The Strategist's Analysis

"Ready?"

"Of course, just get on with it!"

In the office, the face of El-Melloi's prestige, Lord El-Melloi II, was acting like an ordinary young man, playing King of Fighters with another youth.

That youth was naturally Shirou, and here's how it came about.

Just as Webber and Shirou were at each other's throats, thick with tension, Natalia and Lady Reines happened to finish their business and walk out.

Through Lady Reines' explanation, Webber finally understood. Oh, so they were allies after all!

Though the Emiya Family and El-Melloi had no small conflict, Webber wasn't someone who couldn't read the room. Kenneth was already dead, and with Lady Reines here, bringing it up would only set Shirou and El-Melloi at odds immediately.

Webber wasn't a fool—between a lord whose grave grass was meters high and a powerhouse you could hire for money, he knew which to choose.

For certain reasons, Lady Reines postponed the commission, so Shirou and Natalia got a few days off.

With nothing to do, Shirou wandered around the Clock Tower and eventually ran into Webber, holed up in his office skipping work to play games.

At the time, Webber was playing Pokémon Emerald. Though it had just come out, Shirou had already played it countless times. Somehow, Shirou ended up gaming with Webber, leading to the current situation.

"Damn it, losing to you!" Webber said grudgingly, staring at the glaring "KO" on the screen. "How are you so good at this? Didn't this game just come out?"

It just came out, but I've played it hundreds of times. I could pull off a combo blindfolded and grind you into the dirt.

That was Shirou's thought.

"You're just a clumsy noob. Stick to strategy games, Second!"

That was Shirou's words.

"I bet you stole this game's source code too and cheated with it. That Pokémon game just now is proof." Webber speculated maliciously. Though Shirou had indeed recited the entire source code of Pokémon Emerald right in front of him.

"Hey, hey, if you're bad at it, just say so! And I've never stolen any game's source code. As for that earlier game's code, I just happened to read it once." Shirou retorted, but one look at Webber's face practically screamed "I don't believe you." Read it once and remember it perfectly? Yeah, right!

But it was the truth. He'd only seen that source code once, by chance, when he was eighteen. Normally, reading it once wouldn't stick, but his current body was a fusion of flesh and soul—he didn't rely on his brain to remember, but on his soul to record.

The brain could forget, but the soul didn't have such a thing. As he was now, Shirou could remember everything at a glance, even things he'd forgotten before.

Arguing was useless, so Shirou gave up. Telling the truth these days got no one's belief.

"Hey, Webber."

"What?"

"Your Lady Reines is here."

!!!

"You sure?"

"At this hour, who else would come for you? Or do you think your students would voluntarily show up at your office?" Shirou spread his hands.

Webber had heard that Shirou could sense things through his soul, so at Shirou's words, he didn't hesitate to shove his handheld into the drawer, pull it shut, and pile files onto the desk, putting on a show of hard work.

"Why are you so good at this too!" Shirou couldn't help but complain.

Watching Webber now, he was reminded of his high school days, playing on his phone in class. The moment someone said the teacher was coming, he'd instantly fake studying. Webber right now was just like that version of himself.

The next second after Webber got into position, Lady Reines pushed the door open and walked in. But she wasn't here for Webber this time—she was here for Shirou.

"Youth beside Natalia, due to time constraints, I'll cut straight to the point.

I've found your next target. But remember this: this target is special. No survivors allowed."

"No problem." Shirou smiled innocently, like a child. "After all, it's our job."

"Oh my, are you that confident?" Lady Reines looked at Shirou with a half-smile, her gaze making even Webber on the sidelines nervous.

"Of course, I'm really strong!" Ignoring how scared Webber was, Shirou kept grinning like an idiot.

"But, Lady Reines, you said this target is special. May I ask what that 'special' means?" Shirou probed.

"Oh ho ho," Lady Reines let out a standard aristocratic three-stage laugh. "I see you've got quite the curiosity, youth!"

"Is that not allowed?"

Shirou deliberately put on a disappointed expression, fitting his boyish face. After all, Lady Reines wasn't Webber—if he didn't put up enough of a front early on, he'd never know how he got played.

"No, it's not that it's not allowed," Lady Reines surprisingly relented. "Do you remember why I hired you?"

"You mean—"

"That's right." Lady Reines nodded. "That family was the mastermind behind the assassination attempt on my brother. If my brother hadn't been on guard, they might have succeeded."

"I understand." Shirou glanced at Webber. "No matter what, they've decided to kill. If you want to kill, you have to be ready to be killed. And when people are killed, they die.

Don't worry, employer. No one will survive. If there's nothing else for me now, I'll take my leave."

With Lady Reines' nod, Shirou left.

"Brother, what do you think of that youth?" After Shirou was gone, Lady Reines asked Webber.

"Not simple, but overall, a good person," Webber replied. "That guy's different from other magi—he's more like a person."

"You know that's not what I meant."

"I know." Webber said. "His strength won't disappoint you. And a person is always more trustworthy than a magus. Also, this—"

As he spoke, Webber handed Reines a photograph—it showed a ruin.

Under Reines's puzzled gaze, Webber said, "There's a massive amount of residual magical energy at the scene. In all my life, I've only ever wielded that much magic once, and this is just what's left over.

A direct battle between mages ultimately comes down to the quantity of magical power, with experience tipping the odds of victory. You should know what that means, shouldn't you?"