Setting aside the fact that Doctor Kal'tsit always used other people as leverage to threaten him, Shirou himself more or less understood why she did it.
It could only be said that she was quite accurate when it came to reading people. If it had only been ordinary persuasion, he probably would have simply let it go in one ear and out the other.
Sacrificing himself… in Shirou 's eyes, that was only natural.
However, humans were strange creatures. Once they had attachments, they began to grow timid, just as he was now.
If one was alone, it did not matter what choices were made, so long as one could live with oneself.
But once he had people he knew, things became different. He had to consider the feelings and thoughts of others.
A person like Shirou was like a ship sailing across the sea. Without an anchor, it could only continue drifting endlessly upon the ocean, while a ship with an anchor could find a safe place to cast it down.
The former was the existence that had reached the end of its ideals, such as Archer and Nameless. The latter was the version of Emiya Shirou who had gone on to live an ordinary life.
As for the current him… honestly speaking, even Shirou himself did not know what he truly thought anymore.
He was very satisfied with his current life, yet he also clearly understood that he did not belong to this sea.
A ship that sailed into waters where it was never meant to arrive would eventually be discovered and dismantled, no matter how well its anchor held.
At first, he believed that he might disappear at any moment, so Shirou had always interacted with others cautiously while trying to leave behind traces proving that he had once come here.
But as time passed, the number of people, events, and things he encountered steadily increased, and he gradually began to have other thoughts.
Especially after learning that the other two had once arrived here as well, that idea only became stronger.
His arrival was probably not an accident, but it was certainly connected to the Holy Grail War.
For the moment, whether he had arrived soaked in black mud or had a Holy Grail dropped onto his face did not matter. Right now, he was here, standing upon this land.
Back then, Archer had said something similar as well, but Shirou had only thought the other man was speaking in riddles, so he had not paid much attention.
Now it seemed… Archer had long understood what he was thinking.
Even if he did not particularly like it, Shirou could not do anything about it.
He was greedy. He wanted to continue preserving his current life while also helping those in need as much as he could.
Perhaps the end point of Emiya Shirou 's ideals would never be beautiful, but everything he did had never been for his own sake in the first place. It was all for the sake of seeing the smiles of the people he helped.
Perhaps that was twisted, but that was simply the kind of person he was.
That was probably the main reason why both Archer and Doctor Kal'tsit had deliberately hidden this matter from him.
Thinking about it that way, perhaps Rhodes Island had already found some way to obtain the results of his psychological evaluation without him realizing it.
At this moment, Shirou suspected that strange questionnaire, though it was too late to say anything now.
After all, Doctor Kal'tsit had already revealed some of the things she knew and the thoughts she held.
Shirou was naturally willing to help others, but the problem was…
"I do not agree with this. It is far too unfair to Shirou ."
The person directly involved, Amiya, rejected Doctor Kal'tsit's proposal. She refused the idea of having Shirou help treat Oripathy.
"If treating Oripathy can only be achieved through someone else's sacrifice, then I will absolutely never accept it."
Amiya had silently listened to the conversation between the two from the very beginning, so she naturally understood what kind of consequences Shirou would have to bear if he helped treat Oripathy.
The one who would suffer was Shirou, while the one who benefited was her. Amiya would never agree to something built upon another person's sacrifice.
Even if the proposal came from Doctor Kal'tsit, it was the same.
If their positions were reversed, she might have made the same choice as Shirou and chosen to help others, but unfortunately there was no such possibility.
"Amiya…"
Seeing Amiya reject the proposal so firmly, Kal'tsit felt both relieved and pained inside.
She was relieved because Amiya had not grown crooked and was still a kind child.
She was pained because Amiya was too kind and had rejected this opportunity.
Previously, Nameless had at least claimed that he required Amiya's magical energy in order to continue existing, which was why Amiya accepted it back then. But on Shirou's side, there truly was no convincing justification they could provide.
Just as Amiya had said, this exchange was not equal. Even if Shirou himself agreed to it, it would still be extremely unfair to him.
"…"
Meanwhile, Shirou was thinking about what he should say at this moment.
He was not particularly good at persuading people… or rather, his speaking skills were poor. He often ended up making people angry.
