Morning, Rhodes Island, a certain medical laboratory.
"So this is the famous person everyone has been talking about these past few days? What brings you here?"
Standing in front of Shirou was a woman with white hair and crimson eyes… Warfarin.
White hair, pale skin, and the way she had previously stared hungrily at his blood, every sign pointed toward her being something similar to the vampires Shirou knew of.
And that was indeed the case. Warfarin was a Blood Demon among the Sarkaz.
Shirou had met her before, though only on the deck, where she had been tied up by Kal'tsit's Mon3tr.
As for the "hot topic" she mentioned… there were both good and bad sides to it.
The good part was that Shirou had helped many elite operators.
The bad part was that Rosmontis's confusing behavior over the past two days had caused him to acquire all sorts of strange labels.
Now even Doctor Kal'tsit's gaze toward him felt painfully sharp.
"I can explain…"
Looking at Kal'tsit's piercing stare, Shirou felt he really needed to clear things up.
If he did not explain soon, those impressions might root themselves in place like stubborn stains. Explaining later would become far more troublesome.
"I know you have difficulty refusing people, and I know Rosmontis trusts you greatly. But that does not mean you should indulge everything she wants. Acting as her pillow aside, you even carried her around Rhodes Island together with Blaze for half the day, and you made all sorts of high-calorie food for them. Do you not realize they both require strict dietary control because of Oripathy treatment? Do you not know—"
Kal'tsit went on and on, giving Shirou a headache.
Only when Amiya entered wearing the same examination clothes as Shirou did Kal'tsit finally stop.
"Hm? Shirou, why do you look so tired? Have they already started drawing blood?"
The moment she entered, Amiya noticed something was off about him and showed some concern.
After all, Shirou was the centerpiece of the upcoming experiment. If the subject himself was not in good condition, that would be a problem.
"No… it is nothing. I was merely assaulted with words."
Covering his face and stomach, Shirou felt his condition was rather poor right now.
"I understand that feeling. When Kal'tsit lectures someone, it really makes your stomach hurt… No, I mean, Kal'tsit is right! Shirou, you should listen to her more!"
Seeing Shirou's expression, Warfarin patted him on the shoulder as she spoke. Then she noticed Kal'tsit staring at her with a terrifying expression and immediately withdrew her hand.
Normally, getting hung from the ship deck would be one thing, but Shirou was a treasure. Kal'tsit had said his blood possessed extremely unusual properties, which was why Warfarin agreed to participate in this confidential experiment.
There were only four people present, meaning the research could only rely on herself and Kal'tsit for analysis, while Shirou and Amiya would be the subjects being studied.
As for how special Shirou's blood truly was, she still did not know.
She simply craved it.
Even though she could suppress the impulse, his blood smelled far more enticing than anyone else's…
"Enough fooling around. Let me make this clear first. Everything regarding the upcoming experiment is strictly confidential. Nothing is allowed to leak out. Otherwise, you will not just be hung from the ship deck, you will be dragged behind it."
Watching Warfarin instantly change her attitude, Kal'tsit decided not to comment further and went straight to the main subject.
After much deliberation, she had ultimately brought Warfarin in to assist. Not only was Warfarin one of Rhodes Island's oldest members, but she also possessed substantial expertise regarding blood, far beyond Kal'tsit's own knowledge.
The "Mr.Blood" was also rather famous across Terra and had published several books related to Oripathy.
More importantly, she was trustworthy.
Although she could be rather unreliable at times, Kal'tsit genuinely trusted her.
If only she acted more serious in daily life.
"Come on, I already know plenty of confidential files and experiments in Rhodes Island. One more makes no difference."
Warfarin waved dismissively after hearing Kal'tsit's warning. She had heard threats like that countless times already.
In any case, she had no ulterior motives, so she was invincible.
"This matter is far more serious than you imagine… Amiya, explain it to her. I will go over the experiment procedures with Shirou."
