While keeping an eye on the thugs to make sure they did not run, Shirou also paid attention to the situation on the other side.
The coordination among the others was quite good. They quickly dealt with their opponents.
And through Shirou's special communication channel, the Guard Department soon arrived to take over.
Rhodes Island had no intention of interrogating them. They had seen situations like this many times and did not have professional interrogators anyway.
So it was better to leave it to the local authorities.
"Wow! Shirou, how did you subdue them?"
After the Guard Department took over, Cardigan ran over with her shield, her face full of curiosity.
"Well… I did not really do anything. They just surrendered on their own."
Facing her curious gaze, Shirou hid a few details, though overall he was not lying.
He had just used a small trick to make them give up.
"...I feel like it was not that simple."
Adnachiel looked at the long, thin slash mark on the ground and voiced his thoughts. Steward and Melantha shared the same opinion.
Unfortunately, Cardigan seemed to believe Shirou. After getting her answer, she happily skipped back to put her shield away.
"Um… Mr. Shirou, that sword in your hand…?"
After the operation ended, Melantha returned to her usual demeanor, though she still had something she was very curious about.
The longsword in Shirou's hand… looked exactly like hers.
No, not just similar—it was identical.
The markings and even the wear on it were the same as her own blade.
"It is an Originium Art."
Shirou dispelled the magical energy from the sword and gave a simple explanation.
People unfamiliar with his abilities seemed to assume he stored weapons somewhere else.
After all, creating something out of thin air was hard to believe.
"I see."
After hearing his explanation, Melantha did not press further.
Partly because she did not dare to ask more, and partly because probing into someone else's Originium Arts was considered impolite especially since he was not a member of A4.
Still… her own sword would not be able to leave such a mark on that kind of ground. At best, she could create a shallow cut.
And Miss Franka had once said that when attacking, the most important thing was to avoid striking anything other than the target.
Otherwise, there was only one outcome, the weapon would get stuck or even break.
"Mr. Shirou! There are about thirty individuals here. Some identities have already been confirmed and they are all from the slums…"
After briefly handling matters on the A4 Action Reserve Team's side, a member of the Lungmen Guard Department ran over with a terminal in hand and began explaining the situation on site.
"…"
Shirou did not react immediately as the other party enthusiastically reported the situation.
After all, as far as he remembered, there was no need for the Guard Department to report details to outsiders while on duty. And the use of honorifics made it even stranger.
However, once he noticed the crossbow on the person's back, he understood why the attitude was like this.
"No need to report to me. Go ahead and do your job. Also, I will be at the shooting range tomorrow morning, come find me then."
He waved his hand, stopping the other from continuing. If it went on, the man might even start describing what color underwear those people were wearing, and Shirou had no interest in knowing that much.
Knowing where some of them came from was already enough.
It was reasonable for people from the slums to target these medicines. The key question was whether they had set their sights on the supplies after seeing them being transported, or if they had targeted them deliberately from the start.
If it was the latter… Shirou could not help but think of recent events.
But now was not the time to dwell on that. At worst, he could personally escort the medical shipments for the time being.
Of course, he would only escort them and someone else would have to drive. He had not learned how to drive yet.
Before letting the Guard Department member leave, Shirou deliberately mentioned his schedule for the next morning.
After all, the man was trying to help him, so returning the favor was only natural.
As Yith had said, relationships were mutual. It was unrealistic to only seek things from others without giving anything back.
Although Yith often looked rather miserable working overtime, his life experience was clearly far richer than his. At the very least, his advice was worth considering.
He could listen to it, though whether to act on it was up to him.
"Got it! I will arrive early tomorrow!"
Upon hearing Shirou's words, the Guard Department member's tone noticeably lifted, sounding genuinely excited.
Even the terminal in his hand trembled slightly.
After parting ways with the Guard Department, the rest of the delivery went smoothly. Shirou did not see any other vehicles following them.
The earlier situation had been quite complicated. If they had entered the slum area, they might have been forced into a fight in the streets. In that case, things would not have been so easy to resolve.
Of course, "not easy" referred to resolving things without injuries.
If possible, Shirou still preferred not to solve problems with violence.
Along the way, everyone remained cautious because of what had just happened. Only after returning to the branch office and parking the vehicle did they finally relax.
From here on, things were no longer their concern. They could take a breather.
"Are you all alright?"
Ansel hurried out with a medical kit, carefully checking everyone for injuries.
Aside from a few minor scrapes, there were no serious wounds.
Seeing that their injuries were not severe, Ansel finally relaxed and began treating Cardigan and Melantha's minor abrasions.
As for the other two? They had stayed safely on top of the vehicle the entire time and did not need any treatment at all.
"Next up should be… your usual training, right? Want to do it together?"
After getting out of the vehicle and stretching, Shirou turned and asked.
Of course, he was mainly asking Melantha, someone a certain fox had specifically asked him to take care of.
As for the others… aside from Steward's Originium Arts, he could probably guide them as well.
He could only apologize for that. His own compatibility with Originium Arts was so poor that it had practically been marked with two black frames. There was no way he could teach others how to use them.
