Chapter 607

I don't know if he's already ten years old, but he's around ten years old.

The still-childish girl slowly emerged from behind her mother, and hurriedly bowed her head to Shirou, saying:

"My name is Tsubaki Kuruoka!"

That was the full name of the girl who was hospitalized and had been in a coma for years.

The comatose girl, possessed by an unknown Servant and becoming the Master the Holy Grail War, stands healthy and smiling before them.

Seeing this strange scene, the True Assassin had no choice but to agree with Shirou's words.

They were taken to a city that was neither the same nor the same as their original world.

Shirou casually reached out and stroked the girl's hair. "Nice to meet you, my name is Shirou."

Xiaochun, is the person standing behind us also your family member?

"What...!?"

The assassin's eyes widened as he turned to look—

A strange aura, one she had never felt before, began to swell behind her.

In the shadow of the garden trees, a huge, dark mass sat.

Faced with this enormous "shadow" mass that could barely be discerned as a human figure, the assassin assumed a defensive stance with utmost vigilance.

But--

A girl's cheerful voice came from behind, whispering in the assassin girl's ear:

"No, Brother Shirou! He's my friend," Mr. Black!

Although it's very tall, it's not scary at all!

"That's great! Big brother and big sister, you've recovered!"

The warm sunlight streamed down, and the innocent voice of a young girl echoed through the garden.

On the neatly trimmed lawn, squirrels and kittens chase each other around, while on the treetops in the garden, a mini concert of birdsong is taking place.

If we were to specifically express the adjective "warm and cozy," perhaps a landscape like this would suffice.

This scene, which can only be seen in fairy tale picture books, is now unfolding in reality.

"Thank you for your help, Tsubaki."

Upon hearing Shirou's thanks, Tsubaki Kuruoka showed an expression that was both happy and embarrassed.

"Hey, say something."

Shirou nudged the assassin next to him with his elbow.

"Thank you so much for your help, Xiaochun," the True Assassin said shyly.

"I'm sorry, she's a rather aloof person."

Shirou said this with a smile, and the girl shook her head, saying, "As long as my older brother and sister are alright," before running home.

The True Assassin glared fiercely at Shirou.

"... That girl is Tsubaki Kuruoka."

"Is she the girl who unknowingly received Heroic Spirit?"

Although the parents who lived with the child were clearly under the influence of something, only the girl was different.

Her heart was not bound; it was completely free.

"In other words, that dark figure from earlier... was her Servant, wasn't it?"

Tsubaki Kuruoka referred to the enormous, dark figure she introduced to them as "Mr. Black."

The dark mass, as tall as a garden tree, seemed to absorb all the surrounding light, and its surface shimmered with a bluish-white glow.

Although it has now retreated indoors, since it cannot be seen to have a physical form, it would not be surprising if it suddenly emerged from underground.

While maintaining her vigilance, the assassin girl pondered for a moment and then asked:

"Is that... really a Heroic Spirit?"

"Servant who doesn't belong to the conventional framework of the Holy Grail War... a god, or something similar."

"Tsk, just how much has the Holy Grail been modified this time? We're definitely going to drag the mastermind out and give them a good beating later."

The True Assassin agreed with Shirou's point of view.

Although its appearance was terrifying, the being did not evoke any feelings of malice or hatred in her, and she could not simply regard it as an evil spirit or an anti-hero.

She recalled waking up in this garden, as a member of the Assassin Order, and how that "shadow" had taken advantage of her vulnerability and circled around to behind her.

Leaving aside Shirou's prior awareness of the other party's presence, he could be said to have been completely unprepared.

If that "shadow" had been hostile, she would have been dealt with long ago.

"What's going on in this world, Shirou?"

Although they had only known each other for a short time, the assassin girl was already impressed by the boy's keen observation and judgment, and completely let down her guard, asking him questions again.

Shirou stroked his chin and said, "Based on my deduction, this is a barrier world created by the 'Shadow' for the girl."

An immobile, unconscious girl dreams of one day playing freely like other children.

So her Servant wove a dream world for her.

"So that's how it is..."

The assassin girl was somewhat moved, and a smile involuntarily appeared beneath her veil.

It's not that I'm possessed by evil spirits, but rather that I'm so glad I met Servant willing to protect me, Tsubaki--

Suddenly, the True Assassin recalled the monster's words.

"I'll be looking forward to seeing that beautiful scenery... utterly defiled and filthy by your own hands."

"..."

Assassin's pupils dilated, and his shoulders trembled slightly.

"Shirou, how can we leave this world?"

Well...

The red-haired boy scratched his head. "Generally speaking, the only solution is to destroy the core of this fake world, right?"

As he spoke, he glanced at the toddlers playing happily in the living room.

Image: "~~~", Location: "Images/1768436173-100430532-114343533. jpg"

Volume 8: Chapter 380 Shall we board my sister's big ship?

After that, Shirou returned to the house.

