Chapter 463

As the sun sets, two figures, one tall and one short, walk through the increasingly quiet streets of Uruk.

"Hmm? Benkei, can you smell something nice? It's coming from the dorm! Ah~ dinner smells so good tonight!"

The girl dressed as a samurai sniffed the air, then excitedly rushed towards the dormitory.

"Wait a minute, Ushiwakamaru! Please don't use 'Hassou Tobi' in the street! I'll get scolded by the king again!"

Volume 7: Chapter 302 Ishtar's Light-Speed Freebie

"Oh my... this fish is absolutely delicious! Did you use fermented seasoning? I've never tasted such delicious fish in my entire life! And this lamb too, it's simply amazing!"

"What do you think? Shirou is incredibly talented, isn't he? After all, he's my student!"

"Please wait a moment, Ushiwakamaru, this won't do. Tonight is Amamiya's welcome party!"

"Oh, I'm sorry... may I have just one more small bite?"

"It's alright, it's alright. If it suits your taste, then my efforts have been worthwhile. Please enjoy it."

"Really? Then I won't be polite, I'm starting! (glug glug glug)... Haha!"

"Merlin! You've only been drinking all this time! And when did I become your disciple?"

As night fell, lively cheers had been echoing from the Uruk Heroic Spirit' Dormitory since earlier.

As Shirou familiarized himself with the local ingredients and prepared dinner, the other two guests in the dormitory returned.

They were the Servant summoned by King Gilgamesh after Merlin.

This also explains why Uruk was able to hold out for several months despite the fierce invasion of the Magical Beast army.

One of the two Servant was a black-haired girl dressed as a warrior, tall and slender, dressed provocatively, with a youthful face that exuded a heroic spirit.

She is Rider, Minamoto no Kurou Yoshitsune —also known as Ushiwakamaru.

In terms of fame, she is undoubtedly one of the most famous in Japan history. Although Shirou had heard rumors about her as a beautiful young man, he never expected that she was actually a girl.

Just like Artoria...

In terms of Spirit Origin, is it similar to Artoria's journey of training before becoming King or knight?

Ushiwakamaru sat at the dining table, praising Shirou it. If she had a tail, it would be wagging excitedly right now; she was just like an adorable large dog.

The other one was a giant dressed as a monk soldier.

Lancer, the follower Minamoto no Kurou Yoshitsune Musashibō Benkei, is also Heroic Spirit whose legend is known to anyone who grew up in Japan.

Seeing that the time was right, Siduri stood up, raising her wine glass.

"Well then... to celebrate Lord Shirou's arrival in Uruk, let's hold a small welcome banquet here."

Ready? Well then, everyone... Cheers!

"Cheers--!"

Cheers! (Glug glug glug)

Merlin downed the ale in his glass in one gulp, a satisfied expression on his face.

"Wow, this is so delicious! It's even better after a long day of work!"

Labor truly is the best accompaniment to alcohol! I live for this very drink!

"Lord Merlin, you were just trying to pick up girls near the Miko this afternoon, weren't you? I've already received complaints," Siduri said coldly.

"Wow! Tonight's dinner is absolutely delicious, Shirou. Were you a chef in your previous life?"

"No, I am not Servant."

Shirou explained to Ushiwakamaru that he had been forcibly brought to this era by Merlin.

"Gah... How could such a thing happen? Isn't this a crime? It's unforgivable!"

"Lord Merlin, please sit here upright, then turn your back to me and bow your head. I will then act as your second!"

The young female warrior shouted excitedly, placing her hand on the hilt of the sword at her waist.

"Hey... are you alright?" Shirou asked in a low voice.

Musashibō Benkei looked troubled. "This is bad. Ushiwakamaru's drinking capacity and behavior while drunk can only be described as appalling. We must stop them quickly..."

"No, it should be fine, right?"

Shirou stopped Musashibō Benkei.

After that, the Grand Magic Merlin performed the Magecraft of separating his head from his body and flying it indoors.

"Gulp... That was the banquet performance I practiced day and night, Benkei was in dire straits...!"

Musashibō Benkei looked sad.

It seems he also underwent similar training as Merlin, practicing surviving having his head cut off.

"Did you not like the food tonight?"

Shirou noticed that, unlike his overly excited master, Musashibō Benkei hadn't eaten much.

"No, that's not it. As you can see, this humble monk is a practitioner of asceticism, and has a slight affinity for meat..."

"Ah, I see. That was indeed my oversight."

Shirou would occasionally visit Ryudoji Temple, where all the monks were men who did not abstain from meat.

Although Japan Buddhism gives the impression of eating meat, drinking alcohol, getting married, and having children, that actually came about after the 19th century.

As a monk from the Heian period nearly a thousand years ago, Musashibō Benkei strictly adhered to the relevant precepts.

"As a warrior protecting Uruk, I can't do without replenishing my magic power through food... In that case, why don't you try this?"

Shirou presented a plate of sweets to Musashibō Benkei, who looked puzzled.

"What is this?"

"Yokan, originally a dish from mainland China, is a meat jelly made from mutton and liver. Later, with the introduction of Buddhism to Japan, it was transformed by monks into a vegetarian tea snack."

"I see, hmm... in that case, even this humble monk is fine with me. Then I won't stand on ceremony."

