They had only known each other for two days, yet Natalia had already placed unconditional trust in Shirou. In the past, such a thing would have been utterly impossible.
Natalia felt somewhat dazed.
She could not tell whether she had lost her former wariness with age, or whether this was simply Shirou's charm.
No wonder Karen had angrily berated Shirou for being a "dense harem protagonist." So that's what she meant.
Heh heh, what a shame that I'm already getting on in years. If only I were twenty-some years younger...
"Miss Natalia!"
"Ah, hm? I... I wasn't thinking about anything strange, okay?"
The Silver-haired Huntress's stern face flushed red as she hurriedly tried to cover it up.
"No! Come over here!"
"What happened?"
Shirou's voice was tense, instantly shattering Natalia's girlish thoughts—the first she had entertained in many years.
She walked over and saw Shirou kneeling on the ground, holding the little Nun's body.
Natalia frowned. "...Karen still hasn't woken up?"
Shirou nodded. "Not only that, her body is also..."
Following Shirou's meaning, Natalia reached out and touched the girl's forehead.
"She's burning..."
Natalia was secretly startled.
It wasn't only her forehead. Karen's cheeks, neck, arms... her entire body was shockingly hot, as though she had a high fever.
"This is..."
During the battle just now, Natalia and Karen had both been attacked by Doctor Arach's Mage's Eye.
It had been nothing more than a glance, yet their reactions to the attack had been completely different.
Natalia had felt a powerful physical impact.
That violence had even suppressed Natalia, who had activated "Body Reinforcement" and gained Magical Beast-level strength, slamming her entire body into the wall behind her.
But Karen, whose body was far more fragile, had not been sent flying. She had simply collapsed without a sound, as if