Shirou's Thirty Million Avatars

Lancelot, who had already removed his helmet, wore a face full of despair and loss—his king had declared she didn't recognize him...

"Yes, My King."

Shirou watched the two speechlessly. How had they even started talking? Was it that hard to just give a name?

Lancelot was blind too. Though Nero looked a lot like Artoria, the differences were still huge, right?

"Sorry, I think there might be some misunderstanding between you two. For that, I believe we should start with introductions. I'll go first—my name is Shirou, no surname."

"As expected of My Lord's Master, well said."

Nero gripped her sword hilt, chest out and head high, speaking with great authority:

"I am the Fifth Emperor of the Roman Empire, Nero Claudius."

"Though I wished to descend as the strongest Saber class, since that seat is already taken—hence, in this Holy Grail War, I descend as the Caster class."

"How is that possible?" Kariya Matou couldn't help saying. "That brutal Tyrant Nero is actually a girl."

Shirou nodded slightly, then added:

"What I'm curious about is something else. From what I know, Your Majesty Nero, due to headaches, seems unable to take the Caster position, right?"

"My Master, your information is wrong. I was indeed born with a headache condition, to the point where my artistic talents rivaling Apollo's couldn't fully manifest."

Nero paused, then said with great pride:

"But my headache was later cured by the Emperor's Husband, allowing me to master all classes."

Chapter 8: Tyrant and Favorite Consort

Section 8: Chapter 8: Tyrant and Favorite Consort

Emperor's Husband?

He'd never heard of Nero having an Emperor's Husband.

And this so-called Emperor's Husband could even cure a congenital headache.

At that moment, a guess inexplicably rose in Shirou's mind, and he instinctively checked Nero's stats.

Nero Claudius

Strength: C

Endurance: C

Agility: B

Mana: A+

Luck: EX

Noble Phantasm: EX

Skills: Emperor's Privilege EX, Imaginary Around A+, Tyrant and Favorite Consort EX

Noble Phantasms: Chariot of Argalia A, Aestus Domus Aurea EX

"So many EXs. Is Your Majesty Nero really this strong a Servant? But what the hell is Tyrant and Favorite Consort?"

"Shocked, My Master? Cheer wildly for my talent."

Shirou clapped a few times speechlessly, then turned to Lancelot, who looked completely at a loss, and sighed:

"That's how it is. This isn't the King Arthur you served, but the Roman Emperor Nero. She just happens to look like her."

"This... I was truly rude just now. I am Lancelot, a Knight of the Round Table under King Arthur."

Lancelot calmed down and gradually accepted the fact.

Still, looking at Nero's face, identical to Artoria's, he remained somewhat dazed.

"Does the King Arthur you serve look very much like me?"

"Yes, almost exactly alike."

"A face like mine?" Nero showed a hint of curiosity, then smiled. "Meeting in this Holy Grail War is also fate... From now on, let's strive together for victory."

"Yes, my... Your Majesty Nero."

The Roman Empire, two thousand years ago.

Shirou paced anxiously outside the door, occasionally checking the White Mist Space.

Nero was resting inside the room. If she woke up and found her boots missing, she'd be furious.

Then, trouble.

She was, after all, the infamous Tyrant. Faced with a thief, it was hard to say how she'd deal with him.

Worst case, he'd be hanged.

"I wonder if the other me has summoned a Servant? Nero isn't exactly a strong Servant either. Relying on Nero to win the Fourth Holy Grail War—that's way too iffy, isn't it?"

"Gate of Babylon and Ionioi Hetairoi are both out-of-spec Noble Phantasms. Nero has no way to deal with them either, right?"

"Rather than summoning Nero, I might as well summon Archer."

"Still, I can understand how that version of me felt."

"After all, having the reins is really important. If I actually summoned Archer, there's no way he'd listen to his younger self."

"Sigh... life's tough, nobody has it easy."

"Seriously, it's all Shirou's fault. Why did that version of me get to transmigrate as a Celestial Dragon? That's just cheating."

Just then, a voice suddenly rang out from inside the room:

"Where are my boots? Who took my boots?"

She's awake!

Shirou's heart jolted, and he quickly entered the White Mist Space.

He looked left and right, soon spotting Nero's riding boots.

Beside the boots lay a note, which read:

Thanks, I've already summoned Nero.

"Glad I could help."

