Shirou paused, then slowly began:
"Actually, I'm not from this era. I'm someone from the future who traveled through time from ten years later back to the present."
"Of course, only my consciousness and memories returned, like a reincarnator from a novel."
"If I remember correctly, you only have one month left to live."
As soon as he finished speaking, Sakura looked up at Kariya Matou. Though her eyes remained hollow, her expression had changed somewhat from before.
"Kariya will die?"
"Yes, he will."
Shirou nodded slightly and continued:
"Under normal circumstances, this evening, Kariya Matou will summon Lancelot of the Berserker class."
"The other six pairs of Masters and Servants are Tokiomi Tohsaka and King of Heroes Gilgamesh, Kiritsugu Emiya and King Arthur Artoria..."
"Tokiomi Tohsaka will be killed by Kirei Kotomine's sneak attack from behind, after which Gilgamesh will form a contract with Kirei Kotomine..."
"Later, through Kirei Kotomine's scheme, Kariya Matou will discover Tokiomi Tohsaka's corpse, and Aoi Tohsaka will witness the scene as well."
"Aoi Tohsaka will mistake Kariya Matou for her husband's murderer and lash out at him, causing him to suffer a mental breakdown. He will seize Aoi Tohsaka by the throat, leaving her in a vegetative state for years to come."
Hearing this, Kariya Matou could not help but say:
"Impossible! I would never lay a hand on Aoi!"
Shirou stared at him for a while. Only after Kariya took the initiative to look away did he speak:
"Don't be so quick to deny it. You should know very well that what I'm saying is the future."
"To me, these are things that have already happened. To you, they are things yet to happen."
"Next, let's talk about Kiritsugu Emiya."
"He had a dream—to save the world..."
"However, the Holy Grail had already been corrupted during the Third Holy Grail War... In the end, Kiritsugu Emiya used a Command Spell to make Artoria destroy the Holy Grail with her Noble Phantasm."
"Though he succeeded in destroying the Holy Grail, the black mud inside leaked out and caused a massive disaster."
"Afterward, the fully awakened Kiritsugu Emiya found a red-haired youth in the ruins, adopted him, and named him Shirou Emiya."
That was right. If he told them outright that he was Shirou Kotomine, it would be difficult to earn their trust.
After all, Kirei Kotomine's personality was far too vile. Having been taught by him for ten years, there was no way anyone would think Shirou was a good person.
Compared to that, even if the Hero of Justice was overly extreme, he was still more likely to gain others' trust.
Therefore, Shirou decided to fabricate the rest of his experiences.
Of course, it was not entirely fabricated. This had been the normal course of events.
"...A few years later, Kiritsugu died, and I inherited his dream, determined to become a Hero of Justice."
"Because the Greater Holy Grail had not yet exhausted its accumulated mana, the Fifth Holy Grail War began ten years later."
"At the time, I summoned the same Servant as Kiritsugu—King Arthur Artoria..."
"Afterward, Sakura was transformed into the Black Grail... And I lost my life without managing to save her."
Listening to the story, so realistic it seemed utterly true, Kariya Matou clenched his frostbitten hands into fists. His body trembled continuously as he ground his teeth and muttered Zouken Matou's name.
"That bastard! Letting him die like that is far too easy on him."
Shirou fell silent for several seconds before asking in a deep voice:
"So, are you still going to give up on this Holy Grail War?"
"I don't know." Kariya Matou shook his head slightly, speaking in a daze. "The Holy Grail has already been corrupted, so there's no point in obtaining it. In my condition, I can't continue taking care of Sakura either. I really don't know what I should do..."
Audience with My King
Chapter 7: Audience with My King
Looking down at Shirou's small body, the words he had wanted to say about entrusting Sakura to him suddenly became difficult to voice.
After sighing, Kariya Matou suddenly slapped himself across the face and thought:
This is disgraceful. As the only adult here, I actually wanted to rely on a child.
Even Shirou from ten years later is only seventeen. He is still a child too.
"Shirou, I'll call you that."
"I believe what you said, but at this point in time, your biological parents should still be alive, right?"
"They are." Shirou sighed softly. "But I lost my memories in the accident ten years ago. To me, my biological parents are complete strangers."
That was true.
Kariya Matou fell silent as well.
Putting aside matters like blood ties and memories, the Holy Grail War was currently underway. If Shirou lived with an ordinary family, his family might be targeted by other Masters.
From Shirou's description, Kiritsugu Emiya and Kirei Kotomine were both the sort who would stop at nothing.
Moreover, Kiritsugu Emiya was the adoptive father Shirou respected.
What if his biological parents were killed by his adoptive father...
At that thought, Kariya Matou gritted his teeth, and his expression gradually became resolute.
There was no other way. He could only rely on himself.
"Shirou, you must be participating in the Holy Grail War, right? In that case, I'll participate too."
