Chapter 682
"!"
Seeing Shirou's stunned expression, Leinys paused for a moment and then spoke.
"Morgan le Fay was in that village not long ago."
Volume 9: 421 My Mother Morgan le Fay!?
Morgan Le Fey.
Shirou has incredibly complex feelings about this name.
After regaining some of his memories as King Arthur of another world, Shirou finally understood—
In both of his past lives, she had always been by his side.
She is both Shirou's adoptive sister and Shirou's Queen Consort.
She is both Shirou's savior and his Shirou.
If I had to use one word to describe her, it would be "soulmate."
However, no matter how wonderful the memories were, they ended up in my previous life—in the Fae Kingdom.
Perhaps their souls were once connected.
However, after Shirou ended his journey in the Fae Kingdom, he did not continue drifting, but returned to his original hometown, Fuyuki City.
From that time on, he had no further contact with Morgan.
Shirou now understands that their pilgrimage to the Fae Kingdom of the entire world was actually the so-called "Pruned Phenomenon".
That is a world that will one day perish.
So what will happen to Morgan when that world ends?
Or perhaps the Fae Kingdom has actually perished, and Morgan vanished along with that world?
It's truly regrettable to not know the final fate of a loved one.
From this perspective, Morgan, who accompanied Shirou to the end of his life with a smile, was relatively fortunate.
After all, in Morgan's view, she "only" said goodbye to Shirou forever.
From Shirou's perspective, however, it was his failure to keep his promise to Morgan and continue living in a world without her.
As for the wish to see Morgan again in my lifetime—such a hope was abandoned long ago during the Fourth Holy Grail War.
Let's return to the topic of "Morgan Le Fay".
There is such a thing as Morgan in this world.
She is neither Shirou's sister nor Shirou's witch, but rather Morgan, the orthodox sister of Artoria.
Shirou also had mixed feelings about this person he had never met before.
Simply put:
When reading stories related to the Legend of King Arthur, the page automatically jumps to the next page whenever there is content about her.
When Artoria talks about her older sister, Shirou will ask her what she wants for dinner to change the subject.
In short, I don't want to know anything about this person; it's a kind of escapist emotion.
Even knowing that she and "my Morgan" are not the same person, I still don't want to learn about the terrible rumors about her.
That being said, Shirou has also grown a lot in these ten years.
He is now fully capable of confronting Morgan, a figure Pan-Human History.
The above is by no means an excuse for Shirou being easily lured into a trap by Leinys using "Morgan".
Driven by the desire to "make a decision with his past self," Shirou followed Leinys to the desolate wilderness of Wales.
First, they flew directly to London, and then went to a suburban station to take a diesel train.
After a bumpy two-hour train ride, they arrived in Cardiff, the capital of Wales.
Then we boarded a long-distance bus, admiring the various signs along the way that were written in both English and Wales. After five hours, we hiked up the mountain path.
The path's undulations and angles seemed designed to efficiently blister people's feet, and it was mostly only wild animals that would pass through it, making Shirou wonder if he was really on Earth in the 21st century.
The high-pitched chirping of birds could be heard from time to time, and behind him followed Leinys El- El-Melloi Archzorti, the person Shirou was protecting this time.
Then, beside the blonde beauty, there was also a maid with a somewhat peculiar appearance.
The term "unusual appearance" refers to skin color.
She was neither white, nor black, nor Asian; her skin shimmered with a color no human should have—silver.
This automaton, named Trimmau, is the Magic Crest "Volumen hydrargyrum" created by the Clock Tower prodigy Kenshinnes El- El-Melloi Archibald when he was about the same age as Shirou.
Unlike when Kenshinnes was operating it himself, the Volumen hydrargyrum could only unleash a small portion of its functions under Leinys' control, resulting in a significant decrease in the Magecraft battle's firepower.
While her Magecraft skills are far inferior to Kenshinnes's, Leinys possesses exceptional talent in precise control.
Maintaining the Volumen hydrargyrum in human form and carrying the master's suitcase like this is something even Kenshinnes couldn't do.
"Miss Trimmau, could you please fetch me some water?"
"Understood, Shirou, please use it."
"Volumen hydrargyrum" took a water bottle from the suitcase and handed it to Shirou.
She possesses powerful calculation abilities, and her work skills are comparable to those of a skilled and experienced maid.
"Don't take it for granted that you can order other people's maids around," Leinys rolled her eyes.
Shirou took a sip of water, then wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and asked.
"What exactly is the Blackmore Cemetery, the place we're going to next? Why would the witch from Legend of King Arthur appear there?"
