There Are No Gods in This World

"Awooo!" Lion Saber clearly understood Shirou's meaning, shaking her head and hugging Shirou's trouser leg, her paws pointing in the same direction.

"Are you saying you're coming with me?" Shirou asked.

"Awooo!" Lion Saber nodded repeatedly. After eating Shirou's cooking, how could she possibly go back to her previous simple life of hunting prey and eating meat?

Shirou thought for a moment and finally nodded. After all, in this kind of environment, with large monsters everywhere, it was actually a good choice for him and the little lion to look after each other.

At least with him around, even if Lion Saber wasn't suited to the environment, he could take charge of hunting and supporting the child himself.

"I understand! I promise I'll take good care of you on the way, but if you can't adapt, you can go home by yourself."

"Awooo! Awooo!" The little lion jumped up happily, pounced on Shirou, and licked his lips with its tongue out.

"Stop it! Haha, okay! Okay." Shirou headed towards the spot where the golden meteor had appeared last night.

As a large, social beast, Lion Saber only licks the lips of her own kind. When she licks Shirou, it's actually a sign that she's now one of the Lion King's! You only need to provide food; leave the battles to me, and I'll protect you!

"Awoo!" The little lion excitedly ran ahead, leading the way, occasionally drooling as it watched the passing prey, and sometimes jumping up to chase after flying butterflies, but it never went far, staying close behind Shirou.

Around noon, when Shirou was about to eat, the little lion ran over and sat quietly waiting for lunch. After finishing his meal, the little lion lay down on Shirou's lap and actually fell asleep. No wonder it's a maned lion; it's so lazy!

Shirou smiled, picked up the sleeping Lion Saber and held her in his arms, then continued walking forward.

I walked towards the place where the stars shone last night. When I came out of the hillside, I could see a huge forest over there. It was a boundless expanse of green. I walked a hundred steps into the forest, and my eyes were covered by the forest. To my left was the forest, and to my right was also the forest.

A strong wind blows, and the dense leaves rustle and sway, like a river of green leaves—no, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a sea of trees. Once you come here, unless you turn back, you can't avoid this green ocean no matter which way you go.

Shirou once again felt the grandeur of nature upon arriving here, and realized that this was land that humans had not yet developed much. At this moment, the world's famous metropolises, such as New York, Paris, London, Beijing, and Shanghai, these jungles of steel and concrete, did not yet exist; they were all still covered by green mountains and forests.

The dominant species there may not be humans, or even apes, but rather ferocious beasts that occupy various mountain peaks.

While marveling at the vastness and abundance of this place, Shirou continued forward. If he wanted to fight against the white god, his first priority was to break the witch's curse, recover from his child form to his prime, and leave this world.

When Shirou finally reached the edge of the forest, he saw a distinctly different path. In this place overgrown with weeds, there was a muddy patch where all the grass had been trampled down, forming a long, straight path that led deep into the woods. He wondered if it was because it had been frequently trampled by large wild animals like wild boars, or for some other reason.

As he walked in, Shirou stopped at the corner, for he saw a figure standing on a large rock.

Moreover, he is a blond-haired, red-eyed boy who looks remarkably similar to a certain annoying king, and someone who claims to be two-thirds god and one-third human.

"Hello." The blond, red-eyed boy greeted them with a cute smile.

"Hello." Shirou paused for a moment when he saw the familiar face. He felt that getting involved with him would be troublesome, so he chose to lower his head and get away as quickly as possible.

"You have a very rare beast with you!" The blond, red-eyed boy said as he stepped forward and looked at the Lion Saber that Shirou was holding with great interest.

"Okay, goodbye then." Shirou replied, walked past the blond boy, and continued walking forward.

"Wait, don't rush off. I'm Gil. What's your name?"

"Shirou, I have urgent business to attend to, so I'll be going now." Shirou quickened his pace.

But Little Gil, with his hands behind his back and a smile on his face, followed behind Shirou and asked, "What's the little lion's name?"

"Little Sebastian... no, he doesn't have a proper name yet." Shirou wanted to simply call the little lion in his arms Saber-Lion, or Little Sebastian, but it felt like that would be too simplistic and direct, so he changed his mind.

"Hey, you don't have a name yet? You haven't been with this beast girl for very long, have you?" Little Gil asked, hands behind his back, eyes darting around.

"Anyway, this has nothing to do with you, so whatever you want is fine," Shirou said.

"Why don't you just give her to me? Of course, I won't let you suffer any losses. How about exchanging this Ruby necklace for her?" Gil said, taking off the ruby necklace hanging around her neck and showing it to Shirou.

"No!" Shirou refused without hesitation, reacting instinctively the moment Gil uttered those words.