He used skillful rhetoric to extract more information from Yuzuru Kuruoka had been brainwashed by the "shadow."

Just as he suspected, it was no accident that Tsubaki Kuruoka had been in a coma in the hospital for so long; it was caused by her father, Magecraft.

Having immigrated from Japan to the United States, he gained a certain social standing through his knowledge, but in reality, Yuzuru Kuruoka was secretly conducting research on Magecraft.

Moreover, that wasn't ordinary research; it was "Magecraft research that treated Makiri Zolgen Makiri as a rival."

As if boasting of his own deeds, the little girl's father, under brainwashing, uttered one emotionally charged sentence after another to Shirou:

"Using the normal methods" won't win against Makiri.

They have transformed the entire vampire race into something akin to a swarm of insects... Their technique for controlling these insects has reached a level of perfection, exquisitely beautiful... However, Magecraft is meant to be used, so my goal is to achieve "symbiosis" with them.

That's a more sophisticated and natural form than parasites... Yes, have you ever wondered just how many bacteria live inside the human body?

Humans are intelligent life forms composed of hundreds of types of bacteria and human cells. However, the number of human cells is only half that of bacteria, which is a promising area for research.

Hohoho... Makiri this too?

The Magecraft continued his eloquent speech, praising the achievements he had accumulated throughout his life.

"I was trembling all over when I observed the microorganisms collected around the ruins in South America."

I never imagined there could be bacteria so perfectly suited to humans in terms of Magecraft.

Are those remnants left behind after successfully evolving and adapting to those beings during the Age of Gods?

Or are they microorganisms with Origin completely different from the common bacteria on Earth?

Although it's unclear... while starting from scratch is impossible, we can manage it by processing the bacteria and adapting them to our magic.

It seems that the Kuruoka family has hybridized Matou's Magecraft with special microorganisms discovered in South America, creating what should be called "bacterial familiars."

Sister Quetzal... what have you brought to Earth?

"Therefore, I implanted the microorganisms that I had Magecraft processed and created into the Magic Circuits of the camellia and made them coexist with it."

Although I misjudged the outcome, which led to the erosion of Tsubaki's brain, Tsubaki's magical circuitry underwent significant changes within a single generation.

You understand how valuable this is in terms of its Magecraft aspect!

"You're right."

Shirou remained calm, thinking to himself that it was fortunate he hadn't called the True Assassin over, otherwise she might have killed the man in a fit of rage.

The accumulation and development of Magic Circuits usually takes a family several generations and hundreds of years. Magecraft like Shirou, with more than twenty circuits, is already considered one of the best among the first generation.

However, the Kuruoka family used bacteria to achieve a leap in social class.

Although the "quantity" of the circuit was not increased, its "quality" performance was greatly improved.

There is such a person in this world, who possesses only one Magic Circuits, yet becomes the strongest Magecraft due to her exceptional (EX) quality—that is, the Root Princess.

"The benefit of being a bacterial familiar is that Tsubaki can circulate her magic throughout her body more efficiently, thus surpassing those with a similar number of circuits."

"Those activated Magic Circuits will probably make Tsubaki an excellent mother cell in the future. Perhaps by the next generation, the number of Magic Circuits themselves will increase significantly."

To be honest, Shirou really wanted to punch this man in the face right now, but Tsubaki was playing next door, so he decided to hold off.

"Does that kind of bacteria also implant in your bodies?" he asked again.

The Magecraft nodded. "That's right, although it's only a prototype."

Because the newest type of bacteria that infects camellias must be implanted during the early childhood stage, before the internal organs are fully developed, in order to achieve stable fusion.

Adjusting her was really tough; I was frantic when she completely lost consciousness!

I was relieved after the doctor said that at least my ability to have offspring wasn't damaged... Ugh!!

Yuzuru Kuruoka was flying out of the room halfway through her sentence.

His body, like a stone thrown by a catapult, traversed the entire study and crashed heavily into the bookshelf at the far end.

The immense impact caused the bookshelf to shake violently, and countless books fell like raindrops, burying the man among them.

The heavy, hardcover book made a dull thud, dust rose, and papers flew everywhere, plunging the entire study into chaos.

"... Shirou, what are you doing there?"

The assassin girl, who was playing with Tsubaki Kuruoka in the living room, stormed in angrily. The little girl she was talking about peeked out from behind her, trembling.

Shirou scratched the back of his head and laughed awkwardly, "Haha, I asked Kuruoka to get the books from the top shelf for me, but he fell off his chair and got buried under the books."

"Dad! Are you alright!?"

Tsubaki Kuruoka shouted anxiously, trying to run towards her father who was buried under the books, but was grabbed by the True Assassin.

"..."

Assassin gave Shirou a meaningful look.

A knowing glance met in the air. The assassin girl paused for a moment before speaking.

"Tsubaki, please leave this place to your father and Brother Shirou."

"But?"

"It's okay, we shouldn't disturb them."