"My body is already at its limit, but holding on for another ten days or half a month won't be a problem."
"I will participate in the Holy Grail War and knock some sense into Tokiomi. I'll tell him that there are things in this world more important than magecraft."
"Once the Holy Grail War is over, if I'm not dead, I'll personally send Sakura back to the Tohsaka family. Compared to Matou, the Tohsaka name suits Sakura better."
"The same goes for you, Shirou. Once everything is over, I'll personally take you home. When the time comes, I'll do everything I can to explain things to your biological parents."
Seeing the determination on his face, Shirou fell silent.
After a long while, he softly said:
"Thank you."
"Don't mention it."
A faint, somewhat awkward smile appeared on Kariya Matou's face. He then said:
"It's time to summon the Servant. Lancelot? Fine. Did Shirou prepare a Holy Relic?"
"I did."
"It's so cold. Aren't you cold, Shirou?"
"No. After all, I made the snow myself."
Kariya Matou smiled. As he turned around, he noticed Sakura clutching the hem of his clothes. After thinking for a moment, he asked:
"We're going to summon a Heroic Spirit. Sakura, do you want to come watch?"
"Yes."
"Then... put on a few more layers. The entire Matou family estate is covered in snow now, and the basement is even colder."
"Yes."
The three of them returned to the basement together. Seeing Zouken Matou frozen into an ice statue, Sakura could not help stopping, her eyes becoming increasingly hollow and lifeless.
Seeing this, Kariya Matou hesitated for several seconds before asking quietly:
"Shirou, Zouken... How is he?"
"He can be buried now."
Hearing that, Kariya Matou inexplicably let out a breath of relief.
That was good.
He was truly worried that Zouken Matou was not dead—that he might revive the moment the snow melted, for example.
"The snow has covered the magic circle on the ground, and having Zouken's ice statue standing there is really uncomfortable. How about we change locations tomorrow and summon the Heroic Spirit again?"
"No, today."
Shirou slowly walked over to Zouken's ice statue and pondered for a moment.
"If it bothers you, then we'll do this."
As he spoke, he raised his right hand and punched the ice statue.
The next moment, the entire ice statue exploded in every direction, turning into ice powder that scattered across the floor. It was covered by the snow on the ground and vanished from sight in an instant.
"Now you can't see it. As for the summoning magic circle, sweep away the snow with a broom, and it should still be usable."
"Fine, then today it is."
Kariya Matou let out a long sigh and did not insist.
"...Appear, Wheel of Heavenly Condemnation, Guardian of the Scales!"
Accompanied by an intense flash of light, a Heroic Spirit appeared upon the summoning magic circle. His entire body was clad in pitch-black armor, and a dark radiance emanated from him.
As mana was drained from him, Kariya Matou's legs gave out, and his entire body collapsed helplessly to the floor.
"Without an additional Mad Enhancement incantation, Lancelot's base stats are indeed a little lacking. But Heroic Spirits never rely solely on base stats. Combat skill and Noble Phantasms are more important."
Shirou paused before continuing:
"Have Lancelot step out of the magic circle. It's my turn."
Kariya Matou pressed a hand to his chest and panted for a while before speaking:
"Come forth, Lancelot."
The black Servant stepped out of the magic circle and walked toward Kariya Matou one step at a time, without uttering a word.
"Then it's my turn."
Shirou's figure flickered, and he instantly vanished without a trace.
When he appeared again, there was already a pair of Lady's Riding Boots in his arms.
Watching Shirou place the Riding Boots in the center of the magic circle, Kariya Matou could not help asking:
"This is the Holy Relic Shirou prepared? You can't summon a Heroic Spirit with high heels bought off the street, can you?"
That was right. Nero's Riding Boots had very high heels, so calling them high heels was not an issue.
"These weren't bought off the street. Don't worry, I'm confident."
Shirou waved a hand, signaling for him not to worry.
Then, he began chanting the summoning incantation:
"Let it be filled..."
The moment the final line of the incantation ended, a Rain of Petals suddenly fell through the basement. The originally dim room instantly became bright and dazzling.
A blonde girl appeared atop the magic circle. She wore a Red Dress and held a strange-shaped longsword. The front of her skirt was semi-transparent.
The girl stood with her sword planted on the ground and swept her gaze around the room. Her eyes settled on Shirou as she asked with a smile:
"My Lord, are you my Master?"
"That's right, I am!"
The moment Shirou finished speaking, the sound of someone kneeling came from behind him, followed by a trembling male voice:
"King, I greet My King."
Nero followed the voice and looked behind Shirou. She stared at Lancelot, kneeling on one knee, for a moment before smiling.
"Rise. Though I do not recall having such a warrior as you among my retainers, since you have become a Heroic Spirit, you must possess deeds worthy of pride."
"Therefore, there is no need to lower your head. Hold your chest high and proudly state your name before me."
Before you continue