Little Gil said in a drawn-out voice, "Hmph, I thought you were some country bumpkin, but it turns out you do know the value of these rare beast girl. I understand, you come back to Uruk with me, and I'll pay you a satisfactory price, is that alright?"

"No! It's not about the money. I would never betray my comrades. You can leave!" Shirou said resolutely. In fact, if the deal involved Golden Flash, he would refuse no matter what.

"Hey kid! Don't be so ungrateful! Do you know who I am?" The blond boy puffed out his cheeks angrily, ran quickly in front of Shirou, blocking his way, and revealed his domineering nature beneath his good-boy exterior, saying:

"Wait! Don't even think about leaving! Kid! You really don't understand human relationships. I already told you I'd exchange treasure for it, and you still don't appreciate it. Since that's the case, then we'll have to use a more brutal solution."

According to the rule that might makes right, I challenge you to a duel. Hand over that beast girl in your arms! Otherwise, you won't be leaving here standing up.

"Sigh... It seems you really are the Golden Flash king I know. You've become quite annoying as an adult. I didn't expect that even as a child, despite your initial politeness, your true nature is still the same. Enough already. Um... would you like to go with the child over there?" Shirou sighed and asked the little lion in his arms.

"Awoo?" Lion Saber perched on Shirou's shoulder, turned to look at Little Gil, and then shook her head at Shirou.

"Hmm, it seems she's not willing either. You should give up then. Well, I have to get going. Goodbye!" Shirou waved his hand, trying to shake off Gil, and walked quickly forward.

This is where the blond boy behind him grabs Shirou's shoulder.

"I don't care about any of that. A wild beast that doesn't know any better will understand who its master is with a little discipline! A true strongman is one who can control everything in the world. Don't even think about running away, fight me!" Little Gil raised a finger at Shirou and said in a commanding tone.

"Ouch!" Lion Saber glared angrily at the blond boy.

"Are you sure? You really want to duel me?" Shirou turned around and raised an eyebrow as he asked.

"Yes! You shorty, bring it on!" Gil said arrogantly, arms crossed.

"You're definitely shorter, you know!!!" Shirou couldn't help but glare at the other guy angrily, and walked up to the blond boy, head to head. Sure enough! Even now, he was half a head taller than Gil!

Gil glared back defiantly with her crimson eyes, sneering, "Hmph, that's just your imagination. Anyway, I'll have you pinned under my feet soon enough!"

A few minutes later, the blond, red-eyed boy was lying face down on the ground, pinned down by Shirou sitting on his back and unable to move.

In actual combat, it was proven that the Little Gil sitting on him was not a Heroic Servant whose Spirit Origin had been converted. During the battle, the Gate of Babylon, which was the symbol of the King of Heroes, never appeared.

The current Little Gil is probably a living human being, although the world may have undergone some changes. He is probably Gilgamesh in his childhood, so he hasn't fully learned combat skills and doesn't know Enkidu. In short, he is very easy to bully.

'Although it's not good to bully children, I feel completely at ease if it's him,' Shirou thought to himself as he sat on Gil.

Chapter 331 There are no gods in this world

In a secluded forest, two young boys were locked in a fierce struggle, but because one of them was rather weak, the battle was one-sided.

"Hey kid, let me go! Let me go!" Little Gil shouted, waving his arms and hitting Shirou while he was being pinned to the ground. But his blows were weak and didn't hurt Shirou at all.

"I can let you go, but you have to promise to answer all my questions first," Shirou said, pressing down on Little Gil's hands.

"Hmph... Hahahahahahahaha!!! I'll magnanimously admit you're a decent strongman, but is this how you ask someone for advice? Kneeling! Trying to please me like a clown. Well then, I'll generously forgive your rudeness and tell you some things, that's not out of the question." Gil suddenly burst into loud laughter, her voice rising with fervor.

Shirou didn't respond, but silently grabbed Gil's hand and forcefully pulled it upwards.

"Ouch! Ouch! I know! I know! Let me go first." Gil agreed with tears in her eyes. Fortunately, there was no one else around. The only witnesses to this scene were the birds, insects, and squirrels carrying dried fruit, who were hiding in the trees and watching the two little Monkey fight with curiosity.

So the two of them, along with the little beast girl Lion Saber, found a spot with clean rocks and sat down.

"First question? Where is this place?" Shirou asked.

"Are you some barbarian from some remote mountain? This is the forest outside the city of Uruk, a sacred place famous for its magical creatures with special abilities," Little Gil said disdainfully.

"Mesopotamia during the reign of the Surmiren... No wonder you're here. Is this place more than ten or even several decades earlier than 2600 BC? No wonder there are mammoths, but what about that crocodile? Are there still so many large wild beasts in this era?" Shirou muttered to himself thoughtfully.

