Chapter 713

"Isn't it too early to give up now?"

Shirou said this to Liddell.

Contrary to her luxurious and glamorous appearance and strong and arrogant personality, she was actually both fragile and insecure inside.

Liddell is easily overwhelmed by stress and even has manic tendencies.

For some reason, Shirou couldn't just ignore her.

If it wasn't Morgan, then whose Shadow had he projected onto this capricious witch?

In short, wouldn't it be better to give her some encouragement first?

"You are the only one fit to be the Lord, Achelot. I will help you achieve your goal."

"... However, my Black Magic is still far from reaching the level of the previous generation."

"You're still very young, aren't you? By witch's standards, you're practically an infant. To have achieved this much is already quite impressive."

Although she cannot age forever like Arisu, Liddell is also a descendant of witches and possesses a lifespan that surpasses that of ordinary Magecraft.

In fact, she debuted as an idol when she was in high school, and now, more than ten years later, her appearance and temperament are still exactly the same as they were back then.

Liddell sat on the floor, her eyes fixed on Shirou's face.

"What's wrong?"

"Black Magic."

"What?"

"Practicing Black Magic, come and help."

Liddell said with a very serious look in her eyes.

Shirou paused for a moment. "My skills as Magecraft are terrible, you must have heard similar rumors, right?"

"I heard you're the strongest human, though I can't tell at all."

Liddell was indeed aware of the legend of "Nameless".

"That's an exaggeration. There are plenty of guys who are better than me," Shirou said modestly.

Liddell shook her head. "It's alright, I need someone to practice with."

Shirou was a little confused, so Liddell explained, "A sacrifice, that is, the object of a curse."

"... Pigeon?"

"That's right."

Just as scientists use mice or rabbits as experimental subjects, witches often use pigeons as objects of curses when practicing Black Magic.

This is what they mean by "practice partner" —Liddell hopes Shirou will obediently let her cast the spell.

"It's amazing that you can make such a dangerous request so calmly, but I don't think I can help you."

Shirou said, "You've seen it too, haven't you? The 'Magic Resistance' I possess."

"No problem, having 'Magic Resistance' would be even better," Liddell said.

Better... Shirou breathed a sigh of relief. So, crushing my heart wasn't the prerequisite for the practice.

Liddell's eyes looked Gilgamesh.

Looking into those Fae Eyes, Shirou suddenly recalled a memory from the distant past.

"You want my help to practice Black Magic?"

"Yes... yes, Shirou, may I ask you for a favor?"

The red-haired fairy— Bavag— revealed a pitiful expression.

"Of course you can."

Shirou stroked her hair, and she squinted her eyes, looking blissful.

"Hehehe... It's so itchy, Shirou- sama...?"

"But why me? If you're going to practice Black Magic, wouldn't it be better to have Ash instruct you?"

Shirou asked curiously, but for some reason, Bavag's cheeks flushed, and she stammered, unwilling to give a reason.

"If you really don't want to talk about it, then that's fine."

"That... that's not it."

Bavag bit her lip.

"The witch said my talent for Magecraft is quite average..."

If you want to learn Black Magic faster, you need to put in more... you know... more emotion into the spells."

Shirou suddenly realized. "So that's why you came to me?"

If the person she's practicing on is Ash, Bavag probably wouldn't be able to bring herself to curse her so severely.

"That's not what I meant!" Bavag's eyes widened.

"Isn't that right?" Shirou asked, puzzled.

"..."

Bavag's face flushed even more, and the tips of her pointed, fairy-like ears turned crimson.

This time, no matter how Shirou asked, she refused to give a reason.

Of course, Shirou still agreed to be Bavag's training partner, but he had some reservations.

Later, Shirou told Ashura about it, and she burst into laughter.

Shirou: "Stop laughing, what's so funny?"

Ash: "Sorry... you're really slow."

Shirou: "Huh? Why do I have to be the one being talked about like that?"

The Savior Ash observed his companion's face for a while with a half-smile, then asked.

"Shirou, do you know 'Yumina'? Never mind, you definitely don't..."

That is the name of the Great Witch who established the First Magic in your world (Pan-Human History).

Legend has it that Yumina's descendants are immortal beings, possessing absolute immortality.

Shirou: "Hey, that's really impressive... So what does that have to do with our current topic?"

Ash: "Yumina's bloodline faces acts of killing driven by hostility, fear, chance, and nature..."

Death, regardless of its nature, can be avoided, resulting in a perfect resurrection.

However, it is precisely when driven by "love" to commit murder that that immortality is lost.

What I'm trying to say is that "love" has a very special meaning for witches, do you understand?

Shirou shook his head. "Sorry, I still don't understand."

So why did Bavag choose me to be her practice partner?

"..."

Veins bulged on Ash's forehead.

"This punch was for Bavag!!"

She clenched her fist and slammed it into Shirou's left cheek, sending him flying.

At that time, Morgan was going through a period of heightened violent tendencies...

Shirou stroked his cheek, thinking with deep nostalgia.

Now he fully understands why Bavag chose him.

Bavag's feelings for Ash were "longing" and "adoration".

The witch is a distant being and could never become the subject of her Black Magic practice.

On the other hand, Bavag's feelings for Shirou are much closer.

"Hey, Shirou."

Liddell's voice pulled Shirou back to reality.

What are you daydreaming about? Someone's talking to you!

The pink-haired witch said with a displeased expression.

Why is that...?

Despite their vastly different personalities, Shirou finds Liddell and Bavag surprisingly similar.

Shirou thought of the Avengers he had encountered in the Fourth Holy Grail War.

Exactly identical in appearance to Bavag, the culprit who corrupted the Holy Grail, the "Curse God" Cernunnos—

She seems to be someone who appears willful and arrogant, but is actually quite vulnerable inside...

So, are you willing to help or not?

Liddell was getting a little impatient because Shirou was always spacing out.

Shirou said, "But since we're going to choose someone to practice Black Magic on... wouldn't it be better to find someone you're more familiar with?"

Given Liddell's immense popularity, there must be many men like her in the world of Magecraft, right?

"No, Shirou is fine."

Liddell looked at Shirou with moist blue eyes, her gaze incredibly weak.

"Although he had many suitors, they all distanced themselves from him as soon as they heard that he was going to be an enemy of Achelot."

In the end, they're just a bunch of vulgar people attracted by my pretty appearance.

In the end, the only person willing to stand by my side and protect me was Shirou.

You're my assistant, aren't you? Why did you hand me over to another man?

Shirou turned his head and said, "But... we've only known each other for one day..."

"Shirou said you have the qualities to be Lord! So, so..."

The pink-haired witch lowered her head and mumbled in a weak voice.

"Stay with me... let me dream until my very last moment."

If Liddell's fans saw this, their worldview would probably collapse.

The usually confident, assertive, and competitive May Liddell Achelot now looked like she was about to cry.

"..."

Shirou couldn't resist that tearful expression, especially after remembering what happened to Bavag.

"Ah, I understand. If there's anything I can do to help."

Upon Shirou's words, Liddell immediately suppressed her sadness and revealed a beautiful, idol-like smile that could conquer the world.

The change was so rapid that it made one wonder if what had just happened was acting.

But Shirou knew that the weak girl who had just asked him for help was the real Liddell.

"Thank you, Shirou!"

Liddell opened her arms and excitedly rushed towards her.

Shirou felt an incredibly soft impact, a complex sensation pressing against his face.

The soft embrace of the breasts and the delicate texture of the bra, along with the wonderfully pleasant scent of a young girl.

"Wait... what are you doing all of a sudden?"