Shirou let out a long breath, tucked the note away, hugged the boots to his chest, and hurried out of the White Mist Space.

He opened the door, entered the room, and his gaze collided with Nero's.

"My Lord, what are you doing with my boots?"

Seeing Nero's sour expression, Shirou's heart raced in panic. Just as he was about to explain, a thought struck him—a story about some ancient figure—and he decided to borrow a page from it.

"It's pretty cold right now. I was worried your feet might get chilled, so I thought I'd warm the boots up against my chest, so they won't freeze your toes when you put them on."

After saying this, he noticed Nero's eyes turn extremely strange. He lowered his head and murmured softly:

"Sorry."

Nero stared at Shirou for a moment, then said with a light laugh:

"So My Lord harbors feelings of love for me? Speaking your heart is an act worth encouraging."

"I have some fondness for you as well, but the gap in our status is too vast. It's nearly impossible for us to be together."

She paused there, thought for a moment, and continued:

"If My Lord can achieve victory in this year's Nero Festival, I can grant you a fief."

"Of course, that would only earn you noble status. To be with me would still be an impossibility."

"However, the Nero Festival is held every year with many events. If you win multiple times, your fief can keep expanding."

"If you wish to become my Emperor's Husband, then strive hard and keep winning!"

"And naturally, as the world's greatest artist, I'll be competing too."

Shirou's eyes grew brighter and brighter. By the end, it felt like his blood was boiling.

"Princess Nero, I will definitely win the Nero Festival and then propose to you with my head held high."

With two thousand years of knowledge to crush the competition, once he had a fief, he could surely build it into Rome's most dazzling jewel.

At that point, marrying Nero would be a breeze.

Honestly, he'd fantasized before about marrying Nero and reaching the peak of life.

But a fantasy was always just a fantasy—after all, the gap in status was right there.

Marrying within one's station was the choice of most people.

And now, suddenly realizing that fantasy could become reality, Shirou's heart was brimming with excitement, to the point where he felt like jumping up and cheering.

Two thousand years later, in a hotel room, Shirou was having a dream.

In the dream, he was like a spirit hovering behind a young woman, watching her shine across all kinds of arenas.

She was a queen, already twenty-seven or twenty-eight, no longer young, yet she lived like a child.

Willful, narcissistic, arrogant, living in luxury, spending money without restraint.

She acted on whims, had no sense of imperial dignity, and would even bribe referees to rule in her favor.

Not quite a tyrant, but calling her a foolish ruler wouldn't be unfair in the slightest.

Yet despite all that, she was deeply loved by the people, bearing the title Flower of Rome.

During her reign, the Roman Empire's borders expanded again and again, the people had ample food and clothing, and both nobles and commoners held her in high regard.

The reason? Behind her stood an Emperor's Husband who silently supported her.

All state affairs were handled neatly by the Emperor's Husband, leaving her free to just enjoy herself.

When she abdicated after thirty years on the throne, countless people saw her off, begging her not to leave.

As the dream faded, Shirou opened his eyes, glanced at the sunlight outside the window, and thought to himself:

Already morning?

Recalling the content of his dream, a slight smile tugged at the corners of Shirou's mouth, adding a trace of warmth to his face.

The Emperor's Husband really is another me, huh.

But I thought the favored consort referred to that other me—turns out, it actually means Nero herself.

A tyrant and a favored consort both—how amusing.

Chapter 9: This Petty Behavior

Section 9: Chapter 9: This Petty Behavior

Morning, after breakfast, inside the hotel room.

At Kariya Matou's suggestion, the group began discussing the action strategy for the Holy Grail War.

Of course, in practice, it was just Kariya Matou, as the Master, arguing with Shirou.

"The Saber Group won't arrive in Fuyuki City by plane for another two days. In other words, the Holy Grail War hasn't officially started yet."

Shirou paused, then spoke again:

"So, we should strike the Tohsaka family on the very day the Saber Group arrives, taking out the most troublesome Servant first."

As for Hassan, Shirou had already dismissed him.

The Gate of Babylon was too broken, but when it came down to it, Gilgamesh was only one person, while they had two Servants.

With Nero and Lancelot working together, they should be able to eliminate Gilgamesh.

Without Gilgamesh, even if the remaining Servants joined forces, there was nothing to fear.

"Fine. But Shirou, you can't show your face. I'll go alone." Kariya Matou said with great seriousness.