Kal'tsit originally intended to explain it herself, but after some thought she left it to Amiya instead.
Time was precious. All three of them had squeezed time out of packed schedules just to conduct this experiment.
"Understood!"
Receiving Kal'tsit's instructions, Amiya immediately went over to Warfarin and began explaining the situation.
Warfarin's expression visibly changed from mild interest, to disbelief, and finally into the look of someone who had found treasure while staring at Shirou.
At least, that was how Shirou felt while listening to Doctor Kal'tsit explain the procedures.
This experiment required drawing blood directly from Shirou's fingertip.
For that purpose, Kal'tsit specifically demanded that he thoroughly clean his hands.
He washed them three times with foam cleanser, disinfected them twice, then carefully wiped them down with the damp towel Kal'tsit provided.
Shirou felt his hands had never been this clean before.
Though now they were overly dry, to the point where he wanted to apply some hand cream.
As for why they did not simply draw blood and let Amiya use it directly—
Kal'tsit had already considered that.
Rhodes Island already possessed a large quantity of Shirou's donated blood. The research results showed that his blood could greatly suppress the crystal density within infected blood, but it could not reduce it.
There was a huge difference between suppression and reduction.
The former merely made for a superior inhibitor.
The latter, however, represented genuine hope for curing Oripathy.
Of course, there were limits. Kal'tsit was still trying to determine where those limits lay.
There might be a chance to cure mild cases completely, but once major organs had begun crystallizing, the treatment's effectiveness would likely become very limited.
Still, it was hope.
Kal'tsit had already explained all the precautions beforehand.
If anything unexpected happened to either Amiya or Shirou during the experiment, the test would immediately stop.
It was best not to spread news of the experiment outside.
However, since the primary subject was Shirou's own blood, Kal'tsit left the decision of whether to disclose it to others up to him.
"I will probably only explain it to Yith and the Boss."
Rubbing his dry hands together, Shirou spoke.
"If it is those two, then it is fine. Handle it however you see fit."
After hearing Shirou's answer, Kal'tsit replied while disinfecting a long, slender needle in her hand.
Looking at the sterilized needle, Shirou briefly wondered whether using one of his projected Noble Phantasms to make a cut would work instead, though it remained only a passing thought.
After all, Kal'tsit had already explained the purpose of the needle.
It was meant to precisely control the size of the wound and the flow of blood so the experiment data would be more accurate.
Once the preparations were finished, Shirou was brought to a table.
Two machines sat atop it, with numerous tubes extending from them and connecting to both participants. Amiya sat across from him.
Kal'tsit and Warfarin stood nearby, each with paper, pens, and a terminal on the table before them.
Displayed on the terminals were the real-time bodily data of Shirou and Amiya.
"Are you ready?"
Watching the two take their seats, Warfarin asked.
At the same time, she held the silver needle Kal'tsit had just disinfected. One glance told Shirou she would be the one drawing his blood.
No problem. It was only a small prick. It would not hurt.
"I am ready."
After receiving Shirou's nod of confirmation, Warfarin gently held his left hand and pricked his index finger.
The moment the needle was withdrawn, thin streams of blood immediately welled out.
"I am ready too."
Amiya held a cup in her hands. It was filled with mouthwash.
Reducing outside variables was extremely beneficial for the experiment.
Amiya glanced at the blood on Shirou's left index finger. After hesitating briefly, she grasped his hand and brought the finger into her mouth.
"..."
The fingers were one of the centers of human touch, especially the fingertips, where nerve endings were far denser than elsewhere. People generally used their fingers to touch and feel people and objects.
At this moment, Shirou was seriously considering how to sever the connection between his finger and the rest of his body.
The last time with Lappland had been different. She bit him suddenly, and the moment he reacted he immediately pulled his hand away.
But this time was not the same.
This time, he was fully conscious as he watched someone place his finger into their mouth.
The feeling was extremely strange.