If it were something like Lappland or Officer Chen, using blades as a medium for casting, he might be able to manage something. But Steward clearly followed a caster path, and Shirou was out of his depth there.
"Yes… then I will be in your care, Mr. Shirou!"
Hearing his offer, Melantha immediately agreed, trying to speak a bit louder than usual.
He was very capable. Recently, most of the talk around Rhodes Island had been about Shirou. Being taught swordsmanship by someone like him was a great opportunity for her.
The others had no objections either. Their training was not anything secret. Compared to the professional facilities on Rhodes Island, the branch office's setup was somewhat lacking.
And without Instructor Dobermann's commanding voice, it always felt like something was missing. Now that Shirou was here to supervise, it might at least boost their training morale.
Following the group to the branch's training grounds, Shirou took a look around.
Compared to the facilities at the Guard Department, Rhodes Island, or Penguin Logistics, this place was simpler but it also felt somewhat familiar.
It was quite similar to the dojo back at his home.
"Alright… Melantha, you first. Bring your sword."
Seeing the others begin their warm-ups and start running laps around the training ground, Shirou called out to Melantha.
Hearing her name, she walked over with her longsword in hand, while the other three began their usual exercises.
Ansel? He was on duty. With the severe shortage of medical staff at the branch, he simply did not have time to train.
"…Phew."
Standing in front of Shirou, Melantha felt a bit nervous.
His gaze moved between her hands and feet, but more often than not, it settled on the longsword in her grip.
"When you use a blade, you tend to favor surprise attacks, right? Relying on your agility to find openings and deliver a decisive strike?"
Withdrawing his gaze, Shirou asked directly.
He had been observing her hands and feet seriously just now. Although they looked slender, her speed during the earlier fight had been impressive.
Agility and strong ambush capability were the core of Melantha's current combat style.
A longsword suited this kind of fighting well. The lack of a handguard was also because the user was not meant to engage enemies head-on frequently.
If he remembered correctly, Franka's combat style overlapped somewhat with Melantha's. However, getting Melantha to toy with enemies the way Franka did would likely be difficult.
Still, when it came to lowering one's presence, appearing harmless, and then delivering a lethal strike, the two were almost identical.
The difference was that Franka intentionally made herself appear harmless, while Melantha… simply looked harmless by nature.
Following that line of thought, Shirou felt he could offer some guidance.
"Y-Yes!"
Hearing Shirou immediately pinpoint her fighting style, Melantha straightened up and answered.
"Do not be so tense. This was Franka's request. I will properly guide you during this time."
Seeing how nervous she was, Shirou smiled helplessly.
"Understood! Then I will be in your care, Mr. Shirou!"
"Just call me Shirou… Now, try attacking me. Do not hold back."
He projected a blade identical to hers and gestured for her to strike.
This time, unlike when he sparred with Officer Chen to expose weaknesses, his goal was to strengthen Melantha's fundamentals.
Understanding her attack patterns would help him teach her more effectively.
Since arriving in this world, Shirou had never directly taught a complete sword style. Instead, he provided general direction and let others refine their skills through practice.
Whether it was Texas, Officer Chen, or others, he tailored training based on their needs, preparing corresponding techniques and sparring with them.
For example, if Texas wanted to learn defensive swordsmanship, Shirou would first demonstrate how he defended, then switch roles and have her try to block his attacks.
Everyone already had their own habits and techniques. Strengthening those existing methods was the best approach.
After all… they were not young beginners anymore, and their work was demanding. Starting from scratch would be difficult.
Melantha was no exception. She already had her own style, so there was no need for Shirou to impose his own.
Besides, he was only a temporary instructor. Franka was Melantha's true teacher. If he led her astray, Franka would definitely take issue with it.
And when Franka argued, she really argued. Shirou had no desire to experience that again.
"Alright…"
Looking at the identical blade in Shirou's hand, Melantha drew her own sword and assumed a combat stance.
Honestly, a direct confrontation like this put her at a disadvantage. As Shirou had said, her style relied on ambush.
But since he had asked, she could only push forward.
With a burst of force from her legs, Melantha lunged forward. The distance between them was already short, so in an instant, she was right in front of him.
She thrust her blade forward, still faintly stained with blood from the earlier fight.
"Is this already starting?"
Cardigan, who had been running nearby, had not taken her eyes off the two. Seeing Melantha charge in, she was confused.
Was this how proper instruction worked? Should not one first demonstrate techniques in the air and then correct mistakes?
Why were they fighting right away?
As Cardigan wondered, Shirou remained in place and used his identical blade to deflect Melantha's attack.
The long, slender blade without a guard was not suited for blocking, so he applied force to redirect her strike instead.
"Too much noise."
An ambush, as the name implied, meant striking unexpectedly.
But Melantha's approach had been too loud. Shirou had clearly heard the force of her step just now.
He did not expect her to move as silently as a cat, but she should not be making that much noise either.
What he wanted was for Melantha to minimize her presence in combat. Reducing noise would be a major advantage.
It would allow her to move like an assassin, weaving through the battlefield with agility.
Agility was one of her strengths, and it was exactly what Shirou intended for to get better at.