Type-Moon's Problem Child from Collapse

Fu Yuan suddenly pointed at Berserker, covered his own left eye with his other hand, and leaped onto the steps before the door.

"You are worthy to follow in my footsteps. Rejoice, mortal."

Lancelot still stood there dumbly, without any reaction.

"Berserker, go assist Saber." Kariya Matou snapped back to reality and ordered Berserker.

Only then did Lancelot move, stepping forward a few paces to stand side by side with him.

Fu Yuan nodded in satisfaction, then directly pushed open the great door and strode inside.

"Not bad, my son... friend Kariya, you have the makings of a Great Emperor."

Stepping into the hall, the feeling was completely different from outside. It was like a cellar that had never seen sunlight for years, exuding chill and decay from every corner.

It wasn't exactly a smell—more like a sensation that directly acted on the body. Strange, but under the effect of [Child of Purity], it was amplified considerably. Fu Yuan's small nose twitched; it was a bit uncomfortable.

Just as the two of them entered the castle, an old man leaning on a cane emerged from a pitch-black, deep tunnel.

He walked slowly, naturally, as if he wasn't the least bit concerned about the current situation. Then, unhurriedly, he spoke.

"May I ask, Your Excellency the Heroic Spirit, what reason brings you to the Matou Family today?"

"To meet an emperor and not bow—your true fate is lost, and your name is on the Wheel of Reincarnation's stele!" Fu Yuan sensed the decayed aura spike several notches the moment the old man appeared. His small face completely scrunched up as he pulled out the Heavenly Fire, ready for battle, and habitually spat out a threat.

"Your Excellency is certain you wish to make an enemy of the Matou Family over a discarded pawn?" Feeling the aura radiating from that fiery greatsword, Zouken Matou's expression shifted slightly.

Still, he wasn't worried. Unless someone could instantly destroy all his brain worms hidden in the Matou estate, he had no chance of dying.

"To put it humbly, killing you is like slaughtering a dog." Fu Yuan looked at the overly confident Zouken Matou and said rather arrogantly.

Fu Yuan didn't deny the contributions this man had made in the past, but merit and fault had never canceled each other out. Reward for merit, punishment for fault—that was the principle he had always upheld.

"God will forgive you. My job is to send you to meet Him."

"Farewell, former ally of justice—Makiri Zolgen."

"Heavenly Fire: Draw Blade."

Just before the greatsword in his hand turned the entire building into a sea of flames, Zouken Matou showed a rare look of terror, frantically activating one spell after another. But against the attack of a 'god,' it was all meaningless.

Soon, the raging fire surged into every room, burning everything in sight, killing all life. Yet, under the precise control of Void Sword Qi, the outer shell of the building remained intact—after all, a spectacle this big couldn't be explained away by a gas explosion.

'Senior Sister, it's your turn now.'

Then, an invisible ripple began to spread from his body, gradually expanding until it thoroughly scanned every corner of the castle.

'Nothing. At least, no other soul fluctuations in this building.' Though her tone was still cold, it seemed she was just still a bit sulky.

Fu Yuan shook his arm, and the burn wounds on it began to heal continuously.

Heavenly Fire Self-Destruction—truly lived up to its name!

"Done. Wrapping up."

Dungeon Exploration Progress: 30%

Quest Completion: 100%

Rating: S

Rewards: Kariya Matou Affection +50

Sakura Matou Affection +60

Irisviel, Illya Trust +20

(Laugh!)

Chapter 22: Hah! Women!

Turning back out through the door, just a few steps separated inside from outside completely—one step, heaven; one step, hell.

By the time the wounds on his hand were no longer visible, Fu Yuan had conjured a new set of clothes and walked out of the dungeon. Feeling the contrast between inside and out, he clasped his hands behind his back and lifted his head toward the sky.

"Gazing into the future, all is chaos; looking back, behind me is nothing but emptiness."