Perhaps remaining silent right now would be the best option. It would depend on whether Kal'tsit could persuade Amiya to accept the treatment.
However…
Thinking this, Shirou glanced at the pair of 'rabbit ears' on top of Amiya's head.
Amiya would not be as stubborn as a mule, would she?
"Shirou, are you thinking something very rude right now?"
Amiya, who had her Originium Arts active beside him, noticed the change in Shirou 's emotions and turned to ask him.
Although the words she spoke were the same as before, her tone was somewhat different. Combined with the rather serious atmosphere, Amiya looked genuinely angry at this moment.
She really was angry, because the two of them had ignored her the entire time and then inexplicably made this decision on her behalf.
Even though she knew they were doing it for her own good, she still was not happy about it.
"Ahem… it is nothing. I was only thinking that there does not really seem to be anything unfair about this. After all, my relationship with Rhodes Island is one of cooperation, but more than anything, Rhodes Island has mostly been the one helping me, has it not?""
"Rope, Lappland, and the children's Oripathy treatment, as well as the free physical examinations you gave to everyone at Penguin Logistics last time… all of these are things I received from Rhodes Island, yet I have not truly given you anything meaningful in return. So for me, this is actually a very good opportunity, is it not?"
Seeing the atmosphere gradually become heavy and awkward, Shirou had no choice but to speak up.
Everything he said was true. Up until now, he had indeed received far more from Rhodes Island. If not for Rhodes Island, then if he wanted to provide everyone with treatment this good, he would probably have had to borrow an enormous amount of Lungmen coins from Penguin Logistics' boss.
The treatment Rhodes Island provided was unquestionably top-tier.
And precisely because it was top-tier, receiving the same treatment elsewhere would have required spending vastly more Lungmen coins.
Yet on Rhodes Island's side, all they asked for in return was some labor.
The children took turns going to the Lungmen branch office to clean and cook, while Lappland helped the branch office handle various matters.
Compared to what Rhodes Island had given, what they contributed in return felt almost insignificant.
Although he himself had also formed a cooperative relationship with Kal'tsit in private, that was because those matters involved him personally, and he felt he had some responsibility as well.
In the end, given the current situation, it really did seem more like he was bringing a large number of people along to burden Rhodes Island.
"Those are things Rhodes Island should do… and other people are other people, while Shirou is Shirou . These matters should be separated and cannot be lumped together!"
Faced with Shirou 's attempt at persuasion, Amiya was somewhat moved, but she still firmly held onto her own viewpoint.
Even if, as Shirou said, he had unilaterally received a great deal of help from Rhodes Island, those things were originally what Rhodes Island was supposed to do.
They treated all infected equally, and on Rhodes Island most infected people received treatment under those same standards, so Shirou 's reasoning did not hold.
"…"
Originally, when he saw Amiya waver slightly, he thought everything would be fine now, but instead she somehow became even more determined.
As expected, he really was not suited for persuading people…
If it had been Exusiai, he probably would have just chopped her on the neck and forced her into submission.
Unfortunately, the other party was Amiya, so he could not use such violent methods.
And she truly was stubborn.
Glancing toward Doctor Kal'tsit, Shirou noticed that she did not seem to have any intention of intervening in their conversation, so he could only brace himself and continue.
"But Amiya, you know this already. Being able to cure Oripathy is an extremely rare thing on this land, right?"
This time Shirou changed his angle of approach. Since Amiya refused to accept the previous line of reasoning, then he would try another method.
"Yes, that is true."
On this point, Amiya had no way to refute him. Within the scope of her knowledge, only Shirou and Nameless, who possessed magical energy, were capable of converting Originium into mana.
And curing Oripathy was merely a result of the Originium inside her body being converted into mana and drained away.
Although it was an unexpected side effect, it undeniably could treat Oripathy.
"Then at present, Rhodes Island is also the only place that possesses relevant experimental records, correct?"
After seeing Amiya nod in agreement, Shirou continued speaking while looking toward Kal'tsit.
"Rhodes Island does indeed possess related experimental records and equipment."
Kal'tsit cooperatively nodded as she answered.
"…What exactly are you two trying to say?"
