Shirou's Return from the Fae Kingdom

Shirou slept soundly.

This was probably the most comfortable night's sleep he'd had since he started getting used to Japanese living.

Training familiars, setting up barriers, and summoning rituals—the recent series of tasks had left Shirou in a state of magical deficiency, but after last night's sleep, it had all been replenished.

"Did my abilities as a Magus improve? Alright—starting today, I'm going to give it my all!"

Shirou walked into the living room with light steps.

"Ah, Master, good morning~ Did you sleep well last night?"

He heard a clear, pleasant voice, like heavenly music—

Lady Avalon was seated at the dining table, looking over at him with a smile.

Shirou: "What happened to the Spiritualization we agreed on?"

At that moment, another female voice came from behind him: "Haaah, so sleepy... Good morning, Shirou."

Shirou's eyes widened instantly: Damn it! Fujie-nee is here, she'll see her!

Without time to think, the boy lunged at Lady Avalon, pinning her down.

"Spiritualize quickly!"

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

Taiga Fujimura blinked and asked blankly, "Why are you rolling around in an empty spot?"

"Huh?"

Shirou looked down at the silver-haired beauty beneath him in confusion.

Lady Avalon hadn't Spiritualized, yet Fujie-nee acted as if she couldn't see her at all.

"Hehehe, Master is quite spirited, attacking me first thing in the morning?"

Lady Avalon chuckled, covering her mouth.

"?"

Shirou finally noticed that his hands were deeply embedded in a pair of soft, ample...

Volume 1, Chapter 032 "Dead Count Shapeshifter" (4/6)

"Waaah!!!!"

Shirou quickly withdrew his hands and jumped back abruptly.

Lady Avalon had a mischievous look on her face: "Oh, what a shame, it could have continued, you know."

"How could I possibly continue!" Shirou yelled, his face turning bright red.

Taiga Fujimura leaned in, asking confusedly, "Shirou, who are you talking to?"

She really can't see her at all...

Even though there was such a peerless beauty in the room, surrounded by colorful flowers, Fujie-nee acted as if she saw nothing.

This was undoubtedly Lady Avalon using her abilities.

A skill... no, Magic?

It was leagues beyond Shirou's Suggestion Magic.

He didn't know if it would work on enemy Magus and Servants, but it was more than enough for an ordinary person like Fujie-nee.

This meant trouble for Shirou.

In other words, Lady Avalon could now walk around the house openly.

During breakfast, Taiga Fujimura asked while drinking her miso soup:

"What's wrong with Shirou today? He's been sneaking glances at empty spaces since earlier."

"Hehehe, Master, so you've been peeking at me the whole time?"

Lady Avalon's first morning staying at the Amamiya Residence was a hellish start for Shirou.

Would this kind of day continue until the Holy Grail War ended?

Shirou sighed in despair.

But then again.

They really are soft and fragrant...

Private Hohyunohara Academy, Elementary School Division, the back row of a vacant classroom.

"We will now begin the first Holy Grail War strategy meeting."

After Shirou announced this, the silver-haired beauty sitting opposite him clapped her hands enthusiastically.

"Clap, clap, clap, clap..."

Lady Avalon, now in her materialized form, clapped her hands together with a smile before bending down to ask the other advisor of Shirou's faction.

"Mr. Makiri, why aren't you clapping?"

Toy Duck: Do I look like I can clap?

Shirou raised a hand, signaling for quiet, and then, as the meeting's moderator, began to summarize the current situation.

First, although we are participating, we do not have a Servant capable of fighting.

"So sorry~?" Lady Avalon winked.

Although she couldn't fight, she could provide Shirou with extremely powerful support and enhancements.

Lady Avalon's enhancements could even allow the physically frail Shirou to contend with a Servant for a short period, but it wasn't a foolproof solution, and the side effects were also immense.

Moreover, if the Master loses, it's game over, so we absolutely must not fight Servants unless it's a last resort...

"Wait a moment."

The little duck stopped Shirou's speech.

He had heard something amiss in what was just said.

Makiri asked in a tone full of suspicion, "Kid, what exactly is this woman's enhancement? And what are the side effects?"

"...Well."

Shirou looked at the Command Spells on the back of his right hand.

"Hey! Kid! What's going on with your Command Spells!"

Makiri yelled, this was the first time he had shown such agitation since losing his physical body.

The Command Spells on Shirou Amamiya's right hand had changed from the shape he had initially seen.

Their color had also shifted from the original bright red to an ominous black-red. What exactly was this...

"Allow me to explain."

Lady Avalon came before Shirou, curtsied, and cradled his right hand.

"I have magically modified Master's Command Spells. Master can now use them to enhance himself."

"Not to enhance the Servant, but to enhance the Magus himself? How is that possible!"

Makiri, the creator of the Command Spells, roared. Lady Avalon continued indifferently.

"Furthermore, I have already embedded a designated program within the Command Spells.

To maximize the efficiency of the mana blocks (Command Spells), I have set a single trigger effect for them.

The specific enhancement content is--

'For three minutes, Master's body will rapidly grow to its state ten years from now—the age of 18.'"

"Wh...what..."

Lady Avalon tilted her head cutely. "Rather than 'growth,' perhaps 'transformation' is more fitting?

If the combat time exceeds 180 seconds, Master will revert back to his current child state.

Ta-da! I've named this mechanism 'Dead Count Shapeshifter.'

As the name implies, the side effect is that Master's life will be brought closer to death with each use of a Command Spell.

By the way, personally, I still prefer Master's current appearance. Oh my, so cute~?"

"I don't care what your opinion is."

Shirou pushed away Lady Avalon's hand that was pinching his cheek.

"..."

On the other side, Makiri was speechless.

Despite having lost his body and soul, he felt as if he had experienced a shiver down his spine, a chill that penetrated his very bones.

He was shocked by the peerless talent of this female Magus before him.

She was a Servant who had only just arrived last night, yet she had spent just one night to bypass the Holy Grail's jurisdiction, decipher the mechanism of the Command Spells, and even thoroughly remodel them!

Without god-like magical prowess, this would have been impossible.

Could this person be a Magus from the Age of Gods?

No, even a Magus from the Age of Gods couldn't have done this!

Someone capable of achieving this much could already be called a pinnacle...

"Kid, do you think this is okay?"

Admiration and fear were one thing.

But on the other hand, Makiri sensed a profound malice in the woman's actions.

"Hm? It's fine."

Shirou tilted his head innocently. "Even if it's only for three minutes, being able to enhance myself to fight a Servant is enough."

"That's not what I meant!"

The little yellow duck said indignantly, "This isn't a business without capital; it's essentially a loan.

To forcibly grow yourself to your ten-year-later form using Magic is equivalent to pre-paying a debt!

This thing can't be considered a Gift at all, only a Curse that will only lead you to deeper destruction and decay."

"But aren't 'miracles' precisely things like that?"

Shirou said as if it were obvious.

The strongest, most incredible great Magic he knew: Morgan's Spiritron Transfer.

That was a miracle that stepped into the realm of Magic.

With a wave of a staff, it could throw the "present" enemy into the "past" era.

Actual time travel--

It sounded beautiful, but it was a loan that forced the present's debt onto the past.

What Shirou was about to do was no different from Morgan.

"There are no free 'miracles' in this world, so as long as I can accept the price, I have no objections."

Shirou spoke words of utter madness in a completely rational tone, leaving Makiri speechless.

Indeed, even the true Five Great Magics couldn't eliminate entropy out of thin air.

But "being able to understand" and "being able to easily accept" were entirely different matters!

This brat...

"I do not agree with this plan," Makiri said coldly.