Chapter 163
After confirming that the situation here was good, Shirou went to the nearby market to buy some ingredients, then went back to cook a pot of thick soup and left a note.
After finishing the inspection here, only half of the day has passed.
This was the first time Shirou had ever felt so much time.
Hmm... Shall I make something nice today? And maybe prepare a better bento box for tomorrow?
Thinking about how the others had acted strangely today, Shirou was considering how to reward them.
"Hmph~ Hmph~"
On the other side, Lupo, with his long silver-white hair, was wandering aimlessly through the streets of Lungmen's Slums.
There was a scar on She Fang's left eye, but she didn't seem to want to hide it, just like the Originium crystal on her body.
Upon seeing each other, the people around them tactfully made way for each other.
It wasn't just because the other person was infected, but because of the still-wet blood on the two swords on his body.
If you were walking down the streets of Lungmen, you'd be taken to the Knights of the Round Table for a chat in no time.
Unfortunately, this is Slums, the most chaotic area in Lungmen.
It's a place that even the Knights of the Round Table can't spare the manpower to manage.
"Oh dear, those people are really persistent."
The Lupo ear on the other person's head twitched slightly, as if it had heard something.
Although she said that the other party was relentlessly pursuing her, there was no trace of annoyance or impatience on her face; instead, she maintained a very faint smile.
Combined with the scars on his face, anyone who saw it would feel a chill down their spine.
Suddenly, her expression froze for a moment, then a wide, genuine smile spread across her face.
She smelled a familiar scent.
The scent of the person she had been chasing for so long.
Moreover, the distance wasn't far, and although the air was filled with the aroma of soup, she certainly wouldn't mistake it!
So she ignored the gang members chasing after her and headed straight for the direction of the smell.
But as the distance closed, the excited expression on her face instantly turned sour.
After all, the source of the scent was a red-haired person with no racial characteristics; the hair color alone was enough to determine that the person was not the one she was looking for.
Besides, the other party is a man.
However, even if it wasn't the person in question, they might know something about the person she was looking for, and the thought made her feel excited again.
"Um?"
As Shirou walked down the street, pondering which dishes would taste good even after being left out for a while, he suddenly noticed that the people around him seemed to be intentionally avoiding something.
Turning his head, he saw a group of people who seemed to be chasing a silver-white Lupo infected.
He didn't act rashly. Although he subjectively believed that the pursued Lupo was the weaker party, the bloodstains on the two swords on the other party's body were very fresh.
Given that the other party was completely clean except for the Originium crystal, and compared to the pursuers behind him who were covered in bruises, Shirou could roughly deduce the reason.
Before taking action, do not act solely based on subjective will; first analyze and consider the situation.
This is one of the mission guidelines issued by Chen and Hoshiguma. Although most people forget everything when they encounter a situation, Shirou still remembers it well.
However, in public, Shirou had no intention of using Projection Magic. Instead, he reached into his side bag and Projection the short sword that Texas had given him.
"What a hassle..."
The reason why Shirou didn't use Projection directly was simple: someone already knew about Projection Magic and was trying to use it to confuse Wei Yanwu.
Not only Isv, but even the three members of the Knights of the Round Table advised Shirou to avoid using Originium Arts in crowded places, otherwise it would cause a lot of trouble.
However, if you really encounter trouble, your own safety should be your priority.
After all, we can't give up on other things just because of some uncertain malice.
Fortunately, Shirou had put the birthday present Texas had given him into a hidden compartment in his backpack. However, Shirou did not intend to just grab the sword and start slashing. Rather than a weapon, it was more like a talisman.
So he pretended to take a short knife out of his bag, so that even if there was a problem, he could take the knife out from the hidden compartment.
"Is this to help them stop me?"
Seeing the red-haired man with a familiar scent take out a somewhat familiar-looking knife, Lupo, with her long silver hair, stopped and placed her hand on her sword.
His facial expression and tone carried a hint of something deeper.
"Uh... I want to stop those people behind me?"
Seeing that the other party was about to treat him as an enemy, Shirou felt a little innocent.
His gaze was already fixed on the people behind the other person, and he had even made way for them to pass. Why was the other person walking towards him?
The road is right next to you! Hurry up!
"Tsk tsk, meddling in too many things isn't a good thing, is it?"
Seeing the other person's expression, the silver-white Lupo immediately understood what the other person was thinking.
Acts of bravery and righteousness?
Having seen many people like this, a small number of them will become indifferent after being beaten a few times.
The vast majority of people paid for it with their lives.
The same story repeats itself endlessly on this land, just like a bad TV show that keeps getting replayed.
"I do know that."
Shirou understood perfectly what the other party was saying.
But he just couldn't control his hands and feet; by the time he realized what was happening, he already had the dagger in his hand.
"Hmm~? Never mind, anyway, I was looking for you anyway. Even if you hadn't gotten involved, you would have been targeted anyway."
Seeing that the man in front of her did not seem to back down because of her words, Lupo, with her long silver hair, became slightly interested.
160 Lappland
"?"
Upon hearing that the other party's target was him, and that they seemed completely unconcerned about attracting people, a question mark appeared above Shirou's head.
Is the problem with him, or with people these days?
They probably don't know each other, right? How could they not have any other thoughts about involving a stranger in something?
