Chapter 831
The Lion King said nothing more and followed Shirou for a while longer.
"Ah!"
The boy suddenly screamed.
The Lion King frowned slightly. "What's wrong?"
She noticed that Shirou's body was sinking at a steady pace.
"I've stepped into a bottomless swamp! Oh no! I forgot there was one of these things in this forest!"
"What?"
"This swamp is a 'swamp of perfect order' formed by mixing all the properties of the Five Great Elements in an inactive state!"
Within the final mud, which "cannot become anything," all Magecraft cannot be activated!
"... Why do you know so much?"
"I'm sinking! Help me, Artoria!"
The Lion King reached out and lifted Shirou out of the swamp.
"Phew... I'm saved."
Shirou sat down on the edge of the swamp and breathed a sigh of relief.
The swamp that was used to capture Kuro was never disposed of; leaving it there like that is far too dangerous.
Shirou Projection a sword, blasting the entire swamp into pieces.
"... Can we go now?" the Lion King asked.
Hearing her say that, Shirou asked in return, "Hmm? Artoria, weren't you very reluctant to go?"
That's because you always insist that I be with you.
The Lion King finished speaking coldly and expressionlessly, then turned and walked away.
"I see." Shirou chuckled and followed her toward Einzbern Castle.
The castle in the forest was more dilapidated than I could remember.
This is to be expected, since it hadn't been used for sixty years and Sella and Liz had never cleaned it.
"Hopefully, no wild animals will use this place as their den..."
As Shirou spoke, he pushed open the castle gate.
The goddess raised an eyebrow and asked, "Does Shirou also fear wild beasts?"
Shirou said, "I'm worried about the safety of the wild beasts."
After all, look... there's a really angry lion there.
"..."
The Lion King glared back at him with an expression that seemed to say, "Do you think what you said is funny?" Shirou lowered his head dejectedly.
Although the castle's interior was dilapidated, covered in cobwebs and dust, it was exactly as they remembered it.
Where is Artoria's room?
"Beside the master bedroom, it's only natural to protect the Master, isn't it?"
"Okay, let's go take a look."
Shirou excitedly dragged the goddess to the room on the second floor, only to find it completely empty.
There isn't even any furniture...
The Lion King: "Isn't that obvious?"
Shirou: "I still have a bit of wishful thinking, hoping that a miracle might happen."
It's here! Traces of Artoria's life in the previous world have been preserved!... Something like that."
"..."
The goddess's expression remained unchanged. Her eyes, which shone even in the darkness, swept around the empty room, and it was unclear what she was thinking.
"Okay, let's go."
"Have you had enough sightseeing?" the Lion King asked.
"How could that be? There are still places I'd like to visit with you."
The two left the castle and began moving towards the city.
Not long after leaving the forest, Shirou looked up at a high point in the city.
"Where is that?"
"It seems like Tohsaka's house has never been used."
After Tohsaka went to study in London, her Aunt Tohsaka also went back to live with her parents.
Time is limited, so let's skip that part this time.
Shirou leisurely explained as they walked, while Lion King listened quietly. Then they arrived at their second destination.
"Shirou's school...?"
"Yes, Illya and I went to the Hohyunohara Academy."
The school gate was deserted at night, and it was pitch black inside.
Shirou leaped up and jumped onto the school wall, reaching out his hand to the Lion King standing outside.
However, the goddess did not take his hand; instead, she floated into the air and entered the school.
"This is the first time I've seen Artoria fly..."
Is that incredible?
"Yeah, although you used to be able to accelerate and traverse hundreds of meters like a missile, it's still quite rare to see you floating in the air."
The Lion King said, "I am no longer the Artoria I once was; I am a god."
"Yes, yes, I understand, my goddess~"
The boy's perfunctory attitude made the goddess frown in displeasure.
"Alright~ I'll be your guide from now on, Goddess."
Shirou nonchalantly ignored her displeasure and strode forward.
"This is the elementary school where Illya and the others studied. Taiga is also a teacher there."
This is the junior high school section, and over there is the high school section where Tohsaka and I went.
"..."
The Lion King silently accompanied Shirou on a tour of the high school campus.
"Yeah, it's quite a novel experience to wander around the school late at night like this."
Next, we'll visit the clubs... although there are practically no students participating in any club activities late at night."
First up was the Archery Club; the two of them took off their shoes and entered the practice dojo.
"This is where I usually hold my club activities. This must be your first time here, Artoria."
"..."
"Normally, Sakura could serve you tea. By the way, Sakura is Matou's..."
"I know."
The Lion King casually interrupted Shirou's rambling, turning his gaze to the shelf of utensils beside him.
Seeing that she seemed somewhat interested, Shirou suggested, "This is a rare opportunity, Artoria, why don't you give it a try, archery?"
He looked the Lion King up and down.
She was tall, strong, and had long arms and legs; she was a natural archer.
"Archery is a meaningless means of attack for me."
As a goddess, Artoria can sweep enemies with her Holy Lance anchor, which resembles a floating cannon.
"Don't say that. I also have an attack method that involves launching projectiles without drawing the bow, but archery is a completely different field... Well, give it a try."
Shirou handed the Japanese longbow to the goddess.
The latter hesitated for a moment, then recalled Shirou's archery posture in his mind, and drew the bowstring wide.
"Smack!"
The moment the goddess released the bowstring with her slender fingers, a crisp sound suddenly rang out in the dojo late at night.
The released bowstring struck the goddess squarely on her right breast, causing the enormous, Grand- level fruit to shake violently.
Shirou:"..."
The Lion King: "..."
Shirou stared dumbfounded at the goddess's unstoppable swaying breasts. "Are you... alright?"
I told you I wasn't suited for archery.
The Lion King lowered his longbow, turned coldly, and left.
The two then went to the track and field club. Just as Shirou was about to speak, the goddess cut him off.
"Let me make this clear first, I won't try it with you again."
"... Oh well."
Looks like that hit really hurt.
The Lion King remained aloof and expressionless, but he was actually maintaining the goddess's dignity by forcing himself to remain silent.
Since the goddess was unwilling to play along, Shirou started playing by himself.
He placed the high jump marker, then took a running start and vaulted over it.
"Is doing this kind of thing interesting?" The goddess couldn't help but ask, looking at the boy who was enjoying himself.
"Hmm? That's interesting," Shirou replied.
He kept increasing the altitude until he easily broke the Olympic record.
"It can't go any higher."
Shirou said with some regret.
The Lion King said, "Shirou, you and I are the same kind of people. There's no need to be bound by this kind of competition among ordinary humans..."
"Alright, let's go to the next place."
After touring the school, it was already 8 PM.
Unlike the bustling Shinto, there are very few pedestrians on the streets of Miyama Town at this time of day.
However, just to be on the safe side, Shirou still used Magecraft to avoid being seen.
There's no need for that; most people can't see me.
"Yeah?"
"Contact with humans is unnecessary."
"I see, "Shirou suddenly realized.
That's how The Lion King spent his years.
Like a ghost that no one can see, he wandered the earth alone for a thousand years.
Shirou: "Won't you feel lonely like that?"
The Lion King: "I am a god; I can exist without interacting with humans."
Shirou: "Then why are you still talking to me?"
The Lion King: "Because Shirou is special."
Shirou: "Is this a confession?"