He was nervous now, to the point where cold sweat formed despite the laboratory air conditioning being set quite low.
At the same time, the sensation in his index finger became far more pronounced. He could clearly feel the damp warmth surrounding his fingertip.
That made him extremely restless.
"Shirou, why is your heart rate suddenly so fast? Are you alright?"
Warfarin, who had been monitoring the data coming from the machine, noticed Shirou's heartbeat suddenly spike and immediately asked about it.
"N-No, I am fine."
Warfarin's question instantly diverted much of Shirou's attention, and he hurriedly answered.
"Hm? That does not really sound fine… Keep an eye on yourself. If anything feels wrong, say it immediately."
Warfarin remained suspicious of Shirou's explanation, but after seeing his heartbeat stabilize again, she did not continue pressing him.
"…Amiya?"
Meanwhile, Kal'tsit's attention was entirely focused on Amiya.
Before the experiment began, Amiya's face had already looked somewhat flushed, though her vital signs showed little change, so Kal'tsit assumed she was simply nervous.
Once Amiya came into contact with Shirou's blood, however, the redness in her face deepened and her body temperature rose slightly as well.
But because Amiya showed no signs of pain, Kal'tsit merely continued observing for the moment.
She was not showing pain… but why did she look as though she were tasting something delicious?
Kal'tsit considered herself highly knowledgeable, yet it seemed there were still many things she did not understand.
Now, however, Amiya's condition clearly seemed abnormal.
Her eyes gradually lost focus as she stared blankly at Shirou's left hand.
"Mm…"
As for Amiya herself, she maintained the same posture while continuously sensing the changes within her body.
At first, she felt a pleasant warmth spreading through her body.
Then she gradually began to feel lighter, as though soaking in a comfortable, warm bath.
But it only lasted for a moment.
Very soon, she began hearing the sounds of clashing metal.
When she came back to her senses, she realized she was already standing inside… a mine pit or a cave?
"Where is this?"
Realizing she was no longer in the laboratory, Amiya cautiously observed her surroundings.
She was familiar with environments like this. After all, Rim Billiton was famous for its mining industry.
Yet she could not see any traces of excavation.
Still, since there was rock overhead, she had to either be underground or inside a cavern.
If it were a cavern… then it was unbelievably massive.
So this really was underground?
Before Amiya could continue thinking about where exactly she was, a familiar voice sounded nearby.
"You still refuse to surrender?"
The owner of the voice sounded cold and indifferent.
Even so, Amiya found it strangely familiar.
"Miss Vina?"
Moving toward the direction of the voice, Amiya finally understood why it had sounded so familiar.
It sounded very similar to one of Rhodes Island's operators, though the calmer tone had prevented her from recognizing it immediately.
But since it was someone she knew, she felt relieved.
At least she had an ally now.
As she approached the source of the voice, Amiya finally saw its owner.
Yet it was not the person she had expected, the one who always carried a massive hammer.
This person had no Aslan ears atop her head, and she was much shorter as well.
She was a blonde, golden-eyed girl clad in black armor.
Although the armor was somewhat damaged, Amiya could still see the ominous crimson patterns covering it.
They were just like the red markings on Shirou.
The pitch-black sword in the girl's hand was also covered in crimson patterns, but Amiya paid little attention to the weapon itself.
Instead, her gaze fell upon the person at its tip.
"Emiya Shirou, I will ask one final time. Do you truly refuse to surrender?"
The girl pointed her sword at the red-haired boy before her as she spoke.
Though he was much shorter than the Shirou she knew, and though his right arm looked strangely mismatched, as if it had been attached from another person's body, and though he was covered in wounds large and small—
Combined with what the blonde girl in black armor had just said, Amiya became certain that this heavily wounded person was indeed Shirou.
She had no idea why she had appeared here, but there was no time to think about that now.
Shirou's injuries were severe.
Severe enough that he could die at any moment.
Realizing this, Amiya immediately broke into a run toward them.