However, Shirou has no time to worry about these issues now; the people chasing after him won't give him any time to think.
Fortunately, there didn't seem to be any casters or snipers among them, so if you wanted to attack Shirou or Lupo, who was talking inexplicably, you'd have to fight in close combat.
However, the other party seemed quite wary of Lupo, who had long silver hair, and kept a distance from him, gradually surrounding them.
Shirou did not act rashly, because he was coming out of the store and heading back, and the market was nearby, with a lot of people there.
Moving the battlefield would be quite dangerous for those people.
The main concern is that these people will damage that area.
"Um... what's your relationship with me?"
Seeing that he seemed to be surrounded and mistaken for an accomplice, Shirou shook the short sword in his hand and asked the person next to him.
"It's nothing. I just asked them a few questions. They just wanted to keep me here. And you can call me Lappland."
Lupo, or rather Lappland, who was standing to the side, gave a casual explanation after hearing Shirou's question, and also gave a brief self-introduction.
This was a perfectly normal conversation; it would have been even better if Lappland's expression hadn't been so strange.
"... I have a general understanding."
Looking at the other person's appearance, Shirou felt that this was the type of person he was not good at dealing with.
But at a time like this, these people probably wouldn't believe me if I said I was just passing by. The main problem is that I was tricked by this Miss Lappland.
In addition, the other party just said that she came to find him. Based on Shirou's estimation of this type of person, if he really wanted to run away, the other party would probably still find a way to follow him.
It would be better to resolve this matter here first; at least this generation has already fled to a safe place to watch the spectacle.
At this point, Shirou felt it necessary to say something.
The people of Lungmen are such avid gossips! This is a fight! A very serious one! Aren't they afraid of getting involved?
One or two times is fine, but Shirou found that it was almost always the same, unless he encountered an uncontrollable infected person, in which case he would avoid them slightly.
However, some people would still watch the spectacle from a safe distance until they were driven away by the Knights of the Round Table.
"Hmm? You still haven't told me your name? I have a lot of questions to ask, so don't you dare run away!"
Hearing the somewhat helpless look on Shirou, Lappland seemed quite used to this tone and continued speaking with a cheerful smile.
At the same time, she took out the two greatswords from her waist and struck a rather casual pose, as if she was about to be photographed rather than face a battle.
"Oh, this..."
Shirou had originally planned to sneak away during the chaos, but when the other person said they had questions, their eyes were mostly fixed on the short sword in his hand.
Plus, the other person is a Lupo... a friend of Texas?
Although he really wanted to ask directly, Shirou hadn't forgotten the current situation.
As the first stone thrown by those surrounding them was shattered by Shirou, a battle of two against many began.
It was less of a battle and more of a crushing defeat of dozens of people by two.
Although Shirou was only holding an ordinary short sword, its quality was probably similar to that of a regular short sword. Although it had been maintained, it was still somewhat dull and could not compare to the swords used by his Noble Phantasms. However, Shirou still managed to make a lot of noise with it.
It didn't matter if it was a little dull; Shirou used the short sword mainly to parry the opponent's attacks, and then used his fists and feet to knock them unconscious.
Whether it's a misperception or not, Shirou feels like there are more and more people on his side.
He glanced at it and knew why.
Lappland's two greatswords were now covered in fresh blood, and coupled with her opponent's somewhat wild fighting style, the wounds on those she fought were quite gruesome.
The wounds were large, but not fatal; they were as if they were being toyed with by Lappland.
Meanwhile, Shirou was knocked unconscious and lying flat in just two or three moves, so naturally everyone rushed towards this side to attack.
It's better that she's dizzy! Better than that horrible woman!
Knock us out so we can finish our job!
Seemingly noticing the expressions on these people's faces, Shirou very politely knocked them all unconscious and piled them aside.
"Not bad, let's take care of these too."
Noticing that Shirou seemed to have already resolved the situation, Lappland handed the people over to Shirou.
She has to follow the rules of Lungmen, something someone reminded her of when she first arrived.
Originally, she didn't want to pay attention to it, but considering that she still had some things to do in Lungmen, Lappland had no choice but to accept it.
It seems her choice was right; she found the person she was looking for here, and she'll probably be staying in Lungmen for a long time to come.
"You've gone a bit too far."
After briefly checking on the group's condition, Shirou used magic to render them unconscious and then used their clothes to stop the bleeding.
Although the wounds look big, they are not deep, so a simple hemostasis will solve the problem.
That's what they say. If the bleeding continues at this rate for about an hour, you can go to the funeral home for a peaceful death.
"It's a miracle they weren't turned into mille-feuille. Let me be clear, they were the ones who kept chasing after us, weren't they?"
Lappland did not stop Emiya from bandaging Shirou group, after all, they were not mortal enemies, and the group had only followed her because of her question.
Incidentally, she knocked on the door with a brick when she asked her questions, and the door was indeed of poor quality, breaking easily.
Having obtained the intelligence, dealt with the person, and even encountered an unexpected surprise, Lappland felt that her luck was quite good today.
"I didn't mean to blame you, but this is easy to scare people. Most of the residents here are just ordinary people."
Shirou didn't understand the meaning of "mill-layer pastry," but he could understand the last sentence.
As for why the others were chasing Lappland, he didn't ask. Lappland was the only one who was still conscious; could he really expect her to tell the truth?