"Ah, didn't I say that before...? That was my mistake."
Leinys smiled, a sly smile that convinced Shirou that she was definitely hiding something from him on purpose.
"That cemetery is rumored to be King Arthur's tomb."
"... Why didn't you tell me sooner!?"
Shirou almost choked on the water in the kettle, Trimmau gently stroked his back.
Leinys said, "No, I was originally planning to bring up this topic again if the bait of 'Morgan le Fay' wasn't enough to entice you..."
Negotiations should proceed step by step, but I never expected that Shirou would fall for "Morgan the Witch" the moment he heard it, haha.
Artoria's... graveyard?
Shirou frowned. Then it wouldn't be surprising if Morgan from this world appeared there.
"But why would Leinys want to go to a place like that? Is she working for the Spirit Evocation Department?"
Shirou teased, "You've been getting quite close to Miss Sola lately. Are you perhaps trying to curry favor with your sister-in-law by digging up some kind of King Arthur treasure?"
"Let's tell Shirou the truth."
Leinys said earnestly, "My elder brother, Lord El-Melloi, is searching for a way for humanity to fight against Heroic Spirit."
"Humans fighting Heroic Spirit? I see. So, ten years of experience really did leave Kenshinnes with psychological trauma."
The Fourth Holy Grail War, ten years ago.
Kenshinnes arrived in the Far East with the frivolous intention of "gilding his resume," and there he witnessed various legends that transcended modern Magecraft.
What was initially thought to be a minor ritual on the border of Magecraft ended up costing him his life.
Although I was lucky enough to escape with my life, this experience made me realize how narrow-minded I really was.
How could the proud Kenshinnes tolerate such a thing? Is that why he began researching ways for humans to fight against Heroic Spirit?
Well, it's not a bad thing, is it?
Shirou asked, "So, is there something like that in that village? A secret weapon or something used by humans to fight Heroic Spirit?"
"Well, it's just a rumor."
Leinys spoke ambiguously, and Shirou didn't press further, only reminding her to retrieve Trimmau when they were almost at their destination to avoid unnecessary trouble.
Leinys nodded, and the automaton maid transformed into liquid mercury and flowed into the suitcase.
After that, the two continued walking along the mountain path, and not long after...
Something moved among the trees.
Looking towards the source of the sound, I heard the flapping of wings coming from between the trees.
Nearly ten jet-black birds took flight all at once.
"... A crow?"
Shirou gazed at the scattering crows, lost in thought.
This bird has a very deep connection with Morgan.
It was for this reason that Shirou once chose them as his reconnaissance familiars during the Fourth Holy Grail War.
"... I really miss those days."
Just then--
"Crows can carry souls."
A deep voice said.
A black Shadow emerged from where the crows had just taken off.
He was a man dressed in all Black Robe, and looked to be around sixty years old.
Although he was getting on in years, you could still see his strong physique through his coat, and a travel hat was perched atop his wildly growing hair.
"This is true in Britain, and it is also a common feature in the Celtic mythology of the continent."
They are guides to the dead, the birds of the grave.
Therefore, their calls are never to be heard again.
A crow landed on the man's shoulder.
Leinys began, "The gravedigger you mentioned earlier, could it be that you are...?"
"What does the Magecraft from the Clock Tower want with me?"
Leinys was somewhat surprised, not expecting that the other party could recognize her as Magecraft at a glance—and from the Clock Tower at that.
However, Shirou wasn't surprised, because he had noticed someone following him nearby half an hour earlier, which was why he deliberately struck up a conversation with Leinys and asked her about the purpose of her trip.
Leinys grasped her skirt and curtsied.
"I am Leinys - El-Melloi Archzorti, and this is my bodyguard, Shirou Amamiya."
"How rare! Another guest has visited. This time, they've come to see me again."
The man told him this.
He turned around, his back to the two of them, and continued.
"I am the gravedigger Bersac Blackmore. If you need something, just follow me."
He disappeared into the middle of the forest at an astonishing speed, and Leinys hurriedly gave chase.
Shirou turned around and took one last look in the direction where the crow had disappeared.
Led by Bersac, Shirou and his companions arrived at a small village nestled against a steep mountainside.
This village, with a population of just over a hundred, is a village that could disappear at any moment, yet it has spent a long time dozing off.
Most of the buildings are made of stone bricks and may be hundreds of years old.
Although the villagers were dressed in modern clothes, they would have looked perfectly at home even if they were dressed in medieval attire.
Shirou: "Oh, so next you're going to take me to the place in the village where the Hero's Sword is stuck."
Leinys: "There's no such thing."