Gil jumped onto a relatively flat rock, sat cross-legged, and said with her arms crossed, "Mammoths? Crocodiles? What are those? You've clearly become companions with the rarest humanoid magical creature, this little lion's beast girl, yet you're completely oblivious."

"Beast girl? As expected, this child isn't an exception." Shirou looked at the little lion sitting next to him, reached out and patted her head, then scratched her chin.

"Aww! Aww!" Lion Saber squinted her eyes, tilting her head back to let Shirou stroke her more easily, letting out two comfortable moans. 'This massage feels so good, a little higher, yes, yes, huff huff huff, I'll reward you later.'

"Are there other beast girl like her?" Shirou asked the blond boy curiously, wondering if there were versions like Saber who evolved into black Saber using moonstones or other special methods, or versions like Sun, Fire, Water, Lightning, Grass, and Ice Fairy?

"Of course! Besides lions, there are dogs, foxes, dragons, snakes, bats, birds, all sorts of things. There are probably hundreds of beast girl with humanoid forms, but each one is unique and represents immense fighting power. They are far more powerful than ordinary beast forms like elephants or crocodiles."

At this point, Gil frowned slightly, as if recalling something unpleasant, and continued helplessly, "However, there are exceptions. I know a spoiled, willful, and arrogant girl with twin ponytails who possesses an incredibly powerful divine bull."

Shirou's brow twitched. Wiping away cold sweat, he thought, 'They're not talking about the Bull of Heaven, are they...? That should be the top-tier Divine Beast, and there's also that spoiled twin-tailed girl and stuff... I have a really strong feeling this world is incredibly dangerous.'

"So I came to this forest to find a beast with great potential, and then, through training, defeat her bull!" Gil said confidently, arms crossed.

"Really? Good luck then. By the way, which beast girl have you seen so far?" Shirou asked curiously.

"... Just one! Only one! What's wrong with that! I've only just begun! This forest is so big, all the beast girl are hidden deep inside, I have no chance of encountering them at all! It's not that easy to find them! You must have gone through a lot of trouble to gain the little lion's approval!" Gil pointed at Shirou and asked loudly.

"No, I was just cooking. This child came over on her own, and after I gave her some extra food, she followed me," Shirou said honestly.

"Huh?" Gil looked incredulous, trying to find a trace of lying on Shirou's face, but seeing the other's honest and flawless expression, he felt even more shocked. If it were gold, he could easily find some treasure or gold mine by digging a few holes anywhere.

However, the beast girl he was looking for seemed to have disappeared, completely out of sight. Even the only lion cub he saw refused to pay him any attention.

"Ouch?" When Lion Saber saw Little Gil looking at her, she felt that this human child was annoying and turned her head away, not wanting to pay attention to him.

"By the way, Gil, do you know what that golden light that rises in the forest at night is?" Shirou asked, eager to gather as much information as possible from a local native he had encountered.

However, this time Gil shook her head.

"I don't know. Uruk is quite far from here, and I go to bed very early at night. If I had to say, I've heard adults talk about it before. Ten years ago, a crack appeared in the sky, and something golden fell down from above. Then, white light rushed down like a flood, and everything around us was covered by the bright white light, so we couldn't see anything."

Even those inside the houses said the same thing, "The people of the city-state say that there is an alien god in the heart of the forest. He fought a great battle with our gods, was defeated, and sealed away in the heart of the forest. Children must never go near there."

"So there really is something there?" Shirou nodded, thinking to himself, 'Twenty years ago? Because of the spacetime turbulence, something must have happened in this world. Looks like I came to the right place.'

Little Gil looked at Shirou and said mockingly, "No way, you're such a little kid, believing in gods and such things. Superstition, it's all superstition! When bored people see some strange natural phenomena, they just imagine miracles."

"I've lived here for so long, and I've never seen any gods, whether local or from elsewhere. Although the adults say that miracles used to be common, like the goddess Ishtar fighting with some god, causing thunder and earthquakes, nothing has happened since that white light appeared."

"Has nothing changed here since that white light appeared?" Shirou asked.

Gil thought for a moment and said, "Well, if we're talking about changes, the forest here has grown bigger, and strange, magical creatures have started to appear, like this beast girl. Some people even say that all the beast girl in the world originally came from this forest. In fact, the chances of finding beast girl here are indeed the highest."

Therefore, this place became very famous, and surrounding tribes moved here, making Uruk even more prosperous. The outer city was expanded once, and then expanded again."

"Speaking of that unruly girl living in the mountains, her family moved to the nearby mountains around that time. It's said that when everyone first saw them, they were all startled and thought they were gods descended to earth."

"After all, she and her relatives are all blonde, just like the legendary gods. How stupid. Just because I'm blonde, there are rumors that I'm the son of God or something." Little Gil said, shrugging.