Musashibō Benkei nodded with relief and began to eat, occasionally letting out sounds of surprise.

"Oh? Benkei, so you've finally learned to enjoy Shirou Shirou's food?"

"Hmm, it is indeed incredibly delicious. Now I can somewhat understand why Ushiwakamaru sense of taste and alcohol tolerance are both terrible, would have such a strong reaction."

"What did you say!?"

After giving Musashibō Benkei a good talking-to, Ushiwakamaru sat down next to Shirou.

"Thank you very much for your hospitality tonight. I apologize for my rudeness earlier. Please allow me to reintroduce myself."

I am Ushiwakamaru, appointed by the King as the commander of the Heroic Spirit.

Like Merlin, he was Servant summoned by that king and made a contract with him.

"Yes, I've also heard some inside information from Merlin and Miss Siduri. May I ask some questions?"

The girl nodded. "Of course."

Shirou asked her about the number of Heroic Spirit summoned, and the answer was that there were a total of eight, including Merlin.

Merlin was the first to be summoned.

After realizing that the guy seemed to be of little use, King Gilgamesh summoned seven more Servant.

"We've already lost nearly half of our forces," Ushiwakamaru said, somewhat dejectedly.

It is said that it all started because Merlin, that good-for-nothing, "accidentally" let slip the truth about the Holy Grail War.

Upon hearing about the Holy Grail War, Gilgamesh declared, "Then I shall summon seven more people."

The reason he hasn't gone to the front lines yet is because the mana cost of the summoning ritual hasn't been replenished.

At the same time, even the oldest King of Heroes could not provide enough magic for eight people.

Therefore, Ushiwakamaru and the others had their Spirit Origin formed from the king's magic power, but they each took responsibility for maintaining that magic power afterward.

They need to eat and sleep like humans to generate magic power, which is to say, they have a physical body.

Servant receives flesh--

In Shirou's time, this was an almost True Magic miracle.

However, in Mesopotamia Divine Aura still lingers, this was not a particularly remarkable phenomenon.

"I heard that before we were called out, Wang didn't even know who the enemy was."

Ushiwakamaru said, "The northern cities were attacked by Magical Beast, and various anomalies occurred in various places. City of Kussa was destroyed overnight."

At this point, King Gilgamesh said he "saw" the future, a future where Uruk would vanish and be swallowed by hell.

"Yes, it must be Gilgamesh's Clairvoyance, which is why he's pushing himself so hard."

To deal with various situations, not just one, but multiple Heroic Spirit are needed.

Ushiwakamaru exclaimed happily, "That's right, truly worthy of being Merlin's disciple, such outstanding analytical skills!"

Shirou's lips twitched. "Sorry... I really can't be happy with this kind of praise that sounds like an insult."

The next morning, Shirou decided to go to work.

Although arriving in this era was partly due to the treacherous scheme of a Flower Magus, he had no ill will towards the people of Uruk.

Since you've accepted the accommodation they provided, you should work hard in return; otherwise, wouldn't you end up like the teacher?

Incidentally, Merlin reluctantly left Uruk early in the morning to embark on a journey to find the Tablet of Destinies.

Siduri suggested that Shirou could take on some requests from the citizens of Uruk to familiarize himself with the local customs and culture before making any future plans, but Shirou politely declined.

"Miss Siduri, I'm not as multi-talented as you imagine. My forte is indeed fighting."

"Oh? It seems Shirou is quite confident in his Martial Arts?"

They encountered Ushiwakamaru, who was just about to leave for work.

Shirou said, "I also know a little about swordsmanship."

"Hmm, quite confident indeed—in that case, come with us for the day."

Ushiwakamaru said to the high priest, "I've borrowed Lord Siduri and Shirou."

"Wait a minute! Shirou only arrived in Uruk yesterday..."

"Miss Siduri, I'm also asking you for a favor."

Even Shirou said so.

In the end, Siduri agreed to Shirou follow Ushiwakamaru and the others out of the city to fight the Magical Beast.

Ushiwakamaru and Musashibō Benkei's job is to eliminate the Magical Beast that infest the outskirts of City of Uruk and along the trade routes.

As for the Heroic Spirit appointed by the King to command the Demonic Beast Front in the Northern Wall, that was someone else entirely—

King Leonidas I of Sparta, and Ushiwakamaru, was Tomoe Gozen.

Of all the summoned heroic Heroic Spirit, King Leonidas was the most skilled at leading soldiers, making him the perfect candidate to train and command the Uruk troops.

As for Tomoe Gozen, it was simply because she and Ushiwakamaru had a grudge from their past lives, and the two couldn't work together.

"Um, may I ask... what is King Leonidas's gender?"

"Of course it's male, is there any doubt about that, Shirou?"

Shirou breathed a sigh of relief.

If even that half-naked, muscular King was a woman, he felt he would never be able to trust his history teacher again.

Having been in Uruk for three months, Ushiwakamaru and his companions were already very familiar with the terrain of the area.

Before noon, they discovered a stronghold that a group of Magical Beast had recently established.

Shirou and his group hid in the grass and began observing the ecology of the Magical Beast.

They were a group of Giant Lion with crimson manes, their size comparable to rhinoceroses, and they exuded powerful magic, which were the characteristics of Magical Beast.