Listening to the two of them bounce the conversation back and forth, Amiya felt that the direction this discussion was taking… somehow seemed both familiar and strange.
"So, Amiya, we are not simply giving you treatment unilaterally. We are actually testing the upper limit of how much I Originium can absorb. The treatment is only incidental. If Amiya, as Rhodes Island's CEO, does not agree to this…"
At this point, Shirou paused briefly before continuing.
"Then I will have no choice but to seek out other people or organizations researching Oripathy and ask for their assistance."
Amiya: "?"
She finally understood why this conversation felt so familiar. Earlier, Doctor Kal'tsit seemed to have used a very similar method of conversation on Shirou as well.
She did not expect Shirou to immediately learn and apply it on the spot, and even use himself as leverage.
That was extremely strange.
"The outside world is very dangerous. If something goes wrong, Shirou could become a target that every laboratory wants to fight over, so I think Amiya should reconsider carefully."
At this point, Kal'tsit also understood Shirou 's intentions and added her own support.
Although there were many flaws that could be found with even a little thought, none of those were especially important right now.
"Yeah! Doctor Kal'tsit is right. The outside world really does seem dangerous. I wonder whether I could find another trustworthy person or organization willing to cooperate with me?"
Beside her, Shirou nodded vigorously as he spoke.
"…I surrender. In this matter, I will follow your arrangements."
Seeing even the normally cold Kal'tsit doing things she ordinarily never would just to persuade her, Amiya found it difficult to continue refusing.
She had a feeling that if she stubbornly kept rejecting them, the two of them might abandon verbal persuasion altogether and resort to force.
Normally she only watched Doctor Kal'tsit order Mon3tr to tie people up on the deck, but Amiya certainly did not want to experience being tied up herself.
And besides, the person directly involved had already gone this far. If she continued refusing, there might end up being a rift between her and Shirou afterward.
She would just treat it as cooperating with an experiment.
"Hah… finally."
Seeing Amiya finally accept the proposal, Shirou let out a sigh of relief.
Making someone accept one's goodwill really was difficult.
But that was normal. Unprovoked kindness truly could make people afraid. That much… he still understood.
"But Shirou , you have to promise me this! From now on, you absolutely cannot use yourself to threaten me again! And you also cannot force yourself beyond your limits! I do not want to see the same thing happen again! Do you understand!?"
Watching the two of them relax in relief only made Amiya grow angrier the more she thought about it, so she directly attached several conditions, and every single one of them was aimed at Shirou .
There was no helping it. Doctor Kal'tsit was not someone whose way of thinking could be changed with just a few words and Amiya's position was not suitable for pushing the matter too far anyway. At most, she could only offer suggestions.
But Shirou was different. Strictly speaking, her relationship with Shirou was closer to that of friends.
And it was perfectly normal for friends to care about each other, right?
Using five exclamation marks in a row to express that she was serious was also perfectly normal!
"No problem then. So, deal?"
Faced with the conditions Amiya proposed, Shirou did not think there was any major issue with them. He extended his hand as he spoke.
After all, he normally would not threaten people for no reason. The only times he truly needed to do so were in situations this important.
Exusiai was an exception.
As for the second condition about not forcing himself too hard? He seemed to have agreed to that many times already. For now, he would agree first and deal with any problems later if they arose.
However, seeing the same thing happen again…
Shirou guessed Amiya was referring to Nameless disappearing.
The mana converted from Originium crystals seemed to be something akin to deadly poison for people like them.
The amount currently inside his body did not seem as severe as last time, so he had not yet been affected.
Probably once it reached a certain threshold, he would start seeing all sorts of strange memories again.
As for what would happen afterward… even he did not know. However, Shirou did not mention any of this.
They had finally managed to persuade Amiya. If he brought this up now, she might refuse all over again.
At the very least, he could not say it at this stage.
As for what came later… they would deal with it when the time came.
"Mm. This is the compensation I shall receive. From now on, I will place my trust in you."
Looking at the hand Shirou extended toward her, Amiya blinked once before taking his hand as she spoke.
Those were the words Nameless had once spoken when forming a contract with her, and now she had used a different method to form another contract with the Shirou standing before her.
Although it was only verbal, for her, that was already enough."