'No, no, no... You, who are two-thirds gods and one-third humans, will always call others bastards when you grow up...' Shirou thought to himself. But in this different world, perhaps he can grow into a better king.

Shirou said, "Thank you. I understand the situation here a little better now."

"I really don't know where you came from, you mountain folk, so lacking in common sense. Anyway, I know. I've told you everything, is that alright?" Gil said, arms crossed.

"Well, I'm going to head inside now. If you're afraid to go alone, I can take you back to the city first, since you're quite weak right now," Shirou said, looking at the blond boy.

"Who's scared! I'm not weak at all!" Gil retorted angrily. He usually behaved like a good kid in front of others, but for some reason, he couldn't help but feel angry when he saw the kid in front of him.

'Who was it that was pinned to the ground and could only beg for mercy just now?' Shirou thought to himself, but he couldn't be bothered with him and preferred to let him leave quickly.

Thinking this, Shirou casually waved his hand and said, "I understand, I understand, you can go now."

Little Gil crossed his arms, turned his head away, and said, "Hmph! You annoying brat! Be careful, there are ferocious saber-toothed tigers in the woods ahead, and fire-breathing beasts in the bamboo forest!"

Shirou continued waving and said, "Thanks. Since it's so dangerous here, you should probably head home soon."

"Shut up! I didn't say that to remind you! You're such a shorty, but you act like an old woman! Disgusting! Ugh!" Little Gil stuck out his tongue, made a face, and strode off in the opposite direction from Shirou.

When he had walked a distance away, he turned back, put his hands to his mouth, and shouted, "Kid! Don't die so easily! The little lion is with you for now, but I'll take it over later!" Then he took off running away.

"I won't leave it to you." Shirou smiled, waved, and continued walking into the forest. The two then officially parted ways, each heading in a different direction.

On the other side, Little Gil, pacing along and resting her chin on her hand, muttered, "It seems like the golden-haired tribe sends people to this forest every day. If that brat hears I'm here looking for the beast girl, she'll definitely come too. I have to hurry and find the strongest magical creature! That kid just now said he came from the river across the forest; maybe I can go over there and look."

Shirou and the spirit Lion Saber ventured deeper into the forest. In this era, no humans operated machines to carry out large-scale logging, and the plants grew wildly and unrestrained. The further they went in, the older the trees became, the larger their stumps, and the more lush the leaves on their branches.

Shirou could only see everything in the dark forest path by the dappled sunlight filtering through the gaps in the branches.

Because of the long-term presence of the area, walking here feels somewhat chilly, especially when the wind blows, it always feels a bit eerie.

"Gahhh!!" A roar came from the woods, and a strong wind blew up, causing hundreds of leaves to fall from the trees.

"A tiger! It really appeared!" Shirou exclaimed in surprise.

This tiger is not that tiger, but it is indeed the same tiger.

The tiger that jumped out was actually a chibi version of Fujimura Taiga, with short brown hair and black king-shaped patterns on her bangs. This beast girl looked very similar to Shirou's high school homeroom teacher and neighbor in his previous life.

Speaking of Fujimura Taiga, she's a regular diner at Emiya Residence, coming over for meals almost every day, just like Shirou's older sister.

However, now she has a pair of large feline ears on her head, carries a bamboo gun in her hand, and her long, round tail sways back and forth. Shirou always thinks that Sister Fuji is so cute that if she had been like this in her previous life, she would have been married off immediately.

Lion Saber jumped out of Shirou's arms, grabbed a bone club made of 'manga meat' that she had pulled out from somewhere, and charged forward.

The beast girl, Sister Fuji, is incredibly agile, especially in the bushes, where she seems to dart around everywhere. Lion Saber's attacks are repeatedly dodged by her, sometimes through quick reflexes, sometimes through sheer luck.

As a result, Lion Saber sustained several wounds, while her opponent remained unharmed and appeared to be in excellent spirits.

"If it's Sister Fuji, I don't think there's any need to be afraid. She should be easy to deal with." Shirou thought to himself, resting his chin on his hand. He then opened the backpack made of animal hide, took out the fried meat patties he had prepared as rations, and tossed them over there.

"Hmm!" Fujimura Tora, facing Shirou, lit up his eyes, jumped high, opened his mouth wide and swallowed the meat pie. After chewing for a while, his eyes lit up with stars. He dropped the bamboo spear, cupped his face in his hands, and swayed his body in ecstasy, his tail curling into a heart shape.

Lion Saber, who was a step too late, looked on with aggrieved expression as Fujimura Tora ate with relish, and angrily swung her large bone club down.

Fujimura Torama, who was happily eating, had just swallowed a meat pie when he was struck on the head and immediately passed out.

And so, a new magical creature, the Fujimura Taiga Tiger, gets its daze!