Irisviel, Kariya, and the others outside, who had been extremely tense, wanted to step forward and ask a few questions when they saw him emerge unharmed. But faced with this scene, they froze in place, unsure what to do.

Fu Yuan's posture didn't carry any profound aura—at least, Irisviel and the others couldn't sense anything from him.

What stopped them was the door, reduced to dust by Fu Yuan's light push, and Fu Yuan himself striking this pose the moment he stepped out of the dust.

Case in point: look at Berserker, who stumbled back several steps to get away from the cloud of dust.

"Only when the sword heart is forged can one possess the sword spirit; only when the sword spirit emerges can one roam the world." Fu Yuan felt their strange gazes and grew a bit uncomfortable—he hadn't pulled it off!

Blame that damn door. Why was it so fragile it couldn't even withstand the temperature of Heavenly Fire? Useless—quit the group!

"If such a small thing could make me back down, then it means I—"

"Ahem, A Yuan, is it still livable in there?" Irisviel suddenly interrupted him. Though it was a bit rude, she saw A Yuan's face already flushed red and felt that if she didn't say something to end this topic, A Yuan might be sulking for a long time.

"Cough, whether it's livable or not doesn't matter. What about the Old Worm?" Kariya Matou, a man who had navigated society, was skilled at giving others an out. He smoothly changed the subject.

"Mm~ solved." Fu Yuan lowered his head, murmuring softly.

This situation was so awkward!

I was supposed to play along with your act, but I looked the other way.

Never playing like this again. Hmph—I'll remember you two, Dark Magic Swordsman Kariya, and you, seven-year-old legal loli.

"Huh? Wait, Irisviel, why are you asking that!" Fu Yuan snapped out of his embarrassment and stared at her in shock.

"I said I'm not going to bother with Two, Four, Six. Why go back!" Irisviel suddenly spoke with displeasure, her face darkening.

Fu Yuan glanced at Kariya Matou, then at himself, and finally at Irisviel, the corner of his mouth twitching.

'I feel like Irisviel is really angry right now. So should I bring this up or not!'

"Um, Irisviel, maybe you should reconsider." Fu Yuan whispered his advice, while shooting Kariya Matou a look.

"...No need. Why go back there!" Irisviel paused for a second, made up her mind, and spoke decisively, not even noticing Fu Yuan's subtle gesture.

Kariya Matou shrugged, returning a helpless look.

It had to be said that while Fu Yuan hadn't restored his missing vitality, at least his body could move like before.

Fu Yuan silently sympathized with Kiritsugu Emiya for two seconds, then brushed it off. If the guy couldn't keep his pants on, that wasn't anyone else's fault.

"Then should I book a room?"

Fu Yuan thought for two seconds about the scene inside the house and spoke up eagerly.

"Book a room? Can't we stay in the house?"

Irisviel asked in confusion, then thought about the door A Yuan had touched and seemed to understand something.

Kariya Matou was completely baffled. He looked at Berserker and used a Command Spell to convey his confusion.

Berserker felt the information from the Command Spell, his blood-red eyes flickering with doubt. After a moment of hesitation, he nodded.

Feeling his response, Kariya Matou grew even more puzzled. After all, he hadn't sensed anything outside.

"Well, the house is just an empty shell now. There's nothing inside."

Fu Yuan said a bit sheepishly, then added uncertainly, "But if I order furniture now, maybe it'll be livable by tonight?"

Kariya Matou didn't believe it and walked inside. The moment he crossed the 'door,' it felt like he broke through some kind of barrier.

Then a wave of scorching heat hit him. He shut his eyes instantly to avoid damage from the high temperature.

He silently stepped back out and stared at Fu Yuan in utter disbelief.

"You call this livable!"

Even Irisviel felt a blast of heat from outside. She first looked worriedly at Illya and Sakura, then, seeing they were fine, turned her concern to Fu Yuan.

"A Yuan, are you really okay?"

Fu Yuan was stunned by her worried question, then replied gently, "...Don't worry, Irisviel. I'm fine."

