Chapter 848
I sensed their gaze again.
Miyu looked up and met Chloe's gaze—they both recognized each other as formidable rivals.
"Speaking of which, brother, do you remember what you said yesterday?"
"Um?"
"You said you'd definitely teach Miyu a lesson this time, and forbid her from doing such dangerous things again."
"Yes, yes! Miyu!"
"Shi-Mr Shirou..."
The girl jolted and stiffened.
Then came the lecturing.
Shirou used all the lecturing skills he learned from Sella on Miyu.
"Sorry I'm late! Miyu! Big brother!"
Illya's voice entered the ward even faster than she did.
"Hmm? Kuro is here too... uh?"
When she saw her friend on the bed, she tilted her head in confusion.
With a blank stare, Miyu murmured to herself, "I'm... I'm sorry, I won't think about self-sacrifice anymore..."
This is the latest agreement between Shirou and Miyu.
In the sunlight streaming into the ward, a quiet and meaningful time flowed between the four of them.
As if nothing had happened, the world returned to normal.
Of the seven billion people in the world, the vast majority did not feel anything unusual—only a very small number still retain that memory.
Shirou, Illya, Chloe, Rin Tohsaka, Luvia Zelitt, Bazett, Karen, Irisviel.
Only those who participated in that rescue operation retained the memory of that time.
After everything was restored, Shirou returned to his original home, and Artoria became one of the residents.
Irisviel and Illya, along with Sella and Ritseliete, returned to live in the castle in the forest.
Oh, and Chloe too; she now lives with the people of Einzbern.
Shirou invited her to stay with him, but Kuro said she wanted to "maintain a sense of distance from her brother," and ultimately stayed with her mother.
Every Friday, the Einzbern family would come to Shirou's place to bother him, spending a noisy weekend together.
Rin Tohsaka and Luvia Zelitt's London study abroad experience is now gone.
One of them is still a high school student in Homonculus, while the other just transferred to Fuyuki City last week.
"Wait a minute! Why are you here?"
Rin, who thought she could finally get rid of Luvia, reacted in a predictable way.
Luvia: "Don't misunderstand, Rin Tohsaka... I came here at Shirou's invitation."
"If it weren't for Shirou's invitation, who would want to come to this island teeming with monkeys!?"
Rin: "Wh... is this true, Amamiya -kun!?"
Shirou: "Well... there's a reason for that..."
"Reason?"
Rin Tohsaka asked with a suspicious look, while Luvia proudly replied that it was of course for the bride's training.
"The bride is... huh?"
"I'll send you an invitation when I get married to Shirou."
"Don't be ridiculous! I've never heard of such a thing!!!"
Incidentally, Shirou's reason for inviting Luvia to Japan was, of course, for Miyu.
Luvia gladly accepted the invitation, saying that she had long considered Miyu as her younger sister.
"And Illya too... I've long considered that child my little sister, Shirou?"
"You're too close to Amamiya!"
Rin Tohsaka punched Luvia, who had come close to her, sending her flying.
"Want to fight, Rin Tohsaka?"
"Ah, I'm always happy to oblige!"
It seems that although the world has returned to normal, the noisy daily life around Shirou will continue.
As for the remaining two...
Bazett continued to stay at Shirou's house, but he was usually busy with work and rarely saw anyone.
Karen stays at the church in the mountains, and occasionally bumps into Shirou on the street.
Besides the humans, three others still retain their memories.
The Lion King, Lady Avalon, and the Fae Consort of Pan-Human History.
As mentioned earlier, the Lion King stayed as a member of the Amamiya Residence and lived the life of an ordinary woman, just as she had wished.
As for Lady Avalon... Shirou wasn't there, so he doesn't know. It's said that she made a fool of herself in the final battle, causing a lot of trouble, and is now being imprisoned in the tower by Morgan to reflect on her actions.
Finally, there's Morgan, from the perspective of Pan-Human History.
She completely disappeared after that.
She was originally a woman who appeared and disappeared like a fairy, hiding herself in the shadows of history, so this is only natural.
However, before she left, she told Shirou a secret—
That is, the world they live in actually has a way to reach the Fae Kingdom.
... What an outrageous woman.
Shirou had already made up his mind to live a peaceful future in this world, she said such a thing without any warning.
The world's assessment of her as a bewitching witch is indeed entirely accurate.
"Hey, Shirou."
"What would you think if I told you I had a way to get you back to the Fae Kingdom?"
After a long silence, Shirou took a deep breath and spoke.
"So... what does that have to do with me?"
Morgan: "Oh?"
Shirou: "I now have a life that I've sworn to protect."
Even if you tell me something like that, I can't possibly do anything about people and things from the past anymore.
That's right.
Until recently, Shirou had been condescendingly admonishing Artoria, telling her not to let herself be trapped in the past.
So... if Shirou himself can't keep his word, then he's betraying her.
If I really get involved in the Fae Kingdom, perhaps I'll still have a chance to see Ash again.
Having just returned to the Pan-Human History from the Fae Kingdom, Shirou longs to see Ash again, even if only for a moment.
I would trade my future decades for just a few words with her.
But things are different now.
If I am still alone.
If I have nowhere to go back to.
Heading to the Fae Kingdom means our peaceful life will definitely be disrupted.
Shirou can't do it anymore.
What if I really went to the Fae Kingdom but could never come back?
How heartbroken they would be if I were gone...
Does he expect the girls around him to wait for him forever?
Years, decades, centuries...
Considering the time Shirou spent in the Fae Kingdom, several thousand years is not impossible.
If it were just his own life at stake, it wouldn't matter, but Shirou simply couldn't bring himself to gamble with their lives.
"..."
Morgan observed Shirou's pale and flushed face, then said thoughtfully.
"Understood. Let's pretend we never talked about that."
"Um, I'm sorry."
Shirou let out a sigh of relief.
In fact, besides the "greater good" mentioned above, there was another small reason that made him no longer fixated on the Fae Kingdom.
I have no idea how many years have passed since I left the Fae Kingdom.
What if Ash has forgotten itself?
Even though it's unlikely, Shirou doesn't want to think about even the slightest possibility.
Perhaps it's best to let memories stay at their most beautiful parts.
"... What's wrong, Miss Morgan?"
Shirou noticed that the witch of Pan-Human History had a displeased expression.
"You're not thinking something really rude, are you? Do you think I, Lostbelt, would forget my man?"
"No... no, although I also think it's impossible... uh, why are you angry?"
Morgan, speaking of Pan-Human History, stood silently with his arms crossed, saying nothing.
Shirou thought for a moment, then said seriously, "I'm sorry... I was really out of my mind just now."
Even if thousands or tens of thousands of years pass, Morgan will never forget me.
"..."
The Fae Consort was momentarily stunned.
The unwavering determination that Shirou showed when he said those words was exactly what she had been trying to glean from this boy.
That arrogant and disrespectful attitude of treating women as his possessions is precisely the tyrannical quality that the ideal king in the witch's heart should possess.
"... Miss Morgan?"
Shirou noticed that the witch's face had turned red for some reason, and her breathing had become rapid.
"That's more like it... It's a little more presentable now, humph."
The Fae Consort stroked her restless, gradually warming lower abdomen.
Just wait... Me, the Fae Queen, from the Lostbelt.
This might take years, decades...
But one day, I will bring Shirou to you.
Let me show you how your beloved has been given a new life with the help of this witch!
End of this volume.
The next volume will be the final chapter, and the timeline will jump directly from 2005 to 2017.