Oripathy is not a problem for me."
Pulled back to reality by Shirou's question, Kal'tsit answered.
At the same time, her gaze shifted toward Amiya. Her meaning was already very clear.
Amiya: "?"
Hello? Could someone include her in this conversation?
Seeing that both Shirou and Kal'tsit were ignoring her, Amiya could only puff her cheeks slightly and stand beside Kal'tsit, hugging her terminal while continuing to listen.
"I can cooperate on my side, but on the condition that you explain everything about this matter clearly to me, Doctor Kal'tsit."
Hearing Kal'tsit's words and seeing her reaction, Shirou understood her intentions.
Helping was a given after all he would still need Rhodes Island's help in the future, and he himself had the same idea.
In short, he would start with people he knew… ahem, help treat them.
For example: Rope, Lappland, Rosmontis, and Amiya… people he was familiar with.
But since Kal'tsit had brought it up herself, asking for a small condition in return was not unreasonable, right?
If it were someone like Yith or the others from Penguin Logistics instead, Rhodes Island might have had to pay a much heavier price.
"Of course. I was not trying to hide it from you intentionally, it is just that this kind of matter… you understand."
Kal'tsit did not refuse his request and explained why she had kept it hidden.
"I understand."
Shirou did not blame her. After all, she had done it for his sake.
In a situation like this, it was genuinely hard for him to feel resentment.
Besides, the one who had known everything and still chose to deceive him was someone else. Compared to that, Kal'tsit withholding information due to incomplete knowledge was understandable.
"In any case, please do not spread this matter carelessly. This land has never lacked madmen obsessed with knowledge. Once they learn that your body can cure Oripathy, it would not be surprising what they might do."
Before fully explaining everything, Kal'tsit gave Shirou a firm warning. To make sure he understood, she added:
"I know you are strong. You can handle one person, ten people, even a hundred. But what if they do not target you, what if they target the people around you?"
"… "
Hearing that, Shirou's mouth twitched slightly.
So… why did everyone always resort to threatening him with harm coming to others?