I never thought—never thought that even as a familiar, I'd still receive concern in a situation like this.

"Really fine?" Irisviel asked again, doubtful.

"Really fine!" Fu Yuan answered with certainty.

"...If your brain isn't fried, why would you think this place is livable?" Irisviel, seeing that A Yuan really seemed okay, suddenly relaxed and spoke very seriously.

Fu Yuan: "..." 'As expected, I was too naive.'

Kariya Matou: "Pfft!"

Sakura ∪ Illya: "?!"

Fu Yuan looked at Irisviel with a complicated expression and complained, "How can you say something like that in this atmosphere!"

Irisviel thought seriously for two seconds, then replied, "Because of your stupidity, A Yuan."

Fu Yuan stared in shock at Irisviel, who delivered such a devastating line with a perfectly calm face. He fell silent. 'Er Gouzi, you've changed!'

"Then there's no choice. Let's go home!" Irisviel let out a relieved sigh, put on a helpless expression, and spoke as if it were nothing.

"? Not booking a room?" Fu Yuan, though a bit deflated, looked at her in confusion.

"Ahem, for safety's sake, let's head to Saber's base!" Kariya Matou suddenly cut in, casting a pitying glance at Fu Yuan.

'He's just a kid. What does he know!'

Even if he didn't fully grasp what had happened, his years of experience abroad let him guess a thing or two.

Fu Yuan paused for a moment, then caught on. After all, he'd only changed forms, not lost his memory.

Then he suddenly covered his face, ashamed of his own actions, and silently added another entry to his little notebook for Dark Magic Swordsman Kariya: One Hundred Clever Uses of the Child of Purity (Get).

"Then let's go back, Irisviel." Fu Yuan calmed down and swore to himself that from now on, he'd think twice before acting. Otherwise, this was just too embarrassing.

"Mm, A Yuan can vouch for me. I'm only going back because I have no choice." Irisviel took two steps, then seemed to remember something and suddenly spoke.

"Mm-hmm! Irisviel only went back because she had no choice, not at all because she missed home (Kiritsugu)!" Fu Yuan finished saying this in a flat, monotone voice, then looked at Irisviel, who seemed a bit embarrassed, and sighed inwardly.

'This won't do, Irisviel!'

"Big Brother's home? Not staying here?" Sakura spoke up timidly only after they had finished talking.

That instantly drew everyone's attention, and Sakura shyly lowered her head again.

Seeing Sakura's reaction, Fu Yuan felt much more at ease. He bent down and gently patted her little head—and he had to admit, it felt pretty natural.

"Mm, going to Big Brother's home!" Fu Yuan patted her a few more times, watching Sakura-chan's face flush all the way to her ears, before finally speaking.

Then he reluctantly pulled his hand back. Sigh, this was way more comfortable than Illya's. He cast a wistful glance at Little Illya, who was hopping around.

Was it because she was too lively? Somehow, he felt Illya wasn't as cute as Sakura.

Illya, who had been bouncing along ahead, suddenly turned her head, looked a bit puzzled, then turned back.

'Eh, I feel like someone's talking bad about Illya behind her back!'

Fu Yuan was a bit stunned by Little Illya's reaction. Was this pure coincidence or something?

He had a nagging feeling that his skills were becoming less and less valuable. What was going on?

After walking for a while, Fu Yuan seemed to remember something and said the same words he'd spoken a few chapters ago.

"Irisviel, are we really walking back like this? It's dozens of kilometers!"

Everyone's footsteps came to a halt. They looked at each other, feeling like a bunch of idiots.

"Ahem, well, the car seems to be on the other side, and it's pretty far too."

Irisviel spoke up a bit sheepishly. She hadn't cared about this when she was angry earlier! What were they supposed to do now?

The six of them: ...

"Let's go together! It's far, but at least not dozens of kilometers." Fu Yuan proposed after a long silence. He could just run over and drive back himself, but in the end